Gong Alien

This is my last post here on ::not as big as i am::. I've begun a new blog, more about what I've seen or done than about what I've been thinking or commentaries on books. I wanted to begin capturing my life as an alien in Wollongong, Australia. I'll be reporting on my life on that blog. No more posts for me on this blog. So go on . . . Get! :-)

My Resilient Friend

An admired friend of mine from University has written a book and for almost a year now, I've been receiving his brief excellent thoughts like this one I'd like to share. Perhaps you'd want/need to buy his book, My Resilient Life. ;-)

I love those gracious, wise people who give others space and simply fill the room with quiet grace. By letting me be, they empower me to be...better. Read on for more.

Waste Not! Food Swap, 27 July

This time Nicole and Ella and I went together and we took Corey and Emily with us. Some of the plants on the table are ones I planted in beds I helped build on a former landfill site. They taste great. We also swapped three lemons from the tree in our backyard, spring/green onions, and some Thyme for some lettuce, rocket/arugula, and a mandarin orange or two. We also took some parsley and cilantro/coriander.





You make grass grow for cattle and make vegetables for humans to use in order to get food from the ground.


Rain and snow come down from the sky. They do not go back again until they water the earth. They make it sprout and grow so that it produces seed for farmers and food for people to eat.



Share your food with the hungry, take the poor and homeless into your house, and cover them with clothes when you see them naked. Don't refuse to help your relatives.



Who, then, is the faithful and wise servant? The master will put that person in charge of giving the other servants their food at the right time. That servant will be blessed if his master finds him doing this job when he comes.

Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who doesn't have any. Whoever has food should share it too.

Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothes.

Don't work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.

They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other's homes and shared their food.

Yet, by doing good, he has given evidence of his existence. He gives you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. He fills you with food and your lives with happiness.

Faith Disoriented

Daniel Dennett, Mother Theresa, and Sigmund Freud walk into a bar. Who do you suppose gets up off the ground the least confused? . . . It's just an introductory joke I made up.

Below in block quotes is a comment I copied from a blog post by Richard Beck. He responds to Daniel Dennett's judgment of Mother Theresa saying,

I see [Dennett's] point. But again, I think he's working with the Freudian simplification: Faith and doubt work along a simple continuum. If she expresses doubt she's got to be an atheist (or she's confused).

But scholars of the religious experience have long said that faith and doubt are two sides of the same coin. Placing them in a binary tension misses vast swaths of the religious experience.

In short, I think a part of what these essays can accomplish is to expose these binary models found in people like Freud and Dennett as well as in many Christians sitting in churches (the healthy-minded who dismiss the sick soul and avoid lament).

The "she" referred to is the saint now known as Mother Theresa. One thing the blog post claims is that not all religious varieties fall into an either/or category of atheism or theism. Faith isn't a light switch that is either on or off. Freud, on the other hand, believed that even if a legitimate faith that was somehow out of science's reach did/could exist, no one would accept that faith because people will only accept faith to provide consolation of their anxieties. People who live with the tension of faith and doubt, like Mother Theresa in India and like Jesus enduring shame, seem to be phenomena Freud ignored. Put simply, Dennett, an athiest, tried to put Theresa in the category of atheist because she doubted.

We trained hard in soccer. Our abilities were sharpened up. Our skills developed, our speed and agility heightened, we scrimmaged the girls' varsity team and won, handily. We were oriented well toward soccer. Then, we played our first real game of the season and lost decisively. For the next practice time, we didn't go back onto the field. We went inside for "chalk talk". If we could've we would've watched video clips to help rehash the most painful parts of our loss in disbelief. Now soccer, the game we thought we knew more or less, had dis-oriented our team. Eventually, we pushed past the loss and somehow ramped our training up even more. In fact, to an extent, the pain of the loss pushed us. The dissatisfaction with loss motivated us toward becoming a better soccer team. We cursed the defeat that eventually blessed us. Whether or not we won a game, that defeat and the practice that followed made every game richer. Soccer became our master again, so to speak. It re-oriented us to soccer in a more respectful way.

Eventually, doubting Theresa recognized God's presence in the times she had been most convinced of God's absence. How long was this sense of God's absence? Decades. She must've passed through dark times of dis-orientation, . . . but apparently later felt re-oriented in a new way more fully aware of darkness. She cursed the doubt that later made her feel most deeply united with Jesus.

I follow Beck in the above comment that "faith and doubt are two sides of the same coin." The Biblical Psalms, for example, witness to orientation, dis-orientation, and re-orientation. The over-arching story of the Bible tells of good, bad, then better. So, doubt isn't the end of faith; it's the beginning of faith's new birth.

In my own story . . . when the recognition for my need overcame the fear of confessing it, I received Jesus as my/the Redeemer and Master of myself/the world. Still wet from my watery grave, I was beginning to feel God's rescue as well as I understood it. Then, a feeling of God's absence replaced the sense of salvation. My understanding was disoriented, confused. Could I continue to practice my faith? If I want to know Christ and the power of his rising, I must share in his suffering, conform to his death.

Me . . . a Winter Baby?

This is how a girl from Queensland keeps her "born-in-a-Texan-summer" baby warm in a New South Wales winter. I might have endured snow and minus 30 temperatures in Canada; a non insulated apartment and icy cold bike rides to school in Japan . . . but I still call it cold here.

As is typical of homes in this part of Australia, we do not have the luxury of central heat or ducted heating. While the temperatures remain above freezing (lows from 38F and up) and daytimes can even be "pleasant" (highs in the high 50s), we still have to work hard at keeping warm. Our house does well at holding in the cold air -- a good thing for summer days.

Many mornings we put a coat over Ella's pjs and slippers over her feet. There is nothing we can do to keep her hands warm as she crawls all over our wooden floors. And nothing I can do to keep those chilly hands away from me while she nurses! She doesn't seem too bothered by the cold, the attire, or that fact that she'll have many of her birthdays in the dead of winter as long as we live in Australia.



I'd have to say though, that there isn't much cuter than a bundled up baby . . .

One Thing to Avoid

"Avoiding a fight is a mark of honor; only fools insist on quarreling" (Proverbs 20:3, NLT)

These are someone else's thoughts I wanted to share:

I’ve found that for most people, it can be easy to start a fight but hard to end one. It’s easy to get offended and say things that we know we shouldn’t, but once you get started, it’s difficult to stop. It’s hard to let it go. That’s why the scripture tells us that it’s much better not to ever even start a quarrel.

If you want God to honor you, if you want to enjoy your life to the fullest, then always strive to be a peacemaker. Be the kind of person who goes the extra mile to avoid an unnecessary argument. Make your home a place of peace. Choose to be in harmony with your spouse and the people you live your daily life with. The Bible says that you are blessed when you are a peacemaker. So today, look for ways to make peace. Choose to overcome strife and wear the mark of honor He has given to you.

God of peace and new beginnings, today I choose to be a peacemaker. Let me break out of my antagonistic spirit and get unstuck from miry quarrels. Let my insisting spirit die. Dice it up with the sword of your Spirit. Let my next argument be to start something life-giving that begins and ends with peace. Let me take the time necessary before I react to begin in peace and let that peace be sustained by your patience. May I wear that mark of honor by avoiding strife. I yield every area of my heart, hands, and feet to You. Like Jesus. Amen.

A Good Prayer (a poem)

Open up the windows and doors.

Clear out the dusty toys from the attic.

Put on a mask and take out the trash that’s stinking up the basement.

But open the windows.

Don’t let the wind slam the doors.

Let fresh air into the house.

Let the warm, then the cool
summer breeze change the mood of every room.

Take a breath of it. Yeah!

Breathe in, breathe out.

Let out a joyful shout!

Grab a broom and sweep the house out.

Let the warm summer breeze draw you outside.

Under the sky. Under the sun. In the grass and among the trees.

Let the sun warm you up and the breeze cool you down.

Cry a little, but smile, too.

Just breathe in, breathe out.

Go back in the house and put up the broom.

Close the doors, but leave the windows open for now.

Laugh a little now.

It was a good prayer.

“How much do I owe for this sunshine and fresh air?”

by Jason Whaley

- - - -

Poem inspired . . .

Matthew 5:43-48

James 1:17

Somewhat by Frank Laubach:

January 3, 1930

To be able to look backward and say, “This, this has been the finest year of any life”—that is glorious! But anticipation! To be able to look ahead and say, “The present year can and will be better!”—that is more glorious! I have done nothing but open windows—God has done the rest. There has been a succession of marvelous experiences of the friendship of God. I resolved that I would succeed better this year with my experiment of filling every minute full of the thought of God than I succeeded last year. And I added another resolve—to be as wide open toward people and their need as I am toward God. Windows open outward as well as upward. Windows open especially downward where people need the most!

Fearless and Free and Sharing

Read this short blog post about debt and sharing in ancient Israel: Fearless and Free

Waste Not! Food Swap

I took Ella to this today. Awesome. Neat. Even in a bit of rain. Even though I had nothing to give, the others gave me a bunch of huge healthy kale, basil, coriander, limes, tamarillos, a bunch of chili peppers, a few chokos, and thyme--all fresh and organic. Ella especially loved the birds, ducks, chickens, and the one Chihuahua that was standing behind the coffee servers. The Garden's blog (with pictures of last month's Waste Not! Food Swap) here.

Sodom, Sheep, and Simeon

This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy.

- Ezekiel 16:49

Matthew 10:16-20

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Pray for opportunities to witness as a sheep among wolves.

Simeon’s Song

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.

Smile by Faith

I read a devotional today and wanted to share a more concise, redacted, and personalised version of it:

When times are tough, when things aren’t going as planned, many people have a long, sour face. They’re down, discouraged, worried, and upset. But when you choose to rejoice, you smile and have a pleasant demeanor no matter what. And it’s not because you necessarily feel like it or because everything's perfect. You just simply smile by faith. You smile knowing that your expression is saying to God, “I trust You. I know you're working all things out for my good.”

However, . . . what if I can't smile. I've tried to move my face into a smile. I've tried to repeat the words in my head, "God will make a way," but I can't believe the words right now. It's not a feeling of a rainy day, but one of being buried under water. What can I give thanks for? In what good do I believe?

Things are too bad, too miserable, too chronic to accept as permanent. There must be an End to evil and suffering. There must be Judgment against the violent, the greedy. I'm not one of these. So, I will long for the Day of Judgment with a . . . smile, though tears still flow.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Joyful One, I choose to rejoice in you. Your goodness goes way beyond my difficulty. Even when I don’t see a way, aren't you making a way for us? I surrender every area of my life to you in confident hope that in the end you'll put all things to rights. You're the Judge I trust. With my big brother, Jesus, I pray with a smile on my face. Amen.

Space for Joy

I have committed myself to joy. I have come to realize that those who make space for joy, those who prefer nothing to joy, those who desire the utter reality, will most assuredly have it. We must not be afraid to announce it to refugees, slum dwellers, saddened prisoners, angry prophets. Now and then we must even announce it to ourselves. In this prison of now, in this cynical and sophisticated age, someone must believe in joy.

- Richard Rohr

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
the world and those who live in it.
Let the floods clap their hands;
let the hills sing together for joy
at the presence of the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with equity.

- Psalm 98:7-9

CHANGE IS A POSITIVE PART OF YOUR LIFE

I got this these two e-mails and thought they applied to me well since we've only been living in Australia for about four months now.

CHANGE IS A POSITIVE PART OF YOUR LIFE‏


You must avoid breaking when things don't go your way.
You'll always be secure to the degree that you accept change.
True security comes from being able to bend your insecurities.

When you recognize and accept that change will inevitably take place.
You'll become secure, not by standing still, but by growing, moving, and staying energized.
Be secure in the knowledge that you can deal with anything that happens to you.

Have the courage to bet on your ideas.
Take some calculated risks and act on your dreams.
There is no permanent security on this earth, there is only opportunity.

THANKFUL FOR THE KINGDOM

Today's Scripture

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28).

Today's Word

Thank God, we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken! The kingdom is simply God’s system. It’s His way of doing things. The Bible tells us that His kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. In God’s kingdom, when you give, it shall be given back to you, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. In God’s kingdom, you can have an abundance of peace and prosperity in your spirit, mind, and body no matter what’s happening around you. And just like the verse says, His kingdom cannot be shaken! That means, if the stock market goes down, God’s kingdom is still strong. If the housing market goes down, God’s kingdom is still strong. If gas prices go up, God’s kingdom is still strong! You can live in God’s kingdom that cannot be shaken—no matter what’s happening here on earth. Begin to thank God today for His kingdom. Thank Him for His system of blessing in every area of your life. As you obey His Word and worship Him with a grateful attitude, you will see His hand of blessing and walk in the abundant life He has for you!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, thank You for the kingdom. Thank You for Your system of blessing in my life. I open my heart to You and ask that You reveal Your truth to me so that I can live to please You all the days of my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Lion and Lamb

Last month, in a weekly local newspaper given complimentarily to a large part of Wollongong . . . Toward the middle, on opposing pages, two "Easter" articles.

The left article, written by a Pastor, expressed conservative Christian beliefs, namely Jesus' resurrection. A Lionish Easter representation. The right article, written by a Reverend, emphasized the death of Jesus, subversive to dominating empires and kingdoms and powers of the world. A Lambish Easter representation.

My reactions . . . The left article seemed to represent something I believe is core and essential to the Christian faith, ie Jesus' resurrection. The article also represented the typical debating spirit of the church, especially since the Reformation. It chose to challenge atheists [stereotyped] in an argument of sorts. However, I can't imagine a lamb starting an argument with someone who was already mocking him and misunderstanding him (Matthew 26:62f).

. . . The right article seemed to represent a foreign Christianity. Toward the end of the article, the Rev said, "The cross stands as a critique of domination and those things that diminish life and the divine spark in us all." This article was particularly engaging and interesting to me. I thought, How true that "he was killed because of his politics--because of his passion for God's justice." How true that "God in Jesus . . . [on the cross] is a metaphor of radical grace . . ." How true that the cross shows in a subversive way the evils of dominating and destructive systems in the world that deny the image of God in us! Yet, is that all? Certainly not! If the cross reveals sin's darkness, how much more that the resurrection stands as God's power to deal with sin and redeem life from death!

Easter is not only the Lamb's judgment of the powers, but the Lion's supreme dominance over them through the vindicating resurrection and the rightful enthronement and new creation that follows.

REstore.ME

Invisible God, The I AM:

too many images, too much spam

delete all but one

move spam to the trash

close out my programs--

just force quit all before i crash

give me a reboot, patiently i wait

re-install your image, i pray

run in me

yours is my self, my network, my world

am i really to be the password anew?

you’ve restored me--Oh, GLORY!

loving you and your world,

alive and giving you praise, Oh, I AM.

Amen.

Without a Camera

Dear God,

Thank you for, in all your power and wisdom, allowing me to leave my digital video camera on the train Saturday.

Actually, I was depressed Saturday night because I just felt so small and worthless. But Sunday was a new day and I began learning to be thankful. Thanks for Sunday. The self-absorbed depression turned more into humility and joy. I'm able to laugh at myself and because of the irony of winning something through losing.

And thank you for letting me be absent-minded for that brief second on the train. I don't blame you for not reminding me or intervening. I don't blame you as if you intervened to make me forget the camera. I'm just saying I attribute the good that came out of it to you and your generosity.

I'm thankful because several times in the last few days I wanted to take some video of Ella being amazing. I said to myself, "Oh, I can't take a video. I'll have to just watch her and be with her now." I paid extra close attention to her and tried to memorize her movements and faces and sounds. I felt especially connected to her and her dad.

I'm thankful because I experienced Nicole's forgiveness. You know how she responded to my absent-mindedness. The weight of losing such a valuable record of important moments in our lives and the technological ability to record many more memories all makes the depth of her forgiveness more encouraging.

I'm thankful because I also realize the blessing it is to record image and video of people and things. It seems to say, The person herein pictured is important and significant in this very moment and should be remembered. I'm thankful that I've been able to take so much video and so many pictures of Ella and Nicole and other people we love and scenes of God's creation we care about.

What a blessing, God, to have a camera and not to have a camera! You certainly do send both rain and sunshine to the just and the unjust. Whether I'm at my best or worst, you're patient and eager enough to wait for me to become a blessing.

And thank you for the Mullinses' camera and generosity so we could have afternoon tea with them and have Ella's nine-month old picture taken.

Please let us have the camera again if that's your will.

Let all my life be all yours. Amen.

The Rescue

To save my own child I would do anything no matter the cost. To save other children, even if it meant giving up a bit of comfort, I'm not sure I would do it so eagerly, especially when there's no guarantee the children will actually be rescued. Would I be giving up some comfort for nothing? I don't see any easy options for doing any great things.

Ignore God: the domino effect

Shouldn’t I feel sorry for this important city, Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people in it as well as many animals. These people couldn’t tell their right hand from their left. -Jonah 4:11 GW

A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But {even} the compassion of the wicked is cruel. -Proverbs 12:10 NAS

Or, The righteous know the needs of their animals, but the mercy of the wicked is cruel. -Proverbs 12:10 NRSV

. . . 1 There is no faithfulness or loyalty, and no knowledge of God in the land. 2 Swearing, lying, and murder, and stealing and adultery break out; bloodshed follows bloodshed. 3 Therefore the land mourns, and all who live in it languish; together with the wild animals and the birds of the air, even the fish of the sea are perishing. -Hosea 4:1-3 NRSV

19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God;
20 for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;
23 and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. -Romans 8:19-23

Happy Birthday to me! 34 years old and looking forward to the redemption of my body!

Happy Earth Day, too! God, set Earth free from its bondage to decay and let Earth see your children when they're revealed. Amen.

The Kingdom of God is Like . . . Soap

Ancient Momma's Poem

I thought I'd share an ancient poem that has meant a lot to me since that week we found out we we're having a girl and we had a lot of anxiety about the placenta previa and so on.

Ella's born now. No more previa and she's not yet weaned. We still have pressures and ambitions from without and from within . . . This poem helps me to find calm:

Before the Lord
I'm not proud in passions or logic
I don't occupy my self with things too great and too marvelous for me
But I've calmed and quieted my soul
like a mother calms her weaned child
My soul is like the weaned child that is with me
Hoping in the Lord

Psalm 131 with some poetic license.