Kindness h2o devos fia 040811

H2o devos fia 040811 Kindness

“You say that love songs bring you down
Can't depend anything
But I've seen a silver bird leave the ground
Rising high on a borrowed wing
Chorus
Have a little faith in angels
You never know where they might be
Have a little faith in angels
And you might begin to see
You could have a little faith in you and me”
www.petermayer.com/songs/faith-in-angels

Today’s devo is what my sainted mother Levera Glusenkamp would call “leftovers.”
It is made out of things that have been in the refrigerator (i.e. desk, computer, notebook).
It is all good stuff. There is some of “this” and some of “that.” Nothing has reached an expiration date or even “smells bad.” And do since this is being written two days in advance for Friday the 8th (and I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store- Metaphorically speaking that is) then you as my virtual congregation and family are gonna be treated to “Levera’s Leftovers.” I’m thinking today about the angel of “Kindness” who appears with a casserole of food just at the right time. I’m thinking today about the angel of “Kindness” who lends a hand or “wing” without expressing any kind of judgment. I’m thinking about the angel of “Kindness” who helps us when we are lost.

There are some wild numbers and statistics out there about SCREEN TIME and kids!

(Source: Henry J. Kaiser Foundation, "Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds," January 2010)
Children ages 8–18 spend the following amount of time in front of the screen, daily:
• Approximately 7.5 hours using entertainment media
• Approximately 4.5 hours watching TV
• Approximately 1.5 hours on the computer
• Over an hour playing video games
These data lie in stark contrast to the 25 minutes per day that children spend reading books.
Today's youth also have the following media in their bedrooms:
• More than one–third have a computer, and Internet access
• Half have video game players
• More than two–thirds have TVs
o Those with bedroom TVs spend an hour more in front of the screen than those without TVs
You can learn more about this by checking out the following resource which makes wonderful suggestions about reducing screentime:

www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/reduce-screen-time/index.htm


8Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work. 10But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work — you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. 11For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. Exodus 20
27Then he said to them, "The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; 28so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath."Mark 2
Judith Shulevitz in her article, “Bring Back the Sabbath” paraphrases Rabbi Elijah of Vilna about the importance of the Sabbath by stating, “We have to remember to stop because we have to stop to remember.”
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404EEDE1F3DF931A35750C0A9659C8B63&scp=5&sq=sabbath&st=cse&pagewanted=4
Note to readers- the following lines are from my noon day Lenten sermon on
“The Blessing of Being Un-plugged.”
And so it is on this day at this time in this place and space that we “remember to stop because we have to stop to remember.”
And what is it that we remember? In summary and in short we remember that God is God. In fact, I can shorten that assignment by 33 1/3 %, we remember that “GOD IS!”
That is the purpose of that wonderful creation song, Psalm 8. Just listen to those words again:
3When I consider your heavens, the work | of your fingers,
the moon and the stars you have set | in their courses,

4what are mere mortals that you should be mind- | ful of them,
human beings that you should | care for them?

5Yet you have made them little less | than divine;
with glory and hon- | or you crown them.

6You have made them rule over the works | of your hands;
you have put all things un- | der their feet:

7all | flocks and cattle,
even the wild beasts | of the field,
So, it is on this day at this time in this place and space that we “remember to stop because we have to stop to remember.”
And we remember that Abraham Heschel wrote eloquently about THE SABBATH. It’s a classic book which sings the beauty of taking time to be refreshed, renewed and regeneration.
Heschel wrote, “The meaning of the Sabbath is to celebrate time rather than space. Six days a week we live under the tyranny of things of space; on the Sabbath we try to become attuned to holiness in time. It is a day on which we are called upon to share in what is eternal in time, to turn form the results of creation to the mystery of creation; from the world of creation to the creation of the world,” (page 10).

Our theme this week is The Blessing of Being Un-plugged. The big idea is:
“Un-plug in order to Re-charge.” Over the past few days I’ve been writing and praying about Stillness, Energy, Balance, Patience along with Wisdom and Understanding.

Most of us here are old enough to remember a time when Sundays/the Sabbath were very, very un-plugged. And I am not advancing a argument to go back to times when no store was open on a Sunday. But, what I am suggesting, is that if you are aware of something that is taking your energy, that is draining your resources, that you might want to “Un-plug in order to Re-Charge.”
www.sabbathmanifesto.org/unplug/
01. Avoid technology
02. Connect with loved ones
03. Nurture your health
04. Get outside
05. Avoid commerce
06. Light candles
07. Drink wine
08. Eat bread
09. Find Silence
10. Give back
On Saturday the 9th, I’ll let you know how the 24 hours of unplugging went.
Thanks for your prayers.
Rtg

PS- “Have a little faith in angels”