A U.S. appeals court has agreed to consider a review of the appeal to have Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube restored. The case of this dying brain-damaged woman has been among the top news stories for weeks now. There is a great deal of debate and discussion that has resulted. Much of it centers on the role of government and what powers they should have to intervene in situations where a dispute exists over keeping someone alive by medical means. The bitter family dispute between Terri Schiavo’s parents, Bob and Mary Schindler, and her husband and legal guardian, Michael Schiavo has brought to the forefront a debate over who decides whether extreme medical attention should consider, what constitutes life and issues over quality of life.

At the center of it all is Terri Schiavo. Unfortunately there is no real way to determine her wishes to continue with the medical equipment that has sustained her for many years since her traumatic injuries. Her husband maintains that she would not want to live this way, but her parents believe otherwise.

A peaceful and dignified death is something we all hope for. When that moment should occur and who chooses that moment is central to the argument. What may be most troubling is how opinions expressed on both sides can become ugly and unloving. When there are strongly held views some people can become violent and even hateful. I have a hunch Terri Schiavo would not want this to be happening.

We don’t yet know the outcome of this drama. Hopefully it stimulates thinking, planning, prayer and a desire to live in the moment with God at our center.

Those of us who have children have a wonderful ongoing opportunity to demonstrate our faith in action by how we parent. Some of us have been blessed with good and loving parents. Some have not. It helps to keep in mind that our parents are only human. If they ever let you down try not to judge too harshly. What is in the past cannot be changed. Perhaps there are amends made and forgiveness granted. If so, treasure it. As we age we often see things in a different light and get new perspective. The blame game doesn’t work. To quote Louise Hart, “our children give us the opportunity to become the parents we always wished we’d had.”

How can it be called Good Friday? That’s a question many people might ask and it is worth pondering. How can a day when a man who was stripped of all dignity and publicly beaten and crucified be called good?

There is a verse in Romans that holds a clue: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 – NIV)

Here is the great paradox of God – that good can come from anything, including suffering, brokenness, humiliation and even death. Jesus Christ – wholly God and man – showed the way to begin is from a point of powerlessness. He who could command legions of angels chose instead to accept a cruel death and be powerless against his persecutors. As a result no one can say that God doesn’t understand their troubles, trials and tribulations. Jesus/God experienced it all first hand. But it’s not the end of the story.

All through history we keep trying to impress God and earn our worthiness. God instead invites us to admit our powerlessness and accept the free love that is poured out, in and through all of creation. We don’t come to God by doing it right. We admit our inability to do it right on our own and if we are willing to invite God into our lives then we can depend on His perfect love and power to bring good out of anything.

Jesus Christ presented a way that is different. A third way. A bridge between broken people and a merciful and loving God who does not play favorites. As I’ve heard said, when you build a bridge they will walk on you from both sides. Christ was crucified on the cross formed by a collision of opposites. He hung between heaven and hell, between a good thief and a bad thief and demonstrated that He can hold the tension of these opposites.

We will never change the world by getting everybody on “our” side. It is only in surrendering our self-righteousness and choosing the transformational path of love that we can be redeemed.

Death could not hold Him. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot put it out. By His stripes we are healed. By His grace we are set free.

This week for Christians is at the center of what we call the Paschal mystery. Jesus, a devout Jew who knew the scriptures and the traditions, would celebrate a Passover meal with his disciples. During this meal, the last supper, He would reveal His great love for them, and indeed for all of us, by modeling love through service and sacrifice.

After this meal He told his friends not to be afraid, even though He knew His betrayal and passion was at hand. His ultimate sacrifice was the willingness to endure great suffering, humiliation and death to show us that God loves us and wants us to know that, to accept it and return this love by expressing it in every encounter, every breath and every moment.

The Terri Schiavo case is headline news, but it is not the first time. The case involving the right to life, or death, of this brain-damaged woman has been long and drawn out and now a federal review of the case has been authorized. The current battle is over reinserting her feeding tube or not. If you are not familiar with this story there is much to see about it online (here).

The debate brings before the public (once again) the questions of what our rights are in regards to living, especially the question of quality of life. Some believe that living in a vegetative state is not a life worth living. Some of the proponents of the removal of Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube claim she is in such a state. Others however, especially Terri’s parents who have been with her in the hospital for years, deny that she is that way. They believe that Terri interacts with them in limited ways and demonstrates a consciousness.

I have a suggestion that probably won’t be acted on. I would like to see both sides, including representatives of the legal system, sit in quiet contemplative prayer in Terri Schiavo’s presence and let God fill the room and their hearts. Listen for the Holy Spirit and feel the love of a God that asks for us to see God in everyone, regardless of whether we like or agree with them.

If that were done I wonder how it would affect the outcome.

As we develop spiritually – what the apostle Paul would call “maturing” – we should develop a deeper and more meaningful prayer life. Now it is quite natural, I think, for our prayers to be relief from cares, worries and burdens. When illness strikes, when calamity befalls us, we want God to help out. But, there is a fine line between wishing and demanding that we get this relief on our terms, and letting go to the better plan God has. The greatest difficulty may be in bearing the suffering that comes until God’s greater good can be revealed.

It often breaks my heart to read the prayer requests we get and realize that many of you are going through such suffering. However, God is not uncaring or unloving. Don’t despair, but recognize that your timetable is not necessarily God’s. Be sure to pray in a trusting and grateful manner. God is listening to your heart.

Tom Gilbert

I like to read and I like to write. Like many of you, I find inspiration and spiritual growth from reading insightful books on Christianity, religion and spirituality (see our reviews). This is all good. However, some of my greatest insights often come from reading powerful fiction. Authors can put into their writing various life situations and challenges and help us wrestle with moral dilemmas and faith.

I’ve commented about this before (see Real Living through Fiction). There is a new book out that I encourage you to consider. Tom Terry, a man who has worked in media and missionary work for many years and is currently in Mongolia with Eagle TV, has released his first book. It’s a collection of short stories and they have some very interesting story lines that will intrigue and challenge you. Visit his site, www.whenshadowsdream.com to order the book. By the way, when you do buy it supports the missionary efforts in Mongolia.

Tom Gilbert

Opposites can teach us a lot. The themes of light and dark or sight and blindness are often used in scripture to make the point that we frequently don’t see things the way God does. The sins of hypocrisy and spiritual blindness are some of the most difficult to root out because when we are this way we can believe we are right, and therefore, righteous.

I do believe there are fundamental true principles in life. However, I must never stop seeking to understand more fully God’s great love for all of creation. This understanding is not head knowledge (although growing intellectually can be a positive) nor is it a bible-thumping legalistic approach.

What it comes down to is a willingness to be open-minded and honest that “I” am not the god in my life and the trap of operating that way can only result in futility. Being separate from God is a choice we can make because of our free will. The flipside of the choice is to be with God and absorbed into the mystery. It’s a hard choice because you give up what you know for something vast and beyond our limited understanding.

Don’t worry – they are many others traveling this path – and One who went before and is leading the way.

Tom Gilbert

The Prophets of the Old Testament in the Bible were often the kind of people that stirred things up. Their “mission” from God might ruffle the feathers of the establishment – usually did – and they weren’t always respected. Some of them were on the fringe of society and would be considered weird by today’s standards (think John the Baptist, living in the desert and eating locusts).

The message from the Prophets was often a call to repentance and a need for the people to turn back to a loving and forgiving God.

Are there any modern day prophets trying to get our attention? What do you think?

Tom Gilbert