NATIVE LANGUAGE

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven….(A) crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Acts 2:5-8

 

CBS News recently ran a story about ten-year-old Takuto Kawakami from Okayama, Japan. He hangs out in the Korakuen gardens, talking to the tourists…in perfect English. Not many Japanese speak fluent English, but Takuto has mastered the language, passing a difficult English test that four out of five Japanese adults fail. But Takuto didn’t learn English at his school. He began learning from Disney products his parents bought him, starting at six months old. He could speak full sentences at age four. His mother got the idea to bring him to the garden so he could practice his English with tourists. He wears a bright yellow vest that says, “I want to learn English so please talk to me in English.” And they do. English speakers from all over the world converse with this young man, learning about the garden and feeling right at home. Why wouldn’t they? Takuto is as comfortable with English as if it is his native tongue too.

 

When Jesus came to live among mankind, He spoke His native language: the Language of Love. Is it any wonder that so many people hung on Christ’s every word, following Him around and begging Him for blessings, healing, release from pain and suffering and demons? The language Jesus spoke felt distantly familiar to His followers, even if sometimes they didn’t quite understand His full meaning. Even the disciples, those closest to Jesus, the men who spent the most time with Him, were still bewildered when the death He Himself predicted happened in real time. But Jesus knew the Language of Love would pick Him up out of that tomb and allow Him to appear before the disciples and others, speaking more words of hope and freedom. Didn’t the prophet Isaiah quote God as saying, “My word…will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire…?” (Isaiah 55:11) Listen, and you will hear the Lord speaking to you in your native tongue of Love.

 

Speak the Language of Love to us, O Lord, and still our hearts to listen. Amen

 

From Istanbul to Edinburg, Rwanda to New Zealand, followers of Meg Blaine Corrigan’s 2015 blog have been in for a treat. Part devotional, part memoir, part commentary on life, Corrigan’s daily devotion topics range from gut-wrenchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. The blog, entitled “Brilliant Resilience,” was read in over forty countries by more than nine thousand people. A few weeks into the year, Corrigan’s followers began asking her to put the blogs into print. Thus a book was born: Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, available from Amazon.com. New readers will be intrigued by her amusing titles and devotions that are grounded in reality. A great read for those in need of a spiritual lift, and a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone we hold dear.

DIVERSITY OR DIVISION?

Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples. John 13:35 NLT

 

I have written recently about the growing divisiveness we see in our society in the United States. That acrimonious atmosphere seems more prevalent throughout the world than it was a few decades ago. I remember the Civil Rights Movement in our nation, and all the noble and healing work that came out of that era. How is it that “civil discourse” now seems to be moving backwards rather than forward?

 

Yesterday, I read a little piece about how the world was when Jesus walked among us, and I realized it wasn’t so very different then. Consider the disciples (only Jewish men) that Jesus called: they were not all “best buds” to begin with. Peter and Andrew were fishing partners, as were James and John. The two pairs had probably known each other for years. Simon—called Peter by Christ—was a natural born leader and the number one cheerleader for Jesus…except on the night the Lord was arrested. The only disciple who wasn’t from the north region of Galilee was Judas; he was from Judea in the south. Could Judas’ lack of personal history with the others led him to succumb to pressure to betray Christ? We don’t hear much about Thomas, but he became famous for doubting the risen Christ. Matthew was a tax collector (akin to the dreaded IRS agents in our nation), and everyone hated him. Matthew worked for the occupying forces from Rome, taking the locals’ hard-earned money to fund those invading troops. Talk about disagreeing political factions! And the Bible is filled with stories of how women and children were considered “less than” until Jesus came along and challenged that viewpoint.

 

And there’s the answer: the catalyst for change was, and is, the Living Christ. Jesus loved those who were “different:” a Samaritan woman, men with leprosy, boisterous children, Roman soldiers, gentiles and Greeks, and even the religious leaders who put Him to death. We cannot profess to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who came to seek and to save the lost without loving others as He loves us. Loving others who are not like us isn’t easy, but it is paramount in furthering God’s kingdom.

 

Father of Compassion and Equality, teach us to love as You do. Amen

 

From Istanbul to Edinburg, Rwanda to New Zealand, followers of Meg Blaine Corrigan’s 2015 blog have been in for a treat. Part devotional, part memoir, part commentary on life, Corrigan’s daily devotion topics range from gut-wrenchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. The blog, entitled “Brilliant Resilience,” was read in over forty countries by more than nine thousand people. A few weeks into the year, Corrigan’s followers began asking her to put the blogs into print. Thus a book was born: Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, available from Amazon.com. New readers will be intrigued by her amusing titles and devotions that are grounded in reality. A great read for those in need of a spiritual lift, and a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone we hold dear.

NO REGRETS

Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32

 

My father was a proud man, seldom sharing his emotions with family or friends. He was a “take charge” kind of guy, a career Air Force officer. He never got over the fact that he could not control my mother’s alcoholism, trying to run his household like a cross between a military base and a nursing home. When he was ninety-two years old, suffering from congestive heart failure, he went down holding the sheets from my mother’s bed. Hanging heavy bedding out to dry was too much for him. With the portable phone in one hand, he called 911 when he hit the floor.

 

The weeks that ensued were not pretty. I flew to my parents’ home five states away to make arrangements for his care. He had survived—barely—after being intubated and pulling out the tube himself, being “fired” from both occupational and physical therapy and trying to bribe the rehab facility van driver to take him home against medical advice. He sent me packing back home, saying he didn’t need my help. I managed to get power of attorney with my mother’s signature and I grabbed his checkbook on the way out the door. He was furious, and I soon sent it back with a letter I should have burned instead of mailed. He was sent home with hospice services, tethered to an oxygen tank. I spent many sleepless nights feeling helpless, but when I called, he refused to talk to me. Finally, the night before he died, he called to remind me of my pledge to bring my mother back to our home state and place her in assisted living. He also apologized for being so angry and said he knew I was only doing what I thought was best.

 

I have often thought how sad I would have been if he had never called to reconcile with me. Paul made it clear to the Ephesians that harboring bad feelings towards others is not the way of Christ, period. Jesus came to us so that we would learn to love and forgive as He did.

 

Saving Lord, fill us with Your compassion, love and light toward others. Amen

 

From Istanbul to Edinburg, Rwanda to New Zealand, followers of Meg Blaine Corrigan’s 2015 blog have been in for a treat. Part devotional, part memoir, part commentary on life, Corrigan’s daily devotion topics range from gut-wrenchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. The blog, entitled “Brilliant Resilience,” was read in over forty countries by more than nine thousand people. A few weeks into the year, Corrigan’s followers began asking her to put the blogs into print. Thus a book was born: Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, available from Amazon.com. New readers will be intrigued by her amusing titles and devotions that are grounded in reality. A great read for those in need of a spiritual lift, and a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone we hold dear.

WHITE STONES

Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will…give that person a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to the one who receives it. Revelation 2:17

 

Can hateful talk “cause” a deadly shooting? Many opinions about this abounded following a horrific incident at Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania on October 28, 2018. In his sermon the following Saturday, Rabbi Jeffrey Myers blamed politicians for a rise in hateful rhetoric, saying it led to the massacre in which eleven Jews were murdered in the worst anti-Semitic attack in US history. The shootings occurred during perhaps the most contentious midterm election campaign in US history. CNN News reported that, according to police, the man accused of the attack yelled that he wanted to “kill Jews,” in part because Jewish groups have been helping refugees settle in the United States. Shock was expressed around the globe that such an act could happen today. Has the world forgotten the ethnic hatred that led to the takeover of Germany under the unconscionable tyranny of Adolf Hitler at the beginning of World War II?

 

Following the massacre, many mourners placed white stones on Stars of David lining the sidewalk in front of the Tree of Life temple. The placing of white stones for the dead is an ancient Jewish custom. Some believe the custom represents early shepherds keeping stones in a sling to keep track of the number of sheep in their care. Among other meanings, stones at Jewish funerals signify God keeping each departed soul in His eternal care. And in Revelation 2:17, we see reference to Christ speaking to the ones who are “victorious” (faithful until His return). Each devoted one will receive a white stone with a new name on it, a name bestowed by Christ Himself and known only to Him and the beloved recipient.

 

Stones are permanent, solid, and unshakeable. Those who have lost love ones to gun violence grieve in a way most of us cannot understand. God gave us free will, and we must use our own sensibilities to end acts of violence in our beautiful world.

 

Jesus, we thank You that You are, even now, wiping every tear from our eyes. We pray for a time when there will be no more tears or sorrow. Amen

 

HOW A BLOG BECAME A BOOK: From Istanbul to Edinburg, Rwanda to New Zealand, followers of Meg Blaine Corrigan’s 2015 blog have been in for a treat. Part devotional, part memoir, part commentary on life, Corrigan’s daily devotion topics range from gut-wrenchingly serious to laugh-out-loud funny. The blog, entitled “Brilliant Resilience,” was read in over forty countries by more than nine thousand people. A few weeks into the year, Corrigan’s followers began asking her to put the blogs into print. Thus a book was born: Saints With Slingshots: Daily Devotions for the Slightly Tarnished But Perpetually Forgiven Christian, available from Amazon.com. New readers will be intrigued by her amusing titles and devotions that are grounded in reality. A great read for those in need of a spiritual lift, and a wonderful Christmas gift for anyone we hold dear.