September 18

I was watching a little TV the other night and my show was regularly punctuated by the expected commercials and also some previews of upcoming fall shows.  (I'm running a little behind.) At least four times I watched Charlie Sheen stride to centre stage - railroad crossing - and was treated to the most spectacular, over the top special effects train wreck. When no more destruction was left to my imagination, Charlie walks toward the camera and, dusting off his jacket says, “C'mon! Everybody deserves a 24^th chance”. HA! Charlie Sheen of all people, the quintessential bad-boy of iconic proportions whose behaviors and life choices we've all had the dubious pleasure of observing whether we wanted to or not, is actually speaking the truth. Everybody DOES deserve a 24^th chance. How about a 36^th chance and even a 67^th chance? Maybe even a 70 x 7 chance? We live in a universe created and kept by the power of a God of endless chances, multiple choices, do-overs, rematches and a never ending parade of possibilities and opportunities that scroll by us daily.

Right down to the last minutes of our lives, God is watching and waiting for his people to say, “Oops, let me try that again”. His universe is a place of cause and effect, of ask and receive, of give and take and it's never too late. These are universal laws, just like gravity. As you believe, so you are. Whoever asks, receives.

I believe I am created in the image of God. My righteousness is his gift to me through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus. I believe that God is good and that if I follow him, the outcome will always be good. My behavior is not who I am but my behavior absolutely reflects who I believe that I am. And every day I have a every chance to bring my beliefs back in line with the truth.... that God is for me and if he is for me, He will never be against me.

So yah! Charlie deserves a 24^th chance! God is for him too. We can manage our anger and fear and doubt every day and just try to do a better job of it, or we can let them go, send them away.  When we choose to let them go, we enter another realm.. a parallel universe almost, of grace and mercy and freedom, living according to God's law of love and peace. And this is exactly as it should be. 

God bless you, Charlie!  

From the Bible:  Romans 8 :31,  Matthew 21:22,  Mark 11:24

A Memorable September Morning

Okay. Technically, it's not September yet. Today is August 30. But today, in the crisp autumn-like chill of the sunny air, I experienced the perfect September morning two days early.

I was entertaining myself on my usual walk to work by listening in my head to vintage Carly Simon - “Coming Around Again/Itsy Bitsy Spider” - and enjoying my pace, my song and my scenery. Not much was happening in the neighborhood except the usual doings of the crows and squirrels. Then in the block ahead a saw an older gentleman shuffle into view from a side street, moving excruciatingly slowly with a walker and oxygen, wearing a bright red shirt, dark shorts and (of course) dark socks with his white running shoes. He'd barely moved ahead two meters by the time I came up to him and said in passing, 'what a great day for walking'.  'Yes', he said. 'And a great day for learning to walk'. We talked for a few seconds about how lucky we were and just as I moved past, a cyclist appeared beside us, ever so slowly pedaling up the steepish incline, suited up worthy of the Tour de France but grinning sheepishly at his own slowness. It's a good day for cycling too, we all agreed. Still pondering the unlikelihood of the three of us meeting up so fortuitously on an otherwise empty street, I turned the corner and come up upon a woman pushing a toddler cozily tucked into a stroller. They had stopped for a minute, talking in a language unfamiliar to me, adjusting the little one's knitted blanket. They switched to English to smile and say hello and as I turned to continue on my way, the baby looked curiously over the side of her ride and asked, “puddles?”. “No honey”, no puddles today. The sun is shining today.” Yay! No puddles today! Day before yesterday, I ran umbrella-less and coat-less in a sudden morning downpour for what seemed like mile long stretches between the trees on my route, to stand catching my breath for a minute or two before running on (I'd like to say 'like the wind', but probably not) for the next opportunity to take cover, arriving at work looking like I had swum there.

But not today! Today there were no puddles. And there we were, five of us doing our thing. Each enjoying and celebrating our own state of grace. Someone learning to walk again, someone learning to walk at all, someone working tired muscles to make it up the hill. Five ordinary people going about our ordinary Thursday business, finding it just a little easier on a perfect morning. Five children of God unexpectedly connecting in a moment in time on a day when there was not a single puddle in sight. Every day is a good day, but a day without puddles is spectacular!

August 26, 2012

Amelia Audrey Moore

Two years today!

Two years of sustained, uninterrupted growth and development. Here's to walking, dancing, throwing things, falling down, laughing, crying, commenting on the state of the world and stating personal choices. Here's to happiness and sadness, undiluted and undaunted by those around.

Only babies seem to have the courage to daily grow and change. Every day  is a happy challenge. A chance to do more, do longer, do more daringly what they did the day before. By the time we reach adulthood – often even adolescence or earlier – we've begun to doubt our ability, second guess our talents and strengths and hold back the tide of change, closing in on ourselves and beginning the construction of the box that we will spend the rest of our life in. By then, we have voices in our world saying, “you can't do that”, “you can't afford that”, "that won't work" and even, “I don't like you like that. Change back!” And so we go... timidly, carefully, building safety nets under ourselves, never burning our bridges in case we do need to turn back, not listening to our heart because our head is telling us it isn't safe and “what if?.......”

And yet..... and yet.....the world is the same place it was when we were two. The universe is a place with the miraculous ability to capture our dreams and set them in motion. God tells us that we have the time, the money, the talent, the energy, the strength and everything else we need to move on to the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing …..and then the next thing. When we get stalled out, helping hands will come alongside with new moves for sticky places and we only get stuck when we stop dreaming, imagining, visualizing and living in the joy that is set before us. Joy is a given when we follow our feet instead of following the path.

I myself have lived too carefully. Too safely. It's never too late to step up, step out, shout out, “get ready! Here I come!” And see what happens. See what happens?  

Happy Birthday Millie

Since Easter, I've been thinking a lot about grace. We Christians talk a lot about this. We believe that Jesus lived as a man in order to conquer every temptation that we would ever encounter as a human, and then took on the initiator of all the temptation by his death on the cross. In his perfection, he became a human sacrifice, satisfying the wrath of a holy God dealing with his broken masterpiece. Jesus then was miraculously raised from the dead and restored to his original place, his home, in the heavenlies. In doing this, he presented me (me!) with the gift of grace, rightousness before God, free for the taking. Jesus says his grace is not only free, it sets me free. So, to truly live in freedom, I need to accept that I don't owe God anything. What?? But I owe God everything. Right??

Well, God says not. He says that through Jesus, he gifted me with freedom. Freedom to be myself and to live fully as who I am, Restored Righteous Version. With his Holy Spirit inhabiting me, he's not just walking beside me or going before me, helping me out. He is me. And I am him. Everywhere I go, there are the four of us. God, Jesus, Holy Spirit and me. That's amazing! So I just get to do what I do, treasuring the comfort of his presence and his present. Really? Be me and enjoy it to the max? But that's too easy! Too simple. Okay, it's simple... but not so easy for me to get used to. I'm so used to trying hard that I choose to make it hard just so I can feel a little better about myself.

Freedom is a truly safe place. I have sometimes heard teaching that led me to believe that God was somewhere just out of my sight, whispering instructions - plans that he had for me that I could barely hear but that he was expecting me to pick up and act upon. And, based on my ability to correctly hear and obey, he would evaluate if I was truly set up to please him. A little like a very serious treasure hunt, searching for clue after clue on some sort of mystery tour. And the prize was if I miraculously ended up on his front step at the end of the game. If you think about it, that's really not much of a dad.

It seems to me, based on what I know about love, that it's more likely that God is with me wherever I choose to go. And even if it feels like we're just wandering along, and not on some big mission to save the world, he's whispering to me his love and approval and his holy ideas, and I'm whispering my biggest secrets to him as we walk. And I realize that he not only loves me... he likes me. He chose me. He's enjoying this walk we're taking. When I do the wrong thing and fall down, his smile stays real. He doesn't go anywhere. And as long as I don't go anywhere, our togetherness is never even really interrupted. When I in my sorrow, look into his eyes (the one person who knows exactly how it feels to be me), the grace flows into the gap between us and again... and still... and always, all is well. 

And so we go....bringing grace, unearned kindness, everywhere we go. We get a lot of opportunities to use it.

“So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free”

- Jesus (John 8:36)  

Hold the Pose

I've been practicing a little yoga lately. (Very little ... not even showing up for a class. Just looking for a little form in the muddiness of February.)

Yoga is a very precise practice. It's all about form. When you first get set up in a pose, that's all there is. Is my leg straight? Is my back straight? Am I looking in the right direction? If you have a teacher, they spend way too much time pushing and prodding and finally, you're assured that you're in position. And then the second you start to focus on holding, your muscles start to quiver. “What? Really? We're tired. You actually want me to hold you here?”

Some poses require more flexibility than strength. These are my favorite. When you start the stretch, you realize that you can only get halfway (or less, depending on the day) to the desired position. Again... your muscles start up with the “What? Really? You think I can get you all the way over there?” But as you hold.... and hold.... and hold.... and hold some more.... they actually gradually lengthen, relax, and after however long it takes, you find yourself in the full on stretch that you were going for. And when you get there, you feel like you could rest there all day. It's actually resting!  Effortless. (And then aack! the timer rings and your life interrupts to say that relaxing is over. Time to get back to the work of living.) 

So it is with faith. You look at your heart's desire and it seems like an impossibility. Your mind says, “What? Could that even happen? That would be a real stretch!” (Ha! Pun intended.) But you lean into it anyway. And you hold.... and you hold.... and you hold.... and you hold some more. And after however long it takes, you persuade your heart and mind to stretch to embrace possibility. And finally, there you are, settled into full blown belief. It's actually resting! Effortless. Your faith is set. You hold the pose and there's no timer ringing to say …. “Hello! Life calling. Time to get on with the business of reality.” This is your reality. You take it with you wherever you go.

Faith is a substance. A substructure that peace rests upon. Faith is immovable trust in a loving, all powerful God who is not withholding anything from me. He's not trying to teach me a lesson. He's not allowing me to wallow in my circumstances because it's what I deserve. He is giving me the opportunity to choose my future as I exercise my faith to rest in Him.

As we journey through the Lent season of 2012, we know that because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross that “all things are possible with God”. (Mark 10:27). And that “no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. (II Cor. 1:20)

Hold the pose! Keep the faith!

January 16, 2012

Today, my most favorite cousin, Joyce, died.  She had a brain tumor.  She lived joyously for over 50 years. And then, still joyously and courageously, with this tumor for more than three years. She had a number of surgeries, but always came back to embrace her happy life with the same energy and enthusiasm as always.

Joyce's home is in Kelowna. She didn't live far away but I didn't see her much.  And I always looked forward to when I would see her, because she was a person who you always felt happier when you left her than when you came.

Today, I'm sad for myself that my world is losing such a bright light. It's a big loss. But I'm happy that Joyce's light has now been joined with the light of Jesus, who is the light of the whole world. As always, she will not be far away – just out of sight beyond the sunrise and the sunset. Maybe even closer than the distance between our homes here. If I squint, maybe I will even see her shining there.

See you on the other side, my friend. You are so sadly missed. 

I'm Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

“I'm coming back to the heart of worship, and it's all about You.

It's all about You, Jesus

I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it, when it's all about You.

It's all about You, Jesus"

                       -  apologies to Matt Redman (used without permission)

Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."   - The Bible, John 12:32   (NIV)

“Y yo, si fuere levantado de la tierra, á todos traeré á mí mismo.” (RVR)

Hmmm.... most times when I go to church I have expectations of what I want, what I need, what I'm used to, what I like. I like the songs I like, I like the volume I like, I like the format I like and I even like the people I like. I readily acknowledge this to be merely cultural, behavioral, social or emotional packaging but still.... I like what I like. I don't like what I don't like.

It's easy to be a lop-sided worshiper. All emotions with no thoughtfulness. All intellectual and reflective with little overt emotional expression. Some of us like clapping, jumping and shouting. Some cringe at such lively activity and yearn for solemnity and the awestruck quietness of liturgy and silence. It's all good and it's all biblical.

Pastor Rigo talked last Sunday about being a team player, a team member, a 'through thick and thin I will rise or fall with my team mates” participant in my church. So, if that's who I am, then it's not really about me and what I like or what I need. It's about who we become together. And then to go one step further, it's about what we're doing together. We're thinking a lot as a congregation these days, looking around our community and asking ourselves what we can do to “build our church”. Or to help our church grow. Or meet the needs of the people in our neighborhood. “What can we do that would draw people?”, we wonder.

Jesus is saying here that if he dies and then is lifted up to return to his father in heaven, he will draw people to himself, himself. So it's not just us talking about Jesus, or singing about Jesus or preaching about Jesus that does the drawing. It is only His presence that melts hearts and heals wounds. Only he can break down protective barriers inside of us and between us.

So what does the church look like where Jesus is the star attraction? Where all eyes are fixed on the cross and not on the singing or the preaching or the programs? Am I willing to relinquish my personal worship “style” in order to allow Jesus to be lifted up? Am I willing to stop doing or requesting the things that satisfy my own personal likes and dislikes to allow people to focus on Jesus? What does that even mean?

The fact that I have been given some responsibility to lead in the areas of music and service planning does not give me the freedom to do only what I like and use only the worship ingredients that I enjoy.

I would appreciate receiving your ideas, insights and comments on this topic.