Redemption is Near

Light beams out over darkest space
Joy shall come to the lowly place
Healing lives in a tangled race
Do you see it?
Do you hear it?
Do you know it?
Do you perceive it?
Redemption is near


Voices call from the wilderness
Addressing all souls' barrenness
But louder still divine faithfulness
Do you see it?
Do you hear it?
Do you know it?
Do you perceive it?
Redemption is near


A baby's cry heard in David's town
A poor girls child with a kingly crown
The way things are now upside down
Do you see it?
Do you hear it?
Do you know it?
Do you perceive it?
Redemption is near


A man is led to a lonely hill
Abandons rights, righteousness killed
The curtain torn, clean blood is spilled
Do you see it?
Do you hear it?
Do you know it?
Do you perceive it?
Redemption is near

Thought for the day.

When you are riding your bike to work,
And the headwind is deathly strong,
And it seems as a fitting picture for your place in life
Rememeber that which is described as the wind
And perhaps you'll see the situation differently.

Evening Thoughts

He who has ears let him hear
The words of the living Christ
They shall not be for the faint of heart
And only they shall suffice

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She who has eyes let her see
Behold! The man hung on the tree
A message made for bended knee
The truest humanity

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When Life for Us Is Full of Comfort

When life for us is full of comfort,
when wealth and plenty overflow,
Lord, make us truly see our neighbours;
their pain and need bring us to know.
Families that wander lost and homeless,
youth filled with hatred and despair
teach us to understand their anger,
help us to act your loving care.


When strife and turmoil rage around us,
when right and right in conflict stand,
save us, O God, from easy answers
that do not meet your truth's demand.
Lord, make us ask deep probing questions,
ponder our motives, search our soul;
teach us to live by love and justice,
striving to make creation whole.


Amen.

(Words by Joy F. Patterson, Hymn 718, Covenant Hymnal)

Grace Prayer

So I have been looking for camp resources online as we will be heading out to Clear Lake right away and I came across some "Grace Prayers" (praying for meals) and this is what I found:

JESUS WAS A COOL DUDE (To the tune of "We will, we will rock you" by Queen)

"Jesus was a cool dude,
40 days with no food,
Then he wrote the golden rule and that's O.K.
He's got love on his face!
Full of grace!
He's spreadin' his word all over the place!
Singin' we will, we will,
Praise him yah! Praise him WOO! (x2)"

Can you dig it?

Wisdom

There are people that we know whom we deem "wise." But what is that? What is it about them that makes them wise? How would we describe it?

There seems to be a difference between knowledge and wisdom, they are not mutually exclusive, but one doesn't automatically equal the other. There are some brilliant minds out there with not a lot of wisdom. In fact, if fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (so says the Proverbs) then knowledge can potentially be a dangerous thing, for it can create in us self sufficiency.

I think those poeple who I know who have wisdom are people who are essentially humble. They do not claim their wisdom, or lord it over others, but rather have a clear understanding that their Lord is Jesus.

Yet there is still an element of "knowing" for wise people. They have an ability to look into a situation and see something that nobody else can. And then they enlighten the rest, and it seemed so simple, something that should have been so obvious but it wasn't. I am amazed when that happens. I am amazed at the wise, and how their eyes can see quite clear, and how their ears perceive great mystery.

In conclusion, I think human beings would do well to pray as Solomon prayed in 1 Kings 3. He did not ask God for riches, or long life, or fame, or any material thing. He asked for wisdom. And not just wisdom, but the mind that would be able to deceifer between right and wrong. It seems so simple, and I think it is. This is going to be my prayer this week.

stocks and golfs

So I am sitting in a Starbucks right now waiting for a meeting to commence, and the "meetee's" to get here. As I have been here only about 10 minutes, I have already heard a guy have a 10 minute conversation with a worker at the store about which perfect water bottle to get, for he needs just the perfect one for his golf bag as he golfs away the summer.

The other guy in here is on his computer, I can see it right now, and as he is chatting with a person across the table from him he is simultaneously checking out his stocks... No lie.

The point of me writing this is not so much to condemn the stock market or golf, but simply to say, "really? that is the best we got?" "that is when we've 'made it?'"

I can account for myself. In light of this realize I spend much of my time on things quite trivial.

Meetee just arrived.... maybe I'll hit a round after this, or check up on my stocks...

Generous or not... that is the question.

I think my older bro may be right in thinking about money. It has been a common thought pattern (and trend) among those around my age category that making too much money is not a good thing.

Let's just get something straight. Making too much money is a tough statement to put forward, because how much is too much? Also, making a lot of money is not a bad thing, but rather a potentially dangerous thing.

Perhaps the questions should be more about what is coming out of our pockets, rather than what is going in. I have a feeling God is concerned when people ignore relationships in order to make that extra few bucks, yes. But I do feel God is VERY concerned with how generous we are.

So a guy or gal makes $80,000 in a year. Is that a reason to judge them, or think they are doing a bad thing? Maybe... if the situation is right. But, that is mostly not our place. We should start asking ourselves the question, "Am I a generous person or not?"

With money, I think the saying is true that it is not what comes in that defiles a person but what comes out. It is true that wretchedness can creep out easier when so much money is coming in, but it doesn't need to be that way.

Let us all seek to be generous people, whether we make ten grand or one hundred grand. Wrestle with it.

How was Haiti?

That is the question people have been asking me as of late. I just got back with a group of seven others from the small island country, and I've been doing more than my fair share of reflecting. This is my second year going down there, and I gotta say it doesn't get any easier the second time. If anything, this year was much harder in light of the earthquake event in early January. It really did shake a whole nation.

It's hard to even put into words what this experience is. People will ask you when you get home from a missions trip to Haiti, how was Haiti? or how was the trip? I don't blame them at all for it is what I would say to if I were on that end. But it has me thinking about how to even describe it.

How is Haiti. Honestly, Haiti is in rough shape. Many folks from those parts have little or no hope for their country. Yet so many still love their country. Haiti is poor. Poorer than anything most people will ever see. Scarsity lives on every street corner. You don't really escape it. So how was Haiti? Well it's rough, we have to just be honest about that.

Don't get me wrong, Haitians are some of the friendliest folks you'll ever meet. They smile lots and are generous with even the little bit they do have. They are also in rough shape though. Many eat only once every two days, and the meal looks like a handful of rice. They don't have many possessions, many live without proper housing, many lack any kind of safety net that so many of us have.

The only thing I can do right now is to offer myself up as a living sacrifice that is willing to lay with these people on the altar of anguish. I think this may just be our divine vocation. Maybe the best thing to do is to simply allow what we see and experience in Haiti to penetrate our hearts, and just weep. May my heart break at that which breaks the heart of God. May I weep over injustice, inbalance of wealth, and depravity of even the simplist daily needs.

God save your people now
Grasp them from depth somehow
Burst forth in saving grace
Show now your face

Ads

"There is a place where hero's never die..." This was a quote I just saw on a commercial, and it had great movie hero's flashing on the screen like Bruce Willis from Die Hard, Val Kilmer in Batman, Toby McGuire (sp?) in Spiderman, Mel Gibson in Lethal weapon, and.... Ron Burgandy? That is either a mistake on the commercial maker's part or just pure brilliance.

Something about coming home

Doesn't matter where I go, and it doesn't matter how long I am gone. There is something mysterious to me about coming home.

They say that "home is where the heart is" and yet when I come home from being away it feels as though the "heart is where you home is." It seems like a huge piece of you, your identity even, is left in your homeland, awaiting your return and you subconsciously awaiting the reuniting of it.

I feel sorry for folks who feel as though they have no home, because this is such a wonderful feeling to have.

Maybe I over romanticize all of this, but I think there is something to it.

Ethics of the Kingdom

A mother asks Jesus for a request; "Make room for my sons on your right and on your left when the reign of your kingdom comes." Not knowing what she was asking of him, Jesus must have seen this as a perfect time to teach about the Ethics of His Kingdom.

Speaking of kings and rulers, Jesus uses an example of those in position of power and those standing in servitude. He says this; "You know that the rulers of this world lord it over their people; and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different...." Then he tells them that this kind of different is not just a little variation of the normal, but quite the opposite of "how things work here."

Sometimes I wish that God would give us a pep talk each day to help us remember that living for this kind of King requires a different set of ethics.

So here are a couple of Kingdom Ethics I feel we forget about (or at least I do) most days. This would be the pep talk I envision Jesus giving me each day:

-"You know that in this world money has a supreme reign and supreme grip on humanity, but among you it will be quite different. Your money is not yours, it never was. The earth and everything in it is mine. These are gifts I have given to you, but demand that you take them with unclenched fists. Be about joyful generosity. Remember that you serve me and not money, you can not serve both, choose."

-"You know that in this world people store up in their vats all kinds of materials for the future in order to guarantee safety, but among you it will be quite different. Some will give all they have for My cause. Some will give their only car away to another who needs it more. Some will sell their house in order to build My house. Some will choose a life that does not grant them the security of old age pension, for Me. Again, whom do you serve? If it is Me, this is a life long call.

-"You know that in this world extreme poverty and those living in it are generally ignored, but among you it will be quite different. You are not to care only for your affairs, but also be interested in the affairs of your neighbour. Pay close attention to the least in this world, and be sure to offer clothing to those who are naked, drink to those who thirst, food for those who hunger, dignity to those without any. For whatever you do to the least of these, you have done to Me."

-"You know that in this world the lusts of the flesh take precedence over sound judgement and truth, but among you it will be quite different. There is never a temptation that you can not flee from. The flesh is weak, but My Spirit is willing. What you do with your body, and what you do with anther's body is important, so be careful. I have created human beings beautiful but remember that they are also my children. Respect My creation."

-"You know that in this world tolerance promises itself as the highest form of flattery, but among you it will be quite different. You are speakers and livers of truth. You are to fear Me, not man. If you believe in Me, you also are to believe My words. Sometimes what I teach will sound like pure foolishness to those around you. Speak it and live it anyway. I alone have the words of life."

-"You know that in this world many are obsessed with clothes and appearance, but among you it will be quite different. You are to live today and not worry about tomorrow. You are to remember that the body and the garments you adorn it with are not eternal. Spend you money and time on things of eternal worth. You are to address the state of your heart with the same fervor the world addresses the state of their wardrobe and appearance. I am the Lord your God, I will give you all that you need if you seek Me first this day."

-"You know that in this world those who follow Me will be criticized, looked down upon, and persecuted, but among you it will be quite different. Do not repay evil for evil. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. I will be with you through all of this."

"Go, therefore into the world, and proclaim a new Ethic for living."

Well well well

It's 2010, and it's the start of a brand new decade, and my wife said to me "you should start blogging again," and I'm a good husband and listen to my wife, and this is a good run-on sentence to start back into the blogging world again slowly and sporatically.

Who says there are no second chances and new beginnings.

Final blog from me....

No I'm not dying, and no I'm not planning on it anytime soon. I am, however, going to cease writing on this blog...

It's been a real good time, for the last year and a bit writing thoughts, funny stories, sad stories, current events, basically having the freedom to write whatever you want in whatever style or format you want (I would have quit this blog thing the first day if these posts had to be done in Turabian format).

I have been reading this book by Richard Foster called "Freedom of Simplicity" and I have been challenged, overwhelmingly at times, by the reminder in it to be simple people. Not simplistic, but simple.

The other day I was reading it, and Foster was talking about how to practice simplicity, inwardly. This means not so much the stripping away of your material possessions or things that busy your schedule.... not yet at least. Simplicity starts inwardly, it starts with your soul, your center, whatever you want to call it, entering (or sometimes being barged in by) the presence of God.

Once there, I think some of the outward things, some things like your clothes, food, all your possessions, the things that Jesus warns about not putting first in our lives.... Those things start to loose their grip on our us.

Richard Foster challenges his readers to categorize (this can be hard) the things done in your day into four sections;

1. Absolutely essential
2. Important but not essential
3. Helpful but not necessary
4. Trivial

My mind was flooded with all the things that I do in a day.... Eating breakfast at the sals-essential....reading my emails-important but not essential.......reading a little each day-absolutely essential........watching CSI for more than 3 hours in one day-seems important, but really trivial

My fall is looking more busy than it has ever been. I am feeling a little bit like my good friend who prays not that God would fulfill his life's dreams, but that God would help him make it through this day alive.

Blogging is a little bit twofold for me. It's like Richard Fosters number three above (Helpful but not necessary), and this is how I break it down.

For me to post a blog is not really necessary. I realized I get excited about writing just as much if I write in my private journal. I realized I blog mainly because I just really want people to like me. I want people to think I'm smart, that I'm funny, that I actually have something important to say. It's one of my ways of making sure I get people's vote to stay on the lifeboat (if you're not sure what I'm talking about there, refer to Donald Miller's "Searching for God knows what" - lifeboat theory)....

I realized that people don't need to hear what I say. It is not essential. They do, however, need to hear what God says, essential.... I need to hear what God says. I know that many folks will say, "God speaks through his people," to which I would say, "God speaks through the bible," to which I (and I would gander to say many others) don't look into near enough.... and I would even go as far to say that God speaks mainly through people who are in the Word, not those who don't read it.

So for me, posting a blog is actually not that important.

Reading other people's blogs, on the other hand, is kind of helpful. I enjoy gaining insights beyond the scope of Cody Anderson. I enjoy reading and being interested in others' lives. God loves them just as much as he does me, so why wouldn't I be just as interested in their writings, their lives, as I am in seeing how many people commented on my "brilliant" post.

I found it interesting that this is my 121st post, which immediately reminded me of Psalm 121, where is says "I lift my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from you the maker of heaven and of earth." My hope this fall, is to be a little more simple. For me, not worrying about keeping up my blog is a simple, good step in my journey. My hope is that the time I would spend blogging, would be used to start reading more of a book that is absolutely essential to my vitality as a follower of Jesus Christ.

I'm not trying to over-spiritualize blogging here, I'm just cutting something out of my life, and that's o.k.

So long and farewell blog world.

Almost done

Summer is nearly over, and I think I am ready for it. It's not like I have a thing against nice weather or anything ridiculous like that, I just have a thing against running around frantically from place to place (so it seems) over a few months.

I've felt like Dana and I have had such a full summer. It's been good, it's just been really full. I guess part of what wears people down about that is all the travelling involved in going different places; a wedding here, a visit there, a drive over there, a camping trip somewhere.

Fall always is like a fresh start to me. It sometimes feels more like a New Year than January 1st does. It's back to routine, back to school for some, back to the daily work grind for others. That's an o.k. thing though.

Routine and random vacationing can balance each other out. When one gets a little bit too much, incorporate the other.

Fall will be good, but I'm sure before long we'll need some spontaneous random vacation or something of the sort to bring us back to the center.

MD

So for the last few days I've been having slight dizziness, and I have not really been sure why. It started when I was doing some simple tasks, but was moving in a lot of directions as if I were on some ride. I immediately felt like you do after you get off of a merry-go-round, and had to stop what I was doing. But the dizziness kept on for three days.

I don't know about you, but when something is wrong and you don't know what it is, you always expect the worst. I found myself on webMD (which is kind of entertaining to browse through) which asks your symptoms and gives you possible diagnosis's (can that word be pluralized..is "pluralized" a word?).

Anyway, on this website if you type in your symptom as "dizziness" it gives you like 300 different things that could (key word) be wrong with you. Everything from the common cold to glaucoma to panic attacks to anemia to....well you name it.

I figured I'd better go to a walk in clinic to see which one of these I actually had.......

Turns out I really don't know what I have, or the doctor doesn't know what I have, but "take 1 gravol per day until the dizziness goes away."

I'm glad I'm free of glaucoma.

Funny how we can blow things wayyyyyy out of proportion when we don't actually know the facts, isn't it?

Solitude

"We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship." -c.s. lewis

Perhaps true friendship is found in the simple act of being (maybe not such a simple act for us in today's age) and allowing another to truly know us.... In essence giving another an admission into our lives, costly as it may be, instead of giving them an edited version of what we think they want us to be.

Perhaps becoming vulnerable like this involves arranged time to be with God, no agenda included. Doing this is in and of itself a step forward on our part, and I think that God does meet us there.... continuing redemptive work in us.

Perhaps a world that is full of disruption, distrust, dissension, death....perhaps this world would do well to "Be still and know that I am God." We would do well to remember that God will reign victorious, His ways will prevail, the God of Israel is our fortress, even in today's world.

Small Group

There once was a time when I did not care to be a part of a small group. I'm not really sure why that was either. I am not an overly shy person, I don't mind sharing my thoughts or feelings with another person (or persons) and I can shoot the breeze with strangers pretty easily. Why was being part of a small group not important to me?

Perhaps I was just plain ignorant. They say that you don't know what you've got until it's gone, but in my case I didn't know the worth of something because I never had it in the first place. I didn't put myself in a place that would even give it a shot.

Eventually I did give a small group a shot, and that was all it was. I didn't make it a priority, other things would easily crowd my schedule and our little weekly meeting to discuss the bible was the first thing out the door. I moved from group to group, never really lasting all that long. Why, even though I now tried the small group thing, did I still not care for it?

Why was it so easy to push it right out of my schedule, find that trap door out of it, you know.

I'm pleased to say that I am part of a small group right now, in fact we just met this evening, and I don't see myself bailing on this any time soon. I'm not sure what changed, perhaps it is the people, perhaps the discussion, or something else.....

What I think is going on, though, is that my soul is being awakened to the importance of encouragement in a world that at times seems so incredibly discouraging. I was telling the group tonight how I have felt an incredible weight upon me this week, that weight being the tragedies that have taken place over the last 10 days. Its seems like everyday someone is dying a horrible, unthinkable, death. My soul was being crushed.

To be able to have a place to share intimately the stuff that really matters in life, to have a place to discuss the Word of life, to have a place to pray....I am incredibly thankful this day.

God is good to me, he is good to us.

If by some chance there is someone that has read this to this point, and by chance you are a person who is interested in a small group (or completely disinterested in one) I encourage you, I charge you to join one. Talk to someone who can hook you up with a group. You will not regret it. Give it a better chance than I did sometime ago, make it a necessity in your schedule, value it.

God dwells among His people.

Trip to Two Harbors....

We had a great time visiting with Matt, Jahna, and lil' Aurora over the long weekend.... My hilight was definately getting the chance to go sailing on Lake Superior, I'm pretty sure I want to be a pirate when I grow up....check out some of these pictures.

Gossip kings and queens of the world

Why is it that we, even as Christians, determine that it will be better for some other person if we talk about their issues or circumstances behind their backs rather than pray for them in the quietness of our hearts?

What is it about the human condition, or perhaps our North American condition, that we feel the need (or entitlement) to gossip about others...

I've been struggling deeply with this lately. I am not innocent in this. Why do we struggle so much with judgement, with gossip, with prayer?

I think that we love to be in control (well I know that) and we love to feel power, and we love to deflect things off of ourselves... I think that somehow gossiping allows all three of these to take place.

When we gossip, we're putting ourselves in control of the situation that isn't ours to begin with. We feel power when we gossip because we make ourselves believe what we have to say for another person is better than what they could ever think of themselves. When we talk about other people it allows us to further procrastinate on some things that maybe aren't so pretty in our own lives.

What is it about gossip that we are so addicted to?

Why is our first reaction to other people's circumstance or problems to beat them down verbally behind their backs, or figure things out for them, or make ourselves feel better than them rather than pray for them, asking God's guidance?

Do we really believe what we have to say for __________ is better than what God has to say for _______?

Do we really actually believe we know the heart of ____________ better than God knows the heart of ____________?

Do we really think we're helping the situation at all?

Next time you are tempted to start talking about other people in a wrong way, stop.... slow down.... remember you're not God... remember God knows that person or people infinitely better than you do.... do not play God, you will only condemn yourself.... seek God's wisdom first....don't just conjure up whatever you want.....seek God's Word....

God, I need your help with this....