Finding Jesus in a Coffee Cup

For the past three weeks, he has come to the HUB! with backpack full of questions. (For those who don't know, the HUB! is a Friday night youth drop-in center we run in the basement of the church.) Jeff told him that if he has questions about whether or not God is real, and whether or not God wants to talk with him, just go home and ask. Go home and pray something like this: "God, at the HUB! they say you are real. I'm not sure I believe it, but I think I want to, so if you are real, show me."

This week he came back all excited, saying "I found Jesus in a coffee cup!" We all laughed and then he told this simple story. He was at his Mom's place of work, thinking about what Jeff had told him, and he was praying that prayer. For whatever reason, he began to fidget with a random coffee cup. (You know how you'll do something just to keep the hands occupied while you think.) At some point, he looked at the cup and noticed that the inscription on it read, "Jesus is real."

Now I know that we are not talking about a miracle of huge proportions here. I know the cup said "Jesus is real" before he picked it up. I know that we can't take this story and run to the secular press shouting, "Look, look. Jesus is real. It says so on this coffee cup."

But today I'm not talking about God revealing himself to the world. (If I remember correctly, He did that at Calvary.) Today I'm talking about the desire that God has for His Spirit to talk with the spirit of a 12 year old boy. Even that boy is mature enough to know that it doesn't prove anything. He told me that God doesn't normally talk an an audible voice, but that he could use little things like this to get our attention.

But here's one thing I know. The 12 year old boy is in a conversation with God, and God is both listening and speaking intently.

Here's a few things to ponder:

• Do you think God wants His Spirit to chat with your spirit?
• Are you willing to sit down and listen? The Bible talks about the "still small voice" of God. We live in a world with a cacophony of competing voices, so it seems to me that it might take intense listening, focused listening to really hear the voice of God.
• Don't be surprised if the chat begins over a "cup of coffee"

Sunday Worship

It's Saturday, and I am still very much thinking back to the family vacation (I'll write about the Reunion 2010 tomorrow). In an effort to help wean me back into reality, my daughter Sarah reminds me that it is less than 19 weeks until my house is over-run by Christmas guests!

But, back to the present. Tomorrow is Sunday, and we are looking forward to seeing all the "Winchester'ites" at worship. We will continue the theme of "Summer in the Psalms - Delighting in the Lord." Tomorrow it will be Psalm 16 - a song that I am calling "David's testimony of delight."

Eugene Peterson's paraphrase of verse 1 and 2 (The Message) says: Keep me safe, O God, I've run for dear life to you. I say to God, "Be my Lord!" Without you, nothing makes sense.

And he ends the song (v. 11) by paraphrasing "Now you've got my feet on the life path, all radiant from the shining of your face. Ever since you took my hand, I'm on the right way."

I think Peterson (and David) may be on to something: Run to God, and you'll be on the right way!

See you in church on Sunday.

Hurray for Caton's Family Camp

It has been too long (for no good reason) since I posted a blog of any sort. Today (for better or worse) I am back.

What better way to restart than by re-hashing a wonderful vacation from which Lorraine and I have just returned. It had at least two very distinct parts, both involving family. Today's post refers to only the first part - a Family Camp at Caton's Island.

For $590.00 I was able to take 12 members of our family (Krista from Truro, Gina from Seattle, and Jaymie from Antigonish) along with their children (our 6 grand-kids) to what is arguably the most relaxed weekend we have ever enjoyed together. Thanks to Dean Stephenson and a wonderful staff (www.catonsisland.com) for making this possible. Your team set the atmosphere where this could happen.

From zip-lines (the kids, including four year old Naima, did it while 57 year old Grand-papa chickened out) to scavenger hunts; from beaches to horse-back; from bon-fires to chapel services; it was a wonderful way for three generations of family to interact. In fact, for a while there were four generations, since Lorraine's parents came for parts of two afternoons.

Don't know if this will happen again, but this time was a great experience, and could only have been enhanced if Sarah (Pittsburgh) could have been able to join us.

If interested, pictures are available on my face book by clicking:

Here

Here

and Here