Let no-one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and God cannot be tempted by anyone. ~ James 1:13 How many of us have heard it said, or we even said it ourselves, "The devil made me do it?"
Understanding choice is something we begin to have understanding of early in life. Why do you think one of the first words we learn as a child is "NO!" Mastering the ability to make good choices is a life-long lesson. I'm glad that with age and experiences we learn what choices are good for us. The photo above is one I took of a sculpture that was part of a group of angels that were part of a traveling group at Discovery Green in Houston a few years ago. Angels are fascinating to me. In Hebrew the word "angel" means "messenger." They are a reminder to me that God has been in the business for all eternity of helping us to make the right decisions. Angels are just one way that God attempts to keep us on the right path. Of course, we can be that for one another as well. Our own failed attempts and life lessons can do exactly the same for others. We have all heard, "Learn from your mistakes." It's powerful for others when we are able to be vulnerable to and for one another and share of those times. Being able to take suggestions, good and bad, can make the difference between living a life with steps of faith, stumbles, or falls. May we all find that each step and decision is balanced by our faith and by our experiences. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017
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For everything there is a season, and a season for everything under heaven. ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 We don't normally see the dramatic change in seasons from summer to fall along the Gulf Coast. It's one of the things I miss about living in the Midwest. However, it does happen. Our colors usually hit their prime by mid to late December, fall to the ground and then about a month later, begin to reemerge.
This morning I caught a glimpse of fall. Oh, I realize it is September 15, and it will be 86 degrees today, but there is something inside of me that is feeling a bit welcoming of autumn. This has been a difficult summer for many. As millions of acres have burnt, and floods and winds have changed the lives of many, there is something about welcoming change. Firefighters out West and the Northwest are looking forward to cooler temperatures and the first snowfall among mountainsides and prairies that have burnt, and along the coast, the cooler temperatures will mark the end of a violent hurricane season that has left entire communities under water and homes ripped from their foundations. The writer of Ecclesiastes helps us to remember that just like the seasons, there is a time for all things under heaven. For many the last few months have been very challenging. The changing season will mark the end of a difficult time for many. As another summer surrenders to the changes found in autumn, may we recognize that God has been with us. Through the fires and the floods, the winds and in times of silence, our season has been marked by God's presence. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.
~ Daniel 3: 16-18 How many of you have ever gone from the proverbial frying pan into the fire? Finding your voice can certainly be difficult at times. I must admit there have been times when I helped myself to the fire. I have to be real. Some things just will never get better. I remember the first time a family was unhappy with the church that I was serving. My first thought as the pastor was to ask myself, "Is it me?" Actually, no! The family had been waiting for the new minister to arrive to see whether they would stick around. I remember visits to the family's home, meetings with their elder, and literally trying out a new study that they had even suggested. AND THEY STILL LEFT. I felt just like a failure until a colleague of mine asked, "So, are you ever just gonna let these people go?" Phyllis was also a new pastor serving the Galveston Central Church who had just recently learned she had bone cancer. It would later take her life, but her words to me would be this, "Find your voice, stop begging, and quit being a people pleaser. People are going to do what they want to do, so why make your own life miserable attempting to do the impossible?" And then concluded, "Did you see Jesus doing that?" She wasn't the first person to ask, "What would Jesus Do?" She did however remind me that some things just are like this. Sometimes we try to disillusion ourselves by thinking things will get better if we just try harder. I do believe that by surrounding ourselves with positive people and situations that our life will hopefully be reflective of that to others. However, I know there will always be war, poverty, sickness and many other things. The challenge of Jesus is not to solve all the world's problems before the end of time, but to remain faithful at any cost. In our faithfulness, in the pan or the fire, our faith is truly what keeps us going. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ~ Ephesians 6: 10
In this world there seems to be a preconceived belief that people of faith are ineffective, and often are ridiculed because human suffering and turmoil are brought to center stage through social media. We as "religious" folk will often chime in, but yet, there it still is for all the world to see. We are not the first generation to be told, "If you believe that there is a loving God, let your God do something about this mess!" Some will simply declare religion irrelevant, while others will consider it an obstacle to the creation of a new and better world. Faith is an interesting thing. Christ reminds us that many of those who follow will be arrested, persecuted and killed on behalf of deciding to live out "the faith." It's almost as if the world is waiting for these images, and saves up all the comments, "likes," "shares," and general words but no deeds. I once heard a professor share that the world will look back at this generation and shake it's head. We have the capacity to feed the world, but we don't. We have the ability to shelter every child, but won't. Every man, woman, and child could have some kind of healthcare, but don't. All of these things exist, and it can be overwhelming when you seriously look at the images that come to mind when these subjects are shared. While in the silence Christ tells us to "trust and not worry." It causes tension in our faith, and challenges the world to seek out an answer. Let us not give oursleves over to skepticism or cynicism, which comes from within and the world. We must continue to believe and hold on to the knowledge that God always has a plan, and it usually starts with US. What role will YOU play? Love one another. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd WIlliams (c) 2017 Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. - James 3: 5
So I will begin this day by saying, "You are loved." I love this verse from James because it is a reminder to each of us that our words are important. If we speak love, then it is love that we are putting out into the world. And like the smallest of sparks that creates a raging forest fire, may this word ignite change that is good. Have a great day, and fan the flame... love one another! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 "And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me." ~ 1 Corinthians 11:24 In my faith tradition we celebrate communion each Sunday. It is central to our coming together, and it reminds us that in Christ's brokenness we are brought together and are made whole.
Today will be filled with images and conversations that will remember a day that we were broken. It will remind us of images that capture a moment in time where we were witnesses to bodies broken, the presence of evil and the consequences of the choices made by a few, and that in moments the world as we knew it would never be the same. Christ through His brokenness serves as both sacrifice and healer. Witness and provider. Redeemer and God. The very thing that people who are seeking hope need. Our brokenness is real. Storms flood and fires destroy our lands. A white supremacist drives through a crowd of protesters declaring that all people are created in the image of God and kills a young woman. Children of immigrants are told that their dream is not welcomed and live in fear of returning to a land that they know little to nothing about because America is their home. A person needs a medical procedure and is told that they will have to pay a large deductible. A senior must decide to buy food or pay for electricity. An addict steals from their family so that they may have that rush that seems to fill a hole in their life while creating a chasm between those he loves and the high he needs. Brokenness. Christ was broken for us for days like this. For times like these. For any moment in our life that we may have experienced brokenness. "Do this in remembrance of me," Christ asks, so that in times when we have these moments that we may remember that we are one. One body. One community. One. For each of us today is about restoration. About healing. About bringing us together. Remembering that with God all things are made new, and that one day, in our own brokenness we will be made whole again. This is a gift of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ~Matthew 6:25-34
I love sitting at the mall and watch people. You can learn a lot about people by watching them shop. You can also learn a lot about society by what you see in the store windows. We are conditioned to let others shape who we are. Ads in magazines, shows on tv, and opinions of others. But within scripture we are reminded how perfectly dressed the flowers of the field are. They are beautiful. Even the weeds! I am reminded when I look out among fields that God has created it. Our understanding of beauty changes, but God's design for us is completely perfect. So often we get caught up in trying to please, or worry about what others think, that we fail to see how perfectly created we already are. One of the greatest challenges I had when working with folks on the street, is that they often would listen to what others thought, that they failed to hear the desires of their heart, or to follow what God was calling them to do. The challenge for each of us is to declare, I am fine just the way that I am. Remember, God doesn't call the equipped, God equips the called. Be YOU.... Be YOU.... Be YOU! The flowers of the field do not labor... you are beautiful... Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 "Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously." ~2 Corinthians 9:6
Over the years I have learned that there are those who share, and those who give. As a child it is important that we learn to share things with others. Generally these are gentle lessons that create an understanding that it's the "right thing" to do. Scripture teaches us that if we have two of something, we are to give one away. Years ago when I worked on the street, it wasn't uncommon for me to give the shoes I was wearing away. Sometimes it was awkward. Showing up to a meeting and trying to explain what I had done. It was often met with silence. The thing is, I always knew I had another pair at home. I soon got to the point where I just carried an extra pair of shoes in my car. It wasn't until Emily one year gave me a pair of shoes and told me, "Now dad, these are your shoes. Please don't give them away," that I began to think that maybe I had taken this to a level that was an issue... who knows... I still have that pair of shoes she gave me now a decade ago. Sharing doesn't possess the lesson that we truly learn when we sacrifice something of ours for someone else. Sharing implies that what we possess is still ours and is only being given for a short period of time or some kind of limit. Sacrifice implies it now belongs to someone else. Christ was given to us as a sacrifice. God didn't loan to us Christ. Christ was not necessarily shared. God sent Christ so that we might truly understand that sacrifice is important. It's about placing someone before ourselves. I read years ago to practice random acts of kindness. Today try something new. Sacrifice something for someone else and realize the difference between sharing something and giving something you love away. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Some mornings I awake with scripture on my mind. Sometimes I understand what prompts the words, while other times, it just may be that I need to restore the words to my soul.
Whatever the case, I'm always grateful. This morning the the 27th Psalm has inspired my thoughts... Psalm 27 for today.... The Lord is my light. When darkness seeks to bring doubt, and fear begins to enter my thoughts, the Lord seems to give me direction, making my GPS seem secondary to where my spirit is being carried. Even when it seemed as if my vulnerability to a problem might cause me to fail, the Lord prevailed! Even when I found myself being attacked on social media because I wrote the words that were on my heart, I will not be discouraged because it was You, Lord that placed them there. One thing that I will always seek, is peace, love and joy, for those are the things that provide a place in my heart of beauty and comfort. Because I know the world I live in is not perfect, and that I must struggle with the decisions of others, I will not be moved, because my faith in You is built upon granite! I will lift up my eyes, and see the world around me, and sing a tune as I walk, that will cause me to smile, and for You to even find Yourself humming with me! Sometimes you may hear me ask "Why?" when encountering situations that cause me to stop and become silent. When that happens, if you could whisper, "It will be okay," I will understand. When I see my reflection, I will look and discover Your face in mine. Surround me with Your presence and with those who are truly my friends, because when others know you around me, it is so much easier to know You are there! Because I know of Your presence, I will NEVER be alone! The lessons I have learned while growing up, will continue to keep me from harm. And as I walk, I will be aware that there will be those who may want me to stumble, because there are simply those in this world who wait for those who follow You to struggle. I love it that You provide grace and forgiveness when I asked for them! I'm grateful for today! Already I am happy because I have begun the day, before anything else, being present with YOU! Amen! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 O sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples. For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be revered above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts. Worship the LORD in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. ~ Psalm 96 During the winter of 1979 in Southern Indiana, we experienced one of the worst blizzards in history. Living back in a valley, and unable to get out into town for over a week, we made the best of things by having neighbors over to play cards, and as a young teen, we created a sled run along one of our hills so slick and fast that you couldn't even begin to walk in the path of where the sled would pass without sliding and falling down. I remember it was these times that brought us all closer together. This morning as I walked our dog I was greeted by two neighbors, and one even referred to me as "brother." In some ways, having just gone through a hurricane together has made a change in how we view one another? It's amazing how common challenges make us realize how we seem to want and long for the same things. Good health, safe environment, while finding ways to live out our lives in faith, hope and of course, love. Our spirits actually long to be in communion with one another. When we move beyond the things that divide us, and concentrate on the common things that unite us, then our communities seem to be able to do some amazing things. Perhaps if we tried to begin each new day, seeing and greeting one another as brothers and sisters, the entire world might change Just a thought and a dream to bring the Kingdom of God closer to us each day. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Dear Lord, help me to see every person I meet today as my brother and my sister. Amen. While Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant-girls of the high priest came by. When she saw Peter warming himself, she stared at him and said, “You also were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.” But he denied it, saying, “I do not know or understand what you are talking about.” And he went out into the forecourt. Then the cock crowed. And the servant-girl, on seeing him, began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” But again he denied it. Then after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.” But he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about.” At that moment the cock crowed for the second time. Then Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. ~ Matthew 14:66 - 72 Genetics is an interesting thing. The older I get the more I find that I am in awe of the complex nature of how different traits, looks, and mannerisms seem to transcend time and families. My daughter looks amazingly like my dad's mother. In some ways its uncanny, but she is still her own person. For me, having known my grandmother until her death in her mid 80's, I have an idea of what my child might look like when she is that age. It's really amazing how some families just look alike, and there is absolutely no denying one another. Today's text is a raw and painful truth that so many of us have experienced first-hand. I can remember the first time I got included in a "Jesus group" joke. I was still in high school and while I hung out with several people from different parts of the county, there was one time I was at a table during lunch that happened to have several of the open Christians sitting together. They would often sit and pray prior to eating their food, and their conversations at lunch included what happened in their youth group, who they were praying for, or had moments of interesting theological conversations. I can remember they were sometimes made fun of for being "too good." For me, they were my friends. I didn't think so much of it until one time I got labeled as being one of the "holy bunch." At that time I didn't necessarily attend any type of church, growing up in home that was basically non-religious, and when I did, it was because someone invited me, or there was something going on that I wanted to attend. So when I started getting labeled as one of the "holy" gang, I can remember saying, "Nah, not really." I guess I hadn't really thought about it, but being around them meant that I was being associated as Christian and that somehow I was being programmed to think, act, and do certain things. It's as if Christianity was part of the my DNA, and the group helped me to be more like the person that God had wanted me to be. We all possess the breath of God. There is no denying that we are the only part of creation that contains this gift. It is part of who we are, and frankly, for any of us who continue to breathe, there is no denying that there is something unique and special about each person. While today we know of people who deny God, our genetics makes it nearly impossible for us to look in the mirror and not catch a glimpse of who God actually is. Peter had just been through a very challenging time, and his response was out of fear of also being arrested. Today our fears are different. Whether it's about being labeled, or being called conservative or liberal, Christian or some other religion, the fact of the matter is that we are ALL created in the image of God. There is no denial of that! Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Dear Lord, when I look in the mirror, help me to see You looking back at me. Amen. "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven." ~ Ecclesiastes 3:1 Years ago I took a trip to my childhood home in Southern Indiana in search of my inner child. For anyone who has overcome a life-changing event, you suddenly realize that planning for the future takes on different criteria. I thought that by visiting where I grew up, I might once again be inspired to dream again after surviving my illness. As I drove into the valley I knew as "Rattlesnake Holler" growing up, I passed by the old one room school house that has now been converted into a home. As a child we would have Halloween parties in this old abandoned building. As I rounded the bend, the Catholic Cemetery with graves from the early 19th century, greeted me. I remember years ago that sometimes the bus would drop us off here, and then we would walk the two miles back into the valley to where our home was. There is something about returning to childhood places. They possess a magical power. As I parked and began to walk the rock and tar chipped road, I could see where our fence line ran up the hill. I thought of the times that I had walked that line, checking for breaks, removing limbs, and dreaming of what my life would be like once I grew up and left the valley. While I hoped to find the inner child that was filled with dreams, I discovered an aged man who had experienced much. I'm not sure what I had hoped to discover. One of the things that we often forget that as we grow older we see the world from different places. Two year old children see the world from the height of a two year old. As a teen, we discover the world has boundaries, and we learn what it means to be "us" and "them." With each new decade comes new life encounters. Relationships, perhaps marriage, maybe children, the death of loved ones, and new careers. God remains constant, while with each new chapter in our life changes. I love living along the Gulf, but I miss the noticeable changes of season of my childhood. Remembering that first morning you would step out and the air would capture your lungs with crispness and grass would crunch under your feet because of a heavy frost. It's interesting how time works. Seasons are marked by seeds being sown, and time for harvest. Or along the Gulf it's marked by hurricane season and not hurricane season. Scripture reminds us that we are Ecclesiastical people with many seasons and chapters in our lives. Helen Keller reminds us that too often when one door closes, we spend so much time looking back at what we no longer have that we fail to see the open window. I guess it's just our nature to want to look back, or to seek times when we were happy, or carefree. We must always remember though that we are moving forward, writing new chapters, leaving for us the memories and legacies that others will look back upon and remember. Christ reminds us that he is with us always. You know it's true. Without realizing, every chapter, if I'm honest, begins with hope. Is filled with times of joy, but even in those hours or days when life was sorrowful, or filled with unknowns, God was present. We may be people of seasons, but God is indeed forever. I hope you will look back and remember it with joy. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Dear Lord, help me to make each page of this chapter in my life a powerful reminder that when I look back, it was filled with Your presence. Amen. "Do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." ~ 1 Peter 3: 9 I have several friends, and I hope that I come across that way as well, that attempt to keep toxic posts off social media, and for that matter, attempt to stay away from toxic people. Even Christians can have their moments. As a younger person (hoping that I am now older and wiser) I wouldn't back down from situations. One might even say that I liked a "good fight." Over and over I would hear "you must learn to pick your fights." And over and over again, I would find that I would become frustrated, hurt, or become part of the same toxic mix. It happens everywhere, and if we are honest, we have all had these encounters. Let's face it, we live in a world that wants to be upset about something. There are the usual suspects. Government, schools, work environments, and of course, some families, but for the most part, it's random. With the advancement of social media, texting, and emojis, we have lost our ability to communicate, and so there just seemed to be a new environment fertile for such things to happen. The impulse of the world is to act out, but what I'm discovering is that we might just be learning that we need to give God the time needed so that God's presence can be found before we go any further. Our impulses push us to an immediate response: When someone does us wrong, or we experience something bad in our life, our immediate response is to immediately act out. Whatever happens, we must put some space between the hostile act directed toward us and our response. We must distance ourselves, take time to think, talk it over with friends, and wait until we are ready to respond in a life-giving way. Impulsive responses allow evil to master us, something we always will regret. But a well thought-through response will help us to "master evil with good" (Romans 12.21). The one thing that I have learned, is that sometimes people just cannot work it out, and may never find a way to resolve what has happened. It's in those situations where the peace of Christ will simply have to prevail, the situation will have an undetermined outcome, and life will simply go on. I think that humanity has known that for some time. Perhaps that why we are often reminded to wait upon the Lord? Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams (c) 2017 Dear Lord, help me to allow distance when I have been harmed. Help me to remember that waiting on You and remaining silence is something that can provide for Your timing to take place. Amen. That’s Life
(based on Psalm 1) Blessed is the person who has A mind of his own, and does not choose to walk beside his oppressors; Nor gaze at street people and pass judgment, But his is the joy of seeing the underdogs win the close football game, as the leading scorer drops to his knees and delights in the Lord’s blessing. Rejoicing “Praise You Lord for this moment” after years of practicing both day and night. Blessed is the woman who plants herself in a woman’s shelter from where she may draw strength and begin her new life, That will never again wither under a perpetrators heated tongue, with new soil she begins to spread new roots, and reach upward. Those who do not know you, Lord, are like bridges that cross dry river beds that now hold rusty train rails never again to serve a purpose. For the Lord is aware of those who strive to make a difference for His name’s sake, And will proceed to exhaust those who only seek themselves. "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day." ~ Genesis 1:31 One of the things that we as human beings forget is that all creation at one time was pronounced "good." Although several millennium have passed and tides have washed over and over, there is still a sense of sacredness in all things. We must look through our spiritual selves to see the beauty. As long as we only use creation, we cannot recognize its sacredness because we are approaching it as if we are its owners. But when we relate to all that surrounds us as created by the same God who created us and as the place where God appears to us and calls us to worship and adoration, then we are able to recognize the sacred quality of all God's handiwork. Inviting us all to be reminded of just how wonderfully created all things are. Stay in God's grip! G. Todd Williams Dear God, help us to remember the good in which You created all things. Amen.
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AuthorRev. G. Todd Williams is the author of the book, "Remember Me When..." and is a former hospice chaplain and pastor. Archives
February 2024
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