The Long Walk Home

On a slightly more interesting note, or perhaps one that won’t require the scorn of my one and a half readers. I’ve been loving Paul’s (that’s Paul of the Bible variety) sarcastic counselling methods recently.

Sarcastic counselling is best practised by my brother, who employs it with abandon in my direction, a typical conversation could go something like this:
Kath (moaning)– “I’m so rubbish, how can I ever come back to God, how could he take me back again”.
Mark (deadpan with sarcastic undertones): “Yes, you are the only person that has sinned too much, the only person beyond God’s love, God could never forgive you, I think he could never love you again, He’s not all full of grace and love really.”
Kath realises how ridiculous this makes her sound, and remembers that God does actually love her, and wants her back right now.

It works well. Paul uses this method lots when it comes to the Galatian Christians. I am particularly enjoying his questions in chapter 3.

“I would like to learn just one thing from you, did you receive the Spirit by observing the Law or by believing what you have heard? Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit are you now trying to attain your goal through human effort? Does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you because you observe the law or because you believe what you heard?”

The answer to each one of those questions is glaringly obvious when stated like that. And yet I need someone to be that sarcastic with me. To point out the glaringly obvious, because I do try and attain stuff by my own effort, I do sometimes think it’s about my ability to follow God’s commands instead of gratefully accepting and believing in the God who became a curse for me. It’s about nothing I can do, and everything that He has done. It makes no sense for me to try and get the Spirit on my own effort, or try and make God work his miracles because of my ability to keep commandments. It makes every sense to hold out my hands and receive the gift based on a promise that had everything to do with God’s ability to keep it and not mine. Now that’s freedom, that’s joy. That is real life.

On Saturday I indulged myself in one of my favourite activities. Cd shopping. I bought some good ones. Two of those are completely different but brilliant in their own ways. If you want happy cheery smily music, and yes, once in a while that is allowed. Buy the Go Team’s new album “Thunder, Lightening, Strike”, I haven’t listened to music that has made me grin innanely for a while.

The other Cd which has the oppostite effect on me was Patti Smith’s “Horses”. Apparently a classic, this was my first introduction. I listened to it in my car this morning on the way to work. It scared me. Music hasn’t scared me for a long time. She scared me. And made me go ooooooooo and feel indescribable things. She had a effect on me. Any album which starts with the line, “Jesus died for sins, but not for mine” has got to be worth listening to.

Neighbours.
Everybody needs good neighbours.
Just a little understanding can make the perfect day.

Well it is the 20th Anniversary this week, which is of some note. I’m not sure whether to be delighted at the episode today or whether to check myself into a rehab clinic. The levels my addiction has got to recently are quite concerning. There is no rational defence for the joy induced by today’s episode. It just made me happy, so there you go. Fear not, I will not become a neighbours evangelist and will try and accept others from different persuasions. If you are nice to me.

Well, I’m back in my parents house for a night, which is a slightly random experience. Being back in the parental household always offering slightly too many random memories of the past which seem to hang around. Interesting as ever to visit the past, but I think it’s a place best avoided for most of the time, I am after all a different person to the teenage me that lived here. Which, if you were aware of me back then, you’ll know is a Good Thing.

Anyway tonight the topic is living in the moment. Which comes from hearing a student talk about how we always seem to live for the next big thing in our lives, either worrying about it or looking forward to it. So much so that we fail to look around at the day we have before us, tending instead to rush through it constantly thinking about what’s next. I did want to ask her if she had read my mind recently. But telapathic insights aside. It’s a good point. We are made to live today. To encourage each other Today. To follow the leadings and opportunties God gives us Today. As someone once said. “This is the day that the Lord has made.” After all tomorrow has enough worries of it’s own, and best of all the mercies from God are new in it. We can live each day as it comes, we can live in each moment, asking God to work in it. We can break free from the living for the weekend culture of our lives.

At least I hope we can, because I’d quite like too, and because that would enable me to embrace each day as it comes, trusting in God to work through today and not just worrying or wishing away the time given to me right now. However, Today is about to come to an end and Tomorrow will soon be Today, but over the otherside of sleep lies a day fresh with new mercy and grace and a God who has been working through the night before I’ve even woken up. I will wake up in his world, to live in what he has prepared for me that day. For now I can sleep. Safe in the knowledge that he is at work and does not slumber or sleep. I can. And I will. See you in the morning.

This from my favorite author. (who isn’t Mr Peterson…) Mr Adrian Plass. A quote that reminds me what I want my life to be about.

“I tried to say that there are days when I feel very worried and confused about the church- a little frightened even at times. But as we sat in the darkness of our sitting-room tonight, with that tiny light shinning in the middle of our group, I knew that in the very heart of my heart, that the church will be alright in the end. And it will be all right beacuse there will always be just a few people like Edwin around in every generation. People who when the tongues have stopped, and the prophecies have ended, and the kangaroo hopping has come to a standstill, and the religous posing and postering fools nobody anymore, will still be ready and willing to genuinely share the burdens of the little people who are close to them, committed to the staggering eternal truth that we are all one body because we all partake of one bread.” (from The Sacred Diary aged 45).