Frustrations of technology

Well folks I have some bad news that my computer has crashed here in Indonesia so my posts will be few and far between because unlike our culture there is not an internet cafe on every corner and I would be hard pressed for time to even find one! Class homework and preparation is very demanding and there has been talk that it is over expectations. So we are all dealing with our heads in articles and books and trouble accessing internet to get resources. It is a great experience and it will all be worth it. I will post when I can but will say so long for now!

Yogja Day 1 Rested and Adjusted

Well after a long haul of three flights and a lovely bus ride I arrived into the university campus last night at about 7 pm local time. Funny how the day came to a close so quickly as the sun sets much faster here close to the equator. We in the north are blessed with lovely sunsets and diminishing light. A beauty we take for granted. Here it is like someone just turns off the lights.

The first thing I noticed was the odors as I came out of the airport. New smells overwhelmed me and I realized I needed to take a minute and acclimatize. Thanking God for a safe and uneventful journey I asked that my nose not be attached to my stomach for a bit. This seemed to give me the time to organize my head away from my nose and give my stomach a break. As we drove from the airport I was reminded of Cuba and the Dominican Republic where it seems there is chaos all around. I truly do not know how the drivers do not crash. Motorcycles are the vehicle of choice an as you skip across the road in front of a car you must watch there isn't a motorcycle coming up the outside edge. I almost got picked off, not to mention I was looking the wrong way as they drive on the right here. We had a preliminary meeting last night with those who have arrived but honestly I literally almost fell off my chair. I fell asleep just sitting there. You can see by the picture that I was already pretty tired and this was taken just before we loaded up for the third flight. I have a woman from India as my roommate. She is the one on the far left. She better understands the bathrooms that have the white hole in the ground where you place your feet on either side and squat. Thankfully for us North Americans there are some bathrooms with flush toilets as well. But I braved a pee into the hole in the ground and did not fall in nor did I pee on my underwear so I feel I can survive anything now. We had a light breakfast which consisted of an egg and bread. There was some watermelon brought out after and the locals smiled when there were chocolate sprinkles to put on their bread. Local custom I think. It was wonderful to share a meal and better understand all those who have come so far.

The UK woman has already mentioned she is going to have trouble with the heat, and so I will be thinking of her as I pray for everyone who is feeling out of their element to find a way to enjoy their time here and not yearn for home. I am blessed to be here I know. My good friend Fred Joblin visited me in my dream last night. He died last year and he was there with me reminding me that in the chaos of life is when God is changing and working with us. God is around us in everything we experience. It is not about being good for God it is about being in God, with God and loving like God created us to love. I am in heaven in my heart and I am blessed to be having this experience. God Bless and have a wonderful day!

Nourishment from the clouds

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said: We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Love alone is capable of uniting living beings in such a way as to complete and fulfill them, for it alone takes them and joins them by what is deepest in themselves. All we need is to imagine our ability to love developing until it embraces the totality of men and the earth.

As I listen to the rain gently falling outside and thoroughly enjoy a cup of tea it is with strength and faith that I feel the presence of God. Pierre Teilhard speaks about each of us being a spiritual being having a human experience on this earth. Our earthly bodies are the host to this spirit and is allowed to experience the sweetness of ice cream, the richness of chocolate, the passion of love and the struggle with social injustice. As this spirit comes from God we are infused with God in ways that most are unaware. Simply sitting in the presence of the rain gives peace and understanding that echoes loudly in our heart. Who is God? What is God? Where is God? Often in times of darkness we ask that last question over and over again. Why is it we never ask it when things are going well? I believe it is because we are arrogant enough to believe that we are in charge when things are good and then blame God when things are rough. The truth is God is with us always, through the good and the bad, and spiritual fulfillment is when we find God in all times and places. Jesus knew God very well and was steeped in the Holy Spirit. Jesus was a powerful presence of God, so powerful the biblical writers remembered him years after his death and were complelled to write about this presence. The Apostle Paul experienced Jesus in ways most of us can only hope to experience and he spread the good news throughout the early church. The Bible is our source of understanding God and knowing the presence of God in our lives based on the eye witness accounts. Is the Bible true? I believe the Bible is true, although it may not have happened exactly as it is written. Truth goes far beyond factual accounting. Truth is in the heart of those who believe. Have a wonderful May long weekend and remember to find God in everything you do.

Weathering....

It has been a while since I posted to my blog. I like to think it is because I have been busy weathering. Since the last post I have completed the second of two intense semesters at seminary. I am within three courses of graduating. One of the things I have learned about going to seminary is how it challenges one's faith. The London Free Press has been running articles on the weekend questioning the faith of a church's pastor and I read with interest. How is it we study and tease out the history and culture of the biblical times and not lose touch with what it means to be faithful? Where is God in this post-thiest world? Is there a new definition developing for the word "athiest"? Brian McLaren writes about a new Christianity and Marcus Borg invites us to let our faith mature and Bishop Spong reminds us God is far beyond a surface faith that requires deep pondering and a connection to our own spirit. All this being said I feel much like our spring weather. Kind of mixed up and a bit out of synch with the world. But like our spring weather God is in charge and I know if I trust and simply believe all will work out. My passion is people and walking with others through this faith journey. Loving my fellow human being and providing pastoral care when needed. As I preach God's love and breath in the Holy Spirit I witness the passion of Jesus Christ. Whether I think of Jesus pre-Easter and post-Easter Jesus is present with me and is the incarnation of God. Are you challenged by what it means to be faithful? If so talk with others and find out what it means to be honest with yourself and allow God to guide you where you need to go. Thanks for reading, journey with me as I get closer and closer to being ordained to word and sacrament.

...finely textured conceptualizations of the psychoanalytic process

Philip M. Bromberg says, "Health is the ability to stand in the spaces between realities without losing any of them. This is what I believe self-acceptance means and what creativity is really all about -- the capacity to feel like one self while being many."

Pretty cool statement and one that I live by. As we live in the neutral zones between what was and what will be we can look ahead and behind without attachment. That is our true selves ... the ability to do that.

I am working on a puzzle and often relate it to my life and to God. I finally got pieces together today that didn't seem to fit before. We are much like a puzzle we keep trying the same piece over and over again hoping something has changed since the last time we tried it. Sometimes it is us not putting it in right and sometimes the piece just does not fit there, but fits beautifully someplace else.

God made the picture, we cut it into pieces and together with God we have to put it back together again to feel whole...

Needs verses Wants...

This picture was posted a couple of times on the networking site that I frequent and I wanted to share it in light of my mounting frustration with Christmas. This picture says it all and I feel as we watch the occupy movement as it makes the point of rich verses poor, we can maybe think about our own households and what does it mean to be poor? Poor in money, poor in things, poor in spirit? Many people have lots and lots of money and are poor in many other ways. Many people are poor financially but barely notice because they have their eyes focused clearly on the cross and how Jesus can enrich one's life. Lessons Jesus taught and the fight Jesus put up in the first century of the common era are no different than the lessons we can learn today.

Take a look at this picture and remember what it is important in your life. Stop, look and listen to those around you in your own culture and your own context. Make this Christmas the year that you really find the true meaning of Christmas in your household.

Merry Christmas

Where is Jesus in Christmas?

As another Christmas season gets closer and closer, I am once again angered and frustrated at the plethora of emails and the disgruntled mutters about taking Christ out of Christmas. As I watch these people tie up their homes in lights and bows and weigh down the Christmas tree with hundreds of dollars worth of presents and they wonder when Christ went out of Christmas.

The humble story of the birth of Jesus is written in Matthew and Luke, two of the synoptic gospels. Mark, the earliest of the Gospels, has nothing about the birth of Jesus. Interesting... The observation of Jesus’s birth did not begin until long after his death: it was when the writers realized who Jesus was that they pondered His birth narrative. The birth observance is in light of His death.

I find myself pulling further and further away from "Christmas" because of the consumerism and the expectations of those who call themselves Christians. They piggyback on the holiday in order to have extended and paid time off work, and use it as an excuse to buy gifts and support the corporate structure that the rightful target of, among others, the occupy movement.

So what to do? Often when I tell people that my family and I opted years ago not to "do" Christmas they look at me as if I have just told them I ran over the Easter Bunny with my bicycle and sent him rolling into a ditch! They cannot fathom how one does not "do" Christmas. I tell them how I took the pressure off my children years ago. When they were young teens by not telling them, "Oh honey, I don't need a present, but here is a $300 whatever for you!" I told them instead that, by not buying them gifts at Christmas, we had -- and still have -- family time and we have family time and celebrate Christmas all year, because we believe in Christ all year. Not just in the bustle and bows of December.

During the holidays, I gather with extended family and we have meals together, visit and share in gifts for the little ones (who are too young to understand the difference). I hug my brother and my sister-in-law, I call my sister and wish her a safe trip as they migrate south for the winter, and I look at the bare apple trees in my brother's orchard and stand in awe at the presence of God's creation and love that was in the first garden. I "do" Christmas all the time. I "do" Christmas by rebelling against the commerce of Christmas, and spend Christmas day with a turkey which I prepare for those who are "alone" for Christmas, and who join us for dinner at church. There are no gifts; just the love of God and the lessons and teachings of Jesus Christ, whose birthday we celebrate on December 25, a day which was once a pagan ritual day and co-opted by the Christian faith. I remember and share the grace of the One who saves us, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit without throwing money at a gift-buying whirlpool.

So it matters little to me if Walmart says “Merry Christmas,” because Christmas is a state of mind and heart. Instead, all year long I say "As-Salāmu `Alaykum (السلامعليكم)" to my Islamic friends as I greet them, and I will say it to you. Peace be upon you! And may God bless your journey!