Lent Day 30 - Great Expectations

Great Expectations is the thirteenth novel written by Charles Dickens - depicting the personal growth - development of Pip - an orphan. This is a story of poverty - wealth - opportunities - jealousy - rising above temptations - life - in a nutshell. Most of us possibly would relate to Pip - opportunities taken - missed. Our personal story - also one of youthful development - maturing into adults. We all share many common losses - gains - failures - accomplishments. Expectations placed on us by parents - siblings - teachers - employers - self. Usually the harshest critics of our development - our self. Many people beat themselves up for not achieving everything they wished for - accomplishing great skills while failing to attain the number one position.

God has expectations for each of us - on a much lower scale. He does not expect us to be the greatest doctor - teacher - musician - athlete - parent - that ever lived. He expects us to attain life - not as famous people - rather people who appreciate and live life to the fullest. Appreciating all that He offers us - smart enough to see the opportunities He places before us - to accomplish the little things in life. Being a good person - an honest friend - loyal member - faithful worshiper. His expectation for us - true followers of His Word. Celebrating life as His disciples. In Lent we seek to attain that which we need to succeed as God counts success - not as the world does.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 29 - Bible Study

During Lent - one of the options that many people elect - is to join a bible study group. Gathering with people of like minds to study Holy Scripture can be very beneficial - learning what is written - who the author was - the target audience - the culture of the people of that time. On occasion - studying scripture may become very confusing - especially if someone schooled in scripture is not in the group. Although well intentioned - errors may be introduced into the bible study - misinformation shared - faith disturbed. In these groups - best if a person who knows what they are talking about - leading the group - at least using a proven study guide.

God gives us many tools in order to get to know Him - His Son. Learning words alone - does not guarantee legitimate education. There is also a difference between head knowledge - heart knowledge. Many people trained in scripture study - know only the words - may be able to quote chapter - verse - without fully understanding the real meaning behind the words. To best learn about God - His plan for you - how His Son relates to you - a study of the heart more than that of books. Prayer - one of the best tools in this case - developing a personal relationship - a prayer life - before delving into the written word. Faith inspires education - education fortifies faith. In all - prayer the best tool to use.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 28 - April Fools - Got You!

April Fool's Day - the first day of April - a day filled with pranks and hoaxes - jokes played upon friend and foe alike. Although not an official holiday - celebrated around the world - Italy - India - England - France - Australia - Brazil - Canada - the USA.   A day for individuals - businesses - to prank each other - in good spirits - for fun - for laughs. The custom of marking one day - April 1st - as a day of harmless pranks - recognized everywhere - early observances - the Roman festival of Hilaria - the Holi festival of India - the Medieval Feast of Fools.

The fact that April Fool's Day falls during Lent - a bit unusual that we are encouraged to be laughing - a contradiction of beliefs? How can one be frivolous and somber - spiritual at the same time?  The joke - to rejoice in - the defeat of all that is good and holy - evil pranked - April Fool - Jesus is ALIVE!  His death not a joke - His resurrection - the reality. Through GRACE - each of us - given the strength to walk this Lent - heads up - not down - our Savior LIVES!  The joke is on Satan - not us.   All of us can rightly observe both.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 27 - Partners

According to the dictionary - a partner - person who takes part in an undertaking with another or others - especially in a business with shared risks - profits.  Selecting a partner takes time - patience - developing a relationship - learning to trust - establishing ground rules - operating under the same ideals - goals.  Many business ventures fail due to poorly thought out - created - partnerships. Rushing into a partnership - failing to properly plan - poor communication - sets the stage for failure. Many marriages - relationships - a partnership. Following some basic ground rules - keeps lines of communication open - ensures a long lasting partnership.

When Jesus enters our lives - He offers us a chance to become partners - in our future. How we will live - control - manage our lives - relationship with special others - with God - number one priority.  As in all partnerships - failing to plan - planning to fail.  All relationships must be well established - thought out - nurtured - in order to survive. The time we invest in our partnership - one of the best investments we can make. Jumping in - both feet - whole heart - becoming one hundred percent involved - the right way to proceed. Even if you have not yet begun to focus your life on Lent - there is still plenty of time.  Make a commitment - now - with God. Join His team - Jesus waits - to be your partner.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 26 - Taxing Times

It is late March and high time to get working on the yearly income taxes - a much dreaded task. I know some of you have already received and spent your tax refunds - then there are those - like me - who wait until the end gets close. I have always done my own personal taxes and as much as I hate doing them - would never think of paying somebody else to do a task that I can do myself.  There are so many good tax preparation programs available these days - should be a simple task for most. It amazes me - the number of people with only a W-2 and claiming the standard deductions - who pay others to do their annual taxes.  Perhaps the whole concept scares them - dealing with the government - making an annual recap of income and expenses. Perhaps one day - tax time will be eliminated - a straight tax - equitable deductions for all - weekly - monthly deductions from paychecks - would bring relief to a very large number of people. Until that time - a task to be completed.

It is not only the annual income tax reporting that creates taxing times for people. Money - a big issue - relationships - with family - friends - neighbors - God - another. So many different issues with which to contend - cope - solve - improve. Relationship issues - often much greater than money. How we relate to each other - how we speak - think - act - respond - depends a lot on emotions - versus facts. When overly emotional - excited - angry - communication comes to a halt - progress stops - situation develops. As with all things worth doing - improving our relationships - a top priority. In Lent we seek to work on our relationship with God - His Son - Jesus - The Holy Spirit. We are asked to go to a quiet space - to focus our complete attention on the - Divine. Although difficult for many - a task that is possible - with eyes - ears - open wide - hearts open to the impossible - minds ready to accept the unbelievable.  In quiet meditation - contemplation - your relationship with God - need not be - a taxing time.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 25 - A Rose By Any Other Name

Frequently quoted - a rose by any other name would smell as sweet - from William Shakespeare's - Romeo and Juliet - is taken to imply that no matter what you would call a rose - it would still have the same aroma - pleasing smell.  Juliet - in defense of Romeo's name - stating that the name of a person or object - does not define the characteristics - qualities - of anyone or thing. On this point Juliet is correct - after all - a name is simply a name. It takes years - decades - for a name to become common enough that certain characteristics are implied by a name. When Shakespeare first wrote Romeo and Juliet - it was simply a new play - to be attended - investigated - critiqued - enjoyed - at that time - no significance - importance. Four hundred and some years later - Romeo and Juliet - a classic tale of love and tragedy - a name known around the world.

God not only knows how many hairs are on our heads - our name as well - each and every one of us. There may be millions of people - but each is significant - important - to God. We may share names with other people - no two people are identical - even among twins. When we come to God - He knows exactly who we are - what we are about - what we need. He waits for us to speak - quietly - gently - giving us time - to ask - to receive. In Lent - in the quiet of our hearts - dare to speak your name to God.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 24 - Countdown

For many people - Lent is a giant period of counting the days - hours - minutes - until Lent is over.  Sadly - so many people fail to recognize the gift of Lent - seeing it as a burden - an intrusion on their daily life. Rather than using these 40 days - to slow down - reflect - take time - to focus on themselves - their focus is on the world and all around them. They see what they are giving up - not what they are gaining.  They see bondage to rule - not the freedom offered by meditation - contemplation. Day after day - they mark their calendars - one less day to endure the discipline of Lent - missing those blessings poured upon them by a loving God.

Jesus spent 40 days in the desert - fasting - praying - not for Himself - for each of us. He walked in the desert - freeing Himself from the world around Him - to focus on us - our futures - our lives - in the world. What He gave up - He never lost - what we gained - everything freely because of Him. In Lent we countdown only those days left until we celebrate Easter - savoring our Lenten days as the gift they are.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 23 - Focal Point

When one sets out on a quest - hunt - task - they set their sights on one or more goals. Keeping themselves focused - they attempt to accomplish whatever goal - task was in mind. All goes well as long as they stay focused. However - once distracted - off the target - things often do not go as planned. A doctor loses focus during surgery - distracted - a slip of the scalpel - a cut not intended - minor error - critical wound.  In some things a slight distraction only causes a slight issue - others - like the doctor example - life threatening.  Best practice - learning how to stay focused - until task completed.

Jesus never waived - never lost focus of His mission - to do the Father's Will - to proclaim the Good News to all the people. His focus - New Life - Salvation. As we journey through these days of Lent we also need to keep our focus - not lose sight of the task at hand. If we persevere - hold fast - not lose sight of our goal - we too will achieve what we seek.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 22 - Barking Dog

Although the Barking Dog is a great name for a doggie daycare center - a barking dog may very quickly become a nuisance.  I know - I had a dog who loved to bark. Bark to go outside - bark for food - bark to warn when somebody was on our property - bark when his canine cousins come to visit - and almost any other reason he could find to bark. I could have allowed myself to be angry at his barking - that is how dogs communicate. Sure they sit at your feet and beg with those big loving eyes - sometimes they cruise over to you and ask you to scratch their back side - and yes - rolling over on their back so you can scratch their tummy - yes that is all legitimate communication with you - their best friend. To many people - barking dogs are a pain - no time to accept them for who they are - what they are trying to communicate - only anger at a sound they cannot understand.

Sorry I Only Speak Dog R.I.P. 

To many people - when Christians talk about God - Jesus - Holy Spirit - Bible - Holy Scripture - accepted with as little understanding - respect - as for a barking dog. Confused by - Church Speak - Salvation - Confession - Forgiveness - New Life - Living Water - Heaven - Hell - nothing more than yapping puppies around the food bowel. For those of us - guilty of Church Speak - patience - demanded - if we are to share the Good News of Christ. Lent gives us that time - to hone our skills - to speak clearly about that which we have received - to speak in Love - with patience - that all who have ears might hear - the Good News.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day 21 - Eye Candy

According to Dictionary.com - Eye Candy is slang meaning someone or something that is visually attractive or pleasing but is usually considered to lack worth or merit.  An example might be an automobile like the Bentley Bacalar shown below priced at $1.9 Million which a minority of people could ever afford and being realistic - does nothing more than any normal vehicle - that would take you from point A to point B for almost $2 Million less. Vehicles such as this become nothing more than Big Kids Toys - things obviously meant for only the extremely wealthy.

Anyone can appreciate the beauty around them - appearing naturally in nature - in hand crafted pieces of art. When that beautiful object become the sole focus in our lives - something has gone wrong. Although available for us to admire - nothing to lust after. Man - woman - machine - art - all offer temporary pleasure. The real object of our focus should be our relationship on Jesus - on God. In Jesus only will our souls find peace - rest - true pleasure. Knowing that we are known - loved - by the Author of Life - much more pleasing than earthly pleasures. In this Lent we refocus our eyes on the real treasures placed before us. Our eyes seek that which is beyond ordinary beauty - we gaze upon the Mystery - the reality that is God and His plan for our life.

Deacon Dale