Ok Intellectuals - What are your thots?

"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How could I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming to close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."

-Soren Kierkegaard

Um...We'll Call This - Sermon Block

Yup. I have Sermon Block. Sermon Block is characterised by me sitting in my little office with the very green, patio carpet. Eating so many smarties that my stomach is aching but I can't stop colour coding and munching...And I turn every thot that comes through my brain into a catchy little diddy...all sung to the tune of 'Spider man, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can.'

Ok, so maybe I should get out more.

This coming Sunday is the 1st Sunday of Advent! (Yes, that deserves an exclamation point). A time to remind ourselves of the deep anticipation each of us has within. I think I am going to talk about the hope of Mary. Mary the Mother of Christ... now, there was a 14 year old girl who had serious faith. I admire that. She knew the trueness of hope...ok maybe my sermon isn't as blocked as my spiderman diddys may lead one to believe.

I just feel...I don't know. Pent up. (This could be the smarties talking).

I have passion.
Deep passion.
I am just wondering what it really looks like.


Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed - not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence - contiunue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

A guy named Paul wrote that to a bunch of people living in a city call Philippi. I like it.

To work out my salvation with fear and trembling. With awe, joy and reverence. With pure wonder.

God, who works in me to will and act according to His good purpose. God who works on my passion and actions. God who will use such a weak person for His glory.

Ok - so in summation...I am trying to say that I might be focusing on things that aren't my passions for the sake of passionate discussion. And ultimately above all I need to be strive towards God with fear and trembling.

So essentially nothing concrete was expressed here - just some non practical jargon. (I am a pastor aren't I....).

In my defence Smarties contain both sugar and gluten. (And why isn't Sugar spelled with an 'h'...SHUGAR...? Just wondering).

I apologise for the consistent stream of rubbish that is expelled into cyberspace as a result of this blog.

The Defiance of That Which Glows...

Last night was the blackest night I have seen in a long time. It was so dark that I felt as I was standing underneath it its blackness slowly inked my skin. Nothing around me was left untouched by its deep colour.

And as I looked up into the depths of it, accompanied only by the lone black tree at my side - I was again brougt to a state of breathlessness. My searching eyes found that far beyond the darkness gleamed small gems. Gems untouched, uninked, undarkened. In complete defiance they glowed in the utter darkness. The velvety softness of night couldn't touch them.

Draw whatever symbolism from it that you will. But when I woke in the morning I found myself wishing that I was still standing under that deep night and watching that soft rebellion of light.

God is Holy.

Everyday, I find Him reminding me of that.

God is Holy.

Today I am going on a date with God. I am going to my favourite coffee shop. I am going to sit with my Bible and journal and tell Him I what I saw in His creation last night. I will tell Him how much I treasure Him and how unworthy I am of Him. I will revel in His love and above all I will hold on to that acute awareness that God is Holy.

Thursday

Tonight was wonderful.

Initially when I took this job I made myself four promises.
Promise 1: I must take at least one day off a week.
Promise 2: I will be more committed to practicing the spiritual discipline of silence.
Promise 3: I will take every opportunity to live in joy and laughter.
Promise 4: I will continually look for new expereinces.

Well, Promises 1 & 2 have been difficult to maintain. (Ok so I haven't practiced silence at all this fall....but I will). But Promises 3 & 4 have been really good for my heart.

For instance this Tuesday I learned how to shoot a 22. Now, I am not sure exactly what I will do with this new found knowledge, as I am too much of a wuss to kill anything. I did however, feel rather tough as I lugged my gun accross the feild to shoot at my wooden target. (...'lugged my gun' - never thought I would use those words in a sentance).

And then to night, this Thursday night found my self in another new and joyful situation. I sat at a table with four men playing poker. Oh, yes - I put my five bucks into the pot and lost every penny. They each had their beers, I had my diet pepsi. They talked about hunting, I talked about Youth Group. Life was good.

And initally so was I, apparently four of a kind and the wide eyes of a girl playing dumb pays pretty well! I really had fun...a new expereince but I think I'll add it to my list of good expereinces.

I suppose the moral for my day is simply - Jesus brings us joy in the weirdest ways. I don't deserve it. I don't know my heart like I should. I don't know Jesus' heart like I should. I am not the person I want to be or should be... But He still chooses to bring me joy.