Reading the Bible every morning is a great way to start your day. I know that it is not easy to find time in your daily schedule to read the Bible but it is well worth it. The blessings that come from a daily reading of the Bible are clarity and direction for your life. Just the other day, we opened up the Word to 1 Kings 21 and received such blessings.
1 Kings 21 tells the story of King Ahab attempting to procure the vineyard of a local Jewish man named Naboth. The story begins when King Ahab makes a plea to buy the property that Naboth owns. He tells Naboth that his property is close to his palace and he would like to buy it for a good price and place his own garden there. Money is no object. What does Naboth want? A better than market value price? Perhaps a better vineyard somewhere else?
What ensues is a tale of human treachery and God intervention. King Ahab made an offer which was declined, but he was not willing to accept the answer that Naboth gave him. Naboth explained that he could not sell his land because the Lord gave the land to his tribe and to his people the Jews. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel did not accept this answer. Instead, they had a plan to bring him down so they could get their hands on this land which they coveted. They falsely accused him of treason and he was sentenced to death by stoning.
The King leads a powerful and privileged life, yet with all his power as the King of the Northern Kingdom of Israel he tantrums like a reality television star when he learns Naboth will not sell him his vineyard. He has not learned to be grateful for what he has and finds another man's property to be the object of his affection. It reminds me of the sort of discontent that Eve had in the Garden of Eden. "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; "but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said 'you shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die.'" Genesis 3:2-3
There are many King Ahab's in Westchester County, New York and in our world. People who think the world is their oyster and you had just better get out of the way! The week that I read 1 Kings 21, I also heard that a new Westchester luxury apartment building had gone up in flames. This fire appears to be no accident. This luxury building had just celebrated its' grand opening and would be welcoming new tenants shortly. But, now, all that was on hold as police and fire officials tried to determine who was responsible for this fire. The possibilities are : disgruntled construction workers, or community members unhappy with the development project. Thoughts of King Ahab come to mind as I think of the evil of setting a building on fire.
It seems that real estate deals and business not going someone's way has been and still is justification in some people's minds for doing ungodly and evil things. Those things can run the gambit from sabotage, arson, all the way to the taking of human life, as in the case of poor Naboth. There are consequences for all such actions. We may get the thing we want initially but what will be the cost in our life or the lives of others? Let us look at what happens to King Ahab.
He gets the vineyard alright, but in one generation his family reaps the consequences of his dastardly deed. Our families reep the consequences of our poor choices. Sometimes, the family tree grows crooked because we drink, we steal or manipulate. We kill goodness in our family everyday with harsh and cruel words. If you are jealous of your neighbors' cars or swimming pool, you are setting up the next generation on the wrong path. The Bible advises us to pray for our enemies and those who harm us. So, we start with prayer and we study God's instruction book, the Bible. We try to achieve our goals through appropriate channels, such as hard work, and democratic processes. In doing so we help to ensure success of future generations. We must role-model graciousness in defeat. Furthermore, we must keep in mind that God does intervene. He is a present help in times of trouble. He also tells us that judgement is His and He will repay. So, we resist the temptation to take justice into our own hand and rest in the comfort that God is in control..
Monday, May 29, 2017
Sunday, May 21, 2017
My Amish Adventures
Many readers may wonder why I would venture to put the words, Amish and Adventure within the same context. Perhaps, the popular view of the communities of people, whose religious beliefs and lifestyle seem to be old-fashioned, would make some people think that the life of the Amish person would lack excitement. However, a closer look would tell an opposite story.
I have been fascinated as long as I can remember with Amish thoughts on the Christian walk. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the beliefs of the Amish Christian denomination, here is a brief discussion. The Amish are what are known as Anabaptists, which refers to belief in an adult baptism. The movement started in the German speaking part of Switzerland and Germany. That is why, even today, most Amish speak a dialect of German.
This sixteenth century European movement began during a time of questioning Church beliefs, known as the Protestant Reformation. The people who began this movement felt as if the reforms occurring in the newly formed Protestant denominations did not go far enough toward addressing major issues of godly living.
Some of these issues were : Christian conduct and accountability. Certain biblical verses conveyed the importance of this, such as "come out from among them and be ye separate"- 2 Corinthians 6:17. "We must obey God rather than men"- Acts 5:29. And,"Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment"-Matthew 5:21-22.
The above verses reflect why Amish people choose to live and act in a way that continues to show that they are distinct from those around them. For example, they have consistently remained seperate and modest in dress. They have also maintained an admirable lack of violence in their communities and refused military service. In addition to this, a recent killing at an Amish schoolhouse showed the world just what radical Christian forgiveness is. Not bad for a people still clothed in nineteenth century garb!
As I write this, it is the last night of a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have visited this area many times over the years. The reasons are always the same. Seeking peace in the midst of a busy life, religious retreat and good, clean fun. My husband managed to get four days of vacation during a busy time at work. I knew these four days would give him a small reprieve from the rigors of his demanding job. I also planned this trip to coincide with a visit this month from my cousin. Cousin Jerry* is at a crossroads in his life.
Jerry had made some disasterous mistakes in the past five years. He also has been plagued with health problems, a divorce, family problems and financial disaster. Yet, in the midst of this, he also sought out God in a profound way. I was hoping that this time of wholesome good fun and godly reflection could work wonders in all our lives, but especially Jerry's. I did everything that I could to ensure this.
I booked rooms for us all at the Amishview Inn and Suites on Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. The hotel abuts Amish farmland and all the rooms offer views of the farmers working the land in traditional ways with no modern conveniences. The trucks and cars blend together in the landscape alongside horse and buggies. Old farmhouses with no electrical wires or telephone cables are in close proximity to the suburban sprawl that makes this a rural area with a twist.
The sense of God is everywhere. When in the area, I attend the Community Bible Church of Gordonville. It is there that we attended a Wednesday night Bible Study and Prayer Time. For me it was an amazing time of reflection and fellowship with a mature group of believers. Another godly activity that we enjoyed while in the area was the Sight and Sound Theatre. The theatre was started by a dairy farmer and his wife who dared to have a godly dream. It is now, the largest Christian Musical Theatre in the United States. It is dedicated to bringing Bible stories to the stage and mentoring young Christian performers. Now playing is the story of Jonah. Christians are doing amazing things in godly entertainment, so go support these endeavors.
Since cousin Jerry had begun attending a Messianic Jewish Congregation, I also thought he would be happy to see a reproduction of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness at the Mennonite Information Center. The woman who gave us our tour of the Tabernacle had worked there for nineteen years and had obviously devoted immense amounts of time to studying the Holy Tabernacle because she was a walking encyclopedia of its' facts. What a wonderful ministry! In fact, whenever I visit the Lancaster area, I always meet many people who have quietly spent many years devoted to some Christian endeavor that uplifts those around them and points to God. There is Eby Bed and Breakfast in Gordonville, a godly place to stay while in the area. Your home-cooked farm breakfast is accompanied by a Christian song or prayer.
Then there are the Amish. Quietly tending to the land and consistently producing the fruits, vegetables and meals that feed themselves and others. While keeping their hand to the plow, they also take care of their extended families, help community members in need and are courteous to rude visitors who trample their property and ask discourteous questions. There is much fruit in their lives. We can learn a lot from them.
*Names have been changed but the stories are true.
Some of these issues were : Christian conduct and accountability. Certain biblical verses conveyed the importance of this, such as "come out from among them and be ye separate"- 2 Corinthians 6:17. "We must obey God rather than men"- Acts 5:29. And,"Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgement: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment"-Matthew 5:21-22.
The above verses reflect why Amish people choose to live and act in a way that continues to show that they are distinct from those around them. For example, they have consistently remained seperate and modest in dress. They have also maintained an admirable lack of violence in their communities and refused military service. In addition to this, a recent killing at an Amish schoolhouse showed the world just what radical Christian forgiveness is. Not bad for a people still clothed in nineteenth century garb!
As I write this, it is the last night of a trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I have visited this area many times over the years. The reasons are always the same. Seeking peace in the midst of a busy life, religious retreat and good, clean fun. My husband managed to get four days of vacation during a busy time at work. I knew these four days would give him a small reprieve from the rigors of his demanding job. I also planned this trip to coincide with a visit this month from my cousin. Cousin Jerry* is at a crossroads in his life.
Jerry had made some disasterous mistakes in the past five years. He also has been plagued with health problems, a divorce, family problems and financial disaster. Yet, in the midst of this, he also sought out God in a profound way. I was hoping that this time of wholesome good fun and godly reflection could work wonders in all our lives, but especially Jerry's. I did everything that I could to ensure this.
I booked rooms for us all at the Amishview Inn and Suites on Old Philadelphia Pike in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania. The hotel abuts Amish farmland and all the rooms offer views of the farmers working the land in traditional ways with no modern conveniences. The trucks and cars blend together in the landscape alongside horse and buggies. Old farmhouses with no electrical wires or telephone cables are in close proximity to the suburban sprawl that makes this a rural area with a twist.
The sense of God is everywhere. When in the area, I attend the Community Bible Church of Gordonville. It is there that we attended a Wednesday night Bible Study and Prayer Time. For me it was an amazing time of reflection and fellowship with a mature group of believers. Another godly activity that we enjoyed while in the area was the Sight and Sound Theatre. The theatre was started by a dairy farmer and his wife who dared to have a godly dream. It is now, the largest Christian Musical Theatre in the United States. It is dedicated to bringing Bible stories to the stage and mentoring young Christian performers. Now playing is the story of Jonah. Christians are doing amazing things in godly entertainment, so go support these endeavors.
Since cousin Jerry had begun attending a Messianic Jewish Congregation, I also thought he would be happy to see a reproduction of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness at the Mennonite Information Center. The woman who gave us our tour of the Tabernacle had worked there for nineteen years and had obviously devoted immense amounts of time to studying the Holy Tabernacle because she was a walking encyclopedia of its' facts. What a wonderful ministry! In fact, whenever I visit the Lancaster area, I always meet many people who have quietly spent many years devoted to some Christian endeavor that uplifts those around them and points to God. There is Eby Bed and Breakfast in Gordonville, a godly place to stay while in the area. Your home-cooked farm breakfast is accompanied by a Christian song or prayer.
Then there are the Amish. Quietly tending to the land and consistently producing the fruits, vegetables and meals that feed themselves and others. While keeping their hand to the plow, they also take care of their extended families, help community members in need and are courteous to rude visitors who trample their property and ask discourteous questions. There is much fruit in their lives. We can learn a lot from them.
*Names have been changed but the stories are true.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Loving God And One Another
I. Loving God
Proverbs 18:24bKing James Version (KJV) 24b. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
God is our creator. He knew us even before we were born. He is not a distant God that is unconcerned with our lives. Sometimes our families let us down and so we imagine that God is that way. But, His ways are higher than our ways. So, no, God is not ever going to let us down.
2Peter 1:3-7 King James Version (KJV) 3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
Proverbs 18:24bKing James Version (KJV) 24b. There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.
God is our creator. He knew us even before we were born. He is not a distant God that is unconcerned with our lives. Sometimes our families let us down and so we imagine that God is that way. But, His ways are higher than our ways. So, no, God is not ever going to let us down.
Genesis 1:27King James Version (KJV) 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God created the natural world and He described it as "good." He is a God who connects with His creation. We are all special in God's eyes because He made us "in His image and likeness." From the beginning God's intention was to have a close relationship with us. Sin became a complicating factor when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God in the Garden of Eden. Ever since then, it became a little complicated.John 3:16King James Version (KJV) 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God planned a way to straighten out this big mess through the atoning death of His Son Jesus Christ. The Bible tells the story of how this all came about. The Bible tells us that no one comes to the Father except through (Jesus) the Son. Loving God first begins with developing a relationship to Jesus.1 Peter 1:15-17King James Version (KJV) 15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:
As we study the Bible, we see that God sets His people apart. He encourages us to be holy as He (God) is holy. So, we try to act with character and treat people fairly. We dress modestly and treat our bodies in a way that is concordant with the knowledge that God is present. We work hard, read the Bible and attend Church on Sunday. Our leisure time is spent engaging in worthy pursuits. We pray. In these ways we are loving God.2Peter 1:3-7 King James Version (KJV) 3According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
II. Loving One Another
Loving one another properly comes after we really get to know God. When we understand godly principles for living, we can see people as God does. The way God sees people is often in opposition to what we have learned. Sometimes we have learned that we are number one and that has encouraged us to treat others with less than the respect that they deserve. We think our needs come first so we use others in selfish ways and fail to serve. We might have learned that "men are dogs" or "women are goldiggers" or a variety of other incorrect things. The Bible teaches that this is not true and so God begins to heal our lives of wrong precepts. Then we learn virtue or right character in ourselves. We increase in knowledge of the Bible and before you know it our relationships improve with our bosses, spouses, children and neighbors.
Loving one another properly comes after we really get to know God. When we understand godly principles for living, we can see people as God does. The way God sees people is often in opposition to what we have learned. Sometimes we have learned that we are number one and that has encouraged us to treat others with less than the respect that they deserve. We think our needs come first so we use others in selfish ways and fail to serve. We might have learned that "men are dogs" or "women are goldiggers" or a variety of other incorrect things. The Bible teaches that this is not true and so God begins to heal our lives of wrong precepts. Then we learn virtue or right character in ourselves. We increase in knowledge of the Bible and before you know it our relationships improve with our bosses, spouses, children and neighbors.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
The Hokey-Pokey Is Not What It's All About!
Love thy neighbor as thyself. What does that mean to you? To me, it is one of the hardest mandates that Jesus gave to us. Here is the conversation that Jesus had about this topic :
Jesus told us that loving God and loving people are what this crazy life we live is really all about. We have to get up, take a shower, make breakfast and put out the garbage, but, loving God and one another is what it's all about. We have to get our kids dressed, fed, off to school and ourselves to work but, loving God and people are what it's all about. We have to decide what we will study in school and manage our career but, loving God and people are what it's all about. That is rather dramatic isn't it?
We often choose other priorities in our life and fail to choose love as the center of it. Some people are so jaded they don't think love even really exists. Maybe they have had some bad experiences with people and can't seem to get past that. But, in the above biblical verses, Jesus tells us that everything hinges upon love. Jesus is not jaded about love at all. It is not enough to just obey God. No, it should go deeper than that. The meaning of our life is to love God. Our life begins to get better when we do this. We can dutifully do the right thing at work and secretly hate our boss. Nope, that is not the meaning of love. Or, we can go to church every Sunday while ignoring how much we hate our next door neighbor for playing basketball when we are trying to sleep, but this is not loving God or your neighbor.
The growing narcissism in our world is a direct result of the decline of belief and love of the one-true God. The belief and following of false gods, throughout the Biblical discourse, and in present times, always results in the uptick of selfishness. As a society moves farther away from a God-centric point of view, the message of service to others becomes less of a priority. Marriage becomes less of a priority, and children can seem more of an incumbrance than the blessing they are. We lose the deep truth of why honoring our parents is so important and the results are apparent. Just look at the terrible neglect of elders in nursing homes. It used to be quite common for churches, Girl Scout troops and various civic groups to visit hospitals, nursing homes and the sick in our community. I had these experiences growing up but today I see less and less churches even keeping up with the elders among their own congregation. At the heart of all these societal problems is the problem of love!
NEXT THURSDAY: Some thoughts on how to better love God and one another.
Matthew 22:36-40King James Version (KJV)
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.Jesus told us that loving God and loving people are what this crazy life we live is really all about. We have to get up, take a shower, make breakfast and put out the garbage, but, loving God and one another is what it's all about. We have to get our kids dressed, fed, off to school and ourselves to work but, loving God and people are what it's all about. We have to decide what we will study in school and manage our career but, loving God and people are what it's all about. That is rather dramatic isn't it?
We often choose other priorities in our life and fail to choose love as the center of it. Some people are so jaded they don't think love even really exists. Maybe they have had some bad experiences with people and can't seem to get past that. But, in the above biblical verses, Jesus tells us that everything hinges upon love. Jesus is not jaded about love at all. It is not enough to just obey God. No, it should go deeper than that. The meaning of our life is to love God. Our life begins to get better when we do this. We can dutifully do the right thing at work and secretly hate our boss. Nope, that is not the meaning of love. Or, we can go to church every Sunday while ignoring how much we hate our next door neighbor for playing basketball when we are trying to sleep, but this is not loving God or your neighbor.
The growing narcissism in our world is a direct result of the decline of belief and love of the one-true God. The belief and following of false gods, throughout the Biblical discourse, and in present times, always results in the uptick of selfishness. As a society moves farther away from a God-centric point of view, the message of service to others becomes less of a priority. Marriage becomes less of a priority, and children can seem more of an incumbrance than the blessing they are. We lose the deep truth of why honoring our parents is so important and the results are apparent. Just look at the terrible neglect of elders in nursing homes. It used to be quite common for churches, Girl Scout troops and various civic groups to visit hospitals, nursing homes and the sick in our community. I had these experiences growing up but today I see less and less churches even keeping up with the elders among their own congregation. At the heart of all these societal problems is the problem of love!
NEXT THURSDAY: Some thoughts on how to better love God and one another.
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
When Churches Hurt
They say, April showers bring May flowers. And, indeed, there were green shoots and swollen sheathes covering emergent buds in my garden as I ran out, on a cold and rainy April morning. I was heading to Whole Foods in White Plains, New York to have some coffee and conversation. I was really looking forward to a break from my busy week.
Contractors have just completed five weeks of work on my kitchen remodel. I spent a lot of time and energy getting this project underway. It took me a long time to finally choose flooring, wallpaper, and appliances. I purchased unique cabinet pulls from the store Anthropolgie in the Westchester Mall. I bought a handmade Italian chandelier from La Dentelliere, a store located in charming downtown Scarsdale. I also highly recommend Marble Works if you live in Westchester and are looking for a new kitchen countertop. For the past two weeks, it seems that, every spare second that I have has been spent getting my kitchen back together. I'm still not done. I couldn't find my can opener the other night when I was making dinner. My husband had to take the can of diced tomatoes to his workshop and do something to it to get it opened. I really don't want to think about that too much.
So, although I felt a little guilty abandoning my ongoing job of reorganizing and repositioning every little citrus peeler and herb stripper into my new kitchen, I thought I could really use a break for my sanity. I was due to meet Lyndsey* at Whole Foods at 10:30 am. The next two hours after that, went by very quickly. Lyndsey and I shared coffee, and many meaningful topics of importance to each of us. One such topic concerned mistreatment by local churches. Unfortunately, this is far from a unique occurrence here in Westchester County. What can we learn from these dysfunctional churches and how can they improve? Over the years, I have dealt with instances of mistreatment in churches
(so have my family, and friends). From small to large all the incidents were downright sinful.
One such story involved Pastor C******. Pastor C***** was a gifted evangelist. When Kathy* invited me to her Church I was immediately aware of that. He expertly explained the Bible, and had the right mixture of stories added in to help people relate God's Word more to their lives. As time went on, I could see some abuse of power starting to drift in. When he disagreed with a ministry leader or a congregant, he played it out during services. He even slipped in references to the problem in his sermons. He used his power in the pulpit as a "bully pulpit" to disparage and argue his case. Nothing seemed righteous about that. The Pastor had departed from the perfect conflict resolution guide, the Bible. In the Gospel of Matthew 18:15, it talks of trying to settle a matter between two people by themselves, if possible. If that does not work, Pastor C******should have brought in another Christian to mediate, etc. His personal public relations stunts from the pulpit also intimidated congregants to do or think as he did or face the same public humiliation. This was worldly justice, not godly justice.
Then there was Emily,* a Christian from Michigan, who met her husband in college and ended up moving to the Westchester area. Her husband was a successful businessman. They had the perfect Tudor house on the best street in town. But, all was not well on the inside of that perfect Tudor house on the best street in town. Emily had been in denial about her ever increasing marital problems. After giving birth to the couples third child their problems seemed to go from bad to worse. Busier than ever with the ongoing needs of her children, she felt her husband grew even more distant just when she needed him most. Her family network was in Michigan, and that long distance just added to Emily's growing sense of isolation and loneliness.
Desperate one night, she headed out to a Midweek Prayer service in town. Earlier in the week, she had seen the sign on this beautiful stone edifice advertising a Midweek Prayer Service. Need prayer? Wednesday's -at 7 pm. What she described in her experience that evening, let me know what this church was really all about. Instead of uplifting her needs through prayer, they became quite
uncomfortable with Emily as she tearfully described her marital problems. Emily felt rejected and
alone, and more depressed than ever. She had broken an unspoken rule of this church without realizing it. That rule is: let's pray for Aunt Sally's hip replacement or for Joe to get a job but let's not talk about anything too unpleasant like marital trouble, drug addiction or mental illness. There is so much wrong with that, where do I begin?
Two more examples : when Pastor D**** went to a Pastors conference he came back a changed man. It was like he caught a virus. This virus makes you change the name of your church, be all about the youth, the numbers and open a coffee bar. He also announced that his new philosophy included "not worrying so much about you if you were saved." Yes, Jesus left the whole flock of sheep to save the one lost sheep, but what Pastor D**** was suggesting did not seem to fit the full picture of the Good Shepherd. Then there was the Church of ******. When a friend heard that I was going to a church picnic there, she emailed a newspaper article to me suggesting this church is one of two cults operating in Westchester County (the other is the Rev. Moon's Church). I read how former members of that church felt pressured to give a certain amount of money weekly and how their personal lives were closely monitored and controlled. Why is it so many churches get it so wrong? The obvious answer is sin. The not so obvious answers are biblical illiteracy or interpretation errors.
Let's examine these few stories and see our first point of interest : leadership problems. To clarify, let me start by saying that Jesus is the head of our Church and all priests, pastors, and believers are under His authority. Once, the Israelites were ruled solely by God Almighty. That is, until the people demanded a King as well. The story of King Saul's corruption and abuse of power points us to the fact that it is best to be ruled by God alone. It also points to the struggle that mankind has to correctly administer the authority that is given us. King David, the next King of Israel, although flawed, chose repentance. David's story helps us to realize that our Pastors will not be perfect but the humble and
repentant among them may, "be a man after (God's) mine own heart."-1 Samuel 13:14. King Solomon's sin caused the Kingdom of Israel to be divided. From this we learn that sin by our church leaders have serious consequences.
The second point of interest in the above stories regards prayer and worship. The Bible makes it clear that we can't fake it with God Almighty. But, that doesn't stop us from trying to fake it with
God and with one another. We see this in our communities, including our churches. Sometimes we are more interested in impressing one another than we are in the truth. We are afraid people would judge us if they knew the truth about us. Or sometimes, we just want to feel superior to other people. This is not okay with God. The truth is, we need to beseech God frequently concerning the topics of marital problems, addictions and mental health problems since all communities face these issues. We need to be a comfort to those individuals and families struggling in these areas. We should examine our conscience to see if we can be more loving in these sorts of situations. Remember God answers prayers. How can we miss even one opportunity at Midweek to pray with energy and fervor concerning the real needs facing each and everyone of us?
As for Pastor D**** or Church of ******, they are examples of churches trying to make it happen all by themselves. Pastor D**** is now running his church like a business. He is following all the
trends, but I do not remember hearing him hold a prayer service before making large changes to the
church, something even a godly business owner would do. I'm not sure Pastor D**** would even
know what to do if an electromagnetic pulse destroyed his ability to post his selfies on social media.
Words of wisdom for Pastor D**** are that God will direct and that God isn't just about the youth.
God created us with free will. So, the desire to control our congregants is in opposition to our creator's plan for us. It is understandable that a church, such as Church of ******, or an individual
would want to control those around them. We see parents who are too controlling. We see this occurring in dating situations. However, this is not God's way and we need to try to get in line with His (God's) way of doing things. This is what ultimately shows the power of God. Here are some Bible verses to inspire us.
I. LEADERSHIP
*Names are changed.
Contractors have just completed five weeks of work on my kitchen remodel. I spent a lot of time and energy getting this project underway. It took me a long time to finally choose flooring, wallpaper, and appliances. I purchased unique cabinet pulls from the store Anthropolgie in the Westchester Mall. I bought a handmade Italian chandelier from La Dentelliere, a store located in charming downtown Scarsdale. I also highly recommend Marble Works if you live in Westchester and are looking for a new kitchen countertop. For the past two weeks, it seems that, every spare second that I have has been spent getting my kitchen back together. I'm still not done. I couldn't find my can opener the other night when I was making dinner. My husband had to take the can of diced tomatoes to his workshop and do something to it to get it opened. I really don't want to think about that too much.
So, although I felt a little guilty abandoning my ongoing job of reorganizing and repositioning every little citrus peeler and herb stripper into my new kitchen, I thought I could really use a break for my sanity. I was due to meet Lyndsey* at Whole Foods at 10:30 am. The next two hours after that, went by very quickly. Lyndsey and I shared coffee, and many meaningful topics of importance to each of us. One such topic concerned mistreatment by local churches. Unfortunately, this is far from a unique occurrence here in Westchester County. What can we learn from these dysfunctional churches and how can they improve? Over the years, I have dealt with instances of mistreatment in churches
(so have my family, and friends). From small to large all the incidents were downright sinful.
One such story involved Pastor C******. Pastor C***** was a gifted evangelist. When Kathy* invited me to her Church I was immediately aware of that. He expertly explained the Bible, and had the right mixture of stories added in to help people relate God's Word more to their lives. As time went on, I could see some abuse of power starting to drift in. When he disagreed with a ministry leader or a congregant, he played it out during services. He even slipped in references to the problem in his sermons. He used his power in the pulpit as a "bully pulpit" to disparage and argue his case. Nothing seemed righteous about that. The Pastor had departed from the perfect conflict resolution guide, the Bible. In the Gospel of Matthew 18:15, it talks of trying to settle a matter between two people by themselves, if possible. If that does not work, Pastor C******should have brought in another Christian to mediate, etc. His personal public relations stunts from the pulpit also intimidated congregants to do or think as he did or face the same public humiliation. This was worldly justice, not godly justice.
Then there was Emily,* a Christian from Michigan, who met her husband in college and ended up moving to the Westchester area. Her husband was a successful businessman. They had the perfect Tudor house on the best street in town. But, all was not well on the inside of that perfect Tudor house on the best street in town. Emily had been in denial about her ever increasing marital problems. After giving birth to the couples third child their problems seemed to go from bad to worse. Busier than ever with the ongoing needs of her children, she felt her husband grew even more distant just when she needed him most. Her family network was in Michigan, and that long distance just added to Emily's growing sense of isolation and loneliness.
Desperate one night, she headed out to a Midweek Prayer service in town. Earlier in the week, she had seen the sign on this beautiful stone edifice advertising a Midweek Prayer Service. Need prayer? Wednesday's -at 7 pm. What she described in her experience that evening, let me know what this church was really all about. Instead of uplifting her needs through prayer, they became quite
uncomfortable with Emily as she tearfully described her marital problems. Emily felt rejected and
alone, and more depressed than ever. She had broken an unspoken rule of this church without realizing it. That rule is: let's pray for Aunt Sally's hip replacement or for Joe to get a job but let's not talk about anything too unpleasant like marital trouble, drug addiction or mental illness. There is so much wrong with that, where do I begin?
Two more examples : when Pastor D**** went to a Pastors conference he came back a changed man. It was like he caught a virus. This virus makes you change the name of your church, be all about the youth, the numbers and open a coffee bar. He also announced that his new philosophy included "not worrying so much about you if you were saved." Yes, Jesus left the whole flock of sheep to save the one lost sheep, but what Pastor D**** was suggesting did not seem to fit the full picture of the Good Shepherd. Then there was the Church of ******. When a friend heard that I was going to a church picnic there, she emailed a newspaper article to me suggesting this church is one of two cults operating in Westchester County (the other is the Rev. Moon's Church). I read how former members of that church felt pressured to give a certain amount of money weekly and how their personal lives were closely monitored and controlled. Why is it so many churches get it so wrong? The obvious answer is sin. The not so obvious answers are biblical illiteracy or interpretation errors.
Let's examine these few stories and see our first point of interest : leadership problems. To clarify, let me start by saying that Jesus is the head of our Church and all priests, pastors, and believers are under His authority. Once, the Israelites were ruled solely by God Almighty. That is, until the people demanded a King as well. The story of King Saul's corruption and abuse of power points us to the fact that it is best to be ruled by God alone. It also points to the struggle that mankind has to correctly administer the authority that is given us. King David, the next King of Israel, although flawed, chose repentance. David's story helps us to realize that our Pastors will not be perfect but the humble and
repentant among them may, "be a man after (God's) mine own heart."-1 Samuel 13:14. King Solomon's sin caused the Kingdom of Israel to be divided. From this we learn that sin by our church leaders have serious consequences.
The second point of interest in the above stories regards prayer and worship. The Bible makes it clear that we can't fake it with God Almighty. But, that doesn't stop us from trying to fake it with
God and with one another. We see this in our communities, including our churches. Sometimes we are more interested in impressing one another than we are in the truth. We are afraid people would judge us if they knew the truth about us. Or sometimes, we just want to feel superior to other people. This is not okay with God. The truth is, we need to beseech God frequently concerning the topics of marital problems, addictions and mental health problems since all communities face these issues. We need to be a comfort to those individuals and families struggling in these areas. We should examine our conscience to see if we can be more loving in these sorts of situations. Remember God answers prayers. How can we miss even one opportunity at Midweek to pray with energy and fervor concerning the real needs facing each and everyone of us?
As for Pastor D**** or Church of ******, they are examples of churches trying to make it happen all by themselves. Pastor D**** is now running his church like a business. He is following all the
trends, but I do not remember hearing him hold a prayer service before making large changes to the
church, something even a godly business owner would do. I'm not sure Pastor D**** would even
know what to do if an electromagnetic pulse destroyed his ability to post his selfies on social media.
Words of wisdom for Pastor D**** are that God will direct and that God isn't just about the youth.
God created us with free will. So, the desire to control our congregants is in opposition to our creator's plan for us. It is understandable that a church, such as Church of ******, or an individual
would want to control those around them. We see parents who are too controlling. We see this occurring in dating situations. However, this is not God's way and we need to try to get in line with His (God's) way of doing things. This is what ultimately shows the power of God. Here are some Bible verses to inspire us.
I. LEADERSHIP
Exodus 18:21King James Version (KJV)
21 Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
1 Peter 2:9King James Version (KJV)
9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
II. PRAYER
James 5:16King James Version (KJV)
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Psalm 35:13King James Version (KJV)
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with
fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
III. COMPASSION
1 Samuel 23:21
21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.
1 Corinthians 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass,or a tinkling cymbal.
21 And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me.
1 Corinthians 13
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as a sounding brass,or a tinkling cymbal.
*Names are changed.
Friday, April 14, 2017
Passover to Easter
In recent years I have chosen to include elements of the Passover Seder in my Easter celebration. I now can't imagine Easter without the matzo. There are many foods which symbolize the story of Passover but none more so than the matzo. The bread with no leavening agent could be quickly prepared and eaten as God's plan for the Jewish people was dramatically coming into fruition. If you would like to know more about Passover, read Exodus, the second book in the Bible. Exodus 12:14 tells us : Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses. For whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. Leaven throughout the Bible is symbolic of sin. As I eat the matzo, I recall 1Corinthians 5:7 which says : "Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ our Passover, was sacrificed for us."
Another Passover tradition that points to Jesus is the hiding of the matzo at the beginning of the Seder. A matzo is broken in half and a piece of it is wrapped in linen or a napkin and hidden until the end of the meal. There are many traditions and explanations concerning why this is done. But, it most definitely represents the Moshiach or Messiah to come. In essence, as the first redemption of the Jewish people is celebrated during Passover, there is another hidden redemption yet to come. This broken matzo so clearly represents Jesus being broken for us. The sinless or leaven-free bread is symbolic of our sinless Lord. The linen or cloth is like the funeral garb that Jesus wore. Further, the matzo is hidden as Jesus was hidden behind the stone. And just as Jesus was resurrected, this matzo reappears at meals end.
God had chosen the Jewish people for a very unique role in history. He had chosen them to be separate and different from those around them and to enter into a special relationship with Him. A relationship that still exists today. Being in a relationship with God gave them: rights, responsibilities and protection. That relationship would come to include circumcision, a miraculous escape from Egypt, and the gift of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. As the time of Passover came for the enslaved Jews of Egypt, the long-awaited promise that God had made to Abraham, of a homeland for his people, had finally arrived.
For the past two years, I have bought matzo shmurah which is made by hand at the Lubavitch Matzoh Bakery in Brooklyn, N.Y. Shmurah is from the Hebrew word meaning watched. This Word refers to the responsibility that God gave the Jewish people to tell the story of Passover. It means that the special Passover bread is watched, throughout its entire production from crops to final production, to ensure that no chametz (leaven) is present. I find immense meaning in this. The message of the Bible is to tell the story and in doing so, we continue in it and give others a chance to know the Lord God almighty. A profound connection exists between Passover and Easter, including the fact that Jesus' last supper was a Passover Seder. Adding elements of the Passover Seder in my Easter celebration has helped me be ever mindful of how God's redemption of the Jewish people preshadowed His ultimate plan of salvation for all mankind.
Another Passover tradition that points to Jesus is the hiding of the matzo at the beginning of the Seder. A matzo is broken in half and a piece of it is wrapped in linen or a napkin and hidden until the end of the meal. There are many traditions and explanations concerning why this is done. But, it most definitely represents the Moshiach or Messiah to come. In essence, as the first redemption of the Jewish people is celebrated during Passover, there is another hidden redemption yet to come. This broken matzo so clearly represents Jesus being broken for us. The sinless or leaven-free bread is symbolic of our sinless Lord. The linen or cloth is like the funeral garb that Jesus wore. Further, the matzo is hidden as Jesus was hidden behind the stone. And just as Jesus was resurrected, this matzo reappears at meals end.
God had chosen the Jewish people for a very unique role in history. He had chosen them to be separate and different from those around them and to enter into a special relationship with Him. A relationship that still exists today. Being in a relationship with God gave them: rights, responsibilities and protection. That relationship would come to include circumcision, a miraculous escape from Egypt, and the gift of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. As the time of Passover came for the enslaved Jews of Egypt, the long-awaited promise that God had made to Abraham, of a homeland for his people, had finally arrived.
For the past two years, I have bought matzo shmurah which is made by hand at the Lubavitch Matzoh Bakery in Brooklyn, N.Y. Shmurah is from the Hebrew word meaning watched. This Word refers to the responsibility that God gave the Jewish people to tell the story of Passover. It means that the special Passover bread is watched, throughout its entire production from crops to final production, to ensure that no chametz (leaven) is present. I find immense meaning in this. The message of the Bible is to tell the story and in doing so, we continue in it and give others a chance to know the Lord God almighty. A profound connection exists between Passover and Easter, including the fact that Jesus' last supper was a Passover Seder. Adding elements of the Passover Seder in my Easter celebration has helped me be ever mindful of how God's redemption of the Jewish people preshadowed His ultimate plan of salvation for all mankind.
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Resurrection Apostasy?
A recent visit to the library with a Christian friend inspired this weeks' blog post.
In the weeks before Easter, my thoughts turn to decorating my home to celebrate this upcoming holiday. Then, I decide on a menu for the day. This menu invariably includes the traditional lamb, ham in some form, and spring vegetables such as carrots and asparagus. Somewhere in the scurry of activities there is always Easter egg decorating.
Over the years, I and my children have done everything that can possibly be done to an egg. We have dyed them with vegetables, bedazzled, decoupaged, and tried the traditional Ukrainian decorating technique with wax and stylus to create "pysanka." As a Christian, I have always been mindful to remind my children of the meaning of the holiday, emphasizing the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as propitiation for us all. In age appropriate ways, I also made them aware of the pagan background of many of our current Easter customs.
When you decide to live the Christian life, you will begin to see the constant confrontation of pagan context to your daily life. No where is the war more prevalent than in our life celebrations. This war was again brought to mind when a Christian friend saw me peruse a book at the local library about Easter egg decorating. Perhaps not in a library voice he opinied that, "no Christian should be decorating Easter eggs or having Easter egg hunts." He also has let me know on a number of occasions that he would prefer to call it, "Ressurection Day" instead of "Easter." My first thought was here we go again, it's the holiday wars! We could equally be talking about Halloween or even the traditions of Christmas.
Of course my friend is probably correct in his assertation that the name "Easter" derives from the name of a goddess figure from German culture named Ēostre. (Although scholars have argued for centuries that a goddess by that name never existed.) My friend further correctly points out that the Easter egg itself is rooted in ancient pagan beliefs. The egg represented the rebirth of the earth in spring to many a culture who had cold and snowy winters. It was a reminder that just as the egg broke forth with new life (chick), that the earth would burst forth with the new life of spring. It goes well beyond that of course with worship of the sun and fertility practices associated with these beliefs.
When Christianity came into many of these cultures it tried to appropriate the words and symbols of the various Spring festivals to point to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Did these Christians ever completely succeed in dispelling ancient pagan practices and beliefs? I believe the answer is no. The traditional Ukrainian Easter egg tells the story. In it you will see symbols of its' ancient religion as well as Christianity. What are some of the things that we have come to mix-in with this Christian celebration? For starters, there is a mythical gift giver called the Easter Bunny. Then chocolate, jelly beans and ham. As we approach the holiest day on the Christian calendar we find ourselves hiding eggs with gifts inside or organizing masses of hysterical children into relay teams trying to pass eggs from one to the other via a spoon. Does this seem right?
Yet, I have been hesitant to completely stop the cultural practices just described. Every year I ask myself if it is possible to have Jesus' death and resurrection as the defining core of my existence and still give a nod to prevalent cultural practices. Most people don't even know who the ancient goddess Ēostre is, let alone worship her. If the theory that there never was a goddess with that exact name is correct, what are we even arguing about? Can we as Christians just enjoy decorating eggs or our homes to celebrate the joys of the spring season for fun without compromising our walk with the Lord?
The only churches that have successfully excised all ancient pagan spring practices from their midst seem to be those who have cut themselves off from the greater culture in some huge way. Yet, the Bible tells us to "be in the world and not of it." I think we do have to work really hard to make sure that God is the center of all our celebrations. We can not afford to be naive about how what starts out as an innocent game or tradition might compromise our faith in God. So, be careful and be aware that we as Christians walk on a narrow path. The Bible is the story of people who had these very dilemmas. People who lived in cultures which were in opposition to our God. They had to say no to some things, they had to fight for their beliefs and so must we. I pray that Almighty God strengthens each and every one of us.
Next Week : Continuing thoughts on Easter.
In the weeks before Easter, my thoughts turn to decorating my home to celebrate this upcoming holiday. Then, I decide on a menu for the day. This menu invariably includes the traditional lamb, ham in some form, and spring vegetables such as carrots and asparagus. Somewhere in the scurry of activities there is always Easter egg decorating.
Over the years, I and my children have done everything that can possibly be done to an egg. We have dyed them with vegetables, bedazzled, decoupaged, and tried the traditional Ukrainian decorating technique with wax and stylus to create "pysanka." As a Christian, I have always been mindful to remind my children of the meaning of the holiday, emphasizing the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ as propitiation for us all. In age appropriate ways, I also made them aware of the pagan background of many of our current Easter customs.
When you decide to live the Christian life, you will begin to see the constant confrontation of pagan context to your daily life. No where is the war more prevalent than in our life celebrations. This war was again brought to mind when a Christian friend saw me peruse a book at the local library about Easter egg decorating. Perhaps not in a library voice he opinied that, "no Christian should be decorating Easter eggs or having Easter egg hunts." He also has let me know on a number of occasions that he would prefer to call it, "Ressurection Day" instead of "Easter." My first thought was here we go again, it's the holiday wars! We could equally be talking about Halloween or even the traditions of Christmas.
Of course my friend is probably correct in his assertation that the name "Easter" derives from the name of a goddess figure from German culture named Ēostre. (Although scholars have argued for centuries that a goddess by that name never existed.) My friend further correctly points out that the Easter egg itself is rooted in ancient pagan beliefs. The egg represented the rebirth of the earth in spring to many a culture who had cold and snowy winters. It was a reminder that just as the egg broke forth with new life (chick), that the earth would burst forth with the new life of spring. It goes well beyond that of course with worship of the sun and fertility practices associated with these beliefs.
When Christianity came into many of these cultures it tried to appropriate the words and symbols of the various Spring festivals to point to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Did these Christians ever completely succeed in dispelling ancient pagan practices and beliefs? I believe the answer is no. The traditional Ukrainian Easter egg tells the story. In it you will see symbols of its' ancient religion as well as Christianity. What are some of the things that we have come to mix-in with this Christian celebration? For starters, there is a mythical gift giver called the Easter Bunny. Then chocolate, jelly beans and ham. As we approach the holiest day on the Christian calendar we find ourselves hiding eggs with gifts inside or organizing masses of hysterical children into relay teams trying to pass eggs from one to the other via a spoon. Does this seem right?
Yet, I have been hesitant to completely stop the cultural practices just described. Every year I ask myself if it is possible to have Jesus' death and resurrection as the defining core of my existence and still give a nod to prevalent cultural practices. Most people don't even know who the ancient goddess Ēostre is, let alone worship her. If the theory that there never was a goddess with that exact name is correct, what are we even arguing about? Can we as Christians just enjoy decorating eggs or our homes to celebrate the joys of the spring season for fun without compromising our walk with the Lord?
The only churches that have successfully excised all ancient pagan spring practices from their midst seem to be those who have cut themselves off from the greater culture in some huge way. Yet, the Bible tells us to "be in the world and not of it." I think we do have to work really hard to make sure that God is the center of all our celebrations. We can not afford to be naive about how what starts out as an innocent game or tradition might compromise our faith in God. So, be careful and be aware that we as Christians walk on a narrow path. The Bible is the story of people who had these very dilemmas. People who lived in cultures which were in opposition to our God. They had to say no to some things, they had to fight for their beliefs and so must we. I pray that Almighty God strengthens each and every one of us.
Next Week : Continuing thoughts on Easter.
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Are You Mary or Martha?
When I first moved to Westchester County, New York one of the first orders of business was finding a Church to attend. I saw a charming little chapel not far from where I lived. Soon my family started to attend services there. For me, I think there is a nice dynamic in a small church. In general, it is easier to meet and get to know people. So, it was that I got to know the ladies of St. **********. One day at the church's coffee hour, I heard Hugette* complain that all the same women always seemed to do all the work. She wished more women would pitch in and roll up their sleeves to help. Being new at the church, I thought this was the perfect opportunity for me to get involved.
I introduced myself and offered to help with the upcoming,"tag sale." I was really happy about this too. Having run many successful tag sales at my house over the years, I thought I could be a help to my church. I asked them what I could do to assist their efforts? They needed several signs printed up to place on tables and tags for the different categories of items on sale. They asked me to handle this and to arrive two evenings before the sale to sort and arrange the items for sale.
I did as they requested but was surprised to see that the signs and price tags which I had bought and printed up were not needed. In fact, even though I arrived on time to assist in sorting and arranging items for sale, all the work had already been done. Thinking perhaps there was a failure in communication among the ladies of the women's ministry, I tried to go with the flow. On the first day of the tag sale, I was asked to man the vintage clothing table.
The entire day, Hugette and her mother Josephine*, second guessed and undid everything that I did. Over time, I began to understand what this behavior was. Hugette and Josephine constantly complained about having to do all the work, yet when someone offered to help them, they were unable to let go of control. Do you know anyone like that?
Maybe you work with them, or you are married to them? Perhaps you have run into them at the school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting or at your church? Does this story brings to mind a parent? What Hugette and Josephine don't understand is how they have created their own personal hell. On the one hand, they claim to be frustrated, exhausted and at their wits end. On the other hand, their perfectionistic standards are impossible to meet. Their constant orchestration of every event is overbearing.
Some of the ladies at this church even bragged that they probably had a little O.C.D. That seems to be a comment that I hear all the time in Westchester. While the struggles of O.C.D.(obsessive compulsive disorder) can sometimes necessitate medical intervention, to a certain extent it can also help the individual to excel in their field of endeavor. We live in a world, where the standards are getting higher and higher. Children are under a lot of stress trying to meet the demands of school and extra-curricular activities. They have to be good at everything it seems. It has been said that the teachers place pressure upon their students, in part, to advance their professional standing and that of their school. Are we losing sight of anything?
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
I introduced myself and offered to help with the upcoming,"tag sale." I was really happy about this too. Having run many successful tag sales at my house over the years, I thought I could be a help to my church. I asked them what I could do to assist their efforts? They needed several signs printed up to place on tables and tags for the different categories of items on sale. They asked me to handle this and to arrive two evenings before the sale to sort and arrange the items for sale.
I did as they requested but was surprised to see that the signs and price tags which I had bought and printed up were not needed. In fact, even though I arrived on time to assist in sorting and arranging items for sale, all the work had already been done. Thinking perhaps there was a failure in communication among the ladies of the women's ministry, I tried to go with the flow. On the first day of the tag sale, I was asked to man the vintage clothing table.
The entire day, Hugette and her mother Josephine*, second guessed and undid everything that I did. Over time, I began to understand what this behavior was. Hugette and Josephine constantly complained about having to do all the work, yet when someone offered to help them, they were unable to let go of control. Do you know anyone like that?
Maybe you work with them, or you are married to them? Perhaps you have run into them at the school Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting or at your church? Does this story brings to mind a parent? What Hugette and Josephine don't understand is how they have created their own personal hell. On the one hand, they claim to be frustrated, exhausted and at their wits end. On the other hand, their perfectionistic standards are impossible to meet. Their constant orchestration of every event is overbearing.
Some of the ladies at this church even bragged that they probably had a little O.C.D. That seems to be a comment that I hear all the time in Westchester. While the struggles of O.C.D.(obsessive compulsive disorder) can sometimes necessitate medical intervention, to a certain extent it can also help the individual to excel in their field of endeavor. We live in a world, where the standards are getting higher and higher. Children are under a lot of stress trying to meet the demands of school and extra-curricular activities. They have to be good at everything it seems. It has been said that the teachers place pressure upon their students, in part, to advance their professional standing and that of their school. Are we losing sight of anything?
Luke 10:38-42King James Version (KJV)
38 Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40 But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
As we reflect upon the story of St. ********** Church or on our own lives, these scripture verses can help us clarify a few things. Are you a Mary or are you a Martha? Have you experienced anger or felt overwhelmed at Christmas or Thanksgiving? Are you a perfectionistic? Has someone ever called you controlling? Are you like Hugette or Josephine who feels frustrated with the incompetence all around you? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may be a Martha.
We see in Luke 49:40 that Martha is "cumbered with much serving." As a woman, I know just what that means. Martha has Jesus and His followers arriving and this requires food and hospitality. There is a lot of work both before, during and after guests arrival that must be attended to. However, as I read this verse, I see something more. The work that is required is one thing, but my sense is that Martha's view of the job is undermining the situation.
How often has that happened to you? We are often our own worst enemy. We work ourselves into a frenzy and blow things way out of proportion. We end up screaming at our husband, our wife or our child. Even though the decorations and food are fine, we can't leave it alone. We drive ourselves and eveyone around us crazy. Why do we do that? Doesn't fighting or being stressed out defeat the whole purpose of any event? Sometimes, we are trying to get praise for ourselves or sometimes we have families which taught us to be Martha and not Mary.
I have friends whose main memories of Christmas were negative due to the stress that the decorating and family gatherings generated in their families. Isn't that a shame? But there is something that we can do about it. Going back to verse 40 in Luke's tenth chapter, we see that Martha thinks that there is only one way of looking at the situation, but there isn't. Jesus points out another way for her and us to see things.
Martha is anxious. She is also very angry at Mary thinking that she is not doing her part that day. She even accuses Jesus of not caring in that verse! I have seen many a woman believe that her husband does not care because his standards of entertaining are not what hers are. Instead, we need to understand that Jesus, and indeed very often our husbands, care about hospitality but see the job differently than we do. In verse 41 we see this reflected in Jesus' reply to Martha.
He understands and notes in verse 41 that Martha is a detail oriented person, and perhaps a worrier. She attends to business beautifully but in the hyper-focus of those tasks she is missing the spiritual significance that exists in every moment of that task. She is overdoing things and taking things well beyond where they should be. Martha is interjecting tension and anxiety into what should be a happy time.
Going back to verse 40, we even see how desperate Martha is to control the situation. We see her try to manipulate Jesus to get Mary to do things her way. How sad when we resort to manipulation to achieve our goals. Jesus directs her to a deeper more eternal truth. What good is it to have the perfect Christmas if it is so fraught with tension that the memory forevermore is bad? Do we want more people to help at Church? Then we must be sure that we are not discouraging people as Hugette did. Why host Jesus at your home and not sit at His feet as Mary did? In Luke 10:42, we see that the answer for us, if we are a Martha, is to keep Jesus the focus of our world. This changes our perception of the work that we do at church, at the office and in our home. Let's make everything that we do today glorify God!
********* a church in Westchester, N.Y.
* the names are slightly changed.
As we reflect upon the story of St. ********** Church or on our own lives, these scripture verses can help us clarify a few things. Are you a Mary or are you a Martha? Have you experienced anger or felt overwhelmed at Christmas or Thanksgiving? Are you a perfectionistic? Has someone ever called you controlling? Are you like Hugette or Josephine who feels frustrated with the incompetence all around you? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you may be a Martha.
We see in Luke 49:40 that Martha is "cumbered with much serving." As a woman, I know just what that means. Martha has Jesus and His followers arriving and this requires food and hospitality. There is a lot of work both before, during and after guests arrival that must be attended to. However, as I read this verse, I see something more. The work that is required is one thing, but my sense is that Martha's view of the job is undermining the situation.
How often has that happened to you? We are often our own worst enemy. We work ourselves into a frenzy and blow things way out of proportion. We end up screaming at our husband, our wife or our child. Even though the decorations and food are fine, we can't leave it alone. We drive ourselves and eveyone around us crazy. Why do we do that? Doesn't fighting or being stressed out defeat the whole purpose of any event? Sometimes, we are trying to get praise for ourselves or sometimes we have families which taught us to be Martha and not Mary.
I have friends whose main memories of Christmas were negative due to the stress that the decorating and family gatherings generated in their families. Isn't that a shame? But there is something that we can do about it. Going back to verse 40 in Luke's tenth chapter, we see that Martha thinks that there is only one way of looking at the situation, but there isn't. Jesus points out another way for her and us to see things.
Martha is anxious. She is also very angry at Mary thinking that she is not doing her part that day. She even accuses Jesus of not caring in that verse! I have seen many a woman believe that her husband does not care because his standards of entertaining are not what hers are. Instead, we need to understand that Jesus, and indeed very often our husbands, care about hospitality but see the job differently than we do. In verse 41 we see this reflected in Jesus' reply to Martha.
He understands and notes in verse 41 that Martha is a detail oriented person, and perhaps a worrier. She attends to business beautifully but in the hyper-focus of those tasks she is missing the spiritual significance that exists in every moment of that task. She is overdoing things and taking things well beyond where they should be. Martha is interjecting tension and anxiety into what should be a happy time.
Going back to verse 40, we even see how desperate Martha is to control the situation. We see her try to manipulate Jesus to get Mary to do things her way. How sad when we resort to manipulation to achieve our goals. Jesus directs her to a deeper more eternal truth. What good is it to have the perfect Christmas if it is so fraught with tension that the memory forevermore is bad? Do we want more people to help at Church? Then we must be sure that we are not discouraging people as Hugette did. Why host Jesus at your home and not sit at His feet as Mary did? In Luke 10:42, we see that the answer for us, if we are a Martha, is to keep Jesus the focus of our world. This changes our perception of the work that we do at church, at the office and in our home. Let's make everything that we do today glorify God!
********* a church in Westchester, N.Y.
Monday, March 20, 2017
Midlife meltdowns-Part 2
The midlife crisis is a turning point for those experiencing it. It is important to heed the message that it gives us and decide what changes we need to make in our life. The message often comes in the form of a harsh and painful reality, such as an adultery, a health crisis or spiritual disappointment. Sometimes we come to learn a teenage son or daughter has been engaged in drug or alcohol use. Whatever truth comes to light, we have a moral imperative to confront and cope with the task before us. For many, it is their first opportunity to understand the plan that God has for their life.
Mácio* had many blessings : a wife, son, and a lovely home. The thing that most of his energy went to however, was his business. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Mácio had met and networked with many famous movers and shakers in the entertainment world. He used these connections to establish a business important in the industry. When he arrived at midlife the consequences of the life he had lived reached their natural conclusion. Soon the doors would be shuttered on his multi-million dollar business. But, there is more.
Used to managing and directing the dozens of employees at his company, he wasn't equipped to accept or understand the rebellion of his teenage son. His domineering ways were tolerated in an industry filled with "prima donna's" but home was a different story. Mason* had his own thoughts and dreams and they were very different from those of his father. Mácio never had time to attend the events or do the things important to his son. Instead, he dragged Mason to entertainment events that he had no interest in. When Mason was a youngster, he feigned interest in his father's world. He wanted attention and his father's approval. Now, he is just full of anger.
Psalm 16:11-You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." This verse from Psalms is a great starting point as you begin to unravel the knots that you have tied in your life. In the beginning of the verse it states that, "You will show me the path." That "You" referred to, is God Almighty. When we let God show us the path that we should be on, the tangled web we have woven for ourselves and others will begin to straighten out. Mácio, just like a lot of us, stopped depending on God as he make decisions for his household and in business dealings. Although Mácio attended Church, he had stopped being grateful to God for all his blessings and no longer went to God in prayer for guidance. As a result, his life started to slip.
Denise* was in a similar situation. While Denise had been introduced to Jesus in a Bible study at her college, it wasn't until midlife crisis that she finally accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Although she regularly attended Women's Ministry events aimed at growing her relationship with the Lord, she remained a person who was a reader of the Word and not a doer of the Word. It was always Denise knows best. After all, it was her wits and instinct that allowed her to survive her childhood, she thought. She never knew her father, and her mother's disasterous marriage to another man brought Denise a first class ticket into the world of domestic abuse. Her step-father beat her mother so badly that she almost lost an eye. She told me that for years she would run home after school fearful that this man would have killed her mother. I'm not sure that Denise completely trusted the Lord to protect her even now.
Denise was a warrior woman who never let her guard down. She was always fighting. But now in midlife, she was just another case of midlife burnout. She had accomplished so much in her life that I get tired just thinking about it. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, she went from a one bedroom apartment where four people lived to a beautiful home situated in one of the best school districts in Westchester County, New York. Against all odds, she had attended medical school and now has a practice in New York City. But everything has not been rosy for this highly accomplished woman. She had already undergone a divorce, been the victim of crime and struggled with loneliness by the time I had met her. Her personal relationships were troubled, and her daughter was the antithesis of what she expected her to be. Everything, except her job, was a struggle for Denise and she was tired.
More than anything, she wanted a man in her life. She had met several men at godly church socials yet none of them were good enough for Sister Denise. She met and dated another doctor and he was a wonderful man, but Sister Denise thought the man was too close to his widowed mother and bluntly said so. Then there was Dante*. Dante was a construction worker. He helped Denise with some home projects and lavished gifts upon her. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until she began to feel that she was better than him because she was a physician. When she complained to me, I told her that I thought "he was sweet and thoughtful" and she was "lucky to have met him." I further told her that, "this could be an answer" to her prayers "to have a partner with whom she could share the household responsibilities."
Like Mácio, she refused to let the Word of God seep into all the areas of her life. As a result, her life began to slip too. It is hard to resist the urge to be in control rather than let our heavenly Father God be the ruler of our life. Sometimes we only ask God's assistance after we have failed multiple times. This was the case with Mácio when both his business and family relations began to fail. Or, like Denise, others have let us down and so now we are afraid to trust even God. As Psalm 16:11 states " in your (God's) presence is fullness of joy." There is an emptiness in our life without God. Midlife crisis is one of the loneliest times in a person's life but you are not alone. The final part of Psalm 16:11 promises that at God's "right hand are pleasures forevermore." Healing, peace and happiness are the fruit of a a God-centric life. God is ready to start a new chapter in your life.
* the names and a few details have been changed.
Mácio* had many blessings : a wife, son, and a lovely home. The thing that most of his energy went to however, was his business. A graduate of New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Mácio had met and networked with many famous movers and shakers in the entertainment world. He used these connections to establish a business important in the industry. When he arrived at midlife the consequences of the life he had lived reached their natural conclusion. Soon the doors would be shuttered on his multi-million dollar business. But, there is more.
Used to managing and directing the dozens of employees at his company, he wasn't equipped to accept or understand the rebellion of his teenage son. His domineering ways were tolerated in an industry filled with "prima donna's" but home was a different story. Mason* had his own thoughts and dreams and they were very different from those of his father. Mácio never had time to attend the events or do the things important to his son. Instead, he dragged Mason to entertainment events that he had no interest in. When Mason was a youngster, he feigned interest in his father's world. He wanted attention and his father's approval. Now, he is just full of anger.
Psalm 16:11-You will show me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." This verse from Psalms is a great starting point as you begin to unravel the knots that you have tied in your life. In the beginning of the verse it states that, "You will show me the path." That "You" referred to, is God Almighty. When we let God show us the path that we should be on, the tangled web we have woven for ourselves and others will begin to straighten out. Mácio, just like a lot of us, stopped depending on God as he make decisions for his household and in business dealings. Although Mácio attended Church, he had stopped being grateful to God for all his blessings and no longer went to God in prayer for guidance. As a result, his life started to slip.
Denise* was in a similar situation. While Denise had been introduced to Jesus in a Bible study at her college, it wasn't until midlife crisis that she finally accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior. Although she regularly attended Women's Ministry events aimed at growing her relationship with the Lord, she remained a person who was a reader of the Word and not a doer of the Word. It was always Denise knows best. After all, it was her wits and instinct that allowed her to survive her childhood, she thought. She never knew her father, and her mother's disasterous marriage to another man brought Denise a first class ticket into the world of domestic abuse. Her step-father beat her mother so badly that she almost lost an eye. She told me that for years she would run home after school fearful that this man would have killed her mother. I'm not sure that Denise completely trusted the Lord to protect her even now.
Denise was a warrior woman who never let her guard down. She was always fighting. But now in midlife, she was just another case of midlife burnout. She had accomplished so much in her life that I get tired just thinking about it. Born and raised in Harlem, New York, she went from a one bedroom apartment where four people lived to a beautiful home situated in one of the best school districts in Westchester County, New York. Against all odds, she had attended medical school and now has a practice in New York City. But everything has not been rosy for this highly accomplished woman. She had already undergone a divorce, been the victim of crime and struggled with loneliness by the time I had met her. Her personal relationships were troubled, and her daughter was the antithesis of what she expected her to be. Everything, except her job, was a struggle for Denise and she was tired.
More than anything, she wanted a man in her life. She had met several men at godly church socials yet none of them were good enough for Sister Denise. She met and dated another doctor and he was a wonderful man, but Sister Denise thought the man was too close to his widowed mother and bluntly said so. Then there was Dante*. Dante was a construction worker. He helped Denise with some home projects and lavished gifts upon her. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until she began to feel that she was better than him because she was a physician. When she complained to me, I told her that I thought "he was sweet and thoughtful" and she was "lucky to have met him." I further told her that, "this could be an answer" to her prayers "to have a partner with whom she could share the household responsibilities."
Like Mácio, she refused to let the Word of God seep into all the areas of her life. As a result, her life began to slip too. It is hard to resist the urge to be in control rather than let our heavenly Father God be the ruler of our life. Sometimes we only ask God's assistance after we have failed multiple times. This was the case with Mácio when both his business and family relations began to fail. Or, like Denise, others have let us down and so now we are afraid to trust even God. As Psalm 16:11 states " in your (God's) presence is fullness of joy." There is an emptiness in our life without God. Midlife crisis is one of the loneliest times in a person's life but you are not alone. The final part of Psalm 16:11 promises that at God's "right hand are pleasures forevermore." Healing, peace and happiness are the fruit of a a God-centric life. God is ready to start a new chapter in your life.
* the names and a few details have been changed.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Midlife Meltdowns-Part 1
The "midlife crisis" is inevitable. It is just one of the many transitions that we go through on the journey of life. If we are lucky, we may have had a good role model at home teaching us how to understand and cope with the turning points in our lives. Often we did not. Instead we had influences in our life which created negative attitudes. We may have seen role-models buckle under the pressures of life.
John 16:1-"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble."
What were the attitudes of those around you during your childhood? Ray* had a sense of entitlement and covetousness that really seemed to pay off. To hear him tell it, he was overwhelmed with the responsibility of supporting his large family. In his mind, that justified being a welfare cheat and using his ill-gotten gains to finance real estate investments. He ended up quite well-off.
2 Peter 2:12-"But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption."
Cindy* got pregnant after a one-night stand that she had on the weekend she graduated from her Bronx, New York high school. Her family placed intense pressure on her to get an abortion. Cindy courageously refused to do this. She amazingly soldiered on as a single mother and earned a college degree. By the time I met Cindy, she was a teacher and mother in Westchester County, New York. The many years of parenting her daughter alone and trying to balance that with her teaching position, had left her burned out and depressed as she reached middle age. She was jealous of the lifestyle of her daughter Larissa's* friends. She developed the reputation of being litigious.
Isaiah 38:20-"the Lord was ready to save me; therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord."
Then there was Conor*. Conor was beginning to feel all of his fifty years. He was feeling insecure seeing all the young, new talent, being hired at his company. They were faster than him, more technologically saavy and very aggressive. They seemed to have no respect for their elders, as he had, when he was their age. God had blessed Conor throughout his career, but he had lost sight of that. The only one who seemed to understand how he felt was his administrative assistant Emma*. This lead to an affair and his eventual divorce from his wife of twenty-five years.
2 Samuel 12:7b-8-"I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!"
Ray, Cindy and Conor had poor life skills. The inevitable pressures of work and family caused each of them to begin sliding unto the wrong path as they reached the middle years of their life. What is it that makes "mid-life" so treacherous? Also, what impact did this have on their children? There are a few answers that quickly come to mind. First, they were each the product of dysfunctional homes. They all seemed to neatly fall into a pit that each of their families had dug for them.
Ezekiel 18:4a-"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine."
And, the sins that they committed, in response to their mid-life crises', in turn, dug a pit for each of their children. Ray's son ended up writing bad checks when he could no longer fund the lifestyle that he and his family had grown accustomed to. Criminal enterprises seemed to come natural to him. Cindy's daughter Larissa somehow always dated men who were emotionally unavailable to her and she's the one who is soldiering on now. Finally, what about Conor's son Aiden*?
Matthew 15:14-"Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit."
I was invited to Conor's son wedding this May. The beautiful bride is the daughter of a friend. I had just received the "save the date" card in the mail when I unexpectedly received a call from my friend informing me that her daughter had called off the wedding! Initially, I was shocked but upon reflection, I was able to connect this all back to the trauma of his father's betrayal of his family.
Aiden felt cast aside when his father took up with his assistant Emma. Emma took all of the time and attention away from Aiden just when all the insecurities of the teenage years meant that he needed his dad the most. Is it a coincidence that his bride-to-be cancelled the wedding when she found out that he had cheated on her? Start connecting the dots of your own life and see if you can't make some sense of it all. Remember, Jesus rescues us from the pitfalls of life. We must begin to know that what we are doing is wrong and call on the Savior to pull us out of the pit.
1 John 1:9-"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness."
Mid-life is the time when some important truths about ourselves come to light. This is a good thing, because only when the truth comes to light can we move on to positive new directions. Some of the things that we had based our life upon have not worked out. Ray had six children. He had not thought or planned for this. He wasn't one to plan and that philosophy of "don't worry be happy" had placed a hardship on his children. What's more, work wasn't for him, his father or grandfather. The truth hurts.
Cindy and her daughter were both super achievers professionally, but seemed to always pick men that were not there for them. Larissa was the long-suffering girlfriend of a millionaire Muslim man from Manhattan. She wanted so much to get married but his parents did not approve of this Jewish girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She was beautiful, smart and talented so what seemed natural about this relationship to her?
The Bible, where God teaches us how we are to live our life, will be a source of strength as we face the erupting volcano of turmoil that comes our way during mid-life. What is it with you? A troubled marriage? Out of control teenagers, a job that you hate or a growing financial crisis? Take a step back and begin to look at this with perspective. Who are you, and where are you going? Have you tried everything you know to solve it? Do you want healing, renewal, or a new direction? Jesus is the answer. With our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can turn our life around and have a good outcome. He is only a prayer away.
Jonah 2:2-Saying,"I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice."
* the names have been changed but the stories are real.
John 16:1-"These things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to stumble."
What were the attitudes of those around you during your childhood? Ray* had a sense of entitlement and covetousness that really seemed to pay off. To hear him tell it, he was overwhelmed with the responsibility of supporting his large family. In his mind, that justified being a welfare cheat and using his ill-gotten gains to finance real estate investments. He ended up quite well-off.
2 Peter 2:12-"But these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption."
Cindy* got pregnant after a one-night stand that she had on the weekend she graduated from her Bronx, New York high school. Her family placed intense pressure on her to get an abortion. Cindy courageously refused to do this. She amazingly soldiered on as a single mother and earned a college degree. By the time I met Cindy, she was a teacher and mother in Westchester County, New York. The many years of parenting her daughter alone and trying to balance that with her teaching position, had left her burned out and depressed as she reached middle age. She was jealous of the lifestyle of her daughter Larissa's* friends. She developed the reputation of being litigious.
Isaiah 38:20-"the Lord was ready to save me; therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord."
Then there was Conor*. Conor was beginning to feel all of his fifty years. He was feeling insecure seeing all the young, new talent, being hired at his company. They were faster than him, more technologically saavy and very aggressive. They seemed to have no respect for their elders, as he had, when he was their age. God had blessed Conor throughout his career, but he had lost sight of that. The only one who seemed to understand how he felt was his administrative assistant Emma*. This lead to an affair and his eventual divorce from his wife of twenty-five years.
2 Samuel 12:7b-8-"I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!"
Ray, Cindy and Conor had poor life skills. The inevitable pressures of work and family caused each of them to begin sliding unto the wrong path as they reached the middle years of their life. What is it that makes "mid-life" so treacherous? Also, what impact did this have on their children? There are a few answers that quickly come to mind. First, they were each the product of dysfunctional homes. They all seemed to neatly fall into a pit that each of their families had dug for them.
Ezekiel 18:4a-"Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine."
And, the sins that they committed, in response to their mid-life crises', in turn, dug a pit for each of their children. Ray's son ended up writing bad checks when he could no longer fund the lifestyle that he and his family had grown accustomed to. Criminal enterprises seemed to come natural to him. Cindy's daughter Larissa somehow always dated men who were emotionally unavailable to her and she's the one who is soldiering on now. Finally, what about Conor's son Aiden*?
Matthew 15:14-"Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a pit."
I was invited to Conor's son wedding this May. The beautiful bride is the daughter of a friend. I had just received the "save the date" card in the mail when I unexpectedly received a call from my friend informing me that her daughter had called off the wedding! Initially, I was shocked but upon reflection, I was able to connect this all back to the trauma of his father's betrayal of his family.
Aiden felt cast aside when his father took up with his assistant Emma. Emma took all of the time and attention away from Aiden just when all the insecurities of the teenage years meant that he needed his dad the most. Is it a coincidence that his bride-to-be cancelled the wedding when she found out that he had cheated on her? Start connecting the dots of your own life and see if you can't make some sense of it all. Remember, Jesus rescues us from the pitfalls of life. We must begin to know that what we are doing is wrong and call on the Savior to pull us out of the pit.
1 John 1:9-"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness."
Mid-life is the time when some important truths about ourselves come to light. This is a good thing, because only when the truth comes to light can we move on to positive new directions. Some of the things that we had based our life upon have not worked out. Ray had six children. He had not thought or planned for this. He wasn't one to plan and that philosophy of "don't worry be happy" had placed a hardship on his children. What's more, work wasn't for him, his father or grandfather. The truth hurts.
Cindy and her daughter were both super achievers professionally, but seemed to always pick men that were not there for them. Larissa was the long-suffering girlfriend of a millionaire Muslim man from Manhattan. She wanted so much to get married but his parents did not approve of this Jewish girl from the wrong side of the tracks. She was beautiful, smart and talented so what seemed natural about this relationship to her?
The Bible, where God teaches us how we are to live our life, will be a source of strength as we face the erupting volcano of turmoil that comes our way during mid-life. What is it with you? A troubled marriage? Out of control teenagers, a job that you hate or a growing financial crisis? Take a step back and begin to look at this with perspective. Who are you, and where are you going? Have you tried everything you know to solve it? Do you want healing, renewal, or a new direction? Jesus is the answer. With our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we can turn our life around and have a good outcome. He is only a prayer away.
Jonah 2:2-Saying,"I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice."
* the names have been changed but the stories are real.
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