Hi again. As I have continued to think about the little old lady and her flowers and the significance of this to our lives (and to keep you from having to read an entire book in the last post), there is another thing that the whole scene of her with her flowers heading off the boat at what we perceived as the "wrong" stop that I wanted to write to you about.
You see, I am sure that when that little older lady was like Melissa and I, 35 and 37 respectively, she had no inkling of the fact that this would someday be her - someday taking flowers to the cimetaro. Her life was no doubt full of smiles and laughter and fun and joy and work and stress etc, etc. But life does not always go as we plan it. So many times we set up our lives running for, pursuing, chasing after something - our mission is to make enough money to..., to find the perfect guy/girl..., to raise the perfect family..., to prove those people wrong who said you'd never be anybody..., to have tons of friends and be loved by everyone..., to be strong and fit and be perfectly shaped..., and on and on. And then we wake up one day and realize that Mr. Right is not fulfilling us the way we thought he would, that we either are never going to make enough money or that all that money never really gave us any deep joy, that the perfect body doesn't make us happy, because it only draws attention to parts of us that will simply be saggy and droopy eventually anyway, that the perfect family doesn't exist and that our kids may just become delinquent no matter what we do...
Life under the American Dream of health, wealth and prosperity sometimes leads to a lifetime of investing in the things that end up leading to disease, internal poverty and failure of character and dissatisfaction with life.
The little lady at cimetaro reminds us that life does not always end up the way we envision it - in fact, most of the time it doesn't.
If anyone would have told me that 6 years ago this April fool's day, my sweet 29 year old wife would have a stroke when she was 8 weeks pregnant with our 3rd child I would have never believed it. Yet, there I sat, in the Er, watching the left side of her face droop...there I drove with her in the car, speaking nonsense and having seen her so dizzy she could barely walk...there I sat in the MRI control room listening to the voice on the other end of the line tell me that it was a stroke...there she sat morning and night, day after day, plunging a needle slowly into her pregnant belly, quoting, "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength," and then pushing the plunger with a grimace. You see, we never expected this any more than the little older lady expected to be stopping at the cimetaro...but it happened...anyway.
I am not going to paint Melissa's hardship as light and cute now, 6 years later. It was awful. Our lives will never be the same. But I can tell you this, there is no way either of us would have made it with our sanity were it not for the amazing love of God. We have decided to redirect our lives into a quest for more of the God who made us and gives us the wonderful gift of life every day. Yes, life has its twists and turns - and I do not understand them all, never will. But all the money I have ever had has never satisfied; all the degrees and education, no; all the fitness and strength, no; all the fame and accolades, no; all the whatever you are running after will never satisfy you unless you run after More - the One More who satisfies fully - God.
If your life has been a quest for things that have not satisfied you. If you see the inability of yourself and your life by itself to fulfill you, consider joining us this Thursday night at McAllister Center - 20th and Schuyler in Lafayette - 6:45-8:00 PM. We are going to talk more about this God who is so cool and so worth dedicating your life quest to. You see, you never know where the next turn of life may take you - but eventually everybody's boat goes to cimetaro.
Hope to see you there.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Cimetaro
A couple of days ago I had the pleasure to be sitting on the #41 water bus from Fondamenta Nove going to Murano, in the Lagoon, just off the Island of Venice, Italy. It is the trip of a lifetime for my wife, who has always wanted to walk the streets of Venice and see the glass makers on the little island off the coast, so needless to say, our senses were kicked into overdrive - seeing and hearing everything as if all sensory input to us was coming through some giant amplifier - in short, we were all amped up!
As we walked to the boat, we noticed a bunch of people buying flowers from a street vendor near the stop and, in particular noticed a little older lady - tiny and bent from her years, but cute as can be, with a large armload of the beautiful flowers. Of course, being the sentimental Americans we are, with our picture of Italian life being that all the little older ladies have laundry hanging outside their windows and beautiful flowers on their tables and in their window boxes (which, I must confess, many of them do), figured that she was headed home after a morning at the market with her daily fresh flowers. We boarded the boat with her, taking in the sights and sounds of this part of Venice, which is much more of a neighborhood than in many places- with mom's and kids and workmen and retirees, all piling in to head to their island home, or about their business there. To the left, on the horizon, were the Alps, majestic, almost other worldy - like the way the moutains look in the Lord of the Rings movies - their snowcapped peaks providing the perfect backdrop for our magical day. You see, everything seemed to be pretty and wonderful...perfect. It was just like we had imagined it all...even better.
It is only a short way to the first stop, just across the lagoon water, with the little commuter boat bumping along over the waves, so before long the driver gunned the reverse engines - which seem as if they might just vibrate the boat into pieces, or fall clear off the boat when they kick in. We slowed and pulled up roughly to our only stop between F. Nove and Murano. It is the Island of San Michele. The stop? Cimetero.
You see, the island of San Michele has only one thing on it - a cemetary. No tourists were exiting here, it was not busy or bustling. In fact, most of the people on the boat didn't even realize that the little older lady with the beautiful bundle of flowers slowly made her way off the boat and through the gates of the cemetary. There was little doubt in our minds as to what the flowers were for now...not for her table, or her window box...not for her grandchildren or other familys' tables. These beautiful fresh flowers were for the grave of someone dear to her...someone she wanted to remember, to commemorate, to go on loving, even though they were no longer in this world with her.
The contrast of our expectations for what the lady was doing with her flowers and what she actually did with them staggered us for a moment - Melissa even having a near brush with tears over the lady's grief and remembrance.
It prompted me to begin thinking about some questions:
First - Do I notice people enough to realize that they are not always doing/feeling/being what I think they are when I first glance at them? How many people who live in my neighborhood look happy and contented, seeming like they are heading home to put their flowers on the table when in fact they are grief stricken/broken/lost/hurting and taking their flowers to the cemetary?
We can notice them. We must pray to see them, clearly. We must be willing to give up our tight grip on all the things we need to "get done" - our schedules, our agendas. We must be willing to do things that may cause us pain, or at least be uncomfortable - like talking to people when we're shy, helping someone with money when we have very little to spare, getting less sleep in order to serve, having less personal time doing what we want in order to give time to someone who needs it.
My advice? Ask. Ask God to show you today, in the next hour, day, whatever time frame, someone who needs - someone hurting, etc. Then look - expect to see them. Then do - in the moment, pray short - "Help me Lord." Then allow yourself to do what seems to be the right thing in the moment. Then trust - He will use you to make a difference in a way that you were uniquely made to be used.
Second - Consider living today as if this were the last chance you had to love...as if tomorrow you were to be the one who was on the boat, headed to San Michele Island, the Cimetaro stop, with your flowers.
Death, we know, is inevitable - this can be a bummer, if you end the thought there. But, if we live every day loving, deeply. If we extract from every moment the wonder and awesomeness of how God has made the world and how he has blessed us with people to love and given us this amazing world to savor, we throw God's love in the face of death! Not only that, we, as followers of the resurrected Jesus, who died and came to life again through the power of His Father, know - hear this - we KNOW that death is simply a change of scene in the wonderful creation story God is writing in mankind. In this way, everything we do and say and are can be a beautiful part of God's story. All the love we share contributes to God's creating in this world, and death is no end to the creativity of God. Now, I understand, this does not mean that there is not pain in separation from those we love when they die. As I have experienced, and so will you, if you have not already, the pain is real, excruciating. But the victory is equally real and we neglect to see it as clearly as we should. Take some time and pray over this. Allow God to move His eternalness into your mind and world - you may just find that the celebration of Easter becomes a daily event! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Please don't take this as a cute, trite "Sunday School" answer to the devastating pain you may be feeling, even right now. I have been there, buried those I loved beyond imagination. But in this truth, I find the joy, yes the joy, of the whole thing - life, death, and all in between and after. Please, if you struggle with this, talk to God about it. Not fancy and Churchy. Just simple, from the heart. Ask Him to begin to heal you, to move your pain in this direction, to bring new creation out from the depths of the cimetero. If you struggle with appreciating those you love - take this as a wake-up call - love deeply, completely, give yourself, unreservedly, as if tomorrow you will be separated from them. Don't let pettiness, business, personal agendas, etc get in the way of doing what God wants you to do - release all these to Him and love.
I certainly plan to
As we walked to the boat, we noticed a bunch of people buying flowers from a street vendor near the stop and, in particular noticed a little older lady - tiny and bent from her years, but cute as can be, with a large armload of the beautiful flowers. Of course, being the sentimental Americans we are, with our picture of Italian life being that all the little older ladies have laundry hanging outside their windows and beautiful flowers on their tables and in their window boxes (which, I must confess, many of them do), figured that she was headed home after a morning at the market with her daily fresh flowers. We boarded the boat with her, taking in the sights and sounds of this part of Venice, which is much more of a neighborhood than in many places- with mom's and kids and workmen and retirees, all piling in to head to their island home, or about their business there. To the left, on the horizon, were the Alps, majestic, almost other worldy - like the way the moutains look in the Lord of the Rings movies - their snowcapped peaks providing the perfect backdrop for our magical day. You see, everything seemed to be pretty and wonderful...perfect. It was just like we had imagined it all...even better.
It is only a short way to the first stop, just across the lagoon water, with the little commuter boat bumping along over the waves, so before long the driver gunned the reverse engines - which seem as if they might just vibrate the boat into pieces, or fall clear off the boat when they kick in. We slowed and pulled up roughly to our only stop between F. Nove and Murano. It is the Island of San Michele. The stop? Cimetero.
You see, the island of San Michele has only one thing on it - a cemetary. No tourists were exiting here, it was not busy or bustling. In fact, most of the people on the boat didn't even realize that the little older lady with the beautiful bundle of flowers slowly made her way off the boat and through the gates of the cemetary. There was little doubt in our minds as to what the flowers were for now...not for her table, or her window box...not for her grandchildren or other familys' tables. These beautiful fresh flowers were for the grave of someone dear to her...someone she wanted to remember, to commemorate, to go on loving, even though they were no longer in this world with her.
The contrast of our expectations for what the lady was doing with her flowers and what she actually did with them staggered us for a moment - Melissa even having a near brush with tears over the lady's grief and remembrance.
It prompted me to begin thinking about some questions:
First - Do I notice people enough to realize that they are not always doing/feeling/being what I think they are when I first glance at them? How many people who live in my neighborhood look happy and contented, seeming like they are heading home to put their flowers on the table when in fact they are grief stricken/broken/lost/hurting and taking their flowers to the cemetary?
We can notice them. We must pray to see them, clearly. We must be willing to give up our tight grip on all the things we need to "get done" - our schedules, our agendas. We must be willing to do things that may cause us pain, or at least be uncomfortable - like talking to people when we're shy, helping someone with money when we have very little to spare, getting less sleep in order to serve, having less personal time doing what we want in order to give time to someone who needs it.
My advice? Ask. Ask God to show you today, in the next hour, day, whatever time frame, someone who needs - someone hurting, etc. Then look - expect to see them. Then do - in the moment, pray short - "Help me Lord." Then allow yourself to do what seems to be the right thing in the moment. Then trust - He will use you to make a difference in a way that you were uniquely made to be used.
Second - Consider living today as if this were the last chance you had to love...as if tomorrow you were to be the one who was on the boat, headed to San Michele Island, the Cimetaro stop, with your flowers.
Death, we know, is inevitable - this can be a bummer, if you end the thought there. But, if we live every day loving, deeply. If we extract from every moment the wonder and awesomeness of how God has made the world and how he has blessed us with people to love and given us this amazing world to savor, we throw God's love in the face of death! Not only that, we, as followers of the resurrected Jesus, who died and came to life again through the power of His Father, know - hear this - we KNOW that death is simply a change of scene in the wonderful creation story God is writing in mankind. In this way, everything we do and say and are can be a beautiful part of God's story. All the love we share contributes to God's creating in this world, and death is no end to the creativity of God. Now, I understand, this does not mean that there is not pain in separation from those we love when they die. As I have experienced, and so will you, if you have not already, the pain is real, excruciating. But the victory is equally real and we neglect to see it as clearly as we should. Take some time and pray over this. Allow God to move His eternalness into your mind and world - you may just find that the celebration of Easter becomes a daily event! He is risen! He is risen indeed! Please don't take this as a cute, trite "Sunday School" answer to the devastating pain you may be feeling, even right now. I have been there, buried those I loved beyond imagination. But in this truth, I find the joy, yes the joy, of the whole thing - life, death, and all in between and after. Please, if you struggle with this, talk to God about it. Not fancy and Churchy. Just simple, from the heart. Ask Him to begin to heal you, to move your pain in this direction, to bring new creation out from the depths of the cimetero. If you struggle with appreciating those you love - take this as a wake-up call - love deeply, completely, give yourself, unreservedly, as if tomorrow you will be separated from them. Don't let pettiness, business, personal agendas, etc get in the way of doing what God wants you to do - release all these to Him and love.
I certainly plan to
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Tonight
Hi everyone! We had a great time tonight. We shared the joy of helping someone move into their new home! We all helped Jeneen move and clean her way into her new home! It was wonderful to share her dreams and to show her in real life what the love of God is like by our actions.
We ate together, worked and played together and then shared communion together. It was an awesome time of sharing in the love of a real, living God!
If this kind of group of people sounds like fun, we will next get together 2/5/09 at McAllister Center - 20th and Schuyler, in Lafayette, 6:45-8:00PM. As usual, there will be excellent, free childcare - we hope you can make it!
We ate together, worked and played together and then shared communion together. It was an awesome time of sharing in the love of a real, living God!
If this kind of group of people sounds like fun, we will next get together 2/5/09 at McAllister Center - 20th and Schuyler, in Lafayette, 6:45-8:00PM. As usual, there will be excellent, free childcare - we hope you can make it!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday 1/22
Hi – Here is the info for Thursday night – We will be helping Jeneen Jones, one of us, who has not had a place to live of her own in several months, move into her new home! It is part moving and helping and serving her and showing how great our God is and part celebrating with her!
Her phone number is 543-8837 – She wil be available as early as 3:30PM if anyone wants to meet her early – Jason will plan to be at the storage area around 5:30
We will plan to meet for the guys at the storage place just off 18th on brady – at about 5:30 – she has a flat bottom trailer and truck of some kind, anyone who has rope or ties should bring them
The ladies will meet at the house – prob about the same time – it is in Romney on 231 S, the 1st house past the toy shop on the left side of the road (when you’re driving south) 11252 is the house # (not the mailing address)and also next to a car lot on the other side from the toy store – she said she is fine with them calling to find out any specifics about cleaning stuff as well
DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED AT JENEEN"S HOUSE FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even if you have never been feel free to come and share in giving with us! It will be a wonderful time.
If we simply talk about giving and caring for others, but never do anything, we are lame and focused only on ourselves - if we care about someone enough to give our time and talent to support them - we are beginning to grasp that living is more than just trying to figure out what will make us happier in the next moment - There really is a More than the mores we spend our time chasing most of the time!
Hope you can make it
Her phone number is 543-8837 – She wil be available as early as 3:30PM if anyone wants to meet her early – Jason will plan to be at the storage area around 5:30
We will plan to meet for the guys at the storage place just off 18th on brady – at about 5:30 – she has a flat bottom trailer and truck of some kind, anyone who has rope or ties should bring them
The ladies will meet at the house – prob about the same time – it is in Romney on 231 S, the 1st house past the toy shop on the left side of the road (when you’re driving south) 11252 is the house # (not the mailing address)and also next to a car lot on the other side from the toy store – she said she is fine with them calling to find out any specifics about cleaning stuff as well
DINNER WILL BE PROVIDED AT JENEEN"S HOUSE FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Even if you have never been feel free to come and share in giving with us! It will be a wonderful time.
If we simply talk about giving and caring for others, but never do anything, we are lame and focused only on ourselves - if we care about someone enough to give our time and talent to support them - we are beginning to grasp that living is more than just trying to figure out what will make us happier in the next moment - There really is a More than the mores we spend our time chasing most of the time!
Hope you can make it
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Tomorrow
Just a Reminder that after our long holiday layoff we will be hanging out again at McAllister 6:45-8:00PM! It promises to be a great time and we hope you all can make it. If you have questions, please post them!
If the weather holds, we will be having a guest speaker, it should be good.
Also, looking forward, our 1/22 time will be spent helping out in the community - we have a single mom in our group who is moving into a new house and really needs some help! We have been helping her as a group get everything fixed up and ready to move in, but on this night we will be having dinner at her house (We will provide the dinner!) and helping her as a group! More info will follow.
I trust that the holiday time was good for you all - we have missed you and look forward to re-connecting!
If the weather holds, we will be having a guest speaker, it should be good.
Also, looking forward, our 1/22 time will be spent helping out in the community - we have a single mom in our group who is moving into a new house and really needs some help! We have been helping her as a group get everything fixed up and ready to move in, but on this night we will be having dinner at her house (We will provide the dinner!) and helping her as a group! More info will follow.
I trust that the holiday time was good for you all - we have missed you and look forward to re-connecting!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
12-18
Hey all! Merry Christmas! We met Thursday night - yes the night of the ice storm - and had a great time. We began with the question , "What's your favorite place to be in the winter?" We had a fun time talking about it and, as usual, learned some things about each other.
We then spent a little time celebrating how good God is...we brought a cradle with some straw in it and we spent some time talking about how cool it is that the God we talk about and enjoy is willing to give up palaces for the scratchy straw and stink of a manger, much less for the other things He endured in His lifetime, all because of a love for us. We relished that, in a world filled with uncertainty and loss and unhappiness and dissatisfaction, we have an example in our God of unselfishness and caring and wonder. He allows us to be optimistic in the midst of a pessimistic world outlook. That is worth noticing!
After this, we shared our worries and concerns by writing them, either confidentially or not, on paper and placing them in the straw. We then prayed for them and invited God into the problems and then each took one to pray for in the next 2wks. Praying for them simply means that we talk to God about it and ask that He will help with the issues written on the paper and the person/people who are struggling with whatever it is. By doing this, we get closer to each other and to God and our problems become more bearable - plus we have seen some pretty amazing things come from these prayers!
Last we had some learning about something that many Americans run after with all they are - convinced if they can just get enough of it, they will be happy, only in the end to find it to be like smoke in the wind - gone before you can grab it - like it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. We have been talking about a lot of these things over the last months - this time?
Acceptance.
We realize that there are people who are convinced that if they can just have enough friends, keep everyone happy and loving them that in the end, they will be happy. What they find is that the friends disappoint or worse yet, use them, their own self dissolving into what other people want them to be. Finally, falling down, exhausted and dissatisfied and declaring that it was all "smoke." This is a trap that has led many people to get pregnant prematurely, to use drugs "to fit in", to sacrifice their integrity "because everyone is doing it," and on and on and on - never leading to a happy or satisfied end point - there is always someone else to "please"
The truth is that in God we find the ability to attempt to try to feed joy and love into other people, but without the burden of having to please them and be accepted by them to make us satisfied with life. He is the one who gives us our value (try a little kids book called You are Special - by Max Lucado) and living for the acceptance of people will never please us or unleash the truth of who we were made to be like loving Him will.
If you struggle with the pursuit of acceptance as the ultimate "more" in your life and it has left you burdened and exhausted, consider beginning a conversation with God - start simply - just tell Him what's up and ask if He will help - if you need help - consider coming 1/8/09 to our next get together at McAllister Center or comment on the blog and we will try to help too!
Thanks and we will look forward to seeing you all then!
We then spent a little time celebrating how good God is...we brought a cradle with some straw in it and we spent some time talking about how cool it is that the God we talk about and enjoy is willing to give up palaces for the scratchy straw and stink of a manger, much less for the other things He endured in His lifetime, all because of a love for us. We relished that, in a world filled with uncertainty and loss and unhappiness and dissatisfaction, we have an example in our God of unselfishness and caring and wonder. He allows us to be optimistic in the midst of a pessimistic world outlook. That is worth noticing!
After this, we shared our worries and concerns by writing them, either confidentially or not, on paper and placing them in the straw. We then prayed for them and invited God into the problems and then each took one to pray for in the next 2wks. Praying for them simply means that we talk to God about it and ask that He will help with the issues written on the paper and the person/people who are struggling with whatever it is. By doing this, we get closer to each other and to God and our problems become more bearable - plus we have seen some pretty amazing things come from these prayers!
Last we had some learning about something that many Americans run after with all they are - convinced if they can just get enough of it, they will be happy, only in the end to find it to be like smoke in the wind - gone before you can grab it - like it says in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. We have been talking about a lot of these things over the last months - this time?
Acceptance.
We realize that there are people who are convinced that if they can just have enough friends, keep everyone happy and loving them that in the end, they will be happy. What they find is that the friends disappoint or worse yet, use them, their own self dissolving into what other people want them to be. Finally, falling down, exhausted and dissatisfied and declaring that it was all "smoke." This is a trap that has led many people to get pregnant prematurely, to use drugs "to fit in", to sacrifice their integrity "because everyone is doing it," and on and on and on - never leading to a happy or satisfied end point - there is always someone else to "please"
The truth is that in God we find the ability to attempt to try to feed joy and love into other people, but without the burden of having to please them and be accepted by them to make us satisfied with life. He is the one who gives us our value (try a little kids book called You are Special - by Max Lucado) and living for the acceptance of people will never please us or unleash the truth of who we were made to be like loving Him will.
If you struggle with the pursuit of acceptance as the ultimate "more" in your life and it has left you burdened and exhausted, consider beginning a conversation with God - start simply - just tell Him what's up and ask if He will help - if you need help - consider coming 1/8/09 to our next get together at McAllister Center or comment on the blog and we will try to help too!
Thanks and we will look forward to seeing you all then!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
12-4 A Seasonal Experience
Hi Everyone!
We had a great time last Thursday night - as we seem to each time we meet. If you weren't able to make it, we missed you and will look forward to seeing you 12/18 at McAllister Center - 6:45-8:00 PM!
We began with some time relaxing and talking about music. We started with the topic "What's your favorite song?" and I was quickly put in my place to be informed that that was impossible for most people, and instead we mostly had a really cool time of laughing and discussing the significance of music in our lives - and yes - I even sang a LITTLE bit. It was not pretty and I had to lock the door to keep people in, but - just kidding - i t was a fun and insightful time.
We then spent some time focusing on the amazingness of God - as usual we try to notice the wonder all around us and this time we put our coats back on and took a short walk into the 10 degree weather. This was quite shocking to some of our lungs - especially those with asthma - sorry - but as we returned to the inside and took some time to really direct our minds to the tingle of the cold as it left our faces and the feel of the sharp air in our noses and lungs when we stepped out and then took some time to remember the first warmth of the sun in those late March days and then tidal wave of heat we feel when we leave the air conditioning in late July and the coolness of the air, warmth of the sun and crunch of the leaves under our feet in October, it was really fun and uplifting, in a world of pain and suffering, many of us dealing with it right now, to remember that there is a God who puts that all in play and is in control of it all. What's more, He wants to be part of our lives - to live with us and love and be loved by us. The hands that shape the seasons hold us - that is worth noticing. Many people may say it is all just an accident - that nature and the seasons and wonder of the world happened by some cosmic cloud and millions of years. But it only takes a second in the shock of the cold in your nose, to begin to realize the amazing complexity of life and our responses in it - to us it seems almost ludicrous that there is not a marvelous creator behind it all!
We then had a couple people share some amazing things that are happening in their own lives. It is humbling and exciting to see some of the things that God is doing in people who are coming to More than more and searching for Him!
We then shared some things in our lives that were serious and a concern to us by writing them on a piece of paper, anonymously or not, and then each chose a paper to talk to God about them over the next 2weeks until we meet again. We like this because we feel it draws us closer together, sharing the pain that each of us experiences, and because it invites God into the problems with us - and if He's big enough to shape the beautiful seasons, He's big enough to help, console, and bring peace to, us in the middle of the crap that we often encounter in life.
Next we had some group discussion time about another of the things that many people "run" after in life. We all agree that people are almost all trying to get "more" of something and that these "mores" don't end up satisfying in the end. In past weeks we have discussed money, pleasure, fitness and health, success and this time we discussed Religion and right living. We spent some time discussing the end point of Religion as something that is most important to people and where it tends to lead - to depression and self degradation, because it is impossible to keep every rule all the time - or to self-righteousness and judgmentalism, because we become convinced that we are keeping all the rules all the time and anyone who isn't is inferior to us. We talked about the fact that, in the end, Religion's pursuit has led to Ethnic Cleansing, Crusades of death, Cults, Terrorism and on and on throughout history - all in the name of "god." This is a massive tragedy and a perversion and distortion and even complete destruction of the wonderful world and the story God wants to write in this world. I have no doubt it grieves Him more than almost anything else that mankind has screwed up over the millenia of our existence.
So, if you find yourself trying to follow all the religious rules and doing your best to meet the demands of Religion, but seem to just get discouraged and frustrated at your inability to do it all, all the time. Or, if you find yourself having thoughts of other people's inferiority to you...thinking "How can do that?" "How can they be that way." Feeling that you have all the answers in your religion, and that others are lame, and mentally putting them down because of it. If either of these is where you live, you need to consider that your pursuit of Religion has blocked your pursuit of the God who the Religion was invented to honor. My advice would be that you being asking Him to bring you to a place where you are relying on Him, talking to Him, growing closer to Him, not to the Religion. You may find that the ideas of the Religion make more sense and are much more peaceful and joyful!
One last thought - If you are one of the people who the pursuit of Religion has harmed because people have judged you - rest assured that love is what God and More than more have for you. We are not perfect by any means, but we are striving to create a non-judgmental place where people can be real and find the true God. We hope to see you this Thursday at 6:45-8:00PM at McAllister Center in Lafayette.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mcallister+center,+lafayette,+indiana&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.564064,73.828125&ie=UTF8&ll=40.441027,-86.874426&spn=0.007398,0.018024&z=16
We hope to see you there!
We had a great time last Thursday night - as we seem to each time we meet. If you weren't able to make it, we missed you and will look forward to seeing you 12/18 at McAllister Center - 6:45-8:00 PM!
We began with some time relaxing and talking about music. We started with the topic "What's your favorite song?" and I was quickly put in my place to be informed that that was impossible for most people, and instead we mostly had a really cool time of laughing and discussing the significance of music in our lives - and yes - I even sang a LITTLE bit. It was not pretty and I had to lock the door to keep people in, but - just kidding - i t was a fun and insightful time.
We then spent some time focusing on the amazingness of God - as usual we try to notice the wonder all around us and this time we put our coats back on and took a short walk into the 10 degree weather. This was quite shocking to some of our lungs - especially those with asthma - sorry - but as we returned to the inside and took some time to really direct our minds to the tingle of the cold as it left our faces and the feel of the sharp air in our noses and lungs when we stepped out and then took some time to remember the first warmth of the sun in those late March days and then tidal wave of heat we feel when we leave the air conditioning in late July and the coolness of the air, warmth of the sun and crunch of the leaves under our feet in October, it was really fun and uplifting, in a world of pain and suffering, many of us dealing with it right now, to remember that there is a God who puts that all in play and is in control of it all. What's more, He wants to be part of our lives - to live with us and love and be loved by us. The hands that shape the seasons hold us - that is worth noticing. Many people may say it is all just an accident - that nature and the seasons and wonder of the world happened by some cosmic cloud and millions of years. But it only takes a second in the shock of the cold in your nose, to begin to realize the amazing complexity of life and our responses in it - to us it seems almost ludicrous that there is not a marvelous creator behind it all!
We then had a couple people share some amazing things that are happening in their own lives. It is humbling and exciting to see some of the things that God is doing in people who are coming to More than more and searching for Him!
We then shared some things in our lives that were serious and a concern to us by writing them on a piece of paper, anonymously or not, and then each chose a paper to talk to God about them over the next 2weeks until we meet again. We like this because we feel it draws us closer together, sharing the pain that each of us experiences, and because it invites God into the problems with us - and if He's big enough to shape the beautiful seasons, He's big enough to help, console, and bring peace to, us in the middle of the crap that we often encounter in life.
Next we had some group discussion time about another of the things that many people "run" after in life. We all agree that people are almost all trying to get "more" of something and that these "mores" don't end up satisfying in the end. In past weeks we have discussed money, pleasure, fitness and health, success and this time we discussed Religion and right living. We spent some time discussing the end point of Religion as something that is most important to people and where it tends to lead - to depression and self degradation, because it is impossible to keep every rule all the time - or to self-righteousness and judgmentalism, because we become convinced that we are keeping all the rules all the time and anyone who isn't is inferior to us. We talked about the fact that, in the end, Religion's pursuit has led to Ethnic Cleansing, Crusades of death, Cults, Terrorism and on and on throughout history - all in the name of "god." This is a massive tragedy and a perversion and distortion and even complete destruction of the wonderful world and the story God wants to write in this world. I have no doubt it grieves Him more than almost anything else that mankind has screwed up over the millenia of our existence.
So, if you find yourself trying to follow all the religious rules and doing your best to meet the demands of Religion, but seem to just get discouraged and frustrated at your inability to do it all, all the time. Or, if you find yourself having thoughts of other people's inferiority to you...thinking "How can do that?" "How can they be that way." Feeling that you have all the answers in your religion, and that others are lame, and mentally putting them down because of it. If either of these is where you live, you need to consider that your pursuit of Religion has blocked your pursuit of the God who the Religion was invented to honor. My advice would be that you being asking Him to bring you to a place where you are relying on Him, talking to Him, growing closer to Him, not to the Religion. You may find that the ideas of the Religion make more sense and are much more peaceful and joyful!
One last thought - If you are one of the people who the pursuit of Religion has harmed because people have judged you - rest assured that love is what God and More than more have for you. We are not perfect by any means, but we are striving to create a non-judgmental place where people can be real and find the true God. We hope to see you this Thursday at 6:45-8:00PM at McAllister Center in Lafayette.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=mcallister+center,+lafayette,+indiana&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.564064,73.828125&ie=UTF8&ll=40.441027,-86.874426&spn=0.007398,0.018024&z=16
We hope to see you there!
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