The Presbyterian Layman ...

From my Presbyterian Outlook blog, posted 11.1.10 ...

I'm in a good mood this morning, so I decided to pick up, with trembling hand, of course, the latest screed on the decline of all things PCUSA (The Layman) ... and, of course, the rising stars of the PCA and EPC, and all such related groups. 

Well, I'm still in good mood, doubly glad that I'm not in their camp. It has to be mighty difficult for them, living in a world threatened with PCUSA evils ... sort of like living in the Poltergeist 1 home.

What I don't understand is the lack of joy in The Layman ... just so much anger, bitterness ... and the constant drumbeat of PCUSA's sins ... and a bizarre gleefulness over every perceived "failure" or "fault" in the PCUSA. 

As I read the letters to the editors, I was impressed with the depths of hatred therein. I get the feeling that The Layman and the FOX Network are strolling along, hand-in-hand.

Amazing.

Whatever else this is, it's not healthy.

Of course, it's all defended in the name of Jesus, whom they're defending, or so they think, as if Jesus even needed our help. The Layman clearly illustrates the adage, "With friends like this, who needs enemies?"

There are times I wonder if it's worthwhile to say anything. But as long as The Layman continues to shout is blasphemies, I'll shout out the grace of God in Christ. As long as The Layman continues to claim to have the upper hand on God's truth, I'll protest. As long as the Layman claims to have the moral high ground on life, I'll point out how immoral their mindset it. 

Anyway, I'm delighted to be where I am, and who I am, and I thank God for the grace to be here. 

What's a Good Day Like?

What constitutes a good day?

 

May your coffee taste good.

May a friend surprise you with a gift.

May your health be sound, and if it isn’t, may your spirit be confident.

And if your spirit suffers today, the clouds will pass.

And God is there, in all of it, with grace, mercy and peace.

I am with you always, says Christ.

And he means it.

 

Have a good day!

Help my Peace Corps son fly to his sister's wedding

The Power of ...

Today, when faced with possibilities, or challenges, think of the power of the word Yes!

Yes, I can do it.

Yes, I have what it takes.

Yes, I am a person of worth.

Yes, I will think my way through the problem.

Yes, I can overcome the difficulties and find solutions.

And for others:

Yes, I believe YOU can do it.

Yes, go ahead.

Yes, why not?

Yes, of course.

Yes, yes, yes.

Who knows what opportunities are waiting for you to say Yes.

And think of all the people on the edge of something good, and all they need to hear is YOU say Yes to them.

Patience and Dreams

Ever feel like giving up?

Sure, we've all been there, and sometimes it right to give up and change course, but I suspect a lot of good things have been lost by quitting too early.

If there's ever a lesson about hanging in their and following the dream, it's this fine little story from the September 14, 2010, LA Times - "There Reward Is a Long-Time Coming" ... about long-term minor league ball plays who are finally called up to the majors. Click HERE to read.

Reminds me of something Jesus said: “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest ina very little is dishonest also in much" [Luke 16:10].

So hang in there friend ... keep the dream alive ... you may have to slug it out for years in the minors. But who knows when the time will come for you're call to the majors.

Tom

Merciful God, I pray thee to grant me, if it please thee, ardor to desire thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to know thee and skill to speak to the glory of thy name. Amen (Thomas Aquinas)

Remembering the Fallen Firefighters

From my very good friend and fine writer, Bob Orr - a tradition that began for him on 9/11:

Yesterday I got my bunch of sunflowers and prepared.  This morning (pre-dawn at 5 am)  I drove to our Canton Fire Station No. 1 and placed the bouquet outside their front door with a simple card "Remembering the Fallen Firefighters of 9-11 - Thank You".  I've done this for nine years now.  The memories are vivid of that day for many.  One of the things I remember is other fire departments (some many states away) sending firefighters to New York city to assist.  I remember my Dad and his career of forty plus years of service as a firefighter in my hometown in northern Indiana.  It's hard to imagine someone trained to race into a burning fire when our natural human instinct is to flee.  We can't thank them enough.
Peace and prayers, 
Bob

Remembering 9/11

Nine years ago today, the Twin Trade Towers in Lower Manhattan fell to the ground, and with them, 3000 lives.

Today, we remember.

And we learn … as Lewis Carroll noted in Through the Looking Glass, “It’s a poor memory that only works backwards.

From Terry Jones, we learn the sad lessons of remembering backwards.

From Susan Retik, we learn the lessons of remembering forward.

“In the shattering aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, Ms. Retik bonded with another woman, Patti Quigley, whose husband had also died in the attack. They lived near each other, and both were pregnant with babies who would never see their fathers.

Devastated themselves, they realized that there were more than half a million widows in Afghanistan — and then, with war, there would be even more. Ms. Retik and Ms. Quigley also saw that Afghan widows could be a stabilizing force in that country.

So at a time when the American government reacted to the horror of 9/11 mostly with missiles and bombs, detentions and waterboardings, Ms. Retik and Ms. Quigley turned to education and poverty-alleviation projects — in the very country that had incubated a plot that had pulverized their lives” [“The Healers of 9/11” - By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF, Published: September 8, 2010, New York Times op-ed].

On ABC this weekend, a remarkable story of some 9/11 children, who were only infants when they lost their fathers, now left with only their father’s DNA and mementoes of a man they will never know.

Yes, they grieve, as only a child can, with a remarkable degree of depth and innocence.

Their grief is holy, and we must not sully it with the debris of only a backward memory.

With you today, I remember – but more than what was, we best remember what will be, with decisions made like that of Ms. Retik, and millions of others ,who choose their better angels and build a better world.