« January 2012 | Main | March 2012 »
search us
O God,
where
is our
injustice,
corruption,
where do we
erect
insurmountable
barriers
opposing
the move
of your Spirit,
excluding
those you
would include?
where in our
hearts
do we
fence you off,
and fence you in,
declaring you
untouchable,
unreachable?
+
Loving God,
break through
our insecurities
security net
and set us free
to serve you.
+
come...
from the desert
you call me
to meet you,
to enter afresh
the wilderness
places
of my heart
and soul,
and mind,
...come, come...
i hear your call,
come,
come, here
is healing, here
is transformation,
here is loves deepest
love...
come...
+
if i answer,
will you take me
as i am
with faults,
and failings,
and flaws..?
+
come, you respond...
only come...
turn
to the possibilities
of this
new beginning,
I WILL meet you
+
It was my turn to set the Friday Five for RevGals this week, when it came to it I found that I was almost devoid of inspiration, and at the root of that is a longing for something different, something new, and yet something eternal, maybe it has something to do with Lent, maybe it is something deeper than that...
This brief passage from Tom Stuckey's book "On The Edge of Pentecost" resonates deeply with me at this time:
"The Church hovers at a kiaros moment. God is giving us a brief window of opportunity....in which to turn ourselves around, or to be more accurate, to repent and believe. To repent is another way of saying we must face reality and change decisively. To believe is another way of saying that we must trust God and risk all...... we must act quickly."
That stirring to act must begin with an self emptying, and dare I say a corporate emptying of selfishness on the part of the Church... again and again I hear some folk demanding what they want, but a new voice is winning out, a voice asking what God wants and how we should respond.
With all of that background I set this Friday Five:
I am coming up with nothing, so I am wondering; what do you do when you feel empty of all creativity and unable to make/do anything? This is a completely open question, the only rule is name 5 things that fill/ inspire you:
1. Connecting with that call to something new I offer the New Song video available on You Tube from Audrey Assad, here are the lyrics:
Far-off hymns and funeral marches sound the same again.
My ears are worn and weary strangers in a strange land
and I need a new song. I need a new song.
All I am is breath and vapor and shadow.
All I have is what I need and this I know.
I need a new song.
I need a new song.
Waiting in the night for you. Burning in the sky for you.
There's an aching in my body, within my lungs.
This web of bones around my heart is coming undone.
I need a new song. I need a new song.
I'm waiting in the night for you
burning the sky for you. Waiting in the night for you
I'm burning in the sky for you.
Words are failing... my melodies falter;
my voice is breaking; my heart is burning...
Because blessing and honour, and glory, and power and praise and
worship. They belong to you.
I need a new song.
I need a new song.
I need a new song...
2. Another way that I draw inspiration is from the Visual Arts, this picture by Tim inspires me today:
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
that the mountains would tremble before you!
inconvenient,
unsuitable,
unsatisfactory,
unwanted,
with these
names
you scar
my unformed
heart, and
i would
weep
if i could...
will any weep
for me,
or will i
remain unknown,
unwanted,
unsatisfactory,
unsuitable,
inconvenient....
+
because i might be
a girl/ boy
(delete as applicable)
+
i wonder
would i
have had
my father's eyes?
This unborn baby is 8 weeks old
Think about joining 40 Days for life in prayer
(Before I get comments of anger and misunderstanding, I do recognise that sometimes medically and for other reasons that abortion is the best f a set of bad choices . But I will say that to abort a baby on grounds of gender, oreye colour, or skin tone, or ay othr apparenty desirable/ undesrale trait is unacceptable!)
Facebook is a wonderful place for sharing stuff and networking, over the last couple of days many of my friends have been announcing to the world what they will be giving up for Lent, or in some cases what they will try to achieve. Some have been really creative; one friend is attempting to give up anger, to intentionally think through what sparked the anger and why, others are giving up meat, wine chocolate etc, and one brave soul is giving up meat and alcohol. Now I can't say that any of this is bad, and I hope and pray that they will find benefits in it, but this year I find myself asking why we do what we do...
Before I receive a whole bunch of responses I do know that spiritual practice of fasting is one that we are called to and one that is often neglected and one through which we can draw near to God. It is about God and not about us:
But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:17-18)
So at the risk of being a grumpy guts... I wonder what we hope to achieve by telling everyone what we are fasting from; but then I have to admit all this giving up is something that I struggle with, it lacks depth, or it lacks the depth I seek, it must be truly intentional, and it must be about God and not about what I do or don't do, if it is then it is all about me...
I truly do want to be able to draw closer to God through the season of Lent, and I appreciate and celebrate its emphasis on denial of self and turning to God, but I have now reached a point where I know that I can't do it...
When I say I can't do it, I mean that I cannot, do not have the inner strength or resources to change myself, for that I need God, I can make changes to my diet, loose or gain weight, I can alter my prayer life and impose a sense of order into the chaos of my being, but deep deep transformation requires that I turn to God for his resources and find there a love deeper and wider and more than I could ever have imagined.
Reflecting on all of this, and intentionally entering into silence this year in a marvellous mix up of the seasons I hope to find the waves of Pentecost breaking over me, in me and through me...
I need this, because I cannot do it, and I need God to work in me....
dust, from
dust, we mortals
created
and God breathed
are dust,
only dust,
the stuff
of mountains,
moons, and stars,
creations d.n.a.
runs within
our veins,
and we are
dust,
our frail,
fragile,
fleeting bodies,
dust, from eternity,
to eternity
God imagined,
made in
time,
called beyond time,
dust,
wonderful,
glorious,
deeply loved,
dust...
I have been asked at least half a dozen times already today what I will be giving up for Lent; my answer is nothing, I have tried before to give up various things and have not found this practice to be helpful. So this year I have decided to take something on instead. I want to begin each day in silence and stillness, not reading, not browsing the internet (even quietly) and not even praying, but intentionally being still.
I think it is a lost art to us today, and that we would benefit from it hugely, one of the greatest gifts of my holiday last week (apart from celebrating 30 yrs of marriage) was the chance to simply be, to walk and not to talk, to sit and watch the fire, to light a candle and simply to breathe!
This article explains it better than I can; I am simply accepting the invitation!
what depths
does silence touch,
and what heights are
in her reach,
and why do
we confuse
her with
condemnation?
+
she beckons
and we shun her,
she calls
and we block
our ears
with sound
and our
hearts
with worry...
+
silence
offers us a gift
laced with
eternity's wholeness
beyond words,
beyond time,
beyond selfish
preoccupations...
+
if you take
her hand
she will lead you
to a place of
blessing and
transformation,
only then
will she urge
you to join
the world
again....
+
What I am taking:
2 Novels,
2 Books I've been making time to read,
2 Bibles- different translations,
Journal and pen- yes pen!
Camera,
Paints and Canvasses,
MP3 player,
Maps,
Walking boots,
Walking gear- clothes.
What I am not taking:
Computer,
Diary,
Watch,
Smart clothes,
Dog-collars!
Bye, bye twitter, facebook , e-mail and work phone See you in bit :-)
I am off with Tim Coleman to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary!!!
i am here,
on your streets,
in the battered,
the bruised,
the abused, the neglected,
and downtrodden,
i am here,
i am here
where
you can see me
in the prostitutes eyes,
and the drunks downcast gaze,
i am here,
in the helpless
and the hopeless,
in the vulnerable,
in the discounted ones,
i am here,
and i am here
with you, and for you,
to strengthen
and to guide you,
to give you
eyes to see me
in the lovely and unlovely,
and ears to hear
my voice
through songs of praise
and cries of pain,
i am here,
and i love you,
through the love
that calls for love's sake,
where the broken
meet
with healing
i am here
So let's go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is—not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. This "insider world" is not our home. We have our eyes peeled for the City about to come. Let's take our place outside with Jesus, no longer pouring out the sacrificial blood of animals but pouring out sacrificial praises from our lips to God in Jesus name.
Hebrews 13: 13-15
I am kind of fascinated by this picture that has been doing the rounds on Facebook over the last few days, it shows different perspectives on what pastors/ ministers do and is obviously somewhat tongue in cheek!
While I understand the last picture I really can't relate to the first one, partly because I really don't see myself in that way at all, I prefer these images:
and
or
Today I led to services where we opened the word, drank coffee and shared communion! We sat around tables, prayed and sang (though only two hymns/songs), the discussion was on the inclusive Christ, both were very different, both were transformative for those involved!
of course there are lots of other images like this one of Tim's:
I could go on and on, but I see ministry as helping to create an opening, sharing with others, opening myself ,opening a door, openly sharing, opening God's word, and creating an opening through works, service and sacrament. I don't always get it right, but when I don't I hope to have the humility to say so and apologise.
This afternoon, with glue and glitter, tea and cake we gathered to hear the story of Zaccheus there were folk of all ages, from 70's to babies, families, singles, couples, all having fun and learning together...
As for my friends, some of them jokingly tell me I only work for a few hours one day each week, but they know that is nonsense!
So may the door remain open, and may I encourage others to offer the same welcome we have received from Christ, no matter who they are....
More than anything I am encouraged today by someone saying, I have learnt such a lot from you because you are normal, approcahable and normal!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recent Comments