In Mark’s gospel we find the story of the four
friends letting down their paralyzed friend in front of Jesus. We hear
Jesus tell the paralytic "your sins are forgiven." Then, he
heals the immobilized man. And what amazes the crowd is the healing.
"We have never seen anything like this," they gush.
Many of you remember Mark’s story from your own
childhood Sunday School days. I once did a finger painting of this scene
in Vacation Bible School. A "mobile unit," comprised of four
caring friends, transports an immobilized friend, as someone has
described, "into the transforming presence and healing power of
Christ." The crowd is so thick, the four friends dig a hole. They dig
a hole in the roof and lower their comrade through the hole and into the
presence and power of Jesus.
Then, amazingly, Mark records these words about the
incident: "When Jesus saw their faith," he forgave the paralytic
and healed him. Their faith, not necessarily the paralyzed man's
own faith; their faith prompted the forgiveness and the miracle of
new life and new health.
Why? Because we who follow Jesus are supposed to
carry other people who can't follow on their own. Indeed, we who follow
Jesus are meant even to believe for other people who can't believe or
won't believe or are too broken down to believe. I mean, carrying others
and even believing for others is a curious part of what it means to follow
Jesus as disciples.
To be sure, Mark's theology in this passage breaks
up all predictable theology. Thus, Mark wants to help us to break up the
soil of our own predictable theology.
When I ask "What is Your Passion?" I am
asking you to look within yourself and discover the driving force in your
life-being. Everyone has this "passion" within: this motivating
force, this idea which draws one’s attention and focuses the mind.
In my years of ministry I have seen this
"passion" take as many shapes as the variety of people
possessing them. There is a man in Chicago who felt the need of the scores
of people who were forced to drive damaged and unreliable cars because
they couldn’t afford to repair them. He had a gift for automotives, so
he, with the help of his church, formed a Car Repair Ministry. It is
active today.
I am like a
waterfall,
Magic, effervescent,
unbounded and free,
Cascading wildly
down the side of a mountain
That understands
the capriciousness of time.
Endlessly caressing the one
I call my lover.
Our bond is secure –
secure and ever changing,
Fresh as the new buds of spring.
Mountain majesty, my lover,
Standing in royal splendor
over the plain
Veiled in clouds and mystery
Producing vibrant new growth
From things deeply rooted within,
Holding jeweled treasures in your inner heart:
Beauty, challenge, otherness, hope.
Hold me in your arms.
Shelter me in your mystery.
from Season of Lovers by Mary Carol
Lewis
An image from Season
of Lovers...
Click here
for more delightful images of nature's beauty.
"Such beauty! Such art in words! So smooth to read
and savor. Hope many others experience the joy, the struggle and the
comfort of your words--written from your heart. Thank you for including us
in your journey."
-- F Bradley
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the earth shows forth
the majesty of the Holy one.
Yes,
"when Jesus saw their faith," he forgave the paralytic
and healed him.
Yes,
sometimes the only way we can possibly make it is through the love, care
and support of others who carry us, touch us, even catch us, and lift us
to Christ in prayer and in actions.
Though
not in exile, not yet, not driven from our homes, not yet, we are as an
institution, as a community, as a country in enough disarray and the
rumors of war are not so far removed from us, as we remember the rubble of
the World Trade Towers, as we stare daily at the names of the fallen in
Iraq and see behind them the shadows of the unnamed, uncounted, victims of
violence in the same region where ancient Judah was exiled. Babylon
has taken on echoes of its own in our time.
In our nation and our churches we face
fierce disagreements over who is in and who is out, who will make it and
who will be "left behind," who has the right interpretation of
God’s word and who is wrong. There is clamor and disturbance and
violence among us. In our own Seminary we have gone through a period of
destabilization and trauma. Though not a group in exile, not as a country,
or institutions, or a school, we are in disarray, engaged in a profound
struggle for the soul of our most beloved institutions.
In the midst of the chaos and despair,
voices raise themselves. Such voices are always ready to sound in the
midst of the community; they are voices of sage advice, of counsel, of
wisdom, of promise. They may say that "God is with us," that it
may seem bad but we just need to stay the course and all will be well. The
voices preach comfort and restoration, peace in disaster, victory in
conflict, and in general the human community is usually ready to listen to
them. They were ready to do so in Jeremiah’s day and we are ready to do
so today. We are ready to have everything we mismanaged
set to rights soon, preferably by a
mysterious power we call God, preferably without much of our participation
or input. We will stand on the promises, lean on the everlasting arms and
all will be well.
Click
on the link above for more about the book that has singles talking. It was
published especially for you. Purchase an autographed copy of
Season of Lovers through
this web site. New
edition available
now!
Special
Book for Singles!
Season
of Lovers
Absorb yourself in nature and the beauty of your sensual being by taking the
journey through aloneness with Mary Carol Lewis. Her visual and verbal images will delight you and bring
a sense of harmony to your experience.
* Easter Thoughts
* Giving Thanks
* Special Christmas Parents
* Becoming Christmas Parents
* The
Day I Touched the Manger
* The Man Nobody Knows
Exciting Work is being done in
Abigail's Name!
The
Abigail Alliance for Better Access to Developmental Drugs encourages the wider compassionate use of
experimental drugs to save the lives of patients with life threatening
illnesses.
Since
2001 Frank Burroughs, president of the Abigail Alliance has spoken at
FDA meetings, Congressional hearings, met with pharmaceutical companies, and appeared in many
newspaper articles and television interviews regarding the issue of making
life-saving medications available sooner to patients who need them. The
mission of the Abigail Alliance is part of the cover story for the January
18, 2004 edition of the Washington Post Magazine.
"Mary Carol
Lewis has given an authentic voice to the single life. Her willingness to
search honestly, remain open and find hope are written on every page. You
witness and experience the coming into the fullness of the self. A tribute
to a life of all kinds of loving."
— Ginger Sullivan Schneider, MA, CGP
More Readers Comments
about Season of Lovers:
"I applaud you for your efforts in addressing the needs
of single adults. Keep up the good work. Congratulations. The more the
merrier."
— Terry Hershey, author of the best-selling book, Beginning Again
and Intimacy
"Season of Lovers tells us that
relationships change like the seasons, and that we must change: by becoming
more forgiving, discovering that we can trust God, and coming to know
ourselves more completely." -- Jim Ellingsworth
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Welcome to Network 4 Pilgrims!
We have been looking forward to your visit. At this site you will
find plenty of ideas on how to live a happier life and develop your potential to its
fullest. We feature articles and information on several inspiring
topics. There are resources and links to other sites for activities where you live.
Click the beautiful picture at the top of the page to visit a Quiet Corner where you can always come
to rest. (Do you have any
suggestions?) Enjoy your visit, we are glad you came by!
Bonnie Meadows,
Director of Network for Pilgrims
Bonnie Meadows, penname for our director, who recently graduated from Louisville Presbyterian
Theological Seminary, preparing to become a Presbyterian pastor. She is
now in the west, awaiting a call from a church somewhere in America. To read her updates for friends, use the
Spiritual Journal button at the top of the page or click
here.
Note to speakers: The articles that appear on this web site are gifts
from the writers. Do not use any part of the articles, humor or stories
without the author's written permission. You may contact them through this web
site. A web site filled with ideas for speakers
is www.desperatepreachers.com
"Using four simple steps
participants learn to love themselves and others, escape from fear,
overcome anger and hurt, make positive changes in their lives, live
in peace and become the person they have always wanted to be. Many say
that the concepts taught in the seminar changed their lives forever."
Click
on the seminar link for more information.
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