If you will notice a year ago I posted a bunch of articles called ‘Churching North of the Border’. I didn’t record every church I visited, but they all lead to the church I landed with.
Where did I wind up? I wound up with a group of 9 people who had been questioning how to do church together for awhile. In fact, the ‘Spiritual Life Director (or Pastor to non-emergent folk)’ was a thicker fellow with a beard and glasses who graduated from Word of Life and still picking the shards of glass out of his brain that the experience had left. He and the rest of them had been considering the best experience for the community of Downtown Saint Catharines. I was blessed to commune with them.
This is where my search lead me, Thank God. I search today for that same opportunity north of another border.
click on
Don’t read this if you haven’t watched ‘The Wrestler’.
With a tinge of Hollywood Formula, the main character finds himself and resigns to who he is. What a friggin’ luxury. It kills him, but it seems like something you almost want to take on. When a million other films and PSM’s are screaming in your ear for the last 33 years to better you or if the church is shaming you for not trying to be better. The Wrestler leaves you feeling pissed that your life can’t wind up a film, that if you did resign to who you are you could be dragged out of the showbiz gutter and be given the role that redeems your career because of WHO you are.
I realize this is art, and I confess I have a hard time separating life from art because I spent most of my life trying to relate to Alex P. Keaton, Mike Seaver, Alf, and George Oscar Bluth than I did to living characters around me. In fact, I spent more time trying to mimc others in hopes of redeeming myself.
Rourke’s performance was inspiring, the film had a feel of reality that was easy to connect to. I loved this film.
In the end, this selfish bastard wonders where and how there is room for all of us to be ourselves without being a member of the assholes of society. And if that is who you are, is there really freedom in just being that guy? I doubt it, but I wish there was for my own sake.
Great movie. 
For the first time in 3 years I have nothing to keep my focus, and I am forced to reflect. It’s like having an unwelcome guest that I must entertain. In this silence there is a lot of noise (so postmodern).
Last night I informed my mother our God is different. Mom sighed and said in a high pitch voice ‘ok’, and I am certain she will pray for me.
My concern has always been how I and many others have done church, how misrepresented a good God is today. Also, the personal relationship thing, how can this be without dialogue? God and I should be able to converse, others have, why not me?
33 years in the church, 10 in full-time ministry, 20 years since I answered an altar call. I don’t think I know God.
Today I read this “whatever we may seem to be doing or however far we may seem to be from the mark, we are really searching for God.”
Get On Your Boots
The new U2 single from the album No Line on the Horizon.
Click for it