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Posts Tagged ‘God’

Honest to God #3…when faith and hope are lost…

04 Jan

His son is an adorable little boy…a precious gift from God. Like most little boys, his son is sweet and loving one minute…yet uncontrollably mischievous the next.

But his son is not like most other little boys. His son was born with a chromosomal deficiency which results in autism, ADHD, obsessive compulsive disorder, sensory processing disorder, speech delay, and countless behavioral challenges. His son is not like most other little boys, since there are only 300 other children in the world with this disorder.

It is no surprise that his faith and hope seem lost. It’s hard to have faith in a God who allows such things as chromosomal deficiencies. It’s hard to grasp that single thread of hope, when a steel cable seems vital for a family’s survival.

I’ve personally learned not to blame God for what some wrongly consider to be “mistakes” of nature. My friend’s son is not a mistake…he’s a miracle. I believe in a God who created the world through evolution. And I find it absolutely amazing that the cells, chromosomes, and DNA strains that God created have combined and evolved into these miraculous beings we call human.

Obviously, over the evolving generations some anomalies and abnormalities have occurred. It is up to each of us as to whether we consider these anomalies to be miracles or mistakes. (I might ask if Elizabeth Taylor’s violet eyes were a mistake…since violet eyes are more of an anomaly than autism.) My friend’s son is a miracle…to consider him as anything else would be a mistake.

I don’t worry about my friend’s fragile thread of faith…surely God understands the frustration and concerns which continually flood the caregivers of special needs children. I worry about his desperate need for hope. His son’s chromosomal deficiency is not some silly phrase that will be outgrown in time. The deficiency is lifelong. The medical community doesn’t offer much hope. The educational community struggles to offer guidance and hope, but funds are sorely lacking.

My friend has promised to read this posting. I’m sure he anticipates my providing him with more hope than I’ve been able to provide here. Maybe you have a few words of hope to share with him. If so…please comment. He’ll be waiting…

 
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HONEST TO GOD #1 …a river without banks…

03 Oct

HONEST TO GOD
From time to time, I’d like to use my blog as a venue to share my own personal theological and political thoughts. If you’re not interested in these posts (and who would blame you!) please feel free to ignore those classified as “Honest to God.” And if you have questions or suggestions, please comment…discussion can be fun and enlightening.

HONEST TO GOD #1
…a river without banks…

A proverbial saying declares that “a river without banks is a swamp.” The image is quite vivid I suppose, for those who live near the Mississippi River and who have seen their farmland turned into a swamp by demolished levies.

Some might consider my progressively liberal theology to be a murky, muddy swamp-like spiritual pool. But I still have some banks alongside my theological river; but they’re further apart than they were in my younger years. My banks have been established by lifetime of struggles and conflicts…they are definitely not some sort of denominationally built canal.

I’ve listed here, a few of my banks. I invite you to read them, and to consider if they might be similar to yours. I also invite you to comment upon them. I’m not claiming to be “right,” so you just might make a comment that causes me to reconsider my stance.

Anyway…these things I believe:
• God loves all people, without exception.
• To follow God’s example we must forgiving and show mercy to others.
• Social justice and civil rights matter.
• God still speaks through the Bible, through other literary works, through people and through nature.
• War is not the solution to international conflicts.
• What we believe, is less important than how we treat others.

I don’t claim to be right…I’m just trying to be HONEST TO GOD.

 
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Remains #4

22 Aug

…problems and solutions…

She spoke the words with such confidence that I knew she had committed them to memory. It was also apparent that she had a lifetime of experiences with which to back them up. She spoke with so much assurance…that I knew it best to savor her words so that I might later share them with others. And what were these words that she spoke so matter-of-factly?

“All my problems are emotional…all my solutions are spiritual.”

She was right, of course. Nearly every problem I’ve ever encountered was in reality, rooted in my emotions. My financial problems are largely the result of impulsive, emotional purchases.
And I surely would have had a more lucrative career, if I’d only admitted and corrected my character flaws when they first became evident.

Others will readily agree that I wouldn’t have had most of my problem relationships, were it not for my being self-centered, jealous, or greedy. Yes, she was right…all my problems were emotional.

And she was also right that all my solutions are spiritual. When problems rear their ugly heads, all I have to do is remind myself that I’m God’s child, God’s image, God’s representative. When I do so, it’s amazing how quickly I realize that the other person is also God’s child, God’s image, God’s representative. With such realization, comes peace and understanding.

She had every right to speak those words with confidence, since she was right on target. All my problems are emotional…all my solutions are spiritual.

 
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Remains #2

18 Jul

…the most hated woman in America…

Casey Anthony was released from jail two days ago. As she left the jail, she needed the protective custody of two law enforcement officers, who thought they needed the protection of the full swat gear they wore.

It seems obvious that Casey Anthony is currently “the most hated woman in America.” Officers say she has received numerous death threats…at least 7 of which they consider to be sincere. Her close relatives have disowned her, and her distant relatives have advised her to get plastic surgery to disguise her appearance. Others have encouraged her to change her name and leave the country.

It really doesn’t matter how I feel about the verdict. It’s unimportant whether I believe the reports and speculations. I’m not even in a position to voice my opinion of our judicial system, though my opinions are quite strong.

But most importantly, I’m not in a position to become judge and jury of any other human being. I too have committed more than my share of damage in this world. Were it not for the grace and forgiveness of God, shown through God’s people, I would not have survived.

I know how it feels to have the mercy of God wash over your soul. And having experienced that rebirth, that cleansing, that open embrace…I could never deny that gift to another.

 
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…filling our low spots…

28 Apr

Well the April rains have come to Missouri in a big way! And if April showers bring May flowers, then April downpours bring May floods. We live less than a mile from the Meramec River which seems to flood every spring…and this year is no exception.

Yesterday the Meramec closed the River Road. By this afternoon the river had reached the bottom of our stop sign…and it’s yet to crest.

The Mississippi River is also approaching flood stage, and the Army Corps of Engineers is considering the possibility of breaching the levies in rural areas to protect the more populated cities.

Their logic is simple: If they poke a hole in the levies the water will flow from the river into the lowest lying farm land. Water always flows to the lowest elevation…and fills the lowest spots.

And so it is with God, our Living Water. When we allow our walls to be breached, when we drop our defenses, God flows into our lowest places. Life is difficult for all of us, we all have problems. We have low places, stale and empty spaces that beg to be filled with Living Water.

 
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