Stand up, pick up your mat and Go Home! Mark 2 Part 7

I was preaching this Sunday, and because this passage in Mark’s gospel has been consuming so much of my thinking this past week I used it as my sermon text. I used a number of the points that we’ve been thinking about on this blog. At the conclusion of the service, one of our deacons, who wrap up the services with a quick challenge from the sermon and a closing benediction, commented on the man who at the conclusion of the narrative had a choice to make. That choice was would he respond to Jesus’ command to ‘stand up, take up your mat and go home’. The deacon went on to say that Jesus is calling us to do the same – to hear that command of Jesus today and to act on it – we need to stand up, get off our the mat that is symbol of where we were – who we were, those things which holds us back from moving deeper in our spiritual healing and spiritual maturity – and go home.

It spoke to me. I sat there wondering, how often does Jesus speak these challenging words to me – the paralyzed man needed to take action – and he needed to ‘go home’ – make it real, so to speak, but not back to those things that spiritually paralyzed him. It must have been a difficult decision for the man to respond. The mat had been a place of comfort, it was one of his few possession, it was his identity – it defined him. He would have both hated the mat – and been dependent it at the same time. It’s an ironic thing – I’ve seen it often as a Pastor – and personally experienced at times, we have a tendency to want to hold on to those things that hold us down – we can find a strange, although disabling comfort in that ‘mat’. At the command of Jesus, somehow, he was to leave all that he knew, all that had previously defined him – and ‘walk’ home. Not a way – but home into his real daily life. Again, I see that for God, the primary disability was neither physical nor cognitive – it was spiritual. It was experiencing the grace Words of Christ “my child, your sin’s are forgive you” that were the most significant. I’m intrigued and perplexed by Jesus’ curious statement “Seeing their faith” and all of its theological implications. At the very least, I see Jesus gives much more significance to ‘us’ as community than we often think. That we are most community when we are part helping those, being prevented because of the crowd, encounter the presence of Christ.

Anyway, I was just thinking….

Neil

Postscript: I will be away for most the week (till next Wednesday) so there will be no posting until that time. I would however invite you to review the previous postings for Mark 2 and share with me your insights or questions. We are on a Spiritual journey and together in that journey God is revealed to us, and those we bring in to Him in community.

What's in a healing? Mark 2 Part 6

As we read this narrative of Mark 2, we see the aspect of physically curing of the disability as the main thing. It is certainly a key part. On the surface it appears that forgiveness of sins is connected with the physically curing, but this not necessarily the case. We make a connect healing and curing. but seemingly Jesus does not. In Jesus mind it appears that the man’s healing was complete with the man’s forgiveness of sin and the restoration of his relationship with God, and therefore the community. His physical disability had nothing to do with his remaining physical disability – but as a result of the man’s participation in the human condition and a fallen Image of God. The physical curing seems to have more to do with the unbelief of the Pharisees (of others) rather than a necessary state for the disable man – It is the acknowledgment that this man’s sins had been forgiven by Jesus thus ‘truly forgiven’ that is at question for the crowd. Jesus removes all doubt by asking that loaded question “Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’?”. Now, there’s a quandary – The Pharisees know that if they say “it’s easier to say ‘stand up, pick up your mat and walk”, it leaves the door wide open for Jesus to say “Okay boys, make it happen”. Yet, theologically they are fully aware the former is much more problematic – to have the authority to state: your sins are forgiven is much more difficult. Because of my strange sense of humour, I'm seeing that Monty Python Holy Grail bit, where those on the quest were ‘riding’ and coming to the bridge of death and have to answer the five, no, three questions correctly, and Sir Gallahad is asked “what’s your favorite colour and he answers “blue, not yel” and subsequently is hurled into the Gorge of Eternal Peril. There is that panic stricken state that must of fell upon the Pharisees - how do we answer and not ‘perish’ into eternal peril (see there is a connection). But before they can answer Jesus says “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
And it says that “the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers”. Why does Jesus tell the man “pick up your mat”, - it is such a remembrance of the man’s previous condition? -- Anyway, I digress, I think there’s more to unpack here in this area of what it means to be ‘healed’ and to be disable – and expectations and what the church has to offer, and what we can promises and what it means to offer hope and healing as a Christian community (which I think is part of the core problem and reluctance on behalf of the church) and…so many other questions – not the least of which, just reading the passage back through, I noticed, that at no point did man didn’t ask to have his sins forgive, nor did the four friends lowering him from the roof – Jesus just chooses to do so, what’s up with that? So many questions, so little time. However, it is the weekend – and you’ve got time to think about it.
Anyway, I was just thinking….

Neil

"Why do you Question this in your hearts?" Mark 2:8 Part 5

Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts?”
We need to be careful in how judgmental we become of the Pharisees. We need to think about how responsive we would be in the same situation, if suddenly, some man started to teach and preach something ‘different’ from what we were used to. As leaders, they needed to constantly protect the people from all those who proclaimed to be a messiah. Additionally, change is difficult; significant change: painful – especially when all your training, work and life experiences lead you to believe that you’ve been heading in what you thought was the ‘right’ direction all along. The question itself is surprising – I mean who wouldn’t question in the face of a major paradigm shift: “Why do you question this in your hearts?”

What were they questioning? “Only God can forgive sins!” In this, they were not wrong – in fact, we would have the same response if someone came and simply said, “I forgive you of all your sins”. Hold on, we’d be thinking. Of course it’s blasphemy – unless, of course the man was God. We have the benefit of looking back at the Cross and the personal testimony of His disciples. They did not.

How is this connected to our discussions on ministering to those with disabilities? A good question - glad you asked! We need patience. For many of us who have worked in this part of the harvest field for many years, we see how often the Church is ‘lacking’ in its own ministry to those with cognitive disabilities and can’t help but wonder concerning this issue: “Why do you question this in your hearts?” It is a significant mind shift on so many different levels. I recently sat in on a Pastors’ meeting and spoke to a number of these issues – using Mark 2. Ministry involving those with disabilities is a different way of thinking for them – of being and doing church. They were not opposed, but the question arose "How"? We need to have patience and keep in mind that in so many ways they are ‘doing’ church right. What we’re suggesting is that for generations the Church has ‘missed’ when it comes to functioning as a holistic healing community involving those with disabilities. In their minds, with all their training, and experience and lives they’ve been doing what they thought were the ‘right’ ways – and we are suggesting another.

We certainly have a message for the Church – but we must be patient. Deliberate, strategic, determined, but never the less: patient. We must continue to show the way, challenge the conventions, be willing to be (albeit small) a community that is willing at the appropriate times, and for the right reasons, to circumvent the crowd, and to tear way a part of the roof to lower the person before the presence of Christ. Again, back to the four men. They didn’t do what they did to ‘make a point’ or ‘show what others were doing wrong’ or act out of defiance or even ‘righteous indignation’ (even though they had reason – the crowd tried to prevent them after all). Their sole purpose was ministry to the one – their friend, so that one may encounter Jesus.
Anyway, I was just thinking… Neil

More Pictures the CH Ethiopia Trip 2007

This is the new Christian Horizons exceptional needs school that has just been completed.

"Young Boy in the village of Asela"

"Boys in field at Dairy Farm"




"My sponsored child, Bahailu - 14 months old"




"Umar (Kristen's sponsored child) & his mother on camp day"

"Umar & I on camp cay"

"Umar - 7 yrs old on camp day"

Serikalem (13 yrs) & I (my mother's sponsored child) on camp day"

Reflections on our CH Ethiopia Trip

Typical Home in Addis (capital of of Ethiopia)

"Beautiful Ethiopia"

The trip itself was an amazing experience in so many ways! I am so thankful to the Lord for bringing me to CH as He is using this organization to further deepen my understanding of a global perspective & how to extend His love to others.


For me, some of one of the most memorable moments were when we first pulled up to the CH compound & we could see all the children waiting for us in their white CH T-shirts & how wonderfully they welcomed us in word & song. Jenn Ward (a staff from West District) & I did a personal "walk-a-bout" to ensure we connected with each child that was there. What a wonderful experience that was meeting these dear children for the first time. For me, as I'm processing so many child sponsorship photos, it was especially meaningful to finally meet them all in person!

Then on camp day when all the sponsored children gathered at the CH conference grounds, we had the opportunity to meet specific sponsored children. Negash (our CH Ethiopian staff contact) had arranged for some of our sponsored children to come from different near-by villages. I was able to meet my own little boy (1 yr old) who came with his mother, Kristen's (a staff at our Corporate office) little boy who came with his mother (6 yrs old - he is crippled with a deformed right leg) and my mother's sponsored child - who came from 30 km away in horse/cart to be there (13 yr girl who is crippled). What an experience that was!! The interaction with them was such an amazing experience. Negash had arranged for an interpreter which meant the language barrier disappeared. It was wonderful to communicate with these children and their mothers. The joy in their faces when they understood they their child was sponsored was indiscernible. They were so grateful with tears of joy in their eyes!

I found myself often wishing I had more arms to hold them all at once. There wasn't enough me to go around! My prayer while I was there was that the love of Jesus would shine through me & touch the lives of each child I had an opportunity to connect with. I intentionally shook hands with as many children as possible...at the opening of the special needs school, at the dairy farm, at the nun's make-shift school...so many children to love!!

This verse became especially meaningful to me during the trip:

Duet. 4:9 (NASB)
"Only give heed to yourself and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your sons and your grandsons."

Heather Siebenmorgen
Development Manager
CH Global

What’s the real concern? Part 4 Mark 2:5-7

Instead of being excited for the disabled man, some in the crowd became angry and judgmental. In spite of this, the words that the disabled man heard from Jesus ‘my child your sins are forgiven’ were greatly welcomed and brought comfort and much needed relief. We must remember that it is quite likely that this man had heard from religious leaders that he was in his present condition because of either his own sin, or the sin of his parents – a burden he had been carrying his whole life. It is quite likely that a significant amount of the time he spent lying on his mat was spent searching his heart and his mind, thinking that he – or his parents had committed a great offense against God. Messages such as those are powerful, especially when they come from those in authority. What are the messages that many, who are disabled, here in our own culture, and in other cultures around the world? What are the words that the disabled long to hear from God? How do we, join the small community of the four men and bring those ‘disabled’ before Christ so that they might hear those words? For this man, and his family, the news that ‘his sins were forgiven’ was greater than physical healing could ever have been. We are so ‘physical’ and ‘ability’ focused in our own culture that we question the order of Jesus’ actions. Why did Jesus not heal the man and then forgive his sins? Would that have not been more compassionate? Quite likely Jesus spoke out of the concern for the man himself – and those of his friends. This was an ancient Jewish culture where lives revolved entirely around the reality of God – and their position with God was of primary importance. The other reality is that because of this man’s disability (state of uncleanness by the Law) he was unable, or more likely, prevented from entering into the temple where he could have had a sacrifice made for his sins. How often had this man been at the temple gates, longing to enter, yet it was not an accessible building to him. He would have watched for years as others streamed into the temple to offer their sacrifices and to ‘hear from God’.

We tend to see Jesus’ words as a challenge directed to the religious leaders in the crowd. I’m not sure that was His intent at all. I believe Jesus’ attention was directed on the individual before him and his intentions was not to objectify the man – Jesus spoke directly to the concerns of the man and his friends. It was the crowd that wanted to make this interpretation of the moment! Why couldn’t they have just been happy for this man? While Jesus was focused on the individual brought to him by the small faith filled community, the religious leaders were more concerned with their own sense of religious propriety. Their issue was not ‘only God can forgive sins’, as they claimed, but that they in fact had been left out of the process. What is not said but in their minds: “only God can forgive sins – and through ourselves as Priests”. If suddenly people’s sins could be forgiven without them or temple sacrifice, their value, power and position was greatly threatened. I wonder if we (as a society, Christian community or those who serve) don’t make more room for those with disabilities because of a perceived threat. We tend to judge our value and worth often upon who others are and what they can do – and subsequently on what we can do for them (I am a good person because I help those have disabilities). I continue to wrestle with the idea of the difference of being part of the crowd or truly responding as community.

From " A Different Kind of Wall " by Jean Vanier "Our Journey Home"

"In certain countries, we have seen the development of special schools, or sometimes integrated schools and workshops for people with handicaps. There has been a move towards emptying the huge institutions and psychiatric hospitals. But many of the people who have supposedly been taken back into society find themselves alone, lost in huge towns, imprisoned in their sadness without any kind of community. The physical walls may have disappeared, but the psychological walls remain."

Any I was just thinking…

Neil

Living out Community Part 3 Mark 2

One of the things that I’m challenging churches with is that accessibility issues are not always physical. While physical accessibility is certainly important – many find that although they can enter the building, entering the community is quite another matter. Not to be put off by the crowd the little community found a way around the physical obstacles – but had to be unconventional and take personal significant risk and effort in order to so. Systems, structures, expectations, attitudes and ‘social’ convention can all be considerable barriers. The man on the mat had no hope of surmounting the barriers on his own – he needed his community. Ray Anderson in his book “On Being: Essay’s in Theological Anthropology” suggests that our real personhood is not found in our individuality, but in our co-humanity. It is in being and living out true community that our ‘individual’ personhood is discovered. Back to our story, the men cut the hole in the roof and lowered the man before Jesus. What a spectacle that must have been. Dirt and dust falling from the ceiling – all eyes looking up as a hole began to appear, and faces are seen peering in. Suddenly a man is lowered down. I wonder if Jesus had this co-humanity in mind when He made that controversial statement in Mark 2:5 “Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man “my child your sins are forgiven.” See their faith? The man, because Jesus saw the faith of his friends forgave him of his sin? Commentaries have many opinions on this – but I believe that there is a significant relationship to be discovered here. Community plays and important part in the healing process – spiritually and physically. Community is that which comes together and ‘bears’ another – and is willing to overcome obstacles for the other. We need to keep in mind, that the obstacles were not obstacles for the four – what they did was not motivated out of ‘self interest’, but purely out of compassion, care and justice for another. What implications does this idea of crowd and community have on us as we seek to minister to those with exceptional needs? How can we make sure that we are living out community?
Anyway, I was just thinking…

Neil

Lost in the Crowd, but found in Community Part 2

The crowd and community thing continues to really resonate with me. I can’t help but wonder if this is part of our struggle as Church – that we have this tendency to confuse the crowd as being a community. In our present culture, we have lost this sense. Consider how many of us have never really experienced true ‘community’. If we are to truly minister to those with disabilities, or better still – minister with those with disabilities, we must re-construct the life of community. I don’t mean sell everything and head up North (though those from the North would say “why not?”) and start a commune. But we do need to break with the rampant individualism that so defines our society – even inside the Church – especially in the Church – where all too often we experience the phenomena of being alone in the crowd. This can be, and to often is the experience of those who we are called to support. I’m not referring to a church, but to The Church. Jean Vanier in his book “Tear’s of Silence” (1975) writes this poem:

An encounter is a strange and wonderful thing

presence

one person to another

present

one to another

life flowing

one to another

but we can be together

and not meet

we can live in the same house

dayafter day

sit at the same table

kneel at the same pew

read the same books

but never meet

we can kiss

gestures of love

apparent tenderness

but never meet

a meeting is a strange andwonderful thing
presence
one person to another

present
one to another

life flowing
one to another.

I’m wondering today – how we as Christian Horizons can be more ‘community’ and less ‘crowd’. Can we become more like the five men of Mark 2 (the four who carried and the one being carried) who came to ‘give to’ Jesus, and less like the crowd who were there to ‘get' from Him?

Anyway, I was just thinking… Neil

Crowd or Community: Reflections on Mark 2 Part 1

The story of the paralyzed man in Mark 2 is an oft-told Sunday school lesson. However, this historical event speaks powerfully on many levels and we need to re-discover the present power of this encounter. I’ve been reflecting on this report of Mark’s lately and I’ve been thinking about how this relates to a community of faith and those with disabilities. They’re not fully formed thoughts yet (as with most my thoughts), but over the next while I want to offer them to you and hear from you about what you see and hear in this narrative.

Firstly, the five men. There are the four men who carried the mat, and the one being carried. We know nothing of the previous relationship between these five, but they make up, albeit a small one, a community. We know that there was a decision made, that the disabled one among them needed to encounter Jesus. We don’t know if they expected a healing although they knew it was necessary that they ‘bring this man to Jesus’. They were so convinced of this that they overcame numerous presenting obstacles on their disabled friend’s behalf.

Secondly, the packed crowd. The crowd was so intent with their own personal encounter with Jesus that they ignored those around them. It was an egocentric experience. It was about what they ‘personally’ could get from Jesus – if only to see and hear what the fuss was all about.

I see these four men, asking those in the crowd if they could make way for the one that they carried: if they could let this one with a great need of encountering Jesus through their midst. Nevertheless, because of their ‘no one before me’ attitude, no one in the crowd was willing to budge. They had fought for their space and 'no one' was going to take it from them. What was important was ‘their own’ encounter with Jesus. I can see the crowd closing in even more tightly to prevent anyone from slipping by. I find it interesting that the group is described as a ‘crowd’ and not a ‘community’. I wonder how often we gather today as a crowd, rather than a community. A crowd has a mentality. There have been many interesting studies done on ‘mob mentality’. A mob will ‘work’ together for self-preservation as it benefits the ‘individual’ – they will push together in order to block the entrance of others – but they are not functioning as community. We see two groups here: the crowd, and the community. The five men are different from the crowd. They were community; the focus is not on their own personal encounter with Christ, but how they can help this one be lifted up so that he might be seen and touched by Jesus.
It says that ‘they couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd’. I find that such a sad commentary.

What is refreshing is that this little community did not let the crowd prevent the one needing to be in the presence of Jesus be denied – and found away around the barriers and obstacles.

Anyway I was just thinking. More to come.

Neil

Including the People We Serve In Worship: Enabling Perspectives

If you are enthusiastic about listening and singing contemporary worship songs, you will be familiar with titles such as, “Come, Now is The Time to Worship,” “Refiners Fire,” and, “Hope of the Nations.”

You might even be aware that these worship standards have been written and preformed by popular, award winning, Canadian worship leader Brian Doerksen. But did you know that this SHAI and Gospel Music Association award winner is also a specialist at converting obstacles into opportunities?

Doerkson is a Father to six children, three of which have Fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is second only to Down syndrome as the most common form of developmental disability. The term, “Fragile X” is called such because when it is viewed under the appropriate conditions, the X chromosome appears to be broken or frayed.

Health risks associated with Fragile X include but are not limited to: seizures, heart problems, joint dislocation, learning and behavior challenges and facial abnormalities. Despite the obstacles that Fragile X presents to the Doerksen family; it is the stigma surrounding the disability which is perhaps the most challenging.

Jeremy Armstrong, a writer for, “Possibilities” Magazine who provides the working definition for Fragile X mentioned above recently interviewed Doerksen and makes the following comments:

“Most people with disabilities are not sought after in the church . . . they would never be turned away but accommodations are often difficult to find for people who do not fit the typical church goer mold.” For this reason the Doerksen family is aware that they must be surrounded by support from within their church family.

Brian comments:


“Sometimes it’s an incredible labor of love for us to go to church. If I am leading worship, it is really hard for my wife. We have to depend on our church family. They watch us and when we are feeling overwhelmed there are people who help. To include families like ours, it comes down to people having a heart for our needs. Several friends have made that choice.”

Brian Doerkson’s obstacles in life have encouraged him to take the opportunity to help disabled people find a place in worship. But that it is a pioneering effort. He comments: “I feel like I am in Kindergarten, I want to learn how to better serve people with disabilities among us, so that they can express their hearts in worship.”

How do you think we could demonstrate more inclusive attitudes toward the people we serve in our various worship settings?

Terry Harris

The American Idol Syndrome

I am not a big fan of reality T.V. However, I will occasionally watch the audition portion of American Idol. It constantly amazes me to observe the disconnect between what people believe they sound like and what they really sound like. Everyone wants to be a ‘rock star’. I started to refer to this as the ‘American Idol Syndrome’ – however, my use of this phrase is far from unique, as a quick Google search will reveal there are numerous references to this new cultural phenomenon. It is comical although sad at the same time – the depth of the delusion. People honestly believe that they are music star quality and can get quite aggressive and angry when their delusion is confronted by an opposing view. As observers, we witness the train wreck – at many different angles, with close ups and commentary. It is interesting listening to the comments of the judges. Simon is prideful and tactless, brutally exposing the utter lack of talent for what it is – believing that he has the ‘right’ to reveal the truth without consideration or responsibility for the person. Paula seeks to maintain the person’s delusion and defend the underdog. She may leave the person with the impression that they are extremely talented only for them to be confronted by reality at a later date – but at least she didn’t do it. This is not a particularly helpful strategy either. And Randy often takes the middle ground – he tries to encourage while giving a dose of reality and encouraging them to explore ‘other’ talents they might have. But in the end, all have to determine whether this person has what it takes to enter the next round.

It got me thinking of how often this is played out in other aspects of life – “our” lives. We have a vision of ourselves that can be quite different from how others experience us. When we are confronted by this ‘difference’, our immediate default is denial, aggression and anger.

Paul says in Romans 12:1-8 I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of [themselves] more highly than [they] ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God as assigned.

What is interesting is Paul’s focus on: ‘not to think of ourelves more highly than we ought to think”. It addresses our way of thinking or believing we have to, or need to have this particular talent or gifting. Instead, we need to take a long, hard, realistic look at ourselves – not in a self-depreciating way or one that denies the opportunity to have dreams and goals, which we all need and should have – but in order to have an intrinsic awareness of God’s gifting (or not), not only for ourselves, but also for the benefit of those about us. The truth is, people see us for who they experience us to be, not by how we perceive ourselves to be. So, if we’re truly to be effective and not at difference with the world around us, we need to learn to see ourselves through the eyes of others.

For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

As leaders, we will continue to struggle with the ‘when and what to say’ whenever we encounter the American Idol Syndrome. However, I’ve come to the realization that we are not doing anyone a favour when the delusion is maintained or even fueled because we want to be kind. Obviously, we need not be a Simon – dismissive and rude. But being Paula isn’t particularly helpful either. Randy’s approach tends to be the best – a glimpse of reality, delivered with a genuine respect. Paul’s advice is best: “I say to everyone among you not to think of [themselves] more highly than [they] ought to think, but to think with sober judgment”.

I was just thinking….

Neil

To be a successful failure

The story of Thomas Eddison is an amazing one. It is the story of repeated failure leading to significant success. Where others would have given up, Eddison pressed on - failing time and time again - leading him to declare "Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration". Too often whether in relationships, learning, jobs or inventions, people give up far to quickly. If we don't see immediate results, or get 'maximum impact for our buck' we lose focus and the vision of what could be. It is reported that Eddison failed over 900 times in his attempts to invent the light bulb. Over 900 hundred times! Can you imagine attempting and failing at something that many times?

Scripture is filled with examples of people who failed over and over again - how discouraged do you think that Joseph had to be (his life was the "pits"), Moses - wandering around and 'round the desert for 40 years before he heard (he was 80) what God's plan was. An interesting line recorded in Hebrews 12:39 states "All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised" By the worlds standard - failures, every one - [yet] 12:40 God had something better in mind...

If we could change our mindset, toward ourselves and other - recognizing that failure is a vital part of the learning experience. I remember thinking about this when my daughter was learning to walk. She'd pull herself up and at times topple backwards and cry-- repeatedly. Our first impulse was to discourage her from constantly pulling herself up - for fear of her falling and injuring herself, but that is an essential part of development. As parents we needed to make sure that we were throwing pillows around her - and it kept us busier for awhile than putting her in the swing - but after many failures -- Success! (Fortunately learning to drive a car wasn't always crashing:)

Our impulse to circumvent or protect from 'failure' or pain either in ourselves or others, though perhaps laudable, or for the moment easier on ourselves or others - 'what could be' is also prevented. Whether we are children, parents, leaders, support workers, you name it - we need to recognize that failure is a block. We determine what kind of block it is - a building block or a stumbling block. -- what we do with failure determines it nature of holding us back, or increasingly lifting us higher as we pile one failure upon another until we reach success.

The only failure in failure is the failing to learn - and try again -- even if it takes over 900 times!

Prayer: Father as we enter this day, may we give to You all of our failings. Mold them, and re-create them into usable building blocks in our lives. Give us boldness and courage to continue on through our failures as You lead us to Your success in our lives. May we create room and the gentlenss for others to fail around us, and give us the wisdom and discern to know when and how to intervene. Amen

Neil

If you have any comments or thoughts on this or other blog postings, please enter the discussions as we learn to grow in Him together.

All for a simple cup of tea

One of the experiences I miss the most is the ability to visit my Grama for a simple cup of tea. My Grandmother had a plaque that hung over her living room door. I can still see it in my mind as I mentally walk through the front door of that little red, one bedroom, shingle sided house.

"Only too soon this life will pass; only what's done for Christ will last."

I remember as a teenager, sitting at the blue and chrome chipped melamine dinette with the cracked vinyl covered chairs, thinking that this was the most special place in the world. My Grandmother would tell me (in her lilting English accent she was convinced had disappeared) of all the happenings of the neighbours - the comings and goings of grandchildren, and the few tasks that would 'only take a moment' if I had some time before I had to leave. Then she would pour the tea and put a few Peek Freen’s on a saucer. On the wall hung the saddest of crafts: one and half yellow paper pie plates sown together with red yarn with a crayoned picture of her dog on the front. A VBS craft of many years earlier that I had given her - it was stuffed with cards, letters from old friends from England, and the occasional recipe that she just could never seem to find when she needed it. Many other 'useless' yet priceless knickknacks and grandchild projects cluttered that little house -- but somehow my eyes would always return to that phrase above the door.

As I look back, I know only too well the truth of that line "only too soon..." as I can only visit my grandmother in my memories now. I occasionally drive down the street where she lived and park at that corner for a moment. The little house is still there, but all is quite different. The white picket fence (one of those little tasks of painting and painting) is now long gone. The lilac bushes, the two stately maples that stood out front - removed for parking. The red shingles, replaced by yellow siding. There's a moment of sadness knowing that things constantly change - yet, in my mind I can still see the plaque. I suddenly become that teenager, sitting at the table, with a cup of English tea, with way too much sugar and Carnation evaporated milk (still my favorite way to drink tea). Before we had our 'tea time' she always paused, gnarled arthritic hands folded, and prayed, thanking God that I had stopped by for a visit and for safety for her other grandchildren. 'Amen'. No sooner had she completed her prayer then she'd rap her knuckles on the table and exclaim 'ark! 'ark! (Hark! Hark! for the non- British in the crowd meaning: Listen Listen), -- regaining my attention, and the stories would begin.

...Only what's done for Christ will last -- My grandmother was well into her 90's when she passed away many years ago now (1896-1990). In many ways, she had a difficult life. Raised poor, she eventually became a scullery maid in England for mere pennies a day. She hid in terror as bombs dropped from the skies in World War I, became an immigrant to Canada, lost everything in the great depression, watched and prayed as two son's marched off to World War II, out lived two husbands and became a single mom (raising my mother) when support systems were much less than they are now. Yet in spite of all of this, she prayed and loved her family feverishly – and was the grandest of English ladies.

We sometimes think that 'what's done for Christ' are the 'great' things. Yet it is often the small things, done constantly and patiently, often without warning – those little things that we think have little impact or are of no value or importance - that have lasting power and can change the life of another. Because of that little sign she hung above the door, the words penetrated my heart - continually calling me and reminding me to think and live beyond 'me' and 'now' -

The Apostle Paul writes "For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honour to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ" (Phil 1:20-22)

When I read the power of these words I also remember he wrote: “I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. (Phil 3:12)

Connecting these verses with that plaque that hung on my Grandmother’s wall have reminded me of the urgency and fragility of both my being and time. It also reminds me that small things do count. My Grandmother is now remembered only by a few. In the large scheme of the world, she left a very small if measurable mark. But, in the Kingdom of God and my life (and the rest of her grandchildren) she made a significant and eternal imprint by a simple cup of tea, and seeking to live the faded words of a simple wooden plaque– that are written on my heart for as long as I live. “’ark ‘ark” -- Grama, we did!

Neil

Jenna Lambert Part 2: Enabling Perspectives

Previously, I told you about the remarkable story of Jenna Lambert, the now sixteen year old who became the first female with a physical disability to swim thirty two kilometers across Lake Ontario.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a year and a half, Lambert walks with the aid of crutches and has had numerous surgeries to help with mobility. Due to a lack of mobility in her legs, Jenna Lambert swims using her upper body, almost exclusively.

On July 18th and 19th 2006, Lambert entered the waters of Lake Ontario at Baird Point New York and arrived thirty-two hours later at Lake Ontario Park in Kingston Ontario, to the cheers of hundreds of supporters. The swim raised over two hundred thousand dollars for a new pool at the Kingston YMCA for children with disabilities.

Lambert remains humble despite her remarkable accomplishments. “I did the swim for my enjoyment,” she says. “The money we have been able to raise is so exciting! This other stuff is just an added bonus.”

The “other stuff” Lambert is referring to includes being recognized by the Provincial Government for her contributions to the Kingston Community. On April 11th 2007, Kingston This Week reported that Lambert received the, “Leading Girls, Building Communities Award from Sandra Pupatello, the Minister responsible for Women’s issues. The award recognizes women eighteen years old and younger who demonstrate remarkable leadership to improve the lives of others and champion issues that lead to positive social change.

But the recognition for the impact on her community did not stop there.

In February 2007 Lambert became the twenty –seventh recipient of the Gus Marker trophy recognizing her as Kingston’s amateur athlete of the year. Also in February 2007, Jenna and her mentor, marathon swimmer Vicki Keith were featured in a thirty second TV chimerical that aired on CBC and CTV Sports Net.

The TV spots, raised funds for the YMCA’s Strong Kids program. A program designed to sponsor families and children who can not afford to participate in learn to swim programs. Not one to rest on her laurels, Jenna Lambert says that she would like to go to College or University to pursue a career in radio or television broadcasting.

Another marathon swim is also a possibility. The Kingston Whig Standard reports that she is considering swimming the Catalina Channel, a thirty three Kilometer distance between the Los Angeles Harbor and the Catalina Islands. For sixteen year old Jenna Lambert who believes that, “the only disability out there is a bad attitude,” the best of what she is capable of is yet to come.

Even more remarkable than the things Jenna Lambert has accomplished however is her approach to her challenges. She is a born again Christian who has a simple but profound approach to challenges, particularly challenges related to spiritual warfare.

In a recent interview she stated: “all you need to defeat the Devil is two sticks.” She wasn’t referring to the crutches she uses for balance, but to the cross of Jesus Christ in which she puts her hope and finds her victory.

What do you think?

Contributing Writer: Terry Harris

Jenna Lambert - Enabling Perspectives

By any standard, the ability to swim thirty-two Kilometers, in waves as high as six feet and winds blowing as hard as twenty-six Kilometers per hour would be considered to be a miraculous accomplishment.

But imagine attempting such a swim without the use of your legs. On July 18th and 19th, 2006, 15 year old, Harrowsmith native Jenna Lambert did just that. She commenced her swim at Baird Point New York and arrived thirty-two hours later at Lake Ontario Park in Kingston Ontario, to the cheers of hundreds of supporters. Lambert’s swim puts her in the record books as the first female with a physical disability to swim across Lake Ontario.

Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a year and a half, Lambert walks with the aid of crutches and has had numerous surgeries to help with mobility. Like many determined people with disabilities however, she compensates for her limitations by demonstrating extraordinary strength in other areas. One arena where Jenna Lambert proves her strength literally, is in the water.

In May 2006 Lambert did a twelve hour pool swim that convinced her that she could do the Lake Ontario crossing. In July 2006 she covered ten kilometers in five hours.
Lambert’s coach and friend, marathon swimmer Vicki Keith, puts her protégés resilience into perspective, saying. “She has to make adjustments in her strokes in order to compensate for the lack of mobility in her legs. She has to over rotate her body, so she is working much harder, but she doesn’t know anything different, that is how she swims.”

Lambert faced additional challenges in the waters of Lake Ontario. It was against the rules to lean against anything during her swim. She had to tread water with one hand and consume granola pieces, fruit cups and boost drinks with the other.

At times when high winds and waves were against her and her arms barely came out of the water, she was inspired by her sister Natalie who swam beside her for two hours.
Waves and wind were so bad at times that attempts were made to redirect the swim to make it shorter. But Lambert wouldn’t have it. She approached the shores of Lake Ontario doing the butterfly stroke, showing supporters that she still had something left.

Jenna’s swim however was not about breaking records, but raising money for a new pool for “the Penguins,” Jenna and Natalie’s swim team at the Kingston YMCA, comprised of young people with disabilities and their siblings.

When asked on the TV show 100 Huntley Street what gave her the strength to do her marathon swim, Jenna a professing Christian said, “God has been amazing, God’s strength is what got me through the marathon. He conquered the cross!!!

Jenna Lambert is a living embodiment of Philippians 4:13: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (NIV)

Contributing Writer: Terry Harris

Look before you leap!

Enthusiam without knowledge is not good; haste makes mistakes Prov. 19:2

One of the temptations I have always wrestled with, is the impulse to move too quickly in order to 'just get it done'. Or, that I get so excited with a good idea, that I run ahead and a good idea crashes because I didn't gather all the necessary details. It is 'when' we are feeling pressured to reply or respond immediately that we need to 'step back' and think the matter through. Rarely are things so immediate that we can't take that few moments to reflect -- and if they are that urgent or important - it is all the more vital that we find a way to 'slow' it down if just momentarily. One of the strategies that I've tried to employ is to take a clean sheet of paper - write the problem - or the 'great idea' in the very centre draw a circle around it - and then on one side write the potential pitfalls, and the other, the possible solutions. I find it only takes a few minutes - but it gets my mind thinking 'wider' about the issue. I then try to identify the 3 most dangerous pitfalls, and the 3 best solutions - if I've only got 1 pitfall or 1 solution, I'm thinking - "I'm not seeing this clearly yet". I have found - prayer helps me to see the bigger picture as I try to yeild the 'the idea/ problem the pitfalls and the solutions' to Him. I will also take that piece of paper (if it is appropriate and available) and talk it through with someone else to see if my thinking makes sense. There are many different strategies that people use -- what are some of yours that you've have found that help you with the temptations of 'Enthusiam without knowledge is not good; haste makes mistakes' ?

Neil

The Lord Weighs the Heart

Proverbs 21:22 All a man's ways seem right to him, but the LORD weighs the heart.

Funny how words can trigger an unrelated memory; “the Lord weighs the heart,” made me think of a friend who died three years ago. Having been institutionalized for much of her life she was victorious in a system life that crushed many a weaker spirit. I loved her for her spirit, wit, intelligence, humour and the paradox of who she was. She had at once a childlike spirit and a vocabulary that might curl the hair of a biker. And in a world that attempted exert control; she had learned to control her environment with the skill of an orchestra conductor.Although I could write much about my friend, what prompted me to think of her when I read the verse from Proverbs was something she would do when we’d go out for dinner together. She loved to have lemon pie for dessert and when the plates were placed on the table, she would eye the pieces of pie with their tangy lemon filling topped with the delicate, golden meringue. She would pick up both plates and test the weight of each, thereby ensuring that hers was the weightier piece. It never occurred to me to suggest that it was rude to pick the biggest piece of pie. I was always laughing too hard on the inside at her unabashed honesty and aware that my manners only hid my equal appetite for the largest piece of lemon pie.The Lord weighs the heart; he judges it perfectly and knows it through and through. He knows my thoughts and intentions and that is both comforting and discomforting! Lord, I can hide nothing from you and I don’t want to. I open my heart before you. Your searching and uncovering are good.Psalm 139:23-24 (New International Version) Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.24 See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Contributing Writer: Belinda Burston

for more of Belinda's writing see www.whateverhesays.blogspot.com

A Dog named "You'll have to Tri-harder"

Brenda loves her volunteer job doing data entry at Maple Lanes, a golden retriever kennel near Alliston. She records the details related to various litters of puppies on the computer--where the puppies go, to whom and for what purpose. The pure-bred dogs go all over the continent, some as far away as Yellowknife, Alaska, and some are trained for such unusual jobs as detecting bed bugs or termites!One dog's name struck her as unusual; her registered name was "Maple Lanes--You'll Have to Tri Harder"--and her "call name" was Tri."Ah, now there's a story," Sherri, the kennel owner said when Brenda asked her about it.Something had happened to one of the puppy's legs after birth--it was swollen and bruised and Sherri thought that maybe its mother had stepped on it. The puppy was put on antibiotics to try to save the leg.Sherri's aunt--who was like a big sister to her--was dying of cancer, and the call that she'd been dreading came from her mother to say that it was time--her aunt was close to death. Sherri left to be with her mother and her aunt.
When she returned after three days, an awful smell of rotting flesh filled the house. Even though the puppy was otherwise healthy because of the antibiotics, the leg had died and was already decaying. Needing to make the arrangements for her aunt's funeral, Sherri took the puppy to a vet she doesn't usually use, to be euthanized--no-one would be likely to buy her and it just wasn't practical to keep her. Her heart was heavy as she dropped off the puppy, full of grief for the loss of her beloved aunt. She said she'd come by later that week after the funeral, to pay the bill.When she returned to the vet's, just expecting to write a cheque, to her surprise, she found the puppy was still alive! A new, inexperienced but enthusiastic vet just out of veterinary college had taken it upon herself to amputate the leg and save the puppy, paying for the surgery herself. The other vets in the office told her she was crazy. She had put drinking straws into the stump where the leg had been, for drainage.Sherri was a bundle of emotions but mainly overwhelmed. Still grieving the loss of her aunt, she took home the puppy, knowing that for the next eight weeks she would require intensive care. Every three hours, around the clock, Sherri took the puppy to suckle at the mother dog, keeping all the other puppies away and the mother dog from licking the site of the operation.Thanks to a determined vet and Sherri's commitment the puppy survived. And the puppy, who Sherri named Tri after she survived against all odds, has a very special job. She is now a St. Johns Ambulance therapy dog--with children who are amputees. It seems God had a purpose for this puppy who seemed to have no place to belong--and he made sure she survived. Tri the three legged dog has a bond with the children she works with that no other dog could have.When Brenda told me this story, I thought of Jesus. He left heaven for earth; being born in a human body with all of its weaknesses and limitations, laying aside his power and glory. He did this to be with us and for us. Nothing less than being one of us would have accomplished his purpose.

Isaiah 53:5 (Amplified Bible)5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole.

Contributing Writer: Belinda Burston

'Are' we because we 'do', or 'do' we because we 'are'?

I've been wrestling with this increasingly in the last few months. I have become convinced that we need to challenge and offer a better theology to the Christian community at all levels (individual/church/Academic) of what constitutes the Image of God. This came up again today as a colleague who is taking a theology course pointed out a quote from Laurence Turner's theology textbook "Genesis"

"Thus human subjugation of the earth and dominion over animals bears analogy with divine activity and represents at least part of the human condition of being in the image of God. Just as God previously created light and then transfers dominion over creation to human beings. This suggests that the 'image of God' in humans refers not only to what humans are but primarily to what they do" (24).

I don't have an issue with his suggestion of 'represents at least part of the human condition of being on the image of God', but I believe he reinforces the 'intellectual' idea of the Image of God over 'what humans are’ with his emphasis on 'primarily' to what they ‘do’.

In my mind we 'do' because we 'are', and not - we 'are' because we 'do'. Maybe I'm tilting at windmills*- I've got to watch that - but I do think there's an important difference here. If you read some of the earlier postings on the topic 'disabled God' you'll see some of these thoughts.

It's not because people with developmental disabilities cannot 'do' - but, what they 'do' is often not valued as 'doing' by the society about them - if the image of

God is "primarily’ found in what we do"—is what we 'are' in question? Does this make any sense? I just think it puts personhood and value in the category of earning or worthiness - rather than in intrinsic gift of life, that God has place within us all. Any, enough for now...any thoughts?

* for those who the phrase 'tilting at windmills' is unfamilar, I refer you to the literary classic "Don Quixote" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Quixote

Plowing ahead

“So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a Holy life. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you corrupting many”. Hebrews 12:12-15

Whenever spring comes, I think back to rituals of farming. One spring activity is plowing. It is one of those deceptive tasks. It looks relatively easy. Simply jump on the tractor and start driving. However, if you’ve ever experienced plowing, you know this is not true. Look at a field plowed by a novice and their inexperience is fairly obvious. There is really quite an art to plowing and a well-plowed field is a thing of beauty. When plowing, there are a lot of things to consider. You have to make sure the depth is right, your coulter is set, your landing is straight, and that the pitch and yaw of the plow is level. My Dad would set the plow and lay the dead and the header furrows, which he could set amazingly straight. My job was to basically not to screw it up but to continue on, using his furrows as a guide – again, easier said than done.

I could do most of the job, but I had one debilitating factor – a very short attention span –that does not bode well for 8 or more hours of plowing.

I was thinking that many of our tasks as leaders involve ‘marking out paths’ for others to follow. How we establish those paths for others is critical – our goal being to make each path relatively easy follow which in turn not only bolsters inner strength but provides a positive reinforcement to others as they seek to complete their own tasks. At some point while plowing, my mind would wander or I would meet unexpected obstacles – large rocks or tree stumps and it would take me off course. My Dad could see from a distance that things were getting off line – so he would come down and re-lay a few furrows to get things back on track. The ‘how’ he did that was very important. He could have come down on me – chiding me for ‘how many times have you done this?’ or ‘how many times do I have to straighten out your mess?’ – but that wasn’t his style. Instead, he’d jump on the tractor while I was still in drivers seat and put his hand on the wheel and talk me through it until the process was back on track – then he’d return to his own tasks.

Similarly, there’s a lot of ‘work’ involved in building our relationships with one another. We are called to work at ‘living at peace with everyone’. As we look around at one another, intuitively, we know that this takes a lot of work. However, in God’s family, this is not an option – it’s part of our work and responsibility to living a Holy life. A significant part of the challenge is that there are many of us ‘plowing’ in the same field, and it is easy to cross paths and enter into areas of conflict or frustration that can cause the poison of bitterness. So, we must ‘watch out’ and recognize when this is happening and not allow any adversity to take root and corrupt the field’s ability to grow a healthy, yielding harvest.

Reflect on the phrase ‘Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God’. This is a powerful thought! We have a significant responsibility to look after one other. Apparently, to God, we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper. We can fail to receive the grace of God because we don’t look after each other.
I challenge you to take time to let this passage penetrate your mind and heart. Let Him speak to you – and don’t be afraid to take a new grip, even though our hands may be tired – He will bring you strength.

Anyway, I was just thinking.