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WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 6/29/11

THE ROCK!

No, this isn’t about my Boxer, Rocky, though he can be inspiring.  It is about St. Peter, my favorite saint – brash, rash, impetuous, the first to stand by Christ … and the first to run away and abandon him.  

Peter was the most unlikely choice by Jesus to be “the Rock” He chose to lead the Church.  But choose him He did.  And the greatest miracle is in the transformation of this man from the unsteady, unreliable Simon — who denied the Lord three times — into the bold, brave Peter who fearlessly proclaimed the Good News, even when it meant he would suffer a painful, slow death by crucifixion (though asking that it be done to him upside down, since he was unworthy to die as Jesus did).     

My point:  One is that there are no impossibilities.  Even the most unlikely among us can be transformed to do the work God has chosen for us.  Nothing is impossible.  Second, do we speak out or do we hide our faith from the world?  We also can become the rocks upon which the Good News is spread and shared with all who need it … and we all need it. – jri

I fell into a local Bible study group last evening, something I had let slip away from common practice.  It was marvelous, sitting at a table with seven other clay-footed seekers of the Truth.  We came from many different churches:  Catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, nondenominational Bible-based.  But we all had one thing in common: a desire to learn, grow in faith, and share.  I recommend it.  Find a faith-based group of seekers.  The blessings are amazing.  Have a joy-filled day of closeness to the Lord.

John Ingrisano
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June 29, 2011

TUESDAY THOUGHT 6/28/11

THE LAUNDRY-LIST, GIMME PRAYER 

Lord, give me this.  Lord, give me that.  Lord, help me.  Lord, Lord, Lord.  Too often, that is what we do, or at least it is what I do, when we pray.  I’m no theologian, but I’m also not all that sure that this is how we should be praying … reciting a long list of very specific gimme prayers.  

Why?  Because I have come to believe that we may know what we want (sometimes), but we have not a clue what we really need (often) or, more specifically, what God wants for us.  

My point:  Why not just sit back, stop worrying and petitioning for favors … and let God decide?  How about this prayer:  “Lord, please grant me what you want”?  — jri

 I have learned that my “life model” is not all that rewarding at times.  Days filled with goals and tasks and to-do lists, even big achievements, are not all that satisfying in and of themselves.  It is only when I set out each day offering my efforts to God that any of it really makes sense.  My challenge:  becoming a better listener to the Word of God.  Have a joyful, God-filled day.  

MONDAY THOUGHT 6/27/11

HERE I AM 

A friend gave the sermon on Sunday that blew me away.  He explained how Abraham totally trusted in God.  Whenever God promised him something, he believed.  And whenever God called upon him, he always replied, “Here I am,” and then just did it, with full trust and without hesitation.  Example:  God promised Abraham a son, but he had to wait until he was 99 years old.  Then God told him to sacrifice that precious son, Isaac, as a burnt offering.  Abraham never hesitated (though God intervened at the last moment).  

I cannot help but compare my own timid, whining responses to God’s challenges.  I’m consistent that, when he tests me, I pretty much fail one hundred percent of the time, clay-footed soul that I am.  Make me a promise and make me wait for a few days or a few hours, and I begin doubting, cursing my luck and my lot.     

My point:  I think I’m not alone in that my faith is a weak thing, always in need of constant reassurance and fulfillment.  My only consolation:  No matter how many times I fail to live in God’s trust and faith, no matter how many times I doubt or hesitate, I know I am forgiven … and then given yet another opportunity.  Next time.  Here I am Lord.  Ask away! — jri  

Comfort for the clay-footed:  As my friend Deacon Jerry Kuehn pointed out in his sermon, “True faith is always tested.”  Have a joyous, strength-filled day.  God bless.        

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
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June 27, 2011

FRIDAY THOUGHT 6/17/11

JUST LISTEN

I have known some people for years who have no idea who I am, what I do, whether or not I have a family, my likes, dislikes, pains and joys.  They view our relationship, if you could call it that, as an opportunity to talk to me and at me about themselves.  

We can be that way with God.  Our prayers can be a one-sided yack session during which we talk to God.  We complain to Him, petition Him, and, on occasion, thank Him.  Maybe we need to just listen now and then.  

My point:  We can pray in total silence, just listening.  As Samuel did, we can just say, “Here I am, Lord” and let Him talk for a while.  Try it.  Just open your heart and your mind to God.  He does have some pretty neat things to say.  – jri

Reminder:  God loves us as we are – flawed, failed and broken, even when we are arrogant and unaware of our flaws and brokenness.  So, choose to be happy.  Revel in it.  Let the joy of God’s love in and just savor it.  Ahhhhhhhh.      

John Ingrisano   

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

THURSDAY THOUGHT 6/16/11

AWESOME GOD

 It wasn’t all that long ago – I’m going to say seven years – that I was on the ropes:  a business venture about to fail, along with a marriage; children who either barely tolerated me or didn’t talk to me at all; once significant assets slipping away, to the point where, each month, I would never be sure if I could pay my bills.  In short, my life was a train wreck.    

One thing I did have was faith.  Even on those nights when I would awake at three AM with my stomach in a cold knot of terror, I would talk to God (sometimes yell, I admit it), pray and hope.  Today?  Well, my life is rich beyond my wildest dreams.  God took away everything I had and cared about … and then He blessed me with more and better than I could ever have imagined.  He stripped me of all that I had (and much of who I was) and restored me, redeemed, resurrected me.  I am rich today, but in a very different way than before.  

My point:  If God is a good God (and I believe He is), then He is ALWAYS good.  The times He trims us back and prunes us are times when He is making us ready for new growth.  Be patient.  Be true.  God does not forget us. – jri 

Just for the record, today I am surrounded by the love of three wondrous, caring children; five healthy, beautiful, silly grandchildren; other family members who love me; good friends; a nice home in a nice town; a woman who loves me in spite of the fact that she knows me; a church that is truly a faith home; new business opportunities; even a few bucks in the bank.  Just as important, my life is drama-free and more peace-filled and balanced than ever before.  In short, I am blessed in ways I’d never imagined possible.  Awesome!  I pray for the same for you.  God bless.   

TUESDAY THOUGHT 6/14/11

RADICAL FAITHFULNESS

Imagine wanting something so badly in your life that it becomes an obsession.  That’s what Hannah did in the Old Testament.  She wanted a child, but for years she was barren.  Finally, God granted her request.  

And then – and this is the best part – she did not coddle the boy, pamper him, spoil him or smother him.  No, as soon as he was weaned, as she had promised, she gave the boy, Samuel, to God, physically handing him over to Eli the prophet.  Even then, did she mope or whine or feel she’d gotten the dirty end of the stick?  No.  She was joyful. (Check out her song in 1 Samuel 2:1-11.)

In my own life, I have discovered (again and again) that graciously accepting and embracing God’s will doesn’t necessarily get me the goodies on my wish list.  However, it does ALWAYS bring me greater faith and peace and strength, totally because God has so much better in store for me.  Yes, it may involve pain and loss, but it will also be accompanied by joy.  Funny how it works … actually, I don’t have a clue how it works.  But it does!  God bless.   

SATURDAY THOUGHT 6/11/11

FLYING SPARKS

Years ago a neighbor had a fire from dumping still-live grill coals behind his garage.  Panicking, his wife kept beating the embers with a shovel, which served only to fan and spread the flames.  The fire department eventually saved the day, and the damage was only minimal.  Still, it would have been less without her efforts.

That is how it was with the early Church.  For the usual reasons of power and prestige, the “powers that were” (long since gone, by the way, while the Church thrives 20 centuries later) saw the followers of this Jesus fellow as dangerous troublemakers, even though all these soon-to-be-called Christians wanted to do was sing, pray and love one another.  Ironically, it was the deliberate efforts to smother the embers of this obscure religious movement, harmlessly located far from the center of anything, that fanned the flames and spread the sparks, until it swept across and transformed the world … and is still doing so to this day. 

My point, or two, actually:  First, we cannot project the consequences of our actions or of the events that bump into and sometimes overwhelm us.  It is not for us to know.  I have found that it is simply best to say “Thank you, Lord” for the events – and even the setbacks – of each day.  Second, trust that everything  — yes, even pain and tragedy – has the seed of good in it.  It is true.  Don’t be afraid; just believe. – jri

Does suffering lead to joy?  Yes.  In my life, every setback, and I have experienced/created many along the way, has always – not just sometimes, but ALWAYS – led to greater opportunity, blessings, and joy.  (BTW, do not equate joy and blessings with ease and freedom from challenges; that is where I believe a lot of folks get it wrong:  treating God like a double shot of whiskey or a feel-good happy pill.)  From setbacks come blessings.  Simply wait for them, look for them, and then accept these wondrous gifts, enjoy them, and share them.  God bless. 

John Ingrisano   

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

THURSDAY THOUGHT 6/9/11

THAT WHICH DOESN’T KILL US… 

Why do we suffer grief?  I just read about an amazing answer to that question in the June 9, 2011 edition of The New York Times.  Cate Edwards, 29, is an attorney and the daughter of the late Elizabeth and disgraced former senator John Edwards.  She has become the glue that holds the wreckage of her family together.  She’s an amazing lady, her strength born of loss.

Fifteen years ago, Cate’s brother, Wade, was killed in a car accident.  She was a teenager, and it was her first brush with suffering.  She grieved and struggled for two years.  However, it was this painful loss that gave her the strength to become the touchstone and glue for the family during the recent series of suffering: her father’s political loss, followed by his disgrace over the revelations of infidelity that tore the marriage apart, her mother’s long battle with cancer (Cate delivered the eulogy at her mother’s funeral last December), and now her father’s indictment, with the threat of prison (Cate is a key member of her father’s defense team). 

Life isn’t all lollipops and puppies, and meditating on the splendor of God’s beauty in this world; it’s a tough trip.  Remember that the hero of our story, Jesus the Christ, got pretty much skinned, gutted and fileted during his 33 years here.  Sure, he came back in triumph … and that’s the whole point.  In the end, we win!  However, taking up the faith does not mean we suddenly are given Kevlar armor and freedom from pain.  It means we take up the cross, shoulder the struggles, and, most of all, throw an arm around the waist of others to help them in the journey.  Hang tough.  Be strong.  No whining.  God bless.

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
June 9, 2011

WEDNESDAY THOUGHT 6/8/11

AND TINY SEEDS BECOME GIANT TREES … HOW?

I am not an earthy guy.  I get no deep, spiritual high by putting my hands in the soil.  However, I am always in awe of the miracle of spring, as I drive by farmers’ fields that were brown, plowed dirt just weeks earlier and are now lush with corn or soybeans.  What awes me the most is that seeds do not just become bigger and better seeds; they become something quite different from what they were.  They are transformed into plants, shrubs and trees.  Amazing! 

From my experience, it is the same with faith.  I believe the seed of faith is given to all of us — ALL of us, without exception.  But then it is up to us to plant it, nurture it, feed it and encourage it.  We do this by prayer, by studying the Bible and other good books, and by actively seeking the Truth.  We do this, and God will find us and transform us … slowly, gradually over time.  

My point:  In seeking that Truth, wherever it leads us, we do not just become better at who we are, but transformed over time (sorry, no bright lights or burning bushes; no pushbutton, instant salvation) into something totally different.  We discover a life and a world totally unimaginable to those who just stick the seed of faith in their pockets or shrug, cast it aside and move on. – jri 

I continue to marvel at my friends who seek to prove or disprove the existence of God.  Even if they succeed, I hope they understand that proof has nothing in common with belief.  The logic of God is not only incomprehensible (I believe He always leaves room for doubt on purpose), but still leaves all the questions unanswered.  Faith is about opening your heart and letting in the Truth.  So, if you are curious about God, stop struggling and straining; just let Him in.  He’ll do the rest.  God bless.   

John Ingrisano   

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
June 8, 2011

TUESDAY THOUGHT 6/7/11

FAITH QUEST HIGHWAY 

I confess that yesterday’s Bible quote about following Christ unflinchingly and unhesitatingly let me unsettled.  (“But Jesus told him, ‘Anyone who puts a hand  to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.’” — Luke 9:61-62.)  I understood that feeling better when a friend said he also struggled with it, specifically in light of being abandoned by his own father years ago and the recognition that he would never be able to choose between God and his own children. 

I agree.  Don’t smite me down, Lord, but I find that admonition from Christ to be harsh to the point of severe … and cold to the point of being unchristian.  I could not follow the call, either.  Puzzling.  Unsettling. 

My point:  Well, I never expected this faith journey to be a pony ride in the park, but a sometimes challenging, unsettling adventure.  I also know (or just hope) that God wants us to come honestly to Him, complete with our notepad full of questions.  No, this puzzlement does not leave my faith shaken, just curious to learn more about what’s around the next bend on Faith Quest Highway. — jri 

 I have learned on this winding, pothole-pitted faith road that faith is not science.  Also, while faith is not based on logic, it is not illogical.  Finally, I have found that my weak-kneed, wobbly faith has transformed my life and that all my prayers have been answered – beautifully and wondrously – though not a one in the way I had anticipated.  So, faith is about trust.  Put it in God’s hands and then just keep on truckin’ down Faith Quest Highway.  Enjoy the trip, and God bless.      

John Ingrisano

209 Church Street

Algoma, WI 54201

(920) 559-3722

www.dailyconnections.net

June 7, 2011

MONDAY THOUGHT 6/6/11

HAVING IT BOTH WAYS 

I think for most of us life is like the push-pull tension of ordering a large, fully loaded pizza … and a diet soda.  We try to have it both ways.  We want to feast, but we want to be thin; we want to be wealthy, but we don’t want to put in the 12-hour days that it takes to get there.  

It can be the same spiritually:  We want to give our best to God, as long as it isn’t too demanding; we want to be recognized as men and woman of faith, but we ignore the parts of the Bible that leave us uncomfortable; we want the crown, but without the cross. 

My point:  Not that we’re evil or weak, but that, too often, we end up living lives of spiritual indecisiveness, stuck in a going-nowhere pendulum swing that never gets beyond ourselves and out into actually working for others and serving the Lord.  Imagine living a life of full commitment, without the spiritual tension that tugs us in two (or three or four) different directions.  – jri