The Call

Os Guinness is an Irishmen and a sociologist.  He was a participant in L’Abri with the Schaeffers and later a reporter with the BBC.  In his book The Call he explores finding and fulfilling the central purpose of your life.  I recently purchased it for .50¢ at a thrift store and have been rewarded 1000 fold.  Here’s a portion:

“Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, and everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service.

“Our primary calling as followers of Christ is by him, to him, and for him.  First and foremost we are called to Someone (God), not to something (such as motherhood, politics, or teaching) or to somewhere (such as the inner city or Outer Mongolia).

“Our secondary calling, considering who God is as sovereign, is that everyone, everywhere, and in everything should think speak, live, and act entirely for him.  We can therefore properly say as a matter of secondary calling that we are called to homeschooling or to the practice of law or to art history.  But these and other things are always the secondary, never the primary calling.

“For those who live life as a journey and see faith as a journey, calling has an obvious implication.  It reminds us that we are all at different stages on the way and none of us alive has yet arrived.  Trouble comes when we forget this fact and pretend that life is static and settled, as if everything were a matter of sharp lines, clear boundaries, precise labels, and final assessments.  So that some are in, some out; some have arrived, others not.

“Are we saved by believing in Jesus or by trusting theologically correct formulations of believing in Jesus?  Are only creed-carry pillars of orthodoxy to be counted as true Christians?  Or should we expect to find that some of the followers that Christ loves most are as unlikely as the wise men from the East, the loose-living foreign woman at the well, or the centurion for the army of the hated occupying power?  Even the best and quickest disciples took three years of following Jesus to come close to seeing who he was.  And no sooner had they seen it than they misunderstood it and betrayed him.  Are we going to make the process simpler, surer, and more routine?

“Until Christ identifies and welcomes us home the disciples he has called, we his followers can expect to be as unfinished and unvarnished as we are unlikely–but we are on the road, and we are followers of the Way.”  

Imperfect Unity

I was given the chance to read Psalm 133 in church last week.  It is the unity Psalm that was sung as the Jewish people ascended to Jerusalem for the great worship festivals.  This ascent acted out the life lived upward toward God and ultimately discovered in Jesus Christ.

It is ironic that I should be reading this Psalm since I am not a particularly good unity dweller.  I tend to see the negative, sense the strain in a relationship, talk about what could have been better and notice the slight.  In good Pharisee fashion I insist that every person be as I am, at the same stage with the same stories as mine. 

I am at the same time on a transforming journey.  Because of the cross I have been redeemed and am being redeemed.  The Christ-life that has been imputed is spacious, abundant, full, glorious and vastly different than my fleshly inclinations. 

We all tend toward this polarized tension as we live together in community.  While we wish to interact with perfect people in perfect ways, we instead have to deal with imperfect people….like ourselves. 

We sit beside the person in worship who annoys us with their loud talkativeness and the one whose pain creates a walled distance.  We pray with the person who never seems satisfied and another who is overly opinionated about some obscure point.  We care for our town with the person who parents their children differently and one whose immaturity gets under our skin.   

Unity finds its greatest realization in imperfection.  Unity with the easy is one thing but unity with the difficult is another.  Imperfection heightens the need for us to live out love, compassion and humility with one another.  Incapable of sustaining a superficial relationship we delve into supportive bond fostered by the Spirit. 

Such unity is fragrant and attractive.  It’s as invigorating as a grand ceremony to anoint a High Priest that unites an entire nation in worship.  It’s as refreshing as grass drinking in the morning dew at the summit of a mountain peak.  

Flurry of Celebration - A Photo Journal

Maria kicked off the activities on May 3^rd with a celebration of her 18^th birthday.  It’s hard for us to fathom that we have two adult children.

Adri came up for a visit from Houston just to join in on the festivities for Maria.  ;-)

Christina had her 15^th birthday on May 22^nd along with Chelsea….whose 7^th birthday is on the same day.

I was in Tennessee on Mother’s Day.

Maria graduated from high school and was honored with a diploma and a little reception at Coffee Books and Beans.

Christina’s year long voice training culminated in a recital.  She sang an Italian piece entitled O del mio docle ardor.

Daniel placed first in his division and third overall in a 5K race on June 1^st.  Photographer dad was at the finish line to capture the action.

Diana and I returned to Mt. Airy to celebrate our 25^th wedding anniversary at the Sabota Bed & Breakfast.

We spent our honeymoon night in Mount Airy on the way to Myrtle Beach.

Mount Airy is also the birthplace of Andy Griffith and the model for Mayberry.  The squad car was parked at Wally’s Service Station when we stopped by.  

Wedding Album Memories

I guess I’m one of those people who would grab their photo albums if ever called to escape with their life.  These days photos are necessary prompts to a faulty memory.

This morning I pulled up a chair at the kitchen table and reminisced while pouring over our wedding album.  Stories and details came flooding back…or not.  I was struck with some of the little details that came to mind and some of the important details have been forgotten. 

Photo #19 – It is the recessional and I have the silliest grin on my face.  Little did I know what I was getting into…how much growing we would both need to do and what a treasure had come into my life.

Photo #22 – The three tiered cake was decorated in pastels of pink, peach and blue.  Afterwards we would freeze individual slices and eat a piece at our anniversary for the next ten years.  Only an electrical outage stopped the tradition.

Photo #23 – I notice for the first time that we are holding hands as we lift punch cups and steal a kiss.

Photo #27 – My pastor from Tennessee and Diana’s dad officiated the wedding.  Just as the ceremony was concluding the fire alarm went off.  In good fire alarm fashion everyone remain seated.  We owe this memory to Mike and Lisa’s daughter who reached from her mother’s arms to pull the alarm.

Photo #30 – Diana was a radiant and beautiful June bride. 

Photo #33 & 34 – Parents, grandparents, and a great grandmother witnessed our vows before God in this holy, mystical union.  We have a rich and godly heritage.

Photo #55 – Bird seed flies all around as we make a dash for the car.  I later discovered it in the pockets of my jacket while on the way to a Bed & Breakfast in Mount Airy.  Some of those seeds still remain in my pocket. 

Today we celebrate our 25^th Wedding Anniversary.