Kitsilano Christian Community

LUBASI HOME FOR CHILDREN, Zambia

2012-01-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Some of you may have heard about a project that one of our own is taking up.

Hedi and Chris T. are heading over to South Africa (the land they hail from) at the end of the month. In Hedi's plans, she decided to weave into the trip a stop at an orphanage in Zambia. It wasn't long before she found a need. And, Hedi being Hedi, she went right to doing something about it.

Thanks to the support of Chris and Hedi's community and church family, they will be taking 45 fairtrade soccer balls to enliven the children at Lubasi. Hedi was particularly moved when the idea of bringing soccer balls connected to a video where she witnessed children playing with a make-shift soccer ball.

Here is a link the the orphanage's website: http://www.lubasihome.org/

Please keep Hedi and Chris in your prayers. May God continue to direct their efforts and relationships as they travel.

NEW YEAR PRAYERS FROM OUR KIDS

2012-01-01T11:31:00.000-08:00

Prayers for when we feel hurt (inside and out): Thank you God for ... bodies that heal. Thank you God for tools that heal us like First Aid kits, wet cloths, ice packs, dry cloths. Thank you God for helping us feel better. Please help us God ... to find comfort, to take care of people who are sick (by bringing soup, drinks, and our company). Please help us when we feel disappointed (like when we get toys for Christmas that we already have).

Prayers for clothes and other things that we need and that make us happy: Thank you God for ... rainbow dresses with matching tights. Please help us ... to help other people to have bicycles, jerseys, helmets.

Prayers for adventures we'll have in 2012: Thank you God for ... cars and all vehicles. Please help us ... to trust you even when I feel afraid (like when I pray that I won't see big cats at night but I sometimes still do).

Prayers for adventures: Thank you God for ... bodies which take us on adventures (like walking to Cora's and taking 2 buses to get there). Please help us ... to not get hurt.

More prayers for clothes and other things that we need and that make us happy: Thank you God for ... dresses with ruffles on them in the winter and the summer, Canucks jerseys. Please help us ... to share.

Prayers for our creative experiences in the New Year: Thank you God for ... fun painting and pictures, making up games, sports and making volcanoes out of something. Please help us ... to have lots of new ideas, to make beautiful things in the world.

Pre-decorated pictures taken from Taro Gomi's Scribbles.

After Sunday school we decided to have a little dance party in my office to this:

Happy New Year!

"The Lives They Loved"

2011-12-22T20:07:00.000-08:00

As we leave this year and the darkness of winter behind, we continue to hold the losses of the year. These losses don't, after all, just disappear.

Readers of The New York Times were invited to contribute photographs of loved ones who died this year. This link was on Twitter yesterday and I was mesmerized by the common and still spectacular lives of those who passed away.

We remember those we've shared this holy holiday with in Christmases past. May those memories fill us with gratitude, not overwhelming despair.

Peace.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/12/20/magazine/lives-they-lived-reader-submissions.html?GN-D-E-TWTR-AD-TXT-MAG-ROS-1211-NA&campaignId=397U6#index

LET'S GET OUR ADVENT ON

2011-11-23T14:36:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of things you can add to your Advent preparations.

1) Family Activities for Advent Calendars, 2011

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XDO6ivVDgJWnCG8p6_svNWdGOTtK2HLztVpVpoAUHQw/edit?hl=en_US

2) Scripture Verses Connected to Kits Sunday School, Advent Calendars, 2011

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FOd4lFUecUQRrufo7Tqy0o4rTtg9lNfjFYgqFfi_aMs/edit?hl=en_US&pli=1

Here are a few links to craft Advent Calendars, if you don't already have one that you use:

http://www.thecraftycrow.net/2010/11/24-advent-calendars-to-make.html
http://www.quietfish.com/notebook/?p=1244
http://go.tipjunkie.com/ch/337/www.tipjunkie.com/christmas-advent-calendar/

Send Bobbi photos of Advent calendars and traditions and we can add them to this helpful post!

Feist Makes Kits Cooler

2011-11-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

At church a couple of Sundays ago I (Bobbi) did a Kids Moment tied to the story of Jethro and Moses. Our kids in their Sunday School classes were exploring the ways that this story reminds us that we need one another to accomplish the good work of healing in our communities and (I add) the good work of healing in relationships and in creation.

I had so much fun sharing this song with you, that I may have neglected to make my points really clear. It doesn't matter so much anymore, now that the moment has passed, but I did want to share this song with you in its complete form. It reminds us of how hard relationships can be, even when there is a "good woman" and a "good man."

Linking that back to the kids moment, may we all be reminded of the ways that, like Moses, we can't solve our broken relationships on our own. We need each other. Feist has a beautiful voice all on her own, but when we add the other instruments and voices and beats in the song, we get something more nuanced, alive, and full.

Enjoy the song, it is the first on her newest album "Metals."

Advent Art

2011-11-08T14:05:00.001-08:00

We hope that you are getting creative with the opportunity to add your art to the Advent reader this year. Submissions are due to Anna by next Tuesday, November 15.

I came across this how-to on making an Advent silhouette. It looks like a cool project to try for yourself or to do with your family. Here's the link: http://www.thatartistwoman.org/2008/12/how-to-make-nativity-silhouette-art.html

LIGHTING IT UP FOR A GREAT CAUSE

2011-11-01T15:47:00.000-07:00

Vikki, wearing her HomeStart hat, wants us to know about these VERY COOL lamps that are being sold to benefit HomeStart. If you were in church on Sunday, you know that HomeStart is working hard to secure the wheels needed to move furniture to homes that need it most.

Check out the beautiful lamps – made of legacy sails fabric from Canada Place – that Kevin at www.Designersatlarge.com is selling to benefit HomeStart.

http://designersatlarge.com/Listen_Closely/Listen_Closely.html

Youth M.O.D.

2011-11-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Every three months our high school youth head down the the nearly impossible to pronounce Phoscao Cafe on Granville St for a Sunday session of “Month of Discussion” (MOD). In the other two months they spend one month in the larger worship service and another month serving in the younger kids’ Sunday school classes.

You may not spend much time thinking about what our young people are up to in that time, but I’ve been so pleased with our sessions once again that I’d like to spend a little time telling you about it here on the not nearly updated often enough blog. Today, I want to tell you about our attempt to connect our spiritual lives at church with our spiritual lives at home.

Curtis had a great idea when the leaders met at the beginning of the fall: that we connect our first MOD of the school year with the lectionary passages, assigning all of us the lectionary passages to read before the Sunday where those passages apply. This was a tricky session to work with. Who wants homework from church? It turns out, nobody does.

This exercise pushed me to consider how to engage this in a way that we could all connect to the assignment, even if we didn’t get to it in the week. I’d been reading Iona Community liturgies in books I dragged back from my Iona island visit a couple years ago. Based on those, I wrote a reading we could all participate in. The spirit of the reading was to welcome questions and emotions that may surface for us as we encounter scripture.

Here is the reading, based on the lectionary passages for Sunday, October 23.

KITS YOUTH // MOD
10-23-2011

Reader 1
And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. (Exodus 34:5)

Reader 2
Moses, the servant of the LORD,
the one who the LORD knew fact to face
who did all the signs and wonders in Egypt
who was promised so much
died.
He died on the edge of what was promised him,
never making it into the promised land.
Instead,
Joshua, son of Nun
would lead God’s people
on Moses’ journey
in Moses’ dream.

Reader 3
Do you wonder about the ways of God?
What is unfair about the timing of Moses’ end?
Why would God use Moses for so much, and then deny him
even more?

Reader 1
Lord, you have been our dwelling place
throughout all generations. (Psalm 90:1)

Reader 2
Our dwelling place …
God as our dwelling place, our home?
Home: the place where we
eat
dress
cry
fight
feel
sleep
belong.
God: our food
clothing
shoulder to cry on
ear to hear our anger.
God: our rest
our safest place -
God.

Reader 1
A thousand years in your sight
are like a day that has just gone by,
or like a watch in the night. (Psalm 90:4)

Reader 4
The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy.’” (Leviticus 19:1-2)

Reader 2
That guy again:
Moses.
Hearing from God,
hearing directly from God
words to obey
to declare
to invite.

People who hear:
to act like people?
to act like God?
to be people who act like God?

And that looks like what, exactly?
If God is love, then are we love?
If God is justice, then are we justice?
If God is patient, then are we patient?
If God crushes the wicked, then … are we crushers?
or peacemakers?
What is it exactly, God?
What is it like to be human
and
holy?

Reader 5
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked will be destroyed. (Psalm 1:6)

Reader 3
Is this just a matter of karma?
Good things happen
to those who do good.
Bad things happen
to those who do evil.
But what about when good things happen
to those who do bad?
Because if we are honest,
they do.
And what about when bad things happen
to those who do good?
If we are honest,
they do.

Reader 1
We are not trying to please people but God
who tests our hearts. (1 Thessalonians 2:4b)

Reader 4
We live in a world
where we are told
again
and
again
that what matters is how we please
ourselves.
But we also live
in a world where what happens
is we are
pushed
tugged
pressured to please
others.
How do we know what it looks like
to please God?
And how will that change our lives,
to please God?

Reader 5
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducess, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:34-39)

Reader 2
What does it mean
to totally
and completely
love?
What does it mean to love God
with our heart
soul
and mind?
And if I don’t know my neighbor?
And if I don’t like that person at school?
Or if they are different
and that
is weird?
What then?
What is love?
Love.
Total and complete
love for God.
Generous and true
love for our
friends
families
for
strangers
and haters.
Love.

** Photo taken by Travis at Keats Weekend Away.

A LETTER FROM OUR FRIEND GEORDAN AT OUT OF THE COLD

2011-09-08T13:59:00.000-07:00

To our volunteers from Kits Church,

As you are aware, Crossroads has not been offering our regular Thursday Out of the Cold meal over the summer. Since April, we have been facilitating a community kitchen focus group with participants from our former Out of the Cold meal. This group has been helping us redevelop our community meal into a program which empowers, equips and educates participants to overcome their barriers to proper nutrition. To read more about what we have been up to with this group, please see our attached newsletter that outlines our progress over the past four months.

We are writing to keep you updated with what we have been doing over the summer, and to keep us on your radar. Out of the Cold participants have been working over the summer, crafting a new community meal program that puts those in need at the helm to create a safe, welcoming, dignifying environment that grows the capacity of the marginalized population in our neighborhood.

This process of community development is a slow one, but we are already seeing the fruits of our labour. The participants in our community kitchen have displayed a new sense of ownership over the program, and their contribution to it, in a way that we've never seen before in our years offering afree meal in the Grandview Woodlands neighborhood.

This participant group will be leading the way when the invitation to our Thursday community meal is extended this October to other former guests from Out of the Cold. Our community meal is going to look significantly different than Out of the Cold did in the past. Participants will be doing the cooking, setting up, serving and cleaning. Our community kitchen focus group has been hard at work developing ideas, policies and procedures to ensure that everyone will be able to contribute. The vision is to create a space where all that attend will be able to share a healthy, wholesome meal in a safe environment that nurtures relationships, growth, dignity, and helps people practice solutions to poverty related barriers they may face.

We want you to continue being a part of the story! As our community meal in this new format is still in its infancy, we currently do not have the need for outside volunteers as we did in the past. As those of you who have followed the development of our change process will be aware, we are hoping to create community builder positions over the coming months as a way for you to continue participating with us. We will also be inviting you to an event this fall, where participants will present to you the Crossroads Community Meal in its new format.

In this time of new growth and development, we value your prayers, encouragement, your questions, and your support. We are trying something new for which there is very little precedent in our city. In many ways we are breaking new ground, and your prayers are of great value to us as we attempt to put community development theory into practice. With your help over the years, we have given away many very, very good fish, and we value your continued support as we experiment with teaching how to fish! (to use the age old adage)

Thank you for your contributions over the years, and your continued prayer and support as we at Crossroads work to form a community of growth, care, dignity, creativity and compassion. We could not do it without your help!

Sincerely,

Geordan Hankinson
Crossroads Community Food Program Coordinator
communityfood@salsburycs.ca

A Word from R.E.E.D.

2011-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Ending Demand- A New Narrative About Sex Trafficking

Mikael Bingham

Sex trafficking is a bit of a hot topic these days. CNN, Demi and Ashton, countless charitable organizations around the world- it seems like everyone is getting involved in the fight to end modern day slavery. And that’s a good thing. It’s good that people are learning the truth about trafficking. It’s good that more and more documentarians, artists, activists and celebrities are speaking out against this atrocity.

But what are we are being told about sex trafficking? Mostly, what we see and hear are tales of rescue, of young girls being reunited with tearful parents, of famous actors and reporters tagging along on brothel raids. Not surprisingly, the stories that get played over and over again are stories that are dramatic and emotionally compelling and dramatic. Again, this is good. It’s important that people Moving narratives spur people into action and compel them to act.

But let me pitch a different kind of story to you- one that I hope will be THE primary narrative about sex trafficking in the future. Here it is- a young man is spoken to honestly and explicitly about sex by his parents, teachers or mentors. These people recognize that this young man is bombarded with sexual imagery from every imaginable outlet- television, billboards, radio, the internet. They speak to him about the prevalence and accessibility of pornography and about how viewing porn is both damaging to him and supportive of a damaging system. They talk to him about prostitution- how it hurts women, how it’s the result of reduced freedoms and choices, how it has nothing to do with liberation. They know that if he doesn’t get a full account of these things from them, he’ll likely get half-truths from his peer. As a result of these honest and candid conversations, this young man understands that treating sex like a commodity is harmful at both the individual and the systemic level. He knows that paying for sexual services is supportive of hurtful and oppressive systems. He struggles to keep himself in check but ultimately he grows into a man who never pays for sex. He teaches his sons the same things that he was taught. That’s the end of the story.

There’s nothing particularly compelling about this tale- no tugging on the heartstrings, no tears, no soaring soundtrack. But there’s also no woman to rescue. This young man stops the abuse before it happens by choosing not to participate in the commodification of sex. He ‘rescues’ a woman by refusing to join the legions of men who create the demand for paid sexual access to women’s bodies. Multiply that result by millions and imagine how many women would be spared the horror of being trafficked- bought and sold for someone else’s pleasure- if men, knowing the truth about the so-called ‘sex-industry,’ chose not to pay for sex. This is the story that we at REED (Resist Exploitation, Embrace Dignity) want to hear told over and over and over again. This is the story of the end of sex trafficking.

At REED, we focus as much on education and prevention as we do on helping women exit prostitution. Our goal is to create a world in which no woman has to be rescued from traffickers because there is no money to be made from selling her. For more information on how you can be a part of a positive solution to sex trafficking and sexual exploitation, contact info@embracedignity.org.

http://www.embracedignity.org/

REGENT LECTURES part 1

2011-06-21T16:20:00.001-07:00

CONTRIBUTED BY SUSAD WADE before the lecture by Sarah Williams - see the post below for the full report on the lecture from John Wade.

Tonight I am heading out to Regent College with a few friends to listen to a lecture entitled “Sexuality in the Modern Paradigm”. No doubt the room will be full of people just like me who are challenged daily by the changes in cultural norms surrounding sexuality for people of all ages and stages, and wondering how to hold these changes in some sort of helpful tension with traditional Christian teaching. I am willing to bet that we won’t get a lot of absolutely clear answers tonight, but I am also quite sure that my thinking will be helped and refined just a little as I listen to what Sarah Williams has to say on the topic.

What a privilege it is to have Regent College and the spring and summer evening lecture series so close at hand – and free!! And what a contrast to some of the places I have lived, where Christian bookstores were hard to find, and where thinking Christians seem to have been considered to be rather troublesome or at least mildly eccentric!

What good fortune to find myself here in Vancouver where, for so many evenings of the spring and summer, I can find easy parking at UBC and, for no cost at all sit and share an hour in person with some of the most respected Christian writers, teacher and thinkers of our time. (So much more interesting that the picture on the back cover of their books!) Alternatively, I can hop on the bus and find Regent College like a pot of gold at the end of the B99 line!

It is true that topics can from time to time get a little academic – sometimes they are “heavy” or sometimes I might disagree. But there is always some piece of new understanding: something that has either clarified my thinking or challenged me in some way.

How wonderful to have such an easy way to stay alert and alive in our Christian walk – to exit our comfy little corner of the world for a time to see what other people are doing and thinking, and sometimes to see where we fit in the great sweep of history.

REGENT LECTURES part 2

2011-06-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

CONTRIBUTED BY JOHN WADE (THANKS JOHN!).

On Wednesday, 8 June, a few adventurous Kits members left their hockey screens and went to Regent College for one of the free evening summer lectures. Coming from a small city, I find it a privilege to live in a place where such resources are available. The hall was packed by 8pm. No doubt when a talk is about sex, a crowd is likely to gather.

The speaker was Professor Sarah Williams, a woman with an endearing English accent, a mother of two teenagers, whose spouse was at home minding the kids. She is an expert in British culture in 19th and 20th centuries, and has been a Regent faculty member since 2005. Sarah is a warm, funny and very intelligent person, and the crowd loved her.

Nevertheless, she mentioned several times that this was a lecture she did not want to give, and that it was very politically incorrect. Moreover, an Englishwoman is not really supposed to discuss the "s" word. She hoped that it would be the beginning of community conversations, and was not intended to provide answers. After the lecture on our homeward journey, that was certainly the case.

Here are a few thoughts from Sarah---

* Sex has become a commodity---separated from procreation; family; intimacy; public accountability; marriage.

* What is "sexy"? It is good for both males and females to be "sexy". However, what should we teach our children at a very young age about the content of being "sexy"? --see Proverbs 31. What the advertisements teach us about "sexiness" are lies.

* Give up the search for Mr Right, or Mrs Right! Remember that Sarah was speaking to many Regent students who are on a search for just that person---or at least Mr Good Enough; or Mrs Good Enough. We always find Mr Wrong or Mrs Wrong (apologies given to her child minding husband back at the ranch). She reminded me here of the old saying of family lawyers---"Love is blind, and marriage is a magnifying glass".

* God's model is that of a contractual commitment ("covenant") to Mr Wrong or Mrs Wrong--as Jesus is commited to unworthy creatures like us. Again she reminded us that her lecture was politically incorrect.

* Fidelity is a celebration of "limitation"---it stands in tension and opposition to the baby boomer mantras of "self-fulfilment"; "authenticity"; and "being true to oneself".

* Can we rediscover that children are gifts from God? They are not "chosen" by us.

* Churches should abolish Valentine's Day, and replace it with friendship day, in order to be more inclusive.

* Chastity is not second best--it is an honorable state, and was such until the Reformation.

* Churches are lonely and alienating places for the unmarried. Unmarried women often abandon the loneliness of church "community". What responses? Husbands and wives should not always sit together in church; there should be more male-female friendships in churches. What other suggestions??

* Whew!

Participants asked Sarah profound questions at the end. Most moving for me were the comments from one South African man about the collapse of fatherhood in his country, caused in part by the isolation of working males in emerging industrial societies. This has led to the "normalisation" of rape of young women and children.

The next free Regent lecture is on Monday, 27 June at 8pm. It is to be given by Alistair Mc Grath. We are planning to attend. If you need a ride, please contact me*.

Best wishes,

John

* You can find John's contact info in your Kits Directory or by contacting Jan at the church.

MOSAIC, spring 2011 issue

2011-05-10T13:47:00.000-07:00

This is me eating the new Mosaic magazine. Yep, it's that good!

"What's Mosaic?" you may be asking.

Mosaic is a publication of Canadian Baptist Ministries (www.cbmin.org). The spring 2011 opens with some timely and exhorting words by Sam Chaise, the General Secretary of CBM, about youth. He writes, " ... we have asked our youth to adjust to our way of doing church, instead of encouraging them to develop their own embodiment of the Gospel. We need to re-imagine the Church so that it embodies the Gospel not just cross-culturally, but cross-generationally."

Following Sam's intro to the issues, Matt Wilkinson, Director of Youth Ministries for Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec, writes about the need to breathe new life into youth ministry. Matt carefully names the place of social networking and lays out this careful challenge: "The challenge as parents and youth workers is to not use our youth ministry programs to direct or coerce our young people to be where we want them to be. Instead, we need to join them in their journey, making an effort to understand their world and to intentionally listen, guide, and empower them as it is their turn to 'breath.'"

These are only a couple tasty treats available in this well published issue (both in appearance and content). You can pick up a copy in the church foyer. If they are all gone, please be in touch with Jan at the office and she will dig up more copies.

Happy reading.

AT THE POOL WE'VE ALL GOT BODIES

2011-04-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

A poem and picture from Lance Odegard's book of poetry by the same name.

Presented here in blogland in conjunction with our current Sunday worship theme on Spiritual Health and last week's message on a spirituality of the body.

At The Pool We've All Got Bodies

by Lance Odegard

At the pool we've all got bodies.

Elsewhere we've got brands

we've got fabrications

we've got lulu lemon butt lifting pants.

At the pool we've all got bodies

in trunks and clam shells--

some working with flaps and pleats pleading

to conceal, others an experiment in Swiss minimalism

and risk management--

all of us dealing with the unalterable fact

that we've all got what we've got, that

at the pool

we've all got bodies:

bouncy bodies

bodies that need brushing

fluorescent white, white bodies

energized child bodies

hot-tubbed tired bodies

bodies

all of them absorbed in being here!--

not spiritual ghosts,

not online avatars,

but us, at the pool

with splashing, floating,

leaping bodies.

A VID ABOUT VULNERABILITY

2011-03-31T14:40:00.000-07:00

A NOTE FROM HOMESTART

2011-03-15T15:58:00.000-07:00

Contributed by Vikki -

We had a lovely thank you in the mail today and wanted to share! As our biggest monthly supporter, we want Kits to feel the love.

Dear HomeStart,

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and gratitude for the very lovely furniture that you donated to our home. Thanks to you we are very house proud and happy.

Bless you and thank you again,

G & R.

http://www.homestart.ca/

LENTEN GROUPS GROOVY PITCH

2011-03-01T15:40:00.000-08:00

HEAVEN IS WITHIN

2011-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

While I (Bobbi) was doing some reading this week about the spiritual life for our youth churchy discussion I found this beautiful piece by St. Teresa of Avila:

You know that God is everywhere, which is a great truth; wherever God dwells there is heaven, and you may feel sure that all which is glorious is near His Majesty.

Remember what St Augustine tells us - I think it comes in his Meditations; how he sought God in many places and at last found the Almighty within himself. Do you consider it of slight importance for a soul given to wandering thoughts to realize this truth and to see that it has no need to go to heaven in order to speak to the eternal Father or to enjoy His company? Not is it requisite to raise the voice to address Him, for He hears every whisper however low.

We are not forced to take wings to find Him, but have only to seek solitude and to look within ourselves.

Address Him sometimes as Father, or as Brother, or again as a Master or as your Bridegroom; sometimes in one way, sometimes in another, He will teach you what He wishes you to do.

- Living Water: Daily Readings with St. Teresa of Avila ed. by Sister Mary ODC

BIG WORDS FROM SMALL PLACES

2011-02-10T14:55:00.000-08:00

The Gather 'Round material that we use with our kids at Kits on Sundays included this beautiful closing litany in last week's Sunday School lesson. I know one of the classes will be using it for the next couple of weeks as well.

Group: To whom do we show God's love?

Leader: To the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed.

Group: Is that all?

Leader: To the rich, the famous, the athletes, the movie stars.

Group: Is that all?

Leader: To the kid in the neighborhood that I don't like.

Group: Is that all?

Leader: To the people in nations that my country fights.

Group: Is that all?

Leader: To our best friends.

Group: To everyone.

READ THIS

2011-02-10T14:53:00.001-08:00

Here's a suggested blog link shared with us by Liz D. Liz writes, "I thought Christine’s encouragement here was very interesting and worth considering as we explore the Sacred Rhythms of our lives in our time leading toward Easter."

http://godspace.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/knowing-gods-purpose-for-your-life/

Enjoy

THE THING WITH FEATHERS

2011-02-01T10:10:00.000-08:00

Lauren L. sent me this message this week:

Hi Bobbi--

Kerry McFarlane Bell read this to a group of us the other night. The image of the "thing with feathers" makes me giggle and has stuck in my head. I came home and found it on the internet, printed it out, and posted it on our refrigerator.

It is wonderfully appropriate to share it here on the blog. Enjoy.

"Hope is the Thing with Feathers"

by Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest night
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

http://www.riversonfinemosaics.com/mosaic_bird.htm

MENTAL HEALTH ON "THE CURRENT"

2011-01-13T09:07:00.000-08:00

Last week and this week The Current on CBC Radio One has dedicated space to explore mental health issues. This conversation was lead by Steven Page (formerly of the Barenaked Ladies) on Friday, Jan. 7 and continued on Thursday, Jan. 13.

Here is a link to last week's show, in which there are three parts you can stream online. You can also find the show in podcast form through iTunes.

http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/episode/2011/01/07/mental-health---guest-host-steven-page/

RECIPE: PECAN CANDY CAKE

2011-01-11T14:34:00.000-08:00

- contributed by Susan W. -

Susan brought this Australian cake to coffee hour a week or so ago and there were many requests for the recipe. Here it is:

FILM NOTES

2011-01-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

- contributed by Bobbi S. -

This holiday season I went to a couple of movies, but the one that might be my favourite is a little less “holiday” in tone and a lot more “oooooh, that’s sad” in nature. There are times when movies, like other pieces of art or the beauty of a mountain scene, meet you in the places you process life. The film Rabbit Hole did this for me.

The movie stars Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart as a married couple who have lost their little boy in the sort of tragedy that gives your head a shake: the simple duty of a boy to his dog timed so imperfectly with the passing of a car.

The movie is about their grief and the grief of their friends and family. It captures the particular and diverse ways that we process the tragedies that touch us. It carefully leads you to witness healing in some of the more unusual places. And, it reminds you that we can’t fix ourselves. We need each other. Always.

GIVING AND RECEIVING, LOCALLY

2010-12-21T10:49:00.000-08:00

:: Contributed by Lauren L. ::

This fall, our family has had the privilege of being a part of something exciting in our neighborhood. It all started with our son, Gabriel (5), whose best neighborhood friend, Adam, began to play with a little boy who lives on his block. So by proxy, Gabriel began to play with this child too. I will call him John.

It was neat to watch them play, especially since this little boy didn’t speak despite being a year older than Gabriel and Adam. He just mixed himself in, following along as the neighborhood kids played Lego, pirates, did treasure hunts, and chased one another around. But his little face was often expressionless and he rarely smiled.

He was around more and more, showingup on the sidewalk outside Adam’s house, unobtrusively waiting for his playmate to come out, but still not speaking or responding when asked questions. As the boys spent more and more time together, Adam’s mother, my friend Hazel, began to notice that our boys’ friend probably had some significant primary needs that his family was having difficulty meeting. She and her partner, living just a few houses away, were in a unique position.

They began to develop an “open door policy” toward John. Whenever he was around, she set out healthy snacks. If he was around during a meal, he would be invited to the family’s table or welcomed to grab a piece of pizza or two at our weekly Pizza Nights. He devoured everything she set out and displayed impeccable manners, often in contrast to our boys, who whooped and hollered at the dinner table and refused certain parts of their meals regularly.

Well it turns out that many in the neighborhood have been watching John and his family over the last several years. I think we all started to fall in love with that sweet little round face and the big plaintive eyes. As Adam and Gabriel started kindergarten this year, we have watched this little boy slowly blossom before our eyes. He talks! He smiles! He participates in the kids’ games of soccer and imaginative games in such typical ways, making noises and seeking the attention of adults to show them things he has constructed with Lego. The difference that being a part of a group has made for this child is astounding. His teacher, who had him in her class last year, said that he is like a different child this year.

John is the youngest in a family of five who arrived in Canada four years ago as refugees from Vietnam. We have learned that he and his family were hunted down and more or less escaped with their lives from that country. John was likely born in a refugee camp. His older brother, James (10), and sister, Kerry (13), probably remember the dangerous escape to that refugee camp. Several in our community have taken an interest in this family’s history as a way of creating a “frame” for the relationship and have used pieces of information that we have from the school and family to begin doing some research. As Montagnard people, they share a similar history to First Nations (in Canada) or Native Americans (in the U.S.) in that their people were native to Vietnam and have been marginalized and terrorized by a new group that moved into the country. John’s parents work periodically in one-off jobs since arriving in Canada and make use of the local Food Banks to help make ends meet. They are proud people who fled from a life in a remote village in Vietnam that we can hardly begin to imagine. They have not been able to accept Food Hampers offered to them in the past from the school.

But part of loving this little boy, this friend of our boys, included the desire to help, despite the barriers of culture and language. Numerous conversations throughout the fall between various people in our community have explored just that problem. How to come alongside and help without creating a sense that the neighborhood is coming “from on high” to help the lowly? To start with, there were some health and safety issues that seemed to need addressing. John’s teeth had fallen out a full year ago and no new teeth had grown in their places. And the school announced that there was no longer funding for the hot lunch program. As soon as Hazel was aware that John was coming to school without food, she began to make an extra lunch each day that she placed on the teacher’s desk for him. Cream cheese sandwiches, salmon, fresh fruit and vegetables.

In the meantime, there was more of a crowd at Hazel’s house each time the boys played. John played with Adam and any number of other children who happened to be around. He was part of the group in the same way any of the other kids were. John’s older brother began to show up,demonstrating amazing skill with Lego and being welcomed for any meal he happened to be around for. Shortly thereafter, the older sister began to spend some time at Hazel’s house as well. She hung about the kitchen, keen to be involved in household chores and food preparation. It was becoming quite a crowd, and sometimes, quite a lot to think about and manage.

At Halloween, Hazel walked down the street to the house where the family rents a basement suite. She had one of the older children to help interpret as she explained the traditions around Halloween. She wanted the kids to come trick or treating with them, and sure enough, all three showed up at her door dressed in simple, homemade costumes and carrying bags for their candy.

And then one afternoon, the kids’ mother walked up the street to retrieve her children for the evening. I watched as Hazel offered her some of the crazy-looking squash that had just arrived in a box from the Okanagan. She took one, and an hour later, Hazel called me to say that the family had sent their daughter up the street to give her a huge bag of potatoes and onions from the Food Bank. So began a relationship that has enabled our whole neighborhood to contribute to this family’s needs and to begin to embrace them in a real relationship as part of our community.

We try to meet observed needs in the most “everyday” ways that we can. It has been a creative effort that has taken a variety of forms. When Hazel observed that these three children did not appear to have warm clothes for the increasingly cold fall days, a number of families in our community dropped off extra coats and clothing, extra shoes, new socks and underwear at Hazel’s house. The next time the kids played together, she bundled one in a coat and put new socks or shoes on them when they went home that day. Others who have heard of the situation have approached Hazel with money to keep in a stash for whenever she needs to buy something that one of the kids needs. Inspired by this story, even the hairdresser of one of the women in our community contributed $75 to this stash. Hazel was recently able to use some of that money to buy James a new pair of shoes that he had the opportunity, probably for the first time, to pick out himself. James’ bicycle had a flat tire, and another neighbor bought two new tubes for the bike, fixed it, and had it ready for him to ride again. Another neighbor happily passed along a nice bicycle that her son had recently grown out of for Hazel to give to John when the time seems right. Yet another neighbor, a musician, began to welcome Adam and John, his siblings, and any other children who are around, into her house once a week for informal “music lessons”.

ADAM, JOHN, AND JOSEPH

And then it was John’s birthday. At the end of November, he turned six. Both Adam and Gabriel marveled at how he could be OLDER than they were but be so much smaller in stature! Hazel took her calendar down the street to the family’s home and pointed to the date of John’s birthday, explaining that she wanted to have a birthday party for him, would they like to help? The family was thrilled, smiles all around! Superman invitations went out to a nine children from school and the immediate neighborhood, and the family took a few invitations for some friends at their church.

There was a lot of thinking on the part of several in our community about how to use this unprecedented event as a way to get some things into the house for the two boys. People went overboard! Some who had heard of the party contributed gifts even though their kids were not invited. Our younger kids’ daycare provider contributed several toys to allow some of the restto provide for necessities while still ensuring that John got lots of fun toys at the same time. Several of us went in on snow boots and a snowsuit for John, as well as a tub of Lego. What do you buy for a child who has no toys? What would this event be like—a party for a child who had never had a party? Would the family come? All the parents offered to bring food and Hazel had a big pot of stew ready to feed an unknown number of people.

For all the build up, the party itself was surprisingly typical. It was a bunch of kids running around the house crazy and making tons of noise. There were a few party games, cake, presents… if you didn’t know better, you would never have known to look for the special things that were happening that day.

The family did show up… with a huge pot of noodles and vegetables, fresh fruit, and a six-pack of soda to share. Kerry practically insisted on taking over my job of cutting up fruit in the kitchen and proudly brought platters of snacks to the table. John’s older brother, who had arrived with John at the house four hours before the party was set to begin, actually decorated the cake himself. When it was brought to John as the kids sang, those big round plaintive eyes glowed and a huge, shy smile spread across his face. The kids swarmed John as he opened presents and eagerly brought him one gift after another. John was overwhelmed. He sat with each gift in his lap and looked at it as long as he could before one of the kids reached in and showed him how to pull on one of the edges to open it. He reached for the homemade cards on each gift first (what 6-year old does that?!) and actually looked at them! During the Musical Chairs game, one of the kids beat John to the last spot, and John just couldn’t handle it—he started to cry. Everyone paused and tried to comfort John until the little boy who’d beat him to the spot said quietly, “He can have my spot.” John actually won that round of Musical Chairs, and his older brother picked him up and paraded him around the room in shared joy over the win. And in the background, Hazel’s partner grabbed an atlas and sat down with John’s dad so that he could show him exactly where in Vietnam they had originally come from.

Recently, there is a sense that what John and his family really need more of is a greater sense of community, friendships, experiences. Fortunately, the relationship the family has with Adam’s family has enabled them to take the kids out. Hazel and her partner look for opportunities to involve John and his brother and sister in outings and plan to spend some of the money in the stash in this way. This Christmas, we adjusted our previously arranged family plans with Adam and his family to ride the Bright Nights train at Stanley Park to include John and his brother and sister. Hazel got there early with John, James, and Kerry while Aaron and I were stuck in traffic with our two kids and Adam and his younger brother. Hazel said that John and his siblings’ favorite part of the display was the Nativity, which needed no explanation for them as they have learned about it in their own church. And it struck me later, as I looked at a picture above of the Christmastime window front of the non-profit neighborhood ministry where my friend works, how much these kids have in common with Jesus.

So this Christmas, we wanted to share this story with you and the gift that it has been for us to be a part of the energy in our neighborhood that has developed around this little boy. It has been such a personal experience of coming face to face with the true face of poverty in our very own neighborhood. It is all around us. We usually try to find some way to contribute to a charity as part of our gift giving at Christmas, but this year’s gift is this story—a gift to us and to you all. Instead of giving money to World Vision for a family in Africa to have a goat, we bought shoes for a friend of our son’s who was wearing summer sandals in the snow. And we too, have been so blessed by the opportunity and the seeds of relationship that are slowly developing.

CONSIDERING OUR COMMUNITY

2010-12-17T09:47:00.000-08:00

Contributed by Liz D.

Do you wonder what kind of ministry Kits could have in its neighbourhood that would make a difference to our homeless members of the community? Jodi sent us this link from the Westender paper – an example of how West side churches in Point Grey are actively making a difference and living out their faith, sharing their love and care for people living on the streets in Point Grey.

How is God calling Kits to partner with other churches in our neighbourhood to reach out to those needing support – the homeless, the isolated senior, the new immigrant? Over the next few weeks, pray about this as you travel about our neighbourhood, and in 2011, let’s challenge ourselves to be the in- breaking of the kingdom of God into our Kitsilano community.

http://www.westender.com/articles/entry/neighbourhood-welcome/news-and-views

HOMESTART IN THE LOCAL NEWS

2010-12-17T09:17:00.000-08:00

ENJOY:

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20101216/bc_angels_101216/20101216/?hub=BritishColumbiaHome

Longest Night Service

2010-12-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

From the Longest Night Service

Litany of Assurance

Leader: God did not wait till the world was ready, till nations were at peace,

People: God came when heavens were unsteady and prisoners cried for release.

Leader: God did not wait for the perfect time,

People: God came when the need was deep and great.

Leader: God did not wait till hearts were pure,

People: In joy God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt, to heal a world like ours.

Leader: God came and God's light will not go out. In the mystery of the Word made flesh, the Maker of the stars is born.

People: We cannot wait till the world is sane to raise our songs, to share our grief, or touch our pain.

Leader: He came with love. And still God comes,

All: GOD, COME TO US.

(Adapted from First Coming by Madeleine L'Engle)

DIY Advent Calendar

2010-12-01T19:53:00.001-08:00

We have made a version of this Advent calendar for kids, families, and individuals at Kits Church.

If you'd like to put one together with all the supplies please let Bobbi know. She will have an big envelop with all the goods inside (complete with thoughtful Advent preparation readings from the gospel of Luke, a challenge or consideration, and a picture to urge us towards anticipation). You can pick one up on Sunday.

Advent Inspiration

2010-12-01T19:51:00.000-08:00

From Liz D.

If you are in need of refreshment and a connection with the Advent season, follow the link to Christine Sine’s amazing Advent Meditation for 2010. Christine and Tom Sine are founders of the Mustard Seed Association in Seattle and are amazing writers and teachers. The images, words, and music drew me in to the season and will do so, whenever I feel pulled in directions that are far from God’s call to me at this time of year. Christ is Coming – let us prepare individually and communally.

http://godspace.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/christ-is-coming-an-advent-meditation-for-2010/

Prayers of the People

2010-11-02T10:35:00.001-07:00

Here is a copy of the prayer Liz D. prayed in our worship service on Sunday, October 24.

Lord God

The life you have given us is so very rich

And full of doors

Sometimes these doors are experiences outside of me

And other times they are exploring new rooms in my own house.

Sometimes they are doors I long to open –

A new job

A new friendship

A new love

A new class

A new part of the world to experience

An opportunity to share you with others.

Lord, may you keep filling me with the clarity that

You journey with me through it all.

For the doors I long to open

Give me your courage

To meet the challenges that are part of experiences I think I want.

To accept it when sometimes the doors are locked or are so heavy that I can only inch them forward.

Teach me patience, persistence, and help me to recognize

The time to leave this door, and to search along another path.

And Lord, help me to keep learning through these experiences,

Drawing closer to you,

Listening for you,

Feeling embraced by you

And challenged by you.

Open my heart door to you.

For the doors through which life circumstances throw me –

Pell mell, in chaos, in confusion, in terror

Give me your courage

To feel your love for me when things are the darkest – when

I rail against you and swear at you for “throwing me into this mess”

And am sure you have abandoned me

Open me to see you in the loving arms

Of the people walking with me on this journey

Shape me to grow out of this chaos,

Open to the learnings that are there

When I am able to attend to my fear and embrace it.

Sometimes Lord, it takes a long, long time.

Draw me closer to you,

Listening for you,

Feeling embraced and held by you.

Open my heart door to you.

And for the doors into my inner world,

The metaphorical doors I choose to explore

Out of desire to connect more closely

With the person you created me to be.

Be the door way –

Be my grace-filled passageway helping me to

Love and trust you, and through that

Love myself

Accepting my faults – my sins –

But not succumbing to them

Instead growing through the acceptance

That I can make different choices and in so doing

Growth through you, evolving, changing, being changed by you.

Father – open my heart door to you.

Lord you are there with us constantly –

Help us to feel that more often this week

As we rejoice in the beauty of your creation

As we delight in each other,

Or as we struggle to make it through the day.

We pray all of this, God,

In the name of the Jesus – the risen Christ

Christ is risen – he is risen indeed.

Missional Church Discussion

2010-10-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here are some treats and points to ponder from the Missional Church discussion held at Kits Christian Community on Oct. 27.

From the introduction in the handout:

The New Testament advances a missional vision of the church, in which the church is understood as a sign, a servant, and a foretaste of the Kingdom of God. Local churches are invited to join Jesus in His mission in the world, not to pursue their own missions for Him. The Mission is God's not ours.

A pic of the keen participants:

And enjoyable YouTube moment about speaking with conviction and authority:

Considerations from Luke 9:

What does the "corporate reign of God" look like for a community like Kits in our neighborhood(s)? Be brave and post a comment or two below!

On Food and Faith

2010-10-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

From Simply in Season: A World Community Cookbook by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

Savoring the tastes of each season

Marie Harnish, Indianapolis, Ind.

For me, eating in season has become part of my spiritual journey and an easy tie-in with the church calendar. My family has come to expect and look forward to certain foods at certain times of the year - and only those times.

In the spring, we eat bowls and bowls of fresh spinach salad and lettuce salads with special dressings. In July, when the onions peak in production here, I make big batches of French onion soup that my children beg for. In fall I make recipes with Napa cabbage that I can't grow well in the spring or summer. Fall and winter is also time for making carrot chowder to load up on vitamins A and C for when cold and flu seasons hits.

Starting with Advent, soon after a hard freeze, I begin to make kale-potato soup once a week. (I prefer the kale after a freeze which makes it tastier.) This is warm, comfort food. It is green and fun to serve with a swirl of something red, like spaghetti sauce.

Patient Trust (Teilhard de Chardin)

2010-10-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

(Contributed by Lauren L.)

Above all, trust in the slow work of God

We are quite naturally impatient in everything

to reach the end without delay.

We should like to skip the intermediate stages.

We are impatient of being on the way to something

unknown, something new.

And yet it is the law of all progress

that it is made by passing through

some stages of instability-

and that it may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you;

your ideas mature gradually-let them grow

let them shape themselves, without undue haste,

Don't try to force them on,

as though you could be today what time

(that is to say, grace and cirumstances

acting on your own good will)

will make of you tomorrow.

Only God could say what this new spirit

gradually forming within you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing

his hand is leading you,

and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself

in suspense and incomplete.

Expressing Thanks

2010-10-05T16:22:00.001-07:00

Last week Homestart received a thank-you letter from someone who was a Homestart client. Vikki passes it onto us for our encouragement.

http://www.homestart.ca

The letter reads:

" It's such a pleasure to walk into my little apartment! I thank God that there are good people in this world. I have drifted to and fro for such a long time. People think when you are homeless you're free but that is not true. You seem to spend your time in long, long lineups waiting for a meal or hopefully a place to sleep at night. Always looking and waiting for something.

I am truly blessed to have an apartment here. So "private", (something you never get on the street), clean and quiet. I was just blown away that we could put in a request for furniture AND have it delivered for FREE. I must have died and gone to Heaven. I don't know how many times I said "Oh my God" when I got my furniture. The sofa chair you sent me seems to be made specifically for me - I plan to take it wherever I go - I love it so much. The wooden chairs you sent are beautiful and match my desk. Hallelujah!

I pray that God will bless you and keep you all the days of your life. Could you please pray that I will draw close to the Lord and He will draw close to me.

Thanks again,

J."

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part X

2010-10-05T16:18:00.000-07:00

Here is one from John K.

5. It is a place where I can serve in multiple ways.

4. God tells us to fellowship together.

3. It is a place I can get affirmation and correction.

2. It is a family we can invite others to join.

1. It broadens and enriches my faith in God.

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part IX

2010-10-05T16:07:00.001-07:00

From Winona M.

1. It keeps me grounded

2. Worship music & communal prayer melts away my stress and lifts my spirit

3. Fellowship & community with others who share a similar philosophy of life's purpose

4. If I truly believe in God's sovereignty, then I must follow His edict that we gather in fellowship to worship, pray and study Scripture.

5. In this city, the church is one of the only places where my children can experience the fellowship of other Christians

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part VIII

2010-09-30T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a list from Melanie K.

5. I can meet with people who share the same views and ideas surrounding faith.
4. I can meet with people who share different views and ideas and be challenged and strengthened in my faith.
3. It is a place of safety where one can be truly honest without worrying-'what will they think of me?'
2. It is a place to sing God's praises.
1. Great snacks!

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part VII

2010-09-30T09:10:00.001-07:00

From Lauren L.

1. Multi-generational community of faith for me and my children, especially since we live far from family

2. A place to be challenged

3. A specific place to share my gifts and serve

4. I want support in teaching my kids about and living out the Christian faith as a family

5. I love to worship in song in a communal way.

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part VI

2010-09-30T09:08:00.000-07:00

From Zoe A.

1. My sanity needs company in order to stick around
2. Kids in pews on a Sunday morning
3. God somehow makes a home among us as we 'do' church, and that still blows me away
4. I'm brought out of myself in each service, and in each act of service
5. I am home here

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part V

2010-09-30T09:07:00.001-07:00

From Karen L.

5. To remind me how to be a more "Christ-like" follower in my daily life to others

4. To reconnect with my community of friends weekly

3. To remind me of the arms of love from God for me

2. To listen to amazing stories of Jesus Christ

1. To deepen my knowledge and love for Jesus Christ

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part IV

2010-09-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

From Liz C who even hugs me

This is why I go to church:

1. Celebrate God in my life and share with others
2. Because I am part of the Kits community
3. To hear the word of God and be inspired
4. To sing and worship
5. To remember who I am in Christ

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part III

2010-09-29T21:44:00.000-07:00

From Carolyn C the super D(eacon)

5. Going to church helps keep me motivated in intercessory prayer.
4. The Scriptures read and the sermon often shape my life in the coming week.
3. Going to church gives me the opportunity to serve others
2. It provides the structure for being with people I love – “As for the saints…they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight.” (Psalm 16:33)
1. Corporate worship provides a powerful setting to experience the presence of God.

TOP 5 REASONS I GO TO CHURCH: Part II

2010-09-29T21:42:00.000-07:00

From Brian D across the sea.

5. it grows my roots in the legacy of God's kingdom through Christ: faith, hope and love
4. it keeps me sensitive to suffering in others
3. it connects me to others in community
2. it connects me sensibly to the world
1. it lets me grow my stem within a liturgical structure

TOP 5 REASONS I (or you) GO TO CHURCH: Part I

2010-09-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

I'd like to gather some lists like this and post them here while we explore the themes of church in our Sunday morning worship gathering.

TOP 5 REASONS I STAY CONNECTED TO CHURCH
by Bobbi S.
5. It is a sanctuary.
4. It is one of the only places that I can find and be friends with a truly diverse group of people.
3. I need to be reminded.
2. I would be mostly faithless without it.
1. It expands my love for God and others.

If you have a Top 5 list, please email it to Bobbi ... right this very minute.

In Karen L's Words

2010-09-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

Reflections on Life and Psalm 139

So the Psalm-a-thon begins, and immediately Psalm 139 speaks loudly and it resonated with me, as these are words of God’s complete knowledge and care for me and us for that matter.

Throughout this Psalm, I get a sense of God’s presence is always there and no matter how much we try to escape, He is still there… in heaven, in the world of dead, and in the darkness of the night, God’s presence is the light.

Back in my early years, I wanted to believe I had no difference among my classmates. I would sit in the back and be quiet. I wanted so much to be liked… but my classmates treated me like I was their good old pal. However, it was the opposite. In no time, I was the centre of the ridicule acts on the playgrounds, and everyday, my safe haven was the crying in the principal’s office. I did not want to turn to God as I wanted to escape from His presence. Since attending a Catholic school, His spirit and scripture were taught to us… but His words went in one ear and out the other. I really blamed Him for my “difference” and I was asking so many questions and the answers were not immediately in front of me.

The turning point was at the age of 21. I was finished my day at BCIT, waiting for the go ahead to walk across the street crossing Willingdon Ave, to head to the bus back home and my classmate, Allison, was with me and she was kinda outspoken and blunt. She asked “what’s your disability?” And surprisingly, I said quite naturally, “I have Cerebral Palsy.” I went home to cry. It was the first time that I related myself to having this thing called a disability.

Then the journey begins. A person living with something. A person living with a thing called disability, and it happens to have a stigma attached to it, and negativity to it. In my journey, a close friend introduced me to this psalm. I loved the part “You created every part of me, you put me together in my mother’s womb (vs. 13) … when my bones were formed, carefully put together in my mother’s womb, when I was growing there in secret, you knew that I was there – you saw me before I was born.” (vs. 15). I had so many questions. Why me? Why, there is no purpose to it… all I have to deal with is barrier after barrier? Sometimes, I wish I were just in a wheelchair as people tend to understand that a bit better that someone that walks and talks differently. Why?

I was in toastmaster, as it was recommended by my vocational counselor as it would help me get over my fear of having a speech impediment. I was writing my ice breaker speech (my first speech) and I would go between mentioning my disability or not. I was really nervous… not only because of this, but it was my first speech where everyone would look at me. I read this Psalm before speaking and He did not fail me. He held my hand… and I said that I had a disability out loud. That was truly a thrilling night for me. I went home and read the Psalm again, but His light surrounded me.

It is with years of living with a disability, living with a label, and now that I am 35 years, I am truly thanking God for it. It is through this Psalm, that God is alive in me and it is such a blessing for me to live with Him as my tower of strength. There are many “violent acts” that we all live with, and me, with attitudinal barriers from other people, (and I can share many) but it is when I turn to this psalm. I still have a long way to go with this aspect, but at least now, I know that God is my refuge, rather than wanting to escape from Him, like I do at times from the world.

Living with a disability doesn’t define me, but it is one of my characteristics that have helped me be in the career I am in today, and live more freely in Christ. God gives us gifts not for us, but for others to cherish and to love. It is when I change my perception of viewing a disability as a negative thing, as a limitation, and more as a gift, then I can live more authentically and gratefully with Christ. Everyone, including myself, is a TAB, temporarily able-bodied, and one day you will all acquire a disability, if not already. So I am just ahead of the game.

As you witnessed, this Psalm stands so profound in my life… it is a comforting knowing that He created me and didn’t just leave me hanging. He is surrounding me, caring for me, and protecting me from all sides. He is good. May you all continue to live in His presence. Amen

** This was read in the Sunday service on September 12.

How do you manage your energy?

2010-09-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

Brian Draper – author of Spiritual Intelligence: A New Way of Being recently posted something on the London institute of Contemporary Christianity website in the UK about our need to balance between spending our personal energy and renewing it. I think the excerpt at the following link has a lot to say to all of us at Kits. Check it out. Find your rhythm - set the pace. http://www.licc.org.uk/email/170

Shared with us by Liz D.

Dine and Dash Blessings

2010-09-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

YOUTH GROUP PROGRESSIVE DINNER

On Friday the youth at Kits tried out a new for us, but classic for youth groups around the globe, progressive dinner.

While receiving blessing, we made efforts to return blessing. Here is the blessing we borrowed from the Iona Community and spoke in each of the homes.

Thanks again Jenn/Jaegen/Agatha/Edmund, Dana/Craig/Aaron, Mark/Shirley, and LISA.

May the Maker’s Blessing Be Yours

May the Maker’s blessing be yours
encircling you round
above you
within you

May the angels’ blessing be yours
and the joy of the saints
to inspire you
to cherish you

May the Son’s blessing be yours
the wine and the water
the bread and the stories
to feed you
to remind you

May the Spirit’s blessing be yours
the wind, the fire
the still small voice
to comfort you
to disturb you

And may our blessing be yours
a blessing rooted in our common pilgrimage
the blessing of friends

from The Pattern of Our Days: Liturgies and resources for worship from The Iona Community

Look

2010-09-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

A photo from Audrey K. to remind us of the ways we have been encouraged at Kits this month. Deep peace and joy to you this week.

Quote to Inspire

2010-09-08T12:08:00.000-07:00

Jan read this to me this morning:

Holiness has most often been revealed to me in the exquisite pun of the first syllable, in holes - in not enough help, in brokenness, mess. High holy places, with ethereal sounds and stained class, can massage my illusion of holiness, but in holes and lostness I can pick up the light of small ordinary progress, newly made moments flecked like pepper into the slog and the disruptions.

Anne Lamot, Plan B Further Thoughts on Faith

Visual Praise

2010-09-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

From Audrey K.

Camino Pilgrimage Film

2010-09-07T13:00:00.000-07:00

Check out this link to a piece from The National Catholic Reporter about a film of interest. It is called

Estevez makes film as metaphor for life.

BOBBI'S TOP 10

2010-08-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

REASONS TO GET YOUR KIDS TO CAMP
(or any kids you may know)

10. Partnership - Support a life-changing ministry with your kids.
9. Place - Your kids will have the opportunity to form an attachment to a special place. Keats has been a Christian Camp since 1926. That little piece of island land has welcomed children and young people into its spiritually oriented space for almost 85 years. After spending a week there I was awed by the ways kids and youth repeated these phrases: "I love it here. I love being at Keats." It is a sacred place.
8. Freedom from oppressive cultural messages - Kids have the rare opportunity to be free from the noise of our culture which yells at them: "You are incomplete without this product!", "You are not pretty or tough enough!", "You should be afraid of the quiet!"
7. Programming with your kids in mind - Children and youth will be a part of something that is carefully programmed and creatively executed all so that they feel the welcome of the camp staff and the welcome of God's love.
6. Spiritually nurtured - Spiritual habits are woven into everything at Keats: daily cabin/Bible study times, night time worship, prayers before meals, camp speakers who crafted messages just for them, and leaders who model authentic faith. Camp is a great place for kids to begin to make their faith their own.
5. Leadership opportunities - Speaking of leaders ... your kids can get plugged into a leadership program at Keats (and other camps) that could very well save the world! It is the kind of leadership that is forged in the cleaning of toilets, the care for the heart and soul as well as the body, and driven by mentors who are dedicated and generous of spirit.
4. Hard work - Kids at camp who get plugged into leadership learn the gift of real, hard work. Who doesn't want their kids to work harder and not be afraid to get their hands dirty?!
3. Memories - There are so many fabulous memories made at camp. And, even the less fun, less glamorous, or painful camp memories can be incredibly shaping and important. It is the right place for something bad to happen.
2. Risk - There is a freedom of play that takes place at camp that is a gift to any child. Kids have endless opportunities to do things that challenge them and encourage them at the same time.
1. Camp romance - Two words for you: The Milley's.

Here are some iPhone pics from my week of speaking at Keats this summer.

Smoky sunset

Sunny day outside the speaker's cabin

My face at Hard to Come By Cove

My Help

2010-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

A photo by Audrey K.

Beth's Blog: Blessed post

2010-08-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

Check out Beth M.'s blog post from this week: http://bethblogever.blogspot.com/
Beth is involved in living and ministering in the DTES and is pastoring with God's House of Many Faces. We miss you, Beth, but we love the way you live.

I particularly love Beth's attention to the beauty in those she works with and the flashes of God's light in unexpected places. Thanks for sharing, Beth.

May God Bless You

2010-08-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Submitted by Lauren L.

Here is something I saw on Facebook from someone who used to attend my old church in Pasadena, CA. It's apparently a Franciscan blessing:

May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world so that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

AMEN.

A Prayer

2010-07-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here is something that has captured Liz D's heart this week. I'm sure you'll find yourself connecting to some of the language in this prayer.

by Liz Drance with prayer from Christine Sine

As we think more intentionally about living together as church, Christine Sine (Godspace blogger) inspires us to pray about who we are and what we want to create to the glory of God. If you want to know more about Christine’s work, or receive her blog updates, check out http://godspace.wordpress.com

Christine and her husband Tom Sine are the people behind the Mustard Seed Associates , a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness of challenges that Christians will face in their lives, churches & communities in the future. They are located in Washington state – not too far away.

Her prayer for community published on the blog this week:

God build your community
From brokenness and indifference
Build love and caring
For you, for each other, for your creation
God build your community
From self centredness and independence
Build friendship and compassion
For the marginalized, the abandoned and the despised
God build you community
From mistrust and misunderstanding
Build unity and togetherness
For other peoples, religions and nations,
God build your community
May we build together your living community
Bound together by love and joy
Interrelated to all God’s people, to the earth and all creation

Amen.

To Iona and Beyond

2010-07-28T11:59:00.001-07:00

by Bobbi Salkeld

:: pictures::

A couple on the way to the Island of Mull.

The fog rolls in on day 1.

New friends and local beer.

Good night.

The path of monks.

Post office in the village.

Spectacular view from Dun I.

Light in the morning.

Where we eat and make friends.

English friends who took care of me when I didn't feel well.

::words::

I have gotten into the habit of traveling in the spring. This mostly has to do with my birthday and the fun of being in my 30’s. I turned 30 in Berlin a few years ago and I haven’t been able to stay in town in May ever since.

This year my funds were a little low (I blame Regent College) but I knew I was in need of the kind of vacation that is restful and restorative. Our wacky year at Kits - full of surprises, departures, and transitions - certainly had something to do with the achy tiredness I felt.

On naming the need for this specific rest, I set my sights on Iona (props to Lisa Alexander’s stories over the years). Thanks to the help of my “conference budget” I was able to kick-off 3 weeks in the UK with one week on the Island of Iona in worship and conversation with the Iona Community. I had one hope before I went: I wanted to feel loved by God.

The trip from Glasgow to Iona is a daylong affair: train to Oban, ferry to the Island of Mull, bus across Mull, and ferry to Iona. After nearly getting on the wrong train car and spilling my morning coffee, I fumbled my way to the correct train car and cracked open my journal. I wondered as I wrote, “What will I leave behind? What will ‘fall off ‘of me as I go?” I was moving towards something I hoped would affect me profoundly.

I won’t drag this post on and on and tell you what each day held, but I can safely say that it was far less profound … and then, perhaps more mysteriously profound than I had imagined. I suppose I felt loved by God, but it was not in a “holy mother God’s love is amazing!!” kind of way. Rather, it seemed that God’s love reached through morning chores, strangers becoming fast friends, the light-filled dining room, rest when my body didn’t feel very good and my head was full of snot, long walks of thinking about nothing, and the view from the upstairs bathroom in the abbey while I brushed my teeth.

The liturgy at Iona comes from Iona Abbey Worship Book. I loved it. Here are some pieces of that for your own encouragement. The first is what is spoken after Scripture is read in the worship gathering, the second is the prayer from the service of prayer for healing.

:::

Reader: For the Word of God in scripture,
for the Word of God among us,
for the Word of God within us
ALL: THANKS BE TO GOD.

:::

Prayer for the laying-on of hands:

ALL: SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD, PRESENT WITH US NOW
ENTER YOU, BODY MIND AND SPIRIT,
AND HEAL YOU OF ALL THAT HARMS YOU,
IN JESUS’ NAME. AMEN.

:::

And that, readers, is a bit about what my time at Iona was like. It is true that we can experience a get away in places much closer to home. But, there is something beyond special about walking an itty-bitty island in the Inner Hebrides with those who have walked it for centuries, seeking God, hiding out in creation, and praying the prayers of the saints.

May you experience some form of island get away peace this week in your morning cup of coffee … in a phrase of finely chosen words … in the countenance of a friend … in the beauty of these summer days ...

Kits Cooks: Jungle Camp Chocolate Cake

2010-07-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by Clare van Maarseveen. Thanks Clare!

Makes 1 cake (9x13) or 24 small cupcakes

Preheat oven to 325 F

Combine dry ingredients:
1/2 cup cocoa
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar

Combine wet ingredients:
1/2 cup plain yoghurt
2 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla

Add wet ingredients to dry and beat until smooth.
Bake for about 1 hour or until tester comes out clean.

Yummy with chocolate icing, or with whipped cream and berries.

This picture may look nothing like the cake, but it sure is pretty.

Creating a Compassionate Presence Retreat with Joyce Rupp, Part 1

2010-07-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

by Liz Drance

There are times in my life when I have been really moved by something that I have read or someone I have listened to – “moved” is probably an understatement – fundamentally altered might be a more appropriate expression. Most recently this has occurred in my reading the work of Joyce Rupp, a member of the Servite community (Sisters of Mary). My introduction to Joyce’s work began at Christmas time, when my friend Martha Marriott (some of you will remember her from Kits) gave me a book entitled May I have this Dance? which is a series of writings – one for each month, associated with prayer foci and guided meditations.

Joyce’s writings reaches into the depths of my soul while at the same time being completely accessible and engaging. Her writing combines wisdom, humour, and lightness. Never having been someone who successfully implemented a regular spiritual practice, Joyce’s book helped me to begin to do this.

One day when googling Joyce Rupp to learn more about her, I discovered that she was coming to Nanaimo for a retreat entitled “Creating a Compassionate Presence.” I phoned Martha immediately and we booked our spots for this weekend which took place July 9-11th. Well – sometimes you can read someone’s work and be inspired – until you meet them. Not the case with Joyce. She was as warm and engaging in person as she was in her writing. Despite there being 80 participants, I left feeling her care and her concern for me, for my fellow retreaters, and the world.

An excellent teacher, Joyce created an experience that really shifted my world further, and I learned about compassion in a way I had not previously understood it. Joyce was able to speak to Compassion from a Christian perspective while drawing also from many other religious and philosophical traditions to provide a broad and relevant understanding of compassion and practical ways for each of us to create a compassionate presence in the world.

Compassion requires awareness, attitudinal shift, and finally implementation. As do-ers in the world we often rush to the implementation phase - of what we imagine compassion to “look” like. Often, however, we have missed the mark. Surprisingly for me, compassion’s first element comes from “compassion for the self.” Before being able to care for others, I have to deeply care for my own needs. Otherwise, my caring for others is not sustainable… When I write next, I will share about my learnings related to compassion for Self.

Thanks to Bobbi for getting this blog up and going. Writing about my retreat will really help me to solidify some of the ideas I heard, the thoughts and feelings evoked, and the plans I made in moving forward with creating a compassionate presence.

A photo from Flickr "Compassion International Bloggers in India"

Stuart Talks Children's Books

2010-07-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

This week's Vinyl Cafe on CBC with Stuart McLean is about children's books from start to finish. He speaks about Dr. Seuss, E.B. White, and others. There are some great kids-singing tunes, too. You can subscribe to the podcast here and listen at your leisure.

http://www.cbc.ca/vinylcafe/listen.php?vLocale=podcast

Let's Begin II

2010-07-15T13:15:00.001-07:00

Here is a list of just some of the things that can be shared on this blog:

Travel tales
Pictures
Poems
Short stories
Updates
Recipes
City experiences
Gardening tips
Regent papers
Conference stories
Helpful websites
Essays
Rants
Words of encouragement
Links to your blog postings
Funny stories
And more!

Simply send your contributions to Bobbi and let the blog community of Kits come alive!

Let's Begin

2010-07-14T15:43:00.000-07:00

I am wondering if we can gather together stories for the good of our community, which is wonderfully local and fascinatingly global.

Your stories, pictures, summaries, book reviews, movie reviews, food reviews, gardening tips, moments of gratitude ... are all welcome.

Simply send your submission to Bobbi and she will try to update this blog with some regularity.

Happy reading, writing, watching, and listening.