in and out

I've had a fair bit of spare time over the last month, so I've been going to the gym a lot more often - aiming for every weekday. It's been great, but one thing I have noticed is that I am so much more hungry now! I've been trying to eat more than I used to, yet I keep getting hungry...

While I was at the gym this morning, I started thinking about how important it is for me to up my intake, if I want to keep up this exercise routine. If I don't, all the good I do in building muscle, etc will be lost, as my body searches for food within itself (given from food intake, burning fat, etc), and if it can't find any, it'll look for other sources (muscles, etc), and all the good will be undone.

As I was thinking this, it hit me that there is a lesson to be learned there by those who are more active in ministry than others.

As we increase the frequency of our "exercise" (engaging with people, preaching, running meetings, etc, etc), are we increasing how much we are eating, too (prayer, silence, meditation, Bible reading, etc)? If not, why should we not expect our bodies (or is that our souls?) to start "eating themselves"? Soul care is important not just so that we are more productive, more efficient, or whatever, but so that we have the spiritual energy to exercise properly, and to benefit not only others, but ourselves, as we do so.

As I've written previously, doing weights is all about breaking down muscle, so that when it rebuilds, it is stronger. Without food for that rebuild process, though, it doesn't happen. So, when God calls us to step outside our comfort zone, we need to have the food there, so that our spiritual muscles can rebuild. If we don't take time in prayer, reflection, stillness, not only do we miss out on much needed rest, but also the food that will allow us to be stronger next time.

a perfect evening

Last night, we went to "Symphony Under The Stars" - the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra playing at Elder Park. It was a magnificent night for it...

The sunset was amazing, the ASO were spot on, there was a light breeze, so it wasn't too hot, not too cold.

As the orchestra played, I wondered why more has not been written about the concept of the Church as orchestra - there are so many parallels:

• Everyone needing to play their part
• No part more or less important than any other
• When they work together, the music is beautiful and awe-inspiring
• Sometimes it's your turn to shine, sometimes you need to allow others to step to the fore
• As you follow the conductor, things stay in synch

I was also struck by the parallels between the impact of the orchestra and the church on the people around:

• There are numbers of people who are pretty much unmoved by the music (eg "I'm just here to pick up...")
• There are others who think it's all about them, not about being moved by the music of the orchestra
• There are some who simply talk and miss the whole thing
• The orchestra continues playing, in the hope that in the end, people will be moved by the music

I'm sure there are lots of other thoughts, but there's some to get someone started - I'm sure there's a book idea there somewhere...

being tight has its advantages

I have a confession to make - well, two, actually. First, I love getting new clothes. For some reason, I really enjoy getting new clothes - whether they are jeans, shorts, t-shirts, shoes, whatever. I'm a big fan.

The second confession flies in the face of the first, though... I hate spending money on clothes. Part of the reason for that is that I've picked up too many bargains, particularly at DFOs and, more recently, Target clearance sales (yes, I shop at Target... and K-Mart. So?) I've often found I can pick up t-shirts for under $5, and have been known to get jeans for less than $10. The idea, then, of spending any more than $10 on a t-shirt, and any more than $20 on a pair of jeans seems odd to me, now, which can be frustrating.

However, Tuesday, I found a real bonus about point 2. My good friend Chris Folmsbee once told me that he and his family aim to clear out their clothes every so often - donating clothes that they are not wearing to charity, because, as we all know, it's real easy to accumulate a lot of clothing. So, I've been trying to do the same thing, and on Tuesday, I gave 2 big bags of clothes and about 5 pairs of shoes to Goodwill. I said to Ali while we were doing it that it's a lot easier to give clothes away when you know they only cost you $5 in the first place, rather than giving away clothes that cost $60 or whatever. Something to think about.

what josh is teaching me about God #7

This morning, we took the kids to a new playground around the corner from us - so much fun. One thing I'm not sure about yet, though, is that to get to their bumpy slide, you either had to scale a rubber rope, or climb a series of plastic tyres arranged near each other, but certainly not in an easy manner to climb.

Josh wasn't real keen on the idea - he desperately wanted to get to that slide, but freaked out climbing up the tyres. I helped him (eventually) get up there, using the usual tactics ("I've got you", "look at me, don't look down", etc), but he really didn't enjoy the process, only the end result. Of course, once he'd been down the slide, he had another few goes at getting up there, with varying levels of success (the fact Rachel scaled up there (with Ali's help) fearlessly seemed to have little effect on him...)

What I was thinking about, though, was whether God wants us to be completely dependent on him all the time. Now, I know God wants us to depend on him, not on ourselves, others, our career, etc, but let me explain. My purpose in helping Josh up to the slide was to teach him how to do it on his own. He really didn't need me to hold him there, balancing him (I was happy to do it, though), and it was actually holding him back from being able to do something I knew he could do. So, I started wondering about whether God's growth in us is about us learning to stand on our own, to do the things he's enabled us to do - not that we do it on our own, we have his Spirit empowering us, certainly, and Jesus promised he would be with us always - but that God wants us to grow in our security enough to be able to climb and slide, knowing he's with us.

I'm not sure - in some ways it seems like a negative thought, that we wouldn't need God, and I'm not trying to justify us depending on our own strength. I just wonder whether we go too far the other way sometimes, and because of that, miss out on doing some things God knows we can do.

where everybody knows your name...

Over the last week, I've spent quite a bit of time with some of my closest friends, as they and I begin the process of me moving from RBC to whatever is next.

At a number of times over the last week, the conversation has turned to "so... what would you like to do?" (as in what would you like to do - play golf, watch the cricket, or do something else - not the longer, more reflective "what would you like to do with your life?" question.)

Most times, I've struggled to have an answer, and it hit me yesterday that I think the reason for that is because I actually don't care too much. Before my friends who read this get offended, though, let me clarify. I haven't been able to give an answer, because what I want to do is be with my friends. What we do while we're together, doesn't really bother me - I just enjoy being in their company, and whatever happens, well, pretty much, I'll be happy!

How blessed we are to have great friends.

so...

Well, it's been a while - nearly a month, in fact. The main reason that I haven't been doing any blogging during that time has been that I've just finished up as one of the Pastors at Rostrevor Baptist Church. It's been quite a journey, I have to say, and I'm appropriately proud of the work that God has accomplished during my time there. The last month has been slightly odd, finishing up, cleaning out my office, etc, but I feel at peace.

Moving on has been a journey of trust - trusting that God was speaking, and trusting that God will provide. I currently don't have anything 100% definite that I will be going to, but there is an option which we are exploring which looks amazing - pretty much my dream job. More on that as info comes to hand.

In the meantime, it's great to have a bit of space - space to do some writing, space to spend with family, space to spend with friends, space to pray and listen. Hopefully, I might be able to find some space to think and reflect in there, too.

what josh is teaching me about God #6

I arrived home from the U.S. yesterday, and it was so great to see Ali, Josh and Rachel again. I missed them a lot while I was away, and Josh didn't cope real well the last few days.

As is our custom at nights, last night I lay down with Josh to talk about his day, and (not surprisingly) he didn't want me to leave. Ali was at music rehearsal for Sunday morning, so I said to Josh I'd stay a bit longer if we could just lie still and not talk (he really needed to go to sleep). That moment was one of the richest of my life. he snuggled into me, and just lay there (something pretty rare for Josh!), letting me stroke his hair... bliss.

Then it hit me - maybe that's how God sees us when we've been away for a time. He doesn't want us to necessarily talk and tell him everything, grovel or enter with fear, but just says "let's lie here for a while - it's great to have you home".

what's really important?

I've had the pleasure of spending the last few days in Kansas City and Chicago with my very good friend, Chris Folmsbee. Today, a snowstorm came through Chicago, something I've not seen before. It was exciting and fun (I even got to shovel snow for the first time...)

What has amazed me, though, is how things can just shut down. We saw news reports about 400 flights being canceled at O'Hare, the trains stopping, the roads coming to a near standstill - and it wasn't even a bad storm! Apparently it gets a lot worse at times, and things can shut down pretty much altogether.

It's so easy for us to expect things to happen - from our favourite food being available at the supermarket to our sporting team to play a certain way, from planes being available when they're supposed to be, to people driving the way we expect them to. And when they don't... isn't that a great opportunity to realise that maybe something we thought was vital actually wasn't, and in that disconnect, we allow our minds to repent, and see things from a totally different point of view.

the desert

Last week, we went on a road trip to Canberra for Ali's brother's wedding. 14 hours each way, driving across the hay plain...
For those of you who don't know, the Hay Plain is a huge strip of road that connects Adelaide and Sydney and Canberra. It's a couple hundred kms of road, that in places is just plain straight for kms on end.

It's a very desolate place, and as we were driving it, I found myself able to pray and think really clearly, because there was nothing to distract me and a thought struck me that I'd never considered before. One of the advantages of desert experiences, and, I think, one of the reasons they are so powerful is because there are no distractions. As we move into the desert (whether that is literally or figuratively) we move away from the distractions that stop us thinking clearly, hearing clearly, praying clearly.

The other thing that hit me is that the purpose of spiritual disciplines (including the discipline of simplicity) is to take us into the desert - into places where we can move away from distractions, and hear, listen and pray.

hoping to live... but not living

I read this quote from Blaise Pascal (French mathematician and theologian who lived in the 17th century) today - wow.

"We never keep our minds on the present moment. We remember the past, as if we wanted to slow down the passage of time. And we look forward to the future, as if we wanted time to accelerate. We wander about in times that do not belong to us, and do not think about the only time that does. We dream of times past and future, and flee from the present. The reason is that the present is usually painful. We push it out of sight because it distresses us - only on those few occasions which are truly enjoyable are we sorry to see time slip away. We try to reduce present pain with joyful hopes of the future, planning how we are going to arrange things in a period over which we have no control and which we cannot be sure of reaching... The past and the present are our means, and the future alone is our end. Thus we never actually live, but hope to live. We are never actually happy, but constantly planning how to become happy."

What a challenge to think about the present in a different way...