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TUESDAY THOUGHT 5/31/11

STUBBORN & INDEPENDENT 

I think it’s the Neapolitan blood in my family.  Naples, Italy, has been described as the least law-abiding city in the world.  Note that this is different from being lawless.  Neapolitans simply go their own way and — stubbornly and relentlessly — like to make their own rules.  Perhaps that is why most of us in my family end up self-employed and independent (either rich or broke; it really doesn’t matter, as long as we do it our way), bushwhacking our own paths through the dense jungle, even if the well-paved road is right beside us.  

Perhaps that’s why it has taken me most of my life to learn, at least to some degree, that it is better (no, never say “easier” to a member of my family, just “better”) to stop swinging, put down the machete and take the path that God has chosen for me.  When I do that – relying on God’s blessings rather than on my own blood, sweat and tears – I find a rich, wondrous, joyous life.  

My point:  Our own strength will never bring us where we need to go, even if it gets us where we want to go.  Big difference.  So, let it go and leave it in God’s hands.  His path is beautiful, peaceful, fun  (and even easier, but don’t tell anyone in my family).   – jri 

MONDAY THOUGHT 3/30/11

WHINERS & WINNERS 

I admit, I’m a whiner.  I recently lost a handful of materials valued at perhaps $150.  I whined and cursed my fortune, choosing to ignore the plight of the many thousands of families who have lost everything – in some cases, even their lives or the lives of loved ones — in the recent floods and tornadoes that have swept the heartland. 

Then, last week, I had the opportunity to meet a real winner, a woman in one of my seminars, who is permanently wheelchair-bound from a car accident.  She was cheerful and even said she was grateful for the accident because, as a result, she has gained so much more than she had lost.  

My point:  It is no secret that God tests us; that is what gives us the opportunity to become strong and to grow in faith (or to cut and run in disgrace).  We may not like this one of God’s “rules,” but that’s the reality, that’s how God does it.  Cherish the challenge … and no whining. – jri

My biggest challenge is trust.  I can walk the walk and talk the talk most/much/some of the time.  But when challenges arise, I too often find myself saying, “John, what, are you crazy?  You really believe this stuff?”  Okay, so I’m no walking saint.  As a friend told me recently, all believers are agnostics at least some of the time.  Take your faith and take your doubts and lay them at God’s feet.  It seems to me that He wants us to be honest, not walking around with hands folded in steeples and nervously smiling joyfully while screaming in fear on the inside.  Good luck in your God quest.  It is an exciting trip, don’t you agree? 

FRIDAY THOUGHT 5/20/11

MY CENTERING PRAYER 

Buddhists call it the “monkey mind,” how our thoughts refuse to be tamed and settled, but instead jump around like a … well, like a barrel overflowing with excited monkeys.  It can make it difficult to pray, to really pray, to have an honest visit with God.

Long ago, I found one prayer that I always say with bowed head and closed eyes.  It immediately (usually) calms, focuses and “centers” me, putting me in a prayerful state of mind:  “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and my soul will be healed.”  

That’s it; nothing fancy.  It is a brief prayer that reminds me that, even in the most undeserving or unsettled state, I have this God who can – and does – heal my sometimes weary soul.  – jri

 Okay, here’s the deal:  have a joy-filled, fear- and worry-free day.  As believers (even though we may also be doubters, which I believe is okay), we have this fantastic gift:  knowledge that we are loved … and loved unconditionally.  So, just for today (you can even take the whole weekend if you like), put it in God’s hands.  Shrug, take a deep sigh, smile, and cast off the worry, the fear, the anxiety, the concern.  It’s called grace, and it’s God’s gift to us each and every day.  God bless you.  

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 20, 2011

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 5/18/11

UNGRATEFUL, UNDESERVING BUMS

Someone steals our cloak and we’re supposed to give him our coat, too? He hits us on the one cheek and we’re supposed to do what … offer him the other? Yeah, right! If we do that, watch out! The takers of the world will line up to pick our bones clean! Ungrateful, undeserving bums!

That’s how I used to think, until it finally dawned on me: I’m one of those ungrateful bums! I am one of those undeserving takers who, in spite of my often less-than-loving attitude, if not behavior, gets a second chance every day from our patient, forgiving God … right after having lined up for those free blessings and then running off with nary a thank you.

My point: I’m too often the taker, not the innocent “takee.” I’m not the righteous, bereaved and be-grieved victim, but the one who must ask for forgiveness every day, if only for my uncharitable, unloving attitude. Best of all, thank God, every day God gives me that forgiveness … ungrateful, undeserving bum that I am. – jri

This Christian stuff is tough. Love our enemy? Wow! Does that mean even the “friend” who betrayed and wronged us? Even the ex-spouse who pulled a Schwarzenegger on us? Even the yahoo who thinks we’re idiots for our beliefs? Yes. Exactly. Precisely. I’ll work on mine today; good luck with yours. God bless.

TUESDAY THOUGHT 5/17/11

AN AMAZING TURNAROUND

I love reading about the Apostles — persistent, bumbling bozos, who for so long were consistent in one thing, which was that they ALWAYS got it wrong.       

I’ve sometimes wondered how Christ could pick these clowns.  Then I realize that He saw their potential … not what they were, but what they could and were to become.  And did they ever become something!  From frightened, confused, blind spiritual weaklings, the remaining 11, graced by the Holy Spirit, simply got it!  They became ferocious, determined spreaders of the Word.  It is said that all but John the Beloved died martyrs, killed for their faith. Wow! 

My point:  There is hope for even the most hopeless among us.  Never give up praying and seeking.  God has plans for us … and those plans are pretty amazing. – jri 

Just as it is impossible to really understand how a tiny seed is transformed into a plant, we cannot really imagine how we clay-footed yahoos can be transformed into men and women of great faith.  But we can.  Seriously, never give up.  God made this world challenging for a reason.  Pray and seek.  God bless. 

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 17, 2011

WEDNEDAY THOUGHT 5/11/11

IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE….

When I was a kid, like most young people, I saw love as possession.  You belonged to each other, clung to each other, all too often stifled each other.  That kind of love was also prone to come with a pound-and-a-half of angst and fear of loss.  It could tend to be self-absorbed.  As I’ve aged and mellowed, I’ve come to learn that love is about giving, about caring, about wanting the best for the other person, about putting the beloved first.  

That’s the kind of love – the real thing – that Christ brought to us, that He gave to us, and that He commanded us to share with others.

My point:  Nothing too deep or exciting today; just that this giving kind of love – this genuine love – is freeing and easy and more fulfilling than the clinging, desperate kind.  I’m grateful to have received it, and I am grateful to be able to share it.  – jri 

Please do not get the impression that I’m a warm ‘n fuzzy, loving kind of guy.  Though it has gotten easy with my close relationships, I’m still lousy at that “love your enemies” part of the equation and am all too quick to give an emotional or verbal groin kick to an unresponsive hotel clerk or that driver who doesn’t hit the gas the second the light turns green.  Ah, to be clay-footed!  Still, I keep on trying.  Most of all, I am grateful for all those who care about me and share their love with me.  It does feed my soul.  Thank you and God bless you.    

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 11, 2011

TUESDAY THOUGHT 5/10/11

FRESH BREAD!

My mother had a gift for recovery.  No matter what might happen to her on a given day – heart attack, other health problems, marital dueling matches, annoying sons – she always bounced back the next morning, awakening with an off-key song of joy on her lips.  In one respect, she was a real-life Tommy Tippy Cup.  But mostly, it was that she had the gift of faith.  Every day, she feasted on the Bread of Life. 

I am blessed with that same gift – knowing that, no matter what I do or what is done to me, I get a get-out-of-jail card the next day.  I wake up hungry and I feast!  That to me is what faith means to me: feasting at the table of the Lord on the Bread of Life.  It also means I get to share it and spread around this wondrous gift.  

My point:  No matter how much we may want to fool others or ourselves, we are all stumbling around in the dark, looking for the Bread of Life that feeds the hunger in our souls.  And , lo and behold, there it is, right smack, dab in front of us.  Eat up.  Enjoy.  Feast.  It’s baked fresh every day … and tastes great!  Yum! – jri 

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 10, 2011

 I once believed that faith would be some silver bullet, a feel-good panacea that would make everything in my life wonderful.  Well, yes and no.  My life still has its challenges … every day, in fact.  No silver bullet.  (Besides, I think that’s best for getting rid of werewolves, that and garlic.)  No, faith means we have the understanding of God’s love and the strength to deal with every hardship that comes our way.  Savor that gift.  It’s a big one.  God bless.

MONDAY THOUGHT 5/8/11

HIS WAY OR THE HIGHWAY 

Born stubborn and arrogant (and just a touch charming), if I were to describe my past life by song titles, they would include Sammy Davis Jr.’s “I Gotta Be Me” and Frank Sinatra’s “My Way.”  Let’s see how that worked out:  made a fortune, lost a fortune; married twice, divorced twice; given every blessing in the world, and blown every blessing I’d been given.  Lots of hits, lots of runs … and lots of errors. 

In short, favored beyond belief, I was unable to handle my life, got caught up in it, actually thought it had something to do with my hard work and keen ability (oh, yes, and that touch of charm, too).    

My point:  All my cunning and all my running meant nothing in the end.  It was, is and will be ALL in God’s hands.  Without His blessing, nothing else has real meaning; with his blessing, ALL things are possible … and worth it.  My song these days?  As many of you know, you guessed it:  “Amazing Grace.”  — jri 

MONDAY THOUGHT 5/2/11

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