hope you have enjoyed the advent blog as much as me...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
nancy is riding with me to ft pierce in the a.m.
i am preaching a new year's message entitled LETTING GO...
then, off to PA...up I-95 [hopefully NO blizzard]...
we are looking forward to seeing our northern family...
HAPPY 2011...
blessings!!!
guy
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Advent day 27...making promises...
christmas eve...
i was to be off from work...
running some errands...
buying some gifts...
chilling...
but, a request from a patient...
"is there any was we could renew our wedding vows on friday???"
"could you please do it???"
i called and asked nancy's permission for a couple of hours to "work" [yes, i am getting smarter as i age!!!]...
we met at 3 pm at the chapel at the melech hospice house...
everything went beautifully...
we ended with a sweet time of communion...
sealing the deal -- once again..."
the primary caregiver [the patient's wife] was thrilled...
"this was the most beautiful thing ever...it touched me so deeply...i don't know how much longer we have, but this will make the end of our journey even more special..."
it was worth it...
another KAIROS moment...
have a blessed christmas eve...
guy
i was to be off from work...
running some errands...
buying some gifts...
chilling...
but, a request from a patient...
"is there any was we could renew our wedding vows on friday???"
"could you please do it???"
i called and asked nancy's permission for a couple of hours to "work" [yes, i am getting smarter as i age!!!]...
we met at 3 pm at the chapel at the melech hospice house...
everything went beautifully...
we ended with a sweet time of communion...
sealing the deal -- once again..."
the primary caregiver [the patient's wife] was thrilled...
"this was the most beautiful thing ever...it touched me so deeply...i don't know how much longer we have, but this will make the end of our journey even more special..."
it was worth it...
another KAIROS moment...
have a blessed christmas eve...
guy
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Advent day 26...
from Fr Richard Rohr...
"When the Scriptures are used maturely, and they become a precursor to meeting the Christ, they proceed in this order:
They CONFRONT us with a bigger picture than we are used to, 'God’s kingdom' that has the potential to 'deconstruct' our false worldviews.
They then have the power to CONVERT us to an alternative worldview by proclamation, grace and the sheer attraction of the good, the true and the beautiful [not by shame, guilt or fear which are low-level motivations].
They then CONSOLE us and bring deep healing as they 'reconstruct' us in a new place with a new mind and heart."
[adapted from Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr...]
Christmas Eve is almost upon us...
Blessings!
Guy
We are going to the contemporary Christmas Eve Service [CONNECTION] at Palm Ceia Presbyterian Church...can't wait!!!
"When the Scriptures are used maturely, and they become a precursor to meeting the Christ, they proceed in this order:
They CONFRONT us with a bigger picture than we are used to, 'God’s kingdom' that has the potential to 'deconstruct' our false worldviews.
They then have the power to CONVERT us to an alternative worldview by proclamation, grace and the sheer attraction of the good, the true and the beautiful [not by shame, guilt or fear which are low-level motivations].
They then CONSOLE us and bring deep healing as they 'reconstruct' us in a new place with a new mind and heart."
[adapted from Preparing for Christmas with Richard Rohr...]
Christmas Eve is almost upon us...
Blessings!
Guy
We are going to the contemporary Christmas Eve Service [CONNECTION] at Palm Ceia Presbyterian Church...can't wait!!!
Advent day 25
greetings...
check out this short message from Henri Nouwen as he reminds us about the importance of "Active Waiting" especially during Advent...
"Waiting is essential to the spiritual life.
But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting.
It is a waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for.
We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus.
We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the ascension of Jesus we wait for his coming again in glory.
We are always waiting, but it is a waiting in the conviction that we have already seen God's footsteps.
Waiting for God is an active, alert - yes, joyful - waiting.
As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes."
from Bread for the Journey...
blessings...
guy
check out this short message from Henri Nouwen as he reminds us about the importance of "Active Waiting" especially during Advent...
"Waiting is essential to the spiritual life.
But waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting.
It is a waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes already present what we are waiting for.
We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus.
We wait after Easter for the coming of the Spirit, and after the ascension of Jesus we wait for his coming again in glory.
We are always waiting, but it is a waiting in the conviction that we have already seen God's footsteps.
Waiting for God is an active, alert - yes, joyful - waiting.
As we wait we remember him for whom we are waiting, and as we remember him we create a community ready to welcome him when he comes."
from Bread for the Journey...
blessings...
guy
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Advent day 24...
greetings!
jeep and i only did 4 miles today...
the good news -- i hit 260 this a.m.
down 55 pounds...
60 more to lose...
PTL!!!
some have asked me what i have been doing...
i began by reading three books by Dr Dean Ornish the renowned cardiologist who specializes in reversing heart disease through lifestyle [and the Rice Diet and the Duke Diet]...
from these resources, i established the following...
1. reduce my fat intake to less than 10-20 grams per day [this means no meat, no fried foods, no grease, etc]
2. reduce my salt intake to 500-1000 mgs per day...
3. reduce my sugar intake severely [drink water]...
4. exercise at least 1 hour per day [walking]...
5. the last component which i will add in january is basic strength training with a bowflex to build / tone muscle...
6. pray for God's strength when I crave BBQ and want to binge...
7. be very intentional and journal EVERYTHING i eat...
i have been FAITHFUL not to cheat and it has worked...
blessings!!!
guy
i pray for your success as well...
jeep and i only did 4 miles today...
the good news -- i hit 260 this a.m.
down 55 pounds...
60 more to lose...
PTL!!!
some have asked me what i have been doing...
i began by reading three books by Dr Dean Ornish the renowned cardiologist who specializes in reversing heart disease through lifestyle [and the Rice Diet and the Duke Diet]...
from these resources, i established the following...
1. reduce my fat intake to less than 10-20 grams per day [this means no meat, no fried foods, no grease, etc]
2. reduce my salt intake to 500-1000 mgs per day...
3. reduce my sugar intake severely [drink water]...
4. exercise at least 1 hour per day [walking]...
5. the last component which i will add in january is basic strength training with a bowflex to build / tone muscle...
6. pray for God's strength when I crave BBQ and want to binge...
7. be very intentional and journal EVERYTHING i eat...
i have been FAITHFUL not to cheat and it has worked...
blessings!!!
guy
i pray for your success as well...
Monday, December 20, 2010
Advent day 23...the gift of release...
ms sadie lives in the 'hood...
deep in the hood...
the kind of place that looks better in the dark but you can only go there in the broad daylight [safely]...
her family is poor...really poor...like generationally impoverished...
their living quarters double as a family-run childcare center...
most of the time little kids are running all around...with energy...with joy...
ms sadie is old...really old...and her room is right there in the action of it all...
her ebony skin is weathered...stretched tight...
she only has a couple of teeth left...way in the back...
she is mostly skin and bones...emaciated...
she had a stroke a few years ago and has been declining ever since...
she babbles...but, it is nonsensical...
she smiles...it is beautiful, but mostly vacant...
she is bed-bound...she is at home but nobody is really "home"...
as of late, her slow decline has turned into a plunge...
she is speeding downward fast...
she is "actively dying" in hospice-speech...
the water is swirling in the drain...just about to disappear...
sadie's daughter is one of life's real angels...she is so faithful...
her care for her mom is impeccable...
"i wish i could do more for mama..."
"it ain't hard to care for her...what will i ever do without her???"
she is holding on...tightly...with a death grip...
but, ms sadie is struggling to die...
the end is near...
better call the hospice chaplain...
so, last week the daughter shows me in...takes me through the kids to sadie's room...
i just sat there...
read scripture...
prayed...
sang hymns [very quietly -- ha! ha!]...
i lingered...no hurry...
listening...
i heard God speak as clearly as i ever had...
"it is her time..."
"i am about to take her home..."
"my arms are open..."
"it is time to let her go..."
"i think you should talk to her daughter..."
really God???
why me???
"just do it guy..."
so. i did it...
a long heart to heart with a clinging daughter...
i waxed eloquent...
quoted henri: "the greatest gift a family can give their loved one at the end is to release them...let them go...bless them to go home to God..."
i wasn't sure i got through...
i gave it my best shot...
we prayed...
i left...
then, the daughter left and went to the florist...
she bought a bouquet of live flowers...
spring-time looking flowers...
living, colorful flowers...
easter flowers maybe???
a veiled expression of her hope of the coming resurrection???
she brought the living bouquet home...laid it on her mama's chest...wrapped her limp hands around it...
and had a talk with mama...
"i love you, and i want you here with me...forever..."
"but, the preacher says God is ready for you..."
"i thinks so too..."
"so, i bless you...go on home...i release you to Jesus..."
"goodbye..."
she walked out of the room...
within moments, i get a call...
"sadie is dead...the family is asking for you..."
the power of release...
the power of letting go...
the beauty of loving God with an open hand...NOT a clenched fist...
what do we need to let go???
have a good evening...
guy
isn't it amazing that God shares his sovereign decisions with us???
it is his call...he makes the final decision...he is in control...
but he gave sadie's daughter a chance to participate...to work through it...surrender...
she opened her hand...God welcomed sadie into his open arms...
what an awesome God!!!
deep in the hood...
the kind of place that looks better in the dark but you can only go there in the broad daylight [safely]...
her family is poor...really poor...like generationally impoverished...
their living quarters double as a family-run childcare center...
most of the time little kids are running all around...with energy...with joy...
ms sadie is old...really old...and her room is right there in the action of it all...
her ebony skin is weathered...stretched tight...
she only has a couple of teeth left...way in the back...
she is mostly skin and bones...emaciated...
she had a stroke a few years ago and has been declining ever since...
she babbles...but, it is nonsensical...
she smiles...it is beautiful, but mostly vacant...
she is bed-bound...she is at home but nobody is really "home"...
as of late, her slow decline has turned into a plunge...
she is speeding downward fast...
she is "actively dying" in hospice-speech...
the water is swirling in the drain...just about to disappear...
sadie's daughter is one of life's real angels...she is so faithful...
her care for her mom is impeccable...
"i wish i could do more for mama..."
"it ain't hard to care for her...what will i ever do without her???"
she is holding on...tightly...with a death grip...
but, ms sadie is struggling to die...
the end is near...
better call the hospice chaplain...
so, last week the daughter shows me in...takes me through the kids to sadie's room...
i just sat there...
read scripture...
prayed...
sang hymns [very quietly -- ha! ha!]...
i lingered...no hurry...
listening...
i heard God speak as clearly as i ever had...
"it is her time..."
"i am about to take her home..."
"my arms are open..."
"it is time to let her go..."
"i think you should talk to her daughter..."
really God???
why me???
"just do it guy..."
so. i did it...
a long heart to heart with a clinging daughter...
i waxed eloquent...
quoted henri: "the greatest gift a family can give their loved one at the end is to release them...let them go...bless them to go home to God..."
i wasn't sure i got through...
i gave it my best shot...
we prayed...
i left...
then, the daughter left and went to the florist...
she bought a bouquet of live flowers...
spring-time looking flowers...
living, colorful flowers...
easter flowers maybe???
a veiled expression of her hope of the coming resurrection???
she brought the living bouquet home...laid it on her mama's chest...wrapped her limp hands around it...
and had a talk with mama...
"i love you, and i want you here with me...forever..."
"but, the preacher says God is ready for you..."
"i thinks so too..."
"so, i bless you...go on home...i release you to Jesus..."
"goodbye..."
she walked out of the room...
within moments, i get a call...
"sadie is dead...the family is asking for you..."
the power of release...
the power of letting go...
the beauty of loving God with an open hand...NOT a clenched fist...
what do we need to let go???
have a good evening...
guy
isn't it amazing that God shares his sovereign decisions with us???
it is his call...he makes the final decision...he is in control...
but he gave sadie's daughter a chance to participate...to work through it...surrender...
she opened her hand...God welcomed sadie into his open arms...
what an awesome God!!!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Advent day 22...
Greetings...
A great Advent Sunday...
Spent some time in Plant City on the farm [along with Jeep]...
We cut some firewood in the cold drizzle...
So glad now...we have an awesome fire in the fireplace...
I LOVE IT!!!
Check this out...
From SABBATICAL JOURNEY by Henri Nouwen...
"I think that we have hardly thought through the immense implications of the mystery of the incarnation. Where is God? God is where we are weak, vulnerable, small and dependent. God is where the poor are, the hungry, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly, the powerless. How can we come to know God when our focus is elsewhere, on success, influence, and power? I increasingly believe that our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need.
If the church has a future it is a future with the poor in whatever form. Each one of us is seriously searching to live and grow in this belief, and by friendship we can support each other. I realize that the only way for us to stay well in the midst of the many 'worlds' is to stay close to the small, vulnerable child that lives in our hearts and in every other human being. Often we do not know that the Christ child is within us. When we discover him we can truly rejoice."
AMEN!!!
Guy
A great Advent Sunday...
Spent some time in Plant City on the farm [along with Jeep]...
We cut some firewood in the cold drizzle...
So glad now...we have an awesome fire in the fireplace...
I LOVE IT!!!
Check this out...
From SABBATICAL JOURNEY by Henri Nouwen...
"I think that we have hardly thought through the immense implications of the mystery of the incarnation. Where is God? God is where we are weak, vulnerable, small and dependent. God is where the poor are, the hungry, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly, the powerless. How can we come to know God when our focus is elsewhere, on success, influence, and power? I increasingly believe that our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need.
If the church has a future it is a future with the poor in whatever form. Each one of us is seriously searching to live and grow in this belief, and by friendship we can support each other. I realize that the only way for us to stay well in the midst of the many 'worlds' is to stay close to the small, vulnerable child that lives in our hearts and in every other human being. Often we do not know that the Christ child is within us. When we discover him we can truly rejoice."
AMEN!!!
Guy
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Advent day 21...blink...
check out this new song...
i heard it last week when i was down south on way FM...
"Blink" by REVIVE...
"Teach me to number my days
And count every moment
Before it slips away
Take in all the colors
Before they fade to grey
I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
When it's all said and done
No one remembers
How far we have run
The only thing that matters
Is how we have loved
I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
Slow down
Slow down
Before today becomes
Our yesterday
Slow down
Slow down
Before today becomes
Our yesterday
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink"
awesome!!!
merry Christmas...
guy
still on call tonight until 8 am...
i heard it last week when i was down south on way FM...
"Blink" by REVIVE...
"Teach me to number my days
And count every moment
Before it slips away
Take in all the colors
Before they fade to grey
I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
When it's all said and done
No one remembers
How far we have run
The only thing that matters
Is how we have loved
I don't want to miss
Even just a second
More of this
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
Slow down
Slow down
Before today becomes
Our yesterday
Slow down
Slow down
Before today becomes
Our yesterday
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink it happens in a flash
It happens in the time it took to look back
I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time
What is it i've done with my life?
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink
It happens in a blink"
awesome!!!
merry Christmas...
guy
still on call tonight until 8 am...
Friday, December 17, 2010
Advent day 20...letting go...
jeep and i just finished 5 miles...
a very long friday...
and, i am on 24 hour on call tomorrow...
bummer!
but, the good news...
weighed 262 this morning...
down 53 pounds...
PTL!!!
only 62 more to go...
i have a story i want to tell about death and "letting go"...
the spiritual and inspiring story of ms margaret from this past week...
maybe tomorrow...
i am "done" tonight...
blessings!
guy
a very long friday...
and, i am on 24 hour on call tomorrow...
bummer!
but, the good news...
weighed 262 this morning...
down 53 pounds...
PTL!!!
only 62 more to go...
i have a story i want to tell about death and "letting go"...
the spiritual and inspiring story of ms margaret from this past week...
maybe tomorrow...
i am "done" tonight...
blessings!
guy
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Advent day 19
Greetings...
Hope to be back on track tomorrow...
Life has been too busy -- I am too tired...
I am calling Jeep and we are headed to bed...
Tomorrow...
Love ya all!!!
guy
Hope to be back on track tomorrow...
Life has been too busy -- I am too tired...
I am calling Jeep and we are headed to bed...
Tomorrow...
Love ya all!!!
guy
Advent day 18...
More thought-provoking words from Henri Nouwen...
"Is everybody finally going to be all right? Are all people ultimately going to be free from misery and all their needs fulfilled? Yes and no! Yes, because God wants to bring us home into God's Kingdom. No, because nothing happens without our choosing it. The realisation of the Kingdom of God is God's work, but for God to make God's love fully visible in us, we must respond to God's love with our love.
There are two kinds of death: a death leading us into God's Kingdom, and a death leading us into hell. John in his vision saw not only heaven, but also hell. He says: 'The legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and the sexually immoral, and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur' (Revelation 21:8). We must choose for God if we want to be with God."
I choose abba!!!
guy
"Is everybody finally going to be all right? Are all people ultimately going to be free from misery and all their needs fulfilled? Yes and no! Yes, because God wants to bring us home into God's Kingdom. No, because nothing happens without our choosing it. The realisation of the Kingdom of God is God's work, but for God to make God's love fully visible in us, we must respond to God's love with our love.
There are two kinds of death: a death leading us into God's Kingdom, and a death leading us into hell. John in his vision saw not only heaven, but also hell. He says: 'The legacy for cowards, for those who break their word, or worship obscenities, for murderers and the sexually immoral, and for sorcerers, worshippers of false gods or any other sort of liars, is the second death in the burning lake of sulphur' (Revelation 21:8). We must choose for God if we want to be with God."
I choose abba!!!
guy
Advent day 17
Good News from Henri Nouwen...
"Often hell is portrayed as a place of punishment and heaven as a place of reward. But this concept easily leads us to think about God as either a policeman, who tries to catch us when we make a mistake and send us to prison when our mistakes become too big, or a Santa Claus, who counts up all our good deeds and puts a reward in our stocking at the end of the year.
God, however, is neither a policeman nor a Santa Claus. God does not send us to heaven or hell depending on how often we obey or disobey. God is love and only love. In God there is no hatred, desire for revenge, or pleasure in seeing us punished. God wants to forgive, heal, restore, show us endless mercy, and see us come home. But just as the father of the prodigal son let his son make his own decision God gives us the freedom to move away from God's love even at the risk of destroying ourselves. Hell is not God's choice. It is ours."
Blessings!!!
Guy
"Often hell is portrayed as a place of punishment and heaven as a place of reward. But this concept easily leads us to think about God as either a policeman, who tries to catch us when we make a mistake and send us to prison when our mistakes become too big, or a Santa Claus, who counts up all our good deeds and puts a reward in our stocking at the end of the year.
God, however, is neither a policeman nor a Santa Claus. God does not send us to heaven or hell depending on how often we obey or disobey. God is love and only love. In God there is no hatred, desire for revenge, or pleasure in seeing us punished. God wants to forgive, heal, restore, show us endless mercy, and see us come home. But just as the father of the prodigal son let his son make his own decision God gives us the freedom to move away from God's love even at the risk of destroying ourselves. Hell is not God's choice. It is ours."
Blessings!!!
Guy
Monday, December 13, 2010
Advent day 16...what a life philosophy!!!
a BIG THANKS to glenn davis for this henri nouwen quote...
i believe the last sentence kinda summarizes my current life philosophy...
"more and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them.
it is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.
still, it is not as simple as it seems.
my own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.
it is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress.
but I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them..."
WOW!!!
let's live this one...
blessings!!!
guy
i believe the last sentence kinda summarizes my current life philosophy...
"more and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them.
it is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence.
still, it is not as simple as it seems.
my own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.
it is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress.
but I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them..."
WOW!!!
let's live this one...
blessings!!!
guy
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Advent day 15...fruitfulness...
greetings!
back home from ft pierce...
drove across the state and met the cold front...the winds were violent...
great to see jeep and the fam...
james is home from lee u for the holy days...
i had such a blast at trinity...i love those folks...
and, was privileged to have breakfast with mark and brian summerall...
even better, they hung around for church...
a closing thought from yesterday...on fruitfulness...
fruitfulness is at least two-fold...
it is about fruit in mission...
it is so critical to bear fruit that will last...
i want 2011 to be my most fruitful year yet relating to ministry...
but, it is also about character...
the fruit of the holy spirit being continually birthed in our lives...
so we become more and more like jesus...
this is top shelf for 2011 -- surrendering even more to the spirit so the life and character of christ become manifestly evident in my life...
i am so excited...
filled with anticipation...
and hope...
looking forward to fruitfulness in 2011!!!
have a great week!!!
guy
tomorrow a.m. is weigh-in -- please pray i will hit my goal of 265 -- that would mean 50 pounds down -- only 65 to go...
back home from ft pierce...
drove across the state and met the cold front...the winds were violent...
great to see jeep and the fam...
james is home from lee u for the holy days...
i had such a blast at trinity...i love those folks...
and, was privileged to have breakfast with mark and brian summerall...
even better, they hung around for church...
a closing thought from yesterday...on fruitfulness...
fruitfulness is at least two-fold...
it is about fruit in mission...
it is so critical to bear fruit that will last...
i want 2011 to be my most fruitful year yet relating to ministry...
but, it is also about character...
the fruit of the holy spirit being continually birthed in our lives...
so we become more and more like jesus...
this is top shelf for 2011 -- surrendering even more to the spirit so the life and character of christ become manifestly evident in my life...
i am so excited...
filled with anticipation...
and hope...
looking forward to fruitfulness in 2011!!!
have a great week!!!
guy
tomorrow a.m. is weigh-in -- please pray i will hit my goal of 265 -- that would mean 50 pounds down -- only 65 to go...
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Advent day 14...anticipation...
good evening...
i am at the sleep inn, ft pierce...
great lunch with bill hobbs at waterway cafe...
great supper with glenn davis at pf chang's...
buddha's stir-fried vegetable feast with tofu was heavenly!!!
time for a blog and then finish a sermon [along with a trip to the hotel treadmill]...
blog thought first...
jeep can tell time...
he has an uncanny ability to KNOW when it is time for me to come home from work...
but, although he can tell time...
he cannot yet understand explanations as to why i sometimes run late...
so, at the right time [when i should be home]...
he stands at the door...
staring out...
waiting...
and waiting...
and sometimes waiting longer...
but then comes that moment...
the one he has been waiting for...
i pull up, get out, activate my car alarm...
and it beeps...
HE GOES WILD!!!
his waiting has paid off...
what he has anticipated is almost reality...
his hope for my homecoming is fulfilled...almost...
as i climb up the front steps, i watch my buddy...
his whole body is doing the wave...
from nose to tail...
his little nub of a tail is moving at hundreds of miles per hour...
he is prancing around as if the floor is just too hot for him to stand on...
what a welcome...
eager anticipation...
unbridled excitement...
living hope...
advent is about this kind of moment!!!
anticipating the fresh coming again of the Christ child in our lives this Christmas...
excitement about Abba's greatest gift to humanity -- his unique son Jesus...
hope that the truth of Christmas makes ANYthing and EVERYthing else in this challenging [and sometimes crappy] world OK...
no, better than OK...
the hope of Jesus is MORE than enough for us to live, to die and then to live forever...
there is this same kairos moment latent within this parable...
as we look toward a new year...
2011...
there is the possibility that the soil of our heart will be healed...
hard hearts can be softened...
shallow hearts can be deepened...
crowded hearts can be focused...
when GOD performs this miracle...
when HE heals our heart...
the fertile soil cries out...
with anticipation...
with excitement...
with hope...
for FRUITFULNESS!!!
not just for addition...
but multiplication...
100 fold increase...
the release of the good news through our lives to the world is viral...
it spreads like an epidemic...
an epidemic of hope...
what about me...and you???
what fruit are we anticipating in our lives in 2011???
what fruitfulness are we excited about in 2011???
what hope sustains us as the new year soon dawns???
anticipation...
excitement...
hope...
for fruitfulness...
sweet dreams...
guy
i can't wait to see jeep tomorrow afternoon when i get home!!!
i am at the sleep inn, ft pierce...
great lunch with bill hobbs at waterway cafe...
great supper with glenn davis at pf chang's...
buddha's stir-fried vegetable feast with tofu was heavenly!!!
time for a blog and then finish a sermon [along with a trip to the hotel treadmill]...
blog thought first...
jeep can tell time...
he has an uncanny ability to KNOW when it is time for me to come home from work...
but, although he can tell time...
he cannot yet understand explanations as to why i sometimes run late...
so, at the right time [when i should be home]...
he stands at the door...
staring out...
waiting...
and waiting...
and sometimes waiting longer...
but then comes that moment...
the one he has been waiting for...
i pull up, get out, activate my car alarm...
and it beeps...
HE GOES WILD!!!
his waiting has paid off...
what he has anticipated is almost reality...
his hope for my homecoming is fulfilled...almost...
as i climb up the front steps, i watch my buddy...
his whole body is doing the wave...
from nose to tail...
his little nub of a tail is moving at hundreds of miles per hour...
he is prancing around as if the floor is just too hot for him to stand on...
what a welcome...
eager anticipation...
unbridled excitement...
living hope...
advent is about this kind of moment!!!
anticipating the fresh coming again of the Christ child in our lives this Christmas...
excitement about Abba's greatest gift to humanity -- his unique son Jesus...
hope that the truth of Christmas makes ANYthing and EVERYthing else in this challenging [and sometimes crappy] world OK...
no, better than OK...
the hope of Jesus is MORE than enough for us to live, to die and then to live forever...
there is this same kairos moment latent within this parable...
as we look toward a new year...
2011...
there is the possibility that the soil of our heart will be healed...
hard hearts can be softened...
shallow hearts can be deepened...
crowded hearts can be focused...
when GOD performs this miracle...
when HE heals our heart...
the fertile soil cries out...
with anticipation...
with excitement...
with hope...
for FRUITFULNESS!!!
not just for addition...
but multiplication...
100 fold increase...
the release of the good news through our lives to the world is viral...
it spreads like an epidemic...
an epidemic of hope...
what about me...and you???
what fruit are we anticipating in our lives in 2011???
what fruitfulness are we excited about in 2011???
what hope sustains us as the new year soon dawns???
anticipation...
excitement...
hope...
for fruitfulness...
sweet dreams...
guy
i can't wait to see jeep tomorrow afternoon when i get home!!!
Friday, December 10, 2010
Advent day 13...anticipating fruitfulness...
good evening...
i am headed to south FL early in the a.m.
visiting close friends on sat...
preaching in ft pierce on sunday...
i promise to get back on track tomorrow...
love you all!!!
guy
i am headed to south FL early in the a.m.
visiting close friends on sat...
preaching in ft pierce on sunday...
i promise to get back on track tomorrow...
love you all!!!
guy
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Advent day 11...three things...
greetings!!!
number 1...i got a text from one of my most brilliant and creative friends today...
i love him...all of him, but especially his mind...
what a blessing he is...
i will quote his brilliance...
"i thought a lot about the hard heart and the ideas of watering the soil...
the image of a water balloon expanding as it fills up, from a hard raisin heart to a juicy grape heart...
i am praying for that kind of refreshing expansion to the hard areas of my heart..."
i join him in this prayer...
what an image!!!
wish my old brain worked like this!!!
i am so proud of you JS...
i am thankful god has allowed me to sow seed into your life...
so glad we are sharing the journey together...
number two...i have been thinking of valuing the simple...
over the complex...
over the crowded...
over the competitive...
soren kierkegaard once said that "purity of heart is to will one thing..."
ben haden said "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing..."
the main thing is jesus...
loving him...
receiving his love...
loving others who love him...
and loving those who are yet to love him...
the main thing is NOT...
religious skubala...
prominence, prestige and popularity...
gorging the false self...
glittering toys and stuff...
pleasure as our god...lust as our idol...
the weapon we need is simplicity...
not the easiest option in today's cultural press...
we will have to be a riptide...
going against the flow of our prevailing culture...
number three...i love my patient mr w...
i have been given the privilege to serve him in jesus name for over 2 years...
blessed to meet his most basic needs...
food...
clothes...
blankets...
tv...
companionship...
a couple of weeks ago, i saw his right foot for the first time in two years...
gross out...
his sock had not been off for well over two years...
we have no clue when he had his last bath...
not lately...for sure...
when i came by a couple of fridays back, he was pulling dead skin off his foot -- there was a whole big pile of yucky skin stacked on his floor...
i was worried...his foot looked hideous...
i contacted the nurse...
she went by, with a tech, to check out his right foot -- and maybe even his left one...
they had to cut the sock off his left foot...
a layer or two of skin came off with the socks as they peeled them off...
his feet were cracked and infected...
he needed antibiotics...
he needed care...TLC...he needed cleansing...
he needs ongoing soaks for a couple of weeks [which he will get]...
he needed new socks [which he already has]...
he needs LOVE...
i am so happy for the way my hospice team lavished love on mr w...
BUT, my hope is still very future-oriented...
mr w is a child of abba -- he is royalty...
he doesn't look it...
or smell it...
his hideous flat in the hood does not look it...
BUT, the kingdom will come for mr w...
he is one of the least of these that jesus will present with honor to abba...
one day, he will live like the royal heir that he truly is...
and, so will we...
i can't wait!!!
it really is pretty "simple", isn't it???
later...
guy
number 1...i got a text from one of my most brilliant and creative friends today...
i love him...all of him, but especially his mind...
what a blessing he is...
i will quote his brilliance...
"i thought a lot about the hard heart and the ideas of watering the soil...
the image of a water balloon expanding as it fills up, from a hard raisin heart to a juicy grape heart...
i am praying for that kind of refreshing expansion to the hard areas of my heart..."
i join him in this prayer...
what an image!!!
wish my old brain worked like this!!!
i am so proud of you JS...
i am thankful god has allowed me to sow seed into your life...
so glad we are sharing the journey together...
number two...i have been thinking of valuing the simple...
over the complex...
over the crowded...
over the competitive...
soren kierkegaard once said that "purity of heart is to will one thing..."
ben haden said "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing..."
the main thing is jesus...
loving him...
receiving his love...
loving others who love him...
and loving those who are yet to love him...
the main thing is NOT...
religious skubala...
prominence, prestige and popularity...
gorging the false self...
glittering toys and stuff...
pleasure as our god...lust as our idol...
the weapon we need is simplicity...
not the easiest option in today's cultural press...
we will have to be a riptide...
going against the flow of our prevailing culture...
number three...i love my patient mr w...
i have been given the privilege to serve him in jesus name for over 2 years...
blessed to meet his most basic needs...
food...
clothes...
blankets...
tv...
companionship...
a couple of weeks ago, i saw his right foot for the first time in two years...
gross out...
his sock had not been off for well over two years...
we have no clue when he had his last bath...
not lately...for sure...
when i came by a couple of fridays back, he was pulling dead skin off his foot -- there was a whole big pile of yucky skin stacked on his floor...
i was worried...his foot looked hideous...
i contacted the nurse...
she went by, with a tech, to check out his right foot -- and maybe even his left one...
they had to cut the sock off his left foot...
a layer or two of skin came off with the socks as they peeled them off...
his feet were cracked and infected...
he needed antibiotics...
he needed care...TLC...he needed cleansing...
he needs ongoing soaks for a couple of weeks [which he will get]...
he needed new socks [which he already has]...
he needs LOVE...
i am so happy for the way my hospice team lavished love on mr w...
BUT, my hope is still very future-oriented...
mr w is a child of abba -- he is royalty...
he doesn't look it...
or smell it...
his hideous flat in the hood does not look it...
BUT, the kingdom will come for mr w...
he is one of the least of these that jesus will present with honor to abba...
one day, he will live like the royal heir that he truly is...
and, so will we...
i can't wait!!!
it really is pretty "simple", isn't it???
later...
guy
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Advent day 10...soil testing revisited...
greetings!!!
back to our soil discussion...
maybe i have been hesitating on this one because it is MY challenge...
oh well, here goes...
"other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants..."
"the seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature..."
there are times the seed of intimacy with jesus takes deep root in my life...
intimacy is the focus of my existence...
it is THE thing...
consuming...
captivating...
sweet...
MORE than enough...
BUT, there are other times when Jesus has to compete...
my heart is CROWDED...
the competition within is fierce...
worries, anxieties and panic...
riches, toys and materialism...
pleasures, whims and off-limit pursuits...
there is a price to pay for a crowded heart...
the cost is devastating...
we keep on living, but we do NOT fully grow up...
maturity eludes us...
little or no fruit...
certainly no fruit that lasts...
we are tired...
spiritually exhausted...
the battle within rages incessantly...
just going through the motions...
the competition for our passion and focus never quits...
fatigue crowds out fruitfulness...
the crowded heart...
is there hope for the confused and scattered soil???
how do we zero in on our first love once again...
a great question for tomorrow...
blessings...
guy
stay warm tonight!!!
back to our soil discussion...
maybe i have been hesitating on this one because it is MY challenge...
oh well, here goes...
"other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants..."
"the seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature..."
there are times the seed of intimacy with jesus takes deep root in my life...
intimacy is the focus of my existence...
it is THE thing...
consuming...
captivating...
sweet...
MORE than enough...
BUT, there are other times when Jesus has to compete...
my heart is CROWDED...
the competition within is fierce...
worries, anxieties and panic...
riches, toys and materialism...
pleasures, whims and off-limit pursuits...
there is a price to pay for a crowded heart...
the cost is devastating...
we keep on living, but we do NOT fully grow up...
maturity eludes us...
little or no fruit...
certainly no fruit that lasts...
we are tired...
spiritually exhausted...
the battle within rages incessantly...
just going through the motions...
the competition for our passion and focus never quits...
fatigue crowds out fruitfulness...
the crowded heart...
is there hope for the confused and scattered soil???
how do we zero in on our first love once again...
a great question for tomorrow...
blessings...
guy
stay warm tonight!!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Advent day 9
it is SO COLD...
it is SO COLD my fingers are not working...
it is SO COLD i just want to go hide under the covers til morning...
with jeep!!!
i am going to hide under the covers and celebrate advent by looking for jesus in my dreams...
NO -- i am not wimping out -- i am serious...
have a great night...
guy
stay warm...
it is SO COLD my fingers are not working...
it is SO COLD i just want to go hide under the covers til morning...
with jeep!!!
i am going to hide under the covers and celebrate advent by looking for jesus in my dreams...
NO -- i am not wimping out -- i am serious...
have a great night...
guy
stay warm...
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Advent day 8...
good evening!
the THIRD DAY concert was awesome tonight...
to quote Mac Powell of third day: "this ain't a show, this is a church service..."
better than most any church service i have ever been in...
jeep and i are turning in...
good night...
guy
the THIRD DAY concert was awesome tonight...
to quote Mac Powell of third day: "this ain't a show, this is a church service..."
better than most any church service i have ever been in...
jeep and i are turning in...
good night...
guy
Advent day 7 -- time on the farm...
i am so tired...
josh, jeep and i went to the farm in plant city today -- to visit my parents...
and to cut some firewood...
for us...
and for my parents...
i brought back a whole truck load...
jeep didn't work much BUT he did have a blast...
wish you could have seen him playing with the cows -- so funny!!!
now, a thought before snoozing...
for advent, in addition to reading the bible, i am also reading a new author -- howard thurman...
mr thurman was the spiritual mentor to dr martin luther king...
i am reading a collection of his devotional thoughts entitled "40-day journey"...
i love this pericope...
"god is here...god is in this place...and, we can find him in the simple experiences of daily living, in the normal ebb and flow of life as we live it..."
let's not miss him in the "simple" places of our existence...
have a great sunday tomorrow -- the second sunday of advent 2010...
i am looking forward to the tampa underground...
guy
how is your reflection going on the soil types of our hearts???
this next one -- the CROWDED heart is really speaking to me...
josh, jeep and i went to the farm in plant city today -- to visit my parents...
and to cut some firewood...
for us...
and for my parents...
i brought back a whole truck load...
jeep didn't work much BUT he did have a blast...
wish you could have seen him playing with the cows -- so funny!!!
now, a thought before snoozing...
for advent, in addition to reading the bible, i am also reading a new author -- howard thurman...
mr thurman was the spiritual mentor to dr martin luther king...
i am reading a collection of his devotional thoughts entitled "40-day journey"...
i love this pericope...
"god is here...god is in this place...and, we can find him in the simple experiences of daily living, in the normal ebb and flow of life as we live it..."
let's not miss him in the "simple" places of our existence...
have a great sunday tomorrow -- the second sunday of advent 2010...
i am looking forward to the tampa underground...
guy
how is your reflection going on the soil types of our hearts???
this next one -- the CROWDED heart is really speaking to me...
Friday, December 3, 2010
Advent day 6...the SHALLOW soil...
thank god it is friday!!!
it is about 10 p.m. -- pretty cool, but not as cold as last night...
jeep and i just finished our daily 3 miles...
maybe we will celebrate the weekend by doing 4 or 5 miles on saturday and sunday...
i am at a BARRIER of 270 pounds [down from 315 since september] -- i must do something to break through -- my goal is 269 by monday a.m.
that will leave me ONLY 69 pounds to lose [to reach my goal of 200 by september 2011]...
oh well, one day at a time sweet jesus...
tonight, we consider the SHALLOW soil...
"other seed fell among rocks. it began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture..."
"the seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. but since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation..."
what leaves us with a SHALLOW heart???
depth of soil demands a faith of the head, the heart and the hands -- a life characterized by sharpness of intellect, the fire of spiritual experience and the commitment to serve others with god's love of another kind...
the head alone is inauthentic...and SHALLOW...it gets lost in theory and puffed up with arrogance...
the heart alone is inauthentic...and SHALLOW...it gets lost in bizarre behavior and can lose touch with [withdraw from] the very world the father so deeply loves...
the hands alone are inauthentic...and SHALLLOW...they can lose sight of salvation by grace alone and lose intimacy with jesus through compulsion to "fix" everything for god...
sometimes OUR works make it more about us than about god -- NOT!!!
in my opinion, much of our temptation in christianity is to be extreme -- to be out of balance in the areas we most gravitate towards -- we seldom commit fully to all 3 Hs...
our thing is usually seen as THE thing...
we are taught this [unfortunately] by our faith traditions from our very earliest ages because they often believe and teach that THEIR deal is really the ONLY deal...
maybe it would be better for all of us to love each other [and our heritages] and LEARN from each other...
we could learn so much from the catholics -- especially the franciscans -- about service...
we could learn so much from presbyterians and baptists about valuing theology and studying the word...
we could learn so much from pentecostals and charismatics about worship and hearts set aflame with intimate love for god...
maybe we should embrace the creative tension [i hate the word balance] between head, heart and hands -- pursuing each rather than just our "pet" that strokes our comfort zone...
the only thing we should be totally radical about is loving god [as father, jesus and spirit] with all our heads, hearts and hands... and loving those who already know jesus and loving those who are yet to love jesus...
we are recognized by our LOVE!!!
time to leave the SHALLOW behind -- the call is to depth...
soil [and hearts] that have the fullness to GO THE DISTANCE...
i am in -- fully in...
will you join me in this journey to wholeness, fullness and depth [substance]???
have a great weekend...
guy
anyone else headed to the Third Day concert at the Sun Dome on sunday p.m.???
it is about 10 p.m. -- pretty cool, but not as cold as last night...
jeep and i just finished our daily 3 miles...
maybe we will celebrate the weekend by doing 4 or 5 miles on saturday and sunday...
i am at a BARRIER of 270 pounds [down from 315 since september] -- i must do something to break through -- my goal is 269 by monday a.m.
that will leave me ONLY 69 pounds to lose [to reach my goal of 200 by september 2011]...
oh well, one day at a time sweet jesus...
tonight, we consider the SHALLOW soil...
"other seed fell among rocks. it began to grow, but the plant soon wilted and died for lack of moisture..."
"the seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. but since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation..."
what leaves us with a SHALLOW heart???
depth of soil demands a faith of the head, the heart and the hands -- a life characterized by sharpness of intellect, the fire of spiritual experience and the commitment to serve others with god's love of another kind...
the head alone is inauthentic...and SHALLOW...it gets lost in theory and puffed up with arrogance...
the heart alone is inauthentic...and SHALLOW...it gets lost in bizarre behavior and can lose touch with [withdraw from] the very world the father so deeply loves...
the hands alone are inauthentic...and SHALLLOW...they can lose sight of salvation by grace alone and lose intimacy with jesus through compulsion to "fix" everything for god...
sometimes OUR works make it more about us than about god -- NOT!!!
in my opinion, much of our temptation in christianity is to be extreme -- to be out of balance in the areas we most gravitate towards -- we seldom commit fully to all 3 Hs...
our thing is usually seen as THE thing...
we are taught this [unfortunately] by our faith traditions from our very earliest ages because they often believe and teach that THEIR deal is really the ONLY deal...
maybe it would be better for all of us to love each other [and our heritages] and LEARN from each other...
we could learn so much from the catholics -- especially the franciscans -- about service...
we could learn so much from presbyterians and baptists about valuing theology and studying the word...
we could learn so much from pentecostals and charismatics about worship and hearts set aflame with intimate love for god...
maybe we should embrace the creative tension [i hate the word balance] between head, heart and hands -- pursuing each rather than just our "pet" that strokes our comfort zone...
the only thing we should be totally radical about is loving god [as father, jesus and spirit] with all our heads, hearts and hands... and loving those who already know jesus and loving those who are yet to love jesus...
we are recognized by our LOVE!!!
time to leave the SHALLOW behind -- the call is to depth...
soil [and hearts] that have the fullness to GO THE DISTANCE...
i am in -- fully in...
will you join me in this journey to wholeness, fullness and depth [substance]???
have a great weekend...
guy
anyone else headed to the Third Day concert at the Sun Dome on sunday p.m.???
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Advent day 5...Rx for the HARD heart...
it is cold tonight...
jeep and i just finished 3 miles...i was shivering...he was full of spunk...
what did YOU come up with re: a fix for the HARD soil???
let me know -- OK???
i would love to hear from YOU!!!
i have three suggestions, but first, a reality check...
i cannot "fix" my hard heart -- that is a God thing...
a work of the Spirit...
i must cooperate, BUT i canNOT make it happen...
it is God who "fixes" my sin and brokenness...
first suggestion -- sometimes, with tough love, God must break up / crush / pulverize the hardened soil of our heart...
he uses a wide variety of plows -- each tailored to our personal need[s]...
suffering...
sickness...
brokenness...
the honest confrontation that comes through authentic friendship within biblical community -- we need a few people who really do love us enough to tell us the WHOLE truth [with committed love]...
disappointment...
our own personal "gethsemane" -- our "place of crushing"...
remember -- God always acts in LOVE, even when our searing pain seems overwhelming...
his work is always redemptive, never destructive!!!
my prayer is that at the end of our "gethsemane", we will join Jesus in his prayer, "not my will but yours be done..."
suggestion two -- sometimes it is "watering" that softens the HARD soil...
maybe through cleansing tears...
maybe through the river of the Spirit...
maybe through the refreshing waters from Jesus...
we must have the former and latter rains...
moisture works wonders in our dry and hardened heart...
finally, HARD soil needs enrichment -- fertilizer -- nutrients...
from worship music...
from the word...
from intimate talks with Jesus...
from meditation and reflection...
from deep sharing with godly friends...
spicing up our hardened heart...
a final word for the evening...
SURRENDER!!!
in the end, it all comes down to surrender...
opening our clenched fist and fully releasing our life to God...
totally...
completely...
fully...
relinquish control...
surrender!!!
love ya!
guy
jeep and i just finished 3 miles...i was shivering...he was full of spunk...
what did YOU come up with re: a fix for the HARD soil???
let me know -- OK???
i would love to hear from YOU!!!
i have three suggestions, but first, a reality check...
i cannot "fix" my hard heart -- that is a God thing...
a work of the Spirit...
i must cooperate, BUT i canNOT make it happen...
it is God who "fixes" my sin and brokenness...
first suggestion -- sometimes, with tough love, God must break up / crush / pulverize the hardened soil of our heart...
he uses a wide variety of plows -- each tailored to our personal need[s]...
suffering...
sickness...
brokenness...
the honest confrontation that comes through authentic friendship within biblical community -- we need a few people who really do love us enough to tell us the WHOLE truth [with committed love]...
disappointment...
our own personal "gethsemane" -- our "place of crushing"...
remember -- God always acts in LOVE, even when our searing pain seems overwhelming...
his work is always redemptive, never destructive!!!
my prayer is that at the end of our "gethsemane", we will join Jesus in his prayer, "not my will but yours be done..."
suggestion two -- sometimes it is "watering" that softens the HARD soil...
maybe through cleansing tears...
maybe through the river of the Spirit...
maybe through the refreshing waters from Jesus...
we must have the former and latter rains...
moisture works wonders in our dry and hardened heart...
finally, HARD soil needs enrichment -- fertilizer -- nutrients...
from worship music...
from the word...
from intimate talks with Jesus...
from meditation and reflection...
from deep sharing with godly friends...
spicing up our hardened heart...
a final word for the evening...
SURRENDER!!!
in the end, it all comes down to surrender...
opening our clenched fist and fully releasing our life to God...
totally...
completely...
fully...
relinquish control...
surrender!!!
love ya!
guy
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Advent day 4...the HARD soil...
greetings...
hope you were able to read -- and reflect on -- the parable of the soil...
remember our guiding question for the next few days: "what does the soil of our heart look like???"
how healthy is our internal being???
what soil type best characterizes our spirit as we begin the advent journey???
"some seed fell on a foodpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it..."
jesus explained: "the seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the evil one come and steal it from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved..."
what makes hard soil???
what makes a hard heart???
maybe one reason is that the footpath has so much traffic -- all the activity packs the ground tight...
maybe our heart gets hard because we have "heard it all before" -- we have become so overexposed that the seed seems to have little power -- we are hardened and looking for something new, novel and different...
or, maybe it is just the opposite -- the path is so hard because it is impermeable and we just don't really care about what God says...
there is almost no traffic in the realm of the spirit...
we have so little hunger for the voice of Jesus...
and, the evil one is so committed to stealing the word away...
plus, the seed is vulnerable as it lays undetected, unwanted and unprotected on the hardened ground -- so many things can come along and squash it...
how welcoming is the soil of our heart???
how much do we treasure the voice of Jesus???
how receptive is the soil of our spirit???
final thought...
what can "fix" hard soil...the hard heart???
would love to hear your thoughts...
i will share mine tomorrow on day 5...
blessings!!!
guy
we have a fire tonight -- what a blessing!!!
hope you were able to read -- and reflect on -- the parable of the soil...
remember our guiding question for the next few days: "what does the soil of our heart look like???"
how healthy is our internal being???
what soil type best characterizes our spirit as we begin the advent journey???
"some seed fell on a foodpath, where it was stepped on, and the birds ate it..."
jesus explained: "the seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the evil one come and steal it from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved..."
what makes hard soil???
what makes a hard heart???
maybe one reason is that the footpath has so much traffic -- all the activity packs the ground tight...
maybe our heart gets hard because we have "heard it all before" -- we have become so overexposed that the seed seems to have little power -- we are hardened and looking for something new, novel and different...
or, maybe it is just the opposite -- the path is so hard because it is impermeable and we just don't really care about what God says...
there is almost no traffic in the realm of the spirit...
we have so little hunger for the voice of Jesus...
and, the evil one is so committed to stealing the word away...
plus, the seed is vulnerable as it lays undetected, unwanted and unprotected on the hardened ground -- so many things can come along and squash it...
how welcoming is the soil of our heart???
how much do we treasure the voice of Jesus???
how receptive is the soil of our spirit???
final thought...
what can "fix" hard soil...the hard heart???
would love to hear your thoughts...
i will share mine tomorrow on day 5...
blessings!!!
guy
we have a fire tonight -- what a blessing!!!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Advent day 3 -- testing the "soil" of our hearts...
good evening...
i had a "divine appointment" while sitting at the king corona cigar bar in ybor city last night...
[i was drinking UNsweet cafe con leche...NOT cheating!!!]
i was studying some notes for a class over at the tampa underground...
you know me -- i was pretty focused on my task -- intensely preparing...
as i was sitting at this table adjacent to a nice man from west FL -- he started a conversation...
i sensed god was up to something...
there are times when the "interuptions" of life ARE the main point...
this was one of those kairos moments -- a timely time...
so i put my notes aside and had a delightful conversation with CS about what was going on in our hearts -- what was REALLY going on deep inside...
some testing of our hearts...
checking out the health of our internal "soil"...
what's REALLY going on inside my secret place???
this all started for me a couple of weeks back while riding the train to NJ...
[a real blast -- i love trains!!!]
late at night, bouncing along in the dark, i could not sleep, so i got out my bible...
i read the parable of the sower...
a real misnomer for me -- it is really the parable of the SOIL [not the sower]...
jesus is always the SOWER -- the SEED is always his word and his person -- the SEED of intimacy and relationship...
he keeps coming to us -- offering himself to us -- wanting to fully invade our innermost regions...
never satisfied with just the religious -- or the external -- he craves spiritual intimacy -- he wants to "know" us and be "known" by us...
the variable is the SOIL...the environment...
four different soils...four different environments...
the HARD soil...a HARD heart...
the SHALLOW soil...a SHALLOW heart...
the CROWDED soil...a CROWDED heart...
the FRUITFUL soil...a FRUITFUL heart...
i kept reading this parable of jesus...over and over and over...
in matthew 13...
in mark 4...
in luke 8...
i sensed god speaking a couple of things to me...
first a question for ME -- which soil type describes MY HEART right now...
some heart and soil testing was in store for me as advent rolled around this year...
secondly, i was to share this thought and ask this question of MY family as they are all gathered for thanksgiving...
as the servant leader of the family, i was to ask each of them to test their hearts -- "where are you right now???"
but, i didn't know that there would be MORE...
a conversation, and challenge, to CS...
now, for you...
will you join me in this reflection over the next few days???
i would enjoy our journey together...
please read the storyline from one of the gospels...
pause and reflect...
let's look at each of the four soil types over the next few days in our advent meditations...
OK???
blessings...
guy
YES, Jeep and i made three miles again today...
i had a "divine appointment" while sitting at the king corona cigar bar in ybor city last night...
[i was drinking UNsweet cafe con leche...NOT cheating!!!]
i was studying some notes for a class over at the tampa underground...
you know me -- i was pretty focused on my task -- intensely preparing...
as i was sitting at this table adjacent to a nice man from west FL -- he started a conversation...
i sensed god was up to something...
there are times when the "interuptions" of life ARE the main point...
this was one of those kairos moments -- a timely time...
so i put my notes aside and had a delightful conversation with CS about what was going on in our hearts -- what was REALLY going on deep inside...
some testing of our hearts...
checking out the health of our internal "soil"...
what's REALLY going on inside my secret place???
this all started for me a couple of weeks back while riding the train to NJ...
[a real blast -- i love trains!!!]
late at night, bouncing along in the dark, i could not sleep, so i got out my bible...
i read the parable of the sower...
a real misnomer for me -- it is really the parable of the SOIL [not the sower]...
jesus is always the SOWER -- the SEED is always his word and his person -- the SEED of intimacy and relationship...
he keeps coming to us -- offering himself to us -- wanting to fully invade our innermost regions...
never satisfied with just the religious -- or the external -- he craves spiritual intimacy -- he wants to "know" us and be "known" by us...
the variable is the SOIL...the environment...
four different soils...four different environments...
the HARD soil...a HARD heart...
the SHALLOW soil...a SHALLOW heart...
the CROWDED soil...a CROWDED heart...
the FRUITFUL soil...a FRUITFUL heart...
i kept reading this parable of jesus...over and over and over...
in matthew 13...
in mark 4...
in luke 8...
i sensed god speaking a couple of things to me...
first a question for ME -- which soil type describes MY HEART right now...
some heart and soil testing was in store for me as advent rolled around this year...
secondly, i was to share this thought and ask this question of MY family as they are all gathered for thanksgiving...
as the servant leader of the family, i was to ask each of them to test their hearts -- "where are you right now???"
but, i didn't know that there would be MORE...
a conversation, and challenge, to CS...
now, for you...
will you join me in this reflection over the next few days???
i would enjoy our journey together...
please read the storyline from one of the gospels...
pause and reflect...
let's look at each of the four soil types over the next few days in our advent meditations...
OK???
blessings...
guy
YES, Jeep and i made three miles again today...
Monday, November 29, 2010
Advent day 2
good evening...
just finished 3 miles walking with Jeep...
a lap before work [in the dark]...
and two laps after work [in the dark]...
Jeep is such a blessing -- he will NOT take NO for an answer when it comes to walking!
i can be so lazy -- he is really helping me...
i am so thrilled to have lost 45 pounds...
but it frightens me to think of 70 more to go...
guess i must just take it one day at a time...
maybe all of life works better that way...
let's take each day one day at a time...
guy
why is this so hard to do???
maybe it is because we want to "hold on" to control...
surrender is so hard, BUT it is the key...
let's live with an OPEN HAND...
just finished 3 miles walking with Jeep...
a lap before work [in the dark]...
and two laps after work [in the dark]...
Jeep is such a blessing -- he will NOT take NO for an answer when it comes to walking!
i can be so lazy -- he is really helping me...
i am so thrilled to have lost 45 pounds...
but it frightens me to think of 70 more to go...
guess i must just take it one day at a time...
maybe all of life works better that way...
let's take each day one day at a time...
guy
why is this so hard to do???
maybe it is because we want to "hold on" to control...
surrender is so hard, BUT it is the key...
let's live with an OPEN HAND...
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Advent day 1...
I am so thankful for this past week...
For Nancy...
All three boys [and Courtney] were home for the week...
What a blessing...
We had such a great time together...
Thanksgiving dinner including my parents...
A morning fishing trip with my dad [and Matt and Josh] -- we caught 30 speckled perch...
Enjoying Jeep [and his two cousins Mac and Ty from Miami] -- three Boxers are a handful...
Eating well throughout the whole week...
Exercising every day...
Yes, I maintained my new vegetarian lifestyle [except for a trace of oysters Courtney used in making the awesome stuffing]...
No meat since September...
As of today -- 45 pounds lost [hopefully never to be found again]...
One of my foci for Advent will be pursuing more weight loss -- I still have 70 pounds to go...
PLEASE pray for me...
More later...
Welcome to Advent 2010...
For Nancy...
All three boys [and Courtney] were home for the week...
What a blessing...
We had such a great time together...
Thanksgiving dinner including my parents...
A morning fishing trip with my dad [and Matt and Josh] -- we caught 30 speckled perch...
Enjoying Jeep [and his two cousins Mac and Ty from Miami] -- three Boxers are a handful...
Eating well throughout the whole week...
Exercising every day...
Yes, I maintained my new vegetarian lifestyle [except for a trace of oysters Courtney used in making the awesome stuffing]...
No meat since September...
As of today -- 45 pounds lost [hopefully never to be found again]...
One of my foci for Advent will be pursuing more weight loss -- I still have 70 pounds to go...
PLEASE pray for me...
More later...
Welcome to Advent 2010...
Friday, April 2, 2010
A Resurrection Bonus...
greetings!
this is my easter gift from jesus...
wow...
yes, this is true...
it really happened TODAY...
a moment frozen in eternity for my patient jennifer -- and for me...
enjoy...
please thank god along with me as well!!!
i am sending it out to my underground family too...
"Jennifer became a patient of hospice on 13 September 2009…
48 years old… Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver… Acute hepatitis C…
Terminal – less than a year to live…
She looks very “old”…
I guess Jennifer has “earned” her way into hospice – a lifelong drunk and drug abuser… Complete with a lifetime of shattered relationships and broken dreams scattered along the way… An infamous party animal…
She is poor… A county-assisted cremation…
Not a whole lot to show for what should be half a life…
Upon admission, she was asked if she would like to see a hospice chaplain…
“Hell no, I don’t need another damn preacher pointing their finger at me and preaching at me about what a worthless piece of humanity I am – I’ve heard that enough…”
Guess she had only met one kind of Christian…
Her primary care nurse assured her that our team chaplain [me] was pretty “irreligious” and didn’t even seem like a “real minister”… I took that as a compliment…
She balked for a moment, but then reluctantly agreed to my visits… I started going every month beginning in October… At first, she really tested me – guess she was “proving me”… Waiting to see if I would pull out my gospel finger and fire away at what was left at her self-esteem… Checking to see what kind of “love” I was marketing…
Slowly, but surely, a friendship began to form… We shared a deeper honesty… We began to open our hearts to one another…
In March, Jennifer confided: “Guy, I am scared to die…”
I could sense the Holy Spirit at work in both of us… I am hopeful… Kinda excited…
God spoke to me about visiting Jennifer on Good Friday…
I dropped by about 10:15 a.m. – it was a miracle – she was up and finally answered the door…
“I only have a few moments to visit Guy – I was hurting so bad – had to get up and take some morphine – as soon as it starts to work, I am going back to sleep – OK?”
I was so grateful for a few moments…
I was shocked when I walked in and sat down – she had declined so much in only one month… I leaned toward her…
She showed me her “elephant legs” – so swelled up! They were red and stretched so tight… They were “weeping” liquid right through her skin…
She looked 10 months pregnant! Her abdomen was so bloated… Her body was so toxic – her liver is shutting down… The whites of her eyes are yellow – so is her skin…
Lately, she will go for days without being able to sleep… Her eyes looked so empty… A faraway stare…
She was drinking a PBR [Pabst Blue Ribbon]… Her beer of choice…
I took a deep breath and gathered my “gut”…
We plunged into some small talk – but not for long… Jennifer stunned me… A direct shot…
“So Guy, what do you think happens after we die?”
This was no test – this was a true quest – the real deal… She was all ears… Listening…
We had a God moment – a moment frozen in time – a moment of clarity… Connection… It was holy and sacred… I could literally feel God in her cluttered little house… Surreal…
Thank God for the thoughts in my blog the last few days during Holy Week… Guess the Spirit knew just what I needed… And yes, he does bring stuff to our remembrance at just the right “kairos” moment…
I talked about forgiveness – release from all guilt and shame… I talked about heaven – a spiritual home… I talked about a loving God – who welcomes his children with open arms… I talked about eternity – never again having to say goodbye! I talked about a new body – one that would never decay, decline or die… I talked about LIFE the way God always intended for it to be…
I talked about Good Friday… And Easter Sunday…
About giving up… And about hope…
About betrayal and rejection… And about love of another kind that never gives up…
About death… And resurrection and life…
Jennifer is “Good Friday” in so many ways… So broken… Such suffering… Pain so deep…
Could Resurrection Sunday really be just around the corner for her???
Silence… Extended moments… A fruitful pause…
“Guy, it all sounds good – I would love to believe it – but I’m a piece of crap – look at me – it is probably true for others, but NOT me… No way God can ever love me…”
More silence…
I moved toward her… I looked deep into Jennifer’s eyes… I felt a “rush”…
“Jennifer, I don’t know everything – maybe I don’t even know much – but I do know one thing and I know it without a single doubt – GOD LOVES YOU! I am sure about this – maybe it is surprising, but it is true truth! God loves you just like you are… You are his beloved child… When he looks at you, all he feels is tenderness and acceptance – LOVE!”
“And all God wants is for you to receive his love and respond back…”
“Guy, I feel a little strange right now… I feel broken and humble – I really need God… I feel warm – like his love may be real – and for me… Like I am ready to respond – can I have a relationship with God?”
“Yes Jennifer – can I preach to you for a moment?” [She smiled…]
“Look at my clenched fist… When we live our lives with a clenched fist and seize control of our lives – it is all about us – no room for God… Not good – we often mess things up…”
“Like I have?” [She looked down…]
“Like we all have Jennifer!”
“Now look at my open hand… I have released my life to God – it is all about him – he is God and I am not… With an open hand, I can now receive grace from him…”
“Are you are ready to unclench your fist – and open your hand to God?”
“How’s that for a short sermon…”
“You didn’t even ask me for money…” [She chuckled…]
Another quiet moment…
“Guy, are you saying that I need to turn the reins of my life over to God?”
“Yes Jennifer…”
“Guy, I am ready -- will you help me pray?”
“You got it…”
I moved closer… I took her hands in my hands… We felt the tender breath of God…
We prayed…
We asked for forgiveness – we released the past – we surrendered the future – we asked God to fill the NOW moment and keep filling it – to “take the reins” from now on – forever… We even thanked God for the “stuff” of life that brought humility – for the brutal wall that got her attention and turned her around – for the kindness of God that welcomed her home… We asked for resurrection power to birth new life in her wasted frame… We asked for God to give her his life before she died…
The Good News – Easter Sunday invading Good Friday…
Jennifer was crying…
“Guess God opened up the waterworks – he’s clearing out my nose – is it OK to cry?”
“I hope so – cause I’m crying too…”
She was ready for a nap… What a hug… She walked me out…
I made it to the Scion – I was weeping as I drove away…
Another moment… A “kairos” moment… A resurrection moment…
Jennifer is now alive – really alive – the life of God is now a reality in her – FOREVER!!!
And I was there – I feel so small – God is so big – thank you Lord for “kairos” moments that change us for all eternity…
Happy Easter 2010!!!
Guy
See you at the Centro Asturiano…"
keep praying for me...
i live for these moments...
i will pray that god will bless you with "kairos" moments as well...
this is my easter gift from jesus...
wow...
yes, this is true...
it really happened TODAY...
a moment frozen in eternity for my patient jennifer -- and for me...
enjoy...
please thank god along with me as well!!!
i am sending it out to my underground family too...
"Jennifer became a patient of hospice on 13 September 2009…
48 years old… Alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver… Acute hepatitis C…
Terminal – less than a year to live…
She looks very “old”…
I guess Jennifer has “earned” her way into hospice – a lifelong drunk and drug abuser… Complete with a lifetime of shattered relationships and broken dreams scattered along the way… An infamous party animal…
She is poor… A county-assisted cremation…
Not a whole lot to show for what should be half a life…
Upon admission, she was asked if she would like to see a hospice chaplain…
“Hell no, I don’t need another damn preacher pointing their finger at me and preaching at me about what a worthless piece of humanity I am – I’ve heard that enough…”
Guess she had only met one kind of Christian…
Her primary care nurse assured her that our team chaplain [me] was pretty “irreligious” and didn’t even seem like a “real minister”… I took that as a compliment…
She balked for a moment, but then reluctantly agreed to my visits… I started going every month beginning in October… At first, she really tested me – guess she was “proving me”… Waiting to see if I would pull out my gospel finger and fire away at what was left at her self-esteem… Checking to see what kind of “love” I was marketing…
Slowly, but surely, a friendship began to form… We shared a deeper honesty… We began to open our hearts to one another…
In March, Jennifer confided: “Guy, I am scared to die…”
I could sense the Holy Spirit at work in both of us… I am hopeful… Kinda excited…
God spoke to me about visiting Jennifer on Good Friday…
I dropped by about 10:15 a.m. – it was a miracle – she was up and finally answered the door…
“I only have a few moments to visit Guy – I was hurting so bad – had to get up and take some morphine – as soon as it starts to work, I am going back to sleep – OK?”
I was so grateful for a few moments…
I was shocked when I walked in and sat down – she had declined so much in only one month… I leaned toward her…
She showed me her “elephant legs” – so swelled up! They were red and stretched so tight… They were “weeping” liquid right through her skin…
She looked 10 months pregnant! Her abdomen was so bloated… Her body was so toxic – her liver is shutting down… The whites of her eyes are yellow – so is her skin…
Lately, she will go for days without being able to sleep… Her eyes looked so empty… A faraway stare…
She was drinking a PBR [Pabst Blue Ribbon]… Her beer of choice…
I took a deep breath and gathered my “gut”…
We plunged into some small talk – but not for long… Jennifer stunned me… A direct shot…
“So Guy, what do you think happens after we die?”
This was no test – this was a true quest – the real deal… She was all ears… Listening…
We had a God moment – a moment frozen in time – a moment of clarity… Connection… It was holy and sacred… I could literally feel God in her cluttered little house… Surreal…
Thank God for the thoughts in my blog the last few days during Holy Week… Guess the Spirit knew just what I needed… And yes, he does bring stuff to our remembrance at just the right “kairos” moment…
I talked about forgiveness – release from all guilt and shame… I talked about heaven – a spiritual home… I talked about a loving God – who welcomes his children with open arms… I talked about eternity – never again having to say goodbye! I talked about a new body – one that would never decay, decline or die… I talked about LIFE the way God always intended for it to be…
I talked about Good Friday… And Easter Sunday…
About giving up… And about hope…
About betrayal and rejection… And about love of another kind that never gives up…
About death… And resurrection and life…
Jennifer is “Good Friday” in so many ways… So broken… Such suffering… Pain so deep…
Could Resurrection Sunday really be just around the corner for her???
Silence… Extended moments… A fruitful pause…
“Guy, it all sounds good – I would love to believe it – but I’m a piece of crap – look at me – it is probably true for others, but NOT me… No way God can ever love me…”
More silence…
I moved toward her… I looked deep into Jennifer’s eyes… I felt a “rush”…
“Jennifer, I don’t know everything – maybe I don’t even know much – but I do know one thing and I know it without a single doubt – GOD LOVES YOU! I am sure about this – maybe it is surprising, but it is true truth! God loves you just like you are… You are his beloved child… When he looks at you, all he feels is tenderness and acceptance – LOVE!”
“And all God wants is for you to receive his love and respond back…”
“Guy, I feel a little strange right now… I feel broken and humble – I really need God… I feel warm – like his love may be real – and for me… Like I am ready to respond – can I have a relationship with God?”
“Yes Jennifer – can I preach to you for a moment?” [She smiled…]
“Look at my clenched fist… When we live our lives with a clenched fist and seize control of our lives – it is all about us – no room for God… Not good – we often mess things up…”
“Like I have?” [She looked down…]
“Like we all have Jennifer!”
“Now look at my open hand… I have released my life to God – it is all about him – he is God and I am not… With an open hand, I can now receive grace from him…”
“Are you are ready to unclench your fist – and open your hand to God?”
“How’s that for a short sermon…”
“You didn’t even ask me for money…” [She chuckled…]
Another quiet moment…
“Guy, are you saying that I need to turn the reins of my life over to God?”
“Yes Jennifer…”
“Guy, I am ready -- will you help me pray?”
“You got it…”
I moved closer… I took her hands in my hands… We felt the tender breath of God…
We prayed…
We asked for forgiveness – we released the past – we surrendered the future – we asked God to fill the NOW moment and keep filling it – to “take the reins” from now on – forever… We even thanked God for the “stuff” of life that brought humility – for the brutal wall that got her attention and turned her around – for the kindness of God that welcomed her home… We asked for resurrection power to birth new life in her wasted frame… We asked for God to give her his life before she died…
The Good News – Easter Sunday invading Good Friday…
Jennifer was crying…
“Guess God opened up the waterworks – he’s clearing out my nose – is it OK to cry?”
“I hope so – cause I’m crying too…”
She was ready for a nap… What a hug… She walked me out…
I made it to the Scion – I was weeping as I drove away…
Another moment… A “kairos” moment… A resurrection moment…
Jennifer is now alive – really alive – the life of God is now a reality in her – FOREVER!!!
And I was there – I feel so small – God is so big – thank you Lord for “kairos” moments that change us for all eternity…
Happy Easter 2010!!!
Guy
See you at the Centro Asturiano…"
keep praying for me...
i live for these moments...
i will pray that god will bless you with "kairos" moments as well...
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Good Friday...
greetings...
i am sitting here in the living room crying...
this blog came alive tonight...
Jeep thinks i must have lost it...
hope it touches my undergroound family -- and YOU -- the way it stirs me...
enjoy...
"I prayed to receive Jesus in my heart one night when my Mom and I were saying our goodnight prayers at the farmhouse in Plant City… I was young – really young – I don’t think I had even started school yet… So I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a follower of Jesus [or at least on the journey]…
But I can remember the very day when the reality of the resurrection came alive – fully alive – to me… It was a surprise – a shock – it was a revelation – an awakening… Not in church… Not in seminary… Not at a conference…
It was almost 50 years later in my spiritual journey… Holy Week two years ago… At a rundown trailer on the outskirts of Claire Mel… In a dingy and depressing little bedroom that seemed a lot like a prison cell… The TV was always blaring – it numbed the mind and took away the pain of thinking… The smell was memorable…
I had been visiting David for about a year…
An Assembly of God kid who loved Jesus and believed in heaven – in fact, he was living for heaven – it was the bright spot in his drab pseudo-existence… He was in his mid-20s and dying… Dying a slow and suffocating death from Lou Gehrig’s disease [ALS]…
I watched death crawl up his body – starting at his feet – paralyzing him as the disease raged to the north… It took his feet – he could no longer walk… It took his legs – he could no longer stand… It took the muscle control of his bowels – 20something sporting a diaper… It took his stomach – food lost its appeal… I watched David fading away into eternity with every visit…
Death was slowly creeping up his body…
It was getting really serious by the spring – the disease had set its sights on his lungs… David was struggling to sit up – it was becoming a challenge to breathe – every breath was a battle – a consuming labor… The days were numbered – it wouldn’t be long now… You die when you can’t breathe anymore…
So I showed up to see David on Holy Week two years ago…
I 'crawled' into his cell… He turned the TV down… We started to chat… He wanted to talk about heaven – he smiled and said that he was 'dying to get there' – we chuckled… The disease had not destroyed his sense of humor… Even small victories are a thrill…
Then it happened…
I suddenly said something I can never take credit for [cause I’m just not this bright] – it was a 'kairos' moment – a God moment – an encounter with the holy – we had a moment suspended in time where we were both fully present in the present – face-to-face with the Lord…
'David, did you know there is something even better than heaven?'
'Now Chaplain Guy, I ain’t too sure about that – what could be better than heaven?'
'Well, you are going to heaven – but you will have a brand new body – a spiritual body just like Jesus!'
The pause seemed almost eternal… I could see a tear forming… Then a smile – a radiant one that transformed his whole face…
'Chaplain Guy, I am going to heaven with a brand new body – NO MORE ALS BODY FOR ME! I will be able to walk – to run – to jump – no more limitations…'
'Yes David, you will have "a resurrection body that will never decline, decay or die"’! [quoted from NT Wright in Surprised by Hope]…
'NO MORE ALS BODY!!!'
I suddenly got it!
I was looking at 'Good Friday' – a human being gripped by suffering – a beloved son of the Father who was enduring the curse of sin, sickness and a fallen existence…
The agony of Good Friday… The unspeakable tragedy of suffering… The short-term victory of darkness and death… A work of redemption yet unfinished…
Good Friday…
But, Easter Sunday will soon dawn!
It may be Friday but Sunday is coming!
Beyond the darkness is the light! Beyond the night is the dawn! Beyond death is life! Beyond the comma of defeat is the exclamation point of resurrection! Beyond defeat is sweet victory! Beyond the incomplete is fulfillment and perfection! Beyond the cross and grave is the empty tomb – JESUS IS RISEN!
Easter Sunday came soon for David…
He couldn’t get his breath. His body betrayed him. ALS won for the moment. He died…
But now he lives… He is filled with the very breath of God… He is in heaven… He has a brand new body… No more decline, decay or death… ALS has no power over him… No more goodbyes – cause eternity is forever – with Jesus!
Maybe today is like a Good Friday in your life – a rough spot…
Do not lose hope – Resurrection Sunday is dawning very soon…
It was on Good Friday that Jesus boldly proclaimed: 'IT IS FINISHED!' [John 19.30]
Paul knew the power of the resurrection: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? How we thank God, who gives us the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our risen Lord!' [1 Corinthians 15.54-57]
'David, I am looking forward to seeing you again – NO MORE ALS BODY…'
I finish tonight with tears of joy – I will never forget this moment – this 'kairos' revelation when the resurrection became reality for me… More than a doctrine… More than history… More than a confession… SPIRITUAL REALITY!!!
And it is still just that real…
Thank you for sharing this journey with me during Holy Week – see you Sunday!!!"
i hope i never "get over" this moment...
guy
i am sitting here in the living room crying...
this blog came alive tonight...
Jeep thinks i must have lost it...
hope it touches my undergroound family -- and YOU -- the way it stirs me...
enjoy...
"I prayed to receive Jesus in my heart one night when my Mom and I were saying our goodnight prayers at the farmhouse in Plant City… I was young – really young – I don’t think I had even started school yet… So I honestly can’t remember a time when I wasn’t a follower of Jesus [or at least on the journey]…
But I can remember the very day when the reality of the resurrection came alive – fully alive – to me… It was a surprise – a shock – it was a revelation – an awakening… Not in church… Not in seminary… Not at a conference…
It was almost 50 years later in my spiritual journey… Holy Week two years ago… At a rundown trailer on the outskirts of Claire Mel… In a dingy and depressing little bedroom that seemed a lot like a prison cell… The TV was always blaring – it numbed the mind and took away the pain of thinking… The smell was memorable…
I had been visiting David for about a year…
An Assembly of God kid who loved Jesus and believed in heaven – in fact, he was living for heaven – it was the bright spot in his drab pseudo-existence… He was in his mid-20s and dying… Dying a slow and suffocating death from Lou Gehrig’s disease [ALS]…
I watched death crawl up his body – starting at his feet – paralyzing him as the disease raged to the north… It took his feet – he could no longer walk… It took his legs – he could no longer stand… It took the muscle control of his bowels – 20something sporting a diaper… It took his stomach – food lost its appeal… I watched David fading away into eternity with every visit…
Death was slowly creeping up his body…
It was getting really serious by the spring – the disease had set its sights on his lungs… David was struggling to sit up – it was becoming a challenge to breathe – every breath was a battle – a consuming labor… The days were numbered – it wouldn’t be long now… You die when you can’t breathe anymore…
So I showed up to see David on Holy Week two years ago…
I 'crawled' into his cell… He turned the TV down… We started to chat… He wanted to talk about heaven – he smiled and said that he was 'dying to get there' – we chuckled… The disease had not destroyed his sense of humor… Even small victories are a thrill…
Then it happened…
I suddenly said something I can never take credit for [cause I’m just not this bright] – it was a 'kairos' moment – a God moment – an encounter with the holy – we had a moment suspended in time where we were both fully present in the present – face-to-face with the Lord…
'David, did you know there is something even better than heaven?'
'Now Chaplain Guy, I ain’t too sure about that – what could be better than heaven?'
'Well, you are going to heaven – but you will have a brand new body – a spiritual body just like Jesus!'
The pause seemed almost eternal… I could see a tear forming… Then a smile – a radiant one that transformed his whole face…
'Chaplain Guy, I am going to heaven with a brand new body – NO MORE ALS BODY FOR ME! I will be able to walk – to run – to jump – no more limitations…'
'Yes David, you will have "a resurrection body that will never decline, decay or die"’! [quoted from NT Wright in Surprised by Hope]…
'NO MORE ALS BODY!!!'
I suddenly got it!
I was looking at 'Good Friday' – a human being gripped by suffering – a beloved son of the Father who was enduring the curse of sin, sickness and a fallen existence…
The agony of Good Friday… The unspeakable tragedy of suffering… The short-term victory of darkness and death… A work of redemption yet unfinished…
Good Friday…
But, Easter Sunday will soon dawn!
It may be Friday but Sunday is coming!
Beyond the darkness is the light! Beyond the night is the dawn! Beyond death is life! Beyond the comma of defeat is the exclamation point of resurrection! Beyond defeat is sweet victory! Beyond the incomplete is fulfillment and perfection! Beyond the cross and grave is the empty tomb – JESUS IS RISEN!
Easter Sunday came soon for David…
He couldn’t get his breath. His body betrayed him. ALS won for the moment. He died…
But now he lives… He is filled with the very breath of God… He is in heaven… He has a brand new body… No more decline, decay or death… ALS has no power over him… No more goodbyes – cause eternity is forever – with Jesus!
Maybe today is like a Good Friday in your life – a rough spot…
Do not lose hope – Resurrection Sunday is dawning very soon…
It was on Good Friday that Jesus boldly proclaimed: 'IT IS FINISHED!' [John 19.30]
Paul knew the power of the resurrection: 'Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? How we thank God, who gives us the victory over sin and death through Jesus Christ our risen Lord!' [1 Corinthians 15.54-57]
'David, I am looking forward to seeing you again – NO MORE ALS BODY…'
I finish tonight with tears of joy – I will never forget this moment – this 'kairos' revelation when the resurrection became reality for me… More than a doctrine… More than history… More than a confession… SPIRITUAL REALITY!!!
And it is still just that real…
Thank you for sharing this journey with me during Holy Week – see you Sunday!!!"
i hope i never "get over" this moment...
guy
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Maundy Thursday...
greetings...
just finished my thought for tomorrow for the tampa underground community...
and for YOU!!!
"His name was John…
He was dying…
He was old as dirt – about 90 or so…
But he was still charming…
Steely blue eyes that danced when he talked – and flirted – with the nurses…
And he was always flirting with the ladies…
He still had his sense of humor…
His full head of silky gray hair gave him a distinguished air…
He had been a politician in his earlier life up north – he was a gracious gentleman…
I think he used to sell ice to the Yankees in Maine during the wintertime [ha! ha!]…
He was a favorite of the hospice staff – especially the women…
John was my patient – then he became my friend – we developed a rapport…
One day as the journey was winding down – our chat turned more serious…
'John, what do you think happens after you die?'
'Well Guy, that’s pretty simple – I know just what happens… I die – they stick me in a box – then chunk me in the ground – then worms eat me – it’s all over at that point after I become worm food…'
I was shocked… Really shocked… He was so sure…
John was a reasonable, intelligent and reflective man – not an idiot or a moron…
I had never thought of him as worm food…
And yet his end-of-life 'hope' seemed so lame…
In fact, I was missing the hope altogether…
And John is not the only one…
So many people are anticipating a less-than-glorious future as worm food…
There must be hope… There has to be more… MUCH MORE!!!
I am not exactly sure what that MORE is [and I tend to be afraid of those who already know-it-all about the end times – I usually run the other way from these modern day Gnostics] – but I do want to suggest a couple of thoughts on this Maundy Thursday…
First, I believe there is something beyond this life – this life simply is NOT all there is…
I believe that 'something' is very personal – a welcoming home by a loving Father on the other side of the 'valley of the shadow of death'…
Maybe an image is even better than many words of explanation…
Henri Nouwen expresses the mystery beyond in this way: 'Dying is a gradual diminishing and final vanishing over the horizon of life. When we watch a sailboat leaving port and moving toward the horizon, it becomes smaller and smaller until we can no longer see it. But we must trust that someone is standing on a faraway shore seeing that same sailboat become larger and larger until it reaches its new harbor. Death is a painful loss. When we return to our homes after a burial, our hearts are in grief. But when we think about the One standing at the other shore eagerly waiting to welcome our beloved friend into a new home, a smile can break through our tears.'
Worm food? Not so much!
A personal welcome awaits the beloved children of the Father – God is the One standing on the other shore – we will finally be home in a way we have never been before…
It is at this point that real life – life the way God has always intended it – bursts forth for all eternity…
There is NOT nothingness…
There is something to look forward to – something to live for!
Secondly, I believe that what we are doing right now counts – really counts – not just for now, but for the future as well…
I love 1 Corinthians 15 – especially verses 50-57 – but until last year I never could figure out why Paul included verse 58. It did not seem to fit for me… I actually wondered if it might have gotten misplaced – maybe it belonged somewhere else…
'So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless [or in vain]…'
What does this have to do with all his talk of the resurrection???
Consider this…
It is a mystery, but the power of the resurrection is so awesome that it means our work for the Lord counts today – for sure – but is also futuristic…
It is paid forward in ways beyond our comprehension into the kingdom to come…
Our lives and missions really do matter!
Laying everything on the line is no waste – it is what we are created for!
YES, it really counts – in this world and in the coming kingdom!
That pumps up my enthusiasm – how about you???
So, let’s GO FOR IT – let’s make a difference now and forever!!!
Guy
By the way, I also shared with John a third thought as well – the hope of a brand new body – but that’s another story and is for tomorrow…"
more later...
my eyes are heavy [and Jeep is ready for bed]...
just finished my thought for tomorrow for the tampa underground community...
and for YOU!!!
"His name was John…
He was dying…
He was old as dirt – about 90 or so…
But he was still charming…
Steely blue eyes that danced when he talked – and flirted – with the nurses…
And he was always flirting with the ladies…
He still had his sense of humor…
His full head of silky gray hair gave him a distinguished air…
He had been a politician in his earlier life up north – he was a gracious gentleman…
I think he used to sell ice to the Yankees in Maine during the wintertime [ha! ha!]…
He was a favorite of the hospice staff – especially the women…
John was my patient – then he became my friend – we developed a rapport…
One day as the journey was winding down – our chat turned more serious…
'John, what do you think happens after you die?'
'Well Guy, that’s pretty simple – I know just what happens… I die – they stick me in a box – then chunk me in the ground – then worms eat me – it’s all over at that point after I become worm food…'
I was shocked… Really shocked… He was so sure…
John was a reasonable, intelligent and reflective man – not an idiot or a moron…
I had never thought of him as worm food…
And yet his end-of-life 'hope' seemed so lame…
In fact, I was missing the hope altogether…
And John is not the only one…
So many people are anticipating a less-than-glorious future as worm food…
There must be hope… There has to be more… MUCH MORE!!!
I am not exactly sure what that MORE is [and I tend to be afraid of those who already know-it-all about the end times – I usually run the other way from these modern day Gnostics] – but I do want to suggest a couple of thoughts on this Maundy Thursday…
First, I believe there is something beyond this life – this life simply is NOT all there is…
I believe that 'something' is very personal – a welcoming home by a loving Father on the other side of the 'valley of the shadow of death'…
Maybe an image is even better than many words of explanation…
Henri Nouwen expresses the mystery beyond in this way: 'Dying is a gradual diminishing and final vanishing over the horizon of life. When we watch a sailboat leaving port and moving toward the horizon, it becomes smaller and smaller until we can no longer see it. But we must trust that someone is standing on a faraway shore seeing that same sailboat become larger and larger until it reaches its new harbor. Death is a painful loss. When we return to our homes after a burial, our hearts are in grief. But when we think about the One standing at the other shore eagerly waiting to welcome our beloved friend into a new home, a smile can break through our tears.'
Worm food? Not so much!
A personal welcome awaits the beloved children of the Father – God is the One standing on the other shore – we will finally be home in a way we have never been before…
It is at this point that real life – life the way God has always intended it – bursts forth for all eternity…
There is NOT nothingness…
There is something to look forward to – something to live for!
Secondly, I believe that what we are doing right now counts – really counts – not just for now, but for the future as well…
I love 1 Corinthians 15 – especially verses 50-57 – but until last year I never could figure out why Paul included verse 58. It did not seem to fit for me… I actually wondered if it might have gotten misplaced – maybe it belonged somewhere else…
'So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and steady, always enthusiastic about the Lord’s work, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless [or in vain]…'
What does this have to do with all his talk of the resurrection???
Consider this…
It is a mystery, but the power of the resurrection is so awesome that it means our work for the Lord counts today – for sure – but is also futuristic…
It is paid forward in ways beyond our comprehension into the kingdom to come…
Our lives and missions really do matter!
Laying everything on the line is no waste – it is what we are created for!
YES, it really counts – in this world and in the coming kingdom!
That pumps up my enthusiasm – how about you???
So, let’s GO FOR IT – let’s make a difference now and forever!!!
Guy
By the way, I also shared with John a third thought as well – the hope of a brand new body – but that’s another story and is for tomorrow…"
more later...
my eyes are heavy [and Jeep is ready for bed]...
Wednesday of Holy Week...
greetings...
hope you had an awesome day...
here is my devotional thought i wrote for the tampa underground community...
"I just turned 51.
It was a great birthday – they really do seem to get better as you get older… At least that has been my experience the last couple of years… Maybe I am finally growing up? Maybe I just like myself better? Maybe I finally realize that I am the beloved of my Father [and nothing else really matters]…
I got some neat gifts, but one of my favorites was a book from Jennifer… I liked the book, but it was even better that she wrote a personal note in it – way cool… She said I was her “favorite chaplain” – that felt really good [but I’m not sure how many chaplains she knows?]…
Since Jennifer gave me this book – Theirs Is The Kingdom: Celebrating The Gospel In Urban America – I decided to actually read it… Very soon…
Have I told you how much I hate dentists?
Until my last toothache from hell a couple of weeks back, I had successfully avoided going to a dentist for 17 years – NOT VERY SMART! I do not recommend it…
So, there was a very long list of stuff the dentist needed to do to me – mostly penance for years of inattention – stuff like a root canal, fillings, resurfacings, etc. and etc. I am sure the bill will cover his office rent for at least a month – ouch…
When you get to be 51, things start to wear out – like your teeth – and other stuff I can’t remember right now…
Last Monday was the root canal – the first installment of pain… I was scared – like really scared… It bugged me all day on Palm Sunday – I had trouble sleeping on Sunday night… I woke up Monday and wanted to go to work – yes, I was that scared…
I got to the office before 8 a.m.
I knew I would have to wait and wait and wait… So I took my prized book – the gift from my friend… I finished the whole book while I was waiting and waiting and waiting… I read in the waiting room… I read in the exam room… I was still reading when the dentist finally entered… I just kept reading while he was arranging all his tools of torture…
I was in the chair – I had already been needled – THANK GOD for pain meds… I could no longer feel the whole right side of my face – even my ear was numb… Then, there was this quote from Robert Lupton that literally jumped off the page…
'But the church has no future. We have only the present. In this present moment we must spend, lavish and give away our tomorrows for the sake of the kingdom today. In short, we must die. Today. That is the only way to save our lives. The church is called to live at Golgotha. If perchance tomorrow morning we discover that our depleted spirits have a new supply of energy, that the emptied offering plate is full once again and from sacrificial dreams whole new dimensions of life have burst forth, then we will begin to understand something of what the resurrection is about. On the other side of death, each death, stands our risen Lord. And he beckons us…'
Easter is coming this Sunday…
But the resurrection is a reality 24/7 EVERY day…
Be on the lookout TODAY – let’s take note of “what the resurrection is about” in the flow of our lives and missions throughout Holy Week and beyond…
Maybe it has something to do with the “other food” Brian talked about last weekend…
Are we hungry – really? Are we eating the missional manna? Are we feasting on Jesus?
Maybe the reality of the resurrection means that there is always sufficiency and abundance in Jesus – when our trust is in him alone…
Maybe we really don’t even discover the deepest meaning of the resurrection until we risk – go beyond our own capacities and comfort zones…
What about us – YOU and ME – what are we willing to risk for the kingdom NOW???"
Guy
"By the way, have you made your list and begun to ask your friends to “come and see” Jesus this Sunday at the Centro Asturiano – 'we have only the present' so let’s just do it!"
hope you are having an awesome holy week...
hope you had an awesome day...
here is my devotional thought i wrote for the tampa underground community...
"I just turned 51.
It was a great birthday – they really do seem to get better as you get older… At least that has been my experience the last couple of years… Maybe I am finally growing up? Maybe I just like myself better? Maybe I finally realize that I am the beloved of my Father [and nothing else really matters]…
I got some neat gifts, but one of my favorites was a book from Jennifer… I liked the book, but it was even better that she wrote a personal note in it – way cool… She said I was her “favorite chaplain” – that felt really good [but I’m not sure how many chaplains she knows?]…
Since Jennifer gave me this book – Theirs Is The Kingdom: Celebrating The Gospel In Urban America – I decided to actually read it… Very soon…
Have I told you how much I hate dentists?
Until my last toothache from hell a couple of weeks back, I had successfully avoided going to a dentist for 17 years – NOT VERY SMART! I do not recommend it…
So, there was a very long list of stuff the dentist needed to do to me – mostly penance for years of inattention – stuff like a root canal, fillings, resurfacings, etc. and etc. I am sure the bill will cover his office rent for at least a month – ouch…
When you get to be 51, things start to wear out – like your teeth – and other stuff I can’t remember right now…
Last Monday was the root canal – the first installment of pain… I was scared – like really scared… It bugged me all day on Palm Sunday – I had trouble sleeping on Sunday night… I woke up Monday and wanted to go to work – yes, I was that scared…
I got to the office before 8 a.m.
I knew I would have to wait and wait and wait… So I took my prized book – the gift from my friend… I finished the whole book while I was waiting and waiting and waiting… I read in the waiting room… I read in the exam room… I was still reading when the dentist finally entered… I just kept reading while he was arranging all his tools of torture…
I was in the chair – I had already been needled – THANK GOD for pain meds… I could no longer feel the whole right side of my face – even my ear was numb… Then, there was this quote from Robert Lupton that literally jumped off the page…
'But the church has no future. We have only the present. In this present moment we must spend, lavish and give away our tomorrows for the sake of the kingdom today. In short, we must die. Today. That is the only way to save our lives. The church is called to live at Golgotha. If perchance tomorrow morning we discover that our depleted spirits have a new supply of energy, that the emptied offering plate is full once again and from sacrificial dreams whole new dimensions of life have burst forth, then we will begin to understand something of what the resurrection is about. On the other side of death, each death, stands our risen Lord. And he beckons us…'
Easter is coming this Sunday…
But the resurrection is a reality 24/7 EVERY day…
Be on the lookout TODAY – let’s take note of “what the resurrection is about” in the flow of our lives and missions throughout Holy Week and beyond…
Maybe it has something to do with the “other food” Brian talked about last weekend…
Are we hungry – really? Are we eating the missional manna? Are we feasting on Jesus?
Maybe the reality of the resurrection means that there is always sufficiency and abundance in Jesus – when our trust is in him alone…
Maybe we really don’t even discover the deepest meaning of the resurrection until we risk – go beyond our own capacities and comfort zones…
What about us – YOU and ME – what are we willing to risk for the kingdom NOW???"
Guy
"By the way, have you made your list and begun to ask your friends to “come and see” Jesus this Sunday at the Centro Asturiano – 'we have only the present' so let’s just do it!"
hope you are having an awesome holy week...
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday of Holy Week
greetings...
the following is day 2 of my devotional thoughts for the tampa underground community as we journey toward easter together...
so glad you are with us as well!!!
"My family has a new white Boxer puppy named Jeep – and yes, with all humility, he is one of the most handsome dogs in canine history. He adds such joy to our lives… Jeep would love to meet you – he wants everyone to be his fan!
Jeep has not been able to attend a Crucible at the tampa underground – I guess there are reasonable limits on inclusivity [ha! ha!]… Maybe when we have an outdoor Crucible in the future???
Last Saturday night, our crew attended Crucible, so we were free on Sunday morning – Palm Sunday…
What a blessing after 25+ years of being a pastor…
So, Jeep and I decided to go worship at Rivercrest Park on Palm Sunday morning. It was glorious – I love overcast weather [weird huh?]. We walked four laps and then we sat down in the clover on the bank of the Hillsborough River.
God was there…
And he was speaking…
So I took some notes for us on my phone – here goes…
Spring has arrived. The trees were alive with green – many and varied shades of green. There were signs of growth all throughout the park as far as we could see. And there was pollen – loads of it…
Only the dead trees were barren [and boring]…
God was speaking to me about growth.
Now is a season for living things to grow – there were unmistakable signs of growth everywhere. Green leaves… Pollen… More pollen… Did I mention pollen? Spring is so beautiful – new growth bursting forth is so appealing, so engaging and so appropriate. Living things grow – it’s just part of being alive…
Not all the growth looked the same – individual trees each had their own color – their own shade of green. Yet they were all growing – at least, all the living ones. Dead trees don’t turn green with growth – they just stand there dead and wait to fall over… Every shade of green had its own beauty – its own loveliness – its own spring magic…
So what???
There is a rhyme and reason to the liturgical calendar – Holy Week is ALWAYS in the spring! Easter is ALWAYS in the spring! The season that explodes with growth, fruitfulness and LIFE – ALL creation is a willing and enthusiastic witness to the power of Holy Week and the centrality of Resurrection Sunday…
So how is it with us – with you and me?
Are we spiritually green with growth and fruitfulness – both in our character and in our mission? Growing in the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Growing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Is there clear and unmistakable evidence that we are fully alive? Are we bursting forth with the life of Jesus for all to see and enjoy? Are we an authentic witness of the Resurrection? Are we able to celebrate the growth of others – even when it may be a different hue of green – even when it may not look just like us? Or, do we find it too easy to spiral into condemnation of others who are growing, but may not be growing just like us – are we open enough to embrace their difference?
One more thought as we were leaving [Jeep was getting bored with solitude – he is still a youngster]…
While enjoying a final view of the river, I heard God remind me that he made the river flow – there was no need for me to push the river – he could handle the flow just fine. I think he meant the Hillsborough River AND the river of my life – another way of him gently reminding me that he is God and I am not!
I opened my hand right there by the river and released the control of my life once again to God – life always works best when I am living with an open hand… Not sure why I keep on grasping it so tightly and so frequently – guess I am still on the journey toward trust and release…
Is your hand clenched today – or, is it open?
Opening your hand releases control to God and it leaves us in a posture of receiving so that God can fill our open hand with his sufficiency…
A better way to live…"
have a blessed holy week...
guy
thank you for your prayers for my root canal -- i am doing OK...
the following is day 2 of my devotional thoughts for the tampa underground community as we journey toward easter together...
so glad you are with us as well!!!
"My family has a new white Boxer puppy named Jeep – and yes, with all humility, he is one of the most handsome dogs in canine history. He adds such joy to our lives… Jeep would love to meet you – he wants everyone to be his fan!
Jeep has not been able to attend a Crucible at the tampa underground – I guess there are reasonable limits on inclusivity [ha! ha!]… Maybe when we have an outdoor Crucible in the future???
Last Saturday night, our crew attended Crucible, so we were free on Sunday morning – Palm Sunday…
What a blessing after 25+ years of being a pastor…
So, Jeep and I decided to go worship at Rivercrest Park on Palm Sunday morning. It was glorious – I love overcast weather [weird huh?]. We walked four laps and then we sat down in the clover on the bank of the Hillsborough River.
God was there…
And he was speaking…
So I took some notes for us on my phone – here goes…
Spring has arrived. The trees were alive with green – many and varied shades of green. There were signs of growth all throughout the park as far as we could see. And there was pollen – loads of it…
Only the dead trees were barren [and boring]…
God was speaking to me about growth.
Now is a season for living things to grow – there were unmistakable signs of growth everywhere. Green leaves… Pollen… More pollen… Did I mention pollen? Spring is so beautiful – new growth bursting forth is so appealing, so engaging and so appropriate. Living things grow – it’s just part of being alive…
Not all the growth looked the same – individual trees each had their own color – their own shade of green. Yet they were all growing – at least, all the living ones. Dead trees don’t turn green with growth – they just stand there dead and wait to fall over… Every shade of green had its own beauty – its own loveliness – its own spring magic…
So what???
There is a rhyme and reason to the liturgical calendar – Holy Week is ALWAYS in the spring! Easter is ALWAYS in the spring! The season that explodes with growth, fruitfulness and LIFE – ALL creation is a willing and enthusiastic witness to the power of Holy Week and the centrality of Resurrection Sunday…
So how is it with us – with you and me?
Are we spiritually green with growth and fruitfulness – both in our character and in our mission? Growing in the fruit of the Holy Spirit? Growing in the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Is there clear and unmistakable evidence that we are fully alive? Are we bursting forth with the life of Jesus for all to see and enjoy? Are we an authentic witness of the Resurrection? Are we able to celebrate the growth of others – even when it may be a different hue of green – even when it may not look just like us? Or, do we find it too easy to spiral into condemnation of others who are growing, but may not be growing just like us – are we open enough to embrace their difference?
One more thought as we were leaving [Jeep was getting bored with solitude – he is still a youngster]…
While enjoying a final view of the river, I heard God remind me that he made the river flow – there was no need for me to push the river – he could handle the flow just fine. I think he meant the Hillsborough River AND the river of my life – another way of him gently reminding me that he is God and I am not!
I opened my hand right there by the river and released the control of my life once again to God – life always works best when I am living with an open hand… Not sure why I keep on grasping it so tightly and so frequently – guess I am still on the journey toward trust and release…
Is your hand clenched today – or, is it open?
Opening your hand releases control to God and it leaves us in a posture of receiving so that God can fill our open hand with his sufficiency…
A better way to live…"
have a blessed holy week...
guy
thank you for your prayers for my root canal -- i am doing OK...
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday of Holy Week
greetings!!!
well, this morning was the root canal...
it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be...
makes me wonder why i hadn't been to the dentist in 17 years???
dr graddy was A-OK...
i was almost hoping it would be worse so it might diminish my appetite for a few hours -- no such luck -- ha! ha!
the following is a reflection i wrote for my spiritual community -- the tampa underground [www.tampaunderground.com] -- as we prepare our hearts for easter worship next sunday...
hope you enjoy it...
"Today, we begin our journey together toward Resurrection Sunday…
The authenticity of our celebration depends on the preparation of our heart for Easter worship…
Our first step begins with a reflective question from Franciscan Richard Rohr: when have I consciously chosen to move downward in my life?
His thoughts are searching and provocative…
'I am going to direct you today toward the great parabolic movement of descent and ascent described in Philippians 2:6-11, the second reading on Palm Sunday. Most consider that this was originally a hymn sung in the early Christian community, and certainly an inspired one on many levels. The hymn artistically, honestly, but boldly describes that “secret hour” when God in Christ reversed the parabola, when the upward movement preferred by humans became the downward movement preferred by Jesus. It starts with the great self-emptying or kenosis, that we call the Incarnation in Bethlehem, and ends with the Crucifixion in Jerusalem. It brilliantly connects the two mysteries as one movement: down, down, down into the enfleshment of creation, into humanity’s depths and sadness, and finally into identification with those at the very bottom (“the form of a slave”) on the cross. Jesus represents God’s total solidarity with, and even love of, the human situation, as if to say, “Nothing human is abhorrent to me.” This is what we walk through together in this, our great Holy Week.'
This is a “riptide” thought – it goes totally against the prevailing flow of our culture…
What about us – you and me this Holy Week?
Have we followed Jesus in this powerful “reversal of the parabola” – have we exchanged the upward mobility obsession of our culture for the embrace of the downward mobility of Jesus?
What are some of the things we must personally “self-empty” if we are to become missional agents of the Incarnation in our city?
Let’s do an agape [love] check in our hearts – are we living and loving as if “nothing human is abhorrent to me?”
I still have a way to go – how about you?
That’s why I am so glad we are on this spiritual journey TOGETHER…"
more tomorrow...
love ya!!!
guy
tomorrow may be better -- i may be full of vicodin -- ha! ha!
well, this morning was the root canal...
it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be...
makes me wonder why i hadn't been to the dentist in 17 years???
dr graddy was A-OK...
i was almost hoping it would be worse so it might diminish my appetite for a few hours -- no such luck -- ha! ha!
the following is a reflection i wrote for my spiritual community -- the tampa underground [www.tampaunderground.com] -- as we prepare our hearts for easter worship next sunday...
hope you enjoy it...
"Today, we begin our journey together toward Resurrection Sunday…
The authenticity of our celebration depends on the preparation of our heart for Easter worship…
Our first step begins with a reflective question from Franciscan Richard Rohr: when have I consciously chosen to move downward in my life?
His thoughts are searching and provocative…
'I am going to direct you today toward the great parabolic movement of descent and ascent described in Philippians 2:6-11, the second reading on Palm Sunday. Most consider that this was originally a hymn sung in the early Christian community, and certainly an inspired one on many levels. The hymn artistically, honestly, but boldly describes that “secret hour” when God in Christ reversed the parabola, when the upward movement preferred by humans became the downward movement preferred by Jesus. It starts with the great self-emptying or kenosis, that we call the Incarnation in Bethlehem, and ends with the Crucifixion in Jerusalem. It brilliantly connects the two mysteries as one movement: down, down, down into the enfleshment of creation, into humanity’s depths and sadness, and finally into identification with those at the very bottom (“the form of a slave”) on the cross. Jesus represents God’s total solidarity with, and even love of, the human situation, as if to say, “Nothing human is abhorrent to me.” This is what we walk through together in this, our great Holy Week.'
This is a “riptide” thought – it goes totally against the prevailing flow of our culture…
What about us – you and me this Holy Week?
Have we followed Jesus in this powerful “reversal of the parabola” – have we exchanged the upward mobility obsession of our culture for the embrace of the downward mobility of Jesus?
What are some of the things we must personally “self-empty” if we are to become missional agents of the Incarnation in our city?
Let’s do an agape [love] check in our hearts – are we living and loving as if “nothing human is abhorrent to me?”
I still have a way to go – how about you?
That’s why I am so glad we are on this spiritual journey TOGETHER…"
more tomorrow...
love ya!!!
guy
tomorrow may be better -- i may be full of vicodin -- ha! ha!
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Palm Sunday 2010
greetings!
technically, today marks the end of the lenten season...
it is palm sunday...
40 days removed from ash wednesday...
it has flown by...
it has crept by...
it is gone...
how has this time span impacted us?
spiritually?
now, the beginning of holy week...
time for the "creasters" to get out their sunday best...
[creasters are those who faithfully attend worship ever christmas and easter...]
time to make plans for easter...
new clothes...
family gathering plans...
where will the kids stalk the eggs?
who has the best jesus "show" for the weekend...
where is the most audacious production...
who will give the best gifts?
who will spend the most for the delight of the consuming "community"?
and, almost as an afterthought...
it is easter sunday...
it is resurrection sunday...
easter is all about jesus being raised from the dead...
physically...
miraculously...
eternally...
or, will this true truth get lost in the celebrations of the other stuff???
maybe our preparation this week will free us to keep the main thing the main thing...
althought the lenten blog ends today with this entry...
[by the way, THANK YOU for reading and for your encouragement throughout the journey...]
i plan to blog through holy week...
[hope you will hang with me...]
i want my heart to be ready for next sunday...
and yours too...
from henri nouwen...
reflecting on the "path of waiting"...
"passion is a kind of waiting - waiting for what other people are going to do.
jesus went to jerusalem to announce the good news to the people of that city.
and jesus knew that he was going to put a choice before them: will you be my disciple, or will you be my executioner?
there is no middle ground here.
jesus went to jerusalem to put people in a situation where they had to say "yes" or "no".
that is the great drama of jesus' passion: he had to wait for their response.
what would they do?
betray him or follow him?
in a way, his agony is not simply the agony of approaching death.
it is also the agony of being out of control and of having to wait.
it is the agony of a god who depends on us to decide how to live out the divine presence among us.
it is the agony of the god who, in a very mysterious way, allows us to decide how god will be god.
here we glimpse the mystery of god's incarnation.
god became human not only to act among us but also to be the recipient of our responses.
. . . and that is the mystery of jesus' love.
jesus in his passion is the one who waits for our response.
precisely in that waiting the intensity of his love and god's is revealed to us."
can you feel the love???
HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!!!
guy
technically, today marks the end of the lenten season...
it is palm sunday...
40 days removed from ash wednesday...
it has flown by...
it has crept by...
it is gone...
how has this time span impacted us?
spiritually?
now, the beginning of holy week...
time for the "creasters" to get out their sunday best...
[creasters are those who faithfully attend worship ever christmas and easter...]
time to make plans for easter...
new clothes...
family gathering plans...
where will the kids stalk the eggs?
who has the best jesus "show" for the weekend...
where is the most audacious production...
who will give the best gifts?
who will spend the most for the delight of the consuming "community"?
and, almost as an afterthought...
it is easter sunday...
it is resurrection sunday...
easter is all about jesus being raised from the dead...
physically...
miraculously...
eternally...
or, will this true truth get lost in the celebrations of the other stuff???
maybe our preparation this week will free us to keep the main thing the main thing...
althought the lenten blog ends today with this entry...
[by the way, THANK YOU for reading and for your encouragement throughout the journey...]
i plan to blog through holy week...
[hope you will hang with me...]
i want my heart to be ready for next sunday...
and yours too...
from henri nouwen...
reflecting on the "path of waiting"...
"passion is a kind of waiting - waiting for what other people are going to do.
jesus went to jerusalem to announce the good news to the people of that city.
and jesus knew that he was going to put a choice before them: will you be my disciple, or will you be my executioner?
there is no middle ground here.
jesus went to jerusalem to put people in a situation where they had to say "yes" or "no".
that is the great drama of jesus' passion: he had to wait for their response.
what would they do?
betray him or follow him?
in a way, his agony is not simply the agony of approaching death.
it is also the agony of being out of control and of having to wait.
it is the agony of a god who depends on us to decide how to live out the divine presence among us.
it is the agony of the god who, in a very mysterious way, allows us to decide how god will be god.
here we glimpse the mystery of god's incarnation.
god became human not only to act among us but also to be the recipient of our responses.
. . . and that is the mystery of jesus' love.
jesus in his passion is the one who waits for our response.
precisely in that waiting the intensity of his love and god's is revealed to us."
can you feel the love???
HAPPY PALM SUNDAY!!!
guy
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Lent day 39
greetings...
our micro church on sunday pm is reading donald miller's new book...
"a million miles in a thousand years"...
pretty cool story...
it is about the process of turning don's life story into a movie...
writing a story line...
editing...
establishing a message...
here are five thoughts...
miller: "the saddest thing about life is you don't remember half of it. you don't even remember half of half of it. not even a tiny percentage, if you want to know the truth..."
have you ever tried to stop and remember...
maybe make some lists...
i know i just lost some of you -- ha! ha!
a list of your ten most important decisions...
your ten most strategic friends...
your ten happiest moments...
your ten saddest moments...
your ten milemarker events [standout moments] to this point in your life...
miller: "the thing about trying to remember your life is it makes you wonder what any of it means. you get the feeling life means something, but you're not sure what. life has a peculiar feel when you look back on it that it doesn't have when you're actually living it..."
the spiritual masters claim that one's life is shaped and formed by a very small number of extremely strategic events...
ben johnson calls them "milemarker events"...
if you looked back at your life now...
with an eye toward discerning what it means...
could you write your life's story with ten bullet points...
ten strategic events...
ten milemarkers...
can you see the flow more clearly???
can you make sense out of it???
can you discern the meaning???
miller: "not all the scenes in my life have been pleasant, though, and i'm not sure what god means with the hard things..."
what do you think god is doing with the "hard things"...
what is the meaning of suffering...
YOUR suffering???
miller: "we were about to explore my same old places in a way that might make them feel new...dream it all up again. everybody wants to go back, man. everybody wants to make their life right. we get to edit your story so it has punch and meaning. that has to be an incredible feeling..."
WOW!!!
if you could edit your life at this juncture...
how would you do it?
what would you change?
what would "making it right" look like???
miller: "it is all about the story...in a pure story there is a purpose in every scene, in every line of dialogue. a movie is going somewhere. that last line rang in my ear like an accusation...without story, experiences are just random..."
what about your story...
the narrative of your life...
is it going somewhere???
where is it going???
are your current experiences "fitting" into your story line???
how???
is this a struggle for you???
join me in reflecting...
blessings!!!
guy
let me be the first to wish you a HAPPY PALM SUNDAY in the morning!!!
Holy Week is here...
Easter is in sight!!!
But then again, the Easter experience is a 24/7 reality for the children of God!!!
our micro church on sunday pm is reading donald miller's new book...
"a million miles in a thousand years"...
pretty cool story...
it is about the process of turning don's life story into a movie...
writing a story line...
editing...
establishing a message...
here are five thoughts...
miller: "the saddest thing about life is you don't remember half of it. you don't even remember half of half of it. not even a tiny percentage, if you want to know the truth..."
have you ever tried to stop and remember...
maybe make some lists...
i know i just lost some of you -- ha! ha!
a list of your ten most important decisions...
your ten most strategic friends...
your ten happiest moments...
your ten saddest moments...
your ten milemarker events [standout moments] to this point in your life...
miller: "the thing about trying to remember your life is it makes you wonder what any of it means. you get the feeling life means something, but you're not sure what. life has a peculiar feel when you look back on it that it doesn't have when you're actually living it..."
the spiritual masters claim that one's life is shaped and formed by a very small number of extremely strategic events...
ben johnson calls them "milemarker events"...
if you looked back at your life now...
with an eye toward discerning what it means...
could you write your life's story with ten bullet points...
ten strategic events...
ten milemarkers...
can you see the flow more clearly???
can you make sense out of it???
can you discern the meaning???
miller: "not all the scenes in my life have been pleasant, though, and i'm not sure what god means with the hard things..."
what do you think god is doing with the "hard things"...
what is the meaning of suffering...
YOUR suffering???
miller: "we were about to explore my same old places in a way that might make them feel new...dream it all up again. everybody wants to go back, man. everybody wants to make their life right. we get to edit your story so it has punch and meaning. that has to be an incredible feeling..."
WOW!!!
if you could edit your life at this juncture...
how would you do it?
what would you change?
what would "making it right" look like???
miller: "it is all about the story...in a pure story there is a purpose in every scene, in every line of dialogue. a movie is going somewhere. that last line rang in my ear like an accusation...without story, experiences are just random..."
what about your story...
the narrative of your life...
is it going somewhere???
where is it going???
are your current experiences "fitting" into your story line???
how???
is this a struggle for you???
join me in reflecting...
blessings!!!
guy
let me be the first to wish you a HAPPY PALM SUNDAY in the morning!!!
Holy Week is here...
Easter is in sight!!!
But then again, the Easter experience is a 24/7 reality for the children of God!!!
Friday, March 26, 2010
Lent day 38
greetings...
i used to have so much energy on friday night...
party time...
fun time...
go out and about...
but that was then...
now is now...
i am so tired on friday night...
all i want to do is veg out...
and hit the sack...
i would not have even walked today when i finally got home...
but there was jeep [our boxer pup]...
standing at the door looking for me...
with that look in his eye...
his tail wagging...
his whole body was doing the doggie wave...
how could i say no to him...
i survived the walk -- barely...
now it's nap time...
for about 8-9 hours...
PTL!!!
but, before i sign off...
listen to richard rohr...
"spiritual life is a matter of becoming who you truly are...
it's not becoming catherine of siena...
or some other saint...
but who YOU are...
it sounds easy enough...
but being who you truly are is work, courage and faith..."
in my early days...
i tried to "copy" my spiritual heroes...
be like billy graham...
be like wayne lee...
be like floyd mcclung...
be like bill hybels...
be life mark rutland...
just be like someone spiritual and successful...
but that armor never fits...
so glad i am free of that mindset...
free to be me...
to be the me HE wants me to be...
that is truly spiritual...
to be the real me...
there is only one of me...
there is only one of you...
god made us unique...
god made us special...
god made us to be fully ourselves...
the point is discovered in the becoming...
wanna join me on the becoming journey???
let's just do it!!!
TOGETHER!!!
nighty night...
guy
remember that sunday is palm sunday...
the beginning of holy week...
let's prepare our hearts...
easter is on the horizon...
and that makes ALL the difference...
JESUS IS RISEN!!!
i used to have so much energy on friday night...
party time...
fun time...
go out and about...
but that was then...
now is now...
i am so tired on friday night...
all i want to do is veg out...
and hit the sack...
i would not have even walked today when i finally got home...
but there was jeep [our boxer pup]...
standing at the door looking for me...
with that look in his eye...
his tail wagging...
his whole body was doing the doggie wave...
how could i say no to him...
i survived the walk -- barely...
now it's nap time...
for about 8-9 hours...
PTL!!!
but, before i sign off...
listen to richard rohr...
"spiritual life is a matter of becoming who you truly are...
it's not becoming catherine of siena...
or some other saint...
but who YOU are...
it sounds easy enough...
but being who you truly are is work, courage and faith..."
in my early days...
i tried to "copy" my spiritual heroes...
be like billy graham...
be like wayne lee...
be like floyd mcclung...
be like bill hybels...
be life mark rutland...
just be like someone spiritual and successful...
but that armor never fits...
so glad i am free of that mindset...
free to be me...
to be the me HE wants me to be...
that is truly spiritual...
to be the real me...
there is only one of me...
there is only one of you...
god made us unique...
god made us special...
god made us to be fully ourselves...
the point is discovered in the becoming...
wanna join me on the becoming journey???
let's just do it!!!
TOGETHER!!!
nighty night...
guy
remember that sunday is palm sunday...
the beginning of holy week...
let's prepare our hearts...
easter is on the horizon...
and that makes ALL the difference...
JESUS IS RISEN!!!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Lent day 37
greetings!
i am on call tonight for LifePath Hospice...
from 5 pm until 8 am...
we provide 24/7 service to our patients and their families...
to do so in the spiritual care area...
we chaplains split on call duties...
usually around 3 per month...
hence, i am staring at the phone...
praying it does NOT ring...
i do NOT want to go out tonight...
i really want to go to sleep!
not feeling very spiritual...
but, i have promised myself to TRY to have at least one spiritual thought every day of lent...
so here goes...
oops...
still blank...
i will try again...
maybe i need a walk outside?
a big hug from Jeep?
a nap?
or, i could pray???
be right back........................................................................
got a kiss from the Jeepster...
here is my thought...
in fact, this thought has been occupying my mind for several weeks now...
a book idea i am working on...
would you PLEASE give me some input???
here is the basic thought and outline...
the book would be about MOMENTS...
aha MOMENTS...
MOMENTS where i learned from my patients...
MOMENTS where my mind and heart have been expanded...
MOMENTS where god showed up in simple homes in the inner city...
MOMENTS...
playing off the the greek word KAIROS...
KAIROS is one of two greek words for time...
the other is CHRONOS...
they are very different...
CHRONOS is about the passing of time -- common time...
seconds become minutes...
minutes become hours...
hours become days...
you get the idea...
KAIROS is about timely time -- propitious MOMENTS...
life-changing MOMENTS...
i am continually amazed at how god keeps showing up in these surprising and enriching MOMENTS...
KAIROS MOMENTS...
i want to learn to seize these moments...
i want to make the most of every one of these moments...
i want to fully live in these moments...
and allow them to shape my ministry and life...
MOMENTS...
check out colossians 4.2-6...
i love verse 5 where it encourages us to live wisely in this world and "to make the most of every opportunity..."
MOMENTS...
i am working on a top 12 list of my most meaningful moments over the past fours years as a hospice chaplain...
MOMENTS like...
a hope-full moment...
a peace-full moment...
an angry moment...
a lonely moment...
a fear-full moment...
a still moment...
a shocking moment...
a helpless moment...
a wasted moment...
a silent moment...
an uncomfortable moment...
a revelatory moment...
each essay would be constructed around a specific vignette...
with a real person [anonymous of course]...
an encounter of presence...
what do you think???
would love your input...
love ya!
guy
could i take your order for one of the books???
ha! ha!
i am on call tonight for LifePath Hospice...
from 5 pm until 8 am...
we provide 24/7 service to our patients and their families...
to do so in the spiritual care area...
we chaplains split on call duties...
usually around 3 per month...
hence, i am staring at the phone...
praying it does NOT ring...
i do NOT want to go out tonight...
i really want to go to sleep!
not feeling very spiritual...
but, i have promised myself to TRY to have at least one spiritual thought every day of lent...
so here goes...
oops...
still blank...
i will try again...
maybe i need a walk outside?
a big hug from Jeep?
a nap?
or, i could pray???
be right back........................................................................
got a kiss from the Jeepster...
here is my thought...
in fact, this thought has been occupying my mind for several weeks now...
a book idea i am working on...
would you PLEASE give me some input???
here is the basic thought and outline...
the book would be about MOMENTS...
aha MOMENTS...
MOMENTS where i learned from my patients...
MOMENTS where my mind and heart have been expanded...
MOMENTS where god showed up in simple homes in the inner city...
MOMENTS...
playing off the the greek word KAIROS...
KAIROS is one of two greek words for time...
the other is CHRONOS...
they are very different...
CHRONOS is about the passing of time -- common time...
seconds become minutes...
minutes become hours...
hours become days...
you get the idea...
KAIROS is about timely time -- propitious MOMENTS...
life-changing MOMENTS...
i am continually amazed at how god keeps showing up in these surprising and enriching MOMENTS...
KAIROS MOMENTS...
i want to learn to seize these moments...
i want to make the most of every one of these moments...
i want to fully live in these moments...
and allow them to shape my ministry and life...
MOMENTS...
check out colossians 4.2-6...
i love verse 5 where it encourages us to live wisely in this world and "to make the most of every opportunity..."
MOMENTS...
i am working on a top 12 list of my most meaningful moments over the past fours years as a hospice chaplain...
MOMENTS like...
a hope-full moment...
a peace-full moment...
an angry moment...
a lonely moment...
a fear-full moment...
a still moment...
a shocking moment...
a helpless moment...
a wasted moment...
a silent moment...
an uncomfortable moment...
a revelatory moment...
each essay would be constructed around a specific vignette...
with a real person [anonymous of course]...
an encounter of presence...
what do you think???
would love your input...
love ya!
guy
could i take your order for one of the books???
ha! ha!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Lent day 36
greetings!!!
i made a couple of joy-filled visits this week...
THANKS to you!
a friend in TN felt led to send two boxes of medium shirts for mr harris...
really nice shirts...
IZOD...
Polo...
the good stuff...
i gathered the shirts in my arms...
walked to the door...
knocked...
when mr harris came to greet me...
he was so excited!
he grabbed the shirts...
started looking through them...
what a smile...
he could feel the love...
all the way from TN...
i could feel the love...
god wrapped his arms around mr harris and hugged him...
with a compassionate gift of clothing...
love in action...
now he won't have to wear the same t-shirt every time i come to visit...
a friend in our sunday night group...
gathered a couple of big bags of women's clothes...
i was off to ms richardson's apartment...
i walked up the stairs and knocked on the door...
ms r was babysitting one of her grandbabies...
then, she saw the bags...
what a smile...
she tore into the bags...
totally thrilled...
totally thankful...
totally loved...
the message came through so clearly...
THANK YOU for being such clear messengers of love...
mr harris has been deeply touched...
so has ms richardson...
jesus is pleased as well...
matthew 25 in action...
i am so proud of YOU ALL...
thanks for sharing the journey...
we can make such a difference -- TOGETHER!!!
shalom...
guy
by the way...
mr harris still needs 2-3 pairs of size 31 waist pants...
ms richardson still needs 8.5 size shoes...
let me know if god speaks to you...
i made a couple of joy-filled visits this week...
THANKS to you!
a friend in TN felt led to send two boxes of medium shirts for mr harris...
really nice shirts...
IZOD...
Polo...
the good stuff...
i gathered the shirts in my arms...
walked to the door...
knocked...
when mr harris came to greet me...
he was so excited!
he grabbed the shirts...
started looking through them...
what a smile...
he could feel the love...
all the way from TN...
i could feel the love...
god wrapped his arms around mr harris and hugged him...
with a compassionate gift of clothing...
love in action...
now he won't have to wear the same t-shirt every time i come to visit...
a friend in our sunday night group...
gathered a couple of big bags of women's clothes...
i was off to ms richardson's apartment...
i walked up the stairs and knocked on the door...
ms r was babysitting one of her grandbabies...
then, she saw the bags...
what a smile...
she tore into the bags...
totally thrilled...
totally thankful...
totally loved...
the message came through so clearly...
THANK YOU for being such clear messengers of love...
mr harris has been deeply touched...
so has ms richardson...
jesus is pleased as well...
matthew 25 in action...
i am so proud of YOU ALL...
thanks for sharing the journey...
we can make such a difference -- TOGETHER!!!
shalom...
guy
by the way...
mr harris still needs 2-3 pairs of size 31 waist pants...
ms richardson still needs 8.5 size shoes...
let me know if god speaks to you...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Lent day 35
greetings!
i was reading the words of THE VISION again tonight...
words that have appeared on the walls of 24/7 boiler rooms [prayer rooms] all across the globe...
it has become the battle cry of the world-wide prayer movement...
what a blessing to me...
what do you think???
"So this guy comes up to me and says 'what's the vision? What's the big idea?'
I open my mouth and words come out like this…
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones?
I see an army.
And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-5 little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations.
They need no passport..
People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers choose to loose that they might one day win the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night.
They don't need fame from names.
Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: 'COME ON!'
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts 'for me to live is Christ and to die is gain'.
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.
Winners.
Martyrs.
Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed?
Can fear scare them or death kill them ?
And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting.
Watching:
24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give:
Breaking the rules.
Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide.
Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials.
The advertisers cannot mould them.
Hollywood cannot hold them.
Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.
On the outside?
They hardly care.
They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell.
A throne for an electric chair.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS.
(He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings.
They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centres.
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's!
Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes.
They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.
Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.
And this vision will be.
It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon.
How do I know?
Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God.
My tomorrow is his today.
My distant hope is his 3D.
And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself.
And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
Guaranteed."
from peter greig...
awesome!
have a great night...
guy
let's LIVE THE VISION!!!
i was reading the words of THE VISION again tonight...
words that have appeared on the walls of 24/7 boiler rooms [prayer rooms] all across the globe...
it has become the battle cry of the world-wide prayer movement...
what a blessing to me...
what do you think???
"So this guy comes up to me and says 'what's the vision? What's the big idea?'
I open my mouth and words come out like this…
The vision?
The vision is JESUS – obsessively, dangerously, undeniably Jesus.
The vision is an army of young people.
You see bones?
I see an army.
And they are FREE from materialism.
They laugh at 9-5 little prisons.
They could eat caviar on Monday and crusts on Tuesday.
They wouldn't even notice.
They know the meaning of the Matrix, the way the west was won.
They are mobile like the wind, they belong to the nations.
They need no passport..
People write their addresses in pencil and wonder at their strange existence.
They are free yet they are slaves of the hurting and dirty and dying.
What is the vision?
The vision is holiness that hurts the eyes.
It makes children laugh and adults angry.
It gave up the game of minimum integrity long ago to reach for the stars.
It scorns the good and strains for the best.
It is dangerously pure.
Light flickers from every secret motive, every private conversation.
It loves people away from their suicide leaps, their Satan games.
This is an army that will lay down its life for the cause.
A million times a day its soldiers choose to loose that they might one day win the great 'Well done' of faithful sons and daughters.
Such heroes are as radical on Monday morning as Sunday night.
They don't need fame from names.
Instead they grin quietly upwards and hear the crowds chanting again and again: 'COME ON!'
And this is the sound of the underground
The whisper of history in the making
Foundations shaking
Revolutionaries dreaming once again
Mystery is scheming in whispers
Conspiracy is breathing…
This is the sound of the underground
And the army is discipl(in)ed.
Young people who beat their bodies into submission.
Every soldier would take a bullet for his comrade at arms.
The tattoo on their back boasts 'for me to live is Christ and to die is gain'.
Sacrifice fuels the fire of victory in their upward eyes.
Winners.
Martyrs.
Who can stop them ?
Can hormones hold them back?
Can failure succeed?
Can fear scare them or death kill them ?
And the generation prays like a dying man with groans beyond talking, with warrior cries, sulphuric tears and with great barrow loads of laughter!
Waiting.
Watching:
24 – 7 – 365.
Whatever it takes they will give:
Breaking the rules.
Shaking mediocrity from its cosy little hide.
Laying down their rights and their precious little wrongs, laughing at labels, fasting essentials.
The advertisers cannot mould them.
Hollywood cannot hold them.
Peer-pressure is powerless to shake their resolve at late night parties before the cockerel cries.
They are incredibly cool, dangerously attractive inside.
On the outside?
They hardly care.
They wear clothes like costumes to communicate and celebrate but never to hide.
Would they surrender their image or their popularity?
They would lay down their very lives - swap seats with the man on death row - guilty as hell.
A throne for an electric chair.
With blood and sweat and many tears, with sleepless nights and fruitless days, they pray as if it all depends on God and live as if it all depends on them.
Their DNA chooses JESUS.
(He breathes out, they breathe in.)
Their subconscious sings.
They had a blood transfusion with Jesus.
Their words make demons scream in shopping centres.
Don't you hear them coming?
Herald the weirdo's!
Summon the losers and the freaks.
Here come the frightened and forgotten with fire in their eyes.
They walk tall and trees applaud, skyscrapers bow, mountains are dwarfed by these children of another dimension.
Their prayers summon the hounds of heaven and invoke the ancient dream of Eden.
And this vision will be.
It will come to pass; it will come easily; it will come soon.
How do I know?
Because this is the longing of creation itself, the groaning of the Spirit, the very dream of God.
My tomorrow is his today.
My distant hope is his 3D.
And my feeble, whispered, faithless prayer invokes a thunderous, resounding, bone-shaking great 'Amen!' from countless angels, from hero's of the faith, from Christ himself.
And he is the original dreamer, the ultimate winner.
Guaranteed."
from peter greig...
awesome!
have a great night...
guy
let's LIVE THE VISION!!!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Lent day 34
greetings!
i just spent almost an hour updating my shelfari bookshelf...
two thoughts...
what an idiot i must be for it to take this long...
but, i got it done...
yea god!!!
maybe there is hope for the techie deprived after all...
what do you think of the new shelf???
today, i made my first hospice visit to an inmate in the falkenburg road jail...
pretty interesting...
our patient, who is supposed to have six months or less to live...
got five years in the state pen last week...
he was from NY...
in typical northern vibratto, he talked about how "backward" the south is...
"so backwoods, country and redneck down here..."
i bit my tongue [until i had very little left -- ha! ha!]...
if the north is so superior, wonder why he moved here???
i only thought it, never said it...
he was from the nation of islam...
a follower of farrakan...
i listened and learned...
it was an interesting visit...
not as much connection as i had hoped for...
but i tried...
sometimes it happens...
sometimes it does not...
but, we did end in prayer...
and then, in shocking fashion...
mr b.s.s. asked if i would continue to pray for him...
i agreed...
maybe more happened than i thought???
god is so good...
his grace should never surprise me...
blessings!
guy
off to bed -- i am still recovering from a weekend of birthday celebration...
i just spent almost an hour updating my shelfari bookshelf...
two thoughts...
what an idiot i must be for it to take this long...
but, i got it done...
yea god!!!
maybe there is hope for the techie deprived after all...
what do you think of the new shelf???
today, i made my first hospice visit to an inmate in the falkenburg road jail...
pretty interesting...
our patient, who is supposed to have six months or less to live...
got five years in the state pen last week...
he was from NY...
in typical northern vibratto, he talked about how "backward" the south is...
"so backwoods, country and redneck down here..."
i bit my tongue [until i had very little left -- ha! ha!]...
if the north is so superior, wonder why he moved here???
i only thought it, never said it...
he was from the nation of islam...
a follower of farrakan...
i listened and learned...
it was an interesting visit...
not as much connection as i had hoped for...
but i tried...
sometimes it happens...
sometimes it does not...
but, we did end in prayer...
and then, in shocking fashion...
mr b.s.s. asked if i would continue to pray for him...
i agreed...
maybe more happened than i thought???
god is so good...
his grace should never surprise me...
blessings!
guy
off to bed -- i am still recovering from a weekend of birthday celebration...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Lent day 33
greetings!
church was awesome...
the tampa underground rocks...
ricky -- you did an awesome job today...
so proud of you!!!
KAIROS [our micro church that provides LifePath Hospice volunteers for the poorest zip codes in our city] met after crucible [our morning worship service]...
it is so encouraging to see people with such a heart for compassionate ministry...
this is matthew 25 in action!!!
we have three active members...
we have several folks ready to do the required training...
PLEASE help us pray for 12 active members by the end of 2010...
maybe you are interested???
we will train you...
we will release you into ministry that really makes a difference...
we will mentor you...
we will support you throughout the whole process...
let me know if you are interested...
now, off to our "fireside chat" bible study...
matt left to go back to miami...
he took the two older boxers...
jeep is sad...
but very tired...
he is snoring on the couch...
court is staying in tampa this week on assignment...
james flies out in the a.m. [early]...
it has been THE BEST weekend...
what a great birthday...
more tomorrow...
guy
check out colossians 4.2-6 -- our theme verse for KAIROS...
our byline is "making the most of every moment..."
want to see more???
check out www.tampaunderground.com
church was awesome...
the tampa underground rocks...
ricky -- you did an awesome job today...
so proud of you!!!
KAIROS [our micro church that provides LifePath Hospice volunteers for the poorest zip codes in our city] met after crucible [our morning worship service]...
it is so encouraging to see people with such a heart for compassionate ministry...
this is matthew 25 in action!!!
we have three active members...
we have several folks ready to do the required training...
PLEASE help us pray for 12 active members by the end of 2010...
maybe you are interested???
we will train you...
we will release you into ministry that really makes a difference...
we will mentor you...
we will support you throughout the whole process...
let me know if you are interested...
now, off to our "fireside chat" bible study...
matt left to go back to miami...
he took the two older boxers...
jeep is sad...
but very tired...
he is snoring on the couch...
court is staying in tampa this week on assignment...
james flies out in the a.m. [early]...
it has been THE BEST weekend...
what a great birthday...
more tomorrow...
guy
check out colossians 4.2-6 -- our theme verse for KAIROS...
our byline is "making the most of every moment..."
want to see more???
check out www.tampaunderground.com
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Lent day 32
greetings!!!
my birthday celebration continues today...
breakfast with our nuclear family...
a late lunch involving my parents at leeroy selmon's...
watching the dogs play and fight...
now...
some thoughts from richard rohr...
"this deep gazing upon the mystery of divine and human suffering is found in the prophet Zechariah in a very telling text that became a prophecy for the transformative power of the victims of history, and for those who identify with them.
he calls Israel to 'look upon the pierced one and to mourn over him as for an only son,' and 'weep for him as for a firstborn child,' and then 'from that mourning' (five times repeated) will flow 'a spirit of kindness and prayer' (Zechariah 12:10) and 'a fountain of water' (Zechariah 13:1; 14:8).
i believe we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified to soften our hearts toward God, and to know that God’s heart has always been softened toward us, even and most especially in our suffering.
this softens us toward ourselves and all others who suffer...
today we experience it in grief.
grief, like few other things, allows us to open our hearts to the pain of others, and even to our own deep pain.
almost like nothing else...
grief is often God’s medicine for people who are otherwise closed down."
well, think jeep and i may take a afternoon nap before dinner...
everyone else is out and about for awhile...
jeep is babysitting his old man -- ha! ha!
shalom...
guy
ready for the fifth sunday of lent???
let's prepare our hearts...
my birthday celebration continues today...
breakfast with our nuclear family...
a late lunch involving my parents at leeroy selmon's...
watching the dogs play and fight...
now...
some thoughts from richard rohr...
"this deep gazing upon the mystery of divine and human suffering is found in the prophet Zechariah in a very telling text that became a prophecy for the transformative power of the victims of history, and for those who identify with them.
he calls Israel to 'look upon the pierced one and to mourn over him as for an only son,' and 'weep for him as for a firstborn child,' and then 'from that mourning' (five times repeated) will flow 'a spirit of kindness and prayer' (Zechariah 12:10) and 'a fountain of water' (Zechariah 13:1; 14:8).
i believe we are invited to gaze upon the image of the crucified to soften our hearts toward God, and to know that God’s heart has always been softened toward us, even and most especially in our suffering.
this softens us toward ourselves and all others who suffer...
today we experience it in grief.
grief, like few other things, allows us to open our hearts to the pain of others, and even to our own deep pain.
almost like nothing else...
grief is often God’s medicine for people who are otherwise closed down."
well, think jeep and i may take a afternoon nap before dinner...
everyone else is out and about for awhile...
jeep is babysitting his old man -- ha! ha!
shalom...
guy
ready for the fifth sunday of lent???
let's prepare our hearts...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Lent day 31
51...
a happy birthday for me...
great day at work...
ended my day with mr williams...
nancy fixed him some beef stew...
it tasted sooooooooooooooooo good...
i bought him some biscuits from church's chicken...
he was so happy...
but he is not breathing well at all...
i am worried...
not sure what i will do when he dies???
off at 5 today -- what a miracle...
supper with the whole crew in ybor...
rockin' sports was awesome...
good food...
way too much...
was even better to have everyone at the table together again...
back home to 33603...
a glass of red wine...
a crackling fire in the old fireplace...
a wife of almost 30 years...
three boys [and a great daughter-in-law]...
three beautiful boxers...
jeep and his two "cousins"...
enduring basketball [for the kids]...
zac brown band and jimmy buffet...
together on cross roads...
so cool!!!
just chillin' as a family...
now that is really spiritual!!!
and a priceless birthday...
THANK YOU for all your prayers and blessings for my day...
have a great evening...
guy
wish i had some strawberry shortcake tonight...
a happy birthday for me...
great day at work...
ended my day with mr williams...
nancy fixed him some beef stew...
it tasted sooooooooooooooooo good...
i bought him some biscuits from church's chicken...
he was so happy...
but he is not breathing well at all...
i am worried...
not sure what i will do when he dies???
off at 5 today -- what a miracle...
supper with the whole crew in ybor...
rockin' sports was awesome...
good food...
way too much...
was even better to have everyone at the table together again...
back home to 33603...
a glass of red wine...
a crackling fire in the old fireplace...
a wife of almost 30 years...
three boys [and a great daughter-in-law]...
three beautiful boxers...
jeep and his two "cousins"...
enduring basketball [for the kids]...
zac brown band and jimmy buffet...
together on cross roads...
so cool!!!
just chillin' as a family...
now that is really spiritual!!!
and a priceless birthday...
THANK YOU for all your prayers and blessings for my day...
have a great evening...
guy
wish i had some strawberry shortcake tonight...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Lent day 30
greetings!
i will be 51 in a few minutes...
life is good...
i am happier than i have ever been...
i am finally starting to age more gracefully...
guess there is hope for anyone -- even YOU [ha! ha!]...
50 was the best year yet...
i am hoping 51 is more of the same...
i want to do some more reflecting on last night...
especially as it relates to pastoring...
which i have spent over half my life doing in some form or another...
i think i am still a pastor...
my flock is just "different" as a hospice chaplain...
80+ families spread throughout the city...
guess my "sheep" are pretty scattered...
i am finally getting to pastor some of the folks i always tried to reach in the church...
the church "drop-outs"...
the ones who never showed up to begin with...
those who gave up on the institution...
those who abandoned religion...
they really didn't have an interest in coming to my church...
now, i go to them...
in their homes...
they are plugging back in...
to spirituality...
to faith...
to god...
simply and honestly...
reflecting on some of the stuff that oozed out of my gut last night...
an old friend questioned whether i really ever had "important person" syndrome as a pastor???
i was actually wondering about that very thing after i wrote what i wrote last night...
in one sense -- NO WAY!!!
everyone was always important to me...
as my phone message used to say [stolen strategically from bill hybels]...
"you matter to god and you matter to me as well!!!"
this was and is true...
usually the people who felt they were the least important mattered the most to me...
i have always had a bias for the lost, the least and the last...
i sometimes struggled to "please" those who thought they were really important...
the rebel in me wanted to bring them down to size...
let the hot air out of their inflated ego...
oh well...
my least favorite trait in human beings is arrogance...
but that's another story...
people always mattered to me -- still do...
so why am i happier and more fulfilled now than when i was a senior pastor???
i have been ruminating on this all day...
three thoughts...
1. leadership expectations...
when i became a senior pastor and the churches started getting bigger...
i caved to "common wisdom of the day" expectations...
stuff i was told at the church growth conferences...
[not all bad -- not being critical here -- i am grateful for my opportunities -- for instance, i am still a fan of willow in many ways...]
things like...
do the things that only you can and should do...
we pay you to do the point leadership stuff...
act important -- you are our senior pastor...
delegate the small stuff [i thought this was the FUN stuff]...
dress the part...
act the part...
why won't you park in your parking place???
here is my best thought...
over the years, i got really weary of this stuff...
this skubala...
leadership expectations like these made me UNCOMFORTABLE in my skin...
the wrong armor...
it just never fit...
i could not figure out how to get off the leadership merry-go-round for too long...
i wanted to be a different kind of leader...
visiting in homes...
holding people's hands in the hospital...
getting an ear ring and tatoo [never did -- yet...]
hanging out in coffee shops -- and bars...
engaging the campuses [even though students are poor and don't pay the bills]...
being ecumenical...
breaking racial barriers...
dipping up food in the line at the shelter...
valuing the poor...
being missional here -- not just globally...
sometimes i succeeded...
sometimes i didn't...
but being a pastoral riptide...
going against the prevailing flow...
wore me down...
wore me out...
stole my joy...
and almost got my soul...
but, my soul is healthy again now...
2. leadership is for teams not point people
i "felt" this one while i was a senior pastor...
we went to a teaching team approach even though it was the senior pastor's job to preach almost every week...
skubala...
we were always "fed" better by the variety of gifts in our teaching teams...
i am so glad to see this biblical reality "coming of age" in the emerging church...
after all, god gave people gifts to his body...
apostles...
prophets...
evangelists...
pastors...
teachers...
APEPT leadership...
each unique gift is critically important to the leadership whole...
at moments, yes, i was a visionary [apostolic]...
i had my prophetic outbursts...
i love hanging with seekers...
i can teach a little bit...
but, all of these "drain" me just a little...
i am a pastor...
wish i could have been a PASTOR on a biblical APEPT team...
i am juiced now...
because i am a hospice pastor...
a care-giver...
a spiritual care giver...
a chaplain...
i wanted a team...
i needed a team...
maybe i was just a little before my time???
3. is bigger really better?
i always wanted a mega-church...
not sure why...
maybe it was buying into the system...
you will know you are successful in serving the lord when over a 1000 people are coming to your church...
really???
when i arrived...
preaching to about a thousand in three weekend services...
it grew so impersonal...
who are these folks???
i want to know them...
maybe this whole paradigm needs to be turned upside-down [not just "shifted"]...
maybe real ekklesia moves from small to large [personal]...
not large to small [cells as an afterthought]...
maybe what happens in micro churches and simple churches is THE real deal...
after all, it was that way in the primitive church in the NT...
i can still remember the day i told nancy i was done with the mega-church deal...
[please do not hear critical here -- i am speaking for me...]
told her i would rather move back to tampa and be a greeter at wally world...
than keep trying to fit in a mold that was wrong for me...
god blessed me with this hospice job...
my life is now invested in personal ministry...
in personal mentoring...
in doing the fun stuff [that only "grunts" were supposed to do]...
what a joy!!!
no, i am not a BIG shot...
maybe i never was...
maybe i was just doing the best i could with what i had at the time...
maybe i was just growing...
growing in understanding WHO i was...
growing in becoming WHO god created me to be...
growing up...
maybe it is a perspective you just don't get until you are as old as dirt...
like 51...
blessings!!!
guy
jeep is snoring here on the couch...
soon matt and court will be here -- around midnight -- along with mac and ty [our other two boxers] -- jeep will be so thrilled [and so will the rest of us]...
i will be 51 in a few minutes...
life is good...
i am happier than i have ever been...
i am finally starting to age more gracefully...
guess there is hope for anyone -- even YOU [ha! ha!]...
50 was the best year yet...
i am hoping 51 is more of the same...
i want to do some more reflecting on last night...
especially as it relates to pastoring...
which i have spent over half my life doing in some form or another...
i think i am still a pastor...
my flock is just "different" as a hospice chaplain...
80+ families spread throughout the city...
guess my "sheep" are pretty scattered...
i am finally getting to pastor some of the folks i always tried to reach in the church...
the church "drop-outs"...
the ones who never showed up to begin with...
those who gave up on the institution...
those who abandoned religion...
they really didn't have an interest in coming to my church...
now, i go to them...
in their homes...
they are plugging back in...
to spirituality...
to faith...
to god...
simply and honestly...
reflecting on some of the stuff that oozed out of my gut last night...
an old friend questioned whether i really ever had "important person" syndrome as a pastor???
i was actually wondering about that very thing after i wrote what i wrote last night...
in one sense -- NO WAY!!!
everyone was always important to me...
as my phone message used to say [stolen strategically from bill hybels]...
"you matter to god and you matter to me as well!!!"
this was and is true...
usually the people who felt they were the least important mattered the most to me...
i have always had a bias for the lost, the least and the last...
i sometimes struggled to "please" those who thought they were really important...
the rebel in me wanted to bring them down to size...
let the hot air out of their inflated ego...
oh well...
my least favorite trait in human beings is arrogance...
but that's another story...
people always mattered to me -- still do...
so why am i happier and more fulfilled now than when i was a senior pastor???
i have been ruminating on this all day...
three thoughts...
1. leadership expectations...
when i became a senior pastor and the churches started getting bigger...
i caved to "common wisdom of the day" expectations...
stuff i was told at the church growth conferences...
[not all bad -- not being critical here -- i am grateful for my opportunities -- for instance, i am still a fan of willow in many ways...]
things like...
do the things that only you can and should do...
we pay you to do the point leadership stuff...
act important -- you are our senior pastor...
delegate the small stuff [i thought this was the FUN stuff]...
dress the part...
act the part...
why won't you park in your parking place???
here is my best thought...
over the years, i got really weary of this stuff...
this skubala...
leadership expectations like these made me UNCOMFORTABLE in my skin...
the wrong armor...
it just never fit...
i could not figure out how to get off the leadership merry-go-round for too long...
i wanted to be a different kind of leader...
visiting in homes...
holding people's hands in the hospital...
getting an ear ring and tatoo [never did -- yet...]
hanging out in coffee shops -- and bars...
engaging the campuses [even though students are poor and don't pay the bills]...
being ecumenical...
breaking racial barriers...
dipping up food in the line at the shelter...
valuing the poor...
being missional here -- not just globally...
sometimes i succeeded...
sometimes i didn't...
but being a pastoral riptide...
going against the prevailing flow...
wore me down...
wore me out...
stole my joy...
and almost got my soul...
but, my soul is healthy again now...
2. leadership is for teams not point people
i "felt" this one while i was a senior pastor...
we went to a teaching team approach even though it was the senior pastor's job to preach almost every week...
skubala...
we were always "fed" better by the variety of gifts in our teaching teams...
i am so glad to see this biblical reality "coming of age" in the emerging church...
after all, god gave people gifts to his body...
apostles...
prophets...
evangelists...
pastors...
teachers...
APEPT leadership...
each unique gift is critically important to the leadership whole...
at moments, yes, i was a visionary [apostolic]...
i had my prophetic outbursts...
i love hanging with seekers...
i can teach a little bit...
but, all of these "drain" me just a little...
i am a pastor...
wish i could have been a PASTOR on a biblical APEPT team...
i am juiced now...
because i am a hospice pastor...
a care-giver...
a spiritual care giver...
a chaplain...
i wanted a team...
i needed a team...
maybe i was just a little before my time???
3. is bigger really better?
i always wanted a mega-church...
not sure why...
maybe it was buying into the system...
you will know you are successful in serving the lord when over a 1000 people are coming to your church...
really???
when i arrived...
preaching to about a thousand in three weekend services...
it grew so impersonal...
who are these folks???
i want to know them...
maybe this whole paradigm needs to be turned upside-down [not just "shifted"]...
maybe real ekklesia moves from small to large [personal]...
not large to small [cells as an afterthought]...
maybe what happens in micro churches and simple churches is THE real deal...
after all, it was that way in the primitive church in the NT...
i can still remember the day i told nancy i was done with the mega-church deal...
[please do not hear critical here -- i am speaking for me...]
told her i would rather move back to tampa and be a greeter at wally world...
than keep trying to fit in a mold that was wrong for me...
god blessed me with this hospice job...
my life is now invested in personal ministry...
in personal mentoring...
in doing the fun stuff [that only "grunts" were supposed to do]...
what a joy!!!
no, i am not a BIG shot...
maybe i never was...
maybe i was just doing the best i could with what i had at the time...
maybe i was just growing...
growing in understanding WHO i was...
growing in becoming WHO god created me to be...
growing up...
maybe it is a perspective you just don't get until you are as old as dirt...
like 51...
blessings!!!
guy
jeep is snoring here on the couch...
soon matt and court will be here -- around midnight -- along with mac and ty [our other two boxers] -- jeep will be so thrilled [and so will the rest of us]...
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