Don't Be Afraid

Never fear the grace of love to lead us aright along the byways and highways of life.

Love opens doors, and at first, like a child frightened of a stranger, an open door frightens us … for it’s a big world out there on the other side of the door, and it’s full of strange languages and cultures and people and needs … and most of all, filled with God.

Love always leads us to God in the strange and wonderful places of life.

And sometimes even dangerous places. We don’t live in a fairy-tale world; Jesus said to us, “Take up your cross.” But in the cross, we find Jesus; in the cross, we find grace; in the cross, we find the meaning and purpose of our life.

Love can be trusted.

Jesus trusted the Father’s love all the way to the cross. Yet even Jesus was afraid and questioned the faithfulness of God: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” The open door frightened him, too.

But in the end, “Into your hands I commend my spirit.” In the end, God!

Jesus invites us to trust love and to walk through the open doors God sets before us – doorways that lead to engagement and service and sacrifice and love upon love, as we look around and discover God in front of us, behind us, beside us, above us, beneath us, and within us.

For there is nothing in all of this world, or the world to come, that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our LORD.

Sometimes I’m afraid of love.

Afraid of the commitment it requires, the changes it evokes and the challenges it offers.

But in commitment, in the changes wrought by the Spirit, and the challenges of faith, we discover communion with God.

Let us then, without fear, love God with every fiber of our being, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves … for therein, everything that counts is realized and fulfilled.

Indeed, a great love is our pathway through the open doors to wholeness and peace.

Tom

Life and Death

From our Youth Director, Deondra Morris ... a thoughtful, powerful, piece - about death and life, with her permission.

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Today has been an interesting day. Interesting because when I woke up this morning only one thing was on my agenda... 8am meeting, and then entire day to live life. That's it. no planning, just whatever, whenever, and with whomever I pleased. To find adventure, to live life to the fullest. Isn't that what we all subconciously ask for? I even posted my non-plans on my fb feed this morning, but oh how circumstances change you, and it's strange to me how those circumstances doesn't even necessarily have to pertain to you as an individual. One very prodominate charateristic I possess is I have a heart for people. I love the "unlovable" as they so often seem to call themselves. I'm drawn to these people and that feeling rushed over me as if I were drowning in it this morning.

This morning, while at the Santa Monica Pier, I watched a man draw his last breath. Little did I know that the seat I chose would provide me with a perfect view of the entire scene. I watched as the rescue squad performed CPR on his lifeless body, as they moved him from the truck onto the ground and his arms and legs fell limp. I watched as the ambulance pulled up with the gurney, but drove away empty, no sirens. I watched as they covered his body with an orange tarp and the police officers, forensics and resuce team spoke about the incident. These images being jolted into my mind shot me to a place far from where I actually was. This man was dead. He didn't get to have a life adventure today. He didn't have any family or friends around. Did he have any family or friends? Did he have anyone in his life that he knew loved him or that they knew he loved them? What were his last thoughts? Did he die alone? Did he have plans for the day? Did he have hopes and dreams unfulfilled? These are questions that I will never know the answer to.

My day has continued. I had a wonderful lunch with a friend, I walked the Promanade and listened to a young boy play his guitar, I felt the cool ocean wind, I talked with my mom, dad, and sister, I came home to great roommates and a cozy apartment... all of these things I take for granted was noticed today. and for what? Because a man died?... well, yes. My answer to my own question made me realize something - death isn't ever in vain. It effects people. I've been effected over and over by death and each time I take away something different. My first encounter was my Mimi - and one of the last conversations we had she and I were laying on the bed and she told me to "Live each day as if it mattered, because it does. No matter what we're going through, how bad it is or if things are sailing smoothly - just live." We often times get so caught up in the details of life, we forget how amazing the rain sounds or how the sun feels or the beauty of a flower. We forget to tell and show people that we love them. We shut the ones we need the most out of our lives because we can't bare to smile in the face of adversity, instead we shelter in the things/people that allow us to continue hiding. We become fake. And yes, I do say "we".

People ask me over and over, "why are you so happy?" "How can you deal with this?"... and this is the reason: I am never promised tomorrow, so why worry about it. Yes, we have the anticipation that tomorrow is going to be there, even next week, next month, next year. But what about today? Did I breathe? Did I smile and laugh? Did I tell someone how amazing they are and they are loved? That's what fulfills my day - and my life. I never know when I'm going to draw my last breath and I dont' want my last breath to be one of pain, suffering, doubt, confusion, hurt, selfishness, and pride. I want it to be one of happiness, love, contintment, fulfillment and confirmation. Through my life I want to love people - love the "unlovable", live life and take others on adventures, and when my time comes, through my death, I want to inspire people to live life to have that effect on the people around them.

I had an encounter with a man today, whom I have never met, never exchanged a smile or a greeting, nor even knew his name, but he effected me.

May 9, 2010 - Prayers of the People

We pray, O God, today for mothers all around the world … giving thanks for faithfulness and love and devotion and hard work and all the things we cherish …

Especially, we pray for the mothers who have lost a child by war … or with drugs … or disease … may your consoling grace be upon them, and may your love bless their tears.

We pray for women, who without children of their own, have cared for and nurtured others … and we thank you for them.

We pray for women who haven’t been able to respond well to the needs of their families … for whatever reason, O God … may your kindly hand be upon them and bless their troubled hearts.

On this good day, O God, we all step back for a moment … and we say Thank You!
Thank you for those who love us, and those whom we love.
Thank you for making us a part of Christ, and Christ a part of us.
Thank you for Covenant on the Corner and all of our memories here.
Thank you for the future coming our way.
In this life, and in the life to come.

Thank you … in the name of our LORD Jesus Christ, who taught us to pray, saying:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread …

May 2, 2010 - Prayers of the People

In this place, O God, uniquely devoted to you,

You meet us, with grace and peace and give us hope.

Here, we breath deeply.

The air is fresh.

The air is clean.

You are here!

We pray for our friends today.

We pray for our families.

We pray for the church of Jesus Christ all around the world.

We pray for Muslims and Jews.

For Hindus and Buddhists.

We pray for people of faith everywhere.

People of good will and mercy.

People who dream of a new day.

Who sacrifice to make life sacred.

Who see the best and reach for it.

We pray for our firefighters and police officers.

For mayors and council members.

Governors and legislators.

We pray for judges and for attorneys.

For engineers and scientists.

Artists and poets.

Musicians and dancers.

Movie-makers and actors.

We pray for Covenant on the Corner.

We pray for our Preschool.

We pray for Judi and Torrey and our teachers.

For Michelle and Edgar.

Colleen and Clare and George.

Mikal and Deondra.

O LORD our God, we thank you for these lives of ours.

To love and be loved.

To take a deep breath and smell the ocean.

To look about and see the mountains.

To live in a great city.

With so many great people.

And our faith, O God.

That we should know you.

That you should know us.

In this place right now … a glorious mystery.

We didn’t choose you; we know that.

You chose us.

You brought us into Christ, when we would have been in a thousand other places.

You’ve gathered us form the distant places.

You have brought us home.

To your heart.

To your Table.

You have washed us in Christ.

You have given us eyes to see the kingdom.

Ears to hear the gospel.

A heart to believe.

And a life to live.

All from you, O God.

All of it from you.

And we give it all right back to you.

As best we can.

For your glory.

And for your honor.

It is our final prayer, O God,

That we would serve you well.

That we would be the light of the world.

The salt of the earth.

Faithful to Christ.

And loving toward one another.

So keep us growing in Christ.

Keep us moving along.

Fill our hearts with his grace.

Enlighten our minds with your word.

To you, O God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All honor and glory, now and forever more!

Amen and Amen!

Two Kinds of Justice

There are two kinds of justice in the Bible.*

Legal

Social

Legal justice is the letter of the law and is restrictive and punitive.

Social justice is the compassion of God, God’s justice to rebalance human relationships, with a special focus on lifting up those who have been put low by society.

We always need legal justice: no texting, for example, while driving, and stop when the light is red, and if you violate either law, you'll be fined, or worse!

Social justice is broader and deeper - it's about the maintenance of life based upon the Kingdom of God.

It's about caring.

Kindness.

Generosity.

Opening doors of opportunity and keeping things in balance.

The Bible has dozens of verses about strangers and aliens, widows and orphans - because they're the ones who are usually forgotten when social justice weakens, and often the ones who are hurt when legal justice is overly emphasized.

Jesus paid special attention to the “outsider,” and he paid quite a price for that. Those who were into "legal justice" (Pharisees) didn't like the way he showed love and acceptance to those who had been excluded because of disease, physical handicaps or ethnic and social status.

Legal justice is important, but it's of limited application.

Social justice is huge, and it has the widest kind of application - in terms of how we love God and love our neighbor.

People get angry, I think, when they focus too much on legal justice, trying to apply legal justice to situations that require social justice.

By way of example, in the South years ago, legal justice required people of color to sit in the back of the bus. When Rosa Parks was just too tired to walk to the back of the bus, she was arrested because of legal justice.

I think by now we all realize that legal justice – justice by the letter of the law – falls short. What was needed for Rosa Parks was social justice, a justice that sees life from a higher perspective.

Without social justice, legal justice becomes hard-hearted and small-minded. It’s social justice that transforms our hearts.

Social justice is where Jesus lives.

*Many thanks to my friend, Kathy Verbiest Baldock.

Column - The Good-bye Year - Los Angeles magazine

Column - The Good-bye Year - Los Angeles magazine

An excellent piece of writing, and the tale of our sorrows, as life unfolds.

I love the final note: "there is no closure," and who want it anyway. For love, there is no closure - only the ebb and flow of memories and that tears that rightly belong to life!

Puns for Educated Minds????

PUNS FOR EDUCATED MINDS

1. The roundest knight at King Arthur's round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from too much pi.

2. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian .

3. She was only a whiskey maker, but he loved her still.

4. A rubber band pistol was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption.

5. No matter how much you push the envelope, it'll still be stationery.

6. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering.

7. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France would result in Linoleum Blownapart.

8. Two silk worms had a race. They ended up in a tie.

9. A hole has been found in the nudist camp wall. The police are looking into it.

11. Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

12. Two hats were hanging on a hat rack in the hallway. One hat said to the other: 'You stay here; I'll go on a head.'

13. I wondered why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me.

14. A sign on the lawn at a drug rehab center said: 'Keep off the Grass.'

15. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison was a small medium at large.

16. The man who survived mustard gas and pepper spray is now a seasoned veteran

17. A backward poet writes inverse.

18. In a democracy it's your vote that counts. In feudalism it's your count that votes.

19. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of religion.