Struggle with Contentment...

It is rather weird, but as I sat listening to a Christian Science Practitioner (healer) today from the U.S. at the Best Western Village Park Inn with my soulmate, my soul wandered as the healer droned on about the extreme fundamentalist views of CS.  What triggered me was the idea that the root of healing is spiritual, it is realigning your life to understand that the true core is God.

Why did this trigger a meandering? Simple… it reminded me that my family is settling into a new faith community, yet I struggle with being content there and cannot fathom why. Or atleast until today in service I could not fathom why.

It was causing a feeling of Deja vu reminding me of a church that formed my spirit quite drastically in my journey. A Catholic Parish in the NE of Calgary, St. Thomas More, where I was a lay minister of praise and served with the Inn from the Cold.  Where Sister Josie loved on the children and families of the community and those in need; where Father Bob and Father John did such astounding things as giving up offering for two weeks, so that the St. Vincent De Paul food cupboards could be replenished as parishners brought in food instead; say an elevator put in so that the community could have full access and all be included; and showers put in for the families that stayed there so that they could be clean to go to work and school.  The Knights of Columbus were active feeding and caring for the World Youth Day youth for the Toronto event. These needs were filled by trusting that by living out of God’s love provision would happen, not by freeting over monies.

A church that was lively and active, truly living out the Gospel call for communal transformation.

And in a fit of stupidity I lef the church (to pick up a part time job if you will), but in my heart I had been searching for this type of community of spiritual life lived fully.  The title on the building is irrelevant.

This brings me to my family reflection, as we continued our journey through the Christianities to discover a faith family we landed at an Associated Gospel Church, Crossroads Community Church.

Why did it stick for us a fairly progressive spiritual family in a traditionally evangelical conservative setting?

It is a church that renovated to better be an offering to the community; became as fully accessible as the building structure would allow; aided the planting of a leader in youth community outreach with the Cornerstone Youth Centre; offers a kids night once a month; and a community meal to name a few things that happen in this amazing gathering place.

So why the struggle with contentment?

A strong sense of coming to a spiritual home that fits, but a fear of fitting if that makes any sense as wonderment over whether or not the other shoe will drop… And chuckling over God’s sense of humour for this progressive theologian and where Home has felt the most.

Related articles

• With beginning of Lent, Christian faithful reflect on their mortality (heraldnet.com)
• Traditions of Struggle: Teaching as a Spiritual Practice (coopcatalyst.wordpress.com)
• World Youth Day London 2016: Update (bridgesandtangents.wordpress.com)
• World Youth Day – Day 19 (claireasdaisies.wordpress.com)
• Blessed Pope JP2 Homily in Denver ~ August 1993 (catholicglasses.com)
• What is our destiny? (straitnnarrow.wordpress.com)
• World Youth Day: Becoming sons and daughters of Christ (chenaustralia.com)
• No easy task to separate church from politics (monitor.co.ug)
• Rev: funny, poignant, sad (arthurandtamie.com)
• Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict Xvi for the Twenty-seventh World Youth Day- 2012. (seachranaidhe1.wordpress.com)
• Merger or Takeover…does it save the Church? (tyragan.wordpress.com)
• Healer, Heal Thyself (overtlysimple.wordpress.com)
• Letter: Pray tell (naplesnews.com)
• Heraeus and the St. Vincent de Paul Dental Clinic in Detroit Give an Unemployed Factory Worker a New Smile and a New Career (prnewswire.com)
• ‘Pirate’ religion of Kopimism arrives in the U.S. (rawstory.com)
• Man burglarized, vandalized church thrift store, deputies say (naplesnews.com)
• The Reason Why We Struggle: We Are Fallen Beings Who Produce Fallen Systems- by Pastor Michael Castanares (mynewbeginningschurch.wordpress.com)
• Catholic Food Pantry, Surrender Your Conscience! (patheos.com)
• The Hours of Our Lady #13 (deaconjohn1987.wordpress.com)
• 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (stmaryssaskatoon.com)
• Lent food drive kicks off today (mysanantonio.com)
• People power: Crowdfunding fires up local solar projects (grist.org)
• No one thought you would achieve what you have. – Michael channeled by Ron Head ” Oracles and Healers (2012indyinfo.com)
• Anti-Imperialist Syrians Speak Out (veteranstoday.com)
• You, The Healer (patcegan.wordpress.com)
• Spiritual Ambitions (juliehansenintuitive.com)
• Choosing the Good and Losing the Bad (christiansciencebc.com)
• Writing Straight with Crooked Postcards (frpelletier.blogspot.com)
• The Forgiveness Project (blogs.timescolonist.com)
• TurboTax – Ministers and Taxes (turbotax.intuit.com)
• Not guilty! (lindseybiggs.com)
• Judge: Minister OK To Not Report Suspected Abuse (detroit.cbslocal.com)
• Called To Be Healers (fathermckenna.wordpress.com)
• Balinese traditional healer (ubudtransports.wordpress.com)
• FAITH healers (womenoverboard.wordpress.com)