Gospel of Mark 6:45-52
"After the five thousand had eaten and were satisfied, Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side toward Bethsaida, while he dismissed the crowd. And when had taken leave of them, he went off to the mountain to pray. When it was evening, the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on the shore. Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,for the wind was against them. About the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them walking on the sea. He meant to pass by them. But when they saw him walking on the sea they thought is was a ghost and cried out. "Take courage, it is I. do not be afraid." He got in the boat and the wind died down. They were completely astounded. They had not understood the incident of the loaves. On the contrary, their hearts were hardened."
What can be made of this?
Why is it that the hearts of the disciples became hard?
One thought has popped into my head, Jealousy. And confusion.
This band of travelers and friends meet this guy who is only 30 years old. To some of the followers of Jesus they may have thought that he was just young and arrogant.
But I'm sure some were indeed jealous.
In my own life I get angry when someone (especially fellow writers) can sit down and write effortlessly. I applaud their gift but then get into a brief depression because I often struggle to write a single well written paragraph.
So now put yourself in the mind of the disciples.
They're hanging out with Jesus. He effortlessly heals the sick, cast out demons, and take a small amount of food and feed 5,000 people just by praying. Now this guy can walk on water and calm the storm?
Some might say Jesus was a show off.
How can a mortal man do such things?
Think about the account of Peter walking on the water to meet Jesus. But when he sees a huge wave and takes his eyes off of Jesus, Peter begins to drown.
Have you ever thought that you don't measure up to God. Truth is you never will.
But there's good news.
Chances are you'll never walk on water but you may save a life as a skilled surgeon.
Your kindness toward a beggar may give the person who has next to nothing a new spark of hope.
As a counselor in Substance Abuse Counseling I hope to reach at least one person to never again pick up their drug of choice.
Your prayers will show a desperate person that in deed God not only exists. He is in the miracle business and above all he loves us.
Let go. Let God.
And may you be filled with the spirit of understanding that comes from knowing the creator who is the author and finisher of our faith.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Sunday, November 23, 2014
The Coming Of The Lord
Well next Sunday is the official beginning of Advent.
Advent is the celebration that culminates on Christmas.
We rush around looking for the perfect gifts for our loved ones.
How about we slow down.
Take a breath.
And like Martha when she poured out expensive perfume onto the feet of Jesus.
She took time to be with The Son of God.
What will it cost us to lavish our love upon The Lord?
I guarantee every second spent waiting for the Lord will be worth it.
Yes Jesus is coming one day in the clouds.
But never forget that The Holy Spirit is already here. He prepares us to bring Jesus to those who don't know Him.
For them it's a personal advent.
Advent is the celebration that culminates on Christmas.
We rush around looking for the perfect gifts for our loved ones.
How about we slow down.
Take a breath.
And like Martha when she poured out expensive perfume onto the feet of Jesus.
She took time to be with The Son of God.
What will it cost us to lavish our love upon The Lord?
I guarantee every second spent waiting for the Lord will be worth it.
Yes Jesus is coming one day in the clouds.
But never forget that The Holy Spirit is already here. He prepares us to bring Jesus to those who don't know Him.
For them it's a personal advent.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
"Zombies For Our Children" (Happy Halloween)
I went to the library today to get some CD'S.
There were some Halloween and Harvest Time decorations up. Nothing really "bad".
Then as I was leaving the library I walked past the Halloween books for kids. Targeted for kids ages 6-10 or there a bouts. There were books about the origins of Halloween, Ghost stories, costume ideas, pumpkin carving tips, and zombies.
I'm a Christian and felt sick to my stomach.
Zombies? It's bad enough that teenagers and adults alike have this obsession but to bring it to the attention of innocent children?
I can't imagine trying to make zombies "cute".
Rotting corpses reanimated by evil wandering around seeking out human flesh as a meal is the thing of nightmares and down right demonic.
Is the idea to desensitize our children so that they won't find such movies as Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil disturbing by the time they reach puberty? Is this a tactic to have family movie night be a zombie marathon?
There are even Barbie type dolls that feature the living dead. Why? So girls can try to live up to being in a horror movie VS dolls that give girls insecurities about their bodies?
If you give out candy on Halloween be prepared to see mommies little zombie.
And for that matter a 12 year old girl not only dressed as a scantily clad cheerleader but as a zombie cheerleader.
I wonder when this all started.
A bigger question may be will it ever end?
It's true we're all going to die.
Most people are afraid to die.
But does normalizing zombies really alleviate the fears of dying?
Is this meant to say that dying isn't all that bad?
Another good question may be shouldn't parents protect themselves from zombie movies?
Why do we allow these images into our house.
Many parents make sure their kids don't watch the news. So why is it OK to let them dress as the living dead? Maybe because zombies aren't real.
I say zombies are real enough.
They are of the devil and the devil is out to keep us in our flesh and rot our brains.
God is too much to handle.Too controversial.
So why not join the crowd of people that are diving head first into the zombie apocalypse?
I say that we should dive head first into godly things.
Many churches choose to celebrate the memory of the loved ones that have made their way into heaven. All Hallows Eve (all Souls day). Or then to celebrate the people throughout history that are examples of living for God. All saints day.
We celebrate birthdays. The day life began.
The day the creator brought us into being.
In the world not of it.
Dead to sin.
Alive in Christ.
There were some Halloween and Harvest Time decorations up. Nothing really "bad".
Then as I was leaving the library I walked past the Halloween books for kids. Targeted for kids ages 6-10 or there a bouts. There were books about the origins of Halloween, Ghost stories, costume ideas, pumpkin carving tips, and zombies.
I'm a Christian and felt sick to my stomach.
Zombies? It's bad enough that teenagers and adults alike have this obsession but to bring it to the attention of innocent children?
I can't imagine trying to make zombies "cute".
Rotting corpses reanimated by evil wandering around seeking out human flesh as a meal is the thing of nightmares and down right demonic.
Is the idea to desensitize our children so that they won't find such movies as Night of the Living Dead, 28 Days Later, and Resident Evil disturbing by the time they reach puberty? Is this a tactic to have family movie night be a zombie marathon?
There are even Barbie type dolls that feature the living dead. Why? So girls can try to live up to being in a horror movie VS dolls that give girls insecurities about their bodies?
If you give out candy on Halloween be prepared to see mommies little zombie.
And for that matter a 12 year old girl not only dressed as a scantily clad cheerleader but as a zombie cheerleader.
I wonder when this all started.
A bigger question may be will it ever end?
It's true we're all going to die.
Most people are afraid to die.
But does normalizing zombies really alleviate the fears of dying?
Is this meant to say that dying isn't all that bad?
Another good question may be shouldn't parents protect themselves from zombie movies?
Why do we allow these images into our house.
Many parents make sure their kids don't watch the news. So why is it OK to let them dress as the living dead? Maybe because zombies aren't real.
I say zombies are real enough.
They are of the devil and the devil is out to keep us in our flesh and rot our brains.
God is too much to handle.Too controversial.
So why not join the crowd of people that are diving head first into the zombie apocalypse?
I say that we should dive head first into godly things.
Many churches choose to celebrate the memory of the loved ones that have made their way into heaven. All Hallows Eve (all Souls day). Or then to celebrate the people throughout history that are examples of living for God. All saints day.
We celebrate birthdays. The day life began.
The day the creator brought us into being.
In the world not of it.
Dead to sin.
Alive in Christ.
Monday, September 22, 2014
Have Nothing Have Less
Taken from Luke 8:16-18
To paraphrase
To him who has much, more will be given to that person. To the the person who has little more will be taken.
This scripture baffled me since the first time I heard it.
Then today while I was at Mass The Lord spoke to me and gave me an explanation.
A person whom is full of The Spirit of The Lord, and shares what The Lord has given is filled with the energy to keep giving.
On the flip side when a person is near empty that person looses what they had and become to worn out to even try.
In other words:
Have you noticed in your own life (or witnessed in someone else) that when you run low on energy that making effort to do much of anything, including getting out of bed a task that only seems possible for a superhero?
I've been there. And it's not pretty.
In the throes of a deep depression, I stayed in bed most of the day, my personal hygiene suffered, my diet was horribly unhealthy, I gained weight, my laundry piled up, and my room resembled a garbage dump.
I had no get up and go and an attitude where I said, "Who cares. What's the point?"
If God hadn't intervened I can honestly say I wouldn't be here now.
But I am here.
And I am constantly be filled with life.
And people can tell.
When we look at the beginning of this passage from Luke I am a bright shining light that people are drawn to.
Like a lighthouse warning ships of danger.
If you're in a slump and feel empty ask The Lord to come into your life and light up your soul.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your soul with the oil that will keep your light shine before men.
Like the day of Pentecost when The Holy Spirit fell like fire let the zeal of The Lord burn within you.
To paraphrase
To him who has much, more will be given to that person. To the the person who has little more will be taken.
This scripture baffled me since the first time I heard it.
Then today while I was at Mass The Lord spoke to me and gave me an explanation.
A person whom is full of The Spirit of The Lord, and shares what The Lord has given is filled with the energy to keep giving.
On the flip side when a person is near empty that person looses what they had and become to worn out to even try.
In other words:
Have you noticed in your own life (or witnessed in someone else) that when you run low on energy that making effort to do much of anything, including getting out of bed a task that only seems possible for a superhero?
I've been there. And it's not pretty.
In the throes of a deep depression, I stayed in bed most of the day, my personal hygiene suffered, my diet was horribly unhealthy, I gained weight, my laundry piled up, and my room resembled a garbage dump.
I had no get up and go and an attitude where I said, "Who cares. What's the point?"
If God hadn't intervened I can honestly say I wouldn't be here now.
But I am here.
And I am constantly be filled with life.
And people can tell.
When we look at the beginning of this passage from Luke I am a bright shining light that people are drawn to.
Like a lighthouse warning ships of danger.
If you're in a slump and feel empty ask The Lord to come into your life and light up your soul.
Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your soul with the oil that will keep your light shine before men.
Like the day of Pentecost when The Holy Spirit fell like fire let the zeal of The Lord burn within you.
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Keep Praying
Many years ago a woman named Monica fervently prayed for her husband and son to come to the saving grace of Jesus. Eventually her prayers were answered.
This woman is now known as St. Monica and her well known son is St. Augustine.
St. Augustine was on the road to ruin. He was an alcoholic and womanizer to the least.
Monica knew that living a life of sin wasn't what God has in mind for any of us.
Living in sin is a life of separation from the fullness of God's presence. And a life without God isn't a life at all.
It was the fervent prayer of a concerned mother that reached her sinful son.
I can attest to the power of such prayer and intervention in my own life. I know that the prayers of the faithful have brought me and my wife to the loving grace of God. We both go to church as much as possible and prayer every night before bed.
All of have called into the loving arms of God.
We are all called to be children of the king of universe.
Prayer changes things. Prayer can send pleas to The Holy Spirit to stir the hearts of those who don't know The Lord and warm the hearts of those whose hearts who have grown cold.
It's God who shows us the error of our ways and proves that indeed his ways are far above our ways.
So like the faithful St.Monica if we truly love someone who has gone astray we will see the fruits of our passion and will see the yield of the harvest when we enter the eternal Kingdom of God.
Pray without ceasing for we cease without praying.
This woman is now known as St. Monica and her well known son is St. Augustine.
St. Augustine was on the road to ruin. He was an alcoholic and womanizer to the least.
Monica knew that living a life of sin wasn't what God has in mind for any of us.
Living in sin is a life of separation from the fullness of God's presence. And a life without God isn't a life at all.
It was the fervent prayer of a concerned mother that reached her sinful son.
I can attest to the power of such prayer and intervention in my own life. I know that the prayers of the faithful have brought me and my wife to the loving grace of God. We both go to church as much as possible and prayer every night before bed.
All of have called into the loving arms of God.
We are all called to be children of the king of universe.
Prayer changes things. Prayer can send pleas to The Holy Spirit to stir the hearts of those who don't know The Lord and warm the hearts of those whose hearts who have grown cold.
It's God who shows us the error of our ways and proves that indeed his ways are far above our ways.
So like the faithful St.Monica if we truly love someone who has gone astray we will see the fruits of our passion and will see the yield of the harvest when we enter the eternal Kingdom of God.
Pray without ceasing for we cease without praying.
Monday, August 18, 2014
"Weeping Rich"
In the Book of Matthew Jesus meets a rich man who asks Jesus what he must do to have eternal life and what it would take to follow The Lord.
Jesus tells the rich man that he must keep the commandments.
The rich man smiles because he has always kept the commandments. So this eager man asks if there is anything he must do to follow Jesus.
Jesus replies that he should give away all he has to the poor. The rich man walks away sad for he had
much.
And that's the last we hear of this rich man.
But I dare say that wasn't the last that wealthy fellow heard of Jesus.
I know from personal experience that a relationship with Jesus is of utmost importance.
I have given up much to be with him. But giving up those things made me a better person.
I feel that sure when God gets a hold of a persons heart and if we nourish the flame of his love no matter how much or how little we have every sacrifice is worth it's weight.
So maybe if your unemployed and it's alcohol that got you to a state where you couldn't perform your duties at work. Maybe it's time to put that bottle down and get back on your feet. Beating addiction is
possible. I have nearly 6 years without alcohol or pot. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Maybe you're well off. You have all you need and then some. But I've heard it said that money isn't everything. Money can't buy you love.
It can't buy you a place in Heaven either. So maybe you can give to charity. More importantly maybe you can get to church and feed on the richness of The Holy Spirit.
Maybe volunteer as an usher at church.
Go through old clothes. How long ago have you worn that "favorite" sweater?
The point is you have something you can give.
Giving=Receiving
Jesus tells the rich man that he must keep the commandments.
The rich man smiles because he has always kept the commandments. So this eager man asks if there is anything he must do to follow Jesus.
Jesus replies that he should give away all he has to the poor. The rich man walks away sad for he had
much.
And that's the last we hear of this rich man.
But I dare say that wasn't the last that wealthy fellow heard of Jesus.
I know from personal experience that a relationship with Jesus is of utmost importance.
I have given up much to be with him. But giving up those things made me a better person.
I feel that sure when God gets a hold of a persons heart and if we nourish the flame of his love no matter how much or how little we have every sacrifice is worth it's weight.
So maybe if your unemployed and it's alcohol that got you to a state where you couldn't perform your duties at work. Maybe it's time to put that bottle down and get back on your feet. Beating addiction is
possible. I have nearly 6 years without alcohol or pot. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
Maybe you're well off. You have all you need and then some. But I've heard it said that money isn't everything. Money can't buy you love.
It can't buy you a place in Heaven either. So maybe you can give to charity. More importantly maybe you can get to church and feed on the richness of The Holy Spirit.
Maybe volunteer as an usher at church.
Go through old clothes. How long ago have you worn that "favorite" sweater?
The point is you have something you can give.
Giving=Receiving
Saturday, June 7, 2014
May The Force Be With You
Ah, Facebook. Just another place to discuss whatever is on our minds.
This includes Star Wars.
You might think that Star Wars fans could discuss things peacefully. After it's all one franchise right? You would be wrong.
A Star Wars fan group I'm in can argue and cuss just as much as any other group where freedom of speech allows.
It often starts with arguments over The Prequel Trilogy. Then it drifts into online gaming and then the novels.
Then there are arguments about Light, Grey,and Dark Jedi's.
Then comes name calling and personal attacks all based on a Sci-Fi entertainment franchise.
Isn't Star Wars supposed to be entertainment?
Why is it that the human race seems set on destroying each other?
Why isn't there peace?
We know that religion and politics are the biggest causes of conflict.
It seems that human beings will find any reason to fight.
We've all been hurt by people (including our closest friends and family members) who don't agree with our point of view.
They just don't see it.
So we clam up. We fight back. We find a weakness and attack. We bring up the past. And we lose friends. I have.
Why do we put so much energy in fighting when we can put that energy into:
Healing
Praying
Loving
Laughing
Creativity
Peace
Understanding.
I don't have all the answers. None of us do. And that's the point.
Instead of defining the truth in terms of my way is the only way. Why don't we look at what is missing?
Peace is missing.
If you're a Catholic are you going to let what something a Baptist preacher said that you don't agree with ruin your day?
Or will you take a piece of The Prince of Peace and let offenses roll away?
If you're a Muslim will you allow something a Christian said ruin your day or will you find peace in the fact that there is a God and that only He is all knowing?
If you're a Democrat will you're life be ruined by the ways of Republicans or will you see that there are problems that need to be fixed and setting aside differences and just find a solution?
Instead of being afraid of what we don't understand why not find a way to try to understand it?
If you value life then live!
If you want peace create it.
If you desire beauty make beautiful things. This would include saying beautiful words.
Life is short.
Make every moment count.
I assure you we won't argue about anything in Heaven so why argue about it here?
Instead of Hell on earth why not create Heaven on earth.
May the Force be with you
May Peace be with you
This includes Star Wars.
You might think that Star Wars fans could discuss things peacefully. After it's all one franchise right? You would be wrong.
A Star Wars fan group I'm in can argue and cuss just as much as any other group where freedom of speech allows.
It often starts with arguments over The Prequel Trilogy. Then it drifts into online gaming and then the novels.
Then there are arguments about Light, Grey,and Dark Jedi's.
Then comes name calling and personal attacks all based on a Sci-Fi entertainment franchise.
Isn't Star Wars supposed to be entertainment?
Why is it that the human race seems set on destroying each other?
Why isn't there peace?
We know that religion and politics are the biggest causes of conflict.
It seems that human beings will find any reason to fight.
We've all been hurt by people (including our closest friends and family members) who don't agree with our point of view.
They just don't see it.
So we clam up. We fight back. We find a weakness and attack. We bring up the past. And we lose friends. I have.
Why do we put so much energy in fighting when we can put that energy into:
Healing
Praying
Loving
Laughing
Creativity
Peace
Understanding.
I don't have all the answers. None of us do. And that's the point.
Instead of defining the truth in terms of my way is the only way. Why don't we look at what is missing?
Peace is missing.
If you're a Catholic are you going to let what something a Baptist preacher said that you don't agree with ruin your day?
Or will you take a piece of The Prince of Peace and let offenses roll away?
If you're a Muslim will you allow something a Christian said ruin your day or will you find peace in the fact that there is a God and that only He is all knowing?
If you're a Democrat will you're life be ruined by the ways of Republicans or will you see that there are problems that need to be fixed and setting aside differences and just find a solution?
Instead of being afraid of what we don't understand why not find a way to try to understand it?
If you value life then live!
If you want peace create it.
If you desire beauty make beautiful things. This would include saying beautiful words.
Life is short.
Make every moment count.
I assure you we won't argue about anything in Heaven so why argue about it here?
Instead of Hell on earth why not create Heaven on earth.
May the Force be with you
May Peace be with you
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