Tag Archives: God

A Piece of Work

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Every once in a while a piece of literature will leave its mark on its readers. The following was first reported to be found in Old St. Paul’s Church in Baltimore in 1692. In actual fact, the poem was written in 1927 by Max Ehrmann. Three years after his death in 1945, his wife gathered up all his works and had them published as The Poems of Max Ehrmann. I gleaned this information from the Internet.

I have had this poem in my possession in poster form for many years and it still gives me pause to think and reflect whenever I read it. Here then is Desiderada, a beautiful piece of work that touches on the very values of life.

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and ignorant, they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble, it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what
virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in face of sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery & broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy.

This Moment in Time

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Stop! Right now, stop what you are doing and be still if only for just a few seconds…give in to the stillness.

In spite of any chaos around you or in you, give in to being still for this moment in time. Try to make this a habit, and eventually, at any time of the day or night while in the moment, a thought will occur about your life, the world, a problem; anything that has been robbing you of peace and serenity, and the brief respite will infuse you with hope, insight, and a new perspective.

Whenever possible, be silent and listen. Notice how these two words use the exact same letters to fulfill each other…be silent and listen.

In this moment in time hear what God says in Psalm 46:10 Be still and know that I am God.

For now, carry on…the rest of your day is waiting to be lived.

 

 

 

God Has a Sense of Humor

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God has a sense of humor…or at least some of his clergy do. We had a guest speaker for our men’s day service yesterday. This pastor also happens to be a wonderful saxophone player who often plays in the contemporary music part of our services. He did not play his sax yesterday but did make reference to human saxuality and sax appeal. You would wonder how that fit into a sermon but it did, much to the congregation’s delight…or at least most of us.

The choir was a special men’s group consisting of twenty-six gents of various ages including three youth, the youngest being twelve, our regular pastor, the guest pastor, and a trumpet player. The music was superb and a solo performed by one of our regular tenors was flawless, moving a couple of our ladies to tears.

Whether or not we believe God has a sense of humor we need only look at Psalm 126:2 Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy to describe our congregation yesterday.

God obviously has endowed our (dare I say saxy?) guest preacher with the gift of laughter and the ability to share it.

 

 

Birthday Blessings

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One year ago today, God sent another little person into my life. Her name is Ellie, and she is my eighth great-grandchild. Although miles have kept us apart, I know this child deep in my heart. I know that from the tips of her tiny toes to the fine hairs on her pretty head that she is a little miracle. I know that she is a part of God’s plan in this world.

All life is a miracle. When God first said, “Let there be…” the universe in all its splendor was created…and the rest is history.

“For I know the plans I have for you…” (Jeremiah 29:11) We are all a part of that plan whether we are one year old or eighty.

And so today, I thank God for Ellie and wish her a birthday full of blessings and a life full of love.

Stretch the Imagination

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Wm. P. Young wrote a book, “The Shack”, in 2007 and this year it was made into a movie. I read the book twice in that ten year span and just watched the movie this week.

What a test for the faith concept and the depiction of God himself…not only God but his  counterparts, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They all come together in “the shack” to show the protagonist Mackenzie Phillips that the pain he is suffering over the loss of his five-year-old daughter, Missy, is mostly of his own making.

Mack relives his own painful childhood, including the murder of his father which he himself committed. He dwells on the guilt he feels about leaving Missy alone while he ran to rescue his two other children from a capsized boat. He blames God for it all.

The unfolding tale shows Mack coming to grips with his beliefs, his doubts, and most of all his faith.

This story has a way of opening the mind to new concepts of how we perceive the triune and how we can relate Mack’s pain to the pain in our own lives and how we deal with it. This story is a real eye opener, but it is the way God is portrayed that stretches the imagination.

An Oldie But Goodie

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Getting The Most Out of Life. A selection of personally helpful articles from past issues of The Readers Digest is the sub-title of this book, published in 1955. It belonged to my mother and has been in my possession since her death in 1972.

Because I love to learn life lessons every day, books like this keep me on the right track. Among its many chapters is one written by A. Cressy Morrison (1864-1951) an American chemist and one time president of the New York Academy of Sciences. The thought provoking chapter is called Seven Reasons Why A Scientist Believes In God and is condensed from his book “Man Does Not Stand Alone”. Morrison makes a compelling case. “By unwavering mathematical law we can prove that our universe was designed and executed by a great engineering Intelligence.”

Other chapters include:

When It’s Best to Forget…W.E.Sangster “No man should hope to forget the wrong things he’s done till he has done also whatever he can to put them right.”

Stop Worrying…A.J.Cronin “For worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow; it only saps today of its strength”.

On Being A Real Person…Harry Emerson Fosdick, D.D. “The central business of every human being is to be a real person.”

Three Steps to Personal Peace…Norman Vincent Peale, D.D. “As Thomas Carlyle said; ‘Silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves.'”

Your Mind Can Keep You Young…George Lawton “At 80 you can be just as productive mentally as you were at 30–and you should know a lot more. Older people frequently suffer some loss of memory, but creative imagination is ageless…take an interest in the world around you and make a point of learning at least one new thing every day.”

I have gleaned a lot from this book over the years and, believe it or not, it is still available. I saw it on Amazon for various prices depending on its condition. It really is an oldie but goodie.

 

 

 

How Deep is Your Love?

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I’ve heard people say, “God doesn’t love me…what a load of rubbish. If he loved me I’d feel it, wouldn’t I?” The answer is, “Yes, you would, and yes, you do.” I invite you to ponder these few thoughts in your life.

What do you feel when you first lay eyes on your newborn baby?

What do you feel as that baby grows into a little personality and your heart feels like it will burst with each new thing she/he does?

Or if children aren’t in your life…what is it you feel towards your brand new puppy or kitten?

What do you feel on your wedding day when you look into the eyes of your bride/groom and say, “I do”.

What is it you feel when you get your first diploma, your first degree, your first job?

Do you love looking in awe at the star-studded, galaxy-filled universe?

I would love to post a photo of one of my grandsons who just got his braces off. The smile on his face is priceless. But my love goes deeper than showing him off, because I know that it would embarrass him and I respect his feelings.

What I’m getting at here is that when you experience all these feelings of love, awe, respect…you are experiencing God’s love for you…a hundredfold. God is where love originated; the only way to explain that unexplainable feeling.

…And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ…Ephesians 3:17-18

Here is the Bee Gees 1977 hit, “How Deep is Your Love”. May I suggest that instead of seeing Barry, Robin and Maurice singing, you picture God asking you…how deep is your love?