NUDGINGS: a journey into the unknown

‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ by L. Frank Baum was, without a doubt, my favourite book while growing up and has remained one of my favourites until today, along with the movie version of 1939, and the newer stage play ‘Wicked’. The ‘munchkins’, the ‘flying monkeys’ and visions of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin man and the Cowardly Lion skipping along the yellow brick road singing ‘We’re off to See the Wizard’ will always be part of who I am. However it is only in the last few years that I have begun to appreciate that my favourite childhood book has theological overtones. From Wikipedia…. “Originally a Methodist, Baum joined the Episcopal Church in Aberdeen to participate in community theatricals… Baum’s beliefs are often reflected in his writing. The only mention of a church in his Oz books is the porcelain one which the Cowardly Lion breaks in the Dainty China Country in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum believed in God , but felt that religious decisions should be made by ma...

From a favourite book “Anne of Green Gables”: “Mrs. Lynde says, ‘Blessed are they who expect nothing for they shall not be disappointed.” – L.M. Montgomery Seems like a no-brainer,  doesn't  it. And I guess it is, if your expectation results in your disappointment. I realized however that this wasn’t how things were playing out in my life. My expectations were those I had of other people, and when they  didn't  live up to those expectations, I blamed them for their failure to do so! Did they know of my expectations? Pretty much… Did they ever promise to  fulfill  them? No… Were these expectations even ones that might have fit into their worldview????? I had assumed they were… my mistake! So why then was I so angry at them? What made this train of thought so interesting to me is that once I realized what I was doing, my reactions to the situation came more under control. I was able to step back, look at what was hap...

'I guess there's more to life than working on spirituality' … so said the words in a recent email conversation.  Spirituality is counter-cultural. It has no monetary value; it can't be bought or sold. You can't brag about it like a ‘hole-in-one’ or a new boat. It doesn't bring you prestige in the eyes of others like an address in the 'right' section of town or sending your children to the 'right' (read expensive) school. It doesn't come with visible results like a gym membership or working with a personal trainer.  Working on one’s spirituality is hard and exhausting work. It will require that you change. It will probably turn your life upside down…especially any long-held or closely-guarded beliefs. It requires as much dedication as training to run the marathon does. And just as training to run a marathon does, it affects every aspect of your life. So really, why would anyone work on it? It is common these days to speak of a person...

“Angus Mòr MacAskill, frequently referred to as Giant MacAskill or Black Angus … (1825 – August 8, 1863) was a Scottish–born Canadian Giant … The 1981 Guinness Book of World Records posts Angus as the tallest ‘natural’ giant in recorded history… “ “Laura Secord (September 13, 1775 - October 17, 1868) was a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812…The story of Laura Secord has taken on mythical overtones in Canada where there as many embellished versions of the tale.” Both of these write-ups appear in the online encyclopedia ‘Wikipedia’ . What they have in common is that each of them is seen by someone I know as being a possible ancestor several generations back. And so the story is brought out explain that person’s physical appearance or to validate their Canadian heritage. Almost every family I know has someone in their past that they point to with pride. Very seldom do people claim horse-thieves or ne’er-do-wells, although we al have those in ...

I can remember when I could eat ANYTHING, whenever I wanted to, and still sleep through the night. Those were the days! The new reality is that unless I want to wake up in the wee hours of the morning with indigestion, there are certain foods that I just don’t partake of … or if I do, then I make sure to take that pill that guarantees to relive indigestion and heartburn and then I can sleep through the night! First of all I have to discover just what the culprit food is and then I can takes steps, [or not] to delete it from my diet. But this is something that I do almost without thinking; dealing with the cause of my physical discomfort is almost automatic. But have you even experience this ‘heartburn’ for a non-physical reason? And if you have, what have you done about it? These were the questions that challenged me from a recent sermon. The disciples in ‘The Road to Emmaus’ story also had ‘heartburn’ for as reported in Luke, they said “Were not our hearts burning within us…?...

A friend and I were talking.  "I don't have much of a life",  said my friend.  "Neither do I",  I replied. I can't remember what else was said that afternoon over our coffee, but this exchange has stayed with me. So the question I have been asking myself  since is "Why? Why has this particular part of our conversation stayed with me? What did it mean to each of us, but especially to me?   In truth, by some people’s standards, it might seem that I don’t have much of a life.  There are no trips anywhere, let alone to to exotic places where the sun is warm and the beaches inviting. I don’t head away to a second home in the south during the cold winter months. There is no extensive wardrobe, no 6 bedroom house –with two or three cars in the garage, no round of high-end socializing.  So judging by the world’s standards, I was perfectly right! My life sucked! I think that the reason this exchanged has stayed with me for the length of tim...

“For when two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them” Matthew 18:20 (NRSV) This has to be one of the best known quotations from the Bible in today’s society, even among those who don’t profess any religious affiliation.  Within the walls of the institutional church, I have heard it evoked many times to excuse the lack of attendance at study groups, quiet days, evensong, mid-week services, etc. It is used almost like a mantra to assure ‘us’ that things are still OK. A mantra, by the way, I don’t think we really believe. In the story from Luke “The Road to Emmaus”, the writer has this line: “Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him…” Luke 24:31[a] The’ they’ in this story were two people. No apologizes for the lack of numbers.  In the last minutes of a sermon I heard recently  this comment was made,  “It was done in community, a community of three”.  Funny how these little comments, not the main points of a sermon, are of...