Reset the ripples

Image found at Facebook for Treasure Lake.

*Take a deep breath. Close your eyes for a moment and imagine a quiet pond, complete with singing frogs, tall reeds and plenty stones for skipping. 

Pick up two stones. Think about two things you would pray for: One for the world and you personally. 

Toss your stones to skip across the water and watch the ripples as a result of their impact. As the ripples grow, pray for God to work in the world and your life - and help you to act on making ripples for good.*

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All week I've been thinking about this scripture text in order to prepare for a children's message this Sunday. I've considered talking things that "swamp" our lives with unnecessary fear, but I keep coming back to ripples. In this text, the disciples are afraid (when aren't they), Jesus is tired from teaching and healing people and is out cold sleeping when a storm kicks up. In their panic, the disciples wake Jesus up, he gets up and tells the storm to stop and the water is calm. In some translations, the water is said to be "in a dead calm". This is where I was reminded of the glass like surface of a quiet pond. Can you hear the frogs singing too?

When I reread this lesson, and took note of Jesus actions, I began to see his efforts like pushing a reset button. Without Jesus entering into the storms of life, resetting our fearful state and showing us the calm - how else would we attempt to make some good ripples out of our lives. Jesus has done the big work - but now it's our turn (once the reset button has been pushed) to made some ripples. What kind of ripples will you make?

Painting by T.L. Eastman "Ripples" - 

go to: tara-eastman.artistwebsites.com to visit online gallery.

Ideas to ponder -

What are some big storms in your life?

How is/has Jesus worked to calm them?

Now that the water is calm, what fears are you free of?

What are the two prayers you would pray?

One for the world...

One for your own life...

What kind of ripples do you think your prayers will make?

Jesus Calms the Storm

^{Mark 4:35-41}

 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.  Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”