Uniformed Imaginations...

The caption reads "
Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground"
Last week I wrote of the power of prayer to open up our imaginations to all the goodness that God has in store for all of us. Most of us, if not all of us, use our imaginations to dream of a life that is beyond words to describe. A life full of joy and marvellous in as many ways as it could be here on earth. We imagine for ourselves and for those who we love “great things” that are all positive and glorious and wonderful. We often use our imaginations as a form of “escape” from this current life of hardship, difficulty, trial, suffering, cruelty and pain. When we come to prayer with our imaginations engaged our prayers take on this type of language as well. We mostly pray for good things, great things, remarkable things, miracles, bliss, healing and basically all things positive, glorious and wonderful. I pray this way too but I wonder, I wonder if this is all that God has in mind when he speaks to us about his will for us as immeasurable more than we could ever think or imagine? Is there a way to inform our imaginations so that what we actually dream about is saturated with what the Holy Spirit really desires for us and not so much what we want the Holy Spirit to desire for us?
Remember Peter, after Jesus had informed him of his soon coming suffering and death. Remember how he responded? Even in his wildest imaginations he could not for the life of him imagine that the Messiah would have to endure such horrible things nor should he have to. The Son of God, the Anointed One, the Chosen One, the Holy One of God, most certainly would not have to go through such terrible things! In essence, his imagination was more informed by his religious culture than the words that had just come out of the Son of God’s mouth. The Son was trying to inform the disciple’s imaginations of what was truly great, what was truly positive, glorious and wonderful. Peter took offense; he took Jesus aside and in no uncertain terms told the Lord of the Universe that he shouldn’t talk like that.
I think Paul worked hard in most of his letters to debunk poorly informed imaginations about what the Christian life is all about. In what could be argued as his literary master piece, known as the Christ Hymn in Philippians 2:4-13, his writing is beautiful, poetic and dripping with powerful imagery to inform our imaginations of the true pathway to greatness, to glory, to wonder and to exaltation according to the mind of God.
When we imagine great things in the Lord, we must include this vital information about the pathway to the great things we imagine when we pray. Remember Peter? Remember what Christ said to him? Jesus responded to Peter’s rebuke with a shocking rebuke of his own, “Get behind me Satan! For you only have in mind the things of men and not the things of God!”
When we pray with our imaginations intact and engaged let us never be guilty of having only the things of men in our imaginations and not the things of God!
Let your imagination be well informed and stop trying to arm wrestle what we consider good things, great things, wonderful and positive things out of God and calling it prayer!

5 Habits in Spiritual Formation

I have been asked a couple of times to summarize the sermon on Saturday evening by reviewing the 5 habits we discussed. These habits are essential to good healthy growth in our spiritual lives. However, unless we are genuinely dissatisfied with our current rate of growth or perhaps our overall lack of growth in our Christian life these habits will become rigid and rule driven rather than stemming from a deep desire for greater intimacy with the Lord and each other.

Habit #1: regularly meditating and studying the scripture (2 Tim 3:16, Luke 4:4, Rom. 15:4)
Habit #2: a progressive, contemplative & imaginative prayer life. (Lk 5:16 & 18:1-8; Eph. 3:20)
Habit #3: cultivating relationships with fellow believers (Acts 2:46; Heb. 10:25)
Habit #4: an attitude and general posture in life of being a generous person (2 Cor. 8:7)
Habit #5: Volunteering in the greater community ( Mt.5:16 & 1 Peter 2:12)

Repetition, doing something over and over is the only way for it to turn into a habit. Not sure where this saying comes from but it is a good.
Sow a thought, reap an act
Sow an act, reap a habit
Sow a habit, reap a character
Sow a character, reap a destiny!

Happy Growing...

Imagine...

My faith has so many unique qualities about it that it never ceases to amaze me. There is wisdom and insight and things that stretch even the wildest of imaginations in christianity. In the spectrum of world religions it really does make it difficult at times to see why others would want to believe in anything else! Sounds like I am bragging doesn’t it... well just maybe I am and I am doing it as one who is boasting in his Lord, and that is part of a what I believe is a healthy christian life. For too long now we christians have been told to hush up about our marvelous faith, we've been told our ideals, philosophies and values do not belong in the public arena, we've been marginalized by savvy spin-doctors and script writers from TV and movies, from tricksy authors of books and brash radio announcers and, tragically, we've been really good at doing what were told! We've forgotten the words of both the Older and Newer Testaments... Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.
Last night our church hosted something we call a Prayer Pinnacle. An evening of meditation on God and his word, a time to sing worship songs that stir the soul, a place where prayer with other likeminded believers could take place uninterrupted. It was delightful to say the least. One of the things that so impressed me about the Lord last night was his ability to stir the imagination while in prayer. In fact, I would say that the bible pushes us to pray with our imaginations fully engaged, to let the word of God and the Holy Spirit leave stretch marks on imaginations, to pray with total confidence that whatever we ask of our God it will inevitably be smaller than what the Lord had in mind for us.
God is good all the time and his desire to lead us into greater goodness knows no limits. His love for us is described as abundant, his joy over us is described as exceeding, his mercy for us is described as new every morning and faithfulness toward us is described as great!
If that was all you knew about anyone else we would boast about them to the high heavens. If that was all we knew about the Lord there is enough here to keep our imaginations going for quite some time. Truth is, this little bit of information doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and his paths are beyond tracing out...
now let your imaginations soar…
and for heaven’s sake brag a little bit more about him today…
what’s not to brag about?

The Thinker

Romans 2:4 in the NASB bible reads this way... "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience..." I suppose there could be a double meaning to the words "think lightly" here. One meaning could be to distain or hold in contempt or just not care the other meaning could be more literal, to just not give much thought to it. My challenge fell around the second meaning this morning. Not enough thought.
Thinking takes time. When we think about something intentionally we need space in our daily lives to do it. I believe that thinking time is on its death bed in our western culture. Thinking takes silence, that is the absence of noise, of T.V., telephones, text messages, DVD's, radio, CD's and MP3's and other people. Where can I go to flee from the presence of all these distractions?
Thinking needs a place. A quiet, comfortable, secluded place. A private place for solitude so that I can think undisturbed.
I think we think too little. We've lost the art of solitude. We've almost lost the capacity to think and spend intentional time thinking.
We must get it back or we will think too lightly which will lead to the first meaning. To hold in contempt; to just not care… and we breathe our last breath… and then it will be too late to think.

Death and Easter

The evening service was finished and I made my way toward the back of the sanctuary. As I stepped through the back door I noticed a group of folks, forming a tight circle around someone and they were all praying. As the circle opened up it revealed the one who was the focus of all the care and support. I saw my friend, tears streaming down her cheeks, eyes puffy, swollen from much crying, nose rimed with redness, tender from all the tissues rubbing it, and she was barely able to speak.
As it turned out, she was very sad because unknown to all of us it was the one year anniversary of her father’s passing. He had died suddenly from a heart attack and my friend missed him so much.

What can you say? Probably the better part of wisdom is just to remain silent, offer a hug, and a sigh of sympathy.

Death is such a robber. I hate it. I hate what it does to people; I hate how it separates us from each other. It steals loved ones, it steals young and it steals old, rich or poor, strong or weak. It plays no favorites and is always just a breath away from each of us.

The Bible is full of the stories of death because the Bible deals with life as it really is. No rose colored glasses there! It even provides us with a window into the origin of death. It goes way back to Adam and Eve when death was allowed to enter the human experience after the first couple disobeyed God. First it appeared in the animal skins God made for them and then it manifested its full ugliness when Cain murdered his brother Abel. And death has been with us since then. It is the wages for disobedience to God.
Jesus came to destroy death. He came to die, the perfect and pure saviour for the imperfect and impure human race. He then rose from the dead, conquered it, because it could not hold him down. He rose victorious over death 3 days later. He offers life to all but only those who receive it for themselves are saved.

It truly is an amazing story of how death brought us life! How the death of one man, Jesus Christ, has offered life to all human kind. The truly good part is that every single human being has been forgiven of every single death wage ever paid out for sin. All we have to do is humbly receive this amazing gift that is offered to us freely.

As the bible asks, “Death where is your sting?” For all who believe the sting is gone and life forever more has come.

This is the true meaning of the Easter season.

The Cry of The City....

5 conversations within a 24 hour period; 5 conversations with a common thread running through each one; 5 conversations with complete strangers, new acquaintances and intimate friends; 5 conversations expressing pain, suffering, longing, brokenness and uncertainty; 5 conversations and the city cries!
First it was my earliest encounter of the new day at the checkout counter of the grocery store. I said "good morning" she responded, "I will hold on the good"... a tale of a cancer fright, alone, with added relationship strain... all this while the queue behind us grew... Then onto a stranded woman, bonnet up, looking frustrated... I stopped and helped and out tumbled long term relationship broken, job lost and no luck finding a new one... what to do... it's been like this for year... from there I went for a cup a coffee and one of staff plunks themselves down as says, "something is wrong with me, a friend says it could be my heart, I’m kind of scared, I’m always so tired and my job is stressing me out like never before...." then later on as a conversation grew out dropped, "I feel so undervalued, so underpaid, so blah... I know that there is so much more out there for me but I feel trapped, unable because of circumstances to stretch out my wings and find it.... finally, a little boy, a broken home, he started reaching out to daddy's new girlfriend, mom freaks out and tells him to never come home again... he's 10 years old.
Pain, suffering, longing, brokenness and uncertainty and the city cries. The bible recognizes this condition of all human kind and it offers hope to the hopeless. It really is full of promises, full of wisdom, and full of stories of the human drama that can offer insights and guidance when times are tough. For example it says “The groans of those who are dying are heard from the city. Those who are wounded cry out for help.” And then it offers this council, God doesn’t hear! God refuses to move! At least that is our perception of him anyway... and ain’t that that how most of us really feel most of the time! But it goes on to tell us that He is indeed there, he is in the midst of whatever we are going through, hoping our desperate situation will cause us to call out to him for mercy and for salvation. And everyone who comes to him he will in no way cast out! He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. His invitation is sure… "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me — watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."

You've Been Robbed!

There I was, walking along listening to my favorite podcasts on a beautiful late summer morning walk when all of a sudden I hear a voice from behind me. I turned to find a man in his mid 30's with a deeply concerned look on his face. As he spoke I immediately knew he was from South Africa by his accent and that he was not too happy about his current state of affairs. It seems that for whatever reason he had left his van unlocked during the night and for whatever reason he had left his wallet in there as well. In his hand he held his driver’s license and he was asking me if I had seen the rest of his wallet long the path I had taken for my walk. Apparently, what had happened is that when he went to hop into his van to go to work he noticed the door was ajar. He immediate made a search only to discover that his wallet was missing. He looked around, walked into a little park area where he noticed his driver’s license in the grass. He went a little further and discovered another piece of ID from his wallet. Evidently the thief had decided to chuck whatever he didn’t want from the wallet as he fled the scene of his crime. He told me his name and asked that if I see his wallet that I return it to him and I assured him that I would. We parted ways and i never saw his wallet along the rest of my journey home.
Theft is such a violation. Someone else invades your space and takes what belongs to you when you are not looking and makes it their own. The worst part about it is that they do this when you least expect it! You lock your vehicle 6 nights in a row and the 7th night you forget and that is the night someone decides to break in and steal from you.
Jesus used the image of a thief to describe what life is like. He stated that it is like a thief bent only on stealing from us, killing us and destroying us. But he said that he was the exact opposite of that. He claimed that he had come to give us life and that this life was not like anything that we’ve experienced before in this world. It is real life, more and better life than we could ever have dreamed of. He seems to be saying that anything less than what he was offering is a thief come to rip you off!
That is quite a claim. In fact the more you investigate Jesus the more you find him making these outlandish claims. As someone else has said, either Jesus was a lunatic, a liar or he was indeed telling us the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth!
Perhaps this week you could check into a local church near you and examine for yourself these claims.
I know you won’t feel like you just got robbed!

Breaking up the Fallow Ground

Our church moved it worship service from the traditional Sunday morning time slot to not so traditional (for us anyway) Saturday evening. As a family we really like this and are enjoying the change very much. So far my Sunday mornings have been relaxing and enjoyable and slow paced which is such a huge change of pace for me. I have preached on Sunday mornings for the past 17 years and so I have to admit a fleeting bit of uneasy guilt that comes over me every once in a while. Fortunately I can easily dismiss it as I take another sip from my coffee cup.

This morning however, I took advantage of a Sunday morning off to visit another church. Something I have wanted to do but just never got around to it until this morning. It was great to just go, relax, and take in the worship and hear a good message from the bible without having to give oversight to anything at all.

The message was just right for me. It comes from an ancient prophet named Hosea. He was writing to inspire the people back then (as well as us today) that it takes preparation from us as we understand and anticipate that God is desirous of birthing a new thing in us. The passage is found in Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground; for it is time to seek the Lord that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

This struck a chord in my heart this morning. Fallow ground is just ground that has not been used for a while. It is good ground; it is just not ready for seed to be dropped into it. This can be like our lives. God is asking us to prepare ourselves, make ourselves ready to receive his new and often amazing plans for us. I see it as prayer, fasting, meditating on the passages of the Bible with a renewed sense of urgency.

I must begin anew to prepare myself for what it is the Lord is about to do in my life and the lives of those around me. I am excited to see where this will take me.

A Meandering Chat

Today I had a lunch date with my girlfriend. It has been a while since we just sat and enjoyed a nice sub sandwich and chatted about whatever jumped into our heads. I like how our conversation snaked its way along heading in one direction then another, then back the other way. There is something relaxing about a meandering chat. It was interrupted easily by whatever came along, a mouthful of sub or a cute little olive skinned girl or a slurp from the straw to wash down the food. I thoroughly enjoy the generally easy going nature of our relationship.

Cheryl and I will have been married 21 years in June this year and from where I am sitting it seems like just a few! Age has been very kind to her as she is even more beautiful than the first day we met.... now you know where my girls get it from!

The Legend of St. Valentine dates back as far as the mid third century AD. He was a priest who opposed the emperor Claudius II when he made a law that young men should remain single in order to build his army. Claudius thought that married men were not good soldiers so the order came down. But Valentine refused this order and secretly performed many marriages for the young men. Of course he was caught, arrested jailed and eventually martyred for his efforts. However, as legend would have it, he apparently performed a miracle and healed the daughter of the Roman Jailor at some point before he met his end. It was to this young woman that he scribbled one of his last notes addressing her as his beloved and then signing as "from your Valentine”.

Whether this story is the whole truth or part truth or just legend were not certain. The only thing we know for sure from the records is that there were several St. Valentines who suffered martyrdom for their faith during those early church years. This story comes from St. Valentine of Rome and is the one that most credit with the tradition of St. Valentine’s Day.

Whatever the case may be, I hope you have taken some time lately just to enjoy the special other person in your life. Somehow, I believe in our rush around world we forget to show appreciation to the ones we love most. Even if you missed Valentine’s Day don’t worry about it, just get out there and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee or something of that nature and have a meandering chat.

Happy belated Valentine’s Day Sweetie!

FIRE & BLAME!

I'm asking the Lord for rain for our neighbours across the ditch (Tasman Sea) who are continuing to battle not just the fires but the aftermath and destruction that follows those blazing hillsides. Whole town’s swallowed up as folks scramble to get out while they can... some overtaken by flames while fleeing in their cars! As the death toll climbs our hearts continue to go out to the families of those who are suffering the loss of family and friends. Not to mention the total sense of despair of those who have lost it all on top of the loss of human life. No words can say enough to bring any sort of relief. I suppose it does bring some measure of comfort just knowing that much of the rest of humanity is standing behind them to do what they can to help.
They say that South-eastern Australia becomes like a tinder box every 10-20 years as a cycle of weather patterns brings about the extremely dry conditions that make such an inferno possible. Now we are learning that this particular fire appears to have been the work of people, whether intended or not, and not a natural cause such as lightening. So now a massive hunt is on to bring some sense of justice if indeed it was set by someone. We need to hold somebody responsible for this mess either God or some person.
It seems human beings need to be able to sooth themselves through finding someone or something to blame. Don’t get me wrong; if there has been foul play then justice must be meted out. But I am speaking in simple generalities. Finding someone to blame for problems, pain, suffering, tragedy or just the trouble we find ourselves in is like a finely tuned craft that each of us is exceptionally gifted at. NOT taking responsibility for something we’ve done is as common as Marmite on toast!
Why are we like this? Why is my first reaction to flee the scene of a minor fender bender in a car park if no one is watching! Why not just take the blame, accept responsibility and the consequences for my actions?
The bible says that this type of attitude is the direct result of sin. A kind of proof if you like that each of us can act out like this even on our best days! It is proof as well that we need outside help with this problem as no amount of positive thinking or therapy can get us to abandon this stubborn streak within.
There is so much more that could be said but why not check it out for yourself by picking up a bible and giving it a read. If understanding it is what you’re looking for then perhaps connect with a church near you for some assistance. I wouldn’t blame you!

How do you see the world?

This past weekend we took a step back in pace and made our way over to the Island of Waiheke (why-he-key). A short 35 minute ferry ride full of scenery that defies description. (http://www.waihekenz.com/index.html> if you want to check out some of this beauty) By 'we' I mean my family and a friend who is visiting with us from Canada. We went over to enjoy the beauty, the people, an outdoor sculpture walk and annual horse races held on Onetangi (Owe-knee-tan-gee) Beach. The day was without a single disappointment!

The island reminds me of home back in Canada so much. It is like taking a drive from Kelowna to Osoyoos with brown rolling hills scorched from the hot summer sun with many patches of deep green from well watered vineyards. The pace of the island is like slamming the brakes on compared to the rush rush of Auckland and for that reason alone it is most enjoyable.

The place was full of people from all walks of life and from many of the nations of the world. It seems like the local population must at least double from the sleepy 8000 or so island inhabitants during the peak tourist season. That means the place is buzzing with packed, hot, sticky busses running late, shuttles services and taxi’s taking people to the various bays and beaches to enjoy the activates.

Finding a shady spot on Onetangi beach with its limited tree coverage was a challenge but we did manage. The water was turquoise and warm and the big waves coming in added an extra bonus of fun for the girls as they enjoyed their time there. We got there only to witness a couple of horse races down the beach but the girls were not too disappointed as they got to do a little beach shopping in the booths provided as a part of race day.

The sculpture walk was really terrific. It is 2 kilometers of hills along the shore line. Some very creative works were on display and everyone seemed to enjoy it. The heat was a bit much at times but ice cold water in our water bottles helped sooth us and kept us hydrated.

Along the way an interesting conversation was struck about how differently we all view the world. Our guest saw the world through words, she likes to write, and she sees the world through a written description. My daughter and my wife see the world through pictures, photographs to be exact. They look at each thing as through a lens. I see the world as people. I love people watching (something there was no shortage of during our trip to Waiheke and back).

Having said this I must hasten to add that I also see the world as a bull horn; a loud speaker shouting in every tongue, in every nook and granny of the globe, the glory of the divine. The absolute majesty, brilliance and wisdom that could only come from an intelligent designer created all this wonder. It is well past even what our most creative minds could imagine. The sculptures were good but compared to the natural beauty of the setting around them, not even close.

Perhaps today, you could ask a friend how they see the world and enjoy the conversation over a meal or cup of tea or coffee.

this is my thanksgiving prayer

Happy Thankgiving North American friends! It has been a long time since I jotted down some thoughts here…. I suppose with facebook it seems a bit redundant to write about your life when it is already online… so anywhoo…. I have had two weeks of our daughters at home and I have loved it. I chalk it up to one of those special and rare occasions left as a whole family group before the end of school in about 6 weeks. My two oldest will be finished this chapter in their lives and so times like this may be on the way out with only a precious few left. Trips abroad are planned, schools are being checked out and North American summer plans are in the making. Meanwhile, our youngest Mackenzie is loving life, living large and enjoying being sweet 16. They all make me a proud
papa!
I have prayed and will continue to pray that they are as prepared for the real world as much as possible. I pray that they grow up to love their God with wisdom and passion and then turn around and do the same for the people around them. I know that my wife has trained them well to be young women and for that I am soooo grateful. I hope I have done the same for them as the two oldest begin the journey of finding that special someone to spend the rest of their lives with. I hope and pray I have shown them a picture of what a good and righteous man is all about. Not perfect but honest, not consumed with being successful but rather faithful to the road that God has asked me to travel. Content with a bit of mystery, as there are something’s that cannot be known, but eager to grow in my knowledge of God, people and world that God has created.
This is my prayer.

Rythym

Rhythm is powerful. I once read that a marching army will stop and stager there march steps before crossing a bridge. Apparently the reason for this is because if they march in unison the rhythm of their steps can actually cause the bridge to collapse. The way I understand it is there's a chance that their steps will coincide with the resonant frequency of the bridge and possibly cause the whole structure to come tumbling down.
In athletics rhythm is essential to victory. A championship team plays in rhythm. It is a finely tuned group that works in harmony with each other. In fact rhythm is more important than who is on the team. Lots of teams full of super athletes have been beat out by teams with lesser known players because of the rhythm they play at.
Even hit TV shows have come out in honour of rhythm as couples work hour upon hour to dance in perfect rhythm together to win the dance competition.
I'd say rhythm is really important to life too. Just as rhythm has the power to destroy a bridge being out of rhythm in our lives can really cause some serious damage as well.
I think we intuitively come to understand what our personal rhythm is. We get into a grove some people say or we're hitting the sweet spot if we golf. But when something comes along and it forces us out of our grove, breaks us out of our rhythm life can quickly get chaotic and fast.
Or if we ignore God's rhythm of creation, "six days you shall work but keep the seventh day holy", we can find ourselves falling apart. This something that far too many people have left behind and their broken down health, families and business are the fruit.
I like the way The Message puts it when Jesus says, "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
I really like that... the unforced rhythms of grace... God is Good All the Time

Beyond Dragons

I have found myself desiring a fresh sense of wonder these days. A wonder that is profound, a wonder that is deep and abiding and not a wonder that leaves me empty and feeling used after I have experienced it. I've been moved recently by Jesus standing in the temple courts at the peak of the feast of booths in John 7. He cries out with a loud voice; "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Rivers of living water will brim and spill out of the depths of anyone who believes in me this way, just as the Scripture says. (By this he meant the Spirit)"
I'm desirous of an increased flow of these rivers of life flowing out of my belly and I sense it is time to set aside a good block of time to seek the Lord for a fresh filling of his Holy Spirit. Today I listened to Ravi Zacharias on podcast and he used this illustrative story of trying to insight wide eyed wonder with his 3 children when they were ages 5, 3 and 2. To the oldest he said imagine yourself walking up to a mysterious door, as you approach you think you hear something and it makes you curious so you open that door and out lunges a dragon... her eyes widen! To the second he says imagine yourself walking up to a mysterious door, as you approach you think you hear something and it makes you curious so you open the door... her eyes widen! To the third and youngest he says you see a big door and you walk slowly up to it... and his eyes grow wide! The five year old needed a dragon; the 3 year old only needed to open the door and his 2 year old just needed to be able to get to the door! His summary thought from the talk he gave coupled with this closing illustration was that the older we get the more it takes to fill our hearts with wonder and only God is big enough to fill that void.
I think I need a bigger sense of wonder and the sooner the better!
God is Good All the Time

Murky

I remember as a boy growing up going to Bear Lake Bible Camp. Bear lake was really an oversized mud puddle. Im sure that if you tried open up a camp there in this day and age the Government would not allow you becuase of the dirty muddy murky waters of the lake. But I had some pretty awesome memories of that camp. It was a place God met me many a time. But the lake was impossible to see in because it was so murky.

Murky, I like the word, it is like one of those words that sounds like what it means almost onomatopoeic (that’s my big word for the day!) Murky according to the dictionary is obscure, vague, thick with mist, it can even mean dark and gloomy. Murky can also be spelled “Mirky” which I thought was kind of funny since the word means unclear and it is unclear which way to spell it is correct. Murky. Paul said that "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." There is a part of our faith which is murky. There is a part that is quite unknowable this side of glory. There is a veil, there is a reflection that is cloudy not clear like mirrors today but more like the reflection of off a broken piece of glass, or a polished piece of aluminum or tin. I think this is a vital part of our experience of faith in the here and now. We don’t have a corner on the truth. Any more than Paul didn’t have a corner on the truth. We can know certain things for certain but there is a huge amount of God that resides in mist, he is murky, unfathomable, unsearchable, unknowable. This keeps my faith fresh, my prayers earnest, my search for more understanding unending. It keeps my faith fluid and in motion and I am so glad for that.
God is also conscious of those not yet in faith who need to see him. To those outside the faith he is the exact opposite, he is clearly seen, his fingerprints are all over everything, his DNA is left behind for those who take the time and have the desire to know him. He has left behind a mountain of clear evidence that points to him. No fog or mist to hide him. As Paul affirms in Romans One, "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." So God in his mercy has made entrance into faith clear so that no one is without excuse and in his wisdom has made life inside of faith just murky enough to make us search to clarify, seek to have the Holy Spirit illuminate, ask questions to enlighten the truth of God’s word and our experience of him through his word.

God is Good All the Time.

Gandolf's Wisdom

I recently sat down and watched the first episode of Lord of the Rings. It was a bit like sitting down to a cup o coffee with an old friend. I hadn’t watched it for years. I still am taken aback by the profound wisdom in Gandalf’s advice to his young hobbit friend Frodo…
Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.
Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which case, you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought.
Ever wonder about the "other forces at work in this world"? I’ve been wondering about them lately. I’ve been keenly aware lately of just how vulnerable we are to the attacks of forces beyond our sight. Thankfully the forces that pulsate behind the scenes are not just dark ones but they are also from the light and good!
I remember someone once told me that we too often act like its peace time in the middle of war time...and I believe there is a significant amount of truth to this statement.
We forget that there are forces beyond our line of sight and this can be to our own discouragement. If we forget then we can be under attack and unaware or we can also miss the forces that are at work for our encouragement which we so desperately need.
As the Apostle Paul wrote... we wrestle not against flesh and blood...
The problem can also be that we just wrestle not! Period! We skip along whistling in the dark unaware of forces both bad and good at work in this world.
How about you... have you been wrestling lately or are you just whistling in the dark?
God is Good All the Time.

Blinded

I had an interesting conversation the other day in a local book store. A complete stranger engaged me in a fairly one-sided conversation. It was one of those kinds where getting any more than an occasional grunt or mmmmm in sideways is all there was room for. Verbal diarrhea comes to mind; overly opinionated and reckless with his conversation he proceeded to move from issues of race, religion, politics and even conspiracy theories. It was rapid fire and I found it a bit shocking and even a tad bit rude.
I'm pretty sure that he mistook me for an avid fiction reader and things progressed from there. At first I went along with it, I even mentioned a new novel I had heard about thinking it was fairly new and that he wouldn’t have read it yet. Was I ever wrong! He not only had read it but had read several of the same author’s books. We danced around the books on the shelf as he picked one after another out and asked me if I had read it but never actually let me respond. He proceeded to tell me the main plot and a summary of several books.
At one point he got stuck. He looked at me for help as he tried to remember the name of a fabulous mystery author but I was of no use and so we went to the till and had the cashier do a search.
Finding little satisfaction at the till he led me off to the corner where the Divinci Code was and that’s when the conversation got interesting. He told me that he pretty much had to believe that Jesus was a real guy but that the miracles and stuff were just sleight of hand and the stuff of legends. He then proceeded to put all his faith in the fictional book that Brown had written. The Divinci Code was the real deal as far as he was concerned. I kept on mentioning that it was a fictional book based on conspiracy, conjecture and a pretty good imagination. But he was not about to back down. He preferred it that way. It was easier for him to dismiss the real Jesus and his claims and his miracles and completely embrace a wild fictional character whose name was Jesus and he had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene.
It was a fresh reminder that the god of this world has blinded the minds of those in this world from the truth. I walked away from that meeting a bit frustrated and even sad that this man would rather believe in crazy fictional conspiracy than the real deal Jesus Christ who rose from the dead!
Happy Easter Everyone!

Decisions

I've been involved lately with a very important decision. One that will have long term affects on my time, my family, my ministry but probably most significantly on me! When faced with an important decision I have noticed that I have changed over time. I think the change is for the better but what do you think?
How have I changed? Well, I think that I used to just make a decision, go for it and let the chips fall where they may. This worked sometimes but most times it caused significant stress on all those who were trying to work with me or walk with me through different circumstances. I believe I have been called a "bull in a China shop" to often when it came to my almost reckless approach to decision making. I also remember praying more for everybody who might be affected by my decision to "get along" with it and "move along" with it. Fairly selfish I suppose.
Over time, and I believe it is from maturing in my faith; I have taken a very different approach to making decisions. I think I try to see them from every possible angle, deciding who will be affected most, what that affect will be, how will I communicate the decisions being made. I also have noticed that I talk to more people, inviting them to participate with the process in coming to some sort of conclusion. The focus of my prayers is more on searching His heart and mind so that I do not bring disgrace to his glorious name. I think I focus less on what the outcomes will be and focus more on trusting God and trusting his work in me over time to enable me to make wise, spirit-directed decisions. The journey is as important as the decision.


Recently someone I know was having a very difficult time trying to make a decision. It was during this process that I noticed how important motivations are in making decisions. If your motivations are split then it seems that making the choice and sticking with it is also split. Can I trust myself, can I trust the advice of others, can I trust that I won’t make a decision I will regret later on? Not wanting to make a mistake can really hold us back from moving forward. It almost freezes us. Prayer seems more focused on one word, “help”!

Have you ever sat down and figured out just how you go about making decisions? Do you make them and then change them often? Do you make them and not change them no matter how horrible they may be? Where does God fit into this process?


God is Good All the Time!

Cyclone

Cyclone,
Hurricane,
Typhoon,
Monsoon,
call it whatever you want but it's basically just a big bunch of wind and water! From what I understand it has to do with hot air and cold air mixing which creates a circular ferocious and many times deadly wind. Of course of all this happens over ocean water and that's were the massive waves begin to smash anything that happens to get in their way! Truly nothing to mess about with, better to steer clear and run than to stand firm and face it! At least if you run you can live to brag about it another day!

And that's what our fearless captain did on a ship our family was sailing on a couple of weeks ago. When we came across a tropical storm called Cyclone Fiona we pulled anchor and skedaddled! We still managed to encounter 10 meter swells and at one point the ship pitched 10 degrees! It was a little bit like riding a GIANT roller coaster. I must admit I was a little surprised at how comfortable I was even through the worst of that stormy, topsy-turvy day and a night on the open seas.
Why so calm? I guess as I look back now I would say that I’ve had a life time of practice at trusting someone else with my life, sort of my personal life captain you could say. Yup, I've weathered a few storms in my day and all because I decided many years ago to ruthlessly trust in the Captain of my soul. It may sound funny but way down deep inside of me somewhere I've learned to let go of the ships wheel and let Him guide me into safe harbor when the storms of life hit!
I heard there were some on board who disagreed with the captain, who felt we should have gotten what we paid for, who thought he was way too careful in his judgment. I guess they must have trouble trusting the wisdom and understanding of a seasoned Captain.... Not me!
God is Good All the Time.

Unfinished

Looking long and hard at that word can fill us with feelings of failure or it could fill us with the thrill of unseen hope. Failure if we think of unfinished in the sense that what should have been done was not done. This has a way of making us feel guilty about what is unfinished. I've had plenty of that in my life, in fact, I would say I have had enough of that in my life. Or, on the other hand, unfinished has within it something that could fill us with a sense of hope. Hope if we think of it as the journey being unfinished, that there is still more ahead, more mystery, more to do, more to be done, it's just that it is unfinished.
I have been enjoying a book by Brian D Mclaren called the "The secret Message of Jesus". At the end of the book he quotes a poem written by a man martyred in 1980, the Archbishop Oscar Romero of El Salvador.

It helps now and then to step back and take the long view
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
It is beyond our vision.
We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.
Nothing we do is complete,
Which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection…
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
Knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
And there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something,
And to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results….
We are prophets of a future no our own.