Don't pray until you let the things that break God's heart, break yours...

Prayer could actually be that process.

Have been following some readings from the Moravian community - passages today talked of Jesus being spat upon, mocked (Mark 14) and then in Numbers - the priests being advised that they would not receive an inheritance of land like the others (they were well provided by tithes for daily needs) but the Lord said rather "I am your inheritance."

The weapons of mass distraction beckon at times, but I have been called, I don't have any land, property (I don't begrudge those who do), but God is my inheritance (I realize those who have land, have him as an inheritance as well) - and in the uniqueness of my call, is the uniqueness of my intimacy and experience with God.

My wife says I'm too deep - but she loves me!

Received various greetings on my 55th birthday yesterday, for which I was most grateful, I must confess I teared up as I had the rich privilege of talking on the phone to my two daughters, both who have my (and others) unending respect as they serve God in Harare, Zimbabwe, and downtown Vernon, BC.

Rochelle and Kirsten let the the things that break God's heart, break theirs - humbling, hard, but we all must respond to the call he has for us.

Getting it done - taking care of business....

Interesting weekend - talked to a retired businessman who knew another independently wealthy businessman who could not return to his $8,000,000 home when his wife died, went to stay with his son - all the stuff but....

Also spent Sunday with the Norval United Church congregation as their minister was ordained and feted on Sunday. The fete was held by a lady of wealth, who while recently bereaved has found community in church and is finding ways of sharing her resources with others.

Love, courage and wisdom are required. Very happy to celebrate Sunday with my brother Paul on the occasion of his ordination. Great to be part of his "love-in" at the church and reception and the love-in for God, community and things spiritual which was at the root of it all.

Love without courage and wisdom is sentimentality, as with the ordinary church member. Courage without love and wisdom is foolhardiness, as with the ordinary soldier.
Wisdom without love and courage is cowardice, as with the ordinary intellectual.
But the one who has love, courage, and wisdom moves the world.

Good to see the body of Christ in action - I rejoice in it!

Nidus - what?

ni·dus - pronunciation: 'nI-d&s
1 : a place or substance in tissue where the germs of a disease or other organisms lodge and multiply
2 : a place where something originates or is fostered or develops

Nidus is the name of a ecumenical youth festival happening at Kitchener/Bingeman's August 4-6. If you are in the Ontario area and have a passion for faith/arts/justice you should go. In fact if you are keen and contact me I might be able to help with costs. Check it out http://nidus2006.ca

Nidus - a place or a time? An event or an attitude. Can be both, but the time, attitude is more important - bad things can fester, from without and within. We need to create a culture to address this - our very souls.

We must not demolish or fight our souls , or flee - we must engage. How tempting to fix, or run, when we need to be present with people in their story, situation - that's what so many blogs are addressing. The faith community is meant to engage our souls.

People are dying inside all around us - "revealing feeling is healing" - we need those safe places - those "niduses". I like others am praying for a way forward to find, provide, develop Niduses. I appreciate your prayers in this respect. It's God's heart-cry, the Nidus is not the end, it is the means to the end - relationship with God.

I feel a heavy burden for those around me. God guide us to you first and then may we move to action as you would guide. Christ in us - through us - hope.

"Money can't buy me love?"

"Will you still need me when I'm 64?"

"Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away"

"We can work it out"

"We're Sgt. Pepper's lonely heart club band"

Sir Paul McCartney one of the original Beatles (pure Baby-boomer fare) and presently worth $1.7 billion has separated from his wife (she who interestingly enough is 26 years younger) as they are miserable together.

The press clippings have had a hey-day quipping lines from old Beatle songs.

I don't relish in the fact of someone's suffering, but yeah - "money can't buy you love".

Good thing because 95% of the world are dirt poor. Where does my help come from - the Lord!

Earth to earth - back to the basics...

Some wild shrubs had been removed from our front yard - what was left was barrenness, exposed earth - plain, empty, void of soul.

Last Saturday a few kids came over the afternoon, and in addition to some road-hockey, and table games, we decided to buy some bedding plants - and voila our front space has been transformed - we all enjoyed the expereience from choosing the plants to planting them.

There is colour, there is texture, there is growth, there is God's natural wonder. We hadn't planted flowers for three years - it felt so good, it feels so good.

We are technicized - staring at screens all day, working in the realm of metal, and the created, not the natural, the creator.

I have a friend who nurtures African Violets early each morning - it's restful, it's rewarding.

First things, first-fruits, taking time to watch God work - from seed to texture, fragrance, taste, colour, shape. I didn't know how much I'd missed this appreciation - earth to earth, ashes to ashes - but for know, earth to earth, appreciating the wonder of He who is also the keeper of the garden of my heart.

God wouldn't create us with a hunger he could not satisfy....

It is the pain of living that creates a hunger for healing that only God can satisfy.

A human being's greatest achievement is to let God be able to help him.

I heard someone share yesterday morning again, I don't know how I would cope without the Lord, that's not a crutch, that's a support....

Courage to carry on....

Success is never final.

Failure is never fatal.

It is courage that counts.

"Life is really simple - we want to be loved, we want people to take care of us when we need it. Heaven has been described as this - you lose everything and some human being will be there for you"

So let's encourage one another, and be courageous. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the forgetting of fear, which is fortified by presence of others and God.

Our provincial health minister recently owned to "drug addiction" in his past. He "came out" because he recognizes there is a lot of hurt in the world, and much of it is masked by drugs (or addictions, or medication).

God grant us the courage to change the things we can, the serenity to accept the things we cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Courage to carry on....

Success is never final.

Failure is never fatal.

It is courage that counts.

"Life is really simple - we want to be loved, we want people to take care of us when we need it. Heaven has been described as this - you lose everything and some human being will be there for you"

So let's encourage one another, and be courageous. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the forgetting of fear, which is fortified by presence of others and God.

Our provincial health minister recently owned to "drug addiction" in his past. He "came out" because he recognizes there is a lot of hurt in the world, and much of it is masked by drugs (or addictions, or medication).

God grant us the courage to change the things we can, the serenity to accept the things we cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.