So I am responding to a 'meme' after being tagged by Amy. After four months of not posting on my blog, I would have thought that my next post would have been slightly more 'inspired' but here you go.

Here were the instructions: Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. No cheating!Find Page 123. Find the first 5 sentences.Post the next 3 sentences.Tag 5 people.

I am NOT making this up :)

"Erase stains in the toilet or on any porcelain surface with a pumice stick. Scrub mould and mildrew with a few drops of washing-up liquid in warm water. Then scrub with 11/4 cup of liquid chlorine bleach in 1 quart of water." (The One Minute Cleaner)

Man, this is embarassing.

I tag
Tom
Sunny
Jim

I had to share tonight as my heart is heavy. I found out tonight that our neighbour Clay, had been killed this weekend in a motorcycle accident. Clay had lived across the street from us ever since we moved in, 6 years ago. He was a loner, a bit of an odd-duck - probably in his early 40s but to be honest I could never really tell, as most of the year it was hidden behind a long beard - he was a true biker (complete with pot-belly) and owned a beautiful classic car that would win prizes in local contests. The first time we met Clay, he had stumbled into our back yard by accident, rather worse for wear, after winning a prize for his car :)
He worked at King Soopers and I would often see him putting out produce or working on the checkout. To be honest, when I saw him I would often turn my cart around or choose another checkout. I don't know why. he made me feel a bit awkward I suppose. I know he had diabetes, and on more than one occasion he would get driven off in an ambulance late at night as we all peered from behind our curtains.
We'd have our odd chats in the street - about the weather or Rowan or whether my parents were going to be visiting soon.
A couple of weeks ago, there was a knock on the door and it was Clay. I was quite taken aback as he usually keeps himself to himself. He told me that he had renovated his mail box, and if I wanted, he would be happy to do mine too. He showed me his newly restored mailbox - he had rubbed down the metal and spray painted inside and out and painted the handle red. it looked awesome - like it was brand new. He said he had materials left over and would be happy to work on mine (that was rusty and awful). According to my stay-at-home neighbor, each day he would wander over to my mail box and sand it down, spray, paint etc. until it looked brand new.
I had hoped to see him and thank him for his kindess. Finally I wrote a thank you card and put it in his mailbox, but to be honest. I will never know if he ever got it, never know if he knew how thankful I was for his time, effort and thoughtfulness.
Hi lived alone and died alone. His truck is still in his driveway and I'm sure there are dishes in the sink and laundry to be done that will remain there until someone comes and goes through his estate.
Clay was a neighbor that I never reached out to, and I am feeling deep regret and saddness. He reached out to me and his parting gift to me was my nice new shiny mailbox and I will always be grateful.

Jim taught on Prejudice this morning. Mercy trumps Judgement was the main message. When I think about mercy, I think of films where a King pardons someone who really ought to 'get what they deserve'. I think of yelling 'mercy, mercy' in a childhood game - usually with my arm twisted behind my back!
I have a geek streak...and I visit dictionary.com a fair bit - so I typed in 'mercy' and found the following definition very interesting:

Mercy
By the atoning sacrifice of Christ a way is open for the exercise of mercy towards the sons of men, in harmony with the demands of truth and righteousness (Gen. 19:19; Ex. 20:6; 34:6, 7; Ps. 85:10; 86:15, 16). In Christ mercy and truth meet together. (Matt. 5:7; 18:33-35).
Easton's 1897 Bible

In Christ, mercy and truth meet together.

Another definition included the following - "leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice".

Truth....Justice....Mercy.

Obviously God knew something here. Why mercy instead of judgement?

Because something different happens with mercy.

At the moment mercy is granted...both the extender and the recipient know that the 'offender' actually deserved everything they were going to get (is that the truth piece?) and it is that truth that leads to redemption, changed behavior and in due course may allow mercy to be extended to others (justice?).

Up until this moment, I had never considered mercy as a catalyst. God has such a topsy-turvy way of doing business. The power is always in the most surprising place. If mercy is the catalyst, then it stands to reason that judgement is the opposite. Maybe that is why those we judge, usually do not change - neither do the hearts of those making the judgement.

I think about my own life and how reluctant I have been to extend mercy. We cling to judgement as if without it, we cannot stand firm. I'm learning that standing firm in that way, may mean standing alone.

God knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows that mercy, in the end, will always be more effective in communicating His Truth than judgement. He also knows that it's one of the hardest things for us to learn.

When I think of the word 'quest'...I think of adventure, danger, dragons, narrow-escapes, daring heroes or heroines. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the word quest....maybe I should have committed to a gentle spiritual stroll...because today is day 3 and I am tired - having faced my own dragons and narrow-escapes today. I even muttered the dangerous phrase 'could today get any worse?' - and then proceeded to sit on I-25 for an hour and a half while an accident cleared at I-25 and Lincoln. As I sat in the car flipping through radio stations trying to figure out why the traffic was at a standstill I noticed that I was driving behind a car that had a large sticker on the back windshield. It was an ornate tree-like design with the words 'saved to live' and then 'live to serve'. I thought..wow, that person must really be into being a christian...but as I was looking at the sticker, the sun was shining through the window and a shadow was cast onto one of the back seats and it read quite clearly 'saved to live, live to serve'. The actual words were on the window, but with the addition of the sunlight, the words became alive and visible in another location. That's what God's love should release in us. The love moving through us allows our faith to be reflected elsewhere. Without that love, we are all just stickers on a car windshield.

Was today really Day One? I'd better hurry up and figure something out before this day is over! A 40 day spiritual quest sounded so exciting - but now I'm not sure what that looks like for me.
I really liked what my friend Tanya wrote..that during the next 40 days her intention is to bring balance to her life.....so I worked out today (which was good) and then ate a chocolate cookie (which was bad) I prayed while driving to work this morning (pretty good) and then screamed at a stupid driver while exiting the freeway(not so good)..is that balance?

Argh! Why can't I disappear to a beautiful retreat center and listen to the birds, and the wind in the trees as I contemplate intimacy with God. I suck :(

I finally booked tickets to see Rob Bell's new Tour. He will be in Denver on November 7 at the Paramount Theatre. I am so excited - I think he is fab!
Check out the link http://www.thegodsarentangry.com/ and while you are there...download the teachings from Mars Hill. Fantastic.

Why won't people come to ABBA!!!! I apologize- Open Recovery.
It was opening night tonight and seven people showed up. SEVEN! One of which was myself (I'm repeating the year....recovery special Ed). We made cool posters, established the website - what is it with people at church thinking they don't need it? Is it that life really isn't that bad? That recovery is only for the truly screwed? Not just the partially twisted?
Jeez....