Joy

     I've been thinking a lot lately about joy and not taking ourselves too seriously, and wondering if there's a connection between the two. I believe there is and strangely enough a professional basketball team helped me make the connection.

     The Golden State Warriors made history Tuesday night by being the first team in the NBA to start the season with 16 wins and 0 losses. Throughout their remarkable winning streak, people have been noticing certain traits that are not characteristic of other teams. The Warriors are often laughing on and off the court. They can be seen teasing one another and cheering each other on every game - whether it's a pivotal moment or not. Analysts have noted that out of all the other professional basketball teams, the Warriors appear to have the most fun. It all made sense when I learned that the core values of the Golden State Warriors are Joy, Mindfulness, Compassion, and Competition. Joy? It seems a strange value for a sports team, but no one can deny it's effectiveness. The players aim to take joy in the game, put each other first, and not take themselves too seriously. Interesting. Pride is a killer of joy and by not taking ourselves too seriously we steer clear of pride. 

     Working here at Outflow and being involved in serious issues like poverty and homelessness, I sometimes fall prey to taking myself too seriously. Usually when this happens, pride follows close behind and joy takes off running.

     Richard Foster said, "Joy, not grit, is the hallmark of holy obedience. We need to be light-hearted in what we do to avoid taking ourselves to seriously. It is a cheerful revolt against self and pride." Sounds like good advice to me.

"But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do,
    what God is looking for in men and women.
It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor,
    be compassionate and loyal in your love,
And don’t take yourself too seriously—
    take God seriously"

Micah 6:8 (The Message)

Philip

Time Well Spent

At the home of Martha and Mary:

     "As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made.  She came to him and asked, "Lord, why don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?  Tell her to help me!"  

     "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed--or indeed only one.  Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

     Time is precious.  Particularly in this day and age where work, family, friends, extra-curriculars, and technology compete and take up our attention and energy.  Your time is the most precious gift you can give someone.  

     That is captured in the text above where Jesus tells Martha that Mary has chosen what is better--listening to Jesus teach and spending quality time with him.  Oftentimes, the Lord would just like to spend time with us in prayer or in worship.  He just wants to be with us because He loves us and wants to get to know us better.  It is about relationship.

     At Outflow Ministry, we have many interruptions during the day.  Every day is unique with different people that come through our doors but we gladly welcome it because we want to help people.  That is what we are here for.  They might come in because they need some groceries.  Perhaps they are in need of some socks and gloves.  Sometimes they just want to sit down and chat.  We want to build relationship and get to know people better.  That is why we will pause what we are doing and meet with whomever has come through our doors. 

     I walk a lot because at this point in time, I do not have a vehicle.  Walking allows me to meet and see a lot of people on the street.  It is a little past my two month mark here, so I am beginning to get to know people better that come to our community dinners, Oasis, and who stay at our shelter.  Just pausing to chat for a few minutes with someone means more than you can imagine.  your time is precious and at the end of the day, people just want to be with you.  At Outflow Ministry, we want to build relationships with people and know them as individuals.  This is done through spending time with them, listening and loving them.

Laura Duncanson

Royalty

“So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God's Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call Him, 'Abba, Father.' For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God's children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God's glory.” Romans 8:15, 16

About 11 years ago, I bought a little pink picture frame at the annual warehouse sale at the Lighthouse Book Store in Fredericton. It was an inexpensive frame made of flexible plastic, and didn't even have glass to protect the photo, just a flimsy plastic film to cover it. The frame had these words on it: “Princess, I'm a King's Kid!” I was a young single mum at the time, and it was helpful to be reminded whose child my daughter really is and who my helper is. So for years, that frame hung in her room with a sweet picture of her in a tree smiling out from it.

On opening night at the new shelter building in March of this year, I heard the most beautiful exchange. One of our guests, after seeing the space, remarked to us, “This place is fit for kings” to which someone replied, “That's the point. You guys are kings.”

And so this theme of royalty, along with a common curiosity with David's question, “What is man that thou art mindful of him?” have been tumbling around within me for years. We are royalty, of course, because we are adopted as sons and daughters of God, Romans says, but why through the death of Christ? Why the need for a blood sacrifice? It has helped me to think of Jesus' royalty becoming our legacy like this: royalty is passed from generation to generation “through the blood,” as we say. When that precious vial was broken open by the spear that day on the cross, the royal blood poured out. When our wounds are touched by the blood of King Jesus, it becomes a part of us, we are changed, infected. We are valuable, worth a king's ransom—or a King's sacrifice, as it were. The King's blood the price of our adoption and the means of our claim to the inheritance because it becomes our blood too, a part of us.

Not long ago, I prayed with a woman who had just spent a night working on the street. As I prayed, I asked that she would know her worth as a child of the King. After she left, I wondered if I should have phrased it that way, knowing that men assign a value to her body every night she's out. I wondered how it sounded to her to have someone pray about her worth. Shallow or insensitive, maybe? But the fact of the matter is that the value placed on her on the street is nothing, hollow, but her true worth is invaluable. She is loved by the King and is worth immeasurably more than any of us can conceive. We all are, because of the royal blood that transforms us into adopted sons and daughters.

With this in mind, I see people in a new way, and servant-hood becomes something different. The other day, I heated up some pasta and had lunch with a king at the Outflow table. We are serving royalty. 

Chanelle Morgan

On Equal Footing

Equality is important to Outflow.  Equality is also complex, like everything else that is important and good.  We want to help people to restore dignity, to renew life, and to realize hope.  Regardless of who knocks on our door, God knows this person is a sinner but loves her or him anyway.  Everyone we meet, then, is on equal footing.  If anyone deserves dignity, life, and hope then everyone does.  If a particular person does not deserve these things, it would follow that no one does.  That’s hard to grasp in a world dominated by title, sex appeal, strength, money, and power.  Equality is countercultural.  It does not allow us to say “us” and “them”. 

Of course, stating this truth and living this truth are two different things and, again of course, we miss the mark at times.  The fact that we miss the mark is evidence of my point, though.  If I can’t see the person in front of me the way God does (which I can’t entirely) it means that I am just as in need of grace as she or he is (which I am entirely). 

Remembering equality is important for me in the work that I do with Outflow.  I have my finger in a few different projects here, but my primary focus is to serve homeless men.  God looks at each homeless man I meet and says, “I want him.  He is worth my life.”  If the God I claim says this, it is impossible for me to call myself a disciple of Jesus and not see every homeless person as important. 

When Outflow talks about renewing life we recall Jesus’ resurrection as the standard bearer for renewed life.  Without looking to the resurrection we will never know what a “renewed” life actually is.  I think, then, three characteristics mark every renewed life. 

First, a renewed life acknowledges it is purposeful.  Genesis 1:26-30 explains that we are God’s image to the world and that God tasked people with reigning over the rest of creation.  We destroyed that image but God repaired it.  As Christians, we should reflect God to others.  Jesus invites us to participate in the redemption God offers.

Second, a renewed life is valuable.  John 1:1-5 uses the image of light to say that Jesus gave life to everything he created.  Darkness will try to extinguish the light but Jesus ultimately wins out.  This does not mean darkness is weak.  Darkness killed Jesus.  It is clearly strong.  It is not strong enough though.  The light turned itself back on.  Jesus resurrected.  If God takes life-renewal this seriously, it is valuable. 

Third, a renewed life is important today and not just after we die.  Matthew 25:34-40 shows us the importance of today.  The criteria Jesus uses to judge true belief is whether it leads to serving people.  Jesus thinks that my today is so important that he will let someone help me instead of helping Him and then count it just as if this person actually helped Him.  My problems matter to Jesus and so do yours.  He is not an indifferent God. 

It does not matter who you are.  Grace is real.  God wants to renew your life.  Outflow is grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate this.

Tony Dickinson