Unexpected Delays

In Denver, Colorado, on December 20, 2008, around 6:18 p.m., a Continental Airlines jet aborted takeoff for some unknown reason and experienced an accident which caused the airliner to come off the runway and descend down a ravine (click on the title above and you can read the Denver Post article). It consequently came apart and caught on fire. 34 people were injured, but there were no deaths. This was for all involved an unexpected delay in the journey we call life. I am certain the families of those involved were all extremely alarmed, yet thankful that there was no loss of life in this tragic airline accident.

What this accident is exemplary of is the reality that unexpected events happen to us. How we respond to these events is what determines our character. If we respond with a lot of anger, disgust and bitterness towards those who have caused the delay, we may not understand what we were saved from. Perhaps, by being delayed at the beginning of the Continental Airlines flight, those on the flight were saved from being killed all together if the flight were to have taken off and crashed in route. We just don't know what would have happened. We only know that the pilot in his wisdom aborted the takeoff. He obviously saw something that wasn't right.

I was changing a switch fixture the other day and the wiring didn't look right. It had been there for 50 years in my parent's house. I told my parents that I felt safer if a hired electrician came and took a look at the switch housing and investigated the wiring. So they asked a friend of theirs, a retired electrician to come and look at the wiring. They were delayed in getting the switched fixed, but when the electrician came, he had to rewire the entire box as it had completely shorted out and had been on fire at some time, but the fire had gone out. Thankfully, my parents had been saved from any damage to their house. Sometimes, delays cause us to look more intensively into a problem in order to find the source of a deeper problem in order to fix whatever is wrong.

There are lots of things that happen to us that we cannot explain. Red lights or construction on the roadway often cause people to get angry because they are kept from getting to their destination. Instead of getting angry there is other responses that are possible. One could choose to take a moment to rest, to breathe, to realize that not all delays are meant to be impediments. Sometimes delays are moments forced upon us to cause us to rethink our direction. Sometimes delays are placed to keep us from accidents that would take our lives.

Sometimes delays are forced upon us because we are too hard headed to rest otherwise. Unexpected delays are not necessarily bad events. It is how we response to delay that proves who our character. This Christmas season, there may be many opportunities to experience delay, perhaps a crowded checkout line, a busy highway, a long travel line, etc., we have the perfect opportunity to display the true Spirit of Christmas and make a choice to respond rightly to the unexpected delays that are presented to us.

It is my prayer that the unconditional love of Christ Jesus be made known to you during this season and no matter what happens in your day to day lives, that you discover the true peace that comes with knowing a love that is deep and far and wide and fully capable of carrying you through any delay, any unexpected happening that may upset your life. May each delay cause you to see an opportunity to rest and take a second look at your direction and know that you have someone who wants your best helping you get to your destination safely.

With love and compassion,

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

RamyB

Sometimes Life Happens

Have you ever encountered a day where life seems to just happen to you in a way that completely disrupts your routine and re-routes your life forever? Perhaps you have encountered many of those days. I am certain that many soldiers can understand what it is like to encounter disruption when they lose a limb or are injured by bombs. Many civilians are also caught unaware by disruptions such as drunk drivers, car accidents, deer standing in the road, car bombs, doctors telling them they have cancer, etc.

These life changing moments can be overwhelming at times, but God has built into our bodies a mechanism to enable us to overcome these moments. It is a tiny little part of our brain called the amygdala which kicks into overdrive during these times of crisis. It takes over for the conscious mind and runs the body helping us to cope during crisis until the conscious mind can handle coming to the surface again. It constantly amazes me the more I study the human body how uniquely we are all formed. We are created to withstand incredible amounts of stress, yet there is a limit to the amount the human body can withstand before it starts to break down.

I often wonder if catastrophic life events aren't reminders to us to slow down. I am not saying that they are God ordained, I am saying that things happen sometimes for a reason. I believe that God knows everything that is going to happen in the universe and I believe that He knows how to help us through these events. Some of us get so caught up in our every day affairs that we forget to take the time to get quiet before our Maker, to listen for His still small, yet large voice. Sometimes, I believe that we get sick because we are not taking the Sabbath day off to rest like we are supposed to as God designed the Sabbath day to be. Instead we are using that day to go bike riding, playing golf, hiking mountains, etc. In the scripture, it states that on the 7th day, God rested from creating the world. This is the prototype for all creation. We are encouraged to rest from creating... from working, from doing. Many of us grew up in families where we were made to feel guilty for resting... well, today, I'm going to give you permission to rest. I'm going to give you permission to not feel guilty for taking care of your body. You might say, "who am I that I can give you permission?"... my answer is that "I am a child of God, just as you are a child of God... and I release you from the guilt and shame that anyone has put on you that is not from God, and I release you to be who you are as His child because that is what His word releases me to do as His child."

Now, I know that people from all over the world read this blog... so I hope that you can understand that I care for you, each and every one of you. I am saddened by the events in Pakistan especially, and I pray for my friends and readers in Pakistan. I pray for peace and tranquility to come to your door. Most of all, I pray for peace and rest. May the God of the Heavens and the earth give you peace and rest in Christ Jesus! Amen and amen!

RamyB

Happy 36th Birthday

Happy 36th Birthday

Jeannette!!

November 25, 2007

I pray the Angels are celebrating your day with you! I miss you… I find it hard to believe that you are gone, never to walk on this earth, in this plane again. At least you are free, whole and out of pain. I wish more people could have understood you.

I wish more could have understood your pain and suffering and welcomed you with more grace. I know it was not easy to live and survive through the pain that you endured. But you did… each day you got up and each day you lived as best you could with the tools and grace you received from Father God.

I had such hopes for you. I had hoped that you could have overcome some of your addictions and enjoyed complete freedom from illness. I had hoped that you could have found a husband to love you and been able to have children. I suppose that the Lord Jesus was more interested in bringing you home to be your husband. You are now a perfect bride: the bride of Christ. We are all destined to be His bride. You just beat us to the punch. I applaud you at finishing your race. I know you are surprised at being in Heaven now.

I wish for us that we could have learned to love you better… to understand how to care for you better. Yet, in the time that you were here, we learned a lot about how to love a severely broken individual. You taught us a lot about how to listen, how to stretch our hearts to embrace that which we did not understand. You taught me how to see beyond my earthly limits. Father put you here to teach me many things… I only wish that you did not have to suffer the rejection of those who did not understand you. Now you get to run with the angels… enjoy the presence of the King of Kings my dear daughter… give Him a huge hug and kiss for me! I love you and miss you much! You will get to spend Jesus’ Birthday with Him… amazing! What a celebration that will be… know that we all miss you and love you!

Love, Miss Ramy

A Father's Love Letter

My friends...

I have a special letter that I want you to read, please go to this link http://fathersloveletter.com/English/FLL8.5x11ColorPoster.pdf, and read about your Heavenly Father's love for you. He desires that you know and understand that love is more important than hate; more important than war; more important than winning... more important than divorcing your spouse. Perhaps you are warring considerable discouragement today. My pastor, Reba Rambo McGuire, would tell you that to be discouraged means that you have dissed your courage. So get back up and walk with courage. Perhaps you are angry about someone's offense toward you, make an effort to mend the wrong. Yes, I'm asking you to go to the person and try to make it right. Perhaps it will be you who is the bigger person (D. McGuire, 2007). You are more precious than gold to your creator. It is not in His design that we destroy each other on this earth with our ideologies, our political views, our religious zealousies... it is His desire that you see how much He loves you and that He has made provision for you. He has not counted your sins against you. He has paid for them already in His son, Jesus.

The scripture says that even the earth groans for the revelation of God's glory in the earth... we have the capacity to shine with His glory when we love each other and love each other deeply from the heart. He is love. Do something kind today for someone else. Love them without expecting anything in return. Give to others without expecting a return. Then, your Father in Heaven will see your behavior. He will see the love that you have and He will fill you to overflowing with love and blessings. So be encouraged today! Lift up your chins! Smile even though it hurts because your Father in Heaven has not missed that you are hurting and help is on the way. He is nearest the broken hearted. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you! (James 4:8 NIV) Today is your day for breakthrough, I sense it.

RamyB

This letter is courtesy of Father Heart Communications Copyright 1996-2005 www.fathersloveletter.com

The Ruminate: The Week's News

The Ruminate: The Week's News

The Heroic Age

This blog is written by a former classmate of mine, Larry Swain. I am posting it for your information and resource. He has done a lot of research that is useful and particularly interesting. The Ruminate is also his blog! So happy reading!

RamyB

The Sun is Up

Amazing... the night has gone, a new day has dawned. Today is a fresh new day. There are fresh, new, exciting horizons waiting to be explored. It is all about perspective. 6:26 A.M. Central time... kittens are stirring, the dogs are snoring and my teenagers are snuggled in their cozy little beds. Not for long, I think. I ponder the ability to sit and enjoy the quiet (except for the road noise in front of the house). It was quiet a few hours ago.

Pastor talked this last Wednesday about taking the opportunity to make each day a day to rejoice by choosing to rejoice. There is so much truth in this simple statement. Joy by choice. Perhaps it should be stated, "joy by re-choice," for as you know the minute you choose to be joyful, the test will come to steal away your joy.

Today, just for today... make an effort to have joy by choice. For you have a Father up in the Heavens who loves you compassionately, dearly and completely... He is a good God. He desires good things for you and certainly today, IN today, He can help you find joy!

"For this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24 NIV I guess that means it takes both of us to be joyful... you and I are in this together!

My Best....

RamyB

New Links

As you can see, the look of Sacred Ponders is changing. I am making available to you links to some of my favorite merchants. I love to sail, so there is an abundance of marine merchandise available. West Marine does business with several countries around the world, so I hope it can help many of you who have needs and want to buy product for a good price.

Little by little, I will add more links as I find merchants that I like who I want to share with you. When you buy from these merchants you help me do what I do and you help me minister to people who cannot afford to receive ministry or counseling. So I appreciate your patronage.

Blessings to you,

RamyB

My Jeremiah... My Friend... What He Taught Me About the Kind of Parent I Am

Many people find solace in furry friends. I tend to rescue these furry critters. I am richly blessed with quite a few. One of these lovely creatures snuck into a very deep place of my heart. I rescued him almost four years ago. When I found him, he was a four week old kitten with his four siblings. He had been abandoned by his mother in an apartment complex.

The kittens had to be bottle fed. Four of them died from complications of immature lungs and pneumonia. Jeremiah was the only one to survive. He would hold his bottle with his paws. He would sleep with me and wrap his paws around my neck. He bonded with me. I became his mother. His keeper.

Later, as he grew, he became one of my greatest comforting companions. He would sit with me. He had to have his time with me and would compete with the other animals to sit with me. He would sit on my chest and wrap his arms around my neck, snuggling his nose into my neck. There were times when he would hug my arm with his paws... squeezing my arm tightly between his paws. He would stay with me if I was sick almost guarding me from any intruder.

Jeremiah was bitten earlier this year by a snake and got an abcess in his rear end. I helped him by cleaning the wound and then took him to the vet. I was the only one he would let near him. He was so thankful that I cleaned his wound that he would sit on my shoulder at night and snuggle his nose into my neck. He had to be with me. We had this connection... it was a special connection. I believe God gave him to me at a time when I needed a special furry friend.

On August 1st of this year, he went missing. We live on two acres in a rural town. There are woods behind my house. Sometimes, there are coyotes who run in the woods. Sometimes there are mountain lions. I don't know what happened, but today, we found my little friend's body on my front lawn. It was so very hard to find him. My dogs have a habit of finding road kill and bringing it up onto the lawn, so I went outside with my oldest son to see what the dogs had brought onto the lawn, but when we went to bag the animal, we realized it was my special friend. Gosh it was sad. So very sad. We immediately took him to bury him in the back yard.

Someone sent me a link today about a Lion's Kiss. It was a segment about a lion who had bonded with his keeper. His keeper had rescued him and taken care of him. Animals respond to love much in the same way that humans respond to love. Love and kindness goes a long way in reaching both animal kingdom and humanity. I have learned so much in taking care of these helpless animals. They are dependent on us to take care of them until they are well enough to get up and run on their own. Then once they are able to run, they want to run independent of us. Although they want to be independent, they are still greatly connected to us and want to be reminded of how much we love them. It is important that we remind them that we love them.

It is the same way with children. When they are infants, they are extremely dependent on us for all of their needs. As they grow, they are developing a level of independence (if we allow them to develop independence). As they reach adolescence, they start to reach for the edge of the nest looking back often to see if Mom and Dad are still there to love them should they fall when they fall out of the nest. Adolescents need a lot of encouragement to not only remain independent, but to also know that they are loved unconditionally, even if they fail.

It is not easy to love a teen who is testing the boundaries of love, yet it is part of their growing up process. Teenagers are learning to identify who they are as they test, argue, debate and challenge. In a loving environment, they can learn to ask questions within a framework that is accepting of these challenges.

I didn't like it when Jeremiah wanted to go out to hunt at night, but I always knew he would come back by morning. This time, he didn't come back. We can't always control what happens in life, but we can control our responses to the things that come our way. We can control our reactions to the challenges. When our teenagers are challenging us as parents, we have a choice. We can look at their challenge as an opposition to our way of doing things, or we can look at what it is they are trying to learn about themselves. Often, the challenge is simply an illustration of the teenagers feeling of being overwhelmed by the demands of this life, or our demands. By simplifying our demands, we can often alleviate the challenges to our way of doing things.

As a Ph.D. learner, I will probably always study the characteristics of how animals relate to us and how children relate to us, as well as how we relate to each other, but I hope in the end, I learn more about the love that occurs when we accept each other fully, love each other fully and look for the reasons as to why we challenge each other.

Christ calls us to love everyone unconditionally with an equal amount of love. It doesn't say anywhere in the scripture (that I can find) that we are to select those who are the best ones to help us get up in the world. It only calls us to love those who are brought across our path. I believe the scripture states very clearly that we are to love those who hate us (Matthew 5:43-47). "If we love those who love us, what reward will you get?"(46a) The scripture puts forth the challenge to us to love our enemies. Love those who may not act exactly as we want them to, think like we want them to, do like we want them to, like us like we want them to, or believe like we want them to. True Christianity means not putting self at the center of your focus, but Christ at the center of your focus. It means putting love as your aim. The goal is to learn to love... and to love all!!

Well, I am getting off my soap box now. I believe that being a good keeper, a good parent, a good friend, a good lover, a good Christian, means that I am willing to love unconditionally, to think the best, to believe in the best, to accept the people who are put in my path (even if they are negative), to love these people to the best of my ability and to care for those for whom I have been given charge. When I am selfless, I can get a good picture of who Christ is within me. If I am focused solely on what my destiny is about, then I am focused too much on me and not enough on Christ and what His goals are. When I stop looking at self and start gazing on the King of Kings, then all those who are entrusted to me become beautiful even with all of their flaws... I can see glory flowing through the cracks because God shines in them. Even the animals have God's Spirit flowing in their veins. He is the beginning of all and the ending of all.

We are called to love first... if we spend our time loving, we will end up having fulfilled our destiny and at the end of our lives, we can look back and say that we reached the goal.

With love,

RamyB

How Do I Get Through the Death of a Love One?

The answer to this question, is simply... moment by moment. When your loved one knows the Lord Jesus, there is the renewed hope that your loved one has passed on into eternity and is living with Jesus, the angels and others who have already passed to the other side. There is no one who can really tell you the right words... in fact, sometimes, what you will really need is the presence of trusted loved ones for days, months and even years after your loved one has made their transition from this life to the next.

It is HARD to be left behind. No one can really imagine just how hard it is. It is something you have to walk through. Thankfully, Father God created our brains in such a way as to help us through these significantly traumatic times. Our emotional brain, the amygdala, will bypass the cognitive brain temporarily and run on autopilot in an effort to help your body get through the amazing stress. Then as days go by, little by little, your emotions come alive again. You cease being numb and the reality of the absence of this precious life hits you. These are times when you must not go it alone. You must take the time to call someone who can get you through these days.

Be especially kind to yourself... take hot baths, hire a maid, take walks, sit in silence with best friends and enjoy one another's company. Draw from around you the strength that others have to present to you. It is okay for men to cry. Grieve and grieve fully. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to get through it and move on. Sowing a trusted loved one into heaven is the toughest kind of seed you can sow. It is precious seed.

Know that you will get through this time. You will learn to breathe again. You will be able to sing songs again. Right now, the pain is very real... and there is no need to hide it. If you have to, take some time off of work, or switch to a job where you don't have to interact with people, so you can grieve while you work. Ask co-workers to allow you the space to grieve. Believe in yourself.

You are also precious. If you get depressed and cannot get up out of the depression, see a doctor who can help you. Talk to someone... get help. Call a crisis line. There are people out there who have walked through the very same things you are walking through. Join a grief recovery group. Share your story and be present for someone else walking through the loss of a loved one. Together, you will journey on towards wholeness and you will have gained a new friend.

Just know that I understand how tender and raw you might be right now and I believe that Father God is especially close to those who are broken hearted. Reach up, open your arms and allow Him to flood you with His comforting peace. For you will.... find peace.

Be kind to yourself dear ones... you can get through this time. Believe... have hope... you will see your loved one again when we all pass from this world into the next in eternity.

With love,
RamyB

Believe

Sometimes there are times in life when we are tempted in life to believe or not believe in times of crisis. These critical moments challenge our very make up. We wonder if we ever really knew ourselves or if an alien had picked us up and reformed us on some strange unknown planet. Yet, deep down, when we listen quietly, we hear the truth about what we are really made of. Sometimes that truth is not easy to face, but there is, in the end, always... ALWAYS... someone who will love us. That someone is our Creator. Even if all of the created world has walked out on us, our creator... Father God, Himself, walks in and welcomes us home.

To believe means to ascribe to a tenent, or a belief, or a statement of idealogical thought about how we want to live our lives. One of the beliefs that I have no problem believing in is the FACT that I am a created being who is fearfully and wonderfully made. I also have no problem believing that my Creator has my "Best Interests" in His mind. Why do I think that? For this simple reason... an investor would not create his best creation for the junk pile. An investor would create his best creation for great things. With Father God, we are ALL His BEST creations. He deems us all His BEST INTERESTS... and He invests in us... His own Son, Christ Jesus, the Anointed One.

The New Testament states that if you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you will be saved... in other words, you receive what Jesus Christ did for you by taking your place and paying for all of your bad deeds. But, it is better than that... He wants to love you. He wants a love relationship with you. He wants to instill His dreams, His hopes and His desires into your heart.

So... take the time to believe...

RamyB

Even Though The Storm Rages... He Is In The Eye of the Storm

If anyone has ever been through a difficult storm such as a hurricane, a tornado, a blinding blizzard, they know that in the middle of the storm there is often a place of peace or a moment of calm before the storm begins to rage again. In a hurricane, it is called the eye of the storm. Even in blinding blizzards, there is often a lull and then another wave of storm.

It amazes me at times how nature gives way to humanity almost as if we need a breather, a chance to catch our breath. I believe it is God's way of speaking to us, letting us know that He is there, even in the fiercest of circumstances. He is there to help us through.

I can think of many storms in my life where I didn't think I was going to make it through to the other side of the storm. I remember driving through a horrific, blinding blizzard. It was like driving with roller skates on sheer ice. It took us five hours to travel 100 miles. Normally, it would have taken 90 minutes, but the storm was so bad that everyone was travelling very slowly and we could barely see the car in front of us. There were cars in ditches. We couldn't pull over to the side of the road because we were in the mountains and the nearest town was 100 miles away. Even the tractor trailers were having difficulty with the journey. Yet, I knew, as my roommates slept, that someone bigger than me was travelling with us keeping us all safe.

When we got to the next town which was out of the mountains, there was a lull in the storm, so I drove on through another three hours, finally to the end of the storm. One of my roommates suddenly woke up and asked if I wanted her to drive. I said, "yes." As soon as my body hit the passenger side, I fell into a deep sleep. My roommates said I could not be awakened for the next 500 miles. I had driven us through the most difficult part of the trip... the blinding. They slept through it, but we were not alone. It was the middle of the night, but I, the driver, was not alone. He was there in the eye of the storm. He kept me awake, alert, and safe. I'll never forget it.

There are so many other kinds of storms we experience in life... times when things happen beyond out control, yet He is there with us even if we cannot see His sustaining hand.

(c) 2007, RamyB

Forward Motion on the Journey

Today, I received word from my professor that I had passed my final clinical for my master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. This has been two years in the waiting. My expression was an elated YIPPEE!!! My children were excited and I laughed as my daughter stated VERY clearly, "Mom, make sure you finish the second master's degree before you start the third one." Of course, this is the first one and I am working on a second one already.

They must really know me. Today is such a momentous day for me. It feels as though I have been let out of the race gate and I have finally crossed the finish line. The race was long and tedious, but well worth the effort. There were hardships along the way; some that I thought would literally crush me... at one point, I critically understood how it felt to have a dearly, loved child taken from me and held in a facility that was unjust and unkind to him. I learned how to advocate for him; how to believe in him; how to visit him and remind him that he truly was and is a son of God and God Himself would act on his behalf. Some of these things I can talk about, some I can not talk about, but it caused me to delay my final clinical. Some of these events caused me to rethink my journey over and over and over again.

The most difficult hardships have pressed me to become a better therapist. Some of the things I walked through prepared me for part of my current practice although I did not see that when I was going through the hardship. There were times when I felt like I was being crushed in a wine press, or an olive press... when every part of my dream was being brought into question and every part of my character was being inspected, but in the end, on the other side of the severe hard pressing life circumstances, there has come a sweet oil that only Christ has been able to bring through me. In the end, the journey deepened my faith like no other.

Hardship is something we do not invite into our lives. In fact, most of us run from hardship, but when hardship comes, it is our perspective and our faith that will get us through to the other side... to the day when the sun begins to shine again. Eventually, the vineyard owner opens the wine press and cleans the olive press. When the pressure eases, the flawed parts of our character are mashed into the pulp of the wine... or the pulp of the oil. Then, the impurities are strained out. Wine and oil have symbolic meanings in Christendom as they both have healing properties. They have been used to represent spiritual things such as the very presence of the Living Christ and the Healing Balm of Gilead and the anointing of the priests.

Even today, red wine contains tannins that kill parasites and oil keeps parasites from moving or entering the skin. There are so many different applications to just these two substances...

Yet, here... in this place, the pressing and the hardship purified my life. I believe it further qualified me for part of my occupation and ministry. It caused me to be much more sensitive to those who are falsely accused. It caused me to understand how a child can go through imprisonment in an unjust system, endure hardship and how God can move to deliver him from it. It caused me to understand the pain that people undergo who endure public humiliation or gossip. It caused me to remember that we are all just flesh and we require the very presence of a very Living God to sustain us. It is by grace that we live and move and have our being.

Then, without our even noticing it... we have moved forward on our journey. We have touched countless lives along the way by our humanity, our faith, our realities, our joys, our sorrows, and our songs. In reality, there are several races we are called to run... how we run those races, no matter how difficult determines our outcome. If we will choose to STAND in faith believing in our Heavenly Father's ability to carry us through; if we choose to WALK through the circumstances; if we choose to FOCUS our eyes on the truth; if we choose to WORSHIP and PRAISE in the midst of something we simply cannot understand even though our emotions are screaming another language, then we will RUN and NOT WAIT and we will FINISH the RACE... and receive the rewards that are intended for us. Some of those rewards are the very relationships that were forged along the way... other rewards we cannot yet see, but at the end of our life we can hope and pray that we have been wine and oil to all those around us and wear a crown fit for kings. And in the midst of the journey, we have sojourned with the Divine Creator of the Universe... and learned more about what LOVE is... becoming LOVE to a world that is desperate for our forward motion.

With love,
RamyB

Safe Harbor

Oil Painting by John Poon

(c) John Poon

This painting called, "Safe Harbor" by John Poon, who lives in Wyoming with his wife and five children and family pet, Sven, is one of the best depictions of safe harbor that I have seen in a long while.

The phrase "safe harbor" is used commonly when referring to periods of sanctuary from any storm. That storm can be a physical storm, spiritual storm, emotional storm, verbal storm, etc. There are many applications for the phrase "safe harbor." But safe harbor most often draws me to the place of sanctuary from a physical storm or emotional storm. Every seafarer, airplane traveller, hiker, skiier, family member, etc., knows what it is like to experience a very traumatic physical or emotional storm. There is nothing like the experience of coming into a safe harbor, either, during the storm, or after the storm has passed.

For some people, the storm has torn up every normal piece of surrounding and there is literally no way for someone to catch their bearing. In death, most of the relatives and friends leave a couple of weeks after the funeral and the bereaved one remaining is left to pick up the pieces totally alone. For this person, a trusted friend can choose to become a "safe harbor" for the one who is experiencing loss. It is no understatement to note that in order to be someone else's "safe harbor" you must also be safe yourself. You must have anchored yourself well in the balance of life. As you can see from John Poon's picture, the fisherman tethered his boat to the pier to keep it from floating away. This particular pier looks like it has stone underneath it, that means it is more securely anchored than a floating pier. The fisherman knew which pier to anchor his vessel.

In the midst of a great physical storm, it can be difficult to find the place to securely anchor one's self especially if the storm tore to pieces the house, the church, the family, the marriage, the hillside, or any other part of life that had to go through the tulmult. Yet, there is one sure anchor. In the Psalms, King David wrote his enemies were all around him and war was breaking out in every region around him, he was being slandered and people were bringing false accusations against him, he chose to not be afraid. Why? Because He knew he could trust in the God of his fathers to deliver him. Psalm 27:5For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. (New International Version: Used with permission) King David knew that Father God would hide him in His dwelling (the Temple - which is where God's presence dwells) and the shelter of the tabernacle (which is the place of worship) and during his time of duress even though the storm raged, Father God would give him the highest vantage point on a secure footing, a rock, from which he could see how to defeat his enemies.

Now, in the New Covenant, we know that Father God chooses to live in our Temple (which is our earthly body) by the presence of the Holy Spirit and His son, Jesus Christ, when we dwell together with Him in worship and through worship and by worship. In His presence, we are hidden safely from all harm. Even though physically, there is no physical building around us, worship happens the moment we turn our eyes toward heaven and begin to thank the Creator, Father God for allowing us to have life, breath, limbs, love, bread, children, money, cars, etc. As we move into worship and thanksgiving, we enter the "safe harbor" and become anchored to the rock, which is the Christ, Jesus Christ, who is immovable, by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit then elevates us to a position above the storm whereby we can see the path out of the wreck that the storm has created.

There are moments... when we are called to enter into worship corporately and become safe harbor for one another. These are the times when it is necessary for the one who is able to carry the one who is broken into the place of worship, just as the one who was too sick to see Jesus was lowered into the place where Jesus was. By being Jesus to others, we become the presence of Christ that shelters others from the storm when they are unable to enter in on their own accord. Together, then, we are able to walk into the very presence of a very loving God, who desires nothing more than to love on His creation and restore them back into fullness of being.

This then is the true meaning of safe harbor. In that place, we all have the capacity to become vehicles of calm and transcendence of God's presence into a broken and torn apart world.

What kind of harbor are you?

With love,

RamyB

(c) 2007, Ram's Horn Ministries, with exception of photo of painting which belongs exclusively to John Poon.

Balancing on the Balance Beam of Life

Sometimes these days I feel torn between all of the demands prevailing upon the few hours that I have each day available for personal endeavors. Most of my day is committed to raising my children. Then a greater part of the next segment of my day is spent finishing my clinical for my Master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. It seems like I don't have any time for anything else, let alone eat, sleep, wash the clothes, walk the dogs, and breathe.

One of the things I am trying to force myself to do is find ten minutes each day to sit on the side of the road and meditate on balancing my life and what that would really look like. I believe that it starts with focusing my strength and energy on worshipping a very living God who loves the Universe, yet, that focus must also have a practical reach in that if I spend all of my time up in the clouds, I will have no earthly value. Yet, if I take what I learn in the clouds and dispense it to those I interact with not so much with my words, but with my actions, then I will definitely have the value that is needed to make a world impact.

It is so easy these days to get things out of balance. But if we are faithful to ourselves and to our Creator, He will help us find the true center that keeps us in balance and in touch with a practical reach. I know that the very next time I start to feel overwhelmed with the things of this life, I will remind myself that I have lost my focus and inevitably lost my effective reach. To this end, the only way to get back into focus is to get back to that ten-minute time slot where I can afford to seek my Father in Heaven and get His perspective... sometimes to be honest, I end up spending more time than ten minutes, but somehow, the rest of the day comes together in a perfect array.

After all, if the Creator of the Universe knew how to create such vast and enormous heavenly creations and create you and I, then how much more can He help us with our every day, mundane lives.

My best to you,
RamyB

An Open Heaven

Last night there was an amazing moon over my house. I was walking my new puppies (yes, I adopted two more) and I looked up in the cold air and there was the moon surrounded by the most brilliant halo. It was not a narrow halo, but a wide open halo. It was as if I was looking up into heaven itself. It truly was amazing and it left me with such a feeling of grandeur and awe.

I was first awed by the affect of the moon and the presence of the break in the atmosphere making a perfect circle in the sky, just over my house. At church, we've been talking a lot about this being a year of being under an open heaven. The verse is found in Malachi... where it talks about bringing the full tithe into the house and God will open heaven over you.... among other things.

I wonder about so many things that are so far beyond my comprehension, like how the earth keeps spinning on its axis... who keeps it spinning? And who set the planets in orbit around the sun? It is so fascinating...

I walked inside and put my precious Beagle/Dachsund mix puppies back in their crate for the night and pondered as I prepared to go to bed. What would it really be like to be "under an open heaven." Does it mean then that I can ask for anything and get it as long as it is in His will for me? Does it mean then that He will bless all of my endeavors? I think I will spend much more time working on what it really means to be living under what is called an "open heaven."

Sunday morning, I was blessed too with my female cat giving birth to five "healthy" kittens. For the first time, none of them died and I didn't have to teach any of them to nurse. I found it amazing. I keep my eye on them, with a warming pad under their special box... and I feel blessed. In the Old Testament times, the people counted how many sheep they had and how many cows, and llamas... etc., well, I am sure stocking up on dogs and cats. No, I'm not a hoarder. I have always found good homes for the surplus. But while they are in my care, I feel blessed to have had the time with them.

In so many ways, although I don't bring in a lot of money each year, I have all my needs met. I have three, beautiful children. We live in a warm house with running water and we have a car to drive.... so we are blessed. We even have food to eat. I cannot complain. It is all in how I view the world. I can look at all that I have and feel blessed, or I can look at what I don't have and feel deprived. I think I prefer to consider the former.

I know there are people groups in the world who don't have a bed to sleep on and they sleep out on the ground under the stars. I know that there are people groups in the world that don't have clean running water, food to eat, or clothes to wear... and those are the people that I can do whatever I can to share the small amount of wealth that I have. It is not much. Sometimes, it's just giving the guy who has a placard on the corner $5.00, so he can eat dinner, or buy a drink.

Sometimes it is taking the time to notice that someone is down. Sometimes it is taking the time to notice that someone around me is stressed and doing something kind for that individual to make them feel brighter. Those are the times when good things happen. Those are the times when I know I am making a difference.

I think that maybe that is what it might mean to live under an "open heaven" 'cause in that place I am free to bless all who come near. A former pastor use to say that God would give to you what He could get through you... I think that is really true.

What about you? what do you think?

RamyB

A New Year... A New Season... Under Heaven 2007

For most of the world, January 1st has already come. For those of us in the US, January 1st is still on its way. It is amazing that a year has already passed. There have been soooooo many lessons in the last year. I know that many of these lessons have deeply changed how I perceive my world.

One of the lessons that I have learned during the last year is that there is nothing more valuable than the relationships that I have with my children and that these relationships can be taken in a matter of moments. I have learned to value our interactions. I consider every day how we as a family have interacted that day. I wonder and ponder how we can get better the next day and learn to love each other more. I spend much time praying for my children to become all that they are meant to be. Afterall, in a blink of an eye, they will be adults and having children of their own. Time is but a breath.

Another of the lessons I have learned is to give myself permission to rest. I am often driven to achieve even in the face of my own body telling me, sometimes very loudly, to rest. I don't know where I learned that rest was not ok, but it is something that I am learning to unseat in my life. I am learning that rest is the most essential part of my life. Without rest, my body cannot rejuvenate itself enough to tackle the most important parts of each day. So, I must make an effort to allow myself to rest when my body requires rest. Rest is OK!! It is a necessary part of cell growth and rejuvenation. Too often in the old days of the US (the early 1900's to the World War II days), people were driven by such a heavy work ethic that they did not always allow for rest. If you slept in on Saturdays, you were called lazy. Now, we are learning that the world that we live in is such a stress filled world that the body requires adequate rest in order to survive the pressures and stresses of this world. Each body is unique in its rest needs. My body seems to need more. But then again, I am a caregiver and I am always in the position of giving care to others, especially my special needs children, so I am constantly having to remind myself to take care of "me," so I can adequately take care of others.

As I look towards this new year, I am pressed to consider those relationships around me which are important to me. I am also pressed to keep my eyes focused on the goals that I have laid out in front of me to attain. But most of all, I am pressed to make Jesus Christ, more and more, my King. The more I spend time with Him and consider His voice in my life, the more everything else gets very clearly and cleanly laid out for me. I can get through anything as long as I am deeply connected to my King.

Who knows what 2007 will bring. I am hoping that it will teach me many new things. I am also hoping that it will be a productive year in the lives of my children as well as the lives of those around me. I hope that I can be an instrument of grace in the lives of those I am blessed to touch. That is my life's prayer... three hours to go and a new season is upon us. I hope we all draw closer together and learn to live together in kindness and love.

My best to you,
RamyB

Merry Christmas!!! from Nashville, TN

Wow, it is CHRISTmas Day! Amazing... the gifts are unwrapped, the meals consumed and relatives across the world are gathering to celebrate one of the most important "holy days" (Rambo-McGuire, 2006) of the world. There are families gathering to celebrate together and individuals who are alone all over the world.

As I was logging on to read mail this afternoon, I noticed the headlines of world news. "Ethiopian jets bomb Somalian airport," (Associated Press, Yahoo News, 2006). As I read the news of the day, my heart was bothered by the fact that not all of the world was at peace today. I am so very well aware that there are those in our country and across the world, who do not have all of their needs met. There are those who are homeless, those who don't have anything to eat, or clothes to wear on their bodies. If only more cared to reach out to those who are less fortunate.

There are some people who believe that the poor have no right to blessing during Christmas, yet their attitude is one of essential scrooginess. The writer to the Hebrews in the first Gospel, Matthew, stated Christ's words, "the poor you will always have with you, but me you do not always have." (Matthew 26:11, NIV, used by permission). I am so keenly aware of how blessed I am, in comparison to many who have much less than I do. My children and I are so very blessed this Christmas. I pray for those who are on the streets who have need of blankets, food, clothes, and shelter from the cold. I ponder if there are enough angels to help these often forgotten members of our global community. I am also so keenly aware of Christ's presence today in my life.

Two-thousand, plus years ago, the divine Father made His second imprint on humanity. He overshadowed the Virgin, named Mary, to impregnate her with His seed, Jesus Christ, out of love so that the world might be reconciled to Himself. The first imprint was creating humankind in His own image, with all of the characteristics of the Godhead available to humanity. The second imprint was the gift of love that provided a way for humanity to find its way back to relationship with the divine.

Jesus Christ was born in a humble stable, not in palaces, or castles (McGuire, 2006). He came in a contrary way to what the religious establishment of the day desired. Isn't that so true of most of the religious world today? In many ways, religion seeks to box Christ in, to put parameters on who can and who cannot come into the Kingdom of God. Yet, Christ's work was complete. By becoming man and living a sinless life on earth and by enduring a humiliating experience on a wooden cross, He provided the perfect means by which humanity can come to the Creator of the Universe. Yet, even though He gave His life in such a free way, there are those who desire to put markers on humanity. There are those who wish to exclude individuals from the Kingdom. My question is this: Who has the audacity to raise themselves up to the position of judging humanity's eternal position? That place is reserved for God Himself and Himself alone. It amazes me how many people, in America, in foreign countries, in churches, make choices of hatred towards one another. Even in Christian families, there is often discord around the holidays; discord that often severs blood ties. This ought not be so.

Jesus Christ came that we might live an abundant life... this is often mis-interpreted to mean "abundant provisions." What I believe He really meant was that we would find abundance in His very real presence in our lives. That as we daily seek Him, we will find wisdom to walk out our daily lives and the ability to live in peace with all humanity. This Christmas would not be Christmas if it did not contain the word "Christ." The world would not be the same without this very special, Holy day! (Rambo-McGuire,2006). The name Christ, means "the anointed one," hence, Christmas literally means that this day is a Day of Anointing. It is totally possible to imagine that all who exist on earth could find themselves anointed for peace this day. Anointed for love, anointed for kindness, anointed for reconciliation, anointed for beauty, anointed for abundance, anointed for harmony, and anointed for the healing of their lives. It is also a day for anointing the lonely with companionship.

So this CHRISTmas Day, I challenge you to be aware of what you are being anointed with... is it reconciliation? is it peace? is it love? is it benevolence? I hope that today, you will find more than anything, peace and warmth for your soul.

Merry CHRISTmas!!

With love,
RamyB

Resource:
McGuire, D. (2006) Christmas Eve Sunday morning sermon: live comments. The River at Music City, Nashville, TN. www.theriveratmusiccity.com

Rambo-McGuire, R. (2006) Christmas Eve Sunday morning sermon: live comments. The River at Music City, Nashville, TN. www.theriveratmusiccity.com

Yahoo News (2006) Ethiopian jets bomb somalian airport. www.yahoo.com/news

Christmas Day is Approaching...

It is amazing that Christmas Day is already five days away. Each year, the commercial establishments start setting up for Christmas in America just before Halloween now. It used to be that they waited a little while before Thanksgiving.

It is my hope that as Christmas Day approaches that the real meaning of Christmas becomes evidently clear to those who believe and celebrate it's true meaning. I also recognize that Hannukah is being celebrated right now as well and today is day eight of that celebration. It is important to celebrate your faith, whatever that faith might be, but to celebrate it. Be diligent in pursuing God in your endeavors. I believe that these seasons bring us closer to Him if we allow Him to draw us near.

In this season of giving, I hope that people will take a moment to relax, to ponder, to realize where they are headed in the new year; take moments to ponder the meaning and value of life... that life in and of itself is sacred. It is worth salvaging, no matter the mess that you are in.

I am hoping you are all filled with hope this season. I know that it is difficult sometimes when loved ones have passed on into eternity because celebrations occur without them, but remember that these loved ones are celebrating with you, just on the other side of the spectrum of what we call life. If you are not filled with hope, call one someone who is and tell them that you need a little of what they have. Ask for hope to be instilled in your heart and it will come to you. For Father freely gives to those who ask of Him. It is His way of giving gifts.

To celebrate Christmas, is to remember that it is about Christ coming to earth to love and save the world... to reconcile humanity back to its creator... this is the real meaning of Christmas. It is the "Christ Mass." I hope in this Christmas season, all those reading here will find themselves at greater peace with themselves and with others because of what Christ did for them... in reconciling the world back to the Father of all mankind.

After all, it's not about commerialism, or who gets the best gifts, it's about loving one another and celebrating each other and knowing that we are together one big community, a big global community called to peace.

With love,
RamyB

Sometimes you have to just stand...

There are times in life when you are hard pressed on every side. It seems like nothing goes right, and everything you do comes to nought. Those times and seasons seem to be the most unproductive times, yet in reality, they are productive. Yesterday, as I was helping my son clean an area of our home, I pondered how muscles gain strength when pushing against an immovable object. When pushing against the immovable object, the muscle comes up to the point of muscle failure which cause the muscle cells to rebuild new cells and increase its strength (Zickerman & Schley, 2006).

In these hard seasons of life, we are actually gaining strength physically, mentally, and emotionally by learning to get through the season. We learn how to get more frugal (McGuire, 2006). We learn how to be more sensitive to the needs of those around us, etc..

What we do not notice is that the hard season is preparation for the easy season when things are going well. In the hard season, we are forced to get all of our ducks in a row. We are forced to take notice of the little things that we've been overlooking. So there is purpose in these times that get hard in our lives. And sometimes when you've done everything that you know how to do, you just have to stand (Rambo-McGuire, 2006).

Standing teaches you to increase your stamina because standing means that your legs have to work. Standing means you're not under your bed hiding from the hard season. Standing means that you are ready to see the easy season coming. Standing means you've won the fight. Standing means that you're strong. Have you ever watched a knock-down drag out fist fight and the man keeps getting up to stand?? The fighter knows that if he can just get back up, he can get going again. If he can just get back to a standing position, he can fight back the opposition.

So perhaps today is a time when things seem especially hard for you and you are being forced to stand... so stand. Take care of everything you know how to do, and stand. The Father of the Universe is working in unseen ways for your benefit and He will bring about a victory that you could never have thought about. You're a fighter... you have it in you, so get back up again and get on your feet. There isn't anything you can't get through, cause we are here with you... and Father is with you too.

RamyB

Resource:

McGuire, D. (2006) Live Message on 23rd Psalm, December 13, 2006. The River at Music City, Nashville, TN.

Rambo-McGuire, R. (2006) Comments on Live Message on 23rd Psalm, December 13, 2006. The River at Music City, Nashville, TN.

Zickerman & Schley (2006) The Power of 10: The once-a-week slow motion fitness revolution. Retrieved December 15, 2006 from Google books.