Wednesday, November 15, 2017

                I have endured off-and-on again Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) since I was a kid. But I have never had a colonoscopy until yesterday. O joy! O bliss! Over the last few weeks my IBS has been persistently chronic and none of my usual tricks for coping have been working. So, it is time to get to the bottom of things (pun quite intended).

                The actual procedure was nothing, lasting about a half hour. But as anyone who has had the procedure will tell you the day before is no walk in the park. The intestinal cleansing and purge is a pain in the … well, you know where! Figuratively and literally! The 24 hour plus of fasting was no picnic either.

                I have survived but I am glad it will be another 5 years before I have to do that again (I hope, anyway).

                In Biblical times it is my understanding that the human bowels were figuratively the seat (OK; I’ll  stop punning) of any deep human emotions and feelings, whether positive or negative. “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts, or given understanding to the mind?” (Job 38:26)  

                For example, we have the much distressed and beleaguered Job complain that “My inward parts are in turmoil and are never still.” (Job30: 27) Many of the great Psalms which express the poets’ distress, dismay, pain and anguish would seem to refer to the gut-wrenching experiences they were enduring. It is said of Jesus that at the funeral of his friend Lazarus, “he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved.” (John 11:33)

                Even today, some may refer to having a “gut feeling” about some situation. A deep loss can be a “hard blow to the gut”. Somebody may ask, “What’s your gut telling you to do?” Some bold, daring action can be described as a “gutsy thing to do”.    

Not all deep inner emotional experiences are bad. Our deep feelings of love, mercy, compassion, joy, well-being may also come from the depths of our inner being.  For example, the old KJV translates Colossians 3:12: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering…”.  Although the idea of clothing ourselves with these qualities makes more sense, it is an interesting use of words.

                In fact, that translation drew me to Jesus’ words in Mark’s Gospel as a counterpoint. He has been addressing the superficiality of religious traditions, customs, and the easy, shallow hypocrisy of some of the religious leaders. He then speaks to the crowd which had been listening in, “Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile." (Mark 7:15)

                Certainly, I know that my own IBS can be triggered by stress, anxiety, fear, worry and anger. Then my gut is in a mess and nothing good comes of it. But to fill up on the good things of life, love, happiness, generosity and the like leads to and produces a positive and beneficial effect all around me.  

               Deep inside each and every one of us is the full capacity for abundant living. “There is far more to your inner life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.” (Luke 12:23, The Message)

“I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3: 16 – 19).

Blessings for the week!

Dale

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

We and a few friends had gathered for supper recently and we got talking about the huge public reaction of grief accorded to musician Gord Downie after his sad death a few weeks ago. The two old goats around the table had to admit to a generational gap between ourselves and the age bracket who really sorrowed and then celebrated the man and his music after his passing. I must confess that I wouldn’t know a Tragically Hip piece of music even if my life depended on it. My woeful ignorance means no disrespect to the man or his music or his contributions to Canadian culture.

Yet, yesterday, I felt much the same as Downie’s fans when I heard the news of former Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay who died tragically at the age of 40 in a plane crash of his small private plane that he had been flying. For some reason, it really hit me hard. “Doc”, as he was nicknamed, was one of my favourite all time ball players. I had followed him throughout his career, even cheering for him when he was traded to Philadelphia. Of course, I have never met the man, but I had gained much admiration and appreciation for not only the ball player but the kind of man he was. In fact much of the anecdotal stories about him both yesterday and today started with him being a man of faith, a good husband and father, a hard worker before they begin to tell his baseball story.

Now there were equally good people who were killed at First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, including a whole family and several children. Before this terrible event they weren’t famous like Downie or Halladay. But they loved and were loved. A famous person’s death is not more tragic or more important than these folk in Texas.   These deaths are all equally sad and maddening and unfair and senseless and cruel.  We feel so powerless in their path and wish and pray for explanations to make sense and keep the chaos away.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus references a couple of tragedies that had befallen the people, one being Pilate’s execution of Galilean rebels and also a construction accident which had killed 18 people. The discussion arose when people asked some tough questions about cause-and-effect and probably the unfairness of the tragedies. Jesus did not give them particularly reassuring or pat religious answers. “Of those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them – do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem?” (Luke 13:4)  He then uses these tragedies to suggest that people look more deeply into their own personal lives, take stock, and put their lives in good order and get right with God.

Jesus was not one who usually connected physical disability with sin which is not to say that sin doesn’t have its physical affects. For example, when the disciples were connecting a young man’s blindness to his own sin or the sin of his parents, Jesus knocked that theory down totally. “Neither this man nor his parents sinned” but then he gives a fresh direction by which we might deal with these tough deaths and calamities. “He was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” (John 9: 3)

I suppose that modern, scientific enlightenment has taught us that there is always or should be always a rational, reliable, sensible answer to every question, doubt and uncertainty which we experience as we ask how or why. Lots of luck with that!  

I believe that God has always been fighting the Chaos and endless Darkness from the second that God touched off Creation with sacred Light and Life. “The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

Sometimes it seems really hard to hang on to that much trust and hope, but other times it is the only Way by which I can actually make any sense of what is happening all around you and me. 

Dale

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

                So, are you feeling particularly saintly today?  If so, this must be your day – All Saints Day on the Christian Calendar.

                What is a saint, you might ask? But you would be asking the wrong guy; I am no saint. Saintliness is not on my resume.  You might say that I have had a devil of a time in grooming the characteristics of sainthood. I don’t think a little plastic figure of myself will be sitting on anybody’s car dash in the near or distant future.

On the surface, saintliness sounds like a lot of blood, sweat and tears.  Saintliness seems to be the result of a lot of humbling, selfless, sacrificial work. I am pretty sure that it is not about how religious you are, how many bible verses you have memorized or whether you have a perfect attendance pin for Sunday School attendance. I don’t think it is about piety, creedal purity or being chair of the Church Board. Not that any of those things just mentioned are necessarily bad things; they just don’t add up to a full-bodied saintliness.

The Apostle Paul would regular address his letters to the saints who were in whatever particular church to which he was writing. E.g. “To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints.” (Romans 1:7) Now he was neither buttering them up with fake accolades or ignoring their faults.  He knew, just like himself, nobody is perfect. “Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” (Philippians 3:12)

 Nobody is without sin. Nobody has it all figured out. Nobody has achieved a flawless selflessness or faultless service or has a spotless record of good deeds and works.

Nobody has completely mastered being like Jesus!

Some impossible, idealistic notion of perfection is not the foundation of saintliness, by a long shot. I know that Jesus said that we are to strive for perfection as God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), but I don’t he is referring to some cold piety of stiff, religious duty.

If God is Love then our perfection is pointing in that same direction - the Way of Love that Jesus embodied and exampled for us to follow. "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."  (Matthew 19:21) Many of us are more likely to emulate the rich young man to whom Jesus spoke and walk away from Jesus grieving that Jesus was setting impossible standards of discipleship.

The continuous and selfless act of loving and therefore the road to true sainthood is indeed hard, uncompromising and challenging at times. We are taken beyond our comfort zones, find ourselves in strange company, and are forced to take risks and make decisions that ruffle our assumptions and stretch our spiritual muscles to weariness. 

This is the stuff of sainthood and the miracle is that commonplace, ordinary, regular men and women and even children show saintly natures each and every day. They are the saints who quietly go about loving others by working in food banks, help in making meals for the homeless, run shelters, spend nights in Telecare watch, volunteer at hospitals, make a phone call on somebody’s birthday, etc. etc. etc. There are saints in church choirs and those who lead scout troops. There are saints who pray regularly and continuously for others’ well-being, health and salvation.

You actually may be a saint although you would probably deny it.  But if you love others as you are loved, you have taken a step toward sainthood.

“I send this letter to you in God's church at Corinth, Christians cleaned up by Jesus and set apart for a God-filled life. I include in my greeting all who call out to Jesus, wherever they live. He's their Master as well as ours! May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.” (1 Corinthians 1:2 – 3, The Message)

Saints alive! That’s powerful stuff!

Dale

Wednesday, October 25

      Point to Ponder & Discuss:  Do atheists celebrate Hallowe'en?

      They don't seem to enjoy the mysterious side of  any religion, Christianity in particular. They have established a wide gap between religion and things like politics and education. Their argument is that religion, often perceived as just foolish superstition, needs to be kept out of the way  of truly enlightened people.
       What's more superstitious than Hallowe'en in many ways?
       I have been reading that some schools are toning down the whole Hallowe'en celebration in their schools. This is not out of any concern of any religious, supernatural overtones but  because they are concerned - rightly so in this day and age - that costumes may be culturally inappropriate, offensive or racially insensitive. I really hope that such sensitivity will be picked up although I can think of better ways to get the message of inclusiveness across, but it is a start. (It also bemuses me that  no one  might think that children dressing up as hideous monsters, ghastly ghouls, blood-dripping clowns, freaks of nature is not any less offensive  or disturbing but what do I know?)
        Hallowe'en is not one of my favourite nights of the week in the year, not necessarily because it has occultist connotations.  As much as I believe in the mystery and sacredness of life and spirit, I have never believed in goblins, witches, zombies and the like. Maybe that makes me an atheist of sorts! But we will still give out candy to the princesses, the super heroes, and all the cute fuzzy animals who come to our door. Some of the older kids can't even be bothered to dress up any more.We don't get all that many and it leaves us with a nice stash of chocolate candy once the night is over.
       Some conservative Christians refuse to celebrate Hallowe'en because of its perceived links to occultism, Satanism and the  evil of supernatural forces. I doubt that they believe in ghosts or vampires any more than I do but they prefer not to mess with the unknown, no matter anyway. So be it!
       I am not so much concerned over kids in Hallowe'en costumes as I am about the real presence of real Evil that is at work in our world today. A good example is the recent slaughter in Las Vegas, but it is only one of hundreds of stories of pain, suffering, horror, terror, and chilling abominations that are cursing our world. My "devil" doesn't carry a pitchfork and have a forked tail, but carries an automatic rifle and looks just like the guy down the street.  Now that is truly scary!
       Now, I am of the theology and belief that one of things that Jesus has done for us is to score a decisive win against Evil itself. This is not to say that Evil doesn't continue to fight back and has yet conceded defeat. Evil  wants nothing more than to discourage us, overwhelm us, frighten us and disfigure the goodness and blessedness of life so that we will turn away from God's Love, Grace, Beauty, Goodness and Hope.
        But we believe that in  Jesus Christ we are equipped to handle anything and everything that Evil throws at us or throws in our way. "No, in all these things we are more than conqueror through him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)
        It is good to be wary of Evil in any of its forms and disguises. But we are not alone, not left defenceless, not without power,  not without the tools of "battle" against the Evil One.
        "And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. 
        This is no afternoon athletic contest that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.
        Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet.
        Truth, righteousness,  peace,  faith,  and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon.
         In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. " (Ephesians 6 10 -17, The Message)

Dale

     

Thursday, October 19, 2017

       We have learned, this week, that the child whom Nathaniel and Krista are expecting next March will be a boy - our fourth grandson. His Uncle Nick has commented that we now have a four man  bobsled team.

         Or more likely a four-boy gang of little, holy terrors. I am already imagining our family get-togethers once number four gets running around with the others. Oh, the mischief that will ensue; the schemes, the mayhem, the noise, the rough-housing, the high-jinks. All ye without faith, abandon hope here...

         I wouldn't  miss it for the world! Or want it any other way.
         "Then our sons in their youth will be like well-nurtured plants, and our daughters will be like pillars carved to adorn a palace." (Psalm 144:12)
         Or grandsons or granddaughters.
         I was partly joking  with my comment above about faith and hope. But the more I think about it I realize it does take a lot of faith and hope to raise a child in today's world. Having faith in the child himself or herself. Having faith in one's parenting abilities and one's own character. Having faith in the family that the child is surrounded by. Having faith in the teachers and instructors to whom one entrusts the child down the road. Having faith in the friends they choose. Having faith when they head out the door on their own.
          Then we hope. Hope for well-being and safety wherever they go. Hope for their happiness and fulfilment. Hope for their success and achievement. Hope they succeed at school. Hope they will be liked. Hope they will stay away from trouble, drugs and the wrong friends. Hope they get picked for the team. Hope they will  hit the winning run in and feel triumphant. Hope there is never a war they will recruited to join.
            That seems a lot to hope for in what seems to be a troubling world right now.  But as our children enter into this world it is our  loving responsibility as adults to have faith and to have hope. To allow them to know that they are secure, loved, celebrated, encouraged and comforted  no matter the winds that may and will blow.
             Finally, for me it also takes faith and hope that I look to God to sustain us, to enlighten us, to counsel  us and to give us strength in our relationships with our children. One of the great images of Jesus was his ready willingness to gather children around him and bless them. I believe that children are extremely important to God and God grieves when children are abused, starving, unloved, and killed in wars. I believe that God expects us adults to do far better.
           Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."  (Matthew 9:14)
           Now where did I put that bobsled?

Dale

Wednesday, October 11, 2012

         Thanksgiving has always been one of my favourite celebrations. Although it was unseasonably warm this year often it has been cool and comfortable, just right for autumn walks under the changing foliage. Then when you come back into the house you smell the cooking turkey or the aroma of pumpkin pies or other savory smells.  Then the  very best part is when the family gathers around the groaning board of  a Thanksgiving Feast and the laughter, love and general mayhem begins.

          Susan and I celebrated Thanksgiving in Mississauga with Nick and Erin hosting. Erin organized and prepared  a fantastic meal. Our three grandchildren added to the merriment and joy of the occasion. Once again we gathered, broke bread and counted our many blessings. Susan and  are richly and abundantly blessed by all four of our children, their partners and grandchildren.

           "We will be satisfied by the goodness of your house..."  This verse comes from a psalm of thanksgiving, Psalm 65.

            I think we live in culture in which it has become very difficult to be simply satisfied with what we are given.  Some folk are never satisfied about their lives, their loved ones, their jobs, their  families, their physical looks, their salary, their church, their friends, their health, their well-being. Some argue that we live in an age of entitlement, and if that is true, I can just about guarantee that people who feel entitled will seldom, if ever, feel fully satisfied. I suppose it would be easy to think of all things that I don't have in my life, feel sorry for myself, complain and be bitter, blame God or somebody else  for these deficiencies.
            But that is when I stop and look around the table and experience the feeling of satisfaction of our house and am very grateful to God for the love that I am privileged to share right there and then.  I wouldn't trade it for anything - not even for the Ottawa Senators winning the Stanley Cup.
             To keep it short, sweet and simple:
             "I'm glad in God, far happier than you would ever guess - happy that you're again showing such strong concern for me. Not that you ever quit praying and thinking about me. You just had no chance to show it. Actually, I don't have a sense of needing anything personally. I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am," (Philippians 4: 10:13, The Message).
             Belated Happy Thanksgiving! But actually, it is never too late to be thankful!

Dale 

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

            My regular computer is sick and is in the hospital for sick computers. It blew a port for some reason which crashed the whole system.  This couldn't possibly have resulted from the fact that one of the dogs became tangled in some of the cords and toppled the tower down could it?  Now I am using my lap top which I don't like for writing. For some reason I am so much slower as I make far more spelling mistakes and accidental formatting errors.
             When the other computer went down, the error message was more than daunting. Error 1962. Operating system cannot be found; start-up sequence will repeat. I tried the Dale Soble method of computer repair - I unplugged it and then plugged back in. You might be surprised how often that actually works. But  not this time. The same error message came right back up. Then I went to plan B - I phoned Susan who has often saved me from myself when it comes to computer problem solving. But not this time.
             So off it has gone to the shop. Initial reports are  that it is not as serious as I feared. They can fix it.  I didn't lose anything. Whew! You know, one of these days I really should back everything up...
             But in this painful process I have discovered a metaphor for faith.
             Faith is our operating system. We run our life out of it. It helps us access those people, events, and texts which inform and shape our thoughts,  morals, behaviour and relationships. Faith connects us to the sacred and divine in life. Everyone has a faith of some kind, even those who say they do not believe in God but they too still have standards, values and fundamentals that guide them through their lives. But we who have  faith in Jesus Christ have an operating system which is based in him and shaped by him - by the things he said and did and who we interpret him to be as the Christ.
             We can take our faith for granted. It runs along just fine and we don't really take much notice of it until something goes wrong. We get an error message that overtakes our faith and no matter what we do we  can't get around or past the error message. It can be something big like the Las Vegas shooting that shakes our faith but more than likely it will be far more personal like losing a job, getting a cancer diagnosis or  going through a marriage breakdown or suffering the loss of a loved one. Maybe it just a series of little things that pile up and overloads the operating system of faith over time. Maybe somebody has yanked or pulled you down. Try  as we might the operating system cannot be found and hard as we try to reboot the system it won't.
             There are no instant or magical solutions to this problem.  I believe it takes some due diligence and patient intentionality to begin. It won't happen over  night. But  nothing happens until you try.
              I believe that we are to begin with prayer, not because it is a panacea, but rather it is a channel for reconnection with the sacred love of God.  "Pray without ceasing..." , (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It can't get any simpler than that.  Technique, style, fancy words don't matter. In your meditations with God or Christ at its core, you may begin to unpack what has caused the error message and be led to rethink or redo or refresh or restart or be reborn.   
              We may choose to augment our hunger for faith with scripture, fellowship with other believers, or a quiet walk along a nature trail. We will need to stop our busy-ness, our fretting, our worrying and instead allow the Grace and Love of God to fill the voids and blank screens, and restore our souls beside still waters.
              
Dale