WORD WEEK 12-25-05 A BRAND NEW DAY: FROM JERUSALEM TO EGYPT

MERRY CHRISTMAS

WORD WEEK 12-25-05 A BRAND NEW DAY: FROM JERUSALEM TO EGYPT

MATTHEW 2:13-15 KJV

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."


Advent has transpired, the logos has manifested itself incarnate, and during this season, we, GOD'S beloved people, are reminded of the LORD'S divine and precious promises for renewal and salvation to a wounded world as the Christ-Child, JESUS the SAVIOR, is born! The season of Advent is a time of intentional reverence to the LORD, deep peace, unquenchable anticipation, glad tidings, renewed hopes, holy regeneration, and the fragrance of evergreen, balsam, frankincense and myrrh in the air, and the bearing of gifts.

Significantly, while unquenchable anticipation and unrestrained hope have now come to cosmically divine fruition, "LOVE" has come to each of us as we intimately encounter the presence of "The Holy" in the air. Importantly, we do not know quite where to begin, much less fathom or integrate love of this caliber as we are invited to embrace a deeper awareness that no one has ever loved us like GOD does! Consequently, while the marriage and the manifestation of prophetic fulfillment and the eschatological incarnation has embodied itself in the birth of the Christ-Child, "reason" evades our consciousness as the boundary of "LOVE" knows no depth, no height, no breath, nor scope for which "anything that was," "anything that is," and "anything that shall be" can elude its presence.

An amplified look at the Advent Narrative provides us with a compelling glimpse of the intertwined nature of the coexistence joy and solemnity as the Betrothed Virgin, The Wise Old Man, and, significantly, the birth of the Christ-Child becomes the catalyst for a brand new day! As observers, we become witnesses to the psychology that functioned as the buttress for both the community and the world by and large. Moreover, on some level, we observe members of the human condition struggle with the compelling invitation to radical self-transformation and deep introspection required both by compassion and empathy for such a momentous event. The Advent Narrative informs the community of faith that subsequent to the proclamation of the annunciation and the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, a spirit of movement was pandemic as life, for many, was about to radically change in the manner in which it was once known! While the chosen Betrothed Virgin was given the news of GOD'S divine favor, she was not initially cognizant of its implications; neither was humanity then, nor in subsequent light years.

As we journey with Joseph and the pregnant Mary into the night in pursuit of safety, we are required to flee from one city to another; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt! How or why should this be given Mary's condition and GOD'S plan many ask? During this journey, our conversation with both Joseph and Mary; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt, provides each of us with an opportunity to become more intimately acquainted with the pathos of their encounter and the requirement of an exodus in their lives and as well as our own lives. Significantly, on one hand, Mary's credibility and her reputation as a virtuous woman were called into question as she was with child and without verification of an earthly father nor being married at the time of the conception. Yet on the other hand, Joseph was a respected and revered man of many years and "wisdom" whose sanity and reputation were called into question when he accepted the betrothal of Mary who he had not known, both of whom were cosmically intertwined by the birth of the Christ-Child whose life was already at risk by Herod for fear of the fulfillment of prophecy. As many of us allow ourselves to be present to this reality, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, tidings of joy, and divine danger in the air.

The journey continues to unfold and the landscape of Jerusalem and all that was familiar to Joseph and Mary begins to fade into the background becoming a silhouette of gray and memory in the background of their existence commensurate with the landscape of Egypt that was quickly becoming magnified in the foreground of their approach and anticipation. They packed only that which was essential and were required to leave behind the both the comfort and familiarity of loved ones, family, friends, community, safety, and treasured material possessions that had helped to render meaning to their existence. In essence, they had to relinquish familiarity and embrace that which was clandestine, except to the mind and soul of GOD! Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child escaped into the darkness of the night as they were about to embark upon a brand new day! All three were about to encounter the Divine Dynamic of GOD which implies that freedom scares and slavery secures. When the LORD does work in each of us, with each of us, and through each of us, oftentimes, we must shift from the familiar and predictable to the unfamiliar and the unpredictable. In essence, we are oftentimes provoked to leave our Jerusalem and flee to that which is to become our Egypt!

Jerusalem might represent a myriad of challenges and invites for GOD'S PEOPLE: For some, Jerusalem might represent a lineage of strong tradition, a regal blood line, or a lucrative inheritance; for others, Jerusalem might represent status quo, a rote existence, mediocrity, or complacency; still for others, Jerusalem might represent the desire to remain connected to a relationship that is unhealthy, a friendship that is barren, but perfunctory, a self-concept that perpetuates the illusion of self-importance that believes its own "hype," but is toxic to others; even still others, Jerusalem might represent one's marriage to fear, depression, loneliness, failure, narcissism, shame, co-dependence, anger, grief, guilt, and betrayal all of which causes unremitting anguish and pandemic suffering. Significantly, as familiar and/or painful our connection to Jerusalem might be, oftentimes, we cling to this place which has the potential to be our destruction because we rather remain with familiar suffering, rather then deal with that which is clandestine.

In essence, there are many Jerusalems in our lives from which we must immediately flee in route to the Egypts that await each of us. Sometimes, we become acclimated to the trauma drama of an existence defined by the schema of Jerusalem, because the fear of serious self-reflection and vulnerability has caused far too many persons to abort their psychospiritual developmental process. Moreover, the reason that we must flee from our Jerusalem is couched in the same reality like unto that of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus, namely, safe in Mary's arms, Jesus is taken into Egypt where he escapes Herod's massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem! Plainly stated, Herod desires to destroy the story in you that GOD desires to get lived out in your submission to the Holy Spirit. Beloved, Flee Jerusalem; Go To Egypt! Significantly, a word of caution must be expressed here: Running away from one's problems or running away from oneself is not the same as one taking an exodus from Jerusalem to Egypt!

Consequently, Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child offer us hope and inspiration during the Christmas season because they surge forward in faith. For some persons, this time of year will bring the closeness and love of family and friends and security, yet for other persons, this time of year will heighten the lack of closeness, potentially fuel exclusion, recapitulate loss, and deflate hope. Nevertheless, Beloved of God, you must flee from Jerusalem and journey to Egypt because there is a cosmic threat on either your life or the quality of your life should you decide to remain! As we approach the landscape of Egypt, we do so with a greater degree of reverence and intimacy to GOD as we are compelled by our potential under the light of the brilliance of the CHRIST-CHILD as well as convicted by "TRUTH" in the places where we have tenaciously cleaved to Jerusalem when GOD urged us to journey to Egypt!

In essence, the presence of goodness and grace not only safely escorted Mary, Joseph, and the Christ-Child into Egypt, but GOD'S love, mercy, and grace sustained them while they remained there until the death of Herod! Despite the presence of divine danger, which is a critical part of the spiritual journey, GOD was expressing himself in love when he sent an angel and urged the Holy Family to leave their familiar surroundings. Significantly, there were lessons in Egypt with which the Holy Family had to encounter that would assist in the cosmic development and the mission of the Messiah.

Significantly, GOD sends the Christ-Child to Egypt and GOD calls the Christ-Child out of Egypt for in doing so, GOD grants his beloved creation the gift of A Brand New Day! During the Christmas season, may the LORD GOD envelop you in HIS presence and in this sacred and holy place may you find Love, Peace, Joy, Contentment, Safety, Renewal, Release, Hope, and Security in your exodus from Jerusalem to Egypt!

Blessings and Peace for a Prosperous and Spiritually Transformative New Year!
[I will dedicate two weeks of WORD in the forthcoming two months to the dynamic of DIVINE DANGER].

MERRY CHRISTMAS

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-18-05 NO ROOM AT THE INN

MERRY CHRISTMAS
WORD WEEK 12-18-05 NO ROOM AT THE INN

Luke 2:7-14 KJV7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

CHANGE: it appears is the most constant dynamic in a world that is fraught with wonder, beauty, hope, fear, anxiety, sadness, and devastation. While wisdom literature, our spirituality, and time teaches us that none of us has the power to CHANGE another, each of us does have the power to change oneself. Nevertheless, this does not imply that the actions that we take or the behaviors that we exhibit do not impact others, because they do in fact, oftentimes, in as cosmic manner as they create a ripple effect that gets lived-out, for many, many years subsequent to our mortal return to the dust of the universe.

Ironically, while CHANGE does usher in a sense of reprieve, renewal, and reignited hope, CHANGE may also heighten anxiety. Though CHANGE is a critical element in our development as human beings, it becomes increasingly difficult to embrace CHANGE when many persons are excluded or "shut out." As we approach the season of Advent with a greater degree of reverence and intimacy, we are compelled by our potential under the light of the brilliance of the CHRIST-CHILD as well as convicted by "TRUTH" in the places where we have excluded or "shut out" others or even in some instances have "shut out" or excluded ourselves.

As we take an amplified look at the Advent Narrative, we are given a compelling glimpse of the intertwined nature of the coexistence joy and solemnity as the Betrothed Virgin, The Wise Old Man, and significantly, the imminent birth of the Christ-Child inadvertently becomes the catalyst of their exclusion and the dynamic that fuels their being "shut out." As observers, we become witnesses to the ways in which both community and the world by and large, on some level, abort both compassion and empathy. The Advent Narrative informs the community of faith that subsequent to the proclamation of the annunciation and the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, a spirit of exclusion was pandemic and prevalent throughout the land. While the chosen Virgin was given the following news, she was not initially cognizant of its implications. The Angel of the LORD said:

And the angel having taken the figure and the form of a man, came into the house and said to her "Hail Mary, full of grace to whom is given grace, favored one, the Lord, is with thee, blessed art thou among women." Mary having heard the greeting words did not speak; she was troubled in spirit. Since she knew not the, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. And the angel continued and said; "Fear not, Mary, for thou has found grace with God, Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus." LUKE 1:28-31

As we journey and take flight from one city to another; i.e., from Jerusalem to Egypt [there are many Jerusalems and Egypts in our lives], in pursuit of safety with Joseph and the pregnant Mary, we are given an opportunity to become more intimately acquainted with the pathos of their encounters in their exposure to exclusion and that of being "shut out." On one hand, Mary's credibility and her reputation as a virtuous woman were called into question as she was with child and without verification of an earthly father nor being married at the time of the conception, yet on the other hand, Joseph was a respected and revered man of many years and "wisdom" whose sanity and reputation were called into question when he accepted the betrothal of Mary who he had not known, both of whom were cosmically intertwined by the birth of the Christ-Child whose life was already at risk by Herod for fear of the fulfillment of prophecy. As many of us are allow ourselves to be present to this reality, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, and divine danger in the air.

In essence, the presence of good will and goodness were by-products of the birth of Christ and the divine danger was that Christ's entrance into the world would revolutionize humanity for eternity through love, mercy and grace! Consequently, Joseph and Mary where excluded; they were "shut out!" They were "shut out" by their communities, perhaps by others whom had professed their faithful friendship and or love, and still by others who dared to be associated with those who were the recipients of negative press and bad public relations. As they flee for fear of their lives and the life of the soon to be born Christ-Child, they encounter one exclusion after the other, door after door being closed, opportunity after opportunity being denied, repeated displacement, and the stinging rejection of others! They were indeed "shut out" and it appeared "shut out" by safety, hope, life, and perhaps love!

Moreover, far too many of GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE continue to experience exclusion and a sense of being "shut out." Some persons are excluded because they speak differently, some because they look differently, others because of their class, financial status, gender, or areas in which they are geographically located, and still others because such an exclusion is self-imposed as a consequence of complacency, mediocrity, and an unwillingness to be stretched, self-examine, and become less self-focused and self-centered. In other words, some persons have removed themselves from the invitation to be embraced by the love, fellowship, unconditional regard, and the community of others, sometimes, by their attitudes and other times by their deeds and actions.

Significantly, Mary knows that the time is rapidly approaching and it appears that the only place that could function as a maternity ward is that of a makeshift stable. Consequently, Mary, Joseph, and the unborn Christ-Child offer us hope and inspiration during the season of Advent because they surge forward in faith. For some persons, this time of year will bring the closeness and love of family and friends and security, yet for other persons, this time of year will heighten the lack of closeness, potentially fuel exclusion, recapitulate loss, and deflate hope. Mercy request For Your People O' Lord!

In other words, people greatly suffer when there is No Room At The INN! Perhaps the INN to which you are attending is physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. Perhaps, the INN to which you have attempted to gain access appears closed, shut down, or even barren. In essence, Closed Inns hurt others. Beloved, GOD'S people have walked away from service because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from love because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from tolerance because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from a genuine desire to understand because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from openness as it requires too much authentic introspection because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from passion because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from integrity because There Is No Room At The Inn; they have walked away from power because they feel, far too frequently, defeated by the daily malaise of making it from one moment to the next because There Is No Room At The Inn! Significantly, GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE have walked away from hope without realizing that when There Is No Room At The Inn, that eternity meets our "NOW-HERE-NESS" and that the HOLY SPIRIT provides each of us with a place of refuge that will never exclude anyone from THE INN OF GOD. Nevertheless, when one is "shut out" of the INN, or when There Is No Room At The Inn, he/she must rely on the love and mercy of the LORD!

Beloved, the GOOD NEWS is, though you might be the recipient of the exclusion of others, though you might be told that there is No Room At The INN, though you, because of your woundedness, might exclude yourself from the acceptance, invitation to deepen, and the fellowship of others, or though you might emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, or physically shut yourself off from others, with and in GOD, there is always ROOM AT THE INN OF GOD! God does make provisions as he specializes in transforming a barren stable into The Stable Divine!

Trust GOD!

During the season of Advent, may the LORD GOD envelope you in HIS presence and in this sacred and holy place may you find Room In The Inn Of Love, Room In The Inn Of Peace, Room In The Inn Of Joy, Room In The Inn Of Contentment, Room In The Inn Of Safety, Room In The Inn Of Renewal, Room In The Inn Of Release, Room In The Inn Of Hope, and Room In The Inn Of Security that surpasses all understanding through Christ the Lord!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-11-05 THE MANGER MIRROR

MERRY CHRISTMAS

WORD WEEK 12-11-05 THE MANGER MIRROR
Luke 2:7-14 KJV7

And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. 8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

The season of Advent is a time of intentional reverence to the LORD, deep peace, unquenchable anticipation, glad tidings, renewed hopes, holy regeneration, and the fragrance of evergreen, balsam, frankincense and myrrh in the air. During the season of Advent, we, GOD'S beloved people, are reminded of his divine and precious promise for renewal and salvation to a wounded world. As many of us are nestled inside and feeling the warmth of the hearth, we can still hear the swift winter winds sing of the presence of goodness, good will, anticipation, and divine danger in the air.

As many of us reflect over the challenges of this past year, our faith has been challenged; our capacity to forgive others has been stretched beyond its limits; our holy invitation to love others has been a constant commitment, some of whom are not loving toward themselves nor others; our call to deeper service has been one of repeated self-sacrifice, our openness to renewed hope has been enveloped by the luminous presence of disappointments. Nevertheless, Advent is here!

During our journey over the next couple of weeks, as we approach The Stable of GOD, we will bear witness to a spectacular event! An event from a distant that appears ordinary, but upon closer contact with this spectacular event, a life transforming event that is, in fact, extraordinary! As we approach The Stable Divine, we bring our hopes and disappointments, we bring our strengths and weaknesses, we bring our insights and oversights, we bring our joys and suffering, we bring a sense of integration and brokenness, we bring our gains and losses, we bring our families and communities, we bring our nation and the world, we bring our boldness and trepidation, we bring our alcaldes and shame, we bring the acceptance of our perspective and the rejection of the perspective of others, we bring that which is known and that which is unknown, we bring our connectedness and our sense of being disconnected, we bring recovery and sickness, we bring success and failure, we bring clarity and mental illness, we bring the excitement of opened doors and the lament of closed doors, we bring our wisdom and ignorance, we bring our friends and those who seek to unintentionally and intentionally harm us, we bring our humility and arrogance, we bring our healed wounds and our woundedness, we bring the release of our burdens and the weight of those who have carried burdens for the past twelve months, we bring gratitude for those who have homes and the agony of those who have no place of refuge, we bring the excitement of the season of Advent and the pain that the season summons for many for whom life has been very difficult, we bring our traditions and the potential to embellish the tradition, we bring our songs and silence, we bring our prayers and utterances, we bring our truth and self-deception, we bring our wholeness and brokenness, we bring our resolution and our trauma, we bring our power and powerlessness, we bring patience and intolerance, we bring our competence and insufficiency, we bring ourselves and our unclaimed baggage, we our celebration of life and the solemnity of death, we bring all that we are GRACIOUS LORD and everything that we are not HEAVENLY FATHER! We bring the act of BRINGING! Bringing it all to The Stable Divine!!!

It has indeed, been a very dynamic and tumultuous year! So many of GOD'S beloved peoples' lives were claimed and changed by sickness, natural disasters, separation, unemployment, and war. Even now some of the LORD'S beloved people have just exited through the door of eternity to be reunited with the BELOVED SAVIOR! Through many dangers and toils, we have laughed a great deal; we have cried quite often; we have learned much; yet little as we have not allowed life's lessons to transform our hearts nor our perspective. Consequently, it is likely that a repeat is on the horizon.

Nevertheless, we approach The Stable Divine, some with anticipation, some with trepidation, others weary, some by self-righteousness, some driven by curiosity, and still others not by any volition of their own! Many come to The Stable of GOD with a prewritten script, and others with no script at all! Nevertheless, we approach The Stable Divine! Even still, others approach The Stable Divine as a consequence and commitment of tradition and others, because there is no room at the INN! Significantly, when we enter The Stable Divine, we discover that the LORD invites a Betrothed Virgin, a Man wise in his number of years and empathy, Shepherds, Three Wise Men, and a stable of animals to bear witness to the DIVINITY OF GOD, A BABY WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHING LYING IN A MANGER!!! We are perplexed as we are catapulted into the divine sphere as we see the face of TRUTH, HOPE, GRACE, LOVE, and a MIRROR that reflects who we are and the pristine beauty of what we shall be! We, upon bearing witness to the CHRIST CHILD, get a glimpse of the perfection of perfection! Yet as we look on the presence of the BABY WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHING LYING IN A MANGER, LORD, we did not know that we would encounter a MANGER MIRROR!

Commensurate with this act of witness-bearing, we are invited to become more intimately acquainted with the invitation for each of us become more loving, more understanding, more forgiving, more empathic, less judgmental, less self-centered, more tolerant, more CHRISTLIKE in our interactions with each other! O' Blessed Divine Redeemer we thank thee for thy grace and love of restoration! The beauty of the MANGER MIRROR resides in the fact that while it casts a truthful reflection of our image, it does not cast shame nor blame for when we look into the CHRIST-CHILD'S eyes we see our shortcomings and we see our potential! The BABY lay in the manger awaiting for each of us to pick him up and cradle him close to our bosom for in doing so, we become one in the bond of eternal love and at one with the LORD!

Consequently, GOD everpresently avails his presence to us. As we approach the season of Advent, we are required to avail presence to the season of Christmas as well as avail presence and bear witness to one another. The LORD reminds us and emphasizes the depths of his sacrificial love to his beloved creation in our observance of the sacred and profound holiness of CHRIST'S birth. A birth of spirit and flesh and a birth of blood and water! Advent compels us to never give up but to expect the miracles as they are new each and everyday and that the presence of the CHRIST-CHILD reminds us to access our unparalleled greatness in JESUS! As we enter the season of Advent, we are invited to reexamine and recommit ourselves in deep gratitude to the LORD for GOD'S rich grace throughout the year. May we rejoice that "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Thank you LORD for the MANGER MIRROR!

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.

Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 12-04-05 IT IS WELL

WORD WEEK 12-04-05

IT IS WELL

PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14


12 I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. 13 No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, 14 I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.



What a year this has been! We have laughed a great deal; we have cried often; we have learned much! Though tumultuous overall, this year has been illuminated by the presence of joy as well as by the presence of pandemic suffering in so many of our lives. As people of GOD, we have been inundated by the breath, presence, power, and scope of the complexities of communities' and countries' attempts to achieve understanding, ascribe meaning, ameliorate hope, and alleviate suffering in a world that has achieved unparalleled greatness, yet appears to have lost its conscience.

As we enter the season of Advent, we are deeply grateful to the LORD for the opportunity to reflect, pause, and render gratitude for GOD'S rich grace throughout the year. However, as we approach this season, we do so with a sense of expectation as well as a sense of solemnity. Expectation, because the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child reminds us that the LORD's mercies are new daily and that hope regenerates hope. Solemnity, because people are still hurting, dying, struggling, sick, complacent, despondent, shamed, ostracized, unemployed,self-focused, misrepresented, excluded, and disempowered! Life is very much a gift that is to be held sacred by all. We are all connected in the spirit and in the bond of love and must be mindful in this regard.

While many of us have sincerely given our lives to the service of others, we cannot refrain from asking the quiet question: "How different and whole could the world become if all of humanity were rendered their basic needs?" Too often, we are witnessing, at an alarming rate, the dichotomization of humanity; i.e., a distinction between and a propagation of the "HAVES" and the "HAVE NOTS."

Subsequently, as the days pass into weeks and the weeks into months, many of us are still struggling with significant concerns and issues to which no resolution nor reprieve appears apparent; concerns that are nothing short of life-threatening and that cause so many dimensions of our lives to hang in imbalance. Many of us still have concerns about our family members, while others are confronted with the challenges of staying financially solvent and/or employed, and still others are challenged with the residue of brokenness, grief, depression, loneliness, isolation, abandonment, rejection and victimization of numerous levels.

Consequently, Paul, in the text of Phillippians 3:12-14, offers us recourse and direction when we fathom and struggle with the vastness of GOD'S divine harvest; i.e., humanity. He reminds us to keep our eyes upon the goal and to press through every difficulty to reach it! Paul exhorts GOD'S BELOVED PEOPLE to forgot the things which were behind, so as not to be content with past labors or present measures of grace. In other words, thank GOD for past accomplishments, while reckoning with the ongoing invitation that the necessity to surge forth is ever-present. He reminds the BELOVED, that we must reach forth/forward in our expressions of love and have a great desire to become more and more like Christ. Paul states, "I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead." In essence, he/she who runs a race, must never stop short of the end, but press forward as earnestly as possible in heavenly and holy hope and terrestrial manifested joy.

In other words, despite the accomplishments that we can attribute to our work and despite the challenges that lay before us, we, THE BELOVED COMMUNITY OF GOD, must take both consolation and refuge in the unmistakable reality that GOD, our HEAVENLY FATHER, knows all and is able to change the destructive path of a nation, the excessive pride of a community, or the insignificance of those not deemed important in a twinkling of an eye! In some instances, we have witnessed the emergence of natural catastrophes and at other times unexpected devastation in our communities. During such times, we have been able to forget the superficial and band together as an earthly people. Consequently, we must refrain from allowing ourselves to be restricted by the past, but must garner the courage and the strength to press forward entrusting ourselves to GOD who will lead and direct our paths. What do we then say to such? We say, LORD, "IT IS WELL!" It is well with our soul!

READ BELOW FOR THE WORDS TO THE HYMN

"IT IS WELL"

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:

If Jordan above me shall roll,

No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life

Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,

The sky, not the grave, is our goal;

Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!

Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

Refrain

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,

The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;

The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,

Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

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Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments: K.Mason (c) 2005

IN THE MEANTIME

WORD WEEK 11-27-05

IN THE MEANTIME

I KINGS 18:43-45 43

"Go and look toward the sea," he told his servant. And he went up and looked. "There is nothing there," he said. Seven times Elijah said, "Go back." 44 The seventh time the servant reported, "A cloud as small as a man's hand is rising from the sea." So Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Hitch up your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.' " 45 Meanwhile, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, a heavy rain came on and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. 46 The power of the LORD came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Thanksgiving is now over, the turkey is carved, and family members have returned to their respective destinations. We are grateful to the LORD for the opportunity to reflect, pause, and render gratitude for GOD'S rich grace during the season of harvest. While many of us gathered around the table for fellowship and communion, we felt that our distresses and concerns were minuscule in the assembly of togetherness and love. Significantly, from having gathered together, we reemerged from this compelling encounter with the confidence that there is power and strength in number.

Subsequently, as the days pass into weeks, many of us are still struggling with the concerns and issues to which no resolution nor reprieve appears apparent. Many of us still have concerns about our family members, while others are confronted with the challenges of staying financially solvent, and still others are challenged with the residue of brokenness, grief, depression, loneliness, abandonment, and rejection.

Yes, we have rendered fervent thanks to the LORD for the miraculous manner in which he has protected and graced our lives with this cloak of love. Yet, we are still anticipating a much needed reprieve for agonies that linger, taunt, and haunt us oftentimes.

In I Kings 18, this narrative illuminates the struggles of a Prophet and the struggles of a People as famine was prevalent in the land of Samaria and Jezebel was killing the LORD'S prophets. However, Obadiah, a man of GOD, had taken 100 prophets and hidden them in caves; i.e., fifty in each cave with an adequate supply of food and libation.

Both Obadiah and Ahab contrive a plan so as to derail Jezebel while saving the animals commensurately. While on the Journey, Obadiah meets the Prophet, Elijah, who petitions Obadiah to inform Ahab of Elijah's presence. Obadiah is confused and fearful as he doubted that Elijah would reveal himself once he gave the message. However, Obadiah acquiesces in the request due to his trust in GOD verses his trust in his own understanding. Obadiah originally believed that he had done something wrong to incur GOD'S wrath; this was not the case!

Elijah informs Ahab, Israel, and all of the Prophets on Mount Carmel that those that be for GOD to proclaim so and that those who advocate for false gods to do the same. He tells them, though he be the last remaining prophet, that it is not he who has made trouble for Israel, but a consequence of the people and their people all of whom have turned their backs to the LORD.

After putting Baal to the test of GOD, Elijah requests that his servant look towards the sea. The servant reports that he sees nothing. Elijah requests that the servant go back a total of seven times and when he does, he reports that he saw a small cloud arise from the sea as small as the hand of a man. Elijah beckons the servant to inform Ahab and Israel to hitch their chariot because the LORD was moving. In the MEANTIME, the sky grew black with clouds, the wind rose, and a heavy rain occurred and Ahab rode off to Jezreel. The power of the LORD came upon Elijah, and tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Beloved, GOD offers you a resolution to your distress even while you are reading this right now. The aforementioned narrative illustrates for each of us that our journeys are full not only with the events themselves, but with MEANTIME events! While GOD petitions us to move accordingly to his plans for our lives, in the MEANTIME GOD is intervening in a miraculous manner!

MEANTIME moments are the instances when reason is elusive and hope appears to have taken a hiatus. MEANTIME moments are the instances when hopelessness and brokenness provokes the people of GOD to raise some life transforming existential questions about the purpose of our journey as far too many of GOD'S people have walked away from service in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from love in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from tolerance in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from a genuine desire to understand in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from openness as it requires too much authentic introspection in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from passion in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from integrity in the MEANTIME; they have walked away from power because they feel, far too frequently, defeated by the daily malaise of making it from one moment to the next in the MEANTIME! They have walked away without realizing that in the MEANTIME is the place where eternity meets our "NOW-HEREness" and the HOLY SPIRIT breaks open the widows of heaven and blesses us in ways that we have never conceived or imagined.

When you doubt, turn it over in the MEANTIME! When you are fearful, turn it over in the MEANTIME! When you see no way out, turn it over in the MEANTIME! When all of the odds appear to be against you, turn it over in the MEANTIME!

In the MEANTIME will you trust GOD? Have we not wondered to where/whom should we turn when things are in disarray? Have we not wondered to whom we could run to find a shoulder to lay our heads upon? Oh yes, we have wondered these things and many more? Thank GOD that we can be encouraged by him, turn to him, rest in him, and run to him! In times of distress, darkness, despair, danger, and death, thank GOD in/for the MEANTIME!

What does in the MEANTIME really mean? It means that GOD'S

Mercy

Eradicates

All

Negative

Trepidation

In

My

Existence

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.

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Plethora Ministries

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Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly, please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason (c) 2005

WORD WEEK 11-20-05 THANK YOU

WORD WEEK 11-20-05

THANK YOU

Luke 17:11-19

11 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" 14 When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. 15 One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" 19 Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

SUPPLEMENTAL: SUBJECT - THANKS

DANIEL 2:23 KJV

23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.

I CHRONICLES 16:34 34

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

In the year 2005, we as a community, nation, and the world by and large have made significant advancements in agriculture, science, medicine, psychology, technology, and spirituality. However, commensurate with these laudable achievements are numerous critical issues that warrant serious consideration, responses, and empathic attention. Significantly, while the aforementioned strides that we have achieved within this millennium have caused the world to become a better place for some, these same strides have equally exacerbated greater issues of distress due to a lack of consideration as well as the absence of gratitude. While, we live in a world where the opportunity to acquire and accumulate is both pervasive and infinite, the awareness and a spirit of sincere thanks appears to be remiss.

It appears that gone are the days, when one driver allows another driver to precede him/her on the road and a waving hand of thanks is given in acknowledgment of courtesy. It appears that gone are the days when one human being holds open a door for another who is one foot or two feet behind and the words of thanks are uttered to acknowledge gratitude. It appears that gone are the days when persons show acts of kindness and consideration to others and that a simple response of "Thank You" is given.

Have we, GOD'S BELOVED CREATION, become so self-absorbed, driven, malignantly narcissistic, and post modernistic in our perspective that the words and the healing power of the words "Thank You" have been erased from our memory banks like that of tabularasa? Are we so busy in our quest to acquire that we cannot take a second to acknowledge the gift of another human being who too is a tiller in our Father's Vineyard and our Mother's Garden? What a glorious gift and privilege it is when we render thanks! When we say "Thank You" we keep ourselves open as human being to the reality that this is our Father's world and that we must live in it together. When we speak the words, "Thank You" it provides for us a mindfulness that we are interdependent and that we need each other. When we speak the words, "Thank you" our hearts are kept both human and humble!

Yes, Beloved, it is a such a reverential act of goodness the honors GOD when we render thanks to one another! Over the few past few weeks or so we have witnessed the bombing in Jordan; the war in Iraq, which continues to result in the deaths of numerous people, innocent people on both sides of this travesty; the tornado in Iowa; violence in France; the election controversy in Liberia; and a plethora of local pathos that is prevalent throughout every state in the United States! While these are undoubtedly horrific events, how many of have taken the time to thank GOD for the presence of grace even in the midst of such mind boggling massive destruction?

While such hopelessness and brokenness provokes the people of GOD to raise some very critically existential questions about the purpose of our journey on our return to the Celestial City of GOD! Many of GOD'S people have walked away from service; they have walked away from love; they have walked away from tolerance; they have walked away from a genuine desire to understand; they have walked away from openness as it requires too much authentic introspection; they have walked away from passion; they have walked away from integrity; they have walked away from power because they feel, far too frequently, defeated by the daily malaise of making it from one moment to the next; they have walked away from a spirit of rendering thanks. Help us GOD!

The aforementioned plethora of events in our society bring to mind the powerful narrative of the Ten Lepers in Luke 17:11-19. Jesus on his journey along the border of Samaria and Galilee happened upon ten men who had leprosy. In their agony, pathos, and distress they called out to Jesus and petitioned him to have mercy upon them. When he saw them, he had mercy upon them and requested that they show themselves to the priests. As the lepers proceeded as directed, they were cleansed; healed; cured; delivered! However, one of them upon seeing that he was healed, came back and praised GOD with a loud voice and threw himself at JESUS' feet to thank him. Jesus states that "were there not 10 healed? Where are the nine?"

When was the last time that you thanked a family member for just being with you? When was the last time that you thanked that friend who called to see how you where doing? When is the last time that you thanked an acquaintance who sent you an email or a card? When is the last time that you thanked the gentleman who held the door when your arms were full? When was the last time that you thanked a senior citizen for the quiet strength and smile that she/he gave you and because of the encounter, you knew that everything would be alright? When is the last time that you thanked GOD for your parents or the pilot for a safe flight, When was the last time that you thanked GOD for your health, sight, and grace? When is the last time you thanked GOD?

Have we not wondered to where/whom should we turn when things went wrong? Have we not wondered to whom we could run to find a shoulder to lay our heads upon? Oh yes, we have wondered these things and many more? Thank GOD that we can be encouraged by him, turn to him, rest in him, and run to him! In times of distress, darkness, despair, danger, and death, thank GOD, for even then, it is GOD who is keeping us and not we ourselves!

During this season of Thanksgiving, may each one of us of take the time to reflect and render thanks to one another for one another, for those near and far, for those seen and not seen, for those present and those who are now in Glory Land, and render homage to the JESUS CHRIST THE LORD our SAVIOR, ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIVERER and SHEPHERD in AGES PAST!

"In everything give thanks to the LORD, for he is good and his mercy endures forever!"


HAVE A BLESSED THANKSGIVING

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page [contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

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Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason

(c) 2005

WORD WEEK 11-13-05 AGAINST ALL HOPE: DO NOT GIVE UP

WORD WEEK 11-13-05

AGAINST ALL HOPE: DO NOT GIVE UP

ROMANS 4:18-25 NIV

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why "it was credited to him as righteousness." 23 The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, 24 but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Destruction, desolation, despair, disconnectedness, disease, disrespect, deceit, divisiveness, degradation, debauchery, destitution, and death are all the main staples of the day. Despite the number of vacations, excursions, retreats, and respites that one takes, the presence of suffering is prevalent throughout the land of GOD. Consequently, there is no escape from its presence nor its impact in our lives. While some persons opt to bury their heads in the ground; still others opt to self-medicate; even still others appear to move through existence unscathed as long as such pandemic suffering does not happen in one's pseudoprotected private milieu; suffering and its impact on the quality of one's life is real and enervating!

Over the past week or so we have witnessed the bombing in Jordan; the war in Iraq, which continues to result in the deaths of numerous people, innocent people on both sides of this travesty; the tornado in Iowa; violence in France; the election controversy in Liberia; and a plethora of local pathos that is prevalent throughout every state in the United States!

Such hopelessness and brokenness provokes the people of GOD to raise some very critically existential questions about the purpose of our journey in the "here and now" on our return to the Celestial City of GOD! Many of GOD'S people have walked away from service; they have walked away from love; they have walked away from tolerance; they have walked away from a genuine desire to understand; they have walked away from openness as it requires too much authentic introspection; they have walked away from passion; they have walked away from integrity; they have walked away from power because they feel, far too frequently, defeated by the daily malaise of making it from one moment to the next. In essence, GOD'S people do not believe that there is "anyway" of possible rebound or hope for authentic transformative change and reconciliation, but they do believe that there "AIN'T NO WAY" of possible rebound or hope for authentic transformative change and reconciliation, which gets at something more guttural as such an utterance is unrestrained and unrehearsed! Help us GOD! LORD, we pray, "your people need you! LORD, we need you!

Significantly, there is not a domain to which any one of us can escape that is devoid of traits or blatant indicators that are suggestive of the relinquishment of steadfast hope. In the quiet of our homes, schools, communities, jobs, churches, and even in the quiet of our prayers and reflections, we have entertained the thoughts of "giving up" and/or flying right into the flames in our desperation as we are inundated with daily news that has very little to say about goodness, brotherhood, sisterhood, charity, tolerance, gentleness, or hope in the land.

The events in our society bring to mind a powerful story entitled The Story of the Three Kingdoms, written by Walter D. Myers and Ashley Bryan. The narrative illustrates that there were three kingdoms of the world, namely, the kingdom of the forest, ruled by the mighty Elephant; the kingdom of the sea, ruled by the ferocious Shark; the kingdom of the air, ruled by the powerful Hawk. And there were the People, who warranted access to the forest, the sea, and the forest for survival. However, the People were small in relation to the animals and weak and perceived themselves no match for the masters of the forest, sea, and air as each of the animals boasted about their omnipotence, thereby, causing the People to walk with their chins upon their chests and their eyes cast down.

One night, at the campfire, the places where stories were told, one of the villagers spoke about a large boulder that he had seen, which was situated at the place where the villagers desired to erect the center of their community. Subsequently, the community mobilized their strength and were able to move the boulder. Meanwhile, Elephant falls into a pit and they help him out by attaching vines to the boulder and moving it. Elephant promises to share the forest with the people. Secondly, Shark gets caught in a net and makes a vow to share the sea at his release via the People. Thirdly, Hawk is trapped as he rests in a baobab tree and makes a promise to the People that he would share the air upon his release.

Significantly, each time the People helped one of the aforementioned animals, they gathered around the campfire to narrate the event, which fortified their strength, renewed their hope, and reignited their purpose. In essence, their strength not only came from a power much greater then themselves, but their strength emerged from their ability to remember and tell their stories!

We, GOD'S PEOPLE, have been caste down and discouraged far too frequently because we no longer tell nor believe our stories! Have we not wondered to where/whom should we turn when things went wrong? Have we not wondered to whom we could run to find a shoulder to lay our heads upon? Oh yes, we have wondered these things and many more? So too did the People! Significantly, so too did Abraham and Sarah! GOD, our GOD is the force behind the power and the force of possibility against all hope!

The barren Sarah and Abraham, in the late Winter of his years, appeared ready to cross the chilly banks of Jordan and contemplated with regularity, giving up the ghost! But, the LORD, our SAVIOR, ROCK, FORTRESS, DELIVERER and SHEPHERD in AGES PAST, had other plans! GOD requested that Abraham not waver in his belief, but to remain strengthened in his faith and his reverence to the LORD. GOD promises for that kind of tenacity and commitment that he would make Abraham the father of many nations. BELOVED, GOD promises you too that he would open up the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing that you would not have room enough to receive, but hold on to that FORCE that is the POSSIBILITY against all hope, JESUS!

In times of distress, darkness, despair, danger, and death, the LORD provides a prescription to the PEOPLE, you and me, to overcome the attraction to embracing those things that are against all hope; i.e., giving up! Beloved of GOD, DO NOT GIVE UP as the answer nor the resolution is in burying one's head in the sand, self-medicating, constructing pseudo structures of protection, nor flying into the flames of desperation! You must hold on even when it hurts and the capacity to understand no longer anchors itself on the banks of logic when dealing with spiritual matters! True, we live in some very difficult times, but we serve a gracious, loving, and mighty SAVIOR! GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE! YES, HE IS! GOD'S answer is couched in the request "DO NOT GIVE UP" itself!

Divine

Omnipotence

New

Options

Through

God's

Infinite

Vigilant

Eschatological

Unconditional

Power

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


BlessingsPlethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

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[contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]

Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

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Plethora Ministries

Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD." Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason (c) 2005

WORD WEEK 11-06-05 UNSOLICITED PERSECUTION

WORD WEEK 11-06-05
UNSOLICITED PERSECUTION
ROMANS 8:28-39

28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29 For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. 31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness. The foundation the Christian's development, fellowship, communion, prayer, service, mission, devotion, and a life of faithful living through JESUS CHRIST is grounded upon these virtues. Christ exemplified for the believer that the pilgrimage to a meaningful and bountiful spiritual life requires that these virtues be integrated into our lives daily.

The virtues of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness seem effortless when grace has withheld the clouds, the storms, the floods, and the earthquakes of life; all of which are circumstances that not only challenge what one believes, but the profundity of one's convictions about his/her faith significantly.

As we approach the dawning of the year 2005, we, GOD'S PEOPLE, approach this time of year with a deeper reverence to GOD and with a spirit of thanksgiving and praise as we reflect upon both the lessons learned and the joy of which we are the recipients. Commensurate with the joy is a sense of somberness as we reflect upon the pandemic suffering of which we are recipients as well.

Throughout the year 2005, each of us has been directly and indirectly impacted by far too many incidents of unsolicited persecution in our world as we have been witnesses of and impacted by: 1) The War in Iraq, 2) Tsunami, 3) Hurricane Katrina, 4) The Earthquake in Asia, 4) Starvation in Africa, 5) the death of great leaders in the world, 6) Unemployment, 7) Escalated gasoline prices, and 8) a sociopolitical milieu as well as an economic system that is in utter disarray. Moreover, while these events are in no way exhaustive of the pandemic suffering in the world and in our personal lives, they do serve as metaphors that might offer us an invitation to get at the manner by which we process our faith in the LORD and the movement of GRACE in our lives when we witness the innocent persecuted via unsolicited persecution!

Life offers us intoxicating grandeur, beauty, majesty, and wonder and at the same time presents GOD'S people with paradoxes that causes one to raise very difficult to answer theological questions that warrant prayer and listening, listening and prayer, prayer and prayer, listening and listening, and back to prayer and listening again! Help us GOD! Clearly stated, it becomes almost paralyzing when we witness innocent people suffering, not necessarily by a lack of faith, by a lack of faithfulness, nor by any orchestration of events themselves, but by the unsolicited persecution of the hands of those who are in positions designed: 1) To protect the integrity of GOD'S peoples' personal power, 2) To advocate the causes of those who are unable to advocate for themselves, 3) To protect the rights of all human beings, 4) To make accessible to all human beings the basic necessities of life, and 5) To protect, secure, and guarantee the civil rights, justice, and liberty of all! Ironically and tragically, western society has become complacent and accusatory in its response to pandemic unsolicited persecution to the degree that the victims become the inimical objects/targets of scorn as they function as the projection screen for the compelled avoidance-type to reconcile. Far too often, Christians are challenged to live their lives amidst conflicts, inconsistencies, and paradoxes because love does not seem to yield love, but generate hatred; joy does not seem to yield joy, but generate sadness; peace does not appear to yield peace, but generate pandemic distress; patience does not appear to yield patience, but generate schizophrenic frenzy; kindness does not appear to yield kindness, but generate mean-spiritedness; goodness does not appear to yield goodness, but generate evil; faithfulness does not appear to yield faithfulness, but generate utter despair!

The word of GOD reminds us that in this life there will be suffering, pain, injustices, contradictions, and unsolicited persecutions that might tempt the people of GOD to question the efficacy of the breadth, scope, might, depth, power, grace, mercy, and love of the LORD! He reminds us the there is nothing, "NO THING" Beloved of GOD that can vanquish you, annihilate you, claim you, overtake you destroy you, block you, stop you, or cancel you in JESUS CHRIST!

Paul reminds us that "33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written: For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

In essence, we learn that the persecutions, be they unsolicited, are often indicators of our movement and development with the LORD, not only to the Celestial City of our GOD, but into our present life that must not defined or restricted by pseudo constructs that validate the worth and dignity of a human being! These persecutions reminds us that in the presence and in the eyes of a loving and gracious FATHER is a peace that surpasses all understanding and all troubling circumstances through JESUS CHRIST our LORD.

This weeks "WORD" is devoted to the memory of the late Reverend Dr. Richard I. McKinney, Academician, Consummate Preacher, Theologian, Writer, Mentor, Philosopher, and Prophet

(1906-2005)

Thank you for being a beckon of light and illumination in a world that has lost its way!

K. Mason
(c) 2005

For your convenience, all of the links to Plethora Ministries sites are listed below. All you are required to do is "click" and be blessed! Please pass this on family members, friends, co-workers, and other travelers on their journey to spiritual integration and wholeness.


Blessings
Plethora Ministries
Plethora Ministries

Click here for Web log Page

[contains additional reflections not sent via mail and pictures]

Comments may be entered in any entry of your choice

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/i/t/i/itiswell.htm

Click here for "IT IS WELL" Musical Midi

plethoraministries@yahoo.com
Plethora Ministries
Please spread the word to others you know and if they are interested in receiving the WORD Of Reflection Devotion weekly , please have them send an email to plethoraministries@yahoo.com and state in the subject line: "Request for WORD."

Please feel free to write Plethora Ministries with your comments:

K.Mason (c) 2005

WORD WEEK 10-30-05 ANSWERS IN THE GRAY

ANSWERS IN THE GRAY

Psalm 27: 1-14 KJV

1The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 2When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 3Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 4 One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. 5 For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock. 6 And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. 7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me. 8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. 9 Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. 10 When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up.11 Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. 12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. 13 I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

On any given day and at any given time we, GOD'S PEOPLE, are given both explicit and subliminal messages that our successes are measured by status as well as by the acquisition of materialistic possessions. While we live in a world where some access to materialistic possession is an essential ingredient in basic survival, our focus on this entity appears to have become so extreme and obsessive that our perception of the lack of materialistic possessions has the propensity to cause even the most deeply spiritually anchored person: 1] to question the foundation of one's faith, 2] to develop a distorted perception of GOD, 3] to surmise that one is forgotten in the heart and eyes of GOD, 4] to gravitate to an assembly of others that prescribe a regiment of candy machine faith, and/or 5] to struggle to remain in a community that expresses and affirms the desire of one's presence, gifts, and contributions on one hand, but closes one out of fellowship of that same community on the other hand according to its definition of success.

Some of the theological treaties that are being both forged and perpetuated by the uninformed have removed the tenants of paradox and inconsistency from the equation of our existence and from our faith to the degree that there remains little to any room for the LORD and his infinite wisdom to illuminate our circumstances and our lives.

In essence, far too often, the responses to the difficulties that we face, the challenges which threaten to overpower the lives of those whom we love, the distress that permeates the lives of those about whom we care, the inability for faith-anchored people to sit with and be present to PAIN, and the inability for faith-anchored people to sit with and be present to the fact that many of life's answers do not reside in the "black and white," has caused far too many Christians to ascribe to an escapist, quick-fix, and prosperity driven mentality and spirituality that manufactures a response that is based on the acquisition materialistic possessions as a determination and indication of GOD'S movement in the life of the believer.

Oftentimes, GOD'S PEOPLE are tenaciously searching for the indicators of GOD'S presence in their lives in the acquisition of materialistic possesses to the degree, that many persons have neglected to turn their focus and their attention to the critical places where the presence, scope, depth, and breadth of GOD must reign supreme in order to hear and respond to the answers that are not necessarily in the "black and white," BELOVED OF GOD, but in the GRAY!

The irony and danger of one's ascribing to the places that society has circumscribed as markers of success is that the consequence of this obsession has caused far too many believers to give up on the LORD! BELOVED, as you are reading this reflection right now, in this very minute, GOD is trying to get your attention in order to refocus you for authentic deliverance and to enable you see the places where GOD is BREAKING your life OPEN, literally, for the good of them who love and cling to HIM...this means YOU!

BELOVED, the authentic successes that are being referenced are manifesting themselves not so much in the places that will necessarily grant you extensive revenue, a larger home, a new vehicle, a higher property value, or access into the "Club of the Nines!" However, the successes of GOD are manifesting themselves in the places 1] where in your weakness, GOD grants you STRENGTH, 2] in the places where dangers are seen and unseen, that GOD grants you an escape to safety, 3] in the places that when sanity should have evaded you such a long time ago, that GOD grants you PEACE, that surpasses all understanding, 4] that in the places when sickness had the potential to wipe you out or even CANCEL you, that the GREAT PHYSICIAN regulated your heart with his stethoscope of love , 5] that in the places when you doubted that you had the capacity to be resilient that the LORD lifted you up, 6] that in the places where gloom, brokenness, loneliness, grief, isolation, depression, fear, and uncertainty companioned you both day and night, that the LORD granted you JOY unspeakably, and 7] that in the places where it appeared that the bottom had fallen out, that GOD was simply removing your false sense of confidence on the shallow promises of man in order to assist you in anchoring your promises on those of the LORD!

Yes, GOD does respond as it is such an innate part of his DIVINE NATURE. Perhaps, HIS ANSWERS are rendered more in the GRAY because our presence in the GRAY causes each man, woman, boy, and girl, to release the reigns of our pseudo-controls and LET GOD BE GOD!!!

This invitation for one to become more amenable to the presence of the LORD in the GRAY is illustrated even in the fairy tale of Cinderella by the Brothers Grimm. Cinderella, a believed to be forgotten maiden, who did not fit her stepmother nor sisters' perception of beauty and royalty, lived her life in the gray among the ashes and cinders of life to the degree that she believed herself unworthy of being blessed and granted any serious consideration of a power much greater then herself! You know the remainder of the narrative, GRACE showed up in the GRAY and used every impossibility and transformed it into possibilities...that is why we need the GRAY as it is the mixing of joy with sadness, and triumph with defeat that creates the climate of our transformation and deliverance! In other words, THE ANSWERS IN THE GRAY produces the COLOR in our lives! David, reminds us that world in which we live is moving at such a pace of frenzy, that he would have fainted in the "now here" unless he believed that he would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Trust GOD my brother and my sister and look for the "breakout" of HIS presence in the places where both inconsistencies and paradoxes inform you of the certainty of GOD'S GRACE and GOD'S LOVE...that place is called

ANSWERS IN THE GRAY!


K. Mason

(c) 2005

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K.Mason (c) 2005