In the Middle

I'm not sure where or who the quote comes from...but I've appreciated it.

"The truth is in the middle."

Have you ever heard that before? Jesus tells Thomas that those who believe and haven't seen are blessed. So, when we act on faith, we take leaps towards believing the unseen, we are blessed. However, I also believe that we are to engage our thinking minds as well. Jesus lived a life of discipline and study, he knew the texts of the Hebrew Bible, he went to the temple with his family...and then on his own! In this I see value, too.

So, when we hear of Thomas engaging his logic...of getting the wrap "Doubting Thomas"...we might scoff at him, but I think our lives should be made up of a balance of knowledge and faith. I believe in the unseen, but I also attempt to take time to understand what is visible, as well. I believe that the truth is in the middle.

*Would you ever name yourself as a "Doubting Thomas"?

To Live

I was in college when I learned the word "vivir". It's the Spanish word that means "to live". I remember after learning it in Spanish class that I kept using it in sentences...of course mixing Spanish and English because I am certainly not bilingual! Now, some 20 plus years later, I still love that word!!! It is so filled with energy, I'm not sure if it's the v sounds mixed w/ the trill of the r....but it makes me smile and want to move around..to get excited even.

Can you imagine what the women at the well must have experienced when she encountered Jesus? She is doing what she needs to do to exist...get water. She goes in mid-day, perhaps to avoid others so she doesn't face their judgments of her and her multiple husbands, and now the man that she is with but not married to. She is expecting her social status as a women, her past, her present, even the town and culture that she comes from to be a repellent for Jesus. However, he flips all of that around...and offers to her LIVING water. She encounters Jesus and he offers her a chance to move from merely surviving/existing to being ALIVE. He offers her a chance VIVIR (to live!).

*Have you experienced being alive in Christ "vivir"?
*Is there anyone in your life today who needs to hear the good news of Christ, that we can move from merely existing to being fully alive?

I hope your day today is filled with the sense of "vivir"!

Sight

We saw the movie "Shutter Island" last night. Yikes! It was so intense...and in some parts so very, very sad. It was interesting...when we came out of the theater I felt sort of dizzy, my perception was off just a bit. Because the main character in the movie has such a shift, or at least a perceived shift, in how he sees his reality, I was really shaken by that and felt kind of...well...creepy. (That's my technical/ professional, diagnosis!)

Jesus says to the Pharisees “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” ⁴⁰Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” ⁴¹Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

It reminds me of a riddle, but more likely is reminiscent of the teachings of great philosophers, a turn of phrase and thought meant to make the listener pause and reflect, agree or disagree, and then mount a rebuttable or counter-argument. The section that grabs my attention is that Jesus came into this world so that those who do not see may see.

In a way I have felt that my whole life’s journey, especially my faith journey, has been a series of “waking up” moments thus far. As I continue to study scripture, to encounter God’s children, to experience nature, to feel loved and to love my family and friends…I wake up, over and over…or my blind eyes are given sight. It is my prayer that I continue this process; that I journey on in this life as a traveler waiting for the next encounter that will help me to see, as opposed to one who is just absolutely sure that my eyes have been opened completely and now you need to do it my way…end of story. Lord help us.

*What has been your most recent “eye-opening” experience?

*Are there people in your life who have been essential in your eyes being opened?

Appearances aren't Everything

Simon seemed to "have it all"...and yet.... It was customary for the day for him to have given Jesus a kiss as a greeting, to wash his feet, and to anoint him with perfume. He did none of these things...yet a women who was a known sinner enters into the picture, and lavishes expensive perfume on Jesus, and washes his feet with her tears and dries them with her hair!

I think it's easy to get caught up in appearances...and making snap judgments based solely upon what a person looks like, or what we perceive their reputation to be. And to a certain extent that is necessary in the world that we live in...but when we live ONLY that way, not looking beneath the surface, not giving ourselves the gift of time in getting to know a person, we become dangerously close to functioning like Simon the Pharisee did.

I tell you what, some of the most remarkable relationships that I have had have been unexpected. That is the beauty of taking the time to care for and get to know one another.

*Do you have any relationships that were unexpected?
*Do you ever find yourself in the position of Simon the Pharisee? What about the woman who is branded "a sinner"?

Grace

The story of the Prodigal Son helps us understand the love of God for us...that God's forgiveness is massive and complete. It's a story of grace. It's also a story about a family...and family dynamics. And family is wonderful...and can be very complicated. Take some time today to study the painting below, Rembrandt's The Return of the Prodigal Son. Do you notice anything that strikes you as interesting? Any insights into God's love for you?

Welcome Home

Hospitality....I love having people come to our home. I like fixing a good, home-cooked meal, I like sitting at the table with friends, I like laughing and telling stories, to hear their stories, to understand who they are and where they come from...I love all of it!

When I read this morning about Mary I think of her hospitality...but she was hospitable in a way that I could never understand...she was housing a prayer meeting...and then someone (Peter) who had just escaped prison (with the help of an angel!!!) shows up and gives them a message to pass along to the other believer's. Her hospitality, I suspect, could be more likened to those who ran the underground railroads that we have read about. Wow...what faith and brevity.

I wonder if we have ever had to be so brave about our faith in these days? Have you had an experience where you felt challenged and found it necessary to be bold to defend your faith in Jesus?

To share or not to share....

So...they were all hanging out together, living in community, and everything was shared. Their testimonies had great power, they were sharing the wonderful news of the resurrection of Jesus. Joseph gets his name changed to Barnabas (son of encouragement...what a great name!), he sells his field and donates the money to the cause...wow.

It sounds ideal, somehow, all working in sync. And Barnabas joins in, giving what he can to the cause...he enters in with all of his heart and all of his...well...field. We know later that Barnabas travels w/ Paul on many of his missionary journey's, helping others to come to know Christ.

I think I like this story because I love the concept of community. To journey together is what it's all about...we sang in church on Sunday "The Servant Song". I think it epitomizes this text today. Just click the center of the photo below to play the song. I hope this brightens your day. I hope your day is filled with joy!