Tag Archives: Homelessness

November 16, 2016 · 10:35 am

This Thing Called Love

Loving Tenderness

Loving tenderness abounds for all

from the darkest

to the most eminent one beyond the stars,

Exquisitely loving all

she bequeaths the kiss of peace

upon the ultimate King.

– Hildegard of Bingen

Jesus tell us : … Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” The second is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these.’ There is none greater. Many of us spend our lives searching for the best way to live a godly life but Jesus gives us a truly simplistic answer – love God , our neighbors and – just as important – ourselves. We are horrible at loving ourselves and finding neighbors to love is an almost impossible task.

Let us begin at the beginning – love God. If we are to love God we have to begin by acknowledging Him as our creator and the sustaining power of our lives. We must put aside the notion that was are masters of our own destiny and give Him credit for who He is. We love God by staying in touch with Him through prayer and listening His Spirit when He answers our prayers. That is a beginning of love for God.

Love our neighbors – We dream of the perfect neighbor and we never find them. That because we are looking in the wrong place. Our concept of neighbor is physical proximity but God has something much greater in mind. My wife told me a story about meeting a neighbor at McDonalds recently. She enter the restaurant and ordered food for herself and two of our grandchildren. There was a somewhat disheveled lady who later ordered a cup of coffee and a very small amount of ice cream. Soon it was evident that she was receiving her food out of the generosity of the restaurant staff. On her way out my wife asked her if she was hungry and needed help to buy a meal, her reply was “no.” as my wife proceeded to the car she noticed that she was followed by the lady who then approached her with these words, “Neighbor I didn’t really tell you the truth because I am hungry – Can you help me?” My wife accommodated and she replied, “Thanks, neighbor.” That is the kind of neighbor Jesus was talking about. A lady that is down and out by our standards understands God’s concept of neighbor. That lady is my neighbor as well and I didn’t say it was going to be easy to love your neighbor.

Love yourself – “..Love your neighbor AS YOURSELF.” People who cannot love themselves find it impossible love others. Did you know that suicide was the seventh leading cause of death among adolescents in 2013? (CDC stats) The National Institute Mental Health estimates that in the United States, 16 million adults had at least one major depressive episode in 2012. That’s 6.9 percent of the population. Wow! We are not loving ourselves very much. The key to self is recognizing our worth in God’s eyes. He created us, He redeems us, and He watches out for us. That makes you and your neighbor worth loving.

The challenge is simple learn to love God because of who He is and what He has done and I believe the rest of the puzzle will come together.

Prayer

Lord give me the vision to recognize your loving tenderness in the beauty that surrounds me. Allow me to see it in the life giving nature of the morning dew and the majesty of the setting sun. Such a realization will lead me to love You more and to love and care for myself and my neighbor. Might I see the majesty of all your creation – especially we humans who are the crown of all creation. Help me to discover Your brand of love and make it mind.

Amen

Know your neighbors (bicklebits.com)

Some New Years Goals

– If you’re in a fight with a spouse, reconcile, even if you think you’re correct

– If you are struggling with your parents or your children, find what is beautiful and wonderful in them and compliment them directly for those gifts

– If there’s a coworker you know is sad about something or struggling with something, encourage that person to speak and release what he/she needs to speak about

– If your atmosphere is poisoned, bring joy and laughter to it

– If you see a homeless person on the corner, go out of your way to make sure you give something, without wasting time judging them or blaming them for their present predicament

– If someone asks you for something, give it to him

– If someone has recently had a loss, comfort as appropriate and try and help in a manner acceptable to that person

– If you have the means (and be honest about it), go volunteer in a homeless shelter or with youth

– Take kids from your church or neighborhood and do something with them – play sports, go for walks, tell stories, but give them a good time out of your own time, not the spare time

– Smile at everyone you see, a smile from the heart

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

What then Should We Do?

The prophet tells us : “And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:10-11) The crowd was speaking to John the Baptist about how they would live the Missional life. They were confused and waiting for the Rabbis to tell them what to do. Perhaps Synagogue’s Missions Committee would set up a program so that they could “plug In”. Instead John said: JUST DO IT !

What should we do ? Do as the prophet said two thousand years ago. Share as you go, give your personal property away to those who are in need, live a life of simply caring about others. Caring becomes a way of life and the first thing you know it will be better to give than to receive.

OK, some action suggestions:

Give something of your own to a person in need.
Give food or help to a homeless person (it doesn’t matter WHY they are homeless).
Give a smile or a kind word to a stranger.
Pick up some trash in your neighborhood–just because.
Volunteer at a park,zoo or hospital.
Become a mentor for a child.

These are just a few ways that you can just do something Missional this week. The message -DON’T WAIT- just do it !

Do Something

The prophet tells us: “And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share

with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” (Luke 3:10-11) The crowd was speaking to John the Baptist about how they would live the Missional life. They were confused and waiting for the Rabbis to tell them what to do. Perhaps Synagogue’s Missions Committee would set up a program so that they could “plug in”. Instead John said: JUST DO IT!

What should we do? Do as the prophet said two thousand years ago. Share as you go, give your personal property away to those who are in need, live a life of simply caring about others. Caring becomes a way of life and the first thing you know it will be better to give than to receive.

OK, some action suggestions:

Give something of your own to a person in need.
Give food or help to a homeless person (it doesn’t matter WHY they are homeless).
Give a smile or a kind word to a stranger.
Pick up some trash in your neighborhood–just because.
Volunteer at a park, zoo or hospital.
Become a mentor for a child.

These are just a few ways that you can just do something Missional as you journey.

The message -DON’T WAIT- just do it!

2 Comments

Filed under Christian Journey, Christian Living, Missional Living

Tagged as Baptist, Gospel of Luke, Homelessness, Jesus, John, John Baptist, Luke, Rabbi