God's love and repentance

The season of Lent is very big on repentance. Living in the Bible Belt you hear almost on a daily basis about repenting and turning away from Satan and turning to God. In the Old Testament we have the story of repentance As Told Through The Eyes of Jonah (yes as in Jonah and the whale) when he goes to Nineveh. In his day it was a city of the most evil people of his generation. The last thing this reluctant Prophet wants you to do what is to go to the city and see them repent. He wanted to see them ignore God be shunned by God and go away. Juxtapose that with the story of Jesus who sees evil in the world and Mourns for the people and ultimately loves Humanity so much he commits the ultimate Act of vulnerability and allows himself to be crucified.
The news these days is filled with stories of evil whether it's terrorism or Mass school shootings.  The question when faced with the evil of the world is one of repentance. Do we approach it as Jonah wanting it simply just to go away or do you want to approach it with the love of Christ?

God in your life

Father Mike asked us to remember today a time in our life when we felt God's presence. For me there were two times that came to my mind. The first was November 6 2014. I remember the date because it was the date that my mother who had been living with stage 4 breast cancer slipped into a coma. I made the usual phone calls to nearby family and friends to let them know that it was time to come and say goodbye. I called father Rob are Minister change Stephens who head been with us on this journey since her diagnosis in 201 late 2011 early 2012. My uncle, my mom's brother and his wife or present her student nurses who had taken such good care of her for the past year were there and close friend was there. At one point we all gathered around the bed and father Rob said the prayer for the dying from the common book of Prayer which is the Episcopal Church's version of last rites. I remember the sun streaming through the window and the birds chirping outside and just the circle of light that engulfs the room.
The second time that came to my mind took place a few months after that when I went to Australia with a group of musician friends. There was one night where we dined out in the middle of Aboriginal land. The boys proposed a toast in memory of my mom. There were as the Eagles sang " a million stars all around."
Although each of these times was in a different location and at a different time of day and with different people what was the same was the feeling of peace and love. As many know who reads this blog I am a student of Abraham Hicks and dr. Wayne Dyer. The things that they both talked about is that God / Source energy /the universe is love. One of the things father Mike pointed out in his sermon was when things are going well we sometimes put God on the back burner. We may not kill that we necessarily need God's presence in our life at that moment because things are going well. Many times we only turn to God when things are going wrong and then we bring God to the front burner again. Abraham Hicks has what is referred to as the 17 second rule being that when you think of something that you build up momentum for that thought to then manifest itself in your life. So my challenge to you is to apply the 17 second rule to the presence of God in your life. Close your eyes and think of a Time when you felt God's presence in your life. Then for 17 seconds simply ask that God be present in your life.