Happy Halloween

I guess you could say I'm not that into it, but for the kids' sake most of us go out and buy tons of deadly, obesity-promoting products disguised as "candy" so we can load down each lil guy's bag with as much as they can drag home. How long does it take to eat all that junk anyway?

I remember that when I was a kid there was no alternative to Trick or Treating like we have today. Lately it seems all the religious outfits wanting to redeem the holiday offer the option of a Fall Celebration. I rather like that since the folks in my neighborhood seem bent on the creepiest decorations I have ever seen: hanging corpses, zombie-like figures, and cobwebs with spiders the size of Volkswagens...

Give me a break.

All I'm saying is, you can take things too far and they lose their entertainment value. I guess that's why the local churches have seized the idea and are advertising for their share of the popular consciousness. I don't mind that so much, but I wish we could just leave church work to helping the poor and outcast, and let the "entertaining" of fun-seeking horror buffs be a midnight party someplace a long way from my house. That way I don't have to be reminded of my fear of Freddy and Jason. Those movies scared the crap out of me, and I have never forgotten it. I can't even stand to watch the trailers for the movies these days. We have definitely graduated to the next level of sick when it comes to the minds behind some of this junk

I digress.

You know what I wish? I wish there was as much talent and imagination when it comes to ways of making people feel safe and loved, as seems to exist in attempting to make them feel demon possessed and potential victims of some psychopath. In my mind's eye I can see a world of people that don't even experience death. I dream of love and the empty graveyard. I dream of unlocked homes and drive by kisses. I am a very strange man you might be thinking, but in the world I am speaking of, there is One Lord, One Christ, One Love for All to be in the midst of. No more reason to poison children with copious amounts of sugar; no promotion of evil acts and death; no excuse for being anything less than a good neighbor and friend to those who have no one... ever.

There is no them.

Look around and see those who are lonely and hungry. The elderly women and the fatherless children of our communities need more than Tricks and Treats, they need food, love, protection and ATTENTION.

Pay attention Beloved!

We can't ignore them and we mustn't forget them. There is no them as long as we receive them into our world of big bank accounts, luxury cars, and nice spacious homes. Look around. See them. Love them. Treat them to a Fall celebration that could potentially save them from their despair. Trick them into thinking they are loved and accepted and then convince them it's true. And may God bless your doing and your being what Jesus asks each of us to do and be.

(James 1:27) Read it!

jb

Move Your Mountain

It's too close to mine:)

Jesus Christ taught that we have the power to move mountains through prayer. By mountains, I like to think he was including life's many obstacles. We seem to have more than our share these days but the question is:

What are we going to do about our circumstances if things are not like we want them?

When I was a child I thought that if I closed my eyes I would become invisible. Well I have tried that as an adult, and it doesn't work all that well. I have tried praying, and it seems that even praying doesn't eliminate my mountains.

For the last few days I have really tried to come to grips with the instability of things... you know, here today gone tomorrow, or piles of bills, or the illnesses of our loved ones. I am certain that we all can relate to some of these things. I am almost equally as certain that many of us are not able to move our mountains in such a way as to feel relief.

Why is that?

For me it begins with my own ability to see beyond my circumstances. It is a faith issue to a large degree, and no matter how much we may be on our knees, if we don't believe that things will improve, chances are they are not going to.

I have challenged myself to be more content with the instability of others. I only control me, and I can be steady on my own if that is how it needs to be. I can only pay what I can pay so if my bills are in the way of my peace, I can spend less and save more. Things are never as bad as they seem. While my family is pretty healthy, I have a dear one who is not doing so well. I can't heal her or I would. I can't even maker her feel better with my words. I can however just sit and be with her. Sometimes words aren't a necessary element in the art of loving another.

Beloved, you can move your mountain. And you can begin by changing the way you see your situation. By changing the way you see things, things begin to change.

I love you... and LUVWRX. Believe it!