Dining Alone

Recently it was reported that the Vice-President of the USA has a rule about dining alone with a female that is not his wife. He has been criticized by people on both sides of the debate - respecting his wife - not trusting himself with other women. I can understand that he does not want people to speculate his motives for dining with a woman - not his wife. What about not dining with a man - not his father - brother. The argument could go both ways - these days. So many gay men - out of the closet - openly dining with their partner. Same with two women. Bottom line - just who really cares? If I chose to meet a female - male - friend for lunch - I could care less who would see me. Speculating about - the deacon - dining with a young man - could be my son - nephew - grandson - a young lady - niece - granddaughter - co-worker. It is really none of anyone's business - nor what the relationship is. Better that - they - focus on their own lives - how they live - their life - leave others up to their own.

Jesus does not judge us - that is for His Father - on judgement day. Until then each of us is called to live honorable lives - treating ourselves - others - as God wants us. In Christian charity - loving relationships - caring for each other - helping others. In Lent we give up the task of judging others - leave those concerns at the Cross of Jesus - just where they belong. We can dine with whomever or whatever we wish - it is our choice - nobody else's.

Deacon Dale 

Cranky Franky

We have all experienced people like - Cranky Franky - people who are always in  a bad mood - complaining - ill tempered - no fun to be with. They drive cars and blow horns at everyone - overload their shopping carts - then complain it takes too long to check out their purchase - impatient - always in a rush - living life one curse after another. It is easy to pick on the Cranky Frankies of the world - not knowing them - what is going on in their lives. The man whose wife is slowly dying in the hospital - the lady who just lost her job three years before retirement with no hope of finding affordable health care - the fat kid who never gets picked for any of the teams - even after losing fifty pounds in the last six months - the girl whose life is miserable and wants to commit suicide because she can't deal with her recent rape. Yes - these are some of the Cranky Frankies in the world - others for many other reasons.

God loves all of us - even the Cranky Frankies of the world. His love is not only for the lovable - also for those that are miserable. Often those - more loved - because they need it more. God calls each of us to love - as He loves - not making judgments - rather loving when loving is very difficult. To show God how much you love Him - find a Cranky Franky today and show them His love - through your love.

Deacon Dale 

Home Management

A very important part of managing a home is seeing that various systems are properly maintained - electrical - plumbing - heating - security - to name a few. It is important that all homeowners periodically inspect the different systems in their homes to avoid major issues. Verifying that electrical circuits are not overloaded - hot water tanks are periodically flushed - water softeners disinfected - furnaces checked for cracked heat exchangers - security - contacts - batteries all functioning. Marking a calendar to remind to do an annual inspection - one very good tool in the process. One reminder that is published for the public yearly is to check smoke - fire alarms to make sure batteries are fresh - time to replace units over ten years old. We recently had one of our smoke alarms go off - inspecting that one unit in our Arizona home alerted us to the fact that it was time to replace all the units. Reviewing Phoenix building codes we learned that all hard wired units - which the majority of homes have - now required to be replaced with a sealed unit with a ten year lithium battery. Replacing the units involved a slight re-wiring issue but it was simple to do and new units now meet current building codes - home in good shape. 

Many areas of our lives are regulated by rules - regulations - codes - for personal safety - for community safety. There are those who hate these codes - guidelines - ignore every chance they get. Most others - follow the rules - regulations as listed by reliable authorities. The most common signs we see - traffic signs - lights - informing us when to stop - go - how fast we may travel. In Lent the Church sets down guidelines for us also - specifying fast days - days of abstinence.  Although many do not understand - most comply with these regulations. It is for our benefit that all these rules are posted - everyone informed. As we continue into this fifth week of Lent - these regulations now very familiar - not an issue. No longer on our minds - focusing instead on how well we manage our spiritual homes - our relationship with God. Happily for us - with God - all things possible. 

Deacon Dale 

Lent 105 - Camel Jockey

The Fifth Sunday of Lent - celebrating New Life. In today's Gospel we hear about Jesus raising Lazarus of Bethany from the dead. My first thoughts - I have been there - in Bethany - my wife rode a camel there! We laughed as we watched the camel try to give her a kiss. What a memory - modern day - happy times. Anytime the Scriptures mention places in the Holy Land where we have visited - it brings back many great memories. Today's Gospel should bring all of us to similar happy memories. We have been told countless times - those who believe that Jesus is Lord will never die - our own resurrection - foretold by Scripture.

This Sunday in the Church - around the world - the Third Scrutiny is being celebrated - final examination of the Elect - preparing to join the Church at the Easter Vigil. The last three Sundays have been baptism liturgies focusing on the three elements of Water - Light - New Life - all which is experienced on Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil. God does not call us to ride camels - resurrect from the dead - anything else. He simply asks that we approach Him with honest open hearts. Honest as to who we are - what we have done - good - bad - open to Him - to accepting Jesus as Lord - receiving all that He has to offer in the initiation rites to be celebrated at the Vigil. For those already members of the Church - we are asked to walk with the Elect - to pray for them - as they pray for us - that all may be one in Christ.

Deacon Dale 

No Fool

At this stage in my life - no use for April Fools. Been there - done that - the need to pull pranks - make people feel foolish - no longer a necessity. Although most April Fools pranks are done in a spirit of fun - too many today - mean spirited. Too often I see things that get people's hopes up - only to cause major disappointments afterwards. On occasion some pranks intended strictly to embarrass - ridicule - others. I do not understand why some have to be involved with that - not mature - not being a good Christian. 

Nobody is against good clean fun - when everybody can share in the laughter - games - joyous moments. Making another person look dumb - the fool - gains nothing - for anyone. Often those who pulled the prank - later regret their actions. Unfortunately there is a ripple affect - for each and every reaction - an equal and opposite reaction results - according to Newton's Third Law. Most often we never know just who we affected - how far it went - who was built up - torn down. Lent asks us to reflect on those moments - originally thought to be light hearted - reality - not so much - hurtful. In Lent we pray - search for forgiveness - to purify our hearts - minds - that we may be the people God intended us to be.

Deacon Dale 

Moving On

It is the last day of March - moving swiftly into April - getting closer to Palm Sunday - Easter. Time flies - very quickly - Lent quickly passing by in front of our eyes. Winter officially over - temperatures starting to rise - daylight savings - more hours of sunshine. With better weather - more time spent outdoors - playing - golf - riding bicycles - gathering with friends - outdoor house work - planting - fertilizing. Spring has sprung - for the most part. Black soil soon to burst forth into a new green - life starting up - the cycle of life renewing itself. This is the time of year when people begin to come alive - getting more active - moving out of the house - back into the world.

As we continue through Lent - we too move into a different stage. We go from slow starts to more activity - parish missions - retreats - prayer services. In Lent the Church is getting busy - planning for Easter activities - celebration of New Life In Christ - welcoming those who are preparing for baptism - confirmation - first communion. This is a good time - to move on with purpose - to move forward - including Jesus - God - in our plans.

Deacon Dale 

And God Created Man

There is a common error shared by many regarding the statement that - God created - Man. Many seem to think that the word man refers to the male of the species. Rather - in scripture - when that statement is read - refers to mankind. When we are told that God created man - He did not stop there. The entire process of creating humans - mankind - a two step process. First create the one - then - create the partner - making sure that - although not identical - complimentary. Therefore the creation of the genders - male - female. Similar - but different - opposites - that attract - work together - to create - basis of life. Neither alone - can procreate - neither can self inseminate - continuing the species involves - both - male - female. One - the larger - hunter - gatherer - protector - the other - smaller - the child bearer - the nurturer - caretaker - both - equal responsibility - for well being of the family unit. Men are not greater than women - women not greater than men. Shared existence - shared responsibility - together - working as one - through different ways - means - to accomplish the one goal - life.

Holy Scripture tells us that when God created mankind that He was pleased - happy with the beings - created by Him - for Him. In God's eyes - we are all good - created for good -not evil - not to compete with each other - to work with each other - to build up - not monuments to Him - the Author of Life - not monuments to ourselves - monuments to life - celebrating life as experienced - as family. This Lent we look deep inside - how well we nuture ourslves - our partner - our family.

Deacon Dale 

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 

Walls and Barriers I Have Met

Walls are structures designed to keep something - someone - out or in. Constructed of various materials - steel - wire - wood - concrete - cement blocks - they provide enough structure to contain or repel - various things - people. In our Arizona community each subdivision - neighborhood - surrounded by cinder block walls - six foot tall walls - most solid block - a few - iron fences - allowing a view of the desert terrain. There are many reasons for these walls - protection from desert animals - coyote - bobcats - bears - mountain lions - snakes - scorpions - nosy neighbors. For all intents and purpose - privacy the primary reason - followed secondly - safety from the danger lurking in the many Arizona swimming pools - keeping - especially - young children out. These barriers - although beneficial - a roadblock to creating relationships with neighbors. Those who cannot be seen - difficult - to communicate - build a relationship.

Jesus told us that He came to remove barriers - to tear down walls - especially - between people. Today we have a common problem - barrier - between all people - fear of the unknown - fear of gender - fear of ethnicity - fear of beliefs - fear of cultures - fear of language - fear of whatever exists - on the other side of those walls. One of our wall sections was starting to lean - Homeowners Association to the rescue - removed and rebuilt that section. A new wall - a new - renewed barrier. Lucky for us we already have relationships - with those on the other side - no barrier with them. In Lent the Church asks each of us to look - not outwards - rather inwards - to barriers that exist - between us - Jesus - God. Thankfully - Jesus - always there - hand outstretched - helping us to overcome any barrier we have - with Him - His Father. This week - this day - we pray - Lord - remove any barrier that keeps me from having the best relationship possible with you - Your Son - Amen.

Deacon Dale 

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