Tuesday’s Devotion: Normal is neither good nor bad.

Romans 12:2 (NLT) Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, [what we define as the norm] but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

I somehow got hung up on the word “normal” yesterday.  It appears that maybe too often we equate what is normal with what is good and right and cast that which does not conform to normal in a disparaging light.  One definition of the word is “conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural.”  I thought about people who are left-handed and that being right-handed is normal in the sense that it’s the more common type.  Yet for lefties who are born in that state, having that particular trait is natural. Later in the evening while reading from Credo by William Sloan Coffin I was surprised to come upon a quote by him on the same subject.  He wrote in part, “Instead of harping on what’s ‘natural,’ let’s talk of what’s ‘normal,’ what operates according to the norm. For Christians the norm is Christ’s love. If people can show the tenderness and constancy in caring that honors Christ’s love, what matters their sexual orientation? Shouldn’t relationship be judged by its inner worth rather than by its outer appearance” When has a monopoly on durable life-warming love been held by legally wed heterosexuals?” My hope is that I will continue to learn to judge people by their character and not by what gender they are attracted to or other external characteristics and that more and more people will do that same.

Lord, help us stretch our minds and overcome our discomfort at anything that is out of the ordinary.  Help us to see all people as ones who have been created in your image. Lead us away from conforming to the values of the world that take us away from loving you and one another.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Four H’s of Prayer

Jeremiah 29:11-13  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

One of my favorite times to pray is during my early morning walk. I especially like it when the air is cool and crisp. My prayers vary but they almost always include prayers for certain things. I pray for my church and its ministries. I pray for each staff member by name. I pray for members on our prayer list. I pray for my husband and my family. Sometimes I even remember to pray for myself. This morning it occurred to me that my prayers for myself and others fell under four categories that began with the letter H.  I pray for HOPE for those struggling with personal issues or grief or chronic illnesses.  I pray for God’s HELP in our lives; guiding us and protecting us.  I pray for HAPPINESS.  Life is filled with many challenges.  They are much easier to conquer when we are happy than when we are feeling down.  Finally I pray for HEALING for those who need physical, spiritual or emotional healing.  If you think about it, those categories aren’t that different from the Head Heart Hands and Health motto of the 4-H Club.  As I pondered all this, I heard the cry of a Hawk and looked up to see three of them circling overhead. I guess four would have been too spooky.  However as I headed home and turned to look at the hawks one more time the little dog in the house at the corner of Forest Hills and North Ave. began to Howl.  Well Halloween is close!  --Just a little Humor for the first of the week.

Hear our prayers, O Lord.  Our lives depend upon your helping and healing hands. Bring us hope and happiness in this new week.  We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen

Friday’s Devotion: Mirror, Mirror Go Away!

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

I don’t know about you, but I try my best to avoid looking in the mirror first thing in the morning.  I do not wake up feeling lovely.  My hair is sticking up everywhere. I have dark circles under my eyes that are exacerbated by smudges of mascara that remained in spite of attempts to wash it all off the night before.  Sometimes I have creases in my face from a wrinkled pillow case.  Please don’t envision all this.  At least I don’t have a scruffy beard- yet!  A hairbrush, a splash of cold water and a pot of coffee helps a lot.  If I should gaze upon myself before all that I can get kind of down.  How we perceive ourselves physically does affect our feelings of self-worth.  Our scripture ends with “even as I am fully known.”  God sees us and loves us even in our most unlovely moments and looks not only at what’s on the outside but also looks into our hearts.  Because I am trying hard to be purer in my heart, I can dwell less upon the external and take comfort that God accepts me just as I am and then encourages me on towards being even better.  Thanks be to God!

Loving God, on this day please comfort those who are struggling with self-image.  Help them to know that they were created in your image and each day they have the opportunity to restore some of that broken image through faith in Jesus Christ.  Help us to be a witness of that to others.  In Jesus’ perfect name we pray. Amen.

Thursday’s Devotion: How Did I Know That?

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I was half watching Entertainment Tonight last evening.  They featured a reunion of Glenn Close and Michael Douglas, the stars of the 1987 movie Fatal Attraction. I vaguely remember the movie being very intense and well acted. The host pointed out that Glenn Close did not win the Oscar for her performance and asked who beat her out for the award – answer to be given later. I’m not a movie trivia buff and thought I didn’t have a clue. I could barely remember what I ate for lunch.  Then I thought maybe it was Cher for Moonstruck.  That of course was the answer.  How did I know that?  I don’t think it was a lucky guess.  That answer was lurking in my subconscious. I think a lot of people who play trivia games have experiences like that.  It made me wonder what else is rattling around in my brain.

The human mind is capable of absorbing an enormous amount of material even if we don’t have instant recall of it all. Could it be that we are putting trash into our brains without realizing it that takes up residence to come out at unexpected moments?  We each have the opportunity to expose ourselves to good things, too. Everything we encounter in life becomes part of our make-up. Let’s choose carefully.

Heavenly Father, we need your constant guidance and protection from harmful things. Lead us in the path of right living so that we may be filled with thoughts that are uplifting and that bring us closer to you.  Amen.

Wednesday’s Devotion: Trying to be Patient is Trying my Patience!

Psalm 40:1  I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

Patience is something you admire in the driver behind you and scorn in the one ahead.  ~Mac McCleary

It never seems to fail that when I leave early to allow extra time to get somewhere across town the traffic zips along and I’m there very early.  If I don’t give myself that extra lead time traffic is terrible and I’m barely on time or even late.  Traffic tries our patience.  There’s been a lot on TV this week about the new express lanes on I-85. It seems there will be a high price to pay to use this lane and as of yet not many people are willing to pay.  I’ve tried to get better about not letting bumper to bumper traffic get to me.  Of course I’m not perfect and was most unhappy yesterday afternoon after a mechanical failure in the toll lane I was in backed cars up as I was trying to get back to Hapeville for City Council. Yet at times I can use time in traffic to pray or just think about things.  Yesterday I considered that some things just take time.  I like to read fast because I have many books I want to read. Yet to really get the most from a book one should slow down and savor the words and think about what’s going on with the characters or the teaching. Counseling takes time.  One delves into a subject and then allows the subconscious time to ponder and absorb new ideas. We try to speed up cooking with microwaves and pressure cookers but the best roasts are cooked low and slow.  Sometimes we get impatient in our requests of God.  We want immediate action but God in God’s greater wisdom makes us wait.  Faith and hope and trust are all words we use to describe our waiting on the Lord.  I hope that you have all three.

Gracious God, help us to use the times we are slowed down productively instead of becoming impatient and aggravated.  Show us how we can take a deep breath or say a prayer or think kind thoughts. Help us to wait on you to answer our prayers, trusting always in your goodness and grace.  Amen.

Tuesday’s Devotion: Blinded by the Light

2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

I had a committee meeting last night at Poplar Springs UMC.  The church is on Cascade Road about 4 miles outside of the perimeter. Cascade is curvy and hilly but I was enjoying a pleasant drive until I topped a hill and the setting sun squarely hit my windshield.  Suddenly I found myself hurtling down the road at 50mph and unable to see anything beyond the windshield. Because of spots and streaks on the glass I was really blinded by the light. As a good friend says, I thought I might be shaking hands with Jesus sooner than expected. In spite of trying the windshield washer once I got in the shade I was blinded twice more before the road finally turned away from the sun.  It was a very unsettling experience. On the drive home in the beautiful dark of night I thought about the things in life that blind us. We are blinded by prejudice; pre-judging people because of a group or person they associate themselves with. We think we won’t like them or their teaching because we expect them to have attitudes or attributes different than what we care for.  We are blinded by drugs and alcohol – moving about in the stupor of a chemically induced fog. We can’t see the wrong decisions we are making. We are blinded by the pleasures of sin, convincing ourselves that it really won’t hurt us or others. We are blinded by our stubbornness.  We don’t want to listen to the opinions of others.  What blinds you?  What keeps you from living a life of love and acceptance of others?  What keeps you from seeing God’s work and Word in your life? Ask God to give you new eyes to see.

Open our eyes, God that we might see the real truth of our lives and the Truth of your Word. Help us to be more open towards others and to put aside habits that lead us in the wrong direction.  We ask in the name of the one who restored sight to the blind.  Amen.

Monday’s Devotion: Blessings, Baggage & Garbage

Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

In Leonard Sweet’s book, Soul Salsa the author quotes another person who says people accumulate blessings, baggage and garbage.  That struck me as a good way to describe an old truth.  In my sermon yesterday I spoke of God’s blessings in our lives and of the fact that we are a priority to our Creator. We all have baggage, too.  Baggage may be the hurts and resentments we carry internally or our preoccupation with things that draw us away from God. Garbage may be a variety of things we need to rid our life of. It could be habits or unhealthy relationships or like the man in the Gospel, too many possessions. This morning I tried to pour the last bit of coffee from the pot into my cup without overflowing it. Like that coffee cup (a big one for me) our life will hold only so much.  If it is loaded up with baggage and garbage there is less room for blessings.

Creator God, we ask that you bless us today as we begin a new week. Help us to eliminate any baggage and garbage in our lives that keep us from receiving the blessings that you wish us to have.  Amen.