On the death of Martin Bell

It is with deep sadness that I mark the passing of a dear family friend, Fr. Martin Bell. Fr. Bell was an Episcopal priest (as well as author, musician and even a former private investigator!) who passed through my family's life when I was a boy.

Martin showed me that some things were not always as they appeared. In the mid 1970's and early 1980's, when every Episcopal priest I knew was fairly conservative, Martin always seemed to have a more relaxed attitude. His was the first church service I'd attended where an instrument OTHER than an organ was used in the service, he played guitar, along with his son Mark -- and quite well I might add!

It is from one of Martin's stories that I have taken my online persona of Hatfield. The Legend of Hatfield tells the story of a martial arts master and his trials against Jennings and his minions. To me, the story is an allegory of the Christian's walk, and our trials against Satan and his minions. The story also depicts God as a great silver wolf whom Hatfield is in the process of seeking. Hatfield learns that finding God is not a destination in itself, it is how we live our lives ... and God then finds US.

Rest in Peace my dear friend. And say Hello to the Wolf for me!

Belief + Choice = Situation

There are times in all of our lives when we make bad choices. Invariably, these choices are based in our beliefs, and the two affect our situation.

Not sure what I mean? I'm sure we all know someone like "Walter". Walter finds the woman of his dreams, and he's so excited to have her in his life that he up and marries her at the first chance he gets! They run off to Vegas and get a quickie wedding at one of those cheesy drive-through chapels and go off to live their life of marital bliss. The problem is, apparently his happy bride isn't quite all that happy for some reason Walter cannot figure out. They fight about the same things Walter fought about with his last wife, and so (not so surprisingly) Walter decides that it just wasn't meant to be and he divorces her.

Walter seems to think that if he can find just the perfect woman to marry, that he will be happy. There's only one real problem with Walter's thinking. Yes ladies, I can hear you all the way over here ... Walter is still in the marriage!

Walter is making choices thinking that that alone will affect his situation. Every time he doesn't like his situation, he makes another choice expecting a different outcome. But he's not getting the picture is he? His belief that he is the sole person to decide his happiness leads to his choices of mates; which in turn leads to his situation of getting divorced.

I'm sure we're all familiar with Proverbs 3:5-6 which tells us:
Proverbs 3:5-6: 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

You have to understand what it is that you believe before you can make any changes in the choices that you make, and in turn the situation you find yourself in.

Lets look at another fictional person. I'll call her "Marie". Marie grew up in a household where she was never shown any sort of caring. Her father abused her emotionally and told her that no one would ever want to love her. Sadly, Marie bought it hook, line and sinker. So, when in school a classmate showed her any small amount of interest, Marie was smitten. "See Daddy!" she'd say to herself, "They love me!" And Marie would do whatever it took to feel loved. But, as the book title says, He's just not that into you, and the classmate would be gone.

The problem is, each time this happens, we develop scars. Walter has scars, Marie has scars, I have scars, and I'm sure that many reading this out there do too.

Jesus teaches us that He loves us, and will never leave us. No matter what our situation, whether you're a Walter or a Marie, Jesus loves you no matter what you have been told. You ARE lovable! So, if you change what you believe, and see that you are worthy of being loved, then you will be able to truly love someone as Christ would have you love them. And changing your belief will change your choices and your situation

Also, if your beliefs are out of whack, it can have as much of an impact as your choices. If you look at King Solomon (think its in 1st Kings?) we read how God had commanded the Children of Israel not to marry outside of their faith. The intent was because these pagans would draw the Israelites away from their faith. But King Solomon believed that he knew better. He believed that if, as king, he married the daughters of other kings, he could protect his people. After all, if you have a treaty with a kingdom because you've taken one of their daughters into your household, they wouldn't attack you because that would be attacking their child!

So, thinking this way, King Solomon took 700 brides from the kingdoms surrounding Israel. (as well as like 300 concubines and other hangers-on... but I digress) He believed that he knew better than God. And this was Solomon, who was blessed by God to be the wisest man in history!

Sadly, it didn't work out as Solomon had planned. Eventually, there was civil war within Israel. The thousands that Solomon had intended to protect from the hands of pagans died at the hands of their own people. With the people weakened by this, it became easy for the other kingdoms to attack Israel and take them away into bondage.

I wonder how it might have been if Solomon had used the wisdom that God had blessed him with, and listened to his own words:
Proverbs 3:5-6: 5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.