Being Christ-like

We are taught to seek to know Jesus Christ and to be like him. Last night, I really started to wonder -- what does that mean, exactly? I was reading John where Jesus is speaking to the Father for his disciples. For some reason, I thought it was a prayer he says after being crucified. I was, of course, wrong. This was the prayer Jesus speaks to his Father for his followers just before he is arrested. I suppose this is as good a starting point as any in knowing Jesus' character. In the moment when he is suffering under the agonizing prospect before him, when he is in such emotional pain he literally sweats blood, Jesus remembers his friends and speaks for them. He is not too busy or consumed with his own destiny -- as he would have any right to be -- his love for others is so complete that he can put himself aside to commend them to the Father, even though he is about to sacrifice himself for everyone. What is more Christ-like than this?

Writing blogs

I reread the post below. I suck at this kind of writing. Legal writing I can manage. By the way, this is an argument for the Holy Spirit being the real genesis of the Scriptures -- how else would so many people be able to talk rationally and eloquently about God without sounding like asses?

One Person

I'm not very good at doing big things. I've had opportunities to do so, probably many more than my fair share and managed to be useless at them all. What I am good at is doing small things for individual people. When I realized I didn't have the emotional wherewithal for the large things and projects in life, I made a conscious decision to pay more attention to small acts. I realized that each day there were countless opportunities to show love to others. I would be lying if I said I took advantage of more than a few, but each effort builds up my strength to do more. I decided if I can't help thousands, I can:

1) Pray for the people I don't like at the moment I don't like them.
2) Be kind to someone to whom others are inclined to be unkind.
3) Give small gifts of money, time, kind words, a listening ear, etc. Its amazing how many people just want someone to take the time to really listen to them.
4) Be indignant at injustice and try in my small way to confront it whether through conversation or letters to the editor.
5) Remember someone I haven't seen in a while and call or e-mail.
6) Praise someone, encourage someone, grieve with someone.

There are so many ways to touch an individual person.

All of this makes me sound better than I am. I'm not -- but I'm trying.

Blessings at this Christmas season.

Not going to church today

I'm not going to church today. Its 8:40 and I'm still in my pajamas. Every once in a while I wake up and really don't want to go. This is one of those days. Although . . . I was kind of thinking of visiting an Evalgelical Lutheran church. Habits are hard to break.