Hand-in-Hand Ministries of Connecticut

2007

JANUARY 2007. And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. —John 10:22. The Feast of the Dedication is held in the winter in commemoration of the cleansing and re-dedication of the temple in Jerusalem after their desecration by Antiochus VI. Winter is a time of spare beauty, of dying back of old growth in preparation for new growth. Many Christians honor January as a period of consecration, of cleansing or dying back of old worldly habits and of re-dedication to the service of the LORD. Hanukkah is a transliteration from Hebrew, meaning dedication. Thus the Feast of Dedication is now referred to as Hanukkah.

FEBRUARY 2007. Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation. —Habakkuk 3:18 Sometimes in the middle of all burdensome details of everyday life, we lose perspective. We lose sight of our gratitude. When that happens, everything seems more difficult. That is when it can be helpful to make a conscious decision to refocus our thoughts on all we have to be grateful for. Without the cold, we could not appreciate warmth. Without the snow we have to shoval, we would not have its beautiful blanket over the landscape. Life is easier for a grateful heart.

MARCH 2007. And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. —Deuteronomy 4:11. Moses is recalling the children to Israel what is was like when God gave them the Ten Commendments (as originally described in Exodus 19:16-18). He reminds them how our awesome God, amid the dramatic fire, smoke and darkness, spoke to his people with power and with clarity. The scene on the mountain that Moses describes may perhaps be seen as a metaphor for the turmoil and confusion in our lives and for the spiritual darkness of this world. It is the Word of God that brings clarity and direction, out of the darkness and into his marvelous light.

APRIL 2007Acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing, or situation — some fact of my life — unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing, or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake.... Unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what need to be changed in me and my attitudes.  —Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd Edition (AA World Services, NYC 1976) page 449.