Just for today

I have a difficult relationship with computers. I have learned how to use them, and we coexist, for the most part peacefully. But not always. I sometimes rant in frustration that I hate computers. Of course I could give them up, but I won’t. I want to be able to function in this century and to continue to have a relationship with the wonderful young people for whom computer technology is as normal as breathing. My theory is that my brain is already crammed to the rafters with acquired knowledge that is no longer of any practical use, such as how to hand crank an ice cream maker, like the antique White Mountain Freezer that now sits abandoned in the garage. I tell myself that is why I struggle as I continue to shovel new knowledge into my brain at an ever increasing pace.

But just for today, I am most grateful for this computer and for the amazing connections that are possible now because of modern technology. I was able to talk via Skype yesterday with a young friend in Nicaragua. I had not talked with her since she moved back home, and I have missed her. We became friends after agreeing to practice Spanish and English conversation together. She is the most patient teacher I have ever known, smart, kind, funny and forgiving. We laugh a lot at our mistakes as we learn together. What a blessing to see her beautiful face and have another dual language conversation. We even discovered a benefit to Skype that was not possible in our in-person conversations. We can send instant messages with the correct spelling of the words with which one of us is struggling. !Que milagro!  What a miracle!

Today, my heart is lighter, and I can’t stop smiling because I was able to talk with my friend again. It was good to see her looking well and to have a virtual tour of her home. I am grateful to God for blessing me with her friendship and for the opportunity to continue to talk with her and learn to better speak this language I have come to love. God is good. All the time.

Grace and Peace,

Donna

The End of theWorld

I have been thinking long and hard the past couple of weeks about Chapter 8 in the book of Amos in the Bible as I prepared to preach on the first twelve verses. The benefit of the lectionary is that it forces me to stretch myself by digging deeply into Biblical passages to which I might not otherwise pay much attention. That is also the challenge of preaching from the lectionary. Some texts are particularly daunting, and this one definitely qualifies for that title. Where do you find the good news of the Gospel in a rant about earthquake, flood and piles of dead bodies? More importantly where do you find good news in the prediction that there will be a famine of the word of God and that no matter how hard we seek that word, we “shall not find it.” I struggled with this one, but ultimately I found hope in Amos’ promise that God will hold us accountable for how we treat others. Like a good parent who enforces the family rules so we know where the boundaries lie, this passage assures us that God is who God says God is.  God caring enough about us to enforce the family rules is a form of love—tough love—but love nonetheless. God expects us to care for others, especially those who are weak and vulnerable in our society: the poor, the disabled, the children, the aliens in our midst. And God will hold us accountable if we fail in that assignment. This is a God whom we can count on. Knowing we worship that kind of God is good news.

Grace and Peace,

Donna