this is church...

Myself and my three friends were sitting in a dark room. We were unused, ignored... empty. Just six days ago hands were all over me. So I was feeling used and abused until a glimmer of light silhouetted me in the dark. In walked a stranger toward me, toward us. He carried us out of the shadow and into the light to centre stage. It seems that we are featured under the lights. As the music played and the holy words were spoken we knew our five minutes of fame were approaching. The music was rising to a crescendo as we were lifted to our place of honour. The hands held us as though we were sacred. They turned for the crowd to see as they decorated us with their riches. It had begun, as we were on parade for all to see. Immediately someone tried to upstage those who had previously decorated me. Another tried to fool me with empty offering for all to see. I found myself beside one who had little to benefit me. But she dug into her meagre means to bless me abundantly. In that moment I realized it wasn't about the spotlight on me. There was a greater power at work in this show that anyone could sense. Then there was one who dropped his head in shame as I came his way. The one who led me, passed him over  despising the man’s lack. From all appearances he was rugged and worn, it was clear he was feeling as I did previously ; used, abused, and empty. My calling was clear as I jerked from the hands that held me. I flipped myself, an offering plate, emptying all the riches bestowed upon me. They landed in those hands, rugged and worn, where it was truly needed. This is church...

 co-written by Leighton & Lance Schubert

if only we could get this...

I feel recently like I have been riding a train a bit here, but everything I read as of late confirms the same. I was considering recently again how Mother Theresa, when used shoes came to her in Calcutta, she would dig thru them first, to take the worst pair for herself. I thought maybe she did not have to always do that. Then I thought about how she would always go last in line, and how she w...ould also stay around after all to clean up when no one seen and all had left. My thoughts were maybe she went overboard with all of those actions, but then I read this, from the sacred writings, “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, (the worst shoes, the back of the line, the worst job) so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

...like a faithful dog

As I spoke this morning I said something to the fact that my wife knows the real me and that is so true. I don’t usually speak of her, especially on social media or when I speak publically, unless of course it is an audience than mainly kn...ows her, which was the case this morning. But as I thought about that, I thought about the truth that my life, which correlates with her life, has often been following every opportunity before me and sometimes that means leaving her to hold the fort and then putting up with me when I am home. This past year, in a game, I was asked if I could describe my wife as an animal, what animal would I say she is, and I said a dog. I corrected that to say a faithful dog, not meaning in appearance but rather in the fact that no matter what I am doing or what space or place where I am or am headed, she supports me no matter what, like a faithful dog. You know, always being there, no matter what, thinking of the concept that a dog is man’s best friend. It is why I post this song from country superstar Eric Church, not that all the behaviours described are me, but it describes the concept of me, but more importantly it describes my wife, who never gives up on me, and supports me no matter what. And if anything I could desire for my own sons, is that they find brides that would be the same way to them.See More

Promoted!

I am asked, "when you look at our situation what do you see is wrong?  You know what is wrong in our situation, don’t you"?  I do sense there is something wrong, but what is it?  I can’t put my finger on it, there are many things, little things that are not right, but really could they make that much difference.  So I watch, I listen, from the shadows.  What could it be, why is it that there is a sense that something is so wrong?  Then as I listen from the shadows, I see it, hear it, loud and clear.  There it is, shameless self-promotion, that is what it was, all along.  Of course! after all the holy text says if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  It makes sense self-promotion is the opposite of humility.  It is wicked, and not the way I hear some say that word today.  When they say it is “wicked” today it means good, but rather it is wicked meaning “evil”.  Shameless self-promotion may be what one thinks will take them to the top but the wisdom literature has some advice for those that self-promote to get ahead - Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips. 

a virtue...

Watch this video then consider what I am saying.  I have had some things bothering me.  In fact I should not say things, I should say people.  In fact I was more than bothered, probably if the truth be told I was angry at their behaviour.  But having watched this video, things have changed.  Well how can a video change one?  Well a video can change one, when one considers the following quote by Chuck Colson, "When a blind man steps on your foot don't get angry..."  The point is that they don't know any better, or cant see what they are doing, just like color.  Such is sometimes the case with people we are angry with.  Sometimes, they do not know any better, than to do what they do.    So I need to remember what the good book says in Romans 2:4 as it tells us that God's kindness leads to repentance.  In the midst of anger, at least some of the time, the true emotion (at least Aristotle considers it an emotion) that one should emit is perhaps kindness.  No wonder it is considered a virtue. 

shamed in silence...

Ok now I know why all the hype about the movie, "Lincoln".  I was blown away at how incredibly it not only portrayed that era, but my era.  For it wisely portrayed human behaviour at its very best and very worst.  At one point Lincoln says, "Euclid's first common notion is this: Things which are equal to the same thing are equal to each other...  That is essentially the premise of the movie, equality for all.  Of course on this side of the13th amendment to the proclamation of emancipation, abolishing slavery for all the states, we all heartily agree.  But what rang so clear to me in the movie was human behaviour.   Not just Lincoln, but men who were willing to stand and do the right thing in the face of great opposition from their fellow man.  The vote was 119 for, and 56 against.  119 men stood for what was right.  In the movie one who had been in opposition, stood for what was right and loudly proclaimed I vote yes.  I love the "guts" to be able to do that even though it was counterintuitive in the face of his colleagues and party to do so, but it was right.  Others said no and did it with fervency even though wrong.  56 men in fact went down in history as standing for what was and is wrong.  But what stood out to me was those who abstained.  One man stood and said, "shoot me dead but I vote yes, but then said no I change that to an abstaining vote.  Then he laid his head on his desk, and put his hands over his head and hid his face... ashamed.  Why because even though he knew what was right, he did not have the "guts" to stand for what was right and he knew it.  Paul the apostle said, " Pray.. for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.  He is saying pray I will have the "guts" to stand for the good news of Jesus, who came to proclaim freedom for the oppressed.  English philosopher Edmund Burke said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing".   Far to many sit in silence when one is maligned/oppressed.  Human behaviour is the same in Lincoln's era, Paul's era, Burke's era, and my era, as it was then, it is now! Will we stand for right, or for what is wrong, or be silent which is equally wrong or worse...

to you I would trust my life...

 

I just spent time with my friend who was my co-worker in Banff and also Kelowna at two different work environments.  He got talking about how he had not taken a lot of time off in our time of working together.  That was true, but the other side of that was that he fulfilled these biblical references as follows.  First of all Colossians 3:22-25 that says, “Slaves or employees, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord… since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving”.   I believe this says that you can tell a lot about a person's relationship to Christ by their work ethic.  This is something that many who claim to follow Christ omit.  Further since biblical passages on ‘work” say we are to work as hard whether or not eyes are on us, Luke 16:10 also applies.  Luke 16:10 says, whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.  My friend you maybe did not take a lot of time off but I saw your character and your work ethic no matter if eyes were on you or not and that is in part why to you I would trust my life.  I say that about few…