(Borrowed from Richard J. Vincent, God In The Ordinary)

If we lived in light of God’s presence we would see God in everything. Every aspect of life would be transformed.

3. When we see God in everything, we discover that there are truly no wasted moments in life. God can be known in all aspects of life and not merely in our morning “devotional exercises.” Too often, we confine God into a small area of our life labeled “devotions” – usually a short time of reading Scripture. Sadly, our 7-minute devotions are often used to unintentionally (and perhaps even unconsciously) neglect God for the remainder of the day. When we see God in everything, our encounters with God broaden beyond morning (or afternoon or evening) devotions.

(Borrowed from Richard J. Vincent, God In The Ordinary)

If we lived in light of God’s presence we would see God in everything. Every aspect of life would be transformed.

2. The small would become great in the presence of God. We would realize that there are no trivial things in the sight of God. We must constantly beware of the dangerous tendency we have to believe God only works in big events, big churches, and big programs with big leaders. All deeds – great and small, big or little – done for God are eternally significant. As many prominent saints have noted in the past, God is not looking for great deeds, but small deeds done with great love. If we awaken to God’s presence in all things we will discover countless opportunities to minister to others – a smiling face that ministers grace, a kind and encouraging word at the right time, slowing down to listen (really listen) to others. All these things and more can make the difference between joy and despair, healing or hurting, heaven or hell. Ultimately, everything in relationship to God’s greatness and glory is “small.” Since we really can only do small things, we should do them with great faith and great love in the presence of God, and in doing so, the small things become great!

(Borrowed from Richard J. Vincent, God In The Ordinary)

If we lived in light of God’s presence we would see God in everything. Every aspect of life would be transformed.

1. The secular would become sacred in the presence of God. The distinction between one’s “spiritual life” and one’s “secular life” would evaporate completely. Everything would become charged with the grandeur of God. Common dualistic divides would lose their significance – the ordinary would become super-ordinary, the natural supernatural, the physical spiritual, and the secular sacred. The world would become aflame with glory. Childlike wonder would be restored. Everything would become new, full of mystery and possibility. The tedious boredom of secularization would be replaced by the fresh excitement of the sacramental possibilities of all creation.

“If the church doesn’t reach out to the community, people won’t come.
But if people come into our churches and don’t sense the presence of God,
they’re not going to return”

More and more I find myself drawn to the concept of mystery.
As a student of theology, my mind has attempted to comprehend God and the things of God.
But by doing so, I have emptied God of everything that makes God God!
The incomprehensible cannot be comprehended.
So many teachings of the church – the incarnation, the virgin birth, the trinity, the inspiration of Scripture, the relationship between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility, the problem of evil, the creation of the universe, the possibility of miracles, the resurrection of Jesus, the end times – are human attempts to explain, to understand, to de-mystify.
More and more, when people question or challenge me on any of these, I am inclined to say, ‘I’m not sure’ or ‘it’s something like this’ or ‘it’s a mystery to me’.
I’m not saying I don’t believe these kinds of things, but I am saying that I don’t understand, or can’t explain them, and that the truth is probably deeper and more complicated than our theologies suggest.
We should take our cue from Job: “I spoke about things I didn’t completely understand. I talked about things that were too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:3)
I found this article on embracing mystery as a spiritual practice… I am drawn by what it says.
What do you think?

Embracing Mystery
By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Mystery. It’s not much in favor these days. Modern consciousness has little respect for the unseen and the unknown. We’re much more comfortable with sound bytes from the experts and tidy philosophical or psychological systems that have an explanation for every situation. Television programs us to think that every problem has a solution that can be found in an hour or two, minus the time for commercials.

Politicians, educators, scientists, writers, self-help psychologists, and even many preachers seem to have everything all figured out. If we need answers, they’re more than willing to give them.

There is another way to be in our world: we can embrace mystery. Christian novelist and essayist Madeleine L’Engle said, “There are no answers to the wonder of creation.” There is only a deep and abiding respect for the awesomeness and unfathomability of the miracles of life. To try to explain them in detail, to reduce them to a simple answer for someone, is to limit their majesty. [Read More]

Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes. Birds of the air have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20)

Sculpture of Jesus the Homeless Rejected by Two Prominent Churches

By Leslie Scrivener, The Star
Jesus has been depicted in art as triumphant, gentle or suffering. Now, in a controversial new sculpture in downtown Toronto, he is shown as homeless — an outcast sleeping on a bench.
It takes a moment to see that the slight figure shrouded by a blanket, hauntingly similar to the real homeless who lie on grates and in doorways, is Jesus. It’s the gaping wounds in the feet that reveal the subject, whose face is draped and barely visible, as Jesus the Homeless.
Despite message of the sculpture — Jesus identifying with the poorest among us — it was rejected by two prominent Catholic churches, St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York.
“Homeless Jesus had no home,” says the artist, Timothy Schmalz who specializes in religious sculpture. “How ironic.”
Rectors of both cathedrals were enthusiastic about the bronze piece and showed Schmalz possible locations, but higher-ups in the New York and Toronto archdiocese turned it down, he says.
Read full story here

I received the following “Only in America” observations, but I’ve changed it to Canada, since most of them apply here too. They make you think…

Only in Canada too… can a pizza get to your house faster than an ambulance.

Only in Canada too… do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in Canada too… do people order double cheese burgers, large fries, and a diet Coke.

Only in Canada too… do banks leave both doors to the vault open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in Canada too… do they leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in Canada too… do they use answering machines to screen calls and then have call waiting so they won’t miss a call from someone they didn’t want to talk to in the first place.

Only in Canada too… do they buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in Canada too… do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

Not my favourite Christmas song, but I love how they sing it!

Humility is an elusive quality to pursue.
The more you think of yourself being humble, the less humble you are (because you’re thinking of yourself).
“Moses wasn’t very proud at all. In fact, he had less pride than anyone else on the face of the earth.” (Numbers 12:3)
What makes this verse interesting is that supposedly Moses was the author of this line… is that humility?
Actually, I suspect this is a commentary by someone who knew Moses.
How does a person get to be this humble… not by trying.
Humility comes through the back door, it is the result of something else.
Of thinking of God and others more, which in the process leads to thinking of ourselves less.
So to be humble, think more about God and others, don’t think less of yourself.
To focus on God, think about His greatness, what He has done or is doing in your life, thank Him daily for His undeserved kindness, share with others how great God is in your life.
To focus on others, honour them, focus on and value what they do that is good, hope for the best, look for the positive, see the potential, forgive their weaknesses, allow God to deal with their failures or sins.
Do things that make God and others smile, do them behind the scenes, and don’t look for attention or appreciation.
Through this process, pray for the Spirit of God to strengthen this God/other focus.
For at the end of the day, humility is not something we do, but something that results from what God does in us.
He expands our heart for Him and others.