THANKSGIVING REFLECTIONS

THANKSGIVING REFLECTIONS

I am thankful today that I have never been hungry, but I know that over 24,000 people will die today of hunger and hunger-related causes.  As I say a prayer of thanks today,  I am also wondering, what am I going to do about world hunger?

I am thankful today that I have never been homeless, although I know that there are at least 3.5 million people in the USA who are.  As I pray with thanksgiving today, I am also asking, what will I do about homelessness in America?

I am thankful today that I have never been enslaved by anyone or anything besides my own selfishness, yet I know that there are over 27 million people enslaved in the world today, more than any other time in human history.  As I pray with thankfulness today, I am also pondering, what I will do for those suffering from human trafficking?

I am thankful today that I do not live with fear of bombs, rockets or missiles raining down death and destruction on my home or neighborhood, but I know there are many people who must worry about this every day.  As I pray with thanksgiving today, I am reflecting, what shall I do to bring peace with justice to such a fragile world as ours?

I am thankful today that my home has not been destroyed by a hurricane, earthquake or tornado, however, I know many people within a few hours drive who have lost everything in such a disaster.  As I say my prayers of thanks today, I am also musing, what am I supposed to do to relieve their suffering?

I am thankful today that I have not been diagnosed with cancer, although 1,638,910 new cancer cases and 577,190 deaths from cancer are projected to occur in the United States in 2012.  As I say my prayers of thanks today, I am also asking, what will I do to respond to so much pain all around me?

I am thankful today that I am not sad or depressed, yet I know there are approximately 18.8 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population, who have a depressive disorder.  As I pray today, with thankfulness, I am also considering, what will I do for those I know who are sad and depressed?

How are you thankful today? How are you helping those who do not share in all your blessings?  

Leading a Mission to Uganda March 2010

Mission to Uganda 2010

Dear Friend,

We have an amazing opportunity to lead a team of students to help Child Soldiers in Uganda recover from their trauma and move towards holistic healing in Christ. From March 4-13, 2010 we will be working with The Zion Project (www.zionproject.org), a mission to girls kidnapped and forced to be child soldiers who have now escaped. In most cases these girls have been forced to be sex slaves and have returned with children. Both the women and their children are shamed and rejected by their villages as there is a belief that evil spirits now inhabit both them and their children. In addition, in many cases, the children were forced to perform horrific acts including killing family members and/or friends. While there are many, many videos which show the horrific conditions and results, here is a video made by group we will be working with: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OPvYr4Y16E

We are asking you to consider two requests. First, we ask that you please pray for us, our safety, our financial support and the people we will have the opportunity to impact for the Healer and great Counselor. Second, we ask that you might consider sponsoring us financially. To cover all expenses we hope to raise $7500. Any funds raised over that amount will be donated to the Zion Project. All gifts are tax deductable! We are trusting God will meet this important need and hope you will be blessed through being a blessing.

You can send your prayers to God J and your financial support to:

1. Aletheia Church

P.O. 2637

Harrisonburg, Va. 22801

2. Through the website: www.aletheiachurch.org

(here is the giving link) https://www.spsgateway.com/webcheck/webcheck.aspx

(PLEASE e-mail us so we can identify your gifts for the Uganda Project)

3. You can also send money through: PAYPal to the address:

aspire4him@yahoo.com

www.paypal.com (click on send money tab)

4. Or if you like you can send it to us personally at:

Bill & Cindy Evans

4729 Palmer Rd

Massanutten, VA 22840

We pray that you will consider this prayerfully and if you like, we hope you will share this with your friends, Sunday School classes and/or church. Through this may you find and share shalom peace (internal peace in the midst of external warfare). If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 540.421.6476.

We love you J-- and pray you will join us on the great adventure of life and hope and healing!

Bill and Cindy Evans

Matters of the Heart

In my career journey as a pastor, pastoral counselor, hospital and military chaplain, I often found myself in a helping role with people in crisis. My students often ask what brings most people to counseling. My answer is always, “relationship trauma.” This has been my experience, anyway. Most of my helping has been with people struggling to understand why someone they loved and trusted hurt, beat, abandoned, neglected or left them. Situations and circumstances will differ, of course, but the longing for human connectedness and the pain of being disconnected from those we have loved and cared for is a common theme among helping professionals.

Much psychological and sociological research has supported the notion that people heal best when in a relationship with a caring person, whether that be a friend, family member, or professional helper. Go figure – bad relationships with other people are what hurt us the most, and good relationships with other people are what heal us the most. So, how can one avoid the former and pursue the latter? Well, no one can, perfectly. Given the nature of human nature, that we must learn to grow out of our selfishness and egocentrism, no one will be immune to human suffering inflicted by self-centered human beings on one another. Each person has done more than their fair share of hurting other persons. Hopefully, each one can also learn how to become a wiser, stronger, more compassionate human being as well. Here are some steps to get us moving in the right direction.

Learn to Love Yourself

This may seem like a ridiculous place to begin given what I just wrote about human nature, however, I am not speaking of toddler or adolescent “love” here, but a mature self-love that is far from being self-absorbed. Rather, this love is a longing for what is best, which often will mean self-denial, particularly avoiding things that can entrap, addict, or enslave. It is learning how to love the best in yourself, and it is also the pursuit for what is good, right, and true in you. It is learning how to forgive yourself for your many sins, shortcomings, weaknesses and limitations. No relationship can survive; much less thrive, without a healthy dose of forgiveness. This is no less true in your relationship with yourself.

Learn to Love Others

If Erik Erikson is correct, one cannot love another unless he or she first learns to love themselves. Abraham Maslow also connected self-esteem with love and belongingness in his pyramid of human needs and strivings. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl also discovered that learning to love another person was a condition of living a meaningful life. If we begin simply with the definition of mature self-love stated earlier, perhaps we can also learn to love others similarly: seeking what is best for them, encouraging them to avoid what can do harm, forgiving them for their many mistakes.

Learn to Love God

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, we also need to learn to love God. Scripture reminds us that “we love because He first loved us,” (I John 4:19) and that “God is love; whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” (I John 4: 16). I may seem to have this in reverse order, I know, but I wanted you to think about love a little differently today. However, this last challenge certainly completes what is often referred to as the great commandment of Jesus: “love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). So, love God, love others, love yourself – yes, it is all there – given as THE way to live well. To love God is quite different from loving yourself and others. God IS what is good, right and true; God always knows what is best. God does not sin, so He has no need of our forgiveness. Nevertheless, most of us distrust God’s heart and intention for us at one time or another, mainly because God allows pain and suffering, both self-inflicted and other-inflicted. Without getting into any reasons why that may be so, let me simply encourage you to seek God again. He is the source of life and light and love. Learn to trust His heart, and His desires for your life. Be willing to follow where He is leading you. Go on the great adventure with Him rather than constantly seeking to live life completely on your own resources alone. Maybe this is part of what it means to learn to love God.

One of my favorite quotes is from one of my favorite writers, Frederick Buechner. I share it in closing with the hope that it will bless you as much as it has me. “Listen to your life; see it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it. For in the last analysis, all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.” I wish you all the best as you continue your life journey! Love, and live well!

2010 Life Planning

I’ve been thinking lately about a quote I read last year from the late Dr. Randy Pausch’s book, The Last Lecture: “experience is what you get when you don’t get what you want.” Dr. Pausch, a popular young Carnegie Mellon University professor, died last year of pancreatic cancer. In his book, Pausch shares his childhood dreams and how he achieved most of them. His book inspires people to go after their dreams, in spite of life’s setbacks and heartbreaks. In his lecture, shared on Oprah and recorded on YouTube, Pausch also outlined some other secrets of his success:
o Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things
o Have a sense of fun and wonder
o We need to value people over things
o Decide early on if you’re a Tigger or an Eeyore
o Work and play well with others
o Show gratitude
o Don’t complain; just work harder
I encourage you to watch the video of his talk from The Last Lecture web site: http://www.thelastlecture.com/ Pausch shares some powerful reminders of several important things we should remember every day if we want to live well. And now, here are some more personal musings…

Recently, I found out that I would be retiring from the US Air Force instead of transferring to a new position. This is not what I wanted, but it is the experience I am getting. I had planned on transferring to the Air Force Reserves and continuing my military ministry. Well, that’s not going to happen! So, now what do I do? Well, I am seeking wisdom from God through prayer, Bible study and the astute counsel from friends I admire and respect, among them, my wife and best friend. Suddenly I have time and flexibility I’ve not known for over 25 years. Since 9-11-2001, I have averaged about 80 days a year serving God and country as an Air Force Chaplain. Now, how will I best serve God and others? I am not exactly sure. However, I must tell you that I am not busy making plans to fill the void in my life, mostly because I don’t feel a void. Also, I am well aware of the saying, often attributed to both Woody Allen and Van Zant: “If you want to hear God laugh, just tell him your plans.” So, I am waiting, and seeking…

Meanwhile, I am also reminded of some other great truths from Scripture. Psalm 2:1-4 reminds me not to leave God out of the planning:
1 Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
James 4:13-15 also reminds me to keep seeking God:
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.

So, as 2010 unfolds, so will God’s plan for my life. I “think” Cindy and I will be leading a mission trip to Uganda in March. We “believe” we will also teach a class in Italy in May, and “most likely” we will lead a church probe for Aletheia in June. I am also “hoping” to attend the Oxford Round Table conference in July and make a presentation there on “The Psychology of Religion and the Religion of Psychology.” If we get to Oxford, we also “hope” to visit the home of C.S. Lewis, and my ancestral homelands, Wales and Scotland. Perhaps, finally, I “will complete” a book I started several years ago, Before I Sleep: Reflections on the Meaning of Life and Death. Who knows? In reality, only God does at this point. In 2010, I will seek to follow Him an all ways, big and small.

What about you? What are “your” plans for 2010?

What Win I?

“What win I, if I gain the thing I seek? A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy. Who buys a minute's mirth to wail a week? Or sells eternity to get a toy? For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?” William Shakespeare, The Rape of Lucrece

Many years ago, I had the opportunity to see the old Wade Hampton Hotel imploded to make way for a new AT&T high-rise office complex in Columbia, SC. I was amazed that it only took a matter of seconds to bring down the old hotel that just a few moments before stood proudly across the street from the capital building on the corner of Main and Gervais. A few carefully placed explosives and down she came into a pile of rubble and a cloud of dust. All of this transpired just to make room for another building that it then took over two years to complete. It was a stark reminder to me that life truly is a precious, fragile gift that needs to be treasured, guarded and protected at all times. The good we have and the good we know can crumble so quickly! Anytime we lose anything that appears to be sturdy and strong, it will take a long time to rebuild anything substantial in its place.

The Shakespeare quote I started with has been on my mind a lot since the Tiger Woods scandal broke a few weeks ago. Like many of you, I am shocked and saddened by all the reports of infidelity by Mr. Woods. His once squeaky-clean image has tarnished so quickly. He seemed to have it all - a beautiful wife, two healthy young children, a successful career, more money than anyone could possibly imagine, and fans all over the world who admired him, just to name a few of his accolades and attributes. Oh, how the mighty hath fallen! Why? With all this and so much more, why would he throw it all away? It appears he may be heading to divorce court soon, and he has already lost not only his sponsorships with Accenture, Buick, and TAG Heuer, but also his luster as a man of integrity. “A minute’s mirth to wail a week… for one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?” We live in a culture and a time that so easily succumbs to instant gratification without much thought for long-term gain or loss. Perhaps in the moment something may appear to feel just right, yet if we’d only take a deep breath and a moment to reflect on the long-term results, we might choose very differently. Yet, given the nature of human nature, it is a wonder things like this don’t happen more often to people we know, or to us. How many among us will seek, in the coming days or in the coming year, but “a dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy,” or will you even consider that something you may want so much may just “sell eternity to get a toy?”

Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob for a bowl of stew (Genesis 25: 29-34). David saw Bathsheba’s beauty and could think of nothing else besides wanting her, which including forgetting his duty to his family and nation (2 Samuel 11). Judas betrayed Jesus for a bag of money (Mark 14:10-11). Peter denied Jesus for fear of being identified with him, and perhaps arrested, tortured and killed along with him as well (Mark 14: 66-72). Paul, also called Saul, assisted the angry crowd as they stoned Stephen to death by watching their coats while the dirty deed was done (Acts 7:54-8:1). And then there was Tiger, and you, and me… when did we last succumb to something that seemed so sweet in the moment only to eventually lose face or place or space? “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).” Tiger doesn’t need our pity or our prideful sense that we are living so much better than he. He needs our prayers, and the only thing that truly saves any of us in the end: “amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me; I once was lost, but now I’m found; was blind but now I see” (Amazing Grace by John Newton, 1725-1807, slave trader, Christian convert, and pastor).

Watch What You're Thinking!

Proverbs 3:27 states, "as a man thinks in his heart, so is he." 19th century Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, seemed to share the same sentiment when he penned, “our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts.” More up-to-date, but still to-the-point is Earl Nightingale, who wrote: “you become what you think about most.” So, the take away for me is watch what you‘re thinking!
Several years ago, I read the following on the Air Force Academy web site:
“Watch your thoughts,
They become your words;
Watch your words,
They become your actions;
Watch your actions,
They become your habits;
Watch your habits,
They become your character;
Watch your character,
It becomes your destiny.” (Author Unknown)
Similar theme, right? Right! It must be important! Then, I remembered this from the Apostle Paul: “finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8 NIV)
Okay, I think I’ll need to let this soak in for awhile. Then, I’ll need to act accordingly. What about you and your dominant thoughts? Where are they taking you?

An Attitude of Gratitude

Who have you to thank for your life as you now know it? A spouse? A friend? A parent? A teacher? A coach? A mentor? God? When have you last told them, "thank you for all you've meant to me"? Albert Schweitzer was right when he wrote: "At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us." So, who will you connect with this week to say, "thanks"? I'd like to challenge you to call, email, post, text or write a heartfelt thanks to someone each day this week. Yes, it is Thanksgiving week, so maybe all of this sounds very cliche, but we often do much less than the best we know. So, do it. Live with an attitude of gratitude this week, and maybe you'll get so good at it, it will become a lifelong habit. Master Eckhart seem to understand the importance of this when he stated: "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice." Happy Thanks-Giving, Everyone!