Expanding relationships

 “Love God with all your heart and soul and strength and mind,” Jesus said.  He was quoting a demand from Hebrew scriptures which was ancient even then.

What occurred to me is that this describes half a relationship -- our half.  Humanity’s relationship to God.  It’s what we are supposed to do in this life.  Align our whole being -- heart, soul, mind -- with the purpose of the Higher Power.

Who is this Higher Power?  Supposing we agree with Jesus' life mission to reveal a God who is totally good?  This means our having no will that isn’t good as God sees it.  Praying for my team to win the football game, for instance,

The crane in the driftwood

This carving adorns my friend, Nancy's, fireplace.

A Michigan craftsman finds driftwood and studies the pieces. In this piece he saw a graceful Sandhill crane.

Knife stroke by careful knife stroke, he skillfully removed from that dirty mass of old disfigured tree everything that was unlike the magnificent crane he saw in his mind.

A carver must keep that perfect model in his thought while carving and not be distracted by what everybody else sees as merely an old piece of wood.

What a great lesson! How many people have we met who have lost their beauty, their joy, their peace of mind, maybe even their purpose for living? Perhaps their lives have been storm-tossed for a long time.

Somehow our paths cross.

Sometimes exchanging a smile of blessing, we each continue on our own paths.

Other times, like the Michigan carver, we connect. We make the effort to look deep beyond the battered and weathered exterior to find something extraordinary, something unique that remains of what their Creator created.

Like that carver, we focus on the beauty and goodness that cannot be seen with the eye. The eye stops at the scraggly surface. We have to look past the surface for the spiritual identity. I like to call it the Christ in me seeking the Christ in another. It takes patience and a lot of love.

Holding to that vision, it’s surprising how often we find beauty and goodness coming to the surface to be recognized and appreciated. The Creator's love that brings inner goodness to the surface also transforms the life.

Like the crane, hidden so long in the gnarled wood, that now rises to soar in the sky.

"We must form perfect models in thought

and look at them continually,

or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives."

Mary Baker Eddy

Photo thanks to Nancy Fischer

23rd Psalm - a thoughtful view

Sheep trust their shepherd to keep them safe.

This came in an email. Someone sat down and asked the question of each line, "What does this mean?" Thought you might enjoy these conclusions.

Psalm 23
The Lord is my Shepherd = The most important Relationship, one of trust!

I shall not want = Supply!

He makes me to lie down in green pastures = Rest!

He leads me beside the still waters = Refreshment!

He restores my soul = Healing!

He leads me in the paths of righteousness = Guidance!

For His name sake = Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death = Courage!

I will fear no evil = Protection!

For You are with me = Dependability!

Your rod and Your staff they comfort me = Discipline and safety!

You even prepare a table before me in the
presence of mine enemies = Peace!

You annoint my head with oil = Consecration!

My cup overflows = Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life = Peace and Blessing !

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord = Security!

Forever = Eternity!

A Lifetime Relationship

Keen boots!

Hiking feet need to be happy feet. In my quest for comfortable hiking boots, I stopped at the local REI store.

The knowledgeable clerks offered guidance and answered questions I didn’t even know I had. And the boots felt like bedroom slippers. Well, pretty close. I had no idea hiking boots could be comfortable!

As I clutched the boot box to my bosom, the clerk asked if I knew about REI membership. I admitted I was not a member now, but had been in the early 70s. “Well then,” he smiled, “You are still a member. It’s a lifetime membership! All they need is your phone number or your address.”

In 1970 we had lived in Carmichael, California, many phone numbers and many addresses ago. It didn’t sound promising. Yet the check-out guy and his computer successfully retrieved my membership from the “archives.”

The integrity of the transaction pleased and amazed me -- that a business would remain so true to its intent, as to have recorded memberships that began over a decade before computers were generally available.

And then I thought of the relationship of mankind to God. That’s a lifetime relationship of integrity too. Even if we don’t report in for years, our creator as infinite Mind knows everyone of His/Her ideas. Wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, this infinite intelligence is right here for us.

So that when we suddenly decide to re-establish that connection, it’s incredibly simple. We haven’t even been archived! We are always on the active list. It’s easier than driving into the parking lot and walking in the door.

A sincere desire to really discover who we are in relation to infinity becomes a mental and spiritual reaching out to the Life of the universe. That help desk is open 24/7 and answers in the language of the heart. And the heart and the feet that make that journey are happy ones.

Goodnight Sweetheart!

Most of us have seen a mom or dad or grandparent singing to an infant. The lullaby comforts, soothes, calms. Sometimes it puts the weary little one to sleep.

Here’s a YouTube you might enjoy. Important to have your volume way up so you can hear the man telling the puppies it's time to go to bed, as well as the fact that he is actually singing to them.




As infants and toddlers nestle safely in their parent’s arms, so you and I can nestle in the ever-presence of our Father-Mother as Spirit, or Truth, or Love.

May we all feel this closeness that the puppies respond to. It describes our relationship with our Maker as interactive, caring, present, safe and comforting.

Love, the great communicator

OK for all you animal lovers, here’s the best footage I’ve found so far of Christian the Lion.

The story is in the captions.

Even people to people, love and respect remains the best communicator.

How to live - concisely

Live simply

Someone sent an email, and these words were tucked away at the bottom:

Live simply
Love generously
Care deeply
Speak kindly
Leave the rest to God.

There's a lot of wisdom here.

To live simply is to not be possessed by our possessions.

To live generously is to share good freely.

To care deeply is to be where we are needed, and to know when silent comfort may mean more than words.

To speak kindly is to love enough to curb sharp words and replace them with encouragement.

If we do this, we will be good Christians, good Jews, good Muslims, good agnostics even. This is because while people look at physical attributes, God looks into our hearts, finds the good there, and strengthens it.

It sheds another dimension on the above advice to take your favorite concept of God -- such as Truth, Love, Allah, Higher Power, Light, Source of all goodness, Creator -- and substitute that term for God.

Such as, "Live simply. . . and leave the rest to Truth."

Hope for world peace

Mother love is where you find it

This YouTube clip shows an unusual bonding between a crow and a homeless kitten.

The crow feeds and cares for the kitten, and they remain friends long after the kitten is eating on its own.



In Christian and Jewish writings, Isaiah the prophet brings predator and prey together in safety. Some 2,500 years ago, he foresaw a lion lying down peacefully with a lamb.

Many people have dogs and cats that live and play happily together.

If peace, caring and friendship can evolve so unexpectedly, this gives me greater hope for world peace.

God's love in action

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, the same Source, the same Giver. I was listening to these words by Peter Link this morning. He adds insightfully, “These gifts are God’s love in action.”

I thought of the board meeting last night. It’s a good board. I’m happy to be part of it. The members bring many gifts.

The chairman is gracious and orderly, gentle and considerate of others. He bends over backwards to not push his own agenda.

The clerk is gentle and kind, attentive to detail, generous and always willing to help.

The treasurer brings a gentle and willing heart. She is kind and caring.

Karen is a researcher. If something is controversial, she goes onto the Internet, digs into details, background, and shares her findings as well as her own inspiration.

Margie is a peacemaker. If she senses any conflict, she finds the common ground.

Anne loves gardening. It’s her hobby. She brings her common sense about the soil, sun, and rain – what makes healthy growth – to the meetings.

I love the opportunity to see these wonderful qualities, these expressions of God’s love in action, moving the board forward in its purpose to make wise decisions.

New self-help book!

Thought you might enjoy this commentary on the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible.

New Self-help book!

Opens with solid reasons for reading the whole book.
Has been in print for some time.
Included in the world’s best-selling book.
Human nature hasn’t changed in all recorded history – this book on human nature has stood the test of time.
Quick read - thirty pages, with about a chapter per page.
A short book with short chapters can’t be that intimidating.
Found in every hotel room where you’ll ever stay.
Some places will give it to you just for asking.
It’s pithy sayings tell how to live intelligently and wisely.
They highlight the benefits of being honest, just, and fair.
When applied, these techniques make the young resourceful, the aged wiser.

A few samples:

· A cheerful disposition is good for your health;
Gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.

· The start of a quarrel is like a leak in a dam,
so stop it before it bursts.

· A good leader motivates,
Doesn’t mislead doesn’t exploit.

· First pride, then the crash –
The bigger the ego, the harder the fall.

A must-read!

Changing people's lives - by example

Dan didn't ignore the world's evil.

He just greeted it on his own terms

-- with a smile.

My husband’s dad was a gem. As mentioned in a previous post, he was a consistently happy man. He didn’t ignore the slings and arrows – the unkind, impatient, or evil things of the world. He just chose to meet the world on his own terms – upbeat and cheerfully, with a solid conviction in the inevitability of good.

His daughter Janeen and his wife Rachel recently held a celebration of his life on the West Coast for Dan’s friends and relations out there. They put a great deal of love and care into an interactive presentation that would speak to the hearts of his many friends.

In preparation, Janeen solicited memories by email, and they poured in. I’m told the celebration was a great success, with many people coming despite a major national sports event the same afternoon.

Here’s one of those memories that perfectly defines Dan. I hope you enjoy it. His (other) daughter-in-law wrote:

One time I was with Dan in his car. He was making a turn, and I think he was too far over in someone's driving lane. Well this guy does his angry beep, beep, beep da beep beeps. And then flips Dan the finger.

Dan put his hand up and out of the window, wiggled it in a very friendly like gesture, as if he were waving to a dear, long-lost friend. As we passed the other car, I noticed this guy had an angry, dumbfounded look on his face. Mine probably looked much the same. I exclaimed "Dan, didn't you see what he did ?"

Dan said, "Ooooooooooooooooooh yes, Randi dear." (As only Dan can say it.)

I was very confused and said "Dan, they gave you the finger!"

Dan said, "I know Randi dear, I was giving them all of mine."

So now if anyone flips me off. I just wave back at them with all my fingers and smile. It leaves them with their mouths hanging open, unsatisfied and quite confused. They think I did not get their message. I did, of course. I just prefer to give Dan's message back.

What a tribute to this man. Short of stature, he was big of heart. He never let others control his happiness. He lived a life of choosing to be happy. And by his example, Randi’s attitude towards adversity changed to one of taking charge!

And here is a little poem he liked. It’s simple message may help explain his perpetually cheerful outlook. The title is longer than the poem!

“Minimal Couplet for Praising God and Holding One's Own Joy,” by Neil Millar.

Just
Trust

That’s Dan. He forever trusted in the ultimate triumph of good.

Previous tribute to this happy man.

Twinkies and a generous heart

Someone sent this email story. It's a simple reminder that God can enter our lives in many ways when we are willing.

Although this encounter was clearly written about an earlier era when parents would not be alarmed if their children spent a day in the park with a stranger, the message is timeless. An honest act of generosity and acceptance can fill another's whole day with joy. And the blessing can, and should, be mutual.

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and he started his journey.

Three blocks away, he met an old man sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He noticed the old man looking hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie. He gratefully accepted and smiled at the boy.

His smile so lit up his face that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, the man smiled and the boy was delighted. They sat most of the day, smiling and eating, and never saying a word.

As the shadows lengthened, the boy realized it was getting late, and he needed to go home, so he got up to leave. But before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around and ran back to give the old man a hug. It was then that he received the biggest smile ever and felt the strongest, gentlest hug he'd ever received.

As he entered his home his mother asked, "What did you do today that makes you so happy? You're simply beaming!"

"I had lunch with God. You know what? He has the most beautiful smile I ever saw!"

Meanwhile, the old man was returning to his shelter, radiant with joy. Staffers noticed the look of peace and contentment on his face. "Where have you been; what have you done?" they asked.

And his answer was, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God. You know, he's much younger than I expected."

The Nativity Story

Grandson Alan and I watched The Nativity Story together the other evening.

Confession: I popped the DVD into the TV expecting the music to draw him into the living room. Previews for coming features were kid-oriented, and Alan snuggled in comfortably next to me on the couch.

Suddenly Herod’s soldiers were slaughtering boy infants in Bethlehem. “What are they doing, Gramma? Why?”

Flashback to Nazareth where a sixteen year-old Mary and her friends are sowing grain, and flirting with boys working nearby.

Alan has lots of questions, and we use the “pause” button often to make connections as scenes jumped from the poor village of Nazareth to Jerusalem where a paranoid Herod worries about an a predicted Messiah competing for local kingship, then to distant lands where three wise men discuss a coming confluence of planets creating great brightness in the night sky.

The New Testament accounts indicate that the Wise men probably arrived in Bethlehem a couple of years after Jesus’ birth, by which time Mary and Joseph were living in a house. The film chose to perpetuate the traditional Christmas card scene of the shepherds and the wise men all gathered round the little family in the stable.

It was disappointing that this otherwise excellent film did not take advantage of the opportunity to correct the timing misperception.

Meanwhile, The Nativity Story wonderfully fills in the gaps of the Gospel accounts. How Mary may have barely known Joseph, how ruthlessly the Romans oppressed the poor villagers, how nervous Joseph is about marrying. How arranged marriages for young girls, even among loving families, may often have been an economic necessity because of too many mouths to feed.

It explains wonderfully the status of the young couple – each living with their parents for another year, yet married in every way except that which leads to family.

The film clarifies the beautiful spiritual bond between aunt Elizabeth and young Mary –both blessed with overlapping pregnancies announced by angels. Mary’s own parents were not so understanding. When questioning Mary about her pregnancy and who the father might be, to Mary’s reply her mother repeats in disbelief, “An angel told you this?”

We empathize with Joseph's struggle -- between feeling betrayed by his fiancé and wanting to protect her from stoning by the villagers.

We really begin to understand how difficult it must have been for Mary to be engaged and pregnant. And that it was not just noble, it took great courage for Joseph to say the unborn child was his. Mary warns, “People will not look at you the same any more,” meaning they would not respect him.

We see how the young couple may have dealt with angel messengers, and critical neighbors. The harsh landscape between Nazareth and Bethlehem glares at us. A reluctant Mary gradually warms to recognize and appreciate Joseph’s goodness and unselfishness.

We feel Joseph’s desperation when looking for a safe place for Mary to deliver. In short, we care about these people. We care about their hopes, their concerns, their struggles.

There have been a lot of movies portraying Jesus. Here’s one that, without religious overtones, introduces us to his parents.

Well done!

Another blog on The Nativity Story

Hippo gratitude

It’s always thrilling to me to see limiting assumptions shattered by an occasional exception to the rule.

Especially when that exception springs from love.

Jessica and her family are one of those exceptions.

Click Here for video

Hope you enjoy this romp into the unexpected.

Finding a way past anger

“Mom, can you take the boys tomorrow evening? We’re having a small dinner party, and we’d like it to be just adults.”

That’s how I came to pick up the grandsons Saturday afternoon. My preference is one boy at a time, but I am cautiously flexible for special occasions.

However, the eight-year old was not happy. His dad had just instructed that they were not to watch The Three Stooges at Grandma’s house, because they escalate into silliness and wildness afterwards. I appreciated my son-in-law’s preventive foresight.

We set off, Alan in a blue funk. “We have never missed The Three Stooges!” he explained, arms folded across his chest. His contribution to conversation, usually bright and imaginative, was totally negative.

At that point I rejected the scenario that the rest of the evening was going to be overshadowed by this heavy and self-hypnotizing reaction to disappointment.

So I prayed for harmony. My prayer went something like this. Dear Father (one way I like to identify God), thank you for being the only Mind here. You are in charge, you are in control, and your ever-present goodness alone sets the tone.

I wasn’t sure how God was going to fix this, but I was sure He/She would.

Finally younger Lee had had enough of the negativity and said bluntly, “Alan, you just want us to feel bad.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do.”

“No I DON'T!”

“Yes YOU DO!”

Here I interrupted. “May I say something? I think what Lee is trying to say is that when one person chooses to be grumpy, it makes it hard for the others to stay happy.”

Silence in the back seat. Then from Alan, “Well why didn’t you tell me?”

From that point, Alan made an honest effort to change his attitude and to be pleasant. By the time we reached home, he was his normal cheery self. The boys played with Legos, and enjoyed each other all evening. Minor differences were quickly worked out on their own.

I am learning to really appreciate the power of prayer and its role in grand-parenting!

Watching for love gifts

Greek honor guard

at the tomb of the unknown soldier

Chris and I had about three hours free time in Athens. We had been encouraged to go to the Plaka, a unique labyrinth of local shops and restaurants.

Starting out with directions and map, we became distracted by a crowd of people in front of an official looking pink and white structure. We later learned this was the Parliament building.

On a marble plaza in front of the Parliament, an honor guard for the Greek Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was preparing to be relieved by the next shift. These tall, handsome young men performed their carefully choreographed routine with precision, accuracy, focus, and total disregard for tourists bold enough to have their pictures taken next to these on-duty soldiers.

We quickly exchanged a temptation to be disappointed at not finding the Plaka, for recognizing the privilege of stumbling upon the changing of the guard.

God frequently works serendipitously in our lives. He/She hides little gifts here and there along our paths. If we're too busy, self-absorbed, or determined to follow a specific agenda, we miss some, or perhaps most, of the gifts. On the other hand, if we're willing to look at a wrong turn and not label it a "mistake," we often discover something or someone delightful. And to find a God-guided good purpose for our being in an unexpected place.

It's important, for me anyway, to learn the flexibility of looking for the presents in the present, that indicate infinite Mind's ever-present goodness.

God doesn't make any wrong turns, and as I try to stay close to my highest sense of what I think His purpose is for me at any given time, I feel his gentle guiding. I'm learning to trust that direction, even when it doesn't take me to where I thought I should be headed.

It's a more gracious way to live, a less hectic approach to life and relationships. No wonder Jesus taught, Your heavenly Father will give you what you need, "if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to." (Living Bible) This approach takes away all the stress.

St. Paul, the whole purpose for my trip to Greece, was so convinced of the solidity of his relationship to God, that he didn't worry about what might appear to others to be mistakes. He could say with honesty and the conviction of experience that nothing could separate him from the love of God, which he had discovered through Christ Jesus.

Thanks to Christine Proctor for the excellent photo

Finding the beauty underneath

Mars' Hill, as it looks today,
where Paul spoke to the Athenians

While waiting for Timothy and Silas to join him in Athens, Paul explored the city. He was impressed by statues everywhere to Greek gods and goddesses.

When he decided to speak to the Athenians, he addressed them from a high spot called Mars' Hill. There he commented on how scrupulously religious they were. They were so careful to include every god that they even created an idol to the unknown god - just so none would be left out. The King James version of Paul's words, "ye are in all things too superstitious," sounds like a put-down. But actually Paul was complimenting them. A more accurate translation would be, "You are in every way very religious."

When in Athens a few weeks ago, we walked up Mars Hill. It's a huge old rock, big enough for many people to congregate. It's bumpy though, with weathered outcroppings everywhere. Marble perhaps.

Greece has LOTS of marble. The ancients paved their streets with marble, built columns of marble, and created beautiful statues. Marble magnificently adorns modern Greece as well.

On Mars' Hill old gray boulders muscle up just far enough to have become part of the path and people naturally walk on them. Over decades, maybe centuries, the rough exteriors have in some places been worn away. Beneath that surface roughness glows a warm and beautiful marbly orange interior that becomes shinier the more it is polished by countless soles of tourist shoes.

As I bent closer to confirm what I thought I was seeing, that rock became a metaphor for people. I've met a lot of folks who were crusty and bristly on the outside. As we walked into each others lives, and maybe even stepped on each other a bit, lovely color, vibrancy, beauty, and caring surfaced.

It is good to not be fooled by appearances, to cultivate the ability to look past unpromising exteriors to the person within struggling to be valued and appreciated as worthwhile. It sometimes takes a lot of love to be willing to move past surface impressions, but the resulting friendships can be precious.

God saw beneath Paul's tough and determined exterior, to the willing and honest heart, which He shaped and warmed so that a transformed Paul traveled to Asia and Europe to preach a God of Love.

Christ Jesus “threw upon mortals the truer reflection of God
and lifted their lives higher than their

poor thought-models would allow
— thoughts which presented man as fallen, sick, sinning, and dying.”
Mary Baker Eddy

Beauty of Math? For sure!

Somebody emailed this recently, and for fun and variety, you might enjoy it.

Beauty of Math!

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 ! = 12 343 21
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, think about 101%.

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint,
What Equals 100%? And what does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER 100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

Here's a fun little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If letters are represented as numbers:
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

So, if:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

THEN, look how far the love of God will take you:
L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D
12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Know ledge will get you close,
and Attitude will get you there,
It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!

Have a nice day, & may you feel God’s love all around!!!

Never too late for Amazing Tenderness

Philippi -

where Paul met Lydia,

the seller of purple

St. Paul was a busy man. I’ve spent the last two weeks on a most amazing tour, with a group following his footsteps around Greece – Philippi, Berea, Thessaloniki, Corinth, Athens, even Ephesus in Turkey.

What surprised me most about Paul was discovering his tenderness. This man who had terrified and persecuted Christ’s followers in his career as Saul of Tarsus, now a convert himself, proved kind, caring and tender towards his new friends in these far-flung cities. These new friends became the foundation, the core, of new Christian communities.

In Philippi, he found Lydia the seller of purple – at the upper layer of the city’s economy; he freed the fortune-telling slave girl from what’s described as demonic possession – which so enraged her owners that they had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison where these bruised and bleeding men sang hymns. Paul baptized the jailer and his whole family after an earthquake freed the prisoners and the jailer would have killed himself, supposing they had all escaped.

Here in Philippi were the elements of a fledging group of followers of Jesus, who identified with this God of Love Paul was showing them. They represented all economic classes – from merchant to jailer to slave. This God who is also Love knew no economic class, honored no categories – neither slave nor free, male nor female. And Paul built all his relationships on this universal Love he was himself learning to live.

So one moral Paul is already teaching me, is to open wider the possibilities of amazing relationships through absolutely refusing to categorize or classify those I meet. Rather to connect with the sparkling man of God’s creating in everyone, across cultures, without age. It's an exciting goal, because there is something special in everyone, something worth discovering.

For Paul’s adventures in Philippi, see Acts 16:9-40

Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female – you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Living Bible)

By the way, for those who may be interested, this tour was hosted and led by http://www.biblicaltravels.com/

"Excellent" parenting

It was a birthday party. Shouts and laughter emerged from one of those inflatable things with a net-enclosed bouncing room. Then I heard a grandson voice say, “Now you’re asking for it!” A moment later another little boy emerged crying loudly.

I’m not sure what had transpired, but both moms reprimanded their kids. They sincerely apologized to each other and spoke gently, not placing blame. I was grateful to see common sense and good parenting reign. Each mom admonished her boy to treat others the way he wants to be treated. Neither was trying to be the perfect mom with perfect children. They were helping their young men learn and grow socially.

“I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence I can reach for. Perfection is God’s business.” Michael J. Fox

There is a difference. And people mess themselves up if they confuse the two. Mr Fox is quite right.

Trying to be humanly perfect is an exercise in frustration, because “humanly perfect” is an oxymoron. Nothing human is or can be perfect. Even the best of what we do humanly, changes.

So what did Jesus mean when he said, “You are to be perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”? The Greek word, teleios, translated in King James as “perfect” actually has the meaning of complete, in the sense of growing in mental and moral character.

This makes perfect (pun intended) sense, coming as it does near the middle of the Sermon on the Mount – that blueprint for all relationships. This nutshell of Jesus’ life-message offers specific behaviors in tough situations for people to get along with one another, and to feel good about their own progress. It’s about improving what’s going on in our thinking. What we think comes out in what we say and do. The Sermon offers productive alternatives to arguing and fighting, deceit and selfishness.

Jesus required looking within and improving our thoughts and deeds so we can grow mentally and spiritually into something resembling how our Maker knows us and intends us to be.

Both moms were gracious and generous, following the altercation.

Excellence IS something we can reach for.

Here are two useful takes on the “Be perfect” statement.

“There must be no limit to your goodness,

as your heavenly Father’s goodness knows no bounds.”

New English Bible

“Live generously and graciously towards others,

the way God lives toward you.”

The Message