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September 4, 2010— Our Ministry
“Teach us to utter living words of truth which all may hear;
The language all may understand when love speaks loud and clear;
Till every age and race and clime shall blend their creeds in one;
and earth shall form one family by whom thy will is done.”
—Hymn: O Spirit of the Living God; Words Henry Tweedy, 1935

Several years ago we had a pastor who turned our small Methodist church into a more thinking congregation. He introduced the concept that “we” were all the ministers and 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 of the Gospel 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.” Each of us has job to do.

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 and find a way to share your good news with others. This week we pray that we do thy will in our daily lives and help improve society. Heavenly Father, help us be ministers here on earth and work toward your goals.
Amen

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August 28, 2010— Helping Hands
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,
so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort,
which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,
so also you share in our comfort.”
—2 Corinthians 1 vs. 3-7

Hi folks. It is another early Saturday morning and I am guilt ridden because the world events over the last few years have not affected me as much as they have several of my close friends. I do not think that makes sense, but that is where my feelings are. I guess we need prayers for the people of the world.

We have several Good News friends in financial stress who are losing their homes; three recent widows who are making adjustments in their lives; two elderly couples have just made the move to assisted living and given up their homes; many of us are worried about our children and grandchildren’s future. The aforementioned list is only partial because I am not aware of everyone’s problems and fears. But what does Paul ask the Corinthians? “…who comforts us in all our troubles?”

Let’s face it, all days are not created equal; or are months, quarters or years. However the constant in our lives is God. He is always with us to assist in new beginnings.

This week one of the widows, who I do not know very well, closes on the sale of her house. On one hand she is sad; on the other side she is excited about a new home closer to her children. As a new beginning, how positive is that! A second widow had difficulty finding the spiritual support that fit her needs when her husband died three years ago. She shared with me that she is focusing on helping others work through their grief and feeling good about herself. God is their helper.

In another instance a very good friend went through the loss of a family home and bankruptcy, she and her family have regrouped and started to rebuild their lives. They have put together a new beginning and a life plan that will work. They have their eye on the sky and welcome God is their helper.

In every instance, our Good News friends are experiencing opportunities for new beginnings and the lord is with them to help. We all are in that mode each day when the sun rises. Every day we will be challenged and every day we have a helper. That helper is God.

Thought for the Day: Each day we make a choice to look forward or look back. Today let us recognize the new opportunities presented to us and be thankful as we work through them.

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August 21, 2010— Birthday Special
Hi all. August 21, tomorrow, I will be 71 years old. This is a longer than usual Good News because I feel blessed to have you all as friends. Today at a Faith at Work Lunch an old friend was surprised at my age. I stated that I was a “young 71”; then June said it differently. She used the term “immature 71”.

Please read my epistle and never grow up!

August 21 Birthday Special
“Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens,
always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus Christ.”
—1 Thessalonians 5:15-15

Each year on my birthday, I give thanks to something that I learned in my youth as a YMCA brat. The symbol for the Y is a triangle, each side has a meaning, “spirit, mind and body”. Each year I give thanks for my role as a father, son and my place in society. But let’s talk a bit about what it takes to be in a good place with ourselves. It is selfishness. Yes, being selfish in pursuit of a healthy self: mentally, physically and spiritually.

In each of our lives, we must fit into some basic places in society; a family, a workplace and a social setting. We fit best when the three sides of our personal triangle are in a healthy balance. That is to say we focus on each a little every day so that we minimize life’s problems.

In all areas of our lives, it is important to demonstrate the forgiveness and love that comes from a strong spirituality. We need to be physically fit enough to deal with the long days without being fatigued and run down. Also, we need to be mentally sharp enough to make the decisions that are expected of us. That is a lot to ask of mortals and not an easy task.

So be a bit selfish, take care of yourself so that you may be all that what God wants you to be and be capable of doing God’s work when the opportunity presents itself to you. Take care of yourself so that you can be all that your family needs you to be. Remember the logo of the YMCA, spirit, mind and body. Keep totally fit.

“Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and
may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless...”
—1Thessalonians 5:23

From the early 1980’s through the late 90’s we hosted Pick’s birthday run and cookout. The guests were truly a diverse group, economically, religiously and socially. The bond of physical fitness crossed all lines. (We also had the desire to a good party!). There were opportunities for the differences to show through, but none were apparent. This is the group that helped June and I start a charity event in 1989 that had 12,000 plus attendees on Thanksgiving 20 years later.

On my 65th birthday we had a reunion run and we had not been together for ten years. There were a lot of stories to be shared. One fellow brought his adopted sons; he is Jewish, his sons are black. Another is fighting Parkinson’s disease and could not join us for a short jog but was glad to be with us. A 73 year old was complaining about how slow he runs now.  Another brought his college age son to join us. Somehow I sense that God was contributing to a great mix of people. These were people that shared a special feeling, one of love. They were all people of God.

 “Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”
—1 John 4:17

Thought for the Week: Love is a world leader. When it exists, people are happy and successful. When love is not present, everyone suffers. This week, let us search for opportunities to convert our anxious moments into positive events. Let us recognize resentments, jealousies and other negative forces and cast them aside.

Birthday Thought: Today is the day the Lord has made, a day for me to enjoy. Friends will recognize it, family will celebrate it and I will enjoy it. It is a blessing that we all have and a great day to give thanks to the Lord for all of our many blessings.

Birthday Prayer: Heavenly Father, today is a very special day, the day that you brought me into your service. Throughout this day, I give thanks for all the opportunities that you have given to me; the opportunity to have a healthy relationship with family and friends. Today I will often hear the words “happy birthday.”

To those words I say, “Thanks be to God.”
Amen

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August 14, 2010— Faith and Perseverance
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding fault,
and it will be given to him.”
—James1; 2-4 NIV

Faith seems to be a constant challenge to us. Yes, sometimes we need to understand where God is in our lives. We can doubt that He is with us, we challenge his input and even knowingly violate His rules and submit to temptation. Does this make us bad people?

The answer is a resounding NO. As we look back at our lives we often see a trail of mistakes, moments or events that we would like to edit or replay. Surely we know that reliving life is not an option. But, feeling guilty or bad about these things can cause a faith crises or low self image and have a negative effect on our future. This is true at any age.

Recently I was talking to a group of 60ish guys about a pending class reunion. The subject broke down to the many things we did in our youth that we would not consider doing today. The events we talked about were items on our conscience, things we were not proud of doing.  They were the acts of youth and part of growing up. Each helped develop the person that we are today. None of the events made us bad people, however, at the time there were people (neighbors, school authorities, mom/dad, friends etc.) that did not appreciate our behavior. These discretions and memories are perseverance finishing its work “…so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

At a bible study this week we talked about letting go of past discretions. Others forgave us long ago and somehow as adults we seem to hold on to past errors. We are our own worst critics.

“Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you
may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
—Colossians 3:13

When we learn to forgive others, we find it easier to accept the forgiveness we receive from God. As we work through our faults, we learn that life goes on. God eventually works his miracles in our lives. When we lack the wisdom he comes through for us.

Thought for the Week: When we are very busy, it is difficult to feel God’s presence in our lives. This week, let us all try to take time to understand and appreciate His contributions.

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August 8, 2010— We
When I write I try to avoid using the same words over and over. This week the word “we” is used 15 times. It is a good word.

“Two are better than one,
       because they have a good return for their work:
If one falls down,
       his friend can help him up.
       But pity the man who falls
       and has no one to help him up!”
(Ecclesiastes 4 vs. 9 & 10)

Those of you who have known me a while have heard me say that “Two people working together can do four times as much as the best of two could do alone.” It is something that I learned from experience— all the way back to my teens. It just always seemed that way to me and I always had a partner or best friend.

In my early years it was a cousin who lived next door. We were inseparable; we fished, canoed, played ball and had our first jobs together. When we fished, they would seem to follow my lure and bite on his! I always got to take the photo. Playing ball, he pitched and I caught, we played every day and became very good at it. It would be hard to do that alone.

When we took a job as counter men (at 16??) we walked back and forth to work together and dealt with the public side by side. We started on July 4th 1956- the busiest night of the year. Walking home at 2 am, the police stopped and gave us a ride and that was the only reason we were ever in a squad car. They helped us often. The canoe is a great example of the power of two. Alone you need to steer and propel it- with two the front man can pull and the rear seat can steer and help. It is great example of teamwork.

Our lives took us different directions after high school and we saw each other ten or twelve times in the last 50 years. We had our dark periods, family issues, and went in totally different directions. My move to the Midwest cemented the long term separation.

Another example of teamwork can be a spousal or significant other relationship. June married me when I was a single parent— that took courage. She saw something that she wanted and it may have been the challenge. Well, she got it! With that said we have and still do work as a team and are proud of our successes and the efforts we put in when things failed. It has been a good ride.

In 2009 June and I reacquainted ourselves with my cousin at several family functions. He is married to a fine lady whose name is June! We have established a new relationship and recently visited him at his cottage in the New Hampshire mountains. Oh, he needed to move 6 yards of sand and we are still a pretty good team.

Thought for the Day: Today let us think our life partners and give thanks to the Lord for them. There are times in our lives when we do not have a partner and other times when it is hard to identify one. We must remember our ultimate partner who is with us always and will never let us down. That partner is God.

Prayer for the Week: Dear Lord this week we give thanks to all who have helped us in our lives; those who we know and those who we do not know. We also recognize your contribution to our lives and give an extra thank you for that. W pray that we can do your will by helping others as others have helped me.
Amen

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July 25, 2010— Freedom
“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and
do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ...
You who are trying to be justified by law have been alienated from Christ;
you have fallen away from grace.
But by faith we eagerly await through
the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only
thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Galatians (5:1,4,-6, NIV)

In our society today we find too many ways to become slaves In our society today we find too many ways to become slaves. Along with our careers we take on the church projects, the youth sports, charity events etc. Then we become aware that we have little time left for meditation and rest.

In today’s world we tend to create our own brand of slavery. All in the name of lifestyle? Often our pastors ask us to put down the morning paper, turn off the TV news and pick up the daily meditation book. Start the day with meditation and love! I think at some time we have all tried it and then backed off. That’s how Good News was started. My will power kept going back to the news and sports!

Certainly we are better people and have a better life when we keep our faith at the forefront. When we recharge our spiritual batteries, when we are charged with faith, large problems seem to be less important.  Then, care and tranquility comes to the surface and it is easier to do God’s will.

As Paul said above, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
Let’s take the advice of my favorite philosopher, NIKE, and “Just Do It.”

Thought for the Week: Let us keep meditation at the forefront this week. Yes, we are too busy and need to get to the lake home, mow the lawn, the kids have three games etc. But no one says we need to be formal in our thoughts regarding our faith. Take a mini-break a day; at a stop light, in the parking lot—a few minutes of charging the batteries goes a long way.

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July 15, 2010— Positive Focus
This week is a repeat while I vacation in New England and have a family reunion over the weekend.

"Flee the evil desires of youth,
and pursue righteousness, faith love and peace...
...The Lord's servant must not quarrel;
instead, he must be kind, able to teach and
not resentful." (2Timothy22:24)

Forgiveness is the way of Christian life. It is not always an easy path. We Christians are challenged throughout our lives with anger and resentment. Sometimes we grow vindictive and just want to get even; wow, what a curse. Our goal is to be at peace and it is not possible to find peace through revenge.

There are times when negative issues dominate our lives. There are personal issues like divorce, business issues when conditions change in the work place and many others. They are serious challenges that we Christians need to deal with. How do we find peace when someone has done us wrong? How do we keep God at the forefront of our lives when our livelihood is being attacked?

The answer is in good Christian friends, mentors, readings and prayer.

Many of us today are challenged with serious issues. Some have lost jobs, some have divorced, others have significant others who are terminally ill; anger, fear and resentment can fostered under these conditions.  How do we deal with the issues without destroying the peace in our lives? The Psalmist in Psalm 34 verses12-14 says:
"Whoever of you loves life
and desires to see many good days,
keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking lies.
Turn from evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it."

The Christian message is clear; we will find peace only when we have a strong enough faith to forgive and keep God through Jesus Christ at the forefront of our lives.

Thought for Today: Throughout our lives "focusing on the positive" always seems to be a challenge. This week, let us all focus on the great things that we have and are and deal promptly with the negatives so that we may enjoy life to its fullest.

Prayer for the Week: Heavenly father, our lives are full of the challenges that are placed before us. Sometimes these challenges create fear and hurts that are difficult to deal with and easy to hang on to.  Friendships and relationships become challenged. Please help us keep the many great and positive gifts you have given us at the forefront of our thoughts and give us the power and wisdom to deal swiftly and honestly with the challenges.         Amen 

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July 9, 2010— Unseen

“Therefore we do not lose heart.
Though outwardly we are wasting away,
yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory
that far outweighs them all.  
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.
For what is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
(2 Corinthians 4, 16-18)

Life is not a sprint, it is an endurance event. Endurance athletes pride themselves on doing events from two hours to three days long. That is certainly commendable. I do not mean to sell them short, but all of us need endurance and focus to get through a 168 hour week, a four week month and a fifty two week year.

Marathon runners do not get to the end of the race by being discouraged by the next hill, they focus on the finish; that which they cannot see. An interesting piece of that is the pain suffered when nearing the end almost always subsides when the finish line comes into view. That was always true for me in my Triathlons.

Each of us needs focus and endurance to get through our lives. We cannot see around the corners and must live one day at a time. Each day’s challenges and problems dealt with properly is a step toward peace. Living each day in a Godly manner with our eyes on the eternal prize will bring us peace.

Thought for the Day: This week let us look ahead (in some cases think back about) in our families, to our elders. In some ways that gives us a preview of our future. However, there are no guarantees- positive or negative. This week let us think about our dreams, fantasies and goals.  Let us remember what we see every day is“…temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Prayer for the Day: Dear Lord, we pray for your guidance and that we may trust what we have not seen.