Where is Heaven?

There were so many fewer questions,

When stars were still just the holes to heaven.

Jack Johnson, Holes to Heaven

Children have a well deserved reputation for catching their parents off guard. Out of the blue, our five year old daughter, Anjali, recently asked me, 'Daddy, where is heaven?'

You'd be forgiven (but wrong) if you thought having a degree in theology allowed me to answer this question easily.  Answering such questions honestly and with integrity, in a way that is accessible to a child, is complex. 

How is the concept of continuity of life beyond death to be balanced with the painful divide between these existences that we experience now?  How do we explain the spatial references we use of heaven ('up', 'in', 'there') for a 'place' that does not reside in our universe?  And what of the idea that heaven is where God is - isn't God within us. or at least in our midst, now?!

As Jack Johnson so poetically put it in his song, Holes to Heaven, the age we live in provides us with such amazing insight into the universe and our place within it.  One of the tasks of theology is to consider (and reconsider) such questions as Anjali's in a way that is consistent with what we know through other disciplines, such as the sciences, as we attempt to reformulate our thinking and language in ways that affirm inquiring minds and encourage deeper reflection on such a wonderful hope and faith.

Well, in attempting to answer Anjali's question, I babbled out some inadequate answer that seemed to satisfy her curiosity on some level, while encouraging her to continue to voice such worthwhile questions.

Anjali's question has reminded me how theological pondering usually raise more good questions than provide tight answers, and inspired me to ask a few more of my own.

Together

Manisha's safe arrival has brought the most wonderful joy into our family.

The past months have been an amazing time together as a family, bonding and discovering who and how we are together.

Seeing Anjali and Manisha together; smiling at each other, having cuddles, and more recently talking and laughing together simply lights up our hearts in such a special way.

Life seems so rich and full when we are all together.

How grateful I am for our beautiful girls!

Time

Every day we are engaged in a process of give and take - with ourselves, others and our environment. We have fairly well formed ideas about what it means to give and take. We not only understand, but feel this process.

One seemingly paradoxical instance of this process struck me recently: talking and listening.

I had previously thought of talking as giving, and listening as receiving, and I suppose in some ways it is, but I think there's a bit more to it than that.

Being heard and known to others is an important part of being in community and feeling fully human. When I feel heard; that is to say, when someone has listened to me, I have most certainly received something. And conversely, when I have listened to someone, I have definitely given something.

What is it though, that we are giving and receiving? Well, I think there are a few things: time, effort, attentiveness, energy, care. I imagine the list is extensive, but finding (making!) time to be meaningfully present with another is clearly at the heart of the exchange.

I appreciate each individual person has different needs, and while this exchange seems more valuable to some than others, there are surely few gifts of greater worth than time. It is a commodity we all have (some in greater measure than others) and spend in one way or another.

How indebted we are to those significant people in our lives whose gift of time has shaped and transformed us into who we are today! And what greater responsibility do we have than to spend it wisely?

Life

Life is...

So much can, and has, been said.

Life is fragile, and we need to make good decisions to continue living and enjoying a good quality of life. We want to live and be happy. In recent years I have acquired some first aid training; first aid kits; self-defence skills; a fire plan; health and safety knowledge; nutritional understanding, etc. All these things promote quality and quantity of life - for both others, and myself.

Life is temporary, and while we're here, we must make the most of it.
The great philosopher, Socrates, is credited with saying, 'The unexamined life is not worth living'.
To get the most out of life, it is well worth considering what is really important to us, and how we think we might best live our lives. What is our vision for our future? What is our purpose? What do we value?

Life is eternal. Eternal life has come to be primarily associated with quantity of life, but this understanding does not do justice to the qualitative element of eternal life. Eternal life has begun.

Life is beautiful! We are amazingly beautiful creatures, and there is so much good in our world.
Invictus, a short poem by English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903), made popular for many by the recent film with the same name, finishes with the inspiring words:

'I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul'.

Life is beautiful. We can make it beautiful, even when it seems hard to see how that is possible.

Life is valuable; both our own life, and others. It is distressing when people do not value life in their words and/or actions. Life is precious and we honour ourselves, each other and God when we live in a way that values life.

So much more could and must be said, however I will draw this entry to a close with two words and three dots that invite you to further consider and discuss this reality that is life.

Life is...

A Prayer for the Suffering

The tragedy in Haiti, like so many human tragedies before it, has momentarily shaken many of us out of our comfortable, hyper-real lifestyles.

Suffering is part of the human experience, and most of the time, most of us will do just about anything to avoid it; both other's suffering and our own. But sometimes, as now, it is in our face and we simply have to deal with it.

One thing we like to do with suffering is throw money at it, as it makes us feel better. Of course, we should give money (and can: www.salvationarmy.com.au/). Many of us also like to pray at times like this. Again, it makes us feel better, and we hope makes some kind of difference.

But what disasters, such as the one in Haiti, really highlight is that something much more profound needs to happen. Somehow, we need to collectively reconsider where it is we are going, and would like to go, as a people. Somehow, we need to see a new humanity emerge that values people over power and money.

I hope future generations prove more successful at solving the 'somehow' than my generation, and the generations before mine have been.

Anyway, a prayer was promised and is due. My fourteen month old daughter is sick with a cold, and I include her in my prayer too.


Dear God,

We remember today, those is Haiti who are suffering; those mourning the loss of loved ones, lost themselves, physically broken, angry, frightened, alone.

We pray for swift assistance. We pray for peace. We pray that you will fill the empty space in our prayers where we don't even know what to pray for.

We pray that we would not remain uneffected and indifferent to those suffering in Haiti, in the same way that we are not indifferent to those suffering in our homes. Help us to reconsider what we value; and enable us to live our values each day.

We also pray for forgiveness. Forgive us for those things we do (and do not do) that perpetuate injustice, destroy communities, and degrade and dehumanise those you love.

We pray for all those suffering. We pray for ourselves. We pray for change.

God be with us,
Amen

Now

Music can move us in unexpected ways.

I enjoy a fairly wide variety of music, with the notable exception being most 80s music. I remember hearing Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the early 90s for the first time, and how I welcomed that change in musical style.

Nearly two decades later Pearl Jam have released another album, Backspacer, which I have been listening to quite a lot. One song I can't seem to get enough of is 'Just Breathe'. The lyrics of this song anticipate the future, and yet are also firmly grounded in the present.

"Yes I understand that every life must end
As we sit alone, I know someday we must go

I'm a lucky man to count on both hands
the ones I love

Some folks just have one, others they got none..."

Much of our thought and speech seems to anticipate the future, or be stuck in the past. So many of us struggle to fully appreciate and remain in the 'now' moment. Life is full of distractions and it is all too easy to waste. We don't usually like to think about it, but one day our time on this amazing planet will end.

Remaining present with those we love is important, even if its not always easy. I readily admit that I have much to learn about being present with others.

I strongly identify with the sense of gratitude the above lyrics express concerning loved ones, for I know this is not everyone's experience. This song has certainly prompted me to really think about who I love, and who loves me. It has challenged me to consider how, and with whom, I want to spend my time. And it also begs the question, 'Who do I want to become?'

The Holiday

I recently saw an episode of Seinfeld (The Butter Shave) which begins with Jerry and George sitting in the cafe with fake a moustaches.

Jerry (picking at his moustache): You know I cannot stand this thing anymore... I told you, we should have taken some kind of vacation.
George: Well, why didn't we?
Jerry: Because you said this would be better. Remember? A vacation from ourselves; that's what you said!

It's a funny idea. Impossible, yet strangely appealing - having a break from yourself; your responsibilities and concerns.

Malkanthi and I are on holidays for a few weeks now, getting some much needed rest. Far from a holiday from ourselves, but a holiday none-the-less. The responsibility and rewards of parenthood remain. And our thoughts are also still with those suffering around the world, for whom there will be no holiday nor immediate relief.

As we look at and consider our beautiful yet suffering world, much of the problem seems to reside with the reality that too many people are on permanent vacation from caring (or at least meaningfully acting) about the suffering of others.

Is this a fundamental flaw of our human nature, or a habit we can overcome? I don't know. Hopefully the latter, and hopefully we have reasonable grounds to hope we can become more humane (human) than we are at present, both individually and collectively.

Hope & Joy

Hope is an amazing thing!

Malkanthi and I had the joy of dedicating our beautiful daughter, Anjali, this Sunday. Most of our friends and family were present to celebrate the occasion, with well wishes sent from those who couldn't be there.

The dedication brought into sharp focus the hopes and dreams we have for Anjali. Simple hopes for a happy life, full of love.

To hope your child's life is full of love and joy comes naturally and is universal (although sadly not everyone's experience).

It was encouraging to see so many people at Anjali's dedication, affirming Anjali, Malkanthi and I, and our desire that Anjali would sense the presence and love of God and others throughout her life.

Life is so precious and fragile though, and hope so tiny and seemingly impotent in the towering shadow of reality. Yet we still hope!
Hope is the unjustifiable expectation of joy. It is in our DNA. It amplifies our suffering, and yet we still hope.

And we hope that our hope does not dissappoint us, even though we know it may.

As a husband and parent, I have learnt to hope for the happiness of those 'other' to myself, especially Malkanthi and Anjali, more than my own happiness. While my words and actions may not always reflect this truth, the truth remains.

Hope and joy. Future and present, reaching out to each other.
How precious hope is!

Hope, Suffering & The Kingdom of God

Buddha broadly defined suffering as not getting what one wants.

In a consumer culture, this has led to a culture of suffering. When we hope to receive what we do not, we suffer. Sadly, it is our desire to have what we do not need that causes others suffering too.

When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God, he was refering to both a present reality and a future hope. Amidst the suffering we feel when the Kingdom of God is not experienced in our lives and our hope for an eternal life free from suffering, we live; suffering and hoping.

Engaging this reality is the Christian task.

Teamwork

There's no 'I' in 'Team' (although there is an 'M' and an 'E')!? ;)

While a team is made up of individuals, a good team is more than the sum of it's parts. I remember learning this the hard way in my early twenties.

I was part of a talented group of other young men who formed a basketball team. We joined a local B grade competition with every expectation we would win the championship. While we made it to the finals, we did not win. In fact, we lost our first three finals.


As dissappointing as this was at the time, as I look back now I can see how character building it was for us all. We continued to improve as a team, eventually winning the B grade, then A grade championships. The following year we moved on to a better competion to win a couple of championships there too.

Understanding our role in a team is vital. While I don't play a lot of basketball anymore, I still appreciate the value of teamwork, and benefit from applying the principles I learned on that basketball team to other areas of my life.

Be it at work, sport, church or home, the team dynamics we find ourselves in create opportunities for ourselves and others to grow, succeed and belong.

I thank God for the privilege of being part of some great teams in my life.