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Avoiding Potholes - February 19, 2017

2/19/2017

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"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. (Psalm 28:7)


​Listen:   One Sonic Society, "Never Once," http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUSBUtjWaDo

I have been doing a lot of local traveling these past few weeks: the Long Island Expressway, the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the Belt Parkway, the Grand Central Parkway, Jackie Robinson Parkway -- plus dozens of local streets in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.  Driving in the New York City metro area is challenging enough; but it appears due to the bad weather that potholes have blossomed like dandelions overnight. Traffic is slowed to next to nothing as cars make their way through the minefield.  Unlucky motorists find their alignment  is thrown off, not to mention all the tire damage.  

Potholes, as I understand them, (my apologies to the better informed) develop because the top layer of the road, asphalt, develops cracks due to weather and road wear.  For us in the North, water seeps underneath the underlying dirt and gravel, freezes when temperature drops, causing the water to expand and create or widen cracks.  There are probably more reasons, but this makes the point for me.  Roads need constant care if they are to serve us properly.  Potholes are a part of life and repairs are built in to the maintenance cycle.

After traveling several streets that look like a Swiss cheese highway, it gave me pause to reflect.  What about my spiritual potholes?  What influences from the outside (i.e., negative thinking, fear, encounters that trigger resentments) and seeping into my spirit, through the cracks in my soul?  What about those frozen chucks of anger or bitterness that cause my faith to buckle?  My spiritual potholes slow me down and can cause my spiritual to go out of alignment with God.  How often do I check out for spiritual potholes?

We all have spiritual potholes to one degree or another. We are human.  It just means we should sign up with a good maintenance plan.  We should spend time every day, especially in the morning or evening, examining our day. Was there a conflict, a miscommunication, a cross word?  Have I been selfish?  Don't  waste time: repair that hole with forgiveness, repentance, or making amends.  Spend time every day in preventative care: read the scriptures, pray, do good, call on the Lord's strength to put a spiritual seal, or shield, in place when temptation or frustrations strike.  Cracks, even potholes, in our spirit will happen. We are fortunate, however, because God right there for us, quick to heal and prompt to fix any breach.  

Have I checked for potholes in my spirit?  What am I doing to repair them?

Pray: "God, fill the holes that sin and spiritual neglect have created in me. Fill me with your spirit and love."



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Spirituality of Snow -- February 12, 2017

2/12/2017

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""For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. Is. 55:10-11”

​Listen: 
 Audrey Assad (feat. Chris Tomlin): "Winter Snow" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gy29mQfiavg


As of today, New York City's current winter has seen 14 snowstorms, which has resulted in an accumulation of close 57 inches, the seventh highest since records have been kept.  
 
For some, the snow is a nuisance, with all the shoveling, slipping, bitter winds, traffic jams, and even more scarce parking spots.  We might add that New York City has its own winter Olympics which include hurdling your car into curbside snow embankments, (praying you have enough traction to remove yourself later), dodging potholes, and leaping across slush puddles. In this week or winter recess, some of us are enjoying even more snow at ski resorts; others have headed south to balmier climates to seek a reprieve from the cold and ever omnipresent snow.
 
 
The Christian monk, Thomas Merton, once compared the spiritual life to the search for a path in a field of untrodden snow: "Walk across the snow and there is your path."  In the snow we see the unknown, and we are called, step by step, to forge a path. Snow invites us to have fun. At the same time, snow requires work (i.e., to clear paths and cars) Snow challenges us. Snow slows us down and be cautious.  Snow reminds us of purity – but it also recalls to mind how easily it can be contaminated.  We need to dress differently to stay safe in the cold.  The blankets of snow speak to us in its deafening silence. Sometimes the snow and ice signal it is time to stay inside—turn inward, explore our hidden depths – take the extra time to pray, contemplate, meditate. In all these situations God speaks to us – to live in harmony with winter as we live in harmony with all of life.  Life throws all these circumstances at us to teach us to grow and gain wisdom and patience in all seasons of life.  No wonder that for those of us following Jesus’ teachings on Sundays; we hear his powerful call to find the Kingdom of Heaven within – as he interprets the law by unearthing the spirit and essence of the scriptures.
 
What is the snow teaching you? 
What is God’s word to you through the mounds of snow outside your window?
"Walk across the snow and there is your path"  - where is your path going?
 


Pray (ecumenical prayer)
 
"Earth teach me suffering. 
As old stones suffer with memory. 
Earth teach me courage, 
As the tree which stands alone. 
Earth teach me freedom, 
As the eagle which soars in the sky. 
Earth teach me to forget myself, 
As melted snow forgets its life. 
Earth teach me regeneration, 
As the seed which rises in the spring. 
Earth teach me humility, 
As blossoms are humble with beginning." 
— Chief Yellow Lark, Lakota



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On Vacation!  February 9, 2017

2/9/2017

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ON VACATION!!


LISTEN & WATCH:  Lindsey Sterling, Crystalize
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHjpOzsQ9YI
Psalm 147

 [a]Praise [b]the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For [c]it is pleasant and praise is becoming.
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [d]wounds.
4 He counts the number of the stars;
He [e]gives names to all of them.
5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength;
His understanding is [f]infinite.
6 The Lord [g]supports the afflicted;
He brings down the wicked to the ground.

7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises to our God on the lyre,
8 Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who provides rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to [h]grow on the mountains.
9 He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens which cry.
10 He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.
11 The Lord favors those who fear Him,
Those who wait for His lovingkindness.

12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your sons within you.
14 He makes [i]peace in your borders;
He satisfies you with the [j]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 He sends forth His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He declares His words to Jacob,
His statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have not known them.
[k]Praise [l]the Lord!


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Walk on the Water (February 5, 2017)

2/5/2017

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"Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”  He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God" Matthew 14:28-33


Listen:  Hillsong United:  "Ocean:  (Where Feet May Fall)" 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iilc92XVd00

Our lives are intertwined with the oceans.  Life began and emerged from the waters.  Oceans cover 70 percent of the world's land mass -- approximately 65 percent of the human body is water. The world's ecosystem is dependent of the oceans   -- our world-wide weather patterns are connected to ocean currents. The depths of the oceans are still a mystery to us. For all water represents: life, mystery, sustenance, danger:  It is not surprising Jesus spend a great deal of his ministry in Galilee around the sea.  He traveled by boat, called fishermen as disciples, fed people the fish that came from the sea.  He also faced our fears and dangers on the sea.

The sea's location below the mountains and below sea level made it very 
susceptible to storms.
   In one particular storm that Matthew tells, the disciples see Jesus walking toward them on the water.  At this point, Jesus hasn't stopped the storm. He comes to them in the midst of the storm.  Peter tests Jesus, and Jesus calls Peter out of the boat.  Peter started to go to Jesus -- but once he took his  focus off of Jesus to the strong winds, he began to sink. Immediately Jesus caught him -- and chided his faith. 

Our lives are like the oceans.  We have our own internal "weather patterns," our highs and lows. We have times when we are susceptible  to the storms of life.  We too have amazing depths we haven't explored -- a great deal of our motivations, drives, hopes and dreams are hidden in our unconscious, which influences us, nourishes us, but can also catch us off-guard. In these instances, we feel swamped by the waters of life.  We can feel like we are drowning and we are barely keeping our head above the water.

The gospel lessons teach us that Jesus is not only master of the elements of creation, but Lord over all the internal, raging storms that threaten to overwhelm us. Jesus walks to us above the frightening waves and gales. He calls us to rise above the turmoil.  If we keep our attention on Jesus we can keep our head above the sea.  It is when we become frightened by the strength of the winds, and fear overwhelms us, we sink.   Even then, when we cry out, "Jesus, save me!" he immediately grabs us and brings us to safety.

We know the power of storms: the storms of nature and the storms of life.  What storms are you facing?  Problems at work or a lack of work? Family? An addiction?  A depression or illness? In your prayer, the gospels teach us to envision Jesus, above it all, in it all, coming to you.  We are not left alone to face the terrors of the night (Ps. 91:5). Let us "fix our eyes on Jesus" (Heb. 12:2), who walks with us above the tumults of our lives.  It doesn't necessary mean our storms will leave us right away.  With the Lord, we can hold fast to the words of the prophet Isaiah (43:2):

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
    and the flame shall not consume you."



Pray:   "Jesus, save me from the waters of life that threaten to overwhelm me. Teach me to walk above the storm, with you at my side. "
 

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    Moirajo is a minister, social worker, wife, mother, writer and animal lover. That's just for starters. Join the story, there's so much we can share together! 

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