six: transforming

I went to see my friends from Cali play the Starlite Room last nite.
It amazed me how a few surfers from San Diego could take a bar and transform it into a sacred place...
A dirty, smoke-filled room,
filled with the stench of sweat and other unfriendly odours,
and morph it into a sanctuary.
A sweet space to meet
and be met
by One infinitely greater than our finite understanding.
And I realized
God does this everyday
in the lives of the broken
the fallen
the sin-filled...
transforming them into temples -
tabernacles -
places to meet
and be met
by Him.

five: pursues

I am not a pursuer by nature.
Partly due to fear...
mostly pride.
It stings when relationships go south and you have no idea why...
When you are rejected without cause.
When someone does not see the value within you to hold on...
and the door closes.


There are some people who keep standing at that door.
Knocking.
Waiting.
Pursuing a closed door.
I tend to be the cynic in this scenario...
you won't find me there!
Why waste my time on that which is locked?
They made a choice...

I was mulling over the many times I've closed the door -
and God still pursues me...
Standing outside.
Knocking.
Waiting.
And it convicted me of situations in my life
where I've failed to lay down my pride
and pursue for the cause of hope.
For the restoration of relationship.
For unconditional love.

Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person,
though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good.
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us
while we were still sinners...

four: endures

In moments of triumph, when life tastes sweet and full...
his love endures forever.
In shadows of despair, hearts breaking, eyes searching...
his love endures forever
In the early morning rising - the sun peeking above the horizon...
his love endures forever
When daylight darkens and ushers in the night...
his love endures forever
In fragments of obedience...
his love endures forever
In the depths of failure...
his love endures forever
At times where perseverance beckons...
his love endures forever
When cries for help fill my lungs...
his love endures forever
To the corners of the earth...
his love endures forever
When the goal is in sight...
his love endures forever
When the destination fogs over...
his love endures forever
Here in this moment...
his love endures forever
In the light of shortcomings...
his love endures forever
With the face of shameful denial...
his love endures forever
At the foot of a cross..three nails...sin-splintered soul...
his love endures forever
Despite who I was...
his love endures forever
Depsite who I am...
his love endures forever
Despite who I will be...
his love endures forever

three: unfailing

Failure reminds me of my humanity.
One doesn't have to look far to see the deep impact of failure in the lives of people...
Failed investments.
Failed jobs.
Failed promises.
Failed relationships...marriages.

It is not a given that success will be guaranteed by vows.
Circumstance shifts the foundation.
Purpose changes.
People change.

Through all my life gong shows,
my rollercoaster rides,
the family 3-Ring circus acts...
the only thing that has not shifted,
has not disappointed,
has not failed
is the love of the God I rest all my hope in.

He loves whatever is just and good;
the unfailing love of the Lord fills the earth...

Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.

two: new

Sometimes something is new because it has replaced something that already existed.
It takes that which already is, and changes it.

Sometimes new is a gift.
Something that has never been seen,
experienced
or known.

God accomplishes both...
With a presence that takes the old and restores it.
The broken and heals it.
The empty and fills it.

And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!”

one: unhindered

I was hanging out with a friend @ The Project last nite, a nameless face in a sea of people with mixed motivations. It marked the beginning of this journey into God's character, and I was drawing blanks...

"God...what do you want to teach me about who you are?"

"Unhindered."

ún'hin-du(r)d
Not slowed, blocked or interfered with, not obstructed by any obstacles or difficulties

Simple.
Yet sometimes forgotten.
He is not encumbered by our culture -
The colour of our skin
The language we speak
The food we eat.
He is not boxed in by
the style of our clothes,
the circles that enclose us,
or the social skills we may or may not possess.
Our attitudes do not deter Him.
Our peasantry does not prohibit Him.
Our past does not arrest Him...
the choices we've made,
the history we hold.
the mistakes we hide
cannot cripple His desire to move in this world.

His friendship is not bound by any quality we could embody.
There isn't a stereotype that could classify those He inhabits.
Time cannot frustrate Him.
Conflict cannot sift Him.
Humanity cannot deny Him.

And with this quiet revelation,
in the waking moments of pursuing His character over the next year,
it dawned on me...
I am to be like Him.
The character qualities He exhibits
I must demonstrate in my own.
May I find myself unhindered.

360 + 5: in the beginning...

I was inspired today.
By a movie.
A movie about french cuisine
365 days
and a blog.

And as I was driving to hang out with a friend
I was challenged.
Challenged by a thought -
a God -
desperate to be known,
discovered,
sought after...
by me.

And the invitation sat in my heart...
the provocative idea
that I couldn't always wait for the reality of God to hit me in the face.
That He wasn't just about revealing Himself.
That there were elements of His character that needed to be pursued.
Intentionally.
With perseverance.
Dedication.

The thought of finding or learning something new every day about a God I have committed my life to be in relationship with has been a little exciting and daunting at the same time. Like reaching the summit of Mount Everest - exciting at the prospect...daunting in the climb - the work involved.

It means a lot of thought.
Asking questions.
Learning to listen.
To pursue.
To press into uncharted water.

And so I embark on my 360 + 5...
A full circle with some bonus steps.
Some of you may be at a loss to think of 10, let alone 365 aspects of God.
Maybe you will be intrigued by my journey...
maybe you will be inspired to begin your own...
but may we all be changed by the collision of humanity with that which we will never be able to fully scratch the surface of.

Be prepared to be surprised.