Jesus

Back to it!

After the better part of a week without strenuous exercise due to a cold, some nasty stomach pains, and a general exhaustion, I’m so pleased to say that today I am back to it!

I got out for 90min (about 7.5km) of walking with the puppy today, and then did a tough WOD (Workout of the Day) with the Deck of Cards App on my iPhone. My four moves (assigned to each suit of a deck of cards) were: Kettle Bell Goblet Squats, Kettle Bell Reverse Lunges, Leg Raises and Push Ups. I also managed to do two Jokers: one was 15 burpees (pretty sure my form sucked, but by the time I got to this card I was pretty fatigued, so I’m not complaining) and the other was 20 plank climbers (starting out in plank position on elbow and then straightening each arm before returning to elbows). It was a brutal workout, but it felt great.

I have this bad habit sometimes – I tell myself things that aren’t true. I don’t mean that I lie to myself, necessarily… Let me explain. Take the past few days and my lack of exercise, as an example. I told myself I was too tired, it would be too hard, I wouldn’t get through it and one day off wouldn’t make any difference. Now in some ways there was truth in those things…I have been very tired this week, it would be hard (though, I believe, not TOO hard) to do a workout when tired/run down, one day doesn’t make a huge difference in the long run.

At the same time I think I used these things as an excuse to not do something that is good for me. I wonder if we do that when it comes to faith. Do I use the busy-ness of a day as an excuse not to pray or to read my Bible? Do I say to myself I am too tired for this at the end of a day, and go to sleep without involving God in my day? Do I tell myself that one day off is no big deal, and then realize that it has been many days since I spent time with my Heavenly Father?

Sadly – even in the life of a ‘professional’ Christian (i.e. pastor/minister/clergy) like me – the answer to these questions is “yes, sometimes.” And yet I know that if I take the time it will be time well spent. If I just get off my butt and do it, (whether ‘it’ is a workout or spending time with God) I will be thankful I did. I will find life easier to take and have a strength that surprises me.

I guess I just want to say tonight: if you are in one of those excuse-finding periods of your life right now, take a moment. Talk to God. Tell Him what is going on with you. Pull out your Bible and read some of the words of Jesus or a favorite Psalm. Pull out your iPod and listen to a worship song and actually PRAY the words to God as you listen/sing along. Just do it. You will be glad you did.

(Oh, and if you’re in an excuse-finding time right now when it comes to exercise. Get off your butt! Do it! You will be glad you did!)

 

 

Fear? Not!!

Last night I had the unpleasant experience of nightmares. I woke up in the middle of the night from a dream that didn’t seem so scary when I thought about it the next morning, in full daylight, while wide awake. But in the middle of the night, in a dark and quiet house, while sleep continued to drag at me and I couldn’t fight my way to full consciousness…it was terrifying.

I wonder if that is the way most of our fears work. In the light, when we are thinking clearly, when we are surrounded by others, they aren’t so bad. But get us alone, put us in the dark, take away our clear-headed-ness and it is a whole different story.

I admit, I am sometimes a very timid person, easily struck by fear. And that is one of the many reasons I am so thankful for my faith. Because my faith tells me that I am never alone. I have a world-wide family called the church. I have a Loving Father (God), a constant Teacher (Jesus) and a helpful comforter (the Holy Spirit).

The fears may still come but God answers them with the bold imperative “Fear not!”, and better than that bold imperative is the sentiment that always follows it: “for I Am with you.”

For the follower of Jesus, there is no such thing as alone in the dark. Because we are always bathed in the light of Christ, we are always in touch with the community of the triune (three-in-one) God. That doesn’t mean I will. Ever have another disturbing night like last night. But it does make it so much easier to deal with those nights when they come.

God provides…

I had reason to post on Facebook asking for a favour today, and I was overwhelmed by the response I received. I was in the midst of planning and visioning for our VBS this summer and I was thinking it would be great to have a parachute to use with the kids. So I started pricing them out – those suckers are expensive (not terribly so, but enough to make me pause and consider other possibilities before purchasing one). I decided to send out a general appeal on Facebook for one that could be borrowed for the week of VBS. Within 10hrs of posting I have received 4 offers and a link to a place where I could purchase one.

I barely even put any effort into solving this problem, and found that God was ready and willing to provide.

Sometimes I think we are too good at solving our own problems. Sometimes we don’t allow God to be God. My parachute example is a small one, but I would love to see what God could do if we, in faith, handed him some of our really big problems.

I think God loves to provide and God loves to overwhelm us. I mean, really, that is what the story of Jesus is about. That at the moment that looked like utter defeat, God was actually bringing victory. At the moment when it looked like the Jesus movement was over, it was actually just beginning. At the moment of death, new life was given the chance to burst forth. And the disciples could hardly believe it when it happened.

It can be scary to hand over our big problems to God – it may lead us where we do not want to go, it may lead us to the cross. But I believe it will also lead us beyond the cross to Easter morning and the absolutely shocking goodness and mercy of our Loving Father God.

Hope

If you’ve been following my blog this week, you know it’s been a tough week for me. So this is my second post in 6 days about hope. Because really, it’s what I’ve got to cling to right now. Hope.

I used Google Images to look up hope a few minutes ago, and here is the best image I found:

 

 

This image reminds me of a favorite Bible Verse: And the light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. (John 1:5 ISV)

John is writing about Jesus, the light of the world.

That’s what I need remember and that is the truth I need to share with those who are traveling through difficult times right now. For those of you who have sent me worried emails and texts – thank you. I appreciate your thoughtfulness and your prayers. I promise I am ok, just bearing up under a heavy load. And even here, struggling under this weight, there is so much for which to give thanks. Most especially that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out. Amen.

The road is long…

Sometimes, life is weary-ing. My tough week began with a fender-bender on Thursday night, and has continued with some serious health concerns for a family member and some difficult issues at the church.

I am tired and suffering from a head-cold. It’s not the worst cold I’ve had in recent memory, and I’m quite sure it will be gone fairly quickly, but it’s one more brick added to a heavy load.

The lyrics of one of my favourite Neil Diamond songs is going through my head tonite:

The road is long, with many a-winding turn,
That leads to who knows where, who knows when
But I’m strong, strong enough to carry him
He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother
So on we go
(Neil Diamond, “He Ain’t Heavy”)

I was thinking about faith and fitness. Due to busy-ness and then illness, I haven’t worked out for the last 3 days. No walking, no WOD, no nothin’. This makes me antsy. I feel nervous. I somehow still have a fear that all of the weight that I’ve lost in the past year is going to suddenly reappear on my body just because I haven’t gone for a walk or done some situps for a few days. It’s irrational, but it’s what I fear. I think that I fear that because I am so aware that fitness is a never-ending-road. This isn’t a project that ends when I hit my goal weight. It isn’t something that has a finish line at all (or at least, the finish line is death, which I hope is so far off as to be almost unworthy of time spent thinking about it). So every new day, every new week, is a new challenge. To do the work that my body requires to reach and maintain physical fitness.

The same thing is true about my faith. I don’t have a list of the tenets of Jesus or the the commandments, or anything else that I am checking off daily, hoping to reach the finish line. Instead, each moment, each situation, each conversation is a new challenge, a new opportunity to try to live like Jesus would.

For some, this might be discouraging. You might think “I’m never really going to GET there, so why try?” You might think you’re not strong enough to continue to travel this long road with it’s winding turns. But I see it in a more positive way. I am always going to have another chance to try, another workout to do, or another opportunity to show Christ’s love. This is a gift, this is a beautiful thing. And the strength I have doesn’t come from me, but from Jesus. I have an endless, boundless store of His strength to rely upon as I face the next leg of the journey.

It is true that sometimes it is wearying, but I think that only means it’s time to take rest, and then get up and face a new day with new challenges and opportunities.

TGFKY

I didn’t misspell the title of this blog entry. That is, in fact, the name of our 20’s and 30’s group at the church. It stands for “The Group Formerly Known as Youth.” Though I think many do not remember what the acronym stands for. And I often have people saying things to me like “you know – that abdefghik group…the 20’s and 30’s thing”.

Nonetheless, I need to take a moment to blog about our group – I know I have done this before, but in case you don’t remember it, let me remind you. We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month. We have dinner and fellowship together, and then we have some sort of program or discussion. This year we have been working our way through Francis Chan’s BASIC series.

I am so impressed with the way that our conversations veer wildly off topic (seriously – we discussed relationships, why some marriages work, what our faith has to say about dreams, and what the apple in the story of Adam and Eve actually represents, all while discussing how to read the Bible), we also have a way of circling back around to the original topic. I am thankful for a place where we can discuss our faith honestly and openly and with a healthy dose of laughter. I am thankful that my ‘job’ on TGFKY nights is to sit and listen and occasionally throw my 2 cents in, but not to control the discussion or the program.

I love getting to do something in ministry that is so organic and so meaningful. I am thankful for “that abcdedfghijk group!”

Jesus is present with us as we meet and I am reminded why I love my church.

A little break…

Easter is an interesting time for ordained clergy. On the one hand it is one of the highlights of our year as we remember the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and have extra opportunities to worship with our folks and help them draw close to God. On the other hand…it can be really tricky to balance the “doing” with the “being.” By that I mean that it is is easy to get so busy with what needs to happen (extra services mean extra responsibilities!) that you forget to actually experience the love of God and the holiness of Holy Week.

So part of my Easter practice is to take a couple of days off afterwards. I tend to get out of town (read: visit the folks!) and just spend some time resting and thinking and reading and breathing. I had intended to blog while out of town, but I kept falling asleep before I could blog at night! I guess I just needed the rest.

I hope you had a wonderful Easter. I hope the magnitude of God’s love and selflessness of Christ’s sacrifice touched your heart anew.

 

A Saturday night party…

For some, it would seem exceedingly strange that my church had a party tonite. It is Easter Saturday. The long dark, hopeless day that the disciples spent in hiding after Jesus’ crucifixion. Before the Resurrection, before the story began to make sense. For many it may be a time to spend in quiet contemplation.

And I can understand how that might be deeply meaningful for some. In the past few years, my Easter Saturdays have often been spent quietly. Thinking about what I will say on Sunday morning, how to share the good news in a way that is fresh and new. But I have to admit, it was kind of a beautiful thing to gather at the table with friends to smile and laugh and tease. To tell stories and eat good food together.

Because Jesus Christ is risen. And even though the official celebration comes tomorrow, the fact is that this is true every day. There will never be another Saturday like the ones the disciples spent, that first Easter. There will never be another day when we have to wonder whether Jesus was just a man…whether it was all in vain, all his preaching and miracles and talk of the Kingdom.

He is alive. He is alive. He is ALIVE!!

And in my books, that is reason for a party every day of the week.

Touching the Cross…

Today, during our Good Friday service, the congregation was invited forward to place a card at the foot of the cross. We were invited to write something for which we need forgiveness on the card, or to leave it blank (because God knows what you are thinking/feeling anyway), or simply to come and touch the cross. It was such a powerful moment. Especially since Rosemary had just preached on the fact that the crucifixion isn’t something that happened 2000 years ago, it is something that happens today. Every time we mistreat each other or turn away from God.

After the service, a comment was made on my Facebook that we ‘truly touched the cross.’ I loved that. It was how I felt, too. That in this act of coming forward, of offering our cards (whether we’d written something on them or not), of laying a hand on the black wooden cross that stood beside the communion table, we’d drawn close to the cross of Christ.

Personally, what I found there, was beautiful. It was a moment of sadness, and yet joy. Of loneliness, and yet community. Of understanding the shame of my sin, and yet finding forgiveness and acceptance in Christ.

 

Communion…

I have never really struggled with believing that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. But as a child, teenager and young adult I absolutely struggled with Communion. I didn’t really understand why we did this thing with the bread and wine (ahem, grape juice). I didn’t know what I was supposed to think or feel and so a lot of the time I didn’t feel much of anything, and I thought I must not be a very good follower of Jesus.

In my years in seminary, this gradually changed. I came across a couple of different explanations about the Lord’s Supper that helped me understand it better. I began to feel myself drawing close to Christ at the table.

Maundy (from the Latin for ‘mandate’ or ‘to command’…a reference to Christ’s commandment that we do this in remembrance of him) Thursday began to be a treasured celebration of the Last Supper and the first Communion. I love that on the very night he was betrayed Jesus gathered with his friends for dinner…even with Judas who would betray him in a very little time.

That’s the kind of saviour I find it easy to love.