Just an ordinary day...

It is funny, I guess I thought it would be a little more dramatic. I prayed "the prayer" and went through the day anticipating a surprise...but the day was like so many others. My computer for work was sent away more than a week ago...it was still gone and my daily forays into the world of retail and wholesale have come to a halt. My office is tidy, which means, I am barely out there working. My office is tidy, which means I have more time on my hands than normal. My office is tidy...to some, espescially my former secretaries (and my mother) that would be a surprise. The day slipped by, we went grocery shopping at night...something I have always found surreal. The dog and I slipped into the warm evening and walked around our quiet little town.

Was there a surprise...I don't think so. I am going to speak at a retreat in the fall, for a guy, who was a kid in my youth group in Langley. I am always conscious of the unique connections I have with my past in ministry and yesterday the reality of saying yes to my friend seemed like the connecting of some big "circle of life". There are a lot of those connections...in my life. Sometimes they are hard to manage, sometimes they are too full of surpises. Today I said yes to speaking at his retreat and I am excited (that is a good thing) and I want to do well (that is an even better thing) and the ordinary day turned into something extraordinary because I was connected yet again to the truth, that my life has been (and is) a life of influence.

I just have to say that our small group began to pray this prayer as well. We met last night and the night was full, of conversation, concern and comradery. It was sweet. I wonder what is happening to them, for them? Even as we speak, God is at work...

One More Sleep...

One more sleep and the experiment begins...tonight we get ready with our small group.

Yesterday I met with a Pastor friend from the city. He talked, I mostly listened (surprise!). He talked about having to "play the game" and about the politics of leadership in a church. It was as if it was all the most normal thing in his world. And maybe it is. It made me sad and grateful at the same time.

Sad...because he is the kind of guy who would fit right into our small group. But he won't ever make it as long as he is "in the game". Sad, because I don't think Jesus ever meant for church to be a political game, or for Pastors to have to play it! Sad, because, on some level I am sure I have played the game as well.

Grateful, because my life has become an opportunity to step out of the game and just be with people. Grateful for our small group and their unique take on "life together"...I am sure we all have a long way to go...but we are learning something about what Jesus probably had in mind when he said, "feed my sheep". Speaking of which I heard there is carrot cake coming...bring it on!

There is a thing that counsellors call "existance guilt". It works something like this...I live in a nicer house and more stable environment than my brothers. Occasionally I feel guilty for the life I have when I see how difficult and harsh their lives are. Others may live in a nicer house than their parents, or have a bigger income than their inlaws...and a form of "existance guilt" floats around the edges of their thinking. Having coffee with my Pastor friend brought on a bought of that...but only temporarily. I am learning something about "existance grace"...that is the life I have, I don't deserve, but by God's grace and the mercy of Jesus the life I have is rich in friends, family and supply.

Tuesday...the Journals

I am putting together the journals for the experiment...and thinking about yesterday...I said I hate Mondays but it turned into an interesting day. Peg and I went to the hospital to visit a friend. While he was seeing his nurse we went to get some coffee (naturally!). We saw this little man waiting for the interminabley slow elevators. Peggy saw him again later and asked him if he had gotten to the floor he wanted...He said three words..."I am Lost"... We tried to talk it through with him...but it was soon apparent he needed someone along side to help him find his way out of the hospital. Crazy as it sounds...it was very difficult to find an exit.

It turns out that George from Coppermine had come from the NWT to the hospital for some tests. We walked through the maze together and eventually connected him to the place that was supposed to provide a ride. He was greatful, friendly, bewildered, funny and 4.5 feet tall...

You don't have to be Dr. Laura or Billy Graham to see the picture here. George from Coppermine was lost and we were there to walk him through the bewildering maze. Jesus said, "I will not leave you as orphans"...thank God.

I hate Mondays

Just looked at the week ahead...I hate Mondays...I better change the way I think...let's review...A busy weekend...a great show at Millwoods P. A. So much to get done...the dog has a deck and a gate on her pen, my office is cleaned up and the vacuum is fixed...the kids are in school! So it is a good time to think about this Surprise Me God Experiment. I am surprised that our small group has taken it so quickly to heart...this week we will look at the concept (as old as the Bible) of open sharing...I think it would be good to look at aphrehensions about praying a prayer like "Surprise Me". On Thursday morning we will start...it should be a wild ride. It was obvious...on Sunday that people are thinking about it. One of our group members was "Surprised" to find that half of his accounts were closed on his route. Not the kind of surprise we were thinking of. I am so glad they are a part of our group. Bad news can be spread a little thinner, dark clouds can be made a little brighter when we carry them together...I don't want to be cliche but I am wondering about what God is going to do in that situation...