The Myth of Balance

A wee thought I'll leave with cyberspace and ya'll today, which was triggered by a comment by Mike Metzger on his blog (for details, see entry on Evangelism and Sex).

It's about balance in life. Have you ever worried about the constant balance we need to try to keep - between work, home, church and other stuff. I worry about it periodically, especially in this particular time in my life. 

Metzger says this:

"balance is a myth. The scriptures speak of tensions. The tension, for example, between pursuing a calling in the wider world and being a good father. I like tensions because they affirm two equally good yet competing virtues."

I like that - I think... Yes, I think I'll reflect on my life being full of these tensions....

Actually, I found one that the Apostle Paul was wrestling with, except that his is much more compelling than where my mind normally goes:

"For me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body". 

(talking to the Phillipians, chapter 1: 21-24)

Fear,Worry, and Mortality

K here - 

More serious post this time around...

Most anyone who reads this won't know that I had a "not entirely normal" mammogram back in January.  Yes, ladies who read this, you KNOW that is not anything you ever want to hear.  The doctor wanted me to go back in 6 months for a follow-up.  The description on the follow-up order  said "architectural distortion".  Well, I went in for the follow-up this past week and I am still distorted architecturally.  I saw it.  The radiologist said it was alright, but I'm still not sure I can believe it.  Maybe when I get the letter from my doctor that says it in writing...

These whole past six months have just been holding my breath in many ways.  I got this result in January right when another friend in town thought she was going to Iraq but went into a battle of another kind - chemo for the lump they found in the mammogram before she left.  Another friend was in the midst of her chemo and yet another friend - further away this time- was in the same battle.  Yet another friend in another country fought this fight several years ago and seems to be doing well.  I love these women and pray for them, but indeed I do not want to be in their company in this way.  I know the Lord loves them and me and knows what is best for us, but I just don't think I'd make such good patients as these ladies.

I know I have my Father on my side and no matter what the outcome, He's right here with me and Dom and the kids, but the thought of possible separation from my family here just hurts.   I know there are many excellent reasons to go be with Jesus as soon as possible, but at the same time there isn't anything I've ever read in the Bible that makes me think that God created us to WANT to be separated from our loved ones on earth.  

I know I'm talking an architectural distortion here, but this is where my mind goes with the possibilities and what ifs of life... Now you probably know more about my mind than anyone would ever truly like to know, but there it is -

Evangelism and Sex!

Yes - SEX! SEX!

I'm trying to increase the reading circulation of our blog by talking about sex! Well, sort of....

We get an excellent magazine called Critique, a publication of Ransom Fellowship. It always has thought-provoking articles and there was one called "X-Rated Evangelism" by Michael Metzger, which caught my eye (it was the evangelism word which drew me in, of course....)

He makes a few cool statements, which I thought I'd share:

"The best sex is the fruit of a marriage, not the focus."

He then draws this thought out to give an analogy to why we're on earth as believing human beings:

"Human flourishing is our focus, not sharing our faith. Just look at how Christ shared the gospel with a woman at a well." (John 4)

So his thesis  seems to be - aim at demonstrating our worship of God in all we do and are, and infectious evangelism may well result! 

Or to put it in John Piper's terminology - we can't commend to others what we do not cherish...

So, as sex fits into the bigger picture of marriage as we focus on love and sacrificial commitment, so evangelism flows out of "reframing it inside a larger story" (Metzger)....

So, anyway, if any of this has intrigued you at all as it did me (who gets sweaty palms at the thought of evangelism but silly boyish grins at the mention of sex), then leave a comment or read the whole article in context!

http://www.doggieheadtilt.com/x-rated-evangelism/#more-50

Meet the Furious Five

Well, they're not actually Kung Fu Panda warriors, but they are Emily's five webkins and she really wanted to introduce them to the world..  We present: Cuddles the Koala, Nancy the white doggy thing...Bamboo the dashing panda, Cupcake the precocious poodle and finally Snowball the polar bear...

One thing I know for sure - they take up more bedspace than the average NFL quarterback and attack me if I don't treat Emily like the princess she is!

Random Listing

I've sometimes wondered about my friends and which artists, which books, which TV programs, which places, which movies have most influenced them. These names have made a difference in their lives and help to paint a picture of who they are. To give an example for me with three names: Watership Down, Cabo Da Roca, Ian Rankin. 1 minute of googling would help you find out what they are. Then the intriguing part - why connected to me?

Here's a random list of names which mean a lot to Dominic. They are in no order. Some are places, some are books, some are TV shows or films, some are artists, some are sporting heroes. I don't know what I'm going to write. Here goes:

Tobermory, This Little Lime-Tree Bower My Prison,  Ian Rankin, Andy Irvine, Journey of Desire, Tintin, Dad's Army, Pilgrim at Tinker's Creek, Marillion, Red Barchetta, Gavin Hastings, Cramond, Aberdour, Shine on you Crazy Diamond, PG Tips, The Local Scoop, Chariots of Fire, Asterix, The Magic Roundabout, Murakami, Saramago, The Name of the Game, Roy Clements, PG Wodehouse, A Shot in the Dark, Under the Summer Stars, The Copper Kettle, The Front Porch Cafe.

That was completely random and I wonder how many you might recognize. You'll certainly ascertain that I'm British in origin and of a certain age! I wonder what your random list would look like.....

Preparing

Kat and I have been taking an online course on tentmaking (example of Paul in Acts making tents is where this term comes from), and I thought I'd share a comment I made after going through the lesson on stress. Does stress resonate with you at all? This course has been excellent in asking us some good questions, but the lesson did prompt this reply on the discussion board:

"My other thought was that preparing to do missions work and moving to another culture is a little like preparing for marriage. I think God gives us a lot of desire, enthusiasm and drive to get us there and shields us from over-thinking about all the problems we will face. For example, if I truly had known prior to marriage just all the challenges and struggles I would face and could see all that in advance, would I have had the courage to pop the question?! (By the way, I love being married!). In the same way, it's great to have preparation, planning and not to underestimate the challenges of cross-cultural ministry but we need also to remember God's grace, His planning and going ahead of us, and not lose the sense of excitement either! Otherwise, well I have a great life here in the States...."

Anyone have any thoughts on where I'm coming from?