It is that time of year when emails fly around about taking Christ out of Christmas and prayer in schools. I recently received an email asking me to vote "no" for a poll that no longer exists. The media has moved on to something else contraversial but the fallout is still hanging around. Here is my response:
Thanks for this email. I researched and researched and cannot find a poll to vote, so CTV is on to something else to rile people up. I believe it was a limited question that was posted to the CTV website and is now gone. There is very hot debate over this question (should schools provide a space for Muslims to pray?). I do believe it stands that Islam is not going to be taught they are strictly looking to provide space for the children to pray so they do not have to leave the school grounds. (Do you think if we provided chapels in public schools Christian children would be there 5 times a day? Few Christians pray in their homes let alone children doing it on their own at school) A devout Muslim prays five times a day, silently under their own volition. The Christian prayer removed from school was in respect of all faith traditions, not strictly Islam. At Emmanual College, the seminary where I am attending, there has been provided a small room for the Muslim student to pray. The chapel is available to all people as is this small space with a door for privacy. Emmanual College is offering a stream of study devoted to better understanding our Muslim Brothers and Sisters and I am in classes with Muslim students most days.
My concern here is the "we/they" attitudes. It is frightening when there is this distinction. We are Christian, you and I, but Canada is a pluralistic society made up of immigrants from all over the world. Many who follow Islam have been in Canada for generations so when are they allowed to become "Canadian"? Canada's original immigrant population was Euro-centric settlers who practiced Christianity so it appears Canada is a Christian nation. The missionaries did what they did to the Native people in order to force Christianity on the Native people. The time is coming where Christianity cannot bully its way into the hearts of people.
You and I will continue to say Merry Christmas and pray. We will continue to believe that Jesus is the revelation of God as the Messiah and the way, the truth, and the life. But as I study and work and pray with my brothers and sisters who are of the Jewish faith and Islamic faith I do so with reverance in my heart. We are all followers of the same God, we are all stemming from Abraham, and we all have faith that the world will one day be united.
Canada is a country of immigrants, historically and now. There are fanatical Christians (Waco Texas, the man who wanted to burn the Qu'ran, and the Jamestown suicide masacre) and there are fanatical Muslims (World Trade Centre). Try not to let the hatred of humankind taint your Christian heart. Jesus is the centre of Christianity as the revelation of God, a God who is central to other faiths. Islam honours Jesus and speaks of him with love. The Jewish faith honours him as well.
Solid faithful people can live together and find God together. Shout your prayers from the roof-tops, be a Christian with purpose and do so with the love of Christ in your heart. Pray as you want to and if you can get young people to pray then you are doing a good thing. If we put our efforts forward in love, emails like this would not be necessary. They will know we are Christians by our love, by our love, they will know we are Christians by our love.
Fecundity .... fertile abundance .... Spirit Care 101
14/11/2011
11/11/2011
Countdown to Advent
It has been a while since I wrote anything and I think that is because I have been in somewhat of a chaotic state myself, so in that chaos we find God and journey on. I have decided to finish my theology degree at Emmanuel College in Toronto, a different college of the Toronto School of Theology. The move from Knox was prompted as I withdrew from the discernment process in the summer.
This chaos I am facing stems from a denominational understanding of what it means to be "church"? Living the Questions, a DVD study, which is an introduction to Progressive Christianity, is on my desk at this moment beckoning to be listened to. Where is God in our lives today? How do we understand scripture? What does sola scriptura mean? Can we take the bible seriously, but not literally as prompted by Marcus Borg?
As we count down the weeks to Christmas the emails begin flying around that Christ is being removed from Christmas. I believe Christians removed Jesus a long time ago, and in that our souls are lost and wandering. "Teach me God to wonder" is a hymn we sang last week in church, I asked the congregation if we could also ask "teach me, God, to wander" as in wandering and wondering we learn.
This chaos I am facing stems from a denominational understanding of what it means to be "church"? Living the Questions, a DVD study, which is an introduction to Progressive Christianity, is on my desk at this moment beckoning to be listened to. Where is God in our lives today? How do we understand scripture? What does sola scriptura mean? Can we take the bible seriously, but not literally as prompted by Marcus Borg?
As we count down the weeks to Christmas the emails begin flying around that Christ is being removed from Christmas. I believe Christians removed Jesus a long time ago, and in that our souls are lost and wandering. "Teach me God to wonder" is a hymn we sang last week in church, I asked the congregation if we could also ask "teach me, God, to wander" as in wandering and wondering we learn.
10/07/2011
Does prayer work?
What does it mean to pray? Why do we pray? Do you pray the same way today as you did as a child? What form of prayer invites you to listen instead of talking?
I have people in my life who are ill. I have people in my life who are grieving a death. I have people in my life who are happy. I have people in my life that haven't got a clue. So where does prayer come in?
Is it saying one does not trust God if one realizes that God really doesn't answer prayer?You ask here whether people mean prayers? When people pray, I believe they mean prayer as they are able to or in the capacity to which they see God. They pray with a wish list and if it isn't fulfilled then they look at it that someone "deserved" it. This archaic way of looking at God stops people from really feeling the depth and the breath of God. Like a child on December 1st making the Santa wish list. All through the month they are told, "be good or Santa won't bring you what you want."
In the book I am reading, Praying in the Messiness of Life by Linda Douty, where I found the prayer by Garnass-Holmes, {previous post}, Douty says, "Maybe to say prayer works really means that we trust God to be with us in a profound and sustaining way, regardless of how things turn out..... prayer is more about [the] relationship than results." But that is Douty... most people will say they pray looking for God to do something. But when they do not trust God's presence in their life and do not see the authentic presence of God these prayers can sound empty.
Here I am preaching this and not following God's presence myself ... showing my humanness of anger, frustration and arrogance in order to hide my hurt and fear. But I take great comfort in the fact that I come around. Most people don't ... they live this fairy tale existence, trying to believe something that is impossible to understand and believe, instead of getting to the ultimate truth; as opposed to teenage truth as per Marcus Borg, truth as that wich is factual.
It is scary for people when they face down that the God they are praying to really has little control over the future ... that life is what it is. That is not cynicism, it is great faith in its essence and a true understanding of God's plan. I was chatting with someone who made the comment I am usually in the right place at the right time.... I corrected her and said no, that I simply trust that there is an ultimate plan and when we choose not to fight and manipulate our lives but let life happen then it works. I told her not that I think there is someone in "up there" playing chess and we are the pawns but that there is a pattern and cosmic life's journey that we have to trust.
Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!!
I have people in my life who are ill. I have people in my life who are grieving a death. I have people in my life who are happy. I have people in my life that haven't got a clue. So where does prayer come in?
Is it saying one does not trust God if one realizes that God really doesn't answer prayer?You ask here whether people mean prayers? When people pray, I believe they mean prayer as they are able to or in the capacity to which they see God. They pray with a wish list and if it isn't fulfilled then they look at it that someone "deserved" it. This archaic way of looking at God stops people from really feeling the depth and the breath of God. Like a child on December 1st making the Santa wish list. All through the month they are told, "be good or Santa won't bring you what you want."
In the book I am reading, Praying in the Messiness of Life by Linda Douty, where I found the prayer by Garnass-Holmes, {previous post}, Douty says, "Maybe to say prayer works really means that we trust God to be with us in a profound and sustaining way, regardless of how things turn out..... prayer is more about [the] relationship than results." But that is Douty... most people will say they pray looking for God to do something. But when they do not trust God's presence in their life and do not see the authentic presence of God these prayers can sound empty.
Here I am preaching this and not following God's presence myself ... showing my humanness of anger, frustration and arrogance in order to hide my hurt and fear. But I take great comfort in the fact that I come around. Most people don't ... they live this fairy tale existence, trying to believe something that is impossible to understand and believe, instead of getting to the ultimate truth; as opposed to teenage truth as per Marcus Borg, truth as that wich is factual.
It is scary for people when they face down that the God they are praying to really has little control over the future ... that life is what it is. That is not cynicism, it is great faith in its essence and a true understanding of God's plan. I was chatting with someone who made the comment I am usually in the right place at the right time.... I corrected her and said no, that I simply trust that there is an ultimate plan and when we choose not to fight and manipulate our lives but let life happen then it works. I told her not that I think there is someone in "up there" playing chess and we are the pawns but that there is a pattern and cosmic life's journey that we have to trust.
Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!!
08/07/2011
Where is God?
This is usually the question of a child as they ponder the greater picture. So where is it that we grow into a point to which we think we really know where God is? At what point in our lives can we finally say, "I have it all together..." I think never. Truthfully, those who think they have it all together are in for a great shock. Most recently I have been introduced via the community events page of the local paper to a man by the name of John Bevere through a video series being offered at a local church called "Driven by Eternity". So I did some research and checked him out. He scares me, really he does. He scares me that there are people who actually follow his lead and attempt to learn from his teachings. Is this God? Does John Bevere have it figured out? I hope not, but in absolute truth, I really can't dispute if he does or doesn't because I do not have the answers about eternity and I don't know anyone else who does either.
I have a friend who is struggling with some health issues. I think of him and his family every single day. That is their reality. Are they concerned with eternity? I don't know but I think they just want to get through today, here on earth. I also have lots of questions ... things that I ponder about this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, the fall. I tend to think about life on earth and how God is present in my life here and now. Eternity seems so far away and when I don't know what is beyond I think I will leave it up to God. To quote my good friend Gord, "Our message {as pastors} should be focused on this world, what happens after that we leave in better hands than ours." By focussing on this world in a healthy and prayerful way God will be present and we need not worry for our eternity.
Let me share some affirming words:
As you sit in prayer
and try to remain mindful of God,
failing because your thoughts wander,
remember this:
that God is perfectly mindful of you always,
attentive to your being and your doing,
never straying from your heart,
not missing a single breath,
or forgetting a single heartbeat.
God is never distracted, never forgets.
Without neglecting anything else in Creation,
for all of Creation is present in God,
God is fully present to you,
seeing not from afar but from within
your journeys, thoughts and feelings,
holding tenderly your sins and wounds,
delighting in your gifts and beauties,
fully aware of what you yourself
only dimly suspect deep within you.
God is in all that you see, and in your seeing,
in what you hear, and in your hearing,
in your wondering, in your sorrow, in your awe,
God is grateful for you, and delights in you.
God longs in you, grieves in you, exults in you.
God gives full, peaceful, loving attention to you
all your day and all through the night,
not controlling or manipulating,
just beholding, blessing, loving
and breathing life into you,
powerful, joyful, beautiful, infinite life,
granting you mindfulness
and mindful always of you.
........written by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Have a wonderful day and may you find peace and hope in your prayer life.
I have a friend who is struggling with some health issues. I think of him and his family every single day. That is their reality. Are they concerned with eternity? I don't know but I think they just want to get through today, here on earth. I also have lots of questions ... things that I ponder about this afternoon, tomorrow, next week, the fall. I tend to think about life on earth and how God is present in my life here and now. Eternity seems so far away and when I don't know what is beyond I think I will leave it up to God. To quote my good friend Gord, "Our message {as pastors} should be focused on this world, what happens after that we leave in better hands than ours." By focussing on this world in a healthy and prayerful way God will be present and we need not worry for our eternity.
Let me share some affirming words:
As you sit in prayer
and try to remain mindful of God,
failing because your thoughts wander,
remember this:
that God is perfectly mindful of you always,
attentive to your being and your doing,
never straying from your heart,
not missing a single breath,
or forgetting a single heartbeat.
God is never distracted, never forgets.
Without neglecting anything else in Creation,
for all of Creation is present in God,
God is fully present to you,
seeing not from afar but from within
your journeys, thoughts and feelings,
holding tenderly your sins and wounds,
delighting in your gifts and beauties,
fully aware of what you yourself
only dimly suspect deep within you.
God is in all that you see, and in your seeing,
in what you hear, and in your hearing,
in your wondering, in your sorrow, in your awe,
God is grateful for you, and delights in you.
God longs in you, grieves in you, exults in you.
God gives full, peaceful, loving attention to you
all your day and all through the night,
not controlling or manipulating,
just beholding, blessing, loving
and breathing life into you,
powerful, joyful, beautiful, infinite life,
granting you mindfulness
and mindful always of you.
........written by Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Have a wonderful day and may you find peace and hope in your prayer life.
26/06/2011
Climb that mountain...
Today is a big day. It is the 173rd Anniversary service at church and we have been planning it for a few months. There will be a Gospel Trio to provide music, strawberries, shortcake and ice cream and it will all take place on the church lawn under two large tents. What a great opportunity to share in God's creation and enjoy the summer weather.
Funny that the signature piece that brought my attention to the Trio is called, "I'll meet you on the mountain" so I chose to make that the theme of the worship. This past week I went to the lectionary and the scripture is Genesis 22:1-14 the story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Not a pretty piece of scripture for an anniversary service, or is it? What more glory and passion can we take from a father who trusts in God so deeply that he will do the unthinkable. Sacrifice his own son. Is your faith that deep? I likely could honestly say no, but then again I have the witness of the sacrifice of my own son. It was a few years ago when my boy was on the street, struggling with life out west. I had given all could give. I had no money left and he was still in the gutter. In the golden land of plenty, oil country, where if you trip over a rock you have a job. Where you could change jobs as often as you changed your underwear, he was claiming he could not find work. Was he on drugs? I suspected so. After trying an intervention and flying out to "save" him I returned realizing he was his own worst enemy. It was then that I gave my son over to God. I tried to sacrifice him on that mountain I took him up and layed him on the alter and gave him over to God. My heart was breaking and I was in the depths of despair, but God said, "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (v.12) God saved my boy. God brought him back to life, on the mountain that day. But I had to trust enough to take him there. It was my trust in God that saved the boys life.
I pulled a book off my shelf this week and tossed it on the table thinking I would get around to reading it. I had pulled it from a rack at the thrift store just because it spoke to me. It is called "Into Thin Air". So this morning I looked at it a little closer to begin reading it and it is "a personal account of the Mt. Everest Disaster". How fitting on this mountain top Sunday. How fitting that God has put this in my hands on the day I am taking the people to the mountaintop to face their own fear of God and asking themselves, "how much do I trust?" How fitting that I am experiencing my own mountaintop experience.
Do I trust God? You bet I do. I have had enough mountaintop experiences to know that God will always save us, but it is only in the moment of fully trusting do we see God's face and hear God's voice. As long as we hold on at all God may remain silent and let us kill our only son.
Trust, my friends, fully trust in God!
Funny that the signature piece that brought my attention to the Trio is called, "I'll meet you on the mountain" so I chose to make that the theme of the worship. This past week I went to the lectionary and the scripture is Genesis 22:1-14 the story of Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Not a pretty piece of scripture for an anniversary service, or is it? What more glory and passion can we take from a father who trusts in God so deeply that he will do the unthinkable. Sacrifice his own son. Is your faith that deep? I likely could honestly say no, but then again I have the witness of the sacrifice of my own son. It was a few years ago when my boy was on the street, struggling with life out west. I had given all could give. I had no money left and he was still in the gutter. In the golden land of plenty, oil country, where if you trip over a rock you have a job. Where you could change jobs as often as you changed your underwear, he was claiming he could not find work. Was he on drugs? I suspected so. After trying an intervention and flying out to "save" him I returned realizing he was his own worst enemy. It was then that I gave my son over to God. I tried to sacrifice him on that mountain I took him up and layed him on the alter and gave him over to God. My heart was breaking and I was in the depths of despair, but God said, "Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me" (v.12) God saved my boy. God brought him back to life, on the mountain that day. But I had to trust enough to take him there. It was my trust in God that saved the boys life.
I pulled a book off my shelf this week and tossed it on the table thinking I would get around to reading it. I had pulled it from a rack at the thrift store just because it spoke to me. It is called "Into Thin Air". So this morning I looked at it a little closer to begin reading it and it is "a personal account of the Mt. Everest Disaster". How fitting on this mountain top Sunday. How fitting that God has put this in my hands on the day I am taking the people to the mountaintop to face their own fear of God and asking themselves, "how much do I trust?" How fitting that I am experiencing my own mountaintop experience.
Do I trust God? You bet I do. I have had enough mountaintop experiences to know that God will always save us, but it is only in the moment of fully trusting do we see God's face and hear God's voice. As long as we hold on at all God may remain silent and let us kill our only son.
Trust, my friends, fully trust in God!
22/06/2011
Jesus is always ahead of us waiting...
Matthew 28:7 from Eugene Peterson's The Message: "Now, get on your way quickly and tell his disciples, 'He is risen from the dead. He is going on ahead of you to Galiee. You will see him there' That's the message."
I love how Eugene Peterson captures the gospel in such a way that it is present and alive. "That's the message." Jesus is always slightly ahead of us and waiting for us to arrive, but in our faith we have to trust that. Most recently I was facing challenges and decisions that were difficult. I was scared and I was confused and I really wanted to stay where it was safe and, although I was not happy, I was safe in my despair, so that despair was my comfort. I was not ready to face the unknown. However, I prayerfully considered everything took the leap and trusted God to carry me through. When I arrived, Jesus was already there. The risen Christ, smiling reminding me that in order to live sometimes something must die!
Resurrection. Transitions and neutral zones are difficult but it is through these times that a person grows and finds the strength of God within. Often early church teachings lead us to understand that God is "somewhere out there" like over the rainbow. The early Christians had no understanding beyond the sky above their heads. They were steeped in Hebrew Scripture with Genesis' account of creation and, knowing no better, it was within their scope to believe God lived above the firmament or the dome, beyond the stars. But how does that work for our scientific mind today? We are witness to space travel and pictures of earth from beyond.
The mystery of God is all around us. As we gather this mystery close to our heart and listen quietly we hear the voice of God within guiding us and caring for our very soul. I have heard it said, and I cannot find the quote to credit it, but I have heard it said that there was a man who said:
"I have searched the universe over and I am witness to say there is no God." A wise response came back, "I agree, like this violin, I have tore it apart and can attest there is no music."
Come and be witness to the mystery. Do not ask questions, just simply be, trust and share in the beauty and wonder of God, as Jesus saw it and as Jesus died for it ... You to can be resurrected from a painful life, if you simply take the first step!
I love how Eugene Peterson captures the gospel in such a way that it is present and alive. "That's the message." Jesus is always slightly ahead of us and waiting for us to arrive, but in our faith we have to trust that. Most recently I was facing challenges and decisions that were difficult. I was scared and I was confused and I really wanted to stay where it was safe and, although I was not happy, I was safe in my despair, so that despair was my comfort. I was not ready to face the unknown. However, I prayerfully considered everything took the leap and trusted God to carry me through. When I arrived, Jesus was already there. The risen Christ, smiling reminding me that in order to live sometimes something must die!
Resurrection. Transitions and neutral zones are difficult but it is through these times that a person grows and finds the strength of God within. Often early church teachings lead us to understand that God is "somewhere out there" like over the rainbow. The early Christians had no understanding beyond the sky above their heads. They were steeped in Hebrew Scripture with Genesis' account of creation and, knowing no better, it was within their scope to believe God lived above the firmament or the dome, beyond the stars. But how does that work for our scientific mind today? We are witness to space travel and pictures of earth from beyond.
The mystery of God is all around us. As we gather this mystery close to our heart and listen quietly we hear the voice of God within guiding us and caring for our very soul. I have heard it said, and I cannot find the quote to credit it, but I have heard it said that there was a man who said:
"I have searched the universe over and I am witness to say there is no God." A wise response came back, "I agree, like this violin, I have tore it apart and can attest there is no music."
Come and be witness to the mystery. Do not ask questions, just simply be, trust and share in the beauty and wonder of God, as Jesus saw it and as Jesus died for it ... You to can be resurrected from a painful life, if you simply take the first step!
25/05/2011
Spring offers up new life and sprouts of hope
Are you watching as all the trees, grass, flowers and critters are exploding with spring? It is wonderful to see Mother Nature come to life and feel energized again. In being away over the long weekend at a wonderful women's conference it was a chance for me to regroup and really search my heart. Being in community with 600 women speaks to me. The presence of God was alive and well in each and every moment of the weekend.
Dynamic speakers, healthy plenary sessions, one on one chatting over a glass of wine and sharing in a meal. Reconnecting with women who have been lost to us and sharing with young and old. All good stuff.
I am at a cross roads of my life. Many changes are on the horizon, some I have control over and some I do not. What I do know is that God is in charge of my life because I choose to listen to my heart; I listen to the love of God guiding me. As I watch the revelation of God before me and put one foot in front of the other, I listen to the voice of God in people I work with, visit with and share in Sunday morning worship. I hear God in music, the heart beat of my cat and the cry of my grandson.
Where does it all lead? I really don't know yet, I am waiting and watching. So come on a journey with me as we watch and wait together.
Dynamic speakers, healthy plenary sessions, one on one chatting over a glass of wine and sharing in a meal. Reconnecting with women who have been lost to us and sharing with young and old. All good stuff.
I am at a cross roads of my life. Many changes are on the horizon, some I have control over and some I do not. What I do know is that God is in charge of my life because I choose to listen to my heart; I listen to the love of God guiding me. As I watch the revelation of God before me and put one foot in front of the other, I listen to the voice of God in people I work with, visit with and share in Sunday morning worship. I hear God in music, the heart beat of my cat and the cry of my grandson.
Where does it all lead? I really don't know yet, I am waiting and watching. So come on a journey with me as we watch and wait together.
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