(a 3.5 minute read) What would you do if you believe that there is an injustice happening right in front of your eyes!? You’d want to do something to correct it. Am I correct?? To tell someone about it is ‘Talk’ not Action. To walk away and do nothing is Action indeed, but the kind of Action that supports the injustice. Yes, it is the same as if you are the one doing the injustice. This is not a personal opinion, rather it is an agreed upon stance by all faith groups as well as social standards that are not faith affiliated.

Yet, time and time again you and I turn away from doing something about a tiny injustice and a major injustice alike. You know what I am talking about. It happens day in and day out.

Why do you think this is a prevalent demeanor / behavior / attitude??

Is it weakness, is it a desire to conform, is it dread of the outcome, is it feebleness,
is it fear??

There are a ton more adjectives to describe the lack of involvement or lack of desire to be involved!

Do you agree that none of these reasons or adjectives come from a position of strength?

Every single one of these includes a worry an anxiety a fright of something typically like; “how will this, whatever it is the action you believe you need to take, make me appear to others, like friends family acquaintances colleagues.”

Think of what you’d fill in the blanks of the following statement;

If you are ___________ nothing will touch you,
even if people say bad things about you.

Some may say altruistic or noble, maybe haughty, or how about selfish?
A broad spectrum, agreed?

Some may say “What is the action associated with this sentence as the action will make a difference in how I look at it!            That’s a good perspective, right?

In other words; if the action is something I agree to then it is maybe noble, but if
the action is something I do not agree to, then it is selfish and haughty.

If we ignore the ‘action’ associated with this sentence, would we all agree that for the “nothing will touch you” it has to be a position of STRENGTH?    That position could be to do something GOOD or do something BAD, but either way it is a position of STRENGTH. Hope you agree to that.

Mother Teresa is quoted saying;

If you are HUMBLE nothing will touch you, neither
praise nor disgrace because you know what you are.

“Oh, there is a ‘praise’ in that sentence as well!”               Should that matter?

‘Praise’ makes one fit in and that’s why we focus on it in a sentence as such.

But to do something that ‘DISGRACES’ you, yet do it anyway and according to Mother Teresa, a HUMBLE act at that!! Now that requires STRENGTH.

Think for one second………… why would she include Disgrace in there? Why?

If not to show the position of STRENGTH in your choice to be HUMBLE.

Mother Teresa continues;

If you are blamed you will not be discouraged. If they call you a saint you will not
put yourself on a pedestal. It is in being HUMBLE that our love becomes Real, Devoted
and Ardent. HUMILITY is the MOTHER of all virtues; purity, charity and obedience.

HUMILITY comes from STRENGTH and not weakness. HUMILITY makes LOVE REAL!!!

How we long that our LOVE would be REAL………… right?

HUMILITY is not paying attention to other’s opinion in what you do. This almost sounds pompous, doesn’t it!?  🙂  But it ain’t.

My Creator, You want us humble, and You want us strong in order to accomplish what You want us to do. Continue to teach us that these two go hand in hand. Like two peas in a pod. Jesus was the epitome of HUMILITY and we all know that he was as well the epitome of STRENGTH. Why is it difficult for us to associate these together!? Oh humble me oh Lord to continue to learn and to do what You want me to do with others around me without any fear or in trepidation or apprehension of my fellow brothers and sisters around me. Thank you my Lord for Your love and most of all for Your presence. Amen.

(a 3 min read) To those of you that do not know, my 4th granddaughter Margaret Maxine Andria, which will go by Margot arrived on July 31^st 🙂 Thank you God for a healthy baby and healthy mom. Dad does not get much recognition during such events, but I learnt something quite fantastical from Jeff when we visited them Thursday evening at the hospital.

Kristi opted to have a natural birth. No epidural, no nothing. I bow down for her choice. To put it simply, Kristi said “it was hard”. Kristi, as she is telling us about the birth, added that the midwife offered Jeff to join her in delivering Margot. Jeff, apparently, took her up on that offer. Again, I stand in awe for his choice. Kristi went into detail of his involvement and his emotions, as well as hers, during that time. Which we loved to hear. We were fortunate to arrive at their room first. Butch and Judy arrived soon after, and we were fortunate for the 2nd time to hear the story of the birth and Jeff’s contribution as Kristi detailed them.

Judy looked at Jeff, when Kristi recounted his involvement, and said, “it is miraculous isn’t it?” Jeff’s response with a strong and tough tone was, “that’s an accurate description.” That’s all that Jeff said about his own experience.

Kristi announced the arrival of Margot, she is so adorable by the way 🙂 on social media late last night, two days later. All the grandparents, myself included, could not wait as we were itching to add our bit of the delivery of Margot to the world. ITCHING I tell you. Did she post it yet? Did she post it yet?

Why were we chomping at the bit?

Simply put; Bragging Rights…………..

Now, let me ask you, who’s got REAL Bragging Rights!?   Jeff? Not just dad, but dad that delivered his daughter Margot?  Or us ………. the grandparents!?

Jeff never once said, “hey, let me tell you what I did….”  Or   “Yo yo, look at me right here….”

Although if he did we’d be standing in awe listening, and be so very proud of the details he’s recalling.

You can say, “He’s not the bragging type!”

I say, “That my friend is an act of Humility!”

What’s that got to do with Humility?? You may wonder!

I am not putting words in Jeff’s mouth, but I imagine if I asked him why he did not recount the story, his response would be something like this; “I did not do it to be able to tell about it. I did it to enjoy the opportunity of birthing my own daughter. I was blessed with this opportunity. This miraculous moment in time that I never thought I’d ever experience. This is not about me! It is about Margot. And that’s where it will stay, for me and for Margot.”

The HUMILITY is in knowing full well the “shining light” moment that you have every right to have, yet you CHOOSE not to have that spot light……… You CHOOSE to GIVE IT UP.

You cannot give what you do not have. Choosing to GIVE IT UP is an act of humility.

We society seem to have defined HUMILITY as; if I am not pompous, arrogant, snobbish or portentous then I am humble.

It is the adding of the NOT and the NOT and the NOT, therefore I am………… syndrome.

I think it is time to look at it from the opposite direction. Create a paradigm shift;
If I am not humble, then I am pompous, arrogant, snobbish and portentous.

Which means I actually have to find things to do that show to MYSELF; “that’s a HUMBLE ACT.”

But how do you define humble??

Thank you Jeff for giving me an example to use as the beginning of trying to get a finger on how to define HUMBLE 🙂  And thank you Kristi for who you are. I love you.

My Lord and my Creator, thank You for Margot and thank You for the parents that she has. i am in awe for the signs and miracles that You give us to remind us of WHO YOU ARE. i bow down in thanks my God and my Maker. May me do things for the sake of doing them, period.  i love You. Thank You. Amen.

(a 4 minute read) The problem honestly is that I don’t believe that there is a problem. It is this basic. The attempt here is to try and demonstrate what this looks like. With the hope it will make me and you go ‘hmmmm’. Then you and I may have the courage to admit it to oneself.

‘Yeap. I have a problem’. It is the ONLY way to begin…….. ADMISSION……….
ADMISSION TO ONESELF

ADMISSION is typically viewed as a DOWNER yet they say ADMISSION is a NEW BEGINNING and indeed it is a new beginning…………….. so discard any downer feelings.

ADMISSION is indeed difficult for if it is GENUINE, then it requires CHANGE…………. CHANGE in ONESELF, and changing oneself is certainly and undeniably pretty hard work. So please discard any ‘I am wrong’ any ‘how could I’ any ‘I am broken’.

The funny thing is, as I am detailing this and as I admit it to myself about myself, it is very difficult to apply in my own life…….. but I am counting on you. Yes you. You can encourage me, and I can encourage you and together, yes together supporting one another, we can take ADMISSION to APPLICATION my friend. And APPLICATION is the core for change. Continued APPLICATION then grows and grows till CHANGE goes from a NEW BEGINNING to AUTHENTIC REALISM. Stick with me 🙂

So let us begin strong begin encouraged begin invigorated begin energized so we can take on this ADMISSION head on

Begin scenario;

If I come to you and say, “Hey do you get angry quickly?  Your response probably, “Friend, I do not get angry quickly!”

How about, do you like lay into others hard?
Me? No no.

Do you boast about yourself?
I mean, maybe by accident, so I’d say I do not boast about myself.

Are you prideful?
On the scale of prideful, and excusing a slip here or there, I’d say I am not.

Do you hold grudges?
You’d really have to like cut cut through me not to forgive you, so I’d say I do not.

Are you all about me me me?
I am not perfect, but I’d say I help others in the best ways that I can.

Would you say you are kind and patient?
We can all be more patient and kind but I’d say I am.

End scenario.

Do you estimate that the above scenario is indeed the response of most people?

What about you?   Do you feel this is reflective of your own answers to these questions?

I hope your answer is yes.

The attributes in this scenario are the definition of ‘LOVE’ by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13. A ‘LOVE’ so greatly described by Paul that he begins before launching into his definition by saying; “If I have faith that moves mountains, but do not have ‘LOVE’, then I AM NOTHING.” Then Paul describes this LOVE he just mentioned.

According to the answers that I would myself give to the scenario above, I possess / have / exude / manifest / demonstrate this EXEMPLIFIED ‘LOVE’ that Paul is talking about.

But wait. Stop. Do I really exemplify it!?         I am pretty sure I DO NOT.

But, but, look at my answers ……………
I truly believe that they are accurate to how I think of myself……….

Come one Reda……… NO ONE IS PERFECT!!

I have a question that I ask you to evaluate within yourself;

Do you truly believe that the next step up from the answers in the scenario above is ‘PERFECTION’!!??

Have I set up myself to be so very well seated where I am at, wherever that may be, so that any nudging internal or external elicits the “No one is PERFECT” response? Does this extinguish / destroy / appease / quench any thirst for CHANGE in me, within me!?

The ADMISSION;    I AM NOT OK WHERE I AM AT.
If I’ve known this already, why am I still there!?

I HAVE WORK TO DO otherwise I stay where I am at.

My Lord and my Creator. You tell me how much you desire for me to be. How much You long for me to change. How much You crave for me to act and apply what You’re teaching me. Yet i stay where i am at, and feel content where i am at. May i rise up and admit to You and to myself that i need to work on change within me. Real change. And if  this is how i am with the well-defined ‘LOVE’ attribute, then what am i doing with the ‘HUMILITY’ attribute that I am not sure how to define? Encourage me my Maker, teach me my Lord, and may i take Your guidance and ACT. i love you and i thank you my Lord. Amen.

(a 3 minute read) I know from the bottom of my heart that we ALL know this yet somehow in our minds we go Eh! Scoff at it as if it is not true. The above table is a survey from 20 years ago.

Do you think it has changed since? If anything you know down deep that it is worse now than then. Focus on the family in 2011 reported that of those that attend church, 38% have had a divorce.

The take away from this table above is that MY LIFE is pretty much no different whether I am a Christian or not!    Yet, what is the mantra we echo loudly?

If you Know the Lord your life will be so much different!

Apparently NOT

How are we not baffled by this!?                 What gives!?

I believe we are ALL indeed baffled by this…………. And …………. Have no clue WHY?…………. Or know what do we need to do about it!?

In reality though, the answer is simple, the answer is known, and known to each of us…………

The answer is;    We have work to do…………. But the mind is weak…………….. The mind is afraid that the ‘group’ will be offended……………. The mind is LAZY………………. The mind wants to ‘feel’    I AM GOOD

I am still on a humility stint and personally believe that the answer can begin with ‘humility’. if we can define and REFLECT Humility, it would help each one of us BEGIN on the road of reflecting our Creator a little better.

IT TAKES WORK
but, as told by St. Teresa of Avila (1500s)              LOVE TURNS WORK INTO REST

It is still work, but what is the catalyst? It is LOVE………. yet another attribute we, the collective we, strain / struggle / wrestle to grasp. Not Love the ‘feeling’ rather LOVE the application.

For ions, I believe, we’ve excused ourselves with, “but I LOVE God and I am HUMBLE in the presence of the Lord!” Isn’t that enough!?

One question; “Do you work at Humbling yourself in the presence of the Lord?”

One more time; “Do you work at Humbling yourself in the presence of the Lord?”

I hope your answer is; “NOT REALLY, IT COMES NATURALLY.”

Another question; “How much work will it take for you to HUMBLE yourself when in the company of others!?”

I hope that you know that our Maker is desiring that we indeed humble ourselves when we are in the company of others; Family, Friends, Acquaintances & of course complete Strangers. What does that look like?

My God and my Creator, oh how i need to humble myself, desperately need it. i ask that this need is not only when I am writing these words rather a continual need that would drive change in how i apply myself with others on a daily basis. i believe You desire for me to have that need as without it, slipping into a norm without humility is the reality. i hesitated to type this, which is more reason for me to offer it;  i surrender myself to You to do what You please in order for me to learn and to practice this humility. i thank You and i love You my Lord and my Maker. Amen

(a 3.5 minute read) In the previous blog I presented the question; Is this what humility is? When you have ALL that POWER and NOT wield it, rather wield FREEDOM? To be honest with you, I have been trying to get my finger on what humility is!? I am finding it to be very challenging. When I looked it up the definition was; “a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.”

Read it one more time; “a modest or low view of one’s own importance; humbleness.”

Here’s some words for humble; timid / submissive / meek / shy / self-effacing / quiet

Close your eyes. Envision ‘to lower’. Envision ‘make yourself less’. Draw a picture of ‘meek’. How about a picture in your mind of ‘submissive’.

I am sorry, but does all that sound self-deprecating to you??

Did any of these pictures you just envisioned make you go “Yes brother, that’s how I want to be!!”

Does our society appreciate / prompt / goes oh ya / inspire / says right on brother / prod / encourage anything remotely close to self-deprecating!?  Of course it does not!!

Yet we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus preached and demonstrated humility. Heck, we define humility by the act Jesus took to come to earth and use it as the epitome of humility.

Was Jesus self-deprecating??

Of course NOT. Then what gives my friend?

Is it possible that we’ve misdefined a word such as ‘humility’??

I’ll give an example of something very relevant to humility. How about the word ‘love’!

Love as a noun; “An intense feeling of deep affection or, a great pleasure in something.”

Love as a verb; “feel a deep romantic or sexual attachment to (someone)”

Is this the ‘LOVE’ that we hear Jesus speaks about? Yet, we must agree that these definitions of ‘LOVE’ are acceptable by you and me! Have we misdefined love!?

We can get into a discussion of which type of ‘LOVE’!? Please note that in other languages, for example Greek; Eros is sexual attraction. Philia is friendship. Agape is charitable & unconditional giving.

Note that these three are not derivatives of each other! These are not Type I Type II and Type III. These are distinct words to describe different entities, and are not describing different aspects of the same entity.

Yet, in our language we struggle to define which ‘type of love’ is this or that. Quite a contrast, don’t you agree? Is our language limitation has led to a misinterpretation??

Not sure if I’ve lost you, or if you are starting to see why I am struggling with what we, you and me, have drawn in our mind to picture humility?

How can I strive to become something that I have no clue what it “looks like”!?

If the sentence from the previous blog; “When you have ALL that POWER and NOT wield it, rather wield FREEDOM! is representative of humility”, then it is the furthest away from self-deprecating.

You know what, I believe this sentence does represent what Jesus did and exhibit….. HUMILITY!

If what we are hoped to be is to act in HUMILITY, and we as a society have misdefined this word…………. maybe this is a good start for me and you……………. Learn what is HUMILITY!

First, we need to examine it…………….. Picture it……………. Then strive to become it

My God and my Lord You are the epitome of HUMILITY. I am starting to see that I do not know what that is! All I can bring to my mind is a picture of someone down on their knees! Someone clasping hands and begging! Someone crying! Someone allowing others to walk all over them. Someone desolate. I know that none of these describe You and Your actions. None. Help my struggle in understanding what HUMILITY is my Creator. I am wide open to start and see You …………….. and see Your HUMILITY. Teach me. i love You and i thank You. Amen.

Lord I believe, help me with my unbelief. (one of my favorite verses)

(a 3 minute read) On this 4^th of July, happy birthday America 🙂 we all celebrate the FREEDOM that we are blessed with in this amazing country of ours. It is also a great time to reflect on how we apply such FREEDOM and what we do with it. We are also very blessed in America with POWER.

The best way to reflect on these is to look into God and how our Creator applies FREEDOM and POWER, and hope that we would use them in comparable and similar ways, after all that is what our Maker gives us the FREEDOM to choose whether to follow suit or not.

Does God have POWER?              Absolutely          Can God use POWER in any way possible?            YES

Let’s be honest, if the Lord used POWER to hold up those that believe and knock down those that do not, then over thousands of years this world would look very differently than it does today.

Therefore, hope we all agree that this is not how God operates! The WHY is for God to know and for us to ponder or muse.

Again, what is beyond a shadow of a doubt, or at least hope that it is beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God Does Not Operate by wielding POWER.

What does the Maker do instead?           The Lord uses the POWER to allow FREEDOM of CHOICE.

It takes a whole lot of POWER to NOT do, to NOT interfere, to NOT meddle, to not Sway it one way or another. It takes a whole lot of POWER indeed.

The Creator simply allows us, the subjects, the governed, the subservient, the soldiers, the created to use our given our granted our graced our ordained FREEDOM to choose.

So how hard is it for me, or for you, to NOT wield my POWER? And we all have POWER in one way or to one degree or another!              Hmmmmm, that’s a hard question, as the answer teeters, or drastically weighs, to the opposite of the example that our Lord has set in the Creator’s actions over thousands of years.

If it is hard, humanity tends to NOT want to think about or consider it. But to whom much is GIVEN, much is REQUIRED.

You and I need to examine and monitor, regularly, how we use the FREEDOM and POWER we have been GIVEN. In most cases we believe that if the “CAUSE” is “GOOD” then always wield our POWER for the “GOOD”. But wouldn’t the Lord wielding POWER for “GOOD” an option!? If God did wield POWER for the “GOOD” and did it often, then our world would not look as it does today. Therefore, our Creator does not wield POWER, rather wields FREEDOM. Shouldn’t we do the same? ALWAYS!

Is this what humility is? When you have ALL that POWER and NOT wield it, rather wield FREEDOM?

My God and my Creator, You have set an incredible example over thousands and thousands of years that You are the Lord of FREEDOM. Yes, You possess POWER beyond measure and You show us that here and there, but You for sure are NOT a POWER wielding Creator. May i and may we take note of this and in spite of our desire and our craving to wield POWER for GOOD that we remember and note that for sure You desire and You crave that we, the created, would follow Your lead to wield FREEDOM. i love You and thank You my Lord. Amen

(a 4 minute read)  David and Mark, old friends, were nursing a couple of cold drinks at their local hangout.  The subject at hand was the Christian claim that people of the Jewish faith at Jesus’ time were pretty legalistic, which Jesus rebuked, and if we Christians have kicked that habit, today.

D: Let’s begin by what is being legalistic?

M: Well, it’s adhering or following the rules

D: So what’s wrong with that?

M: Nothing really, but making the rules / laws the focus is the problem

D: Not sure I follow. If following the laws is a good thing, why are you twisting it around to make it kind of like a bad thing? Labeling it legalistic! So, is a law-abiding citizen legalistic?

Mark laughed aloud with his eyes as large as can be and his palms wide open, while thinking “how do I clarify that!”

M: That’s a great point David. So it is not about If she/he is law-abiding rather it is about HOW he/she is law-abiding. Here’s an example that may clarify;

• The law is to turn on my blinkers before I make a turn.
• Typically there is no other thought. I am supposed to turn on my blinker and I do.
  This is the IF I am doing it.
• Was there a forethought associated with my law-abidingness?
• Typically not. I am supposed to turn my blinkers and I automatically and without forethought turn on my blinkers. That would be a legalistic approach /thinking / application / attitude.

D: What the heck is wrong with that!! I am following the law isn’t that what matters?

M: No it is not David. That’s why we are called Legalistic in our approach to life

In a challenging tone David said; “How then would I do it and not be legalistic??”

M: Real easy, I just need to have the forethought associated with the action, any action. That’s the HOW. My turn signal is intended to signal, no pun intended, the car behind me that I am about to slow down. This way the driver behind me is not surprised by my brake lights. So if I know I am turning in a few blocks;

• Look in the rear view mirror and notice the car behind me.
• Decide when I will press my brakes.
• About 3-5 seconds prior to pressing my brakes, I’d turn my blinkers.

D: Oh brother, that’s exhausting! Who wants to do all that every time I am about to turn

M: And that’s exactly why David we are legalistic without even realizing it. It is just too darn easy to be legalistic than not! And not even notice it!

“…clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” None of these are second nature to me and you. It takes work. If I am not doing the work, guess what? I am probably legalistic. And the driver behind me has no idea IF I am merely following the law or HOW I am following the law. In both cases, I am a law-abiding citizen but in only one case I am not legalistic. If I am not considering the driver behind me, I have exhibited none of these; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness or patience. I’ve just followed the law!

D: Anything else wise one?? David said sarcastically.

Mark with a cackle and a huge smile added, “Actually yes, there is one more thing”;

If you are driving 67 in a 55 zone, and I say, “Hey slow down. The Bible says obey the laws of the land, therefore slow down.” Then I am being legalistic. Why? Because I am soliciting the Bible to have you do what I want you to do as I am uncomfortable with the speed you are driving. I could kindly and loving say something like, “Hey David, you aware the speed limit is 55?” If you say, “Yes.” My answer should be, “Just making sure you know.” And that has to be with ZERO infliction of blame / guilt / attitude or any of the like, otherwise I am still being legalistic!!

D: Pile it on man, pile it on….. No wonder people do not want to be Christian if that’s what they need to do.

M: I am sorry David, but if the world sees us as legalistic, it is me and you that are holding them away from Christianity. If only we could reflect this; compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, that the Lord desires from us, oh how so many would flock to and not fly away.

In last week’s blog, hope you and I came to the realization that we are indeed biased, and hope that today, you and I will agree that we are indeed legalistic. Such realizations are intended to free us from the hand-cuffs / traditions / customs / attitudes that we hinder ourselves with.

My Creator and my Maker. I come to You asking that I have a forethought after forethought after forethought. When I pray, go to church, be charitable, or do whatever it is I believe is what I am supposed to do. May I have the forethought of the purpose, every single time. I realize this takes work, but it is this forethought that will fill me with joy and with peace. Your Joy and Your Peace my Lord. Thank You for giving us the opportunity to care and lift one another by clothing oneself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. May I just remember to put them on day in and day out. I love You and I thank You my God. Amen

(a 4 min read)  Hi 🙂 If I say I am not biased, you would laugh me off. Why? Because I believe every single person realizes that she/he is biased towards the affiliation/ connection/ side that person is on, on whatever subject matter at hand. Now if you ask me; “how biased are you?” My answer is; “not by much” and that’s pretty much the answer one would get across the board regardless of how much bias there is.  Correct?

Let’s talk about how biased are you!……….. Let’s not actually 😀  Why?  Because this is what generates anger, hostility or in the least rudeness and ill feelings.  Isn’t this what we see happening day in and day out on social media?? We hope for it to change, every one of us does.

But is this change going to miraculously happen on its own??
Of course NOT ………. Then how?

It will start happening when the “other gal or guy” across from my screen stops…!

Or; I never do that myself, it is others that dwell in it. Therefore, not my problem…!

This is not said in a snarky or accusatory manner, not one bit of it. I ask that you consider/dwell/ ponder with me for a moment in the reality of this phenomenon that every single one of us sees happening all around us, along with the two rationales listed above.

The prevalent feeling / realization / numbness is; “it’s the other person and there is nothing I can do about it”.

But there is! If you don’t do it, then it is someone else’s problem.

But it is indeed your problem and my problem, so we need to do something.

DO WHAT? You ask!

There are two things each one of us can do actually, not just one 🙂

• Start with myself. As I start any discussion, remind myself, I am biased. Remember how we started this conversation? We all know we are somewhat biased, but we do not apply that knowledge into our actions. We may admit it if we are talking about bias in general. But during a conversation……. Pretty much never.
  So, I need to acknowledge it to myself before I start a discussion, or better yet, admit it in the beginning of the discussion and repeat it during the discussion.

  “That’s ammo to my opponent” you may think! Well, the gal/guy across the screen is not an opponent / adversary / foe……….. but sadly that’s how we’ve been conditioned to think of them. That gal/guy is simply coming into the discussions with their OWN bias just as I am! There is no war between ‘them’ and ‘us’. There is NOT. Division is a POISON professed for years and years by all faiths and philosophers.

  Let’s me and you stop drinking that poison! Again, this is still me, you and me deciding to STOP drinking the POISON.

• You and I can identify when a discussion gets; rude, crude, hostile, harsh, offensive, belligerent, quarrelsome or filled with personal attacks ……. Maybe I am the one who’s getting like that!! I am, after all, biased J to some extent.

  Either way identify it. If it is you, say; “Sorry that I have become rude or or or and I apologize.” Or say something to the effect of; “please refrain from personal attacks …. Or, you are being hostile and I’d love to continue if you’d refrain from such behavior.” Then be brave to NOT respond in kind and to refrain from continuing to point out ‘their’ shortcomings. Just quit the discussion. Not easy but you are capable.

You may shrug your shoulder. You may think nothing here is new, which is 100% correct. Or, you can choose to use this as a reminder that      I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE         in transforming the present poisonous environment that is almost accepted as NORMAL. No one No one wants this as the new NORMAL. But it is almost almost there……………..    You and I can do this. It is simple. Just requires one thing;

“I can make a difference”

Our freedom is based on this one principle……………….. “I can make a difference”     Let’s apply it.

My God and my Creator. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that You cringe and even shed a tear when You see Your daughters and sons mistreat each other in physical encounters, and cringe just as much and shed a tear when they do it from behind a screen. To you it is just the same. May each one of us remember that doing it on social media is just as damaging to my sisters and brothers. You are a God of Love a Creator of Mercy, and Joy is what You desire for each one of us. May I remember that the least I can do is not be rude, crude, hostile, harsh, offensive, belligerent, quarrelsome and definitely not engage in personal attacks on anyone for ‘their’ bias, for I am also biased. I love You and I thank You my Creator. Amen.

(a 3 minute read) Have you ever experienced loss of pride? There’s maybe a puzzlement look on your face right now or a head tilt or a thought of ‘what do you mean by that?’ Well, it is pretty hard to describe loss of pride as I believe it is not something many of us have experienced. Maybe it is best to approach it from what are the feelings associated with loss of pride! One major one is humiliation. One synonym for humiliation is mortification! To be mortified! Do you feel it? Does it send a chill down your spine? How about the following to demonstrate humiliation;

We, in this season of celebrating Resurrection Sunday, recall or recount the pain! The pain that Jesus encountered or went through or endured as He was lead to the cross. I guess we’ve all experienced pain! physical pain, to one extent or another, and therefore can relate to it better. We do mention that Jesus was humiliated, but maybe it is harder to relate to.

A child at school being bullied, and bullied bad at that……. can you see her, can you see him?? Did you cringe?………. That’s humiliation

At teen at youth camp facing clicks and unable to join this group or that group, sitting in a corner huddled up crying. Can you see him, can you see her?? Did you cringe?

A few people surround you and push you, mock you, spit on you and all you can see are the ones with their phones up not to miss taking a video of the action to post on their favorite media site. Are you cringing now??

No matter what I say or try to project, it will not be one one hundredth of the humiliation Jesus experienced that day. Remember, this is God on Earth, the Creator of the universe and beyond, shoved around and spit on, mocked, ridiculed and taunted in full view on public media if you may…… Do you think this humiliation was a gazillion times worse than the physical pain endured!? Not trying to discount the physical pain here, simply trying to highlight the agony of humiliation, ignominy, to our LORD.

There is a beautiful thing about this humiliation though. Jesus was not forced into it, rather Jesus accepted it. Even more, Jesus took it on. The loss of pride in public was not a loss, rather a willing intentional deliberate giving up of pride. Why would Jesus ever do that? You know the answer. Would you give up your pride to hold onto the one you love? A simple yet an utmost demonstration of LOVE.

Can we be inspired by Jesus? You bet ya 🙂  At this season of celebrating sacrifice and resurrection, look at where you can surrender pride! Don’t let pride be lost, rather choose to give up pride. Best done not as a “I’ve given pride up” statement, but rather on a continual day by day basis.

Look around in your personal relationships; am I holding steadfast onto something just cause I had said so!? If the nudge is there to let go of pride and choose love, JUST DO IT. It’s hard. It’s very very hard. Do Not Be Mortified.  JUST DO IT.

Look around in your church, in your community, at work, wherever and ask; am I holding steadfast onto something just cause I had said so!?  Do Not Be Mortified.

If the nudge is there to let go of pride and choose love, JUST DO IT.

Not just this week or this season, I pray my Lord and my Creator that I ask myself this question today and every day until I meet You. Thank You Lord for the example You have given. Amen.

(3 minute read) Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Hope you just smirked and something like, “and you gonna tell me, right!” went through your mind. I am smirking right along with you as of course I cannot. But here is something I can share my thoughts with you about; Birth or death, which comes first? Now you are probably full out laughing, not knowing where this is headed…..

I believe that we all agree on which comes first, and therefore it behooves me that so much church rhetoric around Christmas brings in, emphasizes and accentuates the death and the Resurrection…… this occurs when we’re talking with children at church, in children’s skits, all the way to sermons…….. Jesus came to die for us………. Jesus came to die to be resurrected……….  It is like we, the church, are sooooo afraid to rejoice just at the BIRTH lest we forget the sacrifice………… the price…………. The debt…….

But, we do rejoice in the death and the resurrection of Jesus, right!

Forgive me, but close your eyes and experience your rejoicing when your baby or a very close someone’s baby is born …….. OK, close your eyes again and experience your rejoicing at a close family member’s funeral for their waking up with the Lord??

Just take note, wherever you are, to the sermons and to the messages we are giving to our children at churches throughout, at Christmas time. Take note.

Let us not be soooooooo afraid to lose sight of the Savior’s death and resurrection that we feel the need  that we have to highlight and stress the death and resurrection at the time of the BIRTH. Let us in coming years JUST REJOICE without embedding the “You know he came to die for us”.

Birth = LIFE      therefore        Celebrate the BIRTH in it’s full GLORY and MAJESTY 🙂

The Lord was humble enough to come in Human Form
To come and live as a baby
To set an example of living
To teach you and me IN PERSON
To thirst and hunger
To feel tired enough to be irritated
To acknowledge the poor, the hungry, the widowed, the orphan, the stranger
To urge you and me to DO something
To impress upon you and me to ACT to assist all those in need

That’s Birth and Life   T’is the season to remind ourselves of how Jesus LIVED. The Death and the Resurrection do come, but they do come after His Birth and Life. Emphasize, Accentuate, Heighten, Stress and Highlight Jesus’ Birth and Life in this Blessed Christmas Season…….. Let’s do that Next Year and the Year after and the Year After 🙂

My Lord and my Creator, thank You for humbling Yourself to the extent of coming to this Earth, Your Creation for us. For setting the example by walking this Earth and Doing and Acting intentionally in a specific manner so that we may take notice of Your life and learn to mimic it. Yes, it is very hard work to try and follow in Your footsteps, but it is indeed just that, that You’ve asked and continue to ask us to do. May Your Strength and Your Presence equip us to strive to do just that. I love You my Lord and I thank You. Amen.