As a lad, I knew four basic prayers:  Our Father, Hail Mary, Grace before Meals, and the bedtime Now-I-lay-me….  (My heart and mind refused to learn The Apostles’ Creed and, pointedly, the Act of Contrition.)  They were mindless, mumbled recitations.  Over the years – and it has taken years – I have begun to learn to talk to God.  Just talk.  And even, on occasion, to listen.  I have learned to give God my thanks … with true gratitude; to ask for His help … with true faith that I would receive it; and to offer Him my day, my work, my life … with true belief that my offering would be acceptable.  But I have always pretty much prayed alone, even in a church filled with people.

Until now.  Though Susan and I are nearly a thousand miles away (she in Georgia and I in Wisconsin) we pray together by phone last thing each night before going to sleep, and then at first light in the morning.  Our prayers are  filled with thanksgiving for our many blessings, along with petitions for family and other loved ones.  They are spontaneous, personal, more a three-way conversation than anything formal or structured.

My point:  Prayer is soothing, bonding, powerful, and freeing.  Praying with someone else, someone special, is wondrous, just wondrous.  My real point, though, is that God hears our prayers, and He answers them … ALWAYS.  So, pray without ceasing, in good times and in times of suffering.  Leave all that you are, have and need in God’s hands.  All will be well.  – jri

One of the miracles of our life is that Susan and I came to our faith separately.  I have been questing for decades; she found her faith more recently, through the death of her husband and the spiritual transformation of her now-deceased brother.  In God’s plan (and I do believe in God’s plan), He brought us together not just in love, but also in faith.  Awesome.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 17, 2012

Gotta laugh sometimes at my frailty.  A week or so ago, I challenged myself to speak with kindness about/toward all people, to see everyone as being a son or daughter of God.  Didn’t matter if that person was sweet or mean, dumb or brilliant, challenging or easygoing.  I would view everyone through an attitude of agape love.  Ah yes — let the milk of Christian kindness flow through my veins!

That lasted until 11:15 AM when, driving to the airport in Milwaukee, I saw a cop car ahead of me.  The officer had stopped someone and his vehicle was parked half way out in my lane.  As I passed, swerving into the other lane, I mumbled, “Nice place to park, you f*&%ing moron.”  Then I burst out laughing at my less-than-loving attitude.  (Milk of Christian kindness curdled in my veins.)  Since then, being aware, I had some days when I almost got through the whole day with positive, loving thoughts.  Then there were others when I was less than stellar in my Christian love: referring to someone as an idiot before even getting out of bed one morning.

My point:  One is that I am amazed how often I tend to judge … and judge harshly.  Another is that I am grateful for the insight into my weakness; at least now I can address it and keep trying.  – jri

I don’t know about you, but for me the problem is that I always tend to have an opinion.  I rarely sit on the sidelines and just watch and listen.  This is good; that is bad; he is right; he is wrong.  The fact is, however, that many things simply are.  Plus, others do not need my approval, judgment, or validation.  And so the quest to love others continues … at least until some blanking so-and-so cuts me off or looks at me cross-wise.  And on that note, God bless and have a joyous day.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 15, 2012

This past week I got my hands in the dirt and planted.  First time in nearly ten years.  This past week I saw spring in all its explosive-color glory.  Again, first time in nearly ten years.  I’d almost forgotten the miracle of seeing seemingly dead, barren ground being transformed and renewed, roaring silently into vibrant life.

This past week I felt like God was so close I could feel His warmth; I could sense His restoring love and soul-calming peace; I could believe almost without doubt.  This week, after so many, many years of roaming the barren landscape, I felt renewed, guided, restored.  I felt right.

My point:  God does not care what we’ve done, where we’ve been, how many times we have tried, stumbled, and tried again.  He does not care what we know or even how good we are.  He cares that we care.  And when we care, in His own sweet time (not ours, but His), He will restore us, He will renew us, He will transform us … making beautiful things out of dust.  Wondrous. – jri

“You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us.”

– Gungor (Beautiful Things)

One thing I have grown to know (or at least remember now and then) is that God is always with us.  Always. When He sends us what we think of as misfortune or overwhelming challenge, He has a purpose.  No, I do not always like it, and I usually do not understand it; however, occasionally, I get a glimpse into how He takes our pain and suffering as a tool to guide us to a place of joy and transformation.  So, God is good … all the time.  When I remember this, life is good … all the time.  God bless.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 14, 2012

Among my long list of flaws, I would say intolerance for willful stupidity ranks as one of the most persistent.  I do not do well when it comes to suffering fools gladly, and I love to take a juicy bite out of people who are just nasty.

Then I went and read the Bible verse below.  Not just good advice, but these are the words in red, straight from the mouth of Jesus.  These words made me realize that (yet, still, and always) I am not necessarily the semi-perfect fellow I so very much want to believe I am.

My point:  On one hand, Jesus was often tolerant, always loving and always forgiving.  On the other hand, He held/holds out a pretty high standard for those of us who carry His banner.  I for one will try this day and in the days to come to not judge, to not categorize, to not find fault with ANYONE.  Instead, perhaps I will just try to love others … without exception.  After all, we are all children of God, and He loves us all … even fools like me. – jri

Actually, this should be pretty easy … once I get used to the idea that everybody has a “story,” a history, with things on his or her mind.  All I have to do is love EVERYBODY … from the driver in a hurry who cuts me off, to the one who’s political views are in opposition to mine, to the person who would cheat or hate me without cause, to EVERYBODY.  Hey, isn’t that what Jesus told us to do?  Love everyone?  Not just our friends and family, but also our enemies?  This could be a fun day.  I’ll keep you posted.  Better yet, join me.  Maybe we can transform the world – or at least our small portion of it — in one day.  Worth a shot.  God bless.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 3, 2012

I am not a fan of voodoo religiosity.  (Say this prayer; then forward this email to ten people within five minutes, and you will receive a special blessing within 24 hours!)  So, when I decided to tithe, to give ten percent of my income to the Lord, it was not for selfish purposes.  I was not trying to buy off God or get into His good graces.  I saw it as one way to thank the Lord for His many blessings.  Perhaps I also thought that, since I had nothing at that time and was right on the edge of being broke, my bold gesture would cost me nothing.  Wrong again!

Because then the weirdest thing began to happen.  The more I gave, the more I received.  Like the handful of loaves and fishes that Jesus divided, which then fed thousands, my resources – and other blessings — began to multiply.  Today I am blessed with bounty.  Like I said, it is the weirdest thing.  I know I am not alone.  Others have shared the same experience.

My point:  No voodoo conclusions here.  That is mostly because the biggest “payback” I received was the pure joy of giving.  So, I guess my point is that it is in giving that we are truly blessed.  Give generously from the gifts God gives us.  They are God’s to begin with.  Our sharing of them simply acknowledges our gratitude.  And it feels great, too.  – jri

By the way, this is not a sermon on tithing.  I give because I want to, not because I’m supposed to.  To me, it is a privilege and an honor, and a reminder about where my blessings come from.  And when it comes to giving, I still prefer mostly and also to give from my time, my talents, and my heart, not just from my wallet.  Have a joy-filled, blessed, generous day.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 2, 2012

I know some folks who do not pray regularly to God.  However, every now and then, they have a major problem, so they tell (tell, not ask) God what they need.  Then, the next day, when God has not delivered, they sneer and say something like, “See, I told you there is no God.”

Seriously, I can understand.  People have pain and fear.  “God, I prayed for my loved one’s recovery, and you let me down.  Why?”  Now, I do not have many answers.  However, one thing God has taught me over the years is that (1) He answers all prayers … all prayers; (2) but in His own sweet time; and (3) in His own sweet way.  I know.  Every petition I have ever offered up to God – sometimes humbly, sometimes angrily – He has answered … and His answer has been awesome.

My point:  I try not to tell God what to do.  I no longer snap my fingers and demand.  Instead, my prayers more and more these days are not so much “Gimme Prayers,” but “Your Way Prayers.”  Ask.  Wait.  Trust.  God is listening.  This I do know.  – jri

I had a prayer I did not even realize, nor could articulate.  It sounded something like this:  “Lord, there is an emptiness in my soul.  Please fill it.”  Over the last 45 years or so, usually without any knowledge or understanding on my part, God has been answering that prayer every day.  Every day.  And he is not done yet.   He has given me a life of abundance, rich with experience, sometimes filled with wondrous joy, other times stinging with bitter pain.  However, I have always (no, actually, often) had a sense that He was with me, guiding me showing me the path.  That path has led me back to and forward to a beautiful woman/girl I knew years ago.  As teens, we promised ourselves to each other.  Then we parted; I left.  Today, 42 years later, this beautiful woman/girl and I have closed the circle I broke 42 years ago.  Joyous, in deep faith in God and with love for each other, she has agreed to marry on August 11.  Sue’s comment to me:  “What took you so long to return!”  Believe in miracles.  I live them every day.  God bless you.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
May 1, 2012

About six or eight guys sat around in the common area talking in low voices.  It was pre-dawn and we were waiting for the rest of us to assemble and be called.  We talked gently about poker games aboard navy ships; about people who could drink a quart of whiskey in an evening; about loves lost and wives deceased; about times of pain and times of joy; dead end times and days of hope; long marriages and second chances.  As we talked, others gathered, some young, some well- seasoned.  And then John entered, bell in hand, and we shuffled out, casually, eager and yet in no rush, into an unknown day.

What lay ahead was a day of joy, singing, and prayer, of communion with other men and women on a spiritual and spirit-charging weekend, on what is called a Cursillo (ker-see-o) weekend among Catholics and Episcopalians (Methodists call it the Road to Emmaus).  During the weekend, what I loved the most, was seeing and talking with other men, men who could jawbone about the Packers and hunting one moment, then pray and sing loudly the next; laugh and joke the next.  The common bond:  faith.  These are real men, in my opinion, men who learned long ago or recently that there is more to life than work and talking trash, men who gained their strength during adversity from knowing their own weakness and by surrender to a mighty God.

My point:  Poorly expressed, I know, but as a man, I gain strength from the company of men of faith.  As seekers/believers/doubters, we all gain strength from likeminded men and women.  We cannot do it alone.  We need to be part of something bigger – much bigger – than ourselves.  These men young and old, and, yes, also the women of a faith community, strengthen each other in faith.  If you do not have a faith community that stirs your soul, please find one.  I promise you, it will be life-restoring.  – jri

I know men and women who say they do not do church.  They prefer to walk in the woods and take in nature.  I believe that such solitude is wondrous.  Jesus was fond of doing just that on many occasions.  However, just as important is what is known as “corporate” worship, community gatherings of faithful men and women.  On this past Cursillo weekend, I laughed until my sides hurt, sang until my voice gave out (which, if you’ve ever heard my voice, I know that someone’s prayers were answered in that), ate and talked with nearly two dozen men and women of faith; came to tears over the pain of others; prayed joyfully; and came away soothed, inspired, thrilled and at peace, charged up and filled with inner quiet.  Again, I recommend it.

John Ingrisano

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

April 30, 2012

Yo, over here.  I found it!  I had misplaced my simplistic, childhood faith about 45 years ago, thanks in part to a combo of pleasure-seeking teenage hormones and a smarmy know-it-all college professor in my freshman year who spoke on the existence of God … and God lost.  Over time, as a seeker of truth, I eventually found God again, mostly by holding up every experience and observation of life to the Is-there-a-god-or-isn’t-there-a-god? litmus test.

Well, I’m pleased to say that the “experiment” is over.  Found Him!  Proof positive, based on a combo of study, research, reading, honest questioning, sharing, listening, and a willingness to open my heart, mind and soul to inspiration.  So, after years of roaming the jungle (that’s “rain forest” to my tree hugger friends); getting tangled in vines of frustration; following a whole bunch of other roads, dead ends all; smacking into trees in my blindness; and just stumbling and fumbling, I found the path … the right path.  Seekers finders, finders keepers!

My point:  The journey was – and I suspect will continue to be – part of the faith process.  No matter how thick and dark the jungle, God is guiding us, watching over us, with us always, and waiting for us to open our eyes and see the path.  Ahhhhhhhh! – jri

But enough about me.  (Yeah, right!)  As a seeker-finder, finder-keeper, now my joy is to be a keeper-sharer or keeper-giver.  And that’s the best part of all.  Amen.

I know people with several big houses, one in the north and one in the south; high six- and even seven-figure retirement accounts; a vehicle for work, another for play, another for long trips; one big boat, one little boat, and, of course, a personal water craft; etc., etc., etc.  I know people like this.  In fact, I used to be one of them. Oh, I enjoyed my toys and my semi-wealth.  However, I must admit that they made me feel just a tad smug, a little superior, and a bit arrogant, as if these things somehow made me special, better … somehow.

Then I lost them (divorce, bad biz decisions and just a bit too much arrogance).  I was not graceful about it.  I wailed and whined and cursed my fate, and even blamed God for turning His back on me (being quicker to blame than to thank).  But then suddenly (no, actually, gradually), I discovered the pure joy of “enough.”  God took away all the junk that was blocking my life and my spirit.  Today, I have exactly all that I need.  I have enough:  a modest, snug home; one nice car; wondrous children and grandchildren; very little debt; good health; soul-soaring faith; wondrous friends; forgiveness; a joyous love … all grace like rain showering down upon me.  I have enough, and it is more than enough.

My point:  I’ll summarize it in this prayer:  Lord, I have no idea what I really need or truly desire.  I leave it in your hands, and I will try not to worry about it.  Send me this day what I need.  Amen.  — – jri

It truly does feel great to lack for nothing and, yet with so much less than I once had, to have so much more than I could ever imagine.  And for those who do not understand, it all comes from God, from opening up myself to His ways and just saying, “Here I am, Lord.”

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
April 19, 2012

Please bear with me.  This will take more than three paragraphs:

A year ago today a man died, a man who I loved deeply.  I had not seen Phil for nearly 42 years, since he was around 12 years old, when I had ended my engagement to his older sister, Sue, back in 1970.  (In retrospect, Sue and I, neither yet 20, were children ourselves.)  Phil and I had had no contact until a little over a year ago, when we exchanged brief emails over a planned Road to Emmaus weekend for Sue.  And then Phil went and died from a sudden and unexpected brain aneurism.

So, how could I say that I love him?  As I learned recently — when Sue and I came together and closed the circle that I had broken 42 years ago — Phil had lived a hard life:  drugs, prison, and more.  He had made many poor choices and had hurt himself and many other people.  His life had been a complete loss and failure, a total train wreck.

And then he changed.  Correction, he let God change him, transform him, renew and remake him.  He let God release him from the prison of addiction and became a ferociously loving, dedicated man of faith (and by all accounts I have heard, a good man, too, a very good man).

He became a force in his Church and for God.  He freely told his story of all that God has done for him, how God had saved him and set him free.  Most of all (and there are a lot of “most of all’s” in Phil’s story), he came to his sister, Sue, after the death several years ago of her husband, who had struggled with MS for years.  Phil was there for Sue during what I would refer to as her own “dead” time, when she saw no hope, no future, nothing beyond just sitting without vision, dreams or even thought.

Together, they traveled a faith journey through a church that supported them, loved them, gave them a faith home.  (And that church, and the people in it, is a wondrous story for another time.)  Sue admits that Phil saved her, gave her hope; at times, he gently encouraged her, and at times he bullied and prodded her, as only a little brother can annoy his big sister.

Today, I think of Phil often, and on this day in particular, I honor him and his life and how he let God transform him and turn it all to good.

So, though I had not seen Phil in 42 years, our lives are closely bound together through roots that run deep and, even though unrecognized, have been ever present for decades.  We are brothers.

My point:  Nothing is impossible for God, from transforming a man like Phil (and all of us who open ourselves up to God’s wisdom and love) to bringing Sue and me back together after 42 years.  (And more on that someday, too.) – jri

The other day, Sue gave me Phil’s Bible.  It is one of the most precious gifts I have ever received.  As for me, I have a wondrous sense that God has awesome plans for me and for Sue.  Amen.

John Ingrisano

DailyConnections
209 Church Street
Algoma, WI 54201
(920) 559-3722
April 16, 2012