Dining Alone

I’ve just received a call from a friend. Her husband died several months ago in an accident. I can hear the pain in her voice, now mixed with those tones of emptiness and loss that so often overwhelm people in these circumstances. I’m glad I could be an ear for her. And I’ll make plans to visit her this week.

At times life can rest heavily upon us, not only the troubles that make their way into every life, but also our own personal sins and failures. More than once St. Paul expressed his own frustrations with himself. On the one hand, he knew Jesus so well and knew what following Him means, and on the other hand he stumbled on that path and at least temporarily wandered in other directions. It distressed him mightily, for the more sensitive and principled a person is, the more those falls can hurt.

The often-oppressive reality of our own limits and failings can at times cause us to wonder how could God really like us, or be willing to give us another chance - much less take us into His own heart. The Lord didn’t give us a spirit of slavery to send (us) back into fear, but a spirit of adoption through which we cry out, ‘Father!’ The Spirit Himself gives witness that with our spirit we are all children of God.’

Trust that Spirit who dwells within you and especially on those days when you feel you're weary; remember to cry out with all your heart, ‘Father!’.

Father in Heaven, we are never alone when we invite You into our lives. lift us when we are weary. Embrace us with the comfort of Your love. Teach us to reach out to our brothers and sisters and support one another throughout the day. Amen

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I'm Only Dying !

I watched the lines on Roberta’s face relax for the last time tonight. Finally, her body could no longer fight the onslaught of cancer. I am grateful that she is no longer in pain.

I met Roberta about 12 years ago. She was already ‘old,’ but she had such a beautiful radiant face and her personality automatically drew people to her. Roberta was a nurturer. And she embraced everyone with her warmth.

She taught me a wonderful lesson that I needed to experience. And I needed it then, at that very moment.

For the past ten days I had been visiting Roberta in Hospice. She had some days that were good and sometimes there were very few words. Together we sat, sometimes sharing stories, other times reflecting. She liked for me to read Garrison Keillor to her. I don’t think she knew it, but so many times I put the book down, but kept on telling the story, as if it were my own, and I used the time to look at her; Those well-travelled lines on her face that bore so many stories.

But last week, Roberta caught me staring at her. I know that if I say to you priests, counsellors, and sometimes doctors, often develop what I call the ‘pastoral face;’ I’m sure you know the one – a mixture of smile and nurturing concern at the same time. My daughter calls it ‘preacher face.’ Well, when Roberta caught me staring at her so intently, she immediately scrunched up her face and demanded ‘why are you staring at me that way?!’ Instantaneously, on went my ‘preacher face.’

‘Stop that!’ Roberta almost snapped, ‘for Heaven’s sake Bill, I’m only dying!’

There it was: a more powerful message I doubt I could have received at such a moment. Roberta looked at me and smiled. And I smiled back. She was right. I held her hand and she tried to squeeze it, but was too weak.

I left her that day knowing in my heart that God had created that moment for me. For I had thought during my drive over to see her how sad I was going to be when she died.

And of course tonight I cried at losing her. But I smiled at the same time, because I know that God has received her. And her new journey now begins.

Loving Lord, Your Son redeemed us through death and resurrection. Let us live our lives with grace and kindness in the knowledge that we shall share the joys and blessings of our new life to come. Amen

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It Costs Nothing To Care

Along our seafront there is small nursing home converted from an old house. Residing there is a lady named Joan. She is one of the most faithful people that I know, as well as being one of the most elderly. Crippled by arthritis she now lives out her life serving as a listening ear. Joan has little tangible items to share with others, but she gives freely of what she has. She spends hours listening to the other residents and to those who ostensibly care for her and its easy to see why people trust her. 
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Older people in biblical times were recognised and valued for their wisdom in a way that has largely been lost today. There is a story in Luke's Gospel about how the infant Jesus was recognised by two older people: 
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’There was in the Temple a man whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout. And there was the prophetess Anna who was of a great age.. She did not depart from the temple, worshipping with fasting and prayer night and day.’ In their later years these two elderly people spent most of their time just looking and listening, simply watching for signs of God's activity. They made the time and they had the patience to be very attentive to the smallest signs of hope. Both Simeon and Anna knew who Jesus was instantly and they prayed over him and thanked God for him.
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In a world where we often devalue the gifts of the elderly and encourage people to delay their retirement, it is good to be reminded of the importance of taking time just to notice what is happening in our lives.
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Lord God, You are patient and wise and You always hear our prayers. Help us to use the time we are given well. Thank You for those who listen to and encourage. Help us to cherish the gifts of wisdom and serenity and to be attentive to the need of others today. Amen

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Sweet Talkers

Whenever I travel to Moldova I carry my old laptop with me. It’s over eight years old now and is in deplorable condition. But it's sufficient for writing notes and documents and using the media player for listening to music and radio shows I’ve downloaded before I leave home. There are times at night, when I desperately need the benefits of a mental distraction, from the day’s events and listening to shows from the BBC, NPR, or ABC Australia provide a superb divertissement.

One of my favourites is Garrison Keillor’s 'Prairie Home Companion.' During one of the shows I heard him describe certain people as ‘Fifty dollar haircuts riding around on 88 cent heads.’ He was referring to our drive to constantly maintain an image of success.

Our culture is extremely good at image. It is also extremely good at looking at other people’s image and quickly forming opinions or judgements merely upon that image. And frighteningly, we’re extremely susceptible to forming distorted opinions that someone’s image can equate to goodness, intelligence and success.

Some of you may recall the name Glen Turner, or one of his many businesses: Koscot Interplanetary Enterprises or Dare to Be Great, etc. Mr Turner was the son of a sharecropper. He had no education and suffered from a noticeable harelip. Yet he took those personal assets and set out to make millions of dollars, in cash, by selling ‘dealerships’ to people for the right to sell further dealerships and so on. Today it’s called pyramiding. And those involved in these schemes today would be much more comfortable with the term ‘multi-level marketing.’

Mr Turner donned himself in unborn calfskin boots, ten-gallon hats, and constantly sported on the lapel of his finest polyester suit, a jewel encrusted American flag. In fact, one of his signature gestures was to give people the flag off his lapel. (Invariably, the jewels turned out to be coloured glass.) Mr Turner made compelling presentations to people from all walks of society.

His presentations began with how he had suffered all his life; he had nothing, had been rejected from society and lacked any self-confidence. He had strived to get ahead, but society kept pushing him back. He would tell, with great flourish, how he suffered at home, struggled to make ends meet and how relationships would fail. And he would tell people he was tired of it and he demanded change. He seemed to thrive on sharing his increasingly embellished life and the remarkable transition he had made. Part of his presentation included showing people large sums of cash; sometimes even throwing it into the audience. And with the élan of a Pentecostal minister he would beseech people to stand up and make a commitment ‘now!’

The audiences would be worked into a frenzy. There was a steady stream of people offering increasingly more expressive testimonials as to how their lives had changed and they had more money than they could ever dream – all because of Mr. Turner.

The seminar attendees would quickly fall prey to the electrified presentations. Mr Turner and his cohorts would proudly display their new cars and jewellery and convince the delegates that they could have all these things in no time - provided they jumped on the bandwagon with them. And they would convince them that by attending the seminars and ‘investing’ in a range of ‘distributorship titles,’ they could quickly become as successful as Mr Turner and in charge of their own destiny.

Thousands responded to the call. They mortgaged their homes, took out multiple loans on credit cards, with the encouragement from some of the team leaders to hide from the banks the true nature of why they were borrowing the money. The strategy was to appear wealthy in order to convince others of your success. That way you would successfully be able to sell others into your ‘dealership.’

Today, it’s a long ago memory. Mr. Turner is out of prison, but the concept of finite multi-level marketing schemes still thrive and countless thousands continue to fall prey to slick tongued teams who target the vulnerable, over-hopeful, and hopelessly gullible. Sometimes it’s even masked behind the impenetrable righteousness of a religious leader or a church.

Sometimes, all it takes is a fifty-dollar haircut for people to be drawn in to circumstances that will only lead to suffering and sadness. There are countless people out there determined to take what they can from you, no matter who they use and how badly they hurt you. All you have to do is look at the emails you receive each day saying you’ve won the lottery or have been invited to share in a bank transfer scheme. And sometimes, that Fifty-dollar haircut can look quite convincing!

Coming about things easily can be a formula for disaster and we are living proof of it, as we create a culture which simultaneously gets dumber and yet finds ways to ‘feel better’ about itself everyday.

Today, ask the Holy Spirit to show you when you aren't nearly as smart as you think you are. It's a bit of a stinging sensation at first, but then you start to realise that reality is so much more fun than the culturally approved, slick talker, or TV-induced hypnosis of being ‘wise in your own eyes.’


Lord in Heaven, help us to open our eyes so that we may see Your world more clearly. We know that our vanity is destructive to ourselves and others. Your Son taught us to be humble. Christ in Heaven, keep our hearts pure. We pray in Your name. Amen

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