Sweet Words from Maine

Reality’s Latitude and Longitude…

Mount Katahdin, Baxter State Park, Maine

Magnificent, stark, and a beautiful sight at any season, Mt. Katahdin has not moved from the same geographic spot for millennia. There it may be admired, climbed, written about, or photographed. Whether or not it can be seen, it will always be found at latitude: 45.9044, longitude: -68.9213 111 N 45 54’16”, E 68 55’17”. It may be the home of Indian legends, but it is a physical reality.

We are creatures shaped by heredity, personality, learned values, education, experiences, and environment. As relational and emotional people, we hold varying values and opinions. However, our perceptions do not change the nature of an object or circumstances or absolute principles. The world may be silent because I am deaf, but that doesn’t mean that the birds don’t sing. The Cardinal flower growing by the stream may be missed because of my color blindness, but it is still red and there. The stove is hot even if I have a neuropathy and don’t feel it. The sky may look dark and dreary because of cataracts, but it is really blue and beautiful. Obviously, personal limitations or misconceptions may distort an actual situation and lead to misinterpretations or misunderstandings, but “my truth” simply identifies personal beliefs or ideas that may vary from someone else’s. However, Truth is independent of personal choices or thoughts. It, like Katahdin, doesn’t move from its coordinates just because it is more convenient for us to find it somewhere else.

Some philosophic viewpoints exclude God and deny or desensitize us to the reality existing beyond ourselves and the material universe. They are nihllistic houses of cards with no answer for the human spirit. Evolutionary theories may help us understand that we live in an ordered existence, but Moses wrote about that thousands of years before Darwin arrived on the scene. Pandemics confirm scientific “facts” to be fluid and in flux. And despite man’s good intentions, humanity’s innate goodness has proven to be poppycock! History screams that to us. We continually fail to fix our broken natures and are as conflicted, hypocritical, and corrupt as our remotest ancestors. The cries of hurting people heard on the daily news make us realize we are incurable. If we are to be redeemed, redemption will have to come from outside ourselves! That is a reality, but so is redemption.

As spiritual beings we seek meaningful affirmation; we search for justification and moral improvement and for meaning in a multitude of ways: through love, intimacy, meditation, mysticism, religion, artistic expressions, and morality. However, there is bedrock on which to stand, on which to base a meaningful life, while we spin around our allotted time. As with all beliefs relating to the origins and purposes and ultimate destiny of humanity, a “step of faith” is involved. The material facts and beauty of our mysteriously miraculous universe show us the nature of God. The powerful revelations of God throughout history as seen through Scripture and the person of Jesus Christ reveal God’s wisdom to us. Christ boldly told his disciples that he was the Way, the Truth, and the Life and that nobody could come to God except through him. (John 14:6) If Christ is a person of integrity, then that astounding statement has to be true.

If humanity’s brokenness and and inability to redeem itself are a spiritual reality, Christ’s life and testimony give credence to a Creator whose love and mercy and grace are the only possible redemptive remedy for us. Because our efforts to be righteous are just another teardrop in the ocean of dismal failures, the reality of God and His salvation are well worth exploration and will be found at the latitude and longitude of Christ’s cross where divine love, grace , and mercy intersect and lift humanity’s unholy burden and open the possibility of restoration.. (John 3:16)

Really?! A First Priority?

“Looking for Lunch,” Eagles on the Taunton River, Sullivan, Maine

What in the world was Jesus talking about when he made this mind stopping statement? “Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? …do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?“

If we believe in a God who is good and loving, we easily accept that God values mankind in a uniquely special way. His extreme mercy and grace are revealed in Christ, whose sacrificial work for us reconnects us with God when we avail ourselves of that love and the redemption it provides. But what about the claim that that God’s care is so personal that we should not “be anxious” about the things we need? That idea seems a bit baffling because we have had to scramble to sustain ourselves ever since Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden!

However, Jesus modelled this peace for us. Trusting his Heavenly Father was a reality for this much beleaguered, hard working, weary worn, poor Rabbi, who had no place to call home and who faced all the trials and temptations and needs of humans. He came to share in the human experience and heal it. In the darkest of moments he could and would pray with integrity “not my will but Yours be done.”

In that setting, Jesus’ words take on substance. He had winnowed out the fact that life is not just about one’s own humanity but is about seeking God’s Kingdom, which on the surface is a baffling place where the happy carry the cross of self denial daily, where satisfaction comes through self-sacrifice, where righteousness has nothing to do with individual effort but is a gift given by God, and where the happy are not only repentant, humble, merciful, and peace loving, but their journey takes them through mourning, persecution and even death because of their devotion to God, who is their protector!! (Mathew 5-7) On the surface, living in this Kingdom may have limited appeal to self oriented humanity. However, the trade off is attaining what we desire and work for in this life. “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 14:17)

The primary purposes and meaning of life are found in our Creator and His purposes, not in gourmet food, designer clothes, or mini-mansions, not in expending the energy and worry of accumulating, attaining, and possessing. So, Christ cautioned his followers against anxiously and exhaustingly chasing meaningless dreams or cluttering minds with trivial pursuits or devoting means to personal idols and allowing self and stuff to become the empty treasures of a life instead of finding satisfaction in who they were created to be. “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-34)

This spiritual Kingdom is a priority-must. “… seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness” and all these things will be added to you. Kingdom values are ever enduring, always contemporary, extremely important, and spiritually fulfilling principles which are relational in nature and are defined by love. Loving God with all ones being and loving one’s neighbor unconditionally will bring joy, meet the requirements for a purposeful life, and have eternal benefit which can not come from obsessing about, totally investing in, and becoming anxious over material things which will disappoint and disappear. Seeking God places desires and pursuits into right perspective. Christ encouraged taking the long view, considering the end of the game.

He showed the way to fulfillment. He loved God with all his being and elevated his love for “neighbors” to the point he died for us. His self denial not only marked out the course to the Kingdom but is the Way into the Kingdom of God through faith in his redemptive work for us. His Gospel empowers one to live the graces extended to us and emboldens one to confidently trust, to “not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

Really?! A First Priority?

Ready or Not, Here I Come…

Beginning a New Year is cause to celebrate renewal as well as an opportunity to contemplate how time and circumstances transition from one phase to the next. Sometimes, change is gradual and unnoticed. Days slip by; weeks merge; seasons cycle; the years roll on. Bleak winter surprises Fall’s beauty! Biology jolts us as aging sneaks then pounces; the battle for vigor and beauty and lasting dreams is lost! Unexpected moments shatter a future, or sudden realizations bring transformation.

Psalmists, Theologians, and Poets lament, ponder, and speculate about the essence and brevity of life and the nature of an afterlife! The Psalmist said that our lives “quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10) Major world religions hold hopes of immortality through soul reincarnation and recurring attempts at redemption by being and doing “good” and/or by seeking forgiveness with various gods. Shakespeare’s Macbeth said that life was ” a tale told by an idiot, signifying nothing.” Emily Dickinson imagined life as riding in a horse drawn carriage headed “toward Eternity.”

Although her beliefs may be difficult to categorize, themes of faith and immortality frequent Dickinson’s poetry. In “Because I could not stop for Death,” the speaker realized that they had lived life in the constant company of two unassuming companions, Death and Immortality. Death had been ignored as “he” rode along with patient “civility.” (“Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me/ The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality.)

The poem’s tone seems rather matter of fact, untroubled. The three companions rode together through the different stages of life (“We passed the School, where Children strove / At Recess – in the Ring / We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain –We passed the Setting Sun.”) But there is a slightly surprised lament about being unprepared as the warmth of life leaves and a recognizable grave is approached. (“before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground.”).

Although obsessing over irreversible physical endings is unhealthy, death will not be denied. When we make wills, plan for our families, and say what needs to be said, we wisely live with what most commonly seems like a distant eventuality. However, the book of James reminds us: “How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone…” (James 4:14-15 (NLT2) We live with no guarantees of any earthly future, always walking in that “shadow of death.” (Psalm 23)

Scripture constantly reminds us to live day by day, to attend to our journeys by being people of faith, by making God our God, by having God as our personal Shepherd. Although Dickinson’s poem doesn’t speculate on afterlife details, “Immortality” was more than implied. It was one of the riders as the carriage was driven toward “eternity”: “Since then – ’tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses’ Heads Were toward Eternity.” That is a cautionary thought; we should be aware of our immortal spirits long before the closeness of their destination becomes a sudden realization.

In his parables and in the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus, Jesus confirms eternity’s explicit details. Some of these are blissful. Others are disturbing but are very much worth pondering in the context of the redemptive claims surrounding Christ,** who has made every provision for our spirits. (Matthew 13) (Luke 16) On the day he stood by his friend’s grave , Christ called for people to put their faith in him and his resurrecting power, which he proved by raising Lazarus alive from the grave and soon after by His own resurrection. Both resurrections are cause for great joy because they shore us the promise of life with God beyond physical death for those who believe. (John 11:25) Where O death is your victory? Where O death is your sting? But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57 (NLT2)

Ready or not? That final transition from life may surprise us, but we can be prepared! Christianity has such an optimistic view of death that it speaks of the believer’s demise as the mortal being “swallowed up by life,” not by death. (2 Corinthians 5:4)

**(John 3) (John 3:16-17) (Isaiah 53:6) (Romans 10:9-10) (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Titus 3:5)

Ready or Not, Here I Come….

**(John 3) (John 3:16-17) (Isaiah 53:6) (Romans 10:9-10) (Ephesians 2:8-9) (Titus 3:5)

Of Shoes and Ships and Whether Pigs have Wings

We know little girls are made of “sugar and spice and everything nice,” but what do they think about? What size and shape are the ruminations of this pensive little girl as she dreamily looks down the path beyond the cottage garden to the little beach and the movement of the tide? Hopefully, her mind is filled with summer dreams and is uncluttered by the anxious messiness of less innocent minds which are drained of imagination.

Time does that; it saps the imagination. Waking moments are spent in self absorptive thoughts, pondering immediate needs, managing a sensually perceived world, and finding little if any time to ponder the abstract or transcendent. Thoughts of the ultimate are pushed to the back burner.

Undisciplined, unguarded minds are in danger of being like those of the little oysters in Lewis Carroll’s “The Walrus and the Carpenter.” Not at all street wise, those creatures were foolishly deceived by the idea of a pleasant walk with the Walrus and the Carpenter. During their meanderings, the selfish and sinister Walrus distracted them with fun, innocuous, meaningless pleasantries. “The time has come,” the Walrus said,/ “To talk of many things:/Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—/ Of cabbages—and kings—/And why the sea is boiling hot—/And whether pigs have wings.”

Then he devoured them!

Our world is a fantastic place. There are wonderful conversations to be had, many ideas and facts to be considered, substantial advice to be taken or discarded, much fun and joy to be experienced. Many possibilities and opportunities lie before us each day. Clearly, if we do not want to be like the vulnerable oysters or the unprincipled, complicit Carpenter, who avoided truth and even participated in the oyster holocaust, our minds must be informed and strongly grounded in valid ideas. Otherwise, we are in danger of being distracted, sucked in, and destroyed by meaningless philosophies and misadventures like the misguided, inattentive, undiscerning, and hoodwinked little creatures who were led to their demise.

We frame our life views around whether or not we believe life has meaning and if it does what gives it purpose. Scripture cautions about what we allow to beguile our minds and encourages us to fill them with “…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:8) It warns against spiritual scammers who cheat the mind and soul. “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. (Colossians 2:8 (NLT2) Scripture also highlights the uttermost importance of seeking the reality of God and His Kingdom,( Matthew 6:33) and of trusting the truth of Christ above all else with an enduring faith: “…looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, …Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” (Hebrews 12:2-3)

This world has plenty of Walruses and Carpenters who invite us to follow and invest our lives in their ideas. Considering the life and words of Christ will never lead one astray because they take us to God and His Kingdom. “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell…” (Colossians 1:19)

Of Shoes and Ships and Whether Pigs have Wings…

Then he devoured them!

A World of Words

Until an intrusion into their spaces, these beautiful but weary ducks were resting on the cold, winter waters of the Taunton River. Always on the alert for predators, their anxious appearing behavior is a protective fright/flight response, a feeling we understand because of both innate and learned abilities to sense physical or emotional threats. But how well are we primed to recognize insidious intellectual and spiritual threats?

We live in a world of words, of volumes of expressed thoughts, notions, opinions, and theories originating in the ruminations and ramblings of men and women with varying degrees of intellect, insight, motivation, and position; these philosophers and spiritual leaders are as imperfect in mind and are as flawed in character as we all are; some are inspiring; others are charlatans, scammers, and cultists. When Christ sent out his disciples, he encouraged them to beware of the power and deceitfulness of men and to be “ wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16-18)

That is good advice for creatures who seek meaning and purpose, who desire substantive ideas which help them explain and cope with existence and prepare for any afterlife. (Colossians 2:8) We value logic and reason. But not always! Our personal views may become deeply ingrained, but they may not have been well contemplated because we gravitate toward ideas which appeal to us intellectually or make emotional sense to us or reinforce our desires and lifestyles. So, we may fail to challenge concepts we have easily accepted or rejected. Discernment is crucial.

Our minds and spirits are vital organs which can be damaged as we pick our way through this mine field of mind influencers. Solomon said, ^“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” Christ made the point that “ out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. Our convictions, states of mind, and behaviors flow “from the heart.” (Matthew 12:34-35) (Mark 7:20-23)

Scripture is replete with warning about how to guard hearts and minds. King Solomon spoke of the wisdom of God’s words: “… keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them…” (Proverbs 4:20-23) The Psalmist felt the same way:^“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160) The Apostle Paul emphasized “learning Christ.” He told the Ephesians to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”(Ephesians 4:20; 5:1-2) “… Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:21-24) While praying for his disciples, Jesus said: ^“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. (John 17:17 (NLT2) He finished his Sermon on the Mount with an ear catching statement: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:24,26)

What we allow into our minds and hearts shapes our character. When Jesus faced down the great Tempter and Deceiver, he knew truth and was empowered with moral courage: “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) Inspired Scripture holds up the highest standard of moral thought and behavior. It is “useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.(2 Timothy 3:16) It instructs us how to know God, how to love Him, and how to love our neighbors. Filling our minds with Christ’s thoughts and claims protects our spirits because “they are life to those who find them.”

When we search and sift through our world of thoughts, it makes “no sense” to leave God out. He is where “life” is found.

A World of Words….

Scripture is replete with warning about how to guard hearts and minds. King Solomon spoke of the wisdom of God’s words: “… keep them within your heart. For they are life to those who find them…” (Proverbs 4:20-23) The Psalmist felt the same way:^“The sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever.” (Psalm 119:160) The Apostle Paul emphasized “learning Christ.” He told the Ephesians to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us…”(Ephesians 4:20; 5:1-2) “… Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:21-24) While praying for his disciples, Jesus said: ^“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. (John 17:17 (NLT2) He finished his Sermon on the Mount with an ear catching statement: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock…And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” (Matthew 7:24,26)

When we search and sift through our world of thoughts, it makes “no sense” to leave God out. He is where “life” is found.

Do I Really Care?

Although the Bible speaks some amazing words, it raises some mighty big questions! The Psalmist said, “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand.. “(Psalm 139:17-18) Is that just poetry, or is it truth? Those thoughts challenge even the most devout believers! Does God inhabit humanity’s fallen and broken circumstances? Is His goodness present in moments of pain, suffering, grief and injustice? What is the evidence? How can we know His thoughts? However, an overarching question lurks! Do we really care what God thinks? Are we like those of whom Job spoke? “They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?’ (Job 21:14-15 (ESV)

A read of the entire 139th clearly indicates that the Psalmist had a relationship with God on multiple levels. God was his Creator, his ever present caring, all knowing Sovereign, and his Savior. The Scriptures were vital to his discovery of God, whose wisdom, and insights for living brought value, stability, and joy to the Psalmist’s spirit.

“The instructions of the LORD are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the LORD is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the LORD are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb…They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.” (Psalm 19:7-11 (NLT2) “I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

The 139th Psalm draws us to the reality that even though God’s purposes and plans are good, they may not be convenient, comfortable, or understood. As the hymn says, “There are things as we travel this earth’s shifting sands/That transcend all the reasons of man.” Yet, throughout Scripture and the historical narratives, God has cherished humanity and has opened His nature, His thoughts, His compassionate purposes, and His unfailing promises to us.

The enormity and the intensity of His mercy and grace and His faithful pursuit are most vividly illustrated in the nature, life, and sacrificial work of Christ, whom Scripture identifies as the Word, or the image and expression of God in humanity and the one whose words are “spirit and life.” Jesus said that believing in him and his word sets one “free” and brings eternal life. (John 1:1; 3:16; 8:32; 6:63; 11:25; 15:3) His words are powerful and redemptive.

God as a good Father is active in His creation. He illuminate minds, exposes character weaknesses and the inadequacy of our righteousness to redeem ourselves. Through believing faith, which the Apostle Paul calls “more precious than gold,” He lifts us up, and enfolds us in His eternal protection. His words teach and correct us, show us that He desires ultimate good for us, and give us hope. And understanding and applying God’s Word show us how to live rightly.(1 Peter 1:7)(2 Timothy 3:16-17(Hebrews 4:12)(2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16)

Although God’s Word is as important today as it was in the days of the Psalmist, the question remains: are we too entwined in the business and “reasons of man” to discover His wonderful thoughts toward us?