Author Archives: mittonmusings

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About mittonmusings

A Canadian, lifestyle blog with an inspirational twist!

Encountering God: Spiritual Reflections in Matthew Perry’s Memoir

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Welcome back, my beloveds! Sorry there was no post last week… was working hard and the week got away from us before the thoughts came together. Not that the thoughts didn’t come together… they did… and I have been wanting to tackle this thought since I finished reading Matthew Perry’s memoir: Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.

Let me start off by saying I can not recommend this book. The language is terrible. It’s not really well written, and it seems as though Perry was suffering with his “big terrible thing” in various parts of the manuscript as I found it hard to follow at times. Still, who can judge a person’s life story written from the person’s perspective? It’s real and it’s raw… and certainly had me musing.

So, for the record, Matthew Perry (a Canadian whose mother worked for Prime minister Pierre E. Trudeau!) explains his journey from childhood acting dreams to finally making it big on the sitcom “Friends”. I’m sure you’ve heard about him. Including his recent death and the fallout from his drug supplying doctors. The book certainly outlines his struggles in all its medically descriptive, pain inducing, glory.

Several girls, houses and T.V. and film contracts later, Matty lays it all on the line. His brutal honesty (including fowl language!) follows his ups and downs in Hollywood. Now, I am not a big Friends fan, but if you are a People lover, it’s an interesting read. Especially creepy knowing it was released slightly before his untimely death in a time when he was meant to be sober… I’ll let you decide where that one lies.

Shockingly, it did have me musing a much more profound, spiritually lead thought process than simply another Hollywood memoir. It was his claim of “meeting God”. I can’t quote the whole thing, but smack dab in the middle of the book, at the most bottom point of his “rock bottom”, Matthew Perry states:

“God, please help me”, I whispered. Show me you are here, God, please help me.” …. “This was {my encounter with God}. I started to cry. I mean really started to cry — that shoulder-shaking kind of uncontrollable weeping. I wasn’t crying because I was sad. I was crying because for the first time in my life I felt OK. I felt safe, taken care of. Decades of struggling with God, and wrestling with life, and sadness, all was being washed away, like a river of pain gone into oblivion. I had been in the presence of God. I was certain of it.”

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible thing p.159-160

It was a powerful moment, obviously. And I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit had certainly reached out to Perry in a real and tangible way at the very minute when He was called upon. I have cried those very tears of emotion. I always say, one cannot encounter the God of the Universe and not be changed. And not feel something. Unfortunately, this encounter with God may have stayed with Perry, but only on the surface. His lifestyle of the rich and famous crowded out the feelings of euphoria he got a glimpse of at this moment. He didn’t allow God to truly help him as he prayed. You see, God is willing — but He doesn’t push. We must truly seek Him.

And it’s that thought that had me musing. I am deeply saddened at our dark, dark world. I am deeply saddened for the lives like Matthew Perry’s who are snuffed out by drugs, alcohol and “worldly” pleasures. So many crave peace, and when it is presented to them, they let it slip through their fingers. It makes me sad.

There are other “snip-its” of God thoughts in Perry’s book, and I think to myself… you were so close… There are others I think about when I think those thoughts too. Not strangers in Hollywood with fancy cars and mansions in the hills, but people in my own circle. People I know and care about. And that makes me even sadder. And a tad bit angry. Have you ever wanted to just shake someone and say “You just need Jesus!! (you big dim whit!)”??

So there ya have it. My own little memoir blip on this piece of the internet. My raw and open thinking about the dark world we live in and the people who need Jesus because of it. Oh beloved, if that’s you reading this and you are feeling the “touch of God” because you called out to Him… seek harder! Get real help. Find someone who can lead you to Him. An eternity away from Him is much much bigger than Matthew Perry’s big terrible thing, it is THE big terrible thing. Run from the darkness. He’ll be there, I promise.

We are Family

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Well! It has been a busy week and weekend with lots of things happening! I have been working long hours at my new job… settling in to the routine there. We moved my brother and his family to a new place this weekend, and said goodbye to church friends moving far away. In addition to all the outside things happening in our little world, our little farm has been growing too… sort of. I think one of my hens is turning into a rooster. We were told 98% guarantee that our birds were girls. Not so sure now. We may have fallen into the 2%. Time will tell if we have to change Mavis’s name to Morris.

What do you think of Mavis compared to her “sister”?

Not to mention the kids will be back from summer jobs and heading back to school next week! Where did the summer go?! I must admit, I did miss them. My grocery bill won’t be happy about it, but my heart will be. (Don’t tell them I told you I missed them!) All in all, my week has been all about relationships and the dynamics of “group”. And so, I muse.

“Heritage is something that belongs to us by reason of birth. It is the history of a family. Where a family came from and all of the traditions, customs and more have been passed down from generation to generation make up a family’s heritage.”

I got thinking about that dynamic. Family. Do we really bond only because of birth… or is it shared experiences? Grouping by commonality. My flock of chickens are not sisters, yet they certainly have group dynamics and drama and customs and well… function like a little “family”. Especially if one turns out to be a rooster ! Her…er, his… role will be protector and provider.

What about our church family? Traditions and heritage are certainly part of that group. We bonded with our church friends and will miss them when they are gone away because we have shared spiritual lessons and have learned together. Family dynamics.

“Family dynamics refer to the patterns of interactions among relatives, their roles and relationships, and the various factors that shape their interactions. Because family member rely on each other for emotional, physical, and economic support, they are one of the primary resources of security or stress.”

Workplace drama? Security, stress and economic support. That sounds like co-workers. I don’t know. I certainly am not a sociologist. I certainly don’t understand the psychology of any type of group dynamics. Yet, I know they exist. I know they are a big part of my life — and a big part of yours. God designed it that way. He provided a way for us to co-exist. And if one group of people don’t work for you, another might be the one that does.

Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com

Did we make the trek to the city to help my brother simply because he’s my brother? Partially, yes. We should be able to count on family… because they are family. Still, you and I both know that life doesn’t always work out as we plan. Sometimes friends “stick closer than a brother”. God gave us those fall backs too. He knew life was gonna get messy. We are going to need somebody ! And they don’t always have to share your DNA.

Like usual, I have no real finite lesson to draw here. I have nothing new to teach you about relationships. I simply know that they “are”. And I was thinking about them this week and how they all work out to grow and shape and mold us. I’ll be glad when the kids come home. If for no other reason that I can make them do work around here. Just kidding. They’re family.

Stepping Out of the Boat: Embracing Change and Trusting the Journey

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Welcome to another week. It’s getting cooler. Autumn will soon be upon us and we’ve celebrated a full year at #Itsnotta Farm! Our second “harvest season” will begin in the surrounding fields and the dust will fly again! We’ll fight with the youngest to make the school bus and enjoy the front porch with warm drinks. We’ve done little, or so it seems, to upgrade or change the property. Sure, we dug some in the gardens and added a few creatures. The pool is no longer green, and you can now count the fish in the pond. However, the walls are the same colour, I still have boxes to unpack. So much junk is still in the barn… but this weekend was a milestone in the “move in process”. We changed the light above our dining room table! The previous light was awful. It was huge and modern looking with spokes and numerous yellow-tinted light bulbs. It looked like a Covid molecule and I hated it from the moment we walked in. I ordered a farm-style inspired chandelier from Amazon the week we moved. It sat in the box in the closet for almost a year.

The “Before” Covid Molecule

I pulled it out of the closet and it sat on the table for another two weeks. We pondered it and perused the very vague instructions with good intentions. Hurray! Finally! This weekend, with the help of capable friends, we climbed the chairs and gathered the hanging chain. Screwed in the bright white light bulbs and voila! Done. I am so happy with it. I have no idea where the thought process was for the other monstrosity came from… brightening the room to sell? The yellow tinge was not the answer. My bright whites are just as nice. And fits the farmhouse. Still… who am I to account for someone else’s style choices?

Change. Little changes, big changes. Change is a constant in our world… we can’t avoid it as time never seems to stop. Insignificant changes like dining room lights. Big choices like moving to the country or marrying the person of your dreams. Careers. Health diagnoses. Treatment choices for things you wish you didn’t need to make choices about. Choices that make you smile. Like getting chickens and watching them run when you call them. I think God gives us choices to keep us active and vibrant. To keep us thinking and growing and adapting and smiling. Change and choices.

Thanks friends for inspiring us to get the job done!

This past Sunday, we were reminded of Matthew 14’s story of Jesus walking on water and asking Peter to come to Him on the waves. Peter had a choice to make… did he trust the “ghost figure” before him and step out of the rocking boat? Or stay where it was “safe”? I think if you have a true encounter with God, your choice is easy. You step out of the boat. You take the risk and move out of your comfort zone into a tumultuous sea and walk above the waves. Meeting the Creator of the Universe gives you the confidence to do this. It’s when we haven’t truly met with Him where choices are hard. Or you’ve asked and prayed and pleaded and you haven’t heard what you wanted to hear.

The After!

Maybe God doesn’t care about what kind of light we hang in the kitchen. Still, I think He is interested in making us happy. And challenging us to ruffle feathers and step our of our little comfort zones once and awhile to truly grow us and grow His kingdom. Change is hard sometimes. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. It at least shapes us a little different when we reach the other side. And He’s there on the water’s edge offering us a helping hand. So, how ’bout it, my friends… are you stepping out of the boat this week? I’m gonna try. I might even tackle hanging some pictures.