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The voice crying out in the wilderness….

09 Saturday Dec 2017

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Today we find ourselves in the second week of Advent, this time of waiting and anticipation of Christ’s return.  A time to reflect on our own lives and prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of our Savior.

The scripture from the beginning of Mark’s gospel is titled, “The Proclamation of John the Baptist.”  Mark’s gospel is the shortest of the four gospels, it is direct, it is to the point and each verse is filled with meaning and purpose.

Mark is direct enough that he skips the nativity and baby Jesus account and immediately begins with the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Mark begins his gospel and account of Christ by going back in time.

Mark goes back about 600-700 years to the time of Isaiah.  From the Old Testament account of Isaiah he quotes, “A voice cries out: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

Make straight your paths, for the promised one is coming.  In Isaiah’s day he spoke to a Jewish audience that had been exiled.  In Mark’s account he talking about Christ and the messenger preparing the way for him.

Mark writes, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness:  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord.’

In this painfully hectic time between holidays, how much time are we spending preparing our hearts, souls and minds to meet and be present with our God?  This time of year we don’t celebrate credit card debt or empty bank accounts.  We don’t celebrate added inches to our waistline. 

No, we celebrate the birth of our God.  The mystery of the incarnation and the insane lengths our God went to, to reconcile us to him.  To bring us closer to him.

In preparing for this sermon I read about and questioned why our God would need someone to prepare the way for him.  Why would an all-present and all-powerful God need a man dressed in strange clothes – camel’s hair, and who ate weird things (locusts and honey) to prepare the way for him?

Is it because we all stand on the shoulders and accomplishments of those that have gone before us?  We all stand on the ground that was prepared for us by others.  All the hard work of our ancestors and their desire to see their children succeed have benefitted each of us. 

Unfortunately, these bodies and minds of flesh that have short memories and are inclined to take credit for what has been accomplished. 

Even our God, who emptied himself of all his divinity, needed someone to prepare the way for him.  An all-present and all-powerful God would rely on a mere mortal to be the voice crying out in the wilderness.

Why would God need someone to prepare the way for him?  And why would he pick a strange looking and acting guy to be that person?

….It would take someone with far more knowledge than I to fully answer that question.  I think it has to do with the humility of our God.  We celebrate, honor and worship a God that gave up the splendor and glory of heaven, all that beauty to come to this world riddled with sickness, disease, war, famine, acts of evil and death.

I think that I would rather look at that from a distance and bask in the beauty of heaven.  But not our God.  He saw the terrible consequence that sin caused and he decided that something had to be done about it. 

He traded his mansion for a mud hut, he traded power for humility and splendor for suffering.  He sent his messenger, John the Baptist, before him.  John appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

In spite of his strange appearance people flocked to listen to him and to be baptized by him in the Jordan River.  “Make straight your paths, prepare the way of the Lord.”

People came from the Judean countryside and from Jerusalem to see, hear and be baptized by John the Baptist.  He had his own disciples and was popular enough or posed enough of a threat that even the Pharisees came to see what all the commotion was about.

Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near, make straight your path, prepare the way for the Lord…….Repent……confess……..understand your own brokenness before your God……..ask for forgiveness for the kingdom of heaven has come near…….

What if each of us in our own way is John the Baptist?  We may not go out into the timber or near the closest river and cry out or wear strange clothes, but what if each of us as we commit and recommit to our faith every day is living like John the Baptist?

Every time we commit to be read our bibles, to pray, to be a part of a small group, to do something for someone else, every time we chose to be intentional about our faith that we straighten our own path and influence those close to us.

Lives of faith can scream and proclaim the gospel without speaking a single word.  Proclaim the gospel always said St. Francis, use words only when necessary.

People went to John the Baptist to repent of their sins and to be baptized.  In his humility, John proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals.  I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

John the Baptist knew his mission was to prepare the way for the one that is coming, one far more powerful than he.

We have also been made aware that one that Christ, is going to return.  Are we preparing the way for his arrival……

Are we proclaiming the good news of God’s action and arrival in this world, the coming of God’s kingdom, his ministry, death and resurrection?

As we celebrate and honor the second Sunday of Advent, let us remember all of those that have gone before us.  Let us remember the spiritual giants in our own lives and Mark’s gospel does recalling the words of Isaiah.

Let us live bold, courageous lives of faith that speak to this world and those in it who we are and what we are about.  In this painfully busy time of year, let us slow down and take time to reflect on what is truly important and why we celebrate with gifts, good food and precious time spend with family and friends.

Let us go with the knowledge and the truth that our God is coming back to this earth.  It may not be in our lifetime, but he is coming back.  If we don’t see him in the time each of us has left, that is no reason or excuse to be convenient or flippant about your faith.

Let us be about the work of the one that created all that is good and holy.  Let us be about the work of a God that became the word incarnate.  A penniless, nomadic preacher that come to save the souls of many.

 

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete

You did it for the least of these…..

25 Saturday Nov 2017

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We have arrived at the end of Christ’s public ministry in the book of Matthew. Matthew’s gospel was written in the last half of the first century with an emphasis on the fulfillment of Christ as the Messiah.
This passage of scripture opens with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy from the book of Daniel, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, and then he will sit on the throne of his glory.”

Christ is in the last week of his life. He has spoken parable after parable of what it will be like upon his return and the work, we as Christians should be about until his return to this world. Christ gives fair and ample warning about what will happen come Judgment Day.

Today’s scripture is titled, ‘The Last Judgment.’ “All the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.”

All nations means just that – all Jews, Gentiles, everyone from everywhere. Separating the sheep from the goats was a common practice for shepherds in biblical times.
Having mixed herds was common, at night sheep would be placed in an open pasture, while the goats needed to be protected from the cold. Sheep have more commercial value than goats do.

The bible oftentimes makes reference to the vocation of being a shepherd. God’s people are often times referred to as sheep, whether we like it or not. Have you ever wondered why………

Given the context and setting – 2,000 years ago in the Middle East, being a shepherd and tending to livestock was a common occupation – people could identify with it.

Sheep need protection, guidance and provision. It is also believed that sheep respond to the voice of their shepherd.

We share these things in common. We are also in need of guidance, provision and protection and if we take the time to listen we will also recognize the voice of our shepherd, of the one that provides, protects and guides.

A shepherd had to be willing to lay down his or her life for who and what they were protecting. Christ, our shepherd, was willing to and did the same when he laid down his life for us.

On that Day of Judgment, when the Son of Man returns in all his glory, the herd will be separated, like the parables of the past two weeks – the wise and foolish bridesmaids and the servants who were charged with investing their owner’s estate.

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.

I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”

Our God is omnipotent and omnipresent. He has unlimited power, he knows everything and is always present. Everywhere all the time, to everyone. The God we serve is a God for everyone.

Our God champions the poor, the marginalized and disenfranchised. Our God is a god of the poor, downtrodden and forgotten. A god of the hungry, thirsty, sick, lame and the incarcerated.

A God of the homeless, those in care facilities, nursing homes, the homebound and all those that can’t do for themselves. We do not need to look any further than Christ’s life and who he spent time with during his ministry.

He spent time with those that needed him most. He eased their suffering through his own acts of mercy. He gave sight to the blind, provided living water and broke the shackles of sin that enslave us.

After they have been separated the righteous answered, “Lord when was it that we say you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? When was it that we say you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing?

When was it that we say you sick or in prison and visited you? The righteous seemed to be surprised and unsure how to answer God’s question. We don’t remember seeing you or we would have surely given you food, drink, clothing and visited you.

I am reminded of Mother Teresa’s life and example. Taking care of the dying, cleaning their wounds, teaching young children by writing the letters of the alphabet in the dirt with a stick.

She said that each person she interacted with was Jesus in a distressing disguise. Each person, every human being bears the image of the Creator and deserves to be treated with respect and dignity.

The king answered the righteous, “Truly, I tell you just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.” When you treated one of the least of these well, someone that could do nothing for you, you did it for the very God that we serve.

Then, Christ will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels, for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me. The accursed when into panic mode, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry, thirsty, as a stranger, naked or imprisoned and did not take care of you?”

Pleading their case they are. If we only would have known we would have stepped up to the plate. If we hadn’t fallen in love with everything that the world has to offer we would have taken care of you.

If they had only not fallen into temptation, if they could have only gotten past themselves, if they would have only taken to know our God and his heart the accursed may have had a different outcome.

The challenge of being a Christian in a world of commercialism, advertising and temptation. The challenge of living a spiritual life in a body of flesh and blood.
It can be very difficult. I think it would be hard, almost impossible to know the heart of our God without spending time with him, without reading his word or spending time with others that believe in him.

This chapter from scripture, the 25th chapter of Matthew gives another window into the heart of our God.

There is no mention in today’s scripture of church affiliation, tradition, attendance or giving. It is about how we treat others. It is about having compassion and spending time with those that are suffering. It is about living merciful lives and easy the burden of others.

This scripture speaks to the heart of a God of compassion, a god of mercy, it speaks to a god of love. May we always be about God’s work.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC
Author of Incomplete

 

 

 

The parable of the talents….

18 Saturday Nov 2017

Posted by in Authors Books Reviews & Interviews, Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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We are closing in the on the holidays already which doesn’t seem possible.  Soon we will be in the season of Advent in the church, a season of waiting and anticipation of Christ’s return. 

Like last week’s scripture, today’s scripture is about what we do while we wait for Christ’s return.  Today’s scripture is titled, “The Parable of the Talents.”

At this point in Matthew’s gospel Christ is in his final days.  He has returned to Jerusalem for the last time.  His final parables in Matthew’s account are about what we are to be doing while waiting for his return.

“For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability.

 A talent was a measure of weight in biblical times.  The master of the estate was incredibly wealthy.  A talent is about 75 pounds of precious metal.  75 pounds.  An ounce of gold today is worth around $1,300. 

If you do the math a talent or 75 pounds of gold today is worth around $1.5 million dollars.  That is one talent, the first servant got five and the second servant got two. 

What does scripture say that the master of the estate did after giving this large amount of money to his servants…….He went away.  He didn’t give them any instructions.  He just gave it to them.  It seems apparent that he trusts them to be wise with it.

Helluva nice guy isn’t he.  What if I were to tell you that the master in this parable is Christ, he left but not before giving a bounty to his people?  What if I told you that the servants in this parable were you and I? 

That we have been given a treasure or a talent in the form of intellect, knowledge, life experience, talent, time, our ability to earn and a ton of his grace to boot?

And what if I told you that someday we will have to account for what we did with our God-given talent?  I will come back to that.

The master of the estate, he just left.  No directions, no instructions.  The servants were free to do what they would with what they were entrusted with, much like we are.  I want to talk about this for a minute.

Our God, the God that we serve limits himself in this parable and he does this often.  He limits himself so that others have an opportunity to lead and flourish. 

Christ, being of the same spiritual substance of The Father, came to this earth in the same limited manner that we exist, in flesh and blood.  Bound by time and space among other things. 

He limited himself as a penniless, itinerant carpenter turned preacher who emptied himself of his divinity to take on our broken condition.  He goes beyond limiting himself, he completely emptied himself.

He lived like the poorest of the poor with the poorest of the poor and spent his time with the lowest of the low.  Now, Christ did heal people, he performed miracles, he brought people that were dead back to life. 

But he lives his time on this earth consistently restrained.  And why would he do that………Is it because he hands the keys to the kingdom over to us, to each one of us?  That he wants each one of us to be about his work.

Is it because we are in his final days in the book of Matthew and he is making sure to make his point that he is leaving and these are the expectations for those who profess to know him?

God calls us to lead in one form or another.  Leadership isn’t about titles, we are called to lead our families, our church, our community, our school and many other things.

We weren’t made to sit on the sidelines idly watching the world go by.  Here is another window into my cynical and twisted mind.  In my experience in different leadership positions those that sat idly by, not only did they not help, they consistently attacked, smeared and hurled insults at the ones trying to get things done. 

Enough of that.  We are called to lives of service.  He are called to lead, we are called to be in ministry and we are called to be the light in this world.  We don’t retire from Christian service.  As long as there is air in our lungs we are called to be of service to the church.

After leaving his servants to do what they would with his money, the master returned.  “The one who had received the five talents had gone off and traded and made five more talents.”  He had doubled his master’s money.

“In the same way, the one who had been given two talents made two more talents.”  He also had doubled his master’s money.  Pretty impressive, do you know how much time it would take to double your money – legally?

“But the one who had received one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”  After a long time the master, or Christ in this example, returns.  He is anxious to see what his people have done with what he has entrusted them with.

The one given five talents had pleased his master, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have been trustworthy in a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”  Enter into the kingdom and splendor of God’s presence.

The one given two talents had also pleased his master and is greeted the same, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant, you have been trustworthy in a few things.  I will put you in charge of many things, enter into the joy of your master.”

The servant given one talent had to give his account of what he had done with what he had been given.  This servant’s response appears to be more of a reflection on his own character than the nature of the God we serve.

“Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, gathering where you did not scatter seed, so I was afraid and I hid your talent in the ground.  Here you have what is yours.” 

The third servant, the one given one talent sat idly by.  After many years, maybe even a lifetime he had not been about his master’s work.  I envision this servant shrugging his shoulders as he hands the money back and then goes on the offensive about how it isn’t really his fault.  It is the master’s fault, it is God’s fault that I didn’t do anything productive with what he gave me.

The master was not happy.  “You wicked and lazy servant!  You knew, did you that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter seed?  Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it with interest.”

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten talents.  For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance, but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 

“As for this servant, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

A warning parable about the accounting we will have to do when Christ returns.  Everyone is gifted whether they think they are or not.  The gifts we are given vary from person to person, no one gift is better or more important than another.  Those gifts are not to be wasted or to sit idle.

In this season of Thanksgiving, as we approach Advent and the celebration of Christ’s birth, let us be about God’s work in this world.  Let us feed, clothe and minister to the poor.  Let us be the church.  Let us be the light, the city on a hill that give sight to the blind and ears to hear for those that need to know our God.

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Lord the Lord your God………

29 Sunday Oct 2017

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Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  I’m sure that today isn’t the first day that you’ve heard that statement, that sentence.

It appears multiple times in scripture, it appears in song.  What does it mean to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your mind and all your strength?  What does that look like?

We are still in Matthew’s Gospel, the disdained tax collector that went from exploiting Jewish people to trying to save them.  At this point in Matthew’s account, we are in the last week of Christ’s life.  He had made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

He was spending his last week in or near the holy temple.  Three prominent groups in Israel at that time, the Herodians I talked about last week, the Sadducees and the Pharisees were taking turns questioning Christ in an effort to trap him in front of large crowds that had gathered for the Passover.

Today’s scripture occurs at the end of a long day for Christ.  He had been teaching and preaching, he had given the parable of the wedding banquet, talked about paying taxes and spoken about the resurrection.

Christ had silenced the Sadducees, they were a conservative group that only accepted the Law of Moses.  Much less is known about the Sadducees as compared to the Pharisees. 

The Pharisees, this religious group mentioned often in the bible, heard that the Sadducees had tapped out and they decide it is time for one more go around.

They offer up one of their best and brightest, a lawyer to question Christ.  An expert on religious custom and law up against a man with no formal training or education.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” the lawyer asked.  Christ’s response can be found in the Old Testament in the book of Deuteronomy, it was his response to the devil during the temptation.

It is part of Jewish daily prayer called the Shema.  Christ’s response points to what our whole lives and being should be about.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  This is the greatest and first commandment.  And a second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Considering all his exchanges with these religions and political groups it would be easy to come to the conclusion that he was anti-Jewish or anti-establishment.  That is not the case.

Christ is an orthodox Jew, he believed in the law.  But he didn’t come to this world to beat people up with rules, he came to fulfill the law, to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies that a promised one was coming.  The promise of the Messiah that would take away the sins of the world.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  Love your neighbor as you love yourself. 

How do we love our God and neighbors like that?  Do we do love them like we should…………..How do we do those things?

Reading scripture, writing a sermon.  Those things are expected from a pastor.  What I often times run into doing those things is I get exposed.  Studying the scripture gives me time to reflect on the message I am to deliver and makes me question whether I do those things.

I tell my wife and children that I love them often, but does my behavior match the words that come from my mouth.  To be kind, not always.

If I love or when I love, it is in a broken, incomplete manner in which I do.  Too prone to get mad, too prone to lose my patience and lash out.  Sometimes, it appears that the only thing I love is my own selfish interests.

That is a window into my twisted, broken mind.  I can say that I believe that I have been obedient to God’s call, have tried to follow the best that I know how and devote time to him in prayer, read his word and give to the church.

But, do I put him first in my life?  Do I love both him and my neighbors with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind and strength…..

We moved into the neighborhood about 3.5 years ago, I have neighbors in that area that I haven’t had a conversation with.  Haven’t taken the time to get to know them.

I will try to spare you anymore of my hang-ups and give you an example of what this kind of love looks like.

Corrie ten Boom, that was her name, a young girl born to a very devout Dutch family.  She lived with her family in Holland during World War II.  She and her family bravely hid Jewish people that had fled their homes.

She offered up herself for God’s people, in anyway, any place at any time.  Scores of Jews passed through the ten Boom home.  Her selfless ways continued until the Gestapo found out and placed her and her family in one of their concentration camps.

The horrible treatment she received did not stop her from sharing her faith or leading worship services.  She would lose her father, a brother and a dear sister. 

Just a few short years after the war ended, Corrie ten Boom was speaking at a church in Germany.  At the end of the service walked an older gentlemen that was one of the most vicious guards at the concentration camp she was held in.

“A fine message he said, as you say, all of our sins are at the bottom of the sea,” as he extended his hand.  Could you imagine her angst, anxiety, anger, all the things that she must have felt.

 He told her he had become a Christian and asked for her forgiveness.  “I forgive you my brother, with all my heart.”  She would later say that she had never known God’s love so intensely as she did then…..

We are called to love the Lord our God.  We are called to be faithful.  We are not called to be rich, but if we are we should be generous with that bounty.  We are not called to spend more time on our phones than with our God.

We are not called to be convenient or cavalier Christians.  We are called to love.  When our love seems broken, imperfect, clumsy and incomplete.  We are called to love.

When we are exhausted, tired, emotionally spent and in a genuinely bad mood, we are called to love.  When devastating and unexplained news of loss, grief and illness come our way, we are called to love.

When people have a different opinion from us, do things we don’t approve of and don’t look like us, we are called to love them.  Respect them, treat them with the dignity that every human being has the right too. 

I will grant you that love is something of an emotion, it can be.  I would contend that love is an action.  Love gets kids up, fed and off to school and is there for them.  Love looks after those that aren’t able to take care of themselves.

Love is an action.  Love requires sacrifice.  I don’t think you can love someone or something that you don’t spend any time with.  The same is truth for our God.  The more you understand God, the more spiritual you become, the greater you should be able to love.

 

Pastor Shawn LaRue, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

How do you want to be remembered?

08 Sunday Oct 2017

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“So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ.  When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.”

How do you want to be remembered?  We have to accept that death is a part of this life.  Not to be feared, but to be a celebration of this life and the life to come.  From a jail cell, Paul wrote, “For you have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.”  The person you were before coming to faith is gone and you have been born again.  When that happen, life changes.  

Lives that burned for the things of this world are transformed into selfless lives of service.  Things are seen for what they are.  They have functional value and it’s nice to have nice things, but not at the expense of being able to do for others or finding your self-worth in them.

We don’t remember people for what the took — we remember people for what they gave.  How do you want to be remembered?

 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

Authority.

01 Sunday Oct 2017

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I mentioned last week that we are near the end of Christ’s life in the book of Matthew.  He had made his triumphal return to the city of Jerusalem for the last time.  He had been hailed as a king, “Hosanna, Hosanna, in the highest!”

His relationship with the high priests, those that studied and were experts on religious custom and the law was contentious prior to his arrival in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover, a time of celebration for the Jewish people.

The people hailed him as a king when he entered the city.  Then Christ had the audacity to go to the temple and drive out those who were selling animals to be sacrificed in the temple.  Jewish people traveled from great distance to celebrate, worship and offer a sacrifice to their God.

Those that did the commerce in the temple took a little for themselves.  Let us exploit these travelers, these pilgrims.  Christ kept reversing the norm and upsetting those that took advantage of others. 

In today’s scripture, Christ enters the temple again, the very same place where he had just run those trying to make a profit.  He was teaching and preaching.

Those religions leaders I spoke of have had enough of him.  They approach him and ask, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”

Why do you keep upsetting us, why are we the butt of these riddles you speak of, why do you keep exposing us?  That is what I think is going through their minds.  What gives you the right, who do you think you are?

To their defense not many people knew Christ’s true identity.  He didn’t flaunt it around, instead he kept it a secret oftentimes. 

Knowing that they were out to get him Christ responded to their question with a question, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.  Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?”

Where did John the Baptist get his authority?  It was granted to him by our God of course.  He was called to be the voice out in the wilderness, paving the way for his cousin, Jesus the Messiah.  John the Baptist was wildly popular and had disciples of his own.

After discussing this among themselves, the chief priests, elders and scribes respond, “If we say, ‘from heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘why then did you not believe him?’  But if we say, ‘of human origin, we are afraid of the crowd for all regard John as a prophet.” 

“We don’t know.”  That was their answer, we don’t know.  Christ answered them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”

Discovering who Christ truly is should be central to our lives.  We should want the answer to the question that was posed…..Oh that’s easy, Christ is God’s son, he’s part of the trinity that many don’t fully understand, there is your answer.

That is a correct, but dangerously superficial answer.  The Christian journey is a life-long adventure into finding the truth in our own lives.  That search for truth always points us in the direction of our God. 

You know, I read this week’s scripture early this week and I was sure that I was going to struggle with it.  So I read it again and I was still sure I was going to labor with this reading from Matthew because the meaning within it wasn’t obvious to me.

I would like to think I can read scripture and know pretty quick what direction I’m going to go with it.  That wasn’t the case with this in spite of the fact that my bible titles this encounter, “The Authority of Jesus Questioned.”

It was questioned during his lifetime.  It is questioned now.  Does God exist, can you see the work of his hand in this world, can you see the work of his people? 

I like to think that I stick to the scripture, but I got to thinking about authority when I was struggling with this scripture. 

Authority.  Was it important to respect and obey your parents growing up?  Of course it was, we didn’t always do it, but they are our parents and they are an authority figure.

Did, or are, you supposed to listen to your teachers?  Your coaches?  To those in law enforcement, your doctor, your attorney, your parole officer – if you have one and maybe even your pastor….Why……

Because each is an authority figure and each has power and influence and hopefully they know what they are doing.  Our God is the ultimate authority figure, to whom we will have to give an account of our deeds someday.

Authority figures give us advise, they look out for our best interest and they tell us what to do and that is where things don’t go so good.  How many of you like to be told what to do?  How many of you didn’t do something because someone told you to do it?

All of us have probably done that.  We like to have options, make our own choices, I don’t like being ordered to do something.  It seems like we live in a time where authority figures are questioned, judged and blamed.

It’s not my child’s fault, the fault lies with the teacher, with the coach, the principal or whoever it was that tried to provide something that looked like discipline. 

We desperately need authority in our lives.  We depend on it.  We need leaders within our church, our school our community that have the courage to step up and lead in spite of the insults hurled at them.

We depend on authority, we need it, we have to have it.  We depend and are reliant on Christ’s authority.  If Christ is not God’s son, if he did not die on a cross and was resurrected three days later we are all wasting our time.  You should have slept in this morning and you certainly should not be paying me to preach to you.

We would be random people living random lives that made little sense.  I would rather believe that I am wonderfully made than I descended from an ape or caveman. 

We need to respect and honor our God’s authority, we need to listen for his voice, for his guidance and direction.  Once we hear it, once we make time to listen for it.  He has a calling for each of us.

Doesn’t mean it is to be a minister, a missionary or a monk or a nun.  We have to take the courage to answer that call, to submit to that authority. 

I think that is what authority is.  We minded our parents, for the most part hopefully, and submitted to what they wanted us to do because they had our best interest in mind in trying to teach us and mold us into hard-working, law-abiding citizens.

Teachers, coaches, family and friends have played the same role in our lives.  It is no different with our God.  

He has looked after and cared for us when we turned our back on him.  We’ve had to endure and suffer and we didn’t like it, it was awful.  But did it make us better?  Did it allow us to be grateful and feel blessed for all that we did have? 

The authority of our God, in three persons, is absolute and pure.  The bible is God’s word, his letter to each of us, it is how he reveals himself in the written word.  It has authority.  Let us honor our God who works tirelessly to bring us closer to him. 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

http://www.incompletedevotional.com

Who do people say that I am?

03 Sunday Sep 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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“Who do people say that I am?” asked Christ.  Who do you say that I am?  A sharp, pointed question that might leave some struggling to answer.  Have we, have you, have I, thought about the answer to that question?

After yet another exchange with the leaders of the church, Christ has some quiet time with his disciples away from the crowds, scribes and Pharisees.  It was time for discussion with his disciples.

It is not uncommon to wonder what others think of you, even if you are the Son of God.  “Who do you say that I am?”  Maybe this question was borne out of curiosity on the part of Christ or maybe it was something of a test for his disciples.

Who do you say the Son of Man is?  Christ often referred to himself as the Son of Man.  Christ referring to himself as the Son of Man confirms his divinity and his human nature. 

When I pose the question to you about who Christ is and who is he to you, what kind of response would I get?  Maybe an objective, textbook-like answer free of emotion or attachment.  Jesus is the Son of God, Savior, Lord, teacher, rabbi, to name a few.

Should our answer as Christians be far more personal and connected?  I think that it should be.  This man they call Christ that existed on the same plane and form as God took on flesh to live in this world of selfishness, violence and pain.

He came to this world not as a military leader or educated, learned part of the church hierarchy, but as a suffering servant.  He could have had everything, but he chose to possess nothing.

Christ could have chosen more educated, sophisticated men to lead, that might have been easier.  He could have stopped the beating, torture and crucifixion that he endured.  He chose to follow his father’s will, out of obedience, not out of weakness.  There is nothing weak about Christ or being a Christian.

When you speak about your family do you speak in stiff, unemotional tones or do you talk about my parents, my children, my spouse.  I have referred to my kids as my wife’s kids when they do something that I’m not pleased with.

When you speak of your father do you say, “My biological father conceived three children with my biological mother?”  I don’t know anyone that talks like that.  It is personal, my dad, my mother, my grandparents, my children.

The relationship that each of us has with our God should be deep and meaningful as well.  My God, My Savior, My Creator.

Christ asked his disciples this question, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but other say Elijah and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 

Some say John the Baptist, Christ’s cousin, the man with the strange appearance, the voice crying out in the wilderness, “Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Others say Elijah, the prophet who upstaged 450 pagan prophets at Mt Carmel.  Still others say you are Jeremiah.  A prophet who was given the task of preaching to people that didn’t listen to him.  History refers to Jeremiah as the weeping prophet.

 The disciples had answered the question of who and what others thought Christ was.  Now come this sharp, abrupt question, “But who do you say that I am?” 

The pointed words, questions and parables that came from the Son of God.  Had the time he had invested in them made an impact?  Had they seen enough to erase any doubt they may have had?

The brash, outspoken disciple, Peter, fires back, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!”….and there it is .  You are the Son of the living God.  A God that is alive, who works in this world to bring life to his people.

Peter did not say you are the Son of the cold and distant God.  He did not say you are the son of the God that we’re not sure about anymore. 

Christ is the God that took on flesh.  He is the God that desires to have a relationship with those he created, to those that he loved enough to give them the freedom of how to live their lives. 

The God we serve is a God that heals, reveals, that brings life, eternal life to his people.  After Simon Peter had answered, Christ said to him, “Blessed are you son of Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, it is from my Father in heaven.”

It was not mere mortal that had told Peter of Christ’s true identity, it was a revelation, a truth spoken to Peter from God.  How blessed Peter must have felt.  Not only does he live during Christ’s lifetime, he is one of his very disciples.  Of that chosen few God has revealed this most precious of truths.

Whether he realized it or not, Peter had attested to the truth, that Christ is the son of the living God.  Truth is an interesting thing.  Many search for it, but not everyone finds it.  We are called to search for the truth in our own lives.

The truth is that Christ is the son of the living God.  That much is truth.  But we are called to continue to seek him, to seek our God, to seek the truth in our own lives.  As I mentioned earlier, the relationship each of us has with our God should be personal.

It is not as easy as leaving here today saying, the preacher said that Christ is the son of God.  That is truth and now I’ll be on my way.  We are called into a deeper relationship with Christ and with one another.

On this truth, on this revelation, Christ said that he will build his church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  On this truth that Peter attested to Christ built his church and in spite of all the violence, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, shootings, terrorist acts, darkness, selfishness and need for convenience in this world, nothing, including the gates of hell will prevail against it.  Nothing.

Who do you say that Christ is?  Is it a question that you have given much thought to?  The Son of the Living God.  Can you see his work in your life, in others and in your church? 

Christ would continue, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”  Then he sternly warned them not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

We know that Christ’s ministry was a fairly short, it lasted about three years.  He will give the keys to his church, the keys of the kingdom of heaven to his disciples to spread the good news.

It would be the acts of the disciples and apostles that would spread the gospel after Christ’s death and resurrection.  It is our responsibility to do the same today.  We have been granted the keys to the kingdom of heaven.

To be the church, to be on the front lines of our community.  Helping those in need, assisting the poor and engaging people of all ages.  My hope for each of you here today is that you would draw closer in your relationship to the Son of Gog.

That your search for truth would begin and would continue.  That the revelation of truth that was granted to Peter would be granted to you as well. I hope that if the question is posed to you, “Who is Christ to you?” 

That you would answer with conviction, with passion, with the knowledge of blessings too numerous to mention in your life that has come from the God we serve.  Will you join me in prayer?  Good and gracious God, this world needs people that know you, your son and the truth that was revealed in today’s scripture.  In spite of the pain in this world, there is much that is good.  We have seen examples of neighbor helping neighbor, stranger helping stranger.  Continue to reveal yourself and your Son to us.  Draw us into a deeper relationship.  Make this church a shelter, a safe place and a place where your spirit is always present and everyone is always welcome.  Amen.

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of Incomplete

Can you drink the cup?

13 Sunday Aug 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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Can you drink the cup?  The mother of the sons of Zebedee makes a request of Christ, “Promise that these two sons of mine will sit on your right and left in your kingdom.”  Christ sets the overzealous mother and her sons straight, “You do not know what you are asking.”

They were asking for things along the lines of accomplishment without hard work, freedom without responsibility, all the gifts and grace that God has to offer without any of the suffering of the human condition.  Can you drink of the cup, of the cup of your own life?

The hectic pace of this life leaves little time for reflection.  It is an effort to put our phones away and pay attention.  Being fully present is in danger of being fully extinct.  Can you drink the cup?

It took me a long time to be willing to look at the cup of my own life.  Growing up in the presence of alcoholism left me anxious and unwilling to discuss what I had lived through.  Little did I know that others endured the same or worse.  I lived with that for far too long.

It took a lot of counseling in addition to God’s ability to heal for me to arrive where I am today.  Much healthier, but still reluctant to trust.  That is my cup.  No shame in the things that were beyond my control.  To be able to see that the events that take part in each of our lives is God’s way of molding and shaping us, even when those things are painful and don’t make any sense.

Christ’s cup was so painful that he asked if it could pass.  All the ugliness and sin the world has to offer.  Christ submitted to his Father’s will, we should do the same.

 

Pastor Shawn, Seymour UMC

Author of Incomplete

When the material things of this world don’t deliver.

02 Sunday Apr 2017

Posted by in Guest Bloggers on BnV, Poetry

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“There was a man who had two sons.  The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’  So he divided his property between them.  A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country and there he squandered his property in dissolute living.”     Luke 15:11-13 (The prodigal son)

I see myself in the parable of the prodigal son, and maybe you do too.  He was young and brash with a desire to live life in the fast lane.  He couldn’t wait for his father to pass.  He needed his inheritance now.

After his father grants his wish, the young man packs his belongings and heads to a distant land.  He squanders his money on fast living.  He hits bottom, so much so that he asks a farmer to hire him to help with his pigs.  He is so hungry that what the pigs are eating looks good to him.

Many of us haven’t sunk to this level physically, but how about spiritually?  It is when we are at our weakest, hungriest, coldest and in terrible pain that we cry out to God for mercy.  The prodigal son returns home and begs for forgiveness.  His father waits for his return and rejoices when it happens.  Much the same way our heavenly father rejoices when we return to him, he forgives us of our disobedience.

When living out all the desires of the flesh falls short, when you can’t find joy or happiness, turn to God.

 

Pastor Shawn LaRue

Author of the devotional, Incomplete

 

Speechless…Yes Me!

06 Friday Mar 2015

Posted by in About Me (since you Insist), Just Me Musing

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4000

Less than 2 years ago I sat down at my laptop, looked up FREE blogging platforms on Google and discovered WordPress. That very same night I launched Booknvolume.com with little or not comprehension of what a blog was/is, what blogging is all about, or what I might share on said blog. As my very first post will testify (http://wp.me/p3C4k1-5) (go ahead, re-read it, I’ll wait….) I really hadn’t a clue about this whole blogging thing. As I perused the WordPress Reader for the first time, visiting other blogs and following those I found to my tastes, I noticed a blog (which shall remain nameless) that boasted over 2000 followers. What an accomplishment, I thought. How does one achieve such an incredible number? Would my humble little, nondescript blog ever glimmer so brightly?

Now, 21 months later, I have the overwhelming Honour, Pleasure and Sheer JOY of announcing that BnV has reached a milestone I NEVER anticipated. 4000 followers! ??? Really?! 4000? I’m not sure my math-impaired mind can even grasp that number, but there is ONE THING I do KNOW….

Without YOU, without Each and Every One of YOU; without your Kind Support, Encouragement, and continued Interest in these musings, and (sometimes) confusings, that spill from my Heart and Spirit, NONE OF THIS could ever have happened. I remember being amazed at having gained the interest of 50 followers…4000 is beyond my comprehension, plain and simple.

But what isn’t beyond my comprehension is that, although I often feel I’ve said “Thank You Ever So” in ever way imaginable (and perhaps I have), I could never say it often enough to truly express my Gratitude, my Honest and Open Heartfelt Gratitude to All Of YOU!

You are Blessing to me every day.
You are a Joy through all the Marvelous things You Say.
You make me Laugh, Bring me Joy, Make me Cry,
but I will NEVER ever wonder Why,
I was lead to this place to Share Inspiration,
Though I Thank God for this Amazing Invention,
And I Hope and Pray with all of my Heart,
I live up to Expectation from the very Start,
So Though these are Wild and Whirling Words (Yes, Hamlet)
(You’d be astonished if I would forget!)
I will say it once more in a Radiant Glow,
Thank You Sweet Friends! Thank You Ever EVER SO!

~Morgan~

By Any Other Name

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by in Poetry

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Rose 20

This Honest Blushing, Cannot Express
Such Giddy Feelings and Happiness,

rose

When Friends Gather at This Table,
While I Verbosely Spin a Gracious Fable,

Pink Rose

Entreating, Rhyming, Singing, Sharing,
Blithe in Verse, Beyond Comparing,

Rose12

While Each New Face Makes Our Friendship More
Than Ever I Dreamed, Shaking to the Core,

Your Kiss My Love

And Only These few Humble Tokens
Spill from My Lips, Repeatedly Spoken,

Rose 9

Yet Heartfelt They, and with Emotion Glow,
Thank You, THANK YOU, Ever So!

Rose18

For 1700 WordPress Followers. For Over 3000 Followers across All of my Social Media Platforms. And for Over 2000 posts. YOU Have Blessed me to Be a Blessing to You to be a Blessing to Me. Thank you 🙂

Rose 21

~Morgan~

The Book and Volume of this Distracted Globe

07 Saturday Jun 2014

Posted by in About Me (since you Insist), Just Me Musing

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In Honour of my One Year BnVersary, I thought I would share a few of my original posts and a few of my favourite posts today. This first post marked my debut as a blogger. These are the words that were tumbling in my mind, literally, for hours a year ago (yesterday), and these are the words that inspired me to sit down, look up WordPress.com and start things off. I hope you enjoy today’s blast(s) from the (not so distant) past.

The Book and Volume of This Distracted Globe

Or Book and Volume

Or BnV

Admittedly, I am an amateur.  Sure, I’ve heard about blogs for years, heard people talking about posts round the proverbial water cooler, but I’ve never actually read one.  Nope, not a single one, but I know how to spin a tale; I understand and appreciate the basics of English grammar (although I don’t always obey proper form and I do love a split infinitive) so I thought, why not?  Give it a go.  Have a bash, what’s to lose, really?  Bit of time.  After all, how hard could it be, sitting at my laptop listening to the sounds of the ocean, or a nice thundery rainstorm, or the ethereal music of Delirium all thanks to the wellspring we know as You Tube.  And even If the only person who finds said blog interesting, amusing or, if I’m lucky, entertaining, should be me than that’s just splendid; because if you can’t take a little time out of your day to amuse yourself, then perhaps you’re taking things a bit too seriously. (but I digress)

So here it is, entry one.  Or post number one.  Or what have you.  Now, for those of you who do not know me (yet) perhaps this would be an opportune moment to insert some sort of disclaimer, alert you to some of my comparatively annoying idiosyncrasies, and enlighten you to some of my peculiarities. (Most of these are one in the same by the way)  So here goes: first and foremost I’m a word enthusiast, aficionado, and devotee.  I love, admire, aspire to emulate and find myself positively piqued (by) Shakespeare, Dickens, Austin, Blake, Poe, or the like.  Odd, perchance, but I’m quite certain you’ve probably already ascertained this for yourself.  Yes, words….words….words.. (to quote the Master).  They fill me with inspiration, they bring me to tears or sometimes they make me LOL, ….they can often, also, bore me to bits (insert government or math related blather here).   So you may find yourself reading ten pages of paragraph long sentences brimming over with 6 syllable words just to find out that all I’ve really said is I don’t actually have anything to say.  Yeah, I’m good at that.

I should also probably warn you that, although I find a great many things interesting and will, most likely, remark on any number of them in a given post, I don’t have a particular objective in mind ( at this point anyway) for this blog.  Variety is the spice of life after all, so one never knows what I may sit down and prattle on about, at length, mayhap insipidly, but at the very least ( and dare I say, hopefully!) you won’t find yourself feeling preached at when you’ve reached the end.  That, you may be sure, is not my intention.

So there you are and here I am, two partners in time; one sharing, one gaining (little or nothing, but perhaps at least a smile…if I am successful) giving and receiving, for better or for worse….(yes, I see the direction this metaphorical segment is taking and I would break off, but where this is going illustrates so well another of my quirks, which is, though I hate to admit it, that I do tend to find meaning in even the simplest things)…so to get back to my metaphor… if you think about it, being a writer and a reader is rather like being in a relationship ( I was going to use the M word, but we barely know each other yet).  There’s good, there’s bad, there’s mutual intrigue, there are laughs and tears, arguments and betrayals of one form or another, but in the end, it’s generally worthwhile.  (there, that wasn’t too bad, was it?)

Ok, so you’ve read four paragraphs now and, although I’m only going on instinct, I’m thinking I should probably begin to wrap this up.  Not very educational, to be sure; not very interesting, conceivably, but maybe, just maybe, when you are at work tomorrow talking to your friends ( or if you haven’t any of those at your job ) your colleagues, or when you’re stuck in traffic on your way in or way home talking to one of the aforementioned on your cell, or when you’re chatting with some stranger you just met on the tube, you might just tell them about what you did last night.

How you were sitting at your computer/laptop/iPad/electronic devise of some sort, bored with the mundane, hum-drumness of Facebook and Twitter and you decided, (possibly against better judgment), to strike out on your own.  It was then that you happened upon the most… (insert adjective of your choice here) (yes, interactive blog….nifty, eh?)… blog you’ve ever read in your life and, although you’re not sure if it was about anything in particular, you did have a laugh once or twice, but it didn’t last long and, while it seemed inane at the time and, although you thought you’d never be interested in reading it again, you can’t stop thinking about it.  In fact, you can’t even say why.  What you can say is that the author might just possibly be off her hinges, one pie short of a picnic, not quite reaching warp speed; still, she had a way of writing that made you want to read more….maybe,…although you can’t be certain because there was only one entry.   And now you’re left with the most annoying set of circumstances imaginable because all you really want to know is, what the heck is she going to be nattering on about next?

~Morgan~

Fantasmagorical!

14 Saturday Dec 2013

Posted by in awards

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fantasmagorical

Fantasmagorical !

There’s a word. Quite possibly one of the best words ever devised. It’s a mixture of ‘fantastic’, ‘amazing’ and ‘magical’ all rolled up into one spritely little package. One of those declarations, like supercalifragilisticexpialidocious, that eludes practical usage, but serves perfectly when ordinary words simply will not do. This, then, is the perfect expression to describe my sentiments when looking over the pleasing plethora of presents (or awards, to be more accurate, but I needed a P-word).

When I began this blog, as my first post will testify, I truly was not at all certain if ANYONE would even bother to read what it was that I thought I might have to say. At the time, I wasn’t even exactly sure what it was that I WANTED to say, and I never dreamed anyone would give me an award for saying it, yet to my amazement, they did and still are, which leads me back to this particularly pleasing proclamation : Fantasmagorical!

Now, before I begin, as I do realize these award posts can get a bit INSANE (even more so than I can) please humour me a moment while I attempt to explain the method to my madness here. I should like very much to follow all the award rules, but as it would result in a post, at the very least, several miles long, I shall ask that you permit me the privilege of sharing with you the Important part of awards, in my opinion, which is the other blogs you might like to discover. After, I should also like to share a few morsels about my friends who have been so kind as to honour me with this pleasing plethora and then, wrap up with a few fun facts and meaningless musings about me. (should you be interested)

Hang onto your hats…here we go! (A more detailed explanation of each award follows below these nominees)

shauny

I Should like to share the Shauny Award for Blogging Excellence with:
1. Pat Cegan at: http://patcegan.wordpress.com
2. tyler4turtles at: http://tylerpedersen02.wordpress.com
3. acuriousgal at: http://acuriousgal.wordpress.com

Blog of the Year Award 1 star jpeg

I should like to award the 2013 Blog of the Year Award to:
1. Brenda at: http://friendlyfairytales.wordpress.com
2. purpleraysblog at: http://purplerays.wordpress.com
3. MichelleMarie Antell at: http://michellemarieantellg.wordpress.com

wordpressfamilyaward

I Should like to Include the following blogs in The WordPress Family Award:
1. The Irish Wench at: http://ourgrainofsand.wordpress.com
2. thejerseygal®™ at: http://gabrielsfury.wordpress.com
3. Mungai and the Goa Constrictor at : http://mungaiandthegoaconstrictor.me/

the-lighthouse-award

The Lighthouse Award I should like to share with:
1. kundalinispirit at : http://kundalinidotorg.wordpress.com
2. Rexie at : http://geetaanjalee.wordpress.com
3. willowmarie at : http://willowmariewrites.wordpress.com

Sunshine Award

I Should like to share The Sunshine Award with:
1. RebellRed at: http://rebellred.wordpress.com
2. valzart at : http://valzart.me
3. PetiteOptimist at : http://thepetiteoptimist.wordpress.com

versatile

And Last, but certainly never least, The Versatile Blogger awards go to:
1. FeatherMoon Poet at : http://feathermoonpoetry.wordpress.com
2. v4vikey at : http://phototrap.wordpress.com
3. From the Desk of MarDrag at : http://fromthedeskofmardrag.wordpress.com

d86c3a89f23215ba71d36f607c8f5754

I have made some truly wonderful friends here, and one of them is Patty from Petite Magique, found at http://petitemagique.wordpress.com/. I’ve mentioned her before, to be sure, but some things bear repeating. Her blog is filled with magic, delight, wonder, passion, romance, and a hint of humour…all of which appeal to me and, I have a sneaking suspicion, will appeal to you as well. Patty has awarded me The Shauny Award for Blogging Excellence and I am entirely over the moon, as this award’s guiding principle is one right up my alley.

The Shauny Award was made specifically for him by a friend Doc. The Original Award can be found here: http://hrexach.wordpress.com/2013/11/25/a-new-blogging-award-has-been-created-the-shauny-award-for-blogging-excellence/ The rules for the Shauny Award are as follows:
Show Humanity, Share Love, Be Yourself, Don’t Be Others, Don’t Gossip. (That’s it. Sounds simple enough, right? Go Ahead, Be Challenged!)
Then Share this Lovely Award with others.

*************
Another wonderful blogger, Donna from Heron There and Everywhere, found at http://heronthereeverywhere.us/ has kindly re-nominated me for the 2013 Blog of the Year Award. (This would be Star #7 for me) I am so pleased to know that she has, also, received this marvelous tribute of an award, as her blog is simply lovely. With photography (mostly of nature, which I love) poetry that makes you smile, stop and wonder, or, sometimes, wipe away a tear, touches of humour and a marvelous love for all creatures great and small, her blog is an escape I enjoy running to every day.

The Rules for the Blog of the Year 2013 Award are:
1-Select the blog(s) you think deserve the Blog Of The Year 2013 Award.
2-Write a post about the blog(s) you have chosen (there are no minimum or maximum number of blogs required) and ‘present’ the blog(s) with their award.
3-Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the instructions with them- (please don’t alter the instructions or the badges!)
4-Come over and say hello to the originator of the Blog Of The Year 2013 Award via this link:http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/blog-awards-2-/blog-of-the-year-2013-award/
5-You can now also join the Blog Of The Year Award Facebook Page. Click the link here:https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlogoftheYear to share your blog posts with an even wider audience.
6-Finally, as a winner of the award, please add a link back to the blog that presented you with this award-and then proudly display the award on your blog- and start collecting stars!

Rexez

****************
Patty from PetiteMagique http://petitemagique.wordpress.com/ Also graciously nominated me for The WordPress Family Award. This is an award for everyone who is part of the “Word Press Family”, for those who take in new bloggers, and show love and a caring interest; for those who take a second to be nice, to answer a question and not make things a competition. This amazing Family is made up of kindred souls who have never met, but who are there for each other as family.

The Rules:
1. Display the award logo on your blog.
2. Link back to the person who nominated you.
3. Nominate others you see as having an impact on your wordpress experience and family
4. Let your Family members know you have awarded them
5. That is it. Just please pick 10 people that have taken you as a friend, and spread the love.

Patty ALSO recently BLESSED me with a new award called The Lighthouse Award.
This is a new Award created by Coach–>http://goodtimestories.wordpress.com
His words:
I decided to make an award to recognize the people who have created beautiful, heartwarming, and inspirational blogs. Their blogs bring us happiness, enlighten our hearts, and bring a little joy to our lives when we visit their pages. The work that these people have done has truly given us rays of light in a gloomy world.

Rules
1. Display the Award certificate on your blog.
2. Write a post and link back to the blogger that nominated you.
3. Inform your nominees of their award nominations
4. Share three ways that you like to help other people.
5. There is no limit to the number of people that you can nominate.
6. HAVE FUN!!!

3 Ways I will help someone:
1. I will strive to keep the focus of my blog, which is, to share Love, Hope, Peace and Joy, because there simply can never be enough of any of those.
2. I will never look the other way when I see cruelty or neglect.
3. I will share this Joy in my heart whenever, wherever, however, and to whomever I am led.

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A Relatively new friend, Thomas from Movies and Music Café found at: http://thomasjford.wordpress.com/ Has Also ever so kindly nominated me for the 2013 Blog of the Year Award ( My Stars, (pun intended) Star #8). Thomas has a love of the entertainment industry, as do I, and one of the first posts of his I noticed was about the (sadly) under-appreciated movie entitled Trapped in Paradise (with Nicholas Cage) which was actually filmed only a few miles from my home! Thomas’ views, insights, love of music, acting, theater, and all things Entertaining brings me back to his blog again and again (and again!).

As the rules for this award are aforementioned, I shall carry on…

CAT-SUN
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My relatively new friend, Drakulus from http://drakulus.com/ has paid me the honour of nominating me for the Sunshine Award. Although Drakulus and I have only recently met, I am delighted to receive this award from my new friend. Please do take a few moments to discover Drakulus’ very interesting blog, filled with intrigue, gaming, and movie reviews (which I love!). Always fun to read, you will certainly enjoy your visit.

The Rules to the Sunshine Award are simple.
Now, the Rules to these Awards:
1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your Honour (yes I’ve changed the word from win, I do so hope you don’t mind!) with a post and Thank the Blogger who Awarded you.
3. Present Several deserving Bloggers with the Award.
4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their Honour with a comment on their blog.
5. Share Some Interesting facts about yourself

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Finally, Jay, over at JayBluePoems found at http://jaybluepoems.com/ has most recently awarded me with the Versatile Blogger Award. Jay has been a friend nearly since the beginning of my blogging career (meaning for about half a year now) and has ever been supportive, helpful, inspirational and even paid me the VERY great honour of seeking me out for a collaboration, a privilege which still leaves me astounded. Jay’s blog is poetry of pure brilliance, romantic lyricism and entrancing beauty. You WILL NOT be sorry should you stop by and survey his wonderful world of words, I assure you.

Here are the rules:
1. Display the Award Certificate on your blog.
2. Announce your win with a post. Make sure you post a link back to me as a ‘thank you’ for the nomination.
3. Present awards to deserving bloggers of your choice.
4. Leave them a comment to let them know after you have linked them to a post.
5. Post 7 interesting things about yourself.

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And now….if you are still awake…a few tidbits about me you may, or may not, already know.
1. I once had to rescue a 5 foot long python snake from underneath a baseboard heater and cuddle it to calm it down while it’s new environment enclosure was being upgraded.
2. My Friends like to call me The Queen of Useless Information, because I know all sorts of ridiculous, otherwise useless, trivia, like the lead singer’s name from the 80’s band Kajagoogoo (which is Limhal) and how he ended up with such a unique name (his actual name is Chris Hamill, so he switched the letters around and Viola…Limahl)
3. I don’t tend to drink very frequently, however, my favourite alcoholic beverage is Bailey’s Irish Cream on the rocks. (mmmmm)
4. I whole heartedly believe I once saw an Angel. (a future post perhaps shall reveal more)
5. I am a hopeless romantic, as well as a sensualist and dreamer.

begging-kitten

To Sum Up: (IF this mighty long-winded post hasn’t made it clear) Thank You Ever So!!!! I am Fantasmagorically Blessed and Treasure Each One of YOU for making this journey through blogdom one of the most Remarkable, Enticing, Inspirational, and Joyful experiences of me life.

Blessings and Peace~

~Morgan~

In the Spirit of the Season

25 Monday Nov 2013

Posted by in awards

≈ 27 Comments

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Spirit of the Season

The holidays are coming! 29 days and a-counting, if you are counting, and here’s me with everything left to do and fewer and fewer days to do it in. Oh The Rush! Oh The Frenzy! Oh The frenetic madness of it all! I try every year to get done ahead of time, but never do; yet, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t because I rather enjoy the hustle and bustle of it all. Some people do get out of sorts this time of year; they let the stress and hurry-hurry of the season rob them of the joy of the season.

Rather like Blogger Awards (ok, I admit, it’s a fairly laboured segue, but do be so kind as to humour me… in the spirit of the season). I haven’t been around the blogosphere for very long, but I will confess to noticing that awards, like the holidays, seem to be either loved or loathed and for whatever reason, or any number of reasons. For my part, I love both the holidays and the awards as it gives me the opportunity to bestow a trifle of good will and friendship, to share a smile, and to, possibly, make someone’s day. (and my own day in the process)

Brenda over at http://friendlyfairytales.com/ has the holiday season well in hand, as she has been busy bestowing good will, as well as awards, like the Holidays are coming…oh, they are! Yes, and I do feel a wee bit like Christmas has come early this year as she has graciously given me the Blog of the Year Award (Star Two!) Do please take a moment to pop in and pay Brenda a visit, pick up a Fairy Tale or two for the road and a smile.

Blog of the Year Award 2 star jpeg

The Marvelous thing about this blogger award is that every time you are given the award by another blog- you can add another star! There are, in fact, a total of 6 stars to collect. This means you can pay tribute to your favorite blogs and, even if they have already been given the award by someone else, you can still bestow the prize again to help them reach the maximum of 6 stars! (Swapping out badges as you go, and adding a star each time you receive an additional nomination.)

You can find all the badges, banners and information you need via this link: ‘Blog of The Year 2013′ Award Badges.

The Rules for this Award are:
1-Select the blog(s) you think deserve the Blog Of The Year 2013 Award.
2-Write a post about the blog(s) you have chosen (there are no minimum or maximum number of blogs required) and ‘present’ the blog(s) with their award.
3-Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the instructions with them- (please don’t alter the instructions or the badges!)
4-Come over and say hello to the originator of the Blog Of The Year 2013 Award via this link:http://thethoughtpalette.co.uk/blog-awards-2-/blog-of-the-year-2013-award/
5-You can now also join the Blog Of The Year Award Facebook Page. Click the link here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BlogoftheYear to share your blog posts with an even wider audience.
6-Finally, as a winner of the award, please add a link back to the blog that presented you with this award-and then proudly display the award on your blog- and start collecting stars!

So, without further Ado here are a few more incredible blogs you may want to visit:
1. Bastet and Sekhmets Library at : http://bastetandsekhmet.wordpress.com/
2. Erik S Lehman at: http://erikslehman.wordpress.com/
3. Forever Poetic at: http://foreverpoetic.me/
4. Wuji Seshat Nibada at: http://seshatwuji.wordpress.com/
5. White Crow 12013 at: http://whitecrow12013.wordpress.com/

There are so many to pick from, really, and all have that special glitter and glimmer that makes their blogs unique, lovely and inspiring. Do please stop by for a look, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

And as Tiny Tim observed: God Bless Us, Everyone!

~Morgan~

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Lovely Image found at: 1stethical.com

The Quill

24 Sunday Nov 2013

Posted by in awards

≈ 18 Comments

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Handwriting,ink and quill pen

Tonya at Lost in Expression (found here: http://2flames.wordpress.com/ ) has paid me the very great honour and blessing of bestowing upon me the Most Influential Blogger Award. This award comes from a woman whose own blog is filled to bursting with beauty and light, inspiration and delight. Do please stop and see for your self!

It is truly amazing to me, truly astonishing, truly beyond description for me to receive this award and not stand in dumbstruck silence, tears in my eyes, my heart filled with gratitude that brims up and flows over like a spring tide and not take a moment to give Thanks and Praise to the One from whom the Inspiration Flows. I am the quill, but a quill on its own futilely scratches the paper; without Ink there is nothing.

As with all awards, the rules are simple:
1. Display the Award on your Blog.
2. Announce your win with a post and thank the Blogger who awarded you.
3. Present 10 deserving Bloggers with the Award.
4. Link your awardees in the post and let them know of their being awarded with a comment.
5. Answer each of the 11 questions that your awarder asked, and then write 11 for your awardees (or use the same ones up to you!)

most-influential-blogger

My Wonderful Nominees Are:
1. Sacred Touches at: http://sacredtouches.com/
2. Versical Rhymes at: http://ploosh61.wordpress.com/
3. Paddypicasso at: http://paddypicasso.wordpress.com/
4. The Hawk’s Tail at: http://risinghawkspeaks.wordpress.com/
5. Seventh Voice at: http://seventhvoice.wordpress.com/
6. GreenLightLady at: http://greenlightlady.wordpress.com/
7. Painting Pundit at: http://paintingpundit.com/
8. The Truth You Always Knew at: http://thetruthyoualwaysknew.com/
9. Wordifull at: http://wordifull.com/
10. Search for the Soul at: http://indrajitrathore.wordpress.com/

These remarkable blogs are filled with beauty, vision, insight, and thought-provoking posts that will inspire and motivate as well as some things that will make you go hmmmmmmm? They shine a light in the vast darkness of this world, and the many glimmers radiate Influence in all directions. Bravo!

And now it’s time for a breakdown..er, I mean for some questions :
1) What makes you happiest? Writing and Music

2) Do you love the Oceans or Mountains more? That’s difficult, both has their own lovely attributes, their own draws. I have to cope out on this one and say both .

3) What has been a special moment in 2013? May 25th. For reasons that shall remain my own 😉 (sorry that’s not fun or fair, I know) But what occurred inspired me to finally create this blog, started me off on a physical fitness regime resulting in 30 lbs lost and still going strong, changed my entire relationship with The Almighty and has given my life a sense of Purpose and Accomplishment I have long been longing for :so whatever it was, (which shall remain nameless) was life changing to be sure!

4) What’s your favorite quote? Of Course, From Hamlet because I relate to this speech entirely!
“I have of late—but wherefore
I know not—lost all my mirth, forgone all custom of
exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily with my
disposition that this goodly frame, the earth, seems to
me a sterile promontory, this most excellent canopy,
the air, look you, this brave o’erhanging firmament,
this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why,
it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent
congregation of vapors. What a piece of work is a man!
How noble in reason, how infinite in faculties,
in form and moving how express and admirable,
in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! The beauty of the world, the paragon of animals!
And yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust?”

5) Do you like yourself? I certainly think so, at least, I do hope so. Rather, I might say I dare to, or perhaps, I ought to…nay, I do 😉

6) Do you stay up till midnight on New Year? I do, but then, I stay up until midnight most nights so…

7) Something you wish could be done ASAP? Publication…relocation (to England, naturally) and Liberation (poetically speaking of course, meaning to find Love)

8) What was your favorite class when still at school? English, naturally.

9) What musical instrument have you tried to play? I play with the handbell choir at my church.

10) Anything you had wished to have learned earlier? Life comes at its pace for a reason…I just do my best to learn from the present and walk toward the future.

11) Do you like to do Crafts, Drawing or Painting? Painting.

Thank you to my awesome WordPress Family, for continuing to be the reason to my rhyme!

Blessings~~Morgan~
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Beautiful Image found at: shakespearienceworkshops.com