Welcome to our blog! This is a place to share ideas, thoughts, concerns and joys of our faith journey. I'll be posting sporadically, but hope you will feel free to comment and join in the discussions.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Winsome?

I was reading from William Barclay today about the book of Acts. Before I get rolling, I would like to suggest that if ever you wanted to read some superb explanations of the New Testament, Barclay is your man! He brings about a clarity, at least for me that I don't have a lot of times.

Anyway, the passage he was writing about was Acts 2: 42-47, that marvelous passage which talks about the new church and how the newly hatched Christians were with one another and with everyone they met. The verses talk about their sharing, their giving, their camaraderie and their joyous participation in all of this. And it was then that I was struck with Barclay's explanation of the early Christians based on what verse 46 states. It says that the early church was a happy church. Barclay says the following, "Real Christianity is a lovely thing. There are so many people who are good, but with their goodness possess a streak of unlovely hardness. Struthers of Greenoch used to say that it would help the Church more than anything else if Christians ever and again would do a bonnie thing. In the early Church there was a winsomeness in God's people."

A "winsomeness" in God's people. Winsome means-according to the dictionary--charming, with an attractiveness of appearance or manner. What if more people wanted to be like Christians because of what they see when they see us in action? Wouldn't that be great? What if being a Christian in today's world meant more along the lines of "come join us in our attractiveness" than "don't bother, you're not good enough"? Too often Christians are so busy building fences, then we forget to erect ways to climb the fence. We are so busy making sure everything is right according to "the good book" that they forget that the book is for everyone, especially someone who has never heard it before. And that there might not be room for everyone, but it isn't for you and me to decide who fits where and when. I want that kind of Christianity. The kind that is-well-kind. And considerate and sharing and not so judgmental all the time and not so rules laden.

I want to be a winsome Christian. How about you?

Saturday, June 18, 2011

I Will Be With You Always

After I wrote the above title, I got a little squeamish. I don't mean I-personally-with be with you always, I was quoting from the reading for this week. This is Holy Trinity Sunday, a time to remember that the three in one is with all of us, for always. Sometimes it's hard to remember that fact. Sometimes you just want God to be there and the other two can go take a rest. Sometimes you feel the need to walk with Jesus and God needs to go into the other room while you just talk to him and unburden yourself. And sometimes the Holy Spirit is hovering around showing you stuff and you just can't believe that anything or anyone else could add to that! But the thing that is great to remember is that no matter whom you wish to communicate with,you get the whole package. You can't have one without the other. Like the old song says (except it was talking about Love and Marriage and we all know that isn't necessarily true!). So you get the package deal with the trinity. And that isn't a bad thing you know. Unleashing your guilt to Jesus will remind you that Jesus was human and understands. But God is right there as well, listening and having compassion just as he had with his son. And the Holy Spirit is right there too, with whispering mists of grace and light, so you won't feel abandoned. And if you feel as though the Spirit is guiding you and uplifting you, you know that Jesus is just as delighted as you are and that God is happy to see you enjoying it as well.

A package deal. For always. You just can't get that anywhere else nowadays. No guarantees for anything anymore. Except God. And Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They'll always be around. Always. Thank goodness.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

The Choice Every Day

I read something recently that struck a chord with me. It was in one of the blogs I read and in it, the author quoted a friend who said this, "You have a choice every morning when you wake up. That's a gift." She was talking about attitude here. The attitude you have when you get up in the morning, before your coffee. The way you approach your day has a lot to do with the way the day will go, it seems. I believe that the way we view each day, whether we have God present or not, makes or breaks the day as well. On the days that I have no time to myself and I'm running hither and yon trying to fix something, finish something or finesse something and haven't once stopped to either ask God to be with me or help me, is a day where nothing seems to go right. I'm spinning my wheels all day and I'm going no where. BUT, on those days that God and I talk first thing in the morning and ask for guidance and help throughout the day, well, those are the good days. Not that everything goes wrong on the days I don't have God in mind or everything goes right on the days I do. But my attitude about the things that do happen is very different.

And so I propose an idea. Suppose we try, for just a week or so to make the choice every day to being with a bowl of cereal and God (or an egg or a glass of juice or whatever your morning break of fast is) before the day starts. And we decide that the day will be interspersed with asking for correction, guidance and just plain love and that we end the day thanking God for those moments that we felt the Almighty's presence. I think it's an experiment that has merit and sometimes these things develop into habits, too!

I want to leave this with one other quote, from that same page, from that same author. She had been shot and is finally getting herself back together and the woman who was writing to her, telling her to keep up her spirits said this, "The sun came up this morning and I am here to see it. By definition, it's a good day."

Amen to that.