Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

The true price of loving God

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I know Salvation’s price is free
That part is done by you
My Father’s life freely given
Before my life is born
Your plan for me was made
Your desire for perfection
Life’s promised fullness
Is all completely paid

The community your son created
Against which hate cannot prevail
Is the place to discover
Salvations price revealed
Daily loved shared deeply
Connecting to an intimate me
Seeking hope in all who come
To our Father’s community

But to know what’s truly given
I must learn to let go
Of all what binds within
This world’s hopes
Clawing for my attention
Attachment’s present desire
Means to linger in the shadows
Today I choose the gift

Creation’s Sounds

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From creation’s beginnings
You had a plan
With Adam’s decision
You had me in mind

My Father’s plans
Are clearly laid
As I walk life’s path
I discover each day
To learn what is needed
The truth of my heart

I come to you presence
I sit at your feet
Hearing your voice
Speaking creation’s sounds
The birds calling
The water’s shimmering
Rays of light
Filtering through trees

My Child this is what’s needed
My desire for you
Hear my voice
My deep love for you
Discover my heart
Listen to its call
Back to creation
Love’s first beautiful sound
It is good
My Child
You are good
I created you
My plans for you are good

Creation’s beauty
Echoes from Adam
I love you today.

A prayer of abandonment

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Read this Prayer of abandonment. It is Charles de Foucauld’s translation of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray, Our Father.

It does not become your prayer until the words become your thoughts, feeling & action.

Father,

I abandon myself into your hands;

Do with me what you will.

Whatever you may do, I thank you:

I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only your will be done in me,

& in all your creatures-

I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into your hands I commend my soul;

I offer it to you with all the love if my

Heart,

For I love you Lord,

& so need to give myself,

To surrender myself into your hands,

Without reserve,

& with boundless confidence,

For you are my Father.

  • What part of this prayer do you find most easy to pray?
  • What is most difficult?
  • Read & Contemplate this prayer again but instead of addressing it to the Father, put in the names of the people with whom you live & work each day. (Tom, Mary, Jane, etc. “I abandon myself into your hands.”
  • How does this affect your prayer?
  • Is it possible to give yourself to another in this way?
  • What do you find possible to say? What do you find most difficult?

How could we dare trust ourselves to another person so totally? Would it be good for them? Would I be good for us? What would happen if we did? What would happen if someone entrusted themselves totally to me? We forget the awesome creative power we have in each other’s lives. When someone trusts us totally & completely, they compel us to grow, to measure up to their love, to be come what they us to be. Each of us has incredible power to enable each person in the measure we believe in them., hope in them & love in them into the fullness which they never recognized in themselves. Such love & trust from another can be humbling & frightening. At times we are more comfortable with our enemies or strangers that do not ask this of us.

The more honest we are with ourselves, the more we see that we do not & cannot pray like this.

Only Jesus is able to pray like this, & only he is able to say “Father” with the fullest depth of his being. We can’t pray the PRAYER OF ABANDONMENT. This is Jesus’ prayer alone. But if we desire, Jesus will teach us & enable us to pray his prayer.

Now listen to Jesus pray this prayer to you. In the place of “Father” & “Lord,” put your own name & take time to try & listen to the way Jesus says your name, the way he calls you.

Reflections on Psalm 18

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My Accusers Voice

The accuser screams,
You are worthless,
Harsh words echo
Deeply wounding
Seeking despair
Attacking weakness
Betraying confidence
Desiring revenge

A voice of pain
Anxious uncertainty
Self destructive
Wishing hate
Empty hope
Suffering

There are the deep valleys that come from living in a broken hearted world. These valleys are full of shadows that obscure the path forward. Our inner reserves become quickly depleted because we feel lost and our vision becomes increasingly limited. This limitation develops insidiously like the physical disease of glaucoma when our spirits are depleted we see less and less but at first we don’t recognise its effects.

God steps into our world and his light pursues relentlessly the shadows that seek to overcome his light. We feel this most when we are broken and our hearts laid open. When we are devastated from facing hate’s lash and its stinging words. When we feel like every avenue of faith is blocked. Our story intersects with David’s at the point where it feels like there is no hope.

Is it so wrong to be rescued? I know that I struggle with this. The broken hearted person knows what it is to be humbled. They know what it is to have their world turned upside down, to be in a place where the darkness threatens to overwhelm every glimmer of light. The descent into brokenness brings God’s child to knowing that their deepest need can only be met through being rescued. This is the moment where all pride is released, and we can rest in our Father’s loving embrace.

You rescue the humble,
but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.
O LORD, you are my lamp.
The LORD lights up my darkness.

There are times where I feel like I am totally in over my head. These are the places where the enemy seems to have the upper hand. It’s comforting to know that our God rescues us from this situation. These are those times when life’s deep waters threaten to inundate us. Like a drowning person we clutch for something to save us. This is where God speaks loudest to those who turn to him.

He reached down from heaven and rescued me;
he drew me out of deep waters.

At that point where life feels like it’s about to be snatched from us we will take any solution but over and over David cries out to God. And, God responds by reaching down from heaven, he seeks us out and we are saved from the darknesses, suffocating he moves us from being in over our head to being able to draw breath again.

They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress,
but the LORD supported me.

What is worse when travelling through a valley is to be down and then be attacked. David experiences this with the betrayal of his closest friends. He know the deep pain that comes from the rejection of his love towards them. It’s a difficult lesson to learn that our enemies are not capable of returning love because they are locked into their own prisons.

He led me to a place of safety;
he rescued me because he delights in me.

But, then God brings us to a place of safety because he takes delight in us. His words to Jesus at his Baptism echo in our lives today. You are my beloved [Child] with whom I am well pleased. Our Father sees us as his beloved child because our presence on earth delights him. He rescues us and brings us to a new understanding of his love in the midst of the accusations, the betrayal, the hatred. From the brink of despair God brings us to the threshold of new hope, because he is our deliverer.

Praise be to God.

The Way Behind Closes

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A sparrow never questions
What will come each day
It only does what’s needed
Because it’s made that way
Now is all that matters
Cause there’s just today
Tomorrow’s only worry
Is at the end of every day

The way behind closes
finished at each old day
There’s no turning back
Time heeds no delay
Now is all I can know
It has no other say
Regret is impossible
Life is only one way.

The way ahead emerges
At the dawn of each new day
Its morning beams shed light
Keeping darkness at bay
Slowly understanding
Emerges with each ray
Of what must be will be
It is come what may
(Chris Gribble)

My Beloved’s Voice

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My Beloved’s Voice
Whispers softly
You are my beloved
Soft words giving
Loving hope
Offering joy
Caring compassion
Certain friend
Forgiving love
My Father’s voice
Sure and insistent
Reconstructing
Desires wholeness
Life’s fullness
Celebrating
I am your beloved
Your creation
Wonderfully made
Loved unconditionally
Graciously accepted
By an open heart
Longing to speak
Hope and trust
Well done my child

The Night’s Sounds

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The night sounds speak quietly
too early for the bird’s song
too early for morning clatter
I know light will come
but it’s eternity to wait

Knowing that dawn’s arrival
will bring its familiar sounds
a warble in the distance
a clear familiar call
but I wonder what’s next

The day’s rhythm begins
the night’s quiet thoughts
quickly fade to actions
contemplation submits
but I question why

The day half over
not a moment is spent
on what mattered at night
its wisdom quickly fades
no time to think at all
but the hours tick away

Evening arrives again
I look forward to relief
from incessant action
the day demands of me
rest turns to exhaustion
but I wonder why

Maybe I need to learn
to listen more each night
the darkness and the silence
the waiting to begin
exhaustion turns to hope
but its voice is small

About Chris

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Chris’ working life began as an office clerk in a large farm implement manufacturing company in Dalby Qld. After a year he began an apprenticeship as a fitter and turner in the same company and successfully completed his indentures four years later.

Looking for an adventure he then travelled to Israel to work on a Kibbutz. He primarily worked in the farm section of the Kibbutz producing turf for many of the major tourist and residential developments in Israel at that time.
On his return to Australia he began working at the local Dalby Hospital and completed his training as an enrolled nurse. He then worked at Baillie Henderson Hospital in Toowoomba for a year.

Chris completed several years of Bible College training and worked as a teacher and then Dean of Cornerstone Bible College in Emerald, Qld. He moved to Charters Towers in North Queensland to commence employment as a church Pastor with the Churches of Christ and Baptist Churches. During this time he also worked as a Nurse, Newspaper Photographer, School Teacher, Chaplain and a variety of other jobs to augment his role in the church.

Chris’ interest in education was developed through his studies at the University of Southern Queensland where he completed a Bachelor in Further Education and Training. Chris moved to the Gold Coast in 2002 and completed his Masters in Education (Online Learning) that year. At this time he began applying some of the ideas formulated during his studies to the development of a Cert IV in Christian Ministry. A number of students were engaged in individually adapted learning that sought to provide learners situated learning within their community of practice.

In 2007 Chris moved to Toowoomba with the aim to develop an applied spirituality in the workplace. He became a builder’s labourer working on site with the purpose of developing a holistic mentoring model that produced positive learning outcomes for the business.

In 2010 Chris spent 6 months teaching Business and English in China. This was an adventure and educational experience for the whole family. Chris and the family returned in February, 2011.

In 2014 Chris began a 6 month leadership course with the Centre for Courage and Renewal in Austin, Texas. He will complete this in April 2015. One of his recent learning influences has been the work of Parker Palmer who founded the Courage and Renewal Academy and authored the work, The Courage to Teach. This experience has inspired Chris to recommence his Phd studies in 2015.

Educational Background
Masters in Education (Online Learning)
Graduate Certificate in Theology
Bachelor in Further Education and Training
Diploma in Theology
Diploma of Vocational Education and Training
Diploma of Training Design and Development
Diploma in Counselling and Groupwork
Diploma in Business (Frontline Management)
Enrolled Nurse
Certificate IV in Training and Assessment
Certificate III in Human Services
Certificate III in Fitting, Turning and Machining.
Currently Studying
Doctor of Philosophy, University of Southern Queensland

Learning to Be

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“Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others’ faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.”
Rumi

The Hidden Power of the Gospels: Four Questions, Four Paths, One Journey

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An Excerpt from The Hidden Power of the Gospels: Four Questions, Four Paths, One Journey by Alexander J. Shaia with Michelle Gaugy

 

“The wisdom teachings in Matthew contain such an abundance of sensible counsel that we would do well to keep them close. They are a poetic guide to the promises and the dangers that greet us on the first path. The recommendations and responses they hold are truly Be-Attitudes designed to move us forward. They challenge us to:

• “Accept that we do not and will not know results in advance. We often feel ‘poor in spirit.’

• “Make farewells to our yesterdays and embrace the grief we feel.

• “Be humble in our willingness to journey. Yielding to exile will yield riches of Spirit.

• “Know that our true hunger and thirst are for Spirit, and only Spirit, despite all trials and temptations.

• “Greet all we encounter, within and without, in mercy, and reap the rewards of gratitude. Recognize that mercy derives from merces, a Latin word that translates as ‘reward.’ (It continued into French as merci, meaning ‘thanks,’ or ‘gratitude.’)

• “Be full of heart. Do not seek to remove any thought, any feeling, or any person from our inner life. Each is an aspect of Spirit. Welcome them all.

• “Believe in ‘Jeru-Shalom’ as a home of welcome that accommodates the true peace of respect for differing voices, if we will but listen.

• “Accept inner and outer hardship as needed for the sake of living a new life in the presence of God. Power and applause are not what we seek. Our journey leads instead to humility and service.

• “Anticipate lack of esteem. Be prepared instead for conflict — and meet it with respect and love.

“The nine Beatitudes reflect diverse parts of a harmonious unity which I endlessly reflect and touch each other as we go through our lives. At the very heart of Jesus’s teachings, their practice opens us to compassion. If we are able to place these on our hearts, walk with them on our feet, hold them in our hands, and seal them in our thoughts, we will have more insight along our journey. They will become our walking staff and guide for the arduous times we will face.

“We can certainly find equal relevance in the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. All of us have ‘heard it said’ — by parents, by friends, by society, by religious institutions — that we ought to ‘do this’ or ‘avoid that.’ Unreflectively, we may have accepted or rejected what we have heard. Jesus’s words ask us to become more conscious. He tells us that truth is not found on the surface. We are encouraged to explore the original purpose and meanings of the things we have been told, as well as their genuine truth and relevance in our hearts and lives today.

“We have talked about the risk of returning to older, seemingly simpler ways, but an equal peril lurks within this first path: the urge to rush in the opposite direction. Our ego-mind can just as readily deceive us into thinking that all of yesterday’s wisdom is empty folly — that nothing we have ever learned or been told has merit or benefit; that we are without guidance. Rejecting everything and racing off to the ‘new and better’ can be a sprint to isolation and despair. Either one of these extreme positions is only a trick, not a truth. Quadratos requires that we ignore these deceptions and dig deeper, explore further. Although many people and institutions have become protectors of empty practices, there are others who still hold truthful, living attitudes of heart. We are on a journey to discover which have real veracity for us and endeavor to claim them in our own personal way.”