Posted on by Pastor Poet

The Wrong Side of the Bed?

Ever wonder where the phrase, ‘got up on the wrong side of the bed,’ came from?

In Ancient Rome it was believed to be bad luck to get up from the left side of the bed. 

While I don’t believe in superstitions like this, I do believe how we rise has an impact on the texture and tenor of our days. 

What’s the first thing on your mind when you wake up?  Is there anxiety or is it gratefulness?  Gratitude or grumbling?  Are we glad or grumpy?

I hope this morning, as we rise, gratitude is our first thought, and the surprise of joy follows. 

It is a blessing to be alive.  God is indeed gracious and faithful and I am glad! How about you?

Join me in reciting a portion of this Psalm:

1 O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you;

my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

2  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

3  Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you.

4  So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.  

Psalm 63:1-4

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

There is Hope…

There is a war of attrition that’s  going on to erode any vestiges of hope for humanity.  The barrage of bad news from political operatives and pundits is nearly constant – drawing us downward and backwards into despair. 

We are tempted to be suspicious of one another, always anticipating the worst.  We are so guarded, thinking that we are protecting ourselves, when we are actually just isolating ourselves.  We are imprisoned by loneliness.

But there is a hope for us that remains, that opens us and can heal us, if we will allow it to. There is light and beauty in this world.  There is joy and the possibility for peace within and with others, if we dare to believe.

As we open our eyes today, let’s choose to see the good, let’s seek what is beautiful and true.  Let’s open ourselves to the possibilities of a future that outshines the past, and let’s do some good.

Back in the day, I remember listening to a DJ on the radio who used to say, ‘When you meet someone who isn’t smiling today, give them yours!’

At the risk of sounding corny today, I want to offer us the same advice.  

There is goodness, light, and beauty in this world.  I know this is true when I remember each of you.  Now, go and pass that on! 

So before you allow the morning news to douse the light in you, remember…

…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. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 

Philippians 4:8-9

Peace!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Be Angry and…

There is not a single one among us, who when wronged, doesn’t expect justice.  Unfortunately, justice in our country is often slanted in the direction of the wealthy and the privileged.

It can be maddening to watch the wicked prosper and see their deeds go unpunished.   The temptation is to get what they have, and to do what they do – to covet their corrupt power. 

But I want to remind us today that the cost of such an exchange is too high!  We risk losing ourselves and becoming the very things that we protest!  

Does this mean that we cannot be angry?  No!  Does this mean that we cannot raise our voices in righteous indignation? Absolutely not!  We are free to express the full range of human emotions.  When we are hurting, grieving, offended, or the victim of another’s carelessness or callousness – one of the most courageous things we can do is to confront our offenders!

We can square up and address directly those who’ve done us harm, but what we cannot do is subscribe to the same violence in speech or action that hurt us in the first place!  The moral injury this causes us is not worth it! Get it?

26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil.

Ephesians 4:26–27

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Grace to Each One

As Christians we have become part of something that is bigger than ourselves.  God is over, within, and working through each of us.

There is no big ‘I’ and little ‘You.’  We are members individually, of one body.  We are not in competition; we both need and complement one another.  We are fit together by the grace of God as we receive the invitation to enjoy and share in God’s redemptive work.

We are members individually of one body in Christ.  We cannot and must not attempt to go alone, because to do so is to rob ourselves of the fullness and richness of the grace that sustains us. 

Yes we are unique, but our distinctness is never a cause for division but rather a unique opportunity for us to encounter the creative grace that weaves us together into a durable and lush fabric that not only honors God but also allows us to experience the beauty of our humanity.

We are a masterpiece.  We are a poem.  We are God’s workmanship. But we will never realize this beauty so long as we continue to create enclaves and establish borders based on our own inclinations and preferences while ignoring God’s purposes. Our isolation will leave us incomplete.

But we are all recipients of grace according to the magnitude of Christ’s gift!  If I cannot see this in others, it is impossible that I receive it for myself. 

Remember, we are God’s idea, and not our own! There is…

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 

Ephesians 4:6–7

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Be careful little ears…

We shouldn’t be surprised when cheaters cheat, thieves steal, or when dishonest people tell lies.  When we encounter a gossiper, we shouldn’t be shocked at their slander.  

Maya Angelou said, ‘when people show you who they are, believe them!’  

Now, to be clear, all of us have character flaws, and none of us should be judged or condemned by our worst moments, but when we encounter someone who is habitually dishonest or hateful or destructive, we needn’t give them an audience!  

We need to abandon our salacious appetite for gossip and lies.  We have to stop giving air to the death-dealing dialogues that destroy relationships and disrupt our peace!  

My mother used to say, ‘a dog that brings a bone, will carry one…’ Giving ear to nonsense quickly devolves into participating in it!  

Take care as to who and what you are listening to, especially in these fraught and troubling times!

An evildoer listens to wicked lips,and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

Proverbs 17:4

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Common Sense?

On the Walls Outside of Bethlehem…

In our current climate, the idea that there are a few simple things that most, if not all, of us can agree on, is a wild assumption!  

Common sense is not so common, huh?  Instead what we have is confusion, contradiction, and conflict!

In this land of ‘alternative facts’ and relativism, it’s not surprising that even the news is no longer news!  Journalism has been reduced to propaganda and punditry.  Much Christian preaching has been undermined by pageantry, pedantry, and an unhealthy preoccupation with being provocative under the guise of being prophetic.  Education has become socialization rather than illumination and liberation.

All these things are examples of what happens when the Truth (or at least the pursuit of it) is abdicated in the name of profit or pragmatism.  We are untethered – without anchor or foundation. As a result, we find that we have no way of orienting ourselves, nothing around which we may gather.

No common courtesy. No common cause. No common good. No common ground. No common sense. 

Such is our lot when we yield to the instruction of fools…

LORD have mercy on us! 

Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly.  

Proverbs 16:22

My mother used to say, ‘somebody got to have some sense,’ implying that if we encounter foolishness we ought to be the voices of reason. I pray that we may be so!

Good morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Pay Attention!

When God places something or someone on your heart – pay attention.  While every thought is not worthy of intense examination, there are signs and circumstances that should catch our attention.

I don’t know how or when I started enjoying mystery novels, movies, and tv shows, but I do. Maybe it was all those Scooby-Doo episodes from when I was kid.  Who knows!?

But part of unraveling a mystery is as simple as looking and listening carefully- paying attention to details!  To the small things, subtle things, things that may initially seem insignificant,  something that is just a little off or out of place – pay attention! You will be surprised by what you learn. 

While a special perceptiveness may be a gift that some claim, perspective is not so much of a gift as it is a discipline, a  way of seeing from different angles that can be broadened and sharpened with practice!

There are many things that seem mysterious in our lives that aren’t really so.  We can see more if we just look and listen more carefully!  Get it?  

Pay attention!

God speaks to us by Word and Spirit, through other people, through creation, and through our circumstances.  There are signs all around us.  Pay attention!

Sometimes the answers we seek are right in front of us!  

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.

Romans 1:20

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs, 

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Actors… Hypocrites?

In Ancient Greece the hypocrite is the actor on the stage.  The one who dons the thespian’s masks and makes believe – the pretender paid to entertain. But, in our day, there’s nothing admirable or entertaining about being labeled a hypocrite.

I’ve found that most of us  don’t need much excuse to not do something we don’t want to do, OR to do something we really want to do! We are crafty and resourceful when it comes to getting our own way, huh?

We can find the slightest things offensive when we don’t like someone, but then excuse the most horrible behaviors when we admire them!  We can dismiss another’s suffering as insignificant until we have to go through what they did! Our limited vision and lack of empathy cause us to treat one another terribly, without the slightest sense that we’ve done anything wrong!

Why are we like this? Why are we so lopsided in our ways?  Why is it so easy to highlight another’s flaws while making light of our own? How is it that we can demand validation for our own feelings, while we ignore others’?

It seems that ALL of us are different degrees of hypocritical!  All of us. 

Thank God for grace.

The question is, can we confess our duplicity and then determine to do better, or have we already taken a defensive posture and decided to reject these words? Are we angry or annoyed, irritated by these words?  Why?

All of us are hypocrites.  Period. 

But, how will we respond?

We can admit our hypocrisy and receive grace for ourselves and offer grace to others, or we can conceal our hypocrisy behind masks of self-righteousness, and receive bitterness for ourselves and others… 

Today, I own my hypocrisy.  And I receive grace to be and to do better! How about you?

10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; 11 for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”  

Romans 14:10–11

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Ask for help?

Are you the person that people don’t mind calling when something is going on? Do you show up and support others when times get tough? That’s a good thing – God wants us to be reliable and dependable. God wants us to be available to those who are in need – those in trouble!

But, who do you call on when you are going through a tough time? Where do you find support when you are struggling?

Unfortunately, in this world, those who give the most and are found the most reliable are frequently the loneliest and the most overlooked! If this is you, or how you are feeling right now, I want you to take a risk.

Ask for help. Sometimes our drive to serve causes us to suppress our own real needs for support and encouragement. Before long, we find ourselves in a deficit. And while we may continue to show up and make ourselves available – it does not bring us joy. Rather than invigorate and enliven us, it just saps our strength and leaves us feeling wrung out and weary. Ask for help.

Take the risk. Remind people that you are human. Remind them that you have needs. Dare to trust someone enough to lean on them. Everybody needs somebody – no matter how strong we are!

I know it’s frightening and the possibility of being disappointed is real. But what are you really risking? You are already disappointed and probably feeling a little overwhelmed, huh?

Ask for help!

You may be surprised by who shows up and is willing to bless you as you’ve blessed others!

Ask for help!

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam

Posted on by Pastor Poet

Obstacles?

Our obstacles are often more than just the ‘enemy’ trying to block us.  

Sometimes obstacles are opportunities for us to learn a lesson or develop some character.  Other times our obstacles reveal our weaknesses and blind spots – to keep us humble and available to God’s work within us.

And then sometimes, our obstacles are God’s will.  Sometimes it’s not the enemy, it is not something we did or did not do, sometimes some things are just not God’s will for us.  

I know that’s tough to hear, but sometimes when God prevents something, it’s because He is preparing us for better, protecting us from worse, or preserving us for another work. 

It behooves us to learn to discern so that we are not grieving the Spirit and fighting against God.  I know we think of the Spirit as One who empowers us to do, but sometimes the Spirit says, ‘no!’

When Paul was out on a missionary journey, doing seemingly good work,  the Spirit disrupted his itinerary…

6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.

Acts 16:6–7

Good Morning, I love you all!

ihs,

just adam