...a word from Kathy

I n my life I’ve asked God, what do you have for me?  What do you want from me?  What is your purpose for my pain?  What is your plan for my life?  What am I to do?   But perhaps I’ve been asking the wrong questions.  It’s not and never has been in the what but in the who .  Consider these few verses from John 20. 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”… 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” 17 Jesus said, “ Do not hold on to me , for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead ...

I t started out as a normal Sunday morning.  Coffee, reading an actual newspaper and church.  It was Palm Sunday and we expected the waving of a few palms; however, what we were not expecting was to be fully engaged as actors in the Holy Week story.   The opening scene was one filled with uplifting music and a parade of palms, which involved many of those gathered .  The joy, laughter and celebration was contagious and uplifting.  The shouts of Hosannah through song were glorious. As the service continued, we found ourselves immersed in the full reading of Matthew 26-27, with reading parts.  These verses in Matthew reflect Jesus' last week on earth. Our active roles in a parade of palms quickly became new roles of disciple, bystander and spectator.  Some of our speaking parts were: Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him Gre...

M y mama used to tell me stories of days gone by and as much as I loved hearing them, I inherently knew there was more depth to her retelling.  A depth she wanted me to know, and experience, and apply to my life.  And she wanted me to find these truths on my own.  Unfortunately, much of her insight was lost on me until after she passed away.  But today, her birthday, I hear her voice in my memory, and I understand her wisdom a bit more.  As such, I hold her words very close. And so, I believe are the stories from the Bible. God longs for us to study and find truths on our own. 5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:  “‘He will command his angels concerning you,  and they will lift you up in their hands,  so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” 7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do no...

I n the Bible stories leading up to Easter, we read about temptations that Jesus faced.  On the surface, these temptations may seem to reveal the historic era of 30 BCE and not be applicable to our lives today.  But maybe, they reveal a human nature we prefer to ignore. We all have faced temptations. The easy ones to consider are those from childhood, i.e., the temptation to selfishness, or the high school/college temptations that led down roads we wished we’d never traveled, or the career temptations of, “what happens on the road, stays on the road.”  But in our current days of life, do we still have temptations, have we outgrown these sources of torment? After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:2-4 It is obvious that this...

O ften, I awake in the wee hours.  My mind mostly weighs heavy thoughts in these moments.  I think of old days and old ways as well as yesterday and future days.  However, the silence in these hours is most welcome even amongst the tick-tock I hear in my head and house.   And then, the silent child is beside my bed.  She's scared, she's teary, she's looking for reassurance that someone is near.  She's searching in the darkness and quiet for safe arms as she has woken up in an unknown place and sees only shadows of yesterday.  My granddaughter wanted her mom, her comfort and protector. This Christmas I sense that my protector is far and near too. He's farther and nearer than I can know. He's farther ahead and behind that I can understand. He's nearer than my next breath. He's farther in healing my past than I can conceive. He's farther than what I expect Him to be and nearer to my wildest hope. He's farther from condemnation and nearer to all lovi...

Santa  is practically on his way.  Children are in full anticipation of his arrival, experiencing no doubt of his arrival.  I don't believe that I've ever heard a child say, "what if Santa doesn't come."   They are confidently focused on packages arriving: gifts, gadgets and gizmos!   This bold anticipation of Santa's arrival is a teaching moment for me.   Before the birth of Jesus, the Jewish people did not doubt a Savior was coming.  They faithfully knew that one day he would come.  They were preparing for him; not with ribbons and wrappings but with hearts of quiet anticipation knowing he was practically on his way. As we enter the last ten days before December 25, I wonder if I'm anticipating Santa or a Savior. It seems that in the age that Jesus was born,  people were starving for a Saviour.  They lived life desperate for a hero, a conqueror.  They realized that their only hope was for a king to come and defeat their enemies. ...

I 'm a long-time Southern girl.  Most often we celebrated the Christmas season in cotton sweaters and longed for cold weather.  But occasionally in December we got a snowy moment or two.  And what I remember most about a snowy morning was stepping outside and hearing absolutely NOTHING.  The silence of snow is a most beautiful thing.  In fact, not much else in my world creates silence.  But when presented with it, I suddenly realize my deep longing for it. Zechariah was a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem just before Jesus was born.  Let's read about him:   Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  12   When Zechariah saw him, he  w as startled and was gripped with fear.  13   But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.  14  ...

Edwin Warner Park Nashville, TN I t is December 1st and a new day.  A new day traveling toward Christmas Day.  A new day for me in a new place.  And I desire for a new day in my heart and mind. December brings to mind hustling and bustling, decorations and gift buying.  However, the left-over turkey is still in the frig!  What is my hurry? Let us all S L O W  D O W N.   Slow down and think about what is to come, what has come.   Who is this Baby that Christians celebrate at Christmas?  This Baby is the God who according to Tim Keller, "wrote himself into the scripts of our lives." This God came to us in creation.  He came when we least expected Him and we wondered, how?  This God came to us as we were waiting for someone to save us. I'm thinking today of people looking for hope.  People looking for energy for tomorrow and food for today.  I'm putting myself in shoes of those looking for money to pay taxes and take long jou...

O ften, I get stuck in circle of thought.  This week I’m stuck on the words, “eyes of my heart.”  I’m struggling to understand this simple but complex phrase. Assisi, Italy I’ve used the term, open your eyes , but mostly in traffic situations when a driver may have frustrated me!!  Or when my husband is diligently searching our frig for an item and I casually walk up and pluck it from the shelf, open your eyes !  In kinder days, I open my eyes and catch a blue bird flying by.  Or I notice small flowers on the roadside, or the magnolias beginning to bloom.  My eyes are also open to see hurting people on the news and in my city.  I see division and anger.   As I try to live with open eyes, I'm not sure I live with the eyes of my heart.  I have even arrogantly asked God to open his eyes and heal our world, heal those I hold close, heal the pain and suffering and division.  These examples of my pleas to God have a commonality for they seek a...

B ack in my childhood days, we were wanderers.  I remember jumping on my bicycle to explore with the only rule being, "be home by suppertime."  Lord knows, how far we'd ride and certainly my mother never really knew how far and wide we'd go! I still have memories of those explored places, hidden bike routes, plum trees we borrowed from, and even pomegranate trees with fruit that confused us. Wandering and wondering were good for my childhood. I learned that exploration and curiosity can be helpful to understanding.  Now, I admit that there were a few times that my mama had to "teach me" some difficult lessons when my wanderings went sideways.  But I still learned, I still had a chance to see for myself. Such was the case for these men on the road to Emmaus. Certainly, after their last few days these guys must have been experiencing a wandering and a wondering existence.  For suddenly, life as they had expected and even anticipated had gone sideways. Now that...

P eter, Peter, Peter! Oh, to be as passionate as Peter! He would be the one you want at your next party.  He would be the one to give the emotional toast at a wedding.  He would be the one to encourage you, challenge you to go further.  He would be the star in the room.  We see in Matthew today a portion of his story. Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51 With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. 53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?” 55 In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I s...

W ho doesn’t love a monogrammed set of cuff links, or napkins, or towels, or most anything?  We’re a culture of personalization.  The gift is more special if it’s inscribed with initials.  It takes forethought to give such a gift, planning so that the gift arrives in a timely manner.  It tells the recipient, “I’ve been thinking of you, planning to celebrate you. I’ve gone ahead of you, to prepare a special, custom-made gift.” And so today, we find ourselves in a garden where a similar gift is being prepared.   36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and pray.’ 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, ‘My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.’ 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possi...

T he big day approaches and preparations are ongoing.  There is so much to do and so little time.  We want our guests to feel welcomed, adored and honored.  We’ve decided to ‘roll out the red carpet.’  Historically, the use of red carpet was to honor people, to show respect to kings, leaders, and most recently to movie stars and celebrities.  Participation in these events are invitation only and practically impossible to crash, i.e., attend when not uninvited. A common scene occurred back in 33 AD.  Simon a prominent Pharisee held a dinner party.  And the special guest that day was Jesus.  There was no fanfare with the arrival of Jesus, no red carpet. As he reclined at the table, an uninvited woman appeared beside him.  She crashed the event.  There was no attempt to remove this woman, and she went about her purpose for attending.  Her purpose was not for delicious food, or for the company, nor was it to hear Simon and Jesus discuss...

Faros Armenistis, Mykonos Greece T he 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness are a large part of the Easter story.  But if you’re like me, you may prefer to gloss over this part of the story and get to the happy ending.  However, the rush to the end of the story, the happy ending, may rob us of a life-renewing experience. My husband and I spent a large portion of our lives in the vast lands of Texas.  It was where I learned about the big sky, seeing complete horizons surrounding you.  In my nonprofit work, I spent a few hot days on south Texas ranches and in cattle barns.  One thing similar to all was the dust, the blowing winds of heat, the harshness, the unrelenting sun.  This is as close as I’ve come to experiencing wilderness.  And it’s a far cry from living 40 days and 40 nights in such a place.  And this picture I paint, does not show you my fully loaded, air-conditioned Suburban (if you live in Texas, you must drive a Suburban or so I learne...

I t is approximately five weeks before Easter Sunday and I'm beginning to think about our plans.  The who, what and where of Easter weekend is important, isn't it? What are my preparations? Am I preparing at all?  Do Easter baskets, and new Easter outfits count as preparations or perhaps lunch with the family on Easter Day?   Honestly, it seems that once again my thoughts are up side down.  This is not a season of bunnies, candy, and dying eggs but one of remembering, reflecting, and preparing for a deeper Easter experience. An experience of preparation .  Just before Jesus was led into forty days in the wilderness:  ...John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:  “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘ Prepare the way for the Lord ,  make straight paths for him .’  I wonder in these pre-Easter days; wha...

Welcome to the week of Christmas!  We have choices to make in the next few days.  What dishes to prepare, what to wear, who to visit, what time will we gather, did we buy the right gifts, do we have enough gifts for everyone?  We have choices galore.  Many of us are afforded choices we hardly notice. The Christmas story is about choice also.  Joseph and Mary made a choice to believe.  The shepherds made a choice too, " Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened. " Luke 2:15  It strikes me this year that this God who sent his son to earth as a baby invented choice. He chose to create.  He chose to love.  He chose an unexpected arrival into our world.  He chose to leave the perfect heavenly realm and come into our difficult world.  He chose to walk among us, to know our aches and pains. And he chose to offer us the choice to follow him.  Choice in essence is unconditional love.  It's a story of:  I love...

Photo: S. Keating A s the Day draws near, the hustle and bustle becomes more of a hustle for many of us.  Schedules are  being coordinated, visits being planned, Christmas lists have grown longer, the gifting seems endless, and moms are receiving, "Mom, can you cook this for Christmas" requests.  Oh, the joy of being amid such excitement and anticipation.  But the hustle and bustle elves bumping me around, have me longing for a quiet night. It's as though the noise has become too loud for me to hear.  Or could it be that I'm not tuned correctly to hear, really hear. Thankfully, I found myself in a quiet place this week, joining several hundred people at a Symphony Christmas concert.  We arrived and were seated high above the music-makers.  Our view was soaring above the instruments, and the voices.  Yes, it was crowded but in the most lovely way.  The musicians began to tune, the concertmaster appeared, and was greeted with applause.  Th...

'T is the season to be expectant.  Children are expectant and anxious.  Parents are expecting long gift lists and limited funds.  Grandparents are expecting small pleasures of seeing smiles and giggles.  A few among us are literally expecting babies.  I have a sweet friend expecting a spring baby after the hardship of waiting.  This couple is filled with joy, expectant of the gift they will soon receive.   Truly Christmas is the celebration of waiting in expectation, the expectation of a Savior.  We celebrate a Savior entering this world.  He was expected for generations, he was expected as a warrior, as a conqueror, as one ready to do battle and defeat the opposition.  Yet he came most unexpectedly.  He came as a most vulnerable baby.  How could anyone understand or accept this?  How can we? We seem to still be looking for a conqueror of all that is wrong in our world.  Someone who can give us love, and leadership, a...

H ere we are again awaiting Christmas Day, a celebration of the birth of the Savior.  As I think back in time, way back in time, to the BC era, I wonder how people waited and what they anticipated as they looked for a Savior. Was the expectation so beyond their imaginations that at times they felt the prophecy was only a myth?  As their fathers and grandmothers taught the stories of the expected Messiah, did the words at times fall flat?  In everyday living, holding on to the expectation and the hope of being saved amidst significant persecution, had to be extremely difficult.  It's hard to wait and believe.  It's really difficult to rest in a waiting period without becoming tired, feeling foolish and perhaps turning cynical.  Who can truly save us, they may have pondered?  How can this mess of my life be 'righted' and made whole?  Many life experiences–famine, war, persecution–perhaps led them to feel the foolishness of belief in an unseen savio...

F all is coming and the leaves will soon be turning. Many  people will travel north to see this changing phenomenon. The colors of bright yellow, orange and red stagger our imaginations. The hues are as varied as the sands on the beach. Each leaf will seemingly be singing their own song as they leave the tree and float slowly to the ground.  Can I?  When things change. When life hurts. When my knees get creaky. When an ending seems slow and lonely. When rejection comes. When disasters happen.  What joy can be found if we look closely at the cycle of the seasons?  We live. We cling to the things that give us life and nourishment. We act out our created purpose. We offer shade to those in the heat, we offer the sound of soothing as our leaves connect with others and blow in the wind. We dazzle with our proud colors; from bright green to eventually a deep red, orange or yellow.  The leaves don’t cling to the past or worry about the future. They exi...