tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90202849961914045172024-03-28T20:29:31.980-07:00Chris YawNotes on religion, mostlyChris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.comBlogger713125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-310091873891123532024-03-27T07:29:00.000-07:002024-03-27T07:29:31.828-07:00Spy Wednesday<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KnqqroTk24u4cJe1nhgQd4ofR8V2uEZbBfVYnB9tWDTldQ8QgyCEXo3bweukWNiQlBH0gOIWh5iW6RIPBU-kKlqvXiln1zzxakMWYXfgwx29AEJXy8LqzKpGpEeCnVFOZ4jEtP1u6Pl7TdMRzqIAr775aR9kJKDC9UBOOK5H2K0W1zGaSIqxC5asZCY/s600/Judas%20and%20Jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="460" data-original-width="600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KnqqroTk24u4cJe1nhgQd4ofR8V2uEZbBfVYnB9tWDTldQ8QgyCEXo3bweukWNiQlBH0gOIWh5iW6RIPBU-kKlqvXiln1zzxakMWYXfgwx29AEJXy8LqzKpGpEeCnVFOZ4jEtP1u6Pl7TdMRzqIAr775aR9kJKDC9UBOOK5H2K0W1zGaSIqxC5asZCY/s320/Judas%20and%20Jesus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>Putting stuff before people, we do it all the time!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And not just money and possessions, but political opinions, ethnic pride, and financial status. It can divide us, and keeps us from connecting like we should, with the people we should, to follow the example we should!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Spy Wednesday, Holy Week's Hump Day, points to Judas and you and me and the ways we make regretful decisions that sacrifice relationships, which are the greatest well of happiness humans have!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Holy Wednesday invites you and me to take the high road, like Jesus, and to let God get mad, let God get even. Amidst that betrayal, Jesus still loved Judas, he put the relationship above all else, because when we love our neighbor, especially our enemy, we love God. </span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: small;">How will we love our enemies today, like Jesus?</span><p></p></div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-9861619197807714802024-03-13T13:42:00.000-07:002024-03-13T13:42:31.570-07:00Life After Church<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxm4jGysQbYXz8d-1Lof3auOxWn85GvPTaTujI6xup7WrFMWx3iorOy40naVkC9wXdqhSfBdklgLZLXHZCL5Zu6eTupLl5atltKB7l_OKFSMLC5D2e1xb9cJL4FeiSmdLvRzUoknHA1UCXg3trU7t0pB6GgJkPrzLjbIyVsh1X8-ICp5NCxrLTzrtQlc/s4080/PXL_20240312_200448868.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguxm4jGysQbYXz8d-1Lof3auOxWn85GvPTaTujI6xup7WrFMWx3iorOy40naVkC9wXdqhSfBdklgLZLXHZCL5Zu6eTupLl5atltKB7l_OKFSMLC5D2e1xb9cJL4FeiSmdLvRzUoknHA1UCXg3trU7t0pB6GgJkPrzLjbIyVsh1X8-ICp5NCxrLTzrtQlc/s320/PXL_20240312_200448868.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Our best life often comes after a lot of little deaths...</div><div><br /></div><div>When we have found a way to put to death our selfishness, gluttony, laziness, apathy, lack of belief in ourselves, we often discover what remains:</div><div><br /></div><div>It's who we are at our essence, the God-breathed image of God, alive to peace, joy, harmony, courage, and hope.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yet for these to emerge, we must actively put to death their opponents.</div><div><br /></div><div>When Jesus talked about a seed falling to the ground, to its death, in order for abundant new life to emerge, we can take this as a challenge to confront the negative forces that keep us down, knowing that when these are vanquished, newness and new life emerge!</div><div><br /></div><div>What does this look like for you?</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't be afraid of death! In the midst, is your new life!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-82839375485158556032024-02-28T06:36:00.000-08:002024-02-28T06:36:10.788-08:00Turning Over Tables<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGATUmjKkyRPb4iuqYujZu_ex_H1SGmhyphenhyphenDnYEZwN67_WJfrWW2bfBgQej9EmanjQmU5arH3t2asz1c0jGAz2FvFeB030ZFsqIRO0HFsXr2fSJKKjiFIeafuaZRCCh-8xeL6QmlRAyPmtgmSw1bGY3lLtQZuv_QUoCi-XUEElkdPaSey92l2MFAuNsIaM/s1200/turning%20over%20tables.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="681" data-original-width="1200" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGATUmjKkyRPb4iuqYujZu_ex_H1SGmhyphenhyphenDnYEZwN67_WJfrWW2bfBgQej9EmanjQmU5arH3t2asz1c0jGAz2FvFeB030ZFsqIRO0HFsXr2fSJKKjiFIeafuaZRCCh-8xeL6QmlRAyPmtgmSw1bGY3lLtQZuv_QUoCi-XUEElkdPaSey92l2MFAuNsIaM/s320/turning%20over%20tables.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">What makes you mad?</div><div><br /></div><div>For Jesus, it was injustice - seeing hypocrisy, greed, and selfishness playing out - as religious people built walls of separation between God and God's people - denying them of what we all yearn for - wholeness, abundance, peace, and connection with their creator.</div><div><br /></div><div>Did you notice that Jesus didn't sit around.</div><div>He staged a dramatic protest.</div><div>He made it known that he was not going to stand by idly in the face of injustice.</div><div><br /></div><div>And in so doing, he teaches you and me how to channel our own voices of protest.</div><div><br /></div><div>You and I were not created to sit idly by as our hearts get similarly pierced by the injustices all around us!</div><div><br /></div><div>What's making your blood boil?</div><div>What's got your Godly anger piqued?</div><div>Did God give you that emotion so you could suppress it?</div><div><br /></div><div>No!</div><div>To carry on Jesus work means to engage in our own dramatic protest - we see injustice around us!</div><div>Where do you see it?</div><div><br /></div><div>As God led Jesus to champion the rights of the oppressed, how are we being similarly led?</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-2712909245707501142024-02-21T13:16:00.000-08:002024-02-21T13:16:29.264-08:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzDovhReXwWiBIEmzaVqBNu-nauYBDEiVzkv4Dv4ypZ3OHAHDv7gaeSUaDWIJfxnNsOHsUDf4_TGSVuL1c7mq_ryDYpaoOt85elBvst-n6SE_3T0GnFfwlta9RKHlhzXL0Es-qTx7lLSCgs5oKSrLN8iJmC4iivQJ64KoPHHtWAXqmP1JNxszGXAKTp0/s842/abraham.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="842" data-original-width="642" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJzDovhReXwWiBIEmzaVqBNu-nauYBDEiVzkv4Dv4ypZ3OHAHDv7gaeSUaDWIJfxnNsOHsUDf4_TGSVuL1c7mq_ryDYpaoOt85elBvst-n6SE_3T0GnFfwlta9RKHlhzXL0Es-qTx7lLSCgs5oKSrLN8iJmC4iivQJ64KoPHHtWAXqmP1JNxszGXAKTp0/s320/abraham.png" width="244" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Are you believing God today?</div><div><br /></div><div>The patriarch of the major Abrahamic faiths, Abraham, was famous for doing that, for having faith.</div><div><br /></div><div>But not just any faith, a belief that was honed over years of success, like having a child at an old age, but also through missteps, like denying his marriage and taking sleeping with the maid.</div><div><br /></div><div>But while Abraham certainly shows us faithfulness, much more he shows us God's faithfulness! - how God continued to believe in Abraham - despite the cringe-worthy mistakes!</div><div><br /></div><div>That same God believes in you - despite the mistakes and mishaps you have made, you and I are challenged to believe in the journey! To believe that as we, too, hone or beliefs in God, God is doing wonders through us as well.</div><div><br /></div><div>So forgive yourself, look to God for strength, your own faithfulness comes from God's faithfulness!</div><div><br /></div><div>See you Sunday!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-87863373164855388332024-01-31T05:10:00.000-08:002024-01-31T05:10:45.184-08:00Protestor Jesus<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-_FprhcnI6gV0XGxteoTRR7AHCPd8FGz4718PYzrE4CiWhpGTk7V_KlYYx00YK5OWUj5aNQYhxe3a8QHdBr-E9riTuggsvqsAXpwOBLCvOO_6HtPobWF_pqR_gZuHWvEFF4Iywmsad1ljmvqlXmN8mpYk15FpHhfDUJONgT6An3Kx3IGgpGnRXQKfcI/s878/Protestor%20Jesus.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="878" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-_FprhcnI6gV0XGxteoTRR7AHCPd8FGz4718PYzrE4CiWhpGTk7V_KlYYx00YK5OWUj5aNQYhxe3a8QHdBr-E9riTuggsvqsAXpwOBLCvOO_6HtPobWF_pqR_gZuHWvEFF4Iywmsad1ljmvqlXmN8mpYk15FpHhfDUJONgT6An3Kx3IGgpGnRXQKfcI/s320/Protestor%20Jesus.png" width="320" /></a></div><strong><p><strong><br /></strong></p>It's one of the clearest statements in the Bible, the prophet Micah asks, 'What does the Lord require of you? But to do justice...'</strong><br /><br />Maybe you wonder why the richest society ever, allows one in 8 people to live in poverty; Why the top 1% richest people pay a lower percentage of their wealth in taxes than the rest of us; or why women still make less than 80 cents in the dollar compared to men?<br /><br />God did not make you feel uncomfortable, to annoy you, but to inspire you!<br /><br />Don't ignore the inequalities that bother you! But dig down and see why they are there! Find a way to constructively channel your emotions.<br /><br />This Sunday we will hear about the start of Jesus' ministry - in which he rooted himself in prayer then said, 'Let's go...'<br /><br />Let's go! is still our rallying cry. There are all kinds of groups working for all kinds of crucial societal change, that need our attention! Fight the temptation to disengage and ignore, and rationalize.<br /><br />You were put here to make positive change in the world.<br /><br />Of course, God's call is usually messy, uncomfortable, inconvenient, costly, maybe even dangerous.<br /><br />But this is why you are so smart,<br />This is why you are so rich,<br />This is why you have the relationships you do<br />What does s the Lord require of you? To do justice.<br /><p></p>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-84852807875269978602024-01-24T05:46:00.000-08:002024-01-24T05:46:06.340-08:00How We Make Idols...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQMitAy4FzpZEtMd0ObbRWSayEUeS0-8-3_YbI4Pluvipt98Yj5AwI8Y87DADbTjhCNtCjKESBsSijc0jvTVJ-MDwUzy-TZ26KPziJj21l-wtu9A40A0qb_OGNEgvZfoDeNxm4JcV18Bx4mDY0qYCQJln0ct_Iyxl20Yw8RWiZiH6QS1pCFsmSOfei6Y/s1054/arguing.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1054" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNQMitAy4FzpZEtMd0ObbRWSayEUeS0-8-3_YbI4Pluvipt98Yj5AwI8Y87DADbTjhCNtCjKESBsSijc0jvTVJ-MDwUzy-TZ26KPziJj21l-wtu9A40A0qb_OGNEgvZfoDeNxm4JcV18Bx4mDY0qYCQJln0ct_Iyxl20Yw8RWiZiH6QS1pCFsmSOfei6Y/s320/arguing.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Conversations over politics ever separated you from anybody?</div><div><br /></div><div>Happens too often, doesn't it? And among religious people, who may be forgetting how Christ came to unite the world in love, not divide it in fear.</div><div><br /></div><div>We love when we seek common ground, living into our ministry of reconciliation, 2 cor 5.</div><div>We divide when we amplify difference.</div><div><br /></div><div>Winning arguments, then, having it our way, insisting on not compromising is an idol when we choose being right over being in relationship!</div><div><br /></div><div>'Im not talking with that person, they voted this way!' is not an option.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Apostle Paul got it.</div><div>This weekend we'll hear him say, if my eating meat offends my neighbor I'll skip the meat and keep the neighbor.</div><div><br /></div><div>Following Jesus means putting others first not just when we agree, but especially when we disagree.</div><div><br /></div><div>Look for common ground.</div><div>Seek compromise.</div><div>Putting others first, as Christ did with us, is the essence of the gospel, let us go out and do likewise. </div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-66493249870296784762024-01-17T05:37:00.001-08:002024-01-17T05:37:57.728-08:00Your Moment May Be Coming: Are You Ready?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1mlWGmfmBL4VaxXwUV5zDsxhpFBvUH2s58NYxszwQCzgFvaa3Kf-u8WlzcdbT3_HDqDn1p1DXI6Y4lA_zfC47i45EjVmNR1tncm4QDbXgmL6x6DmqjytwN-Jt3E6nnoyCs_I6hvQzhkRHlCjjMzM0aSZjmevr3vCLwsputvDe2S3MRwc-BQ2xJci-oA/s700/Calling-Disciple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV1mlWGmfmBL4VaxXwUV5zDsxhpFBvUH2s58NYxszwQCzgFvaa3Kf-u8WlzcdbT3_HDqDn1p1DXI6Y4lA_zfC47i45EjVmNR1tncm4QDbXgmL6x6DmqjytwN-Jt3E6nnoyCs_I6hvQzhkRHlCjjMzM0aSZjmevr3vCLwsputvDe2S3MRwc-BQ2xJci-oA/s320/Calling-Disciple.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">I was chatting with the brawny and buff clerk at a car rental desk once who was tossing a football up and down.</div><div><br /></div><div>I asked him what was up - he said he had just had tryouts with 3 NFL teams and was waiting for his agent to call - and let him know if a lucrative contract was on offer - that at any moment he might leave his job as a clerk to become a pro football millionaire.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wonder, when Jesus called his fishermen disciples, who immediately dropped everything to follow him, if something similar was going on -</div><div><br /></div><div>Might this have been something they had been preparing and hoping for in the same way - perhaps they had dreams of trading their lives for something much, much bigger.</div><div><br /></div><div>This, of course, may be what's in store for you: are you seeing it, preparing for it, ready for it? Start preparing not just for who and where you are, but who and where you - and God - might want you to be?<br /><br />God did not give you that dream, vision, goal, or purpose for nothing - keep that hope burning! Prepare, be ready, hope - that call is coming.</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-29803258205488798442024-01-10T11:15:00.000-08:002024-01-10T11:15:26.799-08:00Look for Love in Other People<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNQ3WK92TsfWYssPhesfJf-QqaC0RLZF1Jv0PmxMMomEPVUSpoGqSfiaCP1K8derPv2hU6pwE62gVVucqlwPglpvPeRlvK6jcL-qU1JVi9ULrHt5nLnLtvjive7iEVev3oTLfeTOT7Iy2a9CsWxOXQyH5yyPKrMraJPtHKwgHnW8Sssp02LT2qqCGh2o/s500/jesus-calling-philip-and-nathaniel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="500" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNQ3WK92TsfWYssPhesfJf-QqaC0RLZF1Jv0PmxMMomEPVUSpoGqSfiaCP1K8derPv2hU6pwE62gVVucqlwPglpvPeRlvK6jcL-qU1JVi9ULrHt5nLnLtvjive7iEVev3oTLfeTOT7Iy2a9CsWxOXQyH5yyPKrMraJPtHKwgHnW8Sssp02LT2qqCGh2o/s320/jesus-calling-philip-and-nathaniel.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">One of the best things we can do today is look for love in other people!</div><div><br /></div><div>That's who we are at our core, love, although we occlude it in a myriad of ways, thanks to our fears, insecurities, and basic needs for affirmation, acceptance, and admiration.</div><div><br /></div><div>But deep down, we were made by love in order to love.</div><div><br /></div><div>It is this season of epiphany, or revealing, we look for the ways Love is being revealed around us.</div><div>And so, on Sunday we will meet this character named Nathaniel: and we see that Jesus is made known by making Nathaniel feel known.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today you will interact with people who are just dying to be known, to have you pay attention to them, care about them, endeavor to find the love in them.<br /><br />And that's why we are here! To find God, to find love in all People, in all things! Happy hunting!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-41039053722059381612024-01-03T07:39:00.000-08:002024-01-03T07:39:01.966-08:00Epiphany 2.0 <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4JhGRY0Y69icOKbe6J0P5FVvqWFnXyW3I-GiXwUQcC_Mmt_Y9LhXyR5Ztuy2GkJVS0FMMrxQjZxlgRGQXPRDDdIUbqR57_CctjVCLLVlR8ojZNm-qhQri8EUjNclPujUnLbTxK6F1jb1g641FLDj5Z0YuO5MqwmmCqCDyVrdpNiTKEGsz58ogd2LAX8/s1828/Christmas%20Star.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1828" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4JhGRY0Y69icOKbe6J0P5FVvqWFnXyW3I-GiXwUQcC_Mmt_Y9LhXyR5Ztuy2GkJVS0FMMrxQjZxlgRGQXPRDDdIUbqR57_CctjVCLLVlR8ojZNm-qhQri8EUjNclPujUnLbTxK6F1jb1g641FLDj5Z0YuO5MqwmmCqCDyVrdpNiTKEGsz58ogd2LAX8/s320/Christmas%20Star.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> The old understanding of epiphany was seeing a star, and radically changing everything! Waking up smelling like booze and quitting cold turkey! Meeting the man of your dreams and flushing your cigarettes down the toilet forever.<p></p><div><br /></div><div>As dramatic as this is, it rarely works. Don't change your habit, first change your identity!</div><div><br /></div><div>As unforgettable as it was for the bishop to lay his hands on me did not convince me I was a priest, This did not change my identity. What makes me a priest is my daily prayer, Bible study, and determination to follow Christ and make the world better</div><div><br /></div><div>In other words, identify as a skinny person, asking what would a skinny person eat? And your exercise and nutrition habits will change. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's epiphany 2.0! Start embodying the kind of person you want to be, forming those habits, taking those actions, speaking that vocabulary, hanging out with those kind of people, and this is how you live into that person who you want to be, and, indeed, perhaps whom God is calling you to be.</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-41414518789126635122023-12-27T04:56:00.000-08:002023-12-27T04:56:01.886-08:00I Love You!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BMMkanca92p9LNM4gnC6JukqAEGq-_dwUUAI6jZyaB39ashVTTy4-_z2VvU3g_mVElveavdGUXBhyZYY4OSdvvppeTeS4hT1XMOY4PcNVSnQ122m0VZWkqXP1GDNAhi5M8i3PVTu0QwE8-cOr1WcvtCibEqnyhclwd60AG3f9RHOVkxzXJdKx-UmqM/s564/Christmas%20Love.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="506" data-original-width="564" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-BMMkanca92p9LNM4gnC6JukqAEGq-_dwUUAI6jZyaB39ashVTTy4-_z2VvU3g_mVElveavdGUXBhyZYY4OSdvvppeTeS4hT1XMOY4PcNVSnQ122m0VZWkqXP1GDNAhi5M8i3PVTu0QwE8-cOr1WcvtCibEqnyhclwd60AG3f9RHOVkxzXJdKx-UmqM/s320/Christmas%20Love.png" width="320" /></a></div><strong>I love you!</strong><br /><br />These are the three most important and underused words in the English language.<br /><br />They are God's most generously lavished upon words to us, and our most guarded words to others.<br /><br />And when we think about it, we realize that it's because we never really think about it.<br /><br />It's a holiday week! We have time to contemplate gifts and giftgivers. Let's also think about not only the people we love, but telling them that we love them.<br /><br />We noticed that God is not stingy with love, So we don't need to be either!<br /><br />When you tell someone you love them, don't be surprised if they reciprocate!<br /><br />Go tell it from the mountain means being that instigator and initiator, that self-starter, that entrepreneur, that go-getter! This is one of the best gifts of Christmas!<br /><br />I love you!<br /><p></p>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-40531135556515245232023-12-20T15:22:00.000-08:002023-12-20T15:22:14.011-08:00Doing Good Is Good for You<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bpe94k2fdUC7pucz3hQk5kb-5QXq99IEjOAwpDiJtN9GYeLV5s2YGbpXoszjirHxNoANEcEv2G_tQZbxD3SLXSaq8oqjwKnbh7EfKMGUMwnw37PUIZt_GOO-49Pp-JGI8qB9M1GmWdM7V-YYY_O_EQBQVEU1MRtlVoKU03mhQFgwtdLdsmjWn2r7vng/s500/African%20Christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="387" data-original-width="500" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Bpe94k2fdUC7pucz3hQk5kb-5QXq99IEjOAwpDiJtN9GYeLV5s2YGbpXoszjirHxNoANEcEv2G_tQZbxD3SLXSaq8oqjwKnbh7EfKMGUMwnw37PUIZt_GOO-49Pp-JGI8qB9M1GmWdM7V-YYY_O_EQBQVEU1MRtlVoKU03mhQFgwtdLdsmjWn2r7vng/s320/African%20Christmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div>How happy you are when you put your head to the pillow at night, is often determined by how good to others you were throughout the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our day is filled with temptations to fulfill personal ambitions, acquire possessions, power, popularity - and pushing those things aside to make room for caring and connecting with others is the challenge we all face.</div><div><br /></div><div>At your core is unconditional love.</div><div><br /></div><div>The more deeply you connect with that, the more deeply you connect with others, they're concerns, their worries, their problems, so that shouldering the burden with the overburdened becomes something we are not only equipped to do, but something that offers great reward.</div><div><br /></div><div>Helping others will help you!</div><div>It's a secret of a happy life</div><div>It's the secret of Christmas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Doing good to others is good for you.</div><p></p>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-88488528266382218812023-12-13T05:57:00.000-08:002023-12-13T05:57:12.205-08:00If You're Not Happy Now...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqXZg76g5nrMU8Y6exBP5pUFh4KW8dFtgk_iEimr5qQQafOW335fiAeRsnFUVjZRb1_Kk71hZxMzxtYTspscFDddcOG45HwxZegsRyetH1dDdKt2g4HZK9rO3MR-du6Hkv2nLwS-m2cTDstYtZ4rn168qCyKrCdUOF6nnFUia8BOMG1DBbQvICrs30og/s1280/Adven%20Rejoice.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYqXZg76g5nrMU8Y6exBP5pUFh4KW8dFtgk_iEimr5qQQafOW335fiAeRsnFUVjZRb1_Kk71hZxMzxtYTspscFDddcOG45HwxZegsRyetH1dDdKt2g4HZK9rO3MR-du6Hkv2nLwS-m2cTDstYtZ4rn168qCyKrCdUOF6nnFUia8BOMG1DBbQvICrs30og/s320/Adven%20Rejoice.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">What is imperfect in your life?</div><div><br /></div><div>Relationships? Finances? The direction of our country? Or the injustice of guns donated at a buyback that don't get destroyed but get recycled?</div><div><br /></div><div>In what may be the most preposterous sounding advice in the Bible, Saint Paul says our posture ought to be to rejoice.</div><div><br /></div><div>Not to rejoice for all things, but to rejoice in all things.</div><div><br /></div><div>In other words, if you're not happy now, when are you going to be happy?</div><div><br /></div><div>The upcoming third Sunday of Advent, when we light one more candle on the wreath, reminds us that the light is coming, hope is with us, no matter what it is we are facing, we don't face it alone, but we face it with one who promises our final destiny is not despair.</div><div><br /></div><div>Imperfection surrounds us and finding a way to be happy in the midst, is our challenge and our possibility.</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-41738555306740944702023-11-29T06:59:00.000-08:002023-11-29T06:59:31.382-08:00Your End Is Your Beginning<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LXWuOTZ8DrM2PR2m9oOuJfplRr2Os2MagJav-c2OP-SqORMRB9EDUSOtgnUE5gC0knJ0NobTzxPXtnFh4AjXLm_CDg-_pTh64tAvwXH32QKDXss8JlOqW7u8harvI3fdVt8_l6HK0fdwwowIgbcmTGnoYqbf6E_sXfqAqwCl3fJHnySD_GIUcT-Ootg/s1262/Second%20coming.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="1262" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6LXWuOTZ8DrM2PR2m9oOuJfplRr2Os2MagJav-c2OP-SqORMRB9EDUSOtgnUE5gC0knJ0NobTzxPXtnFh4AjXLm_CDg-_pTh64tAvwXH32QKDXss8JlOqW7u8harvI3fdVt8_l6HK0fdwwowIgbcmTGnoYqbf6E_sXfqAqwCl3fJHnySD_GIUcT-Ootg/s320/Second%20coming.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Are you scared and anxious over something that's ending? Are you leaving job? Relationship? Familiar home or city? Don't think for a minute that this end doesn't also mark a new beginning! And because you go with God, it may be your best beginning yet!#God #Jesus #newbeginnings #churchtok<p></p><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Are you feeling scared and anxious because something's ending - a career, relationship, a lifetime in a hometown, or decades of school - don't think for a minute that God isn't at the center of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>You know your ending is also a beginning - one that God has promised you will never face alone.</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't forget God's faithfulness to you in the past,</div><div>Don't forget God's presence with you right now, you can feel it in your heart,</div><div>And don't forget God's promises of provision and presence that await your future.</div><div><br /></div><div>This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent -</div><div>It's when Christians remind one another that when the old passes away and the new comes, it's something to welcome not dread!</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, embracing your future suggests letting go of the past! But because you never face a new day alone, take heart, God's with you, to hold, guide, and protect - not just when the old winds down, but when the New, starts up!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-26822960982879672452023-11-15T05:39:00.000-08:002023-11-15T05:40:35.571-08:00Changes and Chances<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilX2witN6blYsIWKqlX2EhEg2-sYDsWL--yOoTuAv34ImSz6Hn4writQy7nLdo1HrQwzxZR5n4JAwXfFAlpEhETvISGo50ZxFXVZ1akSeRg0dUl4dGJa7aAnDNa0mgyG46lNNUszSBCK0sfTWmLaEKMzWQtCOUr1r0JPPFVDvlnfKIzcwXC_3Aitx6hlc" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1098" data-original-width="1584" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilX2witN6blYsIWKqlX2EhEg2-sYDsWL--yOoTuAv34ImSz6Hn4writQy7nLdo1HrQwzxZR5n4JAwXfFAlpEhETvISGo50ZxFXVZ1akSeRg0dUl4dGJa7aAnDNa0mgyG46lNNUszSBCK0sfTWmLaEKMzWQtCOUr1r0JPPFVDvlnfKIzcwXC_3Aitx6hlc" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div>Years ago when my buddies and I were looking into parachuting for the first time...</div><div><br /></div><div>we discovered that if you want to leap out of a plane at 10,000 feet you have to be strapped to a the front of somebody whose done it many times before.</div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently the high emotion and sheer newness of the experience can blind rookies so they freeze, like deer in the headlights, so the person you're strapped to can be trusted to pull the rip cord.</div><div><br /></div><div>When we heard that, we signed right up! </div><div><br /></div><div>What risk would you take if you knew that someone had your back?</div><div><br /></div><div>Jesus once told the story that we'll hear about this Sunday - about three people who were given gifts to invest. One of the three was so scared he wouldn't do it: he didn't realize that someone had his back.</div><div><br /></div><div>You and I are here to do something new! </div><div>Quit taking the safe route. </div><div>Put yourself out there! </div><div>Take the risk! </div><div>Step out in faith, God has your back!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-46295166670459684132023-11-08T12:20:00.002-08:002023-11-08T12:20:16.059-08:00Trim Your Lamps!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVWVUT2-MXorWUXtTAvyZImyhhY7iUGd9nlBF5uCu6-Tgbge2QaBZXS7QZHxnGQC-3jRmyUnfgZlcsXp5UKuc03PM81kWFiW1pU_lygOPNtz8n7MKqfDffgi4bU_A0yeR1G01j0Ust1KdVTug7DV0-6nNX56YDwYBFzET24LpxQPybSPoTQagKGuBIfI/s533/Bridesmaids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="533" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhVWVUT2-MXorWUXtTAvyZImyhhY7iUGd9nlBF5uCu6-Tgbge2QaBZXS7QZHxnGQC-3jRmyUnfgZlcsXp5UKuc03PM81kWFiW1pU_lygOPNtz8n7MKqfDffgi4bU_A0yeR1G01j0Ust1KdVTug7DV0-6nNX56YDwYBFzET24LpxQPybSPoTQagKGuBIfI/s320/Bridesmaids.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>What if you had to run a marathon tomorrow?</p><div><br /></div><div>Better dust off the running shoes!</div><div>Better quit the Snickers bars for breakfast!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, if you're like me, a few things would have to change!</div><div><br /></div><div>So what if Jesus came tomorrow? Are there things we should not be doing now? Are there things we should be doing?</div><div><br /></div><div>We know we have certain habits and influences that we allow in our lives that are probably not bringing us any closer to heaven. What's keeping us from facing and changing these things?</div><div><br /></div><div>In parables and stories, Jesus asks us, are we living the kind of life today that prepares us well for tomorrow? What are the habits, practices, and day to day things we're doing that would make us proud to meet our maker?</div><div><br /></div><div>We have the strength of God inside of us! You can make that change, you can live into your best self, and live that life that prepares you very well for our inevitable victory lap!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-71658861331978641102023-11-01T06:44:00.004-07:002023-11-01T06:44:23.535-07:00Living Saints!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_mzqkfD3BSS8gnjAT9ve1OpB5gsIibPnw8BuTZ1d0viB9VZD3eJPjsugoKiIizpGpSi8g9TfIlzLvQ5g4XBBgmo2biy5VjbJEg2PumQu87N-3oyISaAh2eOxsczCFy8ILyMWztay4DOUp8EpfcT8g9htNs_SF_Wv6-lbuNLcqZKq0HVDlsI3yCkdxsc/s1588/All%20Saints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="1234" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY_mzqkfD3BSS8gnjAT9ve1OpB5gsIibPnw8BuTZ1d0viB9VZD3eJPjsugoKiIizpGpSi8g9TfIlzLvQ5g4XBBgmo2biy5VjbJEg2PumQu87N-3oyISaAh2eOxsczCFy8ILyMWztay4DOUp8EpfcT8g9htNs_SF_Wv6-lbuNLcqZKq0HVDlsI3yCkdxsc/s320/All%20Saints.jpg" width="249" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-size: 18px;">Welcome to the bittersweet start of November, All saints Day!</span></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">This is when we honor the saints who have gone before us, it's kind of sad, but then we open our eyes to the saints who live among us.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">Which includes you and me.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">It's because saint hood is not a status we've earned, but an identity we adopt.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">You did nothing to become a saint, God did everything in calling you a saint.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><span data-markholder="true"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">So if you are like me you want to pay it back, pay it forward!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">How do we do that?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">We live in to God's spark inside. Each of us, acting with compassion, forgiveness, generosity, and love! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">Trade the forgiveness for the vengeance,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">The kindness for the belligerence,</span></div><div><span style="font-size: 18px;">And remember those good people in your life who showed you how to do that.</span></div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-40311025985271777162023-10-25T06:02:00.003-07:002023-10-25T06:02:49.353-07:00Silencing the Critics<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kaOD_cpJk_f5_YCVagR8eXDJpUBuVFUX4hdozyxUdk4xnOx1hUzXufaM-JKIK-0M4_8GNhnN3e9SDzNiu3aKk2Zn16MrZjIKNd0z1sADorYFyjkStYWyqNI-nadl8LyNw6hb3aJX6dbELhnyM1yaIsYhOwyX1FWYzCRXCLJsympBoTe7-hh1OUHU79c/s836/Jesus%20Ddbating.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="836" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kaOD_cpJk_f5_YCVagR8eXDJpUBuVFUX4hdozyxUdk4xnOx1hUzXufaM-JKIK-0M4_8GNhnN3e9SDzNiu3aKk2Zn16MrZjIKNd0z1sADorYFyjkStYWyqNI-nadl8LyNw6hb3aJX6dbELhnyM1yaIsYhOwyX1FWYzCRXCLJsympBoTe7-hh1OUHU79c/s320/Jesus%20Ddbating.png" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">When I was training to be a priest I had a lot of people tell me it was a bad idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Very bad idea!</div><div><br /></div><div>I had come from 15 years in the hustle and drama of TV news and they said, "You don't have the temperament, patience, or people skills to run a church."</div><div><br /></div><div>I disagreed not with their assessment of my skills, but their perception of my call.</div><div><br /></div><div>I knew God had spoken. I clung to Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful."</div><div><br /></div><div>When God puts that new profession, project, or person in your life, brace for the pushback. </div><div><br /></div><div>When you step out to make your mark in the world not everyone will applaud. You will have critics and doubts from without and within.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our job is to silence them, which Jesus does on many occasions - by staying focused on our call, determined in our direction, knowing that our aim is not to please everyone, just the Holy one.</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-25176292696899785342023-10-11T08:23:00.002-07:002023-10-11T08:23:57.653-07:00Picasso had a party...<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED6WoNNNz_6hFdFPzJSEmSySori2wMUx-pb6M7GGxiIZaxyPCVHfFGhJelFM89BmoC5216lJ2pofC9n8dAPWsiYQ54XJYKNl4nmTeg386bE8TiIgyqeVP5trEfjPdHMBRmwh08-gnL-0CF004NnlQ8uvkg9FHpwD2iPxkin6GoPhXkGjWHT9xiEnhmVM/s674/Picasso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="544" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiED6WoNNNz_6hFdFPzJSEmSySori2wMUx-pb6M7GGxiIZaxyPCVHfFGhJelFM89BmoC5216lJ2pofC9n8dAPWsiYQ54XJYKNl4nmTeg386bE8TiIgyqeVP5trEfjPdHMBRmwh08-gnL-0CF004NnlQ8uvkg9FHpwD2iPxkin6GoPhXkGjWHT9xiEnhmVM/s320/Picasso.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Pablo Picasso is planning a party.</div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []"><br /></div><div>Says everyone who comes gets a priceless print that he has made especially for the occasion.</div><div>He invites a select crowd, but no one comes.</div><div><br /></div><div>He puts an ad out and invites everyone.</div><div>On the night of the party the place is packed.</div><div><br /></div><div>One by one, Picasso hands out his prints.</div><div>People slip them in sturdy frames and protective tubes as the gawk over their beautiful fortune!</div><div><br /></div><div>Then Picasso notices a man at a table, enjoying his food and drink, and using that priceless print as a placemat!</div><div><br /></div><div>Picasso, well-known for his fiery temper says,</div><div>'Don't you know you can sell that print for millions of dollars?'</div><div>To which the patron says, </div><div>'Actually, I didn't.'</div><div><br /></div><div>That patron is you and me </div><div>We have something priceless and we don't know it.</div><div><br /></div><div>At least, maybe not yet!</div><div><br /></div><div>Learning about the art and the artist is what the spiritual life is all about.</div><div><br /></div><div>The real riches of peace of mind, grounded purpose, compassionate caring for others all come in spades as we immerse ourselves in the art and the artist.</div><div><br /></div><div>Ditch the distractions</div><div>Realign the priorities</div><div>You've got a masterpiece to discover!</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-79681464581313866492023-10-04T06:07:00.001-07:002023-10-04T06:07:41.025-07:00People Before Stuff!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4OF5cs-qeZPhsxSc3OgwWiCMRaCvnF5MP0oOhe7cH5XywiOxeqGbIqkt7khdFslkrcHnD9pGnClwFrD0CMIr2RHiIMYtfIWoj_tbVHWNFMU0xC3Zet8ytWC_cHKB8ytcPttIj8ZOkRpcT3iA4lEk8wjU9FW28A5_rVtBo2V9H_33q_2AbVmTsdOys8U/s1212/Moses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1212" data-original-width="751" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4OF5cs-qeZPhsxSc3OgwWiCMRaCvnF5MP0oOhe7cH5XywiOxeqGbIqkt7khdFslkrcHnD9pGnClwFrD0CMIr2RHiIMYtfIWoj_tbVHWNFMU0xC3Zet8ytWC_cHKB8ytcPttIj8ZOkRpcT3iA4lEk8wjU9FW28A5_rVtBo2V9H_33q_2AbVmTsdOys8U/s320/Moses.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">In line at a fast food restaurant recently, the guy in front of me was absorbed by his smartphone!</div><div><br /></div><div>When it came time to order, pay, then pick up his food, he barely looked up from his phone, and never made eye contact with his server.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure what he was doing on his smartphone, maybe he was a doctor reviewing important x-rays? But he failed to take the time, even just a few seconds to look somebody in the eye, give them a smile or a nod, and acknowledge our shared humanity.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I'm not picking on this guy, because he's just me on another day. It is to acknowledge the busy world we live in, and the constant temptation you and I have to put stuff before people.</div><div><br /></div><div>This Sunday we will hear. Moses deliver the Ten Commandments, God's pinnacle expression of our greatest challenge, to put God first by putting people first, </div><div><br /></div><div>What's that look like for you today? Who is that? Valet, nosy neighbor, or Amazon driver who needs our acknowledgment and encouragement?</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-45697593404244471852023-09-27T13:11:00.001-07:002023-09-27T13:11:38.275-07:00Candy Store Blues<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-uECdalblnBYVamtD1YzFMGZf9vSsKltznh_yaim8_Z6C3pCMWgkQRDBnFnKKqhcD9AyJe5vj7BWstYOlMM5PR2FniQVdM_vMUF6q7ke-np3qgqt1IzzcMkdwq6JyZMg49QGZEnepvf8j4twmarz7OnS561MKCzemBqWEsWRLlR8shTis5AtXOJl0nI/s870/Candy%20Store.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="870" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1-uECdalblnBYVamtD1YzFMGZf9vSsKltznh_yaim8_Z6C3pCMWgkQRDBnFnKKqhcD9AyJe5vj7BWstYOlMM5PR2FniQVdM_vMUF6q7ke-np3qgqt1IzzcMkdwq6JyZMg49QGZEnepvf8j4twmarz7OnS561MKCzemBqWEsWRLlR8shTis5AtXOJl0nI/s320/Candy%20Store.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">A friend at church once gave my 4-year-old a $5 bill and said, "Go get you, your brother, and sister some candy!"</div><div><br /></div><div>When we got to the store and everyone had picked out their candy and the clerk asked for the money, the 4-year-old refused to part with it! </div><div><br /></div><div>"This is my money!" He said, "And I don't want to share it!"</div><div><br /></div><div>When Jesus began his ministry, as we will see on Sunday, he was immediately confronted by religious people who acted the same way! Indeed, this reticence to understand Jesus and his reformational work with Israel was what would get him killed.</div><div><br /></div><div>What's this mean to us?</div><div><br /></div><div>You and I have been generously bequeathed with health, intelligence, ambition, opportunity - and turned it into much more than $5!</div><div><br /></div><div>Don't be like a 4-year-old!</div><div>Share the gift!</div><div><br /></div><div>What are the gifts you have been given that God is asking you to share?</div><div>It's our work, our purpose, and ultimately, our contentment.</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-84323442022002775942023-09-20T06:17:00.002-07:002023-09-20T06:17:13.530-07:00God Will Provide<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCfxvM4b6V3jjehLxnV18ya5aOtbnOQIi7uK7Wo5yMMU6RP_DwADJIkfm2zCsnYXEznp8J-zvKdRFPcf0z0ClMaBZ_amU6qidoK-83dVKx4a0EpfaehBNE8bAUnywTG2Qtk-1K-S8cZ4cgWKt0d7KYmOgNekYdYT41sY40YMfxaVR5A2i--Qpe1i7EEA/s643/Manna%20Icon%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="643" data-original-width="548" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQCfxvM4b6V3jjehLxnV18ya5aOtbnOQIi7uK7Wo5yMMU6RP_DwADJIkfm2zCsnYXEznp8J-zvKdRFPcf0z0ClMaBZ_amU6qidoK-83dVKx4a0EpfaehBNE8bAUnywTG2Qtk-1K-S8cZ4cgWKt0d7KYmOgNekYdYT41sY40YMfxaVR5A2i--Qpe1i7EEA/s320/Manna%20Icon%202.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">3 guys are sitting next to each other at the bar.</div><div><br /></div><div>The first one says, 'Give me a shot of your finest whiskey, I'm so worried about which geriatric presidential candidate is going to drive our country to ruin!</div><div><br /></div><div>The second one says, 'Give me a shot of your finest whiskey, I've raised my son wrong, he's estranged, and I need to forget about all those things I did to cause it.'</div><div><br /></div><div>The third one says, 'Give me a shot of your finest whiskey because I want to savor the taste of my favorite drink - and enjoy this very moment.</div><div><br /></div><div>So much of what we do now is ruined by worry about the future - and regret over the past!</div><div><br /></div><div>Living in the moment, being centered in the present, savoring the 'now,' How are you doing with that?</div><div><br /></div><div>The same God who provided manna in the wilderness, that was only good for one day, is still teaching you and me to put the future and the past into perspective - and to remind us to relax, God will provide.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-80125814295479444352023-09-13T07:15:00.001-07:002023-09-13T07:15:14.343-07:00Bless Them!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuiKhKH2I8EWwKFQ0LKJ1CclW9gtJJgjwqqZPftKoRRm6pouCsD4GprYg9eogVOx-q0jrkUg13hFzbBe-YA1t5G43hm5oKVNR6gOTwURw7mvq0fajSojgflhZOCH6vORwubrWMWTK23SRWUXBFjMRB6xwfyjTAkyB0VjE3s_ZMD1vQf6lJVbvYA_zsgY/s500/7x70%20icon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="433" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxuiKhKH2I8EWwKFQ0LKJ1CclW9gtJJgjwqqZPftKoRRm6pouCsD4GprYg9eogVOx-q0jrkUg13hFzbBe-YA1t5G43hm5oKVNR6gOTwURw7mvq0fajSojgflhZOCH6vORwubrWMWTK23SRWUXBFjMRB6xwfyjTAkyB0VjE3s_ZMD1vQf6lJVbvYA_zsgY/s320/7x70%20icon.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><p></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Years ago a dear family in my church left.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had done a lot for them over the years, they were very involved with the church, generous with their time and money.</div><div><br /></div><div>But when they left, I made a big mistake: I took it personally. I was angry, lost sleep, questioned my ability as a pastor.</div><div><br /></div><div>What I should have done was let it go, give it to God, and understand that they had their own journey with Jesus, who was clearly calling them elsewhere.</div><div><br /></div><div>This Sunday's gospel tells us I needed to forgive them for any perceived offense, although there was probably none, and bless them on their journey - celebrating their contributions and wishing them well</div><div><br /></div><div>When somebody hurts you, one of the worst things you can be do is to hold it against them!</div><div><br /></div><div>Who do you need to forgive?</div><div>What is God telling you to let go of?</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-53973984347341301402023-09-06T08:26:00.003-07:002023-09-06T08:26:57.837-07:00<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6qEnBj3WBti5JvaHDAm3-dNnwUsZjzqF8c0cOX-xgbD7A-F7BJvUdI_kG38sfNlkECmxZE_FvyMN2rQvYGOV1QPXcTUAd0qV0MqCWWuu7BChTTTxacfSvy9yCZmovhATpk_5Rxs82Ahl-Q4X1rURBotbAL_6LZ-kLoekIFd_2vjvOV0KWXieCE9sa50/s768/Debt%20of%20love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="768" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6qEnBj3WBti5JvaHDAm3-dNnwUsZjzqF8c0cOX-xgbD7A-F7BJvUdI_kG38sfNlkECmxZE_FvyMN2rQvYGOV1QPXcTUAd0qV0MqCWWuu7BChTTTxacfSvy9yCZmovhATpk_5Rxs82Ahl-Q4X1rURBotbAL_6LZ-kLoekIFd_2vjvOV0KWXieCE9sa50/s320/Debt%20of%20love.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="-en-clipboard: true;">Three guy are sitting around a table at a the bar, one says I'm so relieved, I finally paid off my car loans!
</div><div>The second guy says I'm so relieved I finally paid off my school loans!
</div><div>Is there any paid off my mortgage!
</div><div><br /></div><div>So the first guy says I propose a toast,
</div><div>We all stand up,
</div><div>And one of the guys says, "now we can all concentrate on the biggest debt of all!"
</div><div><br /></div><div>They laughed and drank because they knew that now they could be serious about the one debt we all carry and is the most satisfying to pay off - the debt of Love.
</div><div><br /></div><div>On Sunday we will hear St. Paul invite us to ‘owe nothing to anyone, except the debt of love.'
</div><div><br /></div><div>Freely each one of us have been given council, guidance, protection, comfort, peace, joy, and an ability to be hopeful about the world, All things that God has freely given us, and ask us to pass on to others.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, pay it back, by passing it on! </div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-15611127043180772552023-08-30T11:45:00.003-07:002023-08-30T11:45:45.878-07:00A Life of Purpose<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq0bOUyo-zkourcWcAgsQsPTh6IqstBRebAFtgQWMiRrflZzuc4Ab8xpdAnWkkppPAyFSVjTLj0uvTkS__U4ea-LLYBGKq4-rmSM_Ul1XcstvS98yUowwdQwzLyh00h_-iW8-6KokrLfxa8-W0EwTUVJzuFwRWwgMRf51aW1WqRkIsr0iAgAkXVjFv0g/s800/Carry%20the%20Cross.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="534" data-original-width="800" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUq0bOUyo-zkourcWcAgsQsPTh6IqstBRebAFtgQWMiRrflZzuc4Ab8xpdAnWkkppPAyFSVjTLj0uvTkS__U4ea-LLYBGKq4-rmSM_Ul1XcstvS98yUowwdQwzLyh00h_-iW8-6KokrLfxa8-W0EwTUVJzuFwRWwgMRf51aW1WqRkIsr0iAgAkXVjFv0g/s320/Carry%20the%20Cross.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="-en-clipboard: true;">A woman was walking through the parking lot at Kroger the other day when she looked down and saw a man's wallet lying on the ground.
</div><div><br /></div><div>She picked it up.
</div><div>Found some identification.
</div><div>Then called the man and told him she had found his wallet.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Overjoyed, he met her at a coffee shop to get the wallet back, and tried to hand her $20 for her efforts.
</div><div><br /></div><div>But she refused and said, "I've already received my reward by finding you and giving you your wallet back. I'm just happy to help you."
</div><div><br /></div><div>Impressed, the man took the $20 and put it in the coffee shop tip jar, just so he could feel like she did - and like we do when we put people before stuff.</div><div><br /></div><div>How is God calling you to put people before stuff today?</div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9020284996191404517.post-48612364847001956502023-08-23T03:50:00.001-07:002023-08-23T03:50:25.616-07:00God Will Provide!<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9o4V7D1g7a8di0B9R-_hpoiMyBP-ukVWN71aSXymrkCwBQCNVHUs6o9-WD_fSK7HeCxnyyw4gfvSJs6LxU0Fm4PZteFaq0tz6UNE-2XUmitZCwmaqmXLufftUyDER5LLY2r6Ko0QQebUhRGPe3joWJi2eJxKcYNQF71gz6ukjTFZctsXchI-_0nt-PWA/s640/Baby%20Moses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="424" data-original-width="640" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9o4V7D1g7a8di0B9R-_hpoiMyBP-ukVWN71aSXymrkCwBQCNVHUs6o9-WD_fSK7HeCxnyyw4gfvSJs6LxU0Fm4PZteFaq0tz6UNE-2XUmitZCwmaqmXLufftUyDER5LLY2r6Ko0QQebUhRGPe3joWJi2eJxKcYNQF71gz6ukjTFZctsXchI-_0nt-PWA/s320/Baby%20Moses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="-en-clipboard: true;">Are you discouraged because you didn't get the promotion?
</div><div>Got outbid on the house?
</div><div>Got stuck working when everyone else is playing?
</div><div><br /></div><div>The important thing to keep in mind is that God knows this!
</div><div>There is no injustice or trial you are going through that God is unaware of!
</div><div><br /></div><div>When Israel was enslaved by Egypt, the Bible says God heard the cries of the suffering and God sent a savior, Moses whose story we'll hear in church on Sunday.
</div><div><br /></div><div>And just the same, God hears you,
</div><div>Your unhappiness grief, and pain.
</div><div><br /></div><div>So you have 2 options ahead: your new job, house, or desire will come to pass - or God will give you the strength to make it through.
</div><div><br /></div><div>Either way, God is with you!
</div><div>Do your best not to be consumed by discouragement
</div><div>Rest in Jesus,
</div><div>Think Godly thoughts
</div><div>He will provide, he sees you, and is there to help. </div>Chris Yawhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13290282109338456610noreply@blogger.com0