Monday, April 30, 2012
Daily Devotion - Monday, April 30
Rhythms in the Life Journey
“You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it….”
A songwriter announces his/her belief in the Creator’s springtime goodness
--Psalm 65:9
This week I’d like for us to spend some devotional time with some prayers and thoughts about the life journey. Children are born, children complete a school year, youth graduate from high school and college, weddings are celebrated, and death visits us. These rhythms come to us because Holy Presence visits us and our lives are enriched. So come with me friends on a journey through some of the rhythms we experience. Come and meditate.
Today a prayer for a baptism or blessing of a child as written by The Rev. Mark Belletini:
We bless this child with the elements of our common being,
With earth, air, fire and water.
With earth, which is as solid as your given frame, my child, we bless you.
Take care of yourself as a body; be good to yourself, for you are a good gift.
With air, which is as fluctuating as your given passion my child, we bless you.
You will know sorrow and joy, rage and contentment, resentment and ecstasy.
Feel your passions my child, they are good gifts.
With fire, which is as illuminating as your given intelligence, my child, we bless you.
Reason with care, test the world, and think with care, for your mind is a good gift.
With water, which is as clear as your spirit my child, we bless you.
Grow in conscience, be rooted in good stories, and grow spiritually,
for spirit too is a good gift.
Bless you, my child.
--Ben Keckler
04.30.12
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, April 25
Seasons of Life
“But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
to tell of all God’s works.”
--Psalm 73: 28
How do you describe the story of your life? A variety of images are available: a tapestry, a song, a narrative, a poem… Whatever description you use it can be helpful to view or review the story of your life. Within our “life-song” we can find that we are experiencing various seasons all the time. For example, examine the theme of loss. Can you identify a loss? If so, what season is it. Or examine the theme of relationships (either human or divine). What season are you experiencing in relationships that are significant to you?
The Psalmist today is probably at a spring or summertime experience. There is energy in this verse, a vibrant feeling in the tone of the words. What is going on in your life-song? Are you listening to your life? Maybe nature’s springtime offers you an ideal time to reflect upon the goodness of the day.
“And time remembered is grief forgotten
And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,
And in the green underwood and cover
Blossom by blossom the spring begins."
--Algernon Charles Swinburne
--Ben Keckler
04.25.12
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 24
Hope
“Hope does not disappoint us,
because God’s love has been poured into our hearts
through the Spirit that has been given to us.”
--From a Letter to believers in Rome
What happens when difficult news comes our way? How do we respond? It seems fair to say that life is not as easy as we would like, that challenges are more the standard, that pain is more frequent than we desire. When these times come our way, try spending some moments in quiet reflection, allowing hope to infuse the uncomfortable feelings that are growing in our souls. A number of helpful observations have been preserved over the years about hope. Obviously the quote from Scripture is a good one. Maybe some of these could be helpful as well:
“If you do not hope, you will not find what lies beyond your hopes.”
--Clement of Alexandria
“Hope is the physician of every misery.”
--An Irish Proverb
“There never was night that had no morn.”
--Dinah Maria Mulock Craik
“My heart leaps when I behold a rainbow in the sky.”
--William Wordsworth
“We must never despair; our situation has been compromised before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again.”
--George Washington
--Ben Keckler
04.24.12
Monday, April 23, 2012
Daily Devotion - Monday, April 23
Garden Spots
“The Lord God took the man and put him
in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ”
--From the Creation stories of Genesis
The weekend was filled with natural beauty. The perennials continue to flourish and see if the feeling of springtime is genuine. Those with allergies still are using up more kleenex than they want to! It is good to get out in the yard and experience the rejuvenation of Mother Earth. How wonderful it is to have our little “Gardens of Eden”, to work them and care for them!
Now the rhythm of life moves to the workplace where we will be challenged in our work of caregiving. This is another garden spot, a place where we commit ourselves day after day to take care of the diseased and bring them to a better place. May the Creator who empowers us bless all of our caregiving.
A prayer: Thanks to you, O God, for the opportunity to work and care for your garden.
--Ben Keckler
04.23.12
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, April 18
Joy! Midweek Reflections
“I have told you this, so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.”
--Jesus, as remembered by John (15:11)
There is so much happening in our world that can rob us of joy. In the hospital setting we treat sickness and disease in people experiencing joyless, painful times. In this global village sad stories about natural disasters and wars decorate the headlines, a saga that is not just decades old, but centuries old.
This verse of Scripture says that complete joy, ecstasy if you will, is a possibility; not just for the mystic within us but a possibility for all who trust the teachings of Jesus. Sounds almost unfathomable, doesn’t it?
“Somehow joy is much harder to express than sadness.
It seems that we have more words for sickness than for health,
more for abnormal conditions than for normal conditions.
Those who live joy-filled lives are always moving away from rigidly
fixed situations and exploring new, unmapped dimensions of reality.
In other words, ‘Joy is always new!
Whereas there can be old pain, old grief, and old sorrow,
there can be no old joy. Old joy is not joy!
Joy is always connected with movement, renewal, rebirth, change—
in short, with life.”
(Quotes are from Lifesigns, Henri Nouwen, p. 85-88)
It’s mid-week!! I wish for you a day that has many moments of joy! May springtime be alive within you, filling you with joy, complete joy and contentment.
--Ben Keckler
04.18.12
“I have told you this, so that my joy may be in you
and your joy may be complete.”
--Jesus, as remembered by John (15:11)
There is so much happening in our world that can rob us of joy. In the hospital setting we treat sickness and disease in people experiencing joyless, painful times. In this global village sad stories about natural disasters and wars decorate the headlines, a saga that is not just decades old, but centuries old.
This verse of Scripture says that complete joy, ecstasy if you will, is a possibility; not just for the mystic within us but a possibility for all who trust the teachings of Jesus. Sounds almost unfathomable, doesn’t it?
“Somehow joy is much harder to express than sadness.
It seems that we have more words for sickness than for health,
more for abnormal conditions than for normal conditions.
Those who live joy-filled lives are always moving away from rigidly
fixed situations and exploring new, unmapped dimensions of reality.
In other words, ‘Joy is always new!
Whereas there can be old pain, old grief, and old sorrow,
there can be no old joy. Old joy is not joy!
Joy is always connected with movement, renewal, rebirth, change—
in short, with life.”
(Quotes are from Lifesigns, Henri Nouwen, p. 85-88)
It’s mid-week!! I wish for you a day that has many moments of joy! May springtime be alive within you, filling you with joy, complete joy and contentment.
--Ben Keckler
04.18.12
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 17
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Frederick Buechner is an enjoyable, thoughtful writer. The book Listening to Your Life, a daily meditation book, is filled with meaningful insights. In one April meditation he suggests that life itself is trying to tell us something.
“The alphabet of grace is full of sibilants—
sounds that can’t be shouted but only whispered:
the sounds of bumblebees and wind,
of whitecaps hissing up flat over the glittering sand,
of crowds hushed in vast and vaulted places,
the sound of your own breathing.
“The trees, the budding flowers, the rhythm of waking, work and sleeping—all are trying to tell us something.”
The meditation goes on and Buechner continues to use words that paint a picture about the rhythm of life. He concludes with these brief words:
“How do I happen to believe in God?
I will give one more answer, which can be stated briefly.
Writing novels, I got into the habit of looking for plots.
After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot.
And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot.”
Seems like Buechner is in touch with something! It really isn’t new. In fact, Buechner seems to be using his words to tell the story of Psalm 104. Why not take a minute and read that Psalm today.
--Ben Keckler
04.17.12
Frederick Buechner is an enjoyable, thoughtful writer. The book Listening to Your Life, a daily meditation book, is filled with meaningful insights. In one April meditation he suggests that life itself is trying to tell us something.
“The alphabet of grace is full of sibilants—
sounds that can’t be shouted but only whispered:
the sounds of bumblebees and wind,
of whitecaps hissing up flat over the glittering sand,
of crowds hushed in vast and vaulted places,
the sound of your own breathing.
“The trees, the budding flowers, the rhythm of waking, work and sleeping—all are trying to tell us something.”
The meditation goes on and Buechner continues to use words that paint a picture about the rhythm of life. He concludes with these brief words:
“How do I happen to believe in God?
I will give one more answer, which can be stated briefly.
Writing novels, I got into the habit of looking for plots.
After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot.
And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot.”
Seems like Buechner is in touch with something! It really isn’t new. In fact, Buechner seems to be using his words to tell the story of Psalm 104. Why not take a minute and read that Psalm today.
--Ben Keckler
04.17.12
Monday, April 16, 2012
Daily Devotion - Monday, April 16
A Prayer from Mother Teresa
Malcolm Muggeridge was inspired to write a book about the work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Something Beautiful for God includes her daily prayer for the Children’s Home in Calcutta.
Jesus My Patient
Dearest Lord,
May I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and while nursing them, minister unto you.
Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’
Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.
O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.
Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness or impatience.
And, O God, while you are Jesus, my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each of your sick.
Lord, increase my faith; bless my efforts and work, now and forevermore. Amen.
Note: Seems to me this prayer is appropriate, with some possible adaptations, across the lines of faith traditions. Have a blessed day in your caregiving.
--Ben Keckler
04.16.12
Malcolm Muggeridge was inspired to write a book about the work of Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Something Beautiful for God includes her daily prayer for the Children’s Home in Calcutta.
Jesus My Patient
Dearest Lord,
May I see you today and every day in the person of your sick, and while nursing them, minister unto you.
Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of the irritable, the exacting, the unreasonable, may I still recognize you, and say: ‘Jesus, my patient, how sweet it is to serve you.’
Lord, give me this seeing faith, then my work will never be monotonous. I will ever find joy in humoring the fancies and gratifying the wishes of all poor sufferers.
O beloved sick, how doubly dear you are to me, when you personify Christ; and what a privilege is mine to be allowed to tend you.
Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity of my high vocation, and its many responsibilities. Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to coldness, unkindness or impatience.
And, O God, while you are Jesus, my patient, deign also to be to me a patient Jesus, bearing with my faults, looking only to my intention, which is to love and serve you in the person of each of your sick.
Lord, increase my faith; bless my efforts and work, now and forevermore. Amen.
Note: Seems to me this prayer is appropriate, with some possible adaptations, across the lines of faith traditions. Have a blessed day in your caregiving.
--Ben Keckler
04.16.12
Friday, April 13, 2012
Daily Devotion - Friday, April 13
The Weekend Approaches
This week we have used a prayer by Kenneth Phifer entitled, “I Need to Listen”, as a focal point for our devotional life. We conclude our meditation time on becoming better listeners with the concluding section of Ken’s prayer to the Great Listener, God our Creator.
“Steady me, O God, as a listener.
And when I speak, make me careful lest I use words as weapons
and language as a severing sword.
Enable me to sort out what I hear and not be thrown off balance
when the tongue of another is careless.
When prejudice and passion weigh the words I hear
with divisiveness and conflict,
give me sense enough to reject them.
Grant me judgment and common sense to cut through words
that evade and distort lest I be misled.
Steady me, O Lord, as I learn to listen. Amen.”
Divine presence and help is near. Have a good day and weekend listening to the voices of those in this place. And, if you are one of the privileged who can enjoy a weekend away from Hendricks Regional Health, then may your listening ears be well tuned to family and friends as well as the songs of nature!
--Ben Keckler
04.13.12
This week we have used a prayer by Kenneth Phifer entitled, “I Need to Listen”, as a focal point for our devotional life. We conclude our meditation time on becoming better listeners with the concluding section of Ken’s prayer to the Great Listener, God our Creator.
“Steady me, O God, as a listener.
And when I speak, make me careful lest I use words as weapons
and language as a severing sword.
Enable me to sort out what I hear and not be thrown off balance
when the tongue of another is careless.
When prejudice and passion weigh the words I hear
with divisiveness and conflict,
give me sense enough to reject them.
Grant me judgment and common sense to cut through words
that evade and distort lest I be misled.
Steady me, O Lord, as I learn to listen. Amen.”
Divine presence and help is near. Have a good day and weekend listening to the voices of those in this place. And, if you are one of the privileged who can enjoy a weekend away from Hendricks Regional Health, then may your listening ears be well tuned to family and friends as well as the songs of nature!
--Ben Keckler
04.13.12
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Daily Devotion - Thursday, April 12
Awareness in the Workplace
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Help me to listen to myself,
to still small voices of conscience, to whispers of faith,
and to the soft inner humming of hope.
Help me to learn to trust myself more than I do,
trust myself not because I am wise and good,
but because I am loved and wanted.
Help me to listen to the stranger who may be an angel is disguise,
to the friend who may be lonely and lost.
Help me to listen to the angry and the outraged
who may be saying to me words I need to hear.”
Divine presence and help is near. I trust that you can find time to mediate on Dr. Phifer’s words, as you strive to maintain a quiet center in your life. A listening Creator can enable us to be better listeners. Have a good day.
--Ben Keckler
04.12.12
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Help me to listen to myself,
to still small voices of conscience, to whispers of faith,
and to the soft inner humming of hope.
Help me to learn to trust myself more than I do,
trust myself not because I am wise and good,
but because I am loved and wanted.
Help me to listen to the stranger who may be an angel is disguise,
to the friend who may be lonely and lost.
Help me to listen to the angry and the outraged
who may be saying to me words I need to hear.”
Divine presence and help is near. I trust that you can find time to mediate on Dr. Phifer’s words, as you strive to maintain a quiet center in your life. A listening Creator can enable us to be better listeners. Have a good day.
--Ben Keckler
04.12.12
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, April 11
Awareness in the Workplace
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Lord, this is a shouting world.
There are voices of rage and of protest.
There are voices of defiance and of contempt.
How carefully I sift out the shouting, ignore the screaming.
Make me listen, O God, I pray.
You are the Creator of us all, and sometimes the voices of anger carry messages from you.
Enable me to be a listener, I ask.
For in listening I may find direction and guidance.”
War and rage continue to be a part of the fabric of our world; we seem accustomed to destruction and devastation -- people continuing to act out the anger within with hands and voices. From the comfort and relative quiet of our surroundings we listen to a world of people shouting at us, trying to say things that are difficult to hear. Here in our workplace the shouting will be muffled, weakened by disease, but still very present. Listen closely today to shouts and screams, softened so much that we can easily miss them. God bless you.
--Ben Keckler
04.11.12
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Lord, this is a shouting world.
There are voices of rage and of protest.
There are voices of defiance and of contempt.
How carefully I sift out the shouting, ignore the screaming.
Make me listen, O God, I pray.
You are the Creator of us all, and sometimes the voices of anger carry messages from you.
Enable me to be a listener, I ask.
For in listening I may find direction and guidance.”
War and rage continue to be a part of the fabric of our world; we seem accustomed to destruction and devastation -- people continuing to act out the anger within with hands and voices. From the comfort and relative quiet of our surroundings we listen to a world of people shouting at us, trying to say things that are difficult to hear. Here in our workplace the shouting will be muffled, weakened by disease, but still very present. Listen closely today to shouts and screams, softened so much that we can easily miss them. God bless you.
--Ben Keckler
04.11.12
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 10
Awareness in the Workplace
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Lord, this is a sobbing world.
There are voices filled with echoes of hurt and pain everywhere.
There are voices almost choked out by tears and
voices that come out of aching.
There are hollow voices, empty voices.
I would rather not hear them—
the voices of hungry children
and of sorrowing women
and of desperate men.
But they are all around me.
Enable me to hear them, I pray, and in the hearing
Be able to be near my brothers and sisters.”
Have a blessed day as you listen.
--Ben Keckler
04.10.12
This week we are praying through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“Lord, this is a sobbing world.
There are voices filled with echoes of hurt and pain everywhere.
There are voices almost choked out by tears and
voices that come out of aching.
There are hollow voices, empty voices.
I would rather not hear them—
the voices of hungry children
and of sorrowing women
and of desperate men.
But they are all around me.
Enable me to hear them, I pray, and in the hearing
Be able to be near my brothers and sisters.”
Have a blessed day as you listen.
--Ben Keckler
04.10.12
Monday, April 9, 2012
Daily Devotion - Monday, April 9
Awareness in the Workplace
This week we are going to work through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“How strange it is, O Lord,
that I should feel I need to ask you to hear me.
Is it not I who need to learn to listen?
Should I not ask you to jerk me to my feet,
to snatch me out of my drowsy indifference,
to nudge me into alertness?
I am constantly surrounded by sounds I do not hear,
By voices to which I am indifferent.
“This is a singing world.
There are voices of angels
and voices of those inviting me to share in their lives.
Enable me to hear them, I pray,
and in the hearing be lifted up to gratitude
for the mystery and magic of being human.”
Have a meaningful Monday!
--Ben Keckler
04.09.12
This week we are going to work through a prayer by Kenneth Phifer.
“How strange it is, O Lord,
that I should feel I need to ask you to hear me.
Is it not I who need to learn to listen?
Should I not ask you to jerk me to my feet,
to snatch me out of my drowsy indifference,
to nudge me into alertness?
I am constantly surrounded by sounds I do not hear,
By voices to which I am indifferent.
“This is a singing world.
There are voices of angels
and voices of those inviting me to share in their lives.
Enable me to hear them, I pray,
and in the hearing be lifted up to gratitude
for the mystery and magic of being human.”
Have a meaningful Monday!
--Ben Keckler
04.09.12
Friday, April 6, 2012
Daily Devotion - Friday, April 6
What is Life Teaching You?
One enjoyable writer is Frederick Buechner; Listening to Your Life, a daily meditation book, is very rich and full of meaning. In one meditation he suggests that life is trying to tell us something.
“The alphabet of grace is full of sibilants—sounds that can’t be shouted but only whispered: the sounds of bumblebees and wind, of whitecaps hissing up flat over the glittering sand, of crowds hushed in vast and vaulted places, the sound of your own breathing. The trees, the budding flowers, the rhythm of waking, work and sleeping—all are trying to tell us something.”
The meditation goes on and Buechner continues to use words that paint a picture about the rhythm of life. He concludes with these brief words:
“How do I happen to believe in God? I will give one more answer which can be stated briefly. Writing novels, I got into the habit of looking for plots. After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot. And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot.”
Seems like Buechner is in touch with something! It really isn’t a new insight. In fact, Buechner seems to be using his words to tell the story of Psalm 104. Why not take a minute and read that Psalm today. Have a wonderful weekend.
--Ben Keckler
04.06.12
One enjoyable writer is Frederick Buechner; Listening to Your Life, a daily meditation book, is very rich and full of meaning. In one meditation he suggests that life is trying to tell us something.
“The alphabet of grace is full of sibilants—sounds that can’t be shouted but only whispered: the sounds of bumblebees and wind, of whitecaps hissing up flat over the glittering sand, of crowds hushed in vast and vaulted places, the sound of your own breathing. The trees, the budding flowers, the rhythm of waking, work and sleeping—all are trying to tell us something.”
The meditation goes on and Buechner continues to use words that paint a picture about the rhythm of life. He concludes with these brief words:
“How do I happen to believe in God? I will give one more answer which can be stated briefly. Writing novels, I got into the habit of looking for plots. After awhile, I began to suspect that my own life had a plot. And after awhile more, I began to suspect that life itself has a plot.”
Seems like Buechner is in touch with something! It really isn’t a new insight. In fact, Buechner seems to be using his words to tell the story of Psalm 104. Why not take a minute and read that Psalm today. Have a wonderful weekend.
--Ben Keckler
04.06.12
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Daily Devotion - Thursday, April 5
Transformation-- What Happens?
The transformation of winter into spring came far too early this year. I can remember shoveling snow in April but I cannot remember mowing my lawn in March! This is a life-giving transformation—barren trees bud; brown grass becomes green; cocoons yield butterflies….the list could go on and on! In addition to the visible transformation observed in nature, often we can sense or feel that inner push for change, for finding the new normal for life.
Transformation is more than just changing. “Trans”, from Latin, means “to move across”. Therefore, I’m suggesting that transformation is a moving of our “formation”. This may make resurrection, that Easter term, a bit more understandable. Here is a way to meditate further on the theme of transformation.
An exercise for understanding: Find a tree that is still in the budding stage and observe the transformation of those buds in the next 6 weeks.
A prayer for today: God of transformation, walk beside me on the roads that lie ahead. Bless my life again by your empowering spirit that makes all things new. In your Holy name, Amen.
--Ben Keckler
04.05.12
The transformation of winter into spring came far too early this year. I can remember shoveling snow in April but I cannot remember mowing my lawn in March! This is a life-giving transformation—barren trees bud; brown grass becomes green; cocoons yield butterflies….the list could go on and on! In addition to the visible transformation observed in nature, often we can sense or feel that inner push for change, for finding the new normal for life.
Transformation is more than just changing. “Trans”, from Latin, means “to move across”. Therefore, I’m suggesting that transformation is a moving of our “formation”. This may make resurrection, that Easter term, a bit more understandable. Here is a way to meditate further on the theme of transformation.
An exercise for understanding: Find a tree that is still in the budding stage and observe the transformation of those buds in the next 6 weeks.
A prayer for today: God of transformation, walk beside me on the roads that lie ahead. Bless my life again by your empowering spirit that makes all things new. In your Holy name, Amen.
--Ben Keckler
04.05.12
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, April 4
Flowers and Life
“O magnify the Lord with me,
let us exalt God’s name together.”
--A request to sing of God’s goodness
Last month I started planting flower seeds. Some of them are from our flowers last year. Some of them have quite a history, connecting us with special people in our lives.
• Today the story of the Zinnia seeds. This year we bought some new seeds for our zinnia bed. These zinnias don’t have much of a story that connects with the past. Some seed company packaged them and now most of them are several inches tall. I’m just certain they are anxiously awaiting their arrival into the earth where they can grow and bloom, providing us with fresh cut flowers throughout the summer.
• The zinnias connect us with the known and unknown of our tomorrows. We have some idea what to expect -- we’ve grown zinnias in the past and the packet told us how tall they would be. What we don’t know is what color each of these plants will be. The zinnia is a lot like life. The rhythm of life goes on daily but we can’t be certain about the rhythms tomorrow will present.
• Today is Wednesday. Receive life as it comes to you today, regardless of the exact colors/challenges you experience. Know that a Holy God accompanies you and join me in calling on the name of the Lord.
--Ben Keckler
04.04.12
“O magnify the Lord with me,
let us exalt God’s name together.”
--A request to sing of God’s goodness
Last month I started planting flower seeds. Some of them are from our flowers last year. Some of them have quite a history, connecting us with special people in our lives.
• Today the story of the Zinnia seeds. This year we bought some new seeds for our zinnia bed. These zinnias don’t have much of a story that connects with the past. Some seed company packaged them and now most of them are several inches tall. I’m just certain they are anxiously awaiting their arrival into the earth where they can grow and bloom, providing us with fresh cut flowers throughout the summer.
• The zinnias connect us with the known and unknown of our tomorrows. We have some idea what to expect -- we’ve grown zinnias in the past and the packet told us how tall they would be. What we don’t know is what color each of these plants will be. The zinnia is a lot like life. The rhythm of life goes on daily but we can’t be certain about the rhythms tomorrow will present.
• Today is Wednesday. Receive life as it comes to you today, regardless of the exact colors/challenges you experience. Know that a Holy God accompanies you and join me in calling on the name of the Lord.
--Ben Keckler
04.04.12
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 3
Seeds and Flowers
“O magnify the Lord with me,
let us exalt God’s name together.”
--A request to sing of God’s goodness
Last month, I started planting flower seeds. Some of them are from our flowers last year. Some of them have quite a history, connecting us with special people in our lives. I really appreciate the lyrics composed by contemporary hymn writer, Natalie Sleeth. This hymn expresses why I believe it is important for every person to spend time with seeds and the soil; to spend time with the rebirth of nature; to spend time in silence with the rhythms of life, death and LIFE.
“In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
“There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
“In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing, in our life eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”
Absorb all the things that God is offering to you this spring. I trust you will have a blessed week.
--Ben Keckler
04.03.12
“O magnify the Lord with me,
let us exalt God’s name together.”
--A request to sing of God’s goodness
Last month, I started planting flower seeds. Some of them are from our flowers last year. Some of them have quite a history, connecting us with special people in our lives. I really appreciate the lyrics composed by contemporary hymn writer, Natalie Sleeth. This hymn expresses why I believe it is important for every person to spend time with seeds and the soil; to spend time with the rebirth of nature; to spend time in silence with the rhythms of life, death and LIFE.
“In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree;
In cocoons, a hidden promise; butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
“There’s a song in every silence, seeking word and melody;
There’s a dawn in every darkness, bringing hope to you and me.
From the past will come the future; what it holds, a mystery,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
“In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
In our doubt there is believing, in our life eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
Unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.”
Absorb all the things that God is offering to you this spring. I trust you will have a blessed week.
--Ben Keckler
04.03.12
Monday, April 2, 2012
Daily Devotion - Monday, April 2
Thoughts about Transformation
“The Lord is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever,
And faithfulness to all generations.”
--Lyrics from a Hebrew song (Psalm 100:5)
A saying to consider:
“God is in love with the world and cannot keep it a secret.”
--From a statement of faith, exact source forgotten
I believe this saying and that is no April fool! The secret is clear to me at so many levels. One of the more obvious ways is watching the world turn green in spring. I love driving through Eagle Creek Park on my way to and from work. Bushes that were “dead” twigs one day sport little green leaves today! New life does spring forth all around us.
In the next few weeks I will get to witness one of the more amazing reminders about the divine work of our Creator. I will again see a hummingbird in my back yard enjoying sweet nectar supplied by flowers and artificial sweet “nectar” that I provide. This little one-ounce bird is blessed with the ability to “winter” in Honduras and find its way back to my backyard. AMAZING!
The stories could go on and on. For now, I’m pleased to say again today:
GOD IS IN LOVE WITH THIS WORLD
AND CANNOT KEEP IT A SECRET!
Have a lousy week! (April Fool, the day after)
--Ben Keckler
04.02.12
“The Lord is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever,
And faithfulness to all generations.”
--Lyrics from a Hebrew song (Psalm 100:5)
A saying to consider:
“God is in love with the world and cannot keep it a secret.”
--From a statement of faith, exact source forgotten
I believe this saying and that is no April fool! The secret is clear to me at so many levels. One of the more obvious ways is watching the world turn green in spring. I love driving through Eagle Creek Park on my way to and from work. Bushes that were “dead” twigs one day sport little green leaves today! New life does spring forth all around us.
In the next few weeks I will get to witness one of the more amazing reminders about the divine work of our Creator. I will again see a hummingbird in my back yard enjoying sweet nectar supplied by flowers and artificial sweet “nectar” that I provide. This little one-ounce bird is blessed with the ability to “winter” in Honduras and find its way back to my backyard. AMAZING!
The stories could go on and on. For now, I’m pleased to say again today:
GOD IS IN LOVE WITH THIS WORLD
AND CANNOT KEEP IT A SECRET!
Have a lousy week! (April Fool, the day after)
--Ben Keckler
04.02.12
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