summer camp

Well, the week is winding down for chaplaincy and so I wanted to post a couple of cool things that have happened this week.

Pick-up lines from Heather (maintenance chick)
Christina, can I take you out with the trash?
See all these keys? This one's the key to your heart.

On Sunday, when I arrived, I sensed a heaviness over the camp property. It felt as though a weight was placed on my shoulders. I waited until the reason came out last night in a conversation. It amazes me how God longs to bring reconciliation into all of our relationships, how God desires to transform our hearts to be quick to love and slow to grow angry, and how something as simple as praying with a brother or sister in Christ can change the entire atmosphere. Suffice to say that after a time of prayer last night this heaviness that had burdened me all week, lifted creating great opportunity for God to work last night.

A sweet, beautiful young woman taught me a lot about the nature of love, and how we need to look past all the physical traits to a person's heart. I've watched her make courageous choices and take brave steps that allow people to see her heart. May we all look past labels to the image of God that resides in each of us, loving people deeply and courageously.

Last night, after the revival service a group of teenage boys ran past yelling, "now that was a party!". I don't know if I've ever heard teenagers equate worship with a party, but... WOOHOO!

I've spent some time reflecting on the meaning of my own baptism this week and here are the summaries of the devotions that we've shared:
I choose no other Lord than the Maker of heaven and earth.
Today, I walk with Him, and He will walk with me.
I remember today, my baptism.
I recall that baptism calls me to confession and genuine repentance; that the water is like a cleansing bath for my sin-stained soul.
I remember that in baptism the old me is buried, and that I am raised to life, true Christ-filled life.
I proclaim that in baptism I am a member of the one body of Christ.
I recognize, as I recall my baptism, the weakness of my flesh and my need for the fire of the Holy Spirit.
I remind myself, as I remember my baptism, that I am a citizen of the kingdom of heaven, and no dark valley or demon may take that citizenship away from me.

That's it for today... don't want to miss any opportunity to hang out with an image bearer of the King!

justice

I've been reading and reflecting a lot lately on what it means to do justice. Several months ago, Ken and I made the switch to fair trade coffee and tea. Now, on occasion these days that means drinking a little less of it (at $10.00 a pound for coffee, the budget can only sustain so much). I just couldn't stand the thought that my consumption was doing damage to brothers and sisters around the world. Then there was the bottled water thing that I posted about before. While at that same meeting a sister from Lithuania gave me a card that has this quote on it from Mother Theresa "It is a very great poverty to decide that a child must die that you might live as you wish." WHOA!!!
That's just been the tip of the iceberg though, this calls into question everything ... where does one begin when all I've ever known is a lifestyle of capitalist consumption? how do I manage to question every purchase, every action in light of my love for my global brothers and sisters? what impact will I really have? and there I stopped. I can continue to blindly and ignorantly consume, but I'm no longer able to deny that my actions have effects on others. Last night Ken and I watched "The Age of Stupid" and I was convicted about my consumption again. So, today I went to Chapters. I looked at several books, including one called the Justice Project, and I eventually placed them all back on their shelves. It seems so ironic that I would think that the way out of consumerism is to buy another book. Perhaps this was a first step, maybe it wasn't, but "God I need your wisdom in how to proceed". Now, to shut off the computer for the night to save a little energy.

my odd reflection on a reading from "The Cloud of Unknowing"

niggling.
not sure if that's a word.
that feeling that I've got ants in my pants.
that restless, fidgety, sometimes excited, sometimes panicky feeling.
the distraction that boils just below the surface, vying for my attention and even, at times, my affection.
peace.

it's clamouring grows louder.
jostling my soul.
to-do's that call me to be a Martha instead of a Mary
worries that gnaw at my essence, chewing up and spitting out my fragile trust
dreams that tempt me into creating a back up plan should God fail to come through
endless phone calls and emails that poorly mimic the communication my soul truly desires
peace.

the noise escalates to a roar.
my ego shrieks to be crowned king and master
the judgement I fear from others beats against my soul like a boat battered by the waves of a stormy sea
my heart longs to climb out of the boat
to run, unfettered, across the turbulent sea...
and yet, I hesitate - not trusting myself, not trusting HIM.
peace. be still.

One Thing

So, it's been a while. I've never been really great at maintaining a daily journal, and lately I've found myself consumed with the stuff of everyday. I've gotten bogged down in daily details like laundry, but also in sermon writing, vacationing, visiting, and most of all pursuing (or trying to figure out how to pursue) my dream of going to seminary.
The last several months have been interesting, I've swung back and forth on the idea of ordination, and repeatedly tried to figure out which school, how, when why. The struggle has been, well, a struggle. There's no denying the call, but how do I best live out the particular call on my life. My desire has been, and continues to be to help people pursue God in their own unique way. Helping individuals and groups to hear the Spirit, and encouraging them to respond in obedience.
I’ve decided on a school – Tyndale, in Toronto, offers a Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Spiritual Formation. The program seems to fit what I want to do very well, offering in addition to the MDiv, a certificate in spiritual direction (with the completion of 500 hours of supervised directing). Just thinking about it makes me excited. The problems begin when I start asking the basic questions: when, why, how. Once more I find myself bogged down in details.
I believe that the dream/desire is a gift. Yesterday, I discovered that if I make the pursuit of that dream my focus, I have removed my focus from the ONE THING that I preached about recently. How do I balance this? What do I do?
Oh Lord, make me singular in my focus. Help me to seek your kingdom first. Develop in me a hunger and a passion for you, not merely your gifts. I trust you with my dreams and desires.