The ball bounces right back

“Being a disciple on mission is primarily about learning to be like him – the witness we give is not really about being a miracle worker, but someone who can persevere and endure because he is rooted in trusting that the Father’s will is nothing but love." - Adelante reflections

This quote above is a very good reminder for all of us as it talks about something we often forget. For all of us trying to take our faith more seriously, the focus should be on "learning to be like him".  I believe this quote is even more important to those of us who are in outreach groups (university, church, work, community). 


"The witness we give..." and "...persevere and endure..." are phrases that really struck me when I first read it. As much as we would love to bring people to Christ through our outreaches, all we really should be are witnesses of Christ to others. 


A guy named James kept reminding our UCO to be pure. I realize now that by striving to be pure, we can be better witnesses to others and when that happens we can help them see Christ through us. If they join our outreach, great, if not then we pray that they are drawn to God in some way - planting a seed some might call it.  Though we may not see the fruits of our labour, we persevere and endure because that is really all we could do; God does the rest.  God's grace is the ultimate factor in this kind of work.


Lastly, I end by pointing out the hope which the quote reminds us: "the Father's will is nothing but love". That is hope for us, no matter what it is that God is calling us to do. That is hope that should help us say 'yes' when we are hesitant. That is hope that won't let us down.






PS. Confused about the title? Click on the link.

What I really want is...

Sometimes I would catch myself acting like a kid who would hug his parents because he knows their holding a wrapped box and he will only get it after the hug. OK maybe that's not the best example but I hope you can kind of get what I'm saying here. The question we must ask ourselves from time to time is "Is it truly the Lord I want or do I come to Him because of something that He's going to give me?" It's something that is quite subtle and one day, we just realize we've lost focused in our Christian journey.

You maybe like me and find yourself asking, "I'm not sure, am I in it for the blessings?" Well, truthfully, we can answer the question a different way. I thought of Job in the bible, what he went through and how he never turned from God.  I then ask myself: "I am so blessed by God, take away all these blessings, will I still stand firm in Him?" Of course the reactive answer is "Yes" but asking this question allows me to reflect on my relationship with the Lord and focus on Him. I find this pretty helpful regardless of what state I actually am.

Brothers and sisters, strive to know the Lord more, strive for that relationship with Him. Desire Him and only Him and I'm sure you'll find growth. When your looking for Him, you will find Him; "ask, and it will be given to you..."(Matthew 7:7)

"There is nothing easier than getting into the right relationship with God, unless it is not God you seek, but only what He can give you" -OC

Life Beyond Life.

...more than gold.

"Success,  notoriety, affection, future plans, entertainment, satisfying work, health, intellectual stimulation, emotional support - yes, even spiritual progress - none of these can be clung to as if they are essential for survival. Only as you let go of them can you discover the true freedom your heart most desires. "

When I read this in Nouwen's book, I immediately thought of the parables of the hidden treasure and the pearl. It is, as always, easier said than done but it does make sense that we should cling only to God.  Dying to self and finding life in God - Matthew 10:39.

Near the final chapters, Nouwen says that "finding treasure without being ready yet to fully own it will make you restless. This is the restlessness of the search for God. It is the way to holiness."  Dear reader, let us be ready, let us be watchful of these things that try to own our hearts, and let us embrace the restlessness. Take your restlessness as a sign that God is calling you to grow deeper in Him.  At the same time we shouldn't worry about who we should become or we fail trust God and miss what He is doing right now.

I don't know about you but I'm trying to digest all this and I am quite overwhelmed.  It is a hard call which we are to follow but it probably wouldn't be worth doing if it wasn't. We can't be afraid to do hard things. Doing hard things is something I normally shy away from but I'm constantly working to right that. I pray that you can also be fearless in the face of hardship.

"If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's the hard that makes it great." - Tom Hanks

*Last post on Henri Nouwen's book which I started 40days ago.

Loneliness. Weakness. Darkness.

Throughout the next few journal entries, Nouwen clearly shows the dark times that he is experiencing. As I read, the entries become more emotional and a lot of them emphasize the loneliness, weakness and darkness of a person.  Now why is this important? 

I believe that in each and everyone of us there is an area of gloom, that space that longs for love, strength and light.  This place is where Nouwen says God is, where God can be found. We have to feel really helpless and find ourselves wanting before we realize to whom we really need to turn to. When I reflect on this, what comes to mind is God asking "Do you trust Me?".  Often I would say 'yes' but find myself actually doing something that says 'no', usually leading to sin. 

When we are afraid of the loneliness, weakness and darkness we try to run from it and/or fill it with things we think  will be the solution. We try everything until we give up and eventually say "Yes Lord, have it Your way". The best part: God doesn't say "I told you so". He welcomes us with open arms. 

The lesson? Find peace in your darkness, lift up your loneliness to God and let Him be glorified in your weakness. 

"We will be scattered, not into service but into the emptiness of our lives where we will see ruin and barrenness, to know what internal death to God's blessings means." - O.C.

Baseball.

[You might be thinking "Hey, this guy's off topic with his blog". Our walk with God involves different things in our lives.]

This is a shout out to the return of baseball, which I have to admit has a way of captivating me in a way I don't know how. It's just catching and throwing, hitting a small ball and occasional running in which you step on bases called 'bags' and 'plate'. What is it about this game that can get you hooked? There's no body checking or some guaranteed offence, and some would argue that it is pretty slow paced. Yet, if I was asked which sport I enjoy following most, I might just say baseball. Perhaps you readers could help me solve why baseball is so captivating. How did it become, America's favourite pastime?

I play basketball and love the sport and being a Canuck I'm crazy about hockey. With baseball, I'm so proficient (fastball that tops at 40mph probably but it's ok I change speeds and throws all my pitches with knuckball like effects - God clearly did not call me to be a ball player), I just watch the games (mostly the Jays). So I, myself, am shocked that I would say baseball is what I follow and probably get excited about most.

Just to be a bit more clear, I'm just saying baseball is the sport I am most captivated by, doesn't mean it's also my favourite. If I were to rank my top 3 sports based on love of the game (both as a fan and a player) it would be (1) Basketball, (2) Baseball, (3) Hockey. What would your top 3 be?

Have a good spring readers. See you at the ballpark!

No game in the world is as tidy and dramatically neat as baseball, with cause and effect, crime and punishment, motive and result, so cleanly defined.  ~Paul Gallico (from: http://www.quotegarden.com/baseball.html)

Home.

"when you come home and stay home, you will find find the love that will bring rest to your heart."

Dear Reader,
When Nouwen speaks about a home here, he doesn't mean the house in which you live in - although it may very well be your home. You've probably heard it before "home is where the heart is" (I have no idea where that is from) but just think about how true it really is.  If a place isn't where I want to be, then my heart definitely cant wait to get out of there. You home needs to have unity and peace.

Another food for thought is your heart is a home, home of the Holy Spirit. It is a home which you definitely don't want to leave a mess. I'm very much guilty of following my thoughts, feelings and emotions which often leaves the home in disarray. And then when I try to follow God, I find myself having a hard time and often struggling with myself. We need to have unity, unity of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions with our spirituality. This will lead to a peaceful home where we find freedom. Freedom to love, be the person God created us to be and live the life He called us to live.

My house is constantly a work in progress, as there's always maintenance/cleaning work to be done and renovations to do when things are neglected and bad weather blows by.

May God be at the centre of your homes.

Guten Tag Readers

Solid.

Always Come Back to the Solid Place
"You have to trust the place that is solid, the place where you can say yes to God's love even when you do not feel it."

Nouwen reminds us here to return to that rock, that foundation which is the love of God. I've asked myself before, "can I really stand firm in my faith?"; doubt would use to creep in because of the bad things that go on in life. Then the answer comes out of no where in another question: "ok if you can't trust in God then who can you trust, where will you go?"   I would try to answer this question but I always find myself answering it like Peter "Lord, to whom shall we go?"John 6:68. You try answering that question and see what you can come up with, let me know if you can come up with someone/something other than God.

I attended a youth event once and the speaker said that he tried to believe that God did not exist, I actually tried it too, and after a couple of minutes, the attempt was a failure. Just like the speaker, I couldn't do it, because that's how solid God is. He is the truth and that's why if you make Him your foundation, your rock, you will always be able to get back up when you fall.  You will be able to withstand hardship and persevere on.

Dear reader, I pray that you can renew or find your peace in Christ, that you may turn to Him and rely on Him to stand up when your down. "Truly he is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will  not be shaken" Ps 62:6.









*I've decided to just post the journal entries which really stand out to me. Going through all of them would take me more than 40 days.

Trying To Fill a Void

Greetings friends,
Here are the first three of Nouwen's entries (when a few of the entries go together, I will be posting them together).

1) Work Around Your Abyss
We have a hole like an abyss in our being that we can never seem to fill because our "needs are inexhaustible".  We must be focused, because the abyss can be a daunting thing to face, and gradually work around it so that it will gradually close, gradually heal.

2) Cling to the Promise
"God is faithful to God's promises." We need to cling to that promise in faith for that is what will heal us.

3) Stop Being a Pleaser
God is the only one we need to please. "Stop being a please and reclaim your identity as a free self"

You may or may not share this thought with me but I think that at one time (or multiple times) in everyone's lives there is a feeling of something missing. It's hard to explain but you just feel like your looking for something. I know what your thinking, he's going to say, "what your searching for is God". And yes in the end He is the answer to everything since He created everything.  To be a bit more 'everyday applicable' though I think the message from this three is putting in the time.

The first says that we must 'work around' our abyss - what in the world does that mean? I'm not sure. Perhaps it's allowing God to build us up and therefore each day we'll be able to close/fill that hole that we have. By taking action and acknowledging that we do have gaps in our lives that we need to work on, we are taking the first step to fixing them.

Well what if that's too much for us, we think to ourselves 'I can't handle it', well look at the second entry.

And lastly, perhaps the reason there is some kind of emptiness in our lives is because sometimes we don't live as the person God made us to be. The (insert your name here) that God wanted (insert your name again here) to be. One might think that 'living for yourself' is a selfish secular thing to be doing but if that 'self' is a 'self' offered to God, then maybe you should live your life.

40 Day Blogging

Hello,
As some of you may know, the 40 days before Easter has begun and many Christians are observing this time of preparation in different ways - some do things with their family or church while others do things individually.  This preparation is usually a time of prayer, fasting and alms giving which may take on different forms. The main focus though is to be ready for the resurrection of Christ.

My dad has this book by Henri Nouwen titled The Inner Voice of Love.  What it is is basically a journal containing spiritual imperatives which Nouwen wrote during a time of hardship in his life.

Part of my 40 day preparation will be to share his imperatives, along with some of my own reflections, which I hope will be of some use to you. It won't be a one per day as there are more than 40 journal entries but I'll be putting ones I think can be good to share.

"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." - Matthew 6:33

Focus.

"The real test of spiritual focus is being able to bring your thoughts and imagination under control." - Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest.   To be able to focus and have our centre right where it should be, with God, we definitely need to develop control or discipline. If we aren't able to do so Oswald Chambers goes on to say:

"then your ability to see God is blinded. You will be powerless when faced with difficulties and will be forced to endure in darkness. If your power to see has been blinded, don't look back on your own experiences, but look to God. It is God you need. Go beyond yourself and away from the faces of your idols and away from everything else that has been blinding your thinking, your imagination. Wake up and accept the ridicule that Isaiah gave to his people, and deliberately turn your thoughts and your eyes to God." 


The underlined part above is something which I definitely have constant battle with, especially because it can happen such a subtle way.  Recently, my laptop needed to be reformatted, which means all my programs (e.g. itunes et al) were deleted. The night I found out this had to be done I was in such a foul mood. I was irritated at everything and angry for seemingly no reason. "Why" my mom asked, something you might be wondering as well. The answer, I came to realize as I read the quotes I posted on this blog.

I thought I was solid, grounded with God as my focus, but here I was flustered over my laptop. Sure I will lose 3000 neatly arranged songs on itunes or would need to reinstall programs I need, but so what? It's not the end of the world, life goes on, and there are definitely more important things to look and think about. I was being stupid and I am grateful that God knocked some sense into me.

Just want to leave you with this thought: When you find yourself in a situation where things aren't going your way and your just really annoyed, what would you do/think? How would you react? Times like these can help you realize, check  and/or remind you  whether you have your peace in the Lord.

Guten Tag Readers




"The power of imagination is what God gives a saint so that he can go beyond himself and be firmly placed into relationships he never before experience"  - OC

Glory!

Dear readers,
I pose to you a challenge. A challenge I received at the beginning of the year (Jan 7-9) when I attended something called 'Winter Conference 2011'. We are created for glory and we mustn't shy away from it; we have to go for glory. This glory of course is for He who created us, it is "For the Praise of His Glory".

It's not the same glory which the world talks about. It's not being the all-star on a team, or the popular one in a group, or the top dog at work. Yes those may be all fine and dandy, but God's glory, the glory He created us for , is much great, much more worth the sacrifice.

How do we go about achieving this glory then? We live for the Lord. Choose Him and your rewarded with the "riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people".  See it's not about being seen/recognized brothers and sisters, if that's what your concerned about then here's something to consider. When you think no one notices, remember, God does. And He matters more than anyone. May you find peace and encouragement in this friends.

Be well and God bless.

My small group at WC'11

"having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints," - Ephesians 1:18

New Year: 2011!

Hi Reader,

Happy New Year (25 days ago)!  Do you have any creative new year's resolution? Do you bother to even make one? I'm sure plenty of people make one for the first few days before deciding that they were being idealistic and just forget about it. 

Well here I am to make an attempt and see how far it goes. My resolution: to take more pictures. I was in conversation with a friend and he convinced me of  the idea to capture this great life we all are living (short and fast as it may be).  Of course, being more inclined to live the moment than be standing around with a camera, this'll be somewhat hard for me to do. Not to say photographers to have great memories, they just somehow know how to be in it and be filing the memories in photo at the same time.

Lastly, a resolution I think everyone should have: do what you say your going to do. Whether it's meeting with people, keeping track of your finances, or writing a blog (that's right, I'll try and keep times between blogs shorter), we all better be man up to things we commit to. See things through and fight the feeling of lethargy. 

guten Tag

"Sometimes I do get to places just when God's ready to have somebody click the shutter. " ~Ansel Adams