nakedpastor

“Becoming dead to the Spirit is likewise easier than dying to the self in which we have invested our identity… above all, the self is adept at heralding a cosmetic adjustment as a radical change” (Donald Nicoll).

“The classroom cannot compete with the glitter and the billion dollar success and the prestige of this commercial education… disguised as entertainment and which by-passes the intelligence while operating on the will and the desires” (Marshall McLuhan, The Mechanical Bride).

So, I ask, why bother? Why bother competing? Because you’re either going to lose and look ridiculously imitative and envious; or, you’re going to get caught up in the upwardly mobile church movement which is bound to crash because it demands so much money and energy from people. My suggestion is to quit now! Quit competing. My hunch is that the more real, simple, raw and unadorned you are, the more genuinely you reflect Jesus who was unadorned from the manger to the cross to the tomb, and the more authentically the message of the cross is displayed.

i’ve had this song in my mind for years, tried adapting it for worship, etc., but it has always been this kind of instrumental song. i imagine it being used in a movie… maybe during a romantic scene, or a good-bye scene between lovers.

“Come, and still your soul, like a child on his daddy’s knee. Come to the quiet. Come, still your soul… completely.” (John Michael Talbot)

This is a small watercolor I did this week and is available in my online art gallery (to the right!). Many of my paintings have this perspective of looking up. Some have suggested it represents the spiritual component of my life. I also find incredible inspiration from the night sky. When the stars are shining, I often have a strong sense of God’s presence. Like last night, it helps me clear my mind and center down. Smoking my pipe sometimes helps too. All things will be well. Hope you like it. Have a great day, and see you tomorrow.

This is a song I sang a long time ago in our church and decided it wasn’t appropriate for congregational singing. However, one member and a dear friend of mine loved it and continued to request it. She’s recently been diagnosed with Altzeimer’s and hasn’t been well for a while. I decided, in dedication to her, to spend time today laying down a really rough version of the song.

“A supernatural experience of our contingency is a humility which loves and prizes above all else our state of moral and metaphysical helplessness before God” (Thomas Merton).

This morning I took Lisa to work on my way to the church. She does part-time home-health care for a lady with MS. The kids slept in since there’s no school today. The church was quiet this morning. I was feeling a little lonely when Sandy, one of my leaders, called. She wanted to know if I would be interested in a visit. She brought me a Tim Hortons coffee and one of their breakfast sandwiches (with sausage). Lisa (from Alabama) loves them because they remind her of the South… especially the biscuits. Gotta watch it though cuz they’re fattening!

I’m meditating on Hebrews 12:15 in preparation for the Sunday message:
“see to it that no one falls short of the grace of God, lest a root of bitterness spring up and cause trouble and defile many”. The majority of my experience in church life has been people watching to make sure that we follow certain rules and regulations. I’m thinking about how we can watch to see that people live by grace, not under the burden of the law! Free ourselves and others. The result of not living in grace is to live in bitterness because neither I nor anyone else can measure up to the demands of the law.

Lisa is at home now getting an American thanksgiving ready for supper, turkey and all. I’m waiting for a computer guy to deliver a wireless card for the church computer so we can do digital projections during worship. Then I’m going home to celebrate thanksgiving. After that, we’re coming to the church tonight for an intercession meeting. I’m tired, but it’ll be worth it.