Well, here we are.

People I love are being told lies. They are being told that climate change isn’t real and we don’t need laws to protect mother earth. They are being told that immigrants are dangerous and that we don’t need to offer them a homeland where we have plenty of food and jobs. They are being told that healthcare is a luxury for the rich and the poor don’t deserve it. They are being told that capital punishment is God’s way — and that people of color deserve it more often than white people do. They are being told that transgender people are scary and don’t have the right to choose which bathroom to go to. They are being taught that the most important thing is to win – to be great.  When, in truth, the most important thing is to be a servant.

In the end, these lies will kill us all – if we believe them.

The Apostle Paul was one who called out wrong when he saw it. Yet, in so many of our churches we have given ourselves permission to hide behind tolerance rather than expressing our love for others by saying, “Hey, that is just plain wrong!”

Not Paul!

Paul was intolerant. You see, the people he loved were being told lies about God and the way they should live. He knew these lies would reduce their lives, impair the vitality of their spirits, and cripple them with anxiety and fear. These lies would make them slaves and Paul wanted them to be free. Free to love. The truth will set us free.

Not much has changed.

I am going to be intolerant of lies told to people I love (and I choose to love all of you). I will own this kind of intolerance proudly!  It’s like Paul told the Galatians:

“I will not continue to try and please people, because I am a servant of Christ”

(Gal 1:10).

Be intolerant of lies, but do it always with love, kindness, gentleness, and respect!

***

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

If being nice is all you have in your “I am a Christian” repertoire, you need to do some soul searching.  Start small, sure, but think like you have a big God backing you.  Plan big.  And by all means, take action!

“Whoever believes in me will do . . . even greater things than I have done.” — Jesus (John 14:12).

One thing I learned in the corporate world – especially during the internet startup years – was that if you thought small that is all you would ever be.  I would go out to investigate companies that we were thinking of buying.  What I wanted to find at the head of a company was a crazy twenty-something with big ideas who didn’t know he or she could fail.  These renegades were running circles around small experienced thinkers who thought they needed to play by the same old ridiculous rules and play it safe.

I think this is what the Kingdom of God needs. Renegades! Not people whose biggest goal is to be “nice” or make sure the church is following a list of “rules” that keep it safe.  But people who are capable of meaningful, messy, difficult love. Not because they are smart enough or good enough, but because they are empowered by the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit.

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. — Isaiah 1:17

13.1 million children in American went to bed hungry last night.  They don’t need nice. They need followers of Jesus to stand up to the injustices perpetuated against them.  To top it off, the GOP’s budget is looking at reducing and/or eliminating Federal money for programs like Meals on Wheels, School Lunches, and the like.  Are you just going stand by like a “nice” little Christian and let this happen?

“People are hungry in this country not because there’s not enough food here. It’s not because of drought, and it’s not because of famine or war. It’s because we don’t have the political will to make sure that every single person is fed. We can end hunger in this country. There are a lot of intractable problems and issues that we can’t fix, but we can end hunger. When you fix that problem, you’ve fixed a lot of other problems in the country. — NPR Interview

This afternoon, I will be taking some good healthy food over to a family who have become my friends through an elementary school that I volunteer at.  They are so poor that they share a tiny one bedroom basement apartment with another family.  Half of them sleep on the floor because there is no room for a proper bed for everyone.  This is all they can afford even though all of the adults work hard, being paid minimum wage, of course—which is not a living wage. All this is happening in one of the richest communities in the USA! BUT if I can do this, me, a person known to be afraid of her own shadow at times, then you can do it too! Especially if you grab a friend.

What are you doing to fix it? How much love can you share? Can you take part of your dinner to someone in need tonight?

You say you don’t know anyone in need?  Now why is that?  Why don’t you know anyone in need?  Too busy to make time? To volunteer?  Too busy being nice to the nice?  Too many activities going on at church to reach out to those in your community in need?

If you love God, you will feed the poor. This is a fact. It will be messy.  It will be complicated.  It may require voting differently where your need for lower taxes is put on a back burner. It may require putting that new sports car on an indefinite hold. It may require going to protests at your congressional representative’s offices. It may be hard.  But you will find a way.

Nice simply isn’t going to cut it.  Lovingkindness empowered by the wisdom and strength of the Holy Spirit will.

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

“Turn again to your rest, O my soul, for the Lord has treated you well.” Psalms 116:6

Over and over in the Old Testament stories, the people of God kept forgetting that “God had treated them well.” Every time, this forgetfulness occurred, it led to a crisis of faith. And every time, the whole community would stop behaving like the people of God.

One of my favorite teachers talks a lot about how the life of a Christian should be spent “at rest.” I struggle with his use of this word because I see that there is so much work to be done dismantling unjust world systems that we ought to get busy. I also see a lot of people who go to church, but never really become the hands and feet of Jesus doing the work that God has prepare for them to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I believe in practicing Sabbath, quiet meditation, contemplation, and all kinds of prayer that brings us into the stillness of God. However, this is not what I call rest. This is work too! Developing a relationship with God is work. Jesus used to get up early in the morning to go spend time with God.  That is work! Listening is work. Sorting things out – discernment – is work.

So what is this thing that the psalmist calls “rest?” The hint in the verse is that it has to do with the soul. Even in the busiest and most awful of times, when our souls are shaken to their core, they can return to rest – worry free, quiet, and undisturbed in the presence of God. The key that the psalmist gives is to remember what God has done for you – that “God has treated you well!” And when we trust God, we can rest.

I ended a lesson about the Holy Spirit several years ago by asking if anyone had ever felt the comfort of the Spirit. An elderly woman raised her hand and told the story of the night her grown daughter was killed in an accident. She told of going to the hospital, then going to her daughter’s home to be with her grandchildren giving them the news that their mother wasn’t ever coming home again. She said that her soul rested in knowing God loved her and her daughter and her grandchildren. She was able to face the most horrible time of her life because she knew even in this unbearable pain that God would go on loving them. She said it was supernatural comfort for her soul to be able to rest at a time like this.

In times of difficulty, our souls may be shaken to the core, but they can return to rest as we remember God has (and will) treat us well.

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

A group of scientists have set out to examine DNA from the blood that is on both the Shroud of Turin (the cloth believed by many to have covered Jesus in the tomb) and the Sudarium of Oviedo (a veil believed by many to have covered the head of Christ while his dead body still hung on the cross). A study in 2016 showed that the blood on both the shroud and the veil were from the same person.

If indeed, it is the blood of Christ, these scientists want to map the DNA and use it to identify living descendants of Jesus’ relatives. What an interesting thought . . .  that Jesus had DNA . . .  that there are living descendants of his relatives who share his DNA and can be identified.  Maybe they live next door to you? Maybe they are you?

Weird, mysterious stuff!  I love it!

But did you know that scripture talks about the DNA of Jesus?

Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s sperma abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. (1Jo 3:9 NRS)

Sperma is the Greek word that, as you might imagine, describes the DNA material used in reproduction. In other words,

Those who have been born of God do not sin, because God’s DNA abides in them; they cannot sin, because they have been born of God. (1Jo 3:9 NRS)

This is weird stuff. First, who doesn’t sin? Secondly, who has God’s DNA? Paul explains this in Romans:

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as sperma. (Rom 9:8 NRS)

Interpreted into better English . . .

It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise who are counted as having God’s DNA. (Rom 9:8 NRS)

We all sin. That is a fact. But Paul teaches that God promises not to count those who have his DNA as sinners – instead they are God’s children.  In other words, those who desire and allow the Spirit of God to live within them, become a new race of people.  The Spirit changes our spiritual DNA. We take on the DNA of Christ. Sadly, we still make mistakes, still miss the mark, still sin, but God sees the DNA of Christ within us and does not count our sins against us.

In addition, the DNA of Christ, like a virus, mutates our spiritual DNA to become more and more like Christ. We call this sanctification in theology class and it is the work of the Spirit. In a way, the Spirit of God is the DNA of Christ joining itself to us and transforming us into usable vessels.

Weird, mysterious stuff!  I love it!

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

Next to Pentecost, Holy Week is my favorite date on the liturgical calendar. Pentecost – the sending of the Spirit of God into our hearts – was why Jesus came in the first place, but Holy Week was necessary before Pentecost could take place.

What many people don’t realize is that what happens during Holy Week is a two way reconciliation.  Paul wrote:

18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2Co 5:18-20 NRS)

In Christ, we are reconciled to God and also to each other. That is what I love most about Holy Week!

I had the privileged to take part in every service this week at my Church.  On Wednesday night, I had the honor of being the “odd” reader for the Stations of the Cross (My rector said I was especially qualified – since indeed – I am odd!) In addition, it means I read the story behind the “odd” stations of the cross and my friend read the stories of the “even” stations.  As I stood in the midst of the priests and the congregation gathered around each station, I looked out at them.  There I saw the followers of Jesus starring back at me. They were my friends and they were Jesus’ friends too.  Together we are his body – his hands and his feet – and we are called to serve him (and in doing so care for others!) with all that we are and all that we have.

We had gathered not just to remember Jesus’ death, but to remember why we are together.  And that is to do the work of Christ – to be his hands and feet. We each have different ministries, but we serve the same Lord.  It was overwhelming to me to look into their faces for we have been eternally joined together. This is my favorite thing about Holy Week.

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

Amazon is offering $10 off my first book, James in the Suburbs, on the Epistle of James! If you are planning a Fall Bible Study using it, now might be a great time to stock up!

Joseph’s dreams got him in trouble. Daniel interpreted the dreams of important people. Jacob saw a ladder with angels climbing up and down. At Pentecost, Peter said the time had come for old men to dream dreams. Theologically speaking, dreaming is an ancient way God sometimes uses to speak to us.

Scientifically speaking, dreaming is a time when our short-term memory is transferring data to our long-term memory. Random bits and pieces of what is being transferred get picked up and linked together as images. Our logic center then tries to make sense of these images and a dream results. Like the one where I dreamed Eskimos were living in my ear – my logic center was simply explaining the ear infection that I had been fighting. I think my logic center has a great sense of humor, by the way!

But I also think that this is where the Holy Spirit can work – using the images to teach and inform us. This makes dreaming an easy spiritual practice. I pick a set of verses that I will meditate on for several nights (and during the day). Most recently, I picked Isaiah 40:31

But they who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

I printed these verses out and read them randomly throughout the day. Then at night before I fell asleep, I meditated on them. I invited the Holy Spirit to join me in my dreaming. The first night, as I was falling asleep, I saw the image of a photograph in a gold frame. The photograph was of a motorcycle flying down the road. It woke me up. Out loud, I said to myself, “Well that has nothing to do with anything.” I laughed and I went back to sleep.

In the morning when I woke up, I read my verse again. Duh! The image had everything to do with my dream! What if God is telling me that I am like a motorcycle flying down the road instead of like a graceful eagle soaring in the sky? I felt rebuked and a little depressed about it, because I am happiest when I am speeding along, wind blowing all around me – not taking it easy. I wasn’t convinced I understood the message so I kept meditating.

The next day, in my news feed, there appeared a story about the golden eagle. Not only is the eagle strong, but it can fly up to 175 miles an hour in a dive.  The eagle is known to attack (and kill) deer and even wolves. The eagle isn’t up there just soaring around gracefully all day long; it has strength, speed, skill, and purpose! I liked this strong image.

However, when I put the image of the strong eagle together with the verse, I thought that what it must be saying is that those who have faith in the Lord as they wait will eventually be like strong speedy eagles (or the powerful speeding motorcycle) after the waiting is finally over. Again, it made me feel sad. Like I said, I find real joy in (a lot of) purposeful work. I will never be good at sitting still for endless months and years. Yet, I wasn’t convinced I understood the message.

Again, that night, I meditated on the powerful eagle, but I didn’t remember my dreams. However, lo and behold, in the morning, I stumbled upon a blog that the Bishop of the Atlanta diocese wrote about “Shine-Time.” In it he wrote:

Shine-time comes after waiting, after tears, sometimes even after they pronounce death. Shine-time waits long enough so God can call life out of death and so many will believe. Faith is knowing God’s timing is the perfect timing. – Bishop Rob Wright

Upon reading this, I realized . . .  I have been interpreting the eagle wrong! The eagle is not what we become at the end of a good long successful wait. The eagle is not what happens when the shine-time finally comes. The eagle is what the prophet is telling us to be like while we wait. In waiting, we get renewed (renewal is sometimes very hard work). In waiting, we mount up on our powerful wings. In waiting, we fly, we run! Waiting doesn’t mean we fly up to the thermals for an endless glide. And it certainly doesn’t mean we mope. Waiting is a time to prepare for shine–time – the glory of God to be revealed in us and through us.

But they who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Being like the eagle does not start when shine-time begins, it is not the end result of waiting, it is what we are to do as we wait! We wait as strong eagles who mount up with wings that dive 175 miles an hour. We wait without being weary and fainting. We wait in wonder and joy doing the work God has prepared for us to do in the waiting!

The prophet is telling us that those who have faith and hope in the goodness of the Lord will be able to spend their wait-times like strong powerful eagles who will not grow weary – like a speeding motorcycle on a mission!

I think of my friend Dr. Steve Hayner, past President of Colombia Theological Seminary, who spent his wait time with pancreatic cancer, ministering out of a heart of joy to everyone he encountered.  I think of my parents who waited 7 years to conceive a child (then – for better or worse – ended up with me). I think of Sara who waited for Isaac’s birth until she was too old to have a child. I think of African-American slaves who waited for freedom.  I think of people of every color waiting today for justice and reconciliation.

Let us wait like eagles!  We can do this, because we know the end of the story.

***

Check out April’s Books.  She’d love for you to find the words “Follow” somewhere on this page (depending on your browser) and follow her blog too!

Good morning! I want to invite my women followers to a retreat at Camp Mikell in Toccoa, Georgia on May 5-7 organized by the Episcopal Church Women.  It is titled “Love Wins” on the Song of Songs.  There are lots of fun activities from yoga to crafts. It is going to be fun!  Please come if you can.  For more information, click here.