Watching our Words

There's just too much mean speech these days. I'm not sure how it happened - I think the media plays a pretty large role in this. However it happened, it feels very uncomfortable to me when I hear gossip or slander or just plain mean speech. As the presidential campaigns ramp up it will get worse, that's seems certain.

Scriptures tell us a lot about what we ought to say and not say. Jesus was particularly pointed in his statements about our speech. In Matthew, Jesus is quoted: "what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. . . " (15:18-20a). There's an old saying about our physical bodies: "We are what we eat." Jesus might have said relative to our spiritual beings: "We are what we speak."

It's nearly impossible to get through college without participating in or being the victim of gossip or slander. We are, after all, sinful creatures, unfortunately. But we also make choices. And we are challenged by Jesus to choose words that heal over words that hurt, words that are kind rather than words that are harsh. That doesn't mean we shouldn't defend ourselves, get appropriately angry, or confront an injustice. It does mean that we are charged to take extra time to map our our speech so that we can speak the truth in love. It takes time and discipline to do this. In especially challenging situations it takes a lot of prayer. But it's not impossible. Nan Merrill's words encourage us:

O my friends, close your ears to the mind-pollution of gossip,
to the harmful violence in the media!
For all such reckless talk and intake soils the soul, and,
like an echo, reverberates--spreading poison, not love.
Let what you take into your heart and mind
be for nourishment, joy and understanding,
that wisdom and wholeness might increase.
Become like a rose in full bloom
sending forth beauty and serentiy
to a world where darkness seems to flourish;
for peace, assurance and blessing
companion those who speak with kindness and care.
They recognize Holy Wisdom at work
in the world and in others;
they are true friends of the Beloved.

Blessed Thanksgiving Holiday. May all your words be filled with gratitude.

Fear Not!

Fear is a primal emotion, perhaps along with anger the most visceral of all human emotions. Fear can take over our lives if we let it. A little bit of it goes a long way. It's good to have a reasonable amount of it - it keeps us from putting our hands on a hot stove or into a lion's cage. But too much of it can be paralyzing. When fear takes over a community or a country it can result in a radical change in the way life is lived for everyone.

When faced with fear we have to do just that: face it. Face it and realize it is normal and can be healthy. Ask yourself if it is rational or out of balance with the rest of life. Then make a choice about what to do with that fear. So you have a big test coming up and it scares you. Name it. Determine where the fear is coming from. Are you afraid of failure? Are you afraid of success???? Fear is just a feeling and it does not have to take over your life, but it can and it might, if you try to ignore it.

I am guessing that the authors of scripture had a pretty good handle on fear as the single emotion standing in the way of faithful living. Fear motivates us to take charge. It leaves little room for possibility. It likes control. The phrase "fear not" or "do not be afraid" is stated more often in scripture than any other phrase. Oh yes, the authors knew the greatest barrier between us and God. The Bible is filled with stories of characters who moved forward putting faith over fear. They are stories that inspire us to keep moving as well. They are tales of courage and radical faith. They are stories that remind us that in God all things are possible, even relinquishing our fears.

Activist and priest Philip Berrigan wrote: "Fear is a reminder that we are creatures - fragile, vulnerable, totally dependent on God. But fear shouldn't dominate or control or define us. Rather, it should submit to faith and love." As you move into this last month of the semester fear not. Instead allow your fear to submit to faith and to love.

Radiate Light!

How often does someone tell you to be yourself? And what do you hear or think when that happens?

I remember being a college freshwoman and an upper classwoman telling me to just be myself. Actually she wrote it in a note that I have to this day. I wish I could remember what I thought when I first read it. Now, when I think of the words, surely they hold different meaning, or at least the response is different because I am a different person than I was 35 years ago.

In a book entitled Meditations and Mandalas author Nan Merrill writes:

Awaken, O friends!
Radiate the light you are!
Do not let fear keep you from the truth of your being,
nor illusions veil the innate beauty of your soul.
Awaken! Know that you are a holy chalice of light and love,
for the Divine Guest dwells within you.
You are the holy temple of the Beloved;
"You are the light of the world!"
SHINE!

These words are at once strongly challenging and deeply inspiring for us. Have you ever thought that YOU are the light of the world? What fears keep you from being yourself? What scares the light out of you so that you fail in your efforts to be the host for the Divine Guest? And how can you allow that Divine Guest to banish your fears so that you can radiate light? SHINE!

Thanks, Mom

Today would have been my mother's 84th birthday, had she survived brain cancer some 35 years ago. She left this earth too young, missed my wedding(s) and never met her grandchildren. This morning as I did my morning devotional writing I thought of her and the ways she that still lives in me. It was a holy moment, realizing that in some wonderful ways she does live on, that I am who I am in large part because of who she was. She was not perfect but she did the best she could with the resources she had at the time. She had dreams for me that I could not take on for myself, but I believe that she likely would have respected and honored the choices that I did make for my life. It is no accident that the pearls I wear today were hers, pearls that both represent and remind me of what she gave me. Thanks, Mom.

A Cult?

Some of us at Wesley have heard for years that there are students on campus that call our ministry a cult. The inference, of course, is that cults are in and of themselves bad. As a result of that inference, some students are convinced to avoid us.

Here are some things to think about:

• Christianity began as a cult, and by definition can still be considered one!
  
• Dictionary.com includes these definitions of the word -
  
• a particular system of religious worship
• an instance of great veneration of a person, idea or thing, manifested by a body of admirers
• a group bound together by veneration of the same person, idea or thing
• Most religious groups satisfy the above definitions

If someone dismisses a religious group by calling them a cult, it is good to ask yourself these questions:

• What does this person gain by denouncing the group?
• What are the characteristics of the group that would cause such an accusation?

There are such things as destructive religious groups. If you are concerned about someone who may be getting pulled into one, do not hesitate to talk with me, another campus minister or someone who is knowledgable about the subject. If you are being enticed by a group you are not sure about, don't be afraid to ask questions. Know what you believe: that is the strongest antidote to vulnerability.

Thriving or Surviving?

In the 29th chapter of Jeremiah we find a letter written by the prophet, who is in Jerusalem, to the Israelites who remain in exile in Babylon. They are not where they want to be. They are not doing what they want to be doing. They are not with the people they want to be with. They are surviving but they are not happy. To them Jeremiah writes, "Thus says the Lord. . . to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters. . . seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. . . " (29:4-7 selected)

When we are not where we want to be, when we are not doing what we want to be doing, when we are not with the people with whom we want to be, some days we do well simply to survive. But Jeremiah's words are a reminder that God's will for us goes beyond survival to thrival (that's a newly created word by yours truly). God's dream, God's deepest desire is for us to thrive where we are, in all circumstances, at all times and in all places. God longs for us to "bloom where we are planted."

What's hard about that sometimes is that in our displacement we lose our sense of self. We forget who we are, what we have to offer, what the world needs from us. These words from Jeremiah are words of hope and encouragement. They are words that support us in putting one foot in front of the other. Do the daily tasks. Live your lives. And pray for the community where you live. Pray for your city because when it thrives you will thrive.

There you have it. We are not told to pray for ourselves. We are not encouraged to get out of our morass by some dramatic act of salvation. Just live responsibly. Build your "house" and live there. Plant your "garden," reap the harvest and let that be your sustenance. And pray for the place where you are. In that we see that God changes things because God changes us - from surviving to thriving. It's a miracle of sorts. Thanks be to God!

Prayer for Thursday

Jesus, peace of our hearts, where the trusting of faith has been shaken, make us bearers of your Gospel and keep us close to those who are beset by doubts. - Brother Roger