January 2018

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." Albert Einstein

I often wonder when I hear a quote from a famous person who heard it and thought enough of it to write it down. My guess is that the author was in need of hearing what Mr. Einstein was saying. Human emotions I believe are common to all people though out all the centuries. The specific issues might have changed. We don't have the stress of hoping that we will find our food for the day in the forest, but we wonder about paying bills and providing for our families. We might not have to worry about dying from the common cold, but we recognize our own mortality and struggling with our bodies betraying us. We can so easily become trapped in our own worlds that we fail to see the miracles that surround us.

I think of the ministry of Jesus. He walked, and he talked. He healed and gave comfort and the people remembered his words because they needed them. Aren't we lucky that they did? We know because we have heard about the blessings that God has given us through his Son. The blessings of love, of forgiveness, of grace, of community, and of his being always willing to listen. The one blessing that seems to get lost is the crowd is the blessing of HOPE.

Hope is a simple word. It does not need an explanation. It is not a complicated word. Most kids can spell it at an early age. Yet, it is an important word. It is the foundational word that drives us through our day and gives purpose to our life. It is more than "I hope the traffic won't be too bad today." It is the word that allows us to embrace who we are as God most amazing creation.

This time of year we are able to start fresh. For some the act of hanging a new calendar on the wall is a therapeutic action that says goodbye to the old year and replaces it with the hello, of the New Year. The truth is that because we do live in the grace of God, each moment in his presence is like a fresh start.

Every morning God gives us a choice on how we are to view the day. Sometimes all it takes is to step outside and hear the birds, see the cactus/trees, look at the mountains and wonder in the creation that God has provided for you to see.

My prayer for all of us is that we don't lose sight of the miracles that God provides for us each day. That our vision does not become blurred by the world that seems to press itself upon us and causes us to despair and to lose heart. It is a continuous battle that is worth the fighting to live in the miraculous world God through his love has created for his children.

Here's hoping that you have a miraculous New Year of our Lord, 2018!!!

Pastor Craig