Be not afraid...

Daily Lesson for December 24, 2015

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 through 20:

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."

Joseph was a just man, a righteous man, a good, good man.  If somebody in the community needed something done there he was. He was the man to call on -- good with his hands and knowledgeable about all manner of things from woodworking to plumbing to agriculture.  He was always willing to help -- quietly, and never asked for more than his cost in materials if that. He was salt of the earth, and as kind and generous and good-hearted of a man as you could find.

So when Mary turned up pregnant Joseph was going to do what we'd expect him to do. While he could run her name from the mud and even demand that she be stoned according to the letter of the Law prohibiting adultery; instead he decided to do what a guy like Joseph would do: dismiss her quietly, without saying a thing. He'd be heartbroken, but he'd also be quiet. It was the right thing to do he thought. And in Ratzinger's words, in deciding to do so Joseph showed that he "lived the Law as Gospel."

That is beautiful. And we love Joseph for it.  But in the end, it also wasn't enough. An angel of the LORD came to him in a dream and told him to do more than simply dismiss her quietly.  "Embrace her."  "Accept her." "Take her as your wife," the angel said.  "The child is of the Holy Spirit."

There are many people like Joseph -- kind and generous and righteous people. Churches are full of them.  We live the Law and seek to follow its dictates as closely as we can. And when someone or something seems to go against the Law we seek to be at once kind and firm about where we stand.  We try to live the Law; but we try to live it as if it were Gospel.

But at some point in our lives -- and this is the moment of radical spiritual transformation -- an act of the Holy Spirit comes along which requires us to go beyond the Law into the stunningly-new summons of Gospel. This is what Kierkegaard called the "leap to faith".  This is the leap that includes Gentiles, gives voice to women in sanctuaries, and welcomes takes expectant mothers to be a bride.

"I have not come to do away with the Law," Jesus said, "but to complete it."  By that he meant that while the Law was good, in the end it too fell short.  The Law -- even if it is lived as Gospel -- always falls short.


But the leap beyond the law requires a letting go -- of certainty, of where we currently are, and of the way we thought things were to be.  The leap demands great courage, and none of us I am sure would ever make it if it were not for the same angel who came to Joseph also coming to us and saying the same thing it said to him, "Be not afraid."

From 2nd Thoughts, Ryon Price, Pastor, 2nd Baptist Church, Lubbock

An Angel Named Inspiration!

I love what Danish Alex Beauchamp said about Hygge:

"The Danes see both the domestic and personal life 
as an art form 
and not drudgery to get away from. 
Hygge is about being present 
and recognizing 
and enjoying 
the moment."
(as in www.justhyggehere.blogspot.com)

Gift

Departure and Farewell 
(Dan Messe) 

The summer folds the afternoon, 
And pins a shadow to the lawn, 
And sweeps across the empty room 
Where I am gone. 

The sunlight films my waving hands. 
The final scene has just begun, 
And pulling back the world expands, 
And I am gone. 

Hey, I am gone. 
Along the way I'll say to you, 
“So long, my love, so long...” 

Another light now fills the sky. 
The window searches for the sun. 
Another chance to say goodbye, 
But I am gone. 

Hey, I am gone. 
I'll find a way to say to you, 
“So long, my love. so long, my love.” 

So long... 

I'm pulling back. 

The world expands. 
And I am gone. 

Surprise!

Daily Lesson for December 21, 2015

Ryon Price, Pastor, 2nd Baptist

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Luke chapter 1: 

Verse 13, But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John." 

As much as we think of Christmas as a time of promise for children with all the world before them, it is also and was first a time for promise for the elderly whose best and brightest days they were sure were behind them.

That's the first story of Christmas anyway -- the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth.  They were an aged couple without children and without the prospect of ever being terrorized by either a child or a grandchild.  They were barren. And it is to them in their barrenness closing of womb and sadness of aging that the first promise of Christmas comes: "You will have joy and gladness."

Now it is of course doubtful that any aged and barren couple I know is going to suddenly get pregnant in old age and have a child like Zechariah and Elizabeth had John. As one wheelchair-bound woman quipped to a pastor friend who was preaching this story at the local nursing home, "Pregnant? Now?  Try telling that to Medicaid."

So maybe a baby isn't on the way. But the promise of Christmas can still come -- even into the nursing home.

Or even for those of us who cannot imagine "giving birth" to something new at our age.

Daily Lesson for December 22, 2015

Today's Daily Lesson comes from Luke chapter 1 verses 34 through 38:

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Yesterday I was with a friend who just recently got engaged. Five years ago his wife passed away and two years ago he had no sense or notion that he would not spend the rest of his remaining days alone. Then suddenly things changed, Cupid struck, and he's soon to be moving into a Methodist parsonage -- a pastor's spouse-to-be!

I thought of what one of my childhood pastors liked to say, "God's middle name is Surprise."

An old woman said to be barren is suddenly pregnant.  Holy Saint Viagrus!  And a virgin is pregnant with child!  And God will be born of Mary! Surprise!

Auden wrote:
How can the Eternal do a temporal act
The Infinite become a finite fact?
Nothing can save us that is possible.

A rod shoots forth from the barren bough. A branch grows up from the hidden roots. The rose blossoms pink and beautiful in December chill. Nothing is impossible with God.

For God's middle name really is Surprise.

And ours is Delight.

Stay tuned...

Early Christmas, Etc.

 Cactus Kids Christmas Show

for Caleb

 "Minions" for Sawyer

Santaree

Santareeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

 He's SO creative!

 

BIG FAMILY!

 More the Merrier!

 

 Sawyer, Miles, Miles & Sawyer

Miles and miles of Miles!

Just weird!

Sweet one from Marilyn's grands...

A year ago...

This time last year

I was frozen,

right along with the ice storm

that delayed Rob's memorial service

until well into the spring.

This year 

I am thawing out

and feeling now what could not be felt

until it was time to feel it.

I could not know then what I know now,

and I am so grateful I didn't have to.

Thawing happens only under the right conditions.

Today I can feel just a hint of Spring starting
to happen in my heart and soul.

And
"It is well..."
there.

Wedding Bells!

Look at that gorgeous Mother-of-the-Groom!

Celebrating with the Loves, et.al at Caleb and Laura's wedding.

(Thanks for the pic, Debi!)

Merry Christmas!

24 hours into 7

Karla came and, as usual, we managed to pack

a full day into the seven hours we had together...

and we did it!

A.J. was our server and photographer at On the Border...

Here we are with the altered book

she made for me.

We giggled and "made a scene" while we read it.

(It takes so very little!)

And then we talked...and talked...

and came back to the apartment

and talked.

Love you, Karla!

J.F.

"Regret is the longing to change the past.
Fear is the desire to control the future.
Peace is the surrender to Now."

Even D.L.

“When you’re doing it for so long, and for each day…you believe that what you are doing is of great importance and that it is affecting mankind wall-to-wall. And then when you get out of it you realize, oh, well, that wasn’t true at all. It was just silliness. And when that occurred to me, I felt so much better and I realized, geez, I don’t think I care that much about television anymore. I feel foolish for having been misguided by my own ego for so many years.” 

Priceless! (Thank you, Marilyn...)

First aid...

Got in the car today to go do a 

good-hard

thing,

and this was playing on the radio.

Phillip Phillips - Gone, Gone, Gone

Found it!

Weston will be both smart & handy!

(i.e. great "husband material" in the future...)

Christmas comes...

 Are we ready?

 JOY!

 Hark!

 This morning I put on music...specifically the Jazz station.

I just wasn't up for Christmas music.

Most of it makes me cry.

Well, lo and behold, right there on the Jazz station, Kenny G's

"Winter Wonderland" starts playing.

It's from his Miracles:  The Holiday Album (1994), a CD we played

at Christmastime throughout the decades.

Ugh!  

I felt the initial tug on my heart as I remembered so many Christmas

seasons with these strains playing in the background.

But this time, instead of sadness, 

I felt such gratitude for the way music--this music

connects me to Rob and the goodness that was us.

 And then, by chance, my eyes landed on a "paw-paw"

shining high above my family photo gallery.

(See it?)

And then, I looked down at my lap at the Advent reading I was about

to read before the music caught my attention.

Goodness gracious!

Words, music, art...a multi-media trio of 

HOPE 

showing up right on time!!

I'm so glad I showed up for this lovely

Christmas Gift.

I'm hooked!

When Susan was here in the summer, she got me hooked (in a good way)

on THE VOICE, and I have watched every episode this season.

It's been full of incredibly talented vocalists, and 

some really kind, thoughtful coaches.

Throughout the season, one coach in particular just stole my heart.

I'm sure I should have already known Pharrell Williams;

after all he's been in the music industry limelight for years now.

It was only last night when I googled him that 
I realized he was the writer/producer of "Happy", 
a song hugely popular a few years ago.

I loved the song then, and I love it even more now that

I know more about Pharrell, simply from observing him on THE VOICE.

He exudes love and generosity of heart, both in what he says

and in how he presents himself on the show.

Behind that quirky exterior

lies a heart of gold.

(If you know anything bad about him, please don't tell me,

at least not now.  I already know he also wrote "Blurred Lines"...)

I would love to have dinner with Pharrell Williams!

His spirit makes me...well,

HAPPY!

Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video)

Happy - Pharrell Williams (Original + Lyrics) HD

Red and yellow, black and white...

In schools, on streets and TV, children feel Muslim backlash

A backlash against American Muslims is leaving a mark on some of the nation's youngest minds.

After seeing presidential candidate Donald Trump call on television for barring Muslims from entering the country, 8-year-old Sofia Yassini checked the locks on her family's home in Plano, Texas, imagining the Army would take them away. She raced to her room and stuffed a pair of Barbie dolls, a tub of peanut butter and a toothbrush into a bag. She insisted on bringing boots for the long boat ride she imagined was coming.

When her mother, Melissa, arrived home from her work as a human resources manager, Sofia ran into her arms and cried.

"I want people to understand the impact that their words have on these children," said Melissa Yassini, who described the experience in a Facebook post that had been shared more than 21,000 times as of Monday. "We often forget, we're waging war on one another with words, and we're adults. We can take it. The kids are suffering with this. They go to school every day and they're afraid to tell people they're Muslim. This has to stop."

Anti-Muslim sentiment was building in the days before 14 people were killed Dec. 2 in the massacre at a disability center in Southern California by a Muslim couple investigators say were inspired at least in part by the Islamic State group. Some governors had already said they wouldn't allow Syrians fleeing civil war into their states because of extremist fears. Experts say Trump's call Dec. 7 to keep all Muslims from entering the United States — a plan he said would apply only temporarily and to non-citizens — only fanned the flames.

Parents say their children hear disparaging remarks in their own communities, see hateful bumper stickers and T-shirts, and have had friends abandon them because of their faith.

Ahad Khan, 12, came home from school in rural Westminster, Maryland, in tears because his best friend called him a future terrorist who couldn't be trusted, according to Ahad's father, Raza Khan.

Khan, the chairman of the science department at Carroll Community College, shared Ahad's experience in an open letter to Trump on Facebook. As of Monday, it had been shared more than 4,300 times.

"He is the engine right now for that fearmongering," Khan said in an interview. "I don't think he realizes that his words matter. He doesn't realize the damaging effect his words can have on people, especially kids."

In the minds of children — many long on imagination and short on political understanding — phrases like "total and complete shutdown of Muslims" can be traumatic, experts say.

"Children expect that society will be nurturing and protective," said Mark DeAntonio, a child psychiatry professor at the University of California Los Angeles. "Statements implying detainment or exclusion for arbitrary reason like race ethnicity or religion create anxiety and trauma."

Some children have questioned their faith and place in American society.

Kafumba Kromah, of Minneapolis, said his 8-year-old daughter asked him: "Why we are Muslims? Why can't we be what everybody else is?" His daughter encouraged him to cancel a trip to his native Liberia for fear he would be barred from returning.

Mehnaz Mahmood, of Dallas, said her 7-year-old son urged her to switch to a black-and-white hijab — so she would look more like a nun — after they were subjected to anti-Muslim remarks outside his school this week.

Sam Madi, of New Orleans, watched coverage of Trump's remarks with his 11-year-old son. He said he feared anti-Muslim sentiment would set back progress in integrating Muslims into American society. Zane Madi plays soccer and spends most weekends with his mother helping the city's homeless.

"We're not prepared for this," said Madi, whose father fled Iraq in the 1970s. "We're not prepared to sit and educate our children why they're not any different from anybody else. I don't think any parent is prepared for that. I don't care what religion you believe or don't believe."

Parents needn't shoulder the burden themselves, said Patricia Greenfield, a psychology professor at UCLA. Teachers should talk about not generalizing Muslims and ask children to reinforce their friendships with Muslim students, she said in an email.

As Khan, the father in Maryland, tucked his son in last week, he left him with the words he recited when he became a U.S. citizen two decades ago: "One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

"I don't know why, I don't know how people forget that," Khan said later, fighting back tears. "We have to; otherwise we're dividing ourselves."

Thank you, Marilyn...glorious!

Breadcrumbs on the path...

These came in the mail today:

 This from my dearest S-I-L, Debi,

filled, as usual, with the most marvelous words.

She could/should write a book!

And this from precious Pam, 

who managed to find the most beautiful words 

to share her broken heart with mine.

It hurts so much,

and yet,

words can and do heal in the meantime.

And this email the other day from my forever-friend, Darlene:

Oh Sarah, I’ve thought of you so often lately.  Just wanted you to know how much I love and cherish you and our friendship.  Just know that I’m sending you a hug today.

Life has been spinning, but today I took a moment to catch up briefly with you through your blog.  Thank you for sharing yourself so honestly and lovingly.  You create a space of “awe” and “hmmmm” for all of us.  Love you!!!  ~Darlene

Words are breadcrumbs on the path,

and I am so grateful for all the words that continue

to come my way every day.

Out of the blue...

Last week I received a "Care Package" from my dear friend, Coco.

Her love-language is gift-giving, 

and what makes her gifts so special 

is that many of them are already well-loved-on!

I am a very grateful benefactor of her love and generosity.

So much fun!

Therefore...

Ryon's take on it...

Daily Lesson for December 14, 2015

Today's Daily lesson comes from Matthew chapter 24 verses:
15 "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak . . . 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it . . . 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."

Here's a word to the wise: when things are going south, and you can see the legions marching in, don't wait for the siege and the calamity to make your decision. Don't be foolish and don't trust in deliverance from on high. You have Jesus' permission -- no, even more you have his advice: flee now while you still can.  Otherwise, you may not survive; and even if you do you'll be a slave.

Ryon Price, Minister, 2nd B, Lubbock

Wow!  What powerful words that say nothing about surrender and turning the other cheek. Sometimes, it appears, we are encouraged to "Get the hell outta Dodge!"

Lovely...

Precious Kelly Randall and her mother-in-law Ann

were at the play, and we had a wonderful visit.

When Jon Randall died, 

Kelly lost a husband, and Ann lost a son.

We shared our heavy, yet hopeful hearts,

and talked about being 
"frozen"

in those early months

and the painful, yet necessary 
"thawing"

that is occurring now for all of us.

Angels among us...

Thank you, Cheryl...she's beautiful...like you!

 

Telling it backwards...

Saturday afternoon at the movies:

The Good Dinosaur

 Perfect for kids--big and little!

It's about love, hope, fear, courage...family!

We loved it!

McD's for Saturday morning breakfast

Stikbot Antics

(Photo by Sawyer)

Bro-Fun

How much fun can you have

with a leftover Halloween balloon?

Photos by Daddy

Friday night adventure at Holland Gardens

an annual Christmas tradition.

(Here he is lodging a concern that for two years in a row

the "Flippin' Clown" has not been flippin'.

They took him very seriously and said they would

definitely look into it.)

Guns up for TTU!
Sawyer and his new BFF, Connor, pose for multiple photo-ops:

Back at the house, it's birthday time.

He had asked for Stikbots,

and there they are.

Impersonating a StikBot

The surprise is in the closet...and he finds it!

 

OPTIMUS PRIME

Valuable ring...valuable lesson.