we are all blind.
we live in constant denial.
we say that we can see, but clearly we cannot.
we are all blind.
jesus help us.
spit on us.
save us.
mark 8:22-26

peace to you,

scott

the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy

this past sunday at the upper room we planned to discuss how god reveals himself in the ordinary as well as the extraordinary. that we do not really need a sign for god to prove that he exists, that we need only to open our eyes, for there are signs everywhere. signs, signs, everywhere signs.

we had a relatively small group show up and more than enough food to share, so brenda went down and invited a few people up for supper.

we ended up sharing our table with five young adults that were hitching their way across the country. three of them were from out east and were heading west. one of them was from victoria and wanted to experience an authentic manitoba winter, so had decided to chill (pun intended) in winnipeg until spring. and the fifth had been all over, was heading back west for a bit, then overseas, and back to winnipeg in the spring.

we started talking about the beauty of this vast country (many of them have seen things we do not take the time to appreciate). we talked about how god reveals himself in the simplest things...the majesty of the rockies, the beauty of a prairie sunset, a meal shared between strangers.

one of them said 'the lord is constantly revealing himself, and too many people call it coincidence.' truth spoken around our table...from a hitchhiking teenager.

as the last of them got up to leave, they thanked us, said the food was awesome, and that it wasn't the least bit awkward...(at which point it proceeded to get a little awkward.) :)

we were reminded again that god is constantly speaking, constantly revealing himself, and we just need to open our eyes, or our tables, or our hearts and see.

sir isaac newton once said. 'in the absence of any other proof, the thumb alone would convince me of God's existence.'

god reveals himself all over the place...in nature, in sharing a meal, and in the thumbs of a hitchhikers truth.

peace to you,

scott

signs signs everywhere signs

the pharisees came and began to question jesus. to test him, they asked him for a sign from heaven. he sighed deeply and said, "why does this generation ask for a miraculous sign? i tell you the truth, no sign will be given to it." then he left them, got back into the boat and crossed to the other side. mark 8:11-13

i find it funny that the pharisees were asking for a miraculous sign after witnessing the feeding of the five thousand. after jesus had healed a blind man. after demons were cast into a herd of pigs. after he had fed another group of four thousand people. yet they still asked for a miraculous sign.

i wonder how many people do not believe in god because he has not chosen to break into their work in an abnormal or miraculous way. that they are waiting for him to alter the universe somehow to prove that he is real.

the lead singer mewithoutyou penned some incredible lyrics that i resonate with my heart more than the hearts of the pharisees.

daniel broke the king's decree,
peter stepped from the ship to the sea
there was hope for job like a cut down tree,
i hope that there's such hope for me
dust be on my mind's conceptions
and anything i thought i knew
each word of my lips' description,
and on all that i compare to you
the preference of the sun was
to the south side of the farm
i planted to the north in a terra-cotta pot
blind as i'd become, i used to wonder where you are-
these days i can't find where you're not!

elizabeth barret browning wrote

earth's crammed with heaven
and every common bush afire with god
but only he who sees, takes off his shoes
the rest sit round it and pluck blackberries

i find it hard to ignore god. he seems to show up everywhere. in the moment i see someone curled up asleep beside garbage bins at a downtown coffee shop. in a conversation about hope for the future with a colleague at work. in the sunshine, the blue and the green, the scent and the sound. god does not need to break in and give us a sign...we need to wake up and open our eyes.

peace to you,

scott