JESUS LOVING CATHOLICS

from my comment to 12/31 post on "So Let It Be Written" http://darrencary.blogspot.com

Ignorance of another religion is directly related to a willingness to condemn it.

My wife is catholic. I followed her to mass regularly for almost 30 years. We now attend Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.

I love my new church home but so many people here criticize Catholicism freely, often calling it unbiblical. Most believe that Catholics never rely on scripture but only their priest. “Not based on scripture” and “trying to earn their way to heaven” are common assumptions.

Pastor Rick tells us that it’s not about a particular church or a given religion, but about a personal relationship with Christ as your savior. Still, self-righteousness abounds in the congregation.

No catholic I know worships a piece of wood. That’s just silly.

For those that don’t know, the normal mass includes readings of scripture followed by a sermon followed by communion and usually includes musical worship. Sound familiar? Granted the difference is in the details. But I have known many Catholics who have a personal relationship with Jesus, and feel lead to worship him through their catholic tradition. Are they not saved? Or must they DO something “the right way” to EARN their salvation? And if they are saved, what’s the criticism again??

Can Catholicism get in the way of salvation? Yes, as can legalism of any denomination.

I am so grateful to all the wonderful Jesus loving Catholics I have met along my walk. I have learned what faith and devotion and, yes, tolerance, look like from you.

sw

as the curtain draws on another year

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts...

so says the Bard.

for myself...

i will welcome this curtain's fall
upon those acts sincerely played
and then await my final call
to play the part for which i'm made.

SW

LETTING CHRISTMAS COME TO ME

When did I come to believe that I must “go out and get” Christmas?

Christmas simply comes to a child.

My childhood recollections of Christmas always start with the waiting, as if forever, for Christmas Day to come. The waiting officially started at our house with the delivery of the Sears Christmas Catalog. It always arrived in its singular plain brown paper sleeve, a special precaution to prevent any catastrophic damage to the shinny red eye-catching toy-laden cover. The four little hands of my brother and I worked from airport sets to army men; bicycles to fire trucks; and chemistry sets to microscopes. Each item considered for priority & order, inclusive of page number, just in case. That poor cover was thoroughly tattered and torn by the arrival of Christmas morn, and Santa’s list complete.

A child’s waiting is full of curiosity. The boxes of Christmas ornaments, their delicate little marvels found new each season. Dad’s ordered routines of tree, tinsel, lights, topper, never disrupted by patient answers to questions ask in awe & wonder, dancing on tittering tongues. “How many days left?” “Is Dad going to put up the lights now?” “When will we get the tree?” “How will Santa know what we want?” “How will he know where we live?” “How will he know how good I’ve been?” “How will he get down the chimney if we light a fire?” “Will I still get my presents if little brother Jimmy is bad?” So many answers accepted with faith & hope.

I don’t remember anxiety or dread, apprehension or doubt that Christmas questions now days bring?

Christmas is a time of gathering for the child: Relatives from close & far; Uncomfortable hugs & intolerable kisses. The wonderful smells of the Christmas feast: Food, plentiful & comforting; familiar & strange. “When is Grandma coming over?” “When will Elaine & Kathy be here?” “Now you two play with Ginger & David too!” the younger “kid cousins”, not so much to be anticipated, but tolerated. “Can we eat at our own table?” “Well, only if you’ll be good.” Well, of course, Mom. Who wants to sit at the boring “big table” with all of Mom’s fancy breakable dishes and all of Dad’s “you’re going to get it now” looks. But I know they really missed us! I know because Mom just couldn’t resist popping her head in as not to miss all the real fun.

Our gatherings, nowadays, seem to bring nostalgic joy, but leave with poignant melancholy? Cherished memories grown perfect with the tinted patina of time can cast a warm glow, or, just as easily, a chilling shadow.

And so my turn came to prepare the perfect Christmas memories for the ones I love. Now, as a father myself, I took on the responsibility of “going out to get” Christmas for everyone on my list. No more waiting on Christmas to come to me. No time for foolish acceptance with faith or hope.

I never found the perfect Christmas for the ones I love. Now I understand that all my chasing merely chased it away.

This year, I promised myself I would let Christmas come to me. With a few exceptions, I was able again enjoy the waiting & the wonder.

This year I didn’t have the Christmas I planned. Those I love didn’t get a perfect Christmas memory from me. But we all received the Christmas that was given. And considering the real Giver, that is good enough indeed.

SW

OUR CHRISTMAS LETTER

Glad Tidings From the Wilson Family 2004

This year, Steve and I are hearing the melody “There’s no place like home for the holidays” over and over in our heads. You see, we’ve moved four times this year. Don’t get out your address book just yet! We’re still right here. But, each of the girls has moved this year, and somehow, of course, we ended up doing some of the heavy lifting! But we did change our phone number so as not to be left out. It’s now 949-999-9999.

Suzi – our youngest, now 23 – moved to Denver to pursue a doctorate in Psychology at Denver University. She is working as an intern counselor at the Salvation Army’s Drug & Alcohol clinic. She is also part of a research team that has matched terminally ill animals with terminally ill children who write pen pal letters back and forth to each other. Occasionally they get to meet if their health allows. Her most challenging situation in Denver so far was the day she worked at the Broncos’ football game patting down incoming fans. That was a short-lived job! Working with the terminally & mentally ill was preferable to working with the terminally intolerant fans.

Julia, always a “free spirit,” moved to a studio apartment in Beverly Hills and back again. She continues her own Massage Therapy practice and works five days a week at a spa in Santa Monica. She has been working hard to accumulate all the certifications she wants at her massage school in Culver City. We see her between trips to Hawaii and Big Sur, or whenever the wind blows her home from all her commuting.

Lisa moved to her own apartment in Costa Mesa at the end of an adventurous year. She earned her Masters Degree in Education last May. Now she is teaching a special education kindergarten class of 13 extremely energetic 5 year olds in Irvine. Brazil was her home for the summer. She enrolled in a university there to learn Portuguese; her free time spent traveling through the country “playing Capoiera”. Her 5 year olds aren’t exciting enough so she went hang gliding and took a boat trip down the Amazon where she went night fishing for piranha and cayman. She ran into the worlds’ deadliest snake on one swimming adventure. Luckily she escaped its fangs just in time to return home; where we were unable to escape helping her move. It doesn’t seem fair my daughter lives closer to the ocean than I do! . Now it seems her school kids love her so much they’re trying to set Ms. Wilson up with a boyfriend! We’re keeping our fingers crossed.

Chris moved to Orange County after accepting a job as Controller for Cox Communications, a cable/telecom company. Steve threw his back out trying to get her new Hi-Def TV up her stairs (free digital cable means a new TV). But that’s ok with him as long as he can watch football on her wide screen. She turned 30 this year. (Just don’t ask how old that makes us!) Chris is active in the Singles ministry at Saddleback Church. She’s even helped me swing the dust off my tennis racquet, proving that I can still beat the youngsters.

I love teaching my twenty first-graders and one skeleton, named Steve. He “writes” them daily notes and helped them find the leprechaun that roamed our room the month of March. I began tutoring my doctor’s son this year, so when he told me to take a trip to Hawaii. I was compelled to follow doctor’s orders (the 1st time I ever did and probably the last)! Steve and I snorkeled, hiked over lava for half a mile, and squished our way for 7 rainy miles up a hill and through a bamboo rain forest to a magnificent waterfall. Everyone knows how the Wilson’s love car trips so of course we had to drive the road to Hanna (if you call that a road, I DO NOT). The wind howled, the rain pounded the tin roof of our primitive shack, and I prayed all night! I was sure we would wake up back in Kansas next to the Tin Man. I spent the rest of my summer teaching at the UC Irvine Summer Writing Institute for Kids, many who came from Hong Kong to attend our program.

Steve was on the move too. He met a new friend at church and a week later he was off on the Beatitude, a 32 ft. sailboat. He and his friend of 4 hours sailed from San Pedro, around the tip of Baja to La Paz, then to Laredo, Mexico, in 15 days. They took 4- hour watches around the clock, keeping a lookout for anything other than water (they didn’t see land for 7 days). When he returned another friend asked him to help merge his engineering firm into a new design-build light-gauge steel framing company. Steve also participated in “Everyman Ministry” at Saddleback Church; most recently to help provide support for single mothers & sponsoring a men’s conference in concert with the inner city churches of South-Central LA.

As you can see, the Wilson Family is as busy as ever. We cherish the Holidays when we’re all home together. We wish you a Blessed Christmas and Joyous New Year.

E-mail: wilzk@yahoo.com or marywilsonteacher@yahoo.com

thoughts from discussions with a brother

Control

So what is wrong with being in control??

Or is the question really, “being in control of what?”

For me, the call to give up control of my life to God is a strange balancing act. I’m sure God doesn’t want my life to be out of control. But how can I keep my life under control with out being in control of it?

These seem to be my pitfalls.

1) Surrendering control of my life to God is my goal. But so often I just surrender to life.

2) Surrendering control of my life to God means surrendering to His goals. It’s easier to pursue mine because I know what I want, but not always what he wants. When I do know what he wants, I often don’t trust him.

3) I need to persevere & take hope. When I put His goals first I am often impatient, self critical and doubting. I give up. I forget that he has a plan & his timing is perfect. I forget that he may not want me to reach the goal but just reach for it.

4) In order to follow His will I must be obedient. This is hard. I’m the kid who wants to know “Why?” I need to start asking “How?” I need to prepare myself to act when he calls. I need to “keep my desk clean” and ready for his assignments. I’ve got some cleaning to do.

5) In order to be obedient I must have self-control. Of all the types of control this is the one I believe God will bless. I can’t control people or circumstances or the past or the future. I must constantly refocus control on my own present choices & present actions, constantly cross checking my alignment with His will.

I have always been afraid of not being in control. Since my fall, I have become afraid of being in control. Maybe this is why I fell (or was I pushed?).

Lord, allow me to develop confidence & self-control so that I may be obedient & surrender to Your goals for my life, always pursuing them with perseverance and hope.

From Doug's Message on Discouragement

I find myself most discouraged when i let someone down. It usually follows a pattern of unhealthy motivations, unrealistic expectations & self defeating behavior. THE FEAR OF FAILURE LEADS TO FAILURE.

Here is a little piece on the bleakness of discouragement:

Discouragement

The cold hope of doubt haunts me
Failure knows my name
As I set myself up again
To fuel the passive flame

I rise with good intent
My yes is so sincere
But with commitment thin
Before I start, I’m done in fear

Disillusionment is my legacy
To those in me invested.
Dissatisfaction & regret,
To those I love, bequested

Their disappointment justly earned
Their faith eternally dispelled
Discouragement takes up its readied place
Where courage never dwelled.

ADVENT MEMORIES

we always used to hang an advent calendar for the kids and count the days to christmas. each night we would sit on the floor in front of the fire place and light a candle, one for each of the four weeks of advent. we would read the christmas story from a child's bible, each child taking a turn to read or just describe the pictures.

we would always finish with a prayer, then blow out our candles and tuck the girls in bed.

sometimes we would say a prayer of graditude, each taking a turn to share one thing we were especially grateful for. sometimes we would say a prayer of praise, going around our little circle six times, each getting a turn to be praised by the other five.

then our little closing prayer: "god bless my mommy & my daddy, aunts & uncles, my cousins and all my friends, thank you for everthing you have given me. please bless me & make me good."

sw