We are dust

Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are dust and will return to dust someday. Janet Marie Good shared her recent Ash Wednesday experience in the Daily American:

Lent always felt like a time that I had to give up things for God. To suffer in his name. How sad.

This Wednesday I felt the enormity of his words, chewing at my insides, urging me to take the right path. So I think I am going to try something different this Lenten season. I am going to give things to God, instead. My time, my actions, my thoughts. Gifts of love. Sharing joy and happiness in his name seems so much more significant.

In his caring and kind way, God spoke to me through a humble, beautiful man in a long flowing robe, who gave his people everything he had on his last Ash Wednesday as a pastor.

It's up to us to do God's will while we are here on this earth, to share the love and joy of Him.

Facing a child's terminal illness

American Chronicle recently ran a touching story about Evan Newport, a boy from Royal Oak, Mich., who has been facing a terminal illness (Noonan Syndrome, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and lung disease) for six years.

It's been very difficult for his family, but Evan's father, Scott, has the appropriate mindset to deal with his son's condition. Scott has described his philosophy as "The Warrior Mentality":

1. Warriors know how to take on affliction.
2. Warriors may get knocked down, but we always get back up.
3. For warriors, the greater the battle, the greater the reward.
4. Warriors never go into battles alone.

Scott said that his reward is one more day of life for Evan.

God takes Michael Floyd through Cretin-Derham Hall

In 2004, Michael Floyd toured St. Paul's Cretin-Derham Hall high school with his mom, Theresa Romero. He really wanted to attend, but his mom knew that they did not have enough money to cover the tuition for the private school.

Fighting Irish Insider tells the story of how God paved the way for Floyd to attend Cretin-Derham Hall:

'I was dreading having to tell him no and I was praying about it,' Romero said. 'One day I got on the bus to go to work and the Spirit of God spoke to my heart. It said, 'Isn't this a good thing that your son wants?' I cried right then and there. It was a wonderful thing that he wanted.'

So mom told her son that somehow, together they would make it work.

'The Lord told me he would take care of us and I decided to let him go,' she said.

To cover the cost of tuition, Romero worked concessions at the Metrodome and Xcel Energy Center, and Floyd began a work-study program. Floyd excelled at athletics, and will attend the University of Notre Dame.

My repentance for Lent

I have decided on my repentance for Lent. I'm going to give up saying negative things about people. Jesus wants us to follow John 13:34 -- to love one another.

I often fail in loving my neighbor -- if someone lets me down, they go on my "negative" list until they do something to make up for it. This practice is not working for me. . .I'm unkind to many people and making myself miserable. It has to end.

It's time to give up this self-defeating style of thinking and live life the way that Jesus wants me to experience it. Happy Ash Wednesday!

An unexamined life

One of Socrates' most famous quotes is, "An unexamined life is not worth living."

That's what is making The Heart of a Warrior group very difficult for me right now. We're examining our beliefs, values, attitudes and motives, and the relationships between each of them.

As I look at my life and why I do the things that I do, I see that my life is a far cry from the way that Christ lived. I liked it better when I just did whatever and didn't think about my actions. . .but I know that undergoing this analysis of my life will help me to realize my full potential to do God's will.

The intersection of faith and climate change

Climate change has taken hold as a hot discussion topic over the past few years. Recently, members of Utah's various faith communities held a panel discussion to talk about climate change. Daniel Gomez of Congregation Kol Ami, a Salt Lake City synagogue, was quoted about the intersection of faith and climate change in an article in The Salt Lake Tribune:

'Our ancestors walked for 40 years in the wilderness,' he said. 'We were not in temples or beautiful buildings. God spoke to us in nature.'

No matter what a person believes about how the world was created or what forces are above, what surrounds us...should inspire awe, the panelists suggested.

It is up to us to reverse the trend of climate change, to protect the beautiful nature that God has provided for us to enjoy and experience Him.

We all are equal under God

I saw an excellent movie recently on DVD called Sweet Land. It's set in post-WWI Minnesota and involves a controversial Norwegian-German mail-order marriage.

In Sweet Land, John Heard plays the local minister who openly forbids the marriage. He comes across as a holier-than-thou, snobbish minister.

It reminds me that ministers and pastors are not above the rest of us, although some may act that way. We all have equal access to God, His word and His love.