As many of you know I am in the process of writing a book that revolves around the questions What does God enjoy? and What does God enjoy about me? The writing of this book is a fascinating personal journey that has had me spending many hours contemplating and journalling about my questions.
Yesterday as a contemplative exercise I used my question What does God like about me? as a journal prompt. To be honest this is not something that I find easy to answer. Like many of us, I tend to focus on what I think God dislikes about me and what needs to change, but writing Ten Things God Loves About Me, on my journal page forced me to stop and think. God rescued me because he delights in me Psalm 18:19 tells us and of course we have all blithely sung Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so. Yet when it comes to naming what Jesus or God love about us we hit a blank wall. God’s love for us and delight in us precedes his salvation of us. With that thought in mind, it was easier to start my list of what I believe God enjoys about me.
Here is my list: Passion for shalom, pursuit of wholeness, encouragement of others, joy in gardening, love of creation, commitment to justice, sharing of hospitality, willingness to change, generosity in giving, adventures in creativity, and by the time I had finished I felt I could have written another 10.
Your list will probably look very different from mine, but I would encourage you to take time today to prayerfully ask what God likes about you and use your creativity to record the results. I think you will be surprised.
And please share what you come up with so that others can be inspired too.
It’s Australia’s turn to have the Marriage Equality debate. Rather than allowing a conscience-vote in Parliament, this week the Australian Government has launched a non-binding plebiscite on the definition of marriage, which has lead society and media at large into a free-for-all bun fight. While this is largely a bid for human rights: Changes to the law will allow LGBTIQ+ people to visit their partner in hospital as a legally recognised family member, nominate their partner to be their superannuation beneficiary, leave their partner items in their will without contest from family, etc. it is largely playing out as a perceived attack on religious freedoms. There’s strong opinions on both side of the debate and many ways the debate gets expressed as hate, but here are some of the ways it can playfully be expressed as humour and an invitation to love, particularly from those who don’t think being gay and loved by God are mutually exclusive terms.
The “it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve” shtick has been represented in plugs and seatbelts that won’t join or work properly, denying the God-given dignity to all those who are made in God’s image and the companionship we are called to find with one another. When we are reduced to our nuclear and procreative limits you render all sorts of family-models invisible including those who adopt and foster, those raised by grandparents and aunties and uncles, those who parents divorced – especially where those homes were unstable, those who have problems conceiving… the mechanics don’t matter as much as the desire to give and receive love. If we can dream it, we can live it.
There is much laying claim to biblical texts in support of the case for “the biblical definition marriage”. This rather conveniently skims over things like polygamy and marrying your brother’s wife if he should happen to pass away… lifting text without any socio-political contextualisation, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2 which says: “each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband” but the first half of that sentence reads “…because of the temptation to sexual immorality,” What matters more, the gender of the parties or the commitment they are called to hold to one another? I don’t have a problem with the call to a higher love, but are we denying that call to others? Many churches would re-marry someone who had been widowed or divorced, they don’t bar the door if you’ve had sex before you are married… if the Church wants to take a strong and clear position on sexual dignity and reverence that’s great – why don’t we speak out as vociferously on paedophiles, porn or sex trafficking? First the log… personally and institutionally who among us is without sin? And while the Church is bringing the wrath, LGBTIQ+ signs and banners at rallies have read: Love is divine, love is for everyone, love is love, love is a terrible thing to hate, no stopping love, marriage is between love and love… wait, whose side are they on again?
Different pages are popping up such as Christians for Marriage Equality that has lovely storytelling, sharing peoples reasons for supporting equality and the Rainbow Revolt page that encourages people to put a rainbow in their own window, property, shop, neighbourhood and take a photo and share it to encourage those feeling defeated by the public discourse as an act of solidarity and support such as this one of lions out the front of the house #gaypride, geddit? …because they’re lions.
How intriguing that rainbows, that have long been seen as symbolic of a promise by God that dark times will end and they will not come again, have become the rallying flag of this movement. This colourful, happy signal isn’t only expressed to be for humans but also a reminder for God who said: “When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature—every mortal being… (Gen 9:12-16) Imagine for just a moment that every rainbow borne was someone asking: “What about me?” Linked to the dove and the olive branch the rainbow is a symbol for peace. In the original 8-striped design by Gilbert Baker for the Gay Freedom Day Parade in San Francisco 1978, each strip of colour was assigned meaning: red for life, orange for healing, yellow for sunlight, green for nature, blues for magic/art and serenity, purple for the spirit, and hot pink for sex {suggestive eyebrow wriggle}.
There might be more hope for the world we share in common than we realise if we can focus more on the ways we are alike than those we are different and let hate become love.
For God so loved the world he gave his only begotten son… Like many of us John 3:16 was the first verse that I memorized. In my early days as a Christian it spoke to me of God’s love for me as an individual and gave me an assurance of personal salvation. As my faith grew and expanded however I realized that this interpretation was limited. I started pairing it with 1 John 3:16 Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. Salvation isn’t just about me it is about God’s concern for all the people of our world, I reasoned.
As I read the passage today however, it was the first words For God so loved the world that really caught my attention. Not God so loved me or you or even humankind, but God so loved the world – this beautifully crafted masterpiece created lovingly by God’s own hands for which we were created as caretakers and stewards. And I started to think – maybe we have salvation all wrong. I don’t think that salvation is about individual soul rescue at all. It is more about God’s desire to redeem all creation and bring it back to the wholeness, abundance and harmony of the original creation – the restoration of shalom. Maybe part of our sinfulness is that we no longer take our role as creation stewards seriously – instead of tending and nurturing we consume and destroy.
Maybe God’s plan for our salvation as human beings isn’t so that a few more souls can get out of hell (though that is obviously a great thing). Maybe God saves us so that we can once more become the responsible caretakers and stewards that God intended us to be.
As I watch the devastation caused by Hurricanes Irma and Harvey over the last few weeks and ponder the affects of climate change and our complicity in it I wonder how long it will be before we really take our need for salvation seriously. How long will it be before we recognize the groaning of creation around us as a symptom of our need for transformation into responsible citizens and stewards?
September is, in some churches, known as The Season of Creation. I love these beautiful liturgies and other resources that have been created to help focus our worship and bring us to a recognition of our responsibility.
What is Your Response?
For God so loved the world…. Sit and think about these words. How does the knowledge that God loves this world impact your life and your faith? During this season of creation are there ways that God might ask you to respond.
By Lilly Lewin
Today I woke up before I was ready. It was one of those days where I felt behind before I even started. My “To Do” list wasn’t finished from yesterday and the list for today wasn’t overwhelming but it wasn’t short either. Then I read this quote from my friend Larry Warner who is a Spiritual Director and Retreat leader in California.
“There is nothing you will do, think or say today that can separate you from the love of God. God’s love for you knows no bounds and cannot be defeated by you. God is love and as such is predisposed to love you—in the stuff, messiness of your life and your own broke-ness (the dash is a reminder that God’s love and grace comes gushing into your broke-ness). Today let us live as those loved by God, a loved poured within us, a transforming-empowering love that enables us to love and serve others with courage, boldness and creativity. Let us live as those deeply and unconditionally loved by God—freely sharing that love with those we come in contact with as God leads and empowers us to do so. Let us be the love that we are, that God is—fleshing out Jesus in the daily living of our life.”
I needed to be reminded that I am greatly loved by God! Jesus really does love me despite myself and despite my to do list and despite the things I have left undone.
I am thankful for this!
When I actually remember and believe that I am loved by God, then I am able to live love out to other people.
So let’s live out love today.
Let’s start small and live love right where we are!
- Be kind to the person who answers the phone when you are trying to fix something, like your insurance or your credit report.
- Look around you. Notice your co-workers. Pray for people you see around you who look lonely to find friendship. Smile at them.
- There are many restaurants that have community tables where people sit when they are by themselves or don’t have reservations. Make a point of sitting there and taking the time to say hello to someone next to you and actually take time to listen to them. Pray for the courage to do this!
- Take time to really listen to your spouse, your roommate, your kids.
- Give someone a hug today.
- Smile at the person who checks you out at the grocery store, thank the person who bags your groceries. Actually acknowledge these people by name if they have on a name tag.
- Open the door for someone, smile again.
- Call someone you’ve been meaning to call. Don’t text them, actually call them and have a real conversation.
- Send a letter or a card to someone far away that you’ve missed and encourage them and thank them for their friendship.
- Buy someone a cup of coffee. Pay for the next person in line at Starbucks, or your local coffee place.
- Buy some balloons at the dollar store, the helium kind, and give them away, just for fun.
Let’s pray as we get out of bed tomorrow, to be love and be light even when we’d rather pull the covers over our head and not get up.
Let’s start now to BE LOVE and shine LIGHT.
Hold out your hands and imagine Jesus filling your hands with love. Receive that love for you today!
Let God surprise you with LOVE today.
Ask God to show you how much you are loved so that you can share that love with others.
Let’s start together!
“Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you!” Mother Teresa
By Tom Sine — this was first published on V3 blog.
CHURCHES REACHING OUT TO NEIGHBORS IN CRISIS IN TEXAS AND FLORIDA
Recently Rev. Walter August Jr. let service out early so Bethel’s Family Church in Texas so members could take food and supplies to help neighbors hammered by Hurricane Harvey. Bethel is only one of a number of churches in Texas reaching out to their neighbors.
The week after Harvey struck pastor August retired to his office to marry Eric Lark and Toni Lee. As he completed the paper work, he asked about their plans. ‘We are going to change our clothes and we are going to serve.’ The bride replied I have an S.U.V. so I am coming around to pick up supplies.
The latest report is that Hurricane Harvey has taken 30 lives. Over 40,000 homes have been destroyed. At least a half million cars have been destroyed as well. It is important to remember that while Harvey hammered Texas monsoons where devastating huge regions in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Mexico has also suffered a daunting earthquake.
Now “Monster Irma” has brought death and destruction to thousands of families in the Caribbean. There has been enormous flooding and devastation of homes and property as Irma traveled north through Florida. 50,000 people were in shelters and five million people are without power. There has been massive destruction of infrastructure and there are no reports of how many lives have been lost and Hurricane Jose is on its way. Recovery will take years for these two regions and families who live there to recover.
FEMA, the agencies in Florida, the Red Cross, The Salvation Army and thousands of churches are among the first responders to the most devastating hurricane ever seen in the Unites States. All of us need to join the people in Florida, Texas and people living in countries in the Caribbean with our prayers, and our contributions but there are also opportunities to volunteer with organizations like the Red Cross.
HOW CAN NEW CHURCHES OLD AND NEW PREPARE FOR NEW CRISES WHERE YOU LIVE?
After Katrina denominations like the Southern Baptists and United Methodists developed sophisticated disaster preparedness strategies in cooperation with local disaster groups. Now there are church leaders in this large response in Texas and in Florida.
Wouldn’t, it be a good idea for all congregations, including new plants, to join them in preparing for the next crisis that will impact your lives and community? I do realize that new church plants often have very limited resources to create this kind of preparedness. You might begin like the Mustard Seed Church in Austin Texas did. They joined a group called Ecclesia Houston in becoming first responders in Austin.
Or consider beginning like Axiom Church in Syracuse. They offer a discipleship course to develop a rule of life and rythmn of life. This enables members to free up more time and resources to not only be more present to God but also to become first responders to reach out to neighbors.
HOW CAN ALL OF US AND OUR CHURCHES PREPARE FOR THE NEXT CRISIS WHERE YOU LIVE?
Let me share what Christine and I have done to prepare in both our home and with church leaders in
Seattle, for example, is overdue for a major earthquake. We prepared by cross bracing our foundations to add stability. We also prepared by purchasing earthquake insurance.
We also met with 50 Christian leaders In Seattle 2007 because I suspected we were headed for a major economic recession. Though many of these leaders were skeptical that a recession was heading our way they came up with some innovative ideas. For example, one idea was to create a church “Craig’s List” researching their congregations to make an online list of those who have an extra room in their homes or cars they could share.
After this idea-storming session, two churches actually offered courses they had imagined., as the recession became more threatening. A Lutheran church offered a course on how to help families prepare by getting their finances in orders. A Baptist congregation offered a course where older members taught younger members how to can vegetables and fruit from their gardens for tougher times.
HOW CAN YOU ENABLE YOUR PEOPLE TO PREPARE NOW FOR THE NEXT CRISIS?
- How can you enable families and individuals to create economic, food water and medical reserves for the next local crisis? Check out the Covenant Church model communitycovenant.net/emergency-mission-partners-help-community-prepare-together..
- How can your congregation, like the Mormons, also store food, water and medical supplies not only for your members but for your neighbors as well?
- How can your church develop a disaster preparedness plan? How can a new church plant take first step, in partnership with established churches, to develop a beginning plan? I find the Southern Baptist plan particularly helpful. https://www.namb.net/send-relief/disaster-relief
- How can your church also join those moving from disaster relief to rebuilding with sustainable housing. After Katrina a number of churches and Christian organizations joined in building new forms of sustainable housing. This includes everything from constructing more resilient “Tiny Katrina Houses” to joining Habitat for Humanity in building more sustainable housing for those whose homes were destroyed in Texas and Florida. https://www.habitat.org/impact/our-work/disaster-response Could you or your church consider joining the huge opportunity to construct sustainable housing for the hundreds of families who have lost their homes?
- Consider joining Christians in Britain, Australia and Canada, in working for creation care to decrease global warming to reduce the frequency and power of natural disasters… not only for people today but for the future of your kids and grand kids. Check out: Evangelical Environmental Network: creationcare.org/ Also Watershed Discipleship: https://watersheddiscipleship.org/
Don’t miss the opportunity to join those who are creating new ways to be the compassion of Jesus in theses increasingly turbulent times!
PLEASE WRITE US AND TELL US WHAT YOU AND YOUR CHURCH ARE DOING TO GET READY FOR “CRISIS NEXT“ SO WE CAN SHARE WITH OTHERS. twsine@gmail.com
by Christine Sine
It has been a hard week for many of us. Even those of us who do not live in the path of the hurricanes, monsoons or earthquakes have been glued to the T.V. screen. It’s stressful, makes us anxious and disturbs our equilibrium. How do we regain our calm center at a time like this. A couple of months ago I wrote this post 10 Tips For Resting Through the Day which spells out some of the practices I have found helpful, but this week I find myself reaching into my creative center to sustain me.
I put together a new contemplative garden made from recycled materials and imperfect painting as a reminder of the imperfections in my own life as well as in the world around me. I am heartened by God’s ability to bring renewal in the midst of all things.
- I am recycling containers for my garden and started at our local Good Will Thrift store to look for glass jars and dishes. This was inspired by my friend Pam Pott in England who uses recycled glass to create art. She takes the call to bring renewal and transformation to all creation seriously and sees this as one expression of that.
- I am recycling plants. I love the way my succulents send out babies at this time of year and watch some of them daily to see what is developing.
- I am recycling rocks. I am using a rock from the garden that I first painted on last year. I have painted a background to cover the original design and have restored and renewed it for another season
- I am highlighting my imperfections. I hesitated to share this design with you because I see so many perfectly painted rocks on Pinterest that my own efforts seem very inferior. But as I thought about this today I was reminded of the Japanese art of Kitsugi which makes art by mending broken crockery with gold resin. It reminds me that all of us are broken imperfect people and allowing those imperfections to hang out can be life giving to both us and to others.
- I am relishing the fact that God delights in me. To counteract the draining messages of death and destruction and the confusion it brings to my view of our loving God, I wrote God delights in me prominently around the design. I look at the words frequently through the day and recite them to myself. Sometimes I pick up the rock and hold it in my hand. It fits perfectly. It comforts me.I also wrote out Psalm 147:11 the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. in my journal and have been using my gel pens to emphasize my awareness of God’s delight. It reminds me that God is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer. No matter how strong the storms God is always with me, not punishing but delighting in me.
What Is Your Response?
What is one way that you destress and center yourself afresh on God? Set aside time today for that centering activity.
Watch this powerful video and take a few minutes to relax in the knowledge that God our rock is always our refuge and our salvation.
By Talitha Fraser —
God, did you see the news today?
We’re killing one another.
We’re killing in places killing has gone on so long we don’t know how to stop…
We’re killing next door.
We’re killing one another.
God, did you see the news today?
We’re laying waste to the world
to consume, consume, consume
an appetite “stuff” cannot sate.
Our elders know. Our elders tell us.
We ignore their wisdom.
God, did you see the news today?
People are saying hateful, hurtful things
what is right, what is wrong
what is holy, what is profane
…as if we know. As if we could know.
God, did you see the news today?
Were you there when we turned the boats away?
We are denying people food, electricity, sanitation, shelter, medical care…
We are denying people their basic human rights.
People are grieved and weary.
Longing for a world that is different
but not knowing where to start.
Not knowing how to start.
All victims, variously blind.
I’m not pointing fingers, I’m raising my hand.
I need Your help. We need Your help.
Amen
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