daily life as life goes on . . .

One of the reasons I was looking forward to visiting my daughter was to help her clean out her large basement room.

For the past while Allison and Scott have been planning to complete the walls and give the room a paint job.  Unfortunately the area had become a storage spot.  Until today!

I began the organizing a few days ago.  Little bits piled together.  Then larger bits all amalgamated.  Until today, we all sat together and look over the clothes, boots, shirts, sandals, blankets, linens and so much more.  Each piece was assigned a place and then sent to the appropriate storage bin.  When all was said and done the actual storage room of the house now houses the accumulation from the past few years.

You have to recognize, as those who read this blog regularly do, that I relish an opportunity to organize out of chaos.  This task revitalizes me.  When the finished product is in place, there is nothing better (OK, there are a few things, but not many!).

So, I’ll be off to bed tonight with a good sleep and a hearty thanks to my kids for inviting me!

If you know me, then you will know that today was a great refreshing day.

Imagine being confronted by a basement of scattered things, all contributing to a sense that order is needed.  Such is the life of a young family, a mother who is caring for two children (6/3) and whose husband is working 100’s of kilometers away.

And when grandpa comes, he goes into gear.  The first gear is to enjoy seeing how things can be organized.  The second gear is to put things into piles surrounding the direction needed.  The third gear is to subdivide each category until small units can become stashed away and order is restored.

That simplifies the activities of the day, but not by much.  Tomorrow will be more of the same, just for the fun of it!

And by fun, I mean enjoyable, life-giving refreshment!

A. W. Tozer has gained quite a following in Christian circles (and with those outside the circle as well).  I’ve been reading a book called “Favorite chapters :  the best of A.W. Tozer.”  compiled by Warren Wiersbe.

Today I laughed. 

There is a small paragraph in which he pronounces a profound truth, but prefaces it by saying, “It is my belief (and I shall not feel bad if no one follow me),”  and he goes on to talk about “every good and beautiful thing which man has produced in the world has been the result of his faulty and sin-blocked response to the creative Voice [which he has previously explained is God] sounding over the earth” (p. 24).  Later in the paragraph (which is actually excerpted from Tozer’s book, “The Pursuit of God”), Tozer writes “Could it be that a genius is a man haunted by the speaking Voice, laboring and striving like one possessed to achieve ends which he only vaguely understands.  That the great man may have missed God in his labors, that he may even have spoken or written against God does not destroy the idea I am advancing.  God’s redemptive revelation in the Holy Scriptures is necessary to saving faith and peace with God.  Faith in the risen  Saviour is necessary if the vague stirring toward immortality are to bring us to restful and satisfying communion with God.  To me this is a plausible explanation of all that is best out of Christ.”

And this is where I started to laugh.  Of course, Tozer has put forward a very convincing case.  In fact, the voice of Tozer sounds like the voice of God at this point!  One contemporary of his, who worked with him in the denomination, said that Tozer could be wrong – and on the floor of assembly or in business meetings a number of people would dispute him.

So, here is a belief of Tozer’s that I’m sure he figures is true (some of you may not completely follow what is being said above, let’s just say he said it with conviction and passion!).  Now, he ends the paragraph with the following:

But you can be a good Christian and not accept my thesis.

I guess I’ve just come out of meetings and discussions that went all over the board, and even spilled off the edges of the board.  I trust we can have the same charity towards one another of which Tozer speaks.  I would hope people agree with me, I will fight for my view!  But am I willing to accept that the other person “can be a good Christian and not accept my thesis?” 

I laughed, and then prayed for unity!

I called our leadership to prayer today.  After being asked to consider running for mayor of Kindersley, I sought God and the advice of others.  I was confirmed in the abilities I have, but it was also affirmed that the timing was not right (both personally and for the church I serve).

I never want to presume that what I am doing now is good enough for tomorrow.  When I seek after God, this is never a one-time thing.  I do not want to be shallow or hollow.

So I have asked that people would pray for me for an enlarged vision.  I have asked that we would pray for our church that we would have an enlarged vision.  I have asked that we would pray!!

This morning a friend who is partnering in this prayer time wrote the following desire for the day:  “for a clarity of vision in discerning the smell of the garment of God.”

What a great picture – exactly what I am after!  May God’s fragrance this day so inspire us that the world will not be left the same!