As a sales rep for Gospel Light’s VBS programs and having worked as either a VBS director or VBS classroom leader for 7 years running, I am well aware of the enormous amount of energy preparing for church camp requires.  Not only that, but the actual camp week itself will render even those of us with Energizer Bunny stamina pooped out by the time Friday rolls around.

The reason I point this out is because I was blown away this week by the commitment of the small church that cared for not only mine – but nearly 50 kids this week.  Why was it amazing?  Because every single one of the volunteers at this camp was near retirement age or older.  As us “young” moms dropped off our kids last Monday morning, I couldn’t help but notice that each kindly woman and man reminded me of my grandparents.  And they were decked out in sequined hats and colorful bandanas.  They hugged, clapped, sang, told stories, played games, led crafts and taught Biblical truth to the little ones who came.  Here is a picture of Cooper’s group acting out the story of Peter’s miraculous rescue from prison:

They are living out their belief that sharing the good news of Jesus’ love is a call on our entire lives.  There is no retirement from discipleship.  I learned today that they have a mere 6 children who attend their little church.  Just 6.  And yet…  for the third year in a row, this church of mature believers spent a chunk of their summer loving anyone who came.

They even took it one step further…  they not only offered a week long camp; they closed off camp week with a celebration tonight.  A swimming party and barbeque at a local retreat center, complete with games and even a pinata!

The lesson I have learned is that you are never too old to speak into the life of another.  I pray that when I am double the age I am right now, I will take my example from Ruby, Beth, Fred and the other great people I met this week and will remember this lesson well.  Thank you Westbank Redeemer Lutheran Church!

Peace.

I love the simplicity of children’s Bible stories.  Especially when they are really well done.  Often, while reading one to my own kids or to the Sunday School class I teach, a new truth will strike me (even when I’ve heard the story umpteen times).

Many children’s stories are written about Jonah.  Whether it is the sheer wonder of a fish swallowing a man -or- the hilarity of the man being puked up onto the shore -or- the terrific illustrations of a sad-faced Jonah hiding from God… kids love the story.

Here is my new truth today from this age-old tale…  This is not a story about a group of people (the Ninevites) changing their sinful behavior and turning to God.  It is a story about one of God’s followers (Jonah) dealing with his own disobedience and judgmental attitude.

It is not about God’s people going to the sinners and telling them about their sin.  It is about God’s people dealing with their own reactions to the sin in this world.

Jonah knew God’s rules.  He prayed to God.  He even heard God’s messages.  But there was something about the Ninevite people that caused Jonah to put his foot down and say, “No God.  What they’ve done is too wicked.”  It’s caused me to stop and wonder: Who are my Ninevites?  Is there someone you classify as a Ninevite?  It could be someone close to you who has hurt you -or- a group of people who live a lifestyle you don’t agree with.  The problem?  The problem isn’t their sin.  It is your (and my) lack of love.

God’s answer isn’t to wage war against them or run from them.  It isn’t to preach a message of doom and then wait for it to come true.  Jonah said, “I knew that you were a gracious and compassionate God…”  Jonah knew that God desired reconciliation from the Ninevites, not their destruction.  Jonah knew there was a chance that they would repent and be restored.  In his opinion – they didn’t deserve the chance.  That’s pretty harsh, isn’t it?

God does not want us to have Ninevites in our lives.  Not in our families, not in our towns, not in this world.  He is the one to pass judgment – not you or I.  Our job – love them.  Our job – obey Him.  Through our obedience there is the great chance that we get to be a part of someone else’s reconciliation.

God didn’t need Jonah to restore the Ninevites.  God would have used someone else if necessary.  The book of Jonah is about Jonah dealing with Jonah’s sin.  Whoever causes you or I to want to turn and run the other way is in our lives because we have something we need to deal with too.  Our pride, our disobedience, and our demand for justice done on our terms keeps us in the belly of the fish.  Not a place I want to hang out.  How ’bout you?

~ Peace.

(I got this image from South African Illustrator’s website – they own the copyright)

A few posts back I introduced my new favorite term:  Muchness.  I want to take a moment to introduce you to two friends who have embraced the muchness inside of themselves and have turned something they love to do into a way to bless others through photography.

Greg Gaspari ~ Greg is a businessman here in Kelowna who recently took his hobby of photography and put his pictures out there for the world to see.  He has an eclectic mix of images – from motorcycles, to gorgeous nature scenes, to interesting people, to guitars, to every day stuff.  You can purchase his images and he will frame them for your home.  What I love about it is that Greg is a dad, a musician, a business owner, a sports dude, a hunter, etc, etc.  He has a lot going on!  Yet he still finds time to nurture the creative side that can only be expressed through the lens of his camera.  Check out his site: http://www.ggasparifoto.com

Amy Hobbs ~ My friend Amy lives in Texas.  I have known Amy for 28 years.   Ever since we were little, she has loved watching and photographing people.  I remember one day we took my mom’s camera and used a whole roll of film taking pictures of ourselves strategically placed around the neighborhood.  (Film was more expensive in the 80’s and we got into big trouble!)  She can’t stop herself from capturing the individuality of people through her camera.  I love it that she is developing this passion into a business with beautiful results.  Her portraits have incredible personality.  Find Amy at: http://www.amyhobbsphotography.com

I have a baseball cap embroidered with the words, “Do What You Love – Love What You Do.”  In truth, we aren’t going to always love some of the things we have to do.  But we can be intentional about doing things that bring us joy because they come from a place inside of us that is in touch with our Creator.  God gives us dreams and passions.  It is up to us to use them to bring Him glory.  Amy and Greg each use the creative eye that God has given them to bless others.  Love your work, guys!

Peace.

(Motorcycle image by Greg Gaspari and Girl on Horse by Amy Hobbs.  All rights reserved and copyright owned by photographers)

All three of my children are amazing little people bursting with personality.  Each one has a unique approach to life; style and quirks that belong to him or her alone, and all are curious as the day is long.  (And believe me, some days are longer than others.)

I’ve written previously about my Benjamin and this post is yet again one in which I marvel at the creation that IS Bennie.  I realized today that my Ben is brimming with my new favorite word: muchness.

Every single thing we do has adventure potential.  Every little thing I say must be analyzed and decoded into “Ben language.”  Life is stretched out before us and is ripe with opportunity.  Nothing slides by unnoticed or unprocessed.  He is full of muchness.

He began a journal today that will contain all of the adventures we are going to have this summer.  He drew us playing doubles tennis against my husband and my mom.  He wrote: I am playing tennis tomorrow.  I love that his journal is to be a foreshadow of fun to come – not a look back at what we did.  He plans to draw it and then live it.

Is there a muchness within you that you’ve suppressed for too long?  I don’t mean this to be a “rah-rah you can be anything you want to be” post.  Reality is, we can’t be anything we want to be.  We do have limitations.  However, we all have things inside of us that we know we can do.  We all have things in our lives that we are doing.  You don’t have to climb a mountain to live a life of muchness.  Muchness comes from your belief that in whatever you are doing, you are all in.

This includes your faith.  Jesus spoke of the tragedy of lukewarm faith…a faith without much of anything.  The tragedy was – He said He would spew those lukewarmers from His mouth.

We can tell when someone is giving us half their attention, can’t we?  We know when we have given half of our attention to a project, or worse, to a person.  Friend, live with muchness – in your relationships, in your work and especially in your faith.  If you are there – BE there.  If you believe in something strongly enough to claim to have faith in it, then live it.  If you are depended upon, then be dependable.  If you have given your word – keep it.  Do what you do fully.  This challenge is to encourage myself just as much as I hope it touches someone else.

I dare you to draw a picture of yourself full of muchness.  What does that look like?  Now go do it.

~ Peace.

The imagery of God pruning us has been written about often throughout the centuries. He gave us that very picture Himself (John 15, Psalm 119:67-72 for example). Much like a good pruner trims not just that which is dead, but also that which is alive in order to bring about greater fruitfulness – He too will seek to whack from our lives that which is sin and also prune that which seems good; if it will yield greater growth.

Many of these parallels came to my mind as I worked my cedar trees. As my arms were cut, my back became sore, and my whole self dirty – I thought about the hurt I feel when God removes things from my life that appear good to me. I thought about the dirt and grime that accompanies dealing with sin. And then, I noticed something else.

Flying in circles above me were several very angry birds. Their screeching and squawking was undoubtedly directed at me. They swooped low with their cries and then flew away – only to return a few minutes later. My disturbance of their comfortable (albeit overgrown and mostly dead) home displeased them greatly.

Whether you are taking steps to cut out something from your life that is unhealthy or God is at work with His holy shears, you too will have your own squawkers. There are those people who would rather you stay in your muck. There are those that don’t want you to ever change because they are used to the same ol’ same ol’. Your change might mean they have to change. As a result, when you try and break old patterns; when you react differently; when you refuse to engage in a fight and instead forgive – you will have a squawking flock nearby with condemning or mocking words. Knowing it will come won’t make it easier to deal with – especially if the flock contains some of your loved ones. However, the One who can see the end result is the One to listen to when you hear the squawks.

My trees are looking much better. The squawkers appear to have moved on. My cuts are healing and my back is less sore. I’ve even cleared some beds and planted a small garden. And God is always good.

Peace.

The church gatherings that follow the formula portrayed in this video seek to appeal to all kinds of people at various places of faith.  Some come seeking answers; many are there who think they believe in God, but aren’t sure; several simply show up because a spouse makes them; the regulars might have a faith that transcends months -or- decades.

I am speaking here to those who believe Jesus is who He said He was and seek to be more like Him:  The biblical example given to us from Jesus and the early disciples was not this kind of church-experience.  If your faith comes along only on Sunday mornings – you are missing a crucial component of life with Christ.  Life with Christ is not a programmed Sunday experience.  Life is more than Sunday mornings.

In Ephesians 5:18, Paul commands us to “be filled with the (Holy) Spirit.”  This command is not a one-time command.  The verb “be filled” is a dynamic, or continual, verb.  Paul was saying, “Keep being filled with the Spirit and do not stop.”  The Spirit is God within us.  Continual prayer, giving thanks, listening, reading scripture,  talking about our faith with each other keeps us in a posture to hear from Him throughout our day.  If you think God wants your attention only on Sundays, you are sadly mistaken.  If your faith shows up only on Sundays and you can’t figure out why you don’t hear from God in your life – can you see the disconnect?

Watch.  And listen.

“Sunday’s Coming” Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

P.S. If you are not a Christian and you watch anyway – I need to state; we are all simply broken, faulty, human works-in-progress.  Thankfully, God does not give up on us.  Please don’t hold on to a distorted view of God because of cynicism of this kind of church gathering.  I’m not harsh on the gathering, I’m harsh on believing that you can do this on Sunday and walk out of the building giving God no more thought until the next time.  Seek Him and you will find Him.

~ Peace.

Most Christian women have, at some point or other, encountered The Proverbs 31 Woman.  When we meet her we do one of two things: We try a bit harder to add an extra dose of patience, love and graciousness to our lives -or- We roll our eyes and think, “Yeah, right.  No one can live up to those expectations.”  (I won’t tell you which group I am in)

Today, I’d like to challenge you with one of the verses from this Proverb.  Verse 1.  “The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his mother taught him.”  (emphasis mine)  Did you ever stop to consider that this proverb, about the ideal wife and mother, was taught to the writer by his own mother?  The qualities listed here were for her ideal daughter-in-law!  Now, a woman who is trustworthy, hardworking, patient, generous, business-savvy, forward-thinking, wise, excellent and most importantly, God-fearing would indeed be someone to hang onto, right men?  We women might find ourselves really good at a couple of these characteristics and “in-progress” on the others.  I am not suggesting there is a thing wrong with the description of this woman.  BUT – I’d like you to think about something for a moment…

How would King Lemuel’s Momma have felt if instead of the Proverbs 31 woman, King Lemuel brought home Jezebel?  Instead of bringing home a woman with the values she tried so hard to instill in her son, he brings home a woman who is the very opposite? Would she be disappointed?  Angry?  Hurt?

I’d like to suggest that how we demonstrate our love in those situations which greatly disappoint us give the most accurate snapshot of our heart condition.  It is easy to be a woman of grace when all is going our way.

The next time you meet the Proverbs 31 Woman, don’t compare yourself to her.  That will likely end in disappointment.  Rather, spend some time with the One who can soften your heart.  It is only as your heart becomes more and more like His that the rest will follow.  There will always be a woman who appears to “have it all together” much more so than you do.  There will always be someone with a bigger/better whatever.  Our measure is not against that person.  Our eyes must remain on someone else.  Any guess Who?

Peace to you on this Mother’s Day!

3 months ago, Donna and I decided to take on the adventure of organizing a benefit concert to aid the people of Haiti.  On Twitter one morning I noticed that someone retweeted a request from “GloryRumours.”  It said: “If anyone is planning to fundraise for Haiti, send me a message.”   I promptly did.  Turns out GloryRumours works for World Vision – the very company to which we planned to donate the relief money raised.    GloryRumours put me in touch with the World Vision coordinator for our area.  Her name is Eva.  Thus began a new relationship – strangers working together to make a difference for people across the planet.

Today I was blessed to meet my new friend Eva in person.  She was in town and popped by for a cup of coffee.  Cooper showed off his Mario prowess; Ben did handstands and Kacey pranced around in a flowered dress.  Eva and I shared coffee and chatted about the amazing ways we’ve seen God at work in our midst.

All of this to say – don’t dismiss chances for connection throughout your day.  Open your eyes, look around, notice what others are doing.  Listen for the prompting to say hello – or – respond to a request for help.  It may lead to a new friend in your kitchen.

Peace.

I awoke this morning at 6-ish.  After my morning coffee I was awake-ish.  Rushed around, made lunches, dressed kids and got the boys to school on time-ish.

Some days, I’m all about the “ish”.  I don’t have to get it exactly right… close enough is good enough.

Here is a thought for you.  Can you be “Christian-ish”?  I’d like to suggest… no!

In my humble opinion, for many in our culture, Christianity has come to mean nothing more than adherence (or not) to a defined set of behaviors.  Behaviors that include things like not swearing, not drinking too much (or at all), not yelling at your kids, and appearing wholesome, good and honest at all times.  When you fail at keeping up any standard that someone else has attributed to Christianity, your entire faith goes into question.

If someone sees you do or say something that is out of line, the first thing they may think is, “I can’t believe she did that!  I thought she was a Christian!”  Your ‘close enough’ to perfection is simply not good enough.  (Guess what? It never will be.) Do you question your own faith based on your behaviors?

Many people call themselves Christian because they believe themselves to be good people.  They do good deeds; they help the poor; they build homes for the homeless.  These are all wonderful things.  But often “Christianity” gets assumed based solely on these acts and Jesus is left out of it completely.  “I go to church.”  “I am a morally good person.”  “I treat others like I would like to be treated.”  I have heard these given as the primary reason someone believes him/herself to be Christian.

The problem is, those things can all become “ish”.

“I go to church almost every Sunday.”

“I usually treat people how I want to be treated.”

“Most of the time I am a good person.”

Once the “ish” sets in, are you still a Christian?  Here’s the good news…  Your salvation is not “ish”.  You either believe Christ is who He said He was and you have put your faith in Him for your salvation or you have not.  You either are or you are not baptized into Christ’s family.  You either have His Holy Spirit residing within you or you do not.

Do you call yourself a Christian?  If so, why?

When you ask Christ to guide you, change of behavior will result.  Not all at once.  It is a process.  But it doesn’t happen the flip way around.  You don’t ‘act good’ first and be ushered into salvation because of your behavior.  Now, you can’t control what others do or do not think about your faith.  What you can do is check your heart and see who it belongs to.  That will let you know if you are rock solid in your salvation.  And now, I’m feeling peckish and am off in search of a snack!

Peace.

Enjoy!  Peace ~

kp

XYV

With a gleeful snicker, most any kindergartener can demonstrate their newly acquired alphabetic ability to an unzipped friend, “XYZ.”

You might have been the embarrassed-and-hopefully-not-scarred-for-eternity recipient. Or you could have been the thinking-you-were-clever-and-glad-it-wasn’t-you deliverer of the phrase.  XYZ.

Examine. Your. Zipper.

As adults we may still use the phrase. We may still snicker. Or be embarrassed. Depending on which end of the phrase we are on.

How about a new phrase that more often & more seriously applies to adults? XYV.

Examine. Your. Values.

Just as the downed zipper may expose the garments we think are guarded, so too do our words, or lack of, & our actions, or lack of, speak of our values.

No matter what you say.

No matter what you do.

Your values are showing.

XYV.

- Aaron Householder