Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Psalm 34:1-8 I Kings 19:11-13 At the end of a Thanksgiving meal, were you ever asked, "Did you save room for dessert?" Were you ever told, "No snacking before dinner, you'll ruin your appetite for the main course?" Jesus is the reason for the season of Advent and Christmas, kind of the main course of the celebration.  With everything that goes along with the weeks before Christmas on top of the responsibilities and activities of everyday living, even I have trouble saving room for Jesus.  So, let's make the journey together as we look at scripture and some practical ways to save room for Jesus in our lives during a very busy time of the year. REALITY CHECK Let's start with a reality check.  Life doesn't stop happening just because Christmas is coming.  Adding additional activities to an already full life is naturally going to be stressful.  Our attitude is also going to be affected by major event that have happened d

TEN MINUTE RETREAT A ten-minute retreat can happen anywhere -- in a favorite armchair, at your desk, on a park bench or in your car in the grocery store parking lot. Begin with deep breathing.  With each exhale, release tension from your body beginning with your feet and moving upward.  When you reach your shoulders, allow them to drop down, away from your neck.  Let your face muscles relax and go slack.  Take your time on this step. Now, imagine the Christmas star shining down on you with the pure light of God's grace.  It forms a dome over you where only peace, joy, love and hope may enter. Continue the deep breathing.  Each time you breath, bring God's grace into all parts of your body.  Exhale, and repeat four times.  Now inhale and feel peace come over you.  Inhale again and feel joy fill you.  Inhale and experience the warmth of Christ's love for you.  Inhale and allow hope to replace the stress and worry you carry. Repeat, and savor the energy and feeling

Jeremiah 29:11-13 Isaiah 43:15-21 NEW AND IMPROVED! I'm a bit skeptical when a product is advertised as "new and improved."  Sometimes all that means is that the product is in a new package, it's now more expensive, and it's not all that improved.  I don't know about you, but "New Coke" was a big disappointment for me. Augustine said that the church should always be reformed -- that is always reforming, becoming renewed and changing to meet the challenges of our current reality.  So, what does it mean whent God is calling the church to do a "new thing?" Our current reality as Christians and as the church is one of rapid change.  Technology continues to change, almost daily, yet the human condition remains the same.  The cultural differences between one generation to the next are much more different than in the past, yet human needs remain the same.  Our challenge as the church in a time of great change is to cont

Psalm 94:3-7,22-23 Romans 8:18-25 Imagine that you are a fish living in a small, peaceful pond when a pebble is tossed in by someone.  You and the other residents are momentarily startled.  Later, a large rock is thrown in, and you all are frightened and run for hiding where you heal from the trauma and wait for the water to grow quiet again.  But what if rock after rock is being constantly thrown into the pond and the water is never calm and there is not enough time to process what is happening.  You and your fellow creatures don't have time to recover and are in a constant state of anxiousness and fear. When our lives and life in our society and world are like this, then the people of God cry out in lament, giving voice to their suffering, and ask, "How Long, O Lord?" There is nothing new about suffering.  As history and the Bible can attest, it has been around for ages, part of the human condition from one generation to the next.  We can recognize ourselves a