Culture Culture

The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture. We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Cor 10:4

The Corinthians brought their massively corrupt culture into their church. Our culture is also massively corrupt. Hmmm....

I'm guessing that there are ways we are doing the same. I'm personally feeling called to humility. Less to a "storm the gates" posture and more toward a quiet, listening, dependent posture. Not in passivity but with intention.

Lavish Love

God-
I am amazed at you! You bring such joy! what a journey of discovery - I'm finding you to be real, present, flowing, a river of gifts and love. I want to dive in and splash and drink and laugh and enjoy.

I used to think you were stingy. Now I see your lavish ways. You love lavishly. You give gifts lavishly.

I feel something rising... I've been holding myself back. I'm not sure but I think that I've been waiting for meanness or coldness to be revealed... just when I trusted.

But you love me. You are intimately involved in my training, my up-bringing. I'm reeling from the sweetness of your instruction. My heart is bursting with joy!

I Cor chapter 4 brought on this prayer. Here I will include verses 7-8 (message translation).

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn't everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what's the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. Without bringing either Apollos or me into it, you're sitting on top of the world -- at least God's world -- and we're right there, sitting alongside you!

Sweet Desire

These faint wavering far-travell'd gleams
Coming from your country, fill me with care. That scent,
That sweet stabbing, as at the song of thrush,
That leap of the heart--too like thy seem
To another air; unlike as well
So that I am dazed with doubt. As a dungeoned man
Who has heard the hinge on the hook turning
Often. Always that opened door
Let new tormentors in. If now at last
It open again, but outward, offering free way,
(His kind one come, with comfort) he
Yet shrinks, in his straw, struggling backward,
From his dear, from his door, into the dark'st corner,
Furthest from freedom. So, fearing, I
Taste not but with trembling. I was tricked before.
All the heraldry of heaven, holy monsters,
With hazardous and dim half-likeness taunt
Long-haunted men. The like is not the same.
Always evil was an ape. I know.
Who passes to paradise, within that pure border
Finds there, refashioned, all that he fled from here.
And yet...
But what's the use? For yield I must,
Though long delayed, at last must dare
To give over, to be eased of my iron casing,
Molten at thy melody, as men of snow
In solar smile. Slow-paced I come,
Yielding by inches. And yet, oh Lord, and yet,
--Oh Lord, let not likeness fool me again.

Sweet Desire by C. S. Lewis

Many Thanks

Dearest Catherine Duncan,
I squandered my chance to thank you in person. Regretting that.

You came two nights ago and shared your heart with us, your very self. You spoke with us as a friend, with down-to-earth-i-ness. I've been captured with the beauty of the spirit that was behind all you shared. What humility, patience, gentleness God has grown in you -- what Christ-likeness! You see Christ in the face of those you serve and I saw Christ in the face of you. The life you engage in draws me and terrifies me. You've put feet on your trust of God.

Thank you, thank you for all you shared.

(Jan, would you please email this to Catherine? I would be much obliged.)

Wrapped in red... and white

I've been missing from blogland for a while. I feel like I've been missing from much of life lately. You see, we've been painting... and painting... and painting some more. We decided to re-do our family room. When we started in there was all of this energy and excitement. The paint is called cherry cobbler. cute. The first coat looked like hot pink lipstick. Yikes! But after THREE more coats it finally looks like the blood color we were after. We finished that a week ago. Then we started painting the trim on doors (4) and windows (2) white. There's also a large bookshelf and three other just made shelves that all need to be painted - white. We're only about half way done with this white stuff.

Pete seems to enjoy teasing about my propensity to UNDERestimate the time it takes to complete a task. I kinda thought we could dig in and complete the task in a week. But here we are going into week 3. Oh well. I guess we're in this for the long haul.

This is strangely familiar. So much of life feels exciting and amazing at the beginning but then comes the realization that much more time and energy will be required.

Here's the prayer that's been with me on my painting journey.
I pause, Father, to commune with you. Help me to be still and know that you are God. Ease awhile any tense muscles or strained nerves or wrought-up emotions. Let me be relaxed in body and calm in spirit so that I may be more responsive to your presence. I pause, Father to commune with you... Amen. Roy E. Dickerson in Daily Prayer Companion

So I invite you, God, into our creative expression, into our aching muscles, into our long process. Be in every brush-stroke.

jigsaw puzzler

I've shared with some friends this idea that my life is a jigsaw puzzle and that God recently banged his fist down on my card table upsetting all my pieces.

I've been working so hard at putting it all back together again. As the pieces begin to click into place I realize, to my horror, that it's not the same puzzle, the picture's different and I've lost the box lid. Damn, now what?

To make matters worse, I've begun to realize that this change has affected the old ways I used to connect to others - they don't fit either. Again, now what?

me thinks it's time to trust another maybe?

In Solitude

In solitude we can slowly unmask the illusion of our posessiveness and discover in the center of our own self that we are not what we can conquer, but what is given to us. In solitude we can listen to the voice of him who spoke to us before we could speak a word, who healed us before we could make any gesture to help, who set us free long before we could free others, and who loved us long before we could give love to anyone. It is in this solitude that we discover that being is more important than having, and that we are worth more than the result of our efforts. In solitude we discover that our life is not a possession to be defended, but a gift to be shared. It's there we recognize that the healing words we speak are not just our own, but are given to us; that the love we can express is part of a greater love, and that the new life we bring forth is not a property to cling to, but a gift to be received. --From Out of Solitude by Henri J. Nouwen

This calls out in me a desire to yield, to rest, and to be very gentle with myself.