new year

Looking back over the past year and looking foward to the year ahead stirs up a wide variety of emotions among people. Some cannot get rid of 2008 fast enough and look forward with great anticipation to what 2009 will hold. For others 2008 was a wonderful year, and they are somewhat anxious to experience what 2009 will offer. For some, January 1 may be just another date, except with a different year at the end. I am not usually one to make New Year's resolutions, in fact I find it somewhat annoying that people feel they must wait until the New Year before making big changes that should have been made sooner. Then they wake up January 2 and realize in the exhilarating moments of planning a new lifestyle, the goals they made were too lofty and they have already failed.

Before I become too critical of New Year's resolution makers, I must admit I did choose to make some goals for myself this year. I chose my resolutions carefully since I do not like to feel overwhelmed. I made simple choices such as learning to play the piano for example. I have pondered these resolutions for days and have become rather excited at the prospect of learning new things and becoming a more well rounded person. As I was thinking about what I can do to make myself a "better" person I realized my number one goal for this coming year. In fact it is not really a goal for this year but rather for my life. I have been learning that I need to become more like Jesus. This is not a profound observation but rather a constant, daily choice. Perhaps that is why it struck me. It is not that I do not want to be like Jesus, or that I choose to ignore him, I just sometimes forget. On the other hand sometimes I do something that is not Jesus-like and I wish I could forget. I am reading a book that says the more you pray for the Holy Spirit to guide your life and direct your conversations and interactions with others, the more adept you will become at discerning His nudging. I want to be in such close community with Jesus that I do not ever "forget" to be like Him or to allow him to use me.

"My life is in your hands, God. Use me to point someone toward you today-- I promise to cooperate in any way I can. If you want me to say a word for you today, I'll do that. If you want me to keep quiet but demonstrate love and servanthood, by your Spirit's power I will. I'm fully available to you today, so guide me by your Spirit." This prayer is taken from Bill Hybels book called Just Walk Across the Room. Imagine praying this every morning and meaning every word of it. Being completely open to whatever God prompts, no exceptions and no holding back. What a dangerous thing to pray, yet at the same time what an incredibly miraculous year we could have if we were open to and acted on the promptings of God himself.

babies and puppets

my job can be so interesting at times. we have a dear lady who is convinced that any object that resembles a baby is in fact a live baby. this includes dolls, santa clause figurines, stuffed rabbits and frogs, teddy bears, even pictures of dolls in magazines. no amount of convincing or rationalizing will persuade her that these objects are not alive. she sings to them, carries them around, and when she has kept them occupied for long enough, she frantically searches for the mother. this conveniently always happens to be a staff member who is thankful to her for returning their "lost baby." it is quite interesting to observe, she is so gentle and loving with them-it's just hard for me to imagine someone believing a stuffed animal is alive and well. although i guess i should know by now that rational thinking in the world of Alzheimer's is non-existent. today i was hanging a clown puppet from the ceiling and she spotted me. oh boy. she was hysterical. wondering why the child was hanging from strings. never a dull moment.

the dash

I once heard it said that on a person's tombstone what matters most is not the date of birth, nor the date of death, but what is represented by the dash that connects the two dates. This "dash" represents everything we are. All we hold dear, all we stand for- or don't stand for. Our attitudes, beliefs, likes and dislikes, are all encapsulated by this tiny dash that represents our life. One life we have. We have no chance to rewind, re-do, or justify. After I am gone, few people will remember my funeral, and far fewer will remember or even care about my birth. So I suppose it may be somewhat necessary to place these two dates on my gravestone to remind, whoever cares, of these two significant events. However I am far more concerned with what remains unwritten. I am most concerned about the tiny line between those two dates- how I lived my life. This is a somewhat random thought, but a good one nonetheless.

emmanuel - god with us

There are so many names for God that I love to hear, but I have to say that my favorite is Emmanuel which means "God with us." I love Christmas time because we hear this name referenced most often during this season, in which we celebrate the act of God coming down to earth to be "with us." I was reading a book by John Ortberg, and he presents the story of the incarnation as being very costly to God, yet at the same time it was a sacrifice that took place because of His deep love for people. Here is an excerpt from this book. "Father Damien was a priest who became famous for his willingness to serve lepers. He moved to Kalawao, a village on the island of Molokai in Hawaii that had been quarantined to serve as a leper colony. For sixteen years he lived in their midst. He learned to speak their language. He bandaged their wounds, embraced the bodies no one else would touch, preached to hearts that would otherwise been left alone. He organized schools, bands, and choirs. He built homes so that the lepers could have shelter. He built two thousand coffins by hand so that when they died, they could be buried with dignity. Slowly, it was said, Kalawao became a place to live rather than a place to die, for Father Damien offered hope. Father Damien was not careful about keeping his distance. He did nothing to separate himself from his people. He dipped his fingers in the the poi bowl along with the patients. He shared his pipe. He did not always wash his hands after bandaging open sores. He got close. For this the people loved him. Then one day he stood up and began his sermon with two words: "We lepers..." Now he wasn't just about helping them. Now he was one of them. From this day forward he wasn't just on their island; he was in their skin. First he had chosen to live as they lived; now he would die as they died. Now they were in it together. One day God came to earth and began his message: "We lepers..." Now He wasn't just helping us. Now He was one of us. Now He was in our skin." This is the Christmas story.