Wednesday February 21^st 2024

We are in the season of Lent, and in many traditions there is the idea of “giving up something for Lent”. So today’s word is FASTING.

What do you think of when you hear the word “fasting”? Currently many who are trying to lose weight are hearing the expression “intermittent fasting” as a way to lost weight. Eat within a prescribed number of hours and don’t eat during the rest of the day.

When I first heard this, my first thought was “I sleep for 8 hours and don’t eat then, so that’s an automatic intermittent fast.” No planning, no extra thought or effort. To intentionally expand that though, might take some planning and some changes to lifestyle.

However, fasting is not just about food.

Fasting during Lent is not just about giving up candy or soda.

Intentionally giving up something is a type of fast, and when one fasts during Lent then idea is to replace that with time spent in prayer and worship and service to God.

So, for instance, someone might fast from watching the evening news and instead spend that time reading scripture and praying. Someone might fast from getting Starbucks on Friday morning and the money saved intentionally given to a charity or to their church.

There are numerous ways to fast, and sometimes those fasts can then become habits. After fasting from crime dramas one might decide not to go back to watching them. After fasting from soda one might decide to continue without it.

Fasting is a way to intentionally replace something in one’s life with something that honors and serves God. A way that will help us grow.

How will YOU fast this Lent? And how ill you then keep fasting as part of your life in Christ?

 

Wednesday February 7^th 2024

Sitting at my desk Tuesday morning, participating in our daily Morning Prayer gathering on zoom, it occurred to me: APPEARANCE.

My grandmother was known for always looking perfectly put together when she walked out her front door. In fact, living with her during the school year, I never saw her with a hair out of place. The ladies up the street would comment to me that “Mrs. Cole comes out to sweep the porch and even the seams of her stockings are straight!”.

Taking after her, I would never go out without makeup and lipstick … even to get the mail at the end of the driveway! Going to the store or church or even the dump required making sure I looked presentable.

Then came COVID and we were all entertaining guests in our homes via Zoom. And that too required making sure I looked presentable. At first.

What struck me on Tuesday was that I have “degraded” to attending morning prayer in my pajamas, no makeup, not showered. And you know what? No one cares!

In scripture, though, there is a verse that reminds us that appearance is more than just how well you are dressed. John 7:24 tells us not to judge based on appearance but to look beneath the surface.

What about when we meet people or see them in the store or on the street. Do we make decisions based on their appearance?

Two examples come to mind:

In the first, a dirty, ragged man sits on the church steps as the parishioners arrive. No one greets him or offers him assistance. They were all shocked when, as the first hymn played, he walked to the front of the church and then introduced himself as their new pastor.

In the other, several people are sitting in a pew. Two prim young ladies are on one end and two nicely-dressed young men are at the other. In the center sits a rough-looking, tattooed, leather-clad man. The thoughts of the neatly-dressed four are distracted in worship by how “that guy” is not a “real” Christian. The man in the center is holding a worn Bible and his thoughts are “Christ, my life and heart belong to You.”

So our outward appearance (clothes, makeup, car, house) is not as important as our inner appearance. What man sees is not as important as what God sees.

The other question is “What do others see in us?” That’s for another day.

I am so glad that the others gathering on that zoom call look beneath the surface – past the messy hair and lack of lipstick – to the disciple’s heart joining in prayer.

What does God see in your heart?

 

Wednesday January 31^st 2024

Everyone who knows me knows that I have opinions and freely share them. So they will be surprised (or perhaps relieved) that this week’s word is SILENT.

Not the absence of sound, but rather the kind of silence in “better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and erase all doubt.” OR as it is stated in Proverbs 17:28, “Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.“

Already this week I have either extended a conversation beyond its usefulness, or expressed opinions not requested or beneficial. At least three times! It had begun to gnaw at my conscience, and then two posts appeared on Facebook that really drove it home. Yes – this is the word for the week.

Sometimes silence speaks volumes. It can allow space for listening and thinking.

Stephen Covey lists “seek not be understood so much as to understand” as one of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. And that understanding requires listening – not just listening to configure a response or to know when you can speak.

In Luke Chapter 1 we read about Zechariah – he questioned God, rather than faithfully and immediately accepting God’s plan, so he was silenced until the birth of John the Baptist. During those following months the people knew he had seen a vision in the temple causing his silence. Then his silence was broken when he announced the name of John.

Sometimes sharing one’s story or opinion is helpful, edifying, and/or encouraging. Sometimes it simply isn’t appropriate or necessary. Discernment here is key, and a period of silence allows discerning.

Yes – sometimes being silent is the same as agreeing, and we do not want to be silent at the wrong times. “Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.” So said Mahatma Gandhi.

Will Rogers said “Never miss a good chance to shut up.” For some reason this reminded me of Jesus drawing in the dirt while waiting for the crowd to stone the woman caught in adultery (John 8). He didn’t launch into a long sermon – he made a simple statement (“let him who is without sin cast the first stone”) and then sat silently until they were all gone. Then again, one simple statement – “go and sin no more”.

Silence allows us to truly listen, to absorb, to lay our words aside and take in the words of others, to watch the scene before us without simultaneously crafting a response.

Are there times you were called to be silent yet spoke anyway? (note my raised hand)

Here is a prayer I hope you will find helpful: Lord, give me the right words to say, the right time to say them, and the ability to know when to keep silent.”