Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:2 1 Peter 3:18-22 On Ash Wednesday, a cross of ash is drawn upon our foreheads and we enter into the season of Lent.  Other than giving up something like sweets and waiting it out until we get to the empty tomb and the chocolate bunnies and jelly beans, what meaning does Lent have for us?  Why is Lent important? " Crucified Laid behind a stone You lived to die Rejected and alone Like a rose Trampled on the ground You took the fall And thought of me Above all." "Above All" by Michael W. Smith A former parishioner once complained to me about "having to go through Lent.  She resented being reminded that she was a sinner.  "I'm saved, so I just want to be happy and praise God."  I understand where she's coming from, but if all we do during lent is focus on ourselves as miserable sinners and nothing else, I think we miss the whole point of Lent and the renewal it can bring to our relationship with God through Chri

John 14:16-11, 20-21 Romans 8:1-4 So, you have a friend, a relative or a co-worker who calls him or herself a "spiritual" person but not in the organized religion kind of way.  As long as one is a good person, heaven is a done deal.  People don't need some mythilogical savior, and besides, there's too much negative baggage that goes with Jesus and Christianity.    So, why should they believe in Jesus? As imperfect human beings who are works in progress, we have to own the baggage that is ours to own, but that shouldn't stop us from sharing the Jesus we've come to know and love. Like Father like Son.  In no relationship across the eons does this expression has such a positive, life-changing meaning than in the description of God the Father and God the Son.   Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father; that will be enough for us.” Jesus replied,  “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been with you all this time? Whoever has see