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
Thursday, September 22, 2011
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
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