The ten days between the Ascension of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit

The ten days between the Ascension of Christ and the coming of the Holy Spirit (on Pentecost) must have seemed interminable to the Disciples.

Jesus had ascended to the Father, promising a Comforter would come....but when?

What was the nature of this promised helper?

How they must have wondered as they waited.

We know that they met, prayed, shared fellowship ....and trusted that when Jesus said something was going to come, that it would.

Are you in a period of waiting and wondering? Stuck on pause until God reveals the next step?

Then do as the Apostles and other believers did; pray. Study Scripture. Meet with other believers to worship the Lord, and fellowship with afterwards.

And trust.

What God has promised will always come to pass.

He will be with you.

He will never forsake you.

He will grant you wisdom if you pray earnestly for it.

He will shepherd and guide you.

And as He gave the believers of long ago the gift of the Holy Spirit, so His Spirit is with us yet.

And the devil laughs.

It is one thing for Christians to address heretical teachings within the Church. As long as that is done in a spirit of love, and with prayer, it is needed.

It is another thing entirely to nitpick and harangue fellow believers because they worship differently, like different music, prefer different prayers, or any other number of non salvation issues.

Nothing makes us more unbelievable to the world than our lack of charity and love towards each other.

"If they can't even love each other, how can they love me? How real can their message of love, grace, redemption and mercy be if they're so mean to one another?"

Does your treatment of fellow believers follow Christ's commandment to love one another?

For if we partake of needless fighting and divisiveness, the world mocks

-- Beth and Fr. Charles 

You came from His love, you are secured by His love, and to His love you will return.

Before the formation of the world,
He saw you and spoke your name in love.

Before the land you tread bore its designation,
and the cities you traverse were dreamed of,
Your name was upon His hand,
Thus ever before Him.

Before your family's lineage was established,
and generations followed generations in toil, tears, laughter and joy,
He knew you would answer His call,
your soul seeking His perfect grace.

Before your first breath and cry,
your entry into this jagged and beautiful life,
He walked the paths of life and temptation,
Ever pure so that He could be that perfect Lamb.

Before your first words and deeds,
Your triumphs and follies,
Reparations were made and reconciliation secured,
A cross made into a bridge to the eternal.

In love, He foresaw you.

In love, He named you His.

In love, He died for you.

In love, He leads you still.

In love, He prepared a place for you.

You came from His love, you are secured by His love, and to His love you will return.


-Beth Haynes Butler

This prayer is Celtic in origin but from where I don't know:

This prayer is Celtic in origin but from where I don't know:

"You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark
You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day."

We are to craft a home within our hearts for the Living God

People tend to spend a lot of time on their homes; decorating, landscaping, improving. We want to make a space just so, to have it reflect an image of ourselves and our interests to the outside world.

Would that we should spend as much time and effort crafting our characters and refining our souls! Too often we fill our minds with the base and tawdry, the worldly and scandalous. When instead we should focus on the uplifting, the educational, the pure, lovely and good.

We spend so much on the outside, the exteriors of our lives, when it is the interior, the soul, that will live on. 

We are to craft a home within our hearts for the Living God; what sort of dwelling are you fashioning for Him?

By those things....those things that move the very being of who you are, you are known.

What do you love? Seek after? What are you eager to explore? To delight in? To revel in? To ponder? What makes your soul revel, laugh, weep and anguish over?

By those things....those things that move the very being of who you are, you are known.

"Come Child, beloved Child, and dance with me."

The worries and frets of the trappings of religion....and you pause.

There is so much, to do, to say, to believe...or is there?

For mercy trumps judgment.

Love conquers hate.

Grace is a gift rich with salvation.

The yoke is easy, the burden is light.

The path, though winding, has a sure guide and tender Shepherd.

The prodigal has a father who *runs* to reclaim them, without a word of reproach, simply rejoicing the child has returned home.

Death is undone and evil will lose.

And we are but called to fall in love with a God that died to secure our lives; who adores, woos, and calls to us. Who delights in us, for we are His.

God, who knows every thought, every fault, every stumble, every sin we have done and will ever do, still wants us, still loves us, still cherishes us.

Oh to have such a love bestowed upon us! Doesn't your soul fill with music and light? Faith becomes light, the journey a joy....

For God calls to you...

"Come Child, beloved Child, and dance with me."

Do your eyes look to see the light in others, or their darkness?

Do your eyes look to see the light in others, or their darkness? Their gifts, or their faults? Their graces, or their brokenness?

For we all have shadows, faults, broken shards and wounded souls.

We all repeat a litany of them to ourselves when we're alone, uncertain ....vulnerable. When our fears, failures and pieces lay all about us in our minds and we think that no one sees, and no one cares.

We all need people to see our light, our gifts, our graces and beauty ....and to tell us of them when we're most alone and hurting.

Won't you do that for someone else?

Won't you please let them, let me, do that for you? 

"We often only see the light of Christ because it is contrasted against the shadows in our lives."

I've been percolating a thought around today, on how we most often see the power of Christ in our lives when we go through times of stress, of grief, of trials. Or when we see the darkness of the world all around...what people do to one another, or how they neglect one another. Against the shadows of storms in our lives, and the dark cold that grows in parts of society, the light of Christ shows ever brighter.

The thought that started this pondering was:

"We often only see the light of Christ because it is contrasted against the shadows in our lives."

Thoughts?

We can all make a difference.

Give love. Give grace. Give mercy. Shower kindness upon others.

This world is so often a mesh of angry, harsh and mocking words; let your words instead be a balm to hurting hearts, a delight to wounded souls, and soothing to troubled minds.

We can all make a difference. We can all make the world a little bit better today....if we so choose to do so.

Choose to look at the world with eyes of compassion.

Choose to look at the world with eyes of compassion. 

Compassion builds bridges of understanding, helps to heal wounds and binds people together. It eases the broken, lifts up the joyous, sorrows with the hurting

I am a faulty, broken sinner...

I am a faulty, broken sinner, redeemed by Christ. I have sinned, and will stumble again, but He is faithful and will lift me up. It is by His strength and love I am secured.

Out of what mistakes I will make, please Lord, do not let it be these:

Let me not be lacking in love.

Let me not be lacking in compassion.

Let me not be slow to forgive.

Let me not withhold mercy.

For I desire love, forgiveness, mercy, and compassion; and if I would ask them of thee, Lord, let me always be generous with others. Let me be free handed so that you are liberal and lenient with me. In the name of Your Son, in whom I trust, Amen.

In every time of trouble, (Author of prayer unknown to me)

In every time of trouble,
you, O God, are a very present help.
You are with us, sustaining our world in freedom,
restraining the powers of darkness, of death and of destruction;
embracing us all with arms of love, to enfold and to hold.
And so we bring to you our prayers for ourselves,
for those we love, and for our world.

We pray for ourselves and our own needs:
Whatever you would have us to be;
whatever we need to love our neighbor as ourselves,
whatever we need to love one another:
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

We pray for those we love:
Our hopes and dreams for them;
our anguish and anxiety on their behalf;
our desire to make life easier for them.
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

We pray for our world:
Our pain at what we have done to creation;
our wonder at the beauty of that which we have not yet spoiled;
our calling to establish justice and peace.
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

O God,
in your love for humankind
you reconciled earth to heaven and heaven to earth
through your only-begotten Son:
Grant that we who by our sins
have turned away from loving one another
may be filled with your Spirit
and embrace both our friends and enemies,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The "why" of why we follow Christ

The "why" of why we follow Christ is infinitely important as to whether our faith is a lasting one, and a saving faith.

If we follow Jesus because we want a more comfortable life, prosperity in material goods and ease; then we are not following Jesus of Nazareth, we are following our own desires.

If we follow Jesus so that we may be self assured and self righteous in our own eyes, and hopefully the eyes of other people, then we are not following the Risen Christ, but have only become puffed up modern Pharisees.

If we follow Jesus so that we may belong to a proper social club, and so it fits with our own political ideology and how we want to see the world run, we are not following the Word Made Flesh​, but merely repeating the mistakes of those, such as Judas Iscariot, who thought they could use Jesus to set up an earthly kingdom.

But...

If we follow Jesus Christ, very God of very God, part of the Triune Godhead, because He is worthy to be followed, worthy to be praised, worthy to be called Lord, then we are His.  

If we follow this Good Shepherd because He laid down His life for us, His sheep, and we cling to the promise of the salvation His blood has bought, then we are assured He will keep us and present us before His Father.  

If we do as He commands, both in times of comfort and in times of persecution, then we are His disciples. If we know that there will be times when standing for Him *will* cost us, be it friends, a job, a business, our lives, yet we remain firm, then we know that His promise is true and that He will never forsake us. His peace and grace shall lay upon our hearts even in the worst of storms.  

If we pick up our cross and follow Him, we will find out that He carries the greater weight of our suffering and cross; always shouldering the worst.

Why do you follow Jesus?

Sometimes God says no now, so that a yes in eternity is assured.

Yet...God said...no.

His child was sick, on the very edge of death.

As any faithful parent, when prayer and medical treatments had done nothing, he was left with a chasm of sorrow, at the prospect of what laid ahead.

"As his daughter lay very ill, Dr. Martin Luther said: "I love her very much, but dear God, if it be Thy will to take her, I submit to Thee." Then he said to her as she lay in bed: "Magdalene, my dear little daughter, would you like to stay here with your father, or would you willingly go to your Father yonder?" She answered: "Darling father, as God wills." Then he said, "Dearest child, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." Then he turned away and said: "I love her very much; if my flesh is so strong, what can my spirit do? God has given no bishop so great a gift in a thousand years as he has given me in her. I am angry with myself that I cannot rejoice in heart and be thankful as I ought."

Now as Magadalene lay in agony of death, her father fell down before the bed on his knees and wept bitterly and prayed that God might free her. Then she departed and fell asleep in her father's arms. As they laid her in the coffin he said: "Darling Lena, you will rise and shine like a star, yea, like the sun. I am happy in spirit, but the flesh is sorrowful and will not be content, the parting grieves me beyond measure. I have sent a saint to heaven."" (Taken from accounts of Luther's life, this took place in September of 1542)

Martin Luther was a man of towering faith and great resolve. He changed the world with the depth of his belief, and his love for Christ was renowned. You would think, if any man would ask God to spare his child and have that prayer answered, it would have been Martin.

Yet...God said...no.

Sometimes, we pray, and we get the answer we want, and naturally, we are happy.

Sometimes, we pray, and we get silence, and we wait. (And sometimes grumble.)

And sometimes, we pray, and the answer is no.

Now, that "no" can often be seen, in our lifetimes, to be for our good. We pray for a job and don't get it, but later see that a better position has come up. We pray for an opportunity, and the answer is no, but later, a better one comes up. We see that God's no was a protection for us, and that He had a better gift waiting all along, and then...we are happy.

But sometimes...sometimes, we get a "no" that is very hard to handle.

A loved one gets sick and dies, especially a child, and we say, "Why God, why didn't you just say yes and heal them?"

A family member dies in war, and we wonder why our prayers did not aid in their protection.

A friend dies in an accident, and hollowed out hearts and questioning prayers are all that remain.

Why? Why no and not yes? Why?

In some cases, we'll never know. The days of a man's life are numbered (Job 14:5-7), and some are long and some are short. But we all will die, it is a simple part of this life. We grieve and shout in the echoes of our soul at the loss of a loved one, but sometimes, there may be a very good reason why someone goes at the time they do.

"God desires all people to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4.) God did not make us to cast us aside like trash. He calls us to Him, but we must go towards Him. We must accept Him through Christ and be reconciled to God. God loves us enough that His Son, Jesus, very God of very God, part of the Triune Godhead, died upon the Cross to reconcile us to a holy God. This is not the action of a God who is indifferent to us, or angry with us. This is the action of a God who deeply loves us, calls to us, woos us, waits for us.

God is all knowing, He sees each heart as we see faces. He knows when we are closest to Him, He knows when we are His. And sometimes, He brings us home at a time period when we are firmly in the faith.

Cancer and other chronic or terminal conditions are horrible. But I can tell you from a first hand point of view, of having been diagnosed with cancer once, and living with a heart condition that could kill me at any point, viewed in the right manner, such conditions can become the biggest blessings of all. They *force* you to look at eternity, to see what you value most in this life...and the next. They can deepen faith more than anything else, because you realize how fragile life is.

War, I imagine, is much the same way. You know you can die at any moment, so you are focused on being ready to die if it happens. You can't just leave things to chance, you have to stare at the specter of death we all spend so much time trying to avoid. War can call a man or woman to a higher sense of self and duty, to a deeper degree of love of brother (how many have died to save a fellow soldier?), and to treasure their loved ones all the more...because no day is guaranteed.

"If active service does not persuade a man to prepare for death, what conceivable concatenation of circumstances would?" C.S. Lewis on the topic of war.

Sometimes God says no in this life to save a soul in the next.

We see life in the short term, in what we presently experience, but we cannot see past a few moments hence, let alone what tomorrow will bring, or next year. We don't know what evil might befall us, or what horror might overtake us, but God knows. God knows our todays and our tomorrows, and often He calls us home to Him at the very time of His choosing in order to assure that we will spend eternity with Him.

God may be saying no now, so that a yes in eternity is possible.

This life is but a drop in an ocean; the dedication page to a novel ten thousand pages long. We live now thinking that this is all there is, that this is what is important, when this life is but the testing ground for the next. All the grand adventures are still ahead, and our real lives are yet to be lived.

We think short term, but God is eternal. We want a yes now; to an illness, or the life that is on the line due to an accident, but God may gently call them home; choosing now because His timing is perfect. We may not understand it, but He does.

God is not cruel. He does not take our loved ones from us out of spite, out of pettiness or out of indifference. We all will pass into death at some point, and those left behind will mourn and ache. But if God is calling our loved ones home, secure in Him, they go into His eternal light and love, and we will have endless days to share with them again.

Sometimes God says no now, so that a yes in eternity is assured.

-Beth Haynes Butler

(With thanks to my dear husband, scholar and sounding board, Charles who let me talk this piece over with him and gave me great feedback. I rarely write anything that doesn't have at least a touch of his views in there too.  )

You are yourself the refuge

There are various Bible verses concerning the indwelling of Christ within us, or the Holy Spirit within in us (John 15:4-5, Ephesians 3:17, John 14:23, Romans 8:9, Ephesians 2:22 and so forth...)

With those verses in mind, the beauty of the canticle below, by St. John of the Cross, really moved me.

'You are yourself
the refuge
where He takes shelter,
the dwelling place
in which He hides Himself.
Your Beloved,
your Treasure,
your one Hope
is so close to you
as to live within you.'

St. John of the Cross.

A lovely prayer (author unknown)

We pray for the family of the church, for loving relationships,
and for the life of families around us, saying
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, born in poverty and soon a refugee,
be with families today who are poor 
and live in hunger and want. . .
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, who grew in wisdom and in favor with God and the people
in the family of Joseph the carpenter,
bring wisdom and the presence of God
into the work and growth of families today. . .
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, who blessed marriage in the wedding at Cana,
be with those preparing for marriage
and with those who come to the end of their resources. . .
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, who healed Peter's mother in law,
bring healing to hurt relationships and families today. . .
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, who on the cross said,
'Mother, behold your son',
provide today for those who lose their families,
the bereaved and childless, orphans and widows. . .
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

Jesus, who on the seashore provided food for the disciples,
bring the whole Church on earth and in heaven
into your risen presence to eat at the eternal banquet.
Jesus, Lord of love:
in your mercy, hear us.

O Lord and Master Jesus Christ,
Word of the everlasting Father,
you have borne our griefs
and carried the burdens of our human frailty;
by the power of the Holy Spirit,
renew in your Church the gifts of healing,
and send out your disciples again
to preach the gospel of your kingdom,
to heal the sick,
and to relieve the sufferings of your children;
to the praise and glory of your holy name. Amen.

A lovely Anglican prayer

In every time of trouble,
you, O God, are a very present help.
You are with us, sustaining our world in freedom,
restraining the powers of darkness, of death and of destruction;
embracing us all with arms of love, to enfold and to hold.
And so we bring to you our prayers for ourselves,
for those we love, and for our world.

We pray for ourselves and our own needs:
Whatever you would have us to be;
whatever we need to love our neighbor as ourselves,
whatever we need to love one another:
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

We pray for those we love:
Our hopes and dreams for them;
our anguish and anxiety on their behalf;
our desire to make life easier for them.
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

We pray for our world:
Our pain at what we have done to creation;
our wonder at the beauty of that which we have not yet spoiled;
our calling to establish justice and peace.
Bountiful Source of Love:
hear our prayer.

O God,
in your love for humankind
you reconciled earth to heaven and heaven to earth
through your only-begotten Son:
Grant that we who by our sins
have turned away from loving one another
may be filled with your Spirit
and embrace both our friends and enemies,
for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Lord is there.

Do you feel them?

Any of them?

Those age old haunts, fear and terrors that stalk our lives.

Depression. Sickness. Stress. Fear. Death's shadow.

I know some of you do, tonight. I've been sitting here, scrolling, praying, typing, more praying. 

Surgeries. Terminal illnesses of the old and young. The heavy mantle of mental illness. The stress of jobs, relationships....life. Illnesses and disabilities, either one's own or that of a loved one.

Why? That's what we ask ourselves, right? Why? Why did this happen to me? Or worse, to my loved one. Why is this unfair situation happening? Why are there floods, fires, storms, earthquakes, mine cave-ins? Why is there illness? Why....why is there death.

I wish I had better answers to give my friends, but all I can say is; this is a broken, fallen world.

People get sick because illness run rampant and even the best of us can catch them. Sometimes those illnesses are chronic, and they are a heavy cross to bear. Sometimes those illnesses require surgery or treatment, and we give thanks for the medical knowledge that makes those treatments available.

The earth shakes, burns, floods sometimes because of natural causes, sometimes because of man's contributions.

Stress is part of life, and too often we choose to keeping adding to it by always reaching and never resting. Always striving and never abiding.

Relationships take work, and any time there are two people learning to live and love, there will be friction. We rub our rough edges off on each other, because we often take the other for granted. Relationships take work to learn to live for each other, beyond living for one's self.

Mental illness, depression...is a condition that needs help. Medication, prayer, counseling, a good support group. And sometimes even then you feel alone in the world.

And the specter of death, perhaps the most feared of all. Death happens to the rich and poor, young and old, good and evil. Sometimes, no matter how hard we pray, it comes anyway. And it hurts, it sears, it scars, it hollows out. It is an ugly gaping wound most of the time. Because....we are not ready to let our loved ones go, or...if it is us facing the final voyage of this life, we may be scared and uncertain.

We need to remember; when our hearts break and our tears come, that our Lord cried too. Even though He knew of the resurrection to come for His friend...He still wept. When our hearts break, He is with us in our sorrow. We do not mourn alone.

And the comfort is, in all of these situations, my friends, there is an answer. The Lord is there.

This world is fallen and broken. He will make it new again.

There are wounded hearts, He will heal them.

There are stresses, if we turn to Him, He will give us peace.

Death is cruel, but He has defeated death through death, and opened new life.

We are ill and infirm, but He is a great healer. And whether in this life, or the next, we will be made whole.

We may feel alone, but He is always with us.

Those haunts, those specters, those fears and whispers...they do not own you. They do not control you. You can put them to rest. You may have to wrestle with them time and time again, but you can win against them. You can remind yourself that God is in control. That all will be made well. That you can get through this. That He will help you. That death is not the final answer, but that Christ is the doorway to eternal life.

The Lord is there.

'Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.' Isaiah 41:10

The Lord is there.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

The Lord is there.

"and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away." Revelation 21:4

The Lord is there.

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

The Lord is there.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Psalm 23:4

The Lord is there.

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."Matthew 28:20

The Lord is there.

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

He is with you, my friends. He sees you tonight, and all times, He will not forsake you. He knows your fears, your griefs, your struggles and He wants to bear the greater share of them. He knows what it is to fear. He knows what it is to mourn. He knows what it is to suffer. He knows what it is to die.

He can guide you through this valley. Your Shepherd will not let you fall.

I can't do much, my friends. But I'm praying and carrying you in my heart. I love each of you.

""Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.

I stumbled across a Bible verse this morning, concerning the poor. I know I've read it before, but it had never really jumped out at me. (The amazing thing about the Bible is that you learn something new each and every time you read it.

Now, I confess, the book of Jeremiah is not my favorite. It's sad. There was a reason he was called the weeping prophet. He saw ruin come to the country he loved, and there was so little he could do about it, because the people would not heed the warning of God.

In the verses below, Jeremiah was warning an evil king, while citing why the king's father, Josiah, had not seen evil in his day. (Because....the evil king Jehoiakim was almost the polar opposite in belief and behavior of his good father Josiah, and thus ruination was coming upon the country for the king's acts, as well as the godlessness of the people.)

Jeremiah gives several reasons why Josiah was a good king, but the one that jumped out at me was this:

"He defended the cause of the poor and needy,
and so all went well.
Is that not what it means to know me?”
declares the Lord." Jeremiah 22:16

(Some translations have "defended the cause" replaced with "took up the cause" "plead the cause" or "judged the cause.")

Josiah, a king, a ruler, who had found favor in the eyes of the Lord, had championed the cause of the poor...and "so all went well."

He saw the needy and defended them. Plead their cause. Saw they got justice. And so...it went well with him. His son would exploit the poor and the laborers, in order to live lavishly...and all did *not* go well for him.

But the most remarkable, to me, part of the verse is next:

"Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.

Is that not what it means to know me. I paused over that line. I keep going back to it.

The Bible is rich in commandments and urgings to help the needy, the poor, the outcast. It really isn't an option if you want to be a follower of Christ; you have to help others. It isn't that works will save you, because only faith in Christ is what saves you, but a true faith will cause love to swell up in you, and you'll want to reach out and help others.

First John 3:17 states that, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?”

God asked, “Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood” (Isaiah 58:7)? We also need to “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Prov 31:8-9). In fact, “The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern” (Prov 29:7)

There are a many other verses just like those above, telling us we must help the poor and needy if we seek to follow God's heart.

A child often mimics their parents when learning. You see it in the games they play, in the manner in which they attempt to speak like their parents (for good or ill), often even in what they choose to like or dislike. I grew up a Dodgers fan because my father is a Dodgers fan; I dislike the SF Giants because my father dislikes the Giants. I grew up matching many of the steps and ideas of my parents because I love them, and so took on many of their outlooks for my own.

As a child of God, I do much the same thing. I read the Bible, I study the writings of church members of the past, read the commentaries, pray and ponder so that I may grow in understanding of my heavenly Father's heart, and thus mimic and follow His steps.

When we take on God's causes as our own, out of love for Him, then that shows God that we are seeking to know Him. To be like Him. It is a way in which our childlike faith can reflect back to Him how much He means to us.

Josiah, the good king that Jeremiah used as a standard, understood this. He took God's causes to his own heart, he championed the causes of the poor and needy, because that is what God's Word commands us to do. And by doing the will of God, out of love for God, he showed that he knew God.

Do your actions show that you know God? That you love God? That you seek to do His will, love His people, and follow His heart?

""Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the Lord.

I want to know the Lord. I want to walk with Him. He fills me with wonderment, delight, compassion, anguish (for the broken and fallen all around), peace and love. I know I have a *long* way to go in my walk, I stumble so often. But God is patient, and picks me back up and sets me on my way again. He knows that I long to know Him the best I can. And I know He'll keep putting people in front of me that can be helped, prayed for, wept with, laughed with, cherished, taught and learned from....for when we reach out to others, trying to be God's love to them.....then we get a glimpse of what it means to know the Lord.

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto others,

-Beth Haynes Butler

A lovely Compline (The Cuthbert Compline)

***Compline***

I will lie down and sleep in peace
For You alone, Lord,
Make me dwell in safety


O God, and Spirit, and Jesu, The Three,
From the Crown of my head, O Trinity,
To the soles of my feet mine offering be.
Come I unto Thee, O Jesu, my King –
O Jesu, do Thou be my sheltering.

My dear ones, O God, bless and keep,
In every place where they are

Whoever has chosen
To make the shelter of
The Most High
Their dwelling place
Will stay in His over-shadowing.

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I am trusting Him.

He will rescue you
From the traps laid for your feet,
And save you
From the destroying curse.

His faithful promises are your armor.
You need no longer be afraid
Of any terror by night,
Or the death-arrow that flies by day.

The Lord Himself is your refuge;
You have made the Most High
Your stronghold.

Be my strong rock,
A castle to keep me safe,
For You are my crag and my stronghold.

How precious to me
Are Your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them,
They would outnumber the grains of sand.
When I awake,
I am still with You.

I will not lie down tonight with sin,
Nor shall sin
Nor sin’s shadow
Lie down with me.

O God of life, this night,
O darken not to me Your light.
O God of life, this night,
Close not Your gladness from my sight.
O God of Life, this night,
Your door to me, O shut not tight,
O God of life, this night.

Be it on Your own beloved arm,
O God of grace,
That I in peace shall waken.

As the bridegroom to his chosen,
As the king unto his realm,
As the keep unto the castle,
As the pilot to the helm,
So, Lord, are You to me.

As the fountain in the garden,
As the candle in the dark,
As the treasure in the coffer,
As the manna in the ark,
So, Lord are You to me.

As the music at the banquet,
As the stamp unto the seal, as the medicine to the fainting,
As the wine-cup at the meal,
So, Lord are You to me.

As the ruby in the setting,
As the honey in the comb,
As the light within the lantern,
As the father in the home,
So, Lord, are You to me.

As the sunshine in the heaven,
As the image in the glass,
As the fruit unto the fig-tree,
As the dew unto the grass,
So, Lord are You to me.

Jesu, Son of Mary!
My helper,
My encircler.
Jesu, Son of David!
My strength everlasting.

The peace of all peace be mine this night.

† In the name of the Father,
And of the Son,
And of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

(From the Daily Celtic Prayer)

Nothing you do for Christ will matter if it is not done with love.

Nothing you do for Christ will matter if it is not done with love.

No good deed, no witness, no stand or stance taken, no discourse in apologetics, none of these will matter in the end, if they are not done with great love.

If we do deeds and speak words of kindness without love, if we do them to impress others or to "rack up points", or as a front....then they are hollow and meaningless in our Christian walk.

If we hold to stances, and debate on behalf of the Word, but do so without great love ....then we but argue for the sake of divisiveness, and our stances are no more than petty soap boxes.

If we witness to our faith, but do not do so with gentleness, respect and great love, then we do more damage than good.

If we have not love, then as Christians we have nothing. As Christ loves us, so we are to love.

In a world of angry, political and divisive pew sitting Pharisees, be more. Be the embrace and voice of love. Seek out the vulnerable and hurting. Cherish the "least of these." Forgive. Be kind, be generous. Not because "you have to" or to build up "brownie points" but because the people you come across are made in the image of God and worthy of love.

Be the hand that reaches out. Be the one who weeps with those who weep, and rejoices with the rejoicing.

Live in the abundant, overwhelming love of God...and then share that love with others.

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing unto others.

A mystery so beautiful it is impossible to ignore.

A thought, from a Celtic Christian Christmas calendar, that struck me anew tonight:

May this eternal truth be always on our hearts
That the God who breathed this world into being
Placed stars into the heavens
And designed a butterfly's wing
Is the God who entrusted his life
to the care of ordinary people
became vulnerable that we might know
how strong is the power of Love
A mystery so deep it is impossible to grasp
A mystery so beautiful it is impossible to ignore.

We may not recognize the other sheep in the flock, but the Shepherd will.

I hear people say...."Well, they don't go to my church, so they can't be saved."

"They use modern music, so they're not really saved."

"They use *that* liturgy and have candles and bells and stuff. You know, they're just all worshiping ritual so they CAN'T be saved."

"They're too formal." or "They're too let-loose."

"They use this prayer book and everyone knows that's not good."

"They use the wrong translation of the Bible...so you know...they are NOT part of the flock, that's for sure."

"That church has people who have tattoos. Or dress differently. Or. Or. Or. Or."

It is sad, really, how we think we can determine who is saved and who is not. Who is in the Redeemed..and who didn't follow Christ.

You think dress code has anything to do with it?

Dress code change from society to society, culture to culture.

You think worship style has anything to do with it? God demanded formality in one part of the Bible, and Christ taught the sitting, dirty masses casually at another.

You think a particular style of music is important? Isn't it the intent and purpose of the music that matters?

What are the basics of salvation?

As long as someone:
*believes the basic tenets of the faith (in our church we call it being a creedal Christian)
* trusts in Christ alone for salvation (and not works)
* doesn't believe that God is their personal butler/servant/genie or Santa Claus (for if we believe we can worship God to get monetary results..won't the devil just offer you a better deal?)
*repents from sin and attempts daily to walk with God as best they can
*and shows love of God and neighbor in their daily life

.....then they fit the rudimentary fundamentals of what it is to be a Christian.

But it is more than that. It is so much richer than that.

It is abiding in God. Resting in the Lord, living for the Lord. Being in awe and wonder and grace and dancing to the tune God has set before you because it is all your soul really wants to do in the first place.

Abiding helps you to value all the more all those around you, to treasure and cherish, because not only are they important to their friends and family, but they are made in the image of God...and thus are priceless.

Abiding lets you know that you don't deserve grace, but that God wants to lavish it upon you.

Abiding lets you know that while other people are fallen, so are you, and just as God called you, He seeks after them.

Abiding lets you just barely have a foretaste of the joy, peace and wonderment that God has in store for you, and already you are overwhelmed.

Abiding is where faith becomes all-encompassing. It touches every facet of your life. And you want it to do so.

And Abiding is humbling. Because when you rest in the Lord, you stop and consider all that He went through just so He could have *you*....How deep His love goes.

That Abiding allows you to stay with your Shepherd, through all of life's twists and turns, ups and downs, because you trust Him. You've been through valleys and mountain passes because you know Him. You walk through frightening medical procedures, and heart breaking family moments and stressful job experiences and you know...that your Shepherd will not abandon you. He will see you through this.

And you know that, because somewhere deep inside, you recognize His call, you know His heedings. His guiding hand and calming voice are what get you through those dark times, and make the joyous times even better.

Abiding lets you hear the Shepherd's call.

Then you realize, with a deep wave of emotion, that just because *you* don't recognize all of the other sheep in the Shepherd's flock, that doesn't mean He can't. That He hasn't, that He won't.

You may not be able to pick out the others that are His sheep, but He can. He calls them, just as He called you. They may worship differently. They may hum different songs, or wear different outfits.

But they're His.

And He'll guard them just as zealously and tenderly as He's watched over you.

Don't try and block other sheep from His pasture. There is plenty of room for all of us.

Don't count God out. You've no idea the wonders He's yet to work.

You worry about your loved ones. The black sheep. The troubled. The lost and broken. The angry and the hurt.

You love them. You worry about them. You hold them in your heart and in your prayers. You don't know what to do, to help them heal. To help them be whole. To help them find peace. All you know how to do is to love them, pray for them...but then what?

The good news is....as much as you love them, God loves them more.

As much as you want to see them whole, God desires it more.

As much as you long for them to find God, He seeks it more.

We cannot comprehend the love and mercy of God. We can barely grasp the lengths He went to in order to secure the redemption and salvation of broken, fallen people such as ourselves.

How can we think we can limit the impact He will have on our loved ones? The private cries only He hears. The lonely tears only He sees. The desperate prayer that reaches His heart.

Don't count God out. You've no idea the wonders He's yet to work. 

These "Your happiness is supreme" memes

Is your newsfeed filled with memes about "Don't do what doesn't please you" and "If something insults your soul, leave it"...and "If it doesn't make you happy, walk away".....because mine is. There are dozens if not hundreds of these snappy little sayings...and I couldn't figure out for the longest time why they made me uneasy.

Because, they do. They fill me with a sense of disquiet, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why.

Until today.

These memes...these "Your happiness is supreme" memes are re-enforcing selfishness and conceit. They are teaching that one's personal idea of being happy should be put above all else.

Now, I'm not saying that we should be miserable, unhappy people....slogging through life day after day. I'm not saying that people should stay in abusive relationships, be they physical, emotional, spiritual, etc. (IF you are in such a relationship...get help now. You deserve better.)

I'm not saying that people should stay in jobs they hate, or remain in bad behavior ruts that are keeping them from achieving dreams. Those are all situations that need to be looked at, reflected upon and action taken to resolve them. And I'm sure some of those memes are meant for just such situations....but many are not.

Many of these memes infer:

'Are you bored in your relationship? Move on."

"Hate your responsibilities? Get rid of them."

"Have annoying family or friends. Dump them."

"Be happy, at whatever the cost."

But you see, my personal happiness is not the most important thing in my life.

My faith doesn't always make me happy; often it challenges me and makes me uncomfortable. I'm not going to dump my faith when it is less then peachy, I'm going to study, pray and grow in faith.

My marriage, though amongst the best I know, isn't always "butterflys and unicorns, and roaring bonfires." There are days when we're tired, or stressed, and those are the days we go out of our way to serve one another and take care of one another. Because bonfires go out, but a carefully fed fire warms the home and the heart.

I have friends and family who frustrate me and who I frustrate. But we love each other, so we work with each other, and accept one another. We help one another...we don't abandon each other.

And life IS responsibilities. To your family. To your social groups. To your job. To your community. To life itself. We have a responsibility to try and make this world a little better. To right wrongs. To stand firm in the breach. To care. To value.

These memes that say one's personal happiness is what is most important are telling us to resort back to the selfishness of childhood. There are more important things in life than chasing your own desires. You will find that happiness, joy and contentment come and rest in your life and in your heart when you make life meaningful. When you invest in people instead of walking away. When you make your communities a better place by helping others.

Don't shirk the very things in life that make life worth living just because of a rough patch, boredom or a wanderlust. The grass may look greener someplace else, but that's just because you haven't been watering your own.

Accept my prayers, dear Father

I just found this prayer, and think it is incredibly lovely.

"Accept my prayers, dear Father, for those who have no one to love them enough to pray for them. Wherever and whoever they are, give them a share of my blessings, and in thy love let them know that they are not forgotten."

A Commendation

A Commendation

God be in my head, 
And in my understanding; 
God be in my eyes, 
And in my looking;
God be in my mouth, 
And in my speaking;
God be m my heart, 
And in my thinking;
God be at mine end, 
And at my departing.

"Ozarkian" wisdom

On our drive Monday, Charles and I pondered two bits of "Ozarkian" wisdom that came our way.

One, as relayed by an older writer of the area; "It isn't that our mountains are so tall, but that our hollers (hollows) are so deep."

Profound, huh?

The second was given to us by our own personal experience of the day. As is our custom, on longer drives we look for recreation/conservation areas to stop at, so that we can stretch our legs, get a bit of nature, etc.

Yesterday, we ventured to stop at Held's Island. (Which is a lovely little area, btw.)

There is a river surrounding the conservation area (hence the island bit), and I am *always* drawn to water. So I head down the boat launch to look at the river. Now...there is a truck parked at the end of the boat launch, no trailer though...and laughter coming from the water. The sound of men bs-ing about the weather, the farms, baseball and women.

It was a hot day, yesterday, in the low 90's, and apparently this group of older guys had decided to stop and cool off in the river before going home.

As I came into view (not full view though, thankfully) I heard, "Damn it, it's a woman. Get your britches on!" I quickly turned, thankful that the water obscured anything and marched back up the boat ramp to Charles, who was greatly amused.

So the second part of the Ozarkian wisdom we learned is...at remote conservation areas, people still go skinny dipping. No matter what their ages.

I can't tell you how hard my Dad laughed as I told him this story.

Let us be a balm and a light in the increasing darkness.

Stop yelling over one another....and pause to listen.

Stop dismissing and condemning....and reach out to love.

Put down the stone...and see your own sin, and seeing, have compassion for others who have fallen.

We need each other. For friendship. For understanding. For healing and love.

Let us listen. Let us care. Let us help and bandage the hurting souls and broken hearts.

Let us be a balm and a light in the increasing darkness.