We've been building relationships with several people in our neighbourhood every since we moved there. Yesterday, one of our neighbours came to Vania and said, "My dental hygienist knows Ed."
We have a dental hygienist in our congregation and so we, naturally, thought it was this person, but nope. It turns out that we have no idea who this lady is.
So where's the connection. Well, years ago she came to Richview because her son was in a choir that came to perform in the morning service. She came to support her son. However, I happened to be preaching that Sunday morning. This is years before we moved into this neighbourhood.
But yesterday, on the dentist chair, in a way that I can't even begin to grasp, the discussion turned to spiritual things and that led to church and somehow that led to me. The common denominator that God brought into both their lives in a way only he could orchestrate.
Anyway, my neighbour was very excited that her hygienist knew who I was and spoke of her positive experience about a sermon that took place at least four years ago. I don't say that to boast, only to say, wow God!
Vania and I marvelled this morning at how many things had to take place for this to be another connecting point for my neighbour who doesn't have a relationship with God yet. Especially considering all three points of connection, our relationship with her, the hygienists relationship with her, and that church service four years ago, took place quite far apart from each other, not just in time, but also in distance.
God's ways aren't just different than our ways, they're so much more cool and creative!
God has an interesting way of ministering to us sometimes...
Years ago someone came to our church with whom vun and I tried to build a relationship with. For reasons unknown to us at the time, they were gone as soon as they came.
Three years later, out of nowhere, God just dropped them back into our lives. And during the time they were away, God had been working on them.
Now, she in particular, is someone that plays a regular part in our week. Yesterday, at church, she noticed that there wasn't the regular "bounce" to my step, so, she e-mailed this morning and asked if there was anything she could pray for.
I didn't even know the bounce was missing. But after some time thinking about it God allowed me to share some stuff that, indeed, needed some prayer.
It's funny how, as a pastor, you often see yourself as the one who's there to minister to others...and then God drops people into your life who insist on caring for you...why, it's his way of saying, "just because I love you!"
Just last week, Vania met a new couple in our neighbourhood. Okay, they're not new, they've been around for a year and a half and we've never met them. There's a reason we've never met them, we hardly ever go out our front door. And the reason for that is that our parking spots are underground right outside our basement door. Since they live a couple of houses infront and to the left of ours, we've never crossed paths. Until we met at the local McDonald's Playland and then again near our house. Anyway, they have two kids ages of our younger two, and didn't realize that our complex is full of kids. They were so excited to find out they invited us out to their older boys birthday party.
Why is this significant at all. They're of hindu or muslim background. And so for the first time in a long time I found myself the outsider. A very uncomfortable feeling. Going to the party was crazy, thrying to master their names on the way, wondering how it would all be. In the end, most of them were dressed in traditional outfits (no not suits and ties) - but were very warm and welcoming - especially Saudia (that's the mom).
A neat aspect - and you'd have to know to understand - but not so long ago, my wife and I (being portuguese) saw a Brazilian show (like a miniseries that goes on for about six months in a story format) on the Arabic, Muslim lifestyle. We learned lots of phrases during that time that we could only guess at what they meant, but being at the party we kept hearing them over and I guess they were really surprised when we used them such as, "As-salaam alaykum" - Peace be with you & the response "Wa-alaykum as-salaam" & with you peace.
As a couple they're really friendly and really glad to have made our acquaintace - and so we look forward to our future interactions.
The first interaction was a lesson for me on what it must be like for someone else to knowingly cross lines to our territory and spend some time there - waiting to be engaged.
And yes, they're aware I'm a pastor (I think Vun let it slip) and are the ones that want to proceed the relationship. Neat eh?
"One of the ways we miss divine moments is to treat what we consider nominal influence as irrelevant. We must never underestimate the importance of one moment, one word, one deed in the life of another human being."
Erwin McMannus
Recently, I was blessed by a friend, in a way that benefited me and I wanted to acknowledge.
Kevin and I got to know each other through our wives, then girlfriends. I knew back then that Kevin was an A-1 guy. We just connected. He's very laid back, a whole lot of fun and just all around easy going.
Over the last eight, or so, years, we haven't really connected much, except on occasion. But when we do touch base it's like no time has passed. With the exception that now we both have three children and him and Tracy have twins, the age of Senzenina. Wow, time does fly.
Anyway, recently Vania and I felt we were overdue for a visit, so we dropped by. Somewhere during our time together, he invited me up to his bedroom because he had a gift for me. I totally was not expecting this, but eh, I heard the word gift, so I followed. Just kidding. As we got to his bedroom he pulled out, hold your breath if you like guitars, if you don't care, on to the next post. He pulled out a '78 (I think) Gibson Les Paul series electric guitar. And he handed it to me and said, it's yours. It came with one catch, if one of his boys ever got serious abou the guitar, I'd have to give it back, that's only fair, but I figure I've got some time before that happens.
Well, needless to say, I was floored. Somewhere along the day he also showed me his new digital camera (really, really nice) - but somehow that lead to us walking out with their old digital camera. On a temporary (indeterminate amount) basis.
We just went out to see some friends we hadn't seen in a while. And whom we care lots about, and walked away, blessed by our time together, but having received from them in ways we didn't expect and couldn't have guessed.
Thanks guys, you really are the best!
I still haven't sat down for a real amount of time to really enjoy the guitar, but I look forward to do it, for now, it sits against my desk, visible to me, and causing me to gently stroke it as I pass by and say "WOW"!
Again, for those of you who just don't relate, that's ok, this is not so much about the guitar as it is about the kind of couple, the kind of friends Kevin and Tracy are.
Paul Martin's words on churces having to or being forced, legally, to marry same-sex couples...
Paul Martin told the CBC Radio's As it Happens that he would invoke the constitution's notwithstanding clause if the court ruled that all religious groups must marry same-sex couples.
Here's my thought, we've started down this slippery slope. Truth is, I'm surprised it's taken this long. But I'm not scared by it, and further I don't think it's time for Christians to begin to feel or to act like Chicken Little. However, I think, and I truly hope I'm wrong, the time will come, where for the sake of justice, the church will be called to do just what our very new Prime Minister is saying he will stand against.
Here's the struggle that I've been having, if that were to happen, what would be the best response by the church?
I mean is this one of the factors where we must stand and to so do might lead to some persecution, maybe even some jail time for someone like me, a pastor? Is this an area where the church gives in? (I'm asking a question, not proposing something.)
Or is there an alternative? For example, right now the power I have to perform a legal marriage comes from the government. It's a power that I can relinquish. I don't have to perform marriages. So here's my thought, will we come to a day where the church will say, we give up that right? That would mean that in order to continue to marry people we'd have to rethink what marriage is, wouldn't it? For example, let's say I performed a marriage, a church ceremony, but did not have the legal authority to do it so that it would be recognized by the state. Before God, would that couple be any less married? Although in the goverment's eyes this would be a couple that was living common law.
I guess the larger question is, what constitutes marriage in the eyes of God? Is it a ceremony recognized by the government, or is it more than that?
Interested in hearing other's thoughts.
Last night we saw the last episode of Survivor Panama. Vania is a survivor junkie, and even if I didn't watch it with her, I'd constantly hear all about it. So, for better or for worst, every once in a while I catch survivor with Vun. Last night we saw the finale.
I guess I've always seen the show as a game. Like a board game that goes on for a very long time. I like board games, Risk in particular, and I like to win at Risk. And I win more than 2/3rds of the time. I have found that in order to win at Risk on a regular basis, you have to do several things. You have to have lots of luck on your side, you have to make the right alliances, and you have to break those alliances at the right times, so you can conquer them and eventually, hopefully, conquer the world. Can you do this without cheating and stealing and lying, yes, will people feel betrayed yes, will they feel like they were taken advantage of, yes, will they care, no, okay give them 1/2 an hour, but most people realize, this is a game! I have yet to hear someone say, "Ed, how could you be a Christian and knock your wife out of the game." Easy, the purpose is to conquer the world. In order to conquer the world, I have to conquer her countries.
As we watched last night, Vania asked me, how would you play if you were chosen? The answer was simple, I would play to win! If I just wanted the experience I'd take a vacation. I would be Ed (father, husband, Christ-follower) playing a game in which the object is to outlast everyone else. I wouldn't (I'd try my best not to) compromise my character or follower-ship, although not everyone would be likely to agree on that one. But I would definitely play to win, and of course for the fun of it too :)
Here's what is interesting. The world expects people who establish themselves as being people following a different standard (whether that be following Jesus, or just leading a scout troop) to live by a different standard, even though they themselves recognize that they fall desperately short of those same standards. And as last night's finale showed, the world is frustrated when we don't live up to the standards we claim are ours. Frankly, I think that's what cost Lill the victory yesterday. The moment she said, if I had to do it again, I wouldn't wear this uniform, I went "ouch". Rather than saying, I screwed up, I should have lived by the higher standard, she said, if it profits you, put aside your standards (not in so many words).Not down on Lill, really, she could have done better if she had backed up what she came in saying she stood for, never too late to apologize.
There's a lesson there for us as Christians as we live this game, run this race, we call life. People are not just watching us, they're judging us and our actions with a different measuring stick than they use on themselves. Is it fair? No! Is it right? I don't know. But Jesus did say, "count the cost!"
I thought of this as I was pondering on life, relationships and communication for a moment....
If your wife tells you, somehow makes it known, of all flowers, she loves roses the most and if she adds (in a very subtle way, of course), she would love to get a dozen roses from you sometime - getting her a dozen carnations or a dozen tulips or a dozen lillies or even getting all three together won't say I love you the same way getting her a dozen roses would.
I think there might be some further application there to all relationships and learning to listen to one another in ways that help us speak the same language.
Just a thought.
Having said that, if you ever find yourself in the above situation, just get her the roses!