Merry Christmas

As we end another year - I am praying that you and yours have a very merry time of the year!!

Meme:The birthday season

This post is about a meme where you take your birthdate (month/day) and find the four gospel verses (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) that correspond to them. Here are mine:

Matthew 7:24
The Wise and Foolish Builders
24"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Mark 7:24
The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman
24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre. He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

Luke 7:24
24After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: "What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?

John 7:24
24Stop judging by mere appearances, and make a right judgment."

So I guess my wonderings from this include: 1) becoming a better practicioner of God's word; 2) knowing God's presence can't be kept a secret; 3) believing the "wind" of God will be seen in my desert; and 4) seeing deeper than the surface appearance to make right judgements.

Wow. What does this meme say to you?

Going thru the motions?

Today I was reading other blogs - feeling a little stuck while cruising through some silly collegian postings where students were longing to go home for Thanksgiving when I settled back on Steph's "Just Etchings" blog. Wow!

God using another's words to touch my heart again. Here are the highlights for me to ponder this day:

going through the motions
a ritual
make a big
show
act like..but don't mean it
just use me
take this to heart

...In a quiet morning waiting time for a passage in Mark 7 to speak to me, these were the words that grabbed my attention. So I waited for the Spirit to show me more, to give some kind of thread or body to these words and bring them together into something I had never seen or heard before. The Message has titled this passage as The Source of Your Pollution and Jesus is talking to the scholars and the people who "knew everything".

So the following are the thoughts that left a trail along my path that morning: "Going through the motions" was how they saw this ritual of preparing to eat but in this particular exchange it was all about pointing out the mistakes of others. Coming to the table is to be with grace, extravagant, abundant, scented grace so that we find the "holy ritual" of dining one of beauty. What does a critical spirit do to the heart? What does it do to the digestive system? It does affect both.

In some ways ritual at a meal time brings a certain kind of honour to the occasion. The celebration of breaking bread with another, whoever it is that has come to
your table, is a gift. The practice of the meal table being a place of honour, and the food holding the taste and textures and flavours of the celebration allows this moment, these participants to have come together mind, body and soul and be nurtured. Embodied prayer could be a piece of the ritual of mealtime.Perhaps my most significant question in this passage was "how does fast food affect the heart?" If we are only "going through the motions" of living how does that affect the heart?

Steph goes on to say that there is a difference between the "fast food" eating of today - that takes away from the ability to "nourish" ourselves and digest not only food but the experience of being with others. I too have been very busy lately and there is the danger of "going through the motions" just to accomplish everything.

Yesterday was like that. We had an amazing weekend at church with soccer playoffs and closing ceremonies - lots of families appreciating our efforts to help their kids build Godly character and soccer skills. It ran into a pre-marital session online that lasted 2 hours (again a wonderful time with a great couple) that ran into some sleep Sunday night before rising to work a busy day of cleaning up soccer and readying for Basketball evaluations last night. I came home @ 9pm tired and feeling like I had rushed through the whole weekend into the week - wondering if that is living when Steph wrote:

"Living is where you sit by the window on a stormy night and savour hot soup and cradle a warm cup of tea in your hands. Ritual, grace filled holy ritual, is sitting at the table and hearing the stories of those who by God-cidence are placed there with me. A healthy heart comes when my mind, body and soul are connected and communicating and in motion together, dancing together."

Wow. I need to sit here for a while. Are you "Going thru the motions too"?

Already October!

I can't believe it is already October. So much has happened this year. Jann and I both changing "careers" and moving in NEW directions. Jeni and Lissa both moving home to finish the college years - and we are reveling in family time! How I pray this fall is a grace filled time of growth for our family.

I was reading Robin Dugal's blog where he gives props to his daughter for writing about having a time machine to reflect on some of her life. She takes seasons of time and recalls how having hindsight would have had her "do overs" create a different kind of life.

I hope I can blog soon on some "do overs" I would like to have as a part of my lifesong!

** I started this blogline almost one month ago - October is now almost over. I want instead of my "do overs" from the beginning of the month to do my "top ten" things I want to see happen in my life before 2005 is over. Tim Woody has done this on his blog and I wanted to copy with my own additions for me!**
Back at the end of December last year, Tim Woody provided a list of “Ten Things to Think On” regarding 2005. He took that same list and rewrote it from the perspective of having only about 10 weeks left in the year, and I’ve included it below.Please do three things for yourself right now: 1) Ask God to cleanse you of any bad attitudes regarding slow progress, setbacks, misdirected passions, etc. that might be causing you to “end with a fizzle.” 2) Read through this list with a pure heart and answer these questions honestly. 3) Choose to take action and finish 2005 well!

1. What one thing have you done in 2005 that increased your enjoyment of God? Will you finish well by continuing in it?
*I have started reading Christian Blogs by men and women who have encouraged me in my walk with God. I plan to continue to read these each week as 2005 ends.

2. What is the most humanly impossible thing you asked God to do in 2005? Has it occurred? If not, are you willing to still believe and finish well?
*I prayed for God to take away my bitterness towards a person. I have moved to wanting to fix this relationship – I am still believing that God will do something here.

3. What is the one most important thing you did to improve the quality of your family life in 2005? Are you willing to keep it up and finish well?
*We have both our girls at home; we have arranged regular family times; and we have made plans for future family times.

4. Which spiritual discipline have you progressed on the most in 2005? Will you maintain its preeminence and finish well?
*I need to come back to this one in a future post. My first response is “none”, but I think I could find something!

5. How did you take action upon the biggest "time-eater" in your life in 2005? Are you willing to finish it off well?
*I changed my job description from being with student ministry to being in sports ministry.

6. What helpful new way did you bring strength to your church in 2005? Are you finishing it well?
*I helped find a new Senior High director; I am helping to run our 1st fall flag football league; and I have added value to the Sports ministry of our church.

7. For whose salvation have you prayed most fervently in 2005? Have they come to Christ? If not, are you willing to keep praying and finish well?
*Sergio – our church gardener. (not a Christian)

8. What is the most significant way you attempted, with help of God, to make 2005 different than previous years? Are you keeping it up and finishing 2005 well?
*Change jobs. I have transitioned and feel good about finishing well!

9. What one thing have you done to energize your prayer life in 2005? Is it working? Is your prayer life finishing 2005 well?
*Blogging has been a help here. I have found Sacred Space and Morning Prayer to be places that have helped me pray more often!

10. What single thing have you done in 2005 that will matter most in the year 2015? In eternity? Are you still working on it? Are you willing to finish it well?
Deepened my walk with God.
Strengthened my relationships with Jann, Jeni, Lissa, mom, Kliff and Keith.
Leading up to Alan and Dave
Leading next to some great volunteers like Mike, Marc, Bill, Phil, and Bob
Leading down to some new folks as 2005 ends.

Starting to blog on my own

Today (Actually in August 2005) I wanted to start my blogging life. I have been lurking on other blogs for a month or so. I decided I wanted others to hear my heart - and I am not a writer! So many thoughts have been running through my mind these days. I have spent the last 25 years of my life in Student Ministry, and have recently been promoted to Sports Ministry.

I am hoping that what I have to say is somewhat intelligent and give me a way to pass on what I am learning in life to others who want to look in.

I saw this sign recently and it reminded me to question who the
"authorized" personnel are that I allow to influence my life. This is my list:

1. The Lord Jesus Christ (the author and perfector of my life and faith)

2. Jann (my life partner of 22 years who is my best friend!)

3. My "boy friends" Bill, Ed, and Phil (who keep me accountable)

4. My blog list (as a lurker, most of these people aren't aware of how they influence me)

5. Other staff personnel (Our Exec and our new Youth Pastor mostly right now)

I wonder how much different this will look in a year, 5 years, or longer?