Cancer Girl

She sang and danced and wept.
God made me.
God saved me.
I’m a believer.
I’m an achiever.
Yes, yes, yes, yes.
My soul says yes.
She is full of the Holy Ghost.
And cancer.
Love Corner.
March, 2012.

On the train in Philadelphia

London, WC2

I was leafing through an old Economist this am and my eye caught an ad for flats with a view in central London…WC2 to be exact. This is where I lived for 5 months in a formative period.

It was 101 Gower Street, a block over from Tottingham Court Road and close to Goodge Street station.

Milk came in bottles with cream on top at about 5:30 on weekdays.
Local pubs served room temp cider and bitter by the pint for 25 cents.
A short walk would land me at Regents Park, the British Museum, or the theatre where Zero Mostel was crooning away each night in Fiddler on the Roof. Hair was all the rage on Oxford street. We saw Deep Purple at Royal Albert Hall.

The Vietnam war raged and we got our first lottery numbers for the draft.

And I grew up a little.

Starting to get it..

For years I was involved in evangelical church work at every level. There are some basics that I was overjoyed to discover. The I studied them, loved them, began to learn and apply them, taught them, defended them.

Then I began to GET them.

Very simply they are:
1. I am deeply loved. Preferred, thought of, defended.
2. I am designed. And I am good at what I do.
3. I am the light of the world. Not my idea. Somebody way smarter than me stated this. I always took it to be a job. But it is more of an infusion of energy.

Let me say that I am just beginning to get some handle on these.

Live big in me…

BG is always saying “Live big in me, live big through me!” Strikes me this is one of the most basic of prayers.

Never lose this…

On my way to Copper Canyon last week I saw this from the train as we enetered Philly. If you know there is a reason and a design, you should have it…

Sometimes you just have to leave

Its all over the Bible and well spelled out inSeth Godin’s little jewel, “The Dip”.

Especially if it is toxic, leave.

Unfettered affirmation…Bill Russell

I was just watching a discussion between Bill Russell and Tim Duncan.

Bill was telling the story about being called by Jackie Robinson’s widow to be a pall bearer at his funeral. He asked her why. “Because you are one of his favorite athletes.”

Wow…to be placed in esteem by the best…true affirmation.

Then Russell lookied at Tim Duncan and said, “and YOU are on of my favorite athletes…”.

Wow…and Bill Russell said it face to face.

Don’t wait until after you die to affirm someone.

Just plain pico…the best of Copper Canyon!

People go nuts over the food in the Sierra Madres. One of my faves is the simple pico. I think the key is the fresh ingredients. Like real tomatos and peppers:

The stuff is really simple…just fresh peppers, tomatos, cilantro, garlic,  and onions. Then sometimes there is radish or cukes or whatever thrown in. I love it

 

 

Ronald Reagan on Jesus

Our pastor here in Doylestown related a story about Ronald Reagan last Sunday. Some Christ follower asked the president what he would say if he were facing GOD and were asked “Why should I allow you into my heaven?”

Reagan answered, “Jesus”.

“Anything else?”

“No”,said Reagan. “Anything else and you ruin it.”

(The shot above is the churchyard in Cerocahui)

“I am holding the answer”..Luke 2

Waiting, desperately longing year after year…and then ineffable joy. Simeon finally held the answer to everything in his arms and he knew it.
How seldom do we see or experience this incredible contrast of need and longing, contrasted to deep joy…and this is what the incarnation is all about.

I saw this need, this longing, this expectation in the eyes of this hombre in Copper Canyon two weeeks ago. This looks to me like hardship beyond knowing coupled with unstoppable joy.
I am not going to sing one more Christmas carol this year…my heart is going to gush them!
Because like Simeon, it is beyond enough just to have God invade me with the answer.

“Ah, we poor people, to be so cold and sluggish in the face of the great joy that has been clearly prepared for us!”
Martin Luther