Jesus and Me ... and the Cats

Matthew 6:24-34 " Don't Worry, Be Happy " In 1988, when Bobby McFerrin released his a cappella hit, "Don't Worry,Be Happy," I was, well, a lot younger.  These days, I'm much more pragmatic,and a bit more cynical.  Let's be real, here, folks.  These days -- what don't we worry about?  Yet, Jesus' advice to us in Matthew 6:24-34 in these troubling times is just that, "Don't Worry!" Sometimes, I feel like I'm living in a box.  It's a box I've carefully constructed.  The walls are made out of everything I don't have and concerns about keeping what I do have.  I've reinforced the sides with all my limitations.  Into it, I've packed it full everything I worry about, from paying the bills to how I'm going to handle all the changes that have been happening to me.   Then I've crawled into and pulled it shut after me.  It's confining and gets a bit stuffy, and the view stinks.  It's

Galatians 5:13-14 Philippians 2:4-8 I remember on summer break during my college years when my good friend Sherry, an elementary physical education major, attempted to teach me how to play tennis.  I thought that if she could teach kindergartners how to skip, she could teach me how to play tennis.  How wrong I was. I still remember some of the basics.  First, no talking during the game.  My hope was that the experience not only would give me a sport I would continue to play for the rest of my life but it would also give us another opportunity for female bonding.  Imagine my disappointment.  How can you put two good friends together in one space and not allow them to talk. I also remember the importance of having the correct grip and to follow-through, especially when serving the ball.  When I stop and think about it, grip and follow-through are equally important when it comes to serving others as a disciple of Jesus. As Christians, we need to have a firm grip on,

To a melody played on the strings of our souls And a rhythm that rattled us down to the bone Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón ... Ay mi familia, oiga mi gente Canten a coro, let it be known Our love for each other will live on forever In every beat of my proud corazón "Proud Corazon" From the movie Coco Written by Germaine Franco and Adrian Molina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGo0UL0Dt18 The closer we get to All Saints Sunday, the more often I find the song, "Proud Corazon" from the movie, Coco , playing in my head.  This animated film takes place during the celebration of Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead) in Coco's home village in Mexico.  Amid themes of family, forgiveness and reconcilliation, the young boy realizes that his family, past and present, is part of who he is and will always be with him. When the Apostle Paul wrote, " Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesse