I found this quote recently and its been haunting me every since:
"A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world; everyone you meet is your mirror." Ken Keyes 1921-1990
Now i recognize this quote is not applicable to torturous regimes or abusive situations, but is simply meant to tell us that our perspective on life is greatly affected by our general worldview. If i awaken with a scowl each morning, preparing for combat by rehearsing my defensive mindset, i can expect to meet the very conflict i anticipate.
Conversely, if i awaken with a grateful heart - appreciative of small kindnesses, i find many of them to enjoy throughout the day.
Same situation but a vastly different attitude.
And which of us would not prefer to be remembered as someone who was pleasant, if not upbeat, to be around? Most of us believe we are basically likeable people, right? We believe that we have something to offer mankind- whether a particular talent, or ability we've honed into usefulness. But sometimes things don't turn out as we'd like. Bosses are difficult. Good health does not last as long as we'd hoped it would.
what then?
"We are not to act oblivious about or live in denial of life's challenges, but we are to counterbalance them with long looks at God's accomplishments." (CS Lewis)
So we find again, that perspective trumps circumstances. Show me a person like Corrie ten Boom who would find ways to show care to fellow prisoners even as she suffered the whole time. She took a terrible situation and found a way to splash GOd's love into it! Our minds can never be imprisoned. Any imprisoning we experience is from our own inner poverty of spirit.
So when i wake up each morning, i weigh the options; do i pre-poison a day which has barely begun with a negative attitude based in fear or discontentment? Or do i give that day back to its Maker and entrust myself - body, mind and spirit - to our Father's keeping and into His service for that day. I don't know what will happen during this day- we never do. We only know what we plan for it, not what will actually happen. But with a full heart, and aware of GOd's unconditional love for me, i can stand firm and choose joy - against all odds.
So what will you see in others tomorrow? The image of God? An intricately designed person whom He loves most dearly, and one deserving of your time and care? Try it.
WHo knows? It might be one remarkable adventure!
peace!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
fickle, oh fickle me...
I was celebrating a beautifully perfect West Coast summer day today. ahhh. it has been hard won around here- we've been wet, grey and miserable...ok, the miserable part was not the weather itself, but prompted by it, instead.
And i thought...huh. I'm 'all happy' today and God's goodness did not change one iota. The same loving, generous and kind Hand made this seemingly perfect days and all the (admittedly) grey ones i appreciate less.
hence, the fickle me title...
Why do i try to apply my measly brain's interpretations to One so entirely beyond description? probably just my way of trying to get a handle on One so impossible to describe.
But i do it badly....very badly.
I take a glorious day...and interpret it as a sign of God's favour. Well, in essence, it is. But so is the grey day.
But how can that be?- we both ask!
If indeed God is good (and he is!), then ALL HIS GIFTS ARE GOOD TOO!! ok, so far so good.
so the grey days are just gifts that i can't recognize as gifts. Is that a failure on the givers part or a lack of imagination on mine?
not sure if imagination is the right word...hm. maybe PERSPECTIVE?
i've been wrestling wtih the whole idea of perspective lately. A lovely rose held under a microscope gets degraded to a kazillion little bits and it loses the 'loveliness' we see in it at a different view.
Perhaps the 'unlovely' things that God gives are actually lovely but i, as yet, do not have the eyes to "grasp" its loveliness?
Perhaps the unlovely things i read in the Old Testament sometimes, that disturb and disarm me, are actually evidence of something deeper, or broader and altogether lovely.
i'm not sure.
But i find the adventure of trying to see things from God's perspective well worth the effort.
I'm not sure i will wake up one day with pneumonia and be overjoyed, but i think there are lots of much more common, every day events that deserve a second look.
Perhaps it will even change ME.
peace,
Denise
And i thought...huh. I'm 'all happy' today and God's goodness did not change one iota. The same loving, generous and kind Hand made this seemingly perfect days and all the (admittedly) grey ones i appreciate less.
hence, the fickle me title...
Why do i try to apply my measly brain's interpretations to One so entirely beyond description? probably just my way of trying to get a handle on One so impossible to describe.
But i do it badly....very badly.
I take a glorious day...and interpret it as a sign of God's favour. Well, in essence, it is. But so is the grey day.
But how can that be?- we both ask!
If indeed God is good (and he is!), then ALL HIS GIFTS ARE GOOD TOO!! ok, so far so good.
so the grey days are just gifts that i can't recognize as gifts. Is that a failure on the givers part or a lack of imagination on mine?
not sure if imagination is the right word...hm. maybe PERSPECTIVE?
i've been wrestling wtih the whole idea of perspective lately. A lovely rose held under a microscope gets degraded to a kazillion little bits and it loses the 'loveliness' we see in it at a different view.
Perhaps the 'unlovely' things that God gives are actually lovely but i, as yet, do not have the eyes to "grasp" its loveliness?
Perhaps the unlovely things i read in the Old Testament sometimes, that disturb and disarm me, are actually evidence of something deeper, or broader and altogether lovely.
i'm not sure.
But i find the adventure of trying to see things from God's perspective well worth the effort.
I'm not sure i will wake up one day with pneumonia and be overjoyed, but i think there are lots of much more common, every day events that deserve a second look.
Perhaps it will even change ME.
peace,
Denise
Friday, July 15, 2011
most common cultural quality
I was listening to a podcast today - about how fearfulness has become the key element that identifies the 'zeitgeist' or atmosphere of our current culture. Not loyalty, generosity, doing one's duty, etc. Just raw, stupid fearfulness.
Then again, the Bible is full of reminders not to be fearful, so i suppose God knew we would struggle with this!!! So why am i so surprised at my fearfulness sometimes?
well, we know its bad. its not helpful to keeping my eyes on God! Fear has an obsessive quality to it- it always demands our attention. My fear issues want me to review them, consider new angles that i'd missed before. In short, it wants all my concentration on it!
BORING!!!
I must say that i get very boring, as a person, when fears fill my thoughts. i lose my sense of humour. I lose the ability to live in child-like ease, trusting that God who can balance the universe, can certainly help me with both my day to day challenges, but the really big difficulties too.
i don't want to be boring.
i don't want to be a 'hand-wringer'.
I don't want to lose my ability to live with ease and relaxation - in gratitude for God's perfectly capable control - oh i have to give up my feeble belief that I can control anything too. (hmmm....)
What could i gain?
oh man oh man....everything! If i take those promises of God's - that he will stay with me (while keeping the sun on track, and extinguishing stars on schedule...) i can be perfectly at ease...what i need, he will provide.
I like this poem - it reminds me of the proportional quality of God's help, grace and strength- the more i need it, the more is provided.
sit back and let it wash over your heart too....
"He gives more grace when burdens grow greater
he sends more strength when labours increase;
to added affliction He adds His mercy;
to multiplied trials, he multiplies peace."
Annie Johnson Flint
So buckle those shoes, lash that belt onto your Levi's and go out in bold confidence that God has your back today! Who knows which Goliath he will call you to vanquish in His strength!?!
Peace to you.
D
Then again, the Bible is full of reminders not to be fearful, so i suppose God knew we would struggle with this!!! So why am i so surprised at my fearfulness sometimes?
well, we know its bad. its not helpful to keeping my eyes on God! Fear has an obsessive quality to it- it always demands our attention. My fear issues want me to review them, consider new angles that i'd missed before. In short, it wants all my concentration on it!
BORING!!!
I must say that i get very boring, as a person, when fears fill my thoughts. i lose my sense of humour. I lose the ability to live in child-like ease, trusting that God who can balance the universe, can certainly help me with both my day to day challenges, but the really big difficulties too.
i don't want to be boring.
i don't want to be a 'hand-wringer'.
I don't want to lose my ability to live with ease and relaxation - in gratitude for God's perfectly capable control - oh i have to give up my feeble belief that I can control anything too. (hmmm....)
What could i gain?
oh man oh man....everything! If i take those promises of God's - that he will stay with me (while keeping the sun on track, and extinguishing stars on schedule...) i can be perfectly at ease...what i need, he will provide.
I like this poem - it reminds me of the proportional quality of God's help, grace and strength- the more i need it, the more is provided.
sit back and let it wash over your heart too....
"He gives more grace when burdens grow greater
he sends more strength when labours increase;
to added affliction He adds His mercy;
to multiplied trials, he multiplies peace."
Annie Johnson Flint
So buckle those shoes, lash that belt onto your Levi's and go out in bold confidence that God has your back today! Who knows which Goliath he will call you to vanquish in His strength!?!
Peace to you.
D
Thursday, June 2, 2011
who has the control panel?
i read a devotion yesterday by Andy Stanley - he's a pastor and international speaker- and he wrote about worry. Part of me groaned inside when i read the title. Why do i always feel harrassed about a subject that seems to come so naturally to me!!??
But as usual, Andy put things in a very clear perspective by quoting Matthew 6:24 "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?". That's really the bottom line, isn't it? What kinds of things do we most wish for at the end of our lives? that we'd had a better car? (rarely) That we'd had a better relationship with our parents/children and the like. (perhaps) But i think most of us are struck by how rapidly life has gone by! That seems universal whether we are 20 or 99 when we leave the earth. So Jesus really zeroed in on our most valued item - TIME- when he asked if EVEN THAT could be improved through worry. A biblical version of "don't sweat the small stuff!" is how i read it!
So what am i wasting so much time doing every day?
What motivates this internal churning to figure things out and find the answers? Something does not make sense here: i mean if i believe (and i heartily mean IF right now) that God has created all the majesty and enormous beauty of the universe, do i actually think he will forget about me?
Or am i just really lousy at trusting him? Is it because he is invisible? Is it because he doesn't answer all my questions the way i want them answered?
Bottom line: what is the worst that could happen if i stopped worrying for 24 hours? I wouldn't stop caring about people - but i would ACT in response to my concern for them instead of stewing about things = so i'd pray, make a casserole, call and ask them how they're doing. DO SOMETHING and then leave the rest of it in God's hands.
But that seems riskier than just passive worry. i can worry from the comfort of my couch...Yet, worry seems to erode my trust in God.
"tension for change"...a friend of mine used to refer to this phrase when talking about change. How much or rather how badly do i want/need things to change? Do i have an ulcer that is demanding my attention? Do i lay awake at night unable to sleep because i'm on "worry patrol"?? Am i growing increasingly crabby with my family and friends because of this?
Sounds like all the motivation I need!!
But i find that my own weakness gets in the way of any lasting change.
And so i call out to God- "please change me Father. Help my unbelief. Open my eyes so i can see and understand that you are faithful. You are honest about your promises to take care of me. I choose to believe you are who the Bible says you are. Help me to trust you more today than i did yesterday. Be glorified in my life today, please."
So because He feeds the birds, clothes the lilies, and keeps the sun, moon and stars in his created order and orchestrates all of life, i can trust him with at least one of my worries today.
Who knows? i might discover a peace which passes all understanding.
Now that would be wonderful.
But as usual, Andy put things in a very clear perspective by quoting Matthew 6:24 "who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?". That's really the bottom line, isn't it? What kinds of things do we most wish for at the end of our lives? that we'd had a better car? (rarely) That we'd had a better relationship with our parents/children and the like. (perhaps) But i think most of us are struck by how rapidly life has gone by! That seems universal whether we are 20 or 99 when we leave the earth. So Jesus really zeroed in on our most valued item - TIME- when he asked if EVEN THAT could be improved through worry. A biblical version of "don't sweat the small stuff!" is how i read it!
So what am i wasting so much time doing every day?
What motivates this internal churning to figure things out and find the answers? Something does not make sense here: i mean if i believe (and i heartily mean IF right now) that God has created all the majesty and enormous beauty of the universe, do i actually think he will forget about me?
Or am i just really lousy at trusting him? Is it because he is invisible? Is it because he doesn't answer all my questions the way i want them answered?
Bottom line: what is the worst that could happen if i stopped worrying for 24 hours? I wouldn't stop caring about people - but i would ACT in response to my concern for them instead of stewing about things = so i'd pray, make a casserole, call and ask them how they're doing. DO SOMETHING and then leave the rest of it in God's hands.
But that seems riskier than just passive worry. i can worry from the comfort of my couch...Yet, worry seems to erode my trust in God.
"tension for change"...a friend of mine used to refer to this phrase when talking about change. How much or rather how badly do i want/need things to change? Do i have an ulcer that is demanding my attention? Do i lay awake at night unable to sleep because i'm on "worry patrol"?? Am i growing increasingly crabby with my family and friends because of this?
Sounds like all the motivation I need!!
But i find that my own weakness gets in the way of any lasting change.
And so i call out to God- "please change me Father. Help my unbelief. Open my eyes so i can see and understand that you are faithful. You are honest about your promises to take care of me. I choose to believe you are who the Bible says you are. Help me to trust you more today than i did yesterday. Be glorified in my life today, please."
So because He feeds the birds, clothes the lilies, and keeps the sun, moon and stars in his created order and orchestrates all of life, i can trust him with at least one of my worries today.
Who knows? i might discover a peace which passes all understanding.
Now that would be wonderful.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
before the cross
Easter weekend!!! How exciting to be at this landmark of the church year - the year period!! When death became life - when our doomed condition was blown apart and new hope was born!! When hopelessness was infused with hope!! When our fears were shown to be hollow and the life we have in Christ can be seen as richer than anything we could have imagined.
But first...the beatings, the wrongful charges and death sentence. Without the grim side to Easter, the resurrection loses its significance. Without weighing the cost, our salvation can be cheapened, taken for granted, and we live impoverished.
First, the purity is made filthy...Jesus never did anything one, single thing wrong. Never had one single impure, filthy or sinful thought. imagine that! And yet our collective filth was piled on that pure head...into that sinless heart. And he experienced utter separation from his Abba (Daddy) Father ---but with good reason - an everlastingly good reason! so we would never have to be separated from our Abba God again!
without the pain, Easter loses its lustre.
But without the resurrection, Jesus' death was just an unfortunate miscarriage of justice!!
So dig in this weekend. Live it all. or rather, relive it all. Dig deeply into the roots of our faith...and thereby grow in gratitude for our Father who loved us so passionately that he could not bear eternity with our being separated from Him!! Bask in that love - as you reflect on all it cost the Trinity.
Beloved.
yes, you!
Live in the glory of the entire Easter story.
and be changed.
Hosanna! Hallelujah!
But first...the beatings, the wrongful charges and death sentence. Without the grim side to Easter, the resurrection loses its significance. Without weighing the cost, our salvation can be cheapened, taken for granted, and we live impoverished.
First, the purity is made filthy...Jesus never did anything one, single thing wrong. Never had one single impure, filthy or sinful thought. imagine that! And yet our collective filth was piled on that pure head...into that sinless heart. And he experienced utter separation from his Abba (Daddy) Father ---but with good reason - an everlastingly good reason! so we would never have to be separated from our Abba God again!
without the pain, Easter loses its lustre.
But without the resurrection, Jesus' death was just an unfortunate miscarriage of justice!!
So dig in this weekend. Live it all. or rather, relive it all. Dig deeply into the roots of our faith...and thereby grow in gratitude for our Father who loved us so passionately that he could not bear eternity with our being separated from Him!! Bask in that love - as you reflect on all it cost the Trinity.
Beloved.
yes, you!
Live in the glory of the entire Easter story.
and be changed.
Hosanna! Hallelujah!
Monday, April 11, 2011
who knew?
Did you ever stop to think that life is so much harder than we thought it would be as kids. ANd yet....so much of my life is richer, sweeter and more unbelievable than i ever thought possible too. Somehow in the midst of the storms, i find GOd's sweet presence sustaining me, yes, even in the tears, and i am amazed. My heart is strengthened and i go on...one moment at a time.
Would an easier life rob me of this richness?
no thanks.
I'll take the sweetness with the pain - all the while knowing that greater sweetness and richness are my inheritance with my Father!
peace...
Would an easier life rob me of this richness?
no thanks.
I'll take the sweetness with the pain - all the while knowing that greater sweetness and richness are my inheritance with my Father!
peace...
Saturday, April 2, 2011
the raw truth about life as a believer....
1 Corinthians 2:2 "For i resolved to know nothing while i was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified"
Paul had arrived in a really metropolitan city to try and support the fledgling church there - to give them a refresher on how to live as God's people. They needed a reminder, as i do, that life as a believer isn't about throwing our weight around, gaining positions of influence, of making progress or of having 'success' as the world sees it, anyway. He boiled it down to that one simple statement that rocks me to my core! (verse above..)
nothing else. Not clever jokes or witty conversation. Nothing but the wonder of Christ. What does that even look like?
From reading more of this section, it appears that Paul wanted their hearts and minds so enraptured (awe-struck) by Christ on a continual basis that nothing else would even come close to amazing them. That sounds all but impossible to us with our greater tendency to be awed by a sport's teams progress, by a new technological breakthrough- or perhaps a medical one. Have we become such cynics that nothing but physical items can amaze us? (and yet those shows about ghosts, mediums etc exist and tell us that something deeper is calling us- some hunger we've almost forgotten about for 'someone' to be out there beyond our taste-see-touch- and-hear world) but i digress....
For me, i've noticed that God seems more real, solid and powerful when i MAKE time to read his Word. When i read about his pushing back a huge lake so a million people could walk through...now that's power! Or when Elijah stands on the mount Carmel having "showdown day" with the prophets of Baal! God showed up in a truly remarkable way! those are historical facts. He is a historical, real God. Invest the time in learning about him and getting to know Him so he can become more real in your heart and mind. Let the HOly Spirit bring your imagination to life as you read!!
THen, when distractions come- troubles which inevitably come - you have 'built your house upon the Rock" and will be able to weather the storm in HIS power.
"Above all else, guard you rheart, for it is the wellspring of life" PRov 4:23
Paul had arrived in a really metropolitan city to try and support the fledgling church there - to give them a refresher on how to live as God's people. They needed a reminder, as i do, that life as a believer isn't about throwing our weight around, gaining positions of influence, of making progress or of having 'success' as the world sees it, anyway. He boiled it down to that one simple statement that rocks me to my core! (verse above..)
nothing else. Not clever jokes or witty conversation. Nothing but the wonder of Christ. What does that even look like?
From reading more of this section, it appears that Paul wanted their hearts and minds so enraptured (awe-struck) by Christ on a continual basis that nothing else would even come close to amazing them. That sounds all but impossible to us with our greater tendency to be awed by a sport's teams progress, by a new technological breakthrough- or perhaps a medical one. Have we become such cynics that nothing but physical items can amaze us? (and yet those shows about ghosts, mediums etc exist and tell us that something deeper is calling us- some hunger we've almost forgotten about for 'someone' to be out there beyond our taste-see-touch- and-hear world) but i digress....
For me, i've noticed that God seems more real, solid and powerful when i MAKE time to read his Word. When i read about his pushing back a huge lake so a million people could walk through...now that's power! Or when Elijah stands on the mount Carmel having "showdown day" with the prophets of Baal! God showed up in a truly remarkable way! those are historical facts. He is a historical, real God. Invest the time in learning about him and getting to know Him so he can become more real in your heart and mind. Let the HOly Spirit bring your imagination to life as you read!!
THen, when distractions come- troubles which inevitably come - you have 'built your house upon the Rock" and will be able to weather the storm in HIS power.
"Above all else, guard you rheart, for it is the wellspring of life" PRov 4:23
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
waiting room.....
I hate to admit it, but i like to plan things ahead. To know my schedule somewhat each day. I like interruptions- fun ones! not ones that make me feel all unsettled and weird. Not ones where I must face that i am not in control.
that's where i am today.
My hubby and I are booked for a tropical vacation- leaving in 4 days. or not. You see his boss thinks he's such a swell guy that he should stay at work. or something like that. "No-refund policy" is a hateful phrase to me right now.
So i sit and wait.
So i sit and am reminded that i do not rule the world. (ouch)
So i sit and remember that God does. That as much as this aggravates me, waiting usually does me more good than harm.
It reminds me how impatient I can be.
It reminds me what ugly thoughts i can think - about his boss and his lack of consideration right now.
But what if, just maybe, God has something else in mind?
(like what? you and I both ask...)
that's just the thing... i don't know.
This morning as i was doing a few things around the house, a verse tiptoed into my mind - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"
ugh. and yet....my understanding is real limited. and this situation does not even involve me directly but is between hubby's boss and him.
So i have a few choices, don't i?
i can chew my nails, mutter under my breath about the boss, the gross unfairness of it all....
or...
I can say" well Lord, this sucks. But you are sovereign and good. Loving and gracious. So i'm going to just do my work today- thanking you for your goodness toward us and just forget the rest for now."
Choice #1 is natural. Takes no effort or anything. It's my easy way out.
But choice #2 is probably healthier for me. The non-ulcer approach.
Just one problem...i can't MAKE myself do #2.
Helpless yet again! Jesus needs to fix my heart on the inside before that choice can become a reality. more trusting, i'm thinkin'...
So i've started to ask Jesus for the attitude that glorifies him. Might i still travel alone in 4 days? yep. But i'm hoping he can transform my heart and my attitude in that time.
After all, i'm going somewhere nice.
Here's to avoiding ulcers, my friends! and to leaning on Jesus like he's all you've got.
cuz he is.
peace!
that's where i am today.
My hubby and I are booked for a tropical vacation- leaving in 4 days. or not. You see his boss thinks he's such a swell guy that he should stay at work. or something like that. "No-refund policy" is a hateful phrase to me right now.
So i sit and wait.
So i sit and am reminded that i do not rule the world. (ouch)
So i sit and remember that God does. That as much as this aggravates me, waiting usually does me more good than harm.
It reminds me how impatient I can be.
It reminds me what ugly thoughts i can think - about his boss and his lack of consideration right now.
But what if, just maybe, God has something else in mind?
(like what? you and I both ask...)
that's just the thing... i don't know.
This morning as i was doing a few things around the house, a verse tiptoed into my mind - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding"
ugh. and yet....my understanding is real limited. and this situation does not even involve me directly but is between hubby's boss and him.
So i have a few choices, don't i?
i can chew my nails, mutter under my breath about the boss, the gross unfairness of it all....
or...
I can say" well Lord, this sucks. But you are sovereign and good. Loving and gracious. So i'm going to just do my work today- thanking you for your goodness toward us and just forget the rest for now."
Choice #1 is natural. Takes no effort or anything. It's my easy way out.
But choice #2 is probably healthier for me. The non-ulcer approach.
Just one problem...i can't MAKE myself do #2.
Helpless yet again! Jesus needs to fix my heart on the inside before that choice can become a reality. more trusting, i'm thinkin'...
So i've started to ask Jesus for the attitude that glorifies him. Might i still travel alone in 4 days? yep. But i'm hoping he can transform my heart and my attitude in that time.
After all, i'm going somewhere nice.
Here's to avoiding ulcers, my friends! and to leaning on Jesus like he's all you've got.
cuz he is.
peace!
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Spring sneaking in...
I live in such a beautiful, mild area - and should be ashamed of myself for longing for spring as i do. alas, i am not ashamed. I have never known another climate and so, acclimatized as i am (pun intended), I watch the signs of her coming.
I went so far as to poke around in the soil today - looking for the tips of my spring bulbs! Saw one crocus tip and one hyacinth tip.
It's a type of resurrection each spring, when you think of it.
In the fall, we bury dead-looking bulb things. Look like misshapen onions or shallots. Cover them over and nothing happens. For months and months.
But it is in faith that we plant them. It is the promise of spring and new life that inspires us to invest, plant, and wait.
So that dead bulb, absorbs moisture, waits on the call from the earth to burst into life and grow. Surprising and delighting us with it's appearance! Followed by buds and then full blossoms!
what a delight.
But i'm not always very good at the waiting part.
I guess living in a rainforest leaves me expecting spring the minute the sun comes out!! i have to laugh at myself sometimes.
Do i live the rest of my life with that kind of vibrant expectancy? well, sometimes but not really most of the time.
I recall the Lord said he'd return in the clouds- in glory- the same way he ascended while the disciples watched.
Am i a cloud-watcher as much as a bulb watcher?
I'd be MUCH more surprised and delighted to see the Lord come - more than even my precious bulbs returning, i think.
But i've gotten lazy or perhaps think his return won't occur in my lifetime. Have i stopped hoping just because it is taking a while?
Would my life be richer if i stopped once in a while to look the clouds over? Would i be practising my hope? living out my anticipation more fully?
it sure couldn't hurt!!
I think its too easy to live in a way that does not participate with the reality of Scripture. To live 'in the world" and to forget to practise imagining the fulfillment of God's promises.
I mean we live AFTER one of the most magnificent fulfillments of the ages!! Christ arriving as our Messiah - fulfilling tons of prophecies and turning our lives into one grand celebration of salvation!!
We live 'in between' in this age. Looking back with joy, amazement and excitement...and yet looking ahead, joyfully anticipating the coming Lord!
I think i could live with leaving my garden on that day.
I think it's going to be remarkable beyond all imagination that i apply to it now - to keep my hope, faith and joy kindled.
Come, Lord Jesus!
I went so far as to poke around in the soil today - looking for the tips of my spring bulbs! Saw one crocus tip and one hyacinth tip.
It's a type of resurrection each spring, when you think of it.
In the fall, we bury dead-looking bulb things. Look like misshapen onions or shallots. Cover them over and nothing happens. For months and months.
But it is in faith that we plant them. It is the promise of spring and new life that inspires us to invest, plant, and wait.
So that dead bulb, absorbs moisture, waits on the call from the earth to burst into life and grow. Surprising and delighting us with it's appearance! Followed by buds and then full blossoms!
what a delight.
But i'm not always very good at the waiting part.
I guess living in a rainforest leaves me expecting spring the minute the sun comes out!! i have to laugh at myself sometimes.
Do i live the rest of my life with that kind of vibrant expectancy? well, sometimes but not really most of the time.
I recall the Lord said he'd return in the clouds- in glory- the same way he ascended while the disciples watched.
Am i a cloud-watcher as much as a bulb watcher?
I'd be MUCH more surprised and delighted to see the Lord come - more than even my precious bulbs returning, i think.
But i've gotten lazy or perhaps think his return won't occur in my lifetime. Have i stopped hoping just because it is taking a while?
Would my life be richer if i stopped once in a while to look the clouds over? Would i be practising my hope? living out my anticipation more fully?
it sure couldn't hurt!!
I think its too easy to live in a way that does not participate with the reality of Scripture. To live 'in the world" and to forget to practise imagining the fulfillment of God's promises.
I mean we live AFTER one of the most magnificent fulfillments of the ages!! Christ arriving as our Messiah - fulfilling tons of prophecies and turning our lives into one grand celebration of salvation!!
We live 'in between' in this age. Looking back with joy, amazement and excitement...and yet looking ahead, joyfully anticipating the coming Lord!
I think i could live with leaving my garden on that day.
I think it's going to be remarkable beyond all imagination that i apply to it now - to keep my hope, faith and joy kindled.
Come, Lord Jesus!
Thursday, January 27, 2011
is it just January or am i weary?
Yep, the post-Christmas excitement has passed. a while ago, actually. So we're socked in with rain, dark skies and i'm afraid our moods aren't always much different. It's still a few weeks until Valentine's day -another excuse to celebrate. (Don't you love those? then again, i celebrate Wednesdays sometimes, for no other reason than it's good to be alive!)
But we can get a little morose at this time of year. Activities have started up again and with the short days, it can feel like all we do is bumble in the dark.
But i found out something- re-learned it perhaps- and i hope it shoots adrenaline into your heart as it did into mine.
Your service to God matters!
What you are doing makes a difference!
The little acts of kindness, those small acts of love -taking a friend some soup when he/she's sick. THey are noticed by God- and better yet? He transforms our little acts into remarkable things- waaaay beyond what we'd ever dream he does!!
Let me explain..
in John 15:5-8 "I am the vine; you are the branches. if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit (did u hear that?); apart from me you can do nothing. v7. if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples"
So when you act like a branch, God's power flows through you - our small acts of service get "turbo-boosted" by God!! So when you think your showing up to help or to serve in some way is just a pittance, hardly worth the bother- THINK AGAIN!!
I love this verse in Colossians 3:17 "and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Did u see that? we give thanks as we serve! why? Because we know that God is at work and will empower it - we give thanks before we see it happen. that's trusting God will show up!
I don't know about you, but i'm not the most efficient, organized, or 'together' person much of the time these days. And i'm starting to think that it doesn't matter!! what a relief!
Just show up. Do the thing that needs doing. It's God's job to make it fruitful. Oh yeah, of course, you and i will do our best...why not? but the pressure is not on us to make it fantastic.
And i rather like that.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
But we can get a little morose at this time of year. Activities have started up again and with the short days, it can feel like all we do is bumble in the dark.
But i found out something- re-learned it perhaps- and i hope it shoots adrenaline into your heart as it did into mine.
Your service to God matters!
What you are doing makes a difference!
The little acts of kindness, those small acts of love -taking a friend some soup when he/she's sick. THey are noticed by God- and better yet? He transforms our little acts into remarkable things- waaaay beyond what we'd ever dream he does!!
Let me explain..
in John 15:5-8 "I am the vine; you are the branches. if a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit (did u hear that?); apart from me you can do nothing. v7. if you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you. This is to my Father's glory that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples"
So when you act like a branch, God's power flows through you - our small acts of service get "turbo-boosted" by God!! So when you think your showing up to help or to serve in some way is just a pittance, hardly worth the bother- THINK AGAIN!!
I love this verse in Colossians 3:17 "and whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Did u see that? we give thanks as we serve! why? Because we know that God is at work and will empower it - we give thanks before we see it happen. that's trusting God will show up!
I don't know about you, but i'm not the most efficient, organized, or 'together' person much of the time these days. And i'm starting to think that it doesn't matter!! what a relief!
Just show up. Do the thing that needs doing. It's God's job to make it fruitful. Oh yeah, of course, you and i will do our best...why not? but the pressure is not on us to make it fantastic.
And i rather like that.
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."
Sunday, January 23, 2011
time to reflect
Ok, so i'm not having any "spirited exploits" today. Have the flu. Yesterday i watched tv all day - that's enough to make one sicker, frankly. So today i brought all my books, Bible and notebooks to bed with me. I look up and watch the 2 black squirrels dashing about the yard - trying to outwit each other for bird seed at the base of my birdfeeder. a good chuckle...
One verse in Scripture has needled me for simply years. I found it again today in a "Closer to my children" journal/reflection book i got from a friend at Christmas. It has a little blurb on a verse and how it applies to parenting. But it got me thinking in a different way about that infernal verse.
Ok, so here's the verse: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9NIV
It has always seemed to be shrouded in mist and mystery to me. Ok, we don't use the word 'sufficient' much. Here are some synonyms: adequate, enough, ample. Definitely not gobs beyond what is needed. enough. Provided to match the need. good start.
THen there's that word...grace.
i get what love is. I understand the idea of faith, but grace? more synonyms...benevolence. THe action of his perfect character on our behalf.
ok, that helps.
So, to recap "My benevolence is enough for you." yeah, i can wrap my pea brain around that. And since God's idea of 'enough' is always generous...that won't be a "barely-scraping-by" kind of enough either, will it?
But the verse goes on to tell us something about our weakness too.
First of all, we all like to be strong. Remember flexing our muscles as kids for our parents to be awed at? Showing people how much we'd grown. Everything about our human nature relishes being strong, capable and able to take care of ourselves. But that's not how God views things.
Oh, he doesn't want us to be snivelling drips. But there is something different going on here.
Remember in your first tree-fort (or was i the only one who had this? come on people!), you and your friends founded a community- well a gang, team partnership sort of thing. One person could draw, another could shoot a slingshot. Everyone had their 'role' in the group. And we felt good about that.
what happened?
Why did we go on to abandon our 'role' and think we had to be everything to everyone? superman or superwoman? kinda weird, isn't it?
But in God's world, we still have that role. We are a branch on God's vine (see John 15:5- I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.") We bear HIS fruit.
Let's go back to the needling verse...
My benevolence is enough for you. My power is made perfect in weakness" When i get out of GOd's way, and am willing to play my 'role' as a good, sap-delivering branch, the power gets used for its real, intended purpose. Fruit bearing.
Am i losing you here? sorry...
When my puny strength gets factored out - his real, limitless power can flow uninterrupted!! So my weakness makes more room for his strength. that's really very neat!
Now Paul wrote this verse because he had some health challenge that made him really weak. He hated it (dont' we all hate that ourselves? the flu? or something more long-term?)
anyway, he asked God to remove it. This needling verse was God's reply. Oh God could have healed him, you betcha. But God figured things would work out better this way.
So the very thing - whether physical, mental, emotional, or whatever that you consider shamefully weak in yourself, might just be the jump-off point for God to swoop into your life and produce some mighty fine fruit! we can ask him to redeem it into something that frees up his flow of power in our lives.
Perhaps my idea of my strength ends up being an obstacle. And while the world applauds (as do i most of the time) acts of independent accomplishment, etc. maybe we as believers and members of God's 'tree fort' club, can get back to our 'roles' and work together to spread this fruit to the nations?
So in the moments of weakness and suffering, ask God to make you wise and to give you His strength to bless, touch and care for others. Use the gifts he gave you - those spiritual gifts with faith that even our tiny bit can become something marvellous when his power tranforms it.
just a thought...
One verse in Scripture has needled me for simply years. I found it again today in a "Closer to my children" journal/reflection book i got from a friend at Christmas. It has a little blurb on a verse and how it applies to parenting. But it got me thinking in a different way about that infernal verse.
Ok, so here's the verse: "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9NIV
It has always seemed to be shrouded in mist and mystery to me. Ok, we don't use the word 'sufficient' much. Here are some synonyms: adequate, enough, ample. Definitely not gobs beyond what is needed. enough. Provided to match the need. good start.
THen there's that word...grace.
i get what love is. I understand the idea of faith, but grace? more synonyms...benevolence. THe action of his perfect character on our behalf.
ok, that helps.
So, to recap "My benevolence is enough for you." yeah, i can wrap my pea brain around that. And since God's idea of 'enough' is always generous...that won't be a "barely-scraping-by" kind of enough either, will it?
But the verse goes on to tell us something about our weakness too.
First of all, we all like to be strong. Remember flexing our muscles as kids for our parents to be awed at? Showing people how much we'd grown. Everything about our human nature relishes being strong, capable and able to take care of ourselves. But that's not how God views things.
Oh, he doesn't want us to be snivelling drips. But there is something different going on here.
Remember in your first tree-fort (or was i the only one who had this? come on people!), you and your friends founded a community- well a gang, team partnership sort of thing. One person could draw, another could shoot a slingshot. Everyone had their 'role' in the group. And we felt good about that.
what happened?
Why did we go on to abandon our 'role' and think we had to be everything to everyone? superman or superwoman? kinda weird, isn't it?
But in God's world, we still have that role. We are a branch on God's vine (see John 15:5- I am the vine, you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit.") We bear HIS fruit.
Let's go back to the needling verse...
My benevolence is enough for you. My power is made perfect in weakness" When i get out of GOd's way, and am willing to play my 'role' as a good, sap-delivering branch, the power gets used for its real, intended purpose. Fruit bearing.
Am i losing you here? sorry...
When my puny strength gets factored out - his real, limitless power can flow uninterrupted!! So my weakness makes more room for his strength. that's really very neat!
Now Paul wrote this verse because he had some health challenge that made him really weak. He hated it (dont' we all hate that ourselves? the flu? or something more long-term?)
anyway, he asked God to remove it. This needling verse was God's reply. Oh God could have healed him, you betcha. But God figured things would work out better this way.
So the very thing - whether physical, mental, emotional, or whatever that you consider shamefully weak in yourself, might just be the jump-off point for God to swoop into your life and produce some mighty fine fruit! we can ask him to redeem it into something that frees up his flow of power in our lives.
Perhaps my idea of my strength ends up being an obstacle. And while the world applauds (as do i most of the time) acts of independent accomplishment, etc. maybe we as believers and members of God's 'tree fort' club, can get back to our 'roles' and work together to spread this fruit to the nations?
So in the moments of weakness and suffering, ask God to make you wise and to give you His strength to bless, touch and care for others. Use the gifts he gave you - those spiritual gifts with faith that even our tiny bit can become something marvellous when his power tranforms it.
just a thought...
Monday, January 10, 2011
a fresh new year
Hey,
It struck me forcefully this year that i (and maybe you too?) spend SOOOO much time preparing for Christmas...and it comes and goes in a flash...a flash in the pan, perhpas? Disproportionate preparations? Undue worry? Or preparations fuelled by love? yet i wonder how much of my preparations were fuelled by fear! Fear of forgetting someone i love, forgetting people's preferences/dislikes, forgetting a wish list item due to my aging brain's reduced retention? ack! I'm beginning to understand why people go on vacation in December. Just hop on a plane and escape the insanity!
It sure didn't start this way? when did i sign up for the spastic, scurrying insanity of this mutated Christmas stuff??!!
I'm starting to think it hits me via the media, how we talk/groan about Christmas with each other, marketers convincing us there's nothing wrong with Christmas trees and decorations in stores on October 25th already. ACK!! And yet, a simple child- carrying GOd's very essence to this earth started this season- the giving, the acts of love - all meant to reflect His act of love in sending Christ.
I've resolved to hold off Christmas shopping until December 1st. It's a start...containing it in the one month's time. Will it help? i'll keep ya posted..not sure. But at least that way, i will be able to celebrate First Advent (4 Sundays before Christmas) with a clear mind. i hope. Begin my inner preparations without the outer ones jumping like Mexican jumping beans in my head. well, that's the idea. we'll see....
Pushing back. i guess that's what i'm after. Can i be kinder to my fellowman/woman by speaking in excited, but hushed, tones about Christmas? At least, not perpetuate the 'angst' about it all? that's my heartfelt wish, anyway.
That aside, we had a lovely Christmas - all kids were home to bless us and to share time together. A boyfriend also - lovely chap! Can see the choices they're making getting more solidly considered and thought-through. Our son got engaged. (that's a warp-drive moment!) And the subtle, but not entirely ignorable sense that we are lurching into another 'era'. No longer the newlyweds ourselves. No longer young, clueless parents grasping for proverbial air to get through a day. More settled. content, i hazard to say. Accepting of ourselves and each other, happy to walk hand in hand, although more quietly, into the sunset years. Smiling as our kids build relationships, homes, families and all. We get to retreat to the quiet of our familiar life together - but soaking up the excitement of their lives just the same. Oh maybe i'm just nostalgic right now...but that's ok. It's been a really great ride so far. So very many blessings!! And we'll keep watching God's hand at work in our lives and the lives of others. it's breathtaking when you stop to consider it.
looks like we just did.
Reach out this year and love someone who's forgotten. I promise it will bring you joy and a fresh outlook for 2011.
Blessings my friends!
It struck me forcefully this year that i (and maybe you too?) spend SOOOO much time preparing for Christmas...and it comes and goes in a flash...a flash in the pan, perhpas? Disproportionate preparations? Undue worry? Or preparations fuelled by love? yet i wonder how much of my preparations were fuelled by fear! Fear of forgetting someone i love, forgetting people's preferences/dislikes, forgetting a wish list item due to my aging brain's reduced retention? ack! I'm beginning to understand why people go on vacation in December. Just hop on a plane and escape the insanity!
It sure didn't start this way? when did i sign up for the spastic, scurrying insanity of this mutated Christmas stuff??!!
I'm starting to think it hits me via the media, how we talk/groan about Christmas with each other, marketers convincing us there's nothing wrong with Christmas trees and decorations in stores on October 25th already. ACK!! And yet, a simple child- carrying GOd's very essence to this earth started this season- the giving, the acts of love - all meant to reflect His act of love in sending Christ.
I've resolved to hold off Christmas shopping until December 1st. It's a start...containing it in the one month's time. Will it help? i'll keep ya posted..not sure. But at least that way, i will be able to celebrate First Advent (4 Sundays before Christmas) with a clear mind. i hope. Begin my inner preparations without the outer ones jumping like Mexican jumping beans in my head. well, that's the idea. we'll see....
Pushing back. i guess that's what i'm after. Can i be kinder to my fellowman/woman by speaking in excited, but hushed, tones about Christmas? At least, not perpetuate the 'angst' about it all? that's my heartfelt wish, anyway.
That aside, we had a lovely Christmas - all kids were home to bless us and to share time together. A boyfriend also - lovely chap! Can see the choices they're making getting more solidly considered and thought-through. Our son got engaged. (that's a warp-drive moment!) And the subtle, but not entirely ignorable sense that we are lurching into another 'era'. No longer the newlyweds ourselves. No longer young, clueless parents grasping for proverbial air to get through a day. More settled. content, i hazard to say. Accepting of ourselves and each other, happy to walk hand in hand, although more quietly, into the sunset years. Smiling as our kids build relationships, homes, families and all. We get to retreat to the quiet of our familiar life together - but soaking up the excitement of their lives just the same. Oh maybe i'm just nostalgic right now...but that's ok. It's been a really great ride so far. So very many blessings!! And we'll keep watching God's hand at work in our lives and the lives of others. it's breathtaking when you stop to consider it.
looks like we just did.
Reach out this year and love someone who's forgotten. I promise it will bring you joy and a fresh outlook for 2011.
Blessings my friends!
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Looking beyond the horizon
We had a dear man from church who died this past week. He and his family had trusted God to provide healing - which He did, by taking him to heaven. While the healing is absolute and permanent, it was not the healing we had (selfishly) been praying for all along.
Healing. hm. For whose benefit do we pray? once they die, do we continue to wish them back? Is that questioning GOd's decision or just being human and missing them? some of both, i guess. There are just times when God's decisions don't seem right, good or the BEST. Then again, we do live such 'right this minute' types of lives...we don't know what good God has in mind over the long range. Obviously, for our friend, the HOMECOMING in heaven was far better than even his own beloved family could have provided, had he been healed physically on earth. All needs met. All pain removed. Sickness forever banished. His heart is now full, complete and he is happier than he's ever been.
So why do we find it so hard to be happy for him?
we aren't there yet.....
we can't imagine it....
we only know what has been lost....and we grieve it all, quite rightly.
But one day - between pouring coffee and putting cream in, we will find out. One day between turning the water on and putting the toothpaste on our toothbrush, we will understand. In a flicker of time, it will all be changed...and so will we.
One day we too will see what eternity looks like. And depending on our belief in Christ's salvation on our behalf, we will understand pain and separation forever, or we will understand being completely happy and finally home.
A few Bible verses read during the funeral today made an impression on me. The first one was Revelation 14:13
"Then i heard a voice from heaven say, ...Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord..."
At first that sounded weird to my ears...But John who wrote Revelation didn't really write a lot of 'normal-sounding' stuff!! A lot of imagery- no wonder! all he saw must have been difficult to use normal language for!!!
I digress...
"Blessed" it said...happy. "For to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21)So while we enjoy the presence of Christ in the here and now - we will be transported by death ( a mere doorway) into the magnificence of heaven! That's good reason to happy, if you ask me.
"the best is yet to come"....that line gives me chills. I like to imagine what is better that being with loved ones, seeing sensational sunsets, hearing the laughter of babies, receiving and giving love....using my imagination to make me 'homesick' for heaven. To give it some shape, substance, even if it's imaginary for now - and likely pretty lame, compared to the real thing. but it's a start to imagine it and make my heart yearn for it somehow.
The other verse was in Psalm 23:6 - the last verse. It hit me in a new way today - maybe i've not paid attention before, but in the context of a funeral, it was new.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
The first half is familiar enough - during this life, i will enjoy God's goodness and mercy - his positive help and favour toward me. But this was a funeral...so i wondered on what it said about 'after' this life... and then saw the second half of it.."and i will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". OH!!!
So this life, as one of God's saved and undeserving children, is one of favour, hope and joy, and then onto the best thereafter!!!
"house of the Lord"...ok, let's call it God's house. Apparently it's an awesome place - it will have all the love, goodness, peace and kindness that we keep envisioning for our own homes (especially during Christmas, we hope for this more than ever!) Does some of our disillusionment about our families come during Christmas/Easter because we have put our hopes in the wrong place? Can we have all of these in this broken world? GOod hope, wrong timing/location.
So what if we took that good desire for these things and put them somewhere it is guaranteed to work out!? Would we accept our family disappointments without despairing? "the best is yet to come - i can wait because it's certain.."
So our friend who died last week is now 'graduated' from this broken world, filled with loved ones, mind you, onto the place where his fondest wishes, dearest hopes are all fulfilled. Where every limitation is removed; every tear is wiped dry once and for all; where love is experienced in its proper fullness; where we see Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit clearly and no longer 'through a glass darkly'!!!
Yes, our friend is gone ahead. We cannot hold him here.
Would we want him to leave all that? just to ease our pain? or can the love we have for him delight in his receiving all God in Christ has promised. His reward. His home at last.
So this Christmas, as we welcome the Christ-child into our hearts, always keeping an eye on the horizon and on the clouds, from which He'll descend, let's remember that our hope is secure. Our future is certain.
And departed loved ones await our arrival....as they celebrate, laugh, rejoice and enjoy their eternity with God.
Merry Christmas, friends.
Stand firm. Your hope is secure.
"Your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed" Rom 13:11b
Healing. hm. For whose benefit do we pray? once they die, do we continue to wish them back? Is that questioning GOd's decision or just being human and missing them? some of both, i guess. There are just times when God's decisions don't seem right, good or the BEST. Then again, we do live such 'right this minute' types of lives...we don't know what good God has in mind over the long range. Obviously, for our friend, the HOMECOMING in heaven was far better than even his own beloved family could have provided, had he been healed physically on earth. All needs met. All pain removed. Sickness forever banished. His heart is now full, complete and he is happier than he's ever been.
So why do we find it so hard to be happy for him?
we aren't there yet.....
we can't imagine it....
we only know what has been lost....and we grieve it all, quite rightly.
But one day - between pouring coffee and putting cream in, we will find out. One day between turning the water on and putting the toothpaste on our toothbrush, we will understand. In a flicker of time, it will all be changed...and so will we.
One day we too will see what eternity looks like. And depending on our belief in Christ's salvation on our behalf, we will understand pain and separation forever, or we will understand being completely happy and finally home.
A few Bible verses read during the funeral today made an impression on me. The first one was Revelation 14:13
"Then i heard a voice from heaven say, ...Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord..."
At first that sounded weird to my ears...But John who wrote Revelation didn't really write a lot of 'normal-sounding' stuff!! A lot of imagery- no wonder! all he saw must have been difficult to use normal language for!!!
I digress...
"Blessed" it said...happy. "For to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21)So while we enjoy the presence of Christ in the here and now - we will be transported by death ( a mere doorway) into the magnificence of heaven! That's good reason to happy, if you ask me.
"the best is yet to come"....that line gives me chills. I like to imagine what is better that being with loved ones, seeing sensational sunsets, hearing the laughter of babies, receiving and giving love....using my imagination to make me 'homesick' for heaven. To give it some shape, substance, even if it's imaginary for now - and likely pretty lame, compared to the real thing. but it's a start to imagine it and make my heart yearn for it somehow.
The other verse was in Psalm 23:6 - the last verse. It hit me in a new way today - maybe i've not paid attention before, but in the context of a funeral, it was new.
"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
The first half is familiar enough - during this life, i will enjoy God's goodness and mercy - his positive help and favour toward me. But this was a funeral...so i wondered on what it said about 'after' this life... and then saw the second half of it.."and i will dwell in the house of the Lord forever". OH!!!
So this life, as one of God's saved and undeserving children, is one of favour, hope and joy, and then onto the best thereafter!!!
"house of the Lord"...ok, let's call it God's house. Apparently it's an awesome place - it will have all the love, goodness, peace and kindness that we keep envisioning for our own homes (especially during Christmas, we hope for this more than ever!) Does some of our disillusionment about our families come during Christmas/Easter because we have put our hopes in the wrong place? Can we have all of these in this broken world? GOod hope, wrong timing/location.
So what if we took that good desire for these things and put them somewhere it is guaranteed to work out!? Would we accept our family disappointments without despairing? "the best is yet to come - i can wait because it's certain.."
So our friend who died last week is now 'graduated' from this broken world, filled with loved ones, mind you, onto the place where his fondest wishes, dearest hopes are all fulfilled. Where every limitation is removed; every tear is wiped dry once and for all; where love is experienced in its proper fullness; where we see Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit clearly and no longer 'through a glass darkly'!!!
Yes, our friend is gone ahead. We cannot hold him here.
Would we want him to leave all that? just to ease our pain? or can the love we have for him delight in his receiving all God in Christ has promised. His reward. His home at last.
So this Christmas, as we welcome the Christ-child into our hearts, always keeping an eye on the horizon and on the clouds, from which He'll descend, let's remember that our hope is secure. Our future is certain.
And departed loved ones await our arrival....as they celebrate, laugh, rejoice and enjoy their eternity with God.
Merry Christmas, friends.
Stand firm. Your hope is secure.
"Your salvation is nearer now than when you first believed" Rom 13:11b
Monday, November 15, 2010
a season for all things
This time of year always makes me a little philosophical, it seems. I celebrate the fullness of fall- plants reaching their maximum growth, beauty and flowering- only to watch it all fall to the ground- a mooshy mess in our wet weather. it seems a little defeating to a dedicated gardener's heart!
And yet, God established this seasonal order of things. It doesn't seem to be an outcome of the fall or our fallen world. Nothing can be productive all the time - i speak of myself also!
As i drove in the twilight the other evening, i noticed a group of trees along the highway - some were conifers and others deciduous. I was struck by the way the leafless deciduous trees appeared to be phantoms, or made of smoke- somehow lacking the actual substance of a conifer. weird! it was a contrast between lushness and emptiness- between health and languishing- between growth and rest.
And despite our productivity-obsessed culture, that is a good thing. God appointed his creation to a season of rest - as certain and regular as the season of growth and beauty.
Deep inside these resting plants and trees, nourishment is being gathered and protected for spring. It is preparing for the harshness of winter- yet storing life deep inside. (do they sigh with relief at this season of rest?)
what's wrong with me?
WHy do i see 'appointed' seasons of rest as a bad thing? without fail i see it that way?
People enduring an illness - there is a certain rest-rhythmn to that too. We are sidelined and must trust that life will carry on while we await God's healing to us. (yet whom of us does not relish the excuse to read a good book without guilt, or play games or some other 'non-productive' pastime we secretly love!)
Eccesiastes 3 is a wonder-filled chapter to read. Solomon (or whomever) speaks about God's created order in the world and life. "Times" come and go - some with an internal rhythmn and some with a more haphazard occurence.
"Nothing lasts forever- either good nor bad." has been a regular phrase out of my mouth in recent months. Perhaps with a bit of age behind me, I see that trusting God and waiting things out usually works. Patience perhaps?
So this winter, instead of dreading the 'enforced' rest of colds or flu, secretly begin to thank God for the break - for the freedom to step off the world's 'insanity train' and just listen to your own breath, listen to the sound of clean water in your kitchen sink and give thanks for it. Dig out that good book you've been waiting to read, and rest in God's order of things - you will be well soon enough. Savour the break, despite congestion, nausea and whatever comes with it.
Without rest, God's creation cannot produce fruit worth eating, savouring and enjoying - whether by animals, birds or by us.
Perhaps our lives are that way too......
Savour life!
And yet, God established this seasonal order of things. It doesn't seem to be an outcome of the fall or our fallen world. Nothing can be productive all the time - i speak of myself also!
As i drove in the twilight the other evening, i noticed a group of trees along the highway - some were conifers and others deciduous. I was struck by the way the leafless deciduous trees appeared to be phantoms, or made of smoke- somehow lacking the actual substance of a conifer. weird! it was a contrast between lushness and emptiness- between health and languishing- between growth and rest.
And despite our productivity-obsessed culture, that is a good thing. God appointed his creation to a season of rest - as certain and regular as the season of growth and beauty.
Deep inside these resting plants and trees, nourishment is being gathered and protected for spring. It is preparing for the harshness of winter- yet storing life deep inside. (do they sigh with relief at this season of rest?)
what's wrong with me?
WHy do i see 'appointed' seasons of rest as a bad thing? without fail i see it that way?
People enduring an illness - there is a certain rest-rhythmn to that too. We are sidelined and must trust that life will carry on while we await God's healing to us. (yet whom of us does not relish the excuse to read a good book without guilt, or play games or some other 'non-productive' pastime we secretly love!)
Eccesiastes 3 is a wonder-filled chapter to read. Solomon (or whomever) speaks about God's created order in the world and life. "Times" come and go - some with an internal rhythmn and some with a more haphazard occurence.
"Nothing lasts forever- either good nor bad." has been a regular phrase out of my mouth in recent months. Perhaps with a bit of age behind me, I see that trusting God and waiting things out usually works. Patience perhaps?
So this winter, instead of dreading the 'enforced' rest of colds or flu, secretly begin to thank God for the break - for the freedom to step off the world's 'insanity train' and just listen to your own breath, listen to the sound of clean water in your kitchen sink and give thanks for it. Dig out that good book you've been waiting to read, and rest in God's order of things - you will be well soon enough. Savour the break, despite congestion, nausea and whatever comes with it.
Without rest, God's creation cannot produce fruit worth eating, savouring and enjoying - whether by animals, birds or by us.
Perhaps our lives are that way too......
Savour life!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Calmly foretold
So i flipped open my Bible today...i know...some reading plan, eh? LOL But i did and i read Luke 21. For some reason, this chapter didn't seem familiar from previous readings of Luke. So i really paid attention!
It is Jesus talking about the 'end of the age' to his disciples. He tells them that there will be frauds who will try to confuse people with their claims. He said they shouldn't listen to them. Then he goes on to describe how the end times will go - rather simply, which i appreciate.
First he says that Christians will be persecuted, will be betrayed by loved ones and friends- every which way, it will come. But he encouraged them that they should not stress out, that they will be given words to say at the time- words that will testify about him. He wanted them to remember to stand firm no matter what.
He then goes on to say that wars and revolutions will happen, earthquakes, famines and pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven. He said that their beloved Jerusalem, which they'd just been bragging on, was going to be surrounded by armies - and that the people should book it for the mountains- flee! and those in the country should stay away from the city too. Jerusalem would be trampled on!
Then it gets even wilder! Sun, moon and stars will show signs of things changing too. Nations will be terrified by the 'roaring and tossing of the sea'. People will despair who don't know this in advance.
But "at that time, they will see the Son of Man (Christ) coming in a cloud with power and great glory" and then, get this, "when these things begin to take place, STAND UP and LIFT UP your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (vv27,28)
So even with the tumultuous happenings around the world, we need to keep our eyes open and our minds focused on the fact this is the "preamble" to Christ's return. We need to continue to care for poor, eldery, befriend the lonely, relieve suffering and care for widows and orphans, as ever. Certainly, we will be praying for those around us, that they will see and understand and turn to Christ!!
Another thing that amazes me, is that Christ can give us ALL these warnings and yet not provoke fear in us! The next section (vv29-36) he goes on to talk in a parable about fig trees and how when they sprout leaves, we know summer is coming. That the new leaves tell us something more about what is coming. And so with these warning signs in nature and the wars on earth, we can interpret them as "telling us something more about what is coming".
But we need to keep watch. Verse 34 says,
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap."
So keep watch, dear ones! Watch what is going on in the world. By all means, pray!
and do not become so harried by life, urgencies and the 'hurry sickness' that you miss the 'signs of the times'.
May our God grant each of us the eyes to see and the wisdom to understand all he is about in the world so that when the time comes, He might enable us to stand firm and see his glory arriving to make things right on earth, as it is in heaven!
Amen!
It is Jesus talking about the 'end of the age' to his disciples. He tells them that there will be frauds who will try to confuse people with their claims. He said they shouldn't listen to them. Then he goes on to describe how the end times will go - rather simply, which i appreciate.
First he says that Christians will be persecuted, will be betrayed by loved ones and friends- every which way, it will come. But he encouraged them that they should not stress out, that they will be given words to say at the time- words that will testify about him. He wanted them to remember to stand firm no matter what.
He then goes on to say that wars and revolutions will happen, earthquakes, famines and pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven. He said that their beloved Jerusalem, which they'd just been bragging on, was going to be surrounded by armies - and that the people should book it for the mountains- flee! and those in the country should stay away from the city too. Jerusalem would be trampled on!
Then it gets even wilder! Sun, moon and stars will show signs of things changing too. Nations will be terrified by the 'roaring and tossing of the sea'. People will despair who don't know this in advance.
But "at that time, they will see the Son of Man (Christ) coming in a cloud with power and great glory" and then, get this, "when these things begin to take place, STAND UP and LIFT UP your heads, because your redemption is drawing near" (vv27,28)
So even with the tumultuous happenings around the world, we need to keep our eyes open and our minds focused on the fact this is the "preamble" to Christ's return. We need to continue to care for poor, eldery, befriend the lonely, relieve suffering and care for widows and orphans, as ever. Certainly, we will be praying for those around us, that they will see and understand and turn to Christ!!
Another thing that amazes me, is that Christ can give us ALL these warnings and yet not provoke fear in us! The next section (vv29-36) he goes on to talk in a parable about fig trees and how when they sprout leaves, we know summer is coming. That the new leaves tell us something more about what is coming. And so with these warning signs in nature and the wars on earth, we can interpret them as "telling us something more about what is coming".
But we need to keep watch. Verse 34 says,
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap."
So keep watch, dear ones! Watch what is going on in the world. By all means, pray!
and do not become so harried by life, urgencies and the 'hurry sickness' that you miss the 'signs of the times'.
May our God grant each of us the eyes to see and the wisdom to understand all he is about in the world so that when the time comes, He might enable us to stand firm and see his glory arriving to make things right on earth, as it is in heaven!
Amen!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
messy...and yet glorious
Hey!
I've been reflecting - moment by moment- lately on how little worry does to help me. With the start of school last month and all the programs, classes and things we are all involved in - worry comes along like an unwelcomed houseguest and settles between my ears. And the funny thing is that the more i attempt to chase it out, the more deeply rooted it becomes. It ends up getting my attention, one way or the other! ack!
And i read how God calls me to trust him. To live lightly - to carry His yoke- which is easy and his burden, which is light.
How do i make such a mess of things by complicating what is inherently simple???
The world is run by God- ok, yeah, i can grasp that...
I do nothing to earn the sunshine, rain, oxygen or love i receive so freely. check.
If God feeds the little, cute, witless birds, then certainly he will feed me too. got it.
but what happens? Do i forget that he is always watching with a tender loving gaze?
Do i think that if i meddle in things first that it will turn out better?
why am i so funny about all this?
Hence, my new tatto - Trust~ Receive~ Adore on my right forearm. A visible reminder that i bring nothing to this relationship with God. I am asked to trust him completely.
Receive- what good thing do i have that i 'earned'? Love? Air? hope? no, not really anything. I just sit at the Lord's feet and receive it all. wow.
Adore - now here is something i CAN do...be in awe of my Father who provides, forgives, loves and never tires of any of it!!!
Sure, life can be very messy. After all, we live in a broken world - things are not as they 'should be'. We sense that in our very marrow...and one day it will be that way.
"All will be well and all manner of things will be well." (some famous guy said that---good stuff!)
and so it will be.
And for now.. ......we trust him.
and amen.
I've been reflecting - moment by moment- lately on how little worry does to help me. With the start of school last month and all the programs, classes and things we are all involved in - worry comes along like an unwelcomed houseguest and settles between my ears. And the funny thing is that the more i attempt to chase it out, the more deeply rooted it becomes. It ends up getting my attention, one way or the other! ack!
And i read how God calls me to trust him. To live lightly - to carry His yoke- which is easy and his burden, which is light.
How do i make such a mess of things by complicating what is inherently simple???
The world is run by God- ok, yeah, i can grasp that...
I do nothing to earn the sunshine, rain, oxygen or love i receive so freely. check.
If God feeds the little, cute, witless birds, then certainly he will feed me too. got it.
but what happens? Do i forget that he is always watching with a tender loving gaze?
Do i think that if i meddle in things first that it will turn out better?
why am i so funny about all this?
Hence, my new tatto - Trust~ Receive~ Adore on my right forearm. A visible reminder that i bring nothing to this relationship with God. I am asked to trust him completely.
Receive- what good thing do i have that i 'earned'? Love? Air? hope? no, not really anything. I just sit at the Lord's feet and receive it all. wow.
Adore - now here is something i CAN do...be in awe of my Father who provides, forgives, loves and never tires of any of it!!!
Sure, life can be very messy. After all, we live in a broken world - things are not as they 'should be'. We sense that in our very marrow...and one day it will be that way.
"All will be well and all manner of things will be well." (some famous guy said that---good stuff!)
and so it will be.
And for now.. ......we trust him.
and amen.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
What's my problem, anyways?
Exodus 20:11
I heard a song today by a Christian artist, Lance Odegard, in which he asked God to help him to be content being the ‘moon’ since God is the ‘sun’. God is the centre, and we reflect his glory. Ok, that makes sense except that we want to pretend we are the SUN! We believe God is the boss, but we often live as though we are. Our little kingdoms we try to control.
I believe that is the core of why we find Sabbath taking so difficult. It is a day we are reminded to put aside our need to be in control, to work and provide in order to remind ourselves that it is God who runs the world, it is God who provides for our needs through our ability to work and our having a job at all. It is God who makes life work.
That’s hard to believe when stated that way.
Will my laundry get done if I take a Sabbath? Will there be groceries? Let’s listen to this verse that deals with this exact line of thought…
Exodus 16:22-24 (New International Version)
22
Planning ahead. Being intentional to ensure all the jobs get done other times so I can take a day off – a day to play, to dance or to sit and play boardgames. Who would like a day off cooking? Cleaning?
ME!
Am I willing to move things around so I’m “ALLOWED” to do this? Well, I’m certainly allowed…no reason to feel guilty since it was God’s idea…but will I?
We have to wrestle with why I choose the bondage to work (as the people in exile had no choice but to work 7 days a week!) instead of embracing the freedom from slavery that God gives me.
Just a thought….
For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.Exodus 31:15
For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.Rest. Sabbath. You’d think this would be celebrated high and low in our hurried culture of overwork. But even we as believers shake our heads in disbelief when we hear it. Who has time to take a Sabbath? In a word? We all do. We all need to. We are COMMANDED to, for heaven’s sake!
I heard a song today by a Christian artist, Lance Odegard, in which he asked God to help him to be content being the ‘moon’ since God is the ‘sun’. God is the centre, and we reflect his glory. Ok, that makes sense except that we want to pretend we are the SUN! We believe God is the boss, but we often live as though we are. Our little kingdoms we try to control.
I believe that is the core of why we find Sabbath taking so difficult. It is a day we are reminded to put aside our need to be in control, to work and provide in order to remind ourselves that it is God who runs the world, it is God who provides for our needs through our ability to work and our having a job at all. It is God who makes life work.
That’s hard to believe when stated that way.
Will my laundry get done if I take a Sabbath? Will there be groceries? Let’s listen to this verse that deals with this exact line of thought…
Exodus 16:22-24 (New International Version)
22
On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers [a] for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, "This is what the LORD commanded: 'Tomorrow is to be a day of rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.' "(which usually happened if they tried to stockpile the manna – another example of how God helped them to obey his command!)
24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it.
Planning ahead. Being intentional to ensure all the jobs get done other times so I can take a day off – a day to play, to dance or to sit and play boardgames. Who would like a day off cooking? Cleaning?
ME!
Am I willing to move things around so I’m “ALLOWED” to do this? Well, I’m certainly allowed…no reason to feel guilty since it was God’s idea…but will I?
We have to wrestle with why I choose the bondage to work (as the people in exile had no choice but to work 7 days a week!) instead of embracing the freedom from slavery that God gives me.
Just a thought….
Monday, September 6, 2010
contentment
ok, this subject is not something i can claim much knowledge about. It's like reading a book about travelling in Europe and not having been there. yes, that's about right. But just because i haven't experienced a lot of it, doesn't mean i don't crave it. It's like wanting patience, but not being sure you want to go through the things that produce it in our lives...
Contentment was described to me once as being a traveller bound for Holland, with visions of all that Holland has. Packing for Holland and being excited for the vacation there. But once off the plane, to discover one is in France instead. Oh, i'm sure France has it's lovely things, but one's heart was set on Holland. Contentment is choosing to be pleased with being in France, despite 'wanting' Holland.
So what does that have to do with me? any of us?
We all had some idea where we were headed in life - perhaps in a 5 year plan. But where i find myself today is not what i'd imagined. In many ways, it is perhaps better than the original plan. But sometimes it is not. Yes, we got used to it, but it can leave us with the gnawing sense that things didn't turn out right. what to do? The easy path is to be cranky - whether visibly or not. Discontent. Restless. Unhappy. But is this leading me any closer to the contentment i had imagined in Holland? Can contentment be found in France? Can i decide to love where i am simply because it is where i am?? Where i've been placed...
We face a few decisions in these moments. Sometimes, we choose to decorate our world with Holland reminders- things that keep the dream alive, if you please. What does that look like? When a serious injury sidelines my hockey/baseball/(insert your situation here), and the dream is out of touch, do i still think and dream about it all the time? Or can i turn lemons into lemonade and coach someone, turn my change-of-plans into good?
Other times, we pretend that it doesn't matter, that we are 'fine' and we bury the hurt - perhaps it squeaks out in angry words to our families? (ouch) While we think we have 'dealt with it', are we lying to ourselves and hurting those we love most?
I don't know about you, but its probably a good thing to stop and reflect once in a while - where is the direction of my life taking me? is it somewhere i want to go? What path am i on? what kinds of thoughts occupy my mind as i commute, relax or rest?
St. Augustine said,"Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible."
Are the choices i am making taking me to more and more joy, gratitude and peace, or am i chasing a dream that no longer has meaning for me?
I'm trying to concentrate on living in the moment, right here and now. Trying to stop worrying about tomorrow and learning to see the gifts of God, however small they might appear, in the moment they are given.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well..."We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what he does give us daily. And is not what has been given enough?"
So i'm starting to be thankful for air in my lungs (clean Canadian air, thanks so much!), the mind to think thoughts, the heart to love those around me, food for nourishment, clothes to wear and so on. Important things if you don't have them!
baby steps....and with the help of God and his Spirit, i will try to live in the 'now' and leave the future in his hands...
now that oughta give me peace already!!
Contentment was described to me once as being a traveller bound for Holland, with visions of all that Holland has. Packing for Holland and being excited for the vacation there. But once off the plane, to discover one is in France instead. Oh, i'm sure France has it's lovely things, but one's heart was set on Holland. Contentment is choosing to be pleased with being in France, despite 'wanting' Holland.
So what does that have to do with me? any of us?
We all had some idea where we were headed in life - perhaps in a 5 year plan. But where i find myself today is not what i'd imagined. In many ways, it is perhaps better than the original plan. But sometimes it is not. Yes, we got used to it, but it can leave us with the gnawing sense that things didn't turn out right. what to do? The easy path is to be cranky - whether visibly or not. Discontent. Restless. Unhappy. But is this leading me any closer to the contentment i had imagined in Holland? Can contentment be found in France? Can i decide to love where i am simply because it is where i am?? Where i've been placed...
We face a few decisions in these moments. Sometimes, we choose to decorate our world with Holland reminders- things that keep the dream alive, if you please. What does that look like? When a serious injury sidelines my hockey/baseball/(insert your situation here), and the dream is out of touch, do i still think and dream about it all the time? Or can i turn lemons into lemonade and coach someone, turn my change-of-plans into good?
Other times, we pretend that it doesn't matter, that we are 'fine' and we bury the hurt - perhaps it squeaks out in angry words to our families? (ouch) While we think we have 'dealt with it', are we lying to ourselves and hurting those we love most?
I don't know about you, but its probably a good thing to stop and reflect once in a while - where is the direction of my life taking me? is it somewhere i want to go? What path am i on? what kinds of thoughts occupy my mind as i commute, relax or rest?
St. Augustine said,"Indeed, man wishes to be happy even when he so lives as to make happiness impossible."
Are the choices i am making taking me to more and more joy, gratitude and peace, or am i chasing a dream that no longer has meaning for me?
I'm trying to concentrate on living in the moment, right here and now. Trying to stop worrying about tomorrow and learning to see the gifts of God, however small they might appear, in the moment they are given.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer said it well..."We do not complain of what God does not give us; we rather thank God for what he does give us daily. And is not what has been given enough?"
So i'm starting to be thankful for air in my lungs (clean Canadian air, thanks so much!), the mind to think thoughts, the heart to love those around me, food for nourishment, clothes to wear and so on. Important things if you don't have them!
baby steps....and with the help of God and his Spirit, i will try to live in the 'now' and leave the future in his hands...
now that oughta give me peace already!!
Monday, August 23, 2010
Canning
Hey! hope you are having a wonderful summer - soaking up these last days before the crispness returns to the air and the autumn visual symphony begins.
While at the produce barn the other day, i was struck by the incredible freshness of our vegetables and fruits these days. and then it hit...the canning bug. Yes, i reasoned that we are but two living here...but it wouldn't heed me. So 13 jars of pickled cabbage and 13 jars of pickles later...hehe...we are now eyeing beets, carrots and pickles..mmmm. And while the canning food tastes SO good in winter, i must admit that even the aesthetics of rows of canned food on my shelves gives me joy!
I honestly thought this era of canning had passed...but with changing food needs, it woke up! Which is exciting! What other former joys might surprise me and return?!
So even in the midst of big changes, upheaval of kids moving out and such - new surprises await us! old joys made new again! New adventures await and i am pretty keen to charge out there and find them.
Keep your eyes peeled- you never know how joy will come and surprise you!
While at the produce barn the other day, i was struck by the incredible freshness of our vegetables and fruits these days. and then it hit...the canning bug. Yes, i reasoned that we are but two living here...but it wouldn't heed me. So 13 jars of pickled cabbage and 13 jars of pickles later...hehe...we are now eyeing beets, carrots and pickles..mmmm. And while the canning food tastes SO good in winter, i must admit that even the aesthetics of rows of canned food on my shelves gives me joy!
I honestly thought this era of canning had passed...but with changing food needs, it woke up! Which is exciting! What other former joys might surprise me and return?!
So even in the midst of big changes, upheaval of kids moving out and such - new surprises await us! old joys made new again! New adventures await and i am pretty keen to charge out there and find them.
Keep your eyes peeled- you never know how joy will come and surprise you!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Jubilation or Jubilate Deo, if you prefer....
It has struck me lately as i've been reading psalms, that David (and Asaph and dudes) poured out his heart to God - all the muck, but also the boundless praise. Even between verses of his asking God to destroy his enemies- are interspersed with verses of confidence that God has good in mind for him, that God would indeed act on his behalf. pretty wild! (see Psalm 57:4-5)
But the part that has really impressed me was the creative expressions of praise that David gave to the created world.
For example: Psalm 96:11-13 "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord for he comes, he comes to judge the earth."
Now hang on before you glaze over here....try to picture this! The sound of rejoicing filtering down to you as you sit out in your yard today, as you walk down the street...how about, the sound of cheering and celebration coming from the ocean or a lake. Imagine that! The sound building to a crescendo......
And on that walk through the park, it is faint at first and you look for birds, but the distinct sound of singing begins to register to you...until you realize it is the trees!!
The created world knows its Maker! (trees have measurable intelligence, i once heard) How much more can we know Him - He who loves us and sent his Son on the ultimate rescue mission, out of heartsick, lovesick affection for us...
Be jubilant, my friends. We have much to celebrate!!
tschus!
But the part that has really impressed me was the creative expressions of praise that David gave to the created world.
For example: Psalm 96:11-13 "Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord for he comes, he comes to judge the earth."
Now hang on before you glaze over here....try to picture this! The sound of rejoicing filtering down to you as you sit out in your yard today, as you walk down the street...how about, the sound of cheering and celebration coming from the ocean or a lake. Imagine that! The sound building to a crescendo......
And on that walk through the park, it is faint at first and you look for birds, but the distinct sound of singing begins to register to you...until you realize it is the trees!!
The created world knows its Maker! (trees have measurable intelligence, i once heard) How much more can we know Him - He who loves us and sent his Son on the ultimate rescue mission, out of heartsick, lovesick affection for us...
Be jubilant, my friends. We have much to celebrate!!
tschus!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Visiting....
Just got back from six wonderful days with our grown daughter in Ontario. I have to confess that i went with energetic notions of being wonderwoman to help her. Only to find that she has managed quite nicely on her own. Awesome! but also humbling. But isn't independence what we hope for? yeah..sort of...til it happens. Then we realize that our 'helping' portion of parenting only goes so far. (i know this sounds like awesome news to you parents with younger kids...) But somehow when it happens, you are taken aback. Instead you find something richer, new, more wonderful than you could have hoped for.
Friendship.
who knew?!! Just when one door closes, another opens. Oh, it's not easy to stop trying to 'fix' things - i blew it a few times - just ask Kaitlyn!! I did things i should have left to her....i moved things that weren't mine to touch. Yet, somehow in my eagerness to 'help', i mindlessly crossed the line.
So i am learning. slowly. very slowly, in fact.
i mess up more than i succeed. Then again, we are both learning. And with each child of mine, i will learn new things. I will learn to respect that they are under 'construction' in God's hands....kind of like their mother is!!
and it is very good...it is as it should be..
Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this, that he who begana good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
That verse spoke to my heart when we sent Kaitlyn off to university about 5 years ago now. That from the start, God had undertaken to look after her development- using us for a season - would continue to refine her, polish her and change her until Christ's return. It gave me such peace!! we were simply handing her back to Him who let us dabble at being parents to begin with!!
HE would finish.
He would fix.
He would make sure it was done properly.
What a relief!
Oh we all do our best, but there are days we'd like to find some cosmic "undo" button for, aren't there? Days we cringe at our actions, words,etc. Knowing we have caused hurt, have done wrong and have generally blown it. But He takes all of that and turns it to rights by His grace and mercy.
Now if that isn't good to know, then i don't know what is!!
Ask him for wisdom as you parent- no matter how old your 'kids' are. Ask him to show you how to be a parent that loves Him first and foremost..."and all these things shall be added to you"
be at peace, my friend.
Friendship.
who knew?!! Just when one door closes, another opens. Oh, it's not easy to stop trying to 'fix' things - i blew it a few times - just ask Kaitlyn!! I did things i should have left to her....i moved things that weren't mine to touch. Yet, somehow in my eagerness to 'help', i mindlessly crossed the line.
So i am learning. slowly. very slowly, in fact.
i mess up more than i succeed. Then again, we are both learning. And with each child of mine, i will learn new things. I will learn to respect that they are under 'construction' in God's hands....kind of like their mother is!!
and it is very good...it is as it should be..
Philippians 1:6 - "being confident of this, that he who begana good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
That verse spoke to my heart when we sent Kaitlyn off to university about 5 years ago now. That from the start, God had undertaken to look after her development- using us for a season - would continue to refine her, polish her and change her until Christ's return. It gave me such peace!! we were simply handing her back to Him who let us dabble at being parents to begin with!!
HE would finish.
He would fix.
He would make sure it was done properly.
What a relief!
Oh we all do our best, but there are days we'd like to find some cosmic "undo" button for, aren't there? Days we cringe at our actions, words,etc. Knowing we have caused hurt, have done wrong and have generally blown it. But He takes all of that and turns it to rights by His grace and mercy.
Now if that isn't good to know, then i don't know what is!!
Ask him for wisdom as you parent- no matter how old your 'kids' are. Ask him to show you how to be a parent that loves Him first and foremost..."and all these things shall be added to you"
be at peace, my friend.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Defending Christianity - or not....
Psalm 2
1 "Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them."
When i first read this, i was surprised. So often i hear people getting all 'lathered up' about "Defending Christianity!" and letting comments by nation leaders, government officials, the U.N., etc. make them feel as though Christianity has been compromised in some fashion. Did you read God's reaction to all this 'blustering' in verse 4.
Laughter. Scoffing. in verse 5 he goes to to 'let them know' HE and HE alone sets up rulers, and kings - not anyone else.
wow.
So we can rest easy that God's kingdom never was and never will be a political type of kingdom that has to shove it's way around to stay on top. God laughs at anything like that. HE IS .....and always will be. No one has any claim on him nor nudges him from his absolute supremacy in the universe. Comforting isn't it?
He is here to seek and save the lost. His Beloved. His children who have wandered far from him. Nothing else.
Yes, we need to pray for those misguided leaders - certainly! They are very dear to our Papa's heart! But fear them? naw...
May our God fill your heart with absolute confidence in His sovereign rule and his impeccable sense of timing in history.
Out.
1 "Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the LORD
and against his Anointed One.
3 "Let us break their chains," they say,
"and throw off their fetters."
4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them."
When i first read this, i was surprised. So often i hear people getting all 'lathered up' about "Defending Christianity!" and letting comments by nation leaders, government officials, the U.N., etc. make them feel as though Christianity has been compromised in some fashion. Did you read God's reaction to all this 'blustering' in verse 4.
Laughter. Scoffing. in verse 5 he goes to to 'let them know' HE and HE alone sets up rulers, and kings - not anyone else.
wow.
So we can rest easy that God's kingdom never was and never will be a political type of kingdom that has to shove it's way around to stay on top. God laughs at anything like that. HE IS .....and always will be. No one has any claim on him nor nudges him from his absolute supremacy in the universe. Comforting isn't it?
He is here to seek and save the lost. His Beloved. His children who have wandered far from him. Nothing else.
Yes, we need to pray for those misguided leaders - certainly! They are very dear to our Papa's heart! But fear them? naw...
May our God fill your heart with absolute confidence in His sovereign rule and his impeccable sense of timing in history.
Out.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
What? Me take a break? are you kidding?
I know i am as much to blame as anyone for the hectic lifestyle i've chosen- whether by being oblivious or just fearing too much quiet, but i read something recently that really rocked me.
I was reading "Christ plays in 10,000 places" by Eugene Peterson (and i thought I was busy!:P) About midway through the book, i read a section on taking a Sabbath. Ok, so i like the idea of taking a break, resting up so i can work better thereafter, but who has the time?
that's when he hit me between the eyes....
Eugene was talking about how even God took a Sabbath during his big creation week. And how God is always working, even now, in creation - oh maybe balancing stars, keeping the sun in the right spot and far deeper things, i'm sure. But perhaps our ceasing work for a day each week (no it doesn't matter which day) we respect that God runs the world and not I. I entrust my life and work and loved ones to his keeping while i keep his planned rhythm for my life. A day to step back from my busyness and appreciate his larger-scaled work in the universe. Get perspective again - yeah my role is smaller but it is a piece of his greater work- not something with no value. But as i thought about it, i realized it takes the pressure of MY having to keep things balanced. Of course, Eugene said it better, so i'll let him say it here:
"Sabbath is a deliberate act of interference, an interruption of our work each week, a decree of no-work so tha we are able to notice, to attend, to listen and to assimilate this comprehensive and majestic work of God, to orient our work in the work of God."
Oh, it isn't easy. I tried taking a Sabbath yesterday and had to stop myself several times when something "important that couldn't wait" came up. But the longer i hung in there, the more i noticed myself relaxing and enjoying the freedom. "Not today!" i said aloud more than a few times.
I'm not sure what your experience of Sabbath is like. When i think of it in reverse, i have to laugh. "I resist taking a break though my Boss insists that i do because I prefer to work 7 days a week."
I wonder how my stress level will change during this trial period? Will i crave vacations and escapes less intensely? Will i be able to keep perspective better during extra stressful times?
As for me....i'm taking the day off. My Boss is kinder to me than i am to myself. Maybe it's time to fix that.
Cheers!
I was reading "Christ plays in 10,000 places" by Eugene Peterson (and i thought I was busy!:P) About midway through the book, i read a section on taking a Sabbath. Ok, so i like the idea of taking a break, resting up so i can work better thereafter, but who has the time?
that's when he hit me between the eyes....
Eugene was talking about how even God took a Sabbath during his big creation week. And how God is always working, even now, in creation - oh maybe balancing stars, keeping the sun in the right spot and far deeper things, i'm sure. But perhaps our ceasing work for a day each week (no it doesn't matter which day) we respect that God runs the world and not I. I entrust my life and work and loved ones to his keeping while i keep his planned rhythm for my life. A day to step back from my busyness and appreciate his larger-scaled work in the universe. Get perspective again - yeah my role is smaller but it is a piece of his greater work- not something with no value. But as i thought about it, i realized it takes the pressure of MY having to keep things balanced. Of course, Eugene said it better, so i'll let him say it here:
"Sabbath is a deliberate act of interference, an interruption of our work each week, a decree of no-work so tha we are able to notice, to attend, to listen and to assimilate this comprehensive and majestic work of God, to orient our work in the work of God."
Oh, it isn't easy. I tried taking a Sabbath yesterday and had to stop myself several times when something "important that couldn't wait" came up. But the longer i hung in there, the more i noticed myself relaxing and enjoying the freedom. "Not today!" i said aloud more than a few times.
I'm not sure what your experience of Sabbath is like. When i think of it in reverse, i have to laugh. "I resist taking a break though my Boss insists that i do because I prefer to work 7 days a week."
I wonder how my stress level will change during this trial period? Will i crave vacations and escapes less intensely? Will i be able to keep perspective better during extra stressful times?
As for me....i'm taking the day off. My Boss is kinder to me than i am to myself. Maybe it's time to fix that.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
remarkable tapestry
Colossians 2:2 (Message) -"I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery."
Wouldn't we all like to have minds confident and at rest? i know i would! Paul seems to be telling something similar here to another verse of his in Philippians 4:6-7-
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
With Christ replacing all other thoughts that barge and shove to be at the forefront, my mind is renewed and i have new hope, fresh courage and a renewed sense of my place in God's kingdom. When the Spirit helps us to focus our thoughts on God, in prayer, something wonderful happens - we are not thinking about ourselves as the central person in our lives! We have real, actual help - at a huge, cosmic, supernatural level!!!
But like Peter walking toward Jesus on the water, i can hear the wind, see the waves and lose focus on him. But his Spirit faithfully nudges my mind back to His promises, his assurances and the truth of my status as his beloved child.
Help us to keep our eyes on you, Lord, eager to see your kingdom come- in the now and the not-yet.
a little poem- (ok, i don't rhyme, so brace yourself!)
Weave me into your tapestry of love.
Use the supposedly broken threads and
loose bits of my life to
reflect your glory.
Grant me the forgetfulness of self
and wash over me, by Your Spirit, with renewed
devotion to you.
So your life can be lived in mine;
so my fingers, voice and work
can quietly proclaim you,
Who quiets our minds and restores confidence
in faith,
the One who loves, redeems and
makes all things new.
Wouldn't we all like to have minds confident and at rest? i know i would! Paul seems to be telling something similar here to another verse of his in Philippians 4:6-7-
"Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."
With Christ replacing all other thoughts that barge and shove to be at the forefront, my mind is renewed and i have new hope, fresh courage and a renewed sense of my place in God's kingdom. When the Spirit helps us to focus our thoughts on God, in prayer, something wonderful happens - we are not thinking about ourselves as the central person in our lives! We have real, actual help - at a huge, cosmic, supernatural level!!!
But like Peter walking toward Jesus on the water, i can hear the wind, see the waves and lose focus on him. But his Spirit faithfully nudges my mind back to His promises, his assurances and the truth of my status as his beloved child.
Help us to keep our eyes on you, Lord, eager to see your kingdom come- in the now and the not-yet.
a little poem- (ok, i don't rhyme, so brace yourself!)
Weave me into your tapestry of love.
Use the supposedly broken threads and
loose bits of my life to
reflect your glory.
Grant me the forgetfulness of self
and wash over me, by Your Spirit, with renewed
devotion to you.
So your life can be lived in mine;
so my fingers, voice and work
can quietly proclaim you,
Who quiets our minds and restores confidence
in faith,
the One who loves, redeems and
makes all things new.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Little crumbs
I have a wise friend who knows just the right thing to say - to encourage my faith and to nudge me forward with confidence. Remarkable how God uses her in my life and in the lives of so many. And in the midst of it all, she marvels at God's goodness in touching our lives...such humility!
Well, we were talking today and i was frustrated with my increased limitations lately and how it made things seem more challenging than usual. I have so much desire to serve God and felt hindered by his choice to keep me 'sidelined' right now. Then she said some remarkable things. get this! God asks us to use the energy and gifts HE first gives us...maybe not the ones that we prefer, but he does not stop using us just because we are having a rough time. So if he gives me less energy, then i can only give back to him what i have! Then she pointed out that he is using other gifts in me right now - ones that i don't usually use as much. HUH! i hadn't thought of that, but i understood that it was true.
Don't the most profound things often sound real obvious?
(except to ourselves!haha)
Just like when Jesus went to feed the 5000 - he turned to the disciples and wanted them to feed the people. They were dumbfounded at the cost, the difficulty of locating food way out where they were...and stood there. Then Jesus said, "give me what you have."
See?
So if you are giving what you have, living your passion for him fully and obediently, then there really isn't such a thing as not being usable!! how cool!
So when things don't go as planned, and we ALL have that...remember, give him what you have.
And in God's baffling economy, that will be enough.
Well, we were talking today and i was frustrated with my increased limitations lately and how it made things seem more challenging than usual. I have so much desire to serve God and felt hindered by his choice to keep me 'sidelined' right now. Then she said some remarkable things. get this! God asks us to use the energy and gifts HE first gives us...maybe not the ones that we prefer, but he does not stop using us just because we are having a rough time. So if he gives me less energy, then i can only give back to him what i have! Then she pointed out that he is using other gifts in me right now - ones that i don't usually use as much. HUH! i hadn't thought of that, but i understood that it was true.
Don't the most profound things often sound real obvious?
(except to ourselves!haha)
Just like when Jesus went to feed the 5000 - he turned to the disciples and wanted them to feed the people. They were dumbfounded at the cost, the difficulty of locating food way out where they were...and stood there. Then Jesus said, "give me what you have."
See?
So if you are giving what you have, living your passion for him fully and obediently, then there really isn't such a thing as not being usable!! how cool!
So when things don't go as planned, and we ALL have that...remember, give him what you have.
And in God's baffling economy, that will be enough.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Just some meandering thoughts of one who follows after God- chasing his footprints in the sand....
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering (brokenness) can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, Helen Keller
American blind and deaf educator
Isn't that something? When i consider the life she lived....blind, deaf ..it had to be tricky and it could have made Helen isolated. But she had a zest for life and a terrific mentor/teacher in Anne Sullivan -who nudged, prodded and kept reaching into Helen's world to release her from its limitations. remarkable! Whose Anne Sullivan are you? Whose Helen are you? We need each other - we were made this way. Oh we like to think we are 'all that' - independent, free spirited...but that's not really how we were created. we were created for community- a meaningful togetherness.
And as for brokenness, well, no one enjoys it. It's painful! It trashes our "i'm alright" image. It pokes holes in our pretending and pretenses. But maybe, just maybe, it makes us HUMAN as well. In someone truly broken, we see reflections of our brokenness and they cease to be our competition, but our journey mate...making our way heavenward together. And that seems to put a different spin on things altogether.
Love ya!
Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering (brokenness) can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, Helen Keller
American blind and deaf educator
Isn't that something? When i consider the life she lived....blind, deaf ..it had to be tricky and it could have made Helen isolated. But she had a zest for life and a terrific mentor/teacher in Anne Sullivan -who nudged, prodded and kept reaching into Helen's world to release her from its limitations. remarkable! Whose Anne Sullivan are you? Whose Helen are you? We need each other - we were made this way. Oh we like to think we are 'all that' - independent, free spirited...but that's not really how we were created. we were created for community- a meaningful togetherness.
And as for brokenness, well, no one enjoys it. It's painful! It trashes our "i'm alright" image. It pokes holes in our pretending and pretenses. But maybe, just maybe, it makes us HUMAN as well. In someone truly broken, we see reflections of our brokenness and they cease to be our competition, but our journey mate...making our way heavenward together. And that seems to put a different spin on things altogether.
Love ya!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
not another blog!!!
Hello my friends!!
So yes, i decided that Facebook was not quite enough room for my 'writing' lifestyle and thus, here we are.
I'm excited to share poems- some that i've written, others not- as well as funny tidbits from my life and the swirl of life around me. There's always something happening that makes me think, "hm, i should write this down somewhere." Yes, i keep a quotebook- like certain offspring of mine also do. It seems, at times, that the oddest things are caught- whether by modeling them or by pure, shameless genetics!
It is the days before the Easter weekend and I'm looking forward to the renewal this season always causes in me. Maybe i just stop the rush of life long enough to reflect on where I am in life - midway, yikes- and start to think about what is worthwhile to use my time for- and alas, also what is not. At this point, it is not an issue of 'bad' things that i need to let go of, but rather of many good options--of which only a very few are BEST for me to focus on. But we each make those choices daily - so this is common to all of us.
Having enjoyed some 40 plus Easters, I am always amazed how they can seem new each year. But with God everything "is being made new" and in his infinite renewal of life, i am caught up in it.
Now to plan the table for our Easter dinner - i chose bright yellow with some soft green accents- to me those are the colours of renewal, of spring, of fresh beginnings. And with the salvation won on the cross, we live as people of that renewal- of the ongoing redemption that God is working in this world- one wee heart at at time.
i rather like that.
Happy Easter, everyone!
D
So yes, i decided that Facebook was not quite enough room for my 'writing' lifestyle and thus, here we are.
I'm excited to share poems- some that i've written, others not- as well as funny tidbits from my life and the swirl of life around me. There's always something happening that makes me think, "hm, i should write this down somewhere." Yes, i keep a quotebook- like certain offspring of mine also do. It seems, at times, that the oddest things are caught- whether by modeling them or by pure, shameless genetics!
It is the days before the Easter weekend and I'm looking forward to the renewal this season always causes in me. Maybe i just stop the rush of life long enough to reflect on where I am in life - midway, yikes- and start to think about what is worthwhile to use my time for- and alas, also what is not. At this point, it is not an issue of 'bad' things that i need to let go of, but rather of many good options--of which only a very few are BEST for me to focus on. But we each make those choices daily - so this is common to all of us.
Having enjoyed some 40 plus Easters, I am always amazed how they can seem new each year. But with God everything "is being made new" and in his infinite renewal of life, i am caught up in it.
Now to plan the table for our Easter dinner - i chose bright yellow with some soft green accents- to me those are the colours of renewal, of spring, of fresh beginnings. And with the salvation won on the cross, we live as people of that renewal- of the ongoing redemption that God is working in this world- one wee heart at at time.
i rather like that.
Happy Easter, everyone!
D
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