Christmas 2013 |
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Christmas 2013 is
upon us! How the time flies! I wish you all good health, and the very best
in all your endeavors! This has been a relatively uneventful, but busy, year for me - with the garden (and even a little 'community garden' at church), classes (see www.WAPFToledo.org for what my co-leader, Lisa, and I have been up to), Church activities (president of church council, secretary for the women's group (we still have circles!), choir, Sunday school adult class studying various religions (I led the section on Islam), and farm club (membership chair).I have also made numerous trips up to visit
Dot in Lansing and help her get resettled in her house. She has much fun
with her garden, which is a bit of a mini-park. There is an amazing birch
tree in front, along with ferns, violets, anemones, lilies-of-the-valley,
Eupatoriums I enjoyed sharing Thanksgiving with Mark
& family in Cleveland Heights. Emily is in her second year at St. Olaf
College, and is looking forward to a January trip to Greece for the Interim
classics course led and taught by St. Olaf Prof. James May on the art
& history of ancient Greece. Will is in 10th grade, and
loves woodworking (click on picture to enlarge). Squash is his favorite sport now, and he runs track and
cross-country in season. He's very interested in rocketry and established
the Rocketry Club at his school. Pete keeps really busy with his practice.
He's frequently on duty at the hospital.
![]() I have been involved with the MultiFaith Council of Northwest Ohio for several years. One of their activities, called "Tables of Eight", arranged folks of varying religious beliefs into groups of 8 who came together for 3 potluck meals at the homes of members, to share fellowship and have guided discussions about our faith. That has resulted in some cherished friendships, as you get to know folks after 3 meals together. One comment from a Middle Eastern participant of the Islamic faith, has stuck in my mind and bothered me to this day - "Your God and Allah cannot be the same because Allah is one and your God had a son, so cannot be one" (or something to that effect). At the time I was taken aback and did not know what to answer, and he didn't seem open to discussion. But with all the religious tensions in the world, I've thought about that often, and recently set down my thoughts on the matter, which follow: I believe in one God - the great creative
force, the Lord God, God Almighty, Jehovah, Allah, if you will (may
all be praised). (Did you ever stop to thinks that Jehovah and Allah have
very specific meanings, but 'god' does not, hence my use of various
titles.) Jehovah is the great life force that brings forth a beautiful
flower or a precious baby from the tiny seed or egg. DNA is only the beginning of the explanation of
this miraculous phenomenon. As the Psalmist writes:
The Lord God gave mankind the amazing gift of free will, and gave us guidance on how to live, but mankind struggled with selfish desires (sin) and broke the rules. No sacrifice could over come that sinfulness. So God Almighty/Jehovah, out of love for mankind, came down to earth in the form of a man, the Lord Jesus/Messiah, to set things right by offering the perfect sacrifice in our stead, to satisfy the requirements of Justice.
Lord God Almighty turned that awful sacrifice into victory over sin and death, in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and His return to God in the Ascension. How can this be??? It is the great mystery of the one God Almighty, who is above our understanding. And to help man overcome his
sinfulness, the Lord God, Our Father in Heaven, takes us into the
family of God, as we become 'Children of God' in Baptism. And then God
sends God's Spirit into our hearts (we call that the "Holy Spirit")
to free us from the burden of our sinful natures, our selfishness, greed,
etc., and soften our hearts so we can be filled with the spirit of peace,
love, and understanding, and can find our fulfillment in spreading that
peace and understanding and compassion. Unfortunately the sinfulness of mankind seems to hold sway in our world again today. (That was a theme in my 2011 Christmas letter.) Will God Almighty have to come to earth again to get us all straightened out??? I pray that the Holy Spirit will instill in each of us a spirit of understanding and wisdom to guide our world toward peace, goodwill, and God-pleasing care and healing of our Earth. A closing thought: "The future will be green, or not at all. This truth lies at the heart of humankind's most pressing challenge: to learn to live in harmony with the Earth on a genuinely sustainable basis." ---Sir Jonathon Porritt May you all have a Joyous Christmas and a green & sustainable New Year!Kris P.S. A book well worth reading - Cows
Save The Planet:
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