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OCTOBER, 2009

REFLECTIONThe following Scripture is from the

Gospel according to Mark, Chapter 7,

verses 31-37: Jesus left the district of

Tyre and went by way of Sidon to the

Sea of Galilee, into the district of the

Decapolis. And people brought to him

a deaf man who had a speechimpediment and begged him to lay his

hand on him. He took him off by

himself away from the crowd. He put

his finger into the mans ears and,

spitting, touched his tongue; then he

looked up to heaven and groaned, and

said to him, Ephphatha! that is, Be

opened! and immediately the mans

ears were opened, his speech

impediment was removed, and he spoke

plainly. He ordered them not to tellanyone. But the more he ordered them

not to, the more they proclaimed it.

They were exceedingly astonished and

they said, He has done all things well.

He makes the deaf hear and the mute

speak. There is much symbolic

richness for us here, so lets explore

the passage in more detail and make

some important applications for our

spiritual life. First, notice that the

afflicted man asked for help with hisspeech impediment. But that

impediment was a symptom of a

deeper problem: He was deaf, and

this resulted in his difficulty with

speech. And so it is with us. When we

complain that we are not able to

explain, enunciate, or even really

understand our faith, it is not a speech

problem it is a hearing problem.

Second,note the sentence,He tookhim off by himself away from the

crowd. Lets be honest with

ourselves: How frequently do I goaway from the crowd, find a place and

time of silence, and commune quietlywith Jesus? Unless that happens on a

regular basis, we simply cannot hear

God, we cannot discern His will for us,

we wind up walking according to our

own desires and miss out on all that

He has for us. Third, do we even

recognize that we are deaf? No

matter where we are in our spiritual

journey, no matter how close we

believe we are to God and thank

God for that there is always a higherand deeper place that God wants to

lead us to. Think about it: When we

became Christians, when we were

filled with sanctifying grace, we were

invited to share in the divine life of the

Trinity Father, Son and Holy Spirit

even now during life on earth. As

Paul wrote,We are caught up into the

heavenlies. We know by Gods

revelation of Himself and by faith that

God is infinite, totally holy, livingLove, omnipresent, omniscient and

the source of all creation and all of

life. We will spend all of eternity in

heaven, if the Lord grants the

fulfillment of this ultimate life goal,

adoring and worshiping Him and

plumbing ever more deeply into the

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mysteries and richness of His divine

life. And for all eternity we will never

completely comprehend it all, we will

never stop growing for His is God

and we are His beloved creatures. So,

if that is true in heaven, it is certainlytrue on earth. In fact, we can say

without exaggeration that the primary

purpose of our life on earth is to

consistently, daily grow in relationship

with the Lord, in knowledge of Him,

and in finding His perfect will for us.

If that is our goal, and if we work

toward it with passion every day, we

will find a peace that surpasses all

understanding, we will grow regularly

in sensitivity toward the needs ofothers with a growing servants heart,

and every act, word and thought

indeed, every breath becomes a

living prayer of praise and of

intercession for the world. If we do

not admit our deafness, if we so focus

on the activities and responsibilities of

daily life that we do not take time,

every day, to commune with God

through Scripture and through just

being quiet in His presence then we

will miss out on the fullness of what

God wants for us and what He wants

to do in our lives. Regardless of past

failures, now is the moment to refocus,

to rededicate, and to build

communication with God into our

daily lives not just on Sundays, or

other times when we enter a church

but as the most important activity of

every single day. Lets close this

Reflection with another Scripture,

from Isaiah 35, verses 4-7: Thus says

the Lord: Say to those whose hearts

are frightened: Be strong, fear not!

Here is your God, he comes with

vindication; with divine recompense he

comes to save you. Then will the eyes

of the blind be opened, the ears of the

deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap

like a stag, then the tongue of the mute

will sing. Streams will burst forth in

the desert, and rivers in the steppe. The

burning sands will become pools, and

the thirsty ground, springs of water.He yearns so deeply to tell us of

Himself, to show us Himself, to bring

us into every deeper union with Him!

A 4THCENTURY READING

John Chrysostom was born in 349

and died in 407. He became the

Bishop of Constantinople and was

a gifted writer and speaker. On

two occasions he was forced intoexile, by the imperial court and by

his enemies. Chrysostom means

Golden Mouth. The following is

one of his sermons: The waters

have risen and severe storms are

upon us, but we do not fear

drowning, for we stand firmly

upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it

cannot break the rock. Let the

waves rise, they cannot sink theboat of Jesus. What are we to

fear? Death? Life to me means

Christ, and death is gain. Exile?

The earth and its fullness belong

to the Lord. The confiscation of

our goods? We brought nothing

into this world, and we shall

surely take nothing from it. I

have only contempt for the worldsthreats. I find its blessings

laughable. I have no fear of

poverty, no desire for wealth. I am

not afraid of death no do I long to

live, except for your good. I

concentrate therefore on the

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present situation, and I urge you,

my friends, to have confidence.

Do you not hear the Lord saying,

Where two or three are gathered

in my name, there I am in their

midst? Will he be absent, then,

when so many people united in

love are gathered together? I have

his promise; I am surely not going

to rely on my own strength! I have

what he has written; that is my

staff, my security, my peaceful

harbor. Let the world be in

upheaval. I hold to his promise

and read his message; that is myprotecting wall and garrison.

What message? Know that I am

with you always, until the end of

the world! If Christ is with me,

whom shall I fear? Though the

waves and the sea and the anger of

princes are roused against me, they

are less to me than a spiders web.

Indeed, unless you, my brothers,

had detained me, I would have left

this very day. For I always say:

Lord, your will be done; not what

this fellow or that would have me

do, but what you want me to do.

That is my strong tower, my

immovable rock, my staff that

never gives way. If God wants

something, let it be done! If he

wants me to stay here, I amgrateful. But wherever he wants

me to be, I am no less grateful.

Yet where I am, there you are, too,

and where you are, I am. For we

are a single body, and the body

cannot be separated from the head

nor the head from the body.

Distance separates us, but love

unites us, and death itself cannot

divide us. For though my body

die, my soul will live and be

mindful of my people. You are

my fellow citizens, my fathers, my

brothers, my sons, my limbs, my

body. You are my light, sweeter to

me than the visible light. For what

can the rays of the sun bestow on

me that is comparable to your

love? The suns light is useful in

my earthly life, but your love is

fashioning a crown for me in thelife to come.

ON THE LIGHTER SIDEWhy did the chicken cross the road?

Sarah Palin: Before it got to the other

side, I shot the chicken, cleaned and

dressed it, and had chicken burgers

for lunch. Barack Obama: The

chicken crossed the road because it

was time for a change! The chicken

wanted change! John McCain: My

friends, that chicken crossed the road

because he recognized the need to

engage in cooperation and dialogue

with all the chickens on the other side

of the road. Hillary Clinton: When I

was First Lady, I personally helped

that little chicken to cross the road.

This experience makes me uniquely

qualified to ensure from Day One that

every chicken in this country gets the

chance it deserves to cross the road.

But then, this isnt really about me.

George W. Bush: We dont really

care why the chicken crossed the road.

We just want to know if the chicken is

on our side of the road or not. The

chicken is either against us, or for us.

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There is no middle ground here. Dick

Cheney: Wheres my gun? Colin

Powell: Now, to the left of the screen,

you can clearly see the satellite image

of the chicken crossing the road. Bill

Clinton: I did not cross the road withthat chicken. What is your definition

of chicken? Al Gore: I invented the

chicken. John Kerry: Although I

voted to let the chicken cross the road,

I am now against it. It was the wrong

road to cross, and I was misled about

the chickens intentions. I am not for

it now and will remain against it. Al

Sharpton: Why are all of the chickens

white? We need some black chickens.

Dr. Phil: The problem we have here isthat this chicken doesnt realize that

he must first deal with the problem on

this side of the road before it goes

after the problem on the other side of

the road. What we need to do is help

him realize how stupid hes acting by

not taking on his current problems

before adding new problems. Oprah:

Well, I understand that the chicken is

having problems, which is why he

wants to cross the road so badly. So,

instead of having the chicken learn

from his mistakes and take falls, Im

going to give this chicken a car so that

he can just drive across the road and

not live his life like the rest of the

chickens. Nancy Grace: That chicken

crossed the road because hes guilty!

You can see it in his eyes and in the

way he walks. Pat Buchanan: To

steal the job of a decent, hardworking

American. Dr. Seuss: Did the chicken

cross the road? Did he cross it with a

toad? Yes, the chicken crossed the

road, but why it crossed Ive not been

told. Grandpa: In my day we didnt

ask why the chicken crossed the road.

Somebody told us the chicken crossed

the road, and that was good enough.

Barbara Walters: In a few moments,

we will be listening to the chicken tell,

for the first time, the heart-warming

story of how it experienced a serious

case of molting and went on to

accomplish its lifelong dream ofcrossing the road. Aristotle: It is the

nature of chickens to cross the road.

Bill Gates: I have just released

eChicken2009, which will not only

cross roads but will lay eggs, file your

important documents and balance

your checkbook. Internet Explorer is

an integral part of eChicken2009.

This new platform is much more

stable and will never crash or need to

be rebooted. Albert Einstein: Did thechicken really cross the road, or did

the road move beneath the chicken?

Colonel Sanders: Did I miss one?

STORY

Sixteen years ago I learned this

lesson. I learned it in the back of a

New York City taxi cab. Heres

what happened: I hopped in a taxi,

and we took off for Grand Central

Station. We were driving in the

right lane when, all of a sudden, a

black car jumped out of a parking

space right in front of us. My taxi

driver slammed on his breaks,

skidded, and missed the other cars

back end by just inches! The

driver of the other car, the guy

who almost caused a big accident,

whipped his head around and hestarted yelling obscenities at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and

waved at the guy. I mean, he was

being friendly. So I said, Why

did you just do that? This guy

almost ruined your car and sent us

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to the hospital! And this is when

my taxi driver told me what I now

call The Law of the Garbage

Truck. Many people, he said,

are like garbage trucks. They run

around, fill of garbage, full of

frustration, full of anger and full of

disappointment. As their garbage

piles up, they need a place to dump

it. And if you let them, theyll

dump it on you. When someone

wants to dump on you, dont take

it personally. Just smile, wish

them well, and move on. Youll

be happy you did. So, this was it:The Law of the Garbage Truck.

I started thinking about how often

I let garbage trucks run right over

me, and how often I take their

garbage and spread it to other

people at work, at home, on the

streets. That was the day I said

that I was not going to do it

anymore. Well, now I see

Garbage Trucks in a different

light. I see the load they are

carrying, I see them coming to

drop it off. And, like my taxi

driver, I dont make it a personal

thing; I just smile, wave, wish

them well, and I move on. Good

parents know that they have to

welcome their children home from

school with hugs and kisses.Leaders and spouses and all people

with servants hearts know that

they have to be fully present and at

their best for the people they care

about. The bottom line is that such

people do not let Garbage Trucks

take over their day. What about

you? What would happen in your

lives, starting today, if you let

more Garbage Trucks pass you by?

You would be happier and more at

peace. Life is too short to wake up

in the morning with regrets, so:

Love the people who treat you

right, but also love the people who

dont.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Ive never made a fortune and its

probably too late now, but I dont

worry about that much cause Imhappy anyhow. And as I go along

lifes way Im reaping better than I

sow; Im drinking from my saucer

cause my cup has overflowed. I

havent got a lot of riches and

sometimes the goings tough, but

Ive got loving ones around me

and that makes me rich enough. I

thank God for His blessings and

the mercies Hes bestowed; Im

drinking from my saucer cause

my cup has overflowed. Oh, I

remember times when things went

wrong and my faith wore

somewhat thin, but all at once the

dark clouds broke and the sun

peeped through again. So, Lord,

help me not to gripe about the

tough rows that Ive hoed; Imdrinking from my saucer cause

my cup has overflowed. If God

gives me strength and courage

when the way grows steep and

rough, Ill not ask for other

blessings cause Im already

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blessed enough. And may I never

be too busy to help others bear

their loads; then Ill keep drinking

from my saucer cause my cup has

overflowed.

PRAYER MOBILIZATION

Please pray for: The end of

corruption among leaders and a

return to the heart and soul of our

nation as our founding fathers

envisioned itThe ending of

abortion, including a change in

heart in President Obama and his

advisorsThe preservation of thesanctity of marriage, defined as

between one man and one

womanAll churches and

ministries in our regionGregory

Thompson and Asleep kNOw

More ministry as it works for our

children and for pro-life issues

The SDC Foundation and its

ministries and services to the

regionAll the sick and dying

All the lost, they all come to the

knowledge of the TruthAll UP

Team members and supporters, for

the strength to carry on and in

thanksgiving for their

faithfulnessUnity among all

ChristiansThe end of drug and

alcohol abuse and domestic and

sexual violenceIn thanksgivingfor all of our blessings.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTSThe following is from my recently

published book, Reflections: The

Challenge and Excitement of the

Committed Christian Life:

Reflection 21: Go to Hell! Haveyou ever said that to someone, or

thought that about someone? It is a

common enough exclamation in our

society, and usually when people say it

they do not literally mean it or even

think about what it means; it is just a

way to tell someone to bug off, a way

to dismiss someone. But it is,

nevertheless, a horrible statement to

makeI am going to make a very

bold and very true statement: AnyChristian who wishes eternal hell for

another human being, regardless of

what that person has done, is guilty of

a terrible sin. It is absolutely contrary

to the Christian life to harbor

unforgiveness and to wish harm to

another person. There are simply no

exceptions to this, so if you as a reader

are unwilling to forgive someone

anyone you need to stop right now

and seek God and ask for His pardon and then you need to show your

sincerity by forgivingWhen we do

refuse to forgive, we are haughtily

saying in effect that even though we

are glad to be forgiven (by God) we do

not choose to do the same for others

Forgive everyone, specifically, and

right now; dont put it off, just do it.

Eternity is hanging in the balance.

And no Go to hell! Say instead, Go

to heaven! (This book, along with myother newly published book,

ChristianCatholicand Praising

Jesus is available from

Authorhouse.com.)

God bless you. Peace to you and

yours. Bob Burton

[email protected]; (417) 331-1028

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