I wrote yesterday about Leonard Sweet one the speakers at Epiphany Explorations. I was thinking more about his work just this morning. He told us that in an effort to connect more with his students he had begun writing on Twitter. Now Twitter is one of those frontiers I have not explored … well until a few minutes ago when I looked up Len’s page. He said he keeps his twitter page focused on signs of God always looking out for and then pointing out what God is up to.

Well, that got me thinking. On this cold wintry morning in Muskoka what is God up to? God has breezed through my office twice already as soul sisters from the congregation have dropped in just to give a hug and say hello. God’s love was revealed when I listened to the morning news and heard the report from one man of his effort to raise funds for the people of Haiti and his subsequent trip there as a volunteer in the relief effort. God is talking to me through the words of scripture I am reading as I think about this coming Sunday’s sermon. God chuckled along as one dear friend stopped by to share his latest joke. It’s a busy day with a busy weekend ahead. I am reminded of John Wesley’s comments (well I think it was Wesley but it could have been some one else). “I have so much to do today I will have to pray for two hours instead of one so God can help me through it.” God is busy helping me through my busy-ness.

Celtic Spirituality talks about “thin places” these are places where heaven and earth are very close. Places charged with spiritual energy. I have always felt Muskoka was a bit of a thin place and I often see the creative energy of God as I drive around bends in the road and as I peer into the bush.

So, dear readers, where do you see God today? Have you had sightings of The Spirit at work?

It was a great week of Continuing Education in Victoria. The congregation of First Metropolitan United Church hosts this annual conference each January giving folks like me an opportunity to hear great speakers and enjoy a respite from the Ontario winter. Yes, the temperatures hovered around a balmy ten degrees and the sun shone. I even saw a couple of flowering crab trees beginning to bud out and one garden boasted newly planted pansies. Ahhhhh!

The key-note speaker was Leonard Sweet. He is, as the programme material put it, a historian of North American culture; a futurist who “sees things the rest of us do not see, and dreams possibilities that are beyond most of our imagining;” and a preacher and writer who communicates the gospel powerfully to a postmodem age. It also notes he was voted “One of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America” in 2006 and 2007.

Leonard spoke to us of the need to engage in mission through the new world of technology.  Leonard told us that life as we knew it changed in 1973. What happened in 1973? Martin Cooper invented the first cell phone. Ever since then we have been moving more and more into a wireless world. Anyone spending even a few moments in a public space such as an airport or a shopping mall knows that cell phones are the constant companions to most people now. Sweet is great with acronyms and he said we live in a TGIF world (twitter, google, internet, facebook). Leonard made connections for us around spirituality and technology reminding us that as church we need to be using technology to connect with folks.

I guess that is why I started writing this blog. It is a way for us to connect as we consider together how God is acting in our world. What do you think? Does technology strengthen your spirituality? How so?

This past week we had “Upside Down Sunday”.  For our readers who are not attenders at BUC so you might not know what that means.  Upside Down Sunday means after ‘story time’ in our morning worship the children stay in the sanctuary and the adults all go off to Faith Trek. We had six workshops that included drumming, yoga, bibles study, hymns, prayer and the significance of bread. There were over 100 adults participating in the workshops around the building. Later, during coffee time, the hall was abuzz with chat about the various workshops and the learning that occurred. This is the second year we have had an “Upside Down Sunday” here. The morning, first viewed with some skepticism is now, I believe, anticipated as people wonder what class they might get to participate in this year.

Of course this unusual way to conduct a Sunday morning is not to everyone’s taste but for many it is a fun and refreshing way to worship. Yes, I said worship. I think that worship, entering into sacred time and space, can happen in a variety of ways.  That’s right worship does not require a sermon! A rich experience of entering into conversation about God or experiencing God through prayer, drumming, yoga or in the smell of baking bread can be just as meaningful as a well-constructed sermon … dare I say it …maybe even more meaningful, a bold admission from a preacher!

I extend a huge thank you to the various folks who offered leadership in the workshops – I know some of you are readers. And I say thank you to the congregation for entering into the spirit of the morning.

Now, I am off for some life-long learning of my own. I leave soon to head out to Victoria, BC to attend Epiphany Explorations at First-Metropolitan United Church.

I’ll let you know all about it when I get back.

It is impossible to look at a newspaper or listen to the news and not be touched at the deepest emotional level by the tragedy and devastation that has befallen the tiny nation of Haiti.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and if that weren’t enough of a burden to bear its population this week is reeling by the effects of the 7.0 earthquake that shook some 3 million people and left thousands dead. Many of them lie buried under the rubble of destroyed building.

The reports of the situation in Haiti remind us that once again the world is a small and interconnected globe. Thousands of Canadian citizens have relatives in Haiti. There were over 6,000 Canadians in Haiti at the time of the Earthquake many of them there on mission and aid work assisting Haitians to alleviate the suffering of that nation. 1,400 Canadians remain missing.  Our own Governor General Michaelle Jean fought back tears as she spoke on behalf of Canada to the people of Haiti. Haiti is the land of her birth and she still has family there. This story cannot be about them and not be about us. We are in this together as world citizens.

The good news aspect to this story is the rate at which aid money is pouring in. People have been moved to give and to give generously. Haiti needs it. The reconstruction will be immense and will take years.  In their capital city the UN headquarters, the Catholic Cathedral, the police station, and the prison were among the buildings destroyed by the violently shifting earth. Among the dead are the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the Head of the UN’s peacekeeping mission, dozens of UN staff, and many aid workers. These are among the very ones who might be able to give leadership at this time. Thankfully many countries have recognized the vacuum that is now there and have responded with immediacy.

Among the agencies that have responded is the United Church of Canada. I hope that you are able to turn your prayers to action by making a donation of any size to the relief work in Haiti. Cheques should be made out to Bracebridge United Church and marked “Haiti Appeal”. They will be directed through our denomination to our partners in Haiti and put to work in that country that needs so much to know that the world cares.  At times like this we feel compelled to respond – please give as you are able.