Tag: faith

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without

I cannot imagine my life without a small group of Christian brothers/sisters who meet together to pray, study the Bible, and just to “do life” together!  As a kid I was always in some kind of small group – a cub and boy scout troop, a sports team, or a Sunday School Class (taught amazingly by my mother in elementary school and my father in high school).

As an adult my small “accountability” groups have always grown out of the church.  At LaSalle Street Church in Chicago we called them “cell groups” and we met at one another’s house regularly.  At Christ Church of Oak Brook I was part of a five-man group which also met regularly for over 10 years.  Currently, and for the past five years, I have been part of a group made up of five couples – we call ourselves “Parents Anonymous (PA).”

Last night our PA group met and as usual I was blessed beyond words by the connection, the honesty, and the encouragement which are always present every time we meet.  One of our group, Mark, shared a 12-word poem/proverb which he called his “pioneer saying” that he learned in high school:  Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without. The rest of our group sat quietly in awe as we focused on the meaning of this poem for our own lives, and I asked him to send it to each of us.  And he did.

Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without.  Our 30th president, Calvin Coolidge, is credited by many with creating this proverb to help people create in their lives frugality and resourcefulness, especially needed during the Great Depression.  But others claim the proverb goes back to the 1700’s – we just don’t know and likely never will know who first said Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without!

I cannot get this poem/proverb out of my mind.  Each of the four phrases has grabbed my mind, my heart, and my soul at a very deep level.  Beyond the obvious meaning that Pres. Coolidge wanted Americans to heed, to me the poem/proverb can apply to our spiritual lives in a most profound way.  One simple example:  Jesus told us, “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another” [John 13:34].

Our response to Jesus’ “new command” takes us through Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, Or Do Without.  “Loving others” is to be a hallmark of my life, I must show love at such a constant level that I may feel I am “using it up” and “wearing it out” – but the goal is always to “make it do” since “doing without” is NOT an option for Christ-followers.  May my friend Mark’s “pioneer saying” and Pres. Coolidge’s “proverb to the nation” bring you deeper insights as you chew on God’s written word!  Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com.  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

The Man On The Middle Cross Invited Me!

Imagine this: when the thief crucified with Jesus got to the pearly gates of Heaven and was asked, “How did you come to be here?” I wonder what he might have said. Did he have a clue about justification by faith? Baptism for the remission of his sins? Regular church attendance? Inspiration of holy scriptures? Prophecy confirmations from the Hebrew Scriptures? No, to all of those.

Here is the only thing he could have said: The Man on the Middle Cross Invited Me! And clearly that answer was all he had to say! Jesus had turned to him during the torture of crucifixion when both were near death in shear physical agony, and he said, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT).

But there is a little more to this story which bears looking at for our own edification as we Christ-followers hope for a similar invitation from Jesus. Did you remember that the other criminal dying on the other side of Jesus had taunted Jesus with these words, borne, I am sure, as much out of fear of impending death as a genuine hope of a miracle rescue: “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you’re at it” (Luke 23:39 NLT).

To me the most powerful of all conversion sermons comes next. The soon-to-be-pardoned thief said, “Don’t you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong” (Luke 23:40-41 NLT). Give the word “fear” its proper meaning of “respect” and the first point of this sermon is clear: This convicted criminal knew enough to respect his newly met neighbor, also condemned to death, as the incarnate presence of God.

His second sermon point is also powerful: His belief that both he and his fellow criminal “deserved to die” is always a precursor to salvation. His words constitute a true confession of sin.

In my opinion, the third point of this sermon is a true highpoint of all human encounters with Jesus recorded in scriptures: “But this man has not done anything wrong.” Whereas all we human beings have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, Jesus of Nazereth, born of Mary, fully human and fully divine, is the only person ever to walk on the face of this earth without having sinned.

So, there you have it: a really convincing three-point sermon for the ages! How did you get here to heaven sir? The Man on the Middle Cross Invited Me! The coolest part of this sermon is that Jesus’ words to the believing thief on the cross are the same words He offers to us today! Do we actually believe that the same invitation is open to us, or do we water down His invitation to include all of the “works” which we need to do to earn entry into heaven? Lord, may it be so that we, with the thief on the cross, can shout with joy at heaven’s gates when asked how we got there: The Man on The Middle Cross Invited Me!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you.

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE: If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com. I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

Nor Do I Really Know Myself!

Authenticity.  Knowing myself. Lying to myself. One of the most powerful and shocking phrases in The Merton Prayer is this:  Nor Do I Really Know Myself.  When Merton published these incredibly vulnerable and authentic words in his 1958 book Thoughts in Solitude, bookstores did not have the shelves of “self-help” and “self-knowledge” books which they hold today!

“Knowing oneself” has become a very fertile cottage industry not at all limited to psychologists or mental health workers.  How could Merton have foreseen such a widespread conundrum looming in our society? How exactly does a person “really know myself”?  Every time I pray The Merton Prayer I pause and sometimes come to a full stop at this phrase.  Nor Do I Really Know Myself!  I truly want to know myself. But then again maybe I do NOT want to “really” know myself.

True self-knowledge always leads to an encounter with the God in whose image I am created; an encounter with the God who “knew me” in my mother’s womb per Jeremiah 1:5. But that omnipotent God did far more than that while I was in my mother’s womb—listen to what He told the prophet and what He wants each of us to hear:  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart: I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” [Jeremiah 1:5 NIV]

Seriously God?  Did you “appoint” me as a pastor for 10 years, a Bible College Instructor of Greek for 4 years, a hospital ombudsman for 6 years, and a plaintiff’s trial attorney for 38 years (and counting!)?  I look backwards, and I honestly can say “Yes, thank you God for leading me each step of my life.”  As with Jeremiah, I too have had seasons of fear – did I really try a three-week medical malpractice case with six expert witnesses, without a little fear?

Jeremiah cried out to God:  “Alas, Sovereign Lord I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”  And how did God reply?  “Do not say, ‘I am too young’ – you must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.  Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you.” There it is! Regular readers of this blog saw this coming! The Merton Prayer in Jeremiah’s words – “I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone!”

If looking authentically at your true self causes fear and a little anxiety, well, maybe that is exactly what can lead to honest self-knowledge! I close with this quote from the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung –“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your heart.  Who looks outside – dreams.  Who looks inside –  awakens.” [Robin Sharma, The Monk who Sold his Ferari, HarperOne, 1998, p.40].  May the God of Jeremiah awaken each of us this week to true and authentic self-knowledge so that we no longer hiccup when we get to this phrase of The Merton Prayer – Nor Do I Really Know Myself!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com.  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

How Could That Happen?

“Mr. Denny, I am calling to get your verbal consent for the surgery tomorrow for your left knee replacement?” My answer was one word: “No.” Awkward silence followed. “I don’t understand, are you not coming for surgery tomorrow?” “Yes, I am coming but my left knee was replaced in 2022! I consent to surgery on my right knee!” Apologies followed. I was not surprised but the question lingered: How Could That Happen?

Many of you will recall that after my 10-year career as parish pastor I spent 4 years working in Risk Management at a major Chicago hospital. Informed consents were regularly messed up. Fortunately, all of the mistakes were caught pre-surgery and we never had the wrong limb operated on. (Now that would be a lawsuit which I would LOVE to handle!)

The simple answer to How Could That Happen? is this: It could and does happen because we are humans and not machines! Our natural nature is to sin! Even the best human among us is a sinner who makes mistakes! Listen to how the Apostle Paul spoke about this: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 NIV).

“All” leaves no room for me to be the exception! Every single one of us is a sinner. How often, if ever, do we “mature Christians” admit that we are “sinners”? Sure, we list our sins in our prayers when we ask God to forgive us, knowing full well that He always forgives us! We even admit to being a sinner in the ‘’Lord’s Prayer”. But such admission, as honest as it can be, hardly convinces us that we have an internal quality called “sin.”

The part of this famous verse that pastors rarely focus on is “and fallen short of the glory of God.” We are human sinners and we do not contain within us “the glory of God”. Is this a big announcement? Did we not know this before we read Paul’s letter to the Romans? Because we are all sinners, we must realize that we are not God, and we can never become God.

Today’s blog is not a total bummer! The surgery on the RIGHT leg was very successful and post-op I am walking pain free now with use of a walker. And Paul’s very next words totally take the sting out of “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

Listen to Romans 3:24 — “And all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ” (NIV). Hear the same verse from the NLT: “Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins” (Romans 3:24 NLT). And this, my friends, is very good news for all of us sinners!

We are “freed from the penalty of sin” is just about the best news a sinner can ever hear. So How Could That Happen? is completely, totally, and properly, answered for us. Thank you, Lord!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you.

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE: If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com. I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

The Church is Confused!

Not only is the culture collapsing around us, the second point of Alistair Begg’s threefold meme of why modern Christianity is failing is this– The Church is Confused!  Do I really need to document this assertion? Just one point will suffice: A major denomination voted at their annual conference two years ago that abortion is fine and that any local, state, or federal restrictions on abortion for women and “pregnant persons” were not to be tolerated.  To me, this leaves no room for doubt – The Church is Confused!

When Jesus told the Apostle Peter that he had just handed him the “keys to the kingdom” and “upon this rock [petros, Greek for rock and Peter] I will build my church,” I hardly think he had in mind a future church deciding to allow babies to be killed in the womb!  When Yahweh told the prophet Jeremiah that he had been known by God even when Jeremiah was in his mother’s womb, surely God was not envisioning abortion of healthy children created in his image (Jeremiah 1:5).

Has the Church always been confused? If not, when and how did the Church become confused?  The first century church at Jerusalem had some serious conflicts which were overseen by James the brother of Jesus.  (See Acts 15:14-21).  The fourth century Church saw the Roman Emperor Constantine forcing his soldiers to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ, a fact which might have upset local church boards a tad!

Our 21st century church has  – drumroll please – are you ready for this?? – over 45,000 different denominations and the United States alone has over 200!  When Jesus handed the keys of the kingdom to Peter one wonders if even Jesus would be shocked to see that the Church today is not one undivided Church. To say The Church is Confused is hardly a stretch of imagination to a modern church-watcher. 

We have churches who focus more on political issues than on issues from the Bible.  We have churches who one year declare a “policy” only to change/reverse itself the very next year!   One church says sins are forgiven when one prays asking God to forgive, another church says that sins are only forgiven when one experiences baptism.  One church baptizes by sprinkling water on an infant who has no idea what is happening, another church only baptizes by immersion in water which completely covers the body.

Yes, The Church is Confused and I sincerely wonder at times what God thinks of how we have messed up his plan that the church would be “one”!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com.  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

The Culture is Collapsing!

Why is the Church not flourishing in this crazy world of American extremes?  Why do we see entire denominations taking very unChristian stands on controversial issues?  Why do we have clergy afraid to speak boldly like Jesus spoke?  I recently had the privilege of meeting the amazing pastor/author Alistair Begg – and I thanked him for his simple, yet powerful threefold mnemonic which answers the above questions:  The Culture is Collapsing, The Church is Confused, and The Clergy are Cowards.

Today’s blog looks at the first of Begg’s three answers, The Culture is Collapsing, and future blogs will tackle the other two.  One need only look at the last 25 years to see how incredibly different our culture is today!  The changes seem flowing in warp-speed!

We have grade schoolers being taught that they can choose which gender they want to be, parents who support such life-altering decisions, and a medical profession quick to step up with procedures and medications to help the child change into their desired gender!  Just today the national news dropped a bomb on us Americans with the announcement that a huge % of illegal migrants crossing our borders are criminals—true or false? We have two major political parties in our country which seem to literally hate the other, which leads to simply awful family gatherings around the Thanksgiving or Christmas tables!

Given the above it usually seems wisest, certainly easiest, just to ignore these topics.  I look at how Jesus dealt with his first century culture and I come away with hope that all may not be lost.  But clearly, as Bob Dylan sang, “The times they are a changing.”  The French historian/politician Alexis de Tocqueville had great insights into American Christianity – listen to this from the 1850s:

In the United States … almost all Americans believe in or at least respect Christianity, with the result that ‘everything is certain and fixed in the moral world’.

I doubt he would say the same for 21st century America where nothing seems “certain and fixed in the moral world.”  For over a decade I have belonged to, believed in, and ministered with, a conservative congregation which belongs to an uber-liberal denomination.  I was shocked to learn of the denomination’s official actions.

Here is one thing that Jesus said which, if we Christ-followers can engage with, then maybe, just maybe, the Church might be the antidote to The Culture is Collapsing!

He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone. [John 8:7]  Jesus was teaching in the temple when some Jewish leaders of the day dragged a woman caught in the act of adultery before him, demanding that this sinful woman be stoned to death. When they heard the above words of Jesus, they all dropped their stones and walked away. And isn’t it interesting, and instructive, that John notes the older, more mature, Jewish leaders were the first to leave! Then we hear Jesus tell the woman, “Go and sin no more”!  Simple, yet profound, and certainly a real antidote for The Culture is Collapsing!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please email me at TheMertonPrayer@gmail.com.  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

It’s All There!

In the 1990’s I was totally “pro-choice”.  What happened to change my mind?  (1) A conversation with a doctor; (2) Jeremiah 1:5. This is not a “political” attack on pro-choice folks; it is my story of how I changed directions on this issue.

I was in San Diego to present my OB/Gyn expert in a medical malpractice case – my client’s baby was permanently deformed and would never be able to use her left arm due to the negligence of the doctor.  My expert was the head of his hospital’s OB/Gyn department with incredible credentials.  He was also a strong Christian who was not shy about sharing his faith.

As we chatted at dinner after his deposition, he knocked my socks off by telling me, “I used to do abortions.  At least one per week for over 20 years.” I did the math – he had done over 1,000 abortions.  “Why did you stop?” said I.  His response changed my life forever: “I realized that at conception It’s All There! Nothing is ever added except food/nutrition!”

My brain grabbed this and I could not let it go.  Probably within a week I realized the absolute undeniable truth in It’s All There! From the moment of conception absolutely NOTHING is added to that zygote, nothing except nutrition, nothing except food!  It’s All There! 

And then there was that verse in Jeremiah where God talks directly to the famous prophet and preachers ever since have grabbed that sentence to preach powerful pro-life sermons.  “Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’” (Jeremiah 1:4-5.  NASB1995). So, God knew me in the womb, and nothing but food was added after I was conceived!

I was hooked by my own brain into a total life-changing position.  Nothing was added except food!  And every other human being on this planet was also “known by God in the womb.”  My wife Miran and I have stood in front of Chicago abortion clinics, praying that the women coming to have their babies sucked out of their wombs would change their minds!

The Lord and the Holy Spirit moved in the hearts of a few women who saw 30+ of us praying in front of the abortion clinic.  They slowly turned around and walked back to their car.  Our prayer was that they would never return to that or another clinic for an abortion.

“Reproductive health care” – can we really/logically say ripping a baby apart by a vacuum which got every piece of the baby’s body out of the woman’s womb is health care?  Seems like “death care” to me!  And modern science for decades has known that the DNA of the baby is NOT the same as the mother’s DNA, which makes the mantra “My body my choice” illogical non-sense.  Mom’s left arm is her body and she can indeed cut that off with impunity.  The baby inside her is NOT her body, it is the body of another human being who is already known by God!

It’s All There! and God’s message to Jeremiah – that’s how I made a 180 degree turn in my life and I have never looked back with regret.  May the God of Jeremiah bless you today as you chew on these thoughts!  And don’t forget –at conception It’s All There! Leave a comment please!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please use the contact tab and let me know!  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

Being, Not Just Doing!

My friend Jeff Wood, a scholar and fellow lover of all things Merton, shared with me an article which I really enjoyed:  “On The Road with Thomas Merton” by Jeremy Seifert (https://emergencemagazine.org/feature/on-the-road-with-thomas-merton/). Seifert digs deeply into the life and words of Thomas Merton.

Jump with me today into a couple of Mertonian quotes!

“In order to live I have to die” is not an easy one to digest, until I recall how Christians are called to die to self and live to Christ.  Paul said in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (NASB1995).  I love how the Amplified Bible explains difficult biblical ideas like this one: “For to me, to live is Christ [He is my source of joy, my reason to live] and to die is gain [for I will be with Him in eternity].”

“Life is not so much about trying to do something, just trying to be.”  Being, Not Just Doing!  One of the joys of engaging in Contemplative Prayer is the realization that our lives are far too often focused on how much we get done.  My journaling practice of ending each day with a few moments to reflect on “where did I experience God today and where did I miss God today” is called The Examination of Conscience.  Each day is a gift from God, and taking time to “examine” whether I am too busy “doing” things that I have not spent a single moment focusing on “who I am and Whose I am.”

Is there a tension here which is built into our human psyches?  After all, we have to “do” things or we won’t be able to pay our bills, put food on the table, or put clothing on our children!  Surely Merton would not condone just “sitting around all day never doing anything, just thinking and praying”!

Do not forget that the Abbey of Gethsemani (where Merton lived) was inhabited by Trappist monks who prayed the daily liturgy of the hours but who also worked out in the fields, in the kitchen, and in the shop creating their amazing cheeses, fudge, and bourbon fruitcakes!  Their day – and our day – can be, and hopefully is, filled with a balance of both the introspective being and the need to be productive at something by doing.  I believe the key to successfully implementing this concept is the word “just” which hopefully brings a blessing of balance to you today and every day!

 Being, Not Just Doing! Is a challenge worth undertaking, wouldn’t you agree? I love getting “comments” from readers of my blogs, so please do not be shy! I never cease being amazed at how Merton seekers from all over the world are finding this blog site.  Blessings on you today as you contemplate Being, Not Just Doing!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please use the contact tab and let me know!  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

I Chose Forgiveness and It Kept Me Alive!

Have you heard the “Wild Bill” story from the German concentration camps in WW2?  This was new to me, and it blew my “theological socks” right off!  I heard this story from a very credible source, Dr. Robert Sears, S.J., who has been my and my wife Miran’s spiritual director for over 20 years, and he claims it is absolutely true.

A Polish family of five were imprisoned by the Nazis in a concentration camp.  The father evidently appeared healthy and so the Nazis pulled him aside for work detail while he had to stand and watch all four of his beloved family members shot to death and dumped into a mass grave!

Sit with that horrific scene for a moment and see how your spirit is dealing with it. 

When the American troops liberated all Nazi concentration camps in 1945, they spent weeks working in each camp.  At first the emaciated prisoners were scared of these “new soldiers” whose language they did not recognize and whose uniforms were different than their captors.  If you have never seen any archival footage of the liberation work you might want to google it, the historical footage abounds on the internet and is easy to find.  Here is just one link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyGQGEgTkLI

Back to “Wild Bill” who got this nickname from the American soldiers since he had a mustache and looked like Wild Bill Hickok, the famous American folk hero who lived from 1837-1876 and who had a very distinctive mustache.  Also, his Polish name had five vowels and was unpronounceable by the Americans.  Wild Bill spoke several languages, including English, so when he was asked if he was okay with being called “Wild Bill” instead of his real name, he agreed.

Wild Bill worked tirelessly with the American soldiers to help the sick and dying receive care with dignity, often putting in 16-hour days.  Unlike his fellow prisoners he was not emaciated.  He stood strong and looked as healthy as the American soldiers who quickly questioned him, “Sir, how is it that you are so healthy, and your fellow prisoners are skeletons near death?”  His answer grabs my heart.

He said that after his entire family was killed, he had a choice.  He could forgive or he could hate and seek revenge. He said repeatedly to any soldiers who asked him how he was so healthy, I Chose Forgiveness and It Kept Me Alive!  He had endured the exact same starvation diet as others, yet he did not deteriorate into a weak skeleton.  I imagine this conversation with Wild Bill: 

Me:      Why did you choose forgiveness sir?

He:       Because anger and hate would eat me up inside, and because God loves all human beings, so how can I not love everyone?

Me:      How are you so healthy when you had a starvation diet for six years?

He:       A miracle, is the only way I can answer that question.

Me:      Did you ever want to just give up and die?

He:       Never.  If I did that, then the Nazis have triumphed over me.

Me:      What message do you have for us in 2024 sir?

He:       Love everyone and forgive quickly, lest it eat you alive!

So, there you have it!  Wild Bill’s story totally confirms what Victor Frankel said in “Man’s Search for Meaning” [Beacon Press, 2006] and which I referred to on page 74 in “The Merton Prayer:  An Exercise in Authenticity” [ACTA Press, 2022].   The prisoners who asked, “why has God allowed this to happen to me” often did not survive, whereas those who asked, “what does God wish for me to learn in this awful situation” more often did survive.

So, what will it be for me and for you?  Forgiveness or vengeance? May this day mark my constant connection with Wild Bill’s I Chose Forgiveness and It Kept Me Alive!

Leave a comment, if you wish, regarding this post or how you discovered The Merton Prayer and why it is important to you. 

You will find The Merton Prayer and more at https://www.themertonprayer.com/

[NOTE:  If your organization, church, or school would like a workshop/presentation on The Merton Prayer please use the contact tab and let me know!  I can Zoom all over the world and have done 90-minute, 3-hour, 5-hour, weekend, or five-day workshops/retreats.]

It is Right and Just!

In many churches around the world millions of Christians regularly hear this challenge,  “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God,” which is followed by “It is Right and Just.”  Every time I say those words I stumble over “just.”  Maybe because I spend my days fighting for “justice” for my law firm’s clients and I just don’t easily connect “justice” with our giving thanks to the Lord.

So, friend, chew on this with me and see where you come out.  Nobody, I suspect, will disagree with the adage that “it is right” that we creatures give thanks to the Lord our God.  We have incredible things to thank God for:  at the top of the list is God’s loving us so much he incarnated himself into our human form and died a criminals’ death so that we might have hope for eternal life.  (John 3:16) Yes, indeed, that’s worthy of our thanks! 

But “just” implies correctness, balance, health, morality, and/or right(eousness).  So, stay with me here, how is my saying “Thank You God” any of those characteristics?  Simply put, this is the question:  How is “Thank you God” just?  What the worship leader says next gives a clue, if not the total answer.  After I declare It is Right and Just I usually hear these words:  “It is truly right and just, our duty and salvation to give you thanks.” 

There it is!  It is Right and Just because it is our duty and salvation.  “Duty” is a word which figures greatly in my work as a trial lawyer.  I tell the jury that a defendant doctor “had a duty” to order blood work and a chest x-ray when his patient comes in having coughed up blood for three weeks!  The 34-year-old man died because his doctor had failed his duty.  And the jury of his peers smacked that negligent doctor with a “Just” verdict!  That makes total sense to me. 

But “salvation”?  Ah, yes indeed, when that jury returned its verdict, my client felt that she had received “salvation” and she thanked them (and me) profusely, without hesitation!   The widow (with her 18-month-old father-less son in her arms) could not even think about leaving that courtroom without giving thanks to the jurors as they walked past.

When I contemplate the blessings in my life, they are too numerous to count! For me it is a highlight in any worship service to be challenged to give thanks to the Lord our God.  And the confirmation of that challenge always stirs my soul:  It is Right and Just!  May your efforts to properly thank God be enhanced today by grabbing onto It is Right and Just.  To do less than constantly thank the Lord our God is flat out not right and not just!

God deserves our thanks for all he has done for us. Can I get a witness?

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