NOTE: Due to still-mysterious technical difficulties, this is now an outdated blog from LAST week. I think the one for THIS past week will make an appearance sometime in 2008. Stay Tuned! And back to our re-run programming…Back for more, eh? I know it’s a bit late this week due to some technical issues (the computer is recovering from serious injuries sustained from my fist…) Anyway, all’s well that ends. Here’s another byte of/from(?) reality, commin’atcha. LOOK OUT!
Okay. So, this past Friday’s youth group activity was “Grow in the Dark.” We’re proud to announce the recent attainment of its second birthday as an Official Event. We’re so proud of the lil’ tyke! So, the point of the night (in case you didn’t catch it. –Were you paying ATTENTION? Were you?!) is to offer different rooms around the church, that focus on various elements of spiritual growth: prayer, solitude, communion, journaling, confession, encouraging others, etc. and etc. The idea was for everyone to try the ones that they’ve been neglecting lately, or that are not part of their usual “spiritual regimen” (you know, just like our “beauty/fitness regimens,” right? But hopefully a little more…deep). The important thing was to pursue an encounter with God in whatever the activity.
The evening was exceptional for it’s silence! There was an atmosphere of reverence. The usual Friday night cacophony of exuberant conversation halted–for a time, and there was a hush in the rooms and (even!) the halls. It reminds you of what silence really is. It’s truly like gold: VERY rare.
Anyway, one of silence’s beautiful benefits is that it tends to encourage reflection. Even more, if we focus our reflection on God, he can teach us. (I think it’s because of the lack of interruption: we can be pretty slow, and so God needs a fair chunk of distraction-free time to get his point across to us.) In this case, the evening of Grow in the Dark really gave me a lesson about… the DARK. Seems fitting, eh?
Naming the event “Grow in the Dark” may strike you as being ironic or a contradiction: as Christians we’re supposed to grow in the light NOT the dark, right? Well, that stuck me at the beginning of the night (–just in passing. More like a light tap than a heavy blow, actually) But as the night got started and I settled down for some reflection, what reading should I come across in the “meditation on scripture room” but a passage ALL about light and darkness, in good ol’ John chapter 1. Think about it: What does it mean to go from darkness into the light?
Here’s the gist of the passage: mankind lives in the dark. (That’s such a great metaphor because we’ve all experienced moments in heavy darkness, not being able to see. But mankind has lived CONSTANTLY in this state.) God decided to intervene, so he sent Jesus: life that was “the LIGHT of man” and was meant for “every man.” The passage explains the world’s general reaction: “The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has NOT UNDERSTOOD it….the world did not RECOGNIZE him.” Basically, mankind preferred the darkness because THAT was understandable to them. (Just like if we’d never seen any light our whole life, we wouldn’t GET the light. It would be bright and it would hurt our eyes. Although we would now see everything clearly, it wouldn’t make sense because we’d never seen it that way before.) Going from darkness to light changes all that we know. It means that we have to LEARN how to “understand” the light—how to live in it. But how do we do that, when it’s a brand new experience for mankind, and we have no basis for understanding it? Well, that’s where Jesus comes in: “For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only [Jesus], who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” Only Jesus, coming from outside the darkness, can teach us about this light.
That’s the gist. Maybe this is nothing new to you. I wouldn’t be surprised: it’s something we hear over and over. But even so, it’s possible to miss the meaning that goes with the words we use: how we talk about Jesus carries many implications that can deepen our understanding. So now, I understand that “Growing in the Dark” actually is pretty accurate. We have been brought into the light, but we live in a world of darkness. –Well okay, perhaps it should really be called, “Growing in the Midst of the Dark,” but since nobody really uses the word “midst” anymore, I’m willing to go with what we’ve got.
Sorry about the big byte, this week! Hopefully it’s not too painful.

Okay, this week you get a petite shakeperience.  It’s best for all involved–and it’s a rarity, so enjoy it.  Well, let us proceed: this brain’o mine has been getting a work-out this week. (It hurts.) There’s this lil’ book called Blue Like Jazz (don’t worry! No commercials this time!), and everybody else in the world read it wa-ay back last year, and I just finished.  There’s a part that examines the usual human approach to relationships: the way we talk shows that we think about loving in economic terms  (”investing” in people, etc.).  It’s common to do this. Although it’s a pretty cold approach, maybe it’s natural for humans to think in these terms (living in a world built on trading valuables to get what you want). The author went on to talk about how, as Christians, we can begin to treat people this way WHILE thinking there’s nothing wrong with it, or maybe without realizing it. We may use our love as a commodity, rewarding people who meet “our” standards (be they Bible-based or personal ethics–hopefully not too much difference) and with-holding it otherwise.  Basically (as you might have guessed) this is a terrible way to live, because it’s the EXACT OPPOSITE of what God did for us and what he subsequently calls US to do.  He brings us to repentance and change, through love.
 Then, at Shoeless Pursuit (that Sunday night worship service), this passage was read:
 “…24And the servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome (fighting and contending). Instead, he must be kindly to everyone and mild-tempered [preserving the bond of peace]; he must be a skilled and suitable teacher, patient and forbearing and willing to suffer wrong.  25He must correct his opponents with COURTESY and GENTLENESS, in the hope that GOD may grant that they will repent and come to know the Truth.”  (2 Tim. 2)
 

That’s just it, eh?  There’s no two ways of reading this.  It’s not just a philosophy of what might work.  It’s what God calls us to.  I felt quite convicted, and I thought I’d pass this along, so we can all feel guilty together!  –No.  Just consider it.  The character description in the passage sounds pretty impossible, hey? But if you think about it, you probably already know a few people who love exceptionally well.  It doesn’t come naturally, but it’s pretty life changing when someone does it.  We’re human, yes, but God invites us to be transformed.  So, on that note…
(I just don’t know how to end this…)  Bye!

History indicates a lack of appreciation for the common eating utensil. Throughout utensil-existent time, these trusty appliances have nestled in our hands, aiding us in survival. And we have ignored them: they have been used and tossed aside with shameful regularity. Well, on Friday the scales of justice began the long, red-tape-bordered ascent back to equilibrium. What am I talking about? That’s a fair question. I’m not surprised that you’re uninformed. This is painful, but it’s time for the healing to begin. And you need to know. So…just remember that we’ll get through this together.
This Friday was… The Day of Reckoning. From this year forth I predict, with considerable confidence, that November 3^rd, 2006 shall henceforth be known as… Fork Friday, or otherwise called The Day of the Fork. And the auspicious events of that day shall be likewise unforgettable. Oh yes, they shall.
I see you’re confusion lingers. Allow me to furnish you with the details. This Friday past was a Friday like any other… The Society of Senior Youths assembled, as usual. On this occasion we congregated at Joe’s Place, joining our numbers with another such Society. The anticipation was understandably palpable, as the evening centered ‘round the revelation of mystery: the annual Voltage vision was to be unveiled! (Yes, “It’s coming…”) Well, all was going according to plan, for the first 5 minutes. And then… it began.

The warning signs were everywhere, but we…we didn’t see. It started with the shirts. The Hosts of the evening were attired in proclaimative event shirts. So we likewise donned them. And THAT’s when we realized! “Someone” had compromised our proclaimative message! The shirts had been tainted. I repeat, TAINTED! We rushed the shirts to a secured location, and on closer inspection all our fears were confirmed: ALL had succumbed to the tampering. We quelled our panic… And then the full extent of the sabotage was revealed. The posters! The website! Our evening event itself–ALL USURPED! It was horrific! Tragic! …UGLY! On display for all the world (of Saskatchewan) to see: prominently Spearing through our painstakingly selected logo… a GIANT FORK!!!

Chaos broke out. We were sitting ducks. (Well, to be accurate, most of us were no longer sitting.) But nevertheless! There we were: our plans for a pleasant evening crashing down around us. To be completely honest, we still do not have full information regarding the subsequent events. Miraculous (and inexplicably improbable) on-site, footage caught fragments of the action. There are no words. We have glimpses of one Godzilla-eque fork infiltrating the building with the help of some of our own, sadly unquestioning members!!! (We do not blame them, but it will be hard to rebuild the trust.) Once inside, there was no stopping them: sneaking up on innocently congregating groups ’round the building! Causing tragic, hysterical stampedes! Terrorizing one particularly isolated individual who sought refuge in… a mine shaft? (Franckly, authorities are still searching for traces of that one…) People resorted to desperate measures for survival: donning extraordinary disguises to conceal their humanity. And that they did! It appears that forks are repelled by the Village people, and clowns. (Yes, well kindly remember that fear makes people do incredible things.)