A Grief Observed

Today has been quite a day.

I met with a friend who lost his father yesterday. Soon I'll meet with the rest of the family and we'll plan services for this weekend.

He's numb. They're all hurting.

Today I also met with another family, with a wonderful lady who knows that her time is short on this earth. She is 65 years young and she is not guaranteed even another week.

So we talked... and cried... and planned.

Tomorrow I'll also meet with another gentleman, a man who recently lost his brother and just last week, his father,...

and who is more than likely going to lose his mother soon.

He's really struggling.

All of this hurt. All of this loss. All of these questions.

And they're coming to... me?

As a pastor (can I be brutally honest?), I often find myself at a loss for words when people are deeply hurting. Many times my eyes well up with tears and I wrestle with what I should say... and what I shouldn't say. I'm flooded with a myriad of Scriptures and platitudes and cliches... and an overwhelming sense... to... just... shut... up.

Moments ago, in the solitude of my office,

I grabbed an old copy of C.S. Lewis' book,

"A Grief Observed".

It's been years since I've read this book. I'm not sure why I grabbed it.

Perhaps I'm looking for some direction and wisdom,

as I find myself in a place that is... hard?

Anyways... on the inside of the cover I found some scribblings that I had jotted down years ago.

I have no idea who originally said this, but in my own hand-writing I just read:

"Creativity does not truly come

from the popularized image of the tormented artist,

struggling with the muse.

True creativity is born in community

as men and women of God listen to each other

and to Him.

As we seek to understand each other's

woundedness

and strengths,

what will be the result?"

Wow.

I'm having a KAIROS moment...

and I guess I wanted to write it down...

and share it with you.

"Lord, may I be a man who is filled with your Spirit,

Your

creative

Holy

Spirit.

May I slow down and listen,

seeking to understand other's wounds...

and hurts...

and strengths.

May I listen for Your voice

and only speak that which I hear You whispering.

Amen."

God's Thoughts

This week I came upon a couple of things I wanted to share. First, is the above postcard from PostSecret - It speaks for itself.

Second, is an interesting blog I found that apparently has been written by God, Himself. He's writing about pastors, so it sorta caught my attention. Enjoy some of God's thoughts on some pretty important stuff:

"I want to talk about something that I watch all the time and get frustrated with. It happens every Sunday. Multitudes of people go to what they call "church".

(That is actually another frustration: that people call the place they attend "the church". For the most part, it just isn't.)

But when they get there, some of My most loyal kids (as well as some kids who don't have a clue about Me) stand up in front of their audience as pastor/priest/speaker/bishop/leader, and they talk.

They talk about good stuff and true stuff, but for the most part it is stuff that means absolutely nothing to the people listening. (I'm not talking here about those wild-eyed, stomping, yelling, self-glorifying bigots who get on TV and wear their thousand-dollar suits and make the rest of the world scoff at the folks who humbly represent Me. That's another blog for another day). For this blog I AM just referring to the boring folks who lead their people down the road of mediocrity.

And a lot of them use this weird voice. They don't even sound like themselves. They have a different tone and attitude and mannerisms. It's like they're bad actors on a stage.

(I made them; I know what they're supposed to sound like.)

I wish they'd be more authentically who I made them to be... that they'd be real and that the ones who aren't gifted to speak effectively and honestly enough to engage their audience would just sit down and let someone who can accurately represent Me teach their people.

It's embarrassing (you didn't know I could be embarrassed did you?)when churches and people and the media represent Me so poorly so often.

When My Son was on earth, He said these words: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly."

If people are asleep or bored or tuned out in an audience on a Sunday, that isn't life abundant.

I AM joy

and life

and excitement

and emotion

and dance

and laughter

and relationship

and love

and imagination

and awe

and wonder

and drama.

I AM wild

and wonderful

and dangerous

and big

and hearty

and disturbing

and exhilarating

and My character and My truth set people free

from boredom

and sameness

and emptiness

and monotony

and tedium

and confusion!

I AM weary of people not knowing that about Me.

I AM sad watching people who are searching for an abundant life step into boring buildings

(buildings with MY NAME ON THEM!),

hearing outdated music and listening to irrelevant

messages that misrepresent Me in a thousand ways.

I would rather those folks go to the lake where they might get a better taste of who I AM.

Now that I have ranted a bit (which a God has a right to do - another one of the perks) I will say it is good that people are changing and some of you are getting it, and making things different. It is a delight to Me.

But for the rest of you, I'll paraphrase what a film director once said:

"Come on, people, I love ya,

but ya gotta work with Me here."

Thanks Lanny Donoho for an incredible reminder.