I'm back

I believe that God is loving, forgiving, and merciful. I believe that God's thoughts toward humans in general and me in particular are positive and that God wants the best for me. I believe that God is loving and accepting of us just as we are. And I believe these qualities of God supercede all others. I think it is highly significant that God decided to describe his relationship with us as that of a loving parent. I want the best for my children. And not just the essentials. I want them to have things. I want them to be happy. I want them to have a good life. And I don't want it for me. It is for them. Sure, happy children make life easier on parents. Yes, it would reflect well on me if my children were successful. But that is so secondary it is not even in my mind. I love my kids deeply and want them to be safe, healthy, and happy.
And Jesus himself said of earthly parents, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!" So, I believe God is loving and positive and caring toward the human race and toward ME.
And I also believe that God wants a relationship with me. God is at nature a relational being. See the Trinity for that. I believe that God makes the first move in any relationship with humans and is always
seeking communion with me. I believe that God wants to be known and wants us to seek him. God desires our company.
I also believe that communion with God is a deep (maybe the deepest) human need. We all need to believe in and be connected with something or someone transcendent to our world. We need someone bigger than our existence to make sense of it. We need to believe that there is a unifying factor, an underlying intelligence somewhere in the universe. We need to believe that everything is not random and cold and impersonal and senseless. And beyond this psychological or sociological need for God, I believe we were created for communion with God and that there is an empty place in our soul that longs for God.
But precisely here is the problem. If God wants to know me and be known to me, and the deepest need of my soul is to know God, why is that relationship such a problem? Why don't I commune with God all day every day? Why don't I seek God? Why don't I hear God's voice? Why is it so easy to live as if God is fiction?
Of course there is an easy answer: we are sinners. Our sin nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve has blurred the connection between us and God. Our natural inclinations are now bent away from God. But the need for God is still there. And that makes the conflict internal. I am my own opponent. I am my own obstacle to God; to my greatest good. Well, then, I know all this, and I have access to the problem (since I am the problem); then why don't I just make myself do what's right? Because if I do and I experience joyful communion with God, won't that whet my appetite for more? Won't that develop in me a taste for communion with God and it will become easier and easier for me to find time and make a priority of seeking God in prayer, Bible study, and communion?
This is not my experience. It is my experience that communion with God is not magnetic. It is not cummulative. It is intermittent. It is hit and miss.
But how is it supposed to be? Is communion with God supposed to be like medicine; we don't like it, but we force ourselves to take it because it is good for us? Isn't communion with God supposed to be like a love relationship? We respond to God's love with our love and we are all warm and fuzzy? (Or at lest we have a sense of well-being.) Besides, if the God of the universe loves us and is on our side, what could possibly be a problem? (Didn't Paul say something like this?) Of course, this brings up a whole different problem: if a loving God rules the universe, why isn't the world a more benign place (if not an overtly good one)? But that is not the problem I am discussing.
What is the matter with me? Why do I have such a wondering heart where God, the great lover of my soul, is concerned? The problem is that it is my nature to avoid God, to resist God. How do I know that? Because it is what I do. And I would venture to guess it is what you do, too. It is usually my nature to do things that are bad for me. It is my nature to piddle around when I need to hurry. It is my nature to put too much food on my plate. It is my nature to say things that I later regret. It is my nature to make poor decisions.
A book of the Bible that sheds light on my inability to focus on God is the book of Hosea. [Check out the book of Hosea here: http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Hosea&vnum=yes&version=nrsvae] God told the prophet to marry a prostitute--someone who would be (and was) unfaithful to him. She was someone who would bear children he did not father. And all along Hosea was commanded to be faithful to her; to take her back every time she wandered away. I'm thankful for the book of Hosea, because that is me. I'm the unfaithful wife. I'm so thankful that God is the faithful lover, always willing to take me back. And Hosea does speak of a day when God will end Israel's unfaithfulness--when he will woo her with an irresistable and eternal love--and she will become faithful. So, I can look forward to a day in eternity when my wandering heart will find rest in God. Until that day I must discipline my soul to do what is best for me, remembering in my mind when I can't feel in my heart how good communion with God is.

Easter

Sunday was Easter, which is normally a really hectic day for those of us in church work. Not so much a day to celebrate, but one to endure. And I must admit that was my attitude this year. There must be a way to avoid this, but I confess that I haven't found it yet. Looking back now on Easter, I remember that Easter is the whole reason we meet as a church. The day of our worship was set by the resurrection. If Jesus had been raised on Tuesday, we would be going to church on Tuesday. That really wouldn't be that radical of a change, so don't panic. But think about that: Easter is why we exist. If there had been no resurrection, Jesus and his disciples would just be an obscure footnote in a dusty history text. Easter means hope. Easter means new life. Easter means that nothing--NOTHING--is more powerful than God's love for me. Easter also means rest. I can cut out my striving to be "good enough" or whatever to be accepted. Easter means that at the root of everything, it's going to turn out OK. I may not see how or when, but Easter tells me that the greatest overriding force in the universe is God's love and that it cannot be stopped. How does this work with all the suffering in the world? I don't know (I write this as we learned yesterday of ANOTHER devastating earthquake in the Pacific Rim). Maybe God's love is worked out in eternity. Maybe it triumphs eventually, or at the end of the age. Maybe God's love works as we work. I don't understand all that. But on Easter, a person who loved me enough to suffer for me demonstrated that he is still here to love me today, and forever. And for now, I can rest in that.

photo comments

I would like to get reactions to the photo I posted Tuesday: the Jesus of Nazareth arrest photo. What do you think about it? Let me know.

Think about...

http://benbell.typepad.com/ This is a link to an interesting site. Check out the art links on the left side (the Andy Gault stuff).

Read and reflect on this: (This was written by a youth worker in the UK, so some of the idiom may same a little strange to us US folks.)

Here I sit

My church floor made of grass

My cathedral dome the sky

My offering basket the council estates nearby.

I open my purse and bring out my heart

I have nothing else to give.

I feel your love in concrete high rise

Where chicken and chips is eucharist;

Your grace calls me to partake

As I see your pain in hungry eyes.

I feel so empty, robbed of power,

And then I think of you, helpless in your final hour,

And I know my church is where you live

Amongst the broken glass and brittle hearts.

You draw me out until I cannot help but love,

Against my will but merging now with yours,

And I realise that my need of you

Is all you need to work through me, your church.

This is what Holy Week is all about  

Here is the Jones family: Bethany, Richard, Mindy, and Tyler 

The Temptation of Christ

I was reading in Matthew 4 today. This is the chapter with the story of the Temptation of Jesus. Satan tempted Jesus in 3 ways. First, he tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread. Jesus was hungry. He had fasted for 40 days. Yet apparently his fast was not over, and the temptation was to put body ahead of spirit. Had Jesus felt his fast was over, it would have been A-OK to turn the stones into bread. But spirit takes priority over body. Don't rush to fulfill the needs of the body at the expense of your soul. Second, Satan took Jesus to the top of the tower of the Temple in Jerusalem and challenged him to jump off. God would intervene and save Jesus and then Jesus' identity as the Son of God would be cemented: to himself and to all in Jerusalem. The temptation here is about identity and how you find it. God had already spoken at Jesus' baptism: "This is my Son...". Do we identify with the self-giving love of God? Or are we in a desperate struggle to chisel out our identity for ourselves? Are we willing to lose ourselves in Jesus and his cause? The final temptation was to receive all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for worshipping Satan. Power always has a price. Remember that. Serve or be served? Which would you choose? Would you even consider that a choice? Jesus did. He chose to serve...to give his life as a ransom. What place do we choose? What place will our current path in life take us? Are we heading to a place of serving or to a place of power? Of these 3 temptations, which speaks most closely to your situation?

How powerful is perspective?

I had a thought yesterday. I can imagine the comments now. Yes, I'm sure I had more than one thought yesterday. Let me rephrase: Here is ONE of the thoughts I had yesterday. We all have problems we would like to deal with: lose weight, get out of debt, get weeds pulled, get the paper written, get assigned reading done, improve a relationship, etc. Would it make a difference if we phrased our problems as positive goals to achieve (work toward), instead of problems to be solved? For example, instead of 'lose weight', I could phrase this as 'eat right and be healthy'. Instead of 'pull weeds', I could strive to 'have a house with curb appeal'. Would this help? I think it would help only if I focused on what could be instead of what the problems are. When I look at my yard, do I think 'Look at all those weeds!' or do I think 'This place could (will) really look great!' Maybe this positive perspective might give me just the little boost of resolve I need to deal with some problem areas--I mean, achieve some positive goals--in my life. What are the problems that are nagging at you? How can you restate them as positive goals?

Valentine's Day

What does Valentine's Day mean to you? For some people, it is no big deal. They are not in a relationship, so they have no one to honor on this day (they may say they have no obligation for this day); but also no one is honoring them. For some people, it is a chore. You must do something "romantic" for Valentine's Day whether you want to or not. If you forget about it or blow it off as no big deal, you will be in the dog house. Then, there are the people who enjoy Valentine's Day. They may think a long time or spend a lot of money or work really hard to make the day special.
I guess at one time or another, I've been in all of the groups above. This year, I'm having a little fun with it. I am looking forward to it. What, exactly, I am doing for Valentine's Day is, of course, none of your business. Plus, I don't want to spoil any surprises.
Valentine's Day is about love. Love is one of the most basic human experiences and one of the most important human needs. Who do you love? Who ALL do you love? Do these people know it? How do you show your love? If everyone you loved were told by some cosmic cupid that you loved them, would they be surprised? SHOWING love is not just for Valentine's Day and it is not just for your sweetheart. In fact, love shown--demonstrated--is the only thing that makes this life worth living.

Fear

Last night at the Ash Wednesday service, I practiced the process for forming a breath prayer that Ron DelBene teaches and that I gave out in worship a few weeks ago. The center piece is imagining yourself in the presence of God--maybe in the form of Jesus--and God/Jesus asks you, "What do you want me to do for you?" What is your answer? What response comes leaping out of your soul? For me last night it was, "Banish my fear." To form a breath prayer, you couple the need (fear) and the verb (banish) with a name for God. For some reason, I chose Holy Father. So my breath prayer was fully formed and is: "Holy Father, banish my fear." I purposed to use this breath prayer throughout Lent, or until God released me from it. What do you fear? What is fear keeping you from?

Only Ashes

Well, I thought it was a long time between my last two entries, but it has been two weeks since my last post. I am attempting to post something every day during Lent, so this is day 1 of that effort.
A couple of days ago, I was reading and thinking about Matthew 2. This chapter contains the story of the wise men visiting Jesus. The text says that after the wise men went to see Herod to ask him if he knew where the king of the Jews was to be born, that Herod and ALL JERUSALEM with him were afraid. Afraid? Afraid of what? Why were the Jewish people afraid of the coming of the promised and allegedly longed for Messiah? Were they afraid because they had treated their faith as simply a collection of traditional tales and now were faced with these traditions exploding into reality? (And they would have to decide whether or not to believe them?) It is easy to give lip service to beliefs when you know they will not effect your daily life. Or were they afraid of change in the status quo? Even though the situation in Palestine at the time was much less than ideal (Israel was occupied by the Roman army and were not autonomous or free), maybe it was to be preferred over CHANGE. Change is always difficult. Many of us would choose dull routine over risky change every time.
Then the question comes to me, why am I afraid of encountering God? Why do I seemingly avoid God and time with God? Am I afraid of what I might find (or not find) in an encounter with God? Or am I just afraid of change? I crave change and yet avoid it at the same time.

It's been awhile...

I had severe email and internet trouble last week, AND an incredibly busy week, so I failed to make any entries. Sorry about that. Last Monday was MLK Day, which was a holiday at our church office. Of course that didn't mean anything to me, I was driving back from our annual snow trip, so I was working anyway. But holiday weeks/short weeks usually aren't that great for me anyway. I've got basically the same amount of work to do each week, and if it's a short week, I've still got to be ready for Sunday. I almost hate to see holidays coming, knowing that they usually just lead to more stress. You know, less time to get the same amount of work done. I saw a great quote today. In an interview in Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan was asked what would he like to be the last song he hears before he dies. He answered, "How about 'Rock of Ages'?" Pretty good, answer, Bob. This last Sunday I taught about listening prayer in contemporary worship. This is a hard practice to engage, even for someone who knows it is valuable and who teaches others about it (ME). I confess I do not listen as much as I would like and it is often in times of crisis, when I quiet myself and focus and listen as a last resort. God as a last resort...hmm...something's not right there. But anyway here is an article that speaks to God's quest to get our attention. I read it with benefit and I recommend it to you. http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/attention.php This link is to the article "Attention, Please!" Connective Spirituality by Randy Kuss. Below are the first few lines to whet your appetite. And God said, "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" God, in Martha Whitmore Hickman's And God Created Squash: How the World Began, having created the most ambitious part of creation (that would be us), now asks a simple thing: "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" Why? Well, to point out a few things and to see if we have any questions. God particularly wants us to know this: "Remember I made you for company, for me and for each other. So we could love each other." And that's the core of Connective Spirituality.

It's been awhile...

I had severe email and internet trouble last week, AND an incredibly busy week, so I failed to make any entries. Sorry about that. Last Monday was MLK Day, which was a holiday at our church office. Of course that didn't mean anything to me, I was driving back from our annual snow trip, so I was working anyway. But holiday weeks/short weeks usually aren't that great for me anyway. I've got basically the same amount of work to do each week, and if it's a short week, I've still got to be ready for Sunday. I almost hate to see holidays coming, knowing that they usually just lead to more stress. You know, less time to get the same amount of work done. I saw a great quote today. In an interview in Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan was asked what would he like to be the last song he hears before he dies. He answered, "How about 'Rock of Ages'?" Pretty good, answer, Bob. This last Sunday I taught about listening prayer in contemporary worship. This is a hard practice to engage, even for someone who knows it is valuable and who teaches others about it (ME). I confess I do not listen as much as I would like and it is often in times of crisis, when I quiet myself and focus and listen as a last resort. God as a last resort...hmm...something's not right there. But anyway here is an article that speaks to God's quest to get our attention. I read it with benefit and I recommend it to you. http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/attention.php This link is to the article "Attention, Please!" Connective Spirituality by Randy Kuss. Below are the first few lines to whet your appetite. And God said, "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" God, in Martha Whitmore Hickman's And God Created Squash: How the World Began, having created the most ambitious part of creation (that would be us), now asks a simple thing: "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" Why? Well, to point out a few things and to see if we have any questions. God particularly wants us to know this: "Remember I made you for company, for me and for each other. So we could love each other." And that's the core of Connective Spirituality.

It's been awhile...

I had severe email and internet trouble last week, AND an incredibly busy week, so I failed to make any entries. Sorry about that. Last Monday was MLK Day, which was a holiday at our church office. Of course that didn't mean anything to me, I was driving back from our annual snow trip, so I was working anyway. But holiday weeks/short weeks usually aren't that great for me anyway. I've got basically the same amount of work to do each week, and if it's a short week, I've still got to be ready for Sunday. I almost hate to see holidays coming, knowing that they usually just lead to more stress. You know, less time to get the same amount of work done.

I saw a great quote today. In an interview in Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan was asked what would he like to be the last song he hears before he dies. He answered, "How about 'Rock of Ages'?" Pretty good, answer, Bob.

This last Sunday I taught about listening prayer in contemporary worship. This is a hard practice to engage, even for someone who knows it is valuable and who teaches others about it (ME). I confess I do not listen as much as I would like and it is often in times of crisis, when I quiet myself and focus and listen as a last resort. God as a last resort...hmm...something's not right there. But anyway here is an article that speaks to God's quest to get our attention. I read it with benefit and I recommend it to you.
http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/attention.php
This link is to the article "Attention, Please!" Connective Spirituality by Randy Kuss. Below are the first few lines to whet your appetite.

And God said, "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" God, in Martha Whitmore Hickman's And God Created Squash: How the World Began, having created the most ambitious part of creation (that would be us), now asks a simple thing: "Attention, please! May I have your attention?" Why? Well, to point out a few things and to see if we have any questions. God particularly wants us to know this: "Remember I made you for company, for me and for each other. So we could love each other." And that's the core of Connective Spirituality.

crossing guard

It is good to be back in Tucson after our ski trip! The trip went very well and there were no injuries. (That's always the first question.) This morning I was pulling into the parking lot at the Ott YMCA. There is a crosswalk right at the entrance, with a school crossing guard. As I approached the crosswalk, the crossing guard was letting a group of 4 or 5 kids cross the street. This crossing guard was having a great time! He was smiling and laughing and talking with the kids. Think for a minute about the positive effect this guy's cheerfulness and positive outlook could have on these kids. This is actually a pretty good ministry this guy has, isn't it? He gets to impact probably hundreds of our city's children and send them to school with a smile and a positive attitude and a kind word. These children have one more positive adult influence in their lives. What can YOU do to make the world a better place? What can YOU do to bring the kingdom of God to the corner of the world where you live? It can be something that SEEMS small and simple, but it can have tremendous impact. Lets all try to find a good work to do or a person to encourage TODAY.

Snow Days

I will be out of town Saturday through Monday on our annual youth ski trip. So unless I change my mind and take my computer, there will be no entries for that period. (Do I hear a collective sigh of disappointment, or is that relief?)
Here is what I am thinking about: Is it true that small changes (especially if continued over a long period of time) can yield enormous results?
Is this true with our health? Instead of going Adkins-crazy, can we just put back the seconds? Does taking the steps instead of the elevator really matter?
Is it true financially? I saw an article on AOL that claimed that you could pay off $8000 in debt in 3 years with $10 per day. Of course, $10 per day is $300 per month. Maybe that's not so small.
Is it true spiritually? If I add just a few moments each day of silence, will it change me? If I read just a few verses of Scripture, will it matter? If I pick up a small habit like praying the Prayer of St Francis or the Serenity Prayer every morning (and evening?--or one each?); will this bring me measurably closer to God? Will this improve the quality of my spiritual life?
The way I see it, there is only one way to find out: try it. We can be skeptical and stay just where and how and who we are, or we can at least try small changes that we have a hope of sticking with. Why don't we try to small changes and re-evaluate at Easter?

Day School Chapel

Today I had chapel for our day school kids. These are 3 and 4 year olds. As I was getting ready, I saw one little girl who was upset about something and was crying. She came into the chapel and still had red and wet eyes and was looking sad. Our topic was sharing. In between a little cartoon I showed them and a story I told them, I led them in a little activity. We all stood up and walked around and shared things with each other. We shared smiles with friends. We shared a little pat on the shoulder to symbolize sharing friendship with each other. Well, by the time we were through with our sharing, she had cheered up and was sharing smiles with me and the other children. It was great to see how whatever was bothering her had been dispelled by the smiles of friends and by sharing with others. This is a miniature example of how we can (and should) minister to one another. Determine today to let your light shine by sharing with others. Sharing a smile is free and everyone can share kindness.


By the way, I started the session by showing the children a little cartoon that ended with a cow flying out of a farmer's truck and landing on the main character (a gopher). As the gopher looked up, he saw the rear end of the cow coming toward him (in slow motion, of course). While this was happening, the kids were all transfixed with what was happening to the gopher. Then while the room was silent, I heard a little voice ask, "Is that a butt?". I replied, "It's a cow."


This link is to an online version of a prayer labyrinth. Give it a try. Be sure to roll your mouse over the items on the screen at each station, there are several interactive activities.
http://web.ukonline.co.uk/paradigm/

links

http://www.youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/way.php
This link is to a really good article about the struggle that our spiritual journey can be. Read it without judgment. Read it and be free to see yourself in it. I know I saw myself in it.

This link is to an article that might de-mystify some spiritual practices for you. Take a look.
http://youthspecialties.com/articles/topics/spirituality/contemplative.php

Photo Repeat

Sorry that the same photo is in twice. I was trying to send it to my profile. Well, live and [hopefully] learn.

We look happy. We've been to Pizza Hut. 

The World's Shortest Soccer Career

I was really excited that my son did not come straight home from school on Monday. It meant that Tyler had made the soccer team at his school. At least I hoped it meant that and not that he had been hit by a car, or kidnapped, or was smoking weed behind Albertson's... Anyway, I got a call from my wife saying that he did indeed make the soccer team, but that he had fallen at practice and was injured. Sure enough, he had a broken collarbone. This means 6 weeks of inactivity: 3 weeks in a sling and 3 without it. So, soccer is over for the time being. We got him a sling Monday night, and this helps a lot. Since he is right handed and it is his LEFT arm that is injured, he can still do his homework. I know he's glad about that.

This is me and my family. 

Getting Started

In flipping through AM radio stations last night, I listened to a program I never listen to: The Hugh Hewitt program on 690AM. He was talking about blogs. He mentioned that every pastor should have a blog. And I could see that. As a person who is in community with other people and who seeks to be in dialog with 0thers about our spiritual journey, I could see the value in a blog. This is an experiment. It is a trial run. I will try to make it work. And we will see how people respond. I am hoping that, if nothing else, this may push me to reflect more. So, lets journey together! Feel free to post comments, or start a blog of your own! It might be fun.