I added The Reagan Diaries to my Amazon wishlist today based upon the excerpts I read on CNN. Far from being a stereotypical conservative I am intrigued by the man because of the popularity of his presidency and the humaness that peeks through in his writing.

 

I find it funny how some people box themselves in to certain categories – liberal, conservative, republican, democrat, this, that, etc. It’s as though they need the category in order to save energy constantly thinking and engaging with the world. If you have a box that tells you who you are you no longer need to think – you just look at the leading people in your category and do, say and think what they do. For example – many people have decided they are conservatives and will vote conservative every day of their lives regardless of whether the parties policies change or the local rep just isn’t as capable as someone from another party.

 

Others have decided that they will vote NDP till death. Done. No thinking required. This is my box and I’m happy in it. Leave me alone. Do not disturb.

 

Some have turned Christianity (or insert-faith-here) into a box. They have decided that God has spoken. He said this. He has nothing more to say except what they have turned brick-by-brick, word-by-word into the walls of their box. To turn Christianity into a box is to turn it into your coffin. Christianity as a box is dead. Christianity as a box is legalism. Boxed Christians are Pharisees.

 

The reality is that Christianity is dynamic and alive. Christ continues to speak to us and reveals His will to us each day. When we engage with the Bible as if it were static and lifeless we do not find Christ. We find rules and we select the ones we like based upon our circumstance. When we engage with the Bible as the living Word of God then we find that Christ speaks to us. He answers our prayers and guides us in our moments of anxiety, fear, and aimlessness.

 

When Christianity is taken out of the box God can surprise us and delight us. He can frighten us and He can live with us and in us. He shows that He cannot be boxed – Christianity in a box is empty human endeavour – it becomes religion.

 

So yeah – I am looking forward to reading Reagan’s diaries. This is not part of my box. Maybe it will even humanize him. To see the human in a person is to see the Imago Dei – the image of God. This can be a good thing.

 

I was reading Judges, chapters 1 through 3 the other day and a couple of things stood out to me:

 

1. At the beginning of chapter 2 it says "Now the angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, "I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you into the land I had promised to your ancestors." ".

 

What strikes me about this verse is that the angel of the Lord (some believe this to be a euphemism for Christ) was doing in Bochim. Why did the angel not get to Bochim from Heaven but rather from Gilgal? Why was the angel of the Lord hanging about in Gilgal in the first place? Why bother with this detail unless it is important? Gilgal was where Joshua set up the 12 stone memorial to the crossing of the Jordan. It was also where the Israelites re-committed themselves to God’s promise by getting re-circumcised (OUCH!!! Once would be enough but twice would call for certain miracles I would imagine). Gilgal is certainly a hub of activity for the early Israelites…there is much coming and going from Gilgal.

 

2. In Joshua 2:22-22 it says "Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the LORD and walk in it as their ancestors did."

 

Interesting. It reveals the character of God. I wonder how this translates to His interactions with us today on a personal level? On a community level?

 

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On another note I am listening to Michael W. Smith and I love the lyric "though you are mourning and grieving your loss, death died a long time ago". Such a powerful lyric.

 

What prevents a person from crying out to God "I am yours – SAVE ME!", I wonder? What stops a person from hearing His voice as He yearns to take us into His arms? Why do we struggle against our creator with our every breath? At 18-years-old Mary Shelley had powerful insights into this – read Frankenstein.

 

This mocking bird sings

but the songs do not belong

this voice spills

but the sounds come through

like vibrations along string

there’s the tin beak

and a hidden can a way in the distance

 

these wings drip black

words spill like dreams and drops

a quill to still the dark night

but in what bottle were these feathers dipped

whose heart beat this rhythm and rhyme

 

still mocking bird lives and loves

sees the sun and flies high

to light the earth with a new shine

see – watch me course my arc

‘cross the sky

till I park in the western gates

but bird’s gift is not his own

and there’s a golden chariot

already in stables

 

so mocking bird flies on

riding the rails

and stealing the tales

telling them again

with tears and laughs and

someone else’s voice taped to his own

 

he’s alright though

making other people’s friends

and living though the smiles

and loving through the hopes

and climbing over the stiles

entering lands that would deny him

 

mocking bird owns the world

and writes it’s end

so sad to write the world’s end

but the beginning is written too

hope clawed from the hand of another

just change the order

and watch the world die and be born again

 

mocking bird shapes dead golems

but no life in these

no one’s will is done

and airborne he leaves

clay bodies in his wake

no child to sing his songs

 

mocking bird makes his nest

woven of folly and old lines

cast from the mouths

of the ancients

and bonded with their shadows

grown too large to stay in their place

 

and mocking bird sleeps

dreaming other’s dreams

who’s life to live next

 

"When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!"

 

So we had this concert again this year that we had last year for the first time. Operation Overflow is a youth- run, youth designed Christian concert (I try to act as advisor/fundraiser) with two primary purposes in mind:

 

1. Raise money for an international and a local cause. Last year was Youth For Christ Morden and World Vision; this year was Pembina Valley Pregnancy Crisis Centre and One Love Project Rwanda (de-mining).

 

2. Create an environment that would bring Christian and non-Christian, churched and non-churched youth together to enjoy themselves and allow the Spirit to break down walls between them.

 

Musically the last two years the music has been very hardcore which stands just outside of my personal area of appreciation. The bands included:

 

 – A local talent to open (this year a techno-DJ, DJExodus – www.myspace.com/djexodus)

– Anew

– Disillusion

– Scarlet Halo

– Unfeigned

– The Fortunate (have been getting their video played on MuchLoud)

 

I think all the bands are awesome. I most appreciate Disillusion for the combination of great instruments and vocals. I would put Anew, The Fortunate and Scarlet Halo in the same sound category (screamo). Very younger folks they sound like Underoath. For old people like me they sound like Skinnypuppy. Personally I think Scarlet Halo is the best of the three in terms of tight instruments and an added flair for performance. Unfeigned was very good to watch as well – they have a screamo tendancy with some interesting onstage moves that are reminiscent of rap.

 

This year there were  well over 350 people in attendance which was pretty awesome. Musically the style will change as the popularity of certain styles changes. I hope to have a broader selection of styles for next year to draw more folks in. We shall see. I also hope to involve more groups from the area in planning the event. It would be great to turn Operation Overflow into a non-profit entity and to see it grow in terms of content and location as well.

 

Thanks for the support of our ponsors this year – Decor Cabinets, Pembina Valley Containers, Zeena Transport, The Business, Boston Pizza, Java Junktion, YFC Morden and Morden Alliance Church.

 

The pool is reasonably clean at this point so myself, Caleb & Itsy all went for a swim. Of course it was a short swim because the water was still a mere 52 degrees F. (11 degrees Celcius) but we can not say we’ve had our inaugural swim. We’ll heat it for the May long weekend.