NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

 Few weeks ago we ‘bumped’ into some friends from a former church who we hadn’t seen in a number of years. After the initial small talk had been dealt with, they inquired as to what church we were now attending, mentioning one in the nearby town as being the most probable. Our answer, that no, we were now going to a church some distance away, brought a look of shocked disbelief to their faces. Had we said we were going up to ski every weekend or up to a cottage to snowmobile, that would have been accepted with nothing other than a raised eyebrow saying ‘really, at your age?’. This conversation has left me wondering WHY our driving to that church was more astonishing to them then spending the same time going skiing would have been. It says something about the society we live in, but also about the commitment expected of church-goers by members of that church, that it was seen that way. Lent seems like an appropriate time to think about not only just what our personal commit...

"We spend precious hours fearing the inevitable. It would be wise to use that time adoring our families, cherishing our friends and living our lives." Maya Angelou We are dealing with some medical issues right now in our family. As is quite often the case with these issues, there is a degree of uncertainty: uncertainly about the diagnosis, the treatment, the effect it might have on daily life going forward. I find myself amazed at the number of people who want to know the answers to the above concerns immediately, and don’t seem willing or able to let them appear in their own time. I am sure that 10 years ago I would have been right there with them! There is no doubt that being able to live with uncertainty makes life more livable. I was thinking about as well  those people who seem able to live in the present moment with whatever clarity or uncertainty it brings. They don’t even seem to ask those What? When? Why? questions that the others do.  Learning to live ...

Every afternoon I preview the upcoming shows for that night on the TV in order to make sure that the shows we might want to watch at a later date, are recorded on the PVR. And every time I see the nightly news broadcast marked ‘new’, it surprises me. Why???  I’ve asked myself the question many many times. Of course the news is new, I tell myself. Don’t be silly! Or is it as it says in Ecclesiastes 1:9 [MSG]  “What was will be again, what happened will happen again. There's nothing new on this earth. Year after year it's the same old thing.”    I must admit that seems to be the truth of the matter most nights. The news consists of political scandals from both here and abroad, loss of life due to extreme weather, natural disasters, or mass shootings. Every story seems to highlight the depraved side of human nature. Very few focus on what is positive or good. The writer of Ecclesiastes made a good point when he was writing  all those eons ago.  But ...

‘By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return.’ Genesis 3:19 Most scholars agree that the texts found in Genesis began to be written down sometime in the 10th century BCE and were based on oral and written traditions. It is this verse that is referenced in the Book of Alternative Services during the Ash Wednesday service, ‘Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return’. A few years ago now we attended an Ash Wednesday Service where the words had morphed to ‘Remember that you are stardust and to stardust you shall return’ moving into the cosmology of the 21st century, connecting our bodies with the whole universe. These express the beliefs of a different world view. They call us to remember that life on this earth is impermanent and fleeting. They call us to pause and to ponder our lives. What resonates with you doesn’t matter. What does matter is that it makes you...