Still Enjoying ...

What a holiday this has been. Before I left for this "Wedding Tour", I questioned whether or not I was really meant to go .... I was ready to cancel my ticket and call the whole thing off. However, I am so thankful that the Lord stilled my hand. This whole adventure has been one of deep and meaningful healing for me. It has been filled with everything: excitement, reunion, deep sorrow, abundant comfort, meaningful conversation, welcomed quiet .... The Lord has reminded me and assured me of what is really important: to love Him and love others, genuinely and urgently, and to BE nourishment for them through the abundant resources of Christ. The 5,000 were fed by bread that was broken. And we too are this broken bread, broken in thanksgiving, multiplied to the glory of God. Friends, may we not be afraid to be poured out and spent. Loss is gain. Death is the vehicle for Life. That's the Truth. I love you all, with the greatest affection. I will write more in detail soon .... but now I am still enjoying.

June 25th, 2006

Receiving Yourself in the Fires of Sorrow

". . . what shall I say? ’Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. ’Father, glorify Your name’ —John 12:27-28

As a saint of God, my attitude toward sorrow and difficulty should not be to ask that they be prevented, but to ask that God protect me so that I may remain what He created me to be, in spite of all my fires of sorrow. Our Lord received Himself, accepting His position and realizing His purpose, in the midst of the fire of sorrow. He was saved not from the hour, but out of the hour. We say that there ought to be no sorrow, but there is sorrow, and we have to accept and receive ourselves in its fires. If we try to evade sorrow, refusing to deal with it, we are foolish. Sorrow is one of the biggest facts in life, and there is no use in saying it should not be. Sin, sorrow, and suffering are, and it is not for us to say that God has made a mistake in allowing them. Sorrow removes a great deal of a person’s shallowness, but it does not always make that person better. Suffering either gives me to myself or it destroys me. You cannot find or receive yourself through success, because you lose your head over pride. And you cannot receive yourself through the monotony of your daily life, because you give in to complaining. The only way to find yourself is in the fires of sorrow. Why it should be this way is immaterial. The fact is that it is true in the Scriptures and in human experience. You can always recognize who has been through the fires of sorrow and received himself, and you know that you can go to him in your moment of trouble and find that he has plenty of time for you. But if a person has not been through the fires of sorrow, he is apt to be contemptuous, having no respect or time for you, only turning you away. If you will receive yourself in the fires of sorrow, God will make you nourishment for other people.

-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

"O the deep, deep love of Jesus, vast, unmeasured, boundless, free -- rolling as a mighty ocean in its fullness over me. Underneath me, all around me, is the current of Thy love; leading onward, leading homeward, to my glorious rest above. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore! How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, never-more; How He watches o'er His loved ones, died to call them all His own; How for them He intercedeth watches o'er them from the throne. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, Love of every love the best; 'Tis an ocean vast of blessing, 'Tis a haven sweet of rest. O the deep, deep love of Jesus, 'Tis a heav'n of heav'ns to me; and it lifts me up to glory, for it lifts me up to Thee. Amen."

Weirdness

So strange!! I took these pictures two weeks ago on my first trip to the Lake in two years (long time no see), sent them to the blog that same day, and they only posted just this week .... very odd. Well, back to the Oilers game. I have to say, it's exciting to be watching it from this side (meaning Canada). More to come soon ....

Goin' To Lake Tar-hoe

A few years ago there was this funny ad campaign in Nevada encouraging people to go to Lake Tahoe .... in one of the commercials there was a family sitting around wondering what to do upon which time some random old guy, dressed to look like he had just stepped out of an 1800's silver mine, was sent to give them guidance by saying, "I'm goin' to Lake Tar-hoe!" .... kind of pirate-esque ..... very funny. In my opinion, Lake Tahoe speaks for itself and needs no cheesy ad campaign. So beautiful.

Lake Tahoe

The Art of Thankfulness

As I was sitting in Starbucks this morning I remembered something I had forgotten. This time last year (and most likely at that precise moment), I would probably have been doing dishes after breakfast. It probably would've been either pancakes or french toast. The plates would be dripping with syrup and dream whip from children who laid it on thick as their teacher's backs were turned. The mugs would be filled with curdled milk as kids discovered that you indeed cannot add milk to herbal tea. : ) And I would've had to make some choices. First of all, I would need to choose a song to sing. Or if a song was already being sung, I would need to choose whether or not to sing along. Although singing was an outward expression, seeming to be of little or no consequence, it was always a sign of a deeper decision. It was the decision of whether or not to be thankful. Would I choose a song of thankfulness to be the offering of my heart? Would I join in as others initiated their offerings of the same? As I sat in Starbucks, I realized the laziness of my heart in this moment one year later. I don't really have to do those dishes anymore. I don't really sing as I work anymore (the music we play is so loud, you can barely think). Yet the choice is still the same. Will I be thankful to God? Will I choose to sing that song? I wrote in my journal, giving thanks to God for many things. And for the first time in a long time, my perspective changed. I had always been amazed at how drastically thankfulness changed my perspective. Mere survival became abundant life and silence or apathy toward God became continuous and contagious praise. I had forgotten that. I'm glad He is good at reminding.

"This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it ... blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. The Lord is God, and He has given us light; bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I give thanks to You; You are my God, and I extol you. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting." -Psalm 118:24, 26-29

Announcing .... Wedding Tour 2006

Well, In about a week I will be leaving for a month long adventure which I lovingly call, "Wedding Tour 2006". Strange name, yes. It is a voyage comprised of going to weddings, visiting friends and loved ones, and (most likely and hopefully) a stop at Capernwray Harbour during the first Holiday Bible Week. It's funny that I am still calling it the "Wedding Tour" because I'm only attending two weddings now. It would have been more, but I had to scale back. Maybe I should call the trip something else ..... any suggestions will be considered. The two weddings are that of Erin and John, dear LTS friends, and my best friend Trista to her Matthew Deaver. Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of these joyous occassions and of the rest of the trip .... we shall see! I am excited to go. I have a lot more I would like to say, but I will save it for another time --- a time when my thoughts are more collected. Until then, enjoy the fact that He is trustworthy and build upon that Truth. This I pray for myself and for all. Enjoy the day He has made, friends.