We need to notice.

29 Apr posted by

Joe fresh
Last week I was horrified as I read about the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh. As I read of the tragedy and saw the horror in pictures my heart broke for those who’d lost their lives, for the family left behind and I tried to make sense of it all.  Why do these conditions exist in our world today?  Why can’t companies make a little less money so that people can be safe at work?

That night as I helped my son into bed I found myself picking up the clothes he had strewn about the room as he had changed into his PJs. I looked with a heavy heart at the tag in his jeans knowing what I was going to see before I saw it. My son’s jeans were made in Bangladesh for a company which contracted out with this collapsed factory. Someone’s hands had pieced these little pants together. What happened to that person? Where they ok?

I’m writing today on an iMac that was made in China. I am wearing clothes from all over the world. The food I eat is driven on a truck to my local store. There are people behind all of these things. People who create and grow, whose livelihood is giving me things that make my life comfortable. Do I ever think about them or do I just consume goods?

There is always going to be a point at which I will have to buy things. I need to purchase food. I need to clothe my growing son. I am going to have to replace things that break and provide for my family. Being a consumer is tricky business these days and I have been trying to be a better consumer.  I try to purchase as much as I can locally. I buy organic food where I am able as I want good health for both the farmers and my family. I try to purchase ethical chocolate and recycled paper but as you can see most of my efforts have been regarding food. I need to focus on other things and see if there are better choices I could be making.

It would seem to me that if I am to take this Christ Follower business seriously I really need to be thinking of people, all people. When we look at Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son we see how serious God is about leaving no one behind. We need to stop leaving people behind. We need to notice and see them as people, not for what they produce for us.

I’m not exactly sure how to effect change but I know I need to think more on this. I have a voice. I have been blessed in this life. I have a responsibility to ensure that people are not left behind. This kind of thing should never happen and we need to ensure that it doesn’t again.

 

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Filed Under: Musings

Roots matter.

27 Apr posted by

The Dandelion

I spent the afternoon with my hands in the dirt. It was marvellous. I’m preparing my garden for growth. Getting the soil just right so that when the plants are ready to sink in they will be met with a wonderful environment. As I had my hands in the dirt I found myself transplanting the tiniest shoot of rhubarb to a newer, happier home. My neighbour kept accidentally stepping on it last year so it never had the change to blossom and produce. As I dug around to find the root I was amazed at how deep it went for such a tiny plant. The root was strong even if the plant seemed weak. It was incredible.

As I moved on from the rhubarb I found myself pulling weeds and attempting to get every last piece of them so they don’t come back.  Roots matter. Some weeds like the moss that grows along the back patio are easy to remove. The roots are weak and useless to any force that might come upon it. The dandelions like this one found on the side of the road, need to be pulled carefully. If you don’t get the whole root you’ll have a repeat visitor.

Roots matter.

“…Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” Ephesians 3:17-19 NLT

Roots matter. If it was just about looks the moss would win the day. It looked impressive and was quite green and fluffy. Rather pretty for moss really but looks don’t mean much, it’s what’s underneath everything that matters. As people we need to remember this. We can look like we’re Christians. We can go to church and say the right things; we can even wear shirts that proclaim who we are but that’s not what counts, is it? It’s what’s in our hearts that truly matters. It’s what we’re invested in, who we’re invested in that matters. It’s the time we take personally to connect with God, to grow and understand what this love is that we’ve been given. When we root ourselves in love we begin to see how big God truly is, we begin to understand how much of a gift his love is to us. When we root ourselves in God, we can stand firm in just about anything life throws at us.

Roots matter. You can’t see them but they shape us and ground us and nourish us in this life. Where are you rooted? Where is your nourishment coming from? Roots matter. Take some time and help them grow deep and wide.

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Filed Under: Faith, Musings

A dangerous thing.

25 Apr posted by

Dangerous
As I’ve told you, it looks like my time of regular supply is coming to an end and I was doing well with this information until I realized how much time I am going to have on my hands when it happens. The thing is I love crafting services for Sunday. Digging into the word and finding interesting, compelling ways of sharing stories we’ve all heard time and again is challenging. Finding the heart of the message and engaging it is a thrill. I’m going to have way too much time on my hands when that work stops.

The future’s not looking too good from where I sit right now. I like to be busy. I feel productive and happy when I’ve got something on the go.  Over the past week I’ve been found sitting at my desk listening to music without writing, watching countless episodes of Community and opening many books without actually reading a line in them. I have too much time on my hands and that’s a dangerous thing for me.

I’m not ungrateful for all I’ve been given. I recognize that these three years have been a marvellous blessing for my family.  When my son was sick we were lucky to have the resources available to allow me to stay home and be there for him. I’ve worked whenever I was able to.  It’s just that it’s now sinking in that that’s going to stop.  All the plans I’ve been making and ideas I’ve been working on will probably come to nothing. The book I picked up the other day on Ephesians to help with a sermon series idea probably wasn’t necessary as I likely won’t do the sermon series unless I start leading a random weeknight service somewhere because I won’t have anywhere to preach.

It’s going to be a fairly tricky transition for me. My schedule will change and my life will look different. I know it’s coming fast and I also know that God has his hand in it. It’s the right thing for everyone involved even if it’s difficult in some ways for me. Sometimes what God wants isn’t easy and transition towards the new way can be rough. Even so it always seems to works it’s way out.

I’m not alone in this I know. It is a time of transition for many of us in the church.  We see buildings closing, worship styles shifting and people moving in and out of our midst.  Things won’t look the same when all is said and done but that’s ok.  What is coming next will be worth it if we hang on through the rough stuff.

It’s a time of transition. To what I don’t know but wherever I wind up will be where God leads. The key thing here is surrendering my desires and following God’s direction.  I’m working on that.  Some days it’s harder than others but I know in the end that God knows best and what happens will be a good thing.
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Do you have any great transition stories?  How do you handle periods of change?  Where do you think God is leading you?

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Filed Under: Faith, Musings, Reflections

We begin here…

15 Apr posted by

My son is laying in his room complaining to his Dad about bed time. He’s not ready to go. There are more books to be read and he’s sure he can convince Dad to do so. He had a good day filled with crayons and cars, food and books. He had a good day and while we were living it, the news reports started to trickle in of bombs going off at the end of the Boston marathon. Almost instantly we learned of injuries, saw the chaos, felt fear and witnessed destruction. In these times of twitter and text, we know what happens before the newspapers do and my twitter feed moved at the speed of light as people spread hopes and prayers with those they loved. As I read I saw fear and hope, anger and elation mixed together. Some spoke of found friends, of lost friends and the injustice of it all. It is unjust. It is not fair. These things have to stop.  Almost daily now I read reports of violence in some manner or another. I read of rape, of murder, of bombs and beatings with alarming frequency. The world is in darkness.

My son has settled down now. He is sleeping the peaceful sleep of a toddler who knows no fear, who has not yet seen the evils of the world. As he slumbers my thoughts turn to the people from Newtown Connecticut who were seated in the midst of the chaos today having survived one tragedy only to find themselves in another. How will they sleep tonight? Their peaceful world has once again been turned on it’s head.  It’s not fair. It’s not just. This horror has to end.

Where do we begin?
Where do we begin ending this?

I am drawn into the teachings of Jesus right now. Not his words, but his life. When faced with opposition he continued to live. Knowing that he would die at the hands of those who opposed him, he continued to fight for the people he loved. He continued to teach and share, to live and laugh in the face of hatred and violence. Jesus walked shining the light of love on this earth and we need to do the same. While we cannot fix this or make this right we can make a difference in our own communities. We can walk in love, in light and hope. We can spread the message of the Gospel with us where we go. We can be people who bring good news to those around us.

The world needs the love that we have. The love that Jesus lavishes on us. They need the hope and light, the love and peace that we have been given. We need to fight against evil in the world. We have to fight against those who would hurt and destroy.  The love we have and the peace we are offered are tools for us to use. These are the instruments with which we can make a difference, with which we can shine light into the darkness.

Where do we begin?

We begin here, together as we contemplate this tragedy. We begin here, together as we think of ways we can love this world and spread light we’ve been given. We begin here with each other and with God for we cannot do it alone. We begin here, together. For in a community bound together by the common tie of the Spirit we are stronger. In the strength of God we will continue. We cannot live in fear. We must not let them win. We begin here.

“You are the light of the world…” Matthew 5:14 NIV

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Filed Under: Faith, Musings

We don’t need to know the hows or the whys…

11 Apr posted by

My husband is amazing and discovered iTunes Match this week which lets me stream my entire collection of music anywhere I go.  I’m not entirely certain how it works but it does and I love it.  I’ve discovered music from my past and I think he may be regretting that as the music of my youth is making an appearance once more.  He finds Will Smith, Maroon 5 and Sugar Ray to be completely ridiculous.  The truth is I do too but that’s what’s so awesome about it.  I’m 19 again.  It’s amazing.

There’s something to be said for looking to the past.  To discover where you’ve been, who you were and contrasting that with what you are now.  I look back at 19 and see a girl who was young, scared and unsure.  This was the age in which I had a dramatic experience in my call journey. The memories of that, the sequence of dreams and conversations is a distinct, vivid memory that I am unlikely to forget.  It was an experience to say the least and I am surprised at how everything has turned out.  It’s been a crazy-wonderful journey with ups and downs that has helped to define me.  I have changed so much and been changed by the people I have met, the work I do and those I love.  Life is good.

Life is good and the journey is never ending.  I am having those God-moments again at 33.  A little older, hopefully wiser and not as scared when they arrived.  Uncertain and slightly anxious maybe but not surprised.  A dream the other night woke me from a deep sleep leaving me strangely comforted and challenged.  When I told my friend Rachel about the dream she challenged me with questions that I had immediate answers to.  I hadn’t realized how much I’d been thinking about what comes next and preparing myself to continue living in this time of uncertainty until our conversation.  And really, when you think about it isn’t that the life that Jesus calls us into, a life of uncertainty?  He sent his disciples out into the world with nothing but faith and willingness to serve.  He didn’t promise success or certainty, he just said go out and do the work I have sent you to do.

I have been called into a different type of ministry, a ministry without permanent roots but one in which I’ve discovered freedom and flexibility.  Without budgets and overhead to worry about I’ve been able to focus on the thing I love, Jesus.  I’m able to really work things out, challenge myself and say some things I would never have said if I was employed permanently.  I’ve been honest and forthcoming and I have loved the people I’ve worked with no matter how short the time has been.  For a girl who used to demand answers and timelines I’ve found a way to relax and change in my work.  I’ve grown more comfortable in who I am as a minister.  This is huge for me.  I have never really been comfortable in this before.  It’s a nice feeling.

Things will change once more in the not too distant future.  The congregation I’ve been worshipping with will find a new minister and I will rejoice with them when that happens.  I want them to move forward, to discover their path and run down it.  After this I’m not sure what will happen but I know that opportunities will present themselves and I’ve got a feeling I won’t be bored.  I am comfortable in the not knowing as sometimes that’s when the greatest things happen.

It’s funny, the re-discovery of the music of my youth and thoughts of the past have reminded me of who I was and shown me who I am.  I’m so glad I’m not judged on the past but it’s nice to be able to look at it and see how much change has occurred. While I may not know where I am going I suspect others are in the same boat.  Ministry seems to be shifting towards the realm of uncertainty.  No longer can we assume that buildings will be there and people will come.  Change is coming faster than we anticipated and I am glad I’m living this season now.  God has given me the gift of living through this now, of seeing how different things can be than we expect and I am grateful for this.  I am reminded of how the disciples went out uncertain of their acceptance and returned triumphant.  “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” (Luke 10:17 NIV)  So long as we in the Church carry God with us as we journey we will be ok even if we have no idea where we’re going or how we’re going to get there.  We don’t need to know the hows or the whys, we just need to know who to travel with.

 

 

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Filed Under: Faith, Musings

The surprises of spring

5 Apr posted by

Chives
It’s spring time. The chives have returned and life is springing forth into the world. I think because Easter was so early this year I am noticing it more. There are signs of resurrection all around me and I am reminded daily that we are a resurrection people.  We’ve survived the winter and are now looking to spring and it’s offerings to see what comes next. It’s good to see sunshine. It’s wonderful to feel warmth upon one’s face.

Spring is here and we should rejoice. We should rejoice at signs of new growth. It’s hard though sometimes, isn’t it? To see the little sprouts in our lives that are just beginning to push through into the world. We feel as thought things are bleak, as though they aren’t moving when in fact they are, it’s just a little slower than we might like. Sometimes it’s painful and bleak and cold like winter but spring does come and if we’re patient we will see it.

At times I admit I find this concept hard. I have a restless spirit and want answers right away. There are days and weeks when I feel impatient as I sit in a state of molecular frenzy within, as my body says go but my heart is hearing wait. It can be hard to know that things are changing yet not know what they are changing to. But spring reminds me there is beauty in this, beauty in the unknown and right now I’m enjoying the wait. Each year spring brings with it surprises. The bulbs the squirrels moved in the fall pop up in unexpected places, plants poke out of the ground brighter and fuller than ever before and the rabbits (in our yard at least) never cease to surprise me with their resilience and determination to live in our yard where all the neighbor cats sun themselves in the summer.

Spring is here and these chives are just a glimpse of what is yet to come, of the things that are happening in this world and around us.  The chives are a reminder of the possibilities that lay ahead, of things that may be happening in this world and what could happen if we just let it. Winter is ending. There is hope in sight, surprises in store and signs of resurrection if we stop for a moment and look around us.  The question is will we stop? Will we see?

 

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Filed Under: Faith, Hope, Musings, Reflections

Remember this.

29 Mar posted by

The Cross

 

And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”  - Mark 15:39

Today we remember the sacrifice he made. We remember his courage and the choice he made to bring us close with God once more. We can see how much God loves us, how far he was willing to go. Remember this. As you meditate on this day know how important you are to God and contemplate the sacrifice that Jesus made for you. The pain of this day, the hardship and suffering was for a purpose.

It was for you.

 

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Filed Under: Good Friday, Hope, Musings

An oven baked loaf, Paul Newman and Jesus.

28 Mar posted by

photo (17) 2

 

I’ve spoken before about ‘Wonder Bread’ Jesus and my wish that churches would move to a heartier selection.  I’m not altogether certain if I’ve mentioned my loathing of communion wine though.  Having travelled a lot in the last 3 years to give communion to various congregations I can say that generally speaking I’m not a fan of the wine selections at most churches.  I blame this on my parents who taught wine appreciation to us kids when we turned 19.  This week when I was given the freedom to select the elements of my choosing for Maundy Thursday I was ecstatic.  Enter a hearty hearth baked loaf and Paul Newman’s grape juice.  Tonight Jesus will have substance.  The bread will be firm and moist and chewy.  The juice will be full and rich in your mouth.  Tonight when we dine together at the table of Christ we will not hate the elements but instead enjoy the experience.

I think enjoying the experience is so important.  To truly sink in and celebrate the occasion means we must enjoy it with all our senses.  The words we hear, the things we see and the people we are with are all important in their own way. I hope you enjoy your experience tonight.  Tonight we begin to understand where things are going.  Tonight we start to see how far God was willing to go to be close with us once more.

May your night be blessed and your weekend full and rich with God’s presence.  May you find Christ at the table, wander with him in the garden and meet him on the cross.  In doing so we find ourselves better equipped to understand the empty tomb, to truly appreciate what it means.

Blessings and peace as you set forth on your own Easter journey.

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Filed Under: Lent, Musings

Things I know to be true

15 Mar posted by

There are a few things I know to be true this week.

I know that the time changed.
I know that there is a new pope.
I know it’s still cold out and that Reggie Bush is a Lion.
I know that grace is given freely to us.
I know that it’s hard to give it out ourselves.

This week I’ve been swimming in the notion of grace, of forgiveness and love freely offered.  Since Sunday when the story of the Prodigal Son was read and mulled over I’ve been sitting in the midst of the story. Wondering if I would be found walking the long road home or pouting on the back porch. I wonder, would I be able to celebrate with a brother who returned home?  Would I be excited or resentful?  At times it can be hard to overlook past wounds to offer grace.

I would love to live a grace-full life. A life that flows with grace because of the grace I’ve been given. At times it is hard to look past those wounds and wrongs to what is happening and good around us. In today’s world we are told that we should put ourselves first and strive to achieve what is best for us. We are told that we deserve things, should desire things and I suspect we are more like the brother pouting on the back porch than we would like to admit to.  I think in some ways I am anyways. I’d like to offer forgiveness more freely and be the person who accepts and loves people well.  I want to throw more parties and celebrate with people when things go well.

There are a few things I know to be true this week.  One of them is my desire to live a grace-full life.

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Filed Under: Lent, Musings, Random Blog Stuff

Silver linings

8 Mar posted by

I just finished reading the Silver Linings Playbook and I absolutely loved it.  It was hard for me to put down this week as I worked through all that needed to get done but as soon as I got settled last night in my chair I poured myself into the words and embraced the strange world of Pat Peoples.  It was exactly what I needed and like the movie, strangely uplifting.

photo (8) 2

This week was full of silver linings for me.  When the dark clouds rolled over there were many things that I could be thankful for.  I’m thankful for grace and prayers.  I’m thankful for God’s presence with us all as we walked together (both families) through difficult times.  I’m thankful for understanding, compassion and a great sense of love from the many people in my life.  Most of all I’m thankful that I knew these people as we walked this difficult journey together. It was hard knowing them, seeing their pain and experiencing the loss with them but I’m glad I was there.  Being able to support and hold people up in difficult times is a privilege and while it may be difficult, it is something that is needed and I am glad I can help where I can.

I pulled this morning’s post because I don’t feel it accurately conveyed my feelings on the week.  It was scattered and crazy and if you’re a subscriber you’ve read it and I’m all right with that.  I was and am scattered and crazy.  Walking through such emotional turmoil with people can do that to a person.  That said it was hard, it was stressful and I do feel relief that it is over. I just wasn’t fond of this mornings post while reading it this afternoon so I thought I’d toss it, and I did.

I’m going to go do some active rest now.  My pajamas are on and my sermon’s not done so that needs some focus and attention.  There are many silver linings in my life right now and perhaps my favorite is the ability to trash a post.

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Filed Under: Musings
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