But i don't FEEL cheerful today!!

1 Thess 5:16-18

“Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.”

Filled with good cheer=cheerful.  It seems more culturally appropriate to live by our emotions. To live so caffeinated that we are highly efficient…but rather robotic interpersonally.  How far from the ideal we have wandered!  Warm-hearted, loving people is what God had in mind- simply mirroring his own warm-heartedness!  Its not something we have to manufacture- merely something we relay to others as we receive it!

When once we look fully into God’s truth – that he loves us passionately, shamelessly with no regard for His dignity or self-respect…..then and only then will we grasp who we are, in Him.  Then and only then can we understand how beloved others are too- and begin to treat them as He does.

Being cheerful is not meant to be a shallow, plastic-smiled behavior. Instead it is the “filled with good cheer” security of heart that knows how beloved we are and cannot help but smile and share it with others.

That deep knowing-I’m-loved state allows us to trust God with whatever comes our way.  In fact, we can thank God for all of it- even when it appears to be heading in a frightening or insecure direction!  Knowing HIM cancels out fear.  Fear is the direct opposite to confident trust.  It is important to recognize how naturally we fear God – he is invisible, all –powerful, sees everything and knows everything. Perhaps our FIRST response of fear only means we understand whom we are dealing with. To have that change, or perhaps grow into confident trust is a miracle all by itself. 

It takes much reassuring on God’s part before we can grasp that his entire attitude toward us is love, more love and an almost embarrassing amount of love!! (sometimes I think we’d prefer he’d just be mad at us…how do we handle all that love!??)

But we need to square with being loved that much if we are to be salt and light to the world.  Begin each day reminding yourself that God has been staring at you, lovingly, all night. Remember that if God had a wallet, your picture would be in it. He’s just crazy about you!!!  From that starting place, we can live out the truth of this verse…and become agents of grace in this hurting, misguided world of people he loves so dearly.

Amen.

Blender-speed life...

What do I know of your green pastures And still waters? You long to lead me here but My mind is a blender stuck on high And my body alternates its activity Between frantic actions And sheer exhaustion. I don’t think Your desire for me matches up With my choice of lifestyle! Oh DO lead me away from myself, From my self-importance, And closer to You instead. I do not know the way and I may stall And balk at times Because it is TOO quiet, because it is Unfamiliar and frightens me. Please bear with me, Father, Until I adjust and learn to trust You As my Shepherd and The Guardian of my soul, And until I can learn the pace and Tempo of Your footsteps in the sand Before me.

our tender and pursuing Father

I can't help but notice that we are wholly unable to generate any goodness out of our natural selves. Just try and stop a habit you enjoy!! Try to do something you SHOULD without outside assistance. we cannot and i am not convinced we even want to!
So as i think of the good things in my life, to whom else can i look? it is You. Its always been You!

"We dabble.
You pour.
we tentatively call Your name
and you tenderly but persistently
woo us to do so.
Oh, Lover of my soul, can anything
good come from me
which does not have its source
in You?"

May you find great freedom in knowing Father provides in advance for those things He calls us to do - to His glory!

HIdden in plain view

Ok, i hope this isn't overly corny...i realize it could be. But sit back, listen and see if there's a new tidbit here.

"Treasure hidden in plain view
Written clearly and valuable beyond words.
oh, you likely have this treasure on a table
or bookshelf- perhaps in pristine, untouched condition
it is the book of Proverbs.
How little we seek its counsel yet its truth
and practicality have stood
the test of time.
Our bookstores boast the "latest" drivel (ahem)
and trend-driven insights.
Here, by contrast, lies true Wisdom
and we devalue its ancient worth in our
panting lust for the "new".
Let us stop long enough to reconsider
that our LORD has ensured its preservation
through the ages,
for our blessing and our benefit.
written by the wisest man who ever lived,
let us mine these treasures with an open mind
and see if they do not transform us, indeed.
Your living Word, o LORD, never
fails its mission.

Wisdom- tricky to find

These 2 poems express my limited experience with moments of recognizing wisdom. Now, to avoid being stereotypical with elderly folks, please do notice the qualities i suggest to watch for rather than assuming every elderly person is wise. Birthdays do not come with "wisdom installments" i have learned!!

"Behind the thinning grey hair,
deeply trenched face and frail body,
there lies a vast wealth:
a lifetime of walking with our Father.
a compendium of experiences of His
goodness and faithfulness stored and available
to encourage, fortify and inspire.
Safely tucked away in long-term memory.
we need only ask the right questions to
share, with joy, all You have done in this lifetime."

___

"Wisdom does not sparkle like a
sequin-covered dress
or a disco ball- drawing attention to itself.
it is like an ancient tree in a
silent rainforest, waiting
to be found.
Fortunate, indeed, is the heart
that seeks it with persistent fervor
for its treasures never cease
to enthrall and inspire."

Can you see me?

It is a balancing act this walk with the Lord. First we struggle to grasp our sin. Then once we get a good look (and recoil in horror), we try to believe we are loved truly and completely. So the balance tips back and forth. It is hard for us, in a culture that punishes honesty to accept these seemingly opposing truths. This is my attempt to voice this challenging balancing act and our LORD's very tender mercy and love.

"In prisoner's rags (and duly deserved sentence)
i am lead out, in my chains, to the outer yard.
There you are....nail scars, thorn scars
and you are smiling at me.
i look down.
i feel unsettled by Your visit and am conspicuously
aware of my rags, my guilt and my chains.
but You do not seem to notice.
You reach out Your hand and tip up my chin;
my eyes remain lowered.
You say my name and
the iceberg in my heart begins to melt.
My name! (not a number!)
i then see who You are -
The One sent to bear my beatings,
to live out my sentence and to redeem me.
and in that moment,
i am free!

Motives- those dastardly little brats

Subtle and easily ignored.
self-deceit and justification
muddy these waters in me
and i am a stranger to myself.
i am not motivated by noble themes
very often but rather by
self-protection, self satisfaction, pleasure and ease
self-will and competition with others.
i am the king on the throne
an dit is most unpleasant to face head on.
oh, i mouth the words of surrender and self-denial
and i mean them....mostly...
until they translate into my schedule
and involve an inconvenience or deferral
of my desires and wishes.
Father, please go to the dry rot in my soul
and make it new.
there is no self-flagellation or
firm resolve to improve that will
reach this pernicious dry rot!
I know how keenly i desire to instead cover it over
and to stop looking at it.
i can only ask you...
"Change my heart, Oh GOd
make it ever new
change my heart Oh God
May I be like You."

Ready for blessings

(my advance apologies to those more horticulturally adept than i am!)

As a daffodil is both a bulb and a flower,
so am i both a sinner and a saint.
Without the bulb, there can be no flower.
it is only sinners who can be saints
through Christ's atoning work.
Only the blind can receive their sight,
only the sick can be made well.
only the simple can be made wise
and only the child-like nature made mature in You.
o holy Physician, cure that which is
so very wrong in me.
May the very dirt and filth of my sinful nature
Be transformed by You into fertile soil
for the blush and blossom of
Your Spirit's work.

Easter 2012

Beloved of the LORD
Daughter of the King
Redeemed.
it is from these truths i must see myself
and live a loving life with others.
Yet my clay feet are real too. ouch!
It reminds me that it is by your miracle of love
that i am the first three.
and by nature, i am sinful and unclean.
Duality of reality.
How can this be?
and yet it is so.
Teach me to accept my natural self through
confession and forgiveness
and to see myself, in Truth, as beautiful
and beloved,
in You alone.

Spring

Spring is so long awaited and desired....but i suppose given the length of winter, yes even here (i can hear all you "inlanders" laughing right now. yes i can!) But perhaps it only proves i am spoiled rotten with good weather- ok MILD weather all year. So i pout shamelessly with actual cold or snow!!
I don't know whether i was more observant this year or what. I know last spring was pretty rotten and wet and late in finally coming. Perhaps that set me up for delight this spring.

"The beauty outside almost overwhelms me
after the simple austerity of winter.
the fireworks explosions of green,
growth and blossom dazzle me.
every colour in Your created world
sings it song - in time and tempo -
with all its might.
and my heart cannot help
but
sing along."

May the God of renewal and rebirth bless your heart with keen gratitude this beautiful spring!!
D

Free

I know we all want to be free, think we are free....here i wrote what it is for me.

FREE...
from carrying the weight of my own life
from taking myself too seriously and
frantically trying to manage my image
(which we cannot EVER do anyway...)
Freedom from others' expectations pressing us
into their little molds.
instead, we turn our attention to You
who won our freedom at
very great expense, who
calls us to
"march to the beat of but one Drummer"
and to find joy there,
to find peace in having this singular focus
and the simple life that goes with it.
Teach us restraint to not overcomplicate
our lives by running after every trend,
activity and bit of hype that others
wave at us.
you alone suffice
and we can sing
in the shadow of your wings.

surprised and yet not surprised.

So in the last few days, we had our third setback on a project we have been involved in for over 6 months now. Planning a house we are going to build. Oh its nothing fancy - just a simple, empty nester cottage, but that doesn't seem to stop it from being complicated.
early on, we had excellent advice and help. Things seemed to be going along "swimmingly". Then we decided to let someone else take things from there. In their defence, they did everything well that they are equipped to. Just that this is complicated and we are not even sure what we want. Apparently, mind-reading was not included.
i laugh, but it has been tricky to figure out how to plan for a future without our family here. Extra rooms seem normal to us, but no longer necessary. Its just change but it seemed more like reverse growing pains!!
So back to our setbacks...misprints by the plan printers. Then our city hall rejected our plans. We were not sure how to proceed, so we chose to ask our experienced builder what he thought.
So this morning, we met with our builder. Within a few minutes, our frustration was being transformed into surprised delight. He had withheld some ideas, not wanting to be pushy or assume he knew best- while also not realizing we were feeling in over our heads.
So yet again, what we saw as one pointless setback after another has turned into a blessing. The new ideas our builder brought, from his field experience and from asking us lots and lots of questions, has brought new life and sparkle to our plans. the plans FEEL right now! we no longer feel a bit lost between the cracks of a busy sidewalk!!
Now before you think too much of us, for starters, we didn't sleep much last night. we knew we needed to get more help (munch, munch on our stupid pride) but we didn't even know WHO to ask!! Talk about feeling helpless!!
So we pleaded with God, wrung our hands....and asked the next person we talked to.
And God used him to really help us!!
We don't know what other setbacks will come along the way yet, but somehow i don't think we will mind. We are in good hands with this builder - even finding him was a gift of God's grace. Someone we wouldn't have thought of, except our son suggested him.
humble pie? yep!
I guess it reminds me that we are not wired to be "lone rangers" in this life. we are designed to work with others, to help one another and to seek each other's advice, counsel and help in areas that we are less capable in.
Somehow that's reassuring...i don't have to be skilled in all areas - just willing to ask for help...and to be eager to help others when my skills are needed.
Thanks Lord. I'm glad you are pioneering our path with this adventure.

Boldness in action

Somewhere along the way, we started to believe that "church people" are quiet, passive and only interested in "Jesus, meek and mild". We follow passively. we speak softly. We hide our uniqueness (aka weirdness)so we present a very bland exterior and over time, we develop this fakeness about us that outsiders can sniff out in a second.
Oh, we never MEAN to do this, but the pressure to conform is significant and few can resist it for very long.
Maybe that's why the Apostle Peter has always fascinated me. He was loud, overly confident, maybe a bit coarse or blunt, quick to speak and slow to think...the sort of person that makes us "nice church people" blush...am i right?
This passage jumped out at me today for a different reason that it has up until now...
here:
"They (the women) left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. mary magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles,but the apostles didn't believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.
But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that's all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head." Luke 24:9-12 (the message)

Up until now, i have been astounded by the poor opinion the men had of the women's integrity. From what i have learned, women were not considered reliable generally (or apparently here either) and were especially not allowed to testify in court, not to mention other limitations which we now find incomprehensible. But it was the reality of the day, so we'd best not "rise up" and misinterpret that aspect, i think. (although i admit the sheer number of women involved here would make one stop and wonder..)
The other aspect of this that generally strikes me is that Jesus ARRANGED (yes, on purpose) that it would be women to be the first to hear the resurrection news- straight from the angels themselves. Which is remarkable as he grew up in the same patriarchal society as the rest of the disciples had. I'm not sure what profound meaning that has for us, but that's a discussion for another time.
However, on reading this passage today, i was struck by 2 different things. The passivity of the Eleven in hearing such outlandish news. Isn't it easy to believe we have a handle on what God would or would not do? That we can anticipate what actions our Lord would take in any circumstances. Yet, it says "my ways are not your ways. my thoughts are not your thoughts." (ok, in the Bible somewhere. i suck at this part!) But maybe its hard to imagine trusting Someone so unpredictable. We might be made fools of for easily believing something that sounds ridiculous. (Oh Lord, save us from our own egos!!)
So there they sit. the Eleven- Christ's chosen inner circle of guys...listening to these women claim that Jesus overcame death and left the tomb. (ok, i have to admit that they didn't have the Holy Spirit's presence in them yet, as we do now. So let's cut them a BIT of slack...)
The second thing is this:
Suddenly, Peter "jumped to his feet". The quick-thinking apostle realizes that there is a simple way to find out for certain if its true. Off he dashes to the tomb!! And John is on his heels all the way.
y'know...while i like to see myself as a bold person, i can hazard a guess that i'd be one of those "lumps" sitting back with the group...content in my neatly-constructed idea of who God is....wondering why the two (peter and john) had dashed out. I'm far too content with my $2 worth of God (as the old parable-type saying goes) to risk much, to go out on the proverbial limb in faith.
Just the same, i can't help but like Peter's boldness here. He's no hesitator. He regularly acts before thinking...and this is no exception. But there is a certain hunger to see Jesus again that prompts it, i am guessing. (or perhaps the longing to apologize to Christ for his 3 denials...) We don't know that part.
I guess i want to remind myself that acting boldly isn't always bad. Also, that acting timidly isn't good very often, at all!! We are called to a bold faith, to a risk-taking life of dynamic obedience. And I just don't see how we can do this while being "nice, mild church people"?!!
So toss a dash of boldness into the recipe of your day today. Go out on a limb in faith...pray boldly and directly- no mamby-pamby prayers.
I can't wait to hear what happens!!
out...

a terrific quote by Eugene Peterson

Recently, while reading his book "Living the Resurrection" i came across this quote:
"Holy Scripture rescues us from out-of-breath stutters of distracted and amnesiac journalists who think they are keeping us in touch with what is important."
nicely put, sir.
While its hard to get the true meaning of this quote out of the context of the chapter he was writing- generally speaking, he is talking about living with the awareness of transformation at every turn in life. Living with a vibrant sense of what is important. This quote made me laugh out loud! It so aptly summarizes my feelings about the nightly news broadcasts. On the few occasions i have watched part of the broadcast, i catch myself commentating or just laughing at their behaviour. Now i realize, it is important to know about the "birth pangs" that our planet and its people are going through. It just seems that the level of importance of this awareness has grown out of proportion to the greater reality of God-awareness!
Let me explain- to an ant, the daily crumb count on a kitchen floor is of tantamount importance. However, the family living in that kitchen scarcely notice that fact, unless someone walks barefoot through the room! (ok, this belies my housekeeping tendencies haha) Perspective.
please do not misunderstand - i am not saying we are ants. Nor that God is uninterested in our day to day reality. Not at all. Just that the intense seriousness of the fear-based reporting does not give an accurate measure of life's important factors. They rarely speak about acts of exceptional love, or sacrificial service. Certainly this would uplift the viewers more than hearing the gory details of yet another murder. The good of the people is not the priority. Selling airtime to advertisers and keeping the market-share of viewers is!
So as we step back from the broadcasters for a moment (perhaps consider a fast from it?) do we regain some perspective on what God identifies as important?
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbour as yourself." Begin there.
What might be the outcome of meditating on that perspective?
Cheers!

Without pressures, we cannot realize our need of help
without sin identified, we cannot know our need for a Saviour.
Redeem, yes redeem, the challenging times
use it as cut-wax to remove the filthy
grime of self-effort until
Your glory gleams brilliantly
in our reflective lives.

fresh moments...

While lying awake one night, trying to get comfortable I realized that I was beginning to worry about loved ones back home. I was on vacation you see. And so I began, as is my usual practise, to pray for those who came to mind. But for some reason, I kept going in circles with my prayers and was not feeling better from doing so.
Suddenly I became aware of an image of Jesus in my mind’s eye. (some might call this a vision, but I have no idea about such things. I can only tell you how I experienced it). Jesus was dressed very plainly as a shepherd and had a little lamb wrapped around his neck/on his shoulders.
I realized that I was supposed to pray for my loved ones and once finished place them on Jesus’ shoulders, along with the lamb already there; seemed sensible so I began. After my prayers for the first person were done, I raised my physical arms to place them on his shoulders. After lowering my arms, I prayed for the next person, and so on. When I was done praying, he said. “Ok, now you climb up too.” I hadn’t expected that, but I was eager to comply as his expression was so gentle and his manner so warm and inviting.
I turned onto my side in bed to approximate the position the lamb was in and went on to sleep soundly until morning.

I was struck by the gentleness of our Lord. He didn’t recommend I practise praying so I’d get better at it. He did not shame or scold me in any way. Instead he was warm, gentle and inviting. (I can understand why children flocked to him!!) He did not chatter constantly but spoke only a few words. So much of his meaning was relayed by his expression and gestures.
In the morning, I thought further on what had happened. It seemed the most natural thing in the world for the Lord to have done this for me. It was like a child sitting on a bus with their parent- nothing could seem more normal. I wondered why we create such a sensation about the notion of visions, and other manifestations that the Lord chooses to share with us. Why wouldn’t he want to interact with his beloved children? What could be more natural?
Another aspect that began to dawn on me was that as I finished praying and placing my loved ones on his shoulders, I had to step away and release them from my grasp. We cannot fully “give” our concerns for others to our Lord unless we are willing to let go and entrust that he indeed cares as much or more about them than we do!! So both the actions of placing them and releasing them were important- something I hadn’t considered before.
Lord, we realize that those with power in this world often use it to intimidate those beneath them. You are nothing like that and it is hard for us to fathom your ways and your character. Please forgive us when we are reluctant to hand you our burdens. You long to bring us rest and relief and to carry them for us. Teach us in your gentle fashion to trust you more.
“Come to me all who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest.” Matt 11:28