Reserve Fuel

~ Mary Brown ~ Leave a comment

I was intrigued the other day when I saw an old truck that had two gas flaps on its side. Were there two gas tanks? Why would anyone need two? I have a friend at church who knows trucks, so I asked him yesterday. Mike said it’s unusual but not rare. He’s actually ridden in a truck with dual gas tanks, in Texas farm country. “When the driver sees one tank is getting low, he just flicks a switch to access the other tank.” Out in the middle of nowhere, it’s a good idea not to run out of gas!

That got me thinking about our spiritual fuel supply. We can keep our tanks filled through daily prayer and Bible reading, and with regular worship. For me, music and movement help too. Let’s try not to let our tanks go below a half-tank before we stop to fuel up.

 But here’s a comforting thought: I think we each have a reserve tank that maybe we sometimes forget about. It’s there for us when we get in tight spots. If you’re running low, almost at the end of your resources, say a prayer. Flick that switch. Look to the Lord, and you’ll have what you need to get through.

Come Closer

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This past Sunday, Elizabeth Cheezem, the children’s ministry leader at my home church (Rayne UMC in New Orleans – all are welcome!) gave the adults a meaningful message as well as the children. We were wrapping up the story of Jonah, and Elizabeth asked the youngsters, “When Jonah got mad, what do you think God said to him? God said, ‘Come closer.’”

What a fabulous lesson. No matter how angry we are, or sinful, or ashamed, or confused, or rebellious, God is always saying to us, “Come closer.” We don’t have be perfect; we don’t have to change ourselves. Let’s draw near to God, in every circumstance. Wherever we are right now, whatever our trials or burdens, our Creator is saying, “Come closer.” Let’s hear, and respond.

Jumping Into the Pool

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I always enjoy hearing my pastor preach (Jay Hogewood, Rayne Memorial UMC in New Orleans). Last Sunday, talking about repentance, he said, “All of humanity can jump into the endless compassion of the Lord.”

Wow. Mercy and forgiveness, available to all. I thought about holding hands with those who are nearest and dearest to me, and all leaping joyfully into a massive expanse of sparkling blue water. Then I widened the image and thought about everyone in our church jumping in, everyone in our neighborhood, everyone everywhere.

The picture isn’t complete without a mention of true repentance and a commitment to do better. But the point is that this “endless compassion” is available. To all of us.

——-

P.S. Okay, there are a few folks whom I’d rather not see in there with me. So I just have to acknowledge that feeling, ask the good Lord to change it in due time, and go jump in the pool.  

“Thy will be done?”

~ Mary Brown ~ 1 Comment

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done…” I doubt that we know how many times we’ve said that phrase in the Lord’s Prayer. And when I’ve thought seriously about its meaning, my mind has gone to struggle and sacrifice and surrender. “Thy will be done” generally leads me to Jesus’ agony in the garden before his crucifixion.

That’s part of it, sure. But there’s more. I’m realizing that “thy will be done” also means a lot of more pleasant things. Abundant life, for one (John 10:10). True freedom, for another (John 8:32). Rest (Matthew 11:28), joy (John 16:22), hope (Romans 15:13). We can’t manufacture all this for ourselves; don’t feel guilty if you don’t feel them in your life.

Instead, let’s remind ourselves that God wants all this for us, and more. When we say “thy will be done,” let’s remember that we’re opening our hearts for blessings; let’s praise our Creator and Source for loving us so much.

Forgive? Why?

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A confession: I enjoy proofreading. Errors jump out at me even when I’m not looking for them. This happened at a worship service recently when I saw a mistake in the Lord’s Prayer; the program said “…as we forgive those who trespassed against us” (instead of trespass). But then I thought of long-ago wrongs that were done to me and I had to question whether I’d forgiven those who harmed me in years past.

We seek to forgive because we love the Lord and want to be like him; it’s as simple as that. If we want to forgive like Jesus did, though, we have to develop the same foundation that he had: He was able to love fully, and to forgive completely, because he was absolutely convinced of God’s loving care. He knew God would turn even the harmful acts to great good. Jesus knew God wanted the very best for him.

Let us pray to develop that same confidence. God wants the best for each of us, so it’s a really good idea to cooperate with the Lord.

True Hope

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People use “hope” in a very casual sense (I hope my team wins the Superbowl) but true hope, godly hope, is not casual at all. We need true hope to keep going through difficult times, and it is something that God is eager to give us (see Romans 13:15).

True hope is not merely optimism, not just “looking on the bright side.” True hope is a feeling that God will keep God’s promises. It’s different from faith, which is an act of the will. We can push ourselves to walk in faith even when we feel hopeless. But hope in God makes life easier; it’s the feeling that the Lord is aware of us, and is busy on our behalf.

Ask God, in love and mercy, to grant you hope. I’m asking too.

The Visitation - Mary and Elizabeth meet - Luke 1:39-45
The Visitation – Mary and Elizabeth meet – Luke 1:39-45

What is better than light?

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Last night I came across a scrap of paper where I’d scribbled these words: “Hand of God – better than light, safer than a known way.” I don’t recall where I heard them, but a quick internet search revealed that they were from the poem “God Knows,” by Minnie Louise Haskins.

Her writing reflects a level of confidence that I’m trying to reach. I still feel more comfortable with clear light and a well-marked path. But aren’t we called to walk by faith? Isn’t it sweeter to be in close fellowship with our Lord than to be anywhere else, with anyone else?

Even in painful darkness, Lord, may we desire companionship with you most of all.

Rainbows and Sparkles

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I volunteer on Sunday evenings at New Orleans’ Wesley Center, a ministry to college students, and a highlight of our worship service is when we share prayer requests. One evening a student said simply, “I’d like to pray for some rainbows and sparkles this week.”

Wow, and amen. I readily pray for lots of folks—and for myself—but always for serious, weighty issues. Why not also pray for rainbows and sparkles? Things to brighten our days and make us smile?

I suspect that the rainbows and sparkles are already around us (I Timothy 6:17). So here’s a prayer that I lift for myself and for loved ones: Dear Lord, thank you for the beauty that surrounds us and that dwells in us. Help us to be aware, and to delight in it. Amen.

I offer it for you, too.

In the Garden

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We were standing in our church’s prayer garden for sunrise service on Easter Sunday, singing “In the Garden,” and a phrase struck me: “The joy we share, as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”

My feelings—my joys, my sorrows—are uniquely mine. Life seen from my perspective. No other human can fully know how I feel, but my Lord can, because he has been with me all along. Through all the trauma, every triumph, all the pain, every pleasure. And he has also been with you.

Whether you’re in a lovely garden at the start of a new day, or a dark, sad, and lonely place at midnight, you are not there alone. “He walks with you, and he talks with you, and he tells you that you are his own.”  Lord, please help us to hear you.  

When Love is Not Convenient

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On Sundays, my pastor (Rev. Dr. Jay Hogewood) almost always has a memorable phrase that sticks with me. Yesterday, near the end of his sermon, he mentioned “love that is beyond convenience.”

How often do we feel that God should not ask us to love beyond our convenience? When it requires more time than we’d planned, or more energy—more commitment—more humility than we thought, are we still willing to love? In the way that God loves us?

We are called to do good not out of obligation, expectation, guilt, or fear; we are asked to pass along the love that God has extended to us. “Consider what great love the Father has bestowed on us, that we might be called the children of God!” (I John 3:1)

Dear Lord, help us to love gladly even when it is not convenient, starting with those in our homes and churches.