Michele Chynoweth's Blog, page 14

Ours is not to reason why…

I am fortunate indeed to be able to say I didn’t have anyone close to me who died in the 9-11-2001 terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon. Still, like most of my fellow Americans, I will never forget the tragedy that occurred that day, the deadliest terrorist act in world history, and my heart still aches for all of the victims and their families. Sometimes as human beings we are prone to question “why?” when reflecting on events such as these. As in, why do bad things happen to good people, why does God cause or allow such evil to exist and such pain and suffering to occur, and the like, just like Job did in the Bible, on whom my first novel, The Faithful One, is based. I believe that God doesn’t cause evil and suffering to happen; however, since He is all-powerful, whether bad things are caused by man and/or Satan, God does allow them to happen. We see this in the Book of Job when Satan asks God if he can “test” Job’s faith in order to destroy him. But the good news in the story is that, while God allows this to happen, Satan does not destroy Job, and then God gives to Job double what he lost. God is ultimately in control and helps Job, like he helps us, in our darkest days. Is this supposed to be comforting? Well, maybe not at first. It is still tough to understand why an all-loving, all knowing, all powerful God would allow bad things to happen. But in the big picture it can be. Because if God is all powerful, He will use our pain and suffering ultimately for good, like he did with his Son Jesus.  Over and over in the Bible we are told everything happens for a reason according to God’s Plan. We just can’t always see it.  “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. (Isaiah 55:8) And what if we could? We might still not fully understand or be satisfied with His answers. Yet that does not mean God is silent toward us. God speaks to Job in the Bible, but instead of telling him “Why” He tells him “Who.” He reminds Job who He is. “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand…Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb? Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?…”   And we are reminded daily too…in the majesty of the ocean, the beauty of an eagle flying,the love and compassion we feel for each other which is seen especially in the wake of tragedies like 9-11. And that is enough for us to know. Even – and especially – when life doesn’t go our way, we can have faith in God’s sovereignty and know He will bring us through with his care and love. I especially felt this Sunday at Mass when they played the song, “On Eagle’s Wings” ((Lyrics based on Psalm 91 and Isaiah 40:31) often played at funerals to comfort us when we have lost a loved one and may question “why?” And He will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of his hand.”

 

Not Too Late! Speak Out Today Against Human-Animal Chimera Research

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a federally funded medical research agency, wants to start funding – using taxpayer dollars – research into human-animal “chimeras” – which, according to the NIH website,  means “growing human tissue and organs in animals through the introduction of human pluripotent cells into early stage embryos of non-human vertebrate animals.” In short, trying to grow human parts like brains and reproductive organs in animals.  The public is allowed to make comments through midnight, Sept. 6. According to the website, “these experimental designs raise questions regarding where the human cells might go in the developing animal and how they might function, such as whether the human cells might contribute to the central nervous system and affect the cognition of the animal.” But Catholics and other Christian churches alike are calling it  an abomination and are encouraging all people who defend the “right to life” to write in against it. “The bottom line is that the Federal government will begin expending taxpayer dollars on the creation and manipulation of new beings whose very existence blurs the line between humanity and animals such as mice and rats. In doing so, the government is ignoring the fact that federally funded research of this kind is prohibited by Federal statute and is also grossly unethical,” the The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) wrote in its comments submitted Sept. 2. “Herein lies the key moral problem involved in this proposal, beyond the already grave problem of exploiting human embryos as cell factories for research,” they wrote. “For if one cannot tell to what extent, if any, the resulting organism may have human status or characteristics, it will be impossible to determine what one’s moral obligations may be regarding that organism.” The comments noted that Catholic morality allows for “the respectful use of animals in research that can benefit humanity. But because of the unique dignity of the human person, there are limits to what can morally be done….”  They further wrote: “It relies on the destruction of human embryos…the dignity and inviolability of human life at every stage of development is a foundational principle of any truly civilized society. The right not to be subjected to harmful experimentation without one’s express and informed consent is an innate human right….” In my book, The Peace Maker (being re-published this month), a contemporary novel about the story of David and Abigail in the First Book of Samuel in which the David and Nabal (Abigail’s narcissistic and abusive husband) characters are running for US President in an election much like the one we’re facing today, I bring out current issues about stem cell research involving human egg harvesting, which is legal in many states in the US and countries around the world, but like the human/animal chimeras, is also highly immoral and unethical. I think we really need to look at these issues, vote our consciences in the upcoming 2016 election, and speak out. To write to the NIH (do so immediately as comments are due by end of Sept. 6), click here: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/rfi/rfi.cfm?ID=57

 

To take responsibility for others…you gotta have faith.

I am sitting here editing a young man’s novel and am feeling overwhelmed by the task. It is not a novel I would have ever read before because it is a science fiction story (kind of like “Lord of the Rings” meets “Harry Potter” meets “The Avengers.”) And I ask God, “why did  you choose me for this project?” Actually, the writer was referred to me by his uncle whom I haven’t seen for about 38 years. (He and I were friends in our high school years). I have edited several books now as a book coach. And with each project, I am blown away by the writer’s imagination and/or story and most of all by the trust these writers have placed in me. And at just the right moment, when I am feeling a bit wary of the task at hand, God encourages me through another. I received a phone call from an author whom I helped with my editing skills thanking me for being objective, straightforward and helpful with her memoir, which she said became a much better book with my aid. That was Friday…and now Monday already I feel overwhelmed again by the responsibility I face as I near the end of my current task. I pray and am reminded of the phone call Friday, of the story of Noah in a daily spiritual reading (just think, if we feel overwhelmed, how Noah must have felt being called to build an ark and save humanity!). And I’m reminded of Jesus’ message in Luke 12:48: “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” Which to me says we can only do our best with what we know, but also not to take our responsibilities to others and to God lightly. I know if I can keep the focus off of myself and my own abilities or inadequacies and instead “go with the flow” of the Holy Spirit by asking for His help and guidance, and then to have faith in the outcome, I can do the task at hand, one day at a time. You can too, whatever your challenge today.

Will You Fit through the Narrow Gate?

There is a lot in the news these days about athletes making big mistakes that get them in a lot of trouble. There’s Ryan Lochte, the Olympic swimmer who left Rio in disgrace after lying to the police about being robbed at gunpoint when in fact he was drunk and wrecked a public restroom. There are several football players from the University of Notre Dame (my alma mater) who are either being suspended or kicked off the team before the season even starts for a variety of misconduct and arrests for battery, gun and drug charges. It’s easy to talk about all of these young men in the spotlight, easy to judge them for falling so far, and to pity their parents. They say the bigger you are, the harder you fall, and that’s true, especially when you’re in the harsh glare of the media. As Jesus taught, we shouldn’t judge these young men but look at ourselves and where we fall short…as people and as parents. Are we doing all we can to avoid temptation, be good examples, be loving and forgiving,  and help our children walk the straight and narrow path? “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough,” Jesus says in the Gospel (Luke 13:22). Often it is not our falls or failures  that count, but how we overcome them. Even the now-great Michael Phelps made huge mistakes at one point in his career, being arrested for a DUI. But he did the next right thing, went into a rehab, started over and made his way back to become the best Olympian of all time. Let’s pray for the athletes and others in the news who have fallen, that they pick themselves back up and get back on track…and pray for ourselves that we will keep striving to get through the narrow gate and teach our children to do the same.

Do You Burn with Fire?

Have you ever felt like you were completely alone in your passion to achieve something great and wondered, why on earth am I working so hard when it seems like I’m not getting very far and no one else really cares? Surely at times that’s what the athletes at the Olympics must feel…they sacrifice so much in their young lives…when other teens are going to parties and proms, they are practicing night and day. And most, after so many years of struggle and sacrifice, never get the medal for which they strive. Yet they keep going every day because they burn with a fire that can’t be quenched. I know this “fire”…the drive to be “successful” as a full-time author of modern-day Bible stories, contemporary novels based on Old Testament stories that get across God’s message. I still don’t know what my “success” will look like – I don’t know if I’ll get any “medals” (like landing on the NY Times Bestseller List) or if I’ll even be able to make a living doing God’s will through my writing…all I know is I have to keep trying, practicing, striving. I believe this kind of “fire” is also what  Jesus talked about in this weekend’s Gospel reading at  Mass: “I have come to set the earth on fire and how I wish it were already blazing…and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished.” (Luke 12:49-53) Jesus tells us this fire may bring division, sometimes among friends or family members…who may think you’re a “Holy Roller” or just plain crazy to work so hard.  If you’ve found  your passion, your purpose to do God’s will and you burn with a fire that perhaps no one else really understands, don’t let it be extinguished by mistakes, failure, anguish or the misunderstanding, jealousy or disdain of others. Light it every day with prayer, hope, faith and self-love. Sometimes it will flicker precariously in times of doubt…but then there are times when a strong rush of wind – God’s power or even the praise and support of others – will help it burn bright again.  Just never let it go out.

What does God promise you?

How can we have faith if we don’t know what to believe in? I’ve been struggling with trying to have faith lately in just putting one foot in front of another now that I am working on my own as a full-time author/speaker/book coach.  Sometimes the “big picture” gets lost in the daily to-do lists and I feel anxious that I’ll never “get there.” But first, I have to ask myself once again, where is “there?” Of course the ultimate “there” is heaven, which is promised to all believers. But what about next month, next year, five or ten years from now? My dream, hope, vision is to continue to serve God’s purpose for me in writing Modern Day Bible Stories…contemporary novels based on Books in the Bible’s Old Testament. But it doesn’t deliver a pay check every day…at least for now. So I have to believe it will one day if God wills it. So that is what I choose to believe as God’s promise for me today. What do you believe God’s promise is specifically for you today? Once we can hold God’s promises for us in our hearts, I believe we can put our anxieties aside and achieve anything we set our minds and hearts to do! Look at all of the people who overcome addictions…there are promises specifically written for them in literature that was derived in part from the Bible. Or look at the Olympic champions on television this week…for each it all started with a dream, hope, vision, promise. There are literally thousands of promises in the Bible, but I picked two out of Joshua to meditate on this week:  “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.” (1:8) and “Not one word has failed of all the good things that the Lord your God promised concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one of them has failed.” (23:14). How awesome that if we follow God’s Word and Will we are guaranteed success!

Stay silent or speak out?

This weekend I attended a family gathering where I had the lone dissenting opinion when it came to matters of religion and politics, two subjects that are best left out of dinner table discussions but often come up anyway.  It felt like I was being teamed up against, when in fact, several family members just had a different opinion than I did on things like who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election.  My books are contemporary novels based on Old Testament stories in the Bible, so of course they deal with controversial topics like unfaithfulness in a marriage (in The Faithful One), right to life vs. right to choose (in The Peace Maker), and gay relationships and Islamic radical terrorism (in The Runaway Prophet)…and as a result, I’m sometimes questioned on my political and/or religious views.  You may be able to tell my relatively conservative Christian leaning in my novels, but I do try to be open to various points of view and not be judgmental of others, and I hope as a result my books are universally appealing to all readers. In discussions though, sometimes it’s harder for me to stay silent than to voice my opinion, and sometimes it’s easier, not wanting to “rock the boat.” During this particular discussion, I felt myself swaying back and forth from being defensive to almost feeling like maybe my beliefs were “wrong” and perhaps I should be ashamed of them (like Peter when he denied Christ three times before the cock crowed.)  I hope I’m never faced with a situation in which I am forced to stand up for my faith or else…like businesses that are being forced to choose between  their religious beliefs and keeping their doors open, or worse, like the Christians being slaughtered by Islamic State terrorists in the Middle East for their belief in Christ. I hope to learn from Saint Peter, not to deny Christ and my beliefs. And yet, sometimes, if you’re just getting louder without getting anywhere, it’s best to stay silent. (like Jesus did when facing the accusations of the Sanhedrin: “Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’  But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.” Of course, when pressed for the fourth or fifth time, Jesus does finally answer: “Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’  ‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’.” And then He was tortured and crucified.) Today I pray that I can remain silent when I know my words are merely coming from my bruised ego or will escalate an argument, but to stand firm and defend my beliefs when it really matters…and as Ghandi also says, to “hate the sin, but love the sinner.” 

When one door is closed…

I always love hearing the Gospel reading that was read in yesterday’s mass about Jesus telling us to “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9). It is always encouraging to me to hear those words. I’ve always asked a lot of questions and been a big dreamer, even as a child  and especially as an adult (I think that’s why I made a pretty good news reporter years ago!) Yet sometimes, I think I put limits on my asking, seeking, knocking, forgetting that my God is a limitless, all-powerful God who can move mountains if so inclined. And I stay bound in the “chains” I create…self-imposed limits of anxiety, worry, frustration, doubt. Often, I ask once or knock on one door and then, given no immediate answer, I stop knocking, figuring God has enough to worry about, forgetting there may be another door, or to just knock one more time. Yet in the same Gospel reading of Luke in Chapter 11, Jesus also tells us the parable of the man who knocks on his friend’s door asking for bread for another friend who has arrived at his house after a journey, having nothing to give him. The “friend” inside the house doesn’t answer…at first…denying his request. Jesus is portraying God as this “friend,” and goes further to say, “…if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of the friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” Of course God is our best friend…and may deny us the first time. Does that mean we should keep asking/seeking/knocking? Absolutely, according to Jesus. In fact, in the same Gospel chapter, He even gives us the “Our Father” prayer just in case we can’t find the words! And if it’s God’s will, and for our good, and according to His plan, perhaps, in His timing, we shall receive! So let’s pray today we don’t limit ourselves in our asking and that we never give up seeking and knocking!

Freedom…and Responsibility…to Choose

Are you voting in this the 2016 presidential election, or are you already so fed up with politics and the two presidential candidates that you have decided not to bother voting at all? As the Republican National Convention kicks off today in Cleveland, I personally know several people who have already given up on the election in frustration because their candidates aren’t in the running, or they don’t like either of the two who are, or they somehow think it’s a ‘done deal’ – and are not bothering to watch any more media coverage or take any more interest. And I’m reminded of the quote by British philosopher (and supporter of the American Revolution) Edmund Burke: “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” I am also reminded of Jesus’ parable of the bags of gold about the “good and faithful servant,” who took action with the money entrusted to him by investing it and was rewarded, versus the “wicked, lazy servant” who hid the money in the ground and was punished. (Matt 25:14-28). Yes, the political coverage has been so intense for so long that it is easy to feel overwhelmed, jaded, sometimes numb to it. But I challenge you to not hide your head in the sand, but to continue to pray for God to guide your heart in this election, to pray for His Will for America, and to invest, to act, to choose, to use your freedom to be responsible and pay attention to the issues and then to vote. My book The Peace Maker is being republished in September; it is a contemporary political suspense novel based on the story of David and Abigail in the First Book of Samuel about a modern-day US Presidential election much like the one we’re facing today with issues of right to life, stem-cell research, peace in the Middle East and more. The issues, it seems, never go away…we just need to keep fighting for what’s right in God’s eyes and to remember that we are good men and women who need to do something, even if it’s simply to make our voices heard.

 

Love Thy “Neighbor”

“And who is my neighbor?” That’s the question the scholar asked Jesus in the Gospel parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:25-37)  And that’s the question I think we all must ask ourselves every day. Who is the “neighbor” today who needs my help? Is it a coworker who I don’t particularly like, who’s annoying, but who looks like he or she could use some cheering up? Is it the family member living alone in a senior center who I haven’t seen in ages? Is it a former friend from whom I have turned away who is waiting for me to forgive? Is it the person who’s different from me – who has a different skin color, religion, nationality or social status – but needs a helping hand? For the prophet Jonah, it was the sinners in Nineveh he was called by God to warn to repent; in my new book, The Runaway Prophet based on the Book of Jonah,  the main character Rory Justice is likewise called by his retired FBI father to go out and help the people in Las Vegas…people totally unlike him…prostitutes, addicts, gang members and more.  Of course he doesn’t want to go. I wouldn’t want to go either. Sometimes it’s hard to look beyond the neighbors we regularly see, we wish to see – to really look at the ones we don’t want to see – the poor girl or guy of a different skin color in tattered clothes begging for help in the street. It’s so much easier to keep to ourselves, to walk the other way, like the priest and Levite in the parable did, like Jonah and Rory did, like we all do at times. But you may be the only face of God someone sees today, the only Bible passage someone “reads” today. Today I pray God will open my eyes and help me be less judgmental and more compassionate when it comes to helping others, to truly be a “good Samaritan.” I pray I can love the “neighbor” I least want to love.