A God who hears

    Is 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-19
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.

The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

Gospel Mt 6:7-15
Jesus said to his disciples:
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

“This is how you are to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”


Talking to God:

One of the most difficult and yet most wonderful and amazing things about the Christian faith is the belief that we can talk to God and He hears us.  Throughout scripture we told over and over that God hears the prayers of his people and that he responds.

Now there are times in scripture when he seems not to respond.  Particularly we see this non-answering God when Israel and Judah became a “stiff necked people”.  When there is obvious and un-confronted sin in their, in our,  lives, it created a separation between God and his people and he says “I cannot hear you,”  “I turn my eyes away” or worse he ‘sees’ and he takes action but not in a way that seems at the moment to be good at the moment, but in the end, draws the people back to repentance.
Other times, we see like in Daniel life when he prayed fervently and the prayer was slow in being answered because of the opposition from the enemy.

God and his Word are inseparably linked and that Word is more than a construction of letters that make sense to us.  The opening chapter of John is a most incredible revelation, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God”.  In the following verses of that 1 chapter of John we see that, that Word was the very source of the Creation in Genesis 1.

If I am honest, many times when I pray – or have times when I don’t – I have forgotten too whom it is that I speak.  Prayer has become common place – at meals, at the openings of events, in pre-ordained spots and times in our services that it comes mundane – and more ritual and habit than it is encounter.
We’ve been going through the ‘Story’ at church – it’s a sermon series that covers the main stories of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation and highlights the upper story of God and the lower story of humankinds journey.  This past week was focusing on Daniel and his friends being taken from Israel as young men and growing to be old men in captivity in Babylon.  One verse stands out that explains their ability to stand in the face of all the oppositions of fiery furnaces and lions dens and other life and faith threatening events.  “Daniel resolved in his heart not to defile him with the Kings table”.  We know that this was more than just an issue of food and drink for Daniel and his friends – it is repeated in Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

We see in today’s readings that God’s Word is neither void nor empty – His Word is full of purpose and reason.   He hears the cries and the words of His people when they come humble and broken-hearted and not filled with pride and sin.
Psa 24:3-5
Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord,
And righteousness from the God of his salvation.

If you’re like me when you hear the words of the Psalmist, I wonder, how can I ascend that hill or stand in His holy place?  Then I remember the wonderful words of Hebrews 4:15-17

 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I am not the one without sin, He is.  My boldness and my ability to come and speak directly to God through no mediation are because of righteousness and holiness are not mine, but of His.

We constantly need to keep the promise God makes to us squarely in our hearts and minds “If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness”  - I need that daily remembrance, moment by moment, not as a get out of jail free card – it is a get our out of jail card, but it certainly isn’t free.  My, our, ability to speak boldly and free to God and know that He hears us comes at a great and terrible cost – the crucifixion.
This week is the beginning of lent in the Christian calendar – the of Body of Christ remembers together the events of our Lord and Saviour as he turned his face toward Jerusalem and began to make that journey toward the Cross with full knowledge of the pain and anguish that awaited him there.  Yet, so that we may be able to pray and that God our Father would hear and respond to us – he did not turn away.

1.    When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
2.    Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
3.    See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
4.    Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
 
Closing Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil. A-men

Anyway, I was just thinking.
Neil

Imitate me?

I’ve recently been challenged with Paul’s bold and dangerous statement in 1 Corinthians 11:1“And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ” - if we backup just a bit into chapter 10:33 , “I too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved”.

Sounds a lot like Mark 10:45, where Jesus states “The Son of Man did not come to be serve, but to serve”. I am additionally challenged by Heb 1:3 that remind us that Christ is the perfect reflection of the Father. The very nature of God is to serve and do what is best for others.

Firstly, I’m not sure that I feel as bold as Paul to be able to say to others “you should imitate me…” Yet, that’s not what Paul is saying, he IS saying only imitate me as I imitate Christ. The focus is not Paul, but Christ.

Many may not consciously state “do as I say, not as I do…” however; we tend to behave in that manner. We hold or expect something different than what he in fact hold ourselves too. The problem is I think that really I expect people to behave better than I am will to do myself.

Paul says “I try to please everyone in everything I do; I don’t just do what is best for me”. But we need to dig a little deeper into his motivation – “I do what is best for others, so that they may be saved.”

What I need to understand is that the Kingdom of God isn’t ‘over there’ or ‘just for Sunday’ – the Kingdom of God overarches our entire being – the physical, spiritual, emotionally, the mental. When we come to work – we don’t leave the Kingdom of God behind, it’s here – we’re in it. We’ve talked about this before, and we know this. For the Christian, they are in and are representatives of the Kingdom of God where ever they may be. The only thing that makes Christian Horizons different than any other work place is that we have the rare opportunity to be working alongside Kingdom minded people.

Living in this Kingdom mind set ticks me off sometimes. My wife does a much better job – I was reminded of this recently while at a restaurant. I have an expectation that when I go to a restaurant, I will be treated and served well – and I tip accordingly. If the service is lousy, it definitely affects the tip I leave. It affects the tip my wife leaves as well, but in the opposite direction. This drives me crazy. I know that when we have received lousy service, its’ going to cost me – because, she will tip more rather than less. Her belief is, in spite of bad service, her witness of goodness and grace to another is more important and vital than ever.

I however have pointed out the incongruently of her argument, because when I do less around the house, I don’t get reward more.

All that aside, I am deeply challenge by how I bring the imitation of Christ into existence in all aspects of my life that doesn’t’ depend on the actions or expected reward of another, but solely on the desire to be a living witness of gospel. I certainly believe that is essential when living before people that don’t know Christ. But, we are to do so no less for those that do know him.

Back to my restaurant rant, I don’t know if this is true or not, but I have heard people from the service industry say, that Christians groups can be some of the worst groups to serve because of their attitudes and expectations, and they can the worst tippers.

My point is not to advocate for better tipping – What I am convicted by is the experience others have me and whether they could conclude “I am seeking to imitate Christ” and whether I make things easier – or more difficult for them.

I certainly don’t think Paul’s promoting a spineless, wish washy approach. In fact we can point else in Paul’s writings where he is anything but a dish rag. What he is saying how we interact with one another matters – how we honour, respect – how we follow authority. Every action I undertake either represents the kingdom well – or it does so poorly. I hear in this passage, that I have to take responsibility for my actions, opinion and attitudes – for how I respond – and the frustrating thing for me is, that how I am to respond in my imitation of Christ, has little if nothing to do with the actions, behaviours and decisions of another.

Psalm 1 comes to mind.

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

The psalmist identifies three specific actions here, walking, standing, sitting. I think it is a conscious progression, one that I have seen in myself too often. I can easily get caught up in the ‘walking of grumbling and complaining – I react, I pull another in, we walk along together initially in the problem, if I don’t get a handle on it, it isn’t just a chance meeting of other walkers, I’m standing, I’m looking to draw people, to drag them into my compliant – by standing I’m becoming an obstacle that others might bump into an now I’m trying to get others to stand with me. If I don’t stop standing, I sit. Not only am I obstacle, now I become a stumbling block for others to trip over. I become entrenched and get others to entrench – to dig in with me.

When this happens I’m a long way from Paul’s call to imitate, to do what is best for others so that they might be saved – or having them experience the Kingdom of God through me.

I would contend that Paul’s idea of ‘saved’ is broader than simply ‘converted’ – certainly that is part of Paul’s hope and agenda, but I believe he has the idea of ‘redeemed’ more in mind – redeemed to be Kingdom livers.

I think Paul would be urging us to wrestle with how can Live, work, be with one another that brings God’s Kingdom into reality – that when we encounter each other, we’re bringing the Kingdom into a fuller existence in this place, in one another’s lives.

As a group of Kingdom people gathering in this place, we return to our Psalm passage, it is necessary and appropriate for us together to mediate on His law – day and night. But that mediation translates into a changed life – one that more fully reflects Christ and the Kingdom of God.

It is the delight of God I think to see us as his people imitate his Son with one so that we become a tree firmly planted by streams of water – his sustaining and life giving power. A gathering which yields nourishing fruit to one another here, and outward to those whom we will be in contact with.

I guess this can sound kinda corny – and ‘feel goody’ or pietistic but I think it really depends on how we understand the Kingdom to God. Is it something we move in and out of – or is it the very existence of our collective beings.

Anyway, I was just thinking,

Neil

One cannot hear the voice of another, unless they first silence their own

I was thinking about this today.  If we are truly to 'hear' the voice of those whom we support, we must be willing to let our voice fall silent.  More, we must be willing to push our voice aside to make room for the voice of another. I think perhaps this is a much more difficult exercise than what we first might consider.  Our words come so fast, our assumptions at the speed of sound.   A colleague and I reflected for a few moments today on how easy it is us for us 'support' type people to brush past, ignore ....silence, the voices of those we support.  We both felt a sense of remorse that too often, we speak for, and don't listen with.  Often this is done not with malice or intent, but because of our own busyness, demands and the amount of voices coming at us - yet - we must find the resolve to push those things aside and give room and authenticity to the voices of those we support. It not that their voice is not valuable - the problem can be the value I attribute to that voice.  A significant part of our call is to lend our voice to their voice - to learn their communication to give shape to their sounds and gestures. To be silent and allow the voices of others to have room.


Anyway, I was just thinking,

Neil

A step on the right path?

I was reflecting on Proverbs 16:9, ‘a man’s heart plans his steps, but God directs his paths’ on the drive into work this morning. There are a couple of personal things – rather significant in terms of the ‘path’ directions that I’m trying to determine what the right step is. Finding those steps can be tough. In one decision in particular, the ‘wrong’ step could have serious implications, not just for me, but significantly for others – the ‘right’ step however could open up exciting doors of new opportunities and growth. But which one? Neither step is a question of sin, but the choosing of that step is critical regarding potential outcome.

How do you know then what is the ‘right’ step? Wow, if I could get that nailed down, I truly would have a best seller on my hands. But then, I suppose it would remove the element of stepping out in the adventure of faith.

Over the years, I have developed 4 basic questions that I try to answer to get at my heart when wrestling with what step to take . Now first off, if the step in question is clearly a sin, putting that 'step' through this questioning process is moot. In this case, I simply declaring I chose my way over God’s and He’ll have to deal. That is outside of the realm of this conversation. These questions are for those steps that are more ambiguous in nature and I truly desire to stay firmly on God’s path.

1) Does this step cause me in anyway to compromise or violate the Word and purpose of God, or jeopardize my own person integrity? If the answer is yes, I have my answer. Too many times, I, and perhaps you, have yelled at God for ‘not being there’ when His response is “I didn’t want you there in the first place”. Thank God, literally, that His grace is sufficient, that there is repentance and forgiveness available. Now, I may need to bear the consequences of this decision for sometime – maybe even the rest of my life, I am forgiven. I know this may not sound fair, but, I did make the decision and set a host of realities into being. They don’t evaporate just because I am forgiven. Some of the other related questions I may ask are: Do I have to fudge the truth to make it happen? Do I have to justify to myself why this relationship or behaviour is okay? Does it move me closer to His image or further away?

2) Is the primary intent of this step to elevate, advance or make things ‘happier’ for myself? Or is my intent, to further the Kingdom of God in my life and the lives of others? It is not wrong to desire to move ahead or even be profitable. But if my advancement or profit is at the expensive of my relationship with God or at the expense of another person – again I have my answer. Some decisions do not necessarily fall into this realm; Tim Horton’s or MacDonald’s for lunch. While neither may be a great decision, they are not path altering decisions. Other decisions are path setting – a big part of challenge is recognizing these small steps for what they are or could be. How often I am short sighted regarding the importance of a particular step. I think this one reason the Apostle Paul warns us to take every thought captive. In light our recent learning, this might be similar to the idea of ‘interrogating reality’.

3) Is this step done in ‘faith’ or ‘wish’? I mean, is it a step that God would have me take at all? I’m afraid that many times, my decisions are based on my wishes, desires, and wants rather than on His purpose and Will. This one I find the most difficult to unravel and the easiest to rationalize. My ego can be very tricky – the only solution is diligent prayer and honest self examination of my motivation (search me, try me, examine me to see if there is any wicked way Psa 139:23). ‘What I want’ is an extremely powerful force in our lives. To crucifying the flesh is a difficult and continual death. We have confused personal happiness with faithful discipleship as the chief guide in our lives. God’s way is often the more difficult, and road less traveled. It is one, perhaps, I’d rather avoid because of the cost to my personal happiness. What is at the source of this weakness is my inability to see beyond the ‘now’ and physical into the eternal and spiritual. (I am intrigued by thought of the ‘eternal now’, but that is for another blog)

4) What is the counsel I received from mature Christians. Outside perspective and challenge is vital to choosing the right step. In many counselors, there is wisdom (Proverbs. 24:6). What I generally do is seek out those who tell me what I want to hear. I prefer those that will support the decision that I have already determined is the ‘right’ one for me. This is known as ‘the blind leading the blind’, and both eventually fall into the ditch. I need to hear the voices of those that would hold me accountable to God, purity, integrity and holiness. I may not like what I hear, but I need to listen to it, ponder it, and consider that counsel prayerful. If I chose not to heed it, I take the step at least with my eyes wide open.

If I get green lights on all four, I’m pretty confident to take that step. Experience has taught me however, that just because they all line up, it still doesn’t guarantee ‘successes. I quantify the idea of success because, how I gage success and how God gages success is not always (often?) the same. What seems to be a set back for me, may in fact be a reproving and a strengthening of my faith (read James 1). Even in these times of apparent setbacks and failure, if I know that I have held true to these four questions – I still have retained my integrity and I find that God still keeps me on the path. Frequently, I discover that I come to wonderful unexpected road stops

I wish I was always so careful with all the steps that I take – I seem to retain these questions just for the big ones. But this is a mistake. It is very easy to inadvertently wander off the path and find myself pondering a ‘big’ step on a path that God would have never had me travel. The truth is, it is the many small steps that determine my direction – it is the moment to moment decisions that I seek to yield to God that set the stage for that big step.

Anyway I was just thinking…..

Neil

What's in a Bill -- you might be surprised

Well, it seems that my last post has raised some questions regarding my stability. Let me set your mind at ease - that ceased to be a question a long time ago. You have no idea just how much energy it takes to for me to appear as the consummate lucid professional you see before you (why are you laughing?). “Lucid” - now that’s a funny word. Looks to me like it’s a wanna be word, that couldn’t convince other letters to join it to be a real looking word, so to spite everybody, it just set off on its own and then threatened and convinced all the other words that to be non lucid, is not a good thing. Which does in fact, amazingly enough, have a connection to some recent thoughts.

There was a recent private members bill put forward with a dubious future.  Because of the proroguing of goverment (speaking of strange words) it is unsure whether this Bill automatically dies in parliment, or is 'still alive'.  Even if it does die,  I’m afraid however, much like a bad horror movie, that just when you think the monster is dead it grabs your ankles. Be assured, it will not be the last we see of this Bill. The bill, C-384, largely unnoticed by the general public, was put forward by Francine Lalonde, the Bloc Québécois in May of 2009. However, if you Google it, a fair amount of material comes up – on both sides of the issue. This is not her first attempt at introducing such a bill. Her first two attempts that were introduced in June 2005 (Bill C-407) and June 2008 (Bill C-562), would have legalized euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada. In essence the bill outlines the following: That they were not limited to the direct and intentional killing of terminally ill persons, but also people experiencing chronic physical and mental pain. The current bill also makes allowances for euthanasia for physical and mental pain, however, it presents an attempt to ‘safe guard’ to ensure that only people who really, really want to be killed (because of angst – see last blog), would be. And that safe guard would be the test of … you guessed it, lucidity. The person would have to give three different ‘lucid’ statements that this was truly their wish. Herein lies a number of Achilles heels: the definitions of “illness” or “terminal” or “lucid”. Who judges and defines lucid? How do we ensure that the vulnerable are not swayed by the opinions and decisions of others???? What if????…so many questions

The idea of “Compassionate death” is certainly not a new one – and is one that has gained ground in recent decades in Europe countries and is now crossing the pond. I have a book on my desk that helps parents come to grips with thoughts of ‘compassionate death’ when it is discovered that their unborn child possesses a disability. Now some may become offended that I’ve made such a link, however, read and research the writings of the following: Peter Singer, MaryAnn Warren, Michael Toole as they seek to redefine the meaning of personhood and their conversations regarding disability and the ‘quality of life’ debate. The step between abortion of the disabled and euthanizing the disabled is not as far a philosophical jump as you might imagine Their material is amply available on the internet. I would encourage you to research the issues for yourself.

I’ve just picked up a new book entitled “The Future of the Disabled in Liberal Society: An Ethical Anaylsis” by Hans S. Reinders, a Professor of Ethics and Mental Disability at the Vrjie Universiteit in Amsterdam. I haven’t done a through reading yet, just lightly skimmed, but here is a comment regarding this work “By demonstrating the inherent paradoxes in liberal approaches to the disabled, [Reinders] effectively reveals the potential policy limitations that may threaten the social services available to the mentally disabled.” Alarmist? I pray so. However, I believe, we need to lift our heads above the clouds and sniff the wind so to speak. We (as followers of Christ), must carefully, thoughtfully, wisely, yet decisively speak, live and declare His Justice and His view of those the World labels ‘the least’.

Anyway, I was just thinking….

Neil

Ants could be dangerous!

“Without purpose, life becomes meaningless and people experience a sense of alienation and angst.” – Jean Paul Sarte

I came across this quote a couple of weeks of go.  It sounded smart, inspiring and impressive (even though I had no idea what it meant), so I made a little half sheet poster and tapped it on my wall, so that when someone came in to my office and saw it, they’d think – “Hey that sounds smart and cool” and thereby, by inference, assume that therefore I must be smart and cool.  It’s a cheap ploy, but hey, it’s worth a shot.   I mean, how often do you get to use the word ‘angst’ in a sentence?  It’s just one of those words that intimidates people when you use it because its all existential sounding and it suggests, “I know what it means” when really you have had to look up the spelling.  But the other person doesn’t know that – well at least the few that don’t read this blog – and they obviously suffer from agsnt, um angtns, you know,  - “an intense feeling of non-directional anxiety and strife” – (it’s amazing how intelligent one sounds when quoting Wikipedia). 

Anyway, all that aside – my little sign has given me something to stare at for the last few weeks other than that drywall nail pock hole that is the usual  focus of my attention causing me to reflect on such things as “why was that drywaller in such a hurry at that moment?”  “Did his phone ring and he got a call from his wife telling him he forgot that it was her birthday and if he wanted supper, there had better be a card and flowers on the way?” Or perhaps, he was overcome by that sudden non-directional sense of anxiety and strife that momentarily distracted him with a keen yet unusual awareness of life so that he questioned “what meaning and purpose is there to my life and why do I feel suddenly alone in the universe?” – voila!- angst! - which was different from his usual thought of “mud is squishy when it’s wet”.    (It is a wonder I get any work done at all.  Please don’t forward this to my supervisor!  By the way, there’s also a small rip in my carpet, which is the focus of much ‘angst’ at the moment as I’m thinking it actually may be a breech in the space time continuum occurring directly under my feet and one day I will fall into it and disappear and people will eventually wonder “where did he go?”, or will they know that I existed at all -- but then I will  re-appear in a parallel universe where my wall is perfectly smooth and does not distract me!” For those who may not know, I actually was diagnosed with Dyslexia with ADDHD – and no, I have never done drugs on purpose, which is another story entirely.

All that being what it is, I’m actually being increasingly challenged by the depth of this thought.  Simply put, I feel better about myself when what I do makes a difference to someone else.  There is a satisfaction that comes from the awareness, “I matter to someone – I am noticed”.  Now, before you think that’s a narcissist deal, hang with me.   The energy that I receive as a result of my involvement, no matter how small a difference is made, is ‘food for my soul’.   If we’re honest, we’re all wired that same way.  Even God, when He finished creating the world stepped back from it, looked at all He had done and declared, “It is good”.  Now, for God it was more the enjoyment of the thing, rather than the necessity -- God has created within us, a desire for purposeful and meaningful work beyond the 8 hour pay cheque thing - rather the sum of our life direction and activity.  I don’t think that was a pride thing.  Or, that it is wrong when we have been apart of something that makes a difference to step back and survey what we have done and say, “It is good”.  I believe the error is when it causes me to say, “Man, look at me, I’m good!” - the real source of many my problem.  I am convinced that part of the Image of God is the desire and capacity to engage in on going unfolding of ‘Creation’.   God has hardwired us to want to step back from what we ‘create’ and experience ‘it is good’.  Now, if you accept that, I want to push us one step further, and this is where my thinking has been recently (so I do think more than just about that poor drywall guy or the space time continuum). How much opportunity do we give, permit, enable, open up (pick your word) for those that we support to experience and connect with a meaningful purpose and thereby experience community, connectedness and  a real sense of belonging?  This is more than receiving a pay cheque – although this is an important component.  I believe however, there is a deeper quality that is missing other than the money.  It is: what I do really makes a difference; it contributes to the whole; I am not alone, but a contributing part of my community.  My personal belief is that many whom we support long at some level to step back and look at what they have ‘created’ and equally be able to say “it is good”.  I wonder if this is part that transforms what we do in CH from good ‘social’ work (which I respect greatly), i.e. the cup of cold water, into ‘Ministry Work’ “in His name”.  The challenge before us is the recognition that ‘serving the person with exceptional needs’ goes beyond ‘doing for’ and means helping people connect with the purpose for which God created us – to make a difference, and to belong to a caring community.  Now that is an awesome purpose for us.  Imagine stepping back and seeing that because of your small part, the person whom you are supporting is connected to purpose, meaning and is able to step back and say “it is good”.  Now that’s good Work!

An ant has just begun to cross my office floor angling toward me.  Suddenly I feel a sense of angst setting in wondering if he/she/it is really an agent sent from that parallel universe to stun me with its stinger and drag me with its pinchers into that rip in the fabric of time…  I gotta go.

Anyway, I was just thinking.

Neil

Responding to the Call Valuing others

A co-worker sent me the lyrics of this song by Chuck Girard after hearing this devotion at our Monday morning devotions at Corporate. I think the words sum up the past couple of post well.

Don't shoot the wounded, they need us more than ever

They need our love no matter what it is they've done

Sometimes we just condemn them,

And don't take time to hear their story

Don't shoot the wounded, someday you might be one

It's easy to love the people who are standing hard and fast

Pressing on to meet that higher calling

But the ones who might be struggling, we tend to judge too harshly

And refuse to try and catch them when they're falling

We put people into boxes and we draw our hard conclusions

And when they do the things we know they should not do

We sometimes write them off as hopeless

And we throw them to the dogs

Our compassion and forgiveness sometimes seem in short supply

So I say...

We can love them and forgive themWhen their sin does not exceed our own

For we too have been down bumpy roads before

But when they commit offenses outside the boundaries we have set

We judge them in a word and we turn them out,

And we close the door

Myself I've been forgiven for so many awful things

I've been cleansed and washed and bathed so many times

That when I see a brother who has fallen from the way

I just can't find the license to convict him of his crimes

So I say...

That doesn't mean we turn our heads when we see a brother sin

And pretend that what he's doing is all right

But we must help him see his error, we must lead him to repent

Cry with those who cry, but bring their deeds into the light

For it's the sick that need the doctor,

And it's the lame that need the crutch

t's the prodigal who needs the loving hand

For a man who's in despair, there should be

Kindness from his friends'Lest he should forsake the fear of almighty God

And turn away from God and man

So I say...

©1982 Sea of Glass Music/ASCAP

Anyway, I was just thinking….
Neil

If my life were on Camera, Valuing Others

I think one of the most shocking and life changing experiences would be if someone followed me around for a day or two with a video camera and then made me watch the video play back. Like that Mockumentary show The Office where you watch the actors in action, then listen to them talk about each other. It would probably be shocking to me if I could really see and hear myself as others see me, and to see the judgments that I make about people by how I interact. By how, and in what I invest the majority of my interest, time, resources… I’m afraid that the conclusion would be --- the most valuable person is…. Me.

Jesus says, "Love your Neigbour as yourself" It would seem that somehow, one day, we will be able to witness how I have judged others. As I will be judged by how I’ve judged, I will be treated the way I treated others. I agree with John Wesley, that these are awful words because I am setting the standard by which I myself will be judged. I don’t know about you, but the first thought that comes to mind is, YIKES.

If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

How far do you take this? Jesus seems to take this to the furthest of extremes.
Consider, for example, Jesus’ encounter with the adulterous woman in John 8:1-11. Here is a woman who was rightfully judged. She was indeed caught in adultery and the Law/policy demanded that she be stoned. They throw her to the ground and pick up their rocks of judgment. Yet, we see Jesus coming between the Law/policy, kneeling down beside/ not standing over, writing something in the sand and saying, ‘he who is without sin cast the first stone’. Maybe he wrote “by the way you judge, you will be judged!” That’d do it for me.
One of the greatest and most powerful ways to value another in God’s mind is forgiveness, liberal forgiveness, with reckless abandon.

But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:15

That’s intense –
Matthew 18:21-22
21 Then Peter came to him and asked, “Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?” 22 “No, not seven times,” Jesus replied, “but seventy times seven!

How many times are we to forgive the same person who sins against us? I'm not sure I like the answer.

Matthew 16:19 "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven."
It would seem folks, that we hold a tremendous amount of power in our hands since it is possible for us to hold each other hostage. We bind people with our words, with our attitudes, and with our judgments. We establish word and opinion built prisons that we keep people locked into.
The greatest value I can offer you is to open my hand, open my heart and release you from my judgments. And the result is a double edged sword. It would seem that by releasing you, I am freed. By letting go of my judgments, I am no longer judged by the standard I have created.
Jesus follows the warning of the judgment standard we establish with these words:

3 “And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye.

It’s not that we are ignoring issues, and simply have no judgment at all – and accept everything. It’s that I must get rid of the log in my own so that I can deal the speck in my friend’s eye. However, the motivation and method I do this is far different. Rather than me standing in judgment, I am a friend who speaks to encourage, strengthen, admonish and counsel those around me. So rather than just saying ‘encouraging’ words to those who can advance me or benefit me in some way – I’m investing in the lives of those around me.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Proverb 27:6
I need my friends in my life to see those specks and help me. In fact, these might be my own log that I can’t see!

Anyway I was just thinking,

Neil

Responding to the Call - Valuing others

Matthew 7:1-2

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. 2 For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged”

John Wesley said: “these are awful words – that we shall be judged by God by the way that we have judged those around us”.

We tend to be a judgmental lot. Let me clarify, I tend to be very judgmental person. Much more than I realize. The judgments we make of others by in large determine the value we place on the relationships and people around us. We draw opinions and make judgments of those who surround us all the time. We enter into judgments relating to those who work around us, those we work with in our workplace, and those we see in other circles (districts, departments, Corporate and around the province). We have made an art form of keeping judgments of those who we lead or who lead us. We attribute motives and form opinions of people and then lock them pretty tightly into those categories.

For example, how do we judge or evaluate the value of that teenage that’s holding a sign at that stop sign that says “hungry”? It’s easy for me to assume: lazy, school dropout, drug addict, using the system, needs to get a job… However, while some of those things may be true – who do I see? Do I see who Jesus sees? Do I judge as God judges? We might be surprised by his judgment.

How do we judge the person with mental illness – who comes into our church and rants and raves about how the CAS stole her children and how “they” are trying to take her down – and yells at a me “you only think you’re a Christian!”?

How do we judge that child, mom or dad that we’ve never met, nor ever will, who sits in the hot dry mud packed earth, infected and dying with Aids?

We tend to value those relationships that are value adding to us in some way. When you think about it, most of us are pretty egocentric in our relationship with others. We internally calculate a personal cost, and by doing so, we place a ‘value’ on the other person – but what we are willing to invest? If I’m not willing to invest anything in you – what value do I place on you?
People that I feel are wasting my time or not ‘benefiting’ me - I tend to be impatient with, I want to escape, and shut down that conversation as quickly as I can so I can move on.

If we are to truly value others, we need to closely examine the standards by which we judge.

Anyway I was just thinking.

Neil