"Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters...that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains."
Acts 9:1-2
And there we have it. Saul, as a religious leader, thinking it's a good idea to persecute people for their beliefs. Even murdering them for believing differently than he believed. And we are still doing it today--all religions seem to have a crazy faction that thinks it's a good idea to persecute others who believe differently. We just need to read the headlines to see the attacks on churches, mosques and synagogues to see that "murderous threats" are still being carried out two thousand years later. Have we learned nothing? What can we do to break this chain of intolerance? All we have, really, is our own life. We, in our own circle of influence, can stop the negative conversation as we hear it. Showing love and companionship with those of other faiths is a small start, but it may be the only start we have. We need to broaden our circle of cohorts--get to know someone of another faith so they aren't so foreign to us. Read other scriptures to familiarize ourselves with what they believe, so we can appreciate that their scripture is similar to what we read. Read our own New Testament and the words of Jesus that we are to LOVE each other, no matter what! God weeps at the way we treat each other on this planet. What can we do, this beautifully dawning spring day, to help? Jesus stopped Saul in his tracks on the road to Damascus. Is Jesus calling out to us? Love, heidi
Friday, May 10, 2019
Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Keep us guessing!
"The Almighty likes to keep us guessing, that is why my devotion to him never stales!"
Mother Mildred, "Call the Midwives"
The minute I heard this come from Mother Mildred I knew I had to write it down. Yes, it's fiction, yes, it's TV, but it is British TV and it rings so true! Every day we have new opportunities to serve God in ways that really keep us guessing. We can't imagine the interesting twists and turns God weaves through our day, but there they are. We can look back through our day by praying the nightly Examen (I'm linking my favorite below) and see where God was all through our day. I was chatting with Daughter Jeni Rose the other day and we both marveled at where we are now compared to where we were just a year ago. Last spring, both of us were in the midst of uncomfortable uncertainty. We look around now and we are in awe of how things turned out. Rather than preferring to have everything all laid out, predictable and easy, we should take Mother Mildred's approach and just enjoy God's surprises. (Easier said than done, I realize) Either way, it's a glorious spring day and there is much we can do to give God a hand today, so let's do it! Love, heidi
Examen
Mother Mildred, "Call the Midwives"
The minute I heard this come from Mother Mildred I knew I had to write it down. Yes, it's fiction, yes, it's TV, but it is British TV and it rings so true! Every day we have new opportunities to serve God in ways that really keep us guessing. We can't imagine the interesting twists and turns God weaves through our day, but there they are. We can look back through our day by praying the nightly Examen (I'm linking my favorite below) and see where God was all through our day. I was chatting with Daughter Jeni Rose the other day and we both marveled at where we are now compared to where we were just a year ago. Last spring, both of us were in the midst of uncomfortable uncertainty. We look around now and we are in awe of how things turned out. Rather than preferring to have everything all laid out, predictable and easy, we should take Mother Mildred's approach and just enjoy God's surprises. (Easier said than done, I realize) Either way, it's a glorious spring day and there is much we can do to give God a hand today, so let's do it! Love, heidi
Examen
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