Delaware Friends of the Sudan

Peace, Shalom and Salom

I have added the website Delaware Friends of the Sudan. My friend Maureen Lyons and I are answering a call from The Mothers Union in Sudan for the need of a new vehicle.

I am not experienced in raising funds, rather I am trusting God and the inspiration that he provides.

The journey started with emails prior to Christmas to some good and long-time friends. This progressed into emails to more friends.

Now, it is mass letter writing time. I have, with the assistance of Danny Schweers, authored a letter that is being mailed in stages. Hopefully, this will be completed prior to Easter.

The nice thing about being a sponsor towards this vehicle, is that we will accept all levels of gifts. Nothing too small. If however, you are able to make a gift of $100, this will enter you into a raffle for a week's stay at a B&B in England and two airline tickets. Nice huh?

So if you want to learn about the car, the raffle and how to participate, please click on the link provided.

As always, may God bless you and yours.

The Kingdom of God

Daily Meditation Minute by The Rev. James M. Bimbi

St. James Mill Creek Hundred

Friday, March 26, 2010 – 33^rd Day of Lent

Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed;

nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’

For, in fact the kingdom of God is among you.”

(Luke, Chapter 17, verse 20-21)

Much of what we experience in life can be held externally from ourselves. It happens around us but we don’t let it get too close. We speak of something that happened ‘back then’, or was once observed, or we’ve just read about in the newspaper. We insulate ourselves from any personal involvement or response. We can even go about our lives acting like nothing around us ever changes as we place our faith in our daily routines.

We can try this same approach with God, but it is folly to think that we can pull it off. God has planted Divine grace deep within ourselves and the people around us. God is in, and around, and through everything we see, and do, and think. Not that it is always easily felt or seen – but it is there, with the possibility of changing the smallest of events into life-changing moments.

God of each breath, may we know your closeness within us. Amen

Moose and Sprinkler

Enjoy and Remember the Importance of Playing

Click here: http://www.wimp.com/babymoose/

Lenten Reading Wed. March 24, 2010

Daily Meditation Minute by The Rev. James M. Bimbi

St. James Mill Creek Hundred

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 – 31^st Day of Lent

Jesus said, “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much;

and whoever is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much.”

(Luke, Chapter 16, verse 10)

There’s an old saying that it’s the little things in life that count the most. I would not speculate that such a saying dates to or before the time of Jesus, but he did recognize that little things can lead to big consequences. The power of faithfulness is not measured by the size or impact of the matter to which it is given. It is measured by our willingness to stay true to our beliefs and to clearly see the larger goal we long to achieve. If we skip too many “little” classroom lectures, we may end up struggling or even failing to earn our diploma. If we waste too many “little” workdays, we might be demoted or fired by our employer. If we turn away from too many “little” opportunities to worship and pray and minister to others, we may find that our faith is weak or absent when life throws something truly big at us.

Jesus knew that once we begin to excuse ourselves on the basis that what is before us is “only a little thing”, we begin to move towards darkness rather than light. Jesus, the model of faithfulness, came to call us to be children of light. One sign of that is to cast off the notion that occasional faithfulness will get us by. Sadly, such a notion has only led too many otherwise good people to merely stumble around in the dark.

Jesus, you humbled yourself by setting aside your divinity for the littleness of our humanity: pray for us to the Father that we may be faithful in things large and small, so we might be strengthened and be made worthy of your kingdom. Amen.

Week of Prayer for Sudan - March 21-28

As Sudan prepares for historic presidential and parliamentary elections, Samaritan's Purse and church leaders in Sudan are calling on believers across the nation and around the world to participate in a week of prayer March 21-27, culminating with a Sudan Global Day of Prayer on March 28.

“Churches nationwide are mobilizing prayer,” said Pastor James, a church leader in Khartoum. “We are praying that everything will run smoothly. We are praying for the nation of Sudan.”

More than 2 million people died in Sudan's civil war before the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed five years ago. The 2005 accord ushered in an uneasy truce, tied to a promise that the people of southern Sudan would be allowed to participate in national elections in 2010 and vote in a referendum on independence in 2011.

Free and fair elections in April could help lay a foundation for lasting peace. However, if violence erupts it could start a chain reaction that plunges the nation back into civil war.

Government and church leaders in both the North and South agree that prayer is the key for maintaining peace in Sudan. Please join us in praying daily for Sudan the week of March 21-27, concluding in the Sudan Global Day of Prayer on Palm Sunday, March 28.

Lenten Posting for Monday, March 22

Jesus said, “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father

and mother, wife and children, brother and sisters, yes,

and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.”

(Luke, Chapter 14, verse 26)

To be a disciple of Jesus is to make tough choices along the way. It is to hear the Word of God amidst the chatter of the world, and then to set our hearts and minds on the pathway to God. It is not impossible – for with faith all things are possible – but it can prove to be difficult. And Jesus is not about to tell us that it will be a walk in the park. He makes no bones about the fact that you can’t say you are his follower if you are unwilling to order your life towards the Kingdom of God.

So what are we to make of his over-the-top statement with regards to ‘hating’ our parents, siblings, etc.? It is not about rejecting our relatives but in loving God first. Jesus’ could not literally mean for us to hate the people closest to us on one hand, while with the other tell us to love our enemies. He is prodding us towards the truth that God is the source of all that is, and if we do not know the pure Love of God then whatever love we think we bring to our other relationships will lack authenticity. In other words, our devotion to those with whom we live is only a reflection of the devotion we first choose to offer to God.

Jesus, pure Word and true Love, guide our choices and ease our journey. Amen

Attributed to The Rev. James Bimbi

Open Letter from Haiti

March 5, 2010] The following is the Lenten letter from the Rt. Rev. Jean Zaché Duracin, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti.

‘The earthquake has not destroyed our hope in the future’

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

Seven weeks after we were hit by the 7.0 earthquake on the Richter scale, the situation is still very serious in Haiti.

As you know, many people were killed, perhaps as many as 300,000. Thousands and thousands of others have been injured. In the Church, we have lost many people. Millions of Haitians have no place to live; many are sleeping in the streets in tents, and some of them still have not found any shelter at all. All the infrastructure of the country, as well as all the key institutions of the Diocese, have been destroyed, especially in the capital of Port au Prince. The situation is very difficult.

Many of our famous churches are gone, especially Holy Trinity Cathedral, which was not only a place of worship, but a place of culture. The Cathedral was a very important institution for the whole country. Yes, it has been physically destroyed, but our faith is still here and our communities are still alive. The earthquake has not destroyed our hope in the future. Despite the difficulties we face, many of our parishes have grown larger since the earthquake, because more and more people trust our Church and are turning to us for help spiritually, socially and morally.

We are still a strong Church and we will continue to work with you in partnership to be able to build up the Kingdom of God on earth through evangelism, education, health care and our development programs. We will work together to preach a holistic Gospel so that human beings may become more fully human in the face of God.

We will have to rebuild all of our communities. We in the Diocese are working very hard to have a Master Plan to replace the physical structures of the Church, so that we may continue to serve Haitian people with the same love, the same care, and the same support that we have always shown. Our mission will not change. We pray that God will continue to give us strength to do all this work despite so many difficulties. We ask you to please be patient and wait for our guidance as we put together this plan so that we can determine how our resources can be used most effectively. Once we have made our decisions, we will announce the plan. To assist us in using all of our resources in the best possible way, and to provide the best accounting of donations, I ask all of our partners in traditional programs to resume sending donations through the Partnership Program. The fastest and safest way to do this is by wiring the money into the Partnership Program account; the Rev. Kesner Ajax, Partnership Program Coordinator, can provide that information to any who require it.

I am grateful for all of the support and assistance of the Church Center and especially of the Presiding Bishop and Primate, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori. Her visit to us in February, even though it was short, gave us great strength here in Haiti, and I am deeply thankful for our time together. We appreciate very much the willingness of the Church Center to continue to work with us in the Master Plan to rebuild the Diocese.

In addition, I give thanks for the visit of the Rt. Rev. Pierre Whalon, Bishop Suffragan of the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, who is visiting right now on the Presiding Bishop’s behalf. I also give thanks to all of the bishops and dioceses of The Episcopal Church for their prayers and support, and for telling our story. Some of them have been directly involved in supporting me and my wife, Edithe, during our difficult time; all of our family is especially thankful for this.

Special thanks must be given to Episcopal Relief & Development; all of us are grateful for its assistance and work in providing us food, shelter, water, medicines and all other forms of support to help us survive these difficult times.

In addition, it was very good to receive the Most Rev. Thabo Cecil Makgoba, Primate of Cape Town, and the Rt. Rev. Laish Boyd, Bishop of Nassau and The Bahamas, who are visiting at this moment. I also give thanks to all other bishops and archbishops of the Anglican Communion who have expressed their support to us.

The earthquake of Jan. 12 was our baptism; now is our new creation. In this new creation, we pray to all work together, and we ask that you give us the time we need, first to care for our people, then to rebuild the Kingdom.

In this Lenten season, the season of repentance, conversion and intense prayers, we ask you to remember our Diocese and all the people of Haiti in this difficult moment. We also ask you to continue to support us by your prayers and your gifts, so that by Eastertide, we will be able to sing together with great joy, “Alleluia! He is Risen!”

I bid you my blessings for this holy season.

Bishop Jean Zaché Duracin

Episcopal Diocese of Haiti

Jesus Said

Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?”

(Luke, Chapter 6, verses 46)

Ouch! Why does Jesus always have to be so blunt – especially with the truth? What would be so wrong with a little sugar-coated helpful suggestion once in a while? But, thanks be to God, that’s not in God’s nature. For if Jesus is to be Lord of my Life, not just lord of my liking, then I must give myself to him in all things. I don’t get to pick and choose what I want or like about Jesus and ignore the rest.

Jesus is the complete Word, not just several letters. He is Redeemer of my sins, not the excuser of a few indiscretions. He is the Savior of my life, not the rescue worker of a fleeting distress. If I truly desire to give my life to God, to call Jesus ‘Lord, Lord,’ then I am nothing but a fool if I ignore what he tells me, shows me, and invites me to do in his Name.

Jesus, Lord of our lives and Savior of our souls, have mercy on us as we strive to follow you without exception or fear. Amen.

The Rev. James Bimbi, author.

My Friend Alex

This is a picture of my friend Alex Tyree preaching about the Big Love at my church, Sts. Andrew and Matthew. Alex spoke often about this Big Love being expressed on earth.

Back when Alex was 17, he had Hodgkin's Disease and recovered after a year of chemo and radiation. In 2008, he was diagnosed with late stage Gastric cancer at 49. Through his blog, Alex wrote about having this disease from the perspective of middle-age, as well as having over 18 years as a hospice professional. He wrote about his life continually deepening through this experience.

Alex's last blog entry on February 19, 2010 at 10:09 PM, contained stories about the days visitations from family, his stops at the local coffee shop, Brew Ha Ha, and about his wife Cheri's first day of short-term medical leave. He wrote about the sunset that he could see through the trees from a window in his house. This is his last paragraph:

All I have been recounting in this message is about relationships and how they convey the kind of comprehensive healing power that one needs at this time. It is not necessarily dramatic, but when taken together, is quite miraculous and powerful. It is the Big Love on earth being manifested through its many conduits.

Some of you may remember a prior entry that I wrote about Alex and his trip to see John of God. Alex recounted how in just being in John's presence the two of them seemed to recognize each other's souls. John could not offer physical healing for Alex, but he stayed an additional week just cause.

Alex transitioned to his next journey on Feb. 24 at 3 AM surrounded by his wife and his hospice nurse. He died holding hands, peaceful music playing and a lavender candle scenting the room. Cheri reminded us that she and Alex had been reading and talking about transitioning being like a birth, sometimes messy and uncomfortable, but a journey towards embracing the lightness of spirit.

Cheri has just written today that Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to try to find a substitute: we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time, it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us. It is nonsense to say that God fills the gap; God doesn't fill it, but on the contrary, keeps it empty and so helps us to keep alive our former communion with each other, even at the cost of pain."

I was so blessed to have known Alex. He was my hospice volunteer when Jim died. He and Cheri and Jamie sat in front of me at church. I loved sharing the peace with all of them.

So, in this gap I will remain.