I saw a church billboard that read: "Jesus, your tour guide in heaven." I don't think I have ever been so offended in my life that Jesus has been reduced to a tour guide. You know all of that dying for our sins to bring us back into relationship with God was all so that he could serve as a tour guide for us when we get to heaven. And you know, that is the only reason to be a Christian is so we can go to heaven. This sighting came quickly on the heels of a status post I read on Facebook that went something like: "____ wishes Jesus would come back today more than ever before." I am bothered when we use Jesus' imminent return as a way to get out of our troubles here on earth. Whenever someone says something like this to me, my first thought is: "Dear God, what if He did come today? How much of His work is still left to be done, primarily because we won't do it? It absolutely terrifies me--the thought that Jesus might return and find us working on all manner of things that have no eternal value.
I like this quote about service from Chris Loder's book, The Logic of the Spirit: Human Development in Theological Perspective:
“Christian self-understanding drives toward the goal of giving love
sacrificially with integrity after the pattern of Christ. This means the willing
breaking of one’s wholeness potential for the sake of another, a free choice
that has nothing to do with oppression because it is an act of integrity and
everything to do with Christ’s free choice to go to the cross as an act of
love.”
This reminded me of a former post of mine, something to the effect that "you know you are a servant when you are treated like one and it does not bother you."
And one last thing: About two weeks ago, an old friend posted a picture of me on Facebook. This is not newsworthy, except that I could not remember the event at all. I commented to her that I had absolutely no recollection of the event at all and she sent me another picture demonstrating, yet again, that I was indeed present on this certain occasion. When I got to thinking about when that picture was taken, I remembered that it was a very difficult time for me and much of that period I have forgotten. It was a time of great disappointment and what I do remember was being in a cloud most of the time and tending only to those things that had to be dealt with. It was good to have friends help me out of my funk. Melancholy thoughts.
I guess we all have times like that where we are just going through the motions in life, when everything is just a barrier to have to cross in order to make it through to the next day. I have less of these periods than I used to have, maybe because I have lowered my expectations or I have begun to understand how I deal with stressors (people and/or events) better. I am also better equipped to deal with melancholy thoughts than I was back in the day. I remember my senior year in high school I made those chocolate oatmeal no-bake cookies every week and ate them all myself. Now, I usually try to go for a run and then eat the cookies. Kind of balances out that way. (Truth is, I can't make those cookies anymore. The last two times I tried, they failed miserably. The last time I tried to make them with Splenda. I think I had to throw away the pot I made them in.)
Oh well, enough of that.
In other news ~ We had a very nice Ash Wednesday service this past week at the church. Very moving. We imposed ashes on everyone, had communion, and gave everyone a rock which stood for sins that we need to conquer. On Good Friday, we are supposed to bring our rock back and lay it at the foot of the cross as a symbol that we have given it to the Lord. I really like that I am a part of a church that celebrates Lent. You know, I love to feel bad about myself and for forty days that is okay.
My middle child, Elizabeth, had a good report from the eye doctor. About a month ago she failed an eye balance screening. Don't know what that means, but she was referred to a specialist who could not find anything wrong with her. Hallelu. I just could not imagine sending her to school with an eye patch. She would have made a cute pirate, but she already deals with enough Jan Bradyisms that I could not bear the thought of causing her any undue grief.
I had my first rehearsal with the Pro Arte Chorale this past weekend. I have been engaged as the soloist on Ralph Vaughan Williams' Five Mystical Songs. It should be interesting. This is my first classical solo gig in quite some time. I am a little nervous, but things went fairly well. I still need some practice, but at least the songs are in English and so I don't have to translate anything.
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