I'm at the church, where I am hosting an open-attendance meeting for persons dealing with depression in themsleves or someone close to them.
There is no "average" number of attendees, and a week prior to Christmas, I have no way to know who might show up.
I made some chocolate chip cookies, and have coffee and hot water for tea prepared. The condiments, plates and napkins are on the table with the cookies.
Tonight I feel like my work as a priest is to be prepared for the guest(s) who may call, like the biblical virgins keeping their lamps full of oil in order to be ready when the groom arrives.
If someone shows up, then my work as a priest is to love them. First, though, my work is to be ready.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Jesus Asleep on my Boat
I have been reading "The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux." Chapter 8 begins with a passage about the day she professed her final vows to become a Carmelite nun, an event for which she longed for years.
She wrote: "Now I must tell you about my retreat for Profession. Far from eperiencing any consolation, complete aridity - desolation, almost - was my lot. Jesus was asleep in my little boat as usual. How rarely souls let Him sleep peacefully within them. Their agitation and all their requests have so tired out the Good Master that He is only too glad to enjoy the rest I offer Him."
This passage turns the "dark night of the soul" on its head for me! Sometimes I feel like God is absent. Now I can just think, "Jesus is just asleep in my little boat. Get some rest, Jesus, and I'll wake You when I really need You!"
(Nonetheless, I am glad that the Ignatian Retreat I took just before professing my vows as a priest was FULL of consolation!!)
She wrote: "Now I must tell you about my retreat for Profession. Far from eperiencing any consolation, complete aridity - desolation, almost - was my lot. Jesus was asleep in my little boat as usual. How rarely souls let Him sleep peacefully within them. Their agitation and all their requests have so tired out the Good Master that He is only too glad to enjoy the rest I offer Him."
This passage turns the "dark night of the soul" on its head for me! Sometimes I feel like God is absent. Now I can just think, "Jesus is just asleep in my little boat. Get some rest, Jesus, and I'll wake You when I really need You!"
(Nonetheless, I am glad that the Ignatian Retreat I took just before professing my vows as a priest was FULL of consolation!!)
Run Your Own Race
My friend Ray told me a story of driving with a wise friend riding along. When other drivers would do discourteous things, Ray would rant. His friend simply said, "Drive your own car, Ray."
Last Saturday, I did not meet my marathon-prep training goals. However, I did learn some important lessons! That is part of training, too: that sometimes the session is about what you learn, whether you met the goal or not.
I had been engaged in an easy run, sort of a trot, with some other runners who have been training a bit longer than I have. We were conversing as we went. Eventually, I ran out of steam and walked to recover.
My coach came alongside and suggested I finish the distance by doing brief "intervals," where there is a short, light run, followed by an equally distant walk in order to allow recovery time.
I did as he recommended, and I remembered what my stepgrandson Chet said to me: "Count your breaths, not your steps." So I began to focus on my breath and by doing so began to breathe more deeply. This rush of oygen fueled me back up, and my intervals became a little longer each time. I didn't want to push it, but I was curious to see how my improved breathing would affect my conditioning.
Today, I enjoyed a more successful training session. I met coach's goals for me, and my breathing was greatly improved and more efficient.
When Saturday rolls around, I will know that chatting with my fellow runners is probably not optimal for me, at least at this point. That is OK. They may be able to run and chat, but doing so causes me to breathe shallow breaths. I have learned I have to run my own race.
I am making some changes in my life to honor the ministry call I have heard. There are some things I need to drop, and I have resisted doing that because I don't want to let anyone else down or be a disappointment.
Fulfilling other people's expectations is a good way to stay busy, and what I have been doing is noble enough, but it is not related to my call, and the people I am called to serve go unserved as a result.
There will be some disappointed people when I withdraw from doing that which is not mine to do. Sorry! I truly am! I wish I could do it all! But, I have to run my own race.
The Holy Spirit comes alongside me to encourage and direct me, coaching my soul on its path the same way my running coach coaches my steps on the trail.
I do not run alone. None of us do. And yet, each of us is called to run our own race.
Last Saturday, I did not meet my marathon-prep training goals. However, I did learn some important lessons! That is part of training, too: that sometimes the session is about what you learn, whether you met the goal or not.
I had been engaged in an easy run, sort of a trot, with some other runners who have been training a bit longer than I have. We were conversing as we went. Eventually, I ran out of steam and walked to recover.
My coach came alongside and suggested I finish the distance by doing brief "intervals," where there is a short, light run, followed by an equally distant walk in order to allow recovery time.
I did as he recommended, and I remembered what my stepgrandson Chet said to me: "Count your breaths, not your steps." So I began to focus on my breath and by doing so began to breathe more deeply. This rush of oygen fueled me back up, and my intervals became a little longer each time. I didn't want to push it, but I was curious to see how my improved breathing would affect my conditioning.
Today, I enjoyed a more successful training session. I met coach's goals for me, and my breathing was greatly improved and more efficient.
When Saturday rolls around, I will know that chatting with my fellow runners is probably not optimal for me, at least at this point. That is OK. They may be able to run and chat, but doing so causes me to breathe shallow breaths. I have learned I have to run my own race.
I am making some changes in my life to honor the ministry call I have heard. There are some things I need to drop, and I have resisted doing that because I don't want to let anyone else down or be a disappointment.
Fulfilling other people's expectations is a good way to stay busy, and what I have been doing is noble enough, but it is not related to my call, and the people I am called to serve go unserved as a result.
There will be some disappointed people when I withdraw from doing that which is not mine to do. Sorry! I truly am! I wish I could do it all! But, I have to run my own race.
The Holy Spirit comes alongside me to encourage and direct me, coaching my soul on its path the same way my running coach coaches my steps on the trail.
I do not run alone. None of us do. And yet, each of us is called to run our own race.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Thank You, God
Thank You, God,
not only for the moments I noticed,
but for the times You blessed me anyway.
Thank You, God,
not only for the things accomplished today,
but for the moments You loved through me.
Thank You, God,
for every miracle overlooked,
but not unappreciated.
Amen.
not only for the moments I noticed,
but for the times You blessed me anyway.
Thank You, God,
not only for the things accomplished today,
but for the moments You loved through me.
Thank You, God,
for every miracle overlooked,
but not unappreciated.
Amen.
Unless You Become as a Little Child
We went Christmas carolling tonight in a neighborhood that really does it up with the decorations. People come from all around to see these two streets.
Two young children were jumping up and down with happiness after one of the songs. They were probably 3 or 4 years old.
I mentioned to the little girl that I liked her shoes, which lit up when she jumped. The little boy stomped his to show me his lit up too, but they were worn out and required a lot of force to trigger the lights.
"My shoes don't work," he said, dejectedly.
"Your shoes don't have to work, because the light inside you shines brightly already!" I said.
"Yeah, OK," he said and moved on.
He was so matter-of-fact about it, it didn't seem like a dismissal, just a "tell me something I don't know" reply.
You, gentle reader. don't need flashy shoes either. Your light shines!
Jesus said, "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden," and reminded us not to hide our light under a bushel.
Let your light shine!
Two young children were jumping up and down with happiness after one of the songs. They were probably 3 or 4 years old.
I mentioned to the little girl that I liked her shoes, which lit up when she jumped. The little boy stomped his to show me his lit up too, but they were worn out and required a lot of force to trigger the lights.
"My shoes don't work," he said, dejectedly.
"Your shoes don't have to work, because the light inside you shines brightly already!" I said.
"Yeah, OK," he said and moved on.
He was so matter-of-fact about it, it didn't seem like a dismissal, just a "tell me something I don't know" reply.
You, gentle reader. don't need flashy shoes either. Your light shines!
Jesus said, "A city set on a hill cannot be hidden," and reminded us not to hide our light under a bushel.
Let your light shine!
The Good Race
I have often heard 2 Timothy 4:7 quoted:
“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
There is another racing metaphor in Galatians 5:6b-8, though that I missed:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.”
This morning I joined my friends for our weekly team run. We are training for a 10K run in March and a marathon in May. Many years, counted in decades, have passed since I was a runner, and I harvested a huge crop of couch potatoes in the meanwhile. The trip from apathetic spud to athletic stud does not happen overnight!
It does happen the moment I set that intention in motion, and it happens with every footfall along the track or trail. It happens with the strength of others who encourage me, whether they are running alongside me or cheering from the sidelines.
I have not met all of my training goals, although just to be training is on overarching goal that I have met! I have not allowed an unmet goal to dissuade me, though. I’ve only been back at it for a week. This was my fourth training session. The goal was a 4 mile run; I made it 2.5 then finished with intervals of jogging and walking. I went the distance, though, and appreciated the significance of what I had accomplished. I know that every day I train moves me forward, and I only need do what is in front of me today.
My coach talked to me just after I ran out of gas and needed to walk to recover. He suggested after I recovered that instead of running or walking the rest of the way, I should employ interval training for short distances. Pick a spot 20 yards away and run to that, then walk to the next spot, and then run another twenty. Choose something to run toward, rather than just running.
I know all about breaking large objectives into smaller goals, but at that moment, I needed someone to remind me to do it. By grace, I didn’t arrogantly think, “I know that already!” Instead, I thought, felt, and said, “Thanks, coach!”
I had a kidney yanked out when I was two years old, and because of the danger of injuring the other, I was forbidden from playing team sports in school. I never had a coach before.
Now I’m 56 and for the first time, I’m training with a coach. I’m also surrounded by others who lift my spirits. Warren, who has been training about a month longer than me, is able to pass me by, but he said a sincere, “Looking good!” as he did. Deana was teaching me a Chinese affirmation she says while running. And so it goes, good words all around.
To borrow from the Galatians quote, “no one cut in on me” with aspersions to keep me from the race. No one said, “You can’t do this!” or, “Getting tired, yet?” Instead it was, "Looking good!" and the Chinese for "I am connected to the super-abundant energy all around me..." (I need remedial work to remember it eactly, but at the time it helped!)
In ourwalk run of faith it is important to listen only to the voice of eternal truth, just as in any endeavor, we need to be attentive to those who support us at every step. Our all-loving God who calls us does not mock or discourage us. God cheers us on, saying, “Look at my child run! Isn’t that a magnificent sight?!”
So, don’t let anyone else cut in on you. Run your good race, my friends!!!!
“I have fought the good fight; I have finished the race. I have kept the faith.”
There is another racing metaphor in Galatians 5:6b-8, though that I missed:
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you.”
This morning I joined my friends for our weekly team run. We are training for a 10K run in March and a marathon in May. Many years, counted in decades, have passed since I was a runner, and I harvested a huge crop of couch potatoes in the meanwhile. The trip from apathetic spud to athletic stud does not happen overnight!
It does happen the moment I set that intention in motion, and it happens with every footfall along the track or trail. It happens with the strength of others who encourage me, whether they are running alongside me or cheering from the sidelines.
I have not met all of my training goals, although just to be training is on overarching goal that I have met! I have not allowed an unmet goal to dissuade me, though. I’ve only been back at it for a week. This was my fourth training session. The goal was a 4 mile run; I made it 2.5 then finished with intervals of jogging and walking. I went the distance, though, and appreciated the significance of what I had accomplished. I know that every day I train moves me forward, and I only need do what is in front of me today.
My coach talked to me just after I ran out of gas and needed to walk to recover. He suggested after I recovered that instead of running or walking the rest of the way, I should employ interval training for short distances. Pick a spot 20 yards away and run to that, then walk to the next spot, and then run another twenty. Choose something to run toward, rather than just running.
I know all about breaking large objectives into smaller goals, but at that moment, I needed someone to remind me to do it. By grace, I didn’t arrogantly think, “I know that already!” Instead, I thought, felt, and said, “Thanks, coach!”
I had a kidney yanked out when I was two years old, and because of the danger of injuring the other, I was forbidden from playing team sports in school. I never had a coach before.
Now I’m 56 and for the first time, I’m training with a coach. I’m also surrounded by others who lift my spirits. Warren, who has been training about a month longer than me, is able to pass me by, but he said a sincere, “Looking good!” as he did. Deana was teaching me a Chinese affirmation she says while running. And so it goes, good words all around.
To borrow from the Galatians quote, “no one cut in on me” with aspersions to keep me from the race. No one said, “You can’t do this!” or, “Getting tired, yet?” Instead it was, "Looking good!" and the Chinese for "I am connected to the super-abundant energy all around me..." (I need remedial work to remember it eactly, but at the time it helped!)
In our
So, don’t let anyone else cut in on you. Run your good race, my friends!!!!
Sunday, December 4, 2011
A Real Page Turner
I think I'll read a thousand-page novel and everyday before I read the new page, I will re-read all the pages before it.
Obviously, I'll get bogged down, but I really like revisiting the past.
Just a thought.
Obviously, I'll get bogged down, but I really like revisiting the past.
Just a thought.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Difficult People in a Church? Who Knew?!
In his 1974 book "Models of the Church," Cardinal Avery Dulles described the five ways people view their church. When I read this book in theology school back in the 80's, it strongly impressed me and still does.
However, 30 years of ministry since that time have convinced me there is a sixth model. Perhaps this folds into one of his models, Institution, and re-reading the book is in order. However, for tonight, I am going to set these thoughts down without revisiting the text. Bear with me, I'm dipping into a memory that is 30 years old and covered with much newer material!
To paraphrase Cardinal Dulles unfairly, he pointed out that people see the church as Community (a place to belong); Herald (a place to proclaim the Good News), Institution (a place to be baptized, married and buried); Sacrament (a place to experience the mystical Presence of God); or Servant (a place to reach out to those in need and perform the cardinal works of mercy).
I believe these are all true, and I have used the acronym CHISS for three decades in order to remember them and share them with people who don't understand why not everyone feels like their church should be only one of these things.
What I have found is that there are those who seek the church to be a Status Symbol. These are the people who identify their worth by their position in the assembly, the ones who are the most threatened by change. Their motto is "This place would collapse without me," but their reality is, "I would collapse without this place." They stir the pot and wield influence within a small band of followers, with only their own needs in mind.
Jesus often dealt with these status seekers in the Gospels. They were the merchants selling sacrificial animals and changing money at the Temple, they were the "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones." They were the "sons of thunder" wanting to sit on His right and His left. They are nothing new to the church.
If we do not acknowledge they exist, though, and that they see the church only as a place to enlarge their egos, we are always going to be in for a big surprise when they turn up.
A friend once told me he never patronized businesses that advertised their Christianity because his experience was they inevitably deceived him in their practices. This is probably not true of every business with a fish symbol in its ad, but there are probably some among them for whom membership in the Jesus club is a status symbol.
I marvel at how Jesus continued to focus on His ministry when even among His disciples, the status seekers were jockeying for position and attention.
Lord, help me to understand what You knew.
However, 30 years of ministry since that time have convinced me there is a sixth model. Perhaps this folds into one of his models, Institution, and re-reading the book is in order. However, for tonight, I am going to set these thoughts down without revisiting the text. Bear with me, I'm dipping into a memory that is 30 years old and covered with much newer material!
To paraphrase Cardinal Dulles unfairly, he pointed out that people see the church as Community (a place to belong); Herald (a place to proclaim the Good News), Institution (a place to be baptized, married and buried); Sacrament (a place to experience the mystical Presence of God); or Servant (a place to reach out to those in need and perform the cardinal works of mercy).
I believe these are all true, and I have used the acronym CHISS for three decades in order to remember them and share them with people who don't understand why not everyone feels like their church should be only one of these things.
What I have found is that there are those who seek the church to be a Status Symbol. These are the people who identify their worth by their position in the assembly, the ones who are the most threatened by change. Their motto is "This place would collapse without me," but their reality is, "I would collapse without this place." They stir the pot and wield influence within a small band of followers, with only their own needs in mind.
Jesus often dealt with these status seekers in the Gospels. They were the merchants selling sacrificial animals and changing money at the Temple, they were the "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones." They were the "sons of thunder" wanting to sit on His right and His left. They are nothing new to the church.
If we do not acknowledge they exist, though, and that they see the church only as a place to enlarge their egos, we are always going to be in for a big surprise when they turn up.
A friend once told me he never patronized businesses that advertised their Christianity because his experience was they inevitably deceived him in their practices. This is probably not true of every business with a fish symbol in its ad, but there are probably some among them for whom membership in the Jesus club is a status symbol.
I marvel at how Jesus continued to focus on His ministry when even among His disciples, the status seekers were jockeying for position and attention.
Lord, help me to understand what You knew.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
The Heaven of the Soul
In her autobiography, "The Story of a Soul," St. Therese of Lisieux writes:
"Our Lord does not come from Heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium; He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which He loves to dwell."
I love the way this image portrays the dignity of our souls, how Jesus dwells within them and they become "another heaven."
All too often we have no idea how deeply we are loved by God.
"Our Lord does not come from Heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium; He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which He loves to dwell."
I love the way this image portrays the dignity of our souls, how Jesus dwells within them and they become "another heaven."
All too often we have no idea how deeply we are loved by God.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Of Hummingbirds and Heaven
Today, I stepped onto the back porch to refill our hummingbird feeder, which had dwindled to about half-full. As soon as I took it down and turned it over to refill it, a little green hummingbird zoomed in from seemingly out of nowhere and hovered expectantly, as if saying both, "Hurry up!" and "Dibs!"
It was only about a foot away from me, tiny, perfect and fearless. As soon as I put the feeder back up, the hummingbird alit on the perch and enjoyed a quick meal, remaining still long enough for me to take a picture before flying off.
I may not have paid attention to the other miracles that took place in my life today, but I noticed this one.
One small grace via one tiny bird.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Keeping Faith When Expectations And Experiences Disagree
I don't know why some things don't play out the way I expect. The fact is, they often don't.
Sometimes, things turn out to be far grander, richer and joyous than I expected. Sometimes, they turn out to be more meager, painful and disappointing.
My experience is not so different from that of anyone else I know. After all, we say, "Life has its ups and downs."
I'm in one of those passages at present. Things were not as I expected in a certain situation, and I'm confused by the muddying of what seemed so clear. I also don't have any idea what the next right thing to do might be. In the meantime, I am questioning my decisions leading up to this situation.
I have learned a big lesson already involving my personal journey into living with authenticity and how that might look a lot different for me than the way some other people would like it to look. I am made in God's image, not anyone else's. My life should look the way God envisions it. Even I can be confused about what THAT looks like, but I can see what fits and what doesn't.
I'd really appreciate some clarity here, but this remodeling of my life is right on time. A spiritual director told me, when I was in my 20s, that God sends along a crisis of some sort every 7 years, and that it happens so that God can clear up our misunderstandings and lead us into a deeper knowledge of what is true for us. Well, I'm turning 56 in a couple of months, so I'm ending my 8th cycle of 7-year periods with a bang!
And you know what? It's all right. It's all perfect. Even if it is embarrassing, even if it is confusing, even if it is unclear or makes no sense at all. It's all right.
I am 8 cycles closer to living my life fully than I was when I started! There are things I have learned that have held true. I welcome this new season. I'm not sure what my life will look like, but I am sure it doesn't look like it once did, and that's a good thing.
I'll just keep faith and hope to coast for a year or so after this latest shake-up is done.
Blessings,
David
Sometimes, things turn out to be far grander, richer and joyous than I expected. Sometimes, they turn out to be more meager, painful and disappointing.
My experience is not so different from that of anyone else I know. After all, we say, "Life has its ups and downs."
I'm in one of those passages at present. Things were not as I expected in a certain situation, and I'm confused by the muddying of what seemed so clear. I also don't have any idea what the next right thing to do might be. In the meantime, I am questioning my decisions leading up to this situation.
I have learned a big lesson already involving my personal journey into living with authenticity and how that might look a lot different for me than the way some other people would like it to look. I am made in God's image, not anyone else's. My life should look the way God envisions it. Even I can be confused about what THAT looks like, but I can see what fits and what doesn't.
I'd really appreciate some clarity here, but this remodeling of my life is right on time. A spiritual director told me, when I was in my 20s, that God sends along a crisis of some sort every 7 years, and that it happens so that God can clear up our misunderstandings and lead us into a deeper knowledge of what is true for us. Well, I'm turning 56 in a couple of months, so I'm ending my 8th cycle of 7-year periods with a bang!
And you know what? It's all right. It's all perfect. Even if it is embarrassing, even if it is confusing, even if it is unclear or makes no sense at all. It's all right.
I am 8 cycles closer to living my life fully than I was when I started! There are things I have learned that have held true. I welcome this new season. I'm not sure what my life will look like, but I am sure it doesn't look like it once did, and that's a good thing.
I'll just keep faith and hope to coast for a year or so after this latest shake-up is done.
Blessings,
David
Rest In Peace, Fr. Grimes
Msgr. Ken Grimes stepped fully into the Kingdom of God on October 15, 2011, certainly welcomed by the phrase, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
He was a man of integrity and warmth, and in a difficult moment in my life offered deeply compassionate and wise ministry to me.
There is great power in one little grace.
Blessings,
David
He was a man of integrity and warmth, and in a difficult moment in my life offered deeply compassionate and wise ministry to me.
There is great power in one little grace.
Blessings,
David
Thursday, September 22, 2011
We Are Fragile, Like Spider Webs
In my area of northern California, spiders are plentiful. Frequently I step outside to find magnificent webs spanning the landscaping.
Sometimes, I don't see them until I have had that unsettling experience of walking through them.
Recently, a friend had a strong reaction to an off-handed comic observation that I made about a company that changed its customer service procedures to a less user-friendly protocol. Her response seemed to me to be stronger than was called for by the comment, and I felt judged, demeaned and censored as a result.
Perhaps we walked through each other's webs.
I have no great moral adage with which to end this post, only a renewed appreciation for how delicate we all are, and a reminder to keep that in my awareness.
Blessings!
David
Sometimes, I don't see them until I have had that unsettling experience of walking through them.
Recently, a friend had a strong reaction to an off-handed comic observation that I made about a company that changed its customer service procedures to a less user-friendly protocol. Her response seemed to me to be stronger than was called for by the comment, and I felt judged, demeaned and censored as a result.
Perhaps we walked through each other's webs.
I have no great moral adage with which to end this post, only a renewed appreciation for how delicate we all are, and a reminder to keep that in my awareness.
Blessings!
David
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
"Indifferent to the Problem"
I was grabbing some leftovers for lunch, and I decided to take a break and watch a bit of TV while I ate. I turned on PBS, and the show "A Place of Our Own" was on. A panel was discussing ways to interest young children in science.
Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," was a member of the panel and as the discussion closed, he remarked about how he loved to watch bees when he was child. He said they were amazing, "they fly straight up, they fly backwards, indifferent to the problem."
"Indifferent to the problem." What a phrase!
Too often when faced with a challenge, we believe we can't solve it because we are too involved with the problem, either emotionally or as a participant in its formulation, or both.
Albert Einstein's said, "You can't solve a problem at the level of the problem," and I think Bill Nye has offered a keen insight into the solution process. Become indifferent to the problem. Then, you can think through solutions logically, explore options, be creative. You are no longer tied to one side of the = sign.
Blessings,
David
Bill Nye, "The Science Guy," was a member of the panel and as the discussion closed, he remarked about how he loved to watch bees when he was child. He said they were amazing, "they fly straight up, they fly backwards, indifferent to the problem."
"Indifferent to the problem." What a phrase!
Too often when faced with a challenge, we believe we can't solve it because we are too involved with the problem, either emotionally or as a participant in its formulation, or both.
Albert Einstein's said, "You can't solve a problem at the level of the problem," and I think Bill Nye has offered a keen insight into the solution process. Become indifferent to the problem. Then, you can think through solutions logically, explore options, be creative. You are no longer tied to one side of the = sign.
Blessings,
David
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Am I God's facebook friend?
"Devotion is neither private nor public prayer, but prayers whether private or public are particular parts or instances of devotion. Devotion signifies a life given or devoted to God."
These words open Anglican priest William Law's 1729 book "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life." It may be awhile before I get to Paragraph 2!
I respect writers like Fr. Henri Nouwen or Fr. Law who can stop me with a few words and send me into a universe of contemplation.
Fr. Law describes a life given to God, not just parts of it. A life. In George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy, the wise character Yoda says to his pupil Luke Skywalker the famous line, "No 'try.' Only 'Do.'" Similarly, Fr. Law is saying, "No 'part.' Only 'Life.'"
Do I trust God sufficiently to offer all of my life, every second, including every juicy mistake and selfish action? Am I that devoted?
Is it a matter of devotion or a matter of trust?
What happens when God sees who I truly am, which of course is the case although my ego believes otherwise?
Do I really offer to God the unpolished parts? Do I really offer to God the secrets, the shame, the failure, the addiction, the longing, the confusion? Will God be shocked, offended, disappointed, unable to cope, unwilling to love?
This then becomes how I determine if I am a devotee or a follower, a disciple or a fan, God's facebook friend or God's true servant: am I willing to devote every moment to God, reserving nothing, entirely as-is.
If I am, then God gets free reign to use me any moment, every moment. I give God all-area access to my life to influence, repair, heal and nurture it with pure love.
If not, then I am a part-timer.
Which is always an option.
But is different from being devoted.
Blessings,
David
These words open Anglican priest William Law's 1729 book "A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life." It may be awhile before I get to Paragraph 2!
I respect writers like Fr. Henri Nouwen or Fr. Law who can stop me with a few words and send me into a universe of contemplation.
Fr. Law describes a life given to God, not just parts of it. A life. In George Lucas' Star Wars trilogy, the wise character Yoda says to his pupil Luke Skywalker the famous line, "No 'try.' Only 'Do.'" Similarly, Fr. Law is saying, "No 'part.' Only 'Life.'"
Do I trust God sufficiently to offer all of my life, every second, including every juicy mistake and selfish action? Am I that devoted?
Is it a matter of devotion or a matter of trust?
What happens when God sees who I truly am, which of course is the case although my ego believes otherwise?
Do I really offer to God the unpolished parts? Do I really offer to God the secrets, the shame, the failure, the addiction, the longing, the confusion? Will God be shocked, offended, disappointed, unable to cope, unwilling to love?
This then becomes how I determine if I am a devotee or a follower, a disciple or a fan, God's facebook friend or God's true servant: am I willing to devote every moment to God, reserving nothing, entirely as-is.
If I am, then God gets free reign to use me any moment, every moment. I give God all-area access to my life to influence, repair, heal and nurture it with pure love.
If not, then I am a part-timer.
Which is always an option.
But is different from being devoted.
Blessings,
David
Monday, September 12, 2011
Foundational Scriptures
I just added a feature to this blog - a listing of the scriptures that are close to my heart and that have consistently spoken to me over the years, always with emerging newness as I revisit them. There are some other passages that I rely on, like 1 Chronicles 17, but the ones listed on the homepage are my essentials.
On a mission trip many years ago, the team members discussed the three albums (CDs, what-ev-er) they would want to have with them if they were stuck on a desert island. I think mine were Carole King's "Tapestry," Joni Mitchell's "Miles of Aisles" and Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy." I probably argued for increasing the allotment, too!
Similarly, if there were only a few scriptures I could have with me, the ones on the homepage would be the winners.
Isaiah 61 speaks to me of my call; Jeremiah 29 reminds me that God will always hear me; 1 Peter clearly states my responsibility to God; and Psalm 37 is a promise repeatedly demonstrated in my life.
What are your favorite scriptures?
Blessings,
David
On a mission trip many years ago, the team members discussed the three albums (CDs, what-ev-er) they would want to have with them if they were stuck on a desert island. I think mine were Carole King's "Tapestry," Joni Mitchell's "Miles of Aisles" and Steely Dan's "Countdown to Ecstacy." I probably argued for increasing the allotment, too!
Similarly, if there were only a few scriptures I could have with me, the ones on the homepage would be the winners.
Isaiah 61 speaks to me of my call; Jeremiah 29 reminds me that God will always hear me; 1 Peter clearly states my responsibility to God; and Psalm 37 is a promise repeatedly demonstrated in my life.
What are your favorite scriptures?
Blessings,
David
I Will Let You Find Me
God tells Jeremiah, "When you seek Me with all of your heart, I will let you find Me."
Sometimes God seems to be hidden or disguised, silent or difficult to understand. Maybe this is so, and maybe it is my limitations getting in the way.
So I trust that my whole-hearted search will make the difference.
Blessings,
David
Sometimes God seems to be hidden or disguised, silent or difficult to understand. Maybe this is so, and maybe it is my limitations getting in the way.
So I trust that my whole-hearted search will make the difference.
Blessings,
David
Return to the Quiet
Sometimes life seems overwhelming.
How do I get back to the center when there is so much swirling and confusion inside me? Demands on time, expectations, emergencies, who needs sleep?
I snuck away to my church office tonight and in blissful solitude listened to some spiritual music CDs while I did some straightening and organizing that required no intensive thought.
In the process, God has returned me to the Quiet.
This is the place where I am loved and experience it, where I am reassured and believe it, where I am serene and safe and embraced in timeless rest.
I'm not sure when the transition happened from feeling overwhelmed to feeling received. I didn't notice it. I only realized my neediness was gone, evaporated like a shallow icy puddle on a warm spring day. I just know I have been received by God into the Quiet; restored, renewed, and relaxed.
Now I'm ready to go home and sleep. God is so good.
Blessings,
David
How do I get back to the center when there is so much swirling and confusion inside me? Demands on time, expectations, emergencies, who needs sleep?
I snuck away to my church office tonight and in blissful solitude listened to some spiritual music CDs while I did some straightening and organizing that required no intensive thought.
In the process, God has returned me to the Quiet.
This is the place where I am loved and experience it, where I am reassured and believe it, where I am serene and safe and embraced in timeless rest.
I'm not sure when the transition happened from feeling overwhelmed to feeling received. I didn't notice it. I only realized my neediness was gone, evaporated like a shallow icy puddle on a warm spring day. I just know I have been received by God into the Quiet; restored, renewed, and relaxed.
Now I'm ready to go home and sleep. God is so good.
Blessings,
David
Saturday, September 3, 2011
What Should We Do with All These Needy People?
I spent four days away with family to have a mini-vacation. When I returned home, my animals, left in the care of a friend while I was gone, began competing for my attention. They were needy, and they didn't have any issues about expressing it. I didn't have any issues about meeting it.
Not always the case with humans.
Imagine the letter C drawn in the sand, with the open section facing down, so that it is not recognizable as a C. If I asked you what shape that was, you would likely say it was circular, because our mind likes to close things. We follow the loop of the arc and see that when closed it becomes a circle. We add whatever definition suits our fancy.
Now, perhaps it was really the beginning of the Greek letter Omega, in which case it would not be circular at all. We can't know until we have all the facts, but we come equipped with our conclusions ahead of time.
When I encounter humans with a desire for validation, notice, affirmation, or regard, I likewise tend to project my explanations on them. I create a "back story" about why they have a need, or what kind of need they really have, or if they even have a need in the first place.
A guy sitting on the sidewalk has a cup in front of him with some change in it. I've never met him before in my life, yet I observe him in order to form a back story. He's homeless. He's a drunk. He's mentally ill. He's lazy. He's a child of God. Yes, even that one!
I form a conclusion to support some action I feel obligated to take in regard to him. Do I ask him his name? Where he's from? What he needs? No, I just make a decision - yes or no; on or off; donate or don't donate; love or scorn; acknowledge or ignore. I have created my own story about him and I am satisfied with that.
I don't respond to him and his need with anything near the intensity or compassion that I offer my dogs or my cat. Instead, I imagine a reason for his need and, beyond perhaps a small donation and the same "God bless you" that I offer to a stranger who sneezes, I keep walking.
I wonder what would happen if I stopped and said, "Hi, my name is David, what's yours?"
Blessings,
David
Not always the case with humans.
Imagine the letter C drawn in the sand, with the open section facing down, so that it is not recognizable as a C. If I asked you what shape that was, you would likely say it was circular, because our mind likes to close things. We follow the loop of the arc and see that when closed it becomes a circle. We add whatever definition suits our fancy.
Now, perhaps it was really the beginning of the Greek letter Omega, in which case it would not be circular at all. We can't know until we have all the facts, but we come equipped with our conclusions ahead of time.
When I encounter humans with a desire for validation, notice, affirmation, or regard, I likewise tend to project my explanations on them. I create a "back story" about why they have a need, or what kind of need they really have, or if they even have a need in the first place.
A guy sitting on the sidewalk has a cup in front of him with some change in it. I've never met him before in my life, yet I observe him in order to form a back story. He's homeless. He's a drunk. He's mentally ill. He's lazy. He's a child of God. Yes, even that one!
I form a conclusion to support some action I feel obligated to take in regard to him. Do I ask him his name? Where he's from? What he needs? No, I just make a decision - yes or no; on or off; donate or don't donate; love or scorn; acknowledge or ignore. I have created my own story about him and I am satisfied with that.
I don't respond to him and his need with anything near the intensity or compassion that I offer my dogs or my cat. Instead, I imagine a reason for his need and, beyond perhaps a small donation and the same "God bless you" that I offer to a stranger who sneezes, I keep walking.
I wonder what would happen if I stopped and said, "Hi, my name is David, what's yours?"
Blessings,
David
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Purpose and Direction
Now and then, I experience a sense of purpose. I seem to be in the right place at the right time with the right word or gesture or act, and all of it is effortless.
The rest of the time, which is most of my time, not so much.
During those other times, I have to rely on direction, trust that the compass is set to the right heading, that God is my True North.
You see, I want purpose to replace my old quest for a blueprint. "OK, God, make it clear, make every day make sense, let me see the pattern, let me logically deduct the next step." And that, for me, is madness.
I don't necessarily know what my purpose is at this second. Even if I did, it might be entirely different two minutes from now. New people, new room, a telephone rings, a car cuts me off, I see someone walking past; any of these might indicate a shift in purpose.
Is God the unmoved Mover, constantly the same? Well, yes, the nature of God is probably the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow," but if: 1) I exist, and 2) I can change my mind, and 3) I am even one little atom in the being of God; then God changes. If I grow in understanding, talent, or compassion, at least my little corner of God is evolving.
Why do I expect purpose to remain static? How probable is that?
I want Easy God. That's the God I want to follow, the one Who always makes sense, the one Who is clear and concise.
I ain't seen that God lately!
God stopped being clear and concise when God introduced the concepts of mercy and grace. They skew everything, and they evidence how capricious God's love is.
I can't always rely on purpose, but I can fall back on direction. I can continue to move in the last accurate trajectory of love for love toward love in love. If I do that, my purpose at any given moment will show up. Whether I realize it or not.
Blessings,
David
The rest of the time, which is most of my time, not so much.
During those other times, I have to rely on direction, trust that the compass is set to the right heading, that God is my True North.
You see, I want purpose to replace my old quest for a blueprint. "OK, God, make it clear, make every day make sense, let me see the pattern, let me logically deduct the next step." And that, for me, is madness.
I don't necessarily know what my purpose is at this second. Even if I did, it might be entirely different two minutes from now. New people, new room, a telephone rings, a car cuts me off, I see someone walking past; any of these might indicate a shift in purpose.
Is God the unmoved Mover, constantly the same? Well, yes, the nature of God is probably the same "yesterday, today and tomorrow," but if: 1) I exist, and 2) I can change my mind, and 3) I am even one little atom in the being of God; then God changes. If I grow in understanding, talent, or compassion, at least my little corner of God is evolving.
Why do I expect purpose to remain static? How probable is that?
I want Easy God. That's the God I want to follow, the one Who always makes sense, the one Who is clear and concise.
I ain't seen that God lately!
God stopped being clear and concise when God introduced the concepts of mercy and grace. They skew everything, and they evidence how capricious God's love is.
I can't always rely on purpose, but I can fall back on direction. I can continue to move in the last accurate trajectory of love for love toward love in love. If I do that, my purpose at any given moment will show up. Whether I realize it or not.
Blessings,
David
Friday, August 26, 2011
Hospital-ity
I made a hospital visit tonight, and met an ICU nurse who clearly cared about the welfare of her patients. I am not insinuating that this is unusual. I know too many wonderful nurses! It's just that tonight, I had a chance to pay attention.
I was there because I cared about one of her patients and felt called to stop and pray for him in a specific way. As I watched her, I realized she also felt called to care for him in a specific way, a way geared toward honoring both his feelings and his needs.
It was a blessing to be reminded that honoring both a person's feelings and needs is essential.
Bless you, Ingrid.
Blessings,
David
I was there because I cared about one of her patients and felt called to stop and pray for him in a specific way. As I watched her, I realized she also felt called to care for him in a specific way, a way geared toward honoring both his feelings and his needs.
It was a blessing to be reminded that honoring both a person's feelings and needs is essential.
Bless you, Ingrid.
Blessings,
David
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for the moments when I stepped aside
and let You love through me
and for the moments when I stepped in the way,
and learned the difference between the two.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for the creativity expressed
and the resistance to change,
for the graciousness extended
and the selfishness retained.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for lessons learned,
for lessons unlearned, and
for lessons unobserved.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for the times I got it right,
and the times I got it wrong,
for the times I needed to be right,
and for the times I felt I was wronged.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for while I was busy trying to figure it all out
You were busy loving me exactly as I am.
Thank You, God.
Blessings,
David
for this day and all it held,
for the moments when I stepped aside
and let You love through me
and for the moments when I stepped in the way,
and learned the difference between the two.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for the creativity expressed
and the resistance to change,
for the graciousness extended
and the selfishness retained.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for lessons learned,
for lessons unlearned, and
for lessons unobserved.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for the times I got it right,
and the times I got it wrong,
for the times I needed to be right,
and for the times I felt I was wronged.
Thank You, God,
for this day and all it held,
for while I was busy trying to figure it all out
You were busy loving me exactly as I am.
Thank You, God.
Blessings,
David
Thursday, August 25, 2011
And lead us not...
Gee, for no reason at all I seem to be thinking about temptation. Or, perhaps, I just encountered it. Maybe. Possibly. It could happen. I know; you're shocked, but get over it.
Sometimes temptation appears unexpectedly. Someone makes a remark, a billboard uses a seductive picture, something is lying on the street. You cannot always predict when and how temptation may show up, right?
Actually, I think temptation is rarely ever unexpected. After all, those same things may not have any affect on another day. Temptation is only temptation if I'm in the mood to be tempted, and whether or not I am in the mood to be tempted depends on how much attention I am paying to maintaining my spirituality in a healthy way. While grace is there as a safety net, and I'm glad it is, spiritual maintenance is largely a proactive practice.
If I have an intention to remain in grace, there are ways for me to support that intention. Regular and intermeittent prayer, supportive friends, positive music, and so on. If I'm "paying intention," I'm on the path.
Challenges occur when I'm not paying intention, when I'm bored, or as the 12-step groups put it, in those "HALT" moments (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If I qualify for one or more of those, I need to address it quickly and resolve the problem.
I have a prayer, though, for those moments of temptation, a slight twist on a classic. Temptation is not a problem unless I begin to consider why I deserve to engage in something, or why it won't hurt anyone, or why it will go unnoticed. So my prayer is:
"And lead me not into rationalization, but deliver me from my thinking. Amen."
God usually has better ideas than I do, especially in those moments!
Blessings,
David
Sometimes temptation appears unexpectedly. Someone makes a remark, a billboard uses a seductive picture, something is lying on the street. You cannot always predict when and how temptation may show up, right?
Actually, I think temptation is rarely ever unexpected. After all, those same things may not have any affect on another day. Temptation is only temptation if I'm in the mood to be tempted, and whether or not I am in the mood to be tempted depends on how much attention I am paying to maintaining my spirituality in a healthy way. While grace is there as a safety net, and I'm glad it is, spiritual maintenance is largely a proactive practice.
If I have an intention to remain in grace, there are ways for me to support that intention. Regular and intermeittent prayer, supportive friends, positive music, and so on. If I'm "paying intention," I'm on the path.
Challenges occur when I'm not paying intention, when I'm bored, or as the 12-step groups put it, in those "HALT" moments (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired). If I qualify for one or more of those, I need to address it quickly and resolve the problem.
I have a prayer, though, for those moments of temptation, a slight twist on a classic. Temptation is not a problem unless I begin to consider why I deserve to engage in something, or why it won't hurt anyone, or why it will go unnoticed. So my prayer is:
"And lead me not into rationalization, but deliver me from my thinking. Amen."
God usually has better ideas than I do, especially in those moments!
Blessings,
David
Soon Enough
It is the wee hours.
The dogs are asleep;
even the cat has settled down.
The neighbors' houses were dark
when I drove home.
Everyone is sleeping,
as I should be
and will be
soon enough.
But,
there is something delicious
about this stolen time with You, Lord,
like being a child
getting to stay up past bedtime
and get rocked a few extra minutes.
I have a picture of my grandfather
holding me as an infant.
He was a sweet man
who died too soon in my opinion.
He is gray haired, and skinny as the string beans he grew,
his wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose,
sitting in a rocking chair
on the porch of his farmhouse,
holding me,
looking at me,
and smiling at me.
That's how it feels right now, Lord,
like you are letting me stay up for a few minutes
while everyone else is in bed
just so I can feel You
holding me,
looking at me,
and smiling at me.
It is the wee hours.
The dogs are asleep;
even the cat has settled down.
The neighbors' houses were dark
when I drove home.
Everyone is sleeping,
as I should be
and will be
soon enough.
Soon enough.
Blessings,
David
The dogs are asleep;
even the cat has settled down.
The neighbors' houses were dark
when I drove home.
Everyone is sleeping,
as I should be
and will be
soon enough.
But,
there is something delicious
about this stolen time with You, Lord,
like being a child
getting to stay up past bedtime
and get rocked a few extra minutes.
I have a picture of my grandfather
holding me as an infant.
He was a sweet man
who died too soon in my opinion.
He is gray haired, and skinny as the string beans he grew,
his wire rimmed glasses perched on his nose,
sitting in a rocking chair
on the porch of his farmhouse,
holding me,
looking at me,
and smiling at me.
That's how it feels right now, Lord,
like you are letting me stay up for a few minutes
while everyone else is in bed
just so I can feel You
holding me,
looking at me,
and smiling at me.
It is the wee hours.
The dogs are asleep;
even the cat has settled down.
The neighbors' houses were dark
when I drove home.
Everyone is sleeping,
as I should be
and will be
soon enough.
Soon enough.
Blessings,
David
A Long Day's Journey into Joy
I worked late at the church, tonight, after praying with a patient in the ICU, assisting with the midweek service, fellowshipping afterwards, and then putting the finishing touches on the preparations for tomorrow morning's Celebration of Life service at a cemetery chapel. When my work was done, I did not leave right away.
Instead, I then spent a few minutes relaxing by posting horrible puns onto my friends' facebook posts. I admit to a deep-seated need to pun. It is apparently incurable. But, while the groaners I spout may cause reasonable people stress, they lighten me up every time.
"Did you hear about the high tech spider who used centrifugal force to spin a whirled, wide web?" I won't list any more, because they don't get better.
The thing is, humor and creativity are powerful attitude adjustment tools, and people rarely wreck their cars because they are driving happy, so they are better tools than some I could use. Creativity is the activity of God, and I believe when we give ourselves over to being creative, we are generative and regenerative.
St. Francis always said, "Pace e bene!" which translates as "Peace and good!" It is a greeting of joy with which to meet any person or situation.
I strive to emulate him, but some days I need a little boost! Other days, a lot of boost! I am learning, though, the medicinal value of a laugh or a smile or a bit of merriment. Tonight -well, this early morning actually- I end my day focused on joy.
The same way I hope to begin the next one.
Blessings,
David
Instead, I then spent a few minutes relaxing by posting horrible puns onto my friends' facebook posts. I admit to a deep-seated need to pun. It is apparently incurable. But, while the groaners I spout may cause reasonable people stress, they lighten me up every time.
"Did you hear about the high tech spider who used centrifugal force to spin a whirled, wide web?" I won't list any more, because they don't get better.
The thing is, humor and creativity are powerful attitude adjustment tools, and people rarely wreck their cars because they are driving happy, so they are better tools than some I could use. Creativity is the activity of God, and I believe when we give ourselves over to being creative, we are generative and regenerative.
St. Francis always said, "Pace e bene!" which translates as "Peace and good!" It is a greeting of joy with which to meet any person or situation.
I strive to emulate him, but some days I need a little boost! Other days, a lot of boost! I am learning, though, the medicinal value of a laugh or a smile or a bit of merriment. Tonight -well, this early morning actually- I end my day focused on joy.
The same way I hope to begin the next one.
Blessings,
David
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Marsha Stevens and Oprah on Forgiveness
In March of 2004, I was a member of a choir offering back-up vocals at a performance by Marsha Stevens. In the 1960s, Marsha wrote the popular contemporary hymn (or in honor of Marsha, I should say "hyrm") "For Those Tears I Died."
Most of us who later, in the 1970s, followed her pioneering path into the "Jesus Music Movement" sang that song, and it was published in many languages, and included in any Evangelical songbook worth its salt. It was a highlight of my musical career to sing back up on such an iconic song for such an iconic writer.
Years later, when Marsha came out as a lesbian, many churches ripped the song out their songbooks and mailed them back to Marsha.
Knowing this story and some of the other heartbreaking moments of her life, I found tremendous power in her words on forgiveness:
"Forgiveness is giving up my right to hurt someone who hurt me."
Oprah Winfrey also speaks about forgiveness with the authority of one who has been hurt deeply in her lifetime. She remarked that she was quoting a guest when she said,
"Forgiveness is giving up my expectation that the past should somehow be different."
Of course, my father St. Francis asks God for the opportunity to sow pardon where there is injury.
Food for thought.
Blessings,
David
Most of us who later, in the 1970s, followed her pioneering path into the "Jesus Music Movement" sang that song, and it was published in many languages, and included in any Evangelical songbook worth its salt. It was a highlight of my musical career to sing back up on such an iconic song for such an iconic writer.
Years later, when Marsha came out as a lesbian, many churches ripped the song out their songbooks and mailed them back to Marsha.
Knowing this story and some of the other heartbreaking moments of her life, I found tremendous power in her words on forgiveness:
"Forgiveness is giving up my right to hurt someone who hurt me."
Oprah Winfrey also speaks about forgiveness with the authority of one who has been hurt deeply in her lifetime. She remarked that she was quoting a guest when she said,
"Forgiveness is giving up my expectation that the past should somehow be different."
Of course, my father St. Francis asks God for the opportunity to sow pardon where there is injury.
Food for thought.
Blessings,
David
Oh, That's How It Works!
God doesn't give me circumstances to live through;
rather, in my circumstances, God gives me opportunities to let God live through me.
Blessings,
David
rather, in my circumstances, God gives me opportunities to let God live through me.
Blessings,
David
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
It Isn't What It Is, After All
A friend is fond of saying, "It is what it is," and while I understand the importance of acceptance, I also have begun to understand that, in reality, "it is what I am."
If I am grateful, I can see whatever comes my way as a cause for gratitude. For example: suppose, the car broke down and wouldn't start? I would be grateful that didn't happen in heavy traffic.
Likewise, if I am ungrateful, I can concentrate on the thorns instead of the roses.
None of this is ground breaking research, I know, but I benefit by being reminded about the simple things. To ignore the basics is like building a sea wall that is never maintained. Eventually, there will be one wave too many.
But even then, it will be what I am!
Let's close this one out with Philippians 4:8. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Blessings,
David
If I am grateful, I can see whatever comes my way as a cause for gratitude. For example: suppose, the car broke down and wouldn't start? I would be grateful that didn't happen in heavy traffic.
Likewise, if I am ungrateful, I can concentrate on the thorns instead of the roses.
None of this is ground breaking research, I know, but I benefit by being reminded about the simple things. To ignore the basics is like building a sea wall that is never maintained. Eventually, there will be one wave too many.
But even then, it will be what I am!
Let's close this one out with Philippians 4:8. "Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things."
Blessings,
David
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Wisdom or Strength
The master and his disciple were walking beside a stream, when the disciple asked, "Master, what it strength?"
The master stopped, and as is often the custom with masters, responded to his question with a question. "Which is stronger, you or a cup of water?"
The disciple replied, "Water has no muscles, so of course I am stronger."
The master in turn said, "Form a cup with your hands and scoop some water out of the stream. Then, keep it in your hands until I say to release it."
The disciple did as he was told, but the water seeped out of his hands. "Try again," the master said. Once more, the disciple cupped his hands and pressed them tightly together; still the water slowly seeped out of his grasp. The master invited him to try again, knowing he would use all of his might to close the gaps between his fingers and his hands. However, the water seeped out.
The disciple, realizing he was destined to failure, turned to the master to understand the meaning of the lesson.
The master, a compassionate man, did not make him wait. "You are stronger," he said, "But the water is wiser. Which is true strength?"
Blessings,
David
The master stopped, and as is often the custom with masters, responded to his question with a question. "Which is stronger, you or a cup of water?"
The disciple replied, "Water has no muscles, so of course I am stronger."
The master in turn said, "Form a cup with your hands and scoop some water out of the stream. Then, keep it in your hands until I say to release it."
The disciple did as he was told, but the water seeped out of his hands. "Try again," the master said. Once more, the disciple cupped his hands and pressed them tightly together; still the water slowly seeped out of his grasp. The master invited him to try again, knowing he would use all of his might to close the gaps between his fingers and his hands. However, the water seeped out.
The disciple, realizing he was destined to failure, turned to the master to understand the meaning of the lesson.
The master, a compassionate man, did not make him wait. "You are stronger," he said, "But the water is wiser. Which is true strength?"
Blessings,
David
Friday, August 19, 2011
You Can Do This.
The earth is an interesting place, with its deserts, mountains, valleys, and so on. Likewise our lives, with their deserts, mountains, valleys and so on!
Sometimes uphill seems like a long journey; sometimes downhill is scary as speed picks up. No matter what your personal topography looks like at this moment, God is with you.
God does not do things to us; God goes through things with us. God is not afraid of our challenges. Isaiah 53:3 describes the prophesied Messiah in this way: "He was despised and rejected; a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care."
If I have to deal with rejections, mistreatment, isolation and grief from time to time, I'm grateful that these qualities were not absent from the Messiah but actually integral to the Messiah.
I am convinced God understands us and never abandons us, no matter how the conditions may appear. Romans 8:39a reminds us that "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God."
Whatever the path looks like, God is with you. Keep walking in love with love toward love, because you can do this, and you never have to do it alone.
Blessings,
David
Sometimes uphill seems like a long journey; sometimes downhill is scary as speed picks up. No matter what your personal topography looks like at this moment, God is with you.
God does not do things to us; God goes through things with us. God is not afraid of our challenges. Isaiah 53:3 describes the prophesied Messiah in this way: "He was despised and rejected; a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care."
If I have to deal with rejections, mistreatment, isolation and grief from time to time, I'm grateful that these qualities were not absent from the Messiah but actually integral to the Messiah.
I am convinced God understands us and never abandons us, no matter how the conditions may appear. Romans 8:39a reminds us that "neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God."
Whatever the path looks like, God is with you. Keep walking in love with love toward love, because you can do this, and you never have to do it alone.
Blessings,
David
Where There is Despair, Hope.
The Prayer of St. Francis sometimes seems like a pretty tall order! Bringing hope, light, pardon, understanding and compassion to the world is a lot to put on my to-do list!
It seems as extreme as "Tikkun olam," the Jewish phrase meaning to "repair the world." Maybe it's a blueprint for tikkum olam.
Francis, though, speaks of "sowing" love, pardon, and the rest. Wisely, he infers our work is to begin love where we don't find it, to introduce pardon where we don't see it. We walk about planting; we may not be there to see the harvest. It is like the old man who plants an apple tree for the generations to come, knowing he may never taste the fruit personally.
It also relieves us of the ego attachment to results. Sowing is an act of optimism, of trust in the universe to provide what the seed needs to grow. The act of sowing is in itself an expression of hope.
What could be simpler than sowing a seed? Maybe tikkum olam is not so far-fetched after all.
Blessings,
David
It seems as extreme as "Tikkun olam," the Jewish phrase meaning to "repair the world." Maybe it's a blueprint for tikkum olam.
Francis, though, speaks of "sowing" love, pardon, and the rest. Wisely, he infers our work is to begin love where we don't find it, to introduce pardon where we don't see it. We walk about planting; we may not be there to see the harvest. It is like the old man who plants an apple tree for the generations to come, knowing he may never taste the fruit personally.
It also relieves us of the ego attachment to results. Sowing is an act of optimism, of trust in the universe to provide what the seed needs to grow. The act of sowing is in itself an expression of hope.
What could be simpler than sowing a seed? Maybe tikkum olam is not so far-fetched after all.
Blessings,
David
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Reflections on Today's Street Fight
Today, at mid-afternoon, I was in a pleasant neighborhood, walking out to my car, parked in the lot behind a family-run restaurant on one of the main streets in town.
I noticed a commotion, and looking beyond my car saw a young woman atop a young man, straddling his chest and fiercely beating him about the head and shoulders while another young man watched with apparent disinterest.
I called out to them with some simple statement like, "What in the world are you doing?!" to get their attention. The woman glared at me, and got off of the man. The disinterested man said, "Move along, this is not your business," and flashed a gang sign. I didn't move along, I just said I don't tolerate violence and stood my ground. "You better move along," he repeated. I didn't. The three of them did.
St. Francis said, "Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
Our society not only tolerates violence, it glorifies it, worships it like the Golden Calf. The moral values and influences of video games that award points for killing and stealing are not even questioned. Instead of "tag," we shoot paint balls at one another. While the commandment says, "Thou shalt not kill," we build more efficient weapons and dance around them. We put our faith in them, rather than in God who is Love.
Apparently there is still a lot of impossible yet to be done! Let us begin with a willingness to do what is necessary: to issue a personal withdrawal from the cult of violence and a surrender to the heart of love, and to invite others to do the same.
St. Francis reminds us that "all the darkness of the world cannot extinguish the light of a small candle." Likewise, Shakespeare wrote, "How far that tiny candle throws its beam; so shines a good deed in a naughty world."
Jesus, of whom John wrote, "The Light has come into the darkness, and the darkness can never put it out," offers the reminder that what we do to one another, we do to Him.
Let's replace the Golden Calf with the Golden Rule and see what happens.
Blessings,
David
I noticed a commotion, and looking beyond my car saw a young woman atop a young man, straddling his chest and fiercely beating him about the head and shoulders while another young man watched with apparent disinterest.
I called out to them with some simple statement like, "What in the world are you doing?!" to get their attention. The woman glared at me, and got off of the man. The disinterested man said, "Move along, this is not your business," and flashed a gang sign. I didn't move along, I just said I don't tolerate violence and stood my ground. "You better move along," he repeated. I didn't. The three of them did.
St. Francis said, "Start by doing what is necessary, then what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
Our society not only tolerates violence, it glorifies it, worships it like the Golden Calf. The moral values and influences of video games that award points for killing and stealing are not even questioned. Instead of "tag," we shoot paint balls at one another. While the commandment says, "Thou shalt not kill," we build more efficient weapons and dance around them. We put our faith in them, rather than in God who is Love.
Apparently there is still a lot of impossible yet to be done! Let us begin with a willingness to do what is necessary: to issue a personal withdrawal from the cult of violence and a surrender to the heart of love, and to invite others to do the same.
St. Francis reminds us that "all the darkness of the world cannot extinguish the light of a small candle." Likewise, Shakespeare wrote, "How far that tiny candle throws its beam; so shines a good deed in a naughty world."
Jesus, of whom John wrote, "The Light has come into the darkness, and the darkness can never put it out," offers the reminder that what we do to one another, we do to Him.
Let's replace the Golden Calf with the Golden Rule and see what happens.
Blessings,
David
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
My Heart is Ready, Lord! (Psalm 108)
The opening line of Psalm 108 is often translated as "My heart is steadfast, Lord." I have read this psalm before, but because "steadfast" is not a word I commonly use, I tend to skip past it without encountering its significance. I interpret it as something akin to loyal or faithful. And I am wrong.
"Steadfast" is a translation of the Hebrew word "kuwn" and in the original, the psalmist implies that the heart has been prepared like a building, that the foundation has been laid with care. The heart has been prepared and is therefore ready and waiting.
In the Divine Office for today, the line is translated, "My heart is ready, Lord." That seems closer to the psalmist's intention, but it is still important to ask, "Why is my heart ready? Is it due to preparation, or panic?"
Is my heart ready because I have tried everything else and hit bottom, so in desperation I'm willing to even try this "God Thing" that I've heard people talk about? Certainly that is the moment when some of us feel ready: when all else has failed. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
Or, is my heart ready because I have prepared it like a fertile field, opened it toward God, desired to experience God in the fullest way possible? That is the readiness that today's psalm implies.
Either way, God will not turn away a ready heart!
Blessings,
David
"Steadfast" is a translation of the Hebrew word "kuwn" and in the original, the psalmist implies that the heart has been prepared like a building, that the foundation has been laid with care. The heart has been prepared and is therefore ready and waiting.
In the Divine Office for today, the line is translated, "My heart is ready, Lord." That seems closer to the psalmist's intention, but it is still important to ask, "Why is my heart ready? Is it due to preparation, or panic?"
Is my heart ready because I have tried everything else and hit bottom, so in desperation I'm willing to even try this "God Thing" that I've heard people talk about? Certainly that is the moment when some of us feel ready: when all else has failed. "Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, you're my only hope."
Or, is my heart ready because I have prepared it like a fertile field, opened it toward God, desired to experience God in the fullest way possible? That is the readiness that today's psalm implies.
Either way, God will not turn away a ready heart!
Blessings,
David
Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Once Upon a Summer Day
A few minutes ago, I heard the song "Remember" by Watermark, from their album "Constant." The opening verse captured me:
"Must have been You out in the back yard
The mystery began in the heart of a child
I didn't know 'til now, that even then I knew You
And there were songs back then
There was a love affair"*
Like Remember's songwriters Christy Nockels and Nathan Nockels, as a child in the back yard, I had a sense of God, some kind of awareness, although certainly not in the convoluted, complicated and over-developed way I have perfected as an adult.
God, back then, was found when I would lie with my dog Duchess in the backyard and watch the birds gather for their migration south, the cool, soft grass cushioning us.
God, back then, was the sound of Duchess panting quietly beside me, the rise and fall of her soft fur beneath my hand as she breathed, the faithfulness of her presence.
God, back then, was found in tracing the amazing journey of a single ant through a forest of blades of grass.
God was the endless sky, the colors on the clouds at sunset, the maple seeds twirling to the ground, the sound of church bells pealing a few blocks away, the scent of autumn leaves, the first taste of winter snowflakes and the first full moon on a virgin snowfall, the tulips breaking through the still cold earth in spring.
I didn't need to know, to define, to understand; only to comprehend, to take in, to relax in the beauty and serenity and wonder. It was a love affair, with its mysteries and surprises.
Now I am decades - a lifetime - away from that young boy in the backyard. I am eager to forget what I have learned in the interim and embrace what I found in the purity of those first kisses. A different dog is beside me, now. Two of them, in fact, and we are about to go for a walk in the twilight of a summer day, under a sky of changing color, past fragrant blossoms, through the coolness of evening, back in time, directly back into the heart of God.
Blessings,
David
* "Remember" Publishers: ROCKETOWN MUSIC, SWEATER WEATHER MUSIC, WORD MUSIC, LLC
"Must have been You out in the back yard
The mystery began in the heart of a child
I didn't know 'til now, that even then I knew You
And there were songs back then
There was a love affair"*
Like Remember's songwriters Christy Nockels and Nathan Nockels, as a child in the back yard, I had a sense of God, some kind of awareness, although certainly not in the convoluted, complicated and over-developed way I have perfected as an adult.
God, back then, was found when I would lie with my dog Duchess in the backyard and watch the birds gather for their migration south, the cool, soft grass cushioning us.
God, back then, was the sound of Duchess panting quietly beside me, the rise and fall of her soft fur beneath my hand as she breathed, the faithfulness of her presence.
God, back then, was found in tracing the amazing journey of a single ant through a forest of blades of grass.
God was the endless sky, the colors on the clouds at sunset, the maple seeds twirling to the ground, the sound of church bells pealing a few blocks away, the scent of autumn leaves, the first taste of winter snowflakes and the first full moon on a virgin snowfall, the tulips breaking through the still cold earth in spring.
I didn't need to know, to define, to understand; only to comprehend, to take in, to relax in the beauty and serenity and wonder. It was a love affair, with its mysteries and surprises.
Now I am decades - a lifetime - away from that young boy in the backyard. I am eager to forget what I have learned in the interim and embrace what I found in the purity of those first kisses. A different dog is beside me, now. Two of them, in fact, and we are about to go for a walk in the twilight of a summer day, under a sky of changing color, past fragrant blossoms, through the coolness of evening, back in time, directly back into the heart of God.
Blessings,
David
* "Remember" Publishers: ROCKETOWN MUSIC, SWEATER WEATHER MUSIC, WORD MUSIC, LLC
Save It for a Rainy Day
My friend Pete just called and reminded me of a rather embarrassing trip to dinner. I had invited friends to come enjoy my favorite restaurant, which was "out in the country." For years I had enjoyed flawless, delicious meals there.
Until that day.
Since it was located in the south, it was no surprise that my friend was served sweet tea. He gently let the server know he preferred unsweetened tea. "We don't serve sweet tea," she said flatly. He paled at the realization that someone in the kitchen had sweetened their glass of tea - maybe refilled it a few times - and she had grabbed it and delivered it to him. He looked at me with a glance that said, "Nice place you dragged us to out here in the middle of nowhere!" and managed to convince her to bring him a new glass of tea stolen from someone in the kitchen who did not use sugar. She was not amused, as I recall.
This place, however, was not famous for its tea. It was famous for its biscuits, fluffy, slightly sweet, buttery homemade biscuits that could forgive a multitude of shared drinks. When she returned with the beverage, she left a large basket of biscuits and said rather emotionlessly, "Enjoy."
I don't recall if it was my friend's wife or our other guests who got the biscuit with the prize. We all took turn examining it. It doesn't take an etymologist to identify from whence a long, skinny brown wing originated.
Our server, for some odd reason, seemed reluctant to return, despite our attempts to subtly flag her over. So, being young and resourceful, we all began twirling our napkins over our heads, like the terrible towels at a football game. She examined the evidence and declared it to be an eggplant peel. Uh-huh. With antennae.
Well, the rest of the meal was examined carefully, and all of us lived to tell the tale. That was many years ago, and the restaurant is now a part of history, and maybe infamy in its own little way.
Through it all, though, we laughed, especially the more adamant the server became about ignoring us. And yes, I took a ration of abuse from my friends for many months to follow.
Today, being reminded of that event brought back lots of funny memories and sweet remembrances of times we all spent together fifteen or twenty years ago. So I made a dark, sweet, iced tea (sweetened with xylotol, but sweet nonetheless) and a batch of biscuits. Minus the eggplant, but filled with memories.
Blessings,
David
Until that day.
Since it was located in the south, it was no surprise that my friend was served sweet tea. He gently let the server know he preferred unsweetened tea. "We don't serve sweet tea," she said flatly. He paled at the realization that someone in the kitchen had sweetened their glass of tea - maybe refilled it a few times - and she had grabbed it and delivered it to him. He looked at me with a glance that said, "Nice place you dragged us to out here in the middle of nowhere!" and managed to convince her to bring him a new glass of tea stolen from someone in the kitchen who did not use sugar. She was not amused, as I recall.
This place, however, was not famous for its tea. It was famous for its biscuits, fluffy, slightly sweet, buttery homemade biscuits that could forgive a multitude of shared drinks. When she returned with the beverage, she left a large basket of biscuits and said rather emotionlessly, "Enjoy."
I don't recall if it was my friend's wife or our other guests who got the biscuit with the prize. We all took turn examining it. It doesn't take an etymologist to identify from whence a long, skinny brown wing originated.
Our server, for some odd reason, seemed reluctant to return, despite our attempts to subtly flag her over. So, being young and resourceful, we all began twirling our napkins over our heads, like the terrible towels at a football game. She examined the evidence and declared it to be an eggplant peel. Uh-huh. With antennae.
Well, the rest of the meal was examined carefully, and all of us lived to tell the tale. That was many years ago, and the restaurant is now a part of history, and maybe infamy in its own little way.
Through it all, though, we laughed, especially the more adamant the server became about ignoring us. And yes, I took a ration of abuse from my friends for many months to follow.
Today, being reminded of that event brought back lots of funny memories and sweet remembrances of times we all spent together fifteen or twenty years ago. So I made a dark, sweet, iced tea (sweetened with xylotol, but sweet nonetheless) and a batch of biscuits. Minus the eggplant, but filled with memories.
Blessings,
David
Be Still, and Know that I Am God (Psalm 46:10)
Outside my window:
still life.
The walnut tree stands,
branches unmoving,
sunlight on its leaves.
Stillness?
Somewhere within it,
photosynthesis is happening.
Life is coursing through it,
renewing it,
repairing it,
inching it closer
to the very sun that feeds it.
Inside my room:
still life.
I sit praying,
unmoving,
letting light shine within.
Stillness?
Somewhere within me,
rebirth is happening.
Love is coursing through me,
renewing me,
repairing me,
freeing me to become
the very love that feeds me.
Blessings,
David
still life.
The walnut tree stands,
branches unmoving,
sunlight on its leaves.
Stillness?
Somewhere within it,
photosynthesis is happening.
Life is coursing through it,
renewing it,
repairing it,
inching it closer
to the very sun that feeds it.
Inside my room:
still life.
I sit praying,
unmoving,
letting light shine within.
Stillness?
Somewhere within me,
rebirth is happening.
Love is coursing through me,
renewing me,
repairing me,
freeing me to become
the very love that feeds me.
Blessings,
David
Friday, August 12, 2011
Why I Still Believe in Beauty
Tonight I was at a vocal performance by a group of young people (compared to me, well, young and younger) ranging in age from about 4 or 5 to 28 or so. Each person performed a solo and sang their heart out.
All of them were talented, a few were amazingly talented. Like everyone in the audience, I clapped and hooted and cheered each one on.
What if we did that for each other? What if we just started clapping and hooting and cheering each other on? What if we said, "Thank you, you're the best toll taker!" or, "Wow! You are the kindest barber!" What if we consistently and deliberately found a way to make people feel good about themselves?
What would that world be like? Heaven. And the Kingdom of Heaven is among us.
It is so sweet of you to read this!
Blessings,
David
All of them were talented, a few were amazingly talented. Like everyone in the audience, I clapped and hooted and cheered each one on.
What if we did that for each other? What if we just started clapping and hooting and cheering each other on? What if we said, "Thank you, you're the best toll taker!" or, "Wow! You are the kindest barber!" What if we consistently and deliberately found a way to make people feel good about themselves?
What would that world be like? Heaven. And the Kingdom of Heaven is among us.
It is so sweet of you to read this!
Blessings,
David
Life in the Real World
Mistakes are made. Mechanical things break down. Good people experience challenging times. Results differ from expectations. Addictions, diseases, and accidents happen.
These are the circumstances of the world in which we live. Our emotional lives often mirror the natural world. Around us and within us there are calm sunsets and earthquakes, gentle, refreshing rains and hurricanes, bubbling streams and class 5 rapids.
Don't ask me why, I only work here. I don't get to set policy.
Our faith is not necessarily measured or demonstrated by the circumstances in our lives. "The rain falls on the just and the unjust."(Matthew 5:45) Our faith shows in how we respond to them.
Our faith is not necessarily obvious in the first blush of experience. We grieve, we regret, we get angry. We react. We over-react. Welcome to humanity.
Faith is like a steady beam of light that eventually cuts through the fog. Maybe I can't see how to express it immediately, but I hold onto it until I can.
It is time that we quit being ashamed of being human. Let's just be humans with faith, humans who look for the way to bring it all around to good, to love, to hope, to compassion.
Jesus was not ashamed of us. What a beautiful thought that God incarnated into human flesh, human conditions, a human world. God must not have been ashamed of us if God chose to dress up like us. Maybe God really fancied us. Maybe God thought, "I think I'll grow a beard. I think I'll experience a family vacation. I think I'll enjoy some wine, maybe even make it myself."
Maybe, just maybe, God is trying to tell us there is holiness in being human, sacredness in wearing these fragile skins.
I don't know, I just work here.
Blessings,
David
These are the circumstances of the world in which we live. Our emotional lives often mirror the natural world. Around us and within us there are calm sunsets and earthquakes, gentle, refreshing rains and hurricanes, bubbling streams and class 5 rapids.
Don't ask me why, I only work here. I don't get to set policy.
Our faith is not necessarily measured or demonstrated by the circumstances in our lives. "The rain falls on the just and the unjust."(Matthew 5:45) Our faith shows in how we respond to them.
Our faith is not necessarily obvious in the first blush of experience. We grieve, we regret, we get angry. We react. We over-react. Welcome to humanity.
Faith is like a steady beam of light that eventually cuts through the fog. Maybe I can't see how to express it immediately, but I hold onto it until I can.
It is time that we quit being ashamed of being human. Let's just be humans with faith, humans who look for the way to bring it all around to good, to love, to hope, to compassion.
Jesus was not ashamed of us. What a beautiful thought that God incarnated into human flesh, human conditions, a human world. God must not have been ashamed of us if God chose to dress up like us. Maybe God really fancied us. Maybe God thought, "I think I'll grow a beard. I think I'll experience a family vacation. I think I'll enjoy some wine, maybe even make it myself."
Maybe, just maybe, God is trying to tell us there is holiness in being human, sacredness in wearing these fragile skins.
I don't know, I just work here.
Blessings,
David
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Faith?
There was an important life-lesson waiting for me in the book "High Calling" by Evelyn Husband, about the life and faith of her husband Rick, who was the commander of the ill-fated space shuttle Columbia:
Faith begins where you think it ends.
Belief will carry you pretty far, but when the fog is thick and the path is uncertain, when questions have no answers, when the "how" or "why" don't make sense, that next step is where faith begins. Until you need it, until there is nothing else to support you, faith is not faith.
I'm not sure why God thought it was such a good idea to set things up so that we sometimes have to rely on faith, but I'll go on faith that it is.
Blessings,
David
Faith begins where you think it ends.
Belief will carry you pretty far, but when the fog is thick and the path is uncertain, when questions have no answers, when the "how" or "why" don't make sense, that next step is where faith begins. Until you need it, until there is nothing else to support you, faith is not faith.
I'm not sure why God thought it was such a good idea to set things up so that we sometimes have to rely on faith, but I'll go on faith that it is.
Blessings,
David
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
God of My Heart
God of my heart,
You do not need to enlighten me today.
I need no brilliance to toss around.
God of my heart,
You do not need to bless me today.
I need no favoritism to show off.
God of my heart,
You do not need to create through me today.
I need no talent to justify me.
God of my heart,
all I ask
is to remember
You are there.
Blessings,
David
You do not need to enlighten me today.
I need no brilliance to toss around.
God of my heart,
You do not need to bless me today.
I need no favoritism to show off.
God of my heart,
You do not need to create through me today.
I need no talent to justify me.
God of my heart,
all I ask
is to remember
You are there.
Blessings,
David
Mysteries
I have been so busy
solving mysteries
that I overlooked the fact that
some mysteries are best
unsolved
and
savored.
Blessings,
David
solving mysteries
that I overlooked the fact that
some mysteries are best
unsolved
and
savored.
Blessings,
David
And God Saw That It Was Good
I was just thinking about the meaning of the creation story, a huge nuance that before today has always escaped me. I have to admit that I am a reluctant male chauvinist in this regard, because until today, as I push toward my 56th year, I never saw what was in front of me all this time.
God created Adam and I was taught by pedagogy and inference that this was the crowning achievement. I bought it, hook, line and sinker. Oh, and Eve is there, eventually, to do maid service and figure out how to bake apple pies.
Even if I elevate Eve to equal status in the story, I still miss the point. It was not about creating people with different parts. It was about creating a way for souls to know love! "It is not good for us to be alone." How compassionate is that!
My anthropomorphic little brain was so busy seeing God create humans that I totally missed that what God really created were lovers.
Blessings,
David
God created Adam and I was taught by pedagogy and inference that this was the crowning achievement. I bought it, hook, line and sinker. Oh, and Eve is there, eventually, to do maid service and figure out how to bake apple pies.
Even if I elevate Eve to equal status in the story, I still miss the point. It was not about creating people with different parts. It was about creating a way for souls to know love! "It is not good for us to be alone." How compassionate is that!
My anthropomorphic little brain was so busy seeing God create humans that I totally missed that what God really created were lovers.
Blessings,
David
Rest In Peace, Awake in Glory
The news came this morning that my friend has crossed to the other side of the veil. Life is a powerful force, and his body was no longer able to contain it. Life needed to break free into eternity.
I once saw death as a diminishment, but in him I see it as it is, the point when the soul moves into its fullness, discards the body and enters freedom, sailing like an eagle in the boundless sky that is God.
May the angels lead you into paradise, sweet friend.
"Home," a Natalie Grant song, seemed appropriate this morning:
"You're home, where secrets are told, see a new world unfolding,
where hearts are one, the pain's undone, and you're finally belonging, yeah,
and you need to know, you need to know, you're home.
"So take your coat off and stay awhile,
what made you cry can make you smile again;
you can hold your head up high
'cause don't you know that you you were born to fly
"Welcome home; everything's gonna be alright, 'cause you're home,
feel the sun, your day has come; you're not alone. You're home."
Blessings,
David
I once saw death as a diminishment, but in him I see it as it is, the point when the soul moves into its fullness, discards the body and enters freedom, sailing like an eagle in the boundless sky that is God.
May the angels lead you into paradise, sweet friend.
"Home," a Natalie Grant song, seemed appropriate this morning:
"You're home, where secrets are told, see a new world unfolding,
where hearts are one, the pain's undone, and you're finally belonging, yeah,
and you need to know, you need to know, you're home.
"So take your coat off and stay awhile,
what made you cry can make you smile again;
you can hold your head up high
'cause don't you know that you you were born to fly
"Welcome home; everything's gonna be alright, 'cause you're home,
feel the sun, your day has come; you're not alone. You're home."
Blessings,
David
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Judgment or Love?
So I was chatting with Jesus tonight, and He was talking about how He said, "They will know you are My disciples by your judgment of one another."
No, wait a minute, that isn't what He said! So why do we interpret it that way?
We can't have it both ways. As soon as we begin to judge, we fail to love. You may want to dispute that. Knock yourself out, have a big time, justify it, rationalize it, categorize it.
Judging is easier than loving, because as soon as I judge it lets me off the hook for loving in fullness.
We'll probably come back to this topic. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves.
Blessings,
David
No, wait a minute, that isn't what He said! So why do we interpret it that way?
We can't have it both ways. As soon as we begin to judge, we fail to love. You may want to dispute that. Knock yourself out, have a big time, justify it, rationalize it, categorize it.
Judging is easier than loving, because as soon as I judge it lets me off the hook for loving in fullness.
We'll probably come back to this topic. In the meantime, talk amongst yourselves.
Blessings,
David
This is How It Feels to Be Held
I prayed tonight about my friend who's light is flickering. I think I will go by tomorrow and visit him between our church services.
Sometimes I still wrestle with God over how things are not in my control, how even though I am linked with the God of All Creation, Etc., I still don't get to call all the shots. Another soul is on its own trajectory, and I have been invited to walk alongside for a few brief steps. I can't change anything except I can change everything. I can offer one more heart than he had before.
There was a time in my life when the circumstances of ministry made this a common experience for me, for years. It has been awhile, and in the meantime I have grown older, more aware of how precious a soul is, how fleeting life is. And in the last couple of years I have seen three friends I loved, one whose presence I cannot remember being without in my life, move on.
For reasons also not in my control, God gave me a gift to love this new friend. As a result, I'm sad that we will likely not have much more time together on this side of the veil.
It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a friend I have loved all my life or one whom I met recently but who has touched my heart; there is grieving involved. Grieving is the field where the mortal and eternal meet. Some rending is required both on the part of the one leaving and those left behind. The illusion is that a connection will be severed. The truth is that the connection will be stronger. It just takes a while to get to that understanding, and head-knowledge of it is of no use. The heart must figure it out.
It helped me tonight to listen repeatedly to Natalie Grant's rendition of the song, "Held," with it's profound chorus:
"This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held."
As will he. As will I. As will all who have loved him longer than me.
We will all be held.
Blessings,
David
Sometimes I still wrestle with God over how things are not in my control, how even though I am linked with the God of All Creation, Etc., I still don't get to call all the shots. Another soul is on its own trajectory, and I have been invited to walk alongside for a few brief steps. I can't change anything except I can change everything. I can offer one more heart than he had before.
There was a time in my life when the circumstances of ministry made this a common experience for me, for years. It has been awhile, and in the meantime I have grown older, more aware of how precious a soul is, how fleeting life is. And in the last couple of years I have seen three friends I loved, one whose presence I cannot remember being without in my life, move on.
For reasons also not in my control, God gave me a gift to love this new friend. As a result, I'm sad that we will likely not have much more time together on this side of the veil.
It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a friend I have loved all my life or one whom I met recently but who has touched my heart; there is grieving involved. Grieving is the field where the mortal and eternal meet. Some rending is required both on the part of the one leaving and those left behind. The illusion is that a connection will be severed. The truth is that the connection will be stronger. It just takes a while to get to that understanding, and head-knowledge of it is of no use. The heart must figure it out.
It helped me tonight to listen repeatedly to Natalie Grant's rendition of the song, "Held," with it's profound chorus:
"This is what it means to be held
How it feels when the sacred is torn from your life
And you survive
This is what it is to be loved and to know
That the promise was that when everything fell
We'd be held."
As will he. As will I. As will all who have loved him longer than me.
We will all be held.
Blessings,
David
Selective Hearing?
Our aging Yorkie, Poco, seems to be losing his hearing. Calling him is useless; but if I pound on the floor a few times, he senses it and meanders my way.
On the other hand, slowly unwrap a slice of cheese and he'll come running from any room in the house.
I don't know if it is selective hearing or just that the "cheese wrapper frequency" still works. He is our beloved "grumpy old man" and it may be both.
This is similar to my relationship to God, I'm afraid. When God unwraps the slightest slice of deliciousness, I'm right there, ready to receive. When God calls me to less self-satisfying endeavors, well, sometimes God has to stomp on the floor to get my attention.
Yes, I will respond, but perhaps not as rapidly or eagerly.
Despite Poco's grumpy status, I love this canine companion of so many years. I think often of his younger days when he would vigorously terrorize any squirrel that dared step into his yard. We have a history, and I love him as-is.
Fortunately, I'm pretty sure the same is true of God's love for me.
Blessings,
David
On the other hand, slowly unwrap a slice of cheese and he'll come running from any room in the house.
I don't know if it is selective hearing or just that the "cheese wrapper frequency" still works. He is our beloved "grumpy old man" and it may be both.
This is similar to my relationship to God, I'm afraid. When God unwraps the slightest slice of deliciousness, I'm right there, ready to receive. When God calls me to less self-satisfying endeavors, well, sometimes God has to stomp on the floor to get my attention.
Yes, I will respond, but perhaps not as rapidly or eagerly.
Despite Poco's grumpy status, I love this canine companion of so many years. I think often of his younger days when he would vigorously terrorize any squirrel that dared step into his yard. We have a history, and I love him as-is.
Fortunately, I'm pretty sure the same is true of God's love for me.
Blessings,
David
Prayer and Forgiveness
Shantideva, an 8th century Buddhist scholar, said "It is natural for the immature to harm others. Getting angry with them is like resenting a fire for burning."
Yet sometimes, we do! So: How to forgive?
Prayer clears the way for forgiveness, and forgiveness clears the way for prayer. When one is missing, it impedes the other. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:22 to forgive "seventy times seven times," numbers that indicated perfection and would translate in our day as "one-hundred times one-hundred percent." In other words, always.
If we only live from the earlobes up, this can be a challenge. Where is the logic in forgiveness? But forgiveness is an expression of belief, the domain of the heart.
Kathleen Norris, in her book "Amazing Grace," writes, "I find it sad to consider that belief has become a scary word, because, at its Greek root, 'to believe' simply means 'to give one's heart to.' Thus if we can determine what it is we give our heart to, then we will know what it is we believe."
In Luke 12:34, Jesus reminds us, "For where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also."
The choice is ours. Do we really treasure kindness, love, compassion, and forgiveness? We can pray and forgive, or blame the fire for burning.
Blessings,
David
Yet sometimes, we do! So: How to forgive?
Prayer clears the way for forgiveness, and forgiveness clears the way for prayer. When one is missing, it impedes the other. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:22 to forgive "seventy times seven times," numbers that indicated perfection and would translate in our day as "one-hundred times one-hundred percent." In other words, always.
If we only live from the earlobes up, this can be a challenge. Where is the logic in forgiveness? But forgiveness is an expression of belief, the domain of the heart.
Kathleen Norris, in her book "Amazing Grace," writes, "I find it sad to consider that belief has become a scary word, because, at its Greek root, 'to believe' simply means 'to give one's heart to.' Thus if we can determine what it is we give our heart to, then we will know what it is we believe."
In Luke 12:34, Jesus reminds us, "For where your treasure lies, there your heart will be also."
The choice is ours. Do we really treasure kindness, love, compassion, and forgiveness? We can pray and forgive, or blame the fire for burning.
Blessings,
David
Monday, August 8, 2011
I Thirst: Visiting Jesus
Some people are resistant to the image of Jesus on the cross. An empty cross is acceptable, a sign of victory, but a crucifix is troublesome.
I admit, if we stop the story there, we miss the point. But if we race past it, we also miss the point.
My friend in the nursing home is in pretty bad shape, physically. Last week he was a walking skeleton; this week he no longer has the strength to walk. Speaking is labored for him, an energy-draining effort to produce a few whispered words. Probably, there is not much more time left for me to visit him face-to-face.
Unable to or uninterested in eating, he often wants a vanilla milkshake, as was the case today. He may only sip a bit of it, maybe half-an-ounce, but I got him a large shake anyway, if only for the dignity of having the option.
As I reflected on our visit I thought about Jesus on the cross saying, "I thirst." Today, at least, I was able to offer that crucified Jesus a sip of a vanilla shake.
The cross is not convenient, pretty or popular, especially in a society so infused with capitalism and having personal worth determined by productivity and impact. What impact does my friend have?
On me, his impact is tremendous. How often do I get to offer my thirsting Lord a drink?
Blessings,
David
I admit, if we stop the story there, we miss the point. But if we race past it, we also miss the point.
My friend in the nursing home is in pretty bad shape, physically. Last week he was a walking skeleton; this week he no longer has the strength to walk. Speaking is labored for him, an energy-draining effort to produce a few whispered words. Probably, there is not much more time left for me to visit him face-to-face.
Unable to or uninterested in eating, he often wants a vanilla milkshake, as was the case today. He may only sip a bit of it, maybe half-an-ounce, but I got him a large shake anyway, if only for the dignity of having the option.
As I reflected on our visit I thought about Jesus on the cross saying, "I thirst." Today, at least, I was able to offer that crucified Jesus a sip of a vanilla shake.
The cross is not convenient, pretty or popular, especially in a society so infused with capitalism and having personal worth determined by productivity and impact. What impact does my friend have?
On me, his impact is tremendous. How often do I get to offer my thirsting Lord a drink?
Blessings,
David
One Little Grace
A friend lamented the condition of the world, of politics, of humans toward other humans. So much seems wrong, almost hopeless.
I understand. I live in the same world. Yet, earlier in that day I had the opportunity to care for someone who needed to be loved, and as a result, I did not share my friend's dispair.
One little grace offered to another person changes the shape of the world.
Blessings,
David
I understand. I live in the same world. Yet, earlier in that day I had the opportunity to care for someone who needed to be loved, and as a result, I did not share my friend's dispair.
One little grace offered to another person changes the shape of the world.
Blessings,
David
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