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THURSDAY THOUGHT 2/26/09

Confident in Faith
 
I love watching people in our church approach the altar rail to receive Communion.  I receive the Blessed Sacrament on my knees, head bowed, hands cupped and out, in gratitude for having been invited to the Lord’s meal. 
 
The other evening, I watched a woman approach, stand tall, head up, and thrust her arms straight out.  I do not know what she was thinking.  However, she had the appearance of a person confident (not arrogant or irreverent) of the gift she was about to receive.  And I found myself thinking, “Why not?  She has embraced God and is only claiming the gift she — and all of us — have been promised.”
 
My point:  Perhaps we should all be so confident in our faith.  Sure, we are frail and stumble often.  So what?  We are God’s people, chosen by Him.  We’re not here today by accident.  It’s a gift upon which we can count.  Rejoice in it. — jri
 
“For you are people holy to the Lord
your God.  The Lord your God has
chosen you out of all the peoples of
the earth to be his people, his
treasured possession.”
    –    Moses
           (Deuteronomy 7:6)

FAT TUESDAY THOUGHT 2/24/09

The Do Over
 
Maybe it’s the writer in me, but I tend to label the chapters in my life:  “Do Over,” “The Third Life,” etc. (Yes, I know, way too much self-awareness and ego.)  We all do it, though, and thank God we can.  We leave behind one chapter, one life, one way of thinking, and set out on another … either because we have outgrown the old one, mucked it up beyond repair, or saw it dissolve into a surprise ending too painful to endure.
 
Each involves new choices — the opportunity to cast off the old and grow into and become something new.  For Christians, this is about transformations (often in baby steps, without the blinding lights of instant gratification, thank you), letting go, and becoming more of what God has in mind for us.
 
My point:  Every day is a do over, an opportunity to leave the old self behind, start anew, and celebrate the unconditional love, patience and guidance of Our Lord.  Wow!  What a gift!  — jri
 
“But one thing I do:Forgetting what is
behind and straining toward what is
ahead, I press on toward the goal to
win the prize for which God has called
me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
        –    St. Paul
               (Philippians 3:13-14)

TUESDAY THOUGHT 2/17/09

The Quest for Happiness

No one is happy all the time … except, of course, for the terminally moronic!  As my mother used to say:  “If you find brief moments of joy in this life of struggle, count your blessings.”  Good advice.  I can be happy with that.

Of course, it seems to me that happiness is way overrated.  Personally, maybe it’s a sign of age, but I’d much prefer satisfaction these days, knowing that my life is being well spent with and on good people, not squandered in a quest for feel-good self-fulfillment.  

My point:  Money, power, success, physical pleasures (now there’s a euphemism if ever there was one) may keep us busy and fill our time, but it seems to me that the greatest joy in life results from believing in something well worth believing in.  Enjoy this beautiful day. — jri

“Many people have a wrong idea
of what constitutes true happiness.
It is not attained through self-
Gratification, but through fidelity to
A worthy purpose.”
 – Helen Keller

MONDAY THOUGHT 2/16/09

Sweet Imperfection
 
From what I’ve seen as a Christian, failure is not an option … it is a fact, a reality, an inevitability.  That’s because we’re human, and that makes us hopelessly, wondrously flawed. 
 
My problem is that I see too many flawed, clay-footed, broken vessels who relentlessly beat themselves up, mistakenly believing (at least to this reformed heathen’s way of thinking) that being a person of faith means being a person of spiritual perfection.  (If you find one of those perfected folks, please let me know.)
 
My point:  We are imperfect, deeply flawed.  Our strength is in the gift of forgiveness we receive, not in the impossible goal of perfection for which we strive.  So, thank God for and celebrate that wondrous gift of faith and forgiveness.  — jri
 
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners — of whom I am the worst.  But for
that very reason I was shown mercy so that
in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus
might display his unlimited patience as an
example for those who would believe on
him and receive eternal life.”
        –    St. Paul
               (1 Timothy 1:15-16)

FRIDAY THOUGHT 2/13/09

My Wonderful Superstition
 
It’s Friday the 13th, and this one’s going to get a bit longer than usual and ramble a tad.  Sorry.
 
I have a small handful of friends who look upon this faith stuff with a leery eye.  One has even expressed pity for my foolish superstition.  Another hisses back at me angrily if I mistakenly include him on my contact list. 
 
So, just for the record, I did not come by my faith by accident, or fear or desperation or a voodoo curse.  I have spent the better part of my life seeking only truth, and though I kept passing by this God subject from time to time, I often gave it a sniff and walked on, seeking meatier truths. 
 
Gradually, I came to the realization that there were two questions I had to answer first and foremost:  First, there either is or is not a God.  Second, if there is a God, He either is a caring, loving God or an indifferent (or maybe sadistic) SOB.
 
I read, talked, searched, tried a little Zen meditation (a lovely trip down a dead end road), tried praying (“God, are you out there?”) and kept an open, skeptical mind.  Eventually — sorry, no blinding lights or voices from the clouds — I received this marvelous awakening, this incredible gift, this sweet and wondrous thing called faith … so real, so gentle, so loving that … well, if this is some dumb superstition, it works for me. 
 
My point:  Not sure if I have one today.  However, as I read the Bible verse below, the one that Jesus read and spoke about in one of the Gospels, I feel as if it was written for me personally (no, not about me, but for me), a gift from a loving God who has blessed me with “the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.”  Most of all, I hope someday to be one of the “oaks of righteousness.”  Sorry again for my rambling.  More joy than structure today.  God bless. — jri
 
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
    because the Lord has anointed me
    to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
    to proclaim freedom for the captives
    and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
    and provide for those who grieve in Zion –
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
    instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
    instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
    instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
    a planting of the Lord
    for the display of his splendor.”
 
        –    Isaiah 61:1-3

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 2/11/09

Growth?  Pain?  Yes?  So?
 
I just joined Toastmasters last fall.  Why?  Because, at 58, though I’m not bad on my feet, I know I can be better.  My brother, when he was pushing 60, took up running for the first time.  Next month he will complete yet another Boston Marathon.  Why?  Why not?
 
Growth is challenging.  It can be stressful.  But if you don’t grow … well, look at that baby struggling to take his first steps.  It takes every ounce of strength and concentration.  Or look at the tree that is pruned way back … only to grow better, bigger and stronger. 
 
The bottom line:  It takes work, sweat (and a fair amount of falling on our butts) to grow and to achieve anything worthwhile.  Sooooo, no whining, no complaining; ignore the bumps and bruises … and just go for it.  Why not?  — jri
 
“We cannot become what we need to
to be by remaining what we are.”
        –    Zig Ziglar
 
If you enjoy my ramblings, please share them.  Oh, and check out my latest book, The Back to Basics Book of Money!  A Couple’s Guide to Financial Peace.  It will be available by the end of February.  But order a pre-publication copy now (and workbook) and I’ll cover the shipping costs. Thanks
John R. Ingrisano
www.b2bbookofmoney.com
(920) 559-3722

MONDAY THOUGHT 2/9/09

Blessed or Miserable?
 
Did you ever notice that many people who have pretty much everything often seem a whole lot less happy than many folks who carry a heavy sack of troubles on their shoulders?
 
No, I’m not suggesting that misery is a good thing.  However, I am saying that people who have learned to deal with their problems do seem a whole lot more appreciative of their blessings.
 
My point:  Misery or joy, it is a choice of attitude, well within our own control.  So, I challenge myself (and I invite anyone else who would care to join me) to be flat-out joyful — no matter what — on this beautiful day. — jri   
 
“Delight yourself in the Lord
    and he will give you the desires
    of your heart.”
        –    King David
               (Psalm 37:7)

THURSDAY THOUGHT 2/5/09

Super Powers!
 
Rats!  God didn’t give me any super powers.  I figured that, once he snagged me, I’d be able to clean fish without a knife, scuba dive without a tank, heel well-worn shoes with a wave of the hand, or at least turn vinegar back into $30-a-bottle wine. 
 
Oh, actually, He did give me one super power:  The resilience of a Tommy Tippy cup and the determination of a Bobo Clown — a blessing of faith and strength, so that, no matter how many times I stumble and fall and trip over my huge, clay-encrusted feet, I’d have the ability to get up, bounce back, dust myself off, and rejoice in the unchanging love and forgiveness of the Lord.  Not a bad super power, when you think about it, actually.
 
This I know:  Our greatest “power” is the freely given gift of faith and forgiveness, which in turn imbues us with super strength and — I love this part — joy amid suffering and pain.  So, keep on tripping and falling and stumbling … and rejoicing. — jri
 
“Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter,
    you will restore my life again;
from the depths of the earth
    you will again bring me up.
You will increase my honor
    and comfort me once again.”
        –    Psalm 71:20-21

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 2/4/09

“What, me worry?”
 
Alfred E. Neuman, the dopey, big-eared fictional mascot for Mad magazine, got it right.  We waste so much time worrying about what we do wrong, what we have failed to do right, what went wrong yesterday, what just might go wrong tomorrow.  Whew! 
 
I know people who, as a result of their habitual worrying, rob themselves and their loved ones of peace and joy.  They destroy their happiness. 
 
My point:  Work hard to make of life what you want it to be.  And then … forget about it.  Enjoy the upticks and downbeats, the incredible wins and the two-by-four-across-the-nose setbacks.  Enjoy your strengths and your weaknesses.  None of us is perfect.  Do not worry yourself sick about it.  So, as my Italian grandmother would say — enjoy!  — jri
 
“The spiritual life is the life of a man’s real
self, the life of that interior self whose flame
is so often allowed to be smothered under
the ashes of anxiety and futile concern.”
        –    Thomas Merton
 
Thank you for the opportunity to visit with you today.  If you enjoy my ramblings, please share them.  If not, please let me know that as well.  Also, I have a new book coming out this month, The Back to Basics Book of Money!  A Couple’s Guide to Financial Peace.  For more info, click on www.b2bbookofmoney.com.
John R. Ingrisano