“I am no longer my own, but yours. Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will; put me to doing, put me to suffering; let me be employed for you or laid aside for you, exalted for you or brought low for you; let me be full, let me be empty; let me have all things, let me have nothing; I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal. And now, glorious and blessed God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours.” (The Methodist Service Book)

Hard to believe that was 9 years ago. I was at the church office, meeting with N.S. in the old church library (which I had claimed as my office), and we were tuning into the radio hearing the reports. Later I was at Tim Horton’s (no surprise there) meeting with B.B., and I shared with her I was shaking on the inside, not believing the news. I went home early that afternoon and watch the TV reports, non-stop, for the rest of the night (and week). I remember crying, and thinking that we had just experienced a seismic historical event that would forever rock our world. I remember wondering what it all meant for us as a family, but also for the world, and the mission of the church. Our ‘bubble’ had burst, and things would never be the same…

Where were you on September 11, 2001? What went through your mind? How has your life changed because of it?

I recently read this story on the web, and it stuck with me. It made me think about my own family, and what it is I wish for them?

Recently I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her departure and standing near the security gate, they hugged and he said, “I love you. I wish you enough.” She in turn said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.”
They kissed and she left. He walked over toward the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, “Did you ever say goodbye to someone knowing it would be forever?” Continue reading “I wish you enough”

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. [Colossians 1:1]
In my church background, talk about being “chosen by God” was primarily a debate about whether we are ‘saved’ because God chose us or because we chose God.
Otherwise known as the doctrine of election or predestination.
In the reformed tradition we have a whole document(“The Canons of Dordt”) dedicated to explaining that the right answer is that God chose us, and everyone who teaches otherwise is wrong!
I have studied this debate, and participated in it, for years; I know the bible verses usually brought up by both sides.
My own perspective is in the mysterious middle – God chooses us and we choose God, and somehow it all works out.

But what is missing in this abstract theological debate is the purpose for which those that are chosen are called.
What does it mean that God chooses us, or that we choose God?
Think about the army: whether we are conscripted or we sign up voluntarily, we are there for a purpose.
I see the issue of being “chosen by God” less a matter of privilege (‘I am chosen, you are not’) and more a matter of responsibility!
What we need to figure out most of all is what it is we are chosen for.
According to Paul, it is to be an apostle (or missionary) of/for Christ Jesus.

When we talk about being “chosen by God”, don’t forget that we are chosen for a purpose!
If only we had a whole document in our tradition dedicated to explaining this!!!

“Some people think that a spiritual quest of any kind is a colossal waste of time. For them, the only things that are real are those that can be proven or measured. They might think, Life boils down to earning and buying and selling… eating and drinking and having fun… respiration, digestion, elimination, ovulation, ejaculation, gestation, reproduction, antiquation, expiration. Why search for something that we can’t prove? Why don’t we just get real and get over it? Why waste energy on a spiritual quest? There’s nothing more than psychology and biology, which is nothing more than chemistry and electricity, which is nothing but physics, which boils down to mathematics. That’s all there is.” (Brian McLaren, The Secret Message of Jesus)

As one who believes that this is NOT all there is, I can’t help but feeling sorry for those for whom that’s all there is! Its no wonder so many people feel empty, pointless, worthless, purposeless. I know, they probably do not want my pity, but I feel it anyway. For me, I cannot ignore the spiritual whisper that is echoing within me. I do not understand it, and I don’t always hear it. But I cannot escape it. It gently beckons me, pulls me from the inside to something beyond the material to the immaterial, beyond the temporal to the eternal. I am on this spiritual quest, and I believe that the voice I hear is the voice of God, otherwise known as Jesus Christ.

God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. [Ecclesiastes 3:11]

What do you think?

Yesterday I wrote about being a practical atheist, and then discovered there is a whole book about the subject – The Christian Atheist by Craig Groeschel.
A look at the index shows what this involves:

1. When You Believe in God but Don’t Really Know Him
2. When You Believe in God but Are Ashamed of Your Past
3. When You Believe in God but Aren’t Sure He Loves You
4. When You Believe in God but Not in Prayer
5. When You Believe in God but Don’t Think He’s Fair
6. When You Believe in God but Won’t Forgive
7. When You Believe in God but Don’t Think You Can Change
8. When You Believe in God but Still Worry All the Time
9. When You Believe in God but Pursue Happiness at Any Cost
10. When You Believe in God but Trust More in Money
11. When You Believe in God but Don’t Share Your Faith
12. When You Believe in God but Not in His Church

So if the subject interests you, why not make this a part of your summer reading plan.
I’m sure its not a light and easy read – and it may make you uncomfortable.
I think I will.

It is not what we say, but what we do, that reveals what we really believe!
I say that I love Jesus, but do my actions bear that out?
I say that I follow Jesus, but do my actions reveal this?
I say that Jesus is my Lord, but do I strive to do what He says?
I say that Jesus is my Saviour, but do I look to Him and rely on Him for help?
I say that God is real to me, but do I live and act without much thought to God’s presence or power in my life?
I say that the bible is important to me, but do I take time to read it, and apply it to my life?
I say that prayer is important to me, but do it actually prioritize time for praying?

I heard someone talk about “practical atheists”, those who claim to believe in God, and maybe believe in God in their brains, but in reality deny His existence by each one of their deeds!

What do you think?

I found these stones piled up along the shore of Victoria Park, PEI.
Did this happen naturally, or is there some intelligent designer behind it?
To me, these stones testify – or point to – the hand that shaped and positioned them.
They are a silent message, reminding me that they did not just ‘happen’, but that someone put them there for a reason.
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. [Psalms 19:1-4]
Can you hear what the stones are saying?

That’s me going for a walk… in the ocean.
Experiencing God is like experiencing the ocean.
You can only touch a small part of it, and you could never grasp the whole of it.
It’s expanse, it’s depth, and the wonder that it contains, is all beyond my reach.
But that doesn’t stop me from stepping in and enjoying what I can.
So it is with God!