See the wind…hear God

May 3, 2021

The quote that Pastor Freed used today in his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, is from poet Christina Rossetti.

“Who has seen the wind?  Neither I nor you: 

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through. 

Who has seen the wind?  Neither you nor I: 

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by.” 

I was inspired to wax poetic, too –

Who has seen God? Neither I nor you:

But when things happen in our lives,

It was God passing through.

Who has seen God? Neither you nor I:

But when we bow of heads in prayer,

We know God is nearby.

Who has seen God? Maybe none can say:

But those who believe without seeing,

Will walk with God today.

Even though we cannot “see” the wind, we can see the results of it being there. We cannot see God either, but those who believe in God will see the results of Him being there.

While one cannot see the wind, we can feel it on our faces and know that it is there. We cannot see God, but we can feel Him in our hearts and know that He is there.

When the wind blows, we hear a rustling in the trees. When God speaks to us, we hear a whisper in the back of our minds. That brings to mind another quote that I’ve used here before that reminds us to make time for prayer –

“Make time for the quiet moments, as God whispers and the world is loud.”  (Greg Olson)

Will you hear the whispers of God? Make time in your life for those quite moments of prayer when you can hear the voice of God. Maybe that rustling sound you hear in the trees as the wind passes through is the whisper of God trying to talk to you.

Shhhhhh….God is talking to you. See the wind and hear God

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Posted by Norm Werner

Let God be “the one”…

April 2, 2021

In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed used a quote that is attributed to Marilyn Monroe – “I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure.  I make mistakes.  I am out of control and at times hard to handle.  You be the one who nurtures and builds.  You be the one who has an understanding and a forgiving heart, the one who looks for the best in people.” 

In his post, Freed speculated about whether it might have been Joe DiMaggio or maybe even John F. Kennedy, about whom Marilyn was speaking. I thought, when I read it, perhaps it was more like a prayer and God is the “You be the one” being addressed. Pastor Freed opines that Marilyn was a complex person, often misunderstood. Perhaps she had come to the realization that she needed to let God be in control of her otherwise out of control life.

Whether Marilyn was, in fact, asking for God’s help or not; the rest of us certainly could benefit from turning control of our lives over to God. Let God be the one who understands and forgives us, who nurtures and builds us and brings out the best in us. It is as simple as believing and uttering the little one line prayer that I have used here before – “Not my will; but, thy will be done.”

If you can bring yourself to that point, where you surrender completely to God’s will in your life, amazing things can happen in your life. God will forgive you and bring out the best in you. Life may continue to be chaotic all round you, but a sense of peace will descend upon you that will allow you not only to cope, but to thrive.

A great deal of the stress and anxiety that we have about the events of our daily lives is formented out of our fear of the unknown, our inability to answer the question what comes next (after death). Jesus provided the answer to that question in his death and resurrection. For those who believe, there is a place reserved for them in the “next”.

Get your reservation for what is next by letting God be “the one” in your life. You will find that your concerns about what happens in the here and now will melt away. God will bring out the best in you.

Let God be “the one” in your life.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Going through, not going to…

March 25, 2021

A couple of quotes, the first from the blog Jack’s Winning Words and the other something that I saw on-line recently seemed to go together

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”    (Winston Churchill)

“My small personal hell has an expiration date.” (Michelle Goldberg)

Jack wrote that Churchill had a very rough early life – he basically went though hell and that prepared him for resolve and perseverance that he needed later in life as the leader of a nation at war. If I remember correctly Michelle’s personal hell had to do with depression, which she overcame.

We often refer to the trials or tribulations of life as being like hell for us and I think it is important to keep both of these saying is mind. One must keep on going with the thought that “this too shall pass”.  It is all too easy to quit when going through a though time and to sit there wallowing in self-pity. Yet self-pity never provides an answer to, or a way out of, the situation.

Sometimes the problem that you are facing comes with a built-in expiration date – a specific time when something will either happen or not happen. Of course, you may be envisioning the worst possible outcome of it happening (or not happening). You have imagined your own personal hell, which almost never happens. Other times you must take the initiative to set the expiration date, meaning that you decide when to move on and out of this personal hell – to keep going.

It is important to keep Churchill’s advice in the forefront of your mind and to keep reminding yourself that you are only passing through hell and that you are not imprisoned there. It is also comforting to know that you are not alone on this journey. God is always with you, offering you the strength and comfort of your faith to help you through the crisis. There is no expiration date on God’s love for you. Though there may be temporary pain or shame or loss, God will not abandon you and his love for you is steadfast.

So, no matter what person hell you may be going through, reach out to God for help. It is on that day that you set the expiration date for your personal hell and continue your journey out of that hell. You were just passing through and God will show you the way out.

Have a great day and keep on going. You’re just passing through.

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Posted by Norm Werner

May The Force be with you…

March 16, 2021

“…No matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.” ― Albert Camus

In the Star Wars saga the “something” that was within the Jedi that they used to push back against the evil in the world was called “The Force”. The Jedi trained to be able to channel the Force and draw strength from it. In the real world that we live in, that something that is within us is called faith. Through prayer and belief we call upon the force of our faith to help us get through tough situations  – the world pushing against us.

Just as The Force in Start Wars was not a passive thing (like a force field that wards off the bad), but rather is called upon and used in an active manner by the Jedi warriors, we must also call upon and put our faith into action. In the movie the evil was called “the Dark Side”, in life we often say that it is the Devil at work.

Believing in the Force was necessary in order to use it. Believing in God is necessary to use Him in your life. It must be a lonely feeling indeed to be in a pickle in life and not have a belief in God to turn to for strength.

So, pray not that nothing bad will ever happen to you (that’s just not realistic); but, rather, pray that God be with you and help you make good decisions and strengthen you in the actions that you must take. Don’t just stand there and let life push you around, use the force of God to find the strength and courage to push back. Just as darkness vanishes in the light of the sun, evil shrinks away in the light of the Son – Jesus.

In the Star Wars movies the phrase “May the Force be with you” was used quite often. In real life phrases like “God Speed” or “Peace be with you” are often used in reference to our faith. We do not have light sabers in real life, but it has been said that the word is mightier than the sword and we do have the Words in our Bibles.

So let that something in you out and use it to help you push back against the challenges that life may throw your way. May the Force of God be with you and the light of the Son illuminate your way.

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Posted by Norm Werner

With God all things are possible…

March 9, 2021

Pastor Freed used this Muhammad Ali quote this morning – “Impossible is potential.  Impossible is temporary.  Impossible is nothing.” 

It immediately sprang to mind that in an earlier post to his blog – Jack’s Winning Words – Freed had written a post that pointed out that by strategically using a space and adding an apostrophe, the word impossible becomes “I’m possible”. Perhaps it is within that space that God entered into the picture and added the apostrophe, making it possible.

In the Bible, Jesus often used stories and parables to teach his disciples –

Matthew 19:23-26

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Men tend to classify things as being impossible due to their limited imaginations and lack of faith. Make a little space in your life for God and see if He can add His apostrophe and change the impossibilities in your life into possibilities. Ask God, in your morning prayers, to turn your impossible challenges into possibilities.

Have a great day turning your impossibilities into opportunities. God is with you.

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Posted by Norm Werner

The secret to a good life…

March 6, 2021

I always get a kick out of seeing a headline like that; as if there is really some great unknown secret that will immediately make life better, if only it were revealed to us. While there is no secret to a good life, there are bits of advice that we can pick up from others and implement in our own lives to make them better. One such piece of advice I got from a post to my usual source – the Jack’s Winning Words blog – “Laugh when you can; apologize when you should; and let go of what you can’t change.”  (Posted by Carrie Goldring)

The other piece of advice comes from French philosopher Albert Camus – “To be happy, we must not be too concerned with others.”

Our ability to laugh, especially at ourselves, is a great release from the stresses of everyday life and a necessary pause in the intensity that we sometimes put on ourselves in life. The ability to admit mistakes, own them, and apologize for them or make them right is also a necessity. Only through that process can we forgive ourselves get them off our backs. Finally, the ability to recognize those things in life that one cannot change and let go of them is critical. Our faith helps with that by allowing us to give those things to God in the simple prayer, “Not my will, but thy will be done.”

And then there is the advice of Camus. I don’t think he was saying not to be empathetic to the needs of others so much as not to be hung up on what others think about you or what you do. Many people spend an inordinate amount of time being concerned about the answer to the question, “What will others think?” before and after they do something. Even getting dressed in the morning usually involves that question for those people. Camus is saying that happiness does not come from others, but rather from within ourselves.

There are phrases that ae used within or vocabularies that point to the answer of living a good life – phrases like, “I laughed so hard that I cried” or “Those are tears of happiness”. Those phrases are describing examples of those moments in life that we let go of all else and live in the moment. We enjoy life. I have also heard the phrase, “I never felt more alive than at that moment” to describe some wonderful event in someone’s life.

Perhaps that is the secret to the good life. Again, I point to another quote from Albert Camus that sums this up very nicely – “Live to the point of tears.”

So the secret to the good life is to stop worrying about it and start living it – living it to the point of tears. A good start at living that way it to recall the words of the Psalmist – “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24

If we wake up each morning and acknowledge and give thanks to God for giving us another day it is bound to be a better day – a day in which we can live life to the point of tears.

Now you know the secret. Say your prayer to thank God for this day and then go out and live your life to the point of tears. It’s going to be a great day!

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Posted by Norm Werner

It’s a personal thing…

March 3, 2021

Today’s post to the Jack’s Winning Words blog contained this quote –  “I can explain it to you, but I can’t comprehend it for you.”  (Edward Koch) 

There is a tendency to immediately substitute the word “understand” for the word “comprehend” in that sentence, but that isn’t really what the sentence is saying. It is different to comprehend something that just to understand it.

One way that the Webster’s Dictionary defines “comprehend” is –

1: to grasp the nature, significance, or meaning of

In fact, even most dictionaries use the word understand within the definition of comprehend. Koch’s quote actually is right on as to the personal nature of comprehension. One can understand something at an intellectual level without really comprehending it, just as one can comprehend something without having to understanding it.  

Understanding is a rather emotionless term that points at how things fit into our minds and memories – what category will this be filed under in my mind and how might this knowledge be used and applied in the future?

Comprehending, on the other hand, I think, leads to changes in how one perceives and reacts to the world around them. It is a very personal thing, involving how you grasp or perceive the things that you encounter.  One does not so much understand love as to comprehend it for themselves.  The same is true of prejudice or hate. You would be hard pressed to understand what causes them in you, but you can comprehend them as being there.

Ones faith is another thing that cannot really be understood, but which is comprehensible. How do you understand or explain your belief in a God who cannot be seen or heard, but whom you comprehend is always there with you? It’s a personal thing.

So, take a moment during the day to comprehend God. Don’t try to understand God, you really can’t; however, you can grasp the nature, significance and meaning of God in your life – you can comprehend. For me, that’s enough. I will not worry about understanding God, so long as I comprehend Him in my life.

How about you? Do you comprehend?

Sorry, I can’t help you with that. It’s a personal thing.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Find meaning by living your life…

February 24, 2021

“You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life.” – Albert Camus

Do you know someone who is never happy with what they have and always searching for ways to get more? Maybe you know someone who claims to be searching to “find myself”, to find some purpose and meaning to their life. It is not unusual for the young to go through phases like that, to have many questions for which there are no apparent answers. This is usually a period of a lapse in faith that occurs between being a child and accepting and understanding your faith as an adult.

As a child you were told about Jesus and the love of God and you just embraced it, not questioning it, just accepting that love as you accepted the love of your parents. So called “child-like innocence” protected you from the doubts that would later creep into your mind.

But, you began to question things by your teen years and well into young adulthood. That is part of the natural rebellion against being told things or being told to do things. That is your “I’ll make up my own mind on that” phase. It normally occurs during a time when you have the ability to reason, but not enough experience in how to use that ability to reach the right conclusions. It’s not so much that you reject God as it is that you just wander away from Him in confusion and in your search for the meaning of life and especially meaning for your life. You are too busy trying to “find yourself”.

Some wander about in that state of confusion and dissatisfaction for their entire lives, never really happy and always confused as to why. Others find their way back to God and allow their faith to provide the answers that they were seeking. They do not spend their time seeking happiness; but, rather, allow happiness to occur in their lives. They find relief from the anxieties of trying to understand the meaning of life and find joy in giving purpose and meaning to their lives.

People of faith start each day with a prayer to God to help them be the best that they can be that day and end the day with a prayer to God to help them be even better tomorrow. They do not live each day seeking the meaning of life, they live each day to give life meaning. They embrace another saying by Albert Camus – “Don’t wait for the last judgment – it takes place every day.”

So, seek not the meaning of life; rather seek to reconnect with that faith that you had as a child. Accept God back into your life and allow Him to show you how you can add meaning to your life. The true meaning of life is what you put into it; how you live it and the things that you do to make life better for all. God’s got work for you to do. It’s time to stop asking what it all means and start asking, “What does God want me to do today?” You won’t find he answer in any philosophy book, but the Bible has some pretty good suggestions for you.

Have a great and meaningful day!

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Posted by Norm Werner

You’ve got work to do…

February 4, 2021

In his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, today Pastor Freed used this quote –

“You can wake up every day and make today better than the last.”  (Tommy Lasorda)

He went on to write about having a positive attitude every day. One might ask how to make each day a better day and the answer may be found in another quote from Freed’s blog that I had saved –

“You can look anywhere and find inspiration.”  (Frank Gehry)

The fact is that there are always things all around us that need doing, in order to make it a better day for someone. And in recognizing those things and doing them, you will make a better day for yourself. Some of the things are very small and subtle – smiling at someone when they needed a smile today or opening a door for someone and letting them go ahead of you. Sometimes they are bigger, like stopping to help someone in distress or rushing into a burning building to recue a trapped occupant.

I think a key point is that you have to work at it. Lasorda didn’t just say everyday is going to be better than the last; he said that you can make it better. Better doesn’t just happen all be itself. You don’t just sit there all day, waiting for better to happen; you have to work at it. What Gehry was saying is that yo have to look for the opportunities to make things better and when you see them to be inspired to take action.

Perhaps you can start each day by getting help with that. Ask God in your prayers to help you see the opportunities to make things better and to not be satisfied with just seeing them, but to take action to make better happen. That can start with asking God to help you to make better decisions during the day and to help you to be more sensitive to the needs of others.

We often hear the phrase in the eulogies for those who have passed that, ”He/She made the world a better place.” Many times that is a reference to the love that was shared with family and friends, but often it is also a reflection of the actions that the departed took to make the lives of strangers better. Maybe it was the hours of toil to earn money so that a child could go to college. Perhaps it was volunteer charity work or work within the church or the community. Possibly it was some work of art or literature that they created that impacted the lives of others. The point is that they worked at it; it didn’t just happen.

So, as you start your day, look around for your inspiration. Ask yourself how can you make this a better day for yourself and others. Then get at it.

Make this a better day!

You’ve got work to do.

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Posted by Norm Werner

Oh no you don’t…

January 5, 2021

Film actress Greta Garbo is famously known for the line “I want to alone”. But does anyone really want to be alone? In today’s post to his blog, Jack’s Winning Words, Pastor Freed shared with us this quote – “In nature nothing exists alone.”  (Rachel Carson)

Freed went on to write about how many of the world’s creatures are disappearing, which could leave us alone if it keeps up (and mankind is the cause of much of the extinction of species). Freed made the point that, in nature, all things are connected and that it is important to be concerned  (and do something) about the alarming loss of species in today’s world. I join him in that concern, but today I want to write about many of us feeling alone, especially in the midst of this pandemic.

We may have the feeling that we want to be alone sometimes, usually when something is overwhelming us and we need time (and peace) to think. I think, however, that few of us would really want to be truly alone for any length of time. Even if events place us in a situation where we are alone (like Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway), we don’t want to be alone. Hank’s character invented the companion Wilson, a Volleyball with what looked like a face in blood on it. Fortunately, for Christians, we do not have to invent a “Wilson” character for ourselves – we know that God is always with us.

We probably all know someone who absolutely hates to be alone. The restrictions of the current pandemic have been especially hard on those people, who have been forced into isolation (at least it feels that way to them). While most of us aren’t feeling that isolated, the current situation has forced many of us to confront more alone time than we’ve ever experienced before. That does not have to be a bad thing or even a scary thing. You can help both yourself and those that you may know who are more isolated than others, but reaching out with phone calls, cards or other means, to touch them with a message of concern about their well-being. A simple call to ask, “How are you doing”, can work wonders for their day.

The other things that this forced isolation gives us time to work on is our feelings about ourselves. I have posted here a few times about loving yourself. Most people feel the need for acceptance by others about how they look or about the things that they have accomplished in life. They are seeking confirmation for the conclusions that they have already reached about themselves. Some, however, are so unsure of themselves (so unloving of themselves) that the opinions of others becomes an obsession. I think it is important to accept that if God love you, no matter what, you should accept yourself just as unconditionally and be comfortable with who you are. Out of love for yourself will come the ability to share love with others and any feeling of being alone will melt away.

So the message becomes, get back in touch with God and accept God’s love; then get back in touch with yourself and love who you are. Now, go out and share that love with others. You are not alone; you were just getting ready.

Have a great day sharing the love!

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Posted by Norm Werner

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