DailyConnections.net

TUESDAY THOUGHT 3/31/09

Soul Healing
 
We all seek peace, joy, happiness, escape from pain.  It’s a universal human drive.  However, I know hundreds of people who spend their time treating the symptoms, not the root cause of their angst, misery and unhappiness.  They seek it in the temporary relief of a strong drink, spending money, a warm companion to chase away the loneliness of the dark, the runner’s high, or perhaps an egoistic power trip. 
 
Been there, done that.  But these days I treat the disease, not the symptom.  The disease — and I articulate it poorly — is a hole in the soul, an incompleteness, an ignorance only made worse by seeking answers in shallow, temporary answers.  The cure?  Oh, that would be God’s way, the only way that, ultimately, makes sense and that leads to life-affirming, positive results … not just short-term feel-good fixes.  All I know is that in God’s Word is the ONLY place I’ve found that wondrous, blessed peace and purpose and clear-headed joy and understanding that goes far, far, far beyond the mind- and soul-numbing pursuits of pain relief.
 
My point:  Lovers leave (or often disappoint), booze wears off, riches flee and power fails.  We can check out all the other empty-promise options … or we can go right to Door Number One and open our hearts to the joy and peace that exceeds all understanding.  Peace be with you.  — jri
 
    “‘May those who love you be secure.
May there be peace within your walls
    and security within your citadels.’
For the sake of my brothers and friends,
    I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’”
        –    King David
               (Psalm 122:6-8)

FRIDAY THOUGHT 3/27/09

Beats Me
 
I don’t know any saints.  But I do know a lot of folks who have found faith, and they’re as clay-footed and human as I.  I also know a lot of folks who are curious, intrigued or just flat-out annoyed with the idea that I have faith. 
 
So, they ask me questions like, “How could a merciful God let babies die?” or “Why bother to pray?  If God is so good, just ask him once rather than begging for years for some miracle.”  Good questions.  Honest.  My reply:  Beats me.  I’m a man of faith.  That doesn’t mean that one day the music rose, a spotlight clicked on from on high, and I was given divine understanding of the universe.  Clay-footed, remember?
 
My point:  Beats me.  Seriously, I think we do best when we just smile, agree that there are some darn good questions and let our efforts at living good, principled, faith-filled lives speak for themselves. — jri
 
“I will instruct you and teach you in the
    way you should go;
    I will counsel you and watch over you.”
        –    Psalm 32:8
 
I have a prayer list, a written list.  It’s getting long these days, with friends and family members losing their jobs and suffering illnesses and other losses.  Pray for those on your list.  Pray long and loud and pester God until He listens.  Why do we have to do this?  Beats me.  But I do know that He listens and prayer works.  God bless.   
John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
www.DailyConnections.net

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 3/25/09

The Blessings of Disaster
 
I led a charmed life (self-absorbed but charmed) until I was 45.  All that I desired flowed to me.  Nary a setback.  And I thought I was one swell fellow.  All the pieces fit together nicely, including some perfunctory God time.  My self-satisfied, smug arrogance could have driven a saint to drink. 
 
Then whappo zappo!  Two-by-four across the bridge of the nose!  I lost everything I had valued and cherished — family, fortune, et al.  But what I gained!  Faith, insight, compassion.  Did I mention faith?  Faith so thick I could spread it with a knife.  Today I am a wealthy man.  Oh, I have enough (exactly enough) for my physical needs, but I am rich beyond compare in family blessings, love, friendships, church and lay community, and a strong, rewarding sense of place and purpose.  Wow, Lord, hit me again!   
 
My point:  I was blessed by disaster, grew abundant by total loss, found everything by losing everything.  Celebrate your blessings today, including those disguised as disasters.  — jri
 
“[F]or nothing shall be impossible with God.”
    –    The Angel of the Lord
            (Luke 1:37)
 
Thank you for allowing me into your life this day.  Please pray for those who struggle, especially couples locked in domestic pain and misunderstandings, that the barriers between them may melt away.  God bless.         
John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
www.DailyConnections.net

MONDAY THOUGHT 2/23/09

Jesus Christ, Nice Gentleman
 
“I love some of his ideas, but I just can’t buy into this God stuff.”  We’ve all heard Jesus dismissed with this ignorant wave of the hand.  Sorry, but it just doesn’t play.
 
Jesus is either the Son of God — the Messiah Himself — or he’s as loony  as Charles Manson (and even more dangerous).  Why?  Because Jesus claims to be The Messiah, The Chosen One.  That’s either egomaniacal arrogance of the flat-out truth.  Sorry, but no safe middle ground really  works.
 
My point:  The “Jesus the Great Philosopher” title only works for those who know little, believe less.  Either Jesus is God or He is a nut case.  Personally, I’ve seen enough to know the answer.  Lord and Savior it is, thank you. — jri
 
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying
the really foolish thing that people often say
about Him:  ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a
great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His
claim to be God.’  That is the one thing we
must not say. A man who was merely a man
and said the sort of things Jesus said would
not be a great moral teacher.  He would
either be a  lunatic — on a level with the man
who says he is a poached egg — or else he
would be the Devil of Hell.  You must make
your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the
Son of God: or else a madman or something
worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you
can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or
you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and
God.  But let us not come with any patronising
nonsense about His being a great human
teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He
did not intend to.”
        –    C. S. Lewis
               ( Mere Christianity)

THURSDAY THOUGHT 3/19/09

Gently Leading
 
“Why do you believe?”  “It’s all just arbitrary.”  “It makes no sense.”    I’ve had a handful of people ask me questions or make comments such as these.  Some have been mocking, sneering.  Others have been dead serious, honest and sincere, searching my eyes while we spoke. I know what I know like a bird knows how to fly.  But how does a bird teach another?  As a wordsmith, I should be eloquent.  I should be, but I always fear that my words drive like a semi-trailer rather than a road-hugging sports car.  (Sorry about the weird analogies.  See what I mean?)
 
Then I realize it’s not my job to have the answers or to be eloquent.  It’s not my job to convince or argue people into faith (or put them on the inquisitor’s rack until they grew by six inches and profess with passion, ” I believe!”)  I can just do the best I can, mostly inviting them to learn more from others who know more than I.
 
My point:  I don’t know much, but I do know that all we can do is gently lead people to Christ by our actions, our faith and our love for one another; and then just leave it all in God’s hands.  Have a joyful day as a living example of the love and the way the Lord has shown us. — jri
 
“Philip found Nathanael and told him,
‘We have found the one Moses wrote
about in the Law, and about whom the
prophets also wrote — Jesus of Nazareth,
son of Joseph.’
 
“‘Nazareth!  Can anything good come from
there?’ Nathanael asked.
 
“‘Come and see,” said Philip.”
 
            –    John 1:45-46
 
Thank you for letting me and my ramblings into your life today.  If my words provide support or consolation or guidance, I am honored and delighted.  If they leave you wondering, “Who is this guy?” … well, either way, please keep me and mine in your prayers.  God bless.
John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 487-3722
www.DailyConnections.net

MONDAY THOUGHT 3/16/09

People Are Watching
 
As clay-footed members of the Family of God, we convert people each and every day … to either good or evil.  That’s because people do notice us and what we do.
 
When we ignore what we profess to know, they say, “See, those Christians are hypocrites.”  When we talk the talk and walk the walk, it gets more complicated.  Some hiss and find fault.  Others nod and find strength.  But they do watch.
 
My point:  Today, let’s make people wonder and want to find out more about what makes us so special.  I invite you to join me in trying (just trying) to be that shining light that makes others wonder, “What is with this Jesus stuff?” as we live in joyful celebration of our faith.  — jri
 
“Today I have made you a fortified
city, an iron pillar and a bronze wall
to stand against the whole land –
against the kings of Judah, its
officials, its priests and the people
of the land.  They will fight against
you but will not overcome you, for
I am with you and will rescue you,
declares the Lord.”
        –    Jeremiah 1:18-19

FRIDAY THOUGHT 3/13/09

Coming Freely to God
 
My daughter, Angie, was raised in the faith, but it was a tepid, perfunctory faith, reflective of mine at the time.  She grew up with other, more immediate priorities than God. 
 
That has wondrously changed.  Next month, on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, she will be confirmed, and her husband, Aaron, and their daughter, Riley, will be baptized.  Angie and Aaron have come to faith — yes, still with many doubts, concerns and questions — of their own free will and in their own sweet time. 
 
My point:  Beats me.  I’m half bragging, half marveling at the sight of those I love accepting, embracing, exploring and feeding that spark of faith that God has placed in their souls.  I invite you to share in and celebrate our joy. –  jri
 
“When you are arguing against Him you
are arguing against the very power that
makes you able to argue at all:  it is like
cutting off the branch you are sitting on.
If God thinks this state of war in the
universe a price worth paying for free
will — that is, for making a live world in
which creatures can do real good or
harm and something of real importance
can happen, instead of a toy world
which only moves when He pulls the
strings — then we may take it it is worth
paying.”
        –    C. S. Lewis
               (Mere Christianity)
 
In addition to Angie’s confirmation and Aaron’s baptism, two other friends — Bill in Florida and Paul in Madison — are being baptized next month.  Please keep them all in your prayers.  God bless.
John R. Ingrisano
www.DailyConnections.net

TUESDAY THOUGHT 3/10/09

In for a Dime
 
I knew a guy once who had no convictions, no core value.  He was a professional fence-straddler whose primary goal was to be pleasant and non-controversial.  Pretty sad, actually.
 
I think some people of faith are like that.  “Oh, I believe in God,” they confess, but that’s as far as their faith goes.  How very sad.
 
My point:  In for a dime … in for a dollar … all in, as the gamblers say.  If God is (and I believe He IS), then He is the overwhelming, super factor in our lives.  How very, very joyful. — jri
 
“Trust in him at all times.”
        –    King David
               (Psalm 62:8)

MONDAY THOUGHT 3/9/09

Happiness
 
I know a guy who is chronically miserable.  If he’d won a million dollars, he’d lament that he’d have to pay taxes on the money. 
 
So, are you happy?  If not, why not?  I know: your child is a bum; your boss is a jerk; you missed the lottery again.  So?  I may not know much (no amens here, please), but I do know that joy and misery are inner things, not dependent on the size of your bankroll or how many people think you’re just swell. 
 
My point:  Choose happiness. Learn it.  Make it a habit.  Practice it.  Be joyful.  No excuses. — jri
 
“A very large proportion of the unhappiness
of the average individual is self-manufactured.”
    –    Norman Vincent Peale

FRIDAY THOUGHT 3/6/09

The Stiff-necked, Stubborn Christian
 
My greatest failing (no, we are not taking a poll here) falls into the category of stiff-neckedness — pride, arrogance, mule-like stubbornness.  (The family motto could be: “Don’t tell me what to do!”) 
 
I think it has something to do with free will, which I cherish and yet find perplexing.  It can be a real challenge to individuals and  to whole churches, as people put gotta-be-me ego ahead of faith.  But it does allow us to make our own choices and to come freely to the people we love and to God.  No coercion.  We arrive at God’s door when we are ready to enter … and we are free to leave at any time.
 
My point:  A bit murky this morning, I confess, but I do know (thanks to Mr. Lewis, see below) that free will is a good thing.  After all, it’s that same stiff-necked stubbornness that enables us to take a stand and then to stand fast in our faith.  So, celebrate the gift of free will and faith. — jri
 
“If a thing is free to be good it is also
free to be bad.  And free will is what
has made evil possible.  Why, then,
did God give them free will?  Because
free will, though it makes evil possible,
is also the only thing that makes
possible any love or goodness or joy
worth having.”
        –    C.S. Lewis
               (Mere Christianity)   
 
If you like my ramblings, please share them.  You are also free to put them on your church website (though please provide a link to my site at www.DailyConnections.net).
John R. Ingrisano
204 Lakeview Drive
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 487-3722
john@DailyConnections.net

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 3/4/09

Hope & Light
 
Though my mother was known on occasion to compare me quite unfavorably to the family dog (“Johnny, I swear, sometimes I think Penelope has more sense than you do!”), she rarely criticized and never condemned me.  Still, she had a gift for reading faces, and I think she saw something in me — part darkness, part light — I tended to keep well hidden, even from myself. 
 
Perhaps that was why she would on occasion look at me and, without apparent reason, announce, “Go for the light.”  No,she wasn’t talking about some out-of-body experience or giving a spontaneous pep talk.  She was speaking about hope and persistence and positive, life-affirming choices, perhaps suspecting I needed a nudge in the right direction in that age-old battle between good and evil. 
 
My point (or Mom’s point, actually):  Never give up and never give in to the darkness that is either deep within us or just outside our door.   Celebrate your faith and your blessings on this day the Lord has given us all and, always, always go for the light. — jri
 
“Everyone who does evil hates the light,
and will not come into the light for fear
that his deeds will be exposed.  But
whoever lives by the truth comes into
the light, so that it may be seen plainly
that what he has done has been done
through God.”
        –    Jesus Christ
               (John 3:29-21)

WELCOME TO JASON ELKINS

Just a quick note.  Jason Elkins (see his first post below) will be joining us a contributor at Daily Connections.  Jason, from Nashville (though originally a Michigander), is the publisher of a terrific faith online magazine, The Transparent Christian.  Welcome him, and I hope you enjoy his thoughts and insights as much as I do.  God bless.  — jri

Avoiding Life’s Bloody Noses – Jason Elkins from Transparent Christian Magazine

At the beginning of the year I signed up for a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) class. I figured that I would get into shape and burn some calories – a couple of my new year’s resolutions – and maybe develop some tools that will help me defend myself.

Earlier this week, a young man about half my age gave me a bloody nose, and led me to question my decision about joining. When I discussed this with one of the other students, he agreed that the young man is a bit too aggressive sometimes and gave me a few suggestions to protect myself. Then he paused and said, “Well, this isn’t Chess Club”.

It’s a great quote from the movie “Fight Club” where Brad Pitt’s character reminds everyone that they signed up for something physically challenging – and it immediately made me think about my faith. So much in our lives “isn’t Chess Club”… it’s a tough world out there, and we need to train and exercise our minds, just as I’m working on my body. Do you read the bible or listen to music that loads your head up with scripture? Do you have a church family? What about a small group that you attend? Arming yourself with these ‘tools’ will help you defend yourself when attacked by the ‘great deceiver’ – or enable you to manage a negative situation. Hopefully you can avoid some of life’s bloody noses!

Love,
Jason

www.transparentchristianmagazine.com

MONDAY THOUGHT 3/2/09

Faith & Forgiveness
 
Beyond forgiveness?  Never!  I know of a guy who was far from perfect.  In addition to arrogance (personally, I’m never quite sure if that’s a virtue or a vice), he had an affair with a married woman.  Then, just to top things off, he had the husband murdered. 
 
True story.  His name was David (you know, the Goliath slayer), who later became king of Israel.  He took a wrong turn, had an affair with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, murdered.  Even with this, he remained one of God’s chosen ones and, yes, God forgave him everything because he sincerely rued his crimes and asked forgiveness.  Psalm 51, written by King David, beautifully captures his pain and remorse and regret. 
 
My point:  Beyond forgiveness?  I repeat:  Never!  In fact, God seems to have a special place for those who really screw the pooch.  Want forgiveness?  I mean, really want forgiveness?  Ask.  He will forgive you.  No exceptions.  Wow!  — jri
 
“Create in me a pure heart, O God,   
    and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
        –     King David
                (Psalm 51:10)