ContemplativeJourney

Peace with God. Do you have it? In our quietest, my private moments, it is common for all of us to wonder what the purpose of our life is. Especially in difficult times; times of loss and tragedy, we wonder, "Why?"  We ask ourselves, whether we verbalize these questions to others or not, what is life all about, and what is my part in it? Why am I here? God has answers for our questions. All of our questions. Ultimately, the Gospel is about answering these most important questions. Some people believe the Gospel begins with the "4 Gospels," Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  Not true. The Gospel story begins in the Creation Story, with Adam and Eve.  It takes further shape in the story of Abraham, the spiritual father of the nation of Israel.  I want to talk about what Abraham discovered, and how Abraham's discovery impacts all of us - every living person. God made promises to Abraham. Huge promises. Promises not possible to keep, at least not possible fo...

We live in very sobering times.  Indeed, we have seen again in London tonight, how suddenly and tragically terror can strike at the heart of a beautiful summer evening.   "Run. Hide. Tell."  This is the Tweet put out this evening by The Metropolitan Police in London. 3 words that describe a state of fear.  Run.  Where, exactly?  Hide. From who? Where? And for how long?  Tell.  Tell who? Tell them what?  The police, and the government authorities, all have a duty to warn. Fearful messages like, "Run, Hide, Tell" serve us well in this regard. Nevertheless, if we are followers of Christ, our hearts are tuned to a different set of messages;   As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. 'Tell us,' they said, 'when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?'   Jesus answered: Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will com...

  I remember a song that was popular about 15 or 20 years ago. It was about falling down and getting up again. I think it was about a Priest, or something.  I was looking for an image tonight of that idea...fall down 7 times, get up 8.  Turns out, it's a Japanese Proverb. Then I came across this picture. Powerful, isn't it? I cannot get up. Cannot get up. Get up. Up. When I look at this fighter, I see "spent," "done."  Exhausted. Dejected. I feel kind of like this guy tonight.  Mental and emotional battles are often more exhausting than the physical battles. Do you remember the movie "Parenthood," with Steve Martin? There's a scene at the end where he's talking to his mother, and she is comparing life to a roller coaster. He's thinking about all of the worst aspects of the roller coaster ride, and she's thinking about all of the fun and exciting aspects of the ride.  Life is a wild ride. I call it my 'wild toa...

“Without God, life has no purpose, and without purpose, life has no meaning. Without meaning, life has no significance or hope.” ― Rick Warren , The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for   Interesting isn't it? This internal battle to convince ourselves of our own significance...   You were created by God for a specific purpose, so don't dismiss your significance. As much as you may doubt it, there is no one else alive today who can fulfill your  purpose.  And you will remain here on this earth until the very moment God has ordained to bring you home to Himself.  And what exactly does that mean?   It means, whether you're 5 years old, or 105 years old...if you are still here, there is still a unique purpose for your life.  In the story of mankind and God's involvement with us, we learn a few things of vital importance: We are broken, imperfect people.  At our core, each one of us craves to be known and v...

JOY! What is it? Have you got it?  Most of us think of joy as an emotion related to events in our lives.  Here's what the dictionary has to say about it: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation Here's my question for you - is it possible to live our lives in a state of joy, regardless of what is happening around us?  Is the only source of your joy caused by something good happening to you? We  have been studying 'joy' this month at church - we call it "joyology," or the knowledge and science of joy.  Maybe you already knew this, but there is an entire letter to the Christian church that was dedicated to the subject of 'joy.'  It was written by the Apostle Paul (a devout Jewish man who went by the name 'Saul,' before he became a follower of Jesus) and sent to a group of other Jesus-followers in the city of Philippi. Philippi is a city located ...

  A funny thing happened on my way to losing weight after gastric sleeve surgery in July of 2015.  Me.  I happened.  The same 'me,' I must confess, that I've been living with for all these years. The me that wants results without the work.  The me that bemoans my struggle with obesity, but does not take the doctor's directions seriously.   Yes, that's me.    Oh, I could tell you all about my stress at work, or relationship stressors...you name the outside excuse, I've used it.  Bottom line:  after losing between 50-60 pounds in the months immediately following surgery, I managed to gain about 30 pounds right back during the course of this past year.   What did it take to finally get  attention again? Honestly? I'm not sure I know. Maybe a combination of how my clothes fit, or didn't fit...maybe seeing some other friends do really well caused me to reflect on my bad choices.  I decided to watch "My ...