Epiphany

On Sunday I picked Rod McLean up just after 5am and we embarked on out 4 hr drive to McGowan’s Lake for the opening Sunday of reunion. From one perspective if I was to look back and say, I drove 8 hrs and it poured rain the entire day I would think this might have been a wasted day. But in hindsight this one day blessed me in innumerable ways. In my upcoming CEM role which brings me into relationship with all CEM congregations, I am consciously most observant, most sensitive, most prayerful as I am present with and interact within our sacred community gatherings. You individually touch my life. From the very moment of arrival when the gracious McCurdy’s immediately invited us for dinner with them that evening we were embraced by a people living the spirit of reunion, mindful of “being” community, affirming within their relationships this experienced sacredness.

There was within my consciousness a powerful epiphany that I became aware of in one moment of heartfelt song that our collective mutuality was raised as an unspoken prayer and at the same time there was a receiving of the Spirit confirming the rightness and unification of our hearts, minds and souls. Would you not drive 8 hours for such an affirmation that God is entering our lives and sacramental realities of community are ours to experience.

I have more reunions to visit this summer and so can you. Please decide to attend reunion at least one day, to have faith that this will be a life changing experience in your life. Go with expectation; recognize this community experience is a safe place to both offer yourself in prayerful friendship and willingly receive the offered prayerful friendship of another. Your children, your grandchildren will forever remember one day at reunion and the fun times, the shared meals, the songs, sports and presence of joy. One day is easy to make happen. It just takes a decisive moment to say why not! Invite another to bless their life, to provide comfort in your initial moments of insecurity upon arrival. Reunion is a place of hospitality, a place of expectant welcoming. You won’t want to leave and the following day I invite you to write as I, the feelings and blessings of that one day which brought new awareness into your life. God Bless and see you at Reunion!    

Posted by Kerry Richards

Forward

This morning’s post is a forwarding referral to the Peace Blog of the Orange California Community of Christ. This writing, entitled “Is God Real?” was written by Katie Harmon McLaughlin, a fine young adult minister who now lives and works in Orange.

I first met Katie and her husband Zack when I was assigned as Campus Minister at Graceland University. They were both students and part of CCLP, the Community of Christ Leadership Program for which I had some responsibility. As a freshman, Katie impressed me with her deep spirituality, her gifted leadership and her soul’s deep desire to be in relationship with God. You will readily see all of that in her writing.

I encourage you to click on this link and enjoy Katie’s post. It is lovely.

Posted by Carman

Introvert

I'm in a bit of a confessional mood today I guess. Today I'm going to share something that isn't exactly a secret but that not everyone entirely "gets" about me: I'm a radical, off-the-charts
introvert

This week as I’m thinking about sharing some information on spirituality types with the folks at Port Elgin next weekend, my thinking has led me into the territory of personality types. Psychologists Katherine Briggs and Isabelle Briggs-Myers major body of work provided me lots of helpful stuff back in a previous life teaching management concepts and has continued to be most helpful in knowing myself and others generally. The Spiritual Types model is based on the same research.

Just briefly, one and only one area of interest is the Extroversion/Introversion characteristic. The terms are used somewhat differently than most folks do who refer to people of particular social aptitude or shyness, or just volume of communication by the terms extrovert or introvert. Myers-Briggs are speaking about where or how one gets her energy.

Extroverts get energy from other people. They love being in crowds. They have and enjoy lots of friends. And if they’re not with their friends, they’re loving being with whomever they’re with. My granddaughter Tiona is just such a person. Even at her tender age of not-quite-five, she can work a crowd like nobody’s business. Waiting on the sidewalk outside her big brother’s school choir concert she quickly surveyed every other kid near her size, knew all their names and ages, had shared her name and details of her upcoming birthday, let everyone know she will be starting school soon and enquired of their academic status—attending? Yes/no? Which school? etc., etc.

Introverts need alone time to find energy. While they may be quite socially adept, not necessarily shy with strangers, enjoy a party with the best of them (when their energy levels are high) and even have decent public speaking skills, they become tired from those activities and will need some alone time to re-energize. Talking with just one or two people feels more comfortable. They’ll prefer to be alone if the company isn’t interesting or engaging. Re-booting the energy levels is preferable to draining one’s battery on small talk or not-so-necessary interaction. Sometimes they’ll even turn down an opportunity to be with someone or ones they really enjoy and love being with if their energy is low.

In North America, at least, introverts are in the minority. We often need to protect ourselves from the majority expectations that “everyone” is or wants to be extroverted. That just is not so.

A couple of good sources of information or help on the topics are these: Quiet: The Power of Introverts and Introverted Church If this is new for you I recommend you take a look around you. Do you recognize any of these descriptors in your friends and family—maybe even yourself? Think about it. It might explain a lot.

Posted by Marion

The Spirituality of Trucks

I like trucks. Or more accurately, I have a fondness for pickup trucks, especially old ones like a ‘37 Chevy or a ‘52 Ford. I think most men do. There are all kinds of reasons for this. For some it may be a holdover from our childhood. For example, when I was a child, I had a toy fuel truck that looked just the one that brought gas to the farm for my dad’s tractor. Of course mine was small, green and said City Service, while the real one was big, red, and said Regent Petroleum, but it didn’t matter; I loved that little truck and played with it for hours.

Trucks may also carry a cargo of memories for some. For example, my grandfather owned a truck even though he didn’t drive. For years, my father earned a living driving a truck. Somewhat ironically, the last two decades he drove a fuel truck, delivering gas and oil to the local farms. I drove a truck myself for one summer; one of Carl Farrow’s big, gravel hauling, tractor-trailers. It was an educational experience.

For men, there is often a certain romantic charm associated with the pickup truck. The illusion is that such vehicles can go anywhere and do almost anything. Whether for work or for play, they are the idea tool or toy, depending on your point of view.

Relatively early in my adult life, I learned that owning a truck was not a particularly good idea for me, or for most urban dwellers. Somewhere I acquired an old, Ford pickup. It had a six cylinder engine, a stick on the column, no power steering and rust holes on the floor as well as inside the box, but it was cheap and I thought it was fine. It used a lot of gas, but since fuel only cost about 39 cents for an Imperial gallon in those days, I wasn’t worried. I didn’t worry until the truck died on the Don Valley Parkway with my wife and baby son in the cab. Suddenly the down-side of owning an old pickup truck began to emerge, and it didn’t seem like such a good idea any more. The next time, I bought a brand new truck!

Of course many women like trucks too. In an earlier decade it was not uncommon to hear radio broadcaster Shelagh Rogers wax poetic about her fondness for driving her truck. And just recently I was passed on the highway by a pickup with a bumper sticker in the back window that said, “Silly Boys, Trucks are for Girls!” It may be dumb, but I swear I felt an instant mix of both amusement and respect.

I am not quite as amused by the current advertizing model for marketing trucks. In recent years, The sentimental appeal of ‘Chevy trucks; the Heartbeat of America’ has given way to a very macho style of promotion. Trucks are sold as big, strong, rugged, tough, frequently dirty and on a construction site. The voice-over is always deep and masculine as it extols the absolute raw power of this enormous beast. The message is, this truck is powerful, just like a man! That may be a little intimidating, expecially for wimpy guys like me.

Lest I be misunderstood here, let me hasten to say unequivocally that there is nothing wrong with owning a truck, especially if you happen to need one. Likewise there is nothing wrong with being big, strong, rugged or tough. Of course most of us really aren’t all those things, but generally we are okay with that. That image may not be who we are, but who we are is just fine!

And anyway, at the end of the day, who wants to have it said about them that they were about as spiritual as an old truck?

Posted, just for fun, by Carman

Tension

There is a certain tension in the universe. It is both around us and within us. We are part of it. The planets and stars spin in their orbit, held in place by forces we cannot see and can barely understand. Space is vast. The edge of it, if there is one, is beyond our ability to see with even the most powerful telescopes humans have yet devised. Looking at the galaxy, it appears random, and yet there is order.

In our planet’s orbit it is no different. The earth on which we are totally dependent is somehow held in suspension between the gravitational pull of the sun and the outward expansion of the universe. Attraction and propulsion are constantly at work. The balance of these two delicate but irresistible forces is what allows the earth to continue its present existence. Were the attraction to win, the earth would be consumed in the sun’s fiery heat. Were propulsion to overcome, the planet would become another frozen mass hurtling through space.

As unlikely as it seems, the earth is held in the exact position, with the correct balance of heat and cold, wet and dry, gaseousness and solidity that allows life to occur. There are scientists who study the stars and planets of the universe in search of understanding, seeking places where life might exist. I have read that some such searchers have come to opinion that, of the millions of stars and planets in the galaxy, there may be as few as three places where such life may even be possible. It is a wonderful tension we live in.

It may be an appropriate metaphor for our life and the human quest for God. We are held in a tension between knowing and unknowing, seeing and not seeing, belief and doubt. There is, in our souls, our spiritual DNA if there is such a thing, this gravitational attraction that constantly pulls us toward God, that makes us search and long for unity with that divine force that is the very centre of our universe. And yet there is something that also holds us at bay. Something propels us constantly outward, further, seeking more and greater understanding in our search for truth, wisdom, and understanding. The road to transformation indeed travels both inward and outward.

I will leave it to the reader to ponder this tension. For me, and for now, it is a wonderful place to be.

Posted by Carman

Footprints

An early walk on the rain soaked ground has me thinking about footprints this morning. Over the past twenty years, we have each become familiar with the concept of our environmental or ecological footprint. This is a scientific term used to measure the impact of human demand on the earth’s ecosystems. Using methods that have been developed, scientists can compare consumption of resources and resulting pollution with the earth’s ability to regenerate. It was estimated that in 2006, consumption exceeded the earth’s regeneration capacity by 40%. Clearly this has a devastating impact on the quality of such basic and essential elements as air and water.

There are even computerized tools available to let you calculate your own ecological footprint, should you be brave enough to want to know your personal impact on the planet. You can find one such website by clicking here. It all reminds me of a poster I first saw in the 1980s which said

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

In more recent years, some augment this slogan to read,

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.

My morning musings on footprints are not confined to our environmental impact, however. While we have ecological calculators, I know of no method, scientific or otherwise, to measure our spiritual footprint. Am I contributing to the spiritual well-being of the earth or are we detracting from it? I wonder how one would know.

Isaiah 52:7 says

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."

Are we working for peace? Are we contributing to and sharing good news with the world? Do we help people understand their spiritual connection to the Devine? Are we contributing to the spiritual well-being of those with whom we share the planet or do we merely suck up spiritual energy for our own personal consumption?

As I ask myself these questions this morning, on a strictly personal level I am not sure I am comfortable with the spiritual footprints I am leaving behind.

Posted by Carman

Mountains

Once upon a time, in ancient Israel, there existed a great debate. The central question was, "Where is the right place to encounter and worship God?" Originally the ancient, nomadic Hebrews probably all agreed that the best place was in the mountains. After all, that was where Moses went to talk to God, and where the Mosaic law was delivered, or at least the Ten Commandments. When it came to finding God, the Mountains were clearly where it was at!

Over time, however, the people became more and more urbanized, and by the time King David made Jerusalem his capital, many people recognized a need for a local temple where the sacred objects such as the Arc of the Covenant could be held. These were ancient and sacred symbols that were very closely associated with the Divine Presence. While King David was never able to build a temple in Jerusalem, his son Solomon did accomplish that feat. Over time, the temple in Jerusalem became ensconced as the place where not only the sacred objects were held, but God was thought to dwell there in person. It was here that people came to worship.

Still the debate continued, however, and over time, the priests who served in the temple began to discredit the mountain shrines as inappropriate. By the time Jesus came along, those in Jerusalem considered those who went to the mountains to be religious outcasts; not true Hebrews at all. In time, given the passing of enough years and sufficient tragedy, the debate was largely abandoned.

In Trail, British Columbia, however, there is an Anglican Priest who seems to have decided that the matter is not at all settled. Reverend Neil Elliot is a pastor who recently completed his PhD in…are you ready…snowboarding. That’s right, snowboarding! Reverend Elliot is a snowboarder, who testifies that he has experienced the transcendent while carving trails in fresh powder in the mountains. Further more, in exploring this matter with others, he soon discovered that he is not alone. It seems there are many boarders who have experienced times of spiritual opening in the mountains.

Now at this point I should confess that the connection between the mountain experience of the ancient Hebrews and Pastor Elliot probably exists only in my head…or does it? You can read more about Neil Elliot and his Doctoral thesis by clicking here. Then you decide what the connection is.

President Stephen Veazey has been known to go to a Tennessee River to fish and be alone with God. Mother Teresa found her connection on the streets of Calcutta. Is there any reason why snowboarders should not experience transcendence while gliding down a snow-covered mountain?

What about you? Where do you go to experience the sacred Presence?

Posted by Carman

Form or Inform

For some time, I have been thinking about the difference between form and inform, or to put it in its noun form, the difference between formation and information. My reflections on this subject have to do with how we experience worship in church.

I have talked with many people about worship and it is clear that not everyone is blessed by the same approach. For some people, ideas are very important. They feel worship has been good or helpful if they are challenged with a new and stimulating thought or idea; in other words, with new information. For such people, a sermon that offers a fresh perspective about God is often a blessing as it offers them “something to think about.”

For others, ideas are not as important as experience. For these folks, it is important to have a sense of drawing near to God in worship. For them, music and testimony are often more important than sermons because these elements help them come into the Presence or “feel the Spirit.” For these folks, information or ideas appear not to be as important as spiritual formation.

The difference can be surprisingly polarizing. If you attend church regularly or have in the past, you may have instantly identified or aligned yourself with one of these two positions. Whether people find a worship service to be a blessing or a waste of time may be determined by where they are on this continuum. What is more, two people attending worship in the same chapel may have the exact opposite reactions to the service!

My intent here is not to determine that one approach is right or wrong, or that one is more important than the other. What is important is what is helpful to the person, and we cannot decide that for anybody else. Is it possible that we can provide both formation and information in worship? Ahh, now there’s a challenge!

For many worship planners and leaders, it is easier to provide information than formative experience; in fact, they may not have even thought about the difference. Even prayers are often more intellectual than formational, more head than heart. For others, sensing the Holy in worship is everything.

Have you thought about this puzzle? What do you find helpful in a service of worship? Are ideas that give you something to think about more important than experience? Is the experience more important than ideas or teaching? Perhaps you have a different take on the question altogether.

The question may be important. Can we have a conversation on this subject? Will you share your thoughts or experience?

Posted by Carman

Small

So if you don't want to talk about big, how about we talk about small?

I've just been reading about a movement that's apparently sweeping the nation: very small congregations. They go by different names e.g. house church, simple church, organic church, even micro-church.

Many people, it seems, find greater connection, richer relationships, truer spiritual experience with a small group than they do in larger congregations. Being intentional to create these tiny little communities has been touted as a way to grow a congregation. Most successful very large congregations do, in fact, comprise many, many micro-church units within the greater community.

Sometimes it happens by accident. The adult class or the choir or the young adult dinner group may become the small group that feels most like family. They're the place we feel most connected to, while still being part of the whole congregation. They're a way to be both big and small at the same time.

I've been looking at this book about small group spirituality and thinking we need to get on board with this small idea. It sounds to me like it has all kinds of potential to help us grow--as spiritual beings and as a faith community. There are many other resources to help us find a way with small groups, both to find nurture and to invite others to.

I'd suggest we find ways to tap in to the power of small with intent, rather than by accident. What are your thoughts?

Posted by Marion

Stuff

You've probably watched this at some point. It's that clever little film lamenting how all our stuff is overtaking our world. I read another perspective this morning that has me thinking about my own stuff.

For more than five years now, I've lived in a hundred-year-old house. A hundred years ago people built houses without closets! Such houses compel residents to make serious decisions about just how much stuff one really needs to keep. While I've had much less stuff than in previous places I've lived where the storage options have been greater, in fact I really do love the stuff I keep.

So I was pleased to read the second perspective that says it's important to a healthy spiritual life to think more of our stuff rather than less. Our spirits are harmed because we crave more and more stuff instead of valuing and appreciating the stuff we do possess.

My old house, lack of space and absence of closets has pushed me to make all those good reduce, reuse, recycle decisions. Something comes in? Something goes out! And make good and sure that what is coming in is something I really love.

At this moment, much of my stuff is sitting in a rented storage place so that my pared-down living space shows very well to prospective buyers. But I'm really missing my precious stuff, the things that do feed my spirit: my tiny elephants, my lovely china, my exquisite hand-made textiles, the extra paintings and photos that crowd the walls, the books that overflowed my shelves.

How are you doing with your stuff? Is it overflowing your life? Or have you found ways to manage and prioritize your acquisition decisions? In which camp do you live--the one that bemoans our material existence, or the one that counts precious possessions a way to nurture your spirit?

(I would very much welcome Comments on this question. You've all been resting for a number of posts; time to get active again!)

Posted by Marion

Rest

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. - Matt 11:28

The past few weeks have seen a number of excellent developments in Canada East Mission. Most of the highlights have been mentioned in What’s the Good Word? already. These include a gathering of ministers who now serve as mentors for several of our CPI pastors. They came together to study and learn about how they could best help those front-line leaders. Then we had MEGA; an event which brought together many young adult leaders with several of the Seventy for a weekend of fellowship and worship. This past weekend saw our nine newest High Priests, Evangelists and Bishop come together to study and learn how they can be more effective in their ministry within the mission centre.

I confess that this has also been a busy time with no days off and little chance for rest. I expected to feel tired, but I do not. Perhaps it is because of being somewhat strategic in planning for each day, deliberately sacrificing some activities in order to ensure sufficient sleep. Perhaps the joy of accomplishment overcomes the weariness of the effort. What ever the reason, I know myself to be blessed.

I was sharply reminded of the need for rest on Sunday evening during a family gathering when several people showed up dog-tired. Some had been working for weeks to get a house ready to sell. Others had been putting in long hours at work, and some I never did find out the reason for their obvious weariness. Interesting that here we were, on the evening of the Christian Sabbath, at the end of the weekend, and everyone was exhausted! It all serves as a reminder that each of us need time to rest. We need rest physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

My grandfather used to say, “A change is as good as a rest.” Later, I worked for a man who would often say (when he would think of some smaller task that needed doing), “We can do that sometime while we’re resting.” While there is truth in all these sayings, the fact remains that sometimes you just need to stop.

Consequently, with the Canada Day weekend approaching, we have decided to close the office and give our staff one extra day off. The staff will have a have four day weekend. (Okay three; none of really gets Sunday off!) Of course we will each need to decide what we will do with it; whether we rest or work hard doing something else. Hopefully we will come back rested and refreshed, and not exhausted.

May you also take time for your rest, and for communion with God. And may you also know yourself to be blessed in the process.

Posted by Carman

Home

My family is in the midst of a home search. At some point, before winter sets in, we’d like to be relocated in a new home. There are a bunch of reasons for this, but that’s not the subject of my blog-musings today. Today I’m thinking of differences between house and home.

Because, you may have noticed, I used the word “home” three times in that first paragraph. One technique we’re using to find this home is to go to open-houses. Every weekend we check out the open-house listings, apply our set of requirements, plot a route that fits in the two or three places it’s even remotely possible to look at in the couple of hours allotted to the open-house times and off we go to have a look.

Some of us have believed, during the course of this search, that we surely ought to be able to create a very nice spread-sheet, drop in the required elements, check against what’s available and Bingo! There’s your winner. Pack up and move in. But others of us are pretty sure that won’t work. Even when the boxes have all been ticked, it still doesn’t feel right. Oh yes, there have been some rolling eyes and some shaking heads, but those of us who feel the need for the right “feeling” are holding firm. I do not claim to be able to explain why one set of bricks and mortar, lumber and shingles can feel totally wrong, while another quite similar set of the same bits and pieces feels right. But that’s the way it is. And the search continues.

Last week, Fired Up! spent some time studying author Corinne Ware’s book on Spirituality Types, in our quest to ready ourselves to plan the next season’s events and activities. It was a very interesting and enlightening study as we learned some things about ourselves, about each other and about the experiences we’ve had that have brought us to this budding congregation. We’re trying to figure out what kind of community we’re creating together, and at the same time, we’re trying to discern just what kind of community God is leading us to create for one another, and for those who will find their way to it. Much of what we’re learning is that you just can’t lay out a spread-sheet with the requisite boxes, tick them off as you account for them and move in at closing date.

Building a community is quite a lot like finding a home from the selection of houses available. There are some things you just can’t explain. Of course, there are some elements that must be there, that can be explained and that must be done correctly. Just like the house that felt really good, but that turned out to have mould in the basement and will not be our home after all.

It’s a good thing to have a team working together; and that team won’t always see things the same way. This is good, just as it’s good for a family to house search together, despite their differences. Odds of finding the right home are so much better.

Posted by Marion

Sunrise

I have been blessed, in my life, with beautiful sunrises. Witnessing these incredible creations depends on being in the right place at the right time, perhaps passing an East-facing window in the pre-dawn light, and looking out. Watching a glorious sunrise is always a mystical experience for me, so the reader should probably be warned that this writing is likely to lean that way too.

This morning, the horizon glows with colours that can only be explained as designed to grab your attention. It is as if God is out there in Spirit form on the edge of our sight, painting the sky with incredible artwork. It will only last a few moments, and God wants to get someone to notice. The dark curve of the earth is awash in hues of oranges and pinks, and the low-lying clouds are edged with indescribable golden light. It is glorious.

But the colours are only the beginning. I stand transfixed by the window half way down the stairs, watching as the divine Artist uses wisps of cloud and light to create amazing detail in the sky. A new creation opens. An island appears across a frozen lake covered in snow; its trees etched with incredible clarity beyond the transient shore. Mist rises like smoke from houses that must be there, tucked in snuggly against the trees, their residents rising to greet the day and stoking the fires of warmth. The scene lingers a long time as the sun rises, not to banish the scene but to bless it with warmth and glowing light. It is a gift to start the day.

There are images stored on my computer of incredible scenes of colour and grandeur caught at a moment of almost indescribable beauty. There are more that are etched only in worshipful memory. I have often reflected, in times of early revere, that God seems to do some of God’s best work in the morning. Perhaps it is God’s gift to the early riser to be able to witness the blending of fundamental and oh so transient elements into amazing scenes of glory.

Often when I sit in church, I struggle with my all too human attempts at worship. Frequently they just seem wooden and dull, almost lifeless. But in the early morning light, with the sacred Artist working magic across the sky I have no such trouble. These are moments of communion!

May you be blessed with colour and love from the Sacred Artist today.

Posted by Carman

Within

At the end of my quiet time this morning, my eye fell on the Daily Bread. I had not opened this book since before World Conference, and it had migrated to the bottom of the small pile of books I am currently using for spiritual formation and reflection. Somehow the book called to me, so I pulled it out and turned to the reading for today, Thursday, April 29, 2010.

I discovered that today’s thoughts were prepared by a member of the Toronto congregation whom I have known for many years. Her piece speaks of a quiet revelation she experienced early one morning in which she was urged to “Follow the Light;” the title of her piece. The author shares how the guidance of that moment was confirmed to her over and over during the days that followed. Her writing reflects and conveys the quiet joy she experienced in that experience with God, and in the succeeding encounters.

As I reflected on her writing, I realized how little I really know this author. While we have encountered each other casually at church functions many times over the years, we have seemed separated by many factors such as differing generations, experience, and geography, all of which now seem artificial. We may have different experience in life, but we also have things in common. Chief among these is the universal longing after God that seems to be the human birthright. I now realize I am poorer for not having taken time to get to know her better.

This realization is a blessing I do not want to take lightly. Within each human breast is a heart that beats just like our own. Each of us have thoughts, feelings, and desires; we have more in common than we often realize. Our various backgrounds and experience prompt different ways of looking at the world, and if we are not careful, these can lead to walls of ideas that separate us and cause us not to see each other as the delightful child of God we really are.

May we look at every person we encounter today with open eyes, and see beyond the facade to the precious Child of God that lives within.

Posted by Carman

Practise

This is one of those vestiges of British spelling that really serves very well. Most usage dictionaries have caved in to the pressure to simplify and approve the spelling as "practice," whether for verb or noun. Webster's Dictionary excuses its users from making any distinction that Canadian teachers have been urging on their charges forever: "is" is the verb, "ice" is the noun.

At our CPI weekend with a member of the Spiritual Formation team we heard this advice. Practise the Practice.

In other words, it's really not much use to learn about spiritual disciplines unless you try to incorporate some of them, or one of them, in your everyday life. It was wonderful to hear our instructor talk about the practices, good to try some of them on for fit.

But as we've returned to our normal lives we've come with the assignment to consider which of the practices we want to move to that other column--the verb column. Which spiritual practices are we willing to make part of what we do (or practise) daily, or regularly, enough to make them into a habit?

Maybe just a different spelling isn't all that important. But for this old English teacher it's a reminder that knowing about an idea isn't enough. If it's going to work for me I must move it to a new place in my life and begin to introduce a new action that can make a difference if I practise the practice.

Being more centred, more focused, more balanced can be the positive results of doing what I've learned about. Ask a CPI participant near you for more information.

Posted by Marion

Renewal

This past weekend, the weekend that included Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, was a wonderful time for me. I got to spend the weekend with members of my team and the twelve CEM pastors who are joined together in the first cohort of our Co-missioned Pastor Initiative (CPI).

This was the third of six retreats planned for this group; each one focused on a particular aspect of congregational leadership and ministry. This weekend was spent exploring and developing the spiritual disciplines. Together we sang, prayed, meditated, dwelt in the Word with Apostle Mary, laughed, listened to each other and listened for the voice of God. It was a wonderful, peaceful time.

I went to the retreat tired; I know I was not the only one. Life has been very busy for weeks now. The opportunity to sit in that circle under the direction of Evangelist Marvin Rice and be blessed by the overflow of Spirit that is a direct result of his own practice couldn’t have come at a better time. I came away refreshed, restored and renewed.

We have entered Holy Week; the climax of the Lenten season. It began yesterday with Palm Sunday. It will lead us through remembrance of incredible highs and unspeakable lows in the life of the first disciples, and of Jesus himself. It calls us to remembrance, reflection, and a renewal of our spiritual journey. As we walk through this most remarkable week, may you also take the time to reflect, recharge, and renew. In the midst of your own highs and lows and the busyness of your journey, may you find yourself refreshed in the peace of God’s Spirit this Easter season.

A prayer for you posted by Carman

Spirit

There is a lot of uncharacteristic Canadian excitement at the moment. It is all about the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. People are glued to their TV’s watching mogul skiing, speed skating, figure skating, and the awarding of medals. They check their computers for the latest results on curling and sports they probably never thought much about before. Now both women’s and men’s hockey has started, and the excitement is growing to fever pitch.

In the midst of all this amazing energy, I have found myself wondering what would happen if we each had that kind of passion for the ministry of the church. We may be about to find out.

In the past week, I have had two remarkable meeting with people in an effort to recruit them to volunteer ministry. In both cases, I was amazed to discover a level of passion for God and excitement to serve that I had not previously known they had, at least not to that degree. They were honoured to be asked, thrilled to be considered, and anxious to get started. And the best part is that for all of these people, the excitement grew out of their love for God. It was not about ego or to somehow become a public figure. It was about a chance to do something for God and make a difference in the lives of people they do not even know yet. They have true passion.

That’s the spirit we need! Do you have it?

Posted by Carman

Christmas

Friends,

As December moves irrepressibly towards the 25th and beyond, we humans find ourselves faced with a wide array of feelings and emotions. The evidence of these feelings is everywhere, especially in the faces and behaviors of those we meet. For some especially fortunate children, there is excitement about what presents Christmas may bring. For too many parents, there is anxiety because there is little or no money with which to buy gifts for their children. For others, Christmas brings with it feelings of sadness, loneliness and anxiety as memories flood in of losses that have occurred at this time of year. The first Christmas without a certain member of the family is often a cause for considerable stress. For most of us, there is the push to decorate the house, put up the tree, go shopping…the list goes on and on.

It is interesting to consider the juxtaposition of the many, many stresses that Christmas seems to bring us with the angel message to the Shepherds given so long ago. According to Luke, the Angels proclaimed only two things.

“Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth Peace among those whom he favors.” -Luke 2:14 (NRSV)

That’s it! No trees, no Christmas lights, no presents, no hustle and bustle; just glory to God and Peace to God’s people.

As Christmas, 2009 now dawns upon us, our prayer for you is that you will take time for these two precious elements in your own life. Christmas still gives us a chance to sense God’s glory and experience peace because of God’s favor (blessing). It is not found in the department store, under the tree, or in the tinsel, but is found in the stillness of that blessed Christmas night. Even in 2009, it can be found in lowly circumstances and heard in a baby’s cry.

May the peace of Christ and the Glory of God fill your heart this Christmas season.

Carman Thompson and all the staff at Canada East Mission

Authentic

Africa Diary, an interesting blog by Africa Bureau Chief Geoffrey York of the Globe and Mail, caught my eye last evening. The piece was a brief article on the legendary Nelson Mandela, the man who endured 27 years in a South African prison, then became the country’s president. Because of popular interest in Invictus, the new Clint Eastwood film about Mandela, York wanted to know more about what the man was like in private. In other words, what would those who worked with him without cameras present have to say about him years after the fact? What was this “living saint” really like outside his public image?

To learn the answer, York caught up with Etienne van Eck, a former policeman who had served as a bodyguard to Mr. Mandela from 1994 to 1999. York reports that, “He (van Eck) convinced me that the Mandela legend was equally authentic among those who saw him at close quarters every day”.

Authentic! The word seems particularly powerful when used to describe this legend who endured almost three decades in an apartheid prison, and then “emerged with forgiveness in his heart”. But would the word be any less significant if used to describe us? Isn’t that what all of us would want people to say about us? Wouldn’t each of us prefer to be known as the same quality of person in private as our public persona portrays? Shouldn’t that be a personal goal for each of us? Ought not our individual character be up to this kind of scrutiny? The piece sets out an inspiring challenge!

York goes on to tell several stories from van Eck that demonstrate Mandela’s character. It is an interesting piece. You can read the whole story at the following website. I highly recommend it. Enjoy!

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/blogs/africa-chronicle/a-bodyguards-view-of-nelson-mandela/article1400710