Training Day

Anyone beginning a new venture will usually experience a training day - introduction to materials - procedures - protocols - training manuals - workbooks. Training may last a few hours - many days - weeks. In that time - knowledge is shared - acquired - absorbed - formed into ones mind. Today my wife and I began our training to become volunteer instructors for ESL - English as a Second Language. Hopefully - within the next month - we will begin helping others learn English - to help them communicate - with medical personnel - employers - everyone they meet in their daily lives - opening doors to new possibilities. Lent is similar - a time of opening ourselves up to new possibilities - learning new ways to communicate with God - with ourselves. 

All the instruction we need for life is available in the Bible - how to live - how to act - how to treat others. God has inspired many to put into writing - for all generations - a road map for life. Your Bible is all the instruction manual you will ever need - open it today - see where it leads you - this Lent.

Deacon Dale 

Pins and Needles

The phrase - on pins and needles - anxious - waiting for some news - high expectation of something - comes possibly from a similar Old English expression which described the feeling when numbness was leaving an extremity and feeling - sensations - were returning to the affected limb. Anyone who has experienced numbness knows that - tingling sensation - pins and needles - as  the numbness fades - feeling returns. The phrase is also used - when anticipating many different things - Lenten changes in ones life - new prayer experiences - experiencing  a moment when one comes in contact with the divine. Often expectations fall short - disappointment surfaces. We are ending our second week of Lent and yet - for some - nothing drastic has happened. Lent only follows a time table as far as how many days have passed - how many are left. Other than that - Lent has no timeline. Today we planted some new cactus plants - very careful not to touch - tonight - pins and needles  on arms - legs - still wondering why - when we did not touch. Cactus needles - not touching - Lent - not seeming to move forward - sitting on pins and needles - similar.

God acts in all our lives - every day - nobody should sit and worry - on pins and needles - when the time is right - He will manifest Himself in our lives. Until then - we trust - we believe - we wait - patiently - in silence.

Deacon Dale 

Baby Steps

Everyone becomes excited when a baby is ready to take their first steps - learning to walk. With hands held high - helping baby to learn balance - coordination - moving one foot in front of the other - trying to stand erect - all without falling. Of course - the inevitable - always happens - baby falls - most often on their seat. The routine - attempted - over and over again - until finally - one day success. Two steps - then three - finally a walk across the room. Whenever we attempt anything in life - we start with baby steps - cautiously - testing the waters - making sure we have the correct technique - procedure down - to avoid issues and errors. In almost every area of life we learn to walk - before we run. The same goes with our spiritual exercises done during Lent - we begin cautiously - moving slowly - considering what it is we wish to do - hopefully by the third week we have our plan well into motion - on our way to a rewarding Lenten experience.

When God created mankind - He knew that we would have to learn through trial and error - false starts - failed attempts - trying to do too much in the beginning - regrouping - taking baby steps. With God there is no need to rush - no need to run - moving slowly forward is always better than rushing into disappointment - failure. God is much more patient that most would believe - He waits - day after day - looking forward to your first spiritual baby step.

Deacon Dale  

There Is An App For That

In this age of smart phones - iPad - tablets - almost everything has an application - app - developed to make it easier to become involved with specific products - services. Prayer is no different. Often during Lent we are asked - what should I read - what prayers should I pray - where are good meditations. Today - if you are so equipped - inclined to electronic aids - there is an app for that. ECHO  - PrayerMate - Instapray - PrayWithMe - IBreviary are all apps available for installation on your smartphone or tablet. For Roman Catholics the iBreviary app helps you to pray the official hours of the church as well as many other options.

Already stated numerous times - prayer is the number one tool to help us in our Lenten experience. God is always available and now in modern times - electronic aids to help us in our pursuit of a healthy prayer life. Prayer with God is always free - real time - instantly available - try it - today 

Deacon Dale 

Mercy - Divine Mercy

As we journey through Lent - we need to realize that it is all about Mercy - Divine Mercy - God's Divine Mercy. Because of God's great love for all of us - He makes so many things possible for each of us. The cleansing process - the remodeling - the rearranging - the elimination - addition - of what we really need - is all make available through God. It is up to us as we pray - reflect - meditate - on those changes - that we are guided by God to the point that He wants us to be. 

If God did not care for us as much as He does - He would never have sent Jesus - to teach us - inspire us - die for us. Most people have no idea just how merciful God is. Where we judge harshly - God does not. It is because of His awesome mercy - His Divine Mercy - that we are forgiven - healed - renewed - into better people. Trusting in His Divine Mercy - we know that our Lenten journey will be fruitful.

Deacon Dale 

I Want It Now!

A common sign of the times - I want it now! - impatient - seeking immediate gratification - answers - changes - cures. Younger people - afflicted more than seasoned older ones - older adults still affected. In the past 50 years we have moved from a society - willing to wait - understanding that certain things take time - delayed answers - pleasure - to today's attitude - instant results - wanting it to materialize yesterday - no effort invested - something owed to us. All things take time - period. In that time we are expected - to work - earn - discover - appreciate - the value of all we receive. Instant does not happen - every time - instant is not reality - a poor measure. As we seek different things in our lives - we need to learn patience - value of waiting - value of hard work - serious effort - invested into whatever we are working - praying - seeking. Our transformation during Lent will take time - a stark reality - a necessity - if we are to learn - understand - what is - will happen.

Only God is capable of instant responses - actions. So many times people become frustrated because they feel God is not working fast enough - hard enough - to bring them comfort - assistance - healing. We need to realize that it is our perception - expectations - that affect what God is doing in our lives. God may not micro manage - He does manage - He has set things into motion - for our benefit. At the right time - in His own way - we will see that which we seek. Faith in God - faith that He hears - faith that He acts - teaches us the lesson of patience. Do you still want it now..........

Deacon Dale 

Transformation

Lent is about transformation - changing ourselves from what we are - to the promise of God - what He expects us to be. Jesus gave us the imagery of transformation as we hear in today's Gospel - with His disciples - transfigured into His glorified body. His change so outwardly obvious - they dumbfounded - not knowing what to say - to do. Our change - not so obvious - much more interior - only seen by God. Our friends - associates - completely unaware of any change in us at all - unless we act - speak - start living a different life. That is as it is intended - hopefully our change will not be so drastic that others take notice. For most - the changes that happen during Lent - more subtle - slight changes in our prayer life - perhaps more involvement with others - not an extreme difference - rather a renewed vigor - for ourselves - others. We might attend extra church services - offer more time as a volunteer - spend more time in Adoration or such. 

God works in strange - wonderful ways. He is the gentle lover - constantly making so much available to us - in simple actions - quiet breezes - moments of silence - grace. It is not often that He needs to hit us over the head - most will notice - eventually - His gentle presence. When He desires a change - He will make it known. It is up to us to make ourselves present to Him - as He is to us. We need to pause - sit quietly - listen. In that quiet - He will speak.

Deacon Dale   

The Prayer Room

What is a prayer room and where is it located? In simple terms a prayer room - is a place to be alone with God - with your thoughts - your prayers. Finding a time and place where you can be allowed to be alone is not always the easiest thing to do. Often just when you think you are alone with your thoughts - prayers - somebody walks in - speaks up - destroys the silence you were seeking. Many years ago we were teaching young children about prayer rooms - space to be alone. One creative girl found that she could squeeze behind her dresser that was placed in the corner of a room - just enough space to sit and be quiet with her prayers. A couple we knew found a large unused space in the back of a triangular shaped closet in their apartment. That space - when lit with a flashlight - provided enough room for one to read - journal - pray. My best prayer room is alone inside a car - nobody to interrupt thoughts - a few minutes gathered here and there - also sitting on my lawn tractor - cutting grass - me - God - the sky - together.

God meets us as we are - where we are. He does not demand visits only in church - He is always there - by our side - waiting for us to acknowledge Him. He is there in the quiet of the night - the busy times of the day - constantly - vigilant - waiting to talk with us. In that quiet - we receive answers - inspiration - guidance. Find yourself a prayer space - use it often - He waits for you.

Deacon Dale 

Tool Time

Now that we have come to the point of remodeling our lives to be more like that of Christ's - to create a special place in our heart for God - to construct the room addition mentioned yesterday - we need to gather our spiritual tools. For our project - I suggest the following - Prayer - Spiritual Reading - Faith - Strength - Love - Meditation.  In addition you could also add in the following if they seem to fit into your own life - Wisdom - Imagination - Order - Zeal - Power - Flexibility. Bottom line - no single spiritual tool is enough - nor are too many - excessive. As individuals we will have different needs - similar goals - different ways of accomplishing our goal. Our first and most important tool is prayer. Before we begin - before we draw out our plans - we pray - ask for guidance - listen. After we pray - we read - the Bible - spiritual books - for ideas on how to develop our plan - learning what others have found useful. Meditating on answers received in prayer - suggestions from our other research - being strong willed - firm in our faith that God is with us - we move forward in love - to create that special space in our heart for God. Each of us needs a prayer room - first in our heart - secondly in our lives. A place to go to be alone with God.

God always has time for us - so in Lent we need to make time for God. Time to slip away from the world - to go to that special room in our heart - to visit with God. In prayer - meditation - in quiet moments - minutes - we ask for His help - as we remodel our lives.

Deacon Dale 

Room Addition

At some point in almost everyone's life they discover that the place where they dwell is no longer big enough for them. Many people rush to Realtor.com or maybe Trulia.com to start hunting for a new home. Others will turn to Houzz.com or DIY.com or perhaps Pinterest for ideas on remodeling - suggestions on how to make an existing home work better for them. For those of us who watch any of the home remodeling and house hunting shows like Love It or List It and Property Brothers - we know that often the best solution is a simple remodeling project. Basically that is what we have been doing with ourselves this Lent. We knew that as we entered Lent we had to make changes in our lives - to remodel and rearrange our spiritual homes - to make room for God. As we started this process we wanted to remodel - to make our lives over in the model of Jesus - to rearrange the things in our lives - to discard that which prevented us from moving forwards in our relationship with God. We did some spiritual house cleaning - rearranged our spiritual furniture and now are at a point where we can replace - add good things into our spiritual home.

God is the same today as He was yesterday and will be tomorrow. God never changes - our understanding of Him and what He asks of us does. As we grow in our relationship to Jesus - we draw ourselves closer to the spiritual being that we were created to be. We are not only flesh and bone - a spirit has been placed inside each of us - a spirit that yearns and seeks a much closer relationship with God. We are the carpenters - the craftspeople - the ones to refashion - remodel our lives to be more like what God wants. Time to pick up the tools..

Deacon Dale