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How we treat the people who we love while they are living corresponds to the way we will treat their remains when they die. We love them through and through until the end and beyond. Love never ends, it is eternal. Praise God!

When people talk about Jesus, what do you hear? In my circles, we spend a lot of time talking about Jesus' ministry. Jesus was a preacher, teacher, and healer. He fed the hungry, spent time with marginalized people, and challenged the powers that be, in the political and religious realms. We talk too about his death and resurrection and the grace he offers all of us.

I am grateful to know what it is like to experience forgiveness, acceptance, and abundance. I hope that you have had experiences where you have been welcomed with open arms and given access to a significant measure of provisions, gifts that were consumable and of a benefit to you and others to use both spiritually and in material form and connected to those experiences, the feeling of being forgiven for any past mistakes and failures of word and action.

If I was to use one word to describe Lent, I would use intentionality. In this season we are invited and encouraged to pay a little more attention, to purposefully seek the presence and guidance of God in our life. Whether that means letting go of something that distracts us, putting time away for spiritual practices, or reflecting on how we might live more in love with God and one another, this is a time of intentionality.

What do you understand about being tested? How do you feel about meeting a good challenge? Are they both part of an accomplished life? What about our spiritual life, does it need to be tested and challenged to be well-rounded and fulfilled? I believe that many of us think the time of Lent is all about being tested so that we may become the best followers of Christ that we can be.

Chameleons are curious creatures. They have the unique ability to change color. How fascinating! Sometimes these color changes help regulate body temperature, adjust to the light, or send signals to other chameleons about their moods. Did you know this? Many of us are more familiar with their secondary use of color-changing: camouflage. When I think of chameleons it is this. I imagine they use their color-changing to blend into their surroundings. I wonder why it is that though this isn't their main reason for changing colors, it seems to be the one that we are most familiar with?

How do we achieve the community that Jesus was establishing during his public ministry? The actions of those of us who believe in Jesus and seek to realize the words that he preached and taught must point to a standard that is reinforced through practice. Love is the standard that Jesus built all his relationships, preaching, teaching, and his efforts to create and maintain just systems upon to ensure that we all treat one another as God treats us.

Have you ever noticed how much of life is preparing for the next step? I remember as a child being told in classrooms that what I was learning in that moment would be important for the next grade. I remember being in high school and having teachers tell us what would and wouldn't be accepted and allowed in college. Then, in college, we would sit in lecture halls while our professors would inform us of what we needed to do to be successful as we sought out jobs or journeyed on in higher education.

We are students for more of our lives than we are teachers because we learn more than we teach. Before we can teach we must learn even more about the subject we are going to teach than we normally would learn if we were seeking to be taught about that subject.

The words that we speak mean something. And, when we speak God's words, they are the ultimate form of human expression. Psalm 119:105 reads, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path." (NRSV) God's word is a spiritual lamplight to both illuminate your present path so you will not stumble and fall, and to show you where you are going to avoid any danger that may be hidden in the darkness surrounding you.

This is the time when we focus on the appearance and public expression of Christ in this world. We have understood and joyfully celebrated the birth of Jesus on Christmas. Now, we center on how Jesus' presence is made known to the world, not only to the believers in God who watch for Jesus and prepare for his second appearing.

We should be aware that God is calling us into ministry through the numerous ways that the Spirit of God is revealed in and through us. Yes, we can see evidence of God's calling of others in the Bible, but also we can see evidence of God's call of our fellow members of God's family through the spiritual gifts that they exhibit. There are many kinds of spiritual gifts expressed in many ways because God has made us to be the conduits of the various spiritual gifts that God gives for the building up of God's people.