Joyful Living, Days 29 and 30 check in

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blessing, Christianity, God, prayer, spirituality

It is hard to believe that this is the last day of the June Joy Dare suggested by Ann Voskamp.  See http://annvoskamp.com/ for more details on the challenge.  This month has blown by and most of the days this challenge has been a joy.  Every day this challenge has stretched me.  I am amazed at the disciplined way I have taken this challenge on, although reporting to you has helped in that matter.  I also think that because it was short term it was easier to follow through with the daily challenges.  And, because the challenges changed daily  that kept it interesting and even better, because the challenges changed daily it was a great way in which to see God’s hand at work in all the areas of my life.

Would I do it again?  Oh yes.  In fact there were days when I was jealous that I hadn’t thought of it.  This of course started me thinking about ways in which I could issue my own challenge.

• How about an August Adulation Application
• How about a September Spiritual Disciplines Stroll
• How about Decorating Advent with Adoration
• How about Jump-starting January with Jesus

Okay, okay I know, I am digressing and delaying on the final two days of check-in.  That’s because I didn’t finish strong…Here goes:

Day 29 Give thanks for something small, big and just right

This challenge had a Goldilocks ring about it, but it was fun.

1. Something small:  I received a small ceramic watering pot full of flowers as a thank you gift from a congregation that I had done some special work for.  What a delight to spend the evening with their Session, to laugh, joke and tell stories of the past two years over an absolutely delightful dinner.  The fresh fragrant flowers were just the icing on the cake.
   

   freedigitalphotos.net

2. Speaking of cake, the excellent carrot cake that I had at the women’s salad luncheon was too big, but moist, delicious and frosted with a yummy frosting.  There are good cooks at the church where I work.
3. What was just right about yesterday was the fellowship.  I had the opportunity to speak to most of the people coming and going at the Luncheon.  I enjoyed some great fellowship over lunch.  Then I had a great time talking with the women and their husbands who served, while they had their lunch.  Then an opportunity to visit with some special women.  And then fellowship with the aforementioned Session.  Some days its hard to believe that I actually get paid to do this.  Oh yes, God is good.

Day 30  something that I gave today….

I am stumped.  I have been home all day, alone except for the wonderful person who came and put in a new AC.  Today I napped, worked on worship, made and took a few phone calls and enjoyed the coolness in my apartment.  What I give today is thank to my God for everything that has filled my life and for the new awareness that I have of what he has given me.  Over the past month I have given thanks for:

• family
• friends
• photos
• paintings
• fabric
• fellowship
• those who pray for me
• food
• worship
• the difficult things that have shaped me and the joyous things that moved me to tears.

Today I give thanks to God, whose blessings are without number and far greater than I would ever had realized with out participating in this challenge.  God is good, all the time.  All the time, God is good.  Amen.

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Citizenship

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Canada Day, Christianity, Fourth of July, God, prayer, Religion, spirituality

freedigitalphotos.net

It is the first long weekend of the summer and in Canada and the United States we are celebrating our country and our heritage.  But last night as I was reading and meditating I got thinking about where our real citizenship is to be found.

This weekend let us remember that our true home is in Heaven and that our true citizenship is as people of God’s way.  In the midst of the BBQ’s, fireworks and celebrations, let us remember to worship and thank our God for his great goodness to us.  

 

Joyful Living, Day 28 check-in

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Christianity, Food, God, Jesus, joy, Meals, prayer, Religion, spirituality, thanks

Today’s Joy Dare, to give thanks for 3 thing eaten.

When it’s food that I eat alone it is often just thrown together, leftovers, or even cereal (sigh) again.  I recently started making smoothies with frozen fruit and either yogurt or protein powder and they are yummy and the variety is as endless as my imagination.  I am currently thawing some spinach that will join blueberries and maybe coconut water in a smoothie for breakfast….. and I am thankful for all that healthy food.

But what I am delightfully thankful for is food that is enjoyed in the company of people I love.  That’s why I love going out for dinner, but in this  case, I am thankful for the food enjoyed at a BBQ with my covenant group.

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

We enjoyed:

1. Grilled hamburgers, beautifully charred.
2. A variety of salads, including one made with grilled vegetables that was awesome.
3. Fresh fruit, strawberries and cherries with ice-cream.

photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

It was a delicious meal, but what made it so special was the other people at the table.  Great fellowship, great conversation and a shared delight as we talked about God made this meal an event rather than just a meal.  Sharing food with people is what we see again and again in the Bible.  In Deuteronomy the people are commanded to bring the first tithe into the sanctuary and there in the presence of God to feast.  In the ministry of Jesus he often broke bread with his disciples, and he multiplied loaves and fish for the people who came to listen to his teaching.  The apostles and the disciples that formed the early church gathered daily around a table as they shared what they had in common.  The church itself celebrates at a meal as bread is broken and wine is poured—the grace of Christ poured out for us.

Meals, in my opinion are meant to be shared, and in the sharing we find joy, we find love, and we find God.

I give thanks for those meals I enjoy in the company of others.  I give thanks for the meals I will enjoy tomorrow, at the Women’s Group Salad lunch and then later as I meet with a group of people for a special supper celebrating the work that we have done together.  

The Revelations of the Night

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Christianity, faith, God, Peace, prayer, spirituality, Trust

Yesterday I dealt with a situation that discouraged and disappointed me.  There was something that I thought was going to happen, something I wanted to happen and it didn’t.  After the initial response to the news wore off however, I was surprised to find that I wasn’t as devastated as I thought that I would be.  Some people gave me encouraging comments, which included little nuggets of wisdom and I am extremely grateful for all that they gave me, they lifted my heart.  But that wasn’t why I didn’t take the news as hard as I thought I would or should.

Last night as I was reading Scripture and praying, I worked through this news with God.  I reaffirmed that above all else I wanted to follow his will.  And then the Scriptures made me laugh.  I took the message all out of context (don’t we all sometimes) but in the situation it just struck me as very funny to be reading in Ephesians these words….

Ephesians 6:1  Children, obey your parents …as I read that I burst out laughing.  “Yes, God, Abba, Father I will obey you.”  It was good to laugh with God, and to reaffirm my faith and my desire to walk his pathway.  Because you see, although I was doing everything right, and asking others to pray in order to keep my will out of the situation, my will still prevailed—at least in my mind.  I believed that what I wanted, was what God wanted.  To make matters worse God had been telling me that this was not for me, and what was I doing, I was interpreting his voice as the doubts planted by the evil one.  I even had friends who counseled me to start thinking that this may not be of God.  My response to them….”you are stressing me.”  Thankfully they are good friends, who love me as I am.

the faith-bubble rests securely in God’s hands

So last night I got to wondering how I could have been so wrapped up in what I wanted, rather than  hearing what God wanted when I was working so hard on having a faith-filled journey with God.  In fact I had just commented to someone that I was really enjoying riding a big faith bubble.  And then it dawned on me that the faith-bubble had not been damaged.  I had felt the big bump certainly, but the faith-bubble was intact.  Faith wasn’t my problem, hearing God was my problem.  Confession you know is so freeing.  I was able to see things in a whole new light.

That doesn’t mean that I don’t have concerns.  My future is still uncertain.  I don’t have a straight path down which I can see where God is leading.  A friend told me last night that her mother always said, “only God needs to see around the corners.”  to which I responded  “fine, but it would be nice if he would put up some road signs.”  The truth is, that I do need to know what my future holds fairly soon, but the bigger truth is that I know that God will take care of me.  My friend promised to put a PS on all her prayers and remind God that I am getting tired of waiting.

Which brings me to the second chuckle in my evening’s devotional time.  A verse further on in Ephesians  said:   And, fathers, do not provoke your children…. And God so graciously listened while I expounded at great length how all these delays and twists and turns felt to me as a provocation.

Now please remember that I said earlier that I had found humor in the reading from Ephesians, but that I had taken the passage completely out of context.  Normally I would not recommend that anyone feel free to treat Scripture in this manner.  But for me, last night, it worked because it helped me start a conversation with God about where my heart was at, and what I felt I needed from him next.  What will God do next?  Only God knows.

Only God knows, but my affirmation of faith today comes from Psalm 130

Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord. 
   Lord, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
   to the voice of my supplications! 

If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities,
   Lord, who could stand? 
But there is forgiveness with you,
   so that you may be revered. 

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits,
   and in his word I hope; 
my soul waits for the Lord
   more than those who watch for the morning,
   more than those who watch for the morning. 

.

Discouraged

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Christianity, Discouragement, God, Jesus, prayer, Religion, spirituality

So today I am discouraged, this trusting and waiting on God thing takes a lot of twists and turns, not all of them pleasant or welcome.

But when I opened face-book this is what I saw, a reminder that God is indeed with me in all things, in all circumstances and that he is ALWAYS taking care of me.  It is good to be reminded of that.

Joyful Living, Day 27 check-in

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Avenue of the Righteous, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Today’s topic:  framed by a frame

I have already written about numbers 1 and 2 on other days..  1.  The beach sand contained in a framed box from my daughter and 2. the painting of Signal Island.  which brings me to 

3.  A framed photocopy of a certificate of honor given to my grandmother (posthumously) by the government of Israel.  I have already written of how her commitment to justice and doing the right thing was a hallmark of her faith.  That the government of Israel honored her along with so many others was a testimony to what she risked in doing what she did.  She has also been remembered by trees planted in her name on the avenue of the righteous in Jerusalem.  This is what the  website for the avenue of the righteous says:  The Avenue of the Righteous Among the Nations was inaugurated in 1962. Trees, symbolic of the renewal of life, have been planted in and around the Yad Vashem site, in honor of those non-Jews who acted according to the noblest principles of humanity by risking their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. Plaques adjacent to each tree record the names of those being honored along with their country of residence during the war.  

Yesterday in my covenant group we paused to read from the Acts of the Disciples as we began our opening devotions.  Peter, Paul, Silas they were all so bold concerning their faith; despite pressure from the Temple to cease and desist and despite being jailed for preaching about Christ crucified and risen, they continued to preach openly about the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.  They prayed for boldness as they fulfilled what God had called them to do.  Boldness and risk are things we don’t often incorporate as the underpinnings of our faith, and yet it seems from Scripture that this is a crucial component.  I remember my grandmother, a woman whose faith, boldness and risk taking are a reminder that our call to Christian living is a call to do bold things in the name of Christ.  

Introductory stone to the “Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles.”  Along this tree–lined avenue are plaques and trees that commemorate some of 20,757 people who have been recognized as those who helped save Jews from the Holocaust.  The trees are Carob Trees: known for their sturdiness and strength–not cypress (symbols of pride)  Source:  Holy Land photos.org

 

But sadly, as we discussed yesterday, we (as people and as the church) seem to be in a place of  complacency and timidness.  Is this because we still see ourselves in Christendom?  Is this because there are no pressures on us to be the church in face of opposition?  What would happen to us if we were called upon to take a stand today?  Would our response be  “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”  

Joyful Living, Day 26 check-in

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Christianity, God, holy spirit, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Do you believe that I have actually done this more or less faithfully for 26 days in a row.  Okay sometimes I did 2 days at a time, but most of the time I was disciplined and stuck to the plan.  And wow have I been blessed, and forced to think about the many ways that God blesses us.  Today’s task makes me look at God’s blessings in yet another way…..  in fabric.

1. A soft comforter:  Last night it cooled off significantly overnight, and I was grateful to have a light comforter on  the side of the bed to pull over me.   As I  write this I reflect on one of the descriptions of Holy Spirit…comforter.  Aside from being the one who comforts us in our distress, the Spirit also covers us with warmth and protection, we can pull him around us and relax.  Spiritual armor doesn’t necessarily have to be all breastplates and sheilds.
2. Soft clothing:  I have never liked tight restrictive clothing, and so I am grateful that right now the clothing that is stylish and available in the stores is soft and flowy and very comfortable.  I pray that my relationship with God will grow so that it too just flows softly and is very comfortable…and that will happen right before God pushes me off into something hard and difficult, but at least then I’ll have developed the faith to walk confidently.
3. A silk pillow cushion:  A few years ago when my cousin came back from China I asked her to look out for something special that a friend of mine was looking for.  Not only did she find exactly what I had asked for, she also picked up a  silk pillow cushion for me.  The silk is beautiful, it pleases me to look at it, but I have to say that as soon as I unpacked it ownership transferred to the cat.  He loves  that silk.  A few days ago a friend was here for a visit and the cat was rolling on the fabric and rubbing against it and she asked me if I really wanted him doing that to such a delicate fabric.  First of all the only way to stop him would be to put it away in the closet then neither of us would get pleasure from it, and secondly he doesn’t seem to be hurting the fabric, he just enjoys rubbing himself against it.  It makes me happy to see him happy.  It also makes me wonder about the things that we treasure in the church.  Do we willingly and happily share them with all the people, of all ages; or, do we say you can’t because you are the wrong age, gender, or race and this treasure is reserved only for the ones who belong?  I believe that we cannot hoard the treasures of God, that they have been given to us to share them freely and widely.  Yes there are some who may damage or misuse the treasure; but that is not up to us to prevent, that is between the individual and God….and who knows maybe, like Buster, they will find  way to enjoy the treasure in a way we had never considered and our enjoyment of God will grow as well.

Just a few things to ponder.

Joyful Living, days 24 and 25 check-in

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Christianity, God, gratitude, Jesus, joy, prayer, Religion, spirituality, thanksgiving

Somehow the weekend got away from me.  Yesterday was a full day.  Worship in the morning, then a long nap,  followed by the Presbytery induction service in the evening.  As moderator I kind-sorta had to be there.  So although I started thinking about the things to be joyful about, I really didn’t get very far.

Day 24 in water, in words, in white

1. In water:  God’s gifts to us in water is immeasurable, and sadly we take it for granted.  At least I do.  In my life water has always been readily available from the taps.  We never had to haul it from the well.  We never had to go outside and use an outhouse.  Then as an adult I discovered that people on remote rural farms in the prairies lived without running water.  I was shocked.  In modern north America there were people without running water.  My eyes were opened.  What I had taken for granted other people longed for, people in my own country, accustomed to all the other technologies I knew, didn’t have running water.  So yesterday it was so easy to give thanks for water, in the shower, and from the tap when I got a glass to drink.  And I prayed for all those who do not have the blessing of water.  Those who who don’t have safe clean water to drink.  Those who have to draw from a well.  Those who have to walk miles to get the water they need for the day.  And I give thanks for those times when I participated in fresh water fundraising projects in order to build wells in communities.  Truly we who are blessed often forget how very blessed we are.
2. in words…. Yesterday in worship we read the commandment that is quickly becoming my favorite, the commandment that is the one that is most often repeated in Scripture.  DO NOT BE AFRAID.  Fear not.  I preached saying that the default human response to danger, uncertainty and even the challenge of God to go forth is FEAR.  And because we are afraid we miss out on the blessing of being cared for by God.  But I also spoke saying that we need to practice faith, we need to pray, we need to meditate, we need to do what God asks us to do and go where God asks us to go and we need to TRUST GOD IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.  This is the only way to develop ourselves spiritually so that we change our default response from fear to faith.
3. in white…………sorry, I came up blank.  Fortunately I don’t have to be perfect for God, for me or for you.

Day 25, someone older than you.

1. My mother.  She has given of herself, not only to me, but to all of my siblings as well.  Her love is outstanding.  Her devotion knows no bounds.  A few years ago I had surgery and she came out to stay for a month to take care of me.  A little over a year ago my daughter had her second baby and I couldn’t go to be with her because of work commitments (it was annual meeting season and I had 3 annual meetings to conduct) so my mother went to stay with her for a month and be there to babysit my older grandson while the baby was being born.  That couldn’t have been easy for her as my sister had just died, yet she went and we are all grateful that life triumphs over death in every way.   I am proud of my mother for the ways in which she shows us all how to keep on living life.   It would seem to me that mothers are like the energizer bunny, they just keep on going.
2. and 3.  I could pick the next two from a long list of people who touch my lives and bless me, but yesterday one of the elderly women in the congregation fell while coming into the church, and one elderly man took her to emergency and waited with her there until the service was over, and then a woman from the congregation came and relieved him.  It’s not the first time these two have been a sign of the church at work and I am always grateful for what they do, as well as what any of the others do, that point so clearly to God’s love and grace.  They remind me of what St. Fancis said:  go forth and preach the gospel and if necessary, use words.

 

Joyful Living, Day 23 check-in

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Christianity, Communion, God, grace, Jesus, prayer, Religion, spirituality

There are only 8 days left in the June Joy Dare.  To tell you the truth I did not expect to become so captivated by it.  I expected to be frustrated and that happened.  I expected to procrastinate and that happened.  I expected to forget and that happened–but I did not expect to be captivated.  On those days when the topic just reaches into me from all facets of my life, and I give thanks for those things that bring great joy, and yet really aren’t profound that I know God is truly with me.  One those days when the topic is profound, and spiritual, and life altering, I can see how this project is changing me and causing me to grow.

Today’s topic, covers all those bases for me from the simple things that fill my heart to the profound mysteries of God that show me how very deeply I am loved and cherished by my Heavenly Father.

Today’s topic……….give thanks for three things found around a table.  

1. My grandsons, playing together.  It is amazing to see them together, playing, sharing toys and crayons.  The older one is always teaching his younger brother, saying you make an E like this.  Now you try.  It is a blessing to see his growth and to hear the stories of his joy in sharing.  His latest thing is to only play board games that they can both play, not that either of them play by any known rules mind you.  But to see the 3 year old learning the art of sharing and caring, and to rejoice in how he grows in thoughtfulness is an amazing gift.  The time he and his brother spend playing at the table is about growing up, growing in love, and learning how to live with grace.  Being gathered at the table is about fun, sharing, time together and bonding.
2. Gathered with friends and family for meals is a beautiful gift of love, fun, sharing, time together and bonding.  Anyone can sit down and eat food, but when you gather with those you love for a meal it is an event.  Sharing a meal with friends and family  is about laughter and love, and story-telling.  Sharing that meal is about those who are absent as much as those who are present as the stories bring them to the table as well.  What a blessing to have people in our lives who make living better just by sharing themselves with us. 
3. The congregation gathered around the Lord’s Table…If I give thanks for those things above because of the bonds of love, caring and sharing that are found around the tables of play and nourishment, how much more so for the gifts we have in one another and in Christ at the Lord’s Supper.  This is where we are nourished to grow spiritually, as having already been fed by God’s word, we continue as we feast upon the outpouring of his grace.  (This is why I think we need to celebrate this meal more than 4 times a year, but that’s a topic for another day.)  This is the table where we are bonded together in love for God, in love from God and in love for one another.  At this table we feast not only with those who are present, but like a good dinner full of stories we also recall those who have already gone to be with the Lord.  In this meal there is a joining of heaven and earth as we and the saints before the table in Heaven are one in the Lord.   The meal that we share at that table is a reminder that one day, in Heaven, Jesus himself will stand behind the table to break bread and pour wine we would all be able to celebrate together.  

Grace, growth, unity, love……..those are the gifts that are found around the table.  

Joyful Living, Day 22 check-in

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Al Anon, Christianity, God, Jesus, joy, prayer, Religion, spirituality

Today’s Joy Dare:  Give thanks for three things that are difficult…

It seems to have been in my experience that when I have gone through difficult times, or been faced with difficult challenges I have grown, both spiritually and as a person/minister.  Seriously I suspect very strongly that the spiritual growth fueled the personal professional/ growth.  For that reason as I give thanks today I am focusing on things that have changed me as a christian, person, mother, and minister.

1. Marriage to an alcoholic:  Wow was that difficult.  It was like being in Spiritual War all the time.  The hostility, the fighting, the abuse, the nail gripping fear.  But after a particularly nasty party in which every thing I thought I had hidden just fell apart in front of the most important people in my world, I found Al Anon.  I learned so much about myself.  I learned how to control my reactions.  I learned to have confidence in myself and my abilities.  I gained the courage to leave.  Years later the lessons learned have proven to be helpful as I volunteered with Victim Services and the Help Line.  
2. Unemployment:  I did not enter unemployment happily.  Most of all I was angry at God for not taking care of me.  I applied for every vacant position in the church to no avail.  (Yep I was trying to control God…..AGAIN)  I even contemplated a career where I would repeatedly use the phrase, “Would you like fries with that?”  In the end, this time was a gift.  I lived with my daughter and her husband, moving in with them a month after their wedding.  What an opportunity to observe that she had married a good man, who treated her with respect and tolerance and humor.  What a joy to see a relationship between them of strength and trust.  Thank God she did not repeat my mistakes.  I am blessed in my son-in-law.   During that time, I did end up working in a call centre, and wow was that another world.  It was horrible and stressful, and I thought I’d never learn how to do what needed doing.  I called it The job from hell.  But I made friends with people, with whom if I had passed them on the streets of a major city, I’d have avoided making eye contact.  I gained an understanding of people who didn’t fit the “NORM” in my little world as I knew it.  We in the church can be so isolated from the world.  We tend to associate only with those who are “like us” and after a while we can believe that we don’t know anyone who needs to hear the story of Jesus.  What we need to do is to open our eyes and see the world of people on our doorstep who are waiting to hear about Jesus.  We can do it, but it will mean getting out of our comfort zones.  My favorite experience of life on the floor there came late one night when one of the young men, moved to the station beside mine as the number of people on the floor was reduced to a bare minimum.  Once he had set up he turned to me and he said, “There’s a rumour going around here that you are a minister.  I told them it couldn’t possibly be true because you are so normal.”  After I confessed that yes, I was one of those abnormal clergy type people, we settled down to have a deep discussion between phone calls about real important life issues and his struggles with work, life and marriage.  Would we have had those conversations if I hadn’t been willing to be a representative of Christ? Perhaps, but not with the same depth and meaning.
3. Finally, I am thankful for the June Joy Dare:  I am thankful because it has challenged me in my desire to be a person who prays and grows spiritually.  Some days I have had great difficulty in finding ways to be thankful for the things on the list.  And as I look ahead I see other things listed  that will require a lot of thought and discernment. This challenge has made me so aware of the many ways in which God fills my life, and of how many of his gifts I miss by my sheer lack of attention.  God is found in the details, and all too often we seek to find him in the big picture.  We only see the majestic moments and not those ways in which God blesses us with those seemingly insignificant things. Early on in this blog’s life Sandy commented that she had read a statement something like this:  What if when you woke up the next morning and all that you had was the things for which you had given thanks the day before?  This Joy Dare as difficult as it can be has pointed out those things that I don’t think to give thanks for, but if they were missing the next day, boy would I notice the empty spaces in my life.

What about you?  How have difficult moments shaped and formed your lives?  How have they informed your faith?  What about them has lead you to say with confidence, God is good all the time.  All the time God is good.  Praise be to God.