Its spring-cleaning time!  I remember growing up how my mother took this time of year to clean closets; shake rugs; wash drapes and get rid of an accumulation of odds and ends acquired during the year. Sometimes our houses, drawers, closets and vehicles are so crowded that we simply shut the door and hopefully the” cleanout” fairy will work a miracle!

As I was looking through my accumulation of stuff, I sat down with a cup of coffee and pondered, if once each year we could unload everything that clutters our lives, –not just our homes.

Worry, Its not always a bad thing!  Worry can spark action if you worry and recognize that a plan of action is necessary, and you can act.  But worry can also fill your imagination with every manner of fearful possibilities. 

Thankfully most worries never happen!  That means that we are better off getting rid of harmful worries as a way to clear our minds and souls.  In the same way that getting rid of stuff we never use clears our homes.

Yearning.  We live in a gotta have it now society.  Instant gratification.  Focusing on what we lack steals contentment because our heart and mind are stuck in the future, always trying to get whatever we want, thinking it will make us happy.
If we are so focused by wanting what we do not have, we are sacrificing joy in the present.  Let’s declutter that part of our life. 

Approval The desire to do well and receive approval from other people is not a bad thing. But when our life becomes based on the expectations of others it might be messing up our life.  Our best approval comes from what God expects of us.  His approval is the best one we need.

There is no better time than now to declutter your life.  There’s no better time than today to pack it up, haul it out, and get rid of it once and for all. Throw out the clutter but add things that matter.                                             

Time to Declutter!

I am currently reading a great book.  “Things that Matter” by Joshua Becker. 

The actual subtitle of the book is “Overcoming Distaction to Pursue a More Meaningful Life.” The author takes readers on a journey of self-examination, aimed at cutting the dead weight in life that hinders all of us from reaching our full potential.  

He explores eight different types of distractions that frequently afflict people: “fear, past mistakes, happiness (in a shallow sense, money, possessions, fame, human respect.  recreation and technology. “  So, if we strip ourselves of all these things from life, what’s left?   

Here is his answer. “A streamlined life that’s genuinely aligned with your values, passions, and purpose, a life lived with a higher cause in mind.”

This book is about so much more than how you feel. “There may be no greater pursuit for yourself and others than choosing to live a meaningful life focused on the things that matter.”   Isn’t that the message of that Jesus taught? 

Becker answers the question convincingly that true happiness and meaning is on “servant – mindedness”, generosity and focusing on what you have to offer to others and the world in general.  He argues that we should not think of work or any work we do, as mere drudgery. Instead, we should see it as a meaningful expression of how we respond to what needs to be accomplished.  It might be just doing a good turn for someone, our family or someone we don’t even know.  In other words, to make our world a better place.  I hope that washing dishes is included!!

Many of you reading this might be retired, living alone or perhaps unable to be active in your community.  If so, you can still find a way to be a servant to others.  That will be a sense of fulfillment in your life. 

Frequently, Becker drawers the readers with thoughts toward the end of life and what it would feel like to look back on the way we have lived.  Will we be filled with regrets about a sense of wasted time, or will we rest knowing that we lived with purpose and passion?  We must be aware of the truly important things that matter and how to cut free of the stuff that doesn’t. 

It’s time to not only declutter our closets but declutter our lives. Living a life with meaning.  Our self-fulfillment will be influenced by how we have influenced others.

                                        Not that’s what really matters!

In the Gospel of John, chapter 5, Jesus approaches a man who has been lying near the pool of Bethesda for thirty-eight years. Jesus asks him, “Do you want to be healed?” At first glance, the question seems unnecessary. Of course he wants healing. Or perhaps not.

Healing is not only about relief.  It is about transformation. It requires letting go of familiar patterns, even when those patterns are painful. It asks us to release identities we have grown accustomed to, even when those identities are shaped by brokenness of body or spirit.

 To be healed is to risk hope!

There are times when people become so accustomed to the weight they carry that they no longer imagine life without it. They stop seeing themselves as whole. They stop believing that change is possible. ‍ ‍Their burden becomes a way of life.  Do we risk being healed?             

Do we risk the chance that God wants us healed or do we feel safe just in the state we are in?  In this we must exam ourselves. 
 Sometimes, the healing of grace takes place within us naturally; we go through a rehab program; we find a caring Physician who found just the proper way to treat our problem; a faithful friend who nurtures; a new job we find fulfilling.  Many times, the healing comes slowly.
                                       Grace comes but in God’s timing.

These aren’t man’s doings alone. God has chosen this way for us.  God’s grace works today just it always has from the beginning of time.

 Grace works in multiple dimensions of our lives. It lifts the burden of guilt by reminding us that we are forgiven. It heals the wound of shame by affirming that we are loved. It strengthens us to change by assuring us that we are capable. And it fills us with gratitude, awakening a sense that we are, indeed, blessed.‍ ‍

‍‍As disciples, we  recognize the image of God in the face of the afflicted, to speak words that restore, and to speak words of encouragement and reaffirm how much each life is important.  You and I are to be vessels of God’s grace. 

To rise to the occasion.
To become “healers.”       
To live as whole people who know God!
                                That’s  Graceful  Living

‍

Can we as Believers, accept the fact that we live under the Biblical principles found in the Bible?  If you and I can agree that the Founding Fathers of America by and large, were confirmed Christians or Deists then the Constitution was influenced by the Ten Commandments. The teachings of the sages and religious scriptures provided the basis for the laws that govern human society or should.

For the Hebrews, the Ten Commandments were considered to be both divine and secular law simultaneously……..a tradition that became the foundation of Western legal culture.      

Followers of the Old Testament law believe that there is a distinct teaching on human behavior.  There is both evil, which should be punished or forgiven, and goodness which is rewarded.

The Ten Commandments can be divided into two categories.  The first four of these commandments describe the relationship between man and God, the other six govern relationships between people and reflect the teaching to love others as you love yourself.  Reverence for God is an imperative that enables humanity to maintain the principles of fairness and justice. 

With President Trump’s current visit to China, we will expect mutual agreements on trade, science etc. but not the principles of justice and love that we hold dear in our country.

Communist parties are anti-theist cults.  They will never follow the teachings of a Divine Being.   They will never make any sincere attempt to maintain fairness or justice. 

The Communist manifesto can be summed up by Lenin: “Dictatorship is a rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any law. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is that a rule is won and maintained by the use of violence. The rights of the individual are of no accord, and all are subject to the state.”

The current Chinese regime is godless, ruled by a handful of powerful, ruthless leaders, who defy the God of humanity.

I know this blog is more political than I usually write but as we all witness the rise of a secular culture around the world, we must examine our beliefs.

     Are you and I willing to stand fast in our faith? 
 

I wasn’t born in El Paso, but I soon learned to love the desert.  In the summer the cactus would become a home to bees and hummingbirds that found the sweet nectar in the cactus flowers.  I could see the ripened red fruit and many brave souls would make delicious jam.  All I got was lots of stickers!

I find that life has seasons as well.  Not the four seasons but times in life when nothing seems to be in our favor. It might be spring outside, but our life feels like its winter.  It’s dark and cold in the heart.  Nothing of spring or summer appears.  We get a discouraging phone call from a friend; a bad report from the Dr; our plans for a vacation fell though; a sick family member.

We no sooner get through one crisis or trial and another one comes to us.  Perhaps we are just holding our breath always waiting for the next bomb to drop or waiting to figure out what’s next in our life.

In the book of James, he has this to say: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. “   We ask God, why must I go through this?

 But James wrote that in our trials our faith will grow!   It ok to ask God, “What do You want to teach me through this?  What do You want me to do next? or how can I show my discipleship in this situation?”  No matter when our spiritual winter season comes or how long it lasts, we can be assured that it’s not, as Mr. Tumnus said in The Chronicles of Narnia, “Always winter, never spring.” 

“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland” (Isaiah ). Even when we don’t know precisely what God is doing, even when we can’t see the seeds beneath the soil, we know they will bloom. Our season of helplessness will not last. Our faith will furnish us with joy and hope.

Hebrews reassures us, “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”

Here’s the thing: every season is essential for life and growth. That’s true of the physical and the spiritual. We need winter every bit as much as summer. Winter will come, but so will seasons of planting, growth, abundance, and harvest.  God truly does all things well. In every season of our life.   As wise Solomon said.  “There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the heavens”.     May our hearts hold on to hope that the harsh winter season will pass.  The summer of faith has come.

                                                                                The Season of Hope!

For most people, the sight of blood evokes an unpleasant response, both emotional and physiological.  Blood is often associated with the beginning and end of life.  We shy away from anything to do with blood. 

To the ancient Jews, blood played a significant role in their lives.  Blood was the essence of a living being.  This conviction underlies two foundational prohibitions that apply not only to Jews but to all of humanity; the ban on consuming blood and the ban on murder.
 
Because blood represents the life-force, consuming it is akin to symbolically consuming a creature’s life- force. Which is disrespectful and inhuman.

In the 15^th chapter of Acts, the Jerusalem council strictly prohibited the consuming of blood, which was done at the pagan temple. 

Blood is never neutral.  It delineates boundaries, between life and death, purity and impurity, humans and God.  It can both pollute and can purify.

In temple worship, the blood of an innocent animal could be used as a sign of repentance, an act of forgiveness or even for blessings received. 

Blood can signal harm, and it can bring protection, as in the Exodus story. The blood above the door saved those within.

  These seemingly contradictory qualities arise because blood is imagined as the container of life itself.  Anything that contains, releases, transfers, or threatens life holds immense religious weight. 

Jesus’ blood on the cross, takes on greater significance when we understand the true meaning of what His blood now means to us.

Blood becomes a type of covenant.  A covenant that is extended to those who have accepted His blood sacrifice as a substitute for our sins. 

Blood, therefore, is not merely biological, but theological. It stands at the meeting point of body and soul, human and divine.

                                                            Now you know about blood!

                                       
I was raised on a farm and my dad kept chickens.  We had one old rooster.  He was beautiful with this large comb and colorful body.  He also rules the roost!    When did he sleep? 

Every day, our prayers begin thanking God for our basic needs.  He has kept us safe through the night; He has provided our first cup of coffee and the beauty of a new day. However, there is one prayer that gave me  a smile that I will share with you.

This Jewish prayer I found so interesting I wanted to pass it on.  Perhaps we never think to thank God for the rooster but in this prayer, the petitioner thanks God “for giving the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night.”

 While it is an amazing phenomenon that roosters crow at the beginning of each day, it does not seem to be a basic need. Secondly, telling the difference between light and dark is not so difficult. Why does it require special understanding to distinguish between day and night?

My Dad shared with me a great thought. Although a rooster crows at the beginning of each day it actually happens some time before it gets light. When he senses that dawn will break soon, and light is on the way to substitute the darkness, he emits the crowing noise that becomes like an ancient alarm clock.

In every day there are periods of light—clarity, blessing, peace of mind and prosperity. But there are also sometimes patches of darkness—challenge, confusion and difficulty. It takes special strength not to be caught up in the moments of challenge.

 A wise person learns from the rooster. He/she knows that the darkness is only temporary and light is on the way. The rooster is symbolic of an attitude filled with optimism, hope and belief. The rooster teaches us to envisage and celebrate blessings even before they come.

Thanks to Him for the wisdom of the rooster. It is the rooster’s lesson that will carry us through every part of the day.

      Teach us to look beyond the darkness and see the light that awaits us.
 

                                                The Rooster knows!

Death is a certainty. We will lose loved ones, and we will die ourselves. I found this quote from Shakespear. .” It is the “undiscovered country, from whose bourn no traveler returns.” I remember my Shakespeare class from college.  At the time that quote didn’t mean as much to me as it does now that I’m older.

The greatest stories of the ages center on death—how people face it, or how they respond to loss. The fear of death is common—Most people report fearing death.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it,” Jesus said in Matthew.
He is saying that even though we will try to save ourselves, it is impossible.  It’s only when we are willing to save others, can we also save ourselves.

The early disciples also knew this and they had a mission.  To teach others that there is something beyond the grave.  The Master himself had risen.  He was preparing for His disciples, not to fear death but to believe that their mission was not only to teach others that He was the promised Messiah but that their life held great meaning.  They were to be disciple makers.  That all who believed in Him were also given a special place in the afterlife. 

To us moderns, this emphasis on death may seem strange. But the ancients understood that confronting mortality is essential to living a full life.

Modern life, by contrast, makes it easy to forget. Our prosperity creates longer lifespans, advanced medicine, abundant food, and material comfort has distanced us from the immediacy of death. These are real achievements to be celebrated, yet they also make it easier to hide from the reality of death.
 Acknowledging mortality doesn’t just liberate us, it shapes our values.

Being Believers gives us freedom to be what our Lord expects of us.  We will all be judged but only as” sheep among the goats.”  ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25:45)
By His grace we are saved. We can approach life with the certainty that we are safe in our Father’s love.

 By recognizing death’s inevitability and learning not to fear it, we will live fuller lives.
                                         Death where is thy sting?

I enjoy poetry   So much is said in amazing ways. Robert Frost is one of my favorites.

In Robert Frost’s poem “Tuft of Flowers,” he paints a rural scene of a man setting out to complete farm duties. Another man, a co-laborer, had mowed the grass earlier in the day, but when the speaker in the poem surveys the work, he sees a butterfly drifting nearby and wonders why it is looking for flowers among freshly cut grass. That is when he notices it–tufts of flowers that were left untouched by the scythe. As Frost wrote: “I left my place to know them by their name / Finding them a butterfly weed when I came. / The mower in the dew had loved them thus, / By leaving them to flourish, not for us, / Nor yet to draw one thought of ours to him. But from sheer morning gladness at the brim” (Selected Poems of Robert Frost, Fall River Press, 2017, p. 33).  

In this patch of flowers is an unexpected beauty; milkweed plants that made the other man pause in his morning duties to admire their glory.  Even the lowly weed reminds of God’s creative power. The mower had left them to be admired even among the flowers.

Many of Frost’s poems capture this sense of hidden beauty among the wild growth of nature. Wildflowers grow unnoticed until seen by a surprised onlooker.

Jesus’ parable likewise draws upon the beauty of wildflowers. He turns the audience’s attention to the lilies of the field and how they grow without any additional striving. God, in His kindness and wisdom, has adorned the grasses of the field in this way, providing lovely clothing to nature. His words echo what He said earlier about the birds of the air, who do not store up food for the future yet are still fed.” (Matthew 6: 26,27)

Our Lord used these examples to remind us of practical spiritual truths. God clothes the fields and feeds the birds, so why do we worry incessantly about these parts of life? Our anxiety could be eased if we paused to notice the wonders around us, especially those hidden beauties of daily life that teach us valuable lessons about the Lord’s caring provision. Around us is a world of reminders of God’s love; yet, too often, we turn a blind eye to their testimony.

What might happen if we started to pause and consider the hidden wonders around us. Does this mean we will never worry about our life? Paying our bills? Keeping up with our body’s needs? No!

But we will be more focused on Jesus’s advice to notice the everyday beauties around us.  To be more aware of the many blessings He has already given to us.

All because of the testimony of a growing flower, chirping bird, or a rainy day.
                                                Our Hidden Blessings