Regardless of the current circumstances of your life, I hope you can still see the glory of God. My prayers are still with the people of Ferguson, Missouri, the family of the slain journalist, and all who are hurting in any way.
The sunset this evening was gorgeous. I will never get tired of seeing God's handiwork. These pictures were all taken within a 15 minute time span. It was an amazing spectacle. The sun was able to peek through the clouds for a little while. It was a little brighter to the south.
Regardless of the current circumstances of your life, I hope you can still see the glory of God. My prayers are still with the people of Ferguson, Missouri, the family of the slain journalist, and all who are hurting in any way.
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This picture makes me grateful for the modern ambulances we have today. The response time to an emergency call would be a bit on the lengthy side using genuine "horse power" as shown here. Where are we in our spiritual journey? Are we novices in our faith walk? Are we like the colt trotting alongside the mature horses just beginning to "learn the ropes," or are we confident and steady like the seasoned horses in the parade knowing full well where we are headed on this route? How do we feel about our prayer life? Is God's timing our timing? Sometimes I get a sense that God's response time is about as quick as the horse drawn ambulance. Answers to my prayers aren't coming nearly as quickly as what I would prefer. On the other hand, maybe I am a little slow in turning to prayer. Is prayer a last resort or is my attention drawn to God first and foremost in all things? Am I praying fervently and faithfully or simply going through the motions? The more I think about this the more I realize that I have another picture which could depict how slowly I offer my prayers to God. "He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!"
Luke 24:25 The rodeo clown has an important role to play in the safety of the participants. It isn't always an easy task and I am sure there are times when the heart rate of the clown must skyrocket. Getting a bull's attention at close range is not necessarily what I would call fun. I could see myself having a great desire to jump and hide in the barrel at the first sign of danger. (Thus, I sit in the stands as a spectator rather than as a cowboy or a clown.)
I am not a rodeo clown, and yet, there are still times that I would like to jump in a barrel and hide. The difficulties and anxieties of life can take a toll and weigh me down. Although running away and hiding can seem appealing, it is generally not the most effective means of coping. There has to be a healthier and more productive manner in which to address the problems of day-to-day life. One thing I was taught years ago was that I am responsible for my joy. If I believe that I am a child of God I should be filled with joy. If I allow my joy to be taken away by others or by the difficult circumstances of life, I am walking in the flesh and not in the Spirit. It took a lot of years before I started grasping the real depth behind that thinking. I finally started to understand a little bit of it when I distinguished the difference between happiness and joy. Problems may be filling my days and I find that I am not necessarily happy about the way things are going. However, I should still have the joy of the Lord despite the difficulties. I am grateful for the gift of prayer. The older I get the more I realize that God really does speak to us in the depths of our being. There is grace; there is strength; there is peace and contentment when we engage in the act of prayer. Let us walk boldly in faith. "For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7) The Missouri River in St. Charles, Missouri has long been a point of interest for me. I have enjoyed walking in Frontier Park soaking up the solitude along the river, and I have also participated in some of the festivities in which thousands of people have gathered in that same location. The power of the river can be fierce when flooding, and it can seem quite tranquil at other times. Regardless of the circumstances, the river demands respect. This weekend I experienced only the heat, the humidity, and the bugs. Other than a few other tourists and a couple of joggers all was quiet on the riverfront. I appreciated the opportunity for a little reflection time without a lot of distractions. I have written about my personal journey before, but being back in St. Charles this week brought back the memories a bit more vividly. It was on July 17, 1986 when I was diagnosed with cancer the first time. I spent 52 days in the hospital over the course of a four month period. St. Joseph Health Center looks out over the Missouri River, and many times I stood in one of the lounge areas of the hospital and watched the river flow. I was angry at even the river. It seemed like a replica of my life because it was flowing right on by and there was nothing I could do about it. The frustration of such a predicament was beyond my understanding and the bitterness within me continued to grow. It got to the point where I watched people walking on the sidewalks below and resented them for being healthy. I could not believe this was happening to me. Thankfully, God is patient. I spent a lot of time in the simple chapel at the hospital. Slowly, God touched my pain and brought the healing that can only be found in Him. I was broken in so many ways, but nothing is beyond the scope of the Divine Healer. It is difficult to imagine that I eventually would come to the point where I would help start a support group for patients and their families coping with a life-threatening illness. Our group met successfully once a month for more than ten years. I even became part of the hospital staff as a chaplain for a short time as well. God certainly moved me from a place of despair to a place of hope, and then threw me into an arena completely out of my comfort zone. The end result was a tremendous learning experience and a powerful blessing to my eventual ministry as a deacon many years later.
I had no idea back then where the road would lead. I wasn't even sure I would survive the cancer--or the harsh chemotherapy treatments. It was a lesson in perseverance, but more importantly, it was a lesson in trust. The setbacks, the infections, the loss of a paycheck, the loss of independence, the loss of dignity, and so much more bombarded my mind. I probably wouldn't have been ready to hear the question at that time, but 17 years later when the question came, I needed it then too. "Are you still praising God?" Life is not always easy, but it is blessed. Today, I celebrate 28 years of survival since the first diagnosis of cancer. It was an expedition I didn't choose, but it resulted in quite an adventure. This week when I looked at the statue of Lewis and Clark in Frontier Park, I had a deeper appreciation of their courage. How do you stand at the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and embark on an unknown journey? Sometimes, we step out in faith. Let the glory of God shine forth! St. Stephens Indian Mission is always a favorite spot for me to stop and visit when traveling across Wyoming. There is something special about this place that captures my imagination in ways that I am unable to adequately express. Obviously, the cultural differences play into that, but I believe there is something deeper and more prevalent.
A picture is unable to portray the beauty of the church fully, but it can certainly provide a glimpse into the spirituality of the Native American culture. The relevance of the eagle is present throughout the church. In the picture above please note the candlesticks. The altar is in the shape of a drum; the tabernacle is enclosed in a tepee type structure. The crucifix likewise demonstrates symbolism of the culture. The universality of the Church is truly amazing. "...so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Romans 12:5) Flowers add a beautiful touch in most settings. Their colors bring a vibrancy of life and their aroma gives a sense of happiness and comfort. I have seen magnificent scenes created with flowers on numerous occasions and in a variety of locations. I don't have pictures, but I can remember when I visited Dollywood the first time many years ago in Tennessee. The signature butterfly of Dolly Parton was created with an array of flower arrangements. It was quite a sight to see. The gardens at the International Peace Garden (North Dakota and Canada) are another exquisite example of what can be done with an arrangement of flowers.
Individually, flowers are pretty, but together they can create a wondrous masterpiece. A church congregation can be looked upon in the same manner. Individually, we each bring our gifts and talents to the faith community. Join these gifts together and we can bring the transforming love of God to the world in a way that we could never accomplish on our own. How are you adding value to your local church community? The individual pictures above are part of a larger masterpiece to be found in Greybull, Wyoming. When they are joined together it looks like this. I had the pleasure of being in northwest Wyoming the last several days for a little leisure time. I will admit that driving seven hours across the state "for vacation" was not my first choice of adventures. I spend a great deal of time traveling the roadways of Wyoming for ministry and I did not see myself traveling those same roadways for vacation. However, our son was marching in the parade in Cody with Cheyenne's South High School band so we wanted to be there to see him. Margaret and I dropped Joe off at school to board the bus in Cheyenne and we headed our own direction to see the sights. I will share more pictures in future posts, but the picture above is one of the views that just took our breath away. There was a storm moving in and the mixture of clouds and sun was a phenomenal experience. This roadway is the Chief Joseph scenic highway not far from the northeast entrance of Yellowstone Park. This is one road that I had not traveled before and I am so grateful we took the time to venture off the beaten path. As we enjoyed the beauty of God's creation away from home, I was quite surprised upon our return to Cheyenne to find the grass almost completely brown. It was green when we left just three days earlier. In Missouri I looked forward to dried up grass in July so the mowing would slow down. However, in Wyoming, I was still shoveling snow on Mother's Day. The first time I mowed the grass in mid-May I was dodging remaining snow drifts with the mower. It could stay green for just a little longer. I really won't mind mowing a few more times before we start shoveling snow again. Looking at the grass was a timely reminder. We can't neglect the care of the yard (even for a few days) if we want it to stay healthy and vibrant. The same is true for our spiritual life. If we take the summer off from caring for our souls, we will wither from lack of care. I want to encourage you to continue to pray daily, attend church regularly, and stay connected with God through the reading of the Sacred Scriptures. It is important that we never take a vacation from growing in holiness. We don't want our interior life to look like the picture below. By the way, we did see the parade in Cody on both the 3rd and the 4th. Based upon the amount of traffic as we tried to exit town, it was a popular event and the city of Cody shined brightly! The South High School Marching Band appears to be right in step. Well done!
Although the camera didn't capture the brightness of the rainbow quite as well as I had hoped, the scene was simply breath-taking yesterday evening. The weather has dealt the region a few harsh blows in recent days with hail, torrential rain, and even a tornado or two, but the beauty of God's handiwork is also quite noteworthy.
Early this morning I opened a couple of windows in the house and the cool, crisp air quickly lowered the inside temperature to 60 degrees. It was refreshing and invigorating. I din't get to do that very often in late June when I lived in Missouri. I generally got up and lowered the thermostat so the air-conditioner would kick on. (It's cheaper just opening a window. I'm all for that.) I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy some relaxation time during the weekend. It is hard to believe we will enter the month of July on Tuesday. Next week I will share some thoughts on freedom and independence in the light of our faith. I am waiting to see what decisions are handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday in regard to the HHS Mandate. The verdict which is expected to be announced on Monday in regard to Hobby Lobby and other organizations under consideration will give a glimpse into the future of religious liberty in our country. If the decision goes against religious liberty, the ripple effect will take effect immediately on Tuesday, July 1, 2014. Other cases currently being heard in appellate courts across the country will be impacted by the Supreme Court decision. It will be interesting to see the direction our country goes. "This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!" Praying the Liturgy of the Hours for the last 20 years has been an interesting experience. There are times when the psalms especially speak to me in regard to life circumstances and other times when they do not. However, there is one psalm that always makes me pause a little longer than the others, and that psalm occurred this morning. It is Psalm 90 verse 10 in particular. “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong; most of them are sorrow and toil; they pass quickly, we are all but gone.” This passage is very sobering. The human frailty we experience in our day-to-day lives is a reality that is spelled out quite succinctly in this one verse. The following verses of the psalm add a piece of hope as the prayer continues. Verse 12 says, “Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Verse 17 concludes the psalm with, “May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!” How blessed we are when we gain wisdom of heart! That gift doesn’t automatically come with the passing of the years. It is a gift given to us through the love and favor of God if we are open to grace. The power of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives meaning to the toil and helps bring forth an abundant harvest of fruit. “…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) Yesterday, my mom started questioning me about a recent post on my blog concerning the aspect of feeling defeated. She asked if I was sick or if something else was wrong. I didn’t know the answer to that question exactly when she asked it because there wasn’t one specific thing wrong. It was more a compilation of a variety of issues. Today, I know the answer to her question, and it is articulated in Psalm 90 verse 10. Life is just difficult at times. In closing, I would like to point out that my mom doesn’t have a computer and did not see any of my blog postings until a couple of weeks ago. Then, my nephew shared the post of my ordination anniversary on June 5, with her so she could see the pictures and the story. Now a friend of my mom’s has picked up the role of sharing my blog with her on a more regular basis. Since my mom will now be evaluating each word I write, I will simply give her a “shout out” this one time for surpassing the numerical expectations of Psalm 90. Mom, you not only made it past 70 and 80 years respectively, but have surpassed it by a decade. Thus, the picture above is just for you. Do you remember doing crazy things like riding a motorcycle in your 80’s? It makes me wonder. What did you do when you were younger? It was sixty-three years ago today (June 2, 1951) that Pope Pius XII issued his Encyclical, Evangelii Praecones (On Promotion of Catholic Missions). Obviously, the Encyclical addressed the prevalent issues of the times, but it is interesting to note how many of those issues are still relevant today. Apparently, society continues to grapple with some aspects of life one generation after another.
I would like to quote paragraph 70 in its entirety. 70. Venerable Brethren, you are well aware that almost the whole human race is today allowing itself to be driven into two opposing camps, for Christ or against Christ. The human race is involved today in a supreme crisis, which will issue in its salvation by Christ, or in its dire destruction. The preachers of the Gospel are using their talents and energy to extend the Kingdom of Christ; but there are other preachers who, since they profess materialism and reject all hope of eternal happiness, are trying to drag men down to an abject condition. As we observe contemporary life it is evident that the two opposing camps referred to by Pope Pius XII are still here, and possibly, more entrenched than ever. A quick glance at the social issues front and center in the news certainly reveals the divide in American culture, and I assume the same can be said for many other countries across the world. I have two questions for reflection. The first is my own and the second comes straight from Scripture. 1. Which camp do we find ourselves located—for Christ or against Christ? 2. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:8 |
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