As I have reclined and read and thought this last week in recovery from surgery a couple of things occured to me. First and this is most important, when you take narcotic drugs things don't make much sense most of the time. You think you think something, you think you said something, you presume you did something only to find out that is not quite correct.
Second --- I am preaching this weekend and have a memorial service at a nursing home today and with a whole week to prepare should have something profound. "Wrong" when you take narcotic drugs you cannot focus on things to get stuff done. I am today trying diligently to make some sense of the past week (with missing hours from surgery) that is partially in a fog. Trying desperately to get to someplace that offers sense and direction.
I am not one to panic but sometimes I do get a bit anxious and today is one of those days. I have not taken narcotics for a couple of days but still putting things into a realative perspective is difficult.
Oh well this is where study, thought, meditation, and trust in the Holy Spirit to lead and guide will open a door or window or something. Prayer is the meditation with God and that is also always a great direction to travel.
Hope you are not all bored with my rambling as this is about all I have. The other thought would be to openly contemplate the season of Advent. Advent is about anticipation and preparedness. Getting some direction as to what this child we celebrate the birth of is all about. Looking for his presence in our lives, not in the world, take it to a personal level this year.
Far to often we put Christianinty and a relationship to Christ at a world level and that leaves us out of the picture. See it is coming to me already, John the Baptizer was at a personal level with Jesus, he was making a way straight, a path for Jesus to come to him and then to the world along that path.
What are you doing in your life this season to prepare the path, first to you and then through you to the world??????
And I read some emerging stuff last night. On the Emergent update site was an interesting article that I had a chuckle at jsut a little. http://www.emergentvillage.com/weblog/emergent-village-updates here Tony Jones, leader of a group not denominational but with membership and requirements for membership :o) has this to tell about the Emergent movement.
"Brian’s thesis in the book reminded me of last year, when my son, Tanner, asked me, “Dad, if there’s enough food in the world to feed everyone, why can’t we get it to the people who need it?” I struggled to tell him that the problems (racism, classism, etc.) are fundamentally theological. If you resonate with this at all, then you should check out Brian’s book. Also, check out the latest Emergent Village Podcast on which I interviewed Brian about the book and about some of the blog reviews (positive and negative) he’s received.
And guess what?!? If you donate $100 or more to Emergent Village before the end of the year, you’ll get a copy of An Emergent Manifesto of Hope, plus one other book (and Everything Must Change is among the choices!). For $50-$99, you get a copy of the Manifesto. And for $150 or more, you also get both albums by The Colbalt Season."

That sounds just like the letter from the PCUSA about ending world hunger. I am confused that something which began as a new thought to an old problem, an escape from denominationalism, a chance to speak out in a brand new way, something that would be revolutional has moved to have leadership, direction, a name "Emergent", and is soliciting money to keep the leadership able to attend things around the globe, has moved so far from the original vision to the old standard.
Am I incorrect here or should we take what we believe and just apply it where we are. Keep your familiar, treaditional, already structured denom and just do something amazing. I think I am about there.
Pastor WaynO