Once again, God has blessed us with another beautiful girl!  Addison MaeLee Brown, 9 lbs. 8 oz. and 21 inches long made her debut a bit after noon today, the 26th of May 2009.

I’m feeling overwhelmed by His grace.  New life is just so amazing.  There is nothing ordinary about it; only extrordinary.

Tomorrow is a grande and exciting day for our families.  Our 5th grandgirl will make her debut!  God is so great and we are a very blessed people.  The abundance of creation, of God’s gifts, of love, truly overwhelmes me.  Stay tuned for pictures!

Many of you will recognize this theme song from the 1975 movie Mahogony.  It was sung by Diana Ross.

Do You Know Where You\’re Going To?

Do you know where you’re going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to, do you know?
Do you get what you’re hoping for?
When you look behind you there’s no open door,
What are you hoping for, do you know?

As I read those words I can do nothing less than to ponder them and I ask myself, do I know in what direction my life is going?  What do I hope for?
As I look behind me, and see the experiences of life that have shaped and formed me I am joyful for them.   Notice I didn’t say ‘happy’, but joyful, for many of the experiences were rough going and I would not want to experience them again.  And I’ve made mistakes.  But as I look in the mirror to what I have become, and where I am going, I am joyful in the Lord!  He has blessed me with life shaping experiences that have led to lifelong Christian formation.  I can now look behind me to see closed doors and smile inwardly as to the invaluable experiences.

We cannot know the exact direction our life is going, but we can set the course through planning and preparation.  We begin this process very early in life usually with the aid of another (parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc.)  They set our course, give us the directions, and then set us free hopefully with all the right tools.

If you were to list the tools you’ve had in life, those you have passed on, what would that list look like?

As some of you are reading this, you may be thinking of your children and asking yourself, what have/did I pass on?  Did I include the very ones that matter the most; the teachings that are for lifelong Christian formation?

What are you hoping for, do you know?

Lifelong Spiritual Formation is the essential tool to the whole of life.  If we have given/received nothing but spiritual directives then we have given/received the love of our Maker and Redeemer, the tools that are life sustaining.

It’s not too late you know.  If you were not given the directions of life, you can still receive them with some effort.  It takes effort to learn the ways of the Lord; it takes effort to teach the ways of the Lord.  But we have a responsibility to ourselves and our younger generations.  We have a responsibility to our Lord and our church family.

Many of us hope for, we yearn for that one thing in life that is solid, strong, never failing and life sustaining.  And it is right in front of you.  Grab it, hold on to it and never let it go.

“For the Word of God is living and active.  Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.  Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight.  Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”                               Hebrews 4:12-13

Where are you going to, do you know?

Come to the gathering of believers, to your church, with no pretense, with the doors of the past closed, ready to open doors to the future.   Join a Sunday school class and/or the Wednesday evening Bible Studies for that is where lifelong spiritual formation begins.

Receive and give the tools of life and then you will know, you will be assured of hope and direction.

“Growing spiritually is an exciting adventure. As individual and as communities, we change, we are renewed, and we share in renewing God’s creation every day. As Christians who claim life in the power of the Holy Spirit, we live and rejoice in what God already has done, what God is doing, and what God wants for us. Spiritual growth is a lifelong process, and spiritual disciplines are the means by which we continue that process.”
Foundations: Shaping the Ministry of Christian Education in your congregation.

During this season of lent we are given the opportunity to experience something other than in our normal everyday lives; to experience something other than ourselves.  We are invited to give up a part of ourselves that we would otherwise be dependent upon, or to cling.  We are invited to experience the other possibilities in our self.  In that process (those 40 days) we begin to suffer over the loss of the familiar.  So often times it is much easier to continue clinging to old ways, to continue dependence on the familiar, to snuggle in the blanket of false security.

In the 10th chapter of the book of Mark, verses 17-22, we read of a man who wanted to experience something other than his self.

“Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good?  No one is good but God alone.  You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and mother.’”    He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.”  Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.”  When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”

Jesus, whom loved this man, offered him new life.  But the man first had to give up the part of him that was surely to stand in the way, and he couldn’t do it.  He could not give up what he already knew was not permanent, for what he sought was ETERNAL LIFE.  Did he choose instead to wait for another day, to wait for something else, another offer?  Did he think he could just continue day after day after day to live the familiar?  Did he not really believe in what Jesus offered him?  Maybe he just couldn’t comprehend what Jesus was offering?   The man left in grief and shock, turning his back to Jesus choosing other securities, the familiar. Read the rest of this entry

I have been spending entirely too much time on Facebook and Twitter!  It has caused me to neglect my blogging.  I enjoy FB and Twitter but I like to be able to ramble on with my thoughts in a different format too.

So since I wrote last, which looks like middle of March, I have had a birthday.  I don’t particularly feel older, but I do see significant changes in my body happening much too quickly.  The most telling sign is my eyes.  They have rapidly gotten worse.  I use to have excellent vision, then I turned 45 and it began to get worse.  Now 2 years later, I am looking at full time glasses with probable bifocals.  I have an appointment today. Read the rest of this entry

I love Easter for with it comes Spring; new life, warmer temps, flowers blooming, trees coming alive again. I like getting outside playing in the dirt as I prepare my flower beds in order that they grow vibrant and healthy. If I don?t prepare their soil properly, they won?t grow properly, if at all.

How appropriate it is that the season of Lent coincides with Spring for it too involves preparation; the preparation of our lives for the resurrection of our Christ. As we began the Season of Lent, Rick asked me what I would be giving up this year. I told him, “self”. For me, Lent is a time I take to seriously consider my attitude, my actions toward others, my “love level”. In other words, I ask myself how much closer I am to having the spirit of Christ than the previous year and what do I need to do to attain that? Christ was certainly selfless in all he did. It requires a lot of prayer, a lot of self examining, a lot of truth finding about the self. It is an act of preparing in order that my soul grows vibrant and healthy.

Self denial…the deliberate refusal to satisfy ones desires, as a method of disciplining oneself or making it possible to help others. Resurrect…to bring back to life, to bring back to memory or into use Vibrant…full of life and energy As we are nearing Easter and I look back upon this lent season I have to say that I could’ve done better, but I did better than the previous year. Of course, it is all just the beginning and doesn’t end with Easter, for Easter is the time of resurrection.

The next time you?re out working in your yard, ask yourself how you are preparing your life for vibrant growth. Is your life full with the love of Christ or is it lying dormant in need of some care?

God loves you immensely!

Tracie

This is an old writing of mine from the Spring of 2000. I was reminded of it yesterday when the birds began their beautiful morning ritual.  Creation is something we must take time to enjoy…

It is just before 6:00A.M. on a new morning, a morning set aside for praise of our glorious and sovereign Lord.

It is still dark as I sit out amongst the beauty of His creation, and I hear but only one bird begin the song. I marvel at its sweetness as it announces, with a melody, this new day.

Everything around me is so peaceful, so still, as if the elements of the earth are awaiting an event.

Then, I hear a second bird as if in response to the first. They speak for awhile, just the two of them, one with a tone of authority, the other seemingly submissive.

I look up into the skies noticing the dawn to appear, a picture so perfect, with colors so clear.

The birds, they are all now singing a chorus of great joy.

It’s a song of great praise to the one who has made the red colors arise out of the expanse of the sky.

Look! There he is! In the east of the heavens; thy Savior appears casting rays of light, showing all of God’s might.

I marvel at its excellence as it continues to rise, God placing His Son in the brilliance of the sky.

I remember now, the one lone bird instructing the other of what must happen for man to awaken.

Now, I see the Son in his place, he shines down on me with the warmth of His face.

It is now that I remember from whence he did come, he arose from earth’s darkness showing all of mankind it is Thine will that must be done.

Now, I know why God made the birds, it is to awaken each day to the glory he hath made.

It’s the Lenten season now, ushered in last week with Ash Wednesday.  We had a worship service where we were given the opportunity to examine the self, rid the self of sin, and if chosen you could write something in particular on a piece of paper to be burned in the service.  It is a common practice and one we have done for several years.  This one, however, was a bit different; much more heated so to speak. Read the rest of this entry

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

So how is your prayer life?  Do you…

• Pray once a day
• Pray once every morning before starting my day
• Pray once a day or so but sometimes forget
• Pray once a week
• Don’t really know

If you were able to answer yes to any of the choices above, then your prayer life is seriously lacking.  And, yes, that includes those of you who were able to answer yes to even the top two.  Don’t even think about patting yourself on the
back for a “job well done.”

Seriously, I hope you don’t think of prayer as a “job” at all but rather as an ongoing relationship with your greatest love.  Now that’s a good question-is God your greatest love?  If the answer is yes AND you answered yes to any of the
above then I ask you again-How is your love life, really?  Is God truly first in your life? Read the rest of this entry

What do you think?  Were the disciples rich or poor?

While sitting in a NAZI prison Dietrich Bonheffer wrote this about the plight of Jesus’ followers.

“The Disciples are needy in every way.  They are simply “poor” (Luke 6:20).  They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong.  But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them.  For his sake they have lost all that.  When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich.  Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them.” Discipleship p 102-103

What would you give to have known Jesus?   What would you give to know him now?

Luke 6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.’ Matthew5:3    Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

If we love the good things of life more than God, then our wealth is our enemy.  If we are self-righteous, then we will not know how very much we need Christ.

RD