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The greatest love we can give is to place ourselves in their shoes, to take their pain, to sacrifice ourselves for them. 

This great love has already manifested with Jesus. 

That is it. The greatest single act of love has already been given to us. All we can do is be greatful and humble about it. But, we are also called to love. In particular we are called to love some who are difficult to love. 

Imagine this definition of love in the context of “Love your enemy”.

This means we are to take the place of our enemy’s shoes, pain, and sacrifice. 

While this is relatively straightforward for ones we find easy to love, how do we manifest this in those who have done us wrong?

How do we balance the need for justice with a love for those who have committed acts against us?  “Tough Love”, the first answer that comes to mind, seems a weak argument.  There is also the need for the righting of wrongs to protect others from experiencing the same thing. 

Maybe the tie in is with the golden rule. By placing myself in my enemy’s shoes I can think of what I would want to see someone do to me if I were caught me doing the wrong that I had committed. I would want an open and straight-forward confrontation. I would not want to be shamed, I would want the opportunity to fix it and make it right, and ultimately I would want correction and help.

The Mission:  Today practice the Devine and cosmic love. Put yourself in the place of another – your feet in their shoes, your heart in their heart. 

———-

Mark K.

Today we learn some deeper meaning behind the command to “do unto others” or the “Golden Rule”

We are not only charged to do to others what we would have done to us, but this is the very nature of the universe.  The equal but opposite laws of physics applied to the human experience.

What we do in the world will be returned to us.  If we give, it will be given to us.  If we take, it will be taken from us.

So the command is not only for obedience, but to live well in the world.  A gift, a hint about how the world works.  Do you want to be wealthy, give you money away! (Mind that the wealth you receive back may be of a different kind, but you will know that it is wealth…and even more valuable.)

This reminds me of the saying that I have seen around…”Be the change you want to see in the world”

I’ve always liked this because it causes us to consider that WE are the ones that need to act, instead of waiting for others to bring about the changes we would like to see.  Get off the couch and get to it!

The Mission:  What is it you seek from life and from others?  Today, make it your goal to give to others the very thing you seek.

———-

Mark K.

I have taken a bit of time away from this book and from this Journal. Certainly not on purpose, but distracted by the changes at work, the end of the semester, preparing for the Summer, etc.

Today’s Book of Mysteries story is very relevant.  It explains why the snake is a symbol of evil (not evil itself).  Evil twists the truth much the way a snake moves and attacks.  But, also, because it is cold blooded.  Because it is cold blooded it cannot go for very long periods of time, we can out run it, we can outlast it…so is it with our relationship with evil.  We can persevere and outlast it.

A couple things are going on in my life right now.  First, I’m making an effort to focus on things OUTSIDE of work as a primary means of applying myself.  Bible study, music, cycling, writing, etc.  At the same time, I’m still very connected to my work at KVCC, being pulled into changing responsibilities, and experiencing continued challenges there.  I take today’s analogy of my relationship with evil to be an indication of how important it is for me to simply persevere.  I am warm blooded (hot blooded actually!) and the evil attacks cannot outlast me.

My comfort is that I have God on my side.  He demands that I live by his rules, but he is on my side.  If God is on my side, who can stand against me?

There is a lot of contention going on at work, not only with me.  Lots of conversations are happening that need to be more inclusive with those who are going to be impacted by them.  Low level decision makers are trying to make a mark to impress the President and are acting independently.  My role needs to be focused more on my ability to bridge these decisions with those who are impacted by them.  The challenge is, can I persevere with this role and not get “hot headed” to the point that I get in the way of that role?  

I say sometimes that the Social Scientist brings something very important to ever meeting.  They bring a sense of balanced opinion, a demand for evidence, clear thinking and problem solving skills, creativity, and a recognition of multiple perspectives.  The Christian brings something to the table as well.  A sense of what is good, love and kindness, generosity, caring, compassion, and a perseverance that will outlast evil.

The Mission: In the face of whatever evil, trouble, attack, or sin you’re dealing with, don’t give in.  Don’t give up.  But press on in the good.

These are the terms for “Heaven” and “Earth”….the one for Heaven, is plural.  Those things that are of the Earth are finite, hence the singular aspect of the term Aretz for Earthly things.

Shamayim, on the other hand, refers to all things Heavenly, this is plural.  We set our hearts on something…do we set it on something that is finite (such as Earthly things and possessions) or do we set our hearts on infinite things (such as those things in the spiritual realm?

That our bodies were created out of earth, we are definitely in the Earthly realm.  We spend a lot of our time devoted to Earthly things.  In fact, we are not to neglect these things but are called on to be good stewards of the Earth and all that is in it.  This translates to everything from taking care of the planet to eating well and getting rest (taking care of our Earthly vessel, our bodies.)

But just as it says in the Bible about storing up your treasures…do we store them up in the Earthly realm (where they can be stolen or can decompose…as do all things that are Earthly), or do we store things up in Heaven, where nothing can steal them and they last forever?  

This is the real challenge of the modern social world.  There is so much out there to “fill up” or at least, create the semblance of being filled up.  This is a high distraction.  Our world also rewards those who pay attention to these things.  Wealth, fame, and power are all Earthly in many ways and distract us from the real needs that we have to connect with the fountain that will “never run dry” and will address our thirst forever.

The inner drive to find something like this…as we see all over our literature and legend (Holy Grail, Fountain of Youth, etc.), is universal.  Some may have suppressed it to the point that it is pretty much gone, but ultimately we feel a bit empty and lost in the world since we have lost our intimate connection with the universe through God.

The Fall in the Garden was the creation of a barrier between us and the Universe.  Before then we had intimate knowledge of the universe and our place in it.  Perhaps that is why early humans were so able to figure out the world and innovate the way they did.  It would be hard to imagine moder people figuring out how to combine naturally occurring elements to create steel.  

The Mission: What are your possessions?  Today, let go.  Free up your heart of its earthy possessions.  And fill it up with the spiritual and heavenly.

———-

Mark K.

We will fall…

After the supper the apostles were joyous and sang. 

Jesus then said they would all fall away. 

When we worship do our lives ces reflect the image that we create?  Are we transformed?  Do we simply return to the way of life we had?

Our energies are high when we are in the direct presence of God. But we quickly fall away. 

Finding Yourself

“Know thyself..” is best applied when we look at our creator and discover what we were supposed to be!  We find we are not “good” at the core. 

The assumption today is that we are basically good. 

Romans 3:10-18

God’s truth ALWAYS trumps our truth. 

We need to spend time in the living word. This is how we see the truth of ourselves and the path we need to take to transform ourselves. 

Spiritual Maturity Manifests in Thankful Obedience 

Conformity is what matters. 

Faith, without works, is dead.  -James

If our promise is eternal life, what kind of person should get this?  Who would we trust?  Are there responsibilities that will be good Ben to those eternal?  

We do not earn our salvation, but can we live a live that brings glory to God who has given us this salvation. 

My Obedience is my testimony to God. Not to earn eternal life but to be thankful for it. 

———-

Mark K

Both of my daughters, Mara especially, have grown up with a deep appreciation of the wilderness.  

Do we not notice that people long for the wilderness?  We seek to vacation there, to hike there, to look upon it.  There is a draw to the wilds.  The draw is, indeed, to the majestic beauty of creation, but could it be a calling that we hear as well?  Could it be that the “connection” we feel is that we are actually closer to God because we are less distracted by OUR creations (which lessen us) and more focused on HIS creations (which expand us)?

I have walked and camped in the woods.  I have stood by a stream and felt its cool water on my fingers.  I have stood on some peaks (not very high ones!) and gazed out over what seems like an infinite forest.  At all these times I feel like I am at the doorway of something majestic, something almost magical, that both exhilarates me and relaxes me.  The wilds are both full of dark places and fear, and welcoming at the same time.

This is like communing with God.  It is full of dark places (that will be revealed) but infinitely welcoming.

Perhaps by meditations need to be closer to trees, to streams, to trails in the woods.  Maybe there I can hear the “still, small voice” that Elijah heard.

Listen.

———-

Mark K.

This one is worth writing out here.  I will reflect on it in another post.

Midbar 

He took me it in the desert to an immense valley surrounded by reddish mountains, which turned increasingly purple and blue as they extend out into the far distance.

“What words come to your mind,” said the teacher, “when you look at the desert wilderness?”

“Dry…barren…hot…austere…severe…hard…forbidding…”

“And when people go through hard times — times of loss, crisis, tragedy, loneliness, conflict, hardship, problems, separation, tears — they speak of going through the wilderness.  And yet the wilderness is a holy place.  It was in a desert wilderness that God gave His Law, His Word, and where He revealed His presence.  The wilderness is holy.”

“So the hard times in our lives are holy?”

“For those who are His children, yes.”

“How so?”

“In Hebrew, the wilderness is called the midbar. Midbar comes from the root word Dabar.  And dabar means to speak.  What is the wilderness?  It is the midbar.  And what is the midbar?  It is the place of God’s speaking, the place of His voice.  It’s where God especially talks to us.  Why did He bring His people into wilderness, into the midbar?  So He could speak to them.  He brought Moses into the midbar to speak to him through a burning bush.  He brought Elijah to the midbar to speak to him in a still, small voice.  So too he brings us into the wilderness that He might speak to us.”

“What is it about the wilderness that makes it the place of God’s speaking?”

“Look around you,” he said, “What do you see?”

“Rock, sand, mountains — not much.”

“That’s why,” said the teacher, “God speaks, but we don’t hear.  We have too many distractions.  But in the wilderness the distractions are gone.  So God brings us to the wilderness that we might hear His voice.  Therefore, do not fear or despise the wildernesses of your life, and don’t despise His removing of the distractions.  Rather embrace it.  Draw closer to Him.  And listen to what He is saying.  Seek to hear His voice, and you will hear Him.  For the wilderness in your life is not just a wilderness.  It is holy ground…the midbar…the place of His voice.”

Mission: Put away the distractions, those things that keep you from hearing.  And go into the wilderness, the midbar, and seek the voice of God.

This entire passage is quoted from “The Book of Mysteries” by Jonathan Cahn

———-

Mark K

The Yud is the smallest of the Hebrew letters.  It signifies small steps, but also (from another source) the concept of work or effort.  As we venture to create a new self in line with God’s will, we will not do so always with monumentous changes, but with small steps.

Today, I began to write some commentary in the MHK Bible Series that I’ve created.  This is such a monumental task.  But the truth is, it is only reading and writing about the Bible.  I have to approach this task keeping the Yud in mind.  One small step at a time.

I started with the Book of Esther.  It si a small book so I feel I can get through it and go through the publishing process to see how this all works out.  I’m still working out some of the bugs of format and such so it is good to work on a short book.

Mission: Today, take the smallest of actions, but in a new direction, the first step toward the life of victory you are called to live.  The Yud of a new journey!

———-

Mark K.

Today the Mental Health Program, or students in the Case Management class, put on a 5K race/run to raise money for the KVCC LYNX Food Pantry.  It was awesome!

I went up to simply take pictures and ended up walking the whole path.  It was a nicely outlined path as well.  Some day I will try running it.  The same students who put it on this year are planning on doing it again next year.

I will be posting more on this later, but I went to see another concert.  Brit Floyd.

They are a tribute to Pink Floyd and we (Katie, Mark M, and I) saw them at the Cross Center in Bangor.  I’ve been surrounded by a lot of music lately.  I went to see Martin Barre, played an awesome gig in New Hope, PA, back to Brit Floyd and this weekend I will be playing at church on Friday and Sunday.

In the Bible reading today the comments focused on worship.  The Psalms are songs and the ultimate way to worship is to play music.  I know that I want to write songs and music…this feels like a nudge, a small voice, telling me I need to get off my butt and start writing!

It is in my schedule, but I have not been working that schedule well…that is something I’m going to think about tomorrow…I think the basic idea of the blocks of time for projects, music, writing, etc, is good, but there may be too many and it remains unfocused.

More on that later.

———-

Mark K.