So Kepler 22-B is now confirmed as our nearest, most Earth-like planet. It's 600 Light Years away however, so unless we figure out how to travel at the speed of light for 600 years, we better take good care of the one planet that the Lord has given us to live on and care for. Given that the Lord may return at any time...or may wait for another few hundred thousand years to return, I think Christians ought to be about their Master's business - creation, recreation and care of both neighbor and one's neighbor's field.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16040655
Monday, December 05, 2011
Tuesday, November 08, 2011
Wal-Mart to the rescue - again
I know that Wal-Mart is much mistrusted for it's colossal size and buying power. Local small businesses fear them. However, the Christian ethos runs strongly through the world's largest retailer and it shows not only in their unashamed selling of Christian books, but also in what (and I hesitate to use this phrase at all in a post-Glenn Beck world) I used to refer to as 'social justice' issues. I guess I ought to drop that incedary phrase and call it 'righteousness-in-society- issues.
First they did what the Federal Government had failed to do for decade: provide afordable medications. Now they are looking out for Joe and Jane Average in the financial services sector too: what they call 'the unbanked or the unhappily banked'. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/business/wal-mart-benefits-from-anger-over-banking-fees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Good for you Wal-Mart. Good for us too.
I know that Wal-Mart is much mistrusted for it's colossal size and buying power. Local small businesses fear them. However, the Christian ethos runs strongly through the world's largest retailer and it shows not only in their unashamed selling of Christian books, but also in what (and I hesitate to use this phrase at all in a post-Glenn Beck world) I used to refer to as 'social justice' issues. I guess I ought to drop that incedary phrase and call it 'righteousness-in-society- issues.
First they did what the Federal Government had failed to do for decade: provide afordable medications. Now they are looking out for Joe and Jane Average in the financial services sector too: what they call 'the unbanked or the unhappily banked'. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/business/wal-mart-benefits-from-anger-over-banking-fees.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
Good for you Wal-Mart. Good for us too.
Thursday, November 03, 2011
Humanity's Early History
Unlike many American evangelical Christians, I have no real problem paying the truth of the Bible alongside the every-deepening truth of scientific discovery. Both are types of truth. Sure, science is a process that often revises and sometimes overturns its own conclusions. So we need to understand that, and not be afraid to embrace difficult of inconvenient truths when the evidence seems broad and persuasive. During the Old Testament period we see God working with the Israeli people as they changed from bronze age to iron age technology, from a nomadic people to a settled people - both huge technological changes.
The BBC do a decent job of reporting about the early history of humankind, as in this latest article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15540464. Sure they often are guilty of mixing their science with a pervasive secular humanist worldview. When they do, I try to read past it to get at the science, without the unhelpful philosophical additions. The Discovery Channel and the national Geographic are so caught up in secular humanism that they just can't get over themselves, so I tend not to read/listen to them anymore.
I believe in all that Genesis has to say about our origins. Genesis isn't a science handbook. The first few chapters are not historiographical either. They are a more profound subset of the History genre - theological history. To think of Genesis as a science handbook is to make a genre mistake, or perhaps even a category mistake.
I'd like to encourage my friends and church family to celebrate the God who formed us over such a long time period, breathing into us every moment, working towards what we would become - His conscious, moral children, the object of His love and mercy and providence.
Unlike many American evangelical Christians, I have no real problem paying the truth of the Bible alongside the every-deepening truth of scientific discovery. Both are types of truth. Sure, science is a process that often revises and sometimes overturns its own conclusions. So we need to understand that, and not be afraid to embrace difficult of inconvenient truths when the evidence seems broad and persuasive. During the Old Testament period we see God working with the Israeli people as they changed from bronze age to iron age technology, from a nomadic people to a settled people - both huge technological changes.
The BBC do a decent job of reporting about the early history of humankind, as in this latest article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-15540464. Sure they often are guilty of mixing their science with a pervasive secular humanist worldview. When they do, I try to read past it to get at the science, without the unhelpful philosophical additions. The Discovery Channel and the national Geographic are so caught up in secular humanism that they just can't get over themselves, so I tend not to read/listen to them anymore.
I believe in all that Genesis has to say about our origins. Genesis isn't a science handbook. The first few chapters are not historiographical either. They are a more profound subset of the History genre - theological history. To think of Genesis as a science handbook is to make a genre mistake, or perhaps even a category mistake.
I'd like to encourage my friends and church family to celebrate the God who formed us over such a long time period, breathing into us every moment, working towards what we would become - His conscious, moral children, the object of His love and mercy and providence.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Calling Reflection
I've been taking time to reflect on my calling - 13 years on. My calling was to lead people into the Bible, so that they might meet God there, specifically Jesus Christ, and genuinely commit to follow Him all the days of their lives. On reflection, that is still a tight and clean definition of my calling.
How has that calling been lived out over the years? In a few different ways. There have been plenty of relational responses outside of the formally-organized church. However, in terms of time and energy spent, stepping into church-based pastoral ministry has been my main response. 2 years at Windham Faith Community and coming up on 10 years at Londonderry/Journey Church: 11 years in all as a licensed minister: 'Reverend'. It's a good time to reflect.
My sense of fulfilling my calling, personal pleasure and satisfaction are most clearly achieved when I'm doing two things:
1) leading a small group or perhaps just one or two people in Bible study and mentoring./discipleship. In other words, deep commitment to a limited number of people.
2) leading a church in the role of a 'missional architect' by which I mean forming a culture of Christlikeness and organizational leadership.
In my pastoral life at Journey Church I think there has been a very little of the first and a gradually increasing amount of the second. I would estimate that perhaps 30 percent of my ministry time is engaged in these activities. The rest is doing pastoral stuff that I enjoy ... less.
Of course in any job, vocation, or human enterprise there are tasks you have to do in able to provide for the tasks you want to do. The question then becomes - is there a better way? Perhaps a more theologically sound way to reframe that question is: Father - is this still the way?
I am going to take more time to consider this. As I return to Journey Church on December 11th, I want to reshape my role to emphasize meeting my calling. This isn't selfish - although it might be read that way, It's trusting that God knows what He is doing. After all, it's his church.
Jesus spent most of His time with the three, and massive time with the twelve. He spent significant time with the seventy, and very little time with stubborn, un-trainable, self-directed people. His public time was used almost entirely in declaring the Kingdom and describing what it is like (culture building).
I'm thinking Jesus might be a good ministry model for me.
I've been taking time to reflect on my calling - 13 years on. My calling was to lead people into the Bible, so that they might meet God there, specifically Jesus Christ, and genuinely commit to follow Him all the days of their lives. On reflection, that is still a tight and clean definition of my calling.
How has that calling been lived out over the years? In a few different ways. There have been plenty of relational responses outside of the formally-organized church. However, in terms of time and energy spent, stepping into church-based pastoral ministry has been my main response. 2 years at Windham Faith Community and coming up on 10 years at Londonderry/Journey Church: 11 years in all as a licensed minister: 'Reverend'. It's a good time to reflect.
My sense of fulfilling my calling, personal pleasure and satisfaction are most clearly achieved when I'm doing two things:
1) leading a small group or perhaps just one or two people in Bible study and mentoring./discipleship. In other words, deep commitment to a limited number of people.
2) leading a church in the role of a 'missional architect' by which I mean forming a culture of Christlikeness and organizational leadership.
In my pastoral life at Journey Church I think there has been a very little of the first and a gradually increasing amount of the second. I would estimate that perhaps 30 percent of my ministry time is engaged in these activities. The rest is doing pastoral stuff that I enjoy ... less.
Of course in any job, vocation, or human enterprise there are tasks you have to do in able to provide for the tasks you want to do. The question then becomes - is there a better way? Perhaps a more theologically sound way to reframe that question is: Father - is this still the way?
I am going to take more time to consider this. As I return to Journey Church on December 11th, I want to reshape my role to emphasize meeting my calling. This isn't selfish - although it might be read that way, It's trusting that God knows what He is doing. After all, it's his church.
Jesus spent most of His time with the three, and massive time with the twelve. He spent significant time with the seventy, and very little time with stubborn, un-trainable, self-directed people. His public time was used almost entirely in declaring the Kingdom and describing what it is like (culture building).
I'm thinking Jesus might be a good ministry model for me.
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
End Malaria Day
...is today! You can make a simple, small, rewarding contribution to end the blight of malaria in the world by clicking here: http://endmalariaday.com/ and buying a decent book by 60 well known authors.
When I was a small kid in the Far East, I slept with a mosquito net over my bed for 5 years. I didn't get malaria, so I don't have malaria now. (It's alife-long affliction for those who do get it.) Malria kills more children than HIV/AIDS every year. However, the number of cases is dropping dramatically each year due to the free provision of mosuito nets to vulnerable families. Serve the World!
...is today! You can make a simple, small, rewarding contribution to end the blight of malaria in the world by clicking here: http://endmalariaday.com/ and buying a decent book by 60 well known authors.
When I was a small kid in the Far East, I slept with a mosquito net over my bed for 5 years. I didn't get malaria, so I don't have malaria now. (It's alife-long affliction for those who do get it.) Malria kills more children than HIV/AIDS every year. However, the number of cases is dropping dramatically each year due to the free provision of mosuito nets to vulnerable families. Serve the World!
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
The 5 steps of Apology - 5 'R's
After Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas
1. express regret
2. take responsibility
3. make restitution
4. genuinely reprnt
5. request forgiveness
After Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas
1. express regret
2. take responsibility
3. make restitution
4. genuinely reprnt
5. request forgiveness
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Community Outreach
Community Caregivers of Greater Derry used Journey Church's new building to get High Schoolers from Pinkerton Academy to treat some senior citizens from Derry. One of the elder ladies was Margaret Camuso, mother of our own Bob Camuso.
http://www.derryinklink.com/2011/05/sometimes-years-fall-away.html
Community Caregivers of Greater Derry used Journey Church's new building to get High Schoolers from Pinkerton Academy to treat some senior citizens from Derry. One of the elder ladies was Margaret Camuso, mother of our own Bob Camuso.
http://www.derryinklink.com/2011/05/sometimes-years-fall-away.html
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Union Leader Article
This community event was held at Journey Church. We didn't get much of a mention, but that's OK: Here is the article:
Sometimes the years fall away.
Derry:
A Day of Caring helps girls of all ages realize there is little more than time that separates them.
By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY
OVER COFFEE AND SCONES, Joyce Diemer and Caitlin Harper were just a couple of girls who’d lived in Chester with a mutual love for Siamese cats and well-manicured nails.
The 65-year gap between them was nothing more than time and space.
“I lost my husband a year ago, and I miss him every day. But I’m glad we did so much together,” Diemer said to Harper, 17, a student at Pinkerton Academy. The two were paired up for a Day of Caring through Greater Derry Community Caregivers.
Diemer had some advice for Harper: Make the best of everything and cherish every moment with those you love.
“Just before my husband died we went on a cruise to the Maritimes, in 2009. The weather was perfection and the sea was like glass. That would be my best advice to you: Go on some cruises and enjoy your life,” Diemer said.
Monday morning was planned as a day of pampering and girl talk across the generations, as seven Pinkerton Academy students were matched with seven seasoned citizens for manicures and a movie. They met at Journey Church, a newly renovated factory-turned-contemporary house of worship on Tinkham Avenue.
Seated at tables set up like a coffee house, the multi-generational meet-up began with light refreshments and coffee.
The students were asked to bring along nail polish and lotions, which provided their manicure partners with plenty of colors to choose from.
Shana McKinnon was working on Elaine Duke’s nails.
“It’s called Hot Sexy Pink,” said McKinnon, who mentioned that it was the color Duke had requested by name.
“Yup, I sure did,” said Duke, who had already won McKinnon over by mentioning that she’d often regarded her husband of 39 years as “a bit of a pain.”
“I love that,” said McKinnon, sharing another laugh with Duke, between brush strokes.
“We were double dating when we met. He was going out with my friend, but he kept looking in the rearview mirror and winking at me,” said Duke. “He promised me we’d be married at least 57 years, but we didn’t make it.
He didn’t make it.”
Duke met her husband when she was just 17 — the same age McKinnon is now.
“I guess I think about having a family and a husband someday, but right now I’m focused on college and a career,” said McKinnon.
Cindee Tanuma, executive director of the Greater Derry Community Caregivers, had a feeling this event would be a hit for everyone involved.
She said she looks forward to the annual Day of Caring because it gives her a chance to orchestrate important moments, like this one.
“After we do the nails we’re going in to watch an old movie, ‘The Bells of St. Mary’s,’ and then we’re going to have tea sandwiches together,” Tanuma said. “I guess you’d say the real mission of this is for intergenerational learning. Sometimes older individuals have a perception about teen girls today, that maybe they’re not so sweet or innocent. But they quickly learn that there’s something universal about being 16 or 17 — there really is no difference, except their life experiences.”
For the past 13 years, Pinkerton Academy instructor Roger Konstant has been putting out the call each spring for student volunteers who’d like to get involved in their community. He connects students with various agencies who assign tasks, including the Caregivers, The Upper Room, Vintage Grace, Meals on Wheels, Camp Carpenter and the Nutfield YMCA.
“I was just thinking about this today while I was driving home, thinking about why we do this every year. It occurred to me that kids in our community get a lot of help through various groups while growing up, like Scouts or Little League or church. A lot of people have helped them along the way, and so this is really just a chance for them to begin to give back,” Konstant said. “I don’t know if they realize how much support they have as kids growing up here, but they come away from this experience really having a great time and learning something in the process.”
Jackie Elsmore was fanning her nails, admiring the handiwork of her hand stylist, Kathleen Felch, 17. Waiting for the movie to start, they’d moved on to small talk.
“Jackie was telling me how she has always loved singing and dancing, and was an entertainer in the USO, and how she beat 10 men swimming once at Lynn Beach,” said Felch. “Oh, and, how she was a goalie for her high school’s hockey team when she was about my age, and lost two teeth when she got hit with the puck.”
“Yeah,” said Elsmore. “I stopped it with my mouth.
I was a bit of a tomboy back then, but thinking about it now, it doesn’t seem so long ago.”
Rae-Ann Iacuzio of Derry puts some finishing touches on the elegant fingernails of Norma Helbig of Derry during Monday’s Day of Giving Back.
CAROL ROBIDOUX
This community event was held at Journey Church. We didn't get much of a mention, but that's OK: Here is the article:
Sometimes the years fall away.
Derry:
A Day of Caring helps girls of all ages realize there is little more than time that separates them.
By CAROL ROBIDOUX
Union Leader Correspondent
DERRY
OVER COFFEE AND SCONES, Joyce Diemer and Caitlin Harper were just a couple of girls who’d lived in Chester with a mutual love for Siamese cats and well-manicured nails.
The 65-year gap between them was nothing more than time and space.
“I lost my husband a year ago, and I miss him every day. But I’m glad we did so much together,” Diemer said to Harper, 17, a student at Pinkerton Academy. The two were paired up for a Day of Caring through Greater Derry Community Caregivers.
Diemer had some advice for Harper: Make the best of everything and cherish every moment with those you love.
“Just before my husband died we went on a cruise to the Maritimes, in 2009. The weather was perfection and the sea was like glass. That would be my best advice to you: Go on some cruises and enjoy your life,” Diemer said.
Monday morning was planned as a day of pampering and girl talk across the generations, as seven Pinkerton Academy students were matched with seven seasoned citizens for manicures and a movie. They met at Journey Church, a newly renovated factory-turned-contemporary house of worship on Tinkham Avenue.
Seated at tables set up like a coffee house, the multi-generational meet-up began with light refreshments and coffee.
The students were asked to bring along nail polish and lotions, which provided their manicure partners with plenty of colors to choose from.
Shana McKinnon was working on Elaine Duke’s nails.
“It’s called Hot Sexy Pink,” said McKinnon, who mentioned that it was the color Duke had requested by name.
“Yup, I sure did,” said Duke, who had already won McKinnon over by mentioning that she’d often regarded her husband of 39 years as “a bit of a pain.”
“I love that,” said McKinnon, sharing another laugh with Duke, between brush strokes.
“We were double dating when we met. He was going out with my friend, but he kept looking in the rearview mirror and winking at me,” said Duke. “He promised me we’d be married at least 57 years, but we didn’t make it.
He didn’t make it.”
Duke met her husband when she was just 17 — the same age McKinnon is now.
“I guess I think about having a family and a husband someday, but right now I’m focused on college and a career,” said McKinnon.
Cindee Tanuma, executive director of the Greater Derry Community Caregivers, had a feeling this event would be a hit for everyone involved.
She said she looks forward to the annual Day of Caring because it gives her a chance to orchestrate important moments, like this one.
“After we do the nails we’re going in to watch an old movie, ‘The Bells of St. Mary’s,’ and then we’re going to have tea sandwiches together,” Tanuma said. “I guess you’d say the real mission of this is for intergenerational learning. Sometimes older individuals have a perception about teen girls today, that maybe they’re not so sweet or innocent. But they quickly learn that there’s something universal about being 16 or 17 — there really is no difference, except their life experiences.”
For the past 13 years, Pinkerton Academy instructor Roger Konstant has been putting out the call each spring for student volunteers who’d like to get involved in their community. He connects students with various agencies who assign tasks, including the Caregivers, The Upper Room, Vintage Grace, Meals on Wheels, Camp Carpenter and the Nutfield YMCA.
“I was just thinking about this today while I was driving home, thinking about why we do this every year. It occurred to me that kids in our community get a lot of help through various groups while growing up, like Scouts or Little League or church. A lot of people have helped them along the way, and so this is really just a chance for them to begin to give back,” Konstant said. “I don’t know if they realize how much support they have as kids growing up here, but they come away from this experience really having a great time and learning something in the process.”
Jackie Elsmore was fanning her nails, admiring the handiwork of her hand stylist, Kathleen Felch, 17. Waiting for the movie to start, they’d moved on to small talk.
“Jackie was telling me how she has always loved singing and dancing, and was an entertainer in the USO, and how she beat 10 men swimming once at Lynn Beach,” said Felch. “Oh, and, how she was a goalie for her high school’s hockey team when she was about my age, and lost two teeth when she got hit with the puck.”
“Yeah,” said Elsmore. “I stopped it with my mouth.
I was a bit of a tomboy back then, but thinking about it now, it doesn’t seem so long ago.”
Rae-Ann Iacuzio of Derry puts some finishing touches on the elegant fingernails of Norma Helbig of Derry during Monday’s Day of Giving Back.
CAROL ROBIDOUX
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Holy! Holy! Holy!
These past several months I have been growing around the idea of the holiness of God.
These past several months I have been growing around the idea of the holiness of God.
I have been thinking about the strong theology (perspective?) of 'God as love' that we have in our optimistic Wesleyan holiness tradition. Alongside that, I have been thinking about the diminutive theology of 'God as just' that we also have. We know that God is just, we just don't talk or preach about it very much, and we don't unpack what that means too deeply. I think our brethren in the Calvinist tradition probably have this worked out with more focus than we do.
How do I hold these both in tension? Where do they meet, and what does that look like? These question bear careful thought. If we loose site of God's justice because His love fills our vision, we might not be seeing all that God has revealed to us. We might grow up as mis-shaped Christians. We might miss profound ways that God is working out His mission in the world, in us, and among us. Yes, we need to see God for who He truly is - for all of Himself that He has shown us.
I think I am discovering that God's love and justice meet in complicated and mysterious ways. I think the one place they meet particularly is the cross; and also the empty tomb. I think also their meeting place is the where the notion 'holy' is birthed. Perhaps my own working definition of holiness is the intersection, in the character of God, of His unflinching demand for justice, and his fathomless depth of love.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
In You
Usually the English language is so rich that it gives us several words to chose from for almost anything we want to say or write. Oddly, there are a few instances where this is not so. One example is with the word 'you'. There is only one word for 'you' whether we are referring to one person or many people. In olden times there used to be the handy word 'ye' which was plural as opposed to 'you' which was singular. So you could say 'John, can you help me?' or you could say 'Family, could ye help me?'.
Since we have lost 'ye' and replaced it with 'you', it is sometimes hard to know when one person or many people are being addressed when we read the word 'you' in the Bible. Take the final phrase of Colossians 1:27 for instance: " To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Where exactly is this hope (future certainty) of glory? It is ‘“in you’. Often we North American evangelical Christians have read the word ‘you’ in this phrase and assumed it is you-singular, that is …me. Thus we conclude that Christ is ‘in me’ and connect immediately with the beautiful notion that Jesus can and does live in me since I confessed my sins, accepted Jesus into my heart and became a Christian. That is wonderful and Biblical indeed, and yes, glorious! BUT that is actually not what is being said here, and we might miss an equally glorious point if we don’t see it.
Now I am not a Greek scholar, so I have to go to a range of good commentaries to understand the Greek of this sentence, but it’s worth doing. In the ancient Greek language that the New Testament was written in we can distinguish between singular and plural ‘you’, and we discover the ‘you’ in this phrase is plural. If we lived in the southern US we could say “Christ in y’all, the hope of glory”. So Christ is ‘in’ a group of Christians – in this case the church at Colossi in Turkey. How then can Christ be ‘in’ a local church? Again we go to the Greek scholars to study the word ‘in’. It turns out that the word ‘in’ does not here mean ‘inside’ so much as ‘in between’. It’s not giving a sense of ‘internal’ but a more a sense of ‘amongst’.
So now we know the hope of Glory is Christ among y’all. Beautiful! When Christ is evident in our church relationships – in our dealings with each other – then he is glorified – that is – we see Him evidenced and made of first importance. Amen. Our translators did a good job, but studying the Bible - as well as reading it devotionally can give us deeper insight and discover new, wonderful truths.
As you pray for your church people this week, as and as you meet in small groups, or just write a encouraging email or make that touching-base phone call, you are giving glory to Jesus and His glory is shining all around your church.
As you pray for your church people this week, as and as you meet in small groups, or just write a encouraging email or make that touching-base phone call, you are giving glory to Jesus and His glory is shining all around your church.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Big Kettledrum (3)
BKD EP
My friend Jeffrey Todd Keel is a banjo playing, guitar sliding, hat wearing, song writing, Jesus loving member of the roots folk-rock band Big Kettle Drum. The band have issued their first EP, which I think is very good indeed:
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Early Christian Relic
Here is a link to a story you might like to know about. Books of lead plates found in a cave seem to be early Christian writings from within a few years of Jesus' resurrection. I am interested that secular scholars have noted that the theme of the writing so far understood, seems to center on the divinity of Christ. That's just another piece of evidence that Jesus' first followers completely understood that Jesus is God. This undermines some theologically liberal scholars that try to tell us that this idea was a later development. Not!
Unearthed in Jordan several years ago and recently discovered in Israel, a group of metal books could hold vital information about early Christianity. from the BBC web site:
Saturday, March 05, 2011
Self Care
All of us who follow Jesus Christ are ministers - we all have an active Christian ministry - our lives. Whether we are pastors, IT consultants, nurses, accountants, tradespeople, students, professionals, carers - our work is a full-time Christian ministry to which we are called. In my own ministry I sense today a need for a new focus on self-care. Ministry (i.e. The Christian Life) can deplete us, wear us down and exhaust us. Depression, self-doubt, irritability and discontent soon creep in from the outside, or worse - arise from within us. Like a monkey on our backs we can't seem to shake these off, and before long they are in control and defining our thoughts and relationships. This isn't what Jesus wants for us, and this isn't our calling. There is a need for self care. Here are some simple thoughts about how to start:
Sleep: get plenty. Go to bed at 8 PM if you have to, but get solid sleep. If environmental factors impact your sleep - try to mitigate them. Children disturbing you? Try to train them as much as possible to give you as much sleep as you need. Some research shows (and I thoroughly agree - although not everyone shares this opinion) that we humans sleep in 90 minutes cycles. If you can, try to get 1.5 minutes, or 3 hours, or 4.5 or 6 or 7.5 hours of sleep in a block. Try to get a solid 7.5 hours of sleep every night for at least 10 days to get replenished.
Worship: We are made to worship God. Once we have enough sleep - or even while we are getting our sleep in order, we need to profoundly praise, worship, magnify, and glorify God, with God, in God. This is completely important. Take 30 minutes in complete solitude - no one else around, no noise, no distractions, and consider God. Count your blessings, one by one- perhaps write them down on a note pad. Get prayerful, and say thank you to God for your life and all your blessings. Then move into thanking God for Himself - just for being who He is. Spend delicious moments just enjoying His presence. Ask Him for more of Himself - to lead you into the deeper places of worship. Finally, spend some moments considering how you - with your particular personality, get into a mood of worship. Some people play music, some prefer silence. Some need to praise with other people, some people prefer solitude. Some walk out in nature, others prefer to sit quietly in a church. promise yourself to make worship-time a frequent habit.
Joy: Once you have enough sleep and have begun to develop a life-pattern of intentional worship, rediscover joy. Take pleasure in your blessings. Enjoy the relationships you have in your life - each is a gift from God. Develop a few good friends that love the Lord too. Reach beyond your immediate family. Take a moment to reflect on the rich tapestry of your life - notice all the elements that go into it. Seek God in each of these - each friendship, each hurt, each area of suffering, each area of blessing. As you return to a more God-centered life, you will discover contentment and fresh joy. The real joy of living IN God, more than just with God.
Peace. Each time you feel hurt or suffering or fear, grief or anxiety, don't immediately ask God to solve the situation for you. Do something much more daring and dangerous. Ask God to be with you in the situation. If you can, ask God to surround you and protect you as you pass through the situation together - no matter how short or long that takes. Confess to God that if only He is with you, then you will rely on Him. Praise and worship God in the fear, anxiety, hurt and pain. As we do so, our eyes will be lifted off the problem and we will find ourselves centered in God - IN God. We will discover a new type of peace. The Bible talks about a 'peace that passes all understanding. This is how we find it, by depending on God when He is the only One keeping us going.
Scripture. Christians get to read scripture. If you have gotten out of the habit then pick a little book in the Bible and just curl up and read it right through. Colossians, Ephesians or Philippians or the little letters of John are dynamite. Read them fast, read them slow, pick one sentence and just noodle on it. Recently I have been thinking on the names of God. Each one is like a week in the spa. For example, how about just taking 15 minutes to consider this name of God: "The author and completer of your faith". Wow.
Finally think about the second great commandment - to love your neighbor as yourself. Did you notice that this commandment assumes that you love yourself? That is not referring to some creepy self obsession, but rather that you value yourself (God knows, He loves you!) and are taking care of yourself.
Ministry - the Christian life - is a marathon, not a sprint. Take care of yourself. We need you, God loves you and just being the real you - with Jesus at your heart - is a life of wholeness - holiness - and worship. I thank God for each and every one of my fellow Journey friends. Pray for me. I will be praying for you.
All of us who follow Jesus Christ are ministers - we all have an active Christian ministry - our lives. Whether we are pastors, IT consultants, nurses, accountants, tradespeople, students, professionals, carers - our work is a full-time Christian ministry to which we are called. In my own ministry I sense today a need for a new focus on self-care. Ministry (i.e. The Christian Life) can deplete us, wear us down and exhaust us. Depression, self-doubt, irritability and discontent soon creep in from the outside, or worse - arise from within us. Like a monkey on our backs we can't seem to shake these off, and before long they are in control and defining our thoughts and relationships. This isn't what Jesus wants for us, and this isn't our calling. There is a need for self care. Here are some simple thoughts about how to start:
Sleep: get plenty. Go to bed at 8 PM if you have to, but get solid sleep. If environmental factors impact your sleep - try to mitigate them. Children disturbing you? Try to train them as much as possible to give you as much sleep as you need. Some research shows (and I thoroughly agree - although not everyone shares this opinion) that we humans sleep in 90 minutes cycles. If you can, try to get 1.5 minutes, or 3 hours, or 4.5 or 6 or 7.5 hours of sleep in a block. Try to get a solid 7.5 hours of sleep every night for at least 10 days to get replenished.
Worship: We are made to worship God. Once we have enough sleep - or even while we are getting our sleep in order, we need to profoundly praise, worship, magnify, and glorify God, with God, in God. This is completely important. Take 30 minutes in complete solitude - no one else around, no noise, no distractions, and consider God. Count your blessings, one by one- perhaps write them down on a note pad. Get prayerful, and say thank you to God for your life and all your blessings. Then move into thanking God for Himself - just for being who He is. Spend delicious moments just enjoying His presence. Ask Him for more of Himself - to lead you into the deeper places of worship. Finally, spend some moments considering how you - with your particular personality, get into a mood of worship. Some people play music, some prefer silence. Some need to praise with other people, some people prefer solitude. Some walk out in nature, others prefer to sit quietly in a church. promise yourself to make worship-time a frequent habit.
Joy: Once you have enough sleep and have begun to develop a life-pattern of intentional worship, rediscover joy. Take pleasure in your blessings. Enjoy the relationships you have in your life - each is a gift from God. Develop a few good friends that love the Lord too. Reach beyond your immediate family. Take a moment to reflect on the rich tapestry of your life - notice all the elements that go into it. Seek God in each of these - each friendship, each hurt, each area of suffering, each area of blessing. As you return to a more God-centered life, you will discover contentment and fresh joy. The real joy of living IN God, more than just with God.
Peace. Each time you feel hurt or suffering or fear, grief or anxiety, don't immediately ask God to solve the situation for you. Do something much more daring and dangerous. Ask God to be with you in the situation. If you can, ask God to surround you and protect you as you pass through the situation together - no matter how short or long that takes. Confess to God that if only He is with you, then you will rely on Him. Praise and worship God in the fear, anxiety, hurt and pain. As we do so, our eyes will be lifted off the problem and we will find ourselves centered in God - IN God. We will discover a new type of peace. The Bible talks about a 'peace that passes all understanding. This is how we find it, by depending on God when He is the only One keeping us going.
Scripture. Christians get to read scripture. If you have gotten out of the habit then pick a little book in the Bible and just curl up and read it right through. Colossians, Ephesians or Philippians or the little letters of John are dynamite. Read them fast, read them slow, pick one sentence and just noodle on it. Recently I have been thinking on the names of God. Each one is like a week in the spa. For example, how about just taking 15 minutes to consider this name of God: "The author and completer of your faith". Wow.
Finally think about the second great commandment - to love your neighbor as yourself. Did you notice that this commandment assumes that you love yourself? That is not referring to some creepy self obsession, but rather that you value yourself (God knows, He loves you!) and are taking care of yourself.
Ministry - the Christian life - is a marathon, not a sprint. Take care of yourself. We need you, God loves you and just being the real you - with Jesus at your heart - is a life of wholeness - holiness - and worship. I thank God for each and every one of my fellow Journey friends. Pray for me. I will be praying for you.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Guide to Christians in the Middle East
The BBC has a handy web page detailing the tiny remaining Christian populations in Middle east countries:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm
It's a worthy read. Please pray with me for our kin in these nations. They live under the heal of oppressive Muslim and even unfriendly Israeli governments. May the Lord strengthen and encourage them as they live lives led by The Lord in very difficult circumstances. Take every opportunity to remind people that Arab does not mean Muslim. These mainly Arab Christians are often invisible in our politics as well as in our prayers.
The BBC has a handy web page detailing the tiny remaining Christian populations in Middle east countries:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4499668.stm
It's a worthy read. Please pray with me for our kin in these nations. They live under the heal of oppressive Muslim and even unfriendly Israeli governments. May the Lord strengthen and encourage them as they live lives led by The Lord in very difficult circumstances. Take every opportunity to remind people that Arab does not mean Muslim. These mainly Arab Christians are often invisible in our politics as well as in our prayers.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
In Bader and Froese's book "America's Four Gods: What We Say about God - and What That Says about Us", they present a new rubric for mapping how we Americans think about God. (See a review here.)
Here is my post-it note of their rubric:
The basic idea is that cliche models of lift/right. liberal/conservative do not adequately provide for the diversity of thought and voting presented by US Christians. Rather, their analysis identifies two important vectors: whether we see God as Judgmental or not, and whether we see God as engaged in our world or not. This grid gives us four views of God:
Critical: not very involved in our world but judging us
Distant: not very involved in our world but also not interested in judging us
Benevolent: not judging us but yet engaged with us
Authoritative: both fully engaged in our world and also judging of us.
Where we fall will give insight into our views on evolution and science, social action, and a raft of other topical interests.
Personally, my reading of scripture, people and my world, puts God as fully, fully engaged (off the charts engaged, actually) and both Judgmental and Benevolent - balanced between those two.
How about you?
Then I apply this rubric to myself. Where do I see me? (Authoritative on details, Benevolent until I run out of grace!) How am I seen? (Probably all four)
Then I apply this rubric to the people in my church. Quickly several high profile individuals fall into the four quadrants.
Then I apply this rubric to our District leadership here in the New England Church of the Nazarene (Critical)
Then comes the rub...how would God apply this rubric to me? Oh boy. Suddenly I want a Benevolent God.
Here is my post-it note of their rubric:
The basic idea is that cliche models of lift/right. liberal/conservative do not adequately provide for the diversity of thought and voting presented by US Christians. Rather, their analysis identifies two important vectors: whether we see God as Judgmental or not, and whether we see God as engaged in our world or not. This grid gives us four views of God:
Critical: not very involved in our world but judging us
Distant: not very involved in our world but also not interested in judging us
Benevolent: not judging us but yet engaged with us
Authoritative: both fully engaged in our world and also judging of us.
Where we fall will give insight into our views on evolution and science, social action, and a raft of other topical interests.
Personally, my reading of scripture, people and my world, puts God as fully, fully engaged (off the charts engaged, actually) and both Judgmental and Benevolent - balanced between those two.
How about you?
Then I apply this rubric to myself. Where do I see me? (Authoritative on details, Benevolent until I run out of grace!) How am I seen? (Probably all four)
Then I apply this rubric to the people in my church. Quickly several high profile individuals fall into the four quadrants.
Then I apply this rubric to our District leadership here in the New England Church of the Nazarene (Critical)
Then comes the rub...how would God apply this rubric to me? Oh boy. Suddenly I want a Benevolent God.
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