Meditation 12.23.15

A meditation for this morning (compilation of my readings):

A Jesus follower after some basic practice will find a sweetness, a joy, even a satisfaction in prayer, contemplations, and meditations. They will feel like they are at peace with the world because of the peace that they feel with God. And then the trial comes, the darkness envelops, and the follower wonders why. Why is that peaceful, sweet spirit becoming enveloped in whatever this nasty thing may be. As St John of the Cross would say, "God sees that they have grown very little, He weans them from the sweet breast so that they may be strengthened." The sweet milk of peace that satisfies is wonderful, but if they stay there they will never learn to grow. I look at my 3 grandchildren. I love them dearly. My oldest I am sure would have loved to stay in that place of peace and security, but she had to be weaned so that she could grow. She can now talk, walk, dance and swim, non of which she could have done if she had been allowed to stay at that place of sweet milk. So God weans us off of the sweet peace that we originally feel and we now face darkness that we may grow, that we might become fully known.

 

For more encouragement see: The Dark Night, Book 1, Chapter 8, St. John of the Cross

Why Funerals Are Important

Getting ready to leave New Hampshire after I drove the 1400 miles plus to be here on Monday morning for the funeral of a high school friend, age 50, who died just over a week ago of a heart attack. It was a very moving service. In the midst of the sorrow, I got to meet his 15 year old son and also to reconnect with 4 other high school friends after more than 30 years. What a blessing.

Several asked why I would come on the spur of the moment. The answer was easy. Life is to short. I've had 4 other friends the same age die in the last 2 years. I didn't make it to their funerals - I wish I had.

No one ever thinks that they are going to die. Death is a 100% certainty and yet we somehow are always surprised by it. We "accept" it if the individual is older, but still we are surprised. I remember my shock as a 12 year old when I found that a classmate had died or even at age 17 when a young man of 7 in our small school died. Or the first friend to take his own life at age 21.

Life is too short.

And that is why funerals are so important. I know that the trend is to have celebration services or something similar, but I think that this is a dangerous trend. Funerals are not to be times of joyful celebration, laughing and joking. They are meant to be somber times so that we can focus on the life of the one that passed on and also so that we can stop and consider our own lives and how short they really are. It is a time of reflection and evaluation. There is a time for laughter, but there also must be a time for tears.

I had to come here. I had to reconnect with old friends and memories of another friend. I had to sit back and ask myself at age 50 about what I am doing, where am I, am I fulfilling some purpose or am I just living through the motions day to day. The tears that came on Monday and then again at a Veteran's Cemetery on Tuesday are cleansing tears. They wash the soul. They relieve some of the mental anguish that I, that all of us, hold in behind forced smiles.

Life isn't fair. It's not meant to be. It's meant to keep us honest with ourselves and with our God. If one never knows when their life will end, how then will they then live responsibly in each and every moment? If I believe that I will live to 100 then I can slack off at times. However, if I really believe that the next moment could be my last, I will make each moment count in some way.

Life is too short. Funerals are reminders to keep us honest.

RIP Barry.

Blessings,
David

Day 1 of Inspiration Vacation

I had decided some time ago that I wanted to take a short vacation that would simply be inspiring - meaning that it would bring me back even more to my spiritual roots and that it would challenge me in regards to my future work. I was disillusioned with what I saw happening at my job, within the American Church, and with life in general. Inspiration Vacation is my attempt to find that meaning once again.

For Day one I decided to spend my time within God's creation. As a young boy, I was always out in the backyard and countryside enjoying the outdoors. As a teenager, I was fortunate enough to live at a campground which dad managed in the Adirondacks of New York. If you've never been there, go during the fall when the leaves turn among all of those majestic mountains. I loved the many acres of the campground including the small lake and the beavers that lived there and of course the northern pike. I remember often admiring the wildlife and often would stare at the stars at night - it was simply - majestic.

When I visited the two Florida parks and the one small lake that I "happened" to pass on Saturday, June 6th, I was overwhelmed by that beauty once again. From the ducks that followed me around the small lake to the majesty of Florida's tallest waterfall, to the awesomeness of walking through nature's cavern in the Panhandle, and yes even to simply hiking some of the trails, I was reminded once again of the grandeur of creation. It doesn't matter whether one believes in evolution, the Big Bang, or a 6 day creation by God - one must admit how incredibly beautiful and crafted this creation is. Nature is inspiring.

It reminds me of the Biblical passage: The Heavens are declaring the glory of God, and the sky is showing off His handiwork.

But something struck me on Saturday that brought tears to my eyes especially as I was walking through the underground cavern. This cavern and the many caverns (30) around it were formed because at one time Florida (or at least this portion of Florida) was covered in water. I walked into one section of the cavern and there were seashells embedded all over. There was still small pockets of water throughout the cavern. It was awesome to learn about how all of the spikes, as I call them, grow upwards and downwards to form these caves.

Again and again, I heard the word "beautiful" from my fellow tourists. And it was. But then I saw something. It was ugly. It was a sign of destruction. I was reminded of the Grand Canyon near where I lived 30 years ago. It is beautiful to the eye, but it signifies destruction also.

Creation is beautiful, but it groans, it changes, it goes through destructive phases and yet it continues to be beautiful even in a destructed mode. There is beauty in the ashes. There is beauty in the deformed. There is beauty in not being perfect - maybe in spite of not being perfect. Yes, the most beautiful things of this world are not perfect by worldly standards, but when we look at them we do see beauty and we see the glory of God.

Blessings
David

Groundedness In The Midst Of Anguish

I am reading a book right now written by Paul F. Knitter that is moving me in many ways. Usually I can finish a book in a day or two, but this one is in it's 3rd day and I am on page 75 of 227! The book: "Without Buddha I could not be a Christian". It is the story of a priest who was having struggles with his faith and how the basic concepts of Buddhism actually restored and strengthened his faith. Fascinating book.

He speaks of a concept called Groundedness that has stuck with me (since way back on page 42!)  His definition: "I'm trying to express the sense of being part of, or belonging to, something bigger than myself; I feel that this something bigger includes me or even embraces me. In other words, it is trustworthy.....In the Goundedness, there is something that holds us or carries us. Paradoxically and mysteriously, there's a ground in the Groundedness."

He then speaks about the pain that we experience in this life. I thought back to when I was the editor of my high school yearbook when we chose to dedicate the book that year to a seven year old who had died from leukemia. I thought of a friend who had committed suicide back in 1985 and then the far too many friends since then who have done the same. I thought of a friend who was engaged to be married when he died in a tragic car accident. I thought of some of the betrayals in my life that caused so much pain and agony. I thought of the incredible pain of divorce. I thought about some of my darkest hours when I simply wanted to check out and not return.

You know what I am talking about. You've been there too. Incredible pain and anguish. Times when you didn't know if you could make it for another day, or hour, or even minute.

And yet somehow I, we, got through that pain. Maybe we had another child or found a new spouse. Maybe we made new friends or found a new job. We had something new somewhere along the line.

And then we look back. We ask the question "How did I get through that painful experience?"

The answer is Groundedness.

Last year was the most painful year of my life. I don't remember much of it to be honest with you. I look back and wonder how I got through it. Others, who know in great detail of the year's events, wonder how I got through it. Looking back now, I know it was because of Groundedness. I couldn't see it then because of the pain, but looking back now, I now can see.

My son, sister, and a few others, were encouraging me along the way, but it would not have been enough without the Groundedness. Groundedness is the personal presence of Spirit that was there for me. I could not see the Spirit and Presence of God in most of my experience. I could not even feel that Spirit most of the time. But Spirit was there. Spirit guided me, brought people to encourage me, arranged circumstances to keep me going, and was quite simply there for me without me even being able to acknowledge it.

I am a man of faith. I believe in Jesus. I try my best to follow His teachings. I could claim that I made it through difficult times in my life because I am strong or that I always land on my own two feet, or even that like a cat, I have nine lives. But the truth is: that the Spirit was there to hold me up. The Spirit was there to say the word of prayer that I could not even find. The Sprit was the one that knew what I was going through even more than I could possibly understand.

Tragic things will happen in this life to all of us. The death of loved ones, divorces, betrayals, natural disasters, freak accidents.....plug in your own tragedy. We will not know how we can continue on. We will not possibly know in the midst of the tragedy how we are simply putting one foot in front of the other. That's ok. The Spirit, His presence, will be there. Groundedness will be there even when we cannot see or necessarily feel it. We will make it. We will be okay. We will find peace and rest.

Romans 8:26-27 English Standard Version (ESV)
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Blessings,
David

Josh Duggar, Gov Huckabee, and Cheap Grace?

I have had a wide range of feelings since hearing about Josh Duggar's past. Most of all I have felt sorrow for the victims, including his sisters, and I have felt sorrow that once again there is the appearance of hypocrisy on the parts of high profile believers of Jesus.

It disturbs me that there is the appearance of a cover up by his parents first and then by a police officer, who has since gone to prison for child pornography. Actually, it is more than an appearance. The father readily admits that 12 years ago he walked in on a situation with a young girl - he doesn't say if it was his daughter or a guest. He and his wife then did what I think most parents would do - they tried to find help for their son while also protecting him. Unfortunately they did not seek out a professional counselor. Hearing that they have possibly used some Bill Gothard materials in the homeschooling of their children, I wonder if the daughters ever received professional counseling or if they were simple asked what they did to make their brother act that way (yes, Gothard taught that before being disgraced for his own sexual sins).

But this post is not meant to be a gossip column. The story got me thinking about grace and mercy.

Mike Huckabee may have torpedoed his chances to win the Presidency of the United States when he very vocally supported Josh and his family saying that young people simply make mistakes. What Josh did was more than a simple mistake. Even after he was caught, 9 months later he acted on his feelings again. The Governor is absolutely correct that if indeed Josh has truly changed, he is forgiven by God and has received grace and mercy both spiritually and in a physical sense. But the  torpedo has launched because of the Governors past history in Arkansas with his son who allegedly hung a dog and also with serial rapist and murderer Wayne Dumond whom he pressured a parole board to release. Dumond received grace and mercy and was released from a life sentence in prison after which he went and raped and murdered two other ladies.

Which brings me back to grace and mercy.

I believe in both, but there is a fine line between the two and the line of punishment and discipline. Growing up, we were always taught that one can put a nail in the door for every sin that you commit. You can confess your sin and then take the nails out (grace and mercy), but if you are like me, there is now a door full of holes - the consequence of putting the nails in the door in the first place.

Grace and mercy are great, but there also has to be honesty. There has to be accountability. All around the internet I keep seeing the word "hypocrisy." To be honest, it does smell of hypocrisy. It does smell of a cheap grace. It comes across as though the Governor and the Duggars are making a very serious situation look like it's not what it really is. A child who is molesting another child is not simply making a mistake (or in this case at least 5 mistakes). And a child is not simply cured of those desires by renovating a home with another man. Five little girls don't simply move on as though nothing ever happened. And for all of these folks to be preaching "family values" while covering up the sins of the past, this is far from family values - yes, I can see why that smacks of hypocrisy and cheap grace in the eye of so many.

This is why we as believers need to learn to be more of a seasoning salt here in our country. We need to flow with honest grace and mercy. We need to stop trying to legislate morality and we simply need to live it in a genuine humbleness. We need to be open and honest about our own lives and show grace and mercy to others who do the same (or even if they don't!)

I feel that Christianity just got another black eye, they we gave another opportunity for folks to ridicule our faith. It's not enough to say that we are only human just like everyone else. Could we please stop doing that?

Parents, if you find that your child is molesting another, please get them professional, qualified help right away. There is an underlying problem that need to be addressed before they reach the age of "adulthood."

My heart is saddened for all involved. I hope that it will continue to motivate me to do my best at keeping sin on a very short leash and that I will be careful not to be hypocritical in any way. May I show grace and mercy towards all without discounting the gravity of what others may do wrong. And yes, may I stand by my friends when they are going through or have gone through deep waters. Except for the grace of God, I could or possibly would do the same as any other sojourner.

Blessings
David

41,000 Christian Denominations

41,000 Christian denominations in the world today. Wow - let that sink in! Jesus prayed that His Church would be one, not 41,000.

Do you think that God may be somewhat bigger than 41,000 views? Perhaps even that there is some truth in most if not all of the different denominations? That perhaps we should be less dogmatic and more open to the views of others? For surely there is not only one single denomination that has it all correct. 

Personally: I love the focus of the Baptists on sharing Jesus, the focus of the Methodists on holiness, the focus of the Pentecostals on experiencing God, the focus of Presbyterians on solid knowledge, the focus of the Catholics on tradition, the focus of the Mennonites on peaceful and simple living, and most recently I have fallen in love with the teachings and lifestyles of some of the mystics.

With 41,000 denominations (and growing) we see 2 things: #1, we really stink at getting along! #2, God is so much bigger than what any one of us can imagine and so we need to open our hearts and minds for exploration. Blessings! David

Who is David Welch?!

I was reading another blogger earlier tonight and his blog resonated with me. He had been accused of deserting his faith, of becoming a liberal, and other various "major" sins. And so he attempted to clear the air in what I consider to be a humble response. Here is my attempt to do the same.

For the most part I ignore anymore what people think of me or what they say about me. I'm 50 years old and quite frankly I don't have the patience to deal with folks who won't sit down with me personally to be able to see who I really am. For example, last year, I chose to remove someone from my life after many confrontations with them regarding their behaviors and their continuous lies. It was a difficult choice, but clearly it was a wise one as still nothing has changed. Some have criticized me publically for the decision, but most have simply resorted to whispers or to saying nothing at all. That saddens me, but I will not chase people down to explain my side. People will believe whatever they want to believe without trying to see all sides of any issue.

Secondly, some see many  of my posts against what I will call the "Christian Teapublican Party" and they think that I am on a mission to somehow destroy the Church with my words. Some say that I have even left my faith. A friend  two years ago walked away from  me for exactly this reason (there's a nice God like attitude! LOL). But in reality, especially in the last year, my faith has grown tremendously. The problem lies in the fact my faith in Jesus does not allow for me to hold to many of the tenants that fellow believers seem to hold with the Teapublican party. Having been a Church minister, God has given me a voice and I seek to use that voice to speak about the false religion of the Christian Teapublican. Jesus has no desire to establish an earthly kingdom and yet that is exactly what leaders such as Falwell, Robertson, Cruz, Bachman, Huckabee and now even Franklin Graham are trying to do with their moral majorities, family councils, and political groups to elect all Christians to office. (BTW - I've had this same view for 35 years). Jesus has no desire to force faith or religion on people. He has 2 commands: love God and love people. The angry rhetoric of the Teapublicans is hardly that.

Which brings me to the dreaded "liberal" label. I actually embrace the title these days, but I am also conservative in ways. I am conservative, and actually agree with the Tea Party on the basic premise of financial accountability. We need to look closely at our debts and at our deficit and we must hold leaders accountable. We need desperately to reduce wasteful spending and we need to be wise in how we spend. Taxes are a necessary part of any good nation, but there always needs to be a healthy debate as to how much is too much.

However, as far back as I can remember, I believe in what some will call liberal ideals. I believe that we as a country should take care of her own. The Bible is abundantly clear that God holds nations accountable for how they treat the poor within their borders. He holds nations accountable for how they treat the immigrants that enter into their countries. He holds them accountable for how they treat all people - as we like to say - all people are created equal. Through time we have continued to move towards the attitude of equality especially making great strides here in our country during the last 80 years. Equality means equal rights for ALL people. It even means equal pay for the same jobs. It means providing equal opportunity for all people, not just those who can afford it. Equal despite color, sex, age, religion, nationality or any other diversity.

Liberal means learning to lay down the weapons, as much as is possible, and instead showing love towards enemies. It means learning to be peacemakers. It means doing away with vengeance and the barbaric death penalty.

I believe in Jesus and His teachings. I do believe in salvation from sin through His death. I have pledged my life to loving Him and loving others. I find that as I grow in my faith, that there are more and more questions - things aren't nearly as black and white. There is a comforting peace in that knowledge. There is a reason that God is mysterious and why it is difficult to know Him and every time we begin to think that we know something about Him, He reveals another mysterious side. But in Him we move, we live, we have our being. He is all in all thus there is nowhere where He is not including all of nature and people around us.

I am a complex person as you are too. I love politics and may just throw my hat back in the ring for office. I don't love politics because of some belief that politics will bring utopia. I do not believe that politics will force a nation to be somehow good or even Christian. I do believe in a politics where the politician serves their people's needs. At the same time I love trying to promote the real Kingdom of God. His Kingdom should be growing and should be shining brightly in the midst of the darkness of what politics can not fix. We are to let the light of the Kingdom shine, not force it down people's throats through words or even legislation.

My mind never stops. I love quiet times and yet my mind never slows down. There are multiple projects going on at all times. I've had more ups/downs in my life than most people only because of this racing mind. My thirst for knowledge and wisdom is insatiable. I will always study all sides of issues so that I can defend all sides before making a decision as to what side I will be on.

One of the things that I work on is how I come across to people. Some say that I am arrogant or that I come across as knowing everything. I don't feel that way at all, but I do have much impatience for those who don't look at all sides of an issue.

Not sure why I even wrote this - perhaps only because I could relate to another blogger whose faith and politic were being questioned. I can relate. So maybe this was more for me, rather than you.

Blessings
David