The neccessity of pain and hurt .

Pain is lame but necessary. Pain is seen as the enemy but is that how God intended for us to view it? Is pain actually a help to us. Yes , absolutely! I wish it wasn't so but there is truth in "NO PAIN, NO GAIN". Several people I love are going through immense emotional pain. My initial response is to want to take it away. But I can't. If I was able take the pain for them for a while to give them a breather I would but it would be a mistake to totally remove it prematurely. Pain serves a purpose it tells us there is an injury that needs our attention. Say you had a pulled muscle, no doubt it would hurt like hell. If you numbed it up so you couldn't feel and then proceeded normally you would risk a greater injury. That would be a dumb thing to do . Taking something for a short time to help you deal with the pain(not totally numbing ) until the injury is healed would be the brighter path.
With emotional pain we tend to want to numb it up. Everyone has their own way of doing it. Some work too much, some deny the pain, some drink and some scream and cry ouch for years but never actually deal with the pain its(it's weird but it's the same as the others).
Pain is there to tell us that something in us needs healing.
People like to go through these painful times on their own. Let's go back to a bodily illustration. If you were playing a sport and injured your leg on the field or court wouldn't you allow the other players to help you to the sidelines. Of course you would! Unless you were particularly bone headed. (I did this once, not smart at all ). Let the other players help you! We're a family in Christ. Christ within each of us can help and heal. But not if you won't allow it.
Being someone in the "Help Biz" I am proned not to ask for help when I need it. I've pretty much quit that style of thinking. I have three people that consistently help me off the field when I need it . They are God's gift to me, channels of healing and a means of grace.
Pain is necessary but help is available, let's all use it.
More on this tomorrow.

On Being Severe

At first glance this picture seems severe and even macabre. But when told that the man in the picture is a monk who tends the bones of the martyrs and not the maniacal man servant of a serial killer then the picture means something totally different. I have recently come to terms with the severity that I project more than occasionally. It makes me sad that I am misunderstood even sadder that I put people off. Then sadness turns toxic and I don't like that. I thought about doing a ministerial make over to have more of a rainbow and puppy dog cast to my persona. I used to where my cassock a lot more but I became fearful that it set me too far apart from people so I stopped wearing it . And it's not just what I wear , I come across as a "Hard Ass"( ask Carsten for the link to his blog entry that makes mention of this).
So I am sitting here this morning lamenting the fact that I project a very severe image and how it may cause the ruin of Christendom as we know it (I'M VERY DRAMATIC IN THE MORNING). And then God stepped in. He made me look at the ministries of St Ignatius, St Francis, Smith Wigglesworth,Martin Luther, Maximillian Kolbe and Bishop Raymundo Abogatal. All of them better servants than I but talk about severe. St Iggy lectured his congregation for trying to spare him from martydom. St Francis rejected all the comfort of the world and wore rags . Martin Luther shook his fist at papacy to put Christ back in the center of the church (Martin Luther was also a wacko but God loves wackos too ). Max Kolbe lived severe servanthood by harboring Jews in his monastery and was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp(he actually helped the young soldier prepare his lethal injection of carbolic acid and gave the soldier absolution for his sin) . Smith Wigglesworth was a plumber that gave his life to Christ in a Pentecostal church. His presence was so severe that people often remarked that they felt as if they were going to die when they stood next to him (he actually made people aware of Gods judgment on their sinful lives). Bp Raymundo wears a cross big enough that my 4yr old Luke could do chin ups on it. And he does this in the most dangerous Muslim region in the Philippines. He says he wants the Muslims to know that Jesus died for their sins. He is very aware that it could cost him his life. He loves the Muslims that much AND I'M WORRIED ABOUT WEARING MY CASSOCK!

I started thinking that maybe I'm not so severe after all. Where the heck did I put that cassock.
Go Big or Go Home !

Food I do not like

I was thinking about food that I do not like. For many years I would not drink any brown liquids. I'm over that. Up until recently I wouldn't eat anything with cooked pineapple. I'm over that too. I spent about 7 minutes trying to think of some foods I didn't. Alas, there are none.
I am a pig! I eat any thing. What kind of human does that.
So I encourage you please challenge me. I need to find some food that I would not eat. Don't challenge me to eat non food OK. No wood. No children's toys. Just stuff that is table fare at family dinner somewhere on the planet.
I know. This is not deep or theological. Silly is OK sometimes.
Bring it on !

Brother's House

Years ago a bunch of surf bums gave there lives to Jesus Christ and decided to live together committed to God, prayer and service to His Church. That was 25 0r 30 years ago and it was the beginning of what is now called the Brother's House. Now there are 12 young men from 18 to 30 who live together in one house (a large house). These guys are sold out for Jesus 100% and provide precious service to the Cathedral Church in San Clemente. I have prayed that God would raise up a Brother's House in our church . I grew up in a church that had 3 communities of nuns that served the church. I miss a church that had people living in community as they did in the beginning of the church. And the community that it brought to the church. The nuns helped the church immeasurably. And the members of the church, knowing that the nuns lived modestly would help them with donations of food and the occasional timely cash or check. There were a couple of men in the church who would visit the nun's house to see what was in disrepair and fix stuff. It made for a nice community. These communities were also little houses of prayer that lifted up the church and individuals up in prayer daily.
Lord may be bringing the Brother's House to All Saints. I would ask that all who read this to pray for this. Pray that if this is truly Gods will he will raise it up and bless it.
Go Big

Hawaiian Invasion

No really , it's a good thing . My best friend from seminary is visiting from Hawaii with his family. It's nice to see them. The kids (Samuel and Naomi) are really cute and smart. Keith (my pal) is the same. He funny and intense and always has something in his craw that must be talked about. I love it. You don't have to guess where you stand with Keith. If he loves you he be hugging you very soon(6'1" 200lbs Chinese guy). If he doesn't like you - he will hug you until he does. His wife Wendy is the rudder of reason in the relationship. She's very creative and smart and has no problem telling the great big Chinese guy the truth. God did a good job there. Today Keith and I will go to the Chinese market to buy live crab(they're cheaper there) to cook and eat.
Friends are a good thing. I didn't know how much I've missed them.
Aloha