March 8, 2007 · 10:31 pm

Going to Saskatoon

This weekend I am heading down to Saskatoon for a weekend seminar/retreat at Queen’s House, a retreat centre on the banks of the South Saskatchewan. 

The course I am participating in will fulfill part of the requirement for my personal study project – Women and Spirituality – for the Spiritual Direction course. 

Soul Sisters: Women Called to Connect,Bond and Heal in a Broken World

led by EDWINA GATELEY

Edwina holds a Degree in Education and a Masters in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago and certification asan HIV Counselor in the State of Illinois. Edwina founded Genesis House, a house of hospitality and nurturing for women involved in prostitution, and is currently writing, leading retreats for marginalized women. She serves as Mother Spirit for women in the Second Phaseof recovery from prostitution. She continues to give talks and lead retreats internationally.

I am looking forward to the seminar/retreat.  It will be good to get away as this has been a busy week.

 

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March 7, 2007 · 9:22 am

Legalism

As we were moving pews and tearing up carpet at Gateway – well mostly after as we were standing around writing our names on the bare sub floor – some of us got into a little discussion on legalism.  So I did some looking up.  I think this pretty much sums it up:

As we were moving pews and tearing up carpet at Gateway – well mostly after as we were standing around writing our names on the bare sub floor – some of us got into a little discussion on legalism.  So I did some looking up.  I think this pretty much sums it up:

What Is Legalism?

 

John W. Robbins

 

 

Legalism is the notion that a sinner can, by his own efforts, or by the power of the Holy Spirit in his life, do some work to obtain or retain his salvation. Some legalists think man has free will and can perform good works if he just sets his mind to it, thereby obtaining the favor of God. This type of legalist thinks that a sinner can believe the Gospel on his own steam. Other legalists think that a sinner does not have free will, that any good he does is done by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him, and it is these good deeds done by the power of the Holy Spirit that obtain or help obtain, retain or help retain, his salvation. Both types of legalists, but especially the latter, may acknowledge that Christ’s work of obedience is necessary for salvation, but both deny that Christ’s work is sufficient for salvation. Both types of legalists assert that to Christ’s work must be added the works of the sinner, done either under his own steam, or by the power of the Holy Spirit. That is what makes them legalists: their shared belief in the incompleteness or insufficiency of the work of Christ outside of them. They may differ on what constitutes good works; they may differ on whether only God’s law or church law as well is to be obeyed; but they agree that the work of Christ alone is insufficient for their final salvation.

Against The World. The Trinity Review, 1978-1988. [What Is Faith, John W. Robbins, pg. 121-122] John W. Robbins, Editor. The Trinity Foundation, P.O. Box 68, Unicoi, Tennessee 37692. (423) 743-0199 – FAX (423) 743-2005

 

One of those involved in the discussion postulated that somehow the word had become corrupted so that its meaning had changed from a more agreeable one to the one we use now which means the blind following of rules.  This can happen to words but I don’t think that this is the case for the word “legalism”.    I think that the word means what it means – a strict adherence to the literal interpretation of the rules.  I don’t think it ever meant anything else than that.

To say that somehow the word has been corrupted from some other meaning to mean the above I think is to try and mask it, blaming “the culture” or some “other” for a shift in meaning – an attempt to soften a term that sometimes we would like to sound more positive.  Because we all know that rules can be a good thing, we would like our obedience to them to be a good thing too.  

I think we have to pay attention to how Jesus responded to legalism and how he dealt with individuals who broke the prescribed set of religious rules.  He was hardest on those religious leaders that behaved in a legalistic manner.  Jesus was more interested in the hearts of people.  He desired good deeds and good behavior to be a reflection of what was in a person’s heart.  He, himself broke the letter of the pharisaical laws by doing good on the Sabbath.

The really good news is that Jesus’ love can transform us in a way that no obedience to laws can.  I guess that is why he came to be human in the first place – to demonstrate how the love of God works and through his sacrificial love to provide a way of transformation.  Out of love for God, in response, we let him move our hearts to do the good works he has for us.  

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March 5, 2007 · 8:08 am

Rejoicing

There is much rejoicing in my heart – my lost journal showed up.

 

There is much sadness in my brain.  I left it in a pile of papers at my office – am I blind or simply forgetful?

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March 2, 2007 · 8:51 pm

Misadventures of the day

Today seemed to be a journey from one misadventure to another.  

 

We arrived at the hospital after stopping at Tim’s for coffee on the way – not a winning cup among them.  

 

Thankfully, we decided to check out the dental unit before putting the patient in the room.  Maybe there was some value in having the slowest anaesthetist in the place this morning.  The dental unit is attached to an oxygen tank that runs at 1700 psi through a valve that brings it down to 80 psi or so.  The valve blew.  That is a mighty big puff of air!  

 

Forty five minutes later, maintenance had the problem solved and as well promised to repair the other stand-by unit.  

 

All the kids ended up being bigger cases than we anticipated.  That is sort of par for the course.  A lot can change in the year or so that it takes us to get someone in to the OR for dental work.  

 

And then our anaesthetist, being on call, ran off to maternity to give some labouring woman an epidural – another 30 minute wait.  

 

Last case – in the middle, we blew an air line somewhere in the unit.  Thank God we had that stand-by unit ready to go.

 

Today we were not running to meet a deadline in the OR.  But, we had patients booked at the office at 1:30.  We made it back there by 2:30.

 

At 2:30, I had to deal with a patient who brought in a denture (hers, I guess) that some denturist had made upon her request.  She figured it was time for herself to have a complete upper denture.  She wanted me to take out all 11 of her upper teeth and fit that denture for her.  I asked if anyone had checked her teeth before she made this decision – No.  I suggested she think it over and perhaps come in for a check–up so we could see if she actually had any teeth that needed to be extracted.  

 

I am afraid I sent her home thinking I am totally unreasonable.  

 

And now to top off an mis – eventful day, I just burnt the pizza.

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March 1, 2007 · 10:10 pm

From day to night – and sleep.

I am finally home after a long day.  Oh, I was home briefly after work – about 30 minutes.  Just enough time to organize the leftovers and tell people to heat up their own plate in the microwave of whatever they could scrounge.  Then I packed up my bass and headed off to Rivier to practice with the Prince Albert String Orchestra.  We are in the music festival next week. 

They are actually letting me play.  Sometimes I am not really playing the notes, you know.  sometimes the music just goes too fact for my fingers to get to the right spot on the  strings and I figure it is better to fake it than to play a really off tune note. 

I am getting better.  Not bad for having only played for 8 months.

I have to practice very hard this week.  And then keep it up till the year end concert on May 6.

After the practice there was a meeting.  There is not enough involvement in the organizations that make things run.  A lack of volunteers. 

Tell me about it!  I have spent the last 9 months or more rounding up volunteers to run our child care programs at church. 

Then I ran by the bank to deposit my pay cheque and then by my Aunt’s place to pay her rent. 

Last night I didn’t sleep well.  Leo must have some kind of nasal congestion.  He was snuffling and snorting a good part of the night.  I think I will head off to bed now and try to get a head start.  Maybe if I am already asleep before he starts making all that noise, I will get some sleep.

Good night all.

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February 26, 2007 · 9:26 am

From Henri Nouwen

Bringing Our Secrets into the Light

We all have our secrets: thoughts, memories, feelings that we keep to ourselves. Often we think, “If people knew what I feel or think, they would not love me.” These carefully kept secrets can do us much harm. They can make us feel guilty or ashamed and may lead us to self-rejection, depression, and even suicidal thoughts and actions.

One of the most important things we can do with our secrets is to share them in a safe place, with people we trust. When we have a good way to bring our secrets into the light and can look at them with others, we will quickly discover that we are not alone with our secrets and that our trusting friends will love us more deeply and more intimately than before. Bringing our secrets into the light creates community and inner healing. As a result of sharing secrets, not only will others love us better but we will love ourselves more fully.

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February 25, 2007 · 11:09 pm

Women's Retreat 2007

Got back from the women’s retreat.  We drove out in a bit of a storm but I think we got to our destination well before the worst of it.  The lodge has a huge gas fireplace and we sat in front of it while outside we could see snow swirling around in the lights.  It felt cozy.

 

It was good to be there.  The weekend was relaxed and the theme was incredibly well thought out – what wasn’t thought out ahead and happened anyway – well God seems to have a way of making things come together sometimes. 

We learned about bridges – all kinds; over water, between people and between God and us.  Lauralea  and the committee she was on worked hard in the preparation and I for one don’t mind taking off my hat (if I wore one) to her creativity and hard work that helped pull off a fantastic weekend.  There was rest for our souls and food for our minds. 

 

Food for our bodies was also good – soft tacos, yum.  Ham and baked potatoes.  It was all good.

 

Melody McNeilly from the Salvation Army shared with us too.  She challenged us to get out there and start building bridges as well as some projects they are looking to start to do that – things we may be able to get involved in too.

 

I needed this weekend.  Last week was hard emotionally and I needed women that I trust and love for some extra support.  I’m glad God has given me friends like them. 

 

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February 23, 2007 · 12:33 pm

Off and running

Well actually I am driving; glad to have a four wheel drive in this weather.  Off to our annual church women’s retreat.

I thought that the groundhog SAW his shadow!

I have prepared the compline for the evening vespers.  We will be reading them at about 10 pm.  Read with us if you would like.

Well actually I am driving; glad to have a four wheel drive in this weather.  Off to our annual church women’s retreat.

I thought that the groundhog SAW his shadow!

I have prepared the compline for the evening vespers.  We will be reading them at about 10 pm.  Read with us if you would like.

* O Lord, You will keep us safe
and protect us forever.

I am placing my soul and my body
in Thy safe keeping this night, O God,
in Thy safe keeping, O Jesus Christ,
in Thy safe keeping, O Spirit of perfect truth.
The Three who would defend my cause
be keeping me this night from harm.

* I call on You, O God,
for You will answer me;
give ear to me and hear my prayer.

* Show the wonder of Your great love,
You who save by Your right hand
those who take refuge in You from their foes.

* Keep me as the apple of Your eye;
hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Lighten my darkness, Lord.
Let the light of Your presence
dispel the shadows of night.

* Christ with me sleeping,
Christ with me waking,
Christ with me watching,
each day and each night.

* Save us, Lord, while we are awake,
guard us while we are asleep;
that, awake, we may watch with Christ,
and, asleep, may rest in His peace.

God with me protecting,
the Lord with me directing,
the Spirit with me strengthening
for ever and for evermore.

The Lords Prayer  (from http://www.jesuscreed.org/)

Because we love God, we say:

Our Father who art in heaven,

Because loving God means that we yearn for God to make his glory known, we say:

Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Because loving God means we love others as God loves others, we long for all to have the necessities of life, and we say:

Give us this day our daily bread.

Because we love others, we seek to unleash God’s grace of forgiveness and say:

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.

Because we love others, we long that they will love and live God’s will, so we say:

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Because we love God, and because we love others, we lift our hearts to God and say:

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen.

We say this today because we love God and love others.

* In the name of the Father precious,
and of the Spirit of healing balm.
In the name of the Lord Jesus,
I lay me down to rest.

The peace of all peace
be mine this night
+ in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

From: http://www.northumbriacommunity.org/PraytheOffice/ComplinePages/6fridaycompline.html                                         

 

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February 21, 2007 · 8:48 am

Loving Children

Loving children requires a life time of patience and the help of everyone you know.  A good friend is mandatory and the more good friends the better. 

This morning the hug of a good friend carried with it a good dose of the healing from God that I have come to be so dependant on. 

God knows my hurts and walks with me through these times but it is good to put flesh on that love from God. 

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February 19, 2007 · 1:04 pm

Women and Spirituality 3

As part of my personal interest study for the Spiritual Direction program, I attended a seminar on Sexuality and Spirituality at Queen’s House in Saskatoon.  Kathy and Ivan Hitchings facilitated the seminar and as they did so exemplified the material taught – a wonderful relationship of equality and respect grounded in God.

 

The creation story grew in the retelling and became alive and relevant.  As we were told, “We need to reclaim our creation story.  We are co-responsible with God to protect the dignity of all having been given a responsibility for others and for the earth.”  We looked at this story for the foundations it gives to our sexuality and to our need for relationship.  

 

As part of my personal interest study for the Spiritual Direction program, I attended a seminar on Sexuality and Spirituality at Queen’s House in Saskatoon.  Kathy and Ivan Hitchings facilitated the seminar and as they did so exemplified the material taught – a wonderful relationship of equality and respect grounded in God.

 

The creation story grew in the retelling and became alive and relevant.  As we were told, “We need to reclaim our creation story.  We are co-responsible with God to protect the dignity of all having been given a responsibility for others and for the earth.”  We looked at this story for the foundations it gives to our sexuality and to our need for relationship.  

 

The first story relates how God has placed humans in the created world as male and female and the only part of creation made in the image of God.  Our task is to care for the world because God loves this good creation.

 

The second story is told from a slightly different perspective – to teach us something fundamental about God and people.  This part of the story tells how Adam comes from the land itself and how Eve comes from the life of Adam.  Apparently there are many word plays is the story that reflect the new relationship that Moses has with God, among them rib meaning life and Eve meaning giver of life.  This story tells a story full of the dignity of woman – a contrast to the view of women in the Canaanite culture around the Israelite people.  As one comes from the other, males and females are called back into unity through marriage.  This part of the story shows the relationship between humans and the earth God created: the role as namers and caregivers, the bond that unites man and woman and the intimate relationship they have with God.  We also see how the break in the relationship with God comes about and how this disrupts all parts of God’s creation.  People now are subject to death, begin to know shame, and make their own decisions without the benefit of the wisdom and vision of their creator.  

 

The retelling of the creation stories in these ways gave me a fresh look at the amazing relationship between God and the world and a new appreciation for who I am as a woman; created in God’s image, meant to be in healthy relationships including the healthy relationship I have with Leo as my husband.  

 

So here we are, two equal individuals, who find our fullest relationship in being helpers to each other, in being united in this relationship of marriage.  The commitment to each other opens us up to becoming more complete as the people God created us to be.  And it is a mystery – becoming more complete as you give of yourself to another and receive back.  

 

I cannot (and should not try to) understand my spirituality without accepting my womanhood as an integral part of my being, who I was created to be and a creation about whom God said was “excellent in every way.” Gen. 1:31 (NLT)

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