invitation

My friends Steve and Evy run a retreat centre in the heart of Abbotsford. It's a beautiful peaceful place. Tonight they hosted an open house based around the theme of invitation. The rooms of the retreat centre were decorated in various themes. On the outside of the door there would be a sign that would say something like, "Will you invite Jesus into your dreams and plans?" or "Invite Jesus into your chaos." In the first room, the dreams and plans room, I couldn't get away from the question, "what exactly does it mean to invite Jesus in?" I think we spend a lot of time talking to Him and telling him about situations and asking him to fix situations but do we really invite him into the midst of the situation? I'm pretty sure I don't. Would things look a little different if I actually did this? Now, don't get me wrong, I think about Jesus all the time. I talk to him all the time. Then I turn to whatever it is that is important in that moment. But would that moment be different if I invited Jesus to come with me? Of course it would. To invite means "to request the presence or participation of in a kindly, courteous, or complimentary way, esp. to request to come or go to some place, gathering, entertainment, etc., or to do something." I think it takes the whole sense of prayer and supplication to a different level. Not only do I pray to you Saviour, Lord, Redeemer, Friend, I invite you into the midst of these prayers. Not only do I pray for resolve of this situation, a fulfillment of this promise, strength to get through this day, I invite You into the midst of it all. I guess this all culminates in the question, "Would this, or that, look different if Jesus was present in it? And, if so, how?"

I'm glad I went to spend some moments in silence inviting Jesus into so many areas of my life. However, I do find myself in the middle of many more questions now. I think that might be the point. To live in the centre of the questions with Jesus right alongside.

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves. Do not seek the answers that cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually without noticing it live along some distant day into the answer.

Rainer Maria Rilke

my favorite india moment

Amidst the chaos, or shall I say mayhem, or maybe bedlam, or pandemonium, that is the traffic in India, I found myself in my favorite moment. We were at the end of a 10 hour drive into Ludhiana and we were slowly making our way to the hotel. This tuck tuck was suddenly in front of me. The women looked at me and I looked at them and we smiled. I held up my camera and they nodded. I took this picture. Then we looked at each other for a little longer, all the while smiling. As the tuck tuck pulled away they waved and I waved and I think we all knew that something special had transpired. I found myself praying for these women this afternoon as I drove to and from my parents house. Maybe I'm the only person who will ever pray for them.

imagine

Imagine what it would be like to be someone who was told you could not go to a school because your skin was black. Imagine having to use a separate bathroom or not being able to eat in any restaurant you desired. Imagine knowing someone who had been lynched and burned and tortured. Imagine having a family history of slavery. Imagine hoping and wishing and praying that one day it would be different. Imagine being that person yesterday casting a vote, praying it will matter, and then seeing the results. I think the outcome of the American Presidential race means that there is hope that things can change beyond our wildest dreams.