The Light

Posted on June 11, 2013 by Tom Bolton

I live in brightest light and that light

Cleanses my skin and warms me like no other place.

From the beginning, that place was here, and yet

I had to find it—even though it was here to see.

There is no darkness here—none at all—

And that encourages me and affirms my confidence.

Yet I still recall when the darkness seemed

a place to hide.

It was a lie in that darkness.

I lied there too often. I sought the darkness.

Too often I was confused about whom I was,

Where I was,

Whose I was.

In the light, life is rich and lush.

Here I feel the warmth, and I grow.

The sun soothes my skin and warms my heart.

And here I am alive, and filled with joy.

And it is here that I look forward to eternal life.

In the light, we love and we care.

We listen.

We boost each other up.

In the light, I see you, and here, you see me and hear me calmly.

I turn from the need to hide.

In the light, the corners are open and

Inviting.

Here I find joy.

The sun soothes me and warms me.

And here I am alive, and filled with joy.

And I look forward, here, to eternal life.

In the light, we love each other.

It is vital, and we are best

In brightest light.

© Tom Bolton, Milwaukee, May 30, 2012

Contemplating 1 John 1: 5-10

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Ray Buckley on Importance of Our Names

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Tom Bolton

Ray Buckley Led an Inspiring Bible Study on the Importance of Our Names at Wisconsin Ray BuckleyAnnual Conference.

On Saturday, June 8th, Ray Buckley, a renowned author and speaker on Native American spirituality, presented an inspiring Bible Study on the importance of the names we are given and live by.  He presented many topics about discipleship.  I particularly am inspired as he talks about his older brother.

I studied Mr. Buckley’s book, Dances with Words, in a Lay Servant Class last year, and I greatly loved that book. I was delighted when I learned that Mr. Buckley would be at our annual conference. He addressed all the laity Friday night and led Bible Study on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

As noted in the Conference news, on Saturday, he spoke on the significance of the names children are given at birth within the Native American culture. As he explained, you cannot know someone without knowing their name, whether they have eaten, and how well they have slept. He explained how the Native American culture “pulls all of their people into relationships.” For example, he said, there is no word for child, brother or sister…it is “my child, my brother, my sister.” He also said that we shouldn’t live by the names of derision that others give us. We need to be positive about who we are and live out our sacred names. Click here to watch the full video from the morning.

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Living the Life

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Tom Bolton

In his book, The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, “It is becoming clearer dietrich-bonhoefferevery day that the most urgent problem besetting our church is this: How can we live the Christian life in the modern world?”

We are still working on this. When we proclaim Christianity without living it, we are engaging in a useless activity.   For me, there is a constant yearning:  How do I live as Christ?

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Thrilled that We Are Sent

Posted on June 7, 2013 by Tom Bolton

I will be at Wisconsin Annual Conference of the UMC for the next four days.  I’m glad to be there.  But I will really feel a gap as I miss our Second Saturday Servants mission on Saturday.  Just as I was in January, I’m really excited about missions.  I wrote these words in January:

I am excited about Missions at First United Methodist Church, where I am a member and disciple of Jesus. Last Saturday, we had an awesome visit with folks at God’s Kidz in the Hood, and we made some sandwiches for Larry Under the Bridge. Our friend Karen Jesse MB900436065is in India on a mission trip. She is working with the kids on English as a second language. Last week, she was able to experience a new year celebration, Pong. She inspires us.

Things are positive at the Divine Intervention for the Homeless cold weather intervention, where I help out as a volunteer.

We look forward to Packing Rice as part our Second Saturday Servants program at First Church in February. We will pack rice for hungry kids in Tanzania at Simple Hope at Bethesda Community Church in Watertown, Wisconsin, and one of our Bell Choirs will be playing too. We are doing this with our Youth Group, which makes it special for me. For each of us, a registration fee of $25.00 covers the cost of rice and shipping it to Tanzania. We always learn new things with Simple Hope too. And the Bell choir will be special. This will be great! Simple Hope , founded in 2010, is a Christian non-profit organization, working ecumenically with all faiths to provide hope to compromised communities in rural Tanzania, East Africa. The direct mission of Simple Hope is to save and empower lives through faith, nutritious food, clean water, education, microcredit programs and other identified long term sustainable projects.

Lots of missions going on. These are a few that capture my attention now. I’m fired up today!

I remember again the words of Jesus in John’s Gospel (Chapter 20):

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

We are sent!

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Remembering Baptism

Posted on June 6, 2013 by Tom Bolton

For a few years I have been ordering packs of shower tags with Pastor Adam Hamilton’s showertagbaptism remembrance. After we study grace and Baptism with our Confirmation Students, I give them each one of these cards for their shower. This was originally part of a sermon series by Hamilton, and copies were given to each member to hang over the shower head to provide a daily reminder that you are a child of God.  These days they are typically given to students heading off to college.
The message is:

Lord, as I enter the water to bathe,

I remember my baptism.

Wash me by your grace.

Fill me with your Spirit.

Renew my soul. I pray that I might live as your child today,

and honor you in all that I do

In 2012, I got a big packet of them while I was in Leawood, and I have been sharing them with adults in adult classes too. Most significantly in 2012, I finally put one in my shower. I too find it meaningful to remember each morning that I am baptized.
This week, it has especially spoken to me.

MB900442425

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Let Anger Melt

Posted on June 4, 2013 by Tom Bolton

Society Finches

Society Finches (Photo credit: dog.happy.art)

LET ANGER MELT

 

The anger swelled and amazed me twice these days,
And I was blind.
Anger is right sometimes.
But now let it go.
Let me see each way and each one.

 

(c) Tom Bolton, Milwaukee, 3 June 2013

 

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What Our Words Tell Us – David Brooks

Posted on May 30, 2013 by Tom Bolton

What Our Words Tell Us – David Brooks

This was a thought provoking column by New York Times columnist David Brooks.

He looks at some analysis of Google Books:   “About two years ago, the folks at Google released a database of 5.2 million books published between 1500 and 2008. You can type a search word into the database and find out how frequently different words were used at different epochs.

The database doesn’t tell you how the words were used; it just tells you how frequently they were used. Still, results can reveal interesting cultural shifts. For example, somebody typed the word “cocaine” into the search engine and found that the word was surprisingly common in the Victorian era. Then it gradually declined during the 20th century until around 1970, when usage skyrocketed.

The tips he points out for Conservatives and Liberals seem right on to me.

Readers’ Comments

“From 1800 to 2013, the word ‘family’ had a fairly stable use until it began a subtle and slow decline from the Civil War until it reached a low near the end of World War I. It suddenly grew in popularity in the mid-1960s and peaked in the mid-1990s.”

flaminia, Los Angeles, CA

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