David Robert Lambert

In one of her small groups icebreakers, Keri Wyatt Kent asks group members to write their “Life Verse” on an index card and then share their verses and explain why it’s significant to them.  So, here are a few verses that are important to me.

Isaiah 6:8 (NIV)
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Many people shy away form the “E-word”, evangelism, and prefer to call it outreach or other such thing.  In any case, the church is he only organization that is established for the sake of those who are not yet members. I have been involved with the Alpha Course for 10, going on 15 years. It is not just a good bible study for the congregation but, when used properly, can be a very effective tool for outreach beyond the walls of the church.  A stagnant or dying church is characterized by an inward focus on their members.  A growing church looks outward, sharing the Good News with others.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV)
16 Rejoice evermore.
17 Pray without ceasing.
18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (MSG)
16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.

As you can see, I like to compare bible translations and see which wording speaks to me.  The Message is a paraphrase rather than a literal translation but that doesn’t matter to me.  Prayer is important; for example, I prefer the traditional “pray without ceasing” to the more contemporary “pray all the time” but that does not necessarily mean I’m stuck in the past.  I generally have a positive attitude and like The Message’s “be cheerful no matter what”.

Matthew 9:35-38 (NIV)
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

You might think I have come back to the E-word and, yes, that’s true in the church sense of this passage.

On the other hand in this busy world “the workers are few” in many ways.  It’s so much easier to write a check to a charity or a non-profit than to take time to volunteer.  I learned this many years ago from my father; rather than going on vacation, he would take a full week to take our Boy Scout troop to summer camp (more info).  For my son, I helped with Cub Scouts and later as a soccer coach.  Now that I am retired, I have more time to volunteer around the church,  not only as a member of the Call Committee and the person to enter attendance data but with the Lutheran Lay Fellowship and Rainbow Via de Cristo.

What are your life verses?  How do you volunteer your time to better your church and community?

Labyrinth

In colloquial English, labyrinth is generally synonymous with maze, but many contemporary scholars observe a distinction between the two: maze refers to a complex branching (multicursal) puzzle with choices of path and direction; while a single-path (unicursal) labyrinth has only a single, non-branching path, which leads to the center. A labyrinth in this sense has an unambiguous route to the center and back and is not designed to be difficult to navigate.

As the designs became more elaborate, visual depictions of the Labyrinth from Roman times until the Renaissance are almost invariably unicursal. Branching mazes were reintroduced only when garden mazes became popular during the Renaissance.

Labyrinths appeared as designs on pottery or basketry, as body art, and in etchings on walls of caves or churches. The Romans created many primarily decorative labyrinth designs on walls and floors in tile or mosaic. Many labyrinths set in floors or on the ground are large enough that the path can be walked. They have been used historically both in group ritual and for private meditation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labyrinth

Prayer Garden

The Chapel of St. Basil is a chapel on the campus of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX, designed by Philip Johnson.  During the 2005-2006 school year, a prayer garden was built on the west side of the chapel. The centerpiece of the garden is a labyrinth, surrounded by plants and bushes. Surrounding the plants and bushes is a gravel walkway rimmed by crepe myrtles. The North end of the prayer garden features three fountains, representative of the Trinity, and four benches mark the corners of the prayer garden.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapel_of_St._Basil#Prayer_Garden

National Cathedral

The Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, under the first seven Bishops of Washington, erected the Washington National Cathedral under a charter passed by the United States Congress on January 6, 1893. Construction began on September 29, 1907, when the foundation stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt and a crowd of more than 20,000, and ended 83 years later when the last finial was placed in the presence of President George H. W. Bush in 1990.  Congress has designated the Washington National Cathedral as the “National House of Prayer”.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_National_Cathedral

Shady Grove Adventist Hospital

When the hospital admitted its first patient in December 1979, it was located in a “rural” part of Montgomery County, surrounded by fields. With some 2,100 employees, 1,200 Medical Staff and Allied Health Professionals, and 800 volunteers today, Shady Grove delivers over 5,000 babies, treats more than 108,000 emergency patients, at its main Rockville and Germantown emergency locations, and cares for more than 26,000 inpatients each year.  In 2009, the hospital completed a four-year $100 million expansion and renovation project with an expanded NICU and new Pediatric Emergency Department and an expanded state-of-the-art Surgical Services area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shady_Grove_Adventist_Hospital

“At Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, we are committed to caring for the whole person,” said Dennis Hansen, President of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. “The Healing Garden demonstrates our commitment to caring for not only the physical, but also the spiritual and mental needs of the community.”  The Barbara Truland-Butz Healing Garden at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital was awarded a Merit Award in the 19th Annual Professional Awards Program by the Maryland and Potomac Chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA).

http://www.shadygroveadventisthospital.com/SGAH/about/news/2012/healing-garden-receives-award-for-design/

My Comments

I have been to the  National Cathedral and walked the labyrinth there. During my stay at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital, I enjoyed walking in the Healing Garden.  There are plans for a possible prayer, healing or peace garden at my church.  A labyrinth could be part of the design.

He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.
Psalm 107:20 (NIV)

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil.  Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
Proverbs 3:7-8 (NLT)

And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”  So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
Luke 9:5-6  (NLT)

They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed.  Everyone tried to touch him, because healing power went out from him, and he healed everyone.
Luke 6:18-19  (NLT)

Stretch out your hand with healing power; may miraculous signs and wonders be done through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
Acts 4:30 (NLT)

And their prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make them well. And anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.
James 5:15-16 (NLT)

I have been in the hospital for an extended stay.  The nurses, techs, doctors and other staff are doing all they can for me.  Recently, one of my visitors said, in a cheerful voice on the way out, “We hope for a speedy recovery”.  I replied and said that I am quite happy to have slow but steady improvement.

I used to be able to touch my toes; now, I thank God that I can still touch my knees!

Lord, your Word tells me to pray for healing. I believe you hear this earnest prayer from my heart and that it is powerful because of your promise.  I have faith in you, Lord, to heal me, but I also trust in the plan you have for my life.