grapefields.

An Invitation

Every single day we are invited to a beautiful thing. Life. I have such a hard time not letting my cynicism get in the way. This world is so broken and I can’t escape it. I see it everywhere. It’s hard to see every day as a gift and as a joy when it feels like everything around me is falling apart and that there is nothing I can do to really help people out. 

Life is beautiful though. It IS. 

I am reading “Love Does” by Bob Goff right now. It’s so hilarious. This guy is LIVING life. He finds such a joy in life and in a sense, a lightness. Sometimes I think I get too serious so books like this are good for me. 

He has changed my perspective on every day. This is a quote that I try to think about every day. Soak it in! 

“I get the invitation every morning when I wake up to actually live a life of complete engagement, a life of whimsy, a life where love does. It doesn’t come in an envelope. It’s ushered in by a sunrise, the sound of a bird, or the smell of coffee drifting lazily from the kitchen. It’s the invitation to actually live, to fully participate in this amazing life for one more day.  Nobody turns down an invitation to the White House, but I’ve seen plenty of people turn down an invitation to fully live.  Turning down this invitation comes in lots of flavours. It looks like numbing yourself or distracting yourself or seeing something really beautiful as just normal.  It can also look like refusing to forgive or not being grateful or getting wrapped around the axle of fear or envy. I think every day God sends us an invitation to live and sometimes we forget to show up or get head-faked into thinking we haven’t really been invited.  But you see, we have been invited - every day, all over again.” 

I think my favourite part of this is the fact that a big part in not living life and living a life of engagement is seeing beautiful things as normal. My roomie and I have become a little obsessed about savouring things. It’s one simple way to be thankful for things and to realize that little things are beautiful. It’s a cup of tea or birds singing in the morning or a quick but good conversation or an encouraging word. Those little things need to be savoured because it’s the little things that make life so beautiful. I even just like that word. 

Every morning, I try to wake up and see the day as an invitation. Jesus said that through him, we can have life to the full - to live abundantly. I think part of this is seeing the beauty in the little things and being deeply grateful for these things. It’s such a terrible thing to not be thankful and I really believe that this is the reason so many people don’t find joy in life. We need to realize that nothing comes from us. Everything is from God and it’s so important to realize this and to thank him. I think God made these beautiful things to romance us in a way. He loves us and it’s one of the ways that he displays that love to us. 

Go to the mountains. You’ll believe me. It’s breath-taking. 

Enjoy the little things. Love the big things. Savour everything. Every day you’re invited to really live and to spread this love, joy, and hope that we have in Christ. 

Pride is a Cheat.

I heard this poem at a conference I was at this weekend (which included Donald Miller…had to throw that in there). I heard this poem and found it to be so thought provoking and convicting. Pride is so invasive it’s unreal. 

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
I cheat you of your God-given destiny…
because you demand your own way.
I cheat you of contentment…
because you “deserve better than this.”
I cheat you of knowledge…
because you already know it all.
I cheat you of healing…
because you are too full of you to forgive.
I cheat you of holiness…
because you refuse to admit when you are wrong.
I cheat you of vision…
because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.
I cheat you of genuine friendship…
because nobody’s going to know the real you.
I cheat you of love…
because real romance demands sacrifice.
I cheat you of greatness in heaven…
because you refuse to wash another’s feet on earth.
I cheat you of God’s glory…
because I convinced you to seek your own.
My name is Pride. I am a cheater.
You like me because you think I’m always looking out for you.
Untrue.
I’m looking to make a fool of you.
God has so much for you, I admit, but don’t worry…
If you stick with me you’ll never know.

Happiness in the little and beautiful things.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/the-happiest-facts-of-all-time

Life needs to change.

One good and necessary thing in life is to confronted with things that completely disrupt one’s comfortable and “easy” life. It is astonishing how different some people live. Lately it’s been like God continues to make me uncomfortable  It seems that I keep learning more and more disgusting things about how people live and how pervasive sin is and how desperately lonely, abused, and marginalized so many people are. I ask myself two huge questions: What am I doing? and where the heck is the church?

Last night Chris and I headed to the streets of Hamilton with a group of people and the things we learned about the city are absolutely nuts. The pastor of the church we went with knew a lot and he told us about things that were going on in Hamilton, different buildings, etc. When we ran across prostitutes we offered them water, granola bars, mittens, etc.

My mind is blown. These are PEOPLE. I have been so oblivious. First of all, a blind eye would never know.. these women are not young, sexy chicks. They are tired moms trying to support their families and people who need money to support their drug addiction and people who have no choice because of trafficking and slavery. They are all caught in a cycle of poverty or abuse or a system or feel helpless.  Well I enjoy Friday night hockey or a cup of tea at a cafe downtown or the art crawl, there are women around the block who are waiting to be picked up to give away their body.. and soul… for money. Maybe this is not an awesome thing, but I can’t really enjoy things the way I used to. I knew this kind of thing happened but once you are there and you see it, everything changes. It causes you to sit and wonder why the church isn’t doing something.  Imagine if Christians obeyed Jesus.. or better yet.. acted like Jesus and hung out with prostitutes. I think the the movement of the churches and Christians to urban cores is super-powerful and I pray it continues. God will be present there and things can change as we advocate, care, and sacrifice. 

On the way home, we passed a woman who had been standing on a street-corner for at least forty five minutes. At first I did not even believe she was selling herself - you would honestly never guess, but no one stands on a corner for that long without some kind of a purpose. I wanted to cry in helplessness. I told Chris - what is stopping us from just pulling over and just .. taking her home and giving her a safe place. I know you can’t just do that.. but sometimes I think - really, why not? 

Jesus made it so clear that Christians live to be His hands and his feet. We are so naturally self-centred and concerned with our own lives. When you are in the cold and see people who’s lives are RADICALLY different than ours.. you need to stop and think that that is really how some people LIVE. 

lukewarm.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UGt42UbVqg

Sometimes I fear for Western Christians. We are so complacent. We aren’t radical people. Our fruits don’t show. We are sub-cultural but so many are not counter-cultural. It’s so important to really examine ourselves and make sure that we are submitting to Christ and that we are walking in step with the Spirit. If we let the Holy Spirit rule our lives, we should be developing fruit that makes it obvious to others that we are living our lives for Christ. 

It scares me in my own life.  Do I just know what to say or am I deep down in love with Jesus and keeping my eyes on him? Do I have a passion for him? 

These aren’t things of little significance. 

aphesis7:

How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? (Proverbs 1:22a). 

It is not that our desires are too strong and lead us into sin, but that our desires are too weak and we allow them to be “satisfied” by that which is least.