This morning I woke up wondering if Jesus ever returned to the hill where he hung on a cross and died?  I thought of the streets that he was once again walking on, that his blood dripped on, as unruly people cried out at him, and if he thought of those people as blood had been replaced by dirt and dust?  And then I was thinking about the tomb that his body, bloody, broken, gray and wrapped in a piece of cloth, then closed into darkness.  Did he sit and look and wonder, like so many of us do at places where our lives were changed.

Scripture doesn't share any of these moments, or if they happened.  I have to believe that somewhere in Jesus' thoughts, these memories were still very real and present.

A few years ago a dear friend and colleague, Rev. Grant Berry died, and I was honored to officiate at his service.  He had served at one of the churches that I had been called to serve.  He and his wife often attended, and he would share with me memories of his ministry.  

When he served a church firmly tucked in the Bible belt, he and his wife were leaders for a small boy scout troop that would meet at the parsonage.  One day they invited a young African American child to be part of the group, and literally within months, they had to move away quickly because a group of people turned on their pastor for allowing a black child into the group, but mostly, because they invited the child into their home.

​Later he would be remembered as a beloved pastor of the church because he made the decision to challenge the establishment, and helped to usher in the civil rights movement into his community.

Before that, he was already a war hero.  What he didn't talk about was the time he spent in the belly of the warship the USS Saratogo.  One day, due to unusual clouds, he received the distress call of a group of men who's plane had been shot down nearly 5,000 miles away.  The crew only had a crank radio and could only send distress messages occasionally because they had all been injured.  Grant, during one of his long shifts, managed to hear the signal and they were rescued.  

Later he would continue to send messages to allies and colleagues during a massive battle where the Saratoga was hit by seven kamikaze strikes.  His wife would tell me after his death that he lived with PTSD most of his life after returning from the war.  Remembering the sound of explosions as planes hit the deck, and knowing that he would not survive if the ship were to sink because the radio room was nestled deep within.  She shared that she would sometimes find him hiding in the closet, trembling, and crying in the middle of the night.  Grant would later suffer tremendous hearing loss from the explosions all around him.

I'm not sure if he ever really went back to either the USS Saratoga or the church that had once forced him to leave his home, that now recognized him as a beloved pastor.  

Crosses along a highway, historical landmarks, and even signs announcing the birthplace of icons are common for us to see these days.  They remind us that a significant event, or presence, took place here.  As a child I remember the historical landmark sign near downtown Lebanon, Indiana, marking where Abraham Lincoln's funeral train stopped so that the community could come and pay their respects.

Jesus did not sit and ponder.  Instead he pushed onward.  Today I'm sure there must exist some probable study somewhere of what Jesus must have been thinking.  The scriptures remain silent.

For us today, we recognize that when a major life change episode happens, there is bound to be a change in a person.  Surviving a car wreck, or a violent relationship.  Growing up in the projects and graduating with a PhD.  All around people continue to find that these events don't necessarily paralyze people.  They instead create a fire within.

In a few days we will celebrate Pentecost Sunday.  The day that the church remembers it's birth, where fire literally came down, and caused a change within.  A strong desire to move forward from Jesus' death, and the resurrection.  Soon Jesus would ascend one last time, and the power of the Holy Spirit would then take over, changing the lives of people everywhere for generations to come.

Little is said about anyone sitting back and staring at the streets leading to Calgary, the tomb where Jesus was kept, or the place where Jesus ascended.  Like all things, they become memories that changed lives, and changed the world one person at a time.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, help me each day to move forward, even when past events want to paralyze me.  Help me to remember that even You knew difficult times.  Thank You for Your presence in my life, and for walking valleys that are filled with darkness, to the tops of mountains where I can finally see where my next step will take me.  Amen.

So much has happened since the resurrection of Christ on Easter morning.  In the church, the period known as Easter Time is entering the last week of what has been a fifty day journey, and let's face it, I think for those first people who were present with Christ, a lot of changes are occurring.

Among those changes, groups have been created, rules have been shared, and there is a new emphasis.  To go out and to share the news of Jesus Christ, and allow others to respond.

Years ago one of the youth I pastored came up and asked, "Why didn't God just convince everyone to follow Jesus by sending angels?  I mean, it would have been so much more convincing.  Or, why did God give them a choice at all?"

All were very good questions, and frankly, I completely understand.  Could you imagine a world where everyone believed in God?  I guess that's why heaven is called heaven, because that's exactly what heaven will be like.

In the meantime, Christ picks seventy people to go out and to serve as missionaries bringing the news of Christ to others.  Leading up to Pentecost, there seemed to be an exhaustive effort on Jesus' effort to ensure that others would come to know him.

Today the emphasis isn't so much about sending out others to share the news of Christ, instead, it seems that outposts, or churches, seem to be on every corner, hoping to offer something that will bring people in.  Programs, elaborate structures and monoliths that have become signatures of the past, have difficulty just keeping their doors open.  When if we consider the original mission outreach effort was all about going out and being invited in, it begins to make you wonder why more churches aren't doing exactly that?

​And if they did not accept those who came in the name of Christ, they left, and shook the dust from the place off their feet.

How many of you have encountered a church that reacted to the possibility that a member, or family of members might decide to leave the faith community and go elsewhere?  As a young pastor I used to nearly bend over backwards to do what families wanted to see happen when the option of leaving was brought up, especially when others would come to me and share that the member or family offered significant financial support.  For that reason alone, I never wanted to know about what members contributed.  And in the years to come, I learned that if someone wasn't happy, then it was easier to shake the dust off my feet than to continue to make myself crazy trying to convince them to stay.

The early disciples would have looked more like circus acts than missionaries in their efforts if they tried to bring people in using anything other than what Christ asked them to do!

Jesus says to his followers to go and make disciples of others.  Tell the good news, and offer peace to each household you enter.  If they don't want to listen, or to offer a welcome, then just leave.

Over the years I have discovered that God will continue to send others.  Others who will once again offer the invitation, and await a response.  

Back to the earlier question by the young man, "Why didn't God just convince every person that God is real?"

God does.  God sends each of us!  We are the instruments that God utilizes to share about the life of Christ, his death, resurrection, and that life everlasting is what awaits.  

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, send me...  Amen.

I wish that peace were as simple as asking for it, but we all know better.  Peace is something that must be worked at in order to achieve.

Years ago a commercial suggested "buying the world a coke," would be the beginning of peace and harmony.  Today we spend billions of dollars, deploy soldiers, men and women, all over the world, just so that there might be peace.  There are no guarantees.  There are acres containing the graves of people who believed that peace was possible, who often sacrificed their lives bearing the belief for more than just the idea of peace.
​
For me, the perfect image of peace doesn't necessarily involve the world.  It does not include surrounding myself in silence.  Instead, it is seeing my children happy and healthy.  It is knowing that my neighbor after being without work for the past seven months is back to work.  It's seeing people who once were polarized by a situation suddenly realizing that the things they hold in common will sustain a conversation that lasts for more than an eight-second sound byte, and that there is truly a place to begin a real dialogue.

The need for peace exists everywhere.  Our world, communities, and families... oh, and the church!  Let's not forget the place that is to be a refuge for such things!

While we ask God each day to provide guidance, love, hope, and a number of other things, we should also be seeking peace.  Battlefields, court rooms, and the government are littered by bloody battles that seem to overwhelm and consume us.  Being the voice for peace doesn't always involve silence.  Sometimes it is offering up not only a prayer, but our voice as well.

When we speak of peace, it is invoking a change.  It involves many things, but mostly, a desire to fulfill some great prayer for a better place to be for all of God's creation!

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, and may real peace begin today with me.  Amen.

Dear Lord, I may not understand why there is such pain in the world.  When communities are shaken by tragedy, or savage acts of violence, help me to remember that You are with us, crying as well.  May today Your kingdom be known, and may I be a bearer of that presence to a world who has difficulty seeing You.  Amen.

I love the forest.  As a youth growing up near the Morgan - Monroe State Forest in southern Indiana, I was blessed to have hundreds of acres of trees along hillsides and valleys to explore and enjoy.  Taking hold of a giant vine and testing it's hold in the canopies was always interesting, especially if it happened to stretch out over a valley.  Sometimes the vines weren't always that secure, and the person holding firm would travel with the vine as it fell to the ground.  

As young adults, these challenges were always filled with laughter.  I don't ever remember anyone getting seriously injured, unless it was from laughter.  It was just something that we did.  I became pretty knowledgeable about several trees, and looked forward to the colors in the fall, as well as, the spring, when the forest would come to life again after a long winter.

There are many things in the forest to discover.  A few years ago while on a trip with family and friends, I discovered an amazing log, that as the bark was pulled off, underneath revealed the images of past residents.  

Trails had been burrowed into the tree, as it lay, decaying on the floor of the forest.  For me, it created a portrait of what this tree had experienced.  

The words within Matthew offer us a self-portrait of Jesus. Jesus is the Blessed One. And the face of the Blessed One shows poverty, gentleness, grief, hunger, and thirst for uprightness, mercy, purity of heart, a desire to make peace, and the signs of persecution.

The whole message of the Gospel is this: Become like Jesus. We have his self-portrait.

When we keep that in front of our eyes, we will soon learn what it means to follow Jesus and become like him.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, help me to remember that I was created in Your image, and that what others see in me is part of what makes up Your portrait that others learn to recognize.  Amen.

Over the years I have heard people talk about the first time that they KNEW that there was a God, and felt God's presence.  Sacred encounters are among my favorite stories to listen about because they are special and often life-changing.

Growing up with a grandfather who was the pastor to a small church, and with great grandparents and grandparents that all lived and talked about their faith, I have tried to think of when that first encounter was in my life.

I have been present at revivals where altar calls have lasted for what seemed like hours, and watched as people came forward and announced their belief.  I have watched as tears have flowed like rivers, and sweat pronounced a pardon and forgiveness when someone who has confessed and returned home.  I always am moved by such expressions of faith, but for some reason, I haven't had one of those encounters personally.

Don't get me wrong, I have had many moments in my faith walk where my encounter with the Holy has literally caused me to stop and fall to my knees, and recognize that I was staring directly into the presence of God.  

One of the first early in my life was sitting next to my grandmother and listening to my father and his brothers sing, while my great grandmother looked on and smiled after my great grandfather had died.  I was only about seven years old, but there was something very special about that evening, as we gathered, sat in the living room as the big propane gas stove clicked and flames danced, as voices were raised in perfect harmony, while my Papaw Williams also managed to join in every now and then.  Even today, nearly fifty years later, I can feel the warmth of the fire, see each family member that was present, the feel of the chair, and each of my uncles looking at one another and us as they sang.

I guess the next sacred moment that reminded me of God's amazing power was the day my sister gave birth to my nephew, Adam.  There had been many changes in our family since that night at my great grandmother's home.  A lot of sadness and uncertainties as my parents divorced, went their separate ways, and often used my sister and I as weapons to hurt each other, rather than just being our parents.  My sister, Laura, was still in high school when she learned she was going to have a baby.  She worked tirelessly at several jobs and still managed to attend high school.  She and her boyfriend moved from apartment to apartment, and had a small motorcycle, which wasn't the best transportation as winter approached, and her baby as well.  

I drove an old Chevy that was dependable and had just recently purchased a new used car so I gave her the Chevy the day before she would deliver her baby.  Talk about God's timing!  

It would be that morning when my mother would call to share that my sister was on her way to the hospital, and then two hours later call to tell me that if I was going to be present when the baby was born I had better get to the hospital!

I arrived just minutes after Adam was born, and I walked into the room, and saw my mother sitting in a rocking chair with her new grandson.  With all that my mother had been through, it was the first time I had witnessed a sense of peace and happiness in her life in over a decade.  My sister and I simply watched and I felt the presence of God in an amazing way.  It was almost as if I was being told, "It is all okay.  I am and always will be with you."

I fully understood that years later when my own daughter was born and I looked into her eyes for the first time, seeing myself, other family members, and that promise being fulfilled laying in my hands.

For any of us, our encounter with God comes in many forms.  It may be a time in a worship service when God enters and moves you to stand and walk to the altar, or when you witness love in your arms as you hold a child. 

The delicate and powerful presence of God is about recognizing the encounter, and acknowledging that presence.  Like Samuel of the Old Testament, when we have those encounters, our response should be, "Speak Lord, you servant is listening," and be ready for an amazing encounter.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, help me to recognize even the small moments when Your presence is undeniable!  Amen.

Simply put.

Have you ever met someone who seems to just be unhappy... ALWAYS?

I once worked with a person who I never saw smile.  Each day it was the same.  He complained about the traffic that seemed to block his way to work each day.  He was never happy with the service at the deli where he picked up the same breakfast order, but yet, he continued to frequent the place.  He was never happy about the number of people on the elevator, and the number of floors the elevator stopped at on the way to the sixth floor, but wouldn't take the stairs because the stairwell was too dark, and had an odor.

​Each day it was the same complaints!

I hate to admit it, but I was one of a handful of coworkers that say what he was about to say before he said it because we always heard the same thing.

I had learned when his birthday was so I decided I would surprise him with a chocolate cupcake and a candle.  I also sprinkled confetti in an area where I moved paperwork into a single pile (his desk was always insane!)

I watched as he pulled himself off the elevator and made his way to his office".  Opening the door, I watched as he saw the cupcake celebration waited for him.  "Who did this?"

"Happy Birthday!"

No reaction.  "I hope you didn't get anything out of order."

After a few moments I noticed something that resembled a smirk.  Success!  I thought!

He came out, shaking a piece of paper, with that smirk.  Finally, some happiness.  "I got chocolate icing on this report I have to give this morning.  Finally, something sweet about this project."

When the day was over, I sat on the park and ride bus on my commute home and just thought, "I give up."

Our life is not meant to be difficult.  Our days are not meant to be full of struggles.  There is a need to find joy.  

One of the things I have tried to accomplish each day before I begin tackling the day is this... I do give thanks for a new day, and I try to discover something to be joyful about.

Simply put, this is the day the Lord has made, and I will rejoice in it!

Hoping you discover the same while remaining in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, help me to remember this day has been made for joy.  Help me to find that joy and share it with others.  Amen.

How many of us worry?  Well, I do!  Oh it's not about the obvious, it's about random things.  When I see someone struggling to pay for a cup of coffee at the store, I worry if they have eaten.  When I see a young person getting into a car with someone that I just saw cross two lanes of traffic without using a blinker, I worry about their safety.  Yep, I guess that either makes me a classic worrier, or someone who needs to pay closer attention to my own self!

Either way, the writer of Luke wants us to consider what it means to NOT worry!

I love how he talks of the field, of flowers, and of birds.  The things that we see each day, and for some of us, cause us to stop and to look.

​Our ability to give thanks for what we do have, and that our basic needs are met by God each day, are the things that we should be aware of.  The "I wants" in our lives often overwhelm the "I needs."

There have been many times when I have talked about wanting something, only to realize that I have exactly what I need.  Isn't it amazing when after we have had an encounter where we have battled hard, or misplaced our priorities, hoping to gain something that the world tells us we must have, that afterwards we discover we have what we needed all along?

Luke is telling us to "stop worrying!"

The one thing that we often forget is that God knows what we need.  Too often people confuse suffering, or poor circumstances with something God has failed to do.  Instead, it is often our own doing, not doing, or living with the decisions others have made that cause many of the situations that God gets the blame for.  Remember, just because we may feel that God is not responding quickly, or blessing us the way we feel we should be blessed, doesn't mean that God is not working!

The real joy of life comes not from what we surround ourselves with, it begins by recognizing that God is present and God knows what we need!

Today, consider the grass of the field, the flowers, and the birds of the air, and know that you are blessed as well!

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, today as the dew drips from blades of grass.  As birds sing in the trees surrounding my window, and flowers bloom on my patio, I want to consider this... You have provided for them and I will believe that today I have all that I will need.  While I may not understand why it is that others may seem to be overwhelmed with blessings, I will try to focus more on my relationship with You.  For that is the beginning of all I will ever need.  Amen.

There is something comforting about ritual.  I spent a number of years as a young person and young adult attending the Roman Catholic Church.  One of the things that I found comforting about attending mass is that it didn't matter where I attended, it was the same.  Including prayers, responses, and the order.  

There is something about walking in the door and knowing what to expect next.

​While the way I practice my faith has changed, I still have times when the sacredness of ritual surrounds the way that I live my faith.

As a hospital chaplain, I have been invited to be present to witness a variety of traditions and rituals of many faith traditions, but I will say, the Lord's prayer is part of a ritual that brings people together.

I can remember one patient, who was not fully conscious, reciting the prayer with a room full of people as he was in the process of dying.  It brought such peace to the room, and complete inclusion of everyone who was present.

The way that it is taught, recited, and remembered may be different, varying in the words used, it is still an important ritual that Jesus taught.

Being mindful that God is holy, and sacred, we recognize that the Kingdom of God is something we look to and are invited to be present among us each day.

While the bread we require feeds us physically, there is also the need to be fed spiritually.  Asking God to supply is a daily act of thanksgiving.

Remembering to forgive others, while also forgiving ourselves when we have done wrong or been wronged is a constant call to us to practice grace.

For me, being reminded that my relationship with God is everlasting, and that I am part of an eternal kingdom brings a sense of comfort every time that I say this prayer, and helps to bring hope.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, I know that heaven is Your home, but I am Your home as well.  Your name is sacred, and I call You Lord.  I'm grateful for the bread which You provide, and Your Spirit that gives me strength.  Forgive me, Lord, when I fail to do what's right, or when I am unable to see the bigger picture.  Help me to forgive myself, and stop beating myself up when I feel that I am less than what I need to be.  

Help me to change "should have's" into grace, and that I may fully move forward with my life, learning from the experience.  Help me to not be tempted by the things that will remain in this world, while recognizing when I am tempted by things or others to keep You from being my priority.

Lord, may I learn that eternity is not the blink of an eye, or the days that my life are lived here on earth.  That eternity for me began the moment that I was first known in my mother's womb, and You held me within the palm of Your hands, even unto the time that I take my last breath and finally see You face to face for all time.

Amen.

I'm grateful for a rainy day.  Living along the Gulf Coast, things can literally become heavy with humidity, and the heat can sometimes pin you like the hold of a wrestler.  So, on days when the sun is hidden, and there is rain, especially after a few weeks of heat, it is a welcomed change.

Sometimes I can relate this experience to my own spiritual life.  There can be days when the events just seem to constrict me.  The news can be filled with nothing but tragedies.  Even standing at the fuel pump can bring concern when the gas station provides video feed of what's happening in the world from a tv screen above the numbers as they race to fill your tank.  Everywhere there is noise!

I am reminded it is important to find peace.  To discover time away from all the things trying to get my attention.

I have often wondered what self-care looked like for the Disciples?  We know that Jesus would go off to pray by himself, but rarely do we find the Disciples relaxing.  Even while on a boat out on the lake, the anxiety of weather keeps them from enjoying the breeze!  When they gather for dinner, they even fight over who is going to sit where!

Enough already!  Jesus shares, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (John 14:27)

Today I'm grateful for the gentle rain, and for this morning, filled with peace.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, today I simply say, "Thank You," for caring for me always.  Amen.

This morning I was thinking about the small group of women that my great grandmother often was a part of in her little church of Browns Wonder United Church of Christ off Elizaville Road near Lebanon, Indiana.

For me, these women were the source of love, but also, the source of some fantastic food!  While I would expect the hugs, pinches, and comments of "how you have grown," there were so many other things that I looked forward to.

The church no longer stands there today.  The site is a cemetery, filled with the graves with many of those women who loved me and were compassionate to one another.

It was decided to tear the building down after a number of the members had passed away, and because of the location of the building being out in the country.  To this day, I still expect to turn the corner and see the small building sitting at the top, like a light on a hill.

Sometimes faith communities simply fade away.  I have learned over the years that we are truly Ecclesiastical people, who experience the end of a chapter and begin new ones all the time.

It is the same with churches and faith communities.  Even Matthew shares of the struggle when he writes, "the harvest is great but the workers are few."

While we all have been taught that God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, God's presence on earth changes with each generation.  So often today we hear people talk of the great churches of the past, or of faithful saints that are no longer with us.  God is not disappearing, it comes back to us.

Through dark ages, and ages where the light of God's people has been dim, but we must remember that we are the bearers of the light of Christ... always!

We are called to serve in a time when it is easy to get caught up in other things.  Busy lives, busy schedules, busy, busy, busy... 

One thing I learned from those ladies years ago, many of whom were widowed and caring for farms that were still operating, they still took time to give thanks, and to serve God.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear God, thank You for faithful communities that continue to find ways to share Your love with others.  Help me to discover ways that I may serve You as well.  Amen.

This week a dear friend of mine lost her sister to cancer.  The news came suddenly, and it seemed almost without warning.  She had just weeks ago finished her treatments, returned to her home after living the past year with her sister while being treated, and had managed to make a trip to Europe.  Upon returning, within a short period of time, the cancer had returned and was not something that could easily be addressed.  Surrounded by her friends and family, she began her next chapter.

One of the things that we seem to forget as the period of Easter continues, is that Christ died.  It is contained in a small chapter, with Jesus dying on a cross, and the words, "It is finished" being uttered.

It is about goodbyes, where Jesus takes care of business, giving the responsibility of his mother to one of his disciples.  It was about one last prayer, one last look, and one last conversation.  While my friend's sister lay in a clean hospital bed, with medical staff and medications to help ease the pain, a struggle still existed.

For any of us, the journey of our life, whether at the end of a long, full life, or at an early age, can seem to come too quickly.  The struggle is letting go and moving forward into an unknown, while hoping that something about us will remain for others to remember us by.

While hope and faith will both come to an end when we die, love will remain. Love is eternal. Love comes from God and returns to God. When we die, we will lose everything that life gave us except love. The love with which we lived our lives is the life of God within us. It is the divine, indestructible core of our being. This love not only will remain but will also bear fruit from generation to generation.

We are reminded "Don't let your heart be troubled. The love of God that dwells in my heart will come to you and offer you consolation and comfort."

Praying that while we continue to celebrate the resurrected Christ, this journey began with his last breath.

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, while we experience the beauty of each sunrise, or that of the sun setting, so it is with our lives.  May the love that we share be forever within our hearts and the hearts of others.  Amen.

I have several friends who are adopted.  My brother-in-law is one of those people, as well as, my boss at work.  It's pretty amazing to meet their families and to listen to what these people have to say about growing up in households where the family somehow, "picked you."

For me, it gives me a better understanding of what the word "adopted" means, especially when it comes to the relationship I have with God.  

In the book of Genesis, we learn that we are very special among God's creation.  We are made in the image of the Creator, but also, we contain the breath of God within each one of us.  We are the only part of creation where God literally blew life into us!

While we all possess this special gift, we sometimes forget that this also makes us all related.  Over the last few years I have been trying harder to look at each person I meet as part of my family.  It's not always easy!  Some of my brothers and sisters can just be shocking at times, but when I realize that we are all related and adopted through the same breath of God, then, for me, it makes this effort to see everyone as family even more important.

This "family" is not meant to be difficult, instead, it should be one where we are happy to call God, "Abba!"  While there seems to be more reasons to separate us from one another in the world today, the spirit of God is stronger than any situation and actually brings us closer together.  I think it's because as the world continues to experience difficulties, we are understanding just how connected we truly are and that we need to find ways to work together.

How special it is to realize that we are all brothers and sisters, adopted by a God who cares so much for each of us!

Stay in God's grip!

​G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

Dear Lord, help me to see the world with Your eyes today, and recognize each person as my brother and sister.  Amen.

Dear Lord, some say we live in uncertain times.  I pray that today, as in every day, that I find that I am reminded that You are with me!  May I remember that You are a God of strength and encouragement!  Amen.

Lord, before the storm arises, let me remember that You are with me always.  When I am faced with uncertain waters, and the wind surrounds me, may I look to You and proclaim because of my faith in You, I shall not fear!  Amen.