Where the Spirit of the Lord Is...

My church is a very typical mainline church, comprised for the most part of faithful people who are nearing the end of this life's journey. They cannot understand why their children and grandchildren do not attend this church with its stone walls and somber sanctuary. It saddens them that the organ that they love does not pull the younger generation towards God, that the programs that nurtured them do not provide spiritual sustenance for those who are climbing life's mountain instead of aiming downhill.

In the midst of this I know that I am called to help blaze a new trail. I'm called to promote a vision that is compelling enough to help the people overcome their doubt, fears and stubbornness. Why me? Literally, God only knows, because I don't.

Today I was reminded of the story in Numbers where the Israelites had reached the edge of the Promised Land. Moses sent in a team to check out what awaited them across the river. Of the team of twelve, ten of them were convinced that there was no way that they could find a home in that new place. Only two of them, Joshua and Caleb, came back saying "Hey, it's all good. God will be with us. That place is ours for the taking."

The ten told tales of giants too big to slay, cities too fortified to invade and people too numerous to overcome.

Joshua and Caleb said "God is with us. What's the big deal?"

The people listened to the ten. I probably would too. "Let's elect a new leader to take us back to Egypt. Maybe they'll let us be their slaves again and we'll have a place to live and food to eat." It made perfect sense. Moving forward made no sense at all. Joshua and Caleb must have been smoking the wacky weed!

How the heck did the scouting report of Joshua and Caleb become the one that they followed?

Because where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is hope, faith and courage.

The spirit of fear is vanquished.

Translating the vision is also a God thing. The spirit of doubt and discouragement that lives within needs to move over. I don't have time or space for them.

Thanks God, for the reminder.

Faith, Hope, Love

I really like the connections that are created in the blogosphere. I'm part of a community of faith where most of the folks aren't all that into this stuff, and originally I started this blog with the idea those that were would check it out. To date that hasn't happened.

But I will blog here nonetheless. I'm so full of hope for the future after the inauguration. How about you? Will the naysayers and fearmongers be able to overcome, or will hope and optimism win out? My children have asked me during bleak times "Are we gonna be ok, Mom?" Sometimes this is a personal question, encompassing only their small corner of the world; other times it is a concern for the entire planet, for all creation. It's the latter that gives me hope, because if they are concerned about something outside themselves, as are others, there is a reason to believe that faith can win over fear.

In the response to the closing of American detention centers in Guantanamo and the secret centers elsewhere, fear tells us that we might be opening Pandora's box as we relocate and release these detainees. Fear tells us that we can breach our values of justice for all for the sake of our security. Yet without the upholding of justice there is no security, because we will eventually turn into the very people we are afraid of. Total security can only be had at the expense of liberty. I pray that we are never so afraid that we succumb to the illusion that we can have both.