In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

 in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. Translated into English, this means, “In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

The above quote is often attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo, but is more often thought to have been first penned by either an obscure German Lutheran theologian of the early seventeenth century named Rupertus Meldenius, or Marco Antonio de Dominis (1560-1624) in 1617, a Catholic Bishop. I'm not sure which actually wrote/said it, as there is a large number of sources attributing the saying to each of them. 

This quote often comes to mind when I watch Christians from different denominations squabble...often over the strangest stuff. When to worship, what to wear, how the Eucharist (communion) should be served, can you sit during worship or have to stand, do we kneel, what hats do we wear, what music can be played (or not!) in the House of God, what to eat.....the list goes on and on, my friend, it's the fight without an end.

People tend to like to be correct, especially about what they hold dearest to them....
for many of us, that is religion. (Hence, some of the horrible atrocities done in the name of faith throughout the years.) By and large, most Christians now are fairly peaceful folks, seldom resorting to anything other than raised voices and name-calling. 

But boy are we good at that!  

And I've come to believe that inter-denominational verbal fencing is a sport in and of itself. There are people who love to compete (I told him, HA!) and those who love to root for their favorite debaters (you tell that heretic!) and those who watch from the sidelines with avid interest (anyone have some popcorn?).......And then there are those who watch such fighting with a sick feeling in their heart and soul, wondering how people who claim to love the same Christ also love to tear each other down. 

Now....there are reasons to correct one another...there are genuine heresies that must be faced and dealt with, lest poison, like a cancer, spread through the Body of Christ's Church. I don't object to heresies being exposed or important issues of doctrine being discussed and debated (indeed they must be) as long as the spirit of love is present. 

For if we are without love when dealing with such important matters, we run the risk of using  faith as a bludgeoning weapon, instead of a surgeon's scalpel used delicately, and in a life-saving manner, to cut out the spreading rot. 

For whether we deal with a Christian following bad doctrine, or someone who doesn't claim  Christ as Lord, we are still dealing with someone made in the image of God. Someone that we should treat with love and kindness.  I don't know about you....or if I am particularly hard-headed, but scolding me or yelling at me was never an effective way to motivate me.  It usually just made me defensive, and my natural reaction when I'm defensive is to become angry and stubborn. I shut down and "circle the wagons" to protect myself from what I perceive as a threat...and I suspect many people are the same.  

I've not yet met someone who has been brought into the Kingdom of God by being screamed at and called names.

I've met a lot of people though who have fled from even talking about God because 
they were treated cruelly by a Christian, who might have had the best of intentions,
but chose the worst of methods.

And I've met a lot of wounded Christians, stumbling about spiritually, because they've been attacked by other members of the Body over minor doctrinal issues.  People who are gun-shy now of a whole denomination (or ten) because of how they were treated.  Which is really  very sad...for that just means there are parts of the family of God that aren't speaking to each other.


"Cousin Baptist won't talk to Uncle Anabaptist, Nephew Methodist is angry with Aunt Anglican, and the Presbyterians won't even talk to their own siblings. The Moravians don't even know about Great Uncle Coptic, and the Lutherans are feuding amongst themselves again. Not to mention the Grandparents, the Roman Catholics and Orthodox, who are just now starting to speak again after a 1,000 years."

Wow, guys, really?

Aren't we a little old to be playing the "estranged family with loads of baggage" game? 

Yes....there are issues we disagree upon. Good heavens, people always find issues 
to disagree upon...I think it is just part of the human condition.

But do you love Jesus Christ?  Do you hold to the basic, fundamental tenets of 
the Christian faith? (Belief in all aspects of the Triune God (Father, Son and Holy Ghost,) Christ born to a Virgin, Death on the Cross, Resurrection from the grave, forgiveness of sins (and acknowledgement you are a sinner in need of forgiveness), Salvation through Faith, the call to Repentance and the gift of God's grace and mercy, the promise of eternal life for those who believe and trust in Jesus, etc) 

Great! We're family!

For if you love God, you'll try your best to honor Him by repenting of sins and living your life out loving God and your neighbor...then you've hit what is really important.

For if you genuinely love and trust in Christ alone for your salvation, and you will attempt to live in accordance to His will.  And that flows right into loving your neighbor  (Jesus did after all make a REALLY big deal about this), and you'll find it comes easier and easier as time goes on, as Christ remakes you into a new creation; His love then flows through you.

And if you deeply love Christ, and I deeply love Christ, then we've got a familial bond. 
We've got a shared family member, a shared cause, and a shared passion.

I'm not going to fight you over non-essential aspects of faith, and in the essential elements of faith, I only ever try to reason in love with people. 

If I am dealing with someone who does not yet know my beloved Jesus, then I will attempt to shower them with His great love,and my feeble shadow of that love.

Because....it all comes down to love.

If you don't know that I love you, by how I talk to you and treat you, then you'll never listen to the life giving Gospel I want to share.  

And if you're of another denomination with significant differences to my own, let us start by affirming and agreeing on our love for Him who loved us first.  And should we disagree on this point or that point, then you can just say I'm your odd, goofy cousin...but hey...at least I'm family!




"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”--John 13:34-35

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins."
1 Peter 4:8

Has anyone ever been more loved?

"But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

    he who formed you, O Israel:

“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

    I have called you by name, you are mine."

-Isaiah 43:1

We all get into those doubting and melancholy moods from time to time.

Where we wonder...and torture ourselves, with questions such as:

Do I really matter?

Am I really loved by anyone?

If people knew how messed up I am inside sometimes, they'd drop me...wouldn't they?

Do I have a purpose?

Such thoughts can weave themselves insidiously into our heart and soul...we begin to doubt our value, we begin to question the motives and affections of the people in our lives and everything seems to slowly get darker, heavier. Life starts to lose its luster and each day feels like you are mentally trudging through sludge just to get by.

And such thoughts are not from God, but from the one who would see you live in misery and defeat. That old adversary, who loves nothing more than to whisper in your ear how un-needed and unloved you are.

For God tells you a very different message, one of profound love, hope and joy.

That you, made in His image and known to Him before He founded the world, were made with a purpose.  

That you, with all your faults and foibles, stumbles and sins, have your name written on the hand of God, so that you are ever before Him.

That you, both on your good days and bad, are precious beyond measure to the Lord who created you in love. And nothing can separate you from that love. Nothing.

That you who were trapped by sin have been ransomed at a great price, a price beyond all comprehension, and now are claimed by God who is possessive in His love for you.

That you, who are often so hard upon yourself, were created by God ...who delights over you. Delights!   Can you stop for a moment in wonder that the Lord who calls the stars by name rejoices over you!

That you, who may be estranged from family or friends, have a Lord who has made you His child....how loved must you be to be called a child of God! You have a Father who will never forsake you, you are never without family.

Find your worth in the fact that you are beloved by God, known to Him before He set the foundations of the world, for the purpose of being saved through Christ so that you might love and be loved by God for eternity. Holy Scriptures tell us again of the depth of God's love, how steadfast it is and how rich in mercy. 

Christ calls to you, "Abide in my love," (John 15:9b).

You are loved, cherished and important in the eyes of our Creator.

He made you in love. Called you in love. Redeemed you in love. Sanctifies you in love.

You have not been unloved one day of your life.  You have not been unwanted....ever.

So friend, when those dark thoughts come, don't give into them.  I know it can be hard, I am myself of a nature prone to melancholy. But when these thoughts come, telling you that you're unloved, unwanted and undeserving....turn to God's word and to prayer. Read some of the verses below or the hundreds more found within Scripture that tell you just how beloved you are to our God. 

And remember this..... God proved to you that you are so greatly loved by He sending His only begotten Son, Christ Jesus, very God of very God, part of the Triune godhead, to die upon a Cross, be buried and resurrected again so that you might have eternal life, if you will but believe and trust in Him.

You are so important in God's eyes that you were worth dying for. Worth the torture, the mocking, the nails driven in and the horror and weight of sin, the agony of the cross lifted up and the gasping breaths. The shattering pain, the darkness of death.  All of it. In God's eyes, you are worth it.

Has anyone ever been more loved?


--Beth Haynes Butler


"According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:" Ephesians 1:4

"Behold, I have engraved you upon the palms of my hands;" Isaiah 49:16

"No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:37-39 

"The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." Zephaniah 3:17 

"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." 1 John 3:1
 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 

The God who reigns in Heaven felt the lash of the Roman's whip.

The Lord who spoke planets and nebulas, ocean deeps and platypuses into being had nails driven into His hands.

The Almighty who knew you before you were formed in your mother's womb hung upon a crudely made cross.

For you.

Don't you *ever* give into the thought that you are unloved and unwanted. Christ, the Word through whom all things were created, willingly underwent torture and an excruciating death rather than be without you.

No one has ever been more loved and wanted than you.

Rest in that love.

Rejoice in that love.

Share that love, beloved of God.

--Beth Haynes Butler

He was known as a friend of sinners....do we want to be known by that title?

The problem for a lot of Christians is that Jesus calls us out. He calls us to be more than what our comfort level prefers.

Most of us like the idea of the tame Jesus, who will let us live our lives just as we want and never bat an eye or offer a criticism. The "I'm alright, you're alright, don't rock the boat" kinda savior. He's cool, he's comfortable and familiar, and we don't have to change for him.

Some of us like an angry Jesus, who storms around looking for people to crush in wrath, and whose favorite game is based upon that old "whack a mole" arcade game....but instead of a stuffed toy, it is sinners that get punished with glee. Whap, whap, whap.

Some of us adore the political Jesus (often with hints of angry Jesus or tame Jesus -depending on party and issue-thrown in for good measure)...who more closely fits a political party's platform than anything resembling what Scripture taught.

And a whole lot of people swoon over the Rich Jesus, who tells us only to say that we want to be wealthy, healthy and wise and snap, it'll happen. Really. As long as you have enough faith (and you've given your tithe to the pastor who sold you this convenient genie of a god.)

We want a labeled Jesus, a packaged Savior, who comes with an instruction booklet, and who will allow us to turn Him into whatever we might want, or need Him to be at any particular time.

But He's not a tame God, or a boxed Savior to be trotted out at a moment's notice. He is both holy and compassionate, both righteous and loving. He delights in improbabilities (you did notice that band of misfits He chose to be His disciples, right?) and He doesn't fit our social norms. When He walked the roads of Galilee, when He taught in the Temple, where ever He went and whatever He did, He goes farther and deeper into situations than we would have.

What terrifies many of us, if we are honest, is that He is calling us to do the same.

And we don't want to.

When Christ sat and talked with the multiple divorced Samaritan woman at the well, it was a big social "no-no" of the day. He did it anyway, regardless of risk to reputation, and changed her life.  He showed us that we are to befriend even the socially taboo, in order that His love and light might reach them through such faulty vessels as ourselves.

When He stopped the religious establishment from stoning the adulterous woman, He showed us we are to live lives of mercy and forgiveness, even at the cost of upsetting the faithful adherents of our religious institutions.

When He touched the leper...the untouchable of that day's society, we are shown that we are to be loving and accessible to the outcasts of our time and our culture.

Some of His friends raised eyebrows. Matthew, after all, was a hated tax collector, a man who made money off the toil of his people and worked in collaboration with the hated occupying force. I'm sure mutterings of "traitor" had often reached Matthew's ears.  Yet Christ called him, loved him, redeemed him.  How many of us are careful in who we choose to call friend? We so often only have friends of like beliefs, social standing, political views....the list of our criteria goes on and on. Why isn't our circle of friends more diverse? Why isn't our love large enough to accept others different than ourselves?

He was known as a friend of sinners....do we want to be known by that title?

I'm not speaking in church-speak here, "...well, we're all sinners, so my friends in church are sinners just like I am, so I, too, am a friend of sinners, just like Jesus...." (said in a comfortable, smug after service voice)

Stop that! Yes, we are all sinners, and yes, we need to have friends and fellowship within the Body of Christ, the Church, but that wasn't what Jesus was accused of by the religious establishment of His time.  He was accused of hanging out and being friends with prostitutes and tax collectors, common people and untouchables, with exactly the kind of people the Religious Authority told people to stay away from.

He befriended and loved the people that weren't acceptable.  He didn't choose His friends from the "Who's who" directory, He went the opposite way. He searched out brokenness, and healed.  He sought out loneliness and comforted. He showed people trapped and entrenched in sin a way to turn from their sin. His love changed people wherever He went. He fed and watered people not only with bread, and fish and wine, but with living water and the Bread of life....He gave them the knowledge that they too, scarred and shattered as they were, were loved by God.

Loved so deeply that He died for them, so that He could have them for eternity.

We're not to cling to a packaged Jesus that fits our ideals....Christ can't be "handled" or "managed."  He is sovereign Lord, and we have only the slightest glimpse of His beauty, holiness, mercy and love. Rather, we are to fall in love with Jesus and in turn, accept the truth that the God who made the stars cherishes and loves us. And that love, showered upon us, will change us, it cannot help but do so. Jesus makes each believer into a new creation, changing us from the inside out.  He takes our broken, frail selves, fraught with sin and fear, and through His grace transforms us. No one can have an encounter with the living God and come away unchanged, and I can't see how anyone could truly know Jesus and not fall in love.

We are shaped by His love and by our response to that love.

And He calls us today to love others deeply and recklessly. To seek out the crushed of spirit and breathe in new life through the Holy Spirit.  He calls us to give more than we want to, to the needy.  He calls us to find the downtrodden and sit with them, listen to them, even though the rawness of their stories might shock or hurt our sensibilities. He tells us to go to every corner and share the Good News of the life giving Gospel, even though doing so might scare us or be outside of our comfort zone.  He calls us to be friends of sinners, of the lost, so that we might show them the light of Christ. He calls us to be lights on a hill, holy in an unholy world; yet to also keep ourselves authentic and real enough that our message and life of faith can be taken seriously by those who haven't yet discovered how much God loves them. We're to be living carriers of that love, wherever God sends us.

Christ's harshest words were reserved for the religious establishment that set out un-keepable rules and un-breachable social mores, who made God seem far away and unreachable to the common man.  He lashed out at men of the cloth who turned a blind eye to need, who ignored mercy, who manipulated Scripture for their own profit and standing, and who left the lost to perish in their sins.

What would he say to the American church?  What would He say when say when He saw how we wanted to package Him?  What would He say when He saw who we sought out for friends, and whom we ignored?

What will you say when He asks you to be more than what you are now? When He calls you to step out of the boat of being comfortable and take that step into that amazing, unfathomable love of God and all that such love entails? Will you leave the safe harbor and go on that journey with God?

Silence doesn't end ignorance

My husband, Charles, may or may not have lost a friend over making a stand for what is right. His friend, in a post about being angry at spammers, called people a whole lot of names, using the hurtful term "mental retards" as a slur, grouping people who are handicapped along with people who are con artists.

Charles pointed out that using that term is hurtful to those who are challenged, and to the friends and family who love those individuals. (Including myself, as my brother is challenged, and we have people in our family with other disabilities.) I gather this friend huffed and puffed at being confronted, but this is not an issue either Charles or I take lightly.

You don't use people's disabilities as a slur. You don't make fun of people with disabilities. It's mean to verbally kick someone for something that they cannot help. I know that though I refer to myself as someone who is crippled, I'd be very hurt if someone mocked me for being such....and Charles, my Celt, would be livid. (They would regret the encounter, I can assure you.)

It's not hard to be kind. It's not hard to be decent. It is not hard to refrain from mocking the disabled, the outcast or the broken. We need to be careful of the words we use, even when speaking (or posting) in anger...for those words can travel and wound. When we are cruel, even thoughtlessly cruel, we diminish who we are as a person....it only shows our less than ideal side.

We can all be better than that. Instead of tearing people down with what you say....build them up. Instead of being hurtful....be loving. The world has enough cruelty in it, let's strive for understanding and kindness.

And if you see or hear someone being cruel....take a stand and say something. Silence doesn't end ignorance, it only allows it to continue.

-Beth Haynes Butler

But we forget...we can change the world.

Most of us look at the world...with all the tragedies, traumas, and conflicts, and we're a bit overwhelmed. Maybe if you are like me, some days the weight of knowledge of all the abounding sorrows is crushing and bewildering.

We're beset with story after story of tragedy and strife, and we either bristle with righteous anger, sigh with compassion fatigue, cry with broken hearts or turn away. Maybe, like me, and do all of the above at different times.

And we're left wondering why. And how can this all be fixed. And who is going to do it.

Because most of us don't have any real authority or power in this world's eyes. (And in my case, that's probably a good thing, or there would be a whole bunch of people living on desert isles.)

But we forget...we can change the world. Even simple, quiet, ordinary people like us. We can change the world for the better by caring and acting with compassion and love in our daily lives and in our own communities. Our small actions ripple forth, changing the lives of those around us...and then perhaps those lives will go on to change the lives of yet more people.

You all know hurting people. Whether it is the homeless man in the park, or the single mother who is struggling, the young couple who is stressed out, the senior citizen who wonders if anyone even cares anymore, or the over worked father who doesn't understand why the world is changing so fast. You know the angry or lonely teenager, the near burn-out pastor, the cop who is trying to save the world but is scared he won't make it home at night. You know the waitress who prays for good tips to make the rent, the soldier about to head back into theater of war and nightmares, or the frustrated cashier who keeps getting yelled at because there aren't enough checkers at the store.

You know these people. Maybe you are one of these people.

You can help change the lives of these people. By being polite and friendly. By taking someone a much needed meal. By listening, talking and acknowledging the value of another person's being. By watching the kids. By praying for them. By telling someone they're doing a good job and they are appreciated. By sitting with someone and letting them tell you stories from years ago. By being a friend.

Each time you reach out and try to help someone, in love and compassion, you change the world. You make the world a little better. You and I, we may not be able to stop countries from warring, or fanatics from killing, but we can soften and improve the lives of the people we know and come in contact with.

We're not called to fix everything. Only God can do that, and He will, in His time. But we are called to be a light unto the world; and it is time we all tried to shine a little brighter, for this world is ever darkening.

Be blessed, my friends, and may you choose to be a blessing unto someone else,

-Beth Haynes Butler

Christ knows His own, calls His own, redeems His own.

One day, if you are a believer...after you have passed through this life and Christ has claimed you as His before the Father....after Christ's righteousness alone has secured your eternity and your name is found in the Lamb's Book of Life....you may look around.

And perhaps be shocked. Maybe confused. For you will find other sheep that belong to the Shepherd that *you* never counted on. People who looked and acted so differently than you and yours. People who worshiped differently, who sang different songs and held onto small points of dogma that you didn't approve of. People that you had felt sure weren't "going to make the list"....now standing in the radiance of God, singing "Holy, Holy, Holy."

But you see....it's not their differences that mattered at all, in the end. What will count, what will bind, is the simple love of God and trust in Christ that they held, and that they showed to their neighbors. That they lived in trust and faith and that they lived shaped by Christ's love. Maybe you never saw that love....but God did. While you were busy condemning them on surface matters, God saw their heart and called them His.

Friend, there will be those wearing the title of Christ's redeemed that will see *us* and pause. Who do a double take because we are in that number. Who maybe wrinkle a brow in confusion that we, too, belong to the One who paid a great price to secure us.

Remember, in His Kingdom, there will be both Moses and Elijah..and the thief who hung on a cross. Great prophets and warriors of God next to prostitutes redeemed. Saints who changed the world, and shy, seemingly unremarkable men and women who lived quiet lives of faith and prayer. Martyrs next to those that lived in security.

And none of us will deserve to be there.

None.

Not one.

We shall all wonder and marvel at the vastness of Christ's grace and mercy, that we should be saved by such, and that His love includes even (and especially) those we overlooked or dismissed. Truly then, we will all be humbled and sing praises to the Lamb and His excessive and extravagant love.

Christ has many sheep, whom He loves tenderly and guides with devoted care. We don't always recognize each other in this life of conflict, toil and trauma. But that's okay, because He knows us. He calls us. He redeems us by His unfathomable mercy.

Let us live then, in such an open and authentic way, that we invite others to know our Lord and King.

Let us love in such a way that His love shines through us in an ever darkening world.

Let us be mindful that His flock is all around us, and that when we talk to, or about, another person, that they may be one that hears the Shepherd's call; that they are as loved as we and secured by the same great sacrifice of the Cross.

We shouldn't trying to keep other sheep out of the fold nor acting as if we get the call of who deserves to be there. Christ knows His own, calls His own, redeems His own. Let's just be thankful we're amongst the number.

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

-Beth Haynes Butler

The bravest person I have ever known.

The bravest person I have ever known.....

As a teenager, problems developed with my foot. Walking became exceedingly painful, the foot became swollen, there was a double staph infection, and several complications. Part of the process of figuring out all of what was wrong meant spending a lot of time with my Dad, driving back and forth to the Shriner's Children's Hospital up in San Francisco. The route up there for appointments became as familiar as driving to my much beloved Sequoias, or over the coast mountains to head to the beach. It was a road where every twist and turn, small town and major metro area became imprinted upon my memory, I think I could guide Charles through every turn even today, years later.

While my Dad isn't who this post is about, he did show remarkable courage on those drives. When your kid is sick and you don't know why, it must take great reserves to make such journeys with unfailing humor and gentleness; belting out old rock and roll songs, stopping for fresh fruit at your kid's favorite point of the journey, and meeting doctor after doctor with courtesy, grace and a brave face....not knowing what news those same doctors will be giving you. Dad made those trips not only bearable, but fun.

When I was a junior in High School, surgery was scheduled. To this day, I'm still not completely sure what they were looking for....cancer perhaps. I know it was exploratory (I'd already had the bone scan and MRI) and it ended up with them breaking a bone in my foot to test the marrow. It also meant an overnight at the hospital.

I don't do well with hospitals. I don't like how they smell, it is like I can taste the fear and uncertainty. I feel like I am drowning there...and Shriners was no different, for all of their bright walls, friendly staff and toys and games in abundance. Panic was setting in.

And then a boy rolled in.

A small boy, maybe six or seven, with bright red hair and blue eyes, and more freckles than even I have in the summer. He had pale cheeks gathered up in a huge smile, as he moved his wheelchair in with the speed and accuracy of one who is very familiar with such a device.

"Whatcha in for?" was what he asked me. And thus began my brief encounter with the bravest and brightest soul I have ever met.

He was in for a number of issues. Cancer. Bone issues. Organ issues. He had been at that hospital since he was a baby, and had only been to his parent's home for three visits his whole life.

Yet he was not bitter, nor cynical, nor angry. After he comforted me in my distress ("Don't worry, the docs here are great! Some of the best anywhere in the world! And we have games after dinner, and the food is great too!") I saw him roll off to visit the next room and the next scared child.

The nurse who came in to check my blood pressure laughed when I asked her about the boy. "He's our little angel, we couldn't get along without him. He makes us (the nurses) cards when he knows we've had a bad day, and he's the best little minister of all to talk to you children."

When I asked about how sick he was, her face darkened. "We don't expect to have him another year," and she left abruptly.

At dinner, a short time later, I heard him tell a boy, "But we have to say grace, we have so much to be thankful for!"

When they boy (scared) muttered "What's there to be thankful for?", the red headed ambassador of the ward said, "Life! And you're here, and they'll make you better!"

That night, after dinner, when I was the first in line for having blood drawn (yet again), I thought of the boy and his courage. So when I looked back and saw the faces of mainly younger children, apprehensive at the needle, I joked and laughed with them, and with the nurse, who thanked me, at the end for making her job easier.

On my way back to my room, I passed the boy's room. He rolled out to see me, and took my hand in his little grasp.

"If I don't see you tomorrow, or again, it's going to be okay. Everything is always okay, in the end, because everything is always in God's hand, you see?"

I nodded..... a little child had to remind me of the faith I had grown up with.

"Goodnight then, maybe goodbye. It's been great having you here." And he rolled back in to his room, his home.

I don't remember his name. I can see him clearly if I close my eyes, but I don't remember his name. This has bothered me for years.

And whenever I am tempted to give into self pity, I think of that bright, shining boy; in whom the light shown so bright even as the darkness of death's doorway crept closer.

Teresa of Avila said, "God save us from gloomy saints." Lord, save me from sullenly accepting my cross and my burdens, and instead help me to be like the little saint in his wheelchair, who gave comfort, and laughter, to all I saw him meet.

" But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12, verses 9-10)

-Beth Haynes Butler

I read this rather whining, melodramatic blog yesterday, that complained about traditional men. (The author mainly ranted about white family men, but his scope included any man who favored family, faith and from what I could gather, responsibility.)

That column gave me heartburn, both physically and spiritually. To deride men for being responsible, loving, caring, contributing to their communities and grounded as family men showed me only a sad, pitiful glance into someone who values fad over substance.

I would rather celebrate the men who stand firm in the breach of life's storms, putting themselves between potential dangers and their families. I would rather applaud the men who work to provide security for their loved ones, and who give their best effort to their careers, vocations or callings. I would rather acknowledge the men who passionately love their families and shower them with tender care. I would rather salute the men who, even tired from work, plunge into making their communities a better place, with mentoring, coaching and sitting endless meetings. Who take care of their elders and guide the youth.

Keep your trendy, cool, hip boys, who spend more time making snarky comments than getting anything important done.

I'd rather honor the men who help hold this country up. Who do the right things, and the hard things, because of who they are and what they stand for. Who are found in each of the cultures that make up our great country, and are spread across our land. Who might be gardeners in their off time, or bikers ....woodworkers or Marathon runners, readers or sports fanatics. But common threads unite them....a love of family, of community, a willingness to shoulder responsibility and a grounding of deep ideals.

Men of steadfastness, of loyalty, of quiet courage and sure faith.

We need, more than ever, an abundance of such men. Let's celebrate and cherish the ones we have.

--Beth

If you are bitter about something, or unforgiving, or mired down in the muck of life and complicated relationships; let it go. God does not mean for you to carry the burden on your shoulders- He tells us in the Old and New Testaments to forgive others, in part because that helps YOU to be healthier and happier. People will hurt you in this life, it is inevitable; we live in a fallen and broken world. You must choose how you deal with that.

A pastor of my youth told me a wonderful story once during my confirmation class: He held up a picture of a solid blue window and a stained glass window of many colors. He asked us (the class) which was more beautiful- we answered the stained glass window. And then he said, "The stained glass window is made up of many broken pieces of glass, fused together by an artist to make something beautiful. In this life, you will be hurt and broken, it is the nature of the world we live in. But if you allow God to take the pieces of your life and do with them what He will, He will make them into something truly beautiful."

Are you holding onto the broken shards of your life, or are you allowing God to make something beautiful out of them? Holding onto bitterness, un-forgiveness, anger and hate tells God you don't want Him to be the artist of your life; it keeps your life a pile of broken shards. Releasing those feelings and turning things over to God is your way of allowing Him to begin crafting your life.

Let your life be a breathtaking stained glass window.

Be blessed friends, and be a blessing to someone else.
Beth Haynes Butler

I was admonished by someone who wanted me to know they didn't care for my religious posts, or my prayers and obvious constant reliance upon God. I was told I should consider how others might see or react to that.

I've been pondering this all night, as I woke up off and on from pain and finally just decided to get up at 4:30. Being a people pleaser by nature, I don't like to offend or irritate people (something my Irish American husband Charles is not worried about at all)..but as much as I hate the idea of offending someone, I hate the idea of betraying my faith even more.

I post prayers because I believe in the power of prayer. I have seen wonders worked through prayer, I have lived through such wonders more than once myself. I am constantly reliant on God because He is the source of my life, my faith, and He sustains me in all things. I post faith based items because it is my page and I choose to do so. It brings me comfort, cheers me up, most importantly, it glorifies God. And the vast majority of my friends have no issue with it.

I would never be so rude as to go onto someone else's page and post things of my faith unless I knew a) they shared it, and b) they wanted it. But what I post on my own page is my business, and if I want to glorify God with it, then I will.

I have friends of multiple faiths, and I respect their postings and their deeply held beliefs. I have friends who choose no faith, and we respect each other's convictions. There are things I see on my feed that I disagree with, be it faith (or non-faith), political, social or whatever...and that's okay! We're all different, so I should see a wide variety of posts on topics dear to people's hearts. We don't have to agree with everything someone posts to still like and respect them. If you don't like something....keep scrolling.

As for me and my page, the faith posts will still be there. So will the friendship posts, the recipes, the book posts, the gardening and home, cute animals and occasional sports. Because they're all part of who I am....and I don't feel like changing or hiding. 

-Beth Haynes Butler

I am not saved by a anything I have done, but only through that which He has done.

When a Christian is killed in Egypt or Nigeria, in Pakistan or North Korea, their executioners are not, by and large, asking them what denomination they belong to. Those Christians are not dying for being Coptic or Catholic, Anglican or Orthodox, a Baptist missionary or Methodist minister ....they are simply dying for loving and standing by Christ.

Maybe we in our comfortable, safe Western culture should seek first to see the love of Christ in another believer, before we start tearing them down due to differences in dogma. It's Christ's banner we stand under ultimately, not our denominational pennants. In a world which our brethren are dying daily for our Lord's name, let us be love and light to one another in these troubled times.

--Beth

What is the power of prayer?

I've had friends before ask me about what I believe prayers to be, or not be, and in the case of some skeptical friends, if prayer even works.

What prayer is not: A direct line to a cosmic genie or Santa Claus. The purpose of prayer is not to try and wheedle unnecessary material wealth out of God, or attempt to manipulate Him, or bribe Him with promises of good behavior in the future for rewards in the present. It reminds me of the old "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" bit in the cartoons. But it is amazing how many people I talk with that use prayer exactly for that, and then wonder why it is not answered in the manner they want.

Prayer is a conversation between you and God. A time of communion and communication; where you spend time laying your burdens at the feet of the Lord, thanking Him for the innumerable blessings you already have, and opening yourself up to discern the messages He has for you in your life. The Bible tells us we can ask things of God, but they have to be in accordance with His will and purposes.

Does prayer work? I was once diagnosed with cancer, and the doctors were very concerned as it was located in the lymph-nodes and they thought it would spread quickly. So surgery was only a few weeks later (very fast in medical time.) We had gone home after the initial diagnosis and cried, and then prayed, and then praised. Because whatever was going to happen could be used for God's glory, and we turned it over to Him. My parents prayed, our friends prayed, our church prayed. And when the surgery was done, there was nothing found but a blood sac. The doctors were baffled; they hadn't counted on prayer as an effective aid to treatment.

Now, does God remove all illness every time? No. Sometimes we are given conditions that aren't curable, and must be shouldered with good grace. Sometimes those conditions bring us closer to God, which is a blessing. Sometimes they enable us to minister to others in like circumstances, which is a blessing. Sometimes though, even with the most desperate of prayers, the conditions or illnesses are fatal- God calls us home. That is when even in grief we have trust, even in grief, we hold onto God. Because everyone will die someday, and from the time we are born, the Lord knows when we will be called home.

Does prayer work in emergencies? I have seen people have funds for emergency bills come through. I have seen the poor greeted with unexpected bags of food when their pantries are bare. I have seen the kindness of strangers do the work of God amongst the needy in urban and rural regions. I have seen things I can't explain, and been moved many times by seeing the hand of God through His people reaching the masses. I've also seen people survive accidents that they never should have (been in one myself)...

We can always also pray for those we love; it is a gift and a blessing to bring them before the Lord. He hears the love in our prayers, and is delighted that we bring those we care about to Him in prayer. I have friends who regularly pray for the sick, it is a ministry in and of itself, and the Lord hears those prayers, and always answers with grace and mercy- though not always with the results desired. Sometimes the answer to a prayer is still "No"...no matter how much love goes into the prayer. But if asked for, God will still give peace, comfort and the strength to carry on, day by day.

But if you really want to see prayer transform, then pray for God to work in your life. Just be prepared for the consequences. If you pray for patience, then God will put you in positions where you learn patience. If you pray for self control, He will place you in a position to learn self control.

I, this last year, prayed such a prayer. I asked God to give me a greater sense of His compassion and love for other people. Since then, my heart has been softened, my eyes see more, I am less apt to jump to judgement and more prone to be sympathetic. I always thought I was a fairly soft hearted person before, but now the Lord breaks my heart over people and situations that never moved me before. I see people so differently now...

I saw an even greater demonstration of praying that sort of prayer in my husband, when he prayed to the God he loves, "Make me a man of God, Lord." Our whole lives turned upside at that point; God took him at his word, rearranged our lives, moved us across country and said, "Here....now work." God was just waiting for Charles, who was already a believer, to offer himself up, and pounced. Fr-Charles Butler likes to say, "I had always felt there was a call, but the noise of the world drowned it out. So when I prayed that prayer, God removed the noise so I could hear that still, small voice."

If you ask the Lord to do something in your life for His glory, be it better patience, better parenting, being a better friend/spouse/child., whether it is to be more compassionate, loving and gentle...or whether it is to let the Lord make you a "man or woman of God," He will do it. Prayer is mighty, and it is effective, but we have to pray for the right reasons, and for God's purposes.

-Be blessed my friends, and may you be a blessing unto someone else. Know that I lift you all up in prayer, asking God's peace and hand to be upon you,

Beth

So it is a Monday. With all the proverbial groanings that Monday often seems to inspire.

And on top of the grumblings of "It's Monday again"...I see a huge amount of dramatic, angry posts on facebook from folks concerning our inept government. Both folks from the left, right and even the rare moderates (please Lord, raise up more moderates within our country) are unhappy with our leadership.

I've also seen folks griping about the end of summer, the traffic, their co-workers, their families, lamenting about this, that, and the other.

What a way to set the tone for the week! Grumble, mumble, shuffle and glare, life isn't perfect, nor is it fair.

Okay, got it. But let's try something different for this week. We're a nation that is stuck in a rut; of anger, of divisiveness, of complaining and being unsatisfied. Now, each of us, one by one, can't change the tenor of the whole country...but we *can* change the mood, pace and peace of our own lives. We can choose to be happy instead of looking for reasons to be angry. We can try and find unity with others instead of digging the divide deeper. We can be openly encouraging instead of engaging in the national pastime of complaining. We can name our blessings, one by one, and feel their bounty in our lives, instead of being bitter over what it is we do not have.

And if we change our lives, that will ripple over into the lives around us. But it has to start somewhere. Will it start with you?

Will you spend a day, a week even, not complaining? Will you spend a week where you only build other people up, not tear them down? Will you focus, this week, on your blessings instead of what you lack?

Changing these patterns can dramatically improve your life. You learn to seek peace, to relish quiet joy, to get a sense of deep satisfaction when you encourage others, to be happy for no reason other than...to be happy.

Let the drama, negativity and anger go for a while. Yes, there will still be frustrations. But you'll find if you don't feed those fires, they'll have less control and sway over you. They won't be able to drive and control you; you'll be able to see them in perspective.

How will you spend this week?

Be blessed, my friends, and may you be a blessing to someone else,
Beth

Please don't flood my feed with posts and rants espousing hatred for those opposed to you politically, and then in the next breath try and tell me what a great Christian you are.

I think you've forgotten the whole "Love thy neighbor, love thy enemy....just try loving people period" aspect of the Christian faith. Loving the action of calling them names doesn't count, sorry.

If you love your political battles, and love hating your political opponents more than you love your neighbors, countrymen, etc...then you really, really, really need to spend some time with Jesus and the Gospels. Because you're kinda missing out on the whole point.

(And this goes for folks on both sides of the political extreme. These political tantrums look childish... Our elected officials need to grow up, and so do some of their constituents.)

So if all you want to do is preach hatred of those who disagree with you, then don't take offense if I hide your feed. I don't have the time, or inclination, to indulge in your worldly, un-Christian hatred of others. We can disagree with people without getting nasty, and I am seeing way too much nastiness on my feed from people that say they love Christ. That either means you don't love Christ, and you're just pretending, or that you have a vague fondness for Him, but not a strong enough love to actually do what He says. Which is....love thy neighbor. Even if they vote differently than you do.

I'm a Prodigal, Are you?

One of my favorite of the parables is that of the Prodigal Son. (Luke 15:11-32) It's the story where the son (a self centered rather demanding brat) demands his inheritance of his father, goes into the world to party, live large, impresses the wrong people.....and loses everything. The son is reduced to living in a pig pen, eating swill, near death's door itself and "ah-ha" the light bulb goes off. He realizes that if he goes back home to be mere lowly servant of his father, he'll live better than he is now. So he swallows his pride and makes the long journey home. How his feet must have dragged, how heavy his heart must have been. The shame of returning home in such circumstances!

As he nears, he sees his father on the porch, looking out onto the roads for sight of his son.

"“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him."

One of the most emotional verses in the Bible for me is right there...the father saw him and RAN to his son. He didn't wait for the son to come home in disgrace, he didn't stand there in silence and judgement. He ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. He ran to him.

This parable shows how we can return to God. For we're all that Prodigal son. We've all gone our own ways, done our own things...and found out this life isn't what it's cracked up to be. This world taints us, we find out the fun is hollow, the burdens are heavy and that most happiness is fleeting. We end up knowing we are meant for more, but we feel so downcast, stained and...un-worthy that the idea of going before God is scary. Even if we know that is where we need to be- how do we go to Him knowing we've let Him down?

If we will just master our pride and turn towards God, we'll find He's been waiting and watching for us. And when He sees us stumbling in that dusty road, humble, heartbroken and hopeful....He doesn't just stand there.

He runs to us.

He runs to us. Grabs us, holds us, kisses us, throws His robe on our shoulders and places a ring (which symbolizes a family bond) upon our finger. He calls for a feast. He never takes His eyes off of us. He greets the humble, returned child with joy, with love, with rejoicing. Not with judgement, but elation. He throws the biggest party we've ever seen....because we've come home.

I don't know where you are spiritually. Only you, and God, know that. But I've been that prodigal. I've broken God's heart...heck, I broke the hearts of my earthly family. I have sinned and stumbled and sat in the mire. I don't deserve grace.

I turned towards God, and looked up in shock and saw that God had been waiting and watching for me to come. And that He ran to me; claimed me, cleansed me and let me know I am His daughter. His beloved daughter. I don't deserve grace- but I got it, abundantly, mercifully, unexpectedly and overwhelmingly. It was showered upon me through the Father's love.

When I talk about God to you, I'm not preaching- I don't have that gift. And I'm not judging- for I have no right. I'm a sinner that made it home and I'm just trying to tell you the porch light is on for you as well. God is waiting, watching...and He wants to run out to you.

Be blessed friends, and be a blessing to someone else.

Beth Haynes Butler

In our society we have a tendency to combine politics with fervent faith. Yet we don't often stop to think that Christ was put to death by politicians and fundamentalists.

We need to make sure we are on the side of Christ, not be part of the faction that called for His death.

There is always a need for grace and mercy. Be gentle with one another, dear friends.

Each of us will one day be judged by our standard of life, not by our standard of living; by our measure of giving, not by our measure of wealth; by our simple goodness, not by our seeming greatness.
- William Arthur Ward

There are lots of people out there. Folks with different beliefs, different faiths, different priorities, different interests, different backgrounds, different hopes and dreams...all sorts of differences.

That's what makes life grand.

Enjoy the people around you. Be nice. Try and understand people who are different than you, rather than shut them out and ignore them. From understanding comes growth and friendship.

Life is too short to be in a perpetual state of drama, angst and hate. Life is much more enjoyable, peaceful and worthwhile if you love those around you. Give it a try.

Clergy Appreciation month

So amongst many other things, October is Clergy Appreciation month. A time when, hopefully, congregants will go out of their way to let their pastors, priest, rabbis, etc know how very valued they are.

Being someone of the cloth is not an easy task. You are an "under-shepherd" to the great Shepherd, a guide, a counselor, a preacher, a comfortor, a rebuker, an evangelist and a teacher...all at once. Some clergy are paid, some are bi-vocational, and some do the calling for no money and rely on a secondary "tent making position." You don't work 40 hours, you work every waking hour. You are always being caught up in prayer, in preparation, in teaching, in speaking, in writing, in asking for funds in order to do God's work, in reaching out, in consoling and in caring.

You do an amazing job, with so much placed upon you. Most of you feel you have to do this alone, because you don't want to appear weak to those who need your strength. If you are lucky, you have an understanding spouse and a network of friends who have the same calling. People you can be human with, vent with, seek counsel from.

You heard God's call and answered. You seek to do His work in an often hostile world. You seek to show His grace to the broken, and do it all knowing you also have to report to a board of elders, or vestry, or whomever. Your time and life are not only given to the Lord, but to those you minister to. You are amazing.

I see what a clergyman goes through, as I'm married to one. I see the prayers, the anguish, the tears and the joy. I see the love for the lost, and the frustration at needless barriers and quarrels. I see the radiant joy of doing the Lord's work in my husband Charles' eyes, and I know so many others who feel that same joy.

So here is to Charles and my friends in the clergy...God strengthen you, God be with you, God protect you and God bless you. You make this world a better place for the rest of us.