Write - Rite - Right

For those of us born in this country - learning English from our youth - our native tongue - easy. Those who come from other countries usually have a difficult time learning English. It is not just learning a new vocabulary - how to pronounce the words - complete with various dialects - inflections - but the number of words that sound identical - with completely different meanings which cause major issues. Write - the action of forming letters and numbers into words and sentences - Rite - a ritual or ceremony often involved in religion and solemn gatherings - right - as in the direction one may be looking or walking - the right side of the body - also meaning correct - morally good - justified - true. In just these three sound alike words - four different meanings. The list of other words that pose the same issue - many which are spelled identical - with different sounds and meanings - bass - the sound - bass - the fish - lead - to walk in front - lead - the metal. This does not include the very common issues with there- their - they're - pray - prey - to - two - too.

Language may be  the nemesis of people at different times - not an issue for God. No matter what words we speak - how we pronounce them - He always understands. When we come to God in prayer - when we initiate a discussion with Him - He listens - hears - understands everything we tell Him. He not only knows our words - also our hearts - the truth of what we speak. Language is no barrier when speaking with our Lord - when thanking Him - singing His praises. With God there is no phone line - no internet provider - no gateway that needs to be negotiated. He is available to all of us - at the same time - every second of the day. He is there for us to initiate a conversation with Him - open and available waiting for us - whenever we wish. No rite needed to follow - no letter to write - He is there - right now. 

Deacon Dale

Family

This weekend we have the honor of hosting family - cousins on the Italian side. They have come from Illinois and Texas to Arizona to visit their father. They could have made arrangements for other accommodations - we insisted that we have plenty of room at our place here and would love to have them also visit us - happily they agreed. Having time to share memories - now as adults - gives us an opportunity to fill in the blanks - answer unasked questions - get to know them much better as a smaller group. We do have an annual reunion - BonviniFest - in which all  the relatives on my mother's side come together to play bocce - bean bags - eat Italian foods - desserts - enjoy the weather outside - as a group of maybe one hundred. In that setting - very hard to have meaningful conversation - so this weekend we relish this time together - more one on one time.

All of us belong to the family of God - we are related to each other through God's plan for the world. He created us as male and female - gave us gifts - abilities to do awesome - wonderful things. He gave us bodies to perform physical tasks - minds with intellect - to understand - explore - discover - His greatest gift - Free Will. Although a family - we are all individuals - our own spirit - hopes - desires. We have the freedom to do whatever we will - hopefully keeping others in mind when we consider the affect - outcome - of our actions. We embody the cultures of the world - many different skin colors - languages - customs - very different - yet connected to each other by God's design. We are neighbors - friends - cousins - we are family.

Deacon Dale 

Star Gazing

In its simplest form - star gazing - staring - looking - at stars - in the skies. Astronomers would be the most likely to be involved in this activity - joined by many amateurs - observing the activities up in space. Telescopes - long range lens - cameras - all incorporated in this study - hobby - documenting positions - movement - in the skies. On a lower level - there are also those who gaze at stars - not in the skies - rather on the streets - especially in Hollywood - wherever public figures - celebrities - gather. The stores are filled with magazines focusing on both types of star gazing - the internet loaded with an uncountable number of sites - for both kinds.  As people we are drawn to the grandiose - brilliant - shining - glamorous - around us - above us. As a diversion from what many see as a boring - ordinary existence - people gaze at stars. 

When God filled the heavens with the planets - stars - He knew we would look up - to see - observe - all above us. His hope - that in looking up - away from ourselves - from our problems - concerns - worries - we would see that the world is a lot more than just us - our daily existence. He painted the skies with awesome colors - mostly blue - often gray - frequently with bright reds - oranges - fire in the sky. He wants us to know that He lives everywhere - around us - above us - below us - in us. We are called to look outside ourselves - to the beauty of His world - our playground. When your life begins to feel boring - lacking the beauty you seek - you only have to look upwards - to God.

Deacon Dale 

Wasted

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary wasted means - not used - spent in a good useful - effective way - very thin because of sickness or lack of food - very drunk or affected by drugs. Wasted is never used to describe anything that is good - always in a negative sense. Most frequently when a resource is cast aside - not used - thrown away - it is wasted - should have been used to better advantage. When illness strikes - very often the one afflicted unable to eat - digest food and ends up losing body weight - muscle mass - tissue is lost. Becoming so drunk so as not being able to control the body - walk a straight line - speak a clear sentence - embrace the reality of the moment - a waste of time. When anything is wasted - it reflects poor judgement - lack of skills - no previous planning - throwing money down the drain.

God grants to each of us His time - His attention - His care. Day after day - He sends His blessings down upon us - to accept - reject - to acknowledge - to ignore. He invests more time with each of us than we can ever imagine. His love goes beyond human understanding - waiting day after day for us to recognize Him and His love. In all our lives we will never truly experience God's love - unless we learn to pay attention - to listen - to acknowledge His gifts of life - love. Time is precious - now is the hour to awaken to God - not to let it be wasted.

Deacon Dale 

Name Calling

As children it was not uncommon to yell at another child who was not being nice - not playing fair - bullying others. Physical violence was out - usually the one being mean - bigger than anyone else - stronger - older. The only thing left was to call the offender a name - any name - mean spirited - poking fun at anything - trying to get even - level the playing field - attempting to get them to stop. Sometimes it worked - more often than not - an adult heard what was going on - made you stop - not polite - not the way to treat a fellow human. The majority of us gave up name calling as we grew - matured into responsible adults - citizens. Unfortunately name calling is again in vogue - especially among politicians - candidates for public office - failing any legitimate criticism of an opposing candidate - slip into the gutter - spewing lies - filth - attempting to steer attention away from the other person - to oneself in an attempt in becoming popular.

Jesus - guilty of name calling in His day - brother - sister - friend - teacher - healer - names to compliment - build up - reinforce ones self esteem. When speaking a truth about another - using kind words - gestures - focusing on the true value of another human. God calls all of us to be like Jesus - to put on His manners - positive characteristics - to become Christ-like. He is with us always - guiding - helping - giving good direction to our lives - actions. If you listen - you will hear God's voice - calling your name.

Deacon Dale

Sounds of Silence

The Sounds of Silence - a popular song by Simon and Garfunkel - popular recording artists of the 1960s - counterculture icons of the decade's social revolution - stirred people to rethink life - social issues. The true importance of the term - sounds of silence - is the concept of what silence really is. Silence is not only the absence of audible sound - a necessary part of making sound. Silence is what separates one sound from another - one musical note from another - one word from another. If there was no silence - all sound would run together into one continuous sound or hum. Anyone who has studied music is familiar with rest notes - moments when no sound is played on an instrument - no sound sung. These rest notes - moments of silence separate - embellish the sound just made - the note - sound to come. When using speech - pauses - moments of silence - introduced to bring attentions what was just said - what will be coming next. Without silence all forms of communication would lose much of its value.

When we speak to God in prayer - silence is golden - extreme value - in sitting in silence - not speaking - rather listening. In that silence God has an opportunity to speak to our mind - heart - to come close to us - giving us an opportunity - to touch the Divine. Many are uncomfortable with complete silence - choosing to speak rather than listen. In prayer - communicating with God - the sounds of silence - truly golden.

Deacon Dale

Guinea Pig

A guinea pig is a species of rodent - despite the name - not a member of the pig family - not from Guinea. They originated in the Andes and were not found in the wild - played an important role in folk culture of many South American groups - as a food source - in folk medicine - religious ceremonies. At one time - used a laboratory test animals - now replaced by mice and rats - more often found as pets. One wonders how many households would be host to a guinea pig if they realized it is basically a fuzzy plump mouse. The name in modern use is often applied to any animal used as a test subject for many different projects - often including humans. The term - guinea pig - often used to refer to an individual - selected as the target - without  prior knowledge to be the first to attempt - try something in which the safety is unknown - testing a rope bridge - particularly an old one of dubious construction - the first one to attempt a safe crossing for a group. 

Although God is known to test people in various ways - He rarely uses the guinea pig method. On occasion - He may ask an individual to do something first - not at risk of their life - rather as a role model for those who will later follow. None of us is expendable - all have value in God's eyes. Each person a precious jewel in His crown - to be loved - nurtured - protected by God. When you feel that God might be testing you - pray for strength - He will provide - assist you through whatever trial you face. 

Deacon Dale 

Best Dressed

Almost weekly one group or another seems to publish their list of best dressed - celebrities - international figures - men - women - children - senior citizen - teen - child actor - dogs - cats - ad nauseum. We seem to be obsessed with how people look - how clothes look on certain people - who wore it the best - worse. If we believed the media then looks would be the criteria upon which we valued people. Personalities - manners - attitude - aside - only what pleases the eyes - not the mind - heart. Being caught up in these mindless games - not a sign of maturity. Everyone knows that what really matters - is inside - who the person really is - not what they look like. A beautiful woman - man - might just be the shallowest - meanest person alive. 

God knows each of us so well - He does not look at our appearance - clothes - jewelry - homes - cars - bank accounts. He looks into our hearts - minds - where we love - whom we love. Inside where no one can see - except God - is what really matters. The same goes for us - we should not judge a book by its cover - nor people by their possessions - rather their words - actions. When God call us to serve Him - He did not ask us to first buy a new suit - dress - rather He accepted us as we were - no changes needed. As we continue in this Easter Season - we need to continue to celebrate the gift of New Life offered by God - for ourselves - for others - just as we are.

Deacon Dale  

The Glass of Water

As the story goes an instructor asked her class how much the glass of water weighed that she was holding in her hand. Guesses varied from eight ounces up to twenty ounces. She went on to explain that the actual weight meant nothing - rather the time she held it up was the important factor. She explained - even if on the heavy side - she could hold it in her hand for many minutes comfortably - after an hour her arm would begin to ache - after many hours she would develop a cramp - end up with a very sore - tired arm. The point she was attempting to get across was that there are burdens - and there are big burdens. The most common burden anyone has to cope with is mental - emotional. When a person is troubled - the burden weighs on the mind - dampens the spirit - causes depression. The longer we attempt to cope - the longer we stress - the greater the burden - the deeper the depression. Learning to deal with issues immediately - seeking resolution promptly - goes a long way to good mental health - a happy spirit. Often help is needed from others - sometimes professionals. Learning to cope early on - decreases the burden - make it manageable - makes time for other more important issues - like living a happy life.

Jesus told us that He came that we might have life and live it to the fullest. Some say He promised a rose garden - a beautiful garden filled with green leaves - red roses - thorns. Yes - in the midst of the beauty - thorns. Thorns - that stick - prick - hurt - sting - pierce the skin. Just as in real life - among all that is beautiful - pleasant - enjoyable - we have to contend with the thorns - the things that are not pleasant - loss of a loved one - unemployment - unreasonable taxes - politicians who distort the truth - divorce - illness - dozens of unpleasant things. These hurt - cause physical - emotional pain - make us bleed from our inner spirits. Trusting in God - leading us into a full life - He heals the hurts - minimizes the time we suffer - quenches our thirst for relief. If you have been holding your glass of troubles too long - give it to Jesus. He will lift your burden - offer it to God - who in turn will give you the joy you seek. 

Deacon Dale 

ESL

Today I had my first experience with ESL - English as a Second Language - helping local people to become fluent in speaking English. I was a little concerned as this was my first teaching session - obviously I wanted to do well - to help my student. Adding to my discomfort - I was scheduled to teach Level 2 - jumping over Level 1 - where to start - what had the student picked up from her first instructor. As it was - no problem! She was very pleasant - had learned a fair amount at Level 1 - completely ready for advanced study. In the process we are instructed to only speak English - avoid using their native language even if we knew it. Following the teacher's manual was easy - adding in a few words in Spanish - greatly improved the comfort level of both teacher and student. For me this was not only teaching - also ministry - offering myself as a volunteer - to help a fellow human. Facilitating communication - among others - the first step in better relations - understanding.

After God confused the language of the world at the Tower of Babel - the need to slow down - speak in simple words - hand gestures - looking into each other's eyes - to communicate common needs - wants - desires. We have been given a gift from God - the ability to listen - speak - talk - feel - understand. It is in our understanding each other that we begin to better understand ourselves. The better we understand - know ourselves - the closer we come to God.  The closer we come to God - the closer we come to the Divine. That is the goal of most people - seeking to know - God.

Deacon Dale