It's been so long since I wrote, and I must apologize for the neglect. Perhaps my neglect is noty such a bad thing- it means I have been busy, it means God has been good to me. While I'm too busy breathing and living it means God has been good to me :).

Today however, is Ascension Day, and this is where I find myself being drawn back to.

Ascension Day commemorates Christ's Ascension into heaven. It takes place on the Thursday which is the 40th day after Easter. It is on this day that Jesus ascended into the clouds after appearing to many of his disciples. We see in the Gospel of Luke and in the Acts of the Apostles that Jesus led them out of the Mount of Olives and instructed them to wait for the promise of the holy spirit. Once Jesus has ascended two angels appeared, and declared to them that Jesus would return in Glory.

Essentially, Ascension Day is a symbol of the second coming, reminding us that our Jesus is alive and that he will return to us in Glory.

Doesn't this say something about the way in which we live? We should live in anticipation, we should live well, we should live wholesome lives so that when he comes, we will be waiting expectantly for our saviour.

Maybe the second coming will come as a mass-encounter, as we see it in the Revelations, or perhaps we all encounter our own 'second coming', when our time comes to go to the eternal home, and there,
coming down from the clouds is our saviour, waiting to take us home.

Ok, this has gotten a bit depressing, basically, lets live it up, lets choose to be happy, let us appreciate all that we have and let us be the light in the world, so that when He does come, there will be some light waiting for Him.

The Darkest hour comes before Dawn

And so I have decided that I will no longer make direct posts, I will now create posts in document forms and then COPY+PASTE!!

This is after I just created a (might I add, very heartfelt) post, and the webpage decided to close down 'to save data' to compliment whatever other ridiculous budget it was on. I was upset to say the least. I started crying, because at 1:44 am, when you have completed some thing you have been wanting to, and it slips out of your hands, you're exhausted and tired and just cannot fathom why some things happen the way they do. But now that I am thinking about it, it may just have given me an 'oomph' or a message possibly lacking in my post.

The original post told of an older couple that we met tonight, sitting across from us in McD's, and how the unfortunate seating arrangements of the minute new building forced strangers to meet and discover that they shared not one but two problems.

Basically the post was to remind us that we are not alone in this world of tribulations. Tonight between the four of us it felt like a mini-mass in McD's as we re-assured each other that God has a way, a time and a reason. Each reminded the other to pray, to keep the faith. God guides us, even when we don't realise it. This is why, when we intend on going to Nando's, God sends us to its greasier equivalent.

Tonights meeting I imagine was to help us, but moreso to help that pair, to let them know that yes, God is still their, just hang in there. There are others like you who share your frustrations and who he will send your way to encourage you to stay strong.

But isn't that the point of the Lenten journey anyway? To observe the pain that Jesus had to endure, not necessarily the physical agony, but the betrayal?
But then too, after his crucifixion, God raises Christ to power!

Do you see the analogy here?

As we carry our crosses, some so different and some so disturbingly the same; as we go through traumas physical and emotional, it does not last forever.

Our Lord is with you every step of the way. If he brings you to it, he'll bring you through it.

Lets open our hearts now, as we near the end of lent. Prepare for the sorrow as we approach Good Friday. And remember that no sooner has he fallen and been crucified, has his father - Our Father- raised him in Glory!

Remember that the darkest hour is before dawn. And when you pray, pray for others facing the same challenges as you are. They too, need comfort in these trying times.

"I shall then show forth Thy praise, Serve Thee all my happy days; Then the world shall always see Christ, the holy Child, in me"

The gifted Russ Blassoples, who has so far been the person to be the most impressionable on me with regard to spirituality, has reminded me of the child. Children. Being childlike. In a post he speaks about when Jesus told the story of people pulling gloomy faces to show that they are fasting, and he explains how he hopes that Jesus would have been pulling these faces when telling the story to children .

This makes me think that we forget sometimes that the children in our world are going to be tomorrows adults and that they too need spiritual guidance. We should not just leave them to do 'kiddy things', we need to remember that as adults and as leaders, we have a responsibility to share our spirituality with them. That doesn't mean we must say 'No TV!' for the next month, this is not punishment. This simply means that we should share stories with them, open them up to spirituality so that they may accept it when it is time and so that they there is somewhere to go, somewhere to turn to when they feel at a loss.

Teach children to pray, if only at night before they go to sleep, or at the table before they eat. And perhaps, we have lost touch with our faith somewhat. life is an ongoing struggle and sometimes we may feel despondent. Maybe if we take on the mission to introduce spirituality to our children, a niece, a friends child, or a neighbours child, we will rediscover our own faith as we are reminded of what it is like to be childlike, to be open and eager to learn.

In any case is it not true that we need to be childlike to enter His Kingdom? Let us remind ourselves what is like to be childlike, trusting God.

Gentle Jesus, meek and mild,
Look upon a little child;
Pity my simplicity,
Suffer me to come to Thee.

Fain I would to Thee be brought,
Dearest God, forbid it not;
Give me, dearest God, a place
In the kingdom of Thy grace

Lamb of God, I look to Thee;
Thou shalt my Example be;
Thou art gentle, meek, and mild;
Thou wast once a little child.

Fain I would be as Thou art;
Give me Thine obedient heart;
Thou art pitiful and kind,
Let me have Thy loving mind.

Let me, above all, fulfill
God my heav’nly Father’s will;
Never His good Spirit grieve;
Only to His glory live.

Thou didst live to God alone;
Thou didst never seek Thin own;
Thou Thyself didst never please:
God was all Thy happiness.

Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb,
In Thy gracious hands I am;
Make me, Savior, what Thou art,
Live Thyself within my heart.

I shall then show forth Thy praise,
Serve Thee all my happy days;
Then the world shall always see
Christ, the holy Child, in me.

''God is still busy with me''

God is still busy with me

is how Bishop Raphael Hess explained to Valhalla Park's Chapalry of St. Joseph the Worker, what is signified by Ash Wednesday's Crosses made of Ash and Holy Water/Oils.

'Isn't it wonderful to know that God is still working on us?' Indeed it is. And with this in mind, as we go through a period of penance, and think on our ourselves as sinful human being, it is good, in fact necessary to remember that we are not perfect- we have not been created to be inherently perfect. We have been created in the image of God, but while we try and do the right thing, be it now or through out the year, we are a project of God, he knows that we try and he knows he has created us with a naive nature. We should not be too hard on ourselves. The longest journey in life he said, was that from our head to our heart. lets take a step in this journey each day, by finding a communion between the rationality of our thoughts and the passion of our hearts, so that our thoughts, hearts and actions are forever guided, through prayer.

'render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and render unto God what belongs to God'

It's a rather typical Saturday night and I'm preparing myself for church in the morning. Dress: check Shoes: check Short, neat, french tips: check Pretty hair: check Bookmarked readings for tomorrow: ...not so check... The problem? Vanity. And redundancy. Sunday by Sunday us 'church-goers' mill into our desired place of worship, at our preffered time-slot. We sit there and scrutinize each other (the view is always better from the altar, trust me), we try and focus on the preach, but like school it can sometimes be a laboured feat. Have we forgotten the purpose of our weekly visit? Has it just become part of the ritual that decorates our ideal lives? Tomorrow when you are in church, (or Wednesday, or next Sunday...) just sit down..and STOP. Take it all in. Think about the day you were confirmed, your blessing on your birthday, the Christmas play you enjoyed. Look at the building, the symbolism around you, the colours, the candles, the Crucifix. Think about the people who arent present. Why? Think about how blessed you are to be sitting there right then. You could walk till there... Some people don't have legs. You can read the Bible... Some people are illiterate. You can be in church... Some people live in secular states where they find themselves prohibited from their faith. In all of this try and remember how much you love that moment when you're caught up singing your favourite hymn- and renew you're feelings about this old brick (or wooden, or cement..) building you find yourself in. Renew your desire to praise. Righto! Next point. Vanity. Why am I wearing such a pretty dress tomorrow when nobody else will see it under my servers' robes? How is shaving my legs (toomuch information, sorry) relevant in anyway? Admittedly I am a bit on the fence about this issue. While we shouldn't consider church to be a social gathering, surely our Lord would appreciate that to us, the church and it's people, are where we choose to socialize ourselves? We should not lend ourselves to the ways of the world and conformism, but surely our God would prefer that we present ourselves to him at what we consider to be our very best? Such a slippery topic. I am at a loss for words. Ah! I have an answer:

'come as you are, not as you want'

'render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and render unto God what belongs to God'

We live in a material world and this is understood. We should then enter the Lord's building in a way that we understand to be suitable and/or presentable. We should come in a way that we will feel confident but we should come for the right reasons. We should come because we want to be there, because we want to worship, because we want to hear and learn and believe. So believe then! And if you feel like your actions are not well guided pray for guidance. Your Lord wants to listen. All you have to do is speak.

Driving in the dark

On my way home and it's 11:05pm. We're driving in the dark. Linton quickly but not noticably caresses the crucifix hanging from the rear view mirror- his little ritual before he drives anywhere (or when he sees an animal lying in the road), and I know that wherever we go, we won't be alone. We live with God.

Only God knows what he prays at that moment, but what is important is that he prays. It doesn’t guarantee us a safe journey, but it does mean that our path is guided, and through faith whatever must be, will be.

It is Friday evening and it has the potential for evils as most Friday evenings do. Not everyone is celebrating lent, and not everyone is aware of allows themselves to be guided by god. Perhaps when we pray as we go along our way we should pray for someone else as well- A stranger, a friend, an acquaintance. We all carry personal, private burdens and we cannot always be sure that someone has it easy. When a stranger makes you angry remember that we all handle pain differently and pray that he or she will find the inner energy that they need to confront their problems. When a passer-by looks down, pray that our merciful God restores their faith, and through faith they will find the strength to battle on and not give up.

Today my friend Astrid put up a Facebook status saying:

when you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember then, someone prayed for you…

Let us pray for each other, because in this crazy world, we are all driving in the dark.

''Lets take then what we need and no more, because the rest is needed by others''

So it is the second day of the Lenten fast, and how are our weak souls keeping up?

Was the day manageable without that caffeine boost? Some may not feel the pang yet until the weekend when its party time and that pink drink calls your name. Either way stay strong, the beginning is usually the hard part anyways.

But perhaps we can find some pro-activeness among the misery?
Here's a little challenge: (lets try and not do this with the pink drink ;)) That cup of coffee? Dont NOT buy it, buy it, and give it to that lady on the bench. She doesn't have to be poor, she could just be tired from a too long day at work.
Given up sweets? Keep them in your pocket and give it to that child next to you in the taxi on her mommy's lap coming home from Red Cross. Its been a long day for her at the hospital.

In this coming weeks let us learn to give to others what we do not use. Let us try and have an unselfish existence by starting with the small things. Learning how to give.


''Lets take then what we need and no more, because the rest is needed by others''