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Whatever.

Posted in GOD, life, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #philippians4:8-9, #positiveovernegative, #thegodofpeacebewithyou, #thinkonthesethings, #whatever. on July 17, 2018| Leave a Comment »

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Garfield is the personification of the one-word phrase, whatever.

It’s the eye roll, the sarcasm, the apathy that is all rolled up in that one word.

Our world (myself included, much of the time) has fully embraced this mindset in a word. We tend to look to be completely apathetic, or hard-core negative … about everything! From family to politics to how our actions affect those around us.

On Sunday I had what I would call, a head-shake moment.

As the preacher started his message, he introduced the text, from Philippians 4:8-9:

“Finally, brothers and sisters,
whatever is true,
whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable
—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
—think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me
—put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you.”

Immediately I was hearing what I knew God wanted me to be reminded of, to know afresh. The entire service could have ended there, because I had already been given a gold nugget of teaching, just in reading and listening to God’s word being read.

What a reminder of the power that focusing, not on the negative or the apathetic, but on what is positive, what we know to be true. That this is the way our minds come in line with the heart of God.

Then, we are instructed to not only think about the positive, but put it into practise … do it! Bring what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy to those around us … our families, neighbours, co-workers and friends.

Not only that, but there is an off-shoot of benefit for this positive focus thinking … the God of peace, and therefore the peace of God, will be with us! And we need that peace, the world needs that peace (that passes understanding).

What a good passage to start off a Sunday … what a good passage to start each day.

Not, whatever.

But, whatever …

“The Lord is with us while we are with him.”
Matthew Henry Commentary

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Rest

Posted in GOD, Nature/Creation, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #dayseven, #godrested, #godwaswellpleased, #momadvice, #sitandrelax, Creation, Rest, sabbath on July 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »

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As Sunday dawns so does Sabbath … a day of rest, renewal. In our North American culture, in this time, Sunday is no different from any other day of the week. Yet our bodies, out minds, our spirits and souls cry out for all that Sabbath can and should be … rest, renewal.

However one might interpret the actual turn of events, Genesis says that:

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” (Genesis 2:2-3)

God, the Creator of the heavens and Earth, rested from his work.

I was speaking to my mom, a few days ago, about our recent move to a new home. I was tired, bone tired. We had been unpacking and organizing for six days straight (after packing for weeks prior). My mom, in mom fashion, reminded me that it’s okay, even good, to just sit and relax and enjoy our new place. I balked that there was too much to be done, and that I couldn’t possibly enjoy anything until we were unpacked.

Then, while chatting with one of our kids, I found myself offering the same advice … that it’s okay, even good, to just sit and relax …

When advice is good and beneficial, it can even come from those of us who do not practise what we preach. It is as though our souls know what is best, even if we are deaf and blind to it’s truth in our practise.

In reading Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Genesis passage about God resting, I found this:

“The eternal God, though infinitely happy in the enjoyment of himself, yet took a satisfaction in the work of his own hands. He did not rest, as one weary, but as one well-pleased with the instances of his own goodness and the manifestations of his own glory.”

Sabbath is not limited to a certain day, but we all need a day of rest in our seven days. It does not have to be about an afternoon nap, it can simply be taking satisfaction in what we have accomplished, created in the six days prior, giving appreciation and homage to work well done.

If we were to regularly take time each week to honour what we have been part of, what we have worked to accomplish, what we have created, perhaps we would experience less stress, anxiety and depression.

Perhaps there is something to this day of rest.

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Morning Prayer

Posted in GOD, life, WONDER, tagged #blankslate, #mercies, #morningprayer, #morningrituals, #newadventures, #newbeginning on July 10, 2018| Leave a Comment »

There is something about the freshness of each new day that puts thanks and praise on the heart and coming from the lips (well, if you are a morning person).

I love the words of Anne of Green Gables (aka Lucy Maud Montgomery):

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And that is what the mornings are, reminders of the freshness of a new day, a blank slate, a new beginning … not an impediment in sight.

So, the freshness of a new day, thanks on our lips, and a prayer.

I love to find the perfect place in the house to start my day, with a warm cup and my WonderDog (sometimes hubby is part of the ritual too). The perfect place with just the right light, a view to the world outside, and a cozy chair.

In our new home, finding a seat uncluttered by boxes and their contents is still a bit of a struggle. I wonder where our morning space will eventually emerge as.

This new home is like the freshness of a new day. It is a blank slate, a new beginning. Like God’s mercies, that are new every morning, this space, this place is our place of grace, sanctuary from the world.

And, as we begin our new day under this roof, thanks and a prayer to start this new day:

Morning Prayer

God shield this house.
When the hail must fall upon the roof,
bid the ice be kind.
When the snow must come upon the shingles,
bid the cold be warmer than it wants to be.
When the floods rise against the walls,
make these bricks the exorcist that drives
the water demons from the foundation.
Bid the glazing of the windows
hold the blast of northern winds at bay.
For this home is a temple and
we-this poor band of lovers all-keep here an altar.
Here we love the great God
and find the adoration our Lord so full
abundance spills over to the loving of each other.
This is our sanctuary-our holy place
-our citadel of hope-
our shelter from despair.
(Calvin Miller: Celtic Devotions)

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Do It Again

Posted in Faith, GOD, life, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #doitagain, #elevationworship, #greatisthyfaithfulness, #ibelieve, #praiseandlament, #wehavehope, lamentations on July 8, 2018| Leave a Comment »

While driving one day last week the words of a song were heard by my heart.

Being on the cusp of change I needed to be reminded of that which does not, and there is nothing like the words in the middle of the Lamentations to re-set one’s … laments.

“Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
    therefore I will wait for him.”

The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;
it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:21-26

The book of Lamentations is one of mourning, weeping and gnashing of teeth. Jerusalem had been destroyed. The city of the people of God, God’s place of residence, was destroyed.

The book is written in poetic forms … ah, how poetry can make more sense when we are bowed to our knees.

The Lamentations are a cry for God to restore his people (aka, they blew it, and were begging on their knees to be forgiven). In this book, God never speaks … it is as though he let them, wanted them to cry out, so as to remind them of his mercifulness, even in the midst of their laments.

So, as I listened to the song, Do It Again, and heard the words that reminded me of the unfailing faithfulness of my creator, redeemer, sustainer God, I sighed with the confidence that “his compassions never fail. They are new every morning.”

The Lamentations reminds us, not only of the faithfulness of God (right in the middle of the laments), but that praise and lament/weeping can happen simultaneously. That God is faithful, in the good times, and in the times of sorrow, loss, confusion, sickness and heartbreak.

And if he has shown his compassion and faithfulness in the past, we can have confidence, hope that he will do it again.

Do It Again
-Elevation Worship

Walking around these walls
I thought by now they’d fall
But You have never failed me yet

Waiting for change to come
Knowing the battle’s won
For You have never failed me yet

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You’ve never failed me yet

I know the night won’t last
Your Word will come to pass
My heart will sing Your praise again

Jesus, You’re still enough
Keep me within Your love
My heart will sing Your praise again

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed

Your promise still stands
Great is Your faithfulness, faithfulness
I’m still in Your hands
This is my confidence, You never failed me yet

I’ve seen You move, come move the mountains
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again
You made a way, where there was no way
And I believe, I’ll see You do it again

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The Hands of Balance

Posted in life, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #aristotle, #blessingsandcurses, #handprints, #thehandsofbalance, #tooloftools, #whatdoineedtolearn, #writtenonthepalmofmyhands, Balance, hands on July 5, 2018| Leave a Comment »

hands Not long after moving into our home we decided to create extra parking to the side of our driveway. A kind-hearted, gentle man of great experience assisted hubby in preparing the space for the scheduled arrival of concrete. After the cement was poured and levelled, our favourite three, quite literally, left their mark on the space.

Hands are most interesting parts of our bodies. They can be tools of love as well as violence. They are unique in their lines and creases. They are gentle, yet strong. They can be used in the function of the strongest tools, and yet wipe a tear from a loved one with the greatest of tenderness. They are used every day, often without a pain or ache … until the fatigue and overuse of years takes place.

In the Bible, Isaiah says, of the holy city (both on Earth, and in the life to come):

“Jerusalem, I can never forget you!
I have written your name on the palms of my hands. ”
Isaiah 49:16

According to the University of Michigan:

“The hand is the most frequently symbolized part of the human body. It gives blessing, it is expressive. According to Aristotle, the hand is the “tool of tools.” … The right and left have different symbols related to each: right – the rational, conscious and logical, as well as aggressive and axious, left – opposite of the right, weakness, decay, death. However, the two can be juxtaposed to symbolize balance and the middle.”

Balance …

I could use some of that! How about you?

Though we may be either left or right handed, we function best when we use both. We function best when both strengths and weaknesses come together, to bring balance … for life is not meant to be lived always on the mountaintop, always in the sun, always in happiness.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has said, “into each life some rain must fall”. This is what balance truly is … maybe not the balance we always desire, but balance nonetheless.

Our hands can be representative of that real balance. the blessings and the curses that are part of real life. They work (literally) hand-in-hand, bringing a complete life.

Those curses, those valleys, have purpose in our lives.

I have learned that when in the depths of despair, the question is not why did this happen? but what do I need to learn? And learn I do, and learn we all do.

May we learn to look for purpose in whatever falls into each of our lives, into each of our hands. For through both we receive balance.

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The Liminal Moment

Posted in Faith, FAMILY, life, WONDER, tagged #anewthing, #dontlookback, #faceforward, #liminalsoup, #streamsinthewasteland, #theliminalmoment, #thresholdofchange on July 3, 2018| 1 Comment »

In a few days, the clothesline will hang empty, the pool without a ripple, the rooms quiet with not even the deep breathing of our wonder dog.

This is the liminal moment for me, the threshold between where we have been and where we are going. Though we are still here our minds are there. Though our history is here our future is there.

Our days are a liminal soup of memories and dreams.

In one year there has been great change for us, as a couple, which has stretched it’s reach into the lives of our children.

I made an employment change, which was heart wrenching, though I am thankful for. Hubby had to resign his job, then experienced health failure, which currently we know not when or how (or if) he will recover. We are about to exit the home which was the place of the growing up years for our three.

Our children have also experienced their own life changes. One graduated high school and set out to experience the working class lifestyle. One was diagnosed with a chronic disease, which can interrupt daily life unexpectedly and with great pain. One is still in the process of medical inquiry, while also looking at a new job.

While shopping last week I came across a small wall plaque (above) which said,

“Don’t look back,
you’re not going that way”

And I snapped it up for our new home, for I knew we would need the reminder to face forward, to close the door on the past and slide the deadbolt, for our future needs to be our focus.

So, as we embark on the future, on new dreams, goals and direction, the focus is on the new thing that God has for us, and we will throw our all into it, face forward.

“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.”

Isaiah 43:18-19

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Glorious and Free

Posted in canada, GOD, life, WONDER, tagged #canadaday, #canadasbirthday, #glorious, #gloriousandfree, #godkeepourland, #ocanada, Freedom on July 1, 2018| 1 Comment »

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It’s a birthday for the nation of Canada and the nation will be singing it’s song all day long.

“God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.”

Glorious and free …

What exactly does that mean?

Glorious …

Well, glorious could be substituted with wonderful, magnificent. And Canada is! It’s beauty, from coast to coast (sea to shining sea), not just in it’s vast and varied landscape, but in it’s citizens from every nation. All have come here, to this vast nation, seeking what those of us who call this our native land … home … a place to live and work and play. A place to call our own.

Free …

To be free is to not be hindered, by anything or anyone. It can be physical, but it can also be emotional, social, spiritual … freedom from the inside out. So many Canadians have sought to live here in the True North, for the strength and freedom that is absent elsewhere, that is here in abundance. From my perspective, our freedom of speech has been, is and should always be our greatest freedom (even when what is said is disagreeable to us), for from it every other freedom evolves.

I am thankful for this nation that I call home.

I pray that God would keep our land glorious and free.

“Ruler supreme, who hearest humble prayer,
Hold our Dominion in thy loving care”

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My Window Perch

Posted in FAMILY, The Kids, WONDER, tagged #lookingback, #memorylane, #mywindowperch, #settingofchildhood, Remembering on June 28, 2018| 1 Comment »

It was an evening of quiet, with clouds that were as sun-hiding as coastal fog.

Hubby had left to take our son and his friend to camp, where they will be working all summer.

Just the evening before, my family honored my request for a photo, by changing their schedules to make it happen. That’s what families do … give and stretch for each other, even when it doesn’t make sense.

It was the last opportunity for all five of us to be in the house, and I wanted just one specific image. I am pretty sure they thought I had lost all sense of creativity, but they did it nonetheless (and I didn’t even have to pull out the “do you realize how difficult childbirth was” stories).

So that photo was taken (at the bottom of this page), then, the next day, our son walked out of his home of fourteen of his eighteen years for the last time.

Standing at my kitchen sink (my favourite place in the house), looking out into the back yard, the memories made in this home started to flood into my mind, and a realization that the opportunity to have memories promoted by this setting is coming to an end.

So I emerged from my window perch and wandered down memory lane.

When we entered this place our youngest couldn’t reach the light switch. He had to share a room with his sister, while the roof was added to the upper deck, to make a bedroom for him. He has had three different bedrooms in this house. We would often look to the back yard and see him use the back yard as a urinal (or his sisters would have him ‘water’ spiders). He learned to swim in our pool, just one week after we moved in. His favourite room in the house is the loft, where he and friends played various video games.

Back at the beginning, our oldest was ten, a competitive swimmer and eager to throw a party. She has thrown her share of parties, and utilized our pool for summer employment for a number of years. She has lived in an upper bedroom and in the basement suite. She was the first to leave our nest a year and a half ago. Her favourite place at our home … the pool.

Our middle daughter was only seven … just a little girl finishing grade one, swimming daily for the swim club, always angling to have a friend over and toting notebooks of scribbles and sketches. She has only ever had one bedroom in this house … the largest bedroom. She has been in school ever since we moved in and has had more friends over than all the rest of us (probably combined). Her favourite place at this place is her bedroom.

Our kids have grown up here, we all grew here, and in a few days we will move on to a new time and place, where stories and growth and laughter and tears will happen.

It was good to look back, and remember what we had here together.

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Year One in the Books

Posted in Faith, GOD, life, WONDER, tagged #jobchange, #summervacation, #unexpectedblessings, #wheregodguidesheprovides, #worksisters, #yearoneinthebooks, Thankful on June 26, 2018| Leave a Comment »

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As the final student left the examination room yesterday, the doors to my summer opened wide, closing year one at my new job behind me.

A year ago I was sitting on the fence of change, wondering if I could survive without the familiarity and comforts of ‘home’. A year later I feel certain that I made the right decision, for I have been stretched and challenged in new ways that have forced me to grow.

Growth and challenge with purpose is essential for my undiagnosed ADD. For I easily become bored of monotony, and discouraged at busy work (for students as well as for myself).

I knew, in making the decision to accept this position, that I was doing it for the kick in the pants that I needed. I knew that I had become too confident of myself in my job, it had become second nature, and I knew that I needed to be pushed and stretched to be the best in my work.

And stretched I have been!

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Most days I got to spend my time assisting students with their math homework. It was pure joy for me, as I love the challenge that math problems present. It is not that I am an amazing or flawless mathematician, but that I recognize that math’s problems force us to work to find a solution, rather than the right answer. They are like a game where one needs to find a way to make the problem work. Personally, I think math prepares us best for life, for in our life we will have problems, and we need to learn to live with and through them.

Although I accepted a job for less income, I felt confident that God would take care of our financial needs, if I stepped out in faith, for a job that would challenge me and for one that provided more flexibility in terms of not having to attend professional development days that did not apply to my position or profession. What I never expected was that just weeks into my new position, a significant pay raise would more than meet our needs.

I was certain there couldn’t be a group of students who I could love more, yet, over forty students later (plus the ones who I have gotten to know who I didn’t actually work with directly) I adore this community of teens, who have accepted me, the new lady who loves math.

Then there was the community of co-workers. Though I still miss the community I had enjoyed for well over ten years, I have gained a new group of friends and colleagues. I have been adopted into a classroom which is a sisterhood of three, who I adore and respect, and into whose lives I have been welcomed with open arms. In our classroom (and via texts and emails) we have laughed, cried, prayed, celebrated and mourned … it has been a living, life-giving environment.

God has been faithful in providing for me through this year of change and transition. It hasn’t always been easy, and never perfect, yet he has guided and provided what I needed.

“The Lord will guide you always;
    he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
    and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like a spring whose waters never fail.”
Isaiah 58:11

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A Dirty Little Secret

Posted in GOD, Walking with God, WONDER, tagged #dirtylittlesecret, #footwashing, #onlyjesuscanwashusclean, #servantleadership, #sinhasnohold on June 24, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Screen Shot 2018-06-24 at 6.49.38 AM Our family has a dirty little secret …

We don’t often take about this in public, and it causes great eye-rolling and disgust among our family …

It is the foot-licking of Duke, our wonder dog.

It doesn’t matter if we have just come from the shower, or from a day of hot and sweaty work in the garden, he wants to clean our heals, soles and toes (and everything in between).

His eagerness, insistence and inappropriateness about cleaning our feet makes me think of the passage about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples (John 13:1-17).

It all took place in the midst of the passover meal. Jesus was surrounded by all of his disciples. Though Judas was still with the group, the passage says that “the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus” (v.2).

So, right in the middle of the meal, Jesus gets up and prepares himself, the water and towel.

Now, foot washing was a normative thing as it was hot, dusty and everyone wore sandals. Washing feet was normally done by a servant, or one who was viewed as lower in society (women, children). It was completely normative for good hygiene and for refreshment.

But …

The normal time for foot washing to be done would have been when people first came in from outside, not in the middle of the meal. Why did Jesus insist on washing their feet, when the meal was already underway? Wouldn’t we presume that their feet were already clean?

The passage says he approached Simon Peter, who asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” (v. 6)

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” (v. 7)

-a hint that this act has more meaning than just clean feet.

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” (v. 8)

-Peter understood that a teacher would never wash the feet of his followers. There was a certain way things ought to be done, and this was not it.

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

-now we are being made aware of why this act must be done.

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” (v. 9)

-he’s looking for a shower.

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean …” (v. 10)

-here is where Jesus indicates that the foot washing has nothing to do with a physical cleansing. Jesus is reminding Peter that what needs cleansing most is that which is most dirty. It is our sin, the condition of all humankind, which soils us most … it is sin which we all need cleansing from, and it is only the Master who can cleanse that sin … we cannot do it ourselves.

“… though not every one of you. For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.” (v. 10-11)

-this was about Judas, for he had already struck the deal … his heart was moving in another direction. Judas had made the decision to choose filth over cleanliness, and that choice would be what would keep him from experiencing the cleansing that Jesus came to offer.

“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” (v. 12-14)

-Clearly asking the disciple if they understood what he did, in washing their feet, was a redundant question, as they were clueless …

aren’t we all clueless when we don’t really want to know that is going on? Jesus had been alluding to ‘when I am gone’ for quite some time, yet there seemed to ignore these statements. I wonder if their selective understanding was simply that common human practise of doing the ostrich … burying our head in the sand when we don’t want to hear what is being said.

“I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.“ (v. 15-17)

-the meat and potatoes of this story are now being served! His act of humility, of service, is a modelling of what he expects of them, for each other. As the human form of the new covenant, he exemplifies what it is to be, not just a master (for that is what he is), but a servant master … a far cry from the religious leaders of that day.

Sin is the dirty little secret we all share in common. Jesus is the only one who can make us clean from our sin, and, once washed, he requires us to follow his example of service to others.

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