What does 'following God' really mean? We could probably find a thousand answers, if we want to look. But, the only one that seems to sustain us is the answer in any moment of our lives that is pretty concrete and pretty personal. I like the abstract ones, particularly the ones I can relate to. But I find that, like many other things, I've forgotten more of those than I will ever remember. The one that is alive, that feels real at any given time, is the one that expresses something quite personal, something tangible, some real example of what it looks like right now.
For example, I have had to make a difficult decision of late, one that I wish I didn't have to make. After sorting through all the debris surrounding the 'issues' involved, I really end up at one place; what is God asking me to do? When I make the decision, I have to in some personal way satisfy the question of following God in it.
So I think the real question is somewhat closer to something like, what does it mean for me to 'follow' God right now? In what I am facing?
...from there I decide whether or not to continue developing the habit of turning to God with what I am facing or turning to other things, other explanations, other theories, even other people. For me, at this point in my life, 'following God' means asking Him about the situation I am facing and being willing to wait for an answer...as I continue with what is front me to do today. When everything else has been exhausted, it gets back down to me and God, our conversation, our wrestling, my openness (even as He opens me), my not choosing diversions...a submission, if you will, to a long-term answer to this questions in spite of what I want in the moment.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Enslavements in Life
One of Hebrew literature’s nouns for salvation (“yeshuwah,” related to the name “Jesus”) comes from a verb root that accents wideness or openness. God’s liberation gives us plenty of room—breathing space, deliverance from our tight anguishes and confining bondages. Moreover, God is continually doing this for us now, not only in a far distant future. Do we recognize his gracious snatching as he rescues us and delivers us from our various enslavements in life?
-- Kent Denlinger
Do we trust Him to do this? This Physician analogy seems a propos, especially from a distance (from a painful thing in our lives). Do we trust Him? ...or, are we more interested in making our own medications.
-- Kent Denlinger
Do we trust Him to do this? This Physician analogy seems a propos, especially from a distance (from a painful thing in our lives). Do we trust Him? ...or, are we more interested in making our own medications.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
End and Means
In the end we’ve got to say that if God thinks the glory-filled end justifies the grief-laden means, then the choice is clear: We can trust God and justify him as we make our pilgrimage through this wilderness life, or we can tell him we aren’t prepared to accept his redemptive schemes and rage against him at every turn.
-- Jim McGuiggan
Well if you put it...that way.... While there are times I doubt the process of the former option, I must admit I would rather choose it than the latter. And, actually, knowing what I know now about this, I would gladly choose it!
-- Jim McGuiggan
Well if you put it...that way.... While there are times I doubt the process of the former option, I must admit I would rather choose it than the latter. And, actually, knowing what I know now about this, I would gladly choose it!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Shame
Do you remember how on earth there were things too hot to touch but you could drink them alright? Shame is like that. If you drink the cup, drink it to the bottom and you will find it nourishing. Try to do anything else with it and it will scald.
-- C.S. Lewis
-- C.S. Lewis
Monday, August 15, 2011
Regarding Strength
Borrowing a bit on yesterday's post, why is it that those pretending to be strong cast down the weak? While the truly strong don't do so....
It would seem that strength is not often what it appears to be. These beautiful ladies (Help) were very strong in their dignity, in their service, in their respect towards those who didn't deserve it. From the lens of history it would seem that what was going on in the south was really a kind of sanctioned, society-level bullying in the grossest of degrees. I wasn't a part of it, but I am still ashamed of it.
...and it does make me wonder what I am a part of today, that I am blind to.
It would seem that strength is not often what it appears to be. These beautiful ladies (Help) were very strong in their dignity, in their service, in their respect towards those who didn't deserve it. From the lens of history it would seem that what was going on in the south was really a kind of sanctioned, society-level bullying in the grossest of degrees. I wasn't a part of it, but I am still ashamed of it.
...and it does make me wonder what I am a part of today, that I am blind to.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
the Help
I would highly recommend this movie -- for history, education, and humanity. Some of it made me sick, some of it made me mad, some of it made me laugh, some of it made me cry.
Bearing in the mind the risks of sweeping generalizations, the following seems true:
Wherever there are weak men, there are ugly women.
...and, I'm not referring to anything physical.
See if this isn't found in this one, too. To me, this is a 'must see' movie.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
More on blindness...and sin
After my thought the other day on the relationship between blindness and sin. Another one crossed my mind regarding sin and the blindness it creates in us. How does it do this?
One of the ways is that sin seems to create a kind of self-consciousness within us. When we are free from it (self-consiousness), we don't often feel the constraints it piles on us, wondering about what other people think, worrying about my status in a relationship, working for acceptance from those around me.
However, when are not free from it, we do seem to spend a lot energy on these kinds of things. I wonder if our sinful choices foster a 'need' for these things. A need that binds us, rather than freeing us to live towards another person. Self-consciousness turns our eyes towards ourselves and the protections we must seek to survive or prosper in our relationships with others. In a way, blindness is a from of what we are looking at or not looking at. When I am only looking at myself, brokering for myself, navigating for my own interests, competing for attention from others, I'm not really able to see much of what is going outside of myself. I am, in fact, blind to it.
So I've noticed that, among other things, sinful choices lead me in this direction...towards myself. It forces itself on me by plunging me towards the questions of 'am I OK?' 'What if I'm not?' 'What do I need to do about it?' 'How can get others to see me the way I want to be seen?' Because sin is involved, there is a portion of truth to the fact that I am not OK. I have violated something about myself; I have sinned. And, here is where sin gets violent with us, it turns our face away from life, away from our true acceptance. It grabs our chin and as it jerks us, says 'look at you...you are terrible'. It leads us away from God, inward, turning on ourselves. It creates demand from others to make us feel better about ourselves. Our need becomes greater than anyone else's.
The path back is straight and short - confession is remarkably easy. Forgiveness is bountiful. So, the only thing sin can do is to try to keep us from turning towards God, from where our true acceptance comes. In other words, to keep us blind (enslaved) to the truth.
Self-consciousness is part of how sin blinds us.
One of the ways is that sin seems to create a kind of self-consciousness within us. When we are free from it (self-consiousness), we don't often feel the constraints it piles on us, wondering about what other people think, worrying about my status in a relationship, working for acceptance from those around me.
However, when are not free from it, we do seem to spend a lot energy on these kinds of things. I wonder if our sinful choices foster a 'need' for these things. A need that binds us, rather than freeing us to live towards another person. Self-consciousness turns our eyes towards ourselves and the protections we must seek to survive or prosper in our relationships with others. In a way, blindness is a from of what we are looking at or not looking at. When I am only looking at myself, brokering for myself, navigating for my own interests, competing for attention from others, I'm not really able to see much of what is going outside of myself. I am, in fact, blind to it.
So I've noticed that, among other things, sinful choices lead me in this direction...towards myself. It forces itself on me by plunging me towards the questions of 'am I OK?' 'What if I'm not?' 'What do I need to do about it?' 'How can get others to see me the way I want to be seen?' Because sin is involved, there is a portion of truth to the fact that I am not OK. I have violated something about myself; I have sinned. And, here is where sin gets violent with us, it turns our face away from life, away from our true acceptance. It grabs our chin and as it jerks us, says 'look at you...you are terrible'. It leads us away from God, inward, turning on ourselves. It creates demand from others to make us feel better about ourselves. Our need becomes greater than anyone else's.
The path back is straight and short - confession is remarkably easy. Forgiveness is bountiful. So, the only thing sin can do is to try to keep us from turning towards God, from where our true acceptance comes. In other words, to keep us blind (enslaved) to the truth.
Self-consciousness is part of how sin blinds us.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
She Made It!
Amazing! And the stories...ah, the stories of people's lives. What a mess, what a wonder. Click here (or the image above) for more pics. Here are some that a good friend, Cliff Staton, took (here, too).
Monday, August 08, 2011
The Demands of Sanctification
There is always a battle royal before sanctification, always something that tugs with resentment against the demands of Jesus Christ...."If any man come to Me and hate not his own life, he cannot be My disciple."
The Spirit of God in the process of sanctification will strip me until I am nothing but "myself," that is the place of death. Am I willing to be "myself," and nothing more--no friends, no father, no brother, no self-interest--simply ready for death? That is the condition of sanctification. No wonder Jesus said: "I came not to send peace, but a sword." This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us faint. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus on this point. "But it is so stern," we say; "He cannot wish me to do that." Our Lord is stern; and He does wish us to do that.
Am I willing to reduce myself simply to "me," determinedly to strip myself of all my friends think of me, of all I think of myself, and to hand that simple naked self over to God?.....He will sanctify me wholly, and my life will be free from earnestness in connection with everything but God.
-- Oswald Chambers
We balk at such things don't we? I think Chambers is probably right and I recognize within myself some disappointment, even as I admit the truth of it. But, what would Jesus have otherwise meant if he didn't describe things as taking up our cross and following Him?
The Spirit of God in the process of sanctification will strip me until I am nothing but "myself," that is the place of death. Am I willing to be "myself," and nothing more--no friends, no father, no brother, no self-interest--simply ready for death? That is the condition of sanctification. No wonder Jesus said: "I came not to send peace, but a sword." This is where the battle comes, and where so many of us faint. We refuse to be identified with the death of Jesus on this point. "But it is so stern," we say; "He cannot wish me to do that." Our Lord is stern; and He does wish us to do that.
Am I willing to reduce myself simply to "me," determinedly to strip myself of all my friends think of me, of all I think of myself, and to hand that simple naked self over to God?.....He will sanctify me wholly, and my life will be free from earnestness in connection with everything but God.
-- Oswald Chambers
We balk at such things don't we? I think Chambers is probably right and I recognize within myself some disappointment, even as I admit the truth of it. But, what would Jesus have otherwise meant if he didn't describe things as taking up our cross and following Him?
Saturday, August 06, 2011
The Sunset Limited
What a powerful story of some of the largest dialectics of life. I highly recommend this one. Thanks, Blake, for inviting me to watch it.
Part of what is good about the movie, is that it is provoking. I'm still rolling it around in my mind. I think it has affected me personally, in some of the ways that it did for Jackson's character. It makes you ask questions...about your point-of-view in life and why you have reached the conclusions you have.
Here are some of my reactions, as I wrestle through what I believe:
If God is not personal, then He is largely just an idea…just another explanation of things, and there are many of those. All you can do then, is pick one...or try not to. But, even that is usually picking one.
But, when we get personal with God or when He gets personal with us, God just as an idea evaporates. He becomes very real…because He becomes very personal. And, this 'personalization' often happens through the pain of this world. Not an abstract pain, but a personal one.
Both characters obviously knew some of the pains of life. But, that was about it; from there, they took really different paths.
This is what struck me about ‘the professor’: We never really got the (personal) details of his experience. We were only confronted with his conclusions in theory form, not in personal form. And, we weren’t drawn to him because of the lack of personal nature of his conclusions (though they were obviously personal to him). He kept those things hidden (even when invited over and over to reveal them), perhaps as much from himself as from us. This is also what was drawing about Jackson’s character. …we could see the personal part of his story. It was clear to him and to us; where he ended up, what he needed, why he turned to what he did...and in sharp contrast to Jones’ character.
I've said before, and it seems true again:
God isn't personal, until He's personal.
Until that happens, He is largely an idea...capable of indifference and rejection, just like every other 'idea'.
Friday, August 05, 2011
I'm Proud of Her
I am really proud of my wife for doing this. Today she starts a 60-mile walk with a few thousand others in Chicago. Thank you all for making this possible with your generous contributions.
She's been walking for months getting ready. Bless her.
She's been walking for months getting ready. Bless her.
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Forgiveness
Is the greatest lever in my forgiving someone else, the specific knowing of how I have been forgiven?
...I suspect a low awareness of where I have needed forgiveness leaves me generally unable to offer much of it to someone else.
...I suspect a low awareness of where I have needed forgiveness leaves me generally unable to offer much of it to someone else.
Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Strength of Faith
Over the years (millenia?) there has been much debate (discussion) about the strength of our personal faith. Like, do we have enough of it? As my own journey of faith continues, one thing that appears to be increasingly clear is this:
The only thing precarious about the strength of our faith is our perception of that strength. And, whatever is lacking there, both publicly and privately, is more than covered for by God. ...He is way ahead of us as He guides to our final destination with Him.
The only thing precarious about the strength of our faith is our perception of that strength. And, whatever is lacking there, both publicly and privately, is more than covered for by God. ...He is way ahead of us as He guides to our final destination with Him.
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Seeing
In darkness there is no choice. It is light that enables us to see the differences between things; and it is Christ who gives us light.
-- Mrs. C.T. Whitemell
-- Mrs. C.T. Whitemell
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Morning
A snippet from OtR's latest newsletter:
Woke up this morning on the farm, on the blurry edge of the world, mist rising off the fields, the embryo of a new day breaking open, pink and lavender spreading like a hopeful rumor in the east. A glowing crescent was clinging to the edge of the still-high moon like a spooning lover. A patient hawk sat silent in the dead elm, the goldfinches waking up, the first hummingbirds arriving at Karin’s feeders, thrumming the invisible harp of the world with their wings.
The morning smelled like a freshly opened bottle of wine – leaves, earth, the damp woods, berries, grass.
There is still more than enough beauty in one morning alone on earth to break a heart wide open.
-- Linford Detweiler
...mine's cracked; how about yours?
Woke up this morning on the farm, on the blurry edge of the world, mist rising off the fields, the embryo of a new day breaking open, pink and lavender spreading like a hopeful rumor in the east. A glowing crescent was clinging to the edge of the still-high moon like a spooning lover. A patient hawk sat silent in the dead elm, the goldfinches waking up, the first hummingbirds arriving at Karin’s feeders, thrumming the invisible harp of the world with their wings.
The morning smelled like a freshly opened bottle of wine – leaves, earth, the damp woods, berries, grass.
There is still more than enough beauty in one morning alone on earth to break a heart wide open.
-- Linford Detweiler
...mine's cracked; how about yours?
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Difficult Circumstances and Intimacy with Christ
As we wait, we can fix our eyes on Jesus as a companion who empathizes with our suffering and a Savior who is working behind the scenes. Difficult circumstances seem to increase our ability to experience intimacy with Christ.
-- Ruthann Ridley
The more stories I hear, the more this seems true. It certainly seems true in my life.
-- Ruthann Ridley
The more stories I hear, the more this seems true. It certainly seems true in my life.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Blindness
One great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character.
-- Andrew Murray
This seems quite true, doesn't it? In many respects, our sin(s) dull our sensitivity to God...our awareness of Him, even our interest in His ways. It blinds us, so that we don't see Him as clearly as we otherwise might. Perhaps this is why our prayers and songs acknowledge the phrase, 'Open our eyes, Lord....' It is as much confession, as desire.
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
-- Chris Tomlin
...more on blindness and sin.
-- Andrew Murray
This seems quite true, doesn't it? In many respects, our sin(s) dull our sensitivity to God...our awareness of Him, even our interest in His ways. It blinds us, so that we don't see Him as clearly as we otherwise might. Perhaps this is why our prayers and songs acknowledge the phrase, 'Open our eyes, Lord....' It is as much confession, as desire.
There's a day that's drawing near
When this darkness breaks to light
And the shadows disappear
And my faith shall be my eyes
-- Chris Tomlin
...more on blindness and sin.
Friday, July 22, 2011
Circumstances and Goodness
Our circumstances are not an accurate reflection of God's goodness. Whether life is good or bad, God's goodness, rooted in His character, is the same.
-- Helen Grace Lescheid
-- Helen Grace Lescheid
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Mystery
If there were no mystery man would not feel his corruption; if there were light man could not hope for a cure. Thus, it is not only right but useful for us that God should be partly concealed and partly revealed, since it is equally dangerous for man to know God without knowing his own wretchedness as to know his wretchedness without knowing God.
-- Blaise Pascal
-- Blaise Pascal
Sunday, July 17, 2011
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgements and how inscrutable his ways!
'For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counsellor?'
'Or who has given a gift to him,
to receive a gift in return?'
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
-- Romans 11:33-12:2
I think I've missed the intent behind 'living sacrifice' by not connecting the verses before it. First, I suspect that I can only present myself to God by appealing to His mercy. ...it is not primarily an act of self-control (as I have so often thought), as it is a act of submission to His mercy...by acknowledging that I need His mercy. Second, the use of my body is the result of the use of my mind, particularly its renewal. My side of things is really more about how I conform to this world and His side is the transformation that can occur when I stop trying to conform.
Stopping this (conforming) is a real challenge, until I realize how much power God has over things...thus the prior OT quote. When my heart bursts with awareness of 'O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!', the desire to conform is highly mitigated.
'For who has known the mind of the Lord?
Or who has been his counsellor?'
'Or who has given a gift to him,
to receive a gift in return?'
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory for ever. Amen.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
-- Romans 11:33-12:2
I think I've missed the intent behind 'living sacrifice' by not connecting the verses before it. First, I suspect that I can only present myself to God by appealing to His mercy. ...it is not primarily an act of self-control (as I have so often thought), as it is a act of submission to His mercy...by acknowledging that I need His mercy. Second, the use of my body is the result of the use of my mind, particularly its renewal. My side of things is really more about how I conform to this world and His side is the transformation that can occur when I stop trying to conform.
Stopping this (conforming) is a real challenge, until I realize how much power God has over things...thus the prior OT quote. When my heart bursts with awareness of 'O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!', the desire to conform is highly mitigated.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Beauty and Strength
One of the naturally most compelling forces in life is true strength. It is hard not to admire it, whenever we see it. Perhaps even more powerful is true beauty, which can slay the mightiest of things. When combined, little is more life-giving to the world.
...that's a good place to leave it, but an opposite is also true and worth mentioning, particularly in the human arena of this. Admitting weakness is sometimes a very strong thing to do. And, acknowledging our lack of beauty...is a most beautiful thing
...that's a good place to leave it, but an opposite is also true and worth mentioning, particularly in the human arena of this. Admitting weakness is sometimes a very strong thing to do. And, acknowledging our lack of beauty...is a most beautiful thing
Sunday, July 03, 2011
Fitting Time
For certain things are not refused us, but their granting is delayed to a fitting time.
-- St. Augustine
-- St. Augustine
Saturday, July 02, 2011
Worry
Worry is a misuse of imagination.
-- Dan Zadra
...got this one from a good friend, Jim Eisenbraun.
I suspect this isn't what Dan had in mind, but here's where my mind went today regarding 'worry is the misuse of imagination'.
So, why might this be true? Well, for starters, what might we tend to worry about? If we were honest, we could make a long list and whether we actually do so or not, we have such a list and it is pretty long. I've realized that I've been worried lately. I didn't even recognize it, but I think that's what I've been doing. Why do we worry about the things on our lists? What is at the root of nearly all of our worries? I suspect that it is, in fact, a kind of loss of imagination...of letting God be God in our lives; over the things we worry about. We don't imagine much more than what we see, so we take over. Which often just leads us to...more worry about how we're doing. So we really aren't imagining much of Him at all. ...and that seems like a misuse of imagination to me.
What are you worried about today?
-- Dan Zadra
...got this one from a good friend, Jim Eisenbraun.
I suspect this isn't what Dan had in mind, but here's where my mind went today regarding 'worry is the misuse of imagination'.
So, why might this be true? Well, for starters, what might we tend to worry about? If we were honest, we could make a long list and whether we actually do so or not, we have such a list and it is pretty long. I've realized that I've been worried lately. I didn't even recognize it, but I think that's what I've been doing. Why do we worry about the things on our lists? What is at the root of nearly all of our worries? I suspect that it is, in fact, a kind of loss of imagination...of letting God be God in our lives; over the things we worry about. We don't imagine much more than what we see, so we take over. Which often just leads us to...more worry about how we're doing. So we really aren't imagining much of Him at all. ...and that seems like a misuse of imagination to me.
What are you worried about today?
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Interruptions
One thing [Peterson's life story] makes clear is that vocation is not so much about what we want as about how we respond to God's interruptions in our lives.
-- Christianity Today, Review of The Pastor by Eugene Peterson
-- Christianity Today, Review of The Pastor by Eugene Peterson
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Nothing Destroyed
There is nothing destroyed by sanctification but that which would destroy us.
-- William Jenkyn
-- William Jenkyn
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Weddings
In anticipation of a good friend's wedding yesterday, I was thinking about why I like weddings. There are many things, but the thing that stuck out to me yesterday was the sense of hope they represent. Hope of what? I think weddings represent a hope we have that our desire for perfect union will be satisfied. This is a massive desire, to be sure. So big, in fact, that we often end up looking right around it for other things than acknowledging how much it dominates us. This is a good desire, by the way, a God-given desire...for it is with Him that we desire a perfect union.
Weddings are times that reconnect us with our desire for God, with others, with another person. They remind us of the perfection we long for in our relationship with all things. This is probably why weddings can be painful, too, because they remind of what isn't, what hasn't happened, and what has happened...that leaves us far short of the beauty and hope of such events, and the perfect union. But the pain of these things is never enough to overcome the power of our desire for all that is good with another person, with this world, with God. For as great as this power is, God's desire for such perfect union is even more profound, more deep, more beautiful. And, He will not be stopped in His pursuit of His bride.
I enjoyed the wedding immensely. I enjoyed even more what it represented...about my and our desire for perfect union.
Weddings are times that reconnect us with our desire for God, with others, with another person. They remind us of the perfection we long for in our relationship with all things. This is probably why weddings can be painful, too, because they remind of what isn't, what hasn't happened, and what has happened...that leaves us far short of the beauty and hope of such events, and the perfect union. But the pain of these things is never enough to overcome the power of our desire for all that is good with another person, with this world, with God. For as great as this power is, God's desire for such perfect union is even more profound, more deep, more beautiful. And, He will not be stopped in His pursuit of His bride.
I enjoyed the wedding immensely. I enjoyed even more what it represented...about my and our desire for perfect union.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
My, Oh My
The beauty of this day already has my eyes full of water, tears of gratitude that I could even take such things in so deeply. Tears of joy at the prospect of a dear friend's wedding. The eyes moistening from such a brilliant response of the earth to this morning's sun after a day of slow and lazy drizzle. The wordless satisfaction of the swelling of healthy competition from a good workout, the kindest of words from a son, the beauty of marriage...all speak straight into the center of me, and make me feel more alive than I've dreamed possible.
A friend (thanks, Randy) passed along a book written by a man I have come to deeply respect over the years. Parker Palmer's A Hidden Wholeness is proving to be a capturing of something that resonates within me about as deeply as anything I've known on the "shape of an integral life, the meaning of community, teaching and learning for transformation, and nonviolent social change". He observes "how quickly words can cut loose from human reality" and credits his wife for helping him stay tethered to three questions as he writes: Is it worth saying? Is it said clearly? Is it said beautifully?
Here's an example:
There was a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn. They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout while still in their own backyards.
The analogy's connection to our broader existence is striking. Another blizzard-reference characterizes something I recently tried to capture in my own life about 'a strange merger' I feel within me:
The blizzard of the world
has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned
the order of my soul.
-- Leonard Cohen, The Future
My, Oh my. I have only begun to live within and without. And, at times, the splash of sun on the tiniest drop of last night's dew can just about bring me to my knees in awe of it all.
A friend (thanks, Randy) passed along a book written by a man I have come to deeply respect over the years. Parker Palmer's A Hidden Wholeness is proving to be a capturing of something that resonates within me about as deeply as anything I've known on the "shape of an integral life, the meaning of community, teaching and learning for transformation, and nonviolent social change". He observes "how quickly words can cut loose from human reality" and credits his wife for helping him stay tethered to three questions as he writes: Is it worth saying? Is it said clearly? Is it said beautifully?
Here's an example:
There was a time when farmers on the Great Plains, at the first sign of a blizzard, would run a rope from the back door out to the barn. They all knew stories of people who had wandered off and been frozen to death, having lost sight of home in a whiteout while still in their own backyards.
The analogy's connection to our broader existence is striking. Another blizzard-reference characterizes something I recently tried to capture in my own life about 'a strange merger' I feel within me:
The blizzard of the world
has crossed the threshold
and it has overturned
the order of my soul.
-- Leonard Cohen, The Future
My, Oh my. I have only begun to live within and without. And, at times, the splash of sun on the tiniest drop of last night's dew can just about bring me to my knees in awe of it all.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Just Because
I was talking with a friend today about life, and things that we would like to be doing...job-wise, study-wise, other-wise. We agreed that it's possible that not everything we would like or think is good...is necessarily good for us. A lot of times, we need to simply just take the next step towards what is right in front of us, rather than wishing we were somewhere else.
Just because I want to, doesn’t mean I should. Just because I don’t want to, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.
Just because I want to, doesn’t mean I should. Just because I don’t want to, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Inner Ripening
No one can know what secret inner ripening can come from suffering and sorrow. All we know is that every individuals life is priceless - that each is dear to God.
-- Christoph Probst
...love that imagery, inner ripening, not often how I have thought about suffering / sorrow over the years. But, now it seems quite accurate.
-- Christoph Probst
...love that imagery, inner ripening, not often how I have thought about suffering / sorrow over the years. But, now it seems quite accurate.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Freedom
Jesus continually communicated freedom -- not freedom to go your own way but freedom to relate to God through the intimacy of grace.
-- keri wyatt kent, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity
-- keri wyatt kent, Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity
Monday, June 20, 2011
Just Don't Know
We just don't know what will happen in life, we just know what's at the end. And that should make all the difference...!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Sex Economics 101
What's your 'take' on this subject? What are we translating to our kids regarding what they are facing into today's 'market'?It seems that what is modeled speaks the loudest. After that, what are we actually teaching / saying about such things...with our words (or, lack of them)?
...click the pic for the article.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Beauty
Beauty is often only considered skin-deep in our culture. No wonder we often live like that is all there is...because we seem to think that's all it really is. But beauty is so much bigger, so much more.
For example, when we observe that something is a thing of beauty, what are we saying? What kinds of things do we describe this way? How about a 'well-oiled' machine, like a high-quality car? How about a team that performs very well together? How about an significant accomplishment that has a manifest result? We say such things are a real 'thing of beauty'. Something we don't fully understand, but can deeply appreciate...can be a real thing of beauty. And, of course, things in nature or artwork can be beautiful.
What about the human dimension of things? Women, for example, can be beautiful. The strength of a man can also be beautiful. A relationship between a man and woman can be beautiful. As can a relationship between a father and son, or mother and daughter.
How about another dimension of beauty; is it possible that a woman's beauty is enhanced by the strength of a man, one that allows her to relax, to offer tenderness, gentleness? To me there is little that surpasses that beauty and yet it can be so easily tarnished when a woman seeks the beauty (glory) of a man. Likewise, the strength of man is a beautiful thing, especially when it is sacrificial, other-centered. A woman, like nothing other, can enhance this kind of beauty, when it supports the risks a man can take when extending his strength towards a world that needs it.
In other words, there seems to be an even more beautiful beauty, a combined beauty, that emerges out of individual masculine and feminine beauty.
I hope our sons and daughters can catch a glimpse of these realities of beauty, a kind that will take them past the skin-deep versions so splattered about by our culture.
For example, when we observe that something is a thing of beauty, what are we saying? What kinds of things do we describe this way? How about a 'well-oiled' machine, like a high-quality car? How about a team that performs very well together? How about an significant accomplishment that has a manifest result? We say such things are a real 'thing of beauty'. Something we don't fully understand, but can deeply appreciate...can be a real thing of beauty. And, of course, things in nature or artwork can be beautiful.
What about the human dimension of things? Women, for example, can be beautiful. The strength of a man can also be beautiful. A relationship between a man and woman can be beautiful. As can a relationship between a father and son, or mother and daughter.
How about another dimension of beauty; is it possible that a woman's beauty is enhanced by the strength of a man, one that allows her to relax, to offer tenderness, gentleness? To me there is little that surpasses that beauty and yet it can be so easily tarnished when a woman seeks the beauty (glory) of a man. Likewise, the strength of man is a beautiful thing, especially when it is sacrificial, other-centered. A woman, like nothing other, can enhance this kind of beauty, when it supports the risks a man can take when extending his strength towards a world that needs it.
In other words, there seems to be an even more beautiful beauty, a combined beauty, that emerges out of individual masculine and feminine beauty.
I hope our sons and daughters can catch a glimpse of these realities of beauty, a kind that will take them past the skin-deep versions so splattered about by our culture.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Sanitized God
I DON’T PRAY to a sanitized God, an airbrushed God, the God of the silver screen. I pray to the God who put the green into nature and fire into the tongues of men; to the God of ceaseless change, who gives with one hand and smites with the other; to the God of the concentration camps and to the God of the bullies so many of my Jewish brethren have become. I pray for the humanitarians and I pray for the barbarians and I pray to stop pretending I can always tell them apart.
-– Sy Safransky
I really appreciate the honesty here, especially in light of the 'airbrushed' God so often marketed by the church. A lot to reconcile...a lot of reconciliation needed. ...including with me. A sanitized God really puts me in an ungodly position, one of judging Him by who I want Him to be...which, of course, leads to an equally ungodly position of judging what others are.
-– Sy Safransky
I really appreciate the honesty here, especially in light of the 'airbrushed' God so often marketed by the church. A lot to reconcile...a lot of reconciliation needed. ...including with me. A sanitized God really puts me in an ungodly position, one of judging Him by who I want Him to be...which, of course, leads to an equally ungodly position of judging what others are.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Self-conscious
I often feel quite self-conscious after speaking in church...which I did that recently. I put a lot of time into it and only a couple of people even mentioned it to me, and then only in passing. In another era of my life, I would have tried to 'read' a lot into that -- condemning only before condemning myself for my inadequacy. Now, I realize that I can make a lot of things 'about me' that really aren't. So, I just worry about it less than I used to.
But, I would be lying (at least to myself), if I pretended that I'm not self-conscious about such things at all. When I spoke, I talked about the need to acknowledge the day-to-day things we feel to God, if not to others. And, that not doing so, under the pretense of not 'needing' to do so, really cuts off others and myself from the opportunity for access to some deeper things internally. So, I took my own admonishment and went to God with my 'self-consciousness'.
Two ideas surfaced. One is that in doing such a thing, like speaking in church, I really do not want to do a dis-service to the Truth by mis-representing something about God. I feel this pretty deeply, more deeply than I had realized. This led me to the realization that I likely have to admit that it is impossible not to mis-represent Him...and that, in some unexplainable way, that should be freeing. But I still don't want to mis-represent Him...either by carelessness or intent.
The second thing that surfaced in my thinking is that almost nothing I do is completely absent of self-serving, self-promotion. So, some of what I want in such situations is simply for people to praise me for things I do, at the very least for the effort I expend. This is nothing to be proud of and not necessarily a revelation, but just admitting it again, out load...takes some of the hot-air out of the pressure I likely put on people to make me feel good. To whomever I have done that to, I profoundly apologize.
...so, here again, I receive something deeper by taking my own advice and confessing the simplest and most normal of things. Admitting what is going in within me, rather than denying it.
But, I would be lying (at least to myself), if I pretended that I'm not self-conscious about such things at all. When I spoke, I talked about the need to acknowledge the day-to-day things we feel to God, if not to others. And, that not doing so, under the pretense of not 'needing' to do so, really cuts off others and myself from the opportunity for access to some deeper things internally. So, I took my own admonishment and went to God with my 'self-consciousness'.
Two ideas surfaced. One is that in doing such a thing, like speaking in church, I really do not want to do a dis-service to the Truth by mis-representing something about God. I feel this pretty deeply, more deeply than I had realized. This led me to the realization that I likely have to admit that it is impossible not to mis-represent Him...and that, in some unexplainable way, that should be freeing. But I still don't want to mis-represent Him...either by carelessness or intent.
The second thing that surfaced in my thinking is that almost nothing I do is completely absent of self-serving, self-promotion. So, some of what I want in such situations is simply for people to praise me for things I do, at the very least for the effort I expend. This is nothing to be proud of and not necessarily a revelation, but just admitting it again, out load...takes some of the hot-air out of the pressure I likely put on people to make me feel good. To whomever I have done that to, I profoundly apologize.
...so, here again, I receive something deeper by taking my own advice and confessing the simplest and most normal of things. Admitting what is going in within me, rather than denying it.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Thriving Child
A child does not thrive on what he is prevented from doing, but on what he actually does.
-– Marcelene Cox
-– Marcelene Cox
Thursday, June 09, 2011
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Anyway
People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-– Kent M. Keith
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.
-– Kent M. Keith
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Faith
Faith, to me, seems to be something along the lines of...the willingness to acknowledge the uncertainties of this life (uncertainties about myself, uncertainties about life, uncertainties about God, etc.) and turn to God with them, as opposed to the commonly perceived benefits of simple denial, self-determinism, or the false medications offered by our world.
Friday, June 03, 2011
Emotional Constipation
...if there were such a thing, what do you think 'emotional constipation' would be?
Here's a stab at it: The inability or unwillingness to recognize or utilize what our emotions indicate to us.
It leads to a number of things:
The truth may more be, though, that we don't want to see the things that go on inside us either. And, what we don't realize is that the self-protection we broker with regard to others and their view of us is really a weapon against ourselves. Our silence can cause us not to speak to ourselves, or perhaps put a differently, to not put words to the reality we are experiencing. When that happens, we form a kind of denial about things, about life, about ourselves. Denial at this level can be damaging to who we are, because it allows a false sense of self to grow.
When our kids a little, we say "don't hit, use words". What we don't often realize as adults is that we often learn to not do either one. ...and the result is often an experience of someone who is constipated. Pretty uncomfortable.
Here's a stab at it: The inability or unwillingness to recognize or utilize what our emotions indicate to us.
It leads to a number of things:
- Explosiveness
- Addictions
- A kind of forfeiting of goodness to which perceived bad feelings can lead
The truth may more be, though, that we don't want to see the things that go on inside us either. And, what we don't realize is that the self-protection we broker with regard to others and their view of us is really a weapon against ourselves. Our silence can cause us not to speak to ourselves, or perhaps put a differently, to not put words to the reality we are experiencing. When that happens, we form a kind of denial about things, about life, about ourselves. Denial at this level can be damaging to who we are, because it allows a false sense of self to grow.
When our kids a little, we say "don't hit, use words". What we don't often realize as adults is that we often learn to not do either one. ...and the result is often an experience of someone who is constipated. Pretty uncomfortable.
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Monday, May 30, 2011
CUBS 2011
...another fun day at Wrigley. Yes, they lost again. But, the peanuts were good...they just seem to taste better at the ballpark.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Consumerism
The main problem with this culture...the thing that will destroy evangelical christianity in the next 25 years is it's willingness to be at home with the commercialism and the consumerism of our society.
-- Tony Campolo
-- Tony Campolo
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Reason & Spirit
The philosophers of old made reason the sole ruler of man and listened only to her, as the arbiter of conduct. But Christian philosophy makes her move aside and give complete submission to the Holy Spirit, so that the individual no longer lives, but Christ lives and reigns in him (Galatians 2:20).
-- John Calvin
-- John Calvin
Monday, May 16, 2011
3 Things
I often ask for 3 things: wisdom (to understand what is important and what isn't), courage (to speak or move, even when I don't have wisdom's things all perfectly arranged), and strength (to face accusations caused by my courage -- whether they be legit or not). I need all 3 of these. When I choose to stop after any one of them, I feel like I am yielding to a kind of fear.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sympathy or Compassion
Sympathy vs Compassion. Which do you want more? What's the difference? Which is more empowering?
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Afraid to Speak
They that know have grown afraid to speak. That is why sorrows that used to purify now only fester.
-- C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
-- C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Mothers Day 2011
To My Beautiful Wife, Tami,
I want to thank you today, for being you. I am so grateful for all that you are for us, for our kids. For how you have battled for our relationship, and to hold on to 'higher things'...and for the direct gift that is to our kids.
I want to thank for giving yourself to them, selflessly over and over. For showing them that the world is not all about them. And, for showing them that they are loved, that they are enjoyed.
I love the way you 'hang' with them, being you...and being with them. I love how you draw them in...to the things you do in this life.
I love the way you commit yourself to the things they need...even the things that feel endless, like chores and picking up and communicating and doing the things in life that 'just need to be done', to BE a family.
They look forward to dinner every night and that is a wonderful thing, the regularity of it. The warmth of it. The humanness of it. And, the taste of it! I'm glad you foster an environment that makes it good to eat together. I'm glad you make them clean-up when we're done.
I'm glad for our home and all that you 'motherly do' (it's clean, it's beautiful, it's inviting) that makes everyone just 'want to be here'.
I'm grateful for your hard work outside of the home, even when that seems overwhelming...and for what that communicates about life to the girls and to Conner.
I'm grateful that even as mother, you also take time to be my wife. Hard roles, at times, to effortlessly switch in and out of.
I love you, Tami. And, am so grateful for you this Mothers Day.
Dana
I want to thank you today, for being you. I am so grateful for all that you are for us, for our kids. For how you have battled for our relationship, and to hold on to 'higher things'...and for the direct gift that is to our kids.
I want to thank for giving yourself to them, selflessly over and over. For showing them that the world is not all about them. And, for showing them that they are loved, that they are enjoyed.
I love the way you 'hang' with them, being you...and being with them. I love how you draw them in...to the things you do in this life.
I love the way you commit yourself to the things they need...even the things that feel endless, like chores and picking up and communicating and doing the things in life that 'just need to be done', to BE a family.
They look forward to dinner every night and that is a wonderful thing, the regularity of it. The warmth of it. The humanness of it. And, the taste of it! I'm glad you foster an environment that makes it good to eat together. I'm glad you make them clean-up when we're done.
I'm glad for our home and all that you 'motherly do' (it's clean, it's beautiful, it's inviting) that makes everyone just 'want to be here'.
I'm grateful for your hard work outside of the home, even when that seems overwhelming...and for what that communicates about life to the girls and to Conner.
I'm grateful that even as mother, you also take time to be my wife. Hard roles, at times, to effortlessly switch in and out of.
I love you, Tami. And, am so grateful for you this Mothers Day.
Dana
Saturday, May 07, 2011
My Dog, My God, and Me
So, I was running with my dog the other day and he saw a squirrel in the woods to his left. He started straining to his left, pulling me in that direction. I remember thinking, 'Probably a squirrel...he always does that'. Then he pulled harder and my next thought was something like, 'C'mon we're running, Murphy! We don't chase every living thing...we're running!'
Of course, such sentences, when built with actual words tend to linger for a while in my mind. What he didn't realize was the three squirrels that were on his right, almost right beside the road. He saw the squirrel on his left and that was all he saw from that point on. And then, there was me, somewhat ungraciously guiding his leash. ...thinking how not unlike my dog, I am at times when I see something that looks good to me. Almost instinctually, I just respond to 'it', no longer realizing much of what else is going on or who else is guiding what I am about that day.
I wonder sometimes what goes on in Murphy's head, if anything at all. He is such a creature of habit, of instinct, of simple design and being. He remembers patterns to things, but (or so it seems to me) completely forgets other things. Like, he will angle in a certain direction as we run together, based on where we have run before. He will (incessantly) groan and walk back-and-forth with something in his mouth when he is excited about something familiar about to happen to him (like going on a run together). And, he will forget all about it, if I yell at him for some irritating habit of his, just going right back to it, even seconds later. Yes, and he rolls in poop whenever he can get away with it. No matter what I do to 'discourage' that behavior, he just does it again the next time, with no hesitation whatsoever. I've concluded that one is 'built-in' to his dog-ness.
And so, I've wondered about my dog-ness (or, human-ness), how different I am at times in what I instinctively respond to, what I go for, what I naturally think about or do (ok, and yes, what I 'roll in'). I suspect we are all significantly creatures of habit. Just try to take the ones we've developed away from us. We get kinda grouchy. And, the older the we get, the more committed we seem to become to 'our ways' of doing things. At one level, I'm thinking that must look a lot like my dog did when we were running.
So, I wonder how God actually views this kind of thing...how He views me. I picture Him sometimes using His 'guiding leash' with me, not too unlike I do with Murphy. In spite of all the squirrels he can't go for, Murphy 'loves' to go running with me. And, in some strange and similar way, I love to go running with my God. Or, more simply, to be with Him in some way, that is often difficult to describe. I'm glad He let's me chase my squirrels, that He still takes me running in life, that He guides me where I really need to be going.
And, yes, for the benevolence in His leash. I didn't used to see it that way -- benevolent. But as I've plumbed a few of the depths of where my independence gets me, I have realized that there is something wonderful and by design in acknowledging my limitations and my need for His guidance. This probably isn't a fashionable notion for many, but typically the young reacting to it have to grow up (and get knocked around) a bit more and the old doing the same should acknowledge some of the bitterness they're left with...by going it alone. I'm not 'there' completely yet (squirrels still interest me, too, and yes, I resent leashes from time to time), but I'm more and more looking forward to the 'rest' at the end of the 'run'.
Of course, such sentences, when built with actual words tend to linger for a while in my mind. What he didn't realize was the three squirrels that were on his right, almost right beside the road. He saw the squirrel on his left and that was all he saw from that point on. And then, there was me, somewhat ungraciously guiding his leash. ...thinking how not unlike my dog, I am at times when I see something that looks good to me. Almost instinctually, I just respond to 'it', no longer realizing much of what else is going on or who else is guiding what I am about that day.
I wonder sometimes what goes on in Murphy's head, if anything at all. He is such a creature of habit, of instinct, of simple design and being. He remembers patterns to things, but (or so it seems to me) completely forgets other things. Like, he will angle in a certain direction as we run together, based on where we have run before. He will (incessantly) groan and walk back-and-forth with something in his mouth when he is excited about something familiar about to happen to him (like going on a run together). And, he will forget all about it, if I yell at him for some irritating habit of his, just going right back to it, even seconds later. Yes, and he rolls in poop whenever he can get away with it. No matter what I do to 'discourage' that behavior, he just does it again the next time, with no hesitation whatsoever. I've concluded that one is 'built-in' to his dog-ness.
And so, I've wondered about my dog-ness (or, human-ness), how different I am at times in what I instinctively respond to, what I go for, what I naturally think about or do (ok, and yes, what I 'roll in'). I suspect we are all significantly creatures of habit. Just try to take the ones we've developed away from us. We get kinda grouchy. And, the older the we get, the more committed we seem to become to 'our ways' of doing things. At one level, I'm thinking that must look a lot like my dog did when we were running.
So, I wonder how God actually views this kind of thing...how He views me. I picture Him sometimes using His 'guiding leash' with me, not too unlike I do with Murphy. In spite of all the squirrels he can't go for, Murphy 'loves' to go running with me. And, in some strange and similar way, I love to go running with my God. Or, more simply, to be with Him in some way, that is often difficult to describe. I'm glad He let's me chase my squirrels, that He still takes me running in life, that He guides me where I really need to be going.
And, yes, for the benevolence in His leash. I didn't used to see it that way -- benevolent. But as I've plumbed a few of the depths of where my independence gets me, I have realized that there is something wonderful and by design in acknowledging my limitations and my need for His guidance. This probably isn't a fashionable notion for many, but typically the young reacting to it have to grow up (and get knocked around) a bit more and the old doing the same should acknowledge some of the bitterness they're left with...by going it alone. I'm not 'there' completely yet (squirrels still interest me, too, and yes, I resent leashes from time to time), but I'm more and more looking forward to the 'rest' at the end of the 'run'.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Ego & Spirit
Passed along from our good friend, Dave Terry:
Imagine this scene if you will. Two babies are inutero, confined to the
wall of their mother's womb, and they are having a conversation. For the
sake of clarity we'll call these twins Ego and Spirit.
Spirit says to Ego, "I know you are going to find this difficult to
accept, but I truly believe there is life after birth."
Ego responds, "Don't be ridiculous. Look around you. This is all there
is. Why must you always be thinking about something beyond this reality?
Accept your lot in life. Make yourself comfortable and forget about all
of this life-after-birth nonsense."
Spirit quiets down for a while, but her inner voice won't allow her to
remain silent any longer. "Ego, now don't get mad, but I have something
else to say. I also believe that there is a Mother."
"A Mother!" Ego guffaws. "How can you be so absurd? You've never seen a
Mother. Why can't you accept that this is all there is? The idea of a
Mother is crazy. You are here alone with me. This is your reality. Now
grab hold of the cord. Go into your corner and stop being so silly.
Trust me, there is no Mother."
Spirit reluctantly stops her conversation with Ego, but her restlessness
soon gets the better of her. "Ego," she implores, "please listen without
rejecting my idea. Somehow I think those constant pressures we both
feel, those movements that make us so uncomfortable sometimes, that
continual repositioning and all of that closing in that seems to be
taking place as we keep growing, is getting us ready for a place of
glowing light, and we will experience it very soon."
"Now I know you are absolutely insane," replies Ego. "All you've ever
known is darkness. You've never seen light. How can you even contemplate such an idea? Those movements and pressures you feel are your reality. You are a distinct separate being. This is your journey. Darkness and pressures and a closed-in feeling is what life is all about. You'll have to fight it as long as you live. Now grab your cord and please stay still."
Spirit relaxes for a while, but finally she can contain herself no
longer. "Ego, I have only one more thing to say and then I'll never
bother you again."
"Go ahead," Ego responds impatiently.
"I believe all of these pressures and all of this discomfort is not only
going to bring us to a new celestial light, but when we experience it,
we are going to meet Mother face-to-face and know an ecstasy that is
beyond anything we have ever ex-perienced up until now."
"You really are crazy, Spirit. Now I'm truly convinced of it."
This story contains a central truth. We as persons get stuck, locked in,
and fixated on a certain point of view about real-ity, and we, like Ego,
have great difficulty developing an alternative reading of reality.
Spiritual transformation involves the capacity to face our confined
human perspective, to look beyond our limited experience, and often, to
transcend what our primary relationships have negatively taught us about
the world and about ourselves. We are invited to be like Spirit and to
expect and to seek out a new reality, a new creation, and Another whom
we have not yet encountered fully.
-- Wayne D. Dyer's adaptation of a story told by Henri J. M. Nouwen
Thank God that there is more than we know. And, knowing that there is more can free us from clinging so tightly to our methods of trying to survive in this world. What do we ultimately have to fear if nothing can stop us from truly being born?
...food for thought as we as we move on in getting free from the lies
of self-preservation.
Imagine this scene if you will. Two babies are inutero, confined to the
wall of their mother's womb, and they are having a conversation. For the
sake of clarity we'll call these twins Ego and Spirit.
Spirit says to Ego, "I know you are going to find this difficult to
accept, but I truly believe there is life after birth."
Ego responds, "Don't be ridiculous. Look around you. This is all there
is. Why must you always be thinking about something beyond this reality?
Accept your lot in life. Make yourself comfortable and forget about all
of this life-after-birth nonsense."
Spirit quiets down for a while, but her inner voice won't allow her to
remain silent any longer. "Ego, now don't get mad, but I have something
else to say. I also believe that there is a Mother."
"A Mother!" Ego guffaws. "How can you be so absurd? You've never seen a
Mother. Why can't you accept that this is all there is? The idea of a
Mother is crazy. You are here alone with me. This is your reality. Now
grab hold of the cord. Go into your corner and stop being so silly.
Trust me, there is no Mother."
Spirit reluctantly stops her conversation with Ego, but her restlessness
soon gets the better of her. "Ego," she implores, "please listen without
rejecting my idea. Somehow I think those constant pressures we both
feel, those movements that make us so uncomfortable sometimes, that
continual repositioning and all of that closing in that seems to be
taking place as we keep growing, is getting us ready for a place of
glowing light, and we will experience it very soon."
"Now I know you are absolutely insane," replies Ego. "All you've ever
known is darkness. You've never seen light. How can you even contemplate such an idea? Those movements and pressures you feel are your reality. You are a distinct separate being. This is your journey. Darkness and pressures and a closed-in feeling is what life is all about. You'll have to fight it as long as you live. Now grab your cord and please stay still."
Spirit relaxes for a while, but finally she can contain herself no
longer. "Ego, I have only one more thing to say and then I'll never
bother you again."
"Go ahead," Ego responds impatiently.
"I believe all of these pressures and all of this discomfort is not only
going to bring us to a new celestial light, but when we experience it,
we are going to meet Mother face-to-face and know an ecstasy that is
beyond anything we have ever ex-perienced up until now."
"You really are crazy, Spirit. Now I'm truly convinced of it."
This story contains a central truth. We as persons get stuck, locked in,
and fixated on a certain point of view about real-ity, and we, like Ego,
have great difficulty developing an alternative reading of reality.
Spiritual transformation involves the capacity to face our confined
human perspective, to look beyond our limited experience, and often, to
transcend what our primary relationships have negatively taught us about
the world and about ourselves. We are invited to be like Spirit and to
expect and to seek out a new reality, a new creation, and Another whom
we have not yet encountered fully.
-- Wayne D. Dyer's adaptation of a story told by Henri J. M. Nouwen
Thank God that there is more than we know. And, knowing that there is more can free us from clinging so tightly to our methods of trying to survive in this world. What do we ultimately have to fear if nothing can stop us from truly being born?
...food for thought as we as we move on in getting free from the lies
of self-preservation.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Nothing We Can't Do...?
"Today we are reminded that as a nation there is nothing we can't do..." as he hailed the pride of those who broke out in overnight celebrations as word spread around the globe.
-- President Obama said of the news of the killing Osama Bin Laden
Really? Sounds a bit like our last President, too, and frankly many before that. What do our leaders trust in...our military, our effort...ourselves? And, we the people, seem to just drink it in, especially when the bad guy 'over there' meets a demise suitable to us. God save us (literally) from this kind of thinking. We need to drink a little more from this glass:
When your enemy falls, do not rejoice;
when he stumbles do not let your heart exult.
Lest Yahweh see and (it be) bad in his eyes
and he turn his wrath away from him.
-- Prov. 24:17-18
...more of the damage of such things here. Thanks, Jim, for forwarding.
-- President Obama said of the news of the killing Osama Bin Laden
Really? Sounds a bit like our last President, too, and frankly many before that. What do our leaders trust in...our military, our effort...ourselves? And, we the people, seem to just drink it in, especially when the bad guy 'over there' meets a demise suitable to us. God save us (literally) from this kind of thinking. We need to drink a little more from this glass:
When your enemy falls, do not rejoice;
when he stumbles do not let your heart exult.
Lest Yahweh see and (it be) bad in his eyes
and he turn his wrath away from him.
-- Prov. 24:17-18
...more of the damage of such things here. Thanks, Jim, for forwarding.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Wasteland of Hyperactivity
We are every day becoming aware of the costs of a life without rest. Increasingly, social workers, courts, and probation officers are raising our children, rescuing them the unintentional wasteland of our hyperactivity.
-- Wayne Muller
As you might detect, I am doing some reading on the concept of Sabbath in our lives. Noting, particularly, that from God's perspective, this isn't just a recommendation (see the 10 Commandments, number 4). I'm wondering if 'remember the Sabbath' is a pivotal commandment between the earlier ones and those that follow and am considering the ways that this might be the case. And, in so doing, the quote above makes some sense.
Why do you think we are so submerged in 'activity'? What are we afraid of...if we don't stay 'busy'?
The author of the book referenced below suggests:
...our restlessness injures the people around us, who need our attention more than they need our accomplishments. Our children need us to have the time to look them in the eyes, to ask about their lives, to give them the gift of attention. And we need that as well.
I really like this. It is both convicting and freeing...to be different, to stop...to rest.
-- Wayne Muller
As you might detect, I am doing some reading on the concept of Sabbath in our lives. Noting, particularly, that from God's perspective, this isn't just a recommendation (see the 10 Commandments, number 4). I'm wondering if 'remember the Sabbath' is a pivotal commandment between the earlier ones and those that follow and am considering the ways that this might be the case. And, in so doing, the quote above makes some sense.
Why do you think we are so submerged in 'activity'? What are we afraid of...if we don't stay 'busy'?
The author of the book referenced below suggests:
...our restlessness injures the people around us, who need our attention more than they need our accomplishments. Our children need us to have the time to look them in the eyes, to ask about their lives, to give them the gift of attention. And we need that as well.
I really like this. It is both convicting and freeing...to be different, to stop...to rest.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Morning Prayer
Good morning, heavenly Father.
Good morning, Lord Jesus.
Good morning, Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, Sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.
-- John Stott
Good morning, Lord Jesus.
Good morning, Holy Spirit.
Heavenly Father, I worship you as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.
Lord Jesus, I worship you, Savior and Lord of the world.
Holy Spirit, I worship you, Sanctifier of the people of God.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Heavenly Father, I pray that I may live this day in your presence and please you more and more.
Lord Jesus, I pray that this day I may take up my cross and follow you.
Holy Spirit, I pray that this day you will fill me with yourself and cause your fruit to ripen in my life:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Holy, blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons in one God, have mercy upon me. Amen.
-- John Stott
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
It will become clear of itself
Who is it that can make the muddy water clear? But if allowed to remain still, it will gradually become clear of itself.
-- Tao Te Ching
To practice Sabbath is to practice a stillness that brings clarity to our lives. From Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by keri wyatt kent
-- Tao Te Ching
To practice Sabbath is to practice a stillness that brings clarity to our lives. From Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity by keri wyatt kent
Monday, April 25, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Mary's Joy
I've often thought of Mary, the mother of Jesus, through the eyes I think I would have if I were a mother. I think I have largely viewed her as the bearer of an unbelievable burden, to birth and raise and mother the Son of God, whose purposes were so beyond the world of normal family life that...well, I just haven't imagined much of it beyond the focus of surprise, wonder, pain beyond bearing, loss, and confusion at what all just happened to me...the last 33 years.
Perhaps time would reveal more, as it does for so many of us. Perhaps that revelation would overcome the terrors of earlier days.
I read a description of Mary in a writing of a friend. She said, he wrote, "Joy came and found me and joy has never left." This got me thinking about my view of Mary, the work of Jesus, life itself. What causes me to see more largely the tragedy of life than the redemption running through it? I'm sure the answer is somewhat simple; something like the limitations of my humanity.
But considering Mary primarily through the lens of joy alters my perception of her experience as it defers to a greater one. One that I, too, must defer to. And when I consider that greater one, I am filled with something new, something alive, something more real than the realness that the pain of life seems to offer as our only expectation.
I am grateful for my friend's writing this morning. I am grateful for joy . I'm lifted up and into something by it.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know...
-- James 1:2
Perhaps time would reveal more, as it does for so many of us. Perhaps that revelation would overcome the terrors of earlier days.
I read a description of Mary in a writing of a friend. She said, he wrote, "Joy came and found me and joy has never left." This got me thinking about my view of Mary, the work of Jesus, life itself. What causes me to see more largely the tragedy of life than the redemption running through it? I'm sure the answer is somewhat simple; something like the limitations of my humanity.
But considering Mary primarily through the lens of joy alters my perception of her experience as it defers to a greater one. One that I, too, must defer to. And when I consider that greater one, I am filled with something new, something alive, something more real than the realness that the pain of life seems to offer as our only expectation.
I am grateful for my friend's writing this morning. I am grateful for joy . I'm lifted up and into something by it.
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know...
-- James 1:2
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Space
I have a 4-day weekend this week. And, I am amazed at what 'space' does for my soul. I often live so much of the time by schedules, ToDos, things that need attention...how to fit everything together. In other words, packed in. Long spans of time in this mode are not good for me...I change. I become something (someone) I'm not.
Space helps me breathe. It helps me know myself. It gives me opportunity to be more who I really am. Like this morning for example, facing the next four days, I awoke with a strong desire to connect with myself, things important to me, by writing. While many mornings start with a groan about having to crank the engine of getting 'all things done', today I had to force myself to just lay there. Finally, my desire to write, to explore my thoughts won and I headed off, even happily, to Starbucks to sip and write.
I love 'space'.
Space helps me breathe. It helps me know myself. It gives me opportunity to be more who I really am. Like this morning for example, facing the next four days, I awoke with a strong desire to connect with myself, things important to me, by writing. While many mornings start with a groan about having to crank the engine of getting 'all things done', today I had to force myself to just lay there. Finally, my desire to write, to explore my thoughts won and I headed off, even happily, to Starbucks to sip and write.
I love 'space'.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
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