Monday, October 25, 2010

Garage Sale God

I had a garage sale last week. It had been 3 years, and it was time. I respect garage sales-and I really like garage sale people. Some of the buyers see the obvious: the choco-brown plush jacket, bought and never worn; the vacuum seal Food Saver in virgin condition. And then there are those who see the good in what is less-than new: a large TV with a broken VCR-but who still has videos on their shelves (besides me)? A very-dated-but-not-yet-antique Singer sewing machine, a well-used toilet snake and a smaller one for sinks (not quite sure how it really works), and 4 partial quarts of paint from 2003. Then there was the creative woman who spied a box of jars: some for canning, some just washed out salsa bottles, with other odds and ends thrown in. She wanted them all. People on an overcast weekend, looking for the treasure in another person's "junk"--the cast offs, the no-longer wanted, the "what is it?", the broken and seemingly beyond repair things.
Garage Sale People display the image of their Creator, because God sees beyond the obvious, beyond the external. He looks at what we call junk, sees Divine Design, and reclaims it for divine purposes, whenever we let him. God has an eye--and a heart--for the broken, the cast off, the seemingly useless, the old and tired, the one passed among many owners.
Every analogy about God breaks down at points, so don't push too hard. But this one is strong at it's center point of redemption. God is a Rummage Sale Redeemer! Have you experienced that yet? If you have, you know that "you are not your own; you were bought at a price"--the highest ever paid--on a darkly overcast weekend, long ago.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Psalm 40: 1-3a

Diann Elyse Enderby
NewSong Church
Director of Care & Missional Development












Thursday, April 1, 2010

A Child's Question

"How did God become so powerful?" was the question I received this past weekend from one of our children in the congregation.  She wrote with intensity on  one of our communication cards.  Here is my response (before you read my response, think what would yours be?)

Caroline,
Thank you for the great question you wrote on your communication card this last week.  I always encourage both kids and adults to ask the best questions they can about God, His creation, and His relationship to us.  Your question is a good one.

You ask, “How did God become so powerful to be able to make the world what it is today?”  You could probably write a whole book on this question but here are some thoughts for you—feel free to respond back to me with further questions.

In short, God never “became” anything but, rather, has always existed from everlasting to everlasting.  God is eternal, that is without beginning or end.  So God has always existed with all powers, abilities and knowledge within him.  In the Old Testament book of Jeremiah, he states that “The Lord is the only true God.  He is the living God and the everlasting King.”  (Jeremiah 10:10)  In addition, Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, because they are understood through what has been made.”

When God created the world he placed within the world (or universe) powers that would allow the world to grow and create all the wonderful galaxies, stars, and the planet we live on.  Some people call our planet the “special or privileged planet”.  Why? Because God set up the universe just right to have life.  The universe is very large but that is the exact size we need for it to be in order to have life exist on a planet like ours.  God wasted no space and created a hospitable place for us to live and work out His plan of salvation.

So, Caroline, God has always and forever been the greatest possible being you could ever imagine!  Though you and I have to have our bodies grow, learn how to talk and ride bikes, and scrape our knees, God has always been all-powerful, all-loving, and all-knowing.  You may be thinking or asking, “What about Jesus becoming human, doesn’t it say in Luke 2:52 that Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and people?”  Yes he did but we will have to answer that one later…


In Christ,

George (Mr. Haraksin)

NewSong Church

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Prayer and Acts of Kindness for Haiti

The Red Cross has just reported a little bit ago that they have run out resources in Haiti.  We continue to pray and offer actions of kindness towards the people in Haiti in the midst of the horrific earthquake.