Looking back upon History

       As I have been given the opportunity to read chronologically through the Bible this year, I am at the point in the scriptures where God is portraying His plan to His people ahead of time.  Many times, it can be confusing as to the exact meaning of the prophecy, but it is exciting and challenging to find how the verses spoken and taught during church relate to the actual history of that time.   The scriptures also explain the politics and economics and history of the time which is what I actually enjoyed as I studied my history, philosophy and economics during my junior year at Fairfield University.

A Christmas Holiday

      The snow has covered the long, windy country roads of Maine during the winter.  The snow clings to the trees and the snow glistens along the coastal shore.  The roads along the coast are primitive in nature since they get much abuse from the barrage of winter weather against them.
An assortment of potholes always crops up against them during the following summer.
         One particular winter holiday was lots of fun since my parents decorated the trees outside the house by the ocean and my mom bought excellent christmas cookies that were full of almond and were sprinkled with colorful designs.

Cheetahs dance

     Cheetahs are powerful animals and imagine being able to dance with one of them in the middle of a circus ring surrounded by many witnesses.  It might be a little difficult to catch up with them and also their power and might could scare anyone away.
       In life, it feels good to be surrounded by powerful examples in nature of God's strength and to be able to imagine interacting with them.  In life, we are all faced with challenges that can daunting at times.  But just imagining a dance with one of these creatures can minimize the size of the problems we face. 
       In the Old Testament, David was faced with a fight against Goliath, a Philistine, and he overcame the giant twice his size with a sling shot and stone.    
       So, we can all face the giants of the world with simple objects combined with an imagination or respect to their beauty and might.
     

encouragement

A visiting pastor gave our message today since our pastor is on vacation this week. It was on encouragement. Encouragement can be seen as an oil that helps grease the wheels of our life.
Just as a locomotive has many wheels that are connected to each other by levers and pulleys which guide the train, the local church can be a place where we can be encouragers that allow people to minister to each other and the world to move it to its designated destination.
During the sunday morning discussion that I am guiding in Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for the Highest, one of his themes is that we need to aim higher in our lives to be on God's level. One of our participants stressed that we need the one anothers from scripture that will allow our lives to function smoothly and move the train of our lives forward. In the above illustration, the pastor is the local shepherd or engineer that knows all about the train and what it needs to do its work smoothly and efficiently.

The landing

After anyone experiences feeling a little inclimate weather, it feels good to emerge with a little more rest and some peace. It always felt the same way after a major Noreaster storm in Maine in the summer when the winds would come from the northwest and blow away any fog and leave the skies of Maine with a clarity that could only be described while being present.
Similar sites are the Northern lights. and a similar song of Josh Groban " I can only imagine" is where he explains what he thinks he will feel when he faces Jesus Christ on the other side of life in Heaven.
Facing storms in life is important to grow our character. But it always takes hopeful anticipation toward the future not knowing when relief from the storms will occur but like every day, we are given a promised new sunrise to begin again.

Rest

Rest can be taken for granted sometimes. Especially since I don't like to slow down and say no to some things. But taking that time out to just rest and relax can do wonders and begin a healing process and a chance to gain a new perspective on things. That is why the seasons of fall and winter give the natural world a chance to rest also.

the fourth of July

As I relect on this fourth of July, our nation is taking bold steps in announcing that freedom will reign again. Just as the nation was founded admist revolutions and battles during the 18th century, our nation faces the same challenges during the 21st century as lower Manhattan rebuilds the World Trade Center to the freedom towers. Challenges also exist as we work with the other nations such as Iraq in helping them establish more peaceful causes.
May peace continue to resound in our nation so that in the freedom we enjoy, we can become the best people that God intennds us to become.

Being a part of Royalty

Imagine sitting alone in a room far from the King's territory and being summoned to be a part of his family forever. This is what happened in Israel's history when Jonathan died and left his son, Mephibosheth, alone.
King David inquired of his servant, Ziba, if there was anyone that he could show kindness to . Ziba said there was Mephibosheth. Then arrangements were made to bring Mephibosheth to the King's house and made him part of the table where Mephibosheth ate with the King's household for the rest of his life.
This story illustrates acceptance by King David of someone less fortunate than himself and for the loyalty that he had since he was a close friend of Jonathan.
God does the same thing for us in that He adopted us into His family giving us a place of permanance and significance.
David also had the land of Saul restored from which the daily provisions of life would be cultivated from. Just as Psalm 23:1, the Lord is my shepherd;I shall not want. He prepares a table before the presence of his enemies.
This is exactly how as men we are to be with others=allowing ourselves to be strengthened by one another with the famous expression "iron sharpens iron." This is best done by accepting others with their limitations and incorporating them into the lives of others. Then we will become a fully mature family.

Growing up

The Eagle has landed. Out comes E.T. and off goes his ship-left stranded in a foreign land-away from his familiar friends and faces. Throughout his stay on this foreign planet, Earth, he befriends Elliot who accepts him and makes him part of his family.
One Summer in Maine, all is calm and the waves are splashing gently against the rocky coast as they have for many years. Birds fly overhead on their nightly journey home, lobstermen head home for the night and the sun has begun to set. This paradise in Maine was enjoyed by me for many years providing a welcome relief from the hectic school years that I faced back in Fairfield.
I liked the predictable rhythm of the tides and coastal activity as Maine accepted me for who I was as a teenager and adult.

Growing up as a child had its challenges as I can attest to. When I was born, 1/4 of my brain failed to develop properly. This caused me to have a rocky start at life. What came naturally to most of you like walking, talking and eating had to be painfully learned and adapted to over the years. But with the faithful intervention of my parents by my side and with numerous therapists and friends, I emerged into the world a little more confident of my place in it.
Traveling this road was a new one to my family during the 1960's where research and treatment programs for delayed development were not in place. But my doctors and therapists and parents worked to develop new ground by training the rest of my brain to do what I lacked at birth.
I began my education at Human Resources School in Long Island which was headed up by a pioneer, Henry Viscardi, who was handicapped himself and knew firsthand the challenges facing the handicapped.
After 8 years there, we moved to Fairfield, CT where my public schooling began. Crossing over the small slate step in the back of Osborn Hill school was a new time of challenge. Having left the cocoon of Long Island and facing the world of normal people who watched everything I did and said caused many days of turmoil and challenge for me. But the challenge of learning how to deal with this new environment brought me more courage to live out the tough tides and storms of this life.
In Psalm 139:13-14, King David wrote, "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. In 2Corinthians 4:7, the apostle Paul states, "for we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. God has demonstrated this to me by the circumstances that He brought into my life and the way my friends and family have supported me throughout.

The scriptures have much to say of how the old testament people such as Mephibosheth who was the son of Jonathan whom King David showed mercy toward as seen in 2Samuel 4:4 and 2Samuel 9:1-12. King David granted Mephibosheth a treasured place at his table and accepted him for who he was and not for what he was not.
Another example is that of Moses. God came to him in the form of a burning bush and asked him to speak on behalf of Him. Moses felt incapable of accepting this assignment because of his limitation in speech as stated in Exodus 4:10.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul says in 1Corinthians 2:3, "I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and preaching are not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom but on God's power. Throughout the apostle Paul's life, he suffered from a thorn in his flesh. This brought humility to him and demonstrates the sufficiency of grace in our lives during our times of need.
He faced times of trial especially when he was shipwrecked and also became imprisoned for his faith. These times taught the apostle Paul to rely on God and not himself. As a result, Paul wrote many epistles encouraging future believers to stand firm in their faith and their lives.
Acceptance by others is an important lesson that I learned from my high school coach, Michael Abraham, who appointed me the team manager for the Andrew Warde Eagles basketball teams. I learned how to relate to the players and the other teams as I learned the various aspects of running a team. It provided the opportunity for team spirit while being near the action of the close games.


Throughout my life, I have been surrounded by many everyday people who have risen above their challenges. One of them is my friend, Gary Davis, who is a client of the Kennedy Center. When I met him, he was living at a group home with 5 other residents. As I got to know him, I saw there was a lot of love within him and potential to his life. When he graduated from the home where I saw him grow toward independence, God gave me an opportunity to invite him to our church to become part of our family there. The lessons learned from watching him take on greater independence in working within the Milford community apart from the Kennedy Center workshop and to his ability to interact and be friends to us at church is a real life example of God's love and acceptance at work.
Another friend of mine that comes to mind is Tim Dailey who was a blind student at Fairfield University that I had the privilege of helping with his school work. He never let the shortcoming of sight stop him in his pursuit for life and the love of God.
In America, three individuals who faced challenges, rose above them and made a profound impact in our society. FDR contracted polio and was unable to walk. Yet, he was able to lead our country through WWII with a determination and grit as he comforted the nation with words and wisdom to unify our nation.
Helen Keller was born blind and learned to make the connection to the world through the help of Anne Sullivan, her teacher, helping her to make the connection between the running of water to the actual word being signed into her palm. Thus, bridges were built into her life that helped to give her world new meaning and perspective. A final example is Joni Ericson Tada who was an ordinary teenager living in California until a diving accident changed her life forever. Her courage to overcome the tough times of rehabilitation and rise above the circumstances of her handicap earn her a badge of courage in my book. She has reached out to numerous handicapped people throughout her world to bring the good news of Christ to them.
In conclusion, these examples of heroes in my life and in the world have shown me how much God can do. Paul states it best when he says in Ephesians 3:20-"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine for the power that is within us."
E.T. finally joins his ship and is taken back to his home. Just in the same way, God will be taking us home someday for He so loves us. The tide of time and life continues on.

On the wings of Victory

It is the beginning of a summer morning in Maine. The breeze in the air has just begun to blow. The sounds in the air are of new born chicks that just have been born to two neighboring sea birds.
These birds are fascinating to watch as the mother begins to feed them and all I really see are little heads peeping out as they gather their nourishment. Their voices become stronger through the days and eventually take the soaring plunge into the brave new world. They start to soar and through each flight of wings, they become independent.
Yet, their loss can be felt as they leave the small world of the porch and yet, that is what we all do as children, leaving the nest to help build other nests in life.