In all relationships there is a need for love. That is not to say that we should walk around all day handing out roses! But being kind, serving and helping when we can is an act of love. Within our family structures, trust comes from our love. One of my favorite quotes is from H. Norman Wright’s “Ten Commandments for Loving Your Spouse”- “ ‘Don’t suffocate your spouse with possessiveness.’- Remember that God is the one who owns us, He has merely entrusted our spouse to our care.” Love is an interesting concept. It is something that we all want and need, but is it something that we freely give? My experience is that successful or over achieving people are passionate people. People that enjoy serving, people that feel that they have helped others while accomplishing their tasks. People that love other people. Often when looking at their lives, they also have a strong faith. Usually a love of God. On election day in 1992, I had a chance to talk with a former Governor and Senator from Minnesota and asked him if he missed running for office. He talked for several minutes about missing the ability to “serve” the people. His answer surprised me. But the truth of the matter is, to put up with the exposure of politics and the negatives of the job, the reward must be internal. A love of serving. Since 1992, I have grown to understand this man’s spirituality, motives and his love of humanity. He deserved and earned my respect.

Somehow, through loving God, having a strong faith and spirituality, we can give and receive love. This sharing gives us confidence and drives out fear. It makes our lives better.

Thought for the Week: Let us focus on those who give us love, those close to us. Let us stop each day an appreciate the benefits we receive from those around us. Let’s enjoy the week.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, each week we hear of war, terror and cruelty in the World. This week we pray that we can appreciate the love and caring in our lives. We pray that we can contribute to the peace and tranquility of others by sharing our love for them and our love for You.

Amen

Several years ago we had a pastor who turned our small church into a more thinking congregation. He introduced the concept that “we” were all the ministers. He was just the facilitator or spiritual leader. He used to say that the average Methodist invited a guest to church every 22 years!! He encouraged us to speak our faith, demonstrate our spirituality in our daily lives and reach out to people.

In our wildest dreams we may at some time achieve world peace, resolve world hunger and become an ethnically and racially blended society. When that happens, it will not happen through the politics that we have today. It will be a Godly event that we cannot perceive.

We are all ministers and have the opportunity to work every day towards an improved society. Language and color divide us into nations and social groups. However there is a common language, “... living words of truth which all may hear; the language all may understand when love speaks loud and clear.” We all have a job to do. (In our church we now invite guests at least every ten years now!!).

Thought for the Week: We can find it easy to get caught up in our activities. Families have the sports programs, school issues and their business “stuff.” Singles have their way of filling the week. Yes, most of the world’s people keep busy. This week, let us seek the opportunity to demonstrate and share our spirit with someone.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord, let us live in peace and love. Help us find a way to think of you more that we think of our problems. Help us find a way to share your good news with others. Help us work thy will into our daily lives and help improve society. Heavenly Father, let us be ministers here on earth and work toward your goals.

Amen

We all remember where we were two years ago today. The physical world changed that day. For several months thereafter, Christian churches experienced a measurable increase in attendance. The best piece of news regarding that is the very high increase in “unchurched guests” that came and the percentage that actually have kept on coming. There is certainly good that comes from bad events.

We will all probably remember that day forever. I would like to share a few memories of my own with you. On November 22nd, 1963 while donating blood in Salem Massachusetts, the nurse told me that she had heard that the president had been shot. I told her that she should not even joke about stuff like that. Many people remember that day.

However, solidly burned in my memory is sitting in front of a radio on Havorford Street in Hamdon, Ct, very afraid, listening to reports of the attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7th, 1941. So what is the big deal? I was only 27 months old. (I just called my mom to be sure that is all true and we think that is my first memory.) Both those events changed the physical world in which we live. They changed operations, but not our hearts.

In summary, remember the event and accept the changes. Keep the Lord in your heart and share Him with others. He will be with us, worldly events can not harm our spirit. “Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me. May all who seek to take my life be put to shame and confusion; may all who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.” (Psalm40:13,14;NIV)

Thought for the Week: This week let us find a friend and share the story about how September 11, 2001 has not changed our faith or how our faith is helping us through society’s changes.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, peace on earth seems a long way out. We are often confused and need you near us. This week we pray for peace. We pray or our government and their decisions We pray that somehow all of this confusion and violence may be resolved. We pray for love and forgiveness and that all may participate in a calmer world.

Amen

We are often happiest when surrounded by family. These are people we love and often demonstrate that love in very demonstrative ways. On a recent vacation we attended a family reunion of around 30 people from age 2 to 90. It was a wonderful experience, full of hugs and complements. Grace and love were everywhere.

At other times we were in crowded tourist areas and were up tight, not as openly caring. The situation became somewhat competitive; lines for service, competing for the best view of the fireworks, the best seat on the beach etc. During these times I suggest the difference is a choice that we made. A choice to feel different. A choice to be stressed out. We made ourselves uncomfortable.

It is socially acceptable to be more reserved when in public. Being reserved in our behavior, however, does not mean that we need to feel uncomfortable. We do not need to lose sight of ourselves and our caring nature. We can be caring, considerate and demonstrate God’s will when in a crowd. When we do, we will have a better time and be happier, less stressed people.

John 15:12 says it all, “ My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” while learning do this, we are happier people. When we accomplish this we find “...laughter’s healing heart.”

Thought for The Week: We all will make choices this week. We will choose to be angry, stressed or frustrated by others actions and social situations. We have an alternate choice as Christians. We have the choice of prayer and meditation. We have the option to turn the stressful issues over to God and be happier. This week let us focus on being a happier person through prayer.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we have often failed to use your tools. We often fear for our lives, become angry when we have hurt feelings and are often intolerant and unforgiving. We know better but in our daily lives we forget your lessons. This week we pray that we may use meditation and prayer when we become stressed, fearful or angry. This week we pray that we can use your tool kit to improve our lives and the lives of those surrounding us.

Amen

from the Hymn “Help Us Accept Each Other” vs 2 Words by Fred Kaan, 1974, Methodist Hymnal 560

Have you some likes and dislikes? The answer is yes and that is just because we are human. The most evident likes and dislikes show up in our daily eating habits, we make choices every day based on our preferences. Unlike Christ, most of us, extend our likes and dislikes to people. That’s just the way humans seem to be.

In the 70’s at a treatment facility where June and I did volunteer work, we were trained to try to separate a person’s behavior from the person’s “self”. That the people that we would be dealing with had some serious social and behavioral issues, but we needed to search out the “real person”. My first reaction to this was that the instructor was “nuts”! I was convinced that the incorrigibles of the world were just “bad people”.

Let me explain that this program had no Biblical or Christian base to it. It was a social program in a hospital where today’s rules separate the social from religious. However, the Lord works in all places. In the years we spent helping out we observed that the instructor was correct. We saw many “bad” people discover grace.

When we demonstrate our caring, our love and our concerns for others, we feel better. We are happiest when we can see through bad behavior and pray for the person. We need to recognize that the person is one of the Lord’s creations and the behavior is separate. We need to “ love them as we find them, or as they may become.”

Thought for the Week: This week let us focus on the people that we “dislike.” Those who we would just as soon not deal with; the dominating boss, the fractious neighbor, the aggressive driver and others. Let us look past their behavior and pray for them.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we often wonder where you are. We wonder how your creations can terrorize others, blow up innocent citizens and do un-Godly things. We observe behaviors in our own society, both in business and our neighborhoods, that challenge our beliefs. This week we pray for some understanding. This week we pray for people that have anti social behavior. We pray that by demonstrating our love for them, they will find a better way to live.

Amen

Where is God in our every day lives? That is a question of faith. When things are going wrong we often doubt His existence. When they correct themselves we are quick to say thanks. Over the past few weeks I have encountered several interesting stories. Here are three from Good News recipients:
A recent retiree wrote to me commenting on his new retirement life in the north woods. How many of the stresses that I mention in the prayers do not exist in his life. The urban stresses and work issues are gone. He is truly blessed as he did his part in planning and God took care of the rest.

Another friend has fallen out of belief in God. The worldly issues and every day everyday stresses have caused doubts that there even is a God. That saddens me and I ask you all for prayers.

A third friend and believer just spent several years of ill health and extreme job stress. Somehow when things got tough, his faith became stronger. A very exciting turn around in health and career occurred and things are now on the upswing.

We can all experience God in our lives if we allow the experience to happen. We never know exactly what or when intervention will happen. We just know that our faith will carry us through.

Thought For the Week:
Let our thoughts be with God this week. Let us be aware of His presence in our lives and pray that others will recognize His presence in their lives.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, there are those among us who are failing to recognize your presence and contribution to their lives. We understand that you are sometimes hard to see and feel. You are often helping in ways that we do not understand. This week we pray for those that are having trouble acknowledging your presence in their lives. We pray that “...your hand will guide (us) me, your right hand will hold (us) me fast.”

Amen

“A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.” (Proverbs 31:10,11 NIV)

Many of you that know me have heard me discuss the many wonderful benefits of a good marriage. The great mutual support, the care when illness arrives, the mutual celebrations of the many events that occur. Yes, marriage is truly a great institution when things are well and blessed by God.

Many times it has been stated that marriage is the worlds toughest job. Let me quote from The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason. “ Marriage, even under the best of circumstances, is a crises; one of the major crises of life. It is a dangerous thing not to be aware of this. Whether it turns out to be a healthy, challenging and constructive crises or a disastrous nightmare depends largely upon how willing the partners are to be changed, how malleable they are.”

“Crises” seems a bit extreme to me, but certainly marriage is a great opportunity for the fulfillment of life and it certainly is not without it’s “opportunities” for either success or failure. A marriage blessed by God, one in which the partners have allowed God’s love to grow in their Relationship is one of the world’s greatest experiences.

Thought for the Week: We are facing many distractions in our daily lives; work, busy schedules, terrorism, war, deficits and many more. This week let us look at our primary relationships. Let us focus introspectively, up close. Let us understand that when things are fine in our relationships, the outside problems seem less intense. Basically, let’s focus on our loves.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father, we are in a world of hurting people, a world of fear. Fear of job loss, fear of not finding a job, fear of terrorism, fear of financial ruin and many others. Many of us are growing uncomfortable. This week we pray for love within our lives. We pray that somehow we can feel your presence in all of the fear and overcome our doubts. Somehow we pray that through your love the fears will dissipate.

Amen

A recently retired pastor listed this as one of his favorite hymns. It is easy to see why. After all, we put our lives in God’s hands, he knows and loves us, and we know that, through our faith, we have a future.

This second verse talks about the times when life is too quiet— when we need to talk. It talks about the dark times and assures us that there will be light; better times. It mentions that the past, that we are not always proud of, will become a bright future through Him. It points out that we do not know or predict what He has in store for us.

A case in point. A friend and “Good News” recipient called me a few months ago. He had been with his company for 18 years and was undergoing the job stress that many of us experience in today’s world. I saw him this week and his comments were that he was now OK. Management, led by another “Good News” recipient, solved his problems. His comment was that in 18 years, it was the first time that anyone in management told him he was wanted and that they wanted him to be happy. What a concept for a company today!! Ask yourself if God was at work here.

Thought for the Week: Some days are brighter than others. The symbol of a gray or bright day is an easy one to relate to. Our lives are like that. Through our faith, we understand that there will be brighter days following the dark ones. This week let us focus on the bright times ahead and let us give thanks for the bright days we are experiencing.

Prayer For The Week: Heavenly Father, throughout the world there are many dark areas. The Middle East is in turmoil over social and religious differences. There are epidemics in on the African continent. There are century old tribal wars on the European peninsula. These are dark times for those involved. At home each of us has problems that darken our days and weeks. This week, we pray for the understanding that You are with us through these times and that we can appreciate the light at the end of the tunnel.

Amen

In today’s world we worry about big brother. Psalm 139 reminds us about our real “Big Brother.” The other big brother is less important but we need to deal with it. One of my big brother frustrations is this Good News. Most of you receive this at home. Many company fire walls reject it. You see, there are two issues; one is that most businesses are not in religion so words like God, Jesus, Lord etc. are easy to block; Many HR departments will not allow Religion “in house” because it could make people of other faiths “uncomfortable in their work place.”

Many of you see me with my gold lapel pin, two feet, to remind me that I never walk alone, that God is with me. However, it is rare that I think about how well he knows me. That is scary. It means that He sees my character defects and all behaviors; lust, lack of humility, anger etc. (I hate to think He can read my mind when I am lining up a fourth putt.) You see, not only is God present in our lives, he knows us so that he can love and support us.

In today’s world the computer has generated many big brothers; there are shared data bases that rate retail customers; insurance risks; criminals etc. The e-mail systems are constantly monitored and even often hacked into for information. However, in our Christian world, there is only one real “big brother.” He is our friend and mentor.

Thought For the Week: This week let us focus on our behaviors with the knowledge that God is with us and has complete understanding of us. Let us make our decisions based on facts and the understanding of who we are. Let us appreciate that we have a great friend in the form of our Big Brother.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly Father we are constantly searching for You in our lives. We realize that You are there, and we give thanks when we recognize your presence. Often we are confused by the hate in the world. Tribal conflicts around the world have gone on for centuries, often over religious differences. This week we pray not for ourselves but for some resolve to some of these issues. This week we give thanks for our lives and loves while searching for a way to help and contribute to a better world.

Amen