On Word, Law and Life: Pathways

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Tom Bolton

Tom Bolton's avatarHopeful

English: Scroll of the Psalms

Pathways so bright, your word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light for my
Path–so well-lit and safer than others.
Promising freely, I took an oath, and I will keep it!
Righteous regulations show me your way–
even when I fall from righteousness.
Oh grace in your word!
Pathways from suffering,
I seize your new life, Holy One, as you
promised me this life of grace.
Pleased to present all praise to you, God-of-grace,
Proud to learn your words, I am joyful in your word.
Perilously, I live life here,
but I am safe in your word for the long-haul, the long journey.
Peril and evil seem to be everywhere, but
principled life keeps me free to find joy.
Penned words, and listening to the word, fill my heart,
and I am blessed to recall: Joy in the word!
Pleased to obey and to be free in obedience,

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Faithful

Posted on April 28, 2015 by Tom Bolton

As I prepare for our Confirmation Sunday on May 10, I am thinking about, and writing about, my faith.   Mark 9:24 was the text for worship the year after I wrote this poem, based on the very famous Scripture, in 2012.

Hand in Hand Hand in Hand

My Faith, fragile, Help my Faith

I believe, I believe, I believe,
I believe, and yet:
Help my unbelief today and yesterday and all this week and forever.
How can it be?
Redeemed and healed, I am often filled with joy,
And yet,
Where does this unbelief come from? Where was it hidden?
Was it hidden at all?
When this faith becomes doubtful of itself,
it stands in temptation again,
as it was in the beginning, in the edge of the garden.
Fragile in our faith, we are sorely tested
each day.
But we have not been saved by our faith. It was
God’s love—his grace—in Jesus that saves us.
It is our faith that takes us there to gaze on Jesus,
To grab hold of His grace, His forgiveness, His empowerment;
Lord, I ride my faith to return to your power.
My faith is in a great, great God. handhead
Yet my faith can be so small;
Help me Lord.

© Tom Bolton, December 12, 2012, Milwaukee

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Remember Your Baptism daily

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Tom Bolton

I still read this little prayer daily in my shower.

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.

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Imagine No Malaria Day

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Tom Bolton

I raise funds for a number of good causes, and people may get tired of hearing from me. I get it! But here I go again: Dear friends and readers,

On April 25, I will be walking to end malaria with my church, and I would love it if you would support me. All donations go directly to the life-saving work of Imagine No Malaria, a project of the United Methodist Church that provides bed nets, community-based education, medicine, and more to help the people of Africa relieve the burden of malaria in their communities. We have walks going on in a number of Wisconsin communities. The one in Milwaukee starts at Bay View United Methodist Church at 10:00 this Saturday.

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Did you know that malaria kills one person every minute and accounts for over 200 million cases worldwide each year? The Sub-Saharan region of Africa is hardest hit, with over 85% of malaria cases and over 90% of malaria deaths occurring there. This disease targets pregnant women and children under the age of 5. Lives are lost and communities are destroyed – all because of a mosquito bite.

But we are making progress. The Imagine No Malaria initiative of the United Methodist Church is sparking a revolution that is showing results. Along with our partner organizations like the United Nations Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we have seen malaria deaths cut in half in just the last eight years. And we won’t stop until we have seen an end to deaths and suffering from this killer disease. The end really is in sight!

For the Walk, my goal is to raise 500.00 for Imagine No Malaria. Any donation you can make toward this goal would be greatly appreciated! Just $5 buys a round of malaria treatment and $10 provides a bed net to protect an entire family from malarial mosquitos10338666_10152705174036260_8076236875829015391_o while they sleep. Literally every dollar can make a life-saving difference for women, children, and families in Africa.

If you are interested in finding out more about Imagine No Malaria, check out: www.ImagineNoMalariaWI.org.

Thank you in advance for your support!

Here are a few more facts about the campaign; they help explain why I buy into this campaign:

Good News, Malaria is 100% Preventable

Unlike many other diseases that are awaiting a cure, malaria was eliminated in the U.S. in the 1950s. However, in Sub-Saharan Africa, malaria continues to kill a person every 60 seconds. But there is hope! Imagine No Malaria is part of a global partnership and together with our partners, our generation can beat malaria once and for all.

Malaria is caused by a parasite, which is transmitted to humans through the bite of the female anopheles mosquito. This mosquito flies and feeds at night (which is why bed nets are an effective prevention tool).

When an infected mosquito bites a person, the parasite enters the bloodstream and heads for the liver, where it multiplies. It then re-enters the bloodstream, attacking red blood cells. Typically, someone with malaria experiences a high fever, chills, joint pain and headaches. Left untreated, symptoms eventually advance to organ failure. Nearly 90 percent of malaria’s victims are children under the age of 5 and pregnant women.

Through Partnership, We Have Made Extraordinary Progress

In 2007, the World Health Organization estimated there were more than 1,000,000 malaria related fatalities. By 2012, the number had been reduced to 627,000. While that is still a staggering number, a nearly 50% increase in life is worth celebrating! Thanks to the efforts of The United Methodist Church and our partners, we are on our way to beating malaria for good.

2,300,000+ Bed Nets Distributed

4,600,000+ Lives Impacted

300+ Clinics Maintained

11,600+ Health Workers Trained

We are making a difference!

Our goal is to raise over $1 million in Wisconsin by June.  We are over half way there.  We can make it!

I will be walking 5K on Saturday and also helping to set up.  If you would like to donate, you may send a check to me at Tom Bolton, in care of First United Methodist Church of West Allis, 7520 W Lapham St., West Allis, WI 53214.

 

If you are interested in finding out more about Imagine No Malaria, visit www.ImagineNoMalariaWI.org.

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A love Tale

Posted on April 16, 2015 by Tom Bolton

I’m sharing another poem I wrote in 2013, and I honestly had forgotten this one completely. When I read it Tuesday, it was as though it was brand new to me, and I had to read it many times and think about it. Maybe that is how everyone reads this.

Love, Fabric

Of real people we care, it festers;
Practical, more than just ethical,
we dirty our hands.
We ache and cry at the end of the day.
Like Christ, we love the real person.
More a doing than a feeling,
we love.
In our love, we do not desire more;
we serve.
Love originates in Christ:
Not in my brother, my sister,
my wife, my sons,
and not in some seen enemy,
but in Christ.
He is the light.
He is the word.
He is love.
In this rough fabric of our lives,
the Spirit weaves in love.
Love cleanses hands.
Love strengthens fabric.
Love shines bright.

(c) Tom Bolton, 8 April 2013, Milwaukee

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Grit

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Tom Bolton

Re-posting a poem from July 2013:

Bay window in Christ Church Hall

As I was reading Mark 3:

In a Concrete World

Some days in this world, the law is such that the silence is deafening,
or comments are shouted so harshly that ears ache and minds are crushed.
The doing that puts us in the midst of real doing
May be costly doing.
So, do we yet save lives?
Do we get gritty?
Scratching with hens out back, do we fill our nails with hard grit?
May we freely endure embarrassment?
How dirty are my hands each day?
We learned this in school, no?
Were these messages inside our textbook covers?
Some days, the messages of school days are lost.
Some days, the messages seem different, long lost.
But in the midst of this concrete world,
Christ is with us.
The doing that puts us in the midst of real doing
is blessed doing.
Beside us, the Master is doing.
In the abstract of life,
we do and are doing.
In the gray of life,
the doing shows in some black and white.
In the abstract of life,
Christ is still with us.

My hands are dirty;
I am in the midst of doing today.
I listen.
In the grit, I listen.

(c) Tom Bolton, 17 July, 2013, Milwaukee

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Another Offshoot

Posted on April 8, 2015 by Tom Bolton

I am again sharing the newsletter of Mineral Street Programs and Services.

Mineral Street Programs and Services, Inc.

Cultivating healthy individuals, healthy families, for a healthy community.

                 Offshoots                            April 2015

Dear Friends,

The month of March we were able to serve breakfast on two Saturdays, March the 11th and March the 25th. We are able to rent the pavilion at Clark Square Park right across the street from where we used to serve. The first week we served 24 guests! Some of the guests are still looking for us at the church and others came after we went around looking for to let them know that we are back in the community. The building that we are renting has heat, a refrigerator, tables and chairs. For the most part the building is not in use. Because of this we are able to set up the area and know that it will be ready for us to use for the following breakfast without having to reset the tables.

The guests who came were so excited to see us. Some were also calling their friends to let them know that we were there. We had great fellowship and were able to hand out Bibles to a few of the people. We were able to show God’s love and that is what is important.

For breakfast on the 25th we did not have as many guests. It was warmer out and there was an activity going on in the community. It was also hard because some of the people had forgotten that we are only able to come every other week. Some had showed up on the 18th and were disappointed that we were not there. They called me asking me where we were and wanting to know when we are coming back.

What we do is so important to the people and the community. It is not just about the food that we serve or the care packets that we had out. It’s about telling people about God, spending quality time with a person and caring for them. We specialize in the personal touch- the one that reaches hearts and makes a difference.

We are still trying to raise funds for a building but we are also talking to other churches in the area to see if we can rent space from them. In the meantime, we can continue to rent from the Milwaukee Parks System. It costs us $100 per Saturday. Are you able to sponsor a Saturday breakfast so that we can serve the community more than just twice a month? Would you like to provide a breakfast? Please contact me for ways in which you can help.

We are still looking for more board members who might be interested in helping us with the direction and growth of MSP&S. Our specific need is for an attorney and someone with accounting background. But anyone is welcomed who has a heart for God and shares the same vision.

 

In Christ,

Lisa

Morning Glory Director

Donations can be made to MSP&S and sent to Tri-City National Bank; 4295 West Bradley Road; Brown Deer, WI 53209; ATTN: Penny Tillman

 

I have also started a Go Fund Me page where you can make donations. http://www.gofundme.com/Mineralstreet

You may also visit our website to learn more information about us at www.mineralstreet.org. We have PayPal on the site.

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