WHEN DISASTER HITS

“Why did God let this happen?” How many times have you heard that question after a national or personal tragedy? God is not the author of chaos. God is the Creator. Does disaster happen in this world he created? Yes. God is Other, not a human being, and he protects the Other within us - our souls. We, as his hands and feet, are to meet the needs of those around us, whether near or far. Do I have all the answers? No and neither do you. Our example of the nature of God is and was Jesus Christ. Bad things happened to good people when he was alive too. He met the needs of those around him. We have many opportunities to help, even though we cannot go to Haiti. Gifts to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army are greatly needed. UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) delivers 100% of contributions to the identified need, Haiti Emergency Relief. They are also collecting Health Kits and the supplies to fill them. Go to www.umc.org and click on Health Kits. Contact me if you need more specific information. I will take kits and supplies to a person who will deliver them to a center in Illinois. Or, make contributions to UMCOR at the www.umc.org website. UMCOR is one of the first disaster teams into areas around the world and the last to leave. Let us pray:

“Father God, lover of our souls, we come before you humbled by the devastation in Haiti. We acknowledge we have no control over these circumstances. Sometimes we are guilty of wanting recognition for our great humanitarian efforts. In this case especially, we are the boat under the sailor’s feet, the purse holder for the worker, and the words of love under the prayer. We are needed in these capacities and our work is as vital to the rescue effort as the one holding the hammer or mending a broken body. Let us serve you in quiet strength for we know you hold their hearts’ in your hands. In the name of Jesus, your son and our Savior, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

SNOW

I can stop complaining about the snow. According to Suite101.com, snow is “vital to the Winter survival of plants and trees as snow acts as an insulator and protects the plant from harsh, Winter conditions. Snow flakes have a unique structure; snow flakes have small intervening spaces within their structure which are filled with air. This means there is low heat conductivity; as a result, the daily temperature penetration into the snow is minimal and plants are protected from frost and freezing conditions. Once the snow melts, the moisture is also good for the plants.”

Alas and forlorn, an insight has hit me. I find myself complaining about a lot of blessings . . . like snow. I need a little extra money right now and out of the blue, I’m offered a part-time job I had never even thought about. Then, I complain about all the extra time and energy the job will take if I accept it. The reality of our walk with God is, with all the blessings God gives us, the responsibility of seeing them through comes with them. Let’s try to find a way to reframe our self-messages, making blessings out of the consequences, as well as enjoying the shinny stuff. With the snow comes the shovel. With the shovel can come complaints or more blessings: burned calories, a little time alone with God, a breath of fresh air, time to create that next great novel or invention, or an opportunity to form the words necessary to talk to someone you’ve needed to communicate with. Let us pray:

“Oh loving Father God, creator of the sparkling snow flake and the billowing wave, how precious is your name and all that you have created. I find that I want to accept your blessings but not the work that supports them. Forgive me when I have wanted to be a taker and not a giver. You are alive on the whisper of love and there when I am called to love others. May I accept the responsibilities that go along with the many, many blessings you have given me. May I never forget that I do not toil alone. You are always there with me as I shovel, type, make phone calls, and work the blessings you have given me. The blessings are just the labels. The greater blessing is in the work that goes with them, for that is where I will find you. In the name of Jesus Christ, your son and my savior I pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

I SO RESOLVE

I don’t make new years resolutions. But, this year, I have felt the need to commit to a new resolve.

MY 2010 RESOLVE
I so resolve to
love more,
share more,
save more,
and be more, more like Christ.
I further resolve to not allow others’ anger to penetrate my soul,
to love others in spite of themselves,
to love and accept myself as God does,
and to take up no cause that is not from God.
I resolve to value my time as a gift from God,
to value my gifts as jewels to be polished,
to value my health as a means to doing God’s work,
to value all my family as the only gifts I will take with me into Heaven,
and to value my walk with Jesus as the only trip worth taking.

Let us pray:

“Father God, you love me completely and too much to let me believe I am complete. Holy is your precious name. May your Holy Spirit come and make a home in my heart so that I may experience Heaven here on earth. May I be reminded each day of my Resolve and give me each evening another pearl to add to the string. Forgive me when I have weakened in my resolve to be your child, reflecting you to others I meet along your way. Let your Spirit fill me to overflowing that I may flood others’ hearts with your love. I give you all the praise and glory for anything I have been and what you may choose for me to be. In the name of Jesus, the Christ, your son and my savior I pray. Amen.”
Doris
Copyright 2010 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

THE LAST OF THE YEAR - THE FIRST OF THE NEXT

I sit here watching the snow that came down yesterday, a wonderful gift for my son and grandchildren. They came for a post-Christmas lunch with a dusting of white on the ground and were able to sled down Memorial Park Hill by four p.m. They had a ball! And that’s the way the year had gone as well. Some days we’ve had a dusting of joy and a sprinkle of angst while other days there has been an avalanche of sorrow followed by the peace and quiet of a mountain at rest. And, all the while, God has been there comforting and preserving our soul. My prayer for all of you, is that you will see the footprints of the Savor walking with you as you wind down 2009 and embark on the new 2010. Life continues to amaze me as I see His miracles, large and small, fall down like snowflakes and bless my every day. Let us pray:

“Oh loving father God, Holy is your name. We thank you for the miracle of Christmas when you stepped into the physical world and lived as one of us, your children. We pray that we may be aware of your presence in our lives each day so that we might experience a little of Heaven right here on earth. Each day we get to start again and in a few days, we will turn the calendar over to start again. You have blessed us with thousands of do overs and yet we pass on so many opportunities to make things right again. Forgive us for our laziness and our unwillingness to make you the center of our lives. May the new year bring a fresh yearning for you and the simplicity of saying Yes, here I am Lord. Use me. In the name of your precious son, our Lord and savior Jesus, the Christ Child, we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2009 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

NO ROOM INN YOUR DAY?

There are four shopping days left ‘til Christmas! I dash around town trying to complete family tasks in preparation for Christmas but can fly right past the manger that awaits the baby Jesus. I could be trite and remind us all that Jesus is the reason for the season. But, there was no room in the Inn for Jesus and his parents over two-thousand years ago and my own yawn at the overused phrase is testimony to the fact I may have left no room for the Christ Child inn my own heart today. Parties and friends, cookie baking and green bean casseroles are all wonderful at Christmas time but if my hurry has taken my focus from the miracle of his birth, I have missed the whole point. Send out the song this very day that Almighty God slept in the hay of a lowly manger in Bethlehem. In all his might and majesty, he came to earth in the form of a helpless human baby for the express purpose of saving me from myself. And, all the angels sang “Alleluia,” the Christ has come! Let us pray:

“Almighty God and father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we sing praises to your glorious name. Alleluia, the long awaited Christ has come! Forgive us for wrapping our minds around the earth expression of Christmas rather than the awesome miracle of the Incarnate Christ. We pray that on this day and the days to come, that we can smell hay in the air, hear angels in song, and feel your love and grace in our hearts. In the name of Jesus Christ our Savior we pray. Amen”
Doris
Copyright 2009 Doris Gaines Rapp, Ph.D.
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

CHRISTMAS COOKIES

Now let’s see, where id I put that paper? I’m going to bake cookies for a cookie exchange with members of a women’s group at church. It’s an easy recipe that starts with a chocolate cake mix. Could it be easier? Then I thought of our preparations for the coming of the Christ child and the two preparations came together, like sweet cookie dough.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees (Prepare your heart with the warmth of prayer,
Bible reading, and the glow of the Christ candle
to make sure Christ is at your base.)

1 large egg (Mix in thankfulness for the life he has giving you.)

1/4 c. water (Remember your baptism, the promise of your edication
to a walk with the Lord.)

1/4 c. oil (Be anointed with oil for service - bringing love to
others.)

1 cup chocolate chips (Share the sweetness of little blessings as you go
about your day.)

Mix all ingredients together. (Share your love, your Christmas spirit, and your
presence with others in your family, your church,
and a broken world.)

Use small ice cream scoop or (Divide your time and energy equally with worship,
large serving spoon on cookie love of God and his son Jesus, and rest for the sheet, makes around 17 cookies the renewal of your soul, your mind, and your
or use small spoon and make body.)
smaller cookies. (Remember, not every cookie worth making,needs
to be baked this year.)

Bake with love for 15 minutes, or until your soul is done in the middle.
Let us pray:

“Dear Father God, you gave us the only gift worth having at Christmas. You gave us your son, Jesus Christ. We take time this season to honor his birth by placing birthday candle on our trees and around our homes. We have one Christmas wish Father. May we be fresh Christmas cookies for those around us. In the precious name of our Lord, your sweet son, Jesus Christ we pray. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”

FOLLOW THAT STAR

I crept along behind a lightweight truck that was zigzagging wildly across the road in front of me. The highway was covered with ice with a white dusting of snow on top that hid the danger beneath. I had to drive to a meeting just north of Indianapolis, eighty-nine miles from home. I saw several cars in the ditch but the one behind me caused me more concern. A large semi truck swerved off to the side at an intersection I had just eased through. I had put myself in God’s hands and arrived safely, more than two hours from my safe and dry home.

Our walk with God is similar. When we are called to follow, we know the end destination, but have no idea what we will encounter along the way, neither the dangers nor the blessings. We hesitate and think we will only follow the Lord after we have figured out all the problems and solved the obstacles along the way. Just like the wise men who followed a brilliant star, we are called to follow through our dessert, trusting in God to keep us safe while on our way. Let us all remember during this Christmas season, as Christians, we too are star followers. Let us pray:

“Oh Father God, you hung the stars in place and created the world with the power of your spoken word; Holy is your name. I pray that your presence may come to dwell within us, as your physical presence came to a lowly stable two-thousand years ago, drawing your people to Heaven. Sadness overwhelms us as we see your people turning their backs on you while families, our country, and the world are going through very difficult times. I pray that today, in such a time as this, we may have the courage to follow you. We accept that we will never be perfect people, only obedient travelers. As Star Followers, we gladly accept the baton from the walker ahead of us, not knowing what we will encounter along the way. We eagerly anticipate your blessings and the exquisiteness of your solutions to the problems we will encounter. We put on the comfortable sandals worn by your son, our Savior Jesus, and begin the miracle of walking in Christ’s footsteps, lighted only by your star dust. Amen”
Doris
“God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.”