Cindy Gaskins

“I am the Vine, you are the branches….Separated, you can’t produce a thing.” John 15:5, The Message

Something is always blooming in my island neighborhood. Even if it’s not in my yard. As a wanna-be gardener, I have heard “stick it in the ground and see what happens.” 

I took a broken off plumeria branch, planted it and it lived. And bloomed…once. Two years into this particular plant project, there was still no more of the annual blooms. So this Spring, I pruned big time and hoped.  In less than 6 weeks, blooms arrived. And fragrance in my garden. 

About the same time on a neighborhood walk, I picked up another broken off plumeria branch with buds that hadn’t had time to open. Into the garden pot it went and a week later, the buds opened and a new leaf was poking out. 

I’m still a wanna-be gardener.  What happened with the Plumeria’s wasn’t my work. Pure hope. And wonder in the work of our Maker Designer.

Both in my garden and yours, my life and yours, the Father is a master at picking up what is broken, dry, diseased, maybe discarded. God gently finds what we might ignore, cover up, or judge as waste. The Spirit is brilliant with grafting together or pruning and cutting away what is not right in us. The potential of the not yet opened blossoms is cultivated when given his care and attention. 

Sit in your yard, go for a walk, dig in the dirt. Give thanks for God’s work in and for you. Take a bud or a broken branch to your neighbor. Maybe it will be the start of something new.

Be the Hope of Jesus.

“Jesus still made no reply, and Pilate was amazed.” Mark 15:5, NIV

Just for a quick inventory – what do you hear at this moment? Listen.

Where I am, it’s the hum of my fridge with the occasional ice dropping in place, birds blended cacophony outside, a buzz on my phone after I started a Lauren Daigle song.

Silence is a challenge in the 24/7 audible, visual, sensory loaded script of our world. Recently a Lent reading brought a silent pause. Mark’s story in chapter 14 tells us of Jesus’ arrest and the entire Jewish Council presenting him to Pilate. Jesus responds once to Pilate’s questions. And so Pilate says *“Aren’t you going to answer anything? That’s quite a list of accusations.” Still, he said nothing. Pilate was impressed, really impressed.

In the midst of deep trouble, betrayal by both disciples and religious leadership, Jesus is secure in his purpose and silent in his response. And this surprises and impresses Pilate, who really wants to let Jesus go free. But you know, public opinion wins out.

Pondering the silence of Jesus, has me thinking. Has there ever been even one occasion when my silence impressed someone, leaving curiosity, a hope, a longing for understanding?

Silence is more likely to be my response when I miss (should I say betray) the opportunity to speak of Jesus, give a word or take action in His truth or His comfort, or His love. Silence often needs to be the choice to make when I’d rather argue, give my opinion, or justify my action.

We have a glimpse of our Silent Savior in this part of God’s Story. We know before The Word became flesh, creation was spoken and the redemption plan was in place. Jesus came using words, often full of mystery, to show us God’s Kingdom. The silence of God in that mock trial, the abuse and crucifixion didn’t mean weakness or failure. God was still working. It impressed Pilate, a dying thief, a Roman Centurion. And centuries of others!

Maybe in this season of your life, or someone you know, God is being silent. Hold on to hope. Today, may you be mysteriously impressed by the silence of Jesus. And may you be Jesus’ impression in your noisy world.

*Copyright 1994 by Eugene Peterson, The Message

“Remain in me and I will remain in you.” John 15:4

How can it be the last Monday in January? Didn’t we just celebrate New Year’s? Spring already looks loaded. Blossoms may be peeking out; sunny warmth should be sliding in to free up our winter spaces. Calendars are moving us to Easter!

So how are you moving through each day? What is centering you? I have set my phone alarm for daily moments to remind me to take a breath and check my focus on Jesus. You would think after 40 years with Jesus, I would have this completely in sync. Sigh….

Hear these words of Amy Carmichael:

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.”

Amy spent 55 years in India serving the underserved, forgotten, thrown away. In those 55 years, Amy never returned to her home in Ireland. She loved, taught, wrote and lived in the neighborhood of those she gave her life to. Amy’s life habit didn’t include a phone alarm to remind her to be still. It was a cultivated habit, even through pain. The last twenty years of her life was spent living in her bed in pain from a fall.

She sounds like a saint right? Amy would look at you and say ‘and you are one too!’

“Saint” has nothing to do with human competence and everything to do with divine grace so Tyler Stanton reminds us in his book Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools.

As January comes to an end, take a breath. Hush your rush. Sit in the divine grace that is freely given so that we may live life, His will in our neighborhood.

Sweet Cindy Gaskins

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:33

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

You fill in the blank. A lot like Thanksgiving…Christmas..busy…full…Christmas programs,  cookie swaps, lists, lists, lists?

Jesus knows busy. Look at his time in Mark 1 starting at verse 21

Teaching in the synagogue

Healing a demon possessed man

Visit to Simon Peter’s house and healing Peter’s mother-in-law

Then an evening filled with many sick and demon possessed. The whole town gathered at the door and Jesus healed many…v 33

Then verse 35: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up…Another day had begun for Jesus. More doors would open, people needing him, a mission to live well.

Busy is real. It’s what we do before the busy that can shape us. What shapes you before the busy? What do you and I do before the busy begins is what gives us strength, perspective, priorities.

Starting or ending the day with words from our compassionate God will help restore His image in us.

Lectio 365 is a daily devotional app that has a regular phrase that starts the devotional: “As I enter prayer now, I pause to be still; to breathe slowly, to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God.”

Pausing on that phrase “to re-centre my scattered senses upon the presence of God” every morning, reminds me I am scattered. But coming into the presence of God Almighty, Jesus my Savior, and the Holy Spirit, my comforter, I can re-center. I can become new again, pliable and surrendered for the day.

That is what Jesus did regularly, often, alone, intentionally. And Jesus was able to finish all the work on earth God had given him. (John 17:4)

What’s at your door today…in your home, at your work station, your car or public transport, your to do list? Are you ready? Jesus is waiting at your heart’s door, ready to come and sit with you.

P.S. Did you get stuck on ‘re-centre’. The writers of Lectio 365 are from the UK and so it is ‘re-centre.’

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes.” John 1:14

For most of my life I have been intrigued with the British monarchy. So, the death of Queen Elizabeth has captured my attention. As a child living in a Commonwealth nation in Africa, I saw the Queen pass by in her royal motorcade. With our children, we happened to be in London the day the Queen was opening Parliament. Surprised and in awe, we were on the right street where few had gathered, and we saw with our own eyes the royal wave as the Queen’s carriage passed by.

With her riches, castles, and sovereign living, her neighborhood is not like ours. Popping in for tea or a walk in the dog park with her corgis is not something we commoners can experience. But Queen Elizabeth did cherish and follow One who became ordinary for her sake and ours.

The dear friend of Jesus, John, wrote about the King of Creation, the King Most High, becoming one of us and moving into the neighborhood. No castle with the flag announcing his presence, no carriage, no riches. But John, along with so many others, saw with their own eyes the glory of God.

Today, this moment, we can sit in the presence with our God. Our Savior and Lord. Our Holy Spirit. With awe and intimacy, with confession and gratitude, we can take in the truth that our God lives with us. The invitation for time with Him is always open.

Intimacy with our King also moves us to go into our neighborhoods with His love and welcome. Invite someone to have tea or a dog walk with you this week.

“The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

Have you ever had an itch you just can’t stop scratching?  

Here’s the picture of my summer vacation:

• my first case of poison ivy in the first week
• a slight infection 
• remedies set in place
• allergic reaction to an antibiotic
• full body hives that made me look like a dot to dot picture!
• 5 weeks of itching and little sleep
• 4 trips to Urgent Care and all this as I am visiting family far from my home.

Here’s another picture:

• at birth we are infected with a sin itch that infects our want, our will, our wishes
• we look for ways to scratch the itch
• it irritates, annoys, discourages us even when we try to resist
• remedies are short-lived and disappointing sometimes causing more reactions

Here’s another picture

• we were created with the eternal itch for relationship with God (Eccl. 3:11)
• while we were still ‘itching in our own way’, Christ died for us. (Rom. 5:8)
• His death and life became the Way for our sin itch to be remedied, satisfied, removed
• His life in us becomes the Way to walk with him, for him, to him in every step – no matter what itch may tempt or attack us.

I am still recovering from my summer itch. And I’m so thankful to tell you, I didn’t completely miss a lesson from the Father. Paul’s words came into fresh view  ‘…the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the One who loved me and gave himself for me.’ (Gal. 2:20b) So in my raging, itchy, sleepless moments, I tried to pray for those in deeper painful itches than mine

• for those whom I’m praying will invite Jesus to rescue from their sin itch
• for those who are in cancer treatments that bring enormous itching as a side effect
• for young parents and caregivers to loved ones who are exhausted 
• for refugees, war-trapped people, hunger-depleted bodies
• for cities and neighborhoods whose itch for justice, truth, refuge are spinning
• for fostering families, those waiting for adoption
• for ministers and lay folk who are shouldering heavy burdens because of their ministry to others
• for the enduring itch of anxiousness, loneliness, depression, doubt, fear of friends…our world.

Where does your itch find you today? Who is on your ‘itch list’. Who needs some relief? Maybe it is just a “sit and be quiet” moment on the phone, in a text, in person with a friend, co-worker, neighbor? Maybe it’s a rest with Jesus.  Take it all to Emmanuel, our with us God.