It is almost August

Quotes and meditation

Who Is My neighbor?

“"Love your neighbor as yourself" the Gospel says (Matthew 22:38). But who is my neighbor? We often respond to that question by saying: "My neighbors are all the people I am living with on this earth, especially the sick, the hungry, the dying, and all who are in need." But this is not what Jesus says. When Jesus tells the story of the good Samaritan (see Luke 10:29-37) to answer the question "Who is my neighbor?" he ends by asking: "Which ... do you think, proved himself a neighbor to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?" The neighbor, Jesus makes clear, is not the poor man laying on the side of the street, stripped, beaten, and half dead, but the Samaritan who crossed the road, "bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them ... lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him." My neighbor is the one who crosses the road for me!”

Henri J. R. Nouwen

“There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect.”

“If we censure Martha too harshly, she may abandon serving altogether, and if we commend Mary too profusely, she may sit there forever. There is a time to go and do; there is a time to listen and reflect. Knowing which and when is a matter of spiritual discernment. If we were to ask Jesus which example applies to us, the Samaritan or Mary, his answer would probably be Yes.”

Fred B Craddock

… was professor of preaching and New Testament at Candler School of Theology and Graduate Division of Religion Emory University in Atlanta. This quote is seen in his commentary “Luke” referencing Luke 10:38-42 the story of Mary and Martha entertaining Jesus in their home.

The Mary and Martha story comes directly after the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). Thus these two stories bring to the reader the essence of Dr. Craddock's quote. We are called to be out there in the world doing good works, touching the poor, the widows, and the disabled. We are to be committed to reaching out to our neighbors in all aspects of their lives and needs.

The U.S. Army Leadership Manual is based on a “Go, Be, Do” mindset. We where told as children not to just stand there but to 'do something.' We have been crafted by our culture to be doers or Marthas.

During Clinical Pastoral Education we were taught the principle found in Mary and Martha's story, telling us in ministry not to just do something but to stand there; thus being a ministry of presence. It seems that often we are not helping our neighbor by immediately taking some sort of action. Rather we should listen to and reflect on our neighbor's real needs exclusive of their desires giving us an opportunity for the Holy Spirit walk with us through our doing, as we walk our neighbor through their problem. We also need to dedicate a certain amount of our time sitting at the Master's feet in prayer, meditation, reading, and listening.

Yet, when the stories are read we begin to seen that one can't just be a good doer and a doer of those things God has presented us with unless we are also a listener who reflects on all inputs to discern the right thing to do.

I can relate this to my experiences here on my little farm and woods. I have learned the hard way that preparing your saw, using it correctly, and sharpening it often makes the task easier, safer, and more efficient. You learn that the more you use the saw, the more often it needs to be sharpened. We must understand that we are like the saw. We should not take for granted we may be doing a great job... thus just keep on. Like the saw we must be sharpened and properly maintained.

Blessings to all; and may God the Creator give you His grace, mercy, peace, and love. I pray that you learn this brief but powerful lesson and live it.

American Indian thoughts

Members of the Oklahoma Choctaw Nation gathered in Tacoma WA. It is great to see what real 2013 American Indians look like in action spreading good will and educating others on their culture and tradition, thus preserving it.

Elder's Meditation of the Day July 4

"That is not our way, to set yourself apart and talk about who you are and what you've done. You let your life speak for you. With the Mohawk people, wisdom is how you live and how you interpret what y...our mother and father, what your grandmothers and grandfathers have told you about this world - and then how you interpret that into the fact of living every day."
--Tom Porter, MOHAWK

It is said, how you live your life makes so much noise that people can't hear what you are saying anyway. It is so easy to see people who do not walk the talk.

Creator, I ask you today to help me be humble. Let me spend the day listening. Help me to not brag or gossip. Help me today not to do those things that seek attention or approval from others. I am only accountable to You, Oh Great Spirit. You will tell me the things I need to know. Let me learn the lessons from my Elders. Let me teach the children by example. Today, let me walk the talk.

By: Don Coyhis Artist : David Penfound

I ask you all to come with me now and visit the 'welcome back' abbreviated Smoke Signal News Letter from the Manataka American Indian Council: http://manataka.org/page2664.html. This is the American Indian organization/tribe/church of which I am a council Elder. Please take the time to click on the information link in the new project we are beginning... a sacred meeting place, an amphitheater, and museum in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

The Rt. Rev. Stephen Charleston is a Retired Episcopal Bishop and Choctaw

News from the Tennessee mini-Farm

Let's start with Jo's mother Glory. Glory told us a few months ago that she would like to be somewhere there were people her age that she could interact with. We began a search, making calls, and visiting places. We would generally take Glory with us so that she could check it out. Glory found a place that she said 'I could live here.' We came back later and talked to the director, had Glory evaluated by the facility staff and her regular physician, and signed her up as a member of the Assisted Living Facility. After two months, she is still happy there. We take care of her laundry and snack supply once or twice a week, but try not to cause her to think we are spying on her. I think it was a good move.

Jo and I have been accepted as Associates at St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Cleveland, TN. We have been attending there for about five months. Now licensed in the Diocese of East Tennessee we were introduced to the congregation as Father Fred and Deacon Jo, who you will be seeing regularly at the Altar on Sundays.

In continuing in the maintenance of our certification with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (our professional organization as Chaplains), we have been accepted into a chapter in Dalton, GA, about and hour away.

ext week Jo and I will attended a training session at the Fire Academy having become members of the Tennessee Federation of Fire Chaplains.

We continue to be a presence at Kathy's County Kitchen in Benton where we are able to meet people and make connections. We also love to help out Kathy when she needs a hand.

We are slowly getting all the little faults and glitches in our new home up to par. This is just one of those tasks that takes awhile when you build a new house. We have been concentrating on the garden, the orchard, and clearing dead fall in the woods... our recreation time. Jo's the master gardener and in spite of a terribly wet start to the season she has been reaping cucumbers and pickling cucumbers faster than we can give them away. She has canned one batch of pickles and preparing for more. She has lots of summer squash, zucchini, green beans, cauliflowers, water melons, cantaloupes, and a great crop of kale while it lasted. None of the store bought tomato plants did very well (too much rain), but the return seedlings from the compost pile have been giving us a load and variety of tomatoes lately. We didn't expect much from the fruit trees this first year... but, we are eating some fresh peaches, will be eating some apples soon, we had a fair crop of blueberries, and have enough blackberries for canning some jam.

Our mini Lily farm is doing very well, the lilies along with a wide variety of bird and butterfly friendly plants are taking shape in the four flower gardens... it is starting to look like home around here.

It was a working winter and so far this summer we haven't slowed down much. It won't be long until we take a vacation, go visit the sights, parks, and places of interest around here, do a little fishing, go tubing on the river, and generally act like retirees.

We miss everyone in Central Florida. You stay in our thoughts and prayers. We will be making more frequent trips there as things slow down. You remain in our thoughts and prayers. Blessings.

Christine

~White Buffalo Calf Woman talked with the women of the village that they might remember their great importance and role in the life of the tribe, for it was the women who sustained the tribe...she also talked to the children, reminding them that they were the future of the tribe and must prepare themselves in a good and sacred way...”

When I saw this picture I thought of my daughter Christine. She is the baby of the family… well the youngest of the children. Certainly she is not a baby anymore. She is all grown up, married with four children. She is a fourth grade teacher in a prestigious private school. She has for the past several years worked in early childhood education in the day care venue, project managed a couple on-line businesses, managed her own web sites, did consulting on Social Media, and is the chief cook, housekeeper, children’s driver while carrying a full load at the University of Central Florida.

The older girls Shakti and Julia are in middle school with lots of extracurricular activities to keep them and mom busy.  The younger girl and boy are five and three Amaya and Soham. These two never slow down; it wears me out just watching them. Amaya has a few activities that she is involved in that require attention. Soham (I call him ‘little chief’) on the other hand being the youngest and the only boy can spend his time doing everything he can to be the center of attention.

I do have to give Christine’s husband Shay a whole lot of credit in keeping the kids moving, helping with homework, watching one or all of the kids when mom is occupied, worn out, or doing something for herself. Shay works long hours as a computer programmer and project manager in an international world and in several time zones… yep that means working sometimes in the middle of his night. Oh, to be young again.

Now back to the original picture and American Indian Meditation. Christine has nurtured and continues to nurture her children age appropriately. I have seen the carry portrayed in the picture for many years… Christine holding her children close to her heart, making them feel loved, safe, and secure.

Now a new picture… the younger two:

 On Wednesday May first, yes May Day, Little Chief was playing in the playroom when he had a tumble with a heavy object on top of him. To be safe, Christine rushed him to the E.R. while Shay held down the fort. This is really where this picture not only reminded me of Christine but in fact was Christine holding her baby close to her heart, safe, and secure. The outcome was good, just bruised and scared. After a just in case C.T. scan, they returned home to keep him under observation the rest of the night.

This action and follow up was not exactly what Christine needed. The next morning she had to be at the University of Central Florida at 8:00 am in her cap and gown to walk in her graduation ceremony.

In spite of being sleepless and stressed she made it there and was beautiful to boot. Christine graduated with her degree in English Literature and Education with a 3.84 GPA. During a phone conversation yesterday she told me that she will now begin prepping for the GRE test.

Do you think a daddy could be prouder? Knowing the time and effort she has put into her family and now into her education, I call this a paramount event.

Christine we are so proud of you, love you so much, and are so happy for you.  I like you hair too… although you really look good with your natural dark hair, you look great with the almost blond look.

Congratulations Christine!!

Be The Duck, American Indian meditations, my musing, and a Tennessee Update

Writing to Save the Day  Writing can be a true spiritual discipline. Writing can help us to concentrate, to get in touch with the deeper stirrings of our hearts, to clarify our minds, to process confusing emotions, to reflect on our experiences, to give artistic expression to what we are living, and to store significant events in our memories. Writing can also be good for others who might read what we write. Quite often a difficult, painful, or frustrating day can be "redeemed" by writing about it. By writing we can claim what we have lived and thus integrate it more fully into our journeys. Then writing can become lifesaving for us and sometimes for others too.  ~Henri  Nouwen

Be The Duck

Many years ago, possibly even in my teens, I stumbled across a collection of inspirational quotes and the one stuck with me enough to scribble it down was this:  Always Behave Like A Duck.  Stay Calm and Unruffled On The Surface And Paddle Like Hell Underneath.  I don’t know why that one in particular hit me, but it’s been in my wallet or in my jewelry box for ages.  It may be slightly tattered and yellowed with age (much like myself), but it’s there and it pops up every now and again but mostly just stays tucked away in the filing cabinet of my mind.  The other day, while feeding the geese at the river with my children, the file drawer sprang open and I was reminded of the quote once again. 

We had a lot of old bread with us because this was the primary reason for our trip to that particular park.  It was a gorgeous day but when we approached the landing, there were only 4 birds waiting for us – a pair of geese and a pair of ducks.  We tossed the first bits of bread and the two ducks moved away to a quiet little cove downstream while the geese flapped their wings, shouted and made frenzied dives for the food.  This, of course, drew attention and suddenly several other geese made a mad dash to our landing. 

Never mind that it was their own actions that attracted the new guests, Goose #1 and Goose #2 were not at all happy with these party crashers and began to attack the new arrivals.  Meanwhile, the two quiet ducks were casually picking up all the bread that floated to their peaceful area while the geese were too busy fighting to pick it up.  Amid all the splashing and nipping, every goose managed to get a bit of bread but I can’t imagine that they enjoyed it since each piece represented something they were entitled to and that should be kept from all the newcomers.  Mine, mine, mine!!! 

I can’t pretend to know what goes on in the mind of a goose, but it seems that the fighting eventually became a game and that they were having fun.  Rowdy, frantic, chaotic activity just for the hell of it.  Fighting just to fight.  The more commotion that the geese created, the further down the river the two ducks moved.  Just quietly looked at one another and swam away.  No splash.  No noise.  Just movement away from the pandemonium. 

I recalled the quote at that moment and remembered why I liked it all along.  The geese and the ducks were from the same place.  They had the same opportunity for bread.  The geese screamed and shouted and demanded attention while proclaiming that all of the bread must be theirs!  The ducks wanted no part of that drama, moved away and patiently awaited the bread that they trusted would come down river to them.  When they had enough, they left the extra for the next birds that came along. 

We encounter Geese every day.  The guy leaning on his horn because you don’t turn right on red fast enough to please him is a Goose.  The coworker who alerts the media when they did something slightly beyond their job description is a Goose.  The woman in line at the grocery store who is so exasperated after having to wait more than a minute is a Goose.  I have a friend who has always referred to the snippy grumbling women in her office as The Geese.  That always made me laugh, but now I know what she was talking about.  Geese are territorial, mean and aggressive.  They scream and they bite.  They often don’t even remember why they are so angry in the first place.  They fight and bicker just for the sport of it.  The Geese are all around us.   

Now, how many Ducks do you know?  I feel fortunate to have many Ducks in my life. These are the people who do the right thing just because it’s the right thing, not because they expect accolades.  Ducks hold open doors and let people merge in traffic.  Ducks buy sour lemonade from a kid trying to earn money for bubblegum and declare it the best lemonade ever.  Ducks don’t grumble when things don’t go their way, they find a new way. Ducks work hard and don’t complain.  Ducks have troubles like anyone else, but they focus on the blessings, not the stressings and that’s how they keep moving forward. 

In other words, Ducks remain calm and unruffled on the surface while they are paddling like hell underneath. 

So that tattered yellow paper will remain in my jewelry box for a while longer and I’m going to do my best to be the Duck and on the days when that’s not so easy, I hope to at least recognize the Duck who is probably helping me out and save the best bread for them. 

Posted by Terri Capote 

http://tpwlimh.blogspot.com/2013/04/be-duck.html?spref=fb

Shadow of the Wolf & Native Wisdom & Poems of the Heart
~We had no definite idea of our relations and surroundings in the afterlife, we believed that there is a life after this one, but no one ever told me what part of man lived after death. We held the discharge of one's duty would make his future life more pleasant...~
~Geronimo, (One who Yawns) 1829-1909~

“Let him [the white man] be just and deal kindly with my people, for the dead are not powerless. Dead, did I say? There is no death, only a change of worlds."
-Chief Seattle
"The difference between the white man and us is this: You believe in the redeeming powers of suffering, if this suffering was done by somebody else, far away, two thousand years ago. We believe that it is up to every one of us to help each other, even through the pain of our bodies. ...We do not lay this burden onto our God, nor do we want to miss being face to face with the Spirit Power. ...We want no angel or saint to gain it for us and give it to us second-hand."-John Fire Lame Deer
 Our circle is timeless, flowing; it is new life emerging from death – life winning out over death.” -Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions

From the University of Oklahoma

Regardless of the denomination or tribal affiliation, American Indian Christians do not always reflect the assimilated image that policymakers had once anticipated. From the beginning, Christian and tribally specific beliefs and practices often combined to produce syncretic expressions that were and are simultaneously Christian and Indian. As James Treat writes, American Indian Christians "have constructed and maintained their . . . religious identities with a variety of considerations in mind. . . . Many native Christians accomplish this identification without abandoning or rejecting native religious traditions." Thus, the appearance of native hymn traditions, for example, has helped many tribes to maintain the cultural and spiritual power of language and belief according to traditional ways. In the late nineteenth century, moreover, mission stations often became associated with kin-based bands, thus serving as a focal point for new communities in which Native people who became deacons or lay leaders continued to maintain and express traditional ideals of generosity and kinship. In these and other ways Christianity gave many of Oklahoma's Indian people a way to accommodate the changing social and cultural contours of their world, and in doing so to maintain an important sense of ethnic identity and pride.

The statistics vary on what percent of American Indians are Christian; it is likely around 16%.  There is another 25% who embrace a combined belief of traditional Indian religion and Christianity.
I strongly support the efforts of the Native American Ministries /Indigenous of the Episcopal Church, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Native-AmericanIndigenous-Ministries-of-the-Episcopal-Church/121658134519767?fref=ts. I give them great praise and respect in all of their endeavors. I believe in their approach to ministry for American Indians. I encourage you to check out what they are doing.
John 5:24-27
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicized (NRSVA)
²⁴ Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.
²⁵ ‘Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶ For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; ²⁷ and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man.
John 6:37-40
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)
³⁷ Everything that the Father gives me will come to me, and anyone who comes to me I will never drive away; ³⁸ for I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰ This is indeed the will of my Father, that all who see the Son and believe in him may have eternal life; and I will raise them up on the last day.’

Tennessee Update

It is hard to believe that it has been six weeks since I last posted on the blog. Time flies whether we are having fun or not. We are grateful that it has mostly been fun.
The garden is coming right along.  Even though there have been a few chilly days and several stormy days, the veggies are beginning their journey to the dinner table.  The bushes and some of the flowering plants are showing their beauty around to house.  The birds are wonderful.  There are lots of them of many verities.  They sing to us every morning, day, and evening and the whip-o-will sings to us at night.  The bunnies and squirrels are all out in abundance which makes Gracie happy… playmates! The squirrels love it, I’m not so sure about the rabbits. We now have 13 fruit trees planted and blooming (plums, pears, peaches, nectarine, four verities of apple, and cherry) plus blackberry and blueberry bushes. I can’t wait until we are having Nutri-Bullet smoothies daily.
Jo and I both have been working too hard lately, trying to get the tough jobs done before it gets hot. We did make life a little easier. We broke down and bought a John Deere 500 tractor with mower.  We can now mow the front 1.5 acre in about an hour and half, with very little perspiration. Getting a tractor meant getting a shed big enough to house it and the rest of the equipment that had been in the garage. It is not cheap to be a quazi-farmer. But we are blessed and thankful that we are having this opportunity.
Our daughter Kelly came to visit and keep Jo company while I took mom’s ashes to Oklahoma, did a memorial service, and placed her in the Hominy Cemetery with dad. Roberta (my sister) met me there and we got to most all of the aunts, cousins, and second cousins. We truly enjoyed being there, Roberta even stayed a few days longer than me to visit with her best friend since elementary school (Linda). I got home in time to see Kelly before she flew back to Orlando. She left me with some yummy (and gluten free) cookies and the recipe for Kale Chips.  Now we stock up on Kale. Jo has now mastered the art of making them.  They are great as a snack or with a meal.  Thanks Kelly.
Glory, bless her sole, is still a challenge.  She doesn’t qualify for skilled or long term nursing yet, but cannot be qualified to go into an ALF because of all her special needs. She is bored most of the time. Since the weather is getting nicer, she is getting outside more. She still needs supervision and can’t be left alone for any length of time.  Keep Jo in your prayers, as well as Glory.
The West Polk Fire Rescue is keeping us a little busier these days. It does take a while for people to get used to us as their chaplains. As general members, we are both helping out when we can and a good deal of training so we will be even more helpful. We will be the trainers of a few classes on CISM and PTSD. I will help out with some of the FEMA, TEMA, EMA stuff.
I got my Concealed Weapon Carry permit faster than we have gotten our licenses to do ministry in the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee… both do extensive background checks and have lots of forms to fill out. We are very active in our pastoral care ministries, but can’t be Priest and Deacon in the Episcopal Church setting.  In God’s time.
We get lots of prayer requests and honor them all giving them to God. We keep you all in our thoughts and prayers anyway. We ask that you do the same for us… we need all the prayer that we can get. There is a saying, ‘life is hard, but God is good’ which is so true in all of our lives.
Be blessed and we love getting your e-mails and FB messages.

Happy Easter, Cherokee Prayer, Tennessee Update

A great day is coming. I can feel it. I can see it. Time to get awake. Time to get ready. Better find my better shoes. Better get myself dressed and looking good. It will be a day of celebration. A day like no other.  A great day.  When all of God's people shout for joy. When they are free and feel like dancing for no reason other than dancing. I want to be part of that kind of day. I want to drop my blues like a rock and jump up to see the glory of that morning. The light is already on the horizon. Hope is in the air. Peace is playing like music. Love is coming this way. Bishop Steven Charleston

Mark 15:12-46

 

The Passion

¹² Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³ They shouted back, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴ “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”

But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

¹⁶ The soldiers took Jesus into the courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out the entire regiment. ¹⁷ They dressed him in a purple robe, and they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head. ¹⁸ Then they saluted him and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ And they struck him on the head with a reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. ²⁰ When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

The Crucifixion

²¹ A passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene,^[a] was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.) ²² And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). ²³ They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it.

²⁴ Then the soldiers nailed him to the cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice^[b] to decide who would get each piece. ²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him. ²⁶ A sign announced the charge against him. It read, “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷ Two revolutionaries^[c] were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.^[d]

²⁹ The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. ³⁰ Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!”

³¹ The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! ³² Let this Messiah, this King of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.

The Death of Jesus

³³ At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ³⁴ Then at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”^[e]

³⁵ Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ³⁶ One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”

³⁷ Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸ And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

³⁹ When the Roman officer^[f] who stood facing him^[g] saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph^[h]), and Salome. ⁴¹ They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.

The Burial of Jesus

⁴² This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation,^[i] the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.) ⁴⁴ Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. ⁴⁵ The officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front of the entrance. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid.

Mark 16

The Resurrection

16 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on Sunday morning,^[a] just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. ³ On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴ But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.

⁵ When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, ⁶ but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth,^[b] who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. ⁷ Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”

⁸ The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened.^[c]

⁹ After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰ She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened. ¹¹ But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.

¹² Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country. ¹³ They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

¹⁴ Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.<sup>[d]

15</sup> And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶ Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.^{[e] 18} They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

¹⁹ When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. ²⁰ And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

Alleluia, Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

For me and other Christians this is a very special week that culminates with Christ rising from the dead. I encourage everyone to be there on Sunday to celebrate His Resurrection. I know that many of my friends and neighbors are not a part of the Christian faith, so be tolerant and take a moment to reflect on your belief system on this wonderful day that Creator has made for all of us. I firmly believe that Christ died for all of us, regardless of color, culture, or religious beliefs. Believe me that the day is not about an Easter Egg, it is about life everlasting. – Fred

 

CHEROKEE PRAYER BLESSING

May the warm winds of heaven Blow softly upon your house.

May the Great Spirit Bless all who enter there.

May your moccasins Make happy tracks In many snows..

And may the rainbow Always touch your shoulder..

 

Tennessee Update

 

Spring didn’t spring this year. It seems that these cold fronts are still making their way down… even as far as Florida. The plants aren’t busting out of the ground as usual, they are hiding until the average temperature is above 50. If the weather changed today we are ready start planting the garden. It looks like maybe two more weeks before that will happen.

 

In the mean time there is still plenty to do on this small farm. Jo has refinished and reupholstered a chair.  We are now working on refinishing our wood kitchen trash can (we have had it for 25 years and have refinished before).

 

I have jumped through all the hoops and have applied for my concealed weapons carry permit for Tennessee. Because of recent events, it is a real ordeal. But I have carried a gun for the past 43 years and will continue until the end.

 

Jo went on a sabbatical from 24/7 care taking to Florida. She has been gone four days and nights… Glory and I are doing OK. She seems to be happy and doing well.  For me she hasn’t been a big problem, it is just a time and effort process.  Jo was supposed to return next Tuesday. Now I hate it when a receptionist from a doctor’s office calls, especially since they have no medical knowledge and don’t know from Adam, to tell you that the doctor wants to see you about your recent stress test and implies that he wants to schedule a heart cath. I got that call yesterday. It was my duty to call Jo and tell her that I would be going to see the doctor. She has decided to cut her stay short and come home.  This means she will not get to be with the grandchildren for Easter as she planned. Taking care of Glory is low stress compared to that call. Fact is I have never felt better than I have in the past three months, I have no symptoms of anything other that seasonal allergic rhinitis, and lost nearly 50 lbs. Oh, and all my blood work is perfect.

 

I love it when I get e-mails and FB messages from you letting me know how you are doing.  Blessings to you all and have a very blessed and Happy Easter.