Merry Christmas (?)

it has subtly crept in, year after year

and I couldn't never quite put my finger on it

...

among Christians there seems to be a latent anger around Christmas time

and it is becoming palpable

...

their faces redden as 'Christ is taken out of Christmas' - like He is marginalized by semantics

they obnoxiously wish someone 'Merry Christmas' merely out of spite or to prove a point

...

are these the responses we are called to?

I too am saddened that more do not know my Jesus

but I am not overly surprised that Jesus is being removed by a culture than doesn't recognize Him from a time that has seemingly little to do with Him

...

so my fellow brothers and sisters...you love Jesus?

good

so show it

you want to celebrate Christmas?

good

do it in a way that honours your Lord

...

because quite honestly - you're not acting much like the One you say you celebrate if you are driven to anger and bitterness instead of grace and mercy

...

1st Peter talks about giving an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you have - and to do this with gentleness and respect

is the hope that you're showing calloused and jaded?

or are people even asking you?

...

and may Jesus shine in our hearts so brightly and His love so fully that we desire to serve those who may not acknowledge Christ yet, as we celebrate not just His birth - but His life, death and resurrection

you're awkward

you are awkward - just face it

we all are to varying degrees at varying times

but don't allow awkwardness (or lack thereof) to be your guide

we skirt around so many important things in attempts to avoid those awkward moments

...

awkwardness is not necessarily an indication that something's wrong

it's merely an indication that you are surrounded by other encultured people, dictating what is and what is not awkward

...

may our lives transcend awkwardness as we love, inspire and serve

and embrace your inner awkwardness (own it)

dissonance

it's as if life has been in dissonance the past few years

undoubtedly right, yet with tension

...

the chords haven't changed but the sweeping melody is building

what once was discord is transitioning into a harmonious consonance

your lights are on (?)

"if you drive a black cavalier with the licence plate,&%$023 - your lights are on"

as the words came from my mouth, the bad taste was already forming

is this really what we've become? simple purveyors of information?

...

where is the call for restoration?

the cries for healing and justice and mercy and forgiveness?

God, forgive our near-sightedness

...

"if you are alive and breathing, it's time to turn your light on!"

walk on water

I want to walk on water

but this boat is so much safer

and there's this thing about drowning that sounds so unpleasant

homeostasis

"the maintenance of equilibrium within a social group, person, etc."

we tend to revert back to what we know

whether good, bad or otherwise, we work to keep things the 'same'

I know this homeostatic effect
- it's comfortable
- it's predictable
- it's safe

(un)knowingly, I pursue this 'sameness'

as new variables are introduced, I adjust accordingly

anything to remain in control

...

but now I've named it - this tendency to revert back

let us not throw out the proverbial baby

however, let us not be afraid to drain the bathwater

...

because babies grow up

and maturity is the goal

and it's time to get out of the tub

...

are we merely homeostatic?

or are we willing for the sake of Christ to be uncomfortable, unpredictable and risky?

what time is it? (guest post)

a guest post from one, Ryan Mulligan

Check what time it is. Right now look at the time on your computer, iphone, ipad, iclock and remember it.

Next, ask yourself how much you have. Have you been blessed this year? No doubt your answer will be based on the success of your schooling, career, relationships, sporting activities, family life and so on. Many of us would not measure our blessings on our opportunity to drink enough water, drink clean water, or not spend up to three hours a day fetching water to drink.

Are you female? If so, did you know that in most developing countries women are the ones responsible for gathering water for their families? Imagine the difficulties you would have attending school as a young girl if you spent up to three hours a day retrieving that water. Imagine if your school was not equipped with a bathroom separate from a boy’s bathroom. Imagine if you were required to stay home from school once a week, every month because there were no facilities to give you privacy.

Did you flush the toilet today? On average a toilet uses 1.6 liters of water or more for every flush. In Mozambique, the average person uses 1.3 liters of water per day. You would use that 1.3 liters for all sanitation, cooking, drinking and any other needs you may have.

Every day, 2 million tons of human waste is disposed in to waterways.

In developing countries 70 percent of industrial waste is dumped, untreated into waterways, where those women and girls we spoke of earlier, return it to their families to drink.

Now look at the time. How long did it take you to read this? After you’ve done your quick math think about this… every 20 seconds a child dies as a result of a water related illness. How many children have died in the time it took you to read this?

Are you outraged? Are you experiencing the same pain that God experiences every 20 seconds? This isn’t just about leaving the water running while you brush you teeth. This is the death of God’s created children that were made in the same image you were. I long for Christians to unite in their outrage and empathy. I say empathy because it demands action. Action at the injustices these numbers show. After all, our scripture demands it:

Matthew 25: 34-40

 ³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. ³⁶ I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? ³⁹ When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

 ⁴⁰ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

There is a worship song that has a line: “Break my heart for what breaks yours”

Look at the time again…

like a child (guest post)

a guest post from engineer-extraordinaire, Austin Rosom

“Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven…” 

Words like these resonate throughout the gospel as Jesus roamed, touching lives, loving, living..

So what stands out.. what stood differently among these children.  Was it their age?
But with age comes more understanding of the gospel and ability to grow… right..?
So what was so different about these children.  Was it how they lived?  Children are
dependent on their parents to look after them and they are fairly simple in the way they live…
But is that where the difference stands out?  Living simply…
As adults we like to make everything very complex and we look at everything much different than
a child would.

What sets them apart?

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of sitting down with a 2 year old named Ari, and throwing a ball against a wall. As
one would expect, every time we threw it, it came back.  To me, this wasn’t incredible or amazing, it was just..
normal.  But to Ari, this was spectacular.  His face grew with joy every time that ball rolled back into his lap.  For
a good… 20 minutes we threw this same ball against a wall.  Still, every time in awe of this magnificent thing. 
This got me thinking…
This joy that children have for simple things like balls bouncing off walls, is the same type of awe, and wonder when
they hear the story of Jesus.  The awe I saw in Ari’s eyes… was just a small glimpse of that awe.  To them, God isn’t normal, its something huge, that is incomprehensible.  They do not contemplate theology, split themselves into
denominational groups, or even try to comprehend, that is too complex.  When it comes to living, they live simply.

In awe.

Do we get lost in details?
Do we find ourselves forgetting to stand in awe of God?


Jesus make me…. Like a child.

living within the tension

I am being broken
yet being put back together

continually dying
yet being made alive

bringing the kingdom of heaven here and now
though realizing it can't be fully...yet

there is a tension

...

I want to fight it
I want it to go away
I want one or the other

and yet, there is an undeniable tension

I'm done fighting
I want it to stay
I want both/and

I must live within the tension

...

I see it all around

we run from it, swinging to one side or the other

but we find ourselves smack-dab in the middle of the tension

...and that's right where we need to be

how can it not drive us to Jesus?

how can it not drive us to humility?

...

and like a finely tuned instrument, may we make our song, living within the tension

and when you fall

we all fall down

it's inevitable - it's going to happen

but, as a good friend of mine pointed out:
- the question is, in which direction are we falling?

...

are we falling toward Jesus or away from Him?

in our falling, are we drawn back to Jesus in the light
or do we cower and crawl back into the darkness

in our falling, do we realize our desperate need for grace?
or do we resolve just to 'do better and try harder next time?

...

are you broken?
have you fallen?

- don't scurry back into the darkness
- but stand up humbly in the gracious light

we are dead to sin - but alive in Christ