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Nothing Is Impossible for You

6/25/2020

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"Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."  Matthew 17:20


LISTEN TO: Jason Castro,  "This Is Only a Mountain"     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OWLs1G3q1


At our former manse there was an unusual round patch of ground. It is the mark of where a maple tree once stood.  However it fell during Super storm Sandy and had to be completely removed. All that remained was a patch of wood chips.  We had moved in in mid-February, and this round, barren spot captivated Forrest.   He mixed in garden soil.  He planted rings of nasturtiums.  Then for good measure, in another stretch of the lawn he planted dahlias and sunflowers. Where that wonderful maple tree stood a year before, now grew beautiful orange/yellow nasturtiums.  Why nasturtiums? They were the favorite flower of Forrest's beloved grandmother.  And she loved nasturtiums because they were her mother's favorite flower.  They are a symbol of enduring love and goodness.  Life goes on and life finds a way to bloom, even in the wood chips and aftermath of storms.
 
If you were to ask me a year before that move, would we be there, enjoying the beauty of nasturtiums following the felling of that maple tree, I wouldn't have been able to conceive of it. But that's what happens. The storms of life hit.  Many precious things are destroyed and damaged in the storms' path.  We discover that mountains are not just those large land-forms stretching above the land around it. the  mountains we must scale have to do with loving in and living through difficult situations. Having faith that God will see us through when it feels like we've just been dropped down a crevice.   Having hope that God will bring us through and open new doors.  Paul reminds us in Romans: For in this hope we were saved. "Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 8:24-25"
 
Now in the summer of 2020 we still face the storms of COVID19.  Will we face a resurgence? When will social distancing and mask wearing end?  How long will it take to get a vaccine?  Will school and work go back to a "new normal" in the fall?  What about racial equality?  How long will racism continue until we become so sick and tired of it, of the burnt holes in our souls, that we will plant seeds of justice and peace? When will these mountains be scaled?


We will conquer these mountains.  We scale them with patience, faith and love. God's love, and the love we carry with us, down through the ages, and the love that around us -- that love will see us to the other side, where the nasturtiums are waiting to bloom.
 
PRAY:  "God, grant me the faith to face my mountains"


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Be Light For the World

6/9/2020

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I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star" (Rev. 22:6) 

LISTEN: Newworldson, "Learning to be the Light," 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqs24i1RBQo

There are between 100 billion to 1 trillion galaxies in our universe. There are between 10 sextillion and 1 septillion stars.  Carl Sagan, the renowned scientist, once reminded us that our bodies have basically the same composition as the stars (hydrogen and helium). The atoms of our bodies were once part of the stars. Sagan says:  "The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies. We're made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff."   We are children of the cosmos.
 
Without the stars, we would die.  Stars not only give us light and warmth, they provide a point of reference in the dark.  Explorers use the stars -- the underground railroad relied on the stars to find their way to freedom. 

The creation of light, and  the stars are in the first chapter of the bible.  
The last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22:1-5, tells us the only light necessary for us is God.  Jesus is the "Light of the World," the "Bright morning star." We are not only the by-product of stars, we are spiritual light. Our story is bookmarked by light.


It is easy for us to forget our true nature -- especially living in a City where it is impossible to see, every night, the magnitude of the star-lit sky.  It is easy to forget our true nature, when surrounded by chaos, turmoil, pain and injustice. We need to be reminded. When we are truly ourselves, we shine, we model the path of spiritual freedom, and spiritual growth. Can a star help but shine?  The same is true for us.  As embodied star stuff, we are people of hope, a people of vision pointing the way to the true light, Christ. Don't let anyone, anything persuade  you otherwise. Remember who you are -- and let your light shine, and let the light overcome the darkness.

PRAY: "Bright Morning Light, you made us after yourself, you made for us to shine. Help me shine today, in word and deed, let me bring your light to others."


​

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Running the Right Race

6/2/2020

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 Listen to: "By Your Side," by Tenth Avenue North 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St5tz4Pxdhs




​Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" 
Hebrews 12:`1.


Sometimes our lives feel like an endless relay race.  We dash out the door in the morning, scrambling to get kids to school, make it on time to appointments, meet deadlines at work, pay the bills, get groceries, put dinner on the table at a decent hour, find time for a devotional and prayer, and start it all again the next day.  It can seem like an endless merry-go-round.  We go on automatic.  
How do make sure we're running the right race?

Meghan Vogel, when she was 17 years old, was a champion long-distance runner.  Meghan had won the 1,600 meter race at the Division III state meet in Columbus. Right after that, she started the 3,200 meter race and was struggling.  She saw a rival runner ahead of her,  Arden McMath, who was faltering, falling, and fighting just to stay on her feet. Arden was falling when Meghan picked her up and supported Arden the rest of the way, across the finish line, all the while keeping Arden ahead of her.

“I don’t really remember much about it,” Meghan  said. “It was kind of a blur. I just remember picking her up and trying not to injure her as I crossed the line. She deserved to be in front of me.”

While Meghan could have been disqualified for her actions, none of the meet officials said anything as the crowd gave the girls a standing ovation.  Although Meghan finished last, she was first in the hearts of the bystanders.  She witnessed to the goodness within us, placed there by God.  Meghan reminds us what we are called to do.   

Right now our country is in a crisis in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a black man, at the hands of a white police officer. Peaceful protesters are being attacked. In some instances the police have been attacked. Looters, agitators, people guided by violence, are promoting looting, destroying businesses and spreading fear and discord.  We must look to the people who run the race to help, to bind up the wounds, to carry the hurting, to bring peace  and justice back to our land.
 
This is the race we're really in.  Even when we are behind, that we stop to help.  No matter what we are doing, throughout our day, there are opportunities to serve,to care, to heal, and think on the welfare of others. 

So run your race!  We will not let the haters win. Even when it feels we're behind, we're always ahead of the game when we help our neighbor in need.



PRAY:  "God, run with us today. Keep us on the right path, the true path. Remind me what I'm running for. "

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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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