Scarcity verses Abundance

In this age of economic down turn and political, national and world wide unrest, scarcity thinking is running rampant. It seems that if we have grown up in a community of lack, we revert back to that thinking when we are pressed. Circumstances then determine what is impractical and pragmatism of the 'real' must be applied. Hope, risk and creativity are not just muted they are outlawed.

Steven Covey, author of Principled Centered Leadership, describes these mindsets with great clarity. Abundance thinking is hope and trust centered. It was established from the very foundations of the earth and is brilliant with its application. Brilliant as acting on its behalf sheds light in a seemingly ever darkening landscape and brilliant that same action leads us in better directions.

The people of God have the confidence of faith, to invest themselves and their human capital in ways that honor abundance thinking and other foundational principles. They are all based on the unshakable, unfailing, never ending love that comes from above. These are times prepared for such a people. How and where can you invest yourself that would allow yourself to shine?

Wisdom of Solomon

Just this morning I was I woke up to a report on gay marriage. I started thinking about what I believe on this divisive subject. I feel that community and relationships are foundational to my understanding of God. For me the Trinity: Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit is the ultimate form of community. Jesus uses this 'one' language when describing His relationship to the Father as does the apostle Paul when he talks about the relationship between a husband and wife. A complete new entity is formed by these unions and it seems that they are by design not to be divided.

In the old testament, there was a king Solomon who the Bible says was the wisest man that ever lived or will live. (Sorry Dr Hawkings) In the text is a story of two woman fighting over a child. Both mothers claimed it was theirs. To solve the conflict Solomon declared that the baby be cut in two. Once hearing his verdict the birth mother disavowed any claim to the baby. Solomon understood that because of this idea of oneness, who the mother was.

Is it possible that this baby gives the understanding to why marriage was designed to produce one flesh and can not be duplicated by same sex couples? Simply accepting this does not produce any sort of solution. If nothing else it divides us even further from each other and gives more force into the argument. If only Solomon was here now to help us diffuse the situation and bring order to this chaos.

In this world with a fallen humanity, and regarding our relationships with our same sex brothers and sisters, what represents the baby and how can it be spared?

40 Days of Easter

This Easter I wanted to not only prepare for Easter through Lent, but to give the resurrection the same kind of 40 day attention. I have challenged our Fellowship to think about what kinds of things can they pick up for the King and Kingdom. It has been more of a challenge than I thought. It is difficult to know what things would be meaningful and not gimmicky.

So far I have decide to focus on the people I would say I love and yet seem to be the people who get the least of me. I am attempting to tell my wife and children I love then in different ways every day.
My wife Andrea seemed stunned that I wanted to know how I could be more Christ like to her. After 24 hours and several requests she told me to take a day off. Ouch...

So far what I have discovered is that by picking up just any old thing, its possible to do more harm than good. Who are the people you would say you love and what would being more Christ like look like for them?

Trust as the ultimate form of love?

Andrea asked me last night what I liked the most about being married. This had every feeling of being a trap. Of course I thought a bit before I blurted out, "The Sex!". Then instead I said it was a great question, squirming as I wanted to appear romantic and spiritual. 

The answers all seemed to obvious. Sex, sharing life, kids... As I thought more on the question over my New Orleans pasta, (Duncan Creek Wine Bar & Grill in Chippewa). The thing I appreciate the most about being married is the trust. The trust is what allows for great sex and physical intimacy. Its trust that allows for a physical union where one plus one equals in our case five or nine.  Its trust that fosters the wanting to share the best and worst parts of who we are. 

My question is; is this the kind of love God has for us? Is free will and the entrusting of that gift, (what ever form you believe in), the ultimate form of divine love?  If so what have you done with this love and how do you reflect this to the ones you love?