Here is a highly-recommended title, written especially for teens, by Tiffany Jewell. It has been described as “thoughtful and gentle,” and at the same time “effective in equipping young people with tools they can use to be anti-racist” in conversations with others. You can help the ministry of The Well of Dyersburg continue if you order this book by clicking on the linked title below to make your purchase. The Well of Dyersburg will receive a small percentage of the price if the purchase is completed when you visit Amazon via this link:
Click here: This Book Is Anti-Racist: 20 Lessons on How to Wake Up, Take Action, and Do The Work
You might find other items of interest on the “Donations & Store” page or information of interest on the “Links” page on this website.
Nunca desmayes, que en el afán
Dios cuidará de ti;
sus fuertes alas te cubrirán,
Dios cuidará de ti.
Estribillo:
Dios cuidará de ti
y por doquier contigo irá;
Dios cuidará de ti,
nada te faltará.
Si desfalleces en tu labor,
Dios cuidará de ti;
si ves peligros en derredor
Dios cuidará de ti. [Estribillo]
Nunca en la prueba sucumbirás,
Dios cuidará de ti;
en su regazo te apoyarás,
Dios cuidará de ti. [Estribillo]
Be not dismayed whate’er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath his wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.
Refrain:
God will take care of you,
through ev’ry day, o’er all the way;
He will take care of you,
God will take care of you.
Through days of toil when heart doth fail,
God will take care of you;
When dangers fierce your path assail,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
No matter what may be the test,
God will take care of you;
Lean, weary one, upon his breast,
God will take care of you. [Refrain]
Lyricist: Civilla D. Martin, 1866-1948
In 2004, Mel Gibson directed a film called “The Passion of the Christ.” Perhaps you’re familiar with it. The movie focuses on Jesus’ final hours, depicting his death in gruesome detail.
The rest of his life is mostly edited out.
Some of us were raised in traditions that focus almost exclusively on Jesus’ suffering and death – referred to as his passion – while skipping what he was passionate about. The lessons he taught, the love he embodied, the relationships he established are relegated to verses recited on Sunday but relegated to the cutting floor the rest of the time.
The truth is that Jesus’ suffering and death weren’t his passion; they were the price he paid for his passion. And there’s a lesson in this story for all of us about living with the same passion.
He was passionate about healing and reconciliation, not only us to God but to one another as well. He passionately announced, embodied and created a sacred space where everyone is welcomed and treated as the beloved child of God that they are.
This alternate kingdom was the antithesis of Caesar’s kingdom, then and now.
The price for living passionately
He preached about God’s deep passion for the needy, the struggling, the oppressed – woe to the rich, blessed are the poor, the least are the greatest, help anyone who is bleeding by the side of the road. He made whole again anyone who came to him for healing.
And justice – he was deeply passionate about justice.
Gospel stories describe him staging a provocative Palm Sunday procession that confronts Caesar’s values of power, wealth, dominance, violence, and militarism.
He was passionately prophetic by overturning the tables of those who misuse religion – then and now – to amass power, preserve the status quo, and ignore the needs of those they are supposed to serve.
This was his passion. He lived it. He paid a price for it. And he invites us – no matter what faith or religious background — to do the same and live in a passionate way that challenges the status quo and heals the world. He challenges us to put our passionate lives on the line for those who are being trampled by the many opportunistic political and religious leaders of our world.
Each of us can, in our own unique way, bring love, healing, reconciliation, restoration and resurrection to our world, our society, our relationships. We’re forced to choose between between living passionately or playing it safe and never truly living at all, which is an even greater price to pay.
Jesus knew there would be a cost for his passion– there always is. He lived it anyway. May we, too, live passionate lives sustained by transformative love and daily resurrection.
Bread from Heaven
“I will send bread down from heaven like rain. Each day the people can go out and gather only enough for that day. That’s how I will see if they obey me.” (Exodus 16:4)
The scripture I chose for this Lenten reflection reminded me of a discussion I had a few days ago with several of my students about Psalm 22. We discussed the verse in which the psalmist declares that, due to Yahweh’s goodness, the poor will not only have just enough to eat but that they will have enough to be fully satisfied (v. 26: “The poor will eat and be full.”).
After the class ended, I recalled former days when I was a poor, self-supporting young student who, though usually able to gather together enough dollar bills and coins to eat a little something at most meals, often needed to restrain herself and save a portion of each small meal, setting aside some for the next morning in order to avoid going to school or work hungry. I was poor. So, I had to intentionally limit my satisfaction. But Psalm 22 reminded me that God wants even the poor to enjoy hearty meals. Exodus 16:16 also makes that clear in God’s instructions regarding the bread from heaven: “Collect as much of it as each of you can eat.”
The scriptures I’ve cited in this post reveal God’s willingness to satisfy us completely as we develop strong, close relationships with God. We don’t have to stay in situations outside God’s will for us simply to have plenty to eat. Instead, we can go wherever God calls us and trust God to provide for us in any wilderness to which God beckons us to live, learn, and serve.
We can freely engage fully in the daily life God destines for us. We can relish the provisions God sends as they come to us each day. We can believe that our God who created us and knows us wants all our needs to be fully satisfied. We can depend on God and on God’s timing.
A Lenten Prayer: Our dear Holy God, help us focus on living lives that satisfy you. Guide us to be more and more like our brother, Jesus. Grant every desire of our hearts as you align all our hearts’ desires completely with your will. Amen.
The hymn below was written by Catharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel in the 1700’s. If you want to hear a 21st Century rendition of this very old hymn, watch the video at the bottom of this page. Enjoy!
[1] Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side;
bear patiently the cross of grief or pain;
leave to your God to order and provide;
in ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: your best, your heav’nly Friend
through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
[2] Be still, my soul: your God will undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Your hope, your confidence let nothing shake;
all now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
his voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
[3] Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
and all is darkened in the vale of tears,
then shall you better know his love, his heart,
who comes to soothe your sorrow and your fears.
Be still, my soul: your Jesus can repay
from his own fullness all he takes away.
[4] Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
when we shall be forever with the Lord,
when disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past,
all safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
Amen!
Curious about the tune? Click below and listen:
The Meaning of Christmas Is Hope, According to Plan
Jesus was born to an unwed mother, and although she was engaged at the time, her fiancé was not the baby’s father. Like many of us, Jesus emerged from the womb into a messy situation of human uncertainty (baby daddy, baby mama drama). But while her pregnancy wasn’t the result of longterm human intentions, it was truly the result of God’s plan. In the same way, none of us were born–and none of our children are ever born– outside of God’s planning.
Despite Mary’s surprise at learning she would give birth to Jesus, God was not surprised. Despite her fiancé Joseph’s initial lack of enthusiasm, to say the least (He was going to dump her!), God enthusiastically anticipated the birth of Christ our Messiah.
New life and new purpose is possible for all of us because of God’s gift.
Yes, Jesus is the reason for the Christmas season, just as all those bumper stickers say. And God’s great love for us is the reason for Easter. That means hope for everyone, according to plan.
It’s coming! It’s coming! Hold on! It’s coming! Amen!
Grateful Hearts @ The Well
a counseling ministry of The Well of Dyersburg
Rev Dr Carolyn Smith Goings, PhD, senior counselor
Office: 731-325-9000
Virtual appointment are available five days per week.
To schedule counseling or for more information, call the office or
send a message using the Contact form on this website.
Coming soon: http://www.GratefulHeartsCounseling.org
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