“Jesus told them, ‘A Prophet has little honor in his home town, among his relatives, on the streets where he played as a child.’” Romans 12:4

“Jesus told them, ‘A Prophet has little honor in his home town, among his relatives, on the streets where he played as a child.’”  Romans 12:4

Have you ever experienced that those people closest to you are the ones who take you for granted, disrespect you, believe that your past precludes you from becoming a new person, are the most hurtful to you, and judge you more severely than anyone else? Don’t feel all alone, this is the way that Jesus felt. His fellow Jews were constantly testing Him, treating Him with distain, and trying to maintain blockades to His success. How could the carpenter from Bethlehem actually be the Messiah?

I want you to take a step back and think about some facts, you have a home town, you have relatives, and you have streets that you played on as a child. Where do you stand? Are you the self made judge of those you grew up with, are related to, or played with as a child?

This phenomenon is not exclusive to the spiritual, the religious, and those called to be a prophet, teacher, or preacher. It occurs in all walks of life. The people that we grew up with who have become successful do become the targets of our judgment: how could he possibly be a good Mayor, CEO, Police Officer, manager, or spokesperson?

A native American Elder offers this wisdom: ‘Thoughts are like arrows: once released, they strike their mark. Guard them well or one day you may be your own victim. –Navajo

In Australia they have the boomerang. It is a hunting tool and weapon, according to need. Its design makes it return to the thrower. Thoughts, like boomerangs can come back and make us the victim of our own judgments. We often suffer greater than those we are maligning.

Notice that I have made us the ones who are taking people for granted, are relatives, or those we grew up with. I have done so because we are the only ones who can change. We pray that by our example others will follow our lead. Truth is, we will never affect all of those other people.  There will always be a person or persons who will be relentless in their desire to hurt you, no matter the reason (if there really is a reason at all).

Paul tells us so eloquently in Romans 12: v. 17 “Do not repay evil for evil; v. 20 On the contrary: If your enemy is thirsty, give him something to drink…”; v.21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

A wise person once told me that if you pray truly pray for the one who persecutes you, that person cannot become or remain your enemy.  They may never be your friend or they could in fact become your close friend.  That will be up to them.

Therefore brothers and sisters I pray that you will meditate on this, think about where you are in this senseless circle of discontent.  I pray with you and for you that we all become agents of change, first in our life.

A Prayer attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make us instruments of your peace. Where there is

hatred, let us sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where

there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where

there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where

there is sadness, joy. Grant that we may not so much seek to

be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is

in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we

are born to eternal life.  Amen.

Finally, Colossians 3: 13 tells us: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”

Tennessee update

Thank God for more mild weather than wet and cold weather.  The woods directly behind the house are looking good.  The bird feeders are out and we are visited by a wide variety of our feathered friends: Bluebirds, Wrens, Titmice, Jays, Cardinals, Redheaded Woodpecker, Robins, and my friends the Crows. The sound and sight of the Geese flying overhead is a daily blessing. Large flocks of birds have passed through, sometimes filling an acre or more of trees.

We have started the process of starting both flowers and vegetables in small pots, preparing for March planting. The landscaper is slowly but surely putting in plants and irrigation system. We are anxiously waiting the arrival of our twelve fruit trees, four blackberry bushes and two blueberry bushes. It may take a few years before they are all mature enough to produce; eventually we will be self sufficient on basic fruits and vegetable, with plenty left to give away.

Yes we truly love it here.

Glory continues to have problems related to her dementia and declining physical abilities. She fell again.  This time it was on a straight flat surface without rugs or other trip potentials. She tried to change direction quickly and fell hitting her buttocks and forehead on the floor. She is still very resilient… mostly embarrassed and a knot on the forehead. She was observed for 24 hours and showed no new behaviors or signs of a head bleed. Traveling will be out for her and us for a while. Hopefully she will cooperate and follow doctor’s orders to use a walker.  This is as hard as giving up the car.

Jo is a hoot. She went down to Kathy’s Cownty Kitchen to help out our friend Kathy who had a very bad knee and needed to be off of it as much as possible. She is now working, yes working there, two days a week. Jo is a cook, waitress, and grocery runner. Her resume is growing.  The neat thing is that she is truly enjoying it. This is in addition to all the other things she is doing here on the farm.

I am doing great, myself. I take care of Glory while Jo works. The most difficult part of that is Glory’s lack of short term memory and a profound hearing loss (or listening skill). I am told that when I try to speak loud enough for her to hear and understand me, I sound gruff. So I am working on that. Generally she responds better to my coaching than to others. I am sure that she is as frustrated in her current status as I am trying to care for her. I continue in my “Bible Challenge” a read the entire Bible in a year study. I am starting book six in the ‘People of the Earth’ series written by Jean M. Auel. Most of you are familiar with the first in the series ‘Clan of the Cave Bear.’ Of course I read an occasional Action/Thriller on my Kindle. Beyond that household chores, organizing the garage, and cutting up dead fall and trees are my daily activity.

Blessings to all of you! You all remain in our thoughts and prayers!

... Inspiration, news from TN, doing what is right

“Still your spirit, breathe in slowly, close your eyes, drift on the river that gave you life. Be at peace. Let every room within your soul be hushed, quiet in mind and body, with only the breeze of a passing angel to move the curtains beside open windows. Your world is at rest now, its sounds subdued, its anxious pace halted, the very heart-rate of life allowed to find its ancient rhythm, resting deeply in the old places where no worry can find you. Still your spirit, for in the end, when all is said and done, this gentle space is your beginning and will your birthright be.”

Bishop Steven Charleston, Episcopal, Choctaw

 

There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Hebrews 4:9-10

Notes and musings from Benton, TN

What a spectacular life we are living in our new home in Benton, TN. Sunrises over the mountains and sunsets into the woods and mountains begin our and end our day. The winter colors are plain but beautiful. We get to set the pace. The dogs absolutely love it here.  They have 3.4 acres to explore and they take full advantage of every inch of it. Glory (age 88) enjoys the views from all the windows.  Even though she doesn’t much care for cold, she ventures outside to enjoy the crisp clean air and watching the animals and birds playing.

Jo and I continue to work toward the garden we will plant in March.  The seeds will be going in the starter cups very soon. Hopefully today there will be twelve fruit trees planted behind the garden, a veritable fruit cocktail waiting to be made. And there will be four blackberry bushes and two blueberry bushes further down the hill. There will be lots of shrubs, flowers, thistle, jasmine, and other plantings that attract birds, butterflies, and bees.

The woods are beginning to look great. We have been clearing out all the dead fall for about fifty feet back into the woods directly behind the house.  We are almost done with that part and I will start on removing stumps, rocks, filling holes that kids could trip in. That area includes two large fire circles where we have been burning what we have cut up. A fire on a cold day is both warming and spiritual.

Our youngest son Will came by last week and gave me chainsaw sharpening lessons… I never needed a chainsaw in Florida. It is amazing what I can do now that I have a better grasp on the saw and how to use and maintain it. It has saved me lots of grief and time. Thank you Will.

Jo and I have become general members of the West Polk Fire Rescue Department and will be serving as chaplains and assist with Critical Incident Stress Management. Since WPFR is dispatched out of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office we will also serve them if needed. Polk County, TN is a large area with a somewhat low population, lots of farms and ranches, and includes the Cherokee National Forest. We have very little crime and almost no fender bender traffic crashes. When something does happen it is always a big crash, crime, or fire.

We are definitely blessed! All of you remain in our thoughts and prayers.

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.”

Peter F. Drucker

Each day as you wake up, make the decision to strive to do what's right.

Approach your life as you would your game....

...when you make a mistake, learn from it, correct it, and get ready for the next point. Life moves too fast to sulk and dwell on the past.

...when you're down, fight harder to get back on top. Life is full of hardships. Fight hard against those feelings of despair.

...when you're doing everything right and still can't win, be patient. No matter how good we are or how hard we struggle to make the right decisions, life often makes us wait.

...when you are on top of your game, relax and enjoy it. Life is fully appreciated when we survive adversity and can relax in the sunlight of success.

Each sunrise brings a new opportunity. No matter how bad the day before was, today is brand new. When you wake up, seek the strength and courage to do the right thing.

--- Copyright © 1999 Aaron Ballinger --- Texas

“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”   Romans 12:21

Congratulations

We extend congratulates to Scott Fleming who is on his first day as Supervisor of Pastoral Care at Health Central Hospital in Ocoee, FL. Scott has been named as my replacement. Scott worked for me at Health Central as a volunteer chaplain, CPE trainee, college intern, and then as a contract chaplain. I encouraged him to go to Orlando Health’s level one trauma center to refine his skills in trauma and high acuity illness where he has increased his skills and gained a new level of maturity… Please join me in praying for Scott in his new role!

It's all about love...

“What is done out of love always takes place beyond good and evil.”

Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil, Aphorism 153

 

God created us out of his love. God loves us unconditionally. God asks that we love Him and our neighbors. Eden was lost over the desire to know the secrets of our creation through eating the fruit of the tree. The knowledge of good and evil began there and the downward spiral of mankind followed quickly. If we do a logical or philosophical evaluation for determining our actions, no matter what our actions are, they are biased by some outside force or faulty definition of good and evil. It is time that we go back to what God has asked of us. What we do regardless of what it is, out of love, the results transcend any definition of good or evil. This is not easy most of the time because of the changing ethos of our cultures. Our example is in Jesus, God the Son, who is like the sun in the sky. The sun, in the sky, no matter what, shines its life giving rays without waver.  The only time we do not benefit from the sun or God’s love is when something comes between us and our source of life. We should be reflecting the love of God to overcome the darkness in the world.

 

Child's Definition of LOVE.

 

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined.  See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.  So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too.  That's love." Rebecca - age 8

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.  You know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy - age 4

"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl - age 5

"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy - age 6

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." Terri - age 4

Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny - age 7

"Love is when you kiss all the time.  Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.  My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss" Emily - age 8

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen," Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate," Nikka - age 6

"There are two kinds of love.  Our love.  God's love. But God makes both kinds of them." Jenny - age 8

"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday." Noelle - age 7

"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy - age 6

"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared.  I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.  He was the only one doing that.  I wasn't scared anymore," Cindy - age 8

"My mommy loves me more than anybody.  You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night." Clare - age 6

"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine -age 5

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris - age 7

"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day." Mary Ann - age 4

"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you." Karen - age 7

"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross." Mark - age 6

"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it.  But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.  People forget," Jessica - age 8

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.  The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.  The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.  Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry."

If you are having a hard time defining love, ask your child or grandchild for a little help!

 

Up Date:

 

I have many memories of growing up in Northeast Oklahoma. Moving to Tennessee has been much like those memories.  The climate may not be as severe, but is very similar. This past week has changed from beautifully moderate, to windy and rainy, to bitter cold, to snow flurries, and is now a beautiful crisp 42. We finished turning over the garden and hanging the new (made by Fred) garden gates. As the house contracts with the cold and does its settling, we have done a little caulking.  Otherwise all is good. We are still fighting that cold that we brought with us from Florida. We have gone on a few adventures around the area, including the plant nursery.  The native landscaping can be planted just about any time of the year and is best done in the winter when the soil is softened by the rain.

 

So far retirement has been good to us. We are eating healthier, doing a lot more physical work and deliberate exercise; therefore we are steadily losing weight. Not eating out as much also has helped us feel better. Not working has proven very relaxing. The weather has given us more time for reading, studying, and watching some of those hundreds of DVD’s we have collected over the years and never had time to watch.

 

 Our only source of stress is trying to figure out how to keep Glory (Jo’s 88 yr. old mother) happy and healthy without letting her dementia and idiosyncrasies drive us absolutely crazy. She does enjoy going to the senior center a couple days of the week, where she can be with other people, play games, and be away from us… I think we bother her as much as she bothers us. We have determined that ‘love’ thing is the only way to make it through, because with her dementia logical and philosophy don’t apply. With God’s help we will all make it through this season.

 

 

We keep you all in our thoughts and prayers. We miss all our friends we left in Central Florida. We will be coming and going on a regular basis. And, we are hoping that some of you will drop by and see us here. God bless and keep you!!