SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: Creation

  • The Power

    It’s almost as if the earth shakes beneath me.  The whole room moves for just a moment, but long enough to get my attention.  There is no denying the power, it is electric.  As we approach summer, the hot and humid weather ushers in thunderstorms.  Most any day can be interrupted by the rush of a storm.  Today is no different.  Yet, today, it feels as if the thunder is erupting from where I sit.  The rumble, followed by a series of hard rain showers,  reminds me of the power our earth holds.  Circumstances change in an instant.  

    Our life can change in an instant, too.  One moment, it seems as if everything is moving along so well.  The next moment, a storm of difficulties seem to wash away all of our plans.  The rumble of disruptions can derail us.  What felt like a great plan falls apart way quicker than it took to compose it.  What do we do when the power of the storm seems to overwhelm us?  How do we adjust to the unpredictability of life?  

    Today, I’m thankful for shelter – a strong roof and a solid foundation which protects me, in some way, from the harshness of the storm.  In life, we have those shelters, too.  We have our faith, which reminds us of how we are never alone and just how much we are loved.  Our faith shows us we are children of God and despite the storms, we are held by almighty arms which will never let us go.  This is a strong foundation.  This is the peace which allows us to sit through the rumble of the thunder without fear.  This is the comfort that even when all else collapses, we are held.  

    My prayer is today you feel the protection from the storm, even when it floods your plans.  I pray you feel the comfort of arms extended wide, even when an embrace seems so unlikely.  I pray you feel the peace despite the turmoil which rages all around you.  And I pray you hear your privileged name, Child of the Most High God.  May it begin with me.  Amen. 

  • Creation Experiences – Devotion 204

    I am reminded of the sacred when I experience art, in all of its many forms.  Paintings, dance, and music (just to name a few) evoke the unspoken.  There are some aspects that our language cannot contain.  Since we cannot speak them, we must be open to the experience.  I find this speaks so loudly through the arts.  My whole being is altered when art holds space for the sacred.  Dance carries us through a moment we would have missed otherwise.  Music helps to transform a moment and carry us to a different place and time.  Yet, we don’t often think of it this way.  Paintings are just paintings – paint on canvas.  Dance is just a movement of the body.  Music is just a compilation of different notes to make something that sounds good (or not).  But together, these are works of creation.  It is our effort to be more like our Creator – taking something from nothing.  It can beautiful and remarkable.

    You may not be the ‘art’ type – but I want to challenge you.  You don’t need to be the artist type to experience God through creation.  You don’t need to have a keen eye, an attentive ear, or any special training.  You only need to pay attention.  It only takes a moment of your time – but can transform your day.  

    I had a special experience with art not long ago.  I will say that I love and appreciate all different forms of art.  But I also have no special talents.  I am not particularly good at any of it.  I wasn’t sure what to think when the leader of our devotion time gave us pastels and paper.  On one hand, it looked fun.  On the other hand, if there were any expectations, I would be out.  The leader (my friend Stephanie – who is extremely talented and so very kind) invited us into a time of just creating as she spoke.  It was a moment that helped me to relax and just enjoy.  It was valuable to help me to hear the Creator and experience a joyful time through art.  I was hooked.  And I was changed.

    Today, maybe spend some time listening to God through different ways than you may have otherwise considered.  Pick up some crayons and color as you listen to music.  Just be open to God speaking through ways that language cannot contain.  And may you be changed.

    Focus Scripture:

    1 Corinthians 2:9-10

    9 But, as it is written,

    “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
        nor the human heart conceived,
    what God has prepared for those who love him”—

    10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 

    Photos included in Devotions are captured by David Cain – The Cain Gallery.  Photos are available for sale by contacting The Cain Gallery

  • Garden of Goodness

    I love planting flowers.  My favorite is when I can plant a flower this year and it brings so much joy.  Next spring, it begins to bloom and shoot up again, without anything on my part.  The seeds have become a part of the soil and it continues to bring joy year after year.  It is one of those simple pleasures in life.  But flowers are not the only things that can take root.  Some choking, hateful weeds also find their way.  They can be some of the most difficult, gnarly things and their roots seem to go on forever.  It is really challenging to get rid of them.  They seem to multiply and take over when I am not looking.  Staying ahead of them seems to be almost impossible.  If I don’t constantly take action, they will take over and the plants won’t even be recognized among the weeds.  It isn’t that the beautiful flowers aren’t there any longer, it is just you can barely recognize them among the deeply rooted weeds.  It looks like a weed bed rather than a flower bed.  It can become so frustrating how quickly they take root.

    We have some weeds in our lives that take root in us too.  We can have trouble blooming and showing our true beauty because the weeds have taken their place and overshadowing the good.  That is what hear in Jesus’ words to his disciples and those willing to listen.  May we have ears to hear and hearts to receive what he has for us today:

    Matthew 15:6-20

    6 So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied rightly about you when he said:

    8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,
        but their hearts are far from me;
    9 in vain do they worship me,
        teaching human precepts as doctrines.’”

    10 Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: 11 it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.” 12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13 He answered, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14 Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 16 Then he said, “Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? 18 But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. 19 For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. 20 These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.”

    Jesus is being pushed on the law, but not the law of God, but rather the law of man.  God’s law has been expanded to become a set of rules that worked for the advantage of the leaders rather than God.  And they wanted to impose this law on Jesus.  They wanted to catch him, to have something to accuse him of doing.  They had no true intention of following God, but rather following the rules they had created for control purposes.  And Jesus calls them out on it.

    They are being hypocritical because their mouths say one thing but their hearts tell a different story.  They pretend to follow God but really want is their own way.  They decide what they like and go with it so they look good.  But God will have none of it.  So Jesus uses a parable, as he often does, to teach a lesson.  He wants them to hear the message in a way that speaks in a different way rather than quoting rules or law.  He approaches them from the heart.  He wants to show them the right way.  And sometimes that means calling them out for where they have gone wrong.   Sometimes he calls us out too, if only we would listen.

    For Jesus, they are upset about the wrong things.  They are looking at how the disciples are eating that is defying the law.  But for Jesus, he is more concerned with what comes out of the mouth than what goes in.  He is not so much concerned about how they eat as to what they say.  Actions mean something.  Being fake is not okay with Jesus.  Putting on some false front does not work out in God’s kingdom.  He knows when it is fake and when it is real because he knows the heart.  He understands when intentions are to look good rather than to be loving and kind.  He gets it and he is trying to help them understand it as well.

    So he tells them that the problem is what comes out of the mouth.  We hear this echoed in the book of James as well.  It is a problem with what is spoken, what happens as a result of the things in our heart.  The problem is what has taken root in our hearts.  We may have beautiful things captured in our heart, but the weeds may be taking over.  The weeds of our lives may be so deeply embedded that our intentions are beginning to reflect the weeds.  The beauty of our lives, the goodness God has given us, the love that has been poured into us may become hidden.  How do we know?  What is in our hearts reflects in the things we say and do.

    Our of the heart comes some pretty foul, harsh, ugly things, Jesus says.  He gives some examples:  evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.  That’s a pretty rough list.  We may think there is no way we have any of that in our hearts.  But we also have to remember how Jesus defines these things.  We are in the Gospel of Matthew.  This is the same Gospel that gives us the sermon on the mount, right?  Matthew 5-7 gives us insight on how Jesus feels about these same things.  For instance, he reminds us that where there is hatred for a brother or sister, we have already committed murder in our heart…when there is lust for another, there has been adultery in the heart…when there is greed, there has already been theft…when there is anger, there has already been bad outcomes.  In other words, he may not speak directly of the actual actions of these things, but rather the intentions, the things that have taken root in us.  So anger, greed, malice, jealousy, hatred – just to name a few.  These come out of our mouths.  They show up in our lives and they are ugly.  The weeds begin to reflect in the ways we act and the things we say.  Our lives become stained by these ugly, destructive weeds.  They take root and cover up the goodness God has created.

    We may not even realize it.  We may not even see our own anger or greed or envy.  We may not see our hatred or jealousy.  We may not see how ugly things have gotten in our hearts.  What do we do?  We read the words given to us by God.  We hear God speak to us in the moments we feel guilty.  We begin to look at what we post or hear the things we say.  We begin to take a long, difficult look at what is in our heart.  It will show if we just look.  And it is ugly.

    It often doesn’t take a lot of investigation to realize where we are.  It doesn’t take much to realize the weeds that have taken root.  We know when we are being destroyed and overtaken.  We know when we are not doing the things we should or we are doing what we should not.  We know when anger has taken our hearts.  We know when envy has taken its ugly place as a resident.  We know.  We can see it too, if we really look.  God reveals it to us if we are simply willing to take a look.  If we are really ready to hear, we are told.  If we will quit denying, God reveals.

    We are not defeated, though.  The weeds do not have to take over.  They may have deep roots, but this does not mean they can’t be uprooted.  They may seem overwhelming, but God can help us to clean up and beautify.  He can help us to reimagine the garden of our hearts.  He can help us to start again.  It isn’t easy.  It is a regular struggle.  Just like the flower bed, it takes regular attention.  Think about it, if I clean up my flower bed today, how long do you think it would take before the weeds come back?  If I don’t pay attention, it wouldn’t take too long.  It is a constant process of cleaning up and getting back on track.  It is a continual weeding and getting rid of the things which can defile.  It is something we do daily.  But when God is the master of our garden, good things will grow.  Great things will happen.  There is more beauty that we could ever imagine.

    Will you join me in weeding out the ugliness of our hearts?  Will you plant the goodness of God?  We just might see God at work in our own lives if we do.

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  • Grounding in the Chaos

    Things sure have changed a lot in a short amount of time.  Our secure, comfortable schedules have been displaced and torn to shreds.  The rhythm of our days has become a page of staccatos without the usual flow of the masterpiece.  What we have always relied on has been altered and changed.  And let’s be honest, some of us handle it better than others.  Some are angry at everything…waiting anxiously to lash out at anything that shows up.  Some of us appear a bit lost…wandering around aimlessly trying to find a sense of direction.  And some of us are simply trying to adjust to the new rhythm, trying to find a new sense of normalcy in a chaotic piece of art.  It is scary and enlightning all at the same time.  Every time we think we have this new rhythm down pat, the whole piece changes and we are required to re-adjust.  And some of us are not great at the re-adjustment.  Our world is different and we are not okay with it.  So we might blame anyone we can and yell at anyone who will listen.  We may even find ourselves lost in the mess of it all.

    This isn’t the first time the world has changed in the blink of an eye.  It has been happening since the beginning.  There have been uproars and wars.  There have been times of peace and contentment.  There have been times when things are going well and all seems to be in place.  And there are times when many worried there would never be peace again.  This isn’t the first time.

    I have been thinking about the Israelites in all of this.  What we are encountering is nothing compared to their struggles.  They were slaves in a land that was not their own.  God sees and hears them.  But that meant they had to leave their homes in the middle of the night and run…and keep running.  They kept running until they reached…the wilderness.  That’s right…not the Promised Land they would have liked to have seen.  They reached wilderness – vast dryness and nothingness.  They were there with no food, no water and little supplies.  They reached the end of their lives.  And in their honesty, they found a longing for their days in captivity…at least they knew what was expected there.  Here, everything was unexpected and variable.  They didn’t know about their next meal.  They didn’t know what they would do or where they would go.  They didn’t understand that God was working to rescue them.  All they knew was this place wasn’t what they thought and they just wanted to go back.  Only…they couldn’t.  They had come too far now.  And they were scared.

    What did God do to help them in their fears?  What did he do to show them that this was not the end?  He provided for them.  They were given food and water.  They had tents for shelter.  Their basic needs were cared for.  They were not left alone.  God saw them.  He heard them.  He was in the process of providing rescue.  Along with providing for them, he gave them a visible sign of his presence.  God let them know that he was with them always.  There was a cloud…there was fire…God was there.  They only had to look around them to see that he had not left them.

    And then God gave them a new rhythm.  He gave them something to hold onto.  He gave them something that they could grasp and know he was in this.  It wasn’t what they expected, I am sure.  It wouldn’t be what we would expect either.  But it was God’s response to their human need.  He got that they needed direction and guidance.  He provided the 10 commandments.

    Now before you roll your eyes and dismiss what I am going to say…stay with me.  We have come to view the 10 commandments as an archaic set of rules that should be made into statues or monuments, but not so much followed.  We have viewed them as a list of do nots and a way for punishment.  They are not often seen as God’s answer to the needs of his people.  He gives them these commandments as a guide to help them in their dismay.  They have lost their way.  They do not know which way to turn.  They are looking for stable ground.  When wilderness is all you see, you need direction.  And this was his answer for his people in their time of great need.  It was not for their harm or a way to keep them under control.  This was a gift of protection and love.  This was a reminder that in their great distress, God had not left them.  These words were meant to help them when they didn’t know what else to do.

    So if we read them in a different light, we might hear something different.

    We have the commandments recorded in Exodus 20.  I want to focus only on the first few of the commandments this morning because it is the basis for the rest.  If you get these, the remainder seems to fall into place.  And it seems to me that the first is the first for a really good reason.  I do encourage you to go back and read the remainder.  They all have something powerful to teach us.

    Exodus 20:1-6

    20 Then God spoke all these words:

    2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

    4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

    I hear…God brought you here and he hasn’t left you.  I hear that God has brought us here and God has not left us.  This may not be a place we would have picked but this is not the end.  We may only see wilderness, but this is not the end.  God is God and we are not.  And he expects and commands us to keep him first.  To keep him first in all things is the guide.  There should not be competition between God and other things in our lives.  God is first and stays that way.  When we are lost, he is our grounding.  When we are scared, he is our security.  When we feel empty, he takes care of our needs.  His presence is with us…just look around.  While our world is changing, God is not.  He is with us.

    If God is with us, whom do we fear?  Why are we so angry if God is our guide?  Why are so filled with rage if the God of love is our salvation?  Why do we hold so tight to our things on this earth if our treasures are not here anyway?  Why do we fight to have things our way if what we really want is God’s way?

    We are told that God did not give us a spirit of fear…but instead a spirit of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  We are given a spirit of love.  That doesn’t leave room for our selfishness.  It doesn’t leave room for our desire to have things our way.  It does give us reason to look at things quite differently.  What would it all look like if we lived in love?  How might it look differently if we found our solid foundation in the commandments to guide us?  We might just find that we are wrong on some things.  We might find some of our fears are not justified.  We might see that those fighting for justice are onto something.  We might realize that God is working and it is a matter of opening our hearts and minds.  We might find a different rhythm and it might be freeing.  It may be a masterpiece God is preparing.  Can you feel it?

    May we find grounding in the commandments…and may they be the guide for our lives in times like these.

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  • Restoration

    I sit on my back patio this morning working remote and considering how our world has been turned upside down in just a few short weeks – just craziness.  After a while, all that’s going on begins to beat us down and make us weary.  Our souls can just be so very weary and tired.  There are signs of hope that pop up – I find just enough to encourage and motivate.  There are loving notes being sent, positive thoughts being shared, and kind texts floating around finding their way to just the right person at just the right time.  There is food being shared and face masks being made.  There are so many good things.  But those seem so small if we get caught up in the overwhelming weight of it all.  They can get lost in the darkness of these times and the depth of the troubles (at least if you watch the news).  But this morning, the birds still sing their beautiful song, the sun shines extra bright and the breeze is a welcome refreshment to the craziness we call life.  I lay my head back in the sun and these words echo in my heart… “He restores my soul”  Yes!!  In the middle of the turmoil, chaos, and unknowns…God restores my soul.  So we soak in the love and allow God to do what God does best – restoration.  May God restore your soul today.

    He restores my soul

  • Captivated

    It is really interesting what captivates our minds and pulls us in…what so easily distracts us from all that is around.  Over the past week or so, developing stories of the virus have spread…changing situations moment by moment.  It is all we talk about and all we hear.  Panic has set it and fear reigns down like fire on a pile of kindling.  We are captivated, waiting to hear what is next, checking to see how many cases there are now, and wondering how we will find toilet paper.  We seem to breathe in the news of the world and we exhale with long breaths of despair and worry.  It has truly taken over.  But, if we take a moment…turn off the TV…put down the phones…keep our distance from others…and simply walk outside…all is not in chaos.

    It is SPRING.  There are trees beginning to bloom, flowers starting to bud, and the birds seem to be singing their song louder than ever.  I wonder how many have even paid attention to the beautiful symphony of music played by God’s creation.  How can we become captivated…not on the chaos and worry and fear…but on the One that gives us life and breath – peace and joy (even in the storm)?  Maybe today we stop focusing on all the things that are going wrong and focus on what God gets right…EVERY…SINGLE…DAY.  May we become captivated by creation…beauty that can overwhelm if we simply pay attention.

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  • Imagining Something Different

    Ever had the thought…this is never going to get better?  Ever wonder if it will always be this way and nothing is going to change?  It is difficult to believe things could really be any different.  We imagine a new world, hope for things to change, look for signs to see where God is at work.  And then we notice what we really see… fighting and backstabbing, lying and cheating, bullying and degrading.  And that’s on the 6 am news before the day even gets started.  Children are starving around the world and many of the world’s diseases could be prevented with something as simple as clean water.  Greed rules the day and selfishness is the theme of so many.

    Even in the church, the place where we should be seeking and striving for a new way, it is difficult to imagine sometimes.  If we are honest about it…we tend to be judgmental and cruel…we tend to think that people should act a certain way, dress a certain way, have their hair a certain way, smell a certain way, and should adapt to our way of life.  We don’t have a lot of patience for those that are different and if we do for a moment, it is because we have the expectation that they will soon enough change to be who we want them to be.  We don’t have a lot of experience with other cultures so we dismiss them.  We don’t understand our differences so we seek to eliminate rather than to embrace them.  We don’t often take the time to know someone else’s story because we are waiting for them to change.  We like the way things are and to do anything different would be…out of the question – even if we don’t verbalize that feeling.

    Now, you may think that this cannot possibly apply to us, as the church today…but I would challenge you to take a second or third look.  Do we really want people who are different with us…do we really want to reach those that come from different cultures…do we really want to welcome those that we might consider an outsider…and the fact that we can use the word outsider in this sense really does answer a lot of the question.  We don’t really want to consider that there could be another way.  To envision something different is difficult because we become comfortable and fear causes us to push back on anything that takes away that comfort.  We like the way things are because that makes us feel better.  We aren’t ready for anything different.  So we push out those that do not quite conform…those that do not quick enough make the change…that do not see like we do.  And we become a group of people…like us.  And to do any different is scary.

    It even happens among us…among those that are already here…that have stayed and are a part and we have accepted.  We have created a culture that rewards conformity to such an extent that it is sometimes difficult to express what you really feel.  For instance, if someone is struggling at home, it is better to keep that under wraps – for fear of judgment.  If one of us is facing depression or loneliness, anxiety or fear…if we mentally just don’t know how we are going to make it…we don’t express that in church – people tend to gossip about things like that.  And let’s face it, historically, the church’s answer in general to our problems has been one of…pray about it and if you have enough faith, all will work out.  The problem is that this a hollow, one liner that doesn’t really seek to understand the real struggles of the person.  No…having enough faith does not cure all things.  No…praying enough does not take away depression or anxiety.  No…pretending to conform just so you fit in is not the pattern of Jesus.  And no…this is not what is taught.  This is not okay.  We have to do better.  There is still hope, though.  And wouldn’t you know it…it is found in the Bible.  There is hope of a new way…hope of a new day…hope that this is not all there is…and it begins with words from God.

    Isaiah 65:17-25

    God is presenting a new vision…one that the Israelites can’t even wrap their minds around…and frankly, neither can we.  God is presenting a vision of peace, of justice, of health…it is a vision where no one is hungry.  It is a vision where his creation…which he created as good…really is good.  It is a place where there is joy.  There are tangible realities…eating from the crops that are grown…living healthy lives because of living off the land – a land that they take care of, love and tend…peace rules…not because everyone is the same, but because they use their gifts for the greater good.  All comes together, as God intended, created, and ordained.  This is good.  And it is to come, God says.  All being made new.

    When we read this, it is such a beautiful picture that we can see this as idealistic…a type of utopia that never will be.  We can miss the possibilities contained in the scripture.  We could easily skip over that God says he is doing this.  This is a vision that God has at work…is putting in place.  God can make this happen!

    We could say this vision is for the future  – it is a new heaven and new earth after all.  And that is true – it is a future glimpse.  But that is not all.  We could also look at it as beginning here and now.  God may just be at work reforming, renewing, remaking right now.  We could think of it as the kingdom of God.  We could think of it, as Jesus taught us to pray…Your kingdom come, Your will be done…on earth as it is in heaven.  Your kingdom is to come and yet is already here.  Jesus brought the kingdom and yet…there is so much more that awaits. But that begins with us doing as we are called and created – right here and right now.  That begins with us giving up our ideals of how we think things should be and focusing on what God thinks things should look like.  And I think this new…looks a lot more diverse.  I think this renewal looks a lot more welcoming and loving…accepting and exciting…I think it looks a lot more joyful and promising.  And I don’t think it is idealistic as we want to make it out to be.  I think it is accessible and real and right before us.  But we have to be willing to let the old things go…the things that we want…the ways that we want…the ideals that we have…

    Note…I am not suggesting giving up our values or beliefs…I am not suggesting giving up following Jesus or living by God’s word.  I am suggesting that the ways that we have of doing that may not be the right way.  I am suggesting that things could be different…joyful and peaceful and equal and above all else, loving of all.  I am suggesting we begin to follow Jesus, truly follow his lead.

    I admit…it sounds idealistic to me – I long for this picture to be so.  I so want to know that God is making all things new and that there is hope for a new creation…that God can once again say that it is good.  I want to see where God’s children come together in peace and no one is hungry.  What a joy it would be to see this vision to become reality.  But what if it means we have to begin to re-vision what we expect? What if it means we have to do some changing to be more like God?  What if it means that we have to be willing to take a step back and realize where we are not doing what we should – where have we missed it?

    If we are honest, keeping things the same is always easier.  Change is hard.  Doing things like we always have is much more comfortable.  Living where our ways are the ways and people conform to that makes us feel better.  Worshiping with people like us alleviates fear.  Giving quick answers is easier than getting to know people and their stories.  Ignoring what is going on in life is more comfortable that walking with others through their fears and struggles.

    But the problem is…I don’t read anything in the Bible about that being okay.  Jesus broke all the molds by fulfilling what God has taught.  What he did completely shook up the establishment.  How he lived was so radical that they wanted him dead.  He made the religious so nervous with his ways that they wanted him eliminated…silenced…done away with.  Are we living like that too?  There is a different way.  There is a better way.  But it is scary and uncomfortable and different…it means people that look different and act different will be with us.  It means that people will able to talk openly about mental health and their struggles and the church will have a better answer than simply praying and having faith.  It means that people don’t have to dress or smell or act like we do to be loved and welcomed and accepted.  I wonder…could it be so.  Isaiah’s vision says…it certainly can.

    Jesus began to change things…he challenged those that thought they had it all together…he loved on those that knew they needed him…he pushed people out of what they had always been doing and always had known.  Jesus began to help people see that it could be different…that the church didn’t have to be like it was…that faith was so much more…that love required action rather than just words.  Jesus understood the struggles of people…their mental struggles, their physical struggles, their health struggles…he got it and reached them where they are…he didn’t ask them to become more like the religious people…he helped them become their best – who God had created them to be.

    If we become more like Christ, this vision becomes clearer and clearer.  If we walk like Jesus, the reality that this is the kingdom to come and yet, is here becomes more apparent.  We begin working for reform right where we are.  And we begin with ourselves.  We begin with changing who we are so that we reflect Jesus.  We don’t worry about what others are doing…we work on us…who we are, what we think, how we act, why we judge, what we need to do to become who Christ calls us to be.

    I say…we look forward to this vision…make me an instrument in your plan, God.  Renew, remake, shape, form and help me to see what you are up to.  And Lord, use me to help make your vision of the kingdom a reality.  Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done…on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.

  • Sacred Spaces

    We know we have encountered a sacred space when we arrive there…it has happened to me before.  I am always surprised and joyful when I know I am there, as if I have been invited by the One who loves me.  The space this time was discovered while spending a week in retreat at Mepkin Abbey.  The week was the gift of breathing, rest, and worship.  It ushered in solitude, grace, love, and warmth…healing my weary soul.  The sacred space was revealed in the garden, in the most inconspicuous of places among it all.  The beauty of the gardens overlooking the waters of the Cooper River invites the visitor to come and sit, listen and pray.   But it was on a set of steps leading up to a cemetery that I felt washed over with love…in a ravine with lush underbrush and beautiful random flowers.  The most amazing songs were sung by the symphony of birds, songs that were the most welcoming and joyful I have ever encountered.  They stole the silence of the grounds and my heart invited their song. My heart needed their song.  The beauty of it all was indescribable.  I wanted to stay in that place, in that moment, forever.  Or, at least to return often, to know I was close enough to capture the sacredness of it all, again and again.  But that isn’t how some sacred spaces work.  Some are given to us for just a glimpse, a season, a breath.  They are a momentary vision of God’s amazing beauty and grace wrapped in greenery and song, and my heart was full.  But at some point, I had to move…to move on, to move forward, reaching ever closer to the call.  I am grateful to be given the space, if just for a little while.  I was reminded of God’s Presence in the songs of his small but powerful creation.  While I can’t stay forever, I can carry the joy, the love and the peace with me as I serve.  May God continue to give sacred spaces, if just for a moment…and may I stop to hear his still, small voice that changes everything.  Until next time…

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  • What are you looking at?

    There are many things I do not understand.  I realize just how much I really don’t understand the older my children get.  I do not understand teenage girls…and I’m fairly sure teenage girls don’t understand teenage girls.  It’s one of those mysteries I am okay with remaining a mystery…I just pray for endurance to make it through…

    I also had a difficult time understanding verses that I think are actually quite important in the Bible.  Verses like…”forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead”…and “so do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”  These bother me.  Okay…so a lot of the Bible bothers me – which is good.  But, these have been bothering me recently.  Why?

    Well, let’s take the first one.  Why would would I want to forget what lies behind?  I know…the past is the past – we can’t change it.  But, what about those valuable lessons learned.  I don’t know about you, but I learned some of my most important lessons through the big mistakes I made…and I have made more than my fair share.  I don’t really want to repeat them, so I need to remember.  And then I am leaning in towards what lies ahead.  I like that, but I would like to lean in with the lessons I learned so my leaning doesn’t become tripping and I just fall right into what lies ahead…it could be smelly crap ahead.  It would be better to lean than to dive head first into that.

    And then, there is the not worrying about tomorrow verse.  Yep, I get that too.  I know I’m not to worry about tomorrow because I can’t do anything about what hasn’t happened yet.  But, the part that bothers me is that it says tomorrow will have worries of its own…and that today has trouble.  Really?  Can’t it say that tomorrow might just be great and today might just be worry and trouble-free?  I know…I’m might be missing the point – but it doesn’t mean these don’t bother me.  It’s probably because I tend to be anxious about tomorrow and I end up face first in poop as I lean too far.

    This week, though, I had a revelation.  I won’t say it was divine…although I definitely think that God speaks so loudly if we will only listen.  I will just say that God made it a little more clear to my simple mind something about these lessons from the Bible.  I decided on Thursday to go run at the Cliffs of the Neuse.  It was a beautiful warm January day – so why not?  These are rare and I really enjoy the change in scenery.  The Cliffs are full of God’s handprint.

    As I was shuffling along through the trails, I realized first that I am not a really good trail runner…but, it’s still fun.  But most importantly, I learned that I had to keep my eyes  constantly right in front of me.  If I look ahead down the trail, I will definitely trip and end up face plant right on the trail.  Yes…I know from personal experience.  If I look behind me, I tend to veer whichever way I am looking.  Veering off a one way trail means you end up hitting a tree or worse yet, falling off the trail.  No…I haven’t yet had that experience…although I’ve had close calls with the tree (a new definition of a tree hugger). Anyway, I have to keep my eyes right where I am.  I can glance around.  I can stop and enjoy.  But ultimately, to keep moving forward, my eyes have to be right where I am.

    And, that is it!   I might forget where I have been, but that doesn’t mean the experiences from my past are gone.  The lessons continue with me, even when I forget exactly where my feet have stepped.  I can glance forward to see what is ahead, but I can’t stay fixated on it…I can’t worry about it.  If I do, I end up falling – and then I’ve made it even worse.  I have to keep my eyes right where I am…one step at a time…trusting that God is with me…knowing that I am God’s beloved…and understanding that no matter what, it will all be okay.

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    The trail was calling

  • Cloudy Mirrors

    Mirrors can be powerful instruments.  They can help us to see ourselves as we get ready to meet the world.  They can help us to identify our “trouble areas” and see where we might need to work on things.  There is a problem though.  It would seem that too many of us have cloudy mirrors.  We do not actually see our real reflection.  We instead see what we want to see staring back in the mirror.

    How can that be?  We seem to have no trouble seeing others.  We seem to have no problem making judgments about other people…the way they dress, the way they did their hair, the way they carry themselves.  We have no trouble identifying others imperfections.  And often, we wonder if they looked in the mirror before they walked out of the house.  We wonder if there mirror was more than cloudy.  After all…we would never leave the house looking like THAT.

    But maybe it’s not our mirror at all that is the problem.  I don’t think it is our eyesight.  That can be a problem as we age, but I’m thankful for glasses to help us along.  I don’t think it is the size of our mirror or where it is in our house.  The problem is with us.

    There is a Bible verse that has always been difficult for me.  It is in the book of James, chapter 1.  James is writing how believers should be people of action, be a part of the game…not just sitting on the sidelines waiting for others to do the work.  That’s a difficult enough statement.  But, he continues to say that those who sit on the sidelines are like those who see themselves in a mirror.  When they walk away, they immediately forget what they look like.  As I have read this scripture, I always thought…how does someone forget what they look like.  Sometimes we might want to forget what we look like…we all have those “rough” days.  But, how do we forget?

    And it dawned on me…That’s the answer…that’s how our view in the mirror becomes so skewed.  We can be so focused on what other people are doing (or not doing)…we can be constantly criticize or judge…we can point out the faults of everyone else… That we forget who we are…or we create this image of how good or bad we are that isn’t even real.  We forget that we are to be people who are of action.  We forget to take a good long look at ourselves and what we are doing.  If we, as Christians, spent as much time working for God…focusing on what he wants us to do…rather than being critical of everyone around us…we might actually see change happen.

    That image in the mirror might actually become clearer.  We might see the beautiful creation made and fashioned by God staring at us in the mirror.  And that beautiful creation is not only fashioned by God, but created for a purpose.  Our purpose is not to judge everyone else…but rather to do as we are called and created.

    It is true that we can only change ourselves…and to change the world, it begins with me.  Maybe today, I wipe that mirror clean and begin to take a long, hard look at me.  How has God created and fashioned me to do his work?  What am I doing for him?  How am I living?  What message am I sending?  How am I loving my neighbor?  How am I living out what Jesus taught?

    May we stop at the mirror today, truly see ourselves as beautiful and created by God, and walk away serving others… Loving God and loving our neighbor…regardless of what they look like.