Seymour has NO choice but to sacrifice himself for Audrey II.

Wow, is that how Jesus felt? When HE was pleading with the Father in the garden that the cup be passed, was HE really hoping that that it would be passed, or, did HE love us sooooooooooooooo much that HE knew that it would not be passed and that HE would have to “jump headfirst to HIS death?”

Sacrifice … been thinking a lot about that as I have been evaluating the “ministries” that I have been involved in. Sacrifice, giving up of my time and my resources for God’s kingdom, or, doing it because I “like” doing this particular thing and I get joy from it … Sacrifice, is it?

Sacrifice … not having a choice, but doing it out of great love, sacrifice because there is not other remedy … Surprise!

In other places, where there should be bold, underlined passages, I find them in regular, insignificant font.

Has the narrative been less or more interesting? I dare say that when God messes with the punctuation in our lives, the story becomes richer and it sure makes for a more interesting read.

Church … which I am a part of and which I am trying to (once again) find my “place” in, has been for the most part following the standard rules of punctuation … no run-on sentences, not italics, not bold font. And, the narrative has proven to be B-O-R-I-N-G!

What would happen if we threw out the rules that we have learned and started using the puncutation that Jesus used here on HIS short time with us … you know, YELLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at the money lenders and then using a small, simple, unassuming font when he ate amongst the sinners?

The rules of punctuation can be taxing, limiting and well, just plain, uninteresting …

Surprise Me GOD ????????????????????????????????????????

Change the rules of punctuation in my life.

We will our lives with stuff, more stuff and then some other stuff. We do this at church too, we fill the calendar with programs, social events, workshops, stuff a lot of things into our Sunday Worship services that help to improve our lives, but never change them.

Surprise … do we need to strip our notion of church, worship and building God’s kingdom of the stuff that produces flies? I think … for sure.

God’s Word, the only things that radically shifts lives and changes the course of people’s destiny is being crowded with the jingles of new ways of worship, trends … you name it … instead of fertilizing the souls that we are entrusted with, we are leaving them with more stuff to crowd their already overcrowded lives. What the really need is … well, something fly-less.

I need a large order of that stuff that “kills flies in cow pies.”

Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That story is simply amazing … Terry wanting to go on a bike ride by himself and meeting someone along the way … him … divine interruptions.

I have been “complaining” that my plans have been interrupted … and I have this nagging in pit of my stomach that I cannot seem to shake that I should be “further ahead’ or ” somewhere else.” A few months ago, my husband said to me over dinner, “Maybe you are right where you are supposed to be.”

It was so profound that I was struck silent — that in itself is amazing, just ask him.

I am always wanting to rush ahead, only to feel that I am spinning my wheels. John Lennon says it best when he says “I am just sitting here watching the wheels go round and round.” This incident that Terry found himself reached out of the book and slapped me in the face … this is where I am supposed to be, right here, right now, dreams still not unfolded, things half done, questions still unanswered, waiting, waiting and waiting … has the Omniscient “kept” me here for my own good? In my rushing, have I missed the right “exits” by driving way over in the fast lane? The answer … YES!

As a “leader” in the church, am I missing hearing the “stories” of the saints and forcing them to join a new small group, join in another program, add another event to their calendars … the answer, YES!

Moses wandered … how many years in the desert? Noah was “cooped” up in the ark for how many days and nights? Savour the victory, the stories live on and on and on …

The answer is clear, to this wheel spinner, this one who doesn’t hear the birds singing, this nomad who wonders when the trees will end so that I can see the forest …  starting today, I will strive to enjoy the ride.

My first day was yesterday and the the title was “Fleeced.”

The major “surprise” I has was that we as Christians have “fleeced” ourselves out of some really, really, amazing stuff. He observes a soccer game and how the team works for “the greater good.” When on team member is in trouble with the defence, his team members yell supportive messages, backing him up and cheering him on to victory.

We have indeed fleeced ourselves. I have heard the phrase, “The church is the only institution that shoots the(ir) wounded.” Can you imagine, well, I don’t, been there, done that.  At a “crisis” point in my life, I found myself alone, misjudged and ostracized, perhaps for being weak because of the many tears that I shed during this time. Perhaps is those around me, my team members would have come alongside me, we would have accomplished something for the greater good, rather than me suffering from disillusionment and a broken heart.

Forget me for a moment … think of the world outside the church, you know, that Great Commission thing, remember that one?

Would we not have people breaking down our doors to to hear messages of support, to have personal cheering section … and with the promise of a victory. What would this mean to the depressed, hurting divorced, addicted, wanderer, sinner, the lost?

Surprised?

I have blogged before, but never about my faith, perhaps for fear that I would have to come out of that box and embrace things that I wasn’t comfortable with.

Maybe that is why my soul has been restless for the past several months …

Once again, my friend Christine has been an inspiration for me to begin blogging.

The journey begins …