Ben Avery wrote the following really cool prayer and thought it would be well quoted here:

Creator,

Whose canvas is the universe.

Whose tale is history.

Who molded me in my mother’s womb.

Who made me in your image.

Draw me closer to you as I walk in your footsteps as a creator.

Guide my hand.

Open my mind.

Inhabit my heart.

Grant me clarity.

Honesty.

Humility.

And courage.

Clear my mind of my clutter.

Focus my heart on your Truth.

Free my hand to express your mystery.

Motivate me.

Energize me.

Inspire me.

Occupy my craft so that when others experience it, they might see your face.

Feel your hand.

Know you better.

And that when I experience it, I might do the same.

Amen

Real Live Preacher says that mowing can be a monastic devotion.  Just for the record, in case you don’t know, I hate mowing.  So I found this intriguing.  And I have liked this concept of God in the midst of the ordinary stretches of our lives for a while.  Well, ok, I like the idea but not always like the practice.  But I digress.  The idea of the spiritual call of the mundane is powerful.  I truly believe that God is every bit concerned about being in the midst of the tedious, the boring, the unglamourous parts of our lives.  That He wants the whole summ of our lives.  Not just the adventurous dreams.

So often, we want Godly mission to be about grandiose things.  We want to change the world.  The mission field must be about some far flung land that needs the Gospel.  It must, we think, be about us writing songs or poetry or preaching that will change countless lives.  Now, I want to be clear and say that wanting those things are NOT wrong.  And that God clearly does do things like that.  But I am also here to tell you that God cares every bit as much about the simple, ordinary, unpolished parts of our lives every bit as He does about the bigger dreams.  I truly believe that every diaper changed is as important to God as any written by Hill Song.  That every act done in quiet service to the Kingdom is of great value.

In fact, as I think of it, there is probably a tendency for God to require us to be faithful in the ordinary before He will trust us with bigger things.  Take the parable of the talents, for instance.  All the faithful servants are told by the Master, “you have been faithful in the little things.  Now I will make you ruler over much”.  Years ago, I remember a popular Evangelist sharing that when he initially wanted to go into the ministry, he had great dreams and plans.  He had a great passion for service.  He went to his Pastor at the time and shared his great vision of changing lives for Jesus and desire to go into the ministry.  His pastor said something like “GREAT!  Here’s a broom….go sweep the church floors.”.

It would seem this, likely many New Covenant things, is a matter of the heart.  The servant of Christ must be humble.  Christ Himself came in the form and practice of a servant.  He, though being God, was essentially homeless and penniless for most of His ministry.  And remember the sheep and the goats?  The sheep did all kinds of amazing and good works for the Master.  And yet, they didn’t even know they were doing it!  They were so humble and selfless and yielded to God’s purpose and plan…that it seemed to be second nature to them.

I love how RLPreacher says in his article that jeans are his vestments and a baseball cap is his tonsure.  What help can you be today, friend?  Where can you lend a hand?  What kind word can you give to another who is suffering?  What gift can you bring?  It may help more than you can ever know.  And whether it is received by another is actually inconsequential.  Because it matters to God.  And He will most surely say to you “Well done, good and faithful servant.  You have been faithful in a little…” and “…when you did this to the least of these you did also to me”.

Peace to you today fellow traveler…

Over the years I’ve heard many a Christian teacher preach the view that when a Christian suffers, that God will use that suffering experience eventually to minister to others.  I have to say, that view has often troubled me.  I don’t think that suffering always has some grandiose purpose.  I don’t think the outcome is always somehow a ministry prospect.  Any time that we try to take something profoundly effecting experience like tragedy and try to apply formulas those formulas are doomed to fail.  

What I DO think about about suffering is that God is with us through it all.  That He promises to walk hand and hand with us in it.  And I do think, somehow, that suffering does have significance.  That it is to say, if we allow it to, suffering can bring us closer to God.

Hey, as of last June, I’ve been blogging for eight years…or is it nine?  Well, a long time either way.  LOL

Every now and again I think of leaving the blogoverse….meager as it is now.  Fewer and fewer blogs are remaining these days.  Blogging’s not like it was in hey day.  Back then everyone had a blog.  The exchange was vibrant and dynamic.   But what was once a torrent of discussion is now but a trickle.  It feels like end of Return of the King when all the elves and Frodo are leaving Middle Earth on their ships.  Will I be like Samwise, remaining behind?  Yeah, probably.

So, what it’s worth, here I shall remain.  And I’ll try to be more real.  Twitter and FB I’m finding are poor mediums to express deeper thoughts.  Pretty superficial and limiting really.

So cheers to 8 (or is it really 9???).  Will there be that many more?  Who knows.  Live for today.  Seize the day.  Who knows where we might be tomorrow?

Peace of Christ to you fellow traveler!

Found the following version of St. Patrick’s Lorica that were incorporated into a hymn, very nice:

 I bind unto myself today the strong name of the Trinity, by invocation of the the same, the Three in one and one in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever, by power of faith, Christ’s incarnation; His baptism in Jordan river; His death on Cross for my salvation; His bursting from the spiced tomb; His riding up the heavenly way; His coming at the day of Doom; I bind unto myself to-day.

I bind unto myself the power of the great love of Cherubim; the sweet “well done” in judgment hour; the service of the Seraphim, Confessor’s faith, Apostles’word, The Patriarch’s prayers, the prophets’ scrolls, All good deeds done unto the Lord, and purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today the virtues of the star-lit heaven, the glorious sun’s life-giving ray, the whiteness of the moon at even, the flashing of the lightning free, the whirling wind’s tempestuous shocks, the stable earth, the deep salt sea around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today the power of God to hold, and lead, His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to hearken to my need. The wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His shield to ward; The Word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin, the vice that gives temptation force, the natural lusts that war within, the hostile men that mar my course; or few or many, far or nigh, in every place, and in all hours, against their fierce hostility, I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan’s spells and wiles, against false words of heresy, against the Knowledge that defiles, against the heart’s idolatry, against the wizard’s evil craft, against the death-wound and the burning, the choking wave, the poisoned shaft, protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger, Christ in heart of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name, the strong name of the Trinity, By invocation of the same, the Three in One, and the One in Three. Of whom all nature hath creation; Eternal Father, Spirit, Word: Praise to the Lord of my salvation, Salvation is of Christ the Lord

A poem repost:

Sister Peace 

Slipping into my
dark room,
You clasp my hand.
You clasp my heart.
You raise me up.
Sister Peace!
Welcome back!
Your voice so sweet.
Your lover’s song.
Oh my, it is so dear to me.
Please stay. Please stay.

One of the truly hard things in many recent days is how prolonged the hardship has been.  How long and drawn out it is.  It seems endless.  It has tested my resolve, energy, my peace, my joy, my faith….my whole being really.  It is very wearing. 

Listening to Donald Miller this morning, there was more revelation.  He told how, there is the “middle part” of kayaking when you are in the middle of a body of water.  The shore that you left disappears or becomes smaller, but the destination is either not visible or is also very small.  And this middle part is seems endless he says, like you are paddling and paddling and just remaining stationary.  He says that it is very wearing on the kayaker.  The kayaker essentially has three choices, they can turn around and return, just stop and drift, or press on toward their destination.  Ironically, neither of those choices solves the  feeling that the journey is endless.

Scripture tells us in many places to keep the faith, to turn neither to the left nor the right, to trust God and press on.   As I’ve said, my own experience has seemed endless.  But I realize that this is is a process.  It is part of the journey.  No one ever said that it would easy.  In fact, I’ve been promised other wise.

Perhaps, like the kayaker, the wise choice is to press on to the far shore.  Press on and trust God.  Press on and know that God travels with me.  He is my guide.  I must keep rowing.  I must press on.  

It is the nature of every human to seek comfort and security. - Donald Miller

Miller goes on to say that if people stay anywhere, for any extended length of time they tend to put down roots and want to stay there.  There fore, he says, change is hard and painful for people.  And, in any good story, it takes motivation for a character to change their given previous ways.  Miller says that, in a story, this is called the inciting incident.  Essentially, the inciting incident is circumstance or event that introduces conflict in a character’s life no matter how subtle or cataclysmic that might be.  To illustrate how resistant to change people can be, Miller uses the extreme example of victims of abuse.  He points out how they will resist leaving or return to the sites of their abuse. 

It’s interesting that our discussion at LGBC last Saturday really touched on this idea.  That is that suffering can be a very strong inciting incident.  Almost necessary in a way to get us to move.

I wonder, as I think of the great heroes of the Bible, how hard was it for them to change their circumstances?  It must have been very hard for Moses to leave the comfort and peace of his shepherd life to return to Egypt.  It must have been hard for Abraham to just get up and leave everything he knew for the unknown.  In fact, just read the famous “hall of faith” chapter of Hebrews (i.e. ch. 11) and it might have you wondering, how did any of those people have the hutzpa to do what they did.  I woud venture to say that God placed inciting incidents in each of their lives.  Sure, that might have involved a super natural call of some sort.  But it most likely included some sort of life conflict that brought about a wave of change for the hero.

But how does relate to our life?  Well, I think it’s fair to say that we all are a fairly change resistant bunch.  I know I am.  I constantly find things in my life that God is calling me to that I don’t necessarily want to do.  Even when I know it’s good for me…I don’t want to change.  I don’t like the place that I’m at….but the future is scary.  Change is scary.  But I am trusting God for the future.  I will trust Him for the outcome.  He’s proven Himself to me to be trustworthy.  He’s never let me down.  Never left me or forsaken me, just like He has promised.  I have every reason to believe that He will come through for me.  And still, all this change is like willingly jumping into a deep ravine.  You’ve got a bungy chord attached….but will it really hold you?

Again, fellow traveler, I’ll lead you with questions and not answers:  What change is God calling you to?  What are you fearful of?  What areas do you need to trust Him more in?

Well, there is this, perhaps your inciting incident can also be an insightful incident.

Watched The Road Fri night.  It was a very well done movie and superbly acted by Viggo Mortensen.  And it was also very disturbing containing many very heavy, mature themes.  It is a very dark movie that had some very surprising spiritual elements.  Discussion of God is woven in throughout the movie. It could easily be a platform from which to bring discussion of evil, and free will gone awry and God’s influence in the world…into a public forum.  As such I think the movie is very worth seeing.  But, it’s really not light fare.  It reminded me a great deal of Schindler’s List (from the dark, foreboding feel of the movie).  Really, if you want deep without all the dark, I would recommend The Fantastic Mr. Fox instead.

Last night at LGBC we all left with the question “how am I partnering with God?”.  That was actually taken from the study notes that came out of the “Trees” addition of Rob Bell’s Nooma series.  I am finding this to be a remarkably hard question to answer.  In part b/c it’s so very broad.  There can be so many different answers.

One thought we had on this topic that we came up was that, in America we are so prone to think in individualistic terms.  How am “I” partnering with God.  In distinct contrast, the Bible (including the NT) is very communal.  Believers are depicted as part of the body of Christ.  We are not the body of Christ individually.  We function necessarily together.  So, perhaps a better question might be “how are WE partnering with God?”.

Of course, there is personal responsibility depicted in the Bible.  As such, it’s not wrong to consider individual holiness.  But, again, we do individualism really well in the US.  We aren’t lacking for that.  That’s kind of like buying someone who lives in Texas a space heater when it’s July.

Oh well, I don’t have a clean and tidy answer to this.  Just something I’m pondering today.