The month of March now in our rearview mirrors - moving swiftly into the days of 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 - 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
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 nurture ourselves - our partner - our family.
Deacon Dale
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
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
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
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
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.
Deacon Dale
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
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
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
