Holly Lisle, Fire In The Mist, 1992

Choices.  It’s easy to see how some choices have a domino effect, that is, how some decisions we make have an impact on others—but is that true for every choice?  Does every decision I make impact someone else?  Can’t my personal choices remain personal?

The truth is that no choice we make is isolated, no matter how “personal” the choice is.  Our decisions for how we respond to the world, to our bodies, to others, always has an effect that is experienced outside of ourselves.  For example, say someone does something that hurts you emotionally.  Your decision is not to lash out in anger, and yet you hold that hurt within you, unconsciously nursing it and allowing it to grow.  Ultimately, that choice will lead to the destruction of relationship not only with the one who initiated the hurt, but also with others.  How?  Your choice to hold the hurt may have created an emotional armor around yourself that prevents you from risking relationship again, or has made you a victim to reenter into abusive relationships.

Or how about the choices we make around what we eat?  How can that choice affect anyone else besides me?  Poor decisions around food can cause not only obesity, but also a host of diseases.  When we abuse our bodies, we are not our best selves, either for God or for those we love and are called to share love with in our world.

On the other hand, when choices are made to live in forgiveness, grace and God’s love, the effect is even more powerful.  Not only do you and I live in the freedom of new possibilities every day, as we let go of the past and its power; we also release that faith and loving energy to everyone we come in contact with.  And as others experience that kind of loving energy for themselves, it will be passed on…and on…and on.

Today, I want to encourage us to consider what choices we need to make that will lead to abundance.  What choices will we make in regard to what goes into our mouths as we eat today?  What choices will we make in regard to what comes out of our mouths as we speak today?  What choices need to be made with God about the condition of our souls?  Is there anything that needs to be confessed, released, forgiven?

This is a brand new day!  Begin today being intentional about your choices…and see how they impact not only you, but also those around you.

Blessings,

Pastor Susan

Rachel Naomi Remen

Everybody needs somebody who will listen…not to give advice, not to judge, just somebody who will listen.  I have a clergy friend who has done that for me over the years.  When my Mom was in a coma and dying, he called every day to check and make sure I was okay.  I remember sitting on the floor of the Intensive Care Ward talking about what was going on and what I was feeling.  I wasn’t wearing my “pastoral persona”…I didn’t feel like I had to be strong or wise or “all together”.  I knew that it was safe to be myself, with all my fear and pain and even anger.  Michael just listened.  And in the listening, a space was created to connect with myself in a way I hadn’t before.  I was able to acknowledge and begin to travel through my grief.  And I will always be grateful.

Unfortunately, most of us have a hard time being good listeners.  We want to jump in and “fix” a problem or we feel compelled to add our two cents instead of giving time and space for what may be an opportunity for the other person to work through the problem themselves.  And sometimes, WE may need to listen to hear God’s voice speaking, as well.  In Mark chapter 9, Jesus is on the mountain with his closest friends.  He is transfigured before them, with an appearance from Elijah and Moses to boot.  Peter gets all excited and begins to blubber about pitching tents.  A voice from heaven breaks in and says, “This is my beloved son…LISTEN to him!”  We need to learn to listen.

With what are we filling our ears every day?  The TV?  Radio?  Business calls?  I Pods?  Are we drowning out the sounds…the voices that really matter?  Are we doing all the talking, or are we listening?

I find that being “still and knowing that God is God” is the best way to place me in a posture to listen to others.  When I take the time to center myself quietly and invite God to enter my day, I find that I am much more “in tune” with picking up on the needs of others who’s greatest need may just be someone to listen.

Today, can we spend at least five minutes in silence to listen for God’s voice and experience God’s presence?  Can we be intentional about listening to others?

You might just be the presence of God that someone needs today.

You might just hear something that YOU need to hear today.

May you receive God’s blessing as you listen…

Pastor Susan

Audrey Hepburn

August 24, 1992.  That date might just be any other day to most who will read it this morning; but for those then living in the Miami-Homestead area, that day was one that will indelibly remain in their hearts and minds as long as they live.  August 24, 1992 was the day Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 storm, swept through with a devastation not seen before.  Homes were destroyed, lives were lost, and those left were changed that day.

I was living on the west coast of Florida as the storm made its way across the state.  By the time it reached Naples, Andrew had been downgraded to a Category 1 storm, and its effects were minimal.  Still, the storm was scary, and I wondered what it must have been like for those who had to endure the full impact of Andrew.

Soon after the storm was over, our church set up a Red Cross center to help deal with the needs of survivors.  Thousands of people were making their way across the state…some on their way to family and friends, some trying to find a place to recuperate for a time, some to find a new place to settle, some just wandering, not knowing what to do.

First Lady Barbara Bush came to Florida a few days after the hurricane to see what was happening in the relief effort.  She stopped by our church and met with local officials.  I was honored to be among the small group of about six people.  As we sat down, Mrs. Bush asked, “How is the effort going?  Are there many coming across the state?  Are they getting food and shelter?  Are people here reaching out to them?”  The director of the local Red Cross remarked, “Everything’s going along fine…” he went on to describe the local effort, and then he said, “With the exception of the bums coming through, we’ve got no problems.”

I’ll never forget the next words that came out of Mrs. Bush’s mouth.  Her kind, smiling face became very solemn, her eyes flashed with fiery anger.  She looked straight at him, and, in a low, but direct voice Mrs. Bush said, “Sir, in this tragedy, there ARE no bums.”  You could have heard a pin drop!

There ARE no bums.  There are no throw-aways.  Everyone has value.  Everyone has worth in the eyes of God.  How often I need to be reminded of that.

Jesus spent his life ministering to the “bums” of his day:  tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners…lepers, the blind, the paralyzed…those who needed food and shelter…those whom the world had abandoned: the “least of these” were the ones Jesus said were worth redeeming, restoring, reclaiming, renewing, reviving.  In fact, Jesus said when we touch the lives of these who are rejected by the rest of the world, we do it to him.  And we will be judged accordingly.

Brothers and sisters, in God’s realm…there ARE no bums.  I’m so thankful…because I, along with most everybody else, fall very, very short of being who I should be.  But God doesn’t give up on us, and we can’t give up on each other.

Who might God be calling you to reach out to today?  Who might God be calling you to pray for today?  Who might need a moment of your time for an encouraging word, an embrace, or a hand-up?  Each person you come across today is someone God loves, even if they’re hard to love.

Share God’s love with someone who needs it today!

Blessings, Pastor Susan

Nora Roberts

Most of you who know me personally also know that my husband Ron is a professional magician.  He has been performing sleight of hand and illusion for over twenty-seven years, and is, in my opinion (totally objective, of course!), one of the best entertainers around!

But Nora Roberts has it right:  love and magic take a lot of practice.  When Ron was first learning how to manipulate objects with his hands, he fumbled more than he maneuvered.  It took hours upon hours upon hours of practice to perfect one little sleight.  And years later, it still takes practice.  He doesn’t have the luxury of taking time off or his skills will diminish (and so will his paycheck!).

We’ve been married almost 33 years now, and I can also attest that it takes practice to love each other the way God intends.  Once either one of us forgets that, and we begin to ignore the practice of love, we will invariably hit a rough spot in our relationship.

But there’s grace even in those rough spots…whether it’s a card trick that goes awry, or a relationship that may have drifted into boredom and apathy.  The rough spots come to remind us to get back to work!  Because the outcome of our attention and hard work is both soulful and winsome.  It’s worth everything we put into it!

Today, will you invest some of your time and effort into the practice of love?  Whether it’s your spouse, your parent, child, sibling, friend, or the stranger on the street who needs it, you’ll find a renewed spirit through the effort!

Blessings,

Pastor Susan

Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French Philosopher

Search Institute, an independent non-profit organization whose mission is to help people understand what kids need to succeed, has conducted high-quality research over the past 50 years that has revealed the kind of assets children need in order to grow up healthy, caring and responsible.  Among the constant needs of children from birth through adolescence are family support, other adult relationships and a caring neighborhood to provide a sense of belonging, consistent and predictable love, physical care and positive attention.

The bottom line is this:  the more adults that are positive and caring role models in a child’s life, the better chance that child has of avoiding risky behavior and enjoying success in reaching educational and vocational goals along with making worthwhile contributions to their communities.  The children that are most at risk, of course, are those who do not have adults in their lives that demonstrate love and care.  This is not only a tragedy; in my opinion, it is totally unnecessary.

We can blame parents, we can blame schools, we can blame gangs and drugs and gambling and the like…but when the rubber meets the road, the problem today with our children is that we don’t consider them “our” children.  If they live on the other side of town…or down the street…or even if they come to church….they aren’t our responsibility.  We don’t think we are our brother’s keeper…and as a result, a whole generation of children have been lost.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them…for to such belongs the Kingdom of Heaven.”   In his preaching, his teaching, and by his example, Jesus taught us there are no throw-aways in the Kingdom!  There are children in our communities who are teetering at the edge between destruction and life.  And for some of them, you and I are the ones that can make the difference.

Look around.  What child do you see falling through the cracks?  If each of us would make it our aim to reach out to one child who needs the asset of our attention and care, I am convinced that it would make the difference.

Ask God today to lead you to the child who needs your love.

Blessings,

Pastor Susan

For I know that what God chooses is better than what I would choose.”

Epictetus

When I first read the above quote, it really bothered me.  It seemed fatalistic and attributing things to God that I don’t believe have anything to do with God (like wars, disasters, and disease).  I almost trashed it and started over, until I did a little research on Epictetus.

Epictetus lived from 55-135 CE, during the time of the emergence of Christianity.  He was not a Christian, but a Stoic philosopher.  Epictetus lived a hard life.  He was a slave in Rome where he was treated harshly.  Later, when he was freed, his health continued to decline.  He was crippled, said to be a result of the beatings he received as a slave.  During the reign of the Emperor Domitian, Epictetus was exiled with other philosophers.  While in exile, Epictetus moved into a very productive period of his life.  He founded a famed philosophical school in Greece.  He dictated eight books called “The Discourses”, four of which have survived to this day.  He lived simply, and taught that one must learn to be happy (content) even in the midst of the circumstances of life that are beyond one’s control.

Epictetus distinguished between those things that are in our control (like ambition or animosity) and those that are beyond our control (like health, fame, or property).  In those things over which we have no control, there is free will to choose how we will respond.

This way of looking at our circumstances reminds me of what Paul had to say when presented with a monetary gift by the Philippian Church.  “I rejoice in the Lord greatly that now at last you have revived your concern for me; indeed, you were concerned for me, but had no opportunity to show it.  Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have.  I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty.  In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need.  I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”  (Phil. 4:10-13)

Paul understood that no matter what happens, God was there to give him strength.  Therefore, he could be content in the midst of having plenty or little…being in a warm bed or in a cold prison cell…settled or on the road…safe or in threat of his life.  Paul knew that the source of his well-being, his “contented-ness” had to be in God, not in outside circumstance.

That is something that we all could use a good dose of today.  Can we trust in God, even when the circumstances may tell us that life is unsure, stress-filled, chaotic, threatening?  Can we seek to live in such a way that we can face life with the strength that only God provides?  Can we look at life, not fatalistically, but faithfully, knowing that we are loved by God with a love that breaks through the challenges we face?

May you be content today…no matter what comes your way!

Pastor Susan

Worry that they are always watching you.”

Robert Fulghum

Children can sometimes be brutally honest.  I remember one time looking at my wedding pictures with a third-grader.  I think I’d been married about ten years at the time, and, as she was looking at picture after picture, me in my gorgeous gown, glowing with the joy and expectancy of a beautiful, young bride, she looked up at me and said,   “What happened to YOU?”

Children are observant.  They not only pick up signs of aging…they also pick up the “habits of the heart” (to use Clifton Taulbert’s phrase) that speak of those values of character most important to us.  Children are constantly watching us to see how we will respond to stress and struggle.  They watch to see if our words match our actions.  They pay attention to us so that they will know how they should respond to life challenges and opportunities.

Most of the time I remember that.  I’m very careful, especially when I’m around children and youth, to carefully guard my words and, more importantly, my actions, recognizing that they send a much more pronounced message.  But sometimes I slip up.  Sometimes I say or do something that does not represent the Christ in me.  And when those times come, in addition to seeking God’s forgiveness and grace, I also recognize the importance of being authentic with those around me—acknowledging my imperfection and my need for reconciliation with God and anyone I’ve wronged.  God uses all of these for the “good” as teachable moments, both for me and for those who might be watching.

Proverb 22:6 says, “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray.”  We must demonstrate that “right way.”  Friends, we may not think they are listening…but they are.  We may not think our children are watching…but they are. We may not think that what we have to say or do is important…but it is.

A few years ago, I received a letter from a girl that I had in youth group twenty years ago.  She is now in her thirties, a wonderful wife and mother.  I didn’t know Piper all that well… she was a member of another church and came to youth group only occasionally.  Her letter, however, revealed a very different perspective that has humbled me ever since.  She wrote, “You came into my life at a time that I needed someone to look up to.  You shared God’s love with me, and you showed me that I could be a better person.  Thank you for all you did to help me become the Christian woman I am today.”

Today, I challenge you to look at the children around you with the recognition that they are always watching you…learning from you… hoping that you will show them a way that leads to abundance and peace.  What will they see?  What will you do?

May you be blessed in all of the teachable moments to come this day!

Pastor Susan

Sharon Salzberg, O Magazine, The Power of Intention, January 2004

What makes for an abundant life?

Book publishers and authors around the country have made a killing off of a genre of books that came into their prime a little over twenty years ago.  I’m talking, of course, about Self-Help books.  In a society built around the concept of pulling oneself up from one’s bootstraps to “live the American Dream” and “be all you can be,” it is no wonder that people would resonate to books that promise to make life full and meaningful through self-help.

But what is sad to me is the inherent error that “Self-Help” promulgates:  that we can somehow be the creator of our own happiness and success.  The whole idea of a “self-made” man or woman is erroneous at best and idolatrous at worst.  The idea assumes that we have no need for God.

Jesus said that abundant life is found only in relationship with God…in seeking first—that means seeking above everything and everyone else—the Kingdom or the Realm of God.  Once, when a young lawyer asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus asked him what the law had to say about that.  The young man replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength… and love your neighbor as you love yourself.”  Jesus said, “You answered correctly.  Do this and you will live.” (Luke 10:25-28)

The abundant life comes as you and I open ourselves to the realization that we need God…and that God actually desires to be in relationship with us!  It blows my mind to consider this, but as I recognize its truth, I find myself drawn more completely to the Holy.  And the more fully I am drawn to God, receiving the love God offers, the more I find myself compelled to share the love that I have received with others who God loves us as much as God loves me.  In this is abundance and joy.

At the end of our lives, it won’t be the careers we’ve built, the cars we drive, or the financial portfolios we’ve accumulated that will determine whether or not we have lived a full and abundant life.  Only a life full of love—received and poured out—will leave a lasting legacy.  We may not see it, but the seeds we plant will sprout forth in God’s time.

What will come forth from your life today?  Begin with God…and then scatter some seed!

Blessings, Pastor Susan

Mature love says, “I need you because I love you.”

-Erich Fromm

It’s easy to love someone when their response to your love feeds a need.  For example, there is almost nothing that fills my emotional tank more quickly than receiving Sunday morning hugs by our children.  The only thing I can compare it to is eating chocolate!  It’s one of the finest gifts I receive…and if I’m not careful, the need for that emotional satisfaction can quickly turn into something idolatrous.

Love is a gift from God.  While it is sometimes experienced as an emotion–a feeling–love, in its purest form, is an action. First Corinthians 13 is used most frequently in weddings, but its lyrical beauty often overshadows its stark reality check for our lives as followers of Christ.  The “Love Chapter” follows Paul’s admonitions regarding our need for each other–not in marriage–but in the Church, the Body of Christ.  In the first chapters of I Corinthians, we learn that the people in the Corinthian Church had become callous to each other, clique-ish, and, when their “needs” were unfulfilled, they had no use for each other.  Divisions existed.  Battle lines were drawn.  The “stronger” believers with the more pronounced gifts shunned those who were “weaker.”

Then in chapter 12, Paul talks about the Church as a “body”–all the parts of the body in need of the other–no part able to be healthy without the health of the other.

It is then that we see these words in the 13th chapter.  We see them and hear them so often that we may miss their implication…and conviction for our lives.  Read them now slowly, and think about how your love measures up:

Love is patient

Love is kind

Love is not jealous

Love does not brag and is not arrogant

Love does not act unbecomingly

Love does not seek its own

Love is not provoked

Love does not take into account a wrong suffered

Love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;

Love bears all things

Love believes all things

Love hopes all things

Love endures all things

Love never fails.

This is “mature” love.  It is God’s love.  And whether this love is expressed in your home, at your workplace, in your car, at school, in the grocery store, at the bank, or when you come to worship…it is a reflection of what Christ came to do in the world.  Jesus didn’t “need” kudos…he didn’t need hugs to fill his emotional tank (though I’m sure he loved them!).  Jesus didn’t “need” to endure what he endured…but he gave himself:  he healed, he taught, he forgave, he listened, he poured out his life…not because he needed what he received from us…but because to fulfill his purpose, God’s will, he needed to love us.

In our world today, it is very easy for us to love only those who fill our emotional tank.  It is a temptation to wrap our lives up with those who are easy to love, while keeping ourselves distanced from those different from us or more difficult to love.

On this Valentine’s Day, can we find ways to demonstrate “mature” love…not only with those closest to us, but to all who God brings across our path today?

Who knows?  Your simple act of love might just change the direction of someone’s life…and even your own.

With much love and thanks for each of you!

Pastor Susan

But because it sees more, it is willing to see less.”

Rabbi Julius Gordon

Love may be a many splendored thing…but it can also be a many “splintered” thing.  The greatest source of joy in life can also become the greatest cause of pain and brokenness.  When we live in relationship, we expose ourselves both to the risk of being hurt and inflicting pain.

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with my husband, who was trying to share something he thought would be of interest to me.  But instead of listening carefully to what he was saying, I quickly dismissed it.  The atmosphere changed in an instant.  Ron shut down, and it didn’t take long for me to realize how wrong and disrespectful I had been.  Asking his forgiveness, I urged him to finish telling me about the topic, which he graciously did.  Once I began to listen, I realized I had been much too quick to judge.  But that really wasn’t the point.  What was important wasn’t the topic of conversation, but the relationship.

So many times we take the most precious gifts of relationship for granted, putting our own needs before those we say we love.  We are more concerned with winning, being right, having our own way…and when two people in a relationship operate that way, the truth is that there are no winners.

What do we mean when we say, “I love you?”  It’s a good question to take some time thinking about.  The scripture teaches us that love is what it’s all about—loving God and loving others are the sum of all of the commandments.  It also tells us what this love looks like.  Paul writes, “Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (I Corinthians 13:4-7)

Love gives us the ability to see the beloved with the eyes of God.  Love is about recognizing both the potential as well as the “warts” in the other, and choosing to focus on the potential.  By the way, love also gives us the ability to see ourselves in that light.  Loving ourselves with God’s love is not selfish; rather it is a means of realizing the true self that we are created to be.  When we love others and ourselves in this way, we live in the wholeness God intends.

Today, can we look at those we love (including ourselves) with the eyes of God?

Blessings,

Pastor Susan