Trinity UCC Lenten Devotional for Monday, March 9, 2015 "Comfort"

Comfort

March 9

Psalm 46:10

He says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

 What does it mean to be comforted, to feel comfort? Many things can offer us comfort; the loving embrace of a mother or father, our favorite food , a favorite chair or object, a spoken word, the whisper of the one we love, a smell or memory, silence, the warmth of a fireplace, something new , money etc. The list could go on and on.  For a child, like my great nephew comfort is simply found in his ‘Tabby.’

As he rubs his eyes he looks up and says, ‘Tabby?’ To anyone in the room who isn’t family they would question this request but the rest of us know what he wants. He is tired, a long day for this two year old. He wants his favorite blanket that has tied tabs all around its edges, ‘Tabby’. It is his go to item when he is tired, or hurt, or missing mommy and daddy. Once in his hands it is drawn up close to his check. Tiny little fist clutched around a single tab of the blanket as he holds it close. All is well, all is right once ‘Tabby’ is in his possession.  My precious two year old great nephew loves his ‘Tabby.’

Most children have a favorite item that gives them comfort in their greatest time of need. Something that offers security and wraps them in a feeling of love.  An item that is precious to them and irreplaceable.  The world of a child is uncluttered and much simpler then our own as adults.  If only a small token such as a blanket or stuffed animal would comfort us. As adults we have a tendency to surround ourselves with things, material things, that we feel will comfort us. And yes, they may offer us physical comfort but that runs dry and we seek another items to deliver what the other could not.  Seeking comfort from material things is a futile endeavor but it doesn’t seem to stop us.

If only we could still ourselves long enough to listen to what our mind, body and spirit actually need and desire for true comfort to rest upon us. If we could move away from the quick fix and search for a deeper longer lasting solution. I wonder where it would lead us…be still and know I am God.

Turn off your phone, the TV. and the MP3 player. Sit down, lay down, and just feel the weight of your body. Sense each part, and relax each muscle. Seek the connection you long for and you will find comfort. Breathe deep, in then out, clear your mind and just listen to your own body. In the stillness you will find what you seek.  Be still and know.

Prayer: Almighty God, you wait so patiently for us to return to you. You remain, it is we who wander. Help us to seek you for our strength and comfort in all things. Silence our busyness so we may be still and know you. In our daily life blanket us with comfort and grace. In your precious Sons name we pray. AMEN.

The ache for home lives in all of us. The safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned.”

Maya Angelou, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes

   

Trinity Lenten Devotions for Saturday, March 7th, 2015 by Joe Kirk

March 7

Psalm 107:19-21New International Version (NIV)

19 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,    and he saved them from their distress.20 He sent out his word and healed them;    he rescued them from the grave.21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love    and his wonderful deeds for mankind.

The Healing Spirit of Writing by Joe Kirk

When I was younger I was not a fan of writing.  I did not understand the point of it.  I always wondered why did I have to write when I could speak it so much easier.  From an early part of my life it was clear to me that I could put together a good speech.  I was shy and quiet as a child, but when I spoke I could pull together a speech and say what I wanted to say, get my point across with the passion that I meant it to have.  Throughout my school years teachers would often comment to my mom at parent teacher conferences that I needed to speak more and find my voice.  They would often say, “Joe is very smart but he does not participate much in class because he is so quiet and shy”.  My mom would tell me about this when she came home and would comment how I needed to talk more.  I was and am a very passionate person, however in my youth, I did not always share that side of myself and would only write when I had to.  That changed one day in my 11^th grade English class with my teacher Mrs. Knopf.  You see, I had a huge crush on this girl in my class named Crystal, although she never knew it This other kid in my class, Mark, would often mess with Crystal’s desk and books.  I would quietly get mad at Mark and would want to do something to defend Crystal.  On this particular Tuesday morning in English class, after stewing all night on how I needed to teach Mark a lesson, I got up in the middle of class while Mrs. Knopf was teaching and walked to the back row of the class room where Mark sat and went to his desk and grabbed his books and threw them about the class and then sat back down.  Everyone in the classroom was stunned, shy and quiet Joe had acted out in class.  My teacher, who I just adored, looked at me with disappointment and simply stated, “you need to stay after class”.  Several students in my class whispered to me how happy they were with what I had done because Mark was known as a bully and probably deserved what happened although they did not know why I did it.  As the class let out Crystal came up to me and said, “I can handle my own problems” and walked away.  I was crushed. Not only was I now in trouble with one of my favorite teachers, my unrequited love Crystal was now mad at me as well.  Could this situation get any worse? Then Mrs. Knopf came up to me and stated that she would not report me to the Principal, whew, however, I would have to go home and write two poems to make up for my behavior in class.  She did not say “punishment” but that is truly what it was.  I now had a new enemy in Mark, my major crush was mad at me, one of my favorite teachers was disappointed in me and I now had an extra writing assignment. Worse yet, it was to write poetry! She also made it clear that it could not be the ‘roses are red, violets and blue type, it had to contain more and be more.

That night I spent more than four hours completing the two poems.  The strange part about the process was I slept that night better than I had in years.  I woke the next morning puzzled with how that could be.  The one thing I avoided at all cost writing had a peaceful, calming effect on me so much so that I slept like a baby.  When I handed in the assignment to my teacher, what she stated astounded me, “I knew it would help you,  you left here yesterday hurting in so many ways, I knew that making you write could heal what was hurting inside of you.  How did she know that I wondered, and was she right? Could the one thing that I dreaded so much, and often put off until that last possible moment, be good for me …be healing for me?

The first poem I wrote was about love because I had crushed the soul of my crush, and the second poem was about loss because it was in that moment of anger, disappointment and hurt that I realized how much I was missing my dad who had left us when 7 years old.  You see, I could not tell my Mom what happened because she would give me the same disappointed look that I saw in the face of my teacher.  And was it even possible for her to understand the crush of a teenage boy? So that night, I sat in the basement of our house and wrote two poems:  one of love and one of loss,  and because of this assignment I found the healing power of writing, and particularly for me, the healing power of writing poetry  To this day, I write poems to address the issues within my heart and soul. 

When I moved to Ohio away from my family in Philadelphia, I turned to writing. When I lost my wife to cancer, I turned to writing. When I met my new love, my soul mate, my best friend Jodi, I turned to writing. During the birth, trials and tribulation of having premature twins, I turned to writing and during these days of raising teenage boys, I turn to writing.  Writing continues to heal me and its power brings me peace and joy.

Writing is a great form of expressing what cannot be said out loud. It is a way to work through the healing process. Can you write about a time in your life that was painful? Can you express and release the emotions of that time in writing?

What helps you to heal?

 

Prayer: I pray that we all embrace the power of our healing spirit within us, whether it be through song, dance, friendship, companionship or writing.  May that healing spirit continue to bring you peace and joy.  May we also bless those who help us to find our healing spirit.

 

As my sufferings mounted I soon realized that there were two ways in which I could respond to my situation -- either to react with bitterness or seek to transform the suffering into a creative force.  I decided to follow the latter course.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Trinity UCC Lenten Devotional Friday, March 6th, 2015 Healing By Nancy Boorman

March 6

Healing to come in the next life

Scripture

Revelation 21:4

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

As a student chaplain in Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital I had to come to the stark reality that my ministry of hope and healing may not always be received in this life time. I was not ready for that. I was not pollyanna about it but I was certainly on the “ in this life time” train.  Often delivering a message of hope and healing to a terminally ill patient is about finding the comfort and peace in the end. In the joy of a life well lived. The hope of an eternity that waits where there is no death, nor sorrow nor crying only glorious light.

 

Healing comes to us all in one way or another, in this life time or the next.  I have sat with the dying and the living. I have watched a baby be born. It is all sacred, and beautiful and intimate. I believe in the healing power of a touch, a word and a look. All of it can bring peace and hope to one who knows that full healing will only come in the full presence of the Lord. May we all pray for God’s will to be done.

Can there be healing in letting go? What does fully healing mean to you? What does it mean to your faith when it is not granted in this life time?

Prayer: Often Lord I come with a heavy heart as a life journey of a fight for healing from an illness is lost. Lost only to be received in your presence. I mourn for those of us left behind. For as we say good bye another is saying hello. Strengthen us to carry on Lord. AMEN.

 

Gone From My Sight by Henry Van Dyke

 

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship, at my side,

spreads her white sails to the moving breeze and starts

for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until, at length, she hangs like a speck

of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

 

Then, someone at my side says, "There, she is gone"

 

Gone where?

 

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast,

hull and spar as she was when she left my side.

And, she is just as able to bear her load of living freight to her destined port.

 

Her diminished size is in me -- not in her.

And, just at the moment when someone says, "There, she is gone,"

there are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices

ready to take up the glad shout, "Here she comes!"

 

And that is dying...

Trinty UCC Devotional for March 5th, 2015 Healing by Nancy Boorman

March 5

Healing-hope

Scripture

Jeremiah 29:11

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”

This is one of my favorite text on hope. So much so I have it tattooed on my arm, with the Hebrew character for son. It is in honor of my son. I need my son to know that this is spoken for him my God, his heavenly Father.  You see my son and his earthly father have never had a very good relationship. They have always been at odds with one another, butting heads continuously. I prayed for their relationship beginning when Ryan entered 2 grade. I prayed nightly, then daily, until it was a daily mantra. When my husband and I divorced I opted to have the children remain with him, sharing custody of course but he had them in primary residence. It kept them in school and surrounded by friends. I felt it was best to keep everything as stable as possible during the divorce.

 

 I also secretly thanked God for this opportunity for my husband and son to HAVE to establish a relationship since I was not there to buffer things. Well, it failed miserably. Instead of them growing closer and beginning to understand one another their relationship became more volatile. My son felt his father did not love him and my ex-husband felt his son did not respect him.  After graduation my son moved in with me and even traveled to Ohio to spend his year off from school with me. He has since moved back to Georgia, but not to live with his father. He and a friend have an apartment together and he visits his dad weekly for dinner. I still pray for a better relationship for them, and as they both age maybe they will mellow and it was transition into something good for them both. The healing of their relationship is up to them and God.  I have hope for healing for them. Great hope.

Is there a relationship that needs healing in your life? Have you taken it to prayer?

Prayer: Almighty Lord, I know you have a plan for these two men. I know you are working on their behalf to heal the gap between them. To foster understanding and compassion. Lord, give them both eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart that can be open. In you precious Son's name. AMEN.

 

“I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside.”

 

Wm. Paul Young,    The Shack

Trinity UCC Lenten Devotional for Wednesday, March 4th, 2015 Healing

March 4

Healing of the nations

(Revelation 22:2 NKJV) In the middle of its street, and on either

      side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each

      tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the

      healing of the nations.

 

I am always very reluctant to watch the news, local or national. Lately I find it such an assault on my senses. I see and hear so much cruelty, hatred and bigotry when I do watch, that I often wish I could un-see. With the advent of the internet global stories are at our finger tips. We know in a matter of minutes if not seconds about a shooting half way around the world. The internet has brought all of the destruction of the world right to our front door. It is such a different world then my childhood. In many ways good and in many ways bad. Oh how I wish I could unlearn all the bad so that only the good remained.

I cry out for the healing of people, towns, countries and nations! Why must we be so vile to one another? Why must we speak with such hate, contempt and destruction in our voices?  Isn’t our energy better spent on the ways we are alike and not different? Isn’t love easier then hate?

We need healing for all nations. None of us are exempt from the need for healing. None of us. Let us not make it about who is right or wrong but let it be about what is love and justice and good. Let the healing of the nation’s begin with me.

Where am I filled with thoughts that could ripe apart our nation? Is my language one of love, respect and healing? Show me to whom I need to reach out to because of my own wrongs.

The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.

Martin Luther King Jr., “Strength to Love”

Trinity UCC Lenten Devotional for Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Healing

March 3

HEALING

Scripture

 (Luke 6:19 NKJV) And the whole multitude sought to touch Him,

      for power went out from Him and healed them all.

I love this text, I get a strong visual when I read it. I can see in my mind the crowd pressing in on Christ, the arms outstretched, reaching for just a touch. At the moment his garment is touched Christ can feel a portion of power leave him. I imagine he felt a drain of his strength, little by little, as he healed and touched those around him. Have you ever felt that? Have you ever felt your energy leave you?

For our physically, emotional and spiritual healing we need energy, and lots of it. Healing often requires rest, so our body can mend and knit back together what has been torn apart. Until we give ourselves that time to heal we are of no use to anyone, including ourselves. We cannot give what we do not have. Be kind to yourself, allow yourself the time needed to heal from the emotion, the grief, the lost relationship, the illness, the anger, the hate, the overbooked life style you maybe leading. 

Taking time to heal is not selfish, it’s a necessity. Honor that time and seek the Lord as you do.

What in your life may need healing? What have you left torn apart and untended to?

Seek it, it maybe stopping you from living into a healthier life.

Prayer: Lord, in your great wisdom I seek rest. I seek, healing of my body, mind and spirit. Wash over me in such a way that I am cleansed and fully restored. To you be the glory. AMEN.

The wound is the place where the Light enters you.”

Rumi

Trinity UCC Lenten Devotion for Monday, March 2nd, 2015 "Healing" by Rhonda Edgerton

March 2

Healing

Scripture: Mark 10:51-52 Jesus said "Go; your faith has made you well."

The Lord never fails to amaze me. God can and does work though the rough spots of our lives even if we can’t see or feel it at the time. Life is so often understood backwards.  I find myself often drawn to people who have faced great adversity and overcome it. I see such strength in the healing struggle, and I see so much of God in it. We all have a story to tell, never underestimate the power of yours.

“I faced some pretty serious health conditions this past year. First, in August, I was diagnosed with dementia and hospitalized because my kidneys and liver had begun to shut down. I was advised by doctors to "get my things in order." Things looked bleak but just in time an astute doctor recognized my symptoms as chronic lithium toxicity. I was taken off of a handful of medications and my health improved dramatically in a matter of days.

Then I fell in the shower in October, suffering a broken nose, concussion and broken tibia. Just as I thought I was recovering from these injuries, I was diagnosed with CRPS/RSD - a debilitating chronic pain condition that carries a rather hopeless prognosis of being "progressive and irreversible."

This seemed to be the proverbial "wake up call." Was I right with myself, my family, my community and God? Convinced God must be keeping me here for some reason, I determined to figure out how I could deal with all this. A former athlete, I hit the gym for intense physical therapy and rehab. A teacher, I researched and read all I could get my hands on. I changed my diet; I learned to meditate.

Things seemed to be improving, but something was still missing. I returned to church. The welcome I received -- after years of not attending -- was warm, welcoming and nonjudgmental. I was invited to become an active and contributing part of the congregation. I believe this fellowship is a crucial method of God's healing power.

I'm convinced my health troubles in part were a result of misplaced faith. Faith in only myself. In well-intentioned but misguided healthcare providers. ("Here, just take this pill and everything will be okay.") Faith in pop culture fads and outright charlatans.

A couple weeks ago I was examined by an OSU specialist. The most recent MRIs showed there was literally no more evidence of the nerve condition with which I previously had been diagnosed. Terms such as "remarkable" and "spontaneous remission" were used to describe my recovery.

Was the relationship between my return to church and my healing simply coincidental? I hardly think so.” By Rhonda Edgerton

Are you working for your own healing? Are you seek God's help and the help of friends?  Examine your beliefs and expectations -- they are critical in the healing process.

 As Lyssa Rankin, MD, the author of "Mind over medicine" offers, "Let any health condition you face be an opportunity for spiritual awakening”

Prayer: Lord, our almighty physician, your grace and mercy are unending In the midst of my valley you drew me closer yet and worked through those who could and would help pull me out. My faith will evermore rest in your unfailing love. In your precious Sons name. AMEN.

 

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.

Soren Kierkegaard