Matthew 5:8

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

I play golf for those shots that are so pure, the ball goes in the direction I envisioned it going, the distance I was planning on, and the feeling that yes, this one shot is perfect. Sometimes I have that experience in worship, when the words come so easily, the point of the scripture becomes crystal clear, and their is a synergy between the congregation and me, it is a holy moment a pure worship moment. I think of this passage in that light, when I am pure in heart, it is a moment of deep connection to God, and to the world, it is a holy blessing. In that moment, all seems right with my life, and with the world. I live for those kind of experiences, and each time I come away with a sense of gratitude.
I am also reminded there are many other kinds of moments, times when I can't hit the golf ball anywhere close to the green, or fairway, times when worship seems to be going all wrong and the words weight I speak seem so disconnected and foolish. There are times in life when I feel all out of sorts, no matter how hard I try.
So I see this condition of being pure as a gift, a pure gift, if you will from God, these holy moments are a gift, given freely by a blessing God. Even in the times when I feel impure, God's gift purifies me, and makes me whole once again, restores my soul, inspires me all over again.
No matter where I find myself in life, this experience of seeing God is always possible, because God is forever blessing us, and making us pure, making life a pure blessing.

Matthew Cont.

Wednesday for me is photo class time, I am learning about website design for photographers and lighting techniques. My mind is often overwhelmed by all the new information I get in one class. I struggle with learning the language of the computer and how to figure out how to do the things I want it to do. I often become frustrated and confused. However, the teachers here at the photo center are very patient, and because we have such a diversity of knowledge in the class, I know I fit right in.
I am blessed by new learning.
Sometimes the blessings I receive are not easy or smooth, often I have to work through my emotions to find the blessing. I am glad for my classes and the lessons I learn.

Matthew 5:1-12, Blessed

When I am poor in spirit, I do not feel blessed, I feel alone, depressed,and stressed. And if the passage stopped there I could feel a sense of abandonment. Where is God in the midst of my suffering, ah, read on...Blessed are those who mourn, they will be comforted. Not maybe, but will be. I cannot always know what the future will hold, in fact I was just saying to one of our preschool staff:"Those who care about the world are sensitive to the suffering of the world all of our lives". Sometimes it is others we care about that suffer, that mourn. How are they comforted? By our caring for them, as the Spirit leads us. This is a great honor and sometimes a great burden, a part of the work of blessing the world as we have been blessed.