Life

Cloaked in Courage…

A long time ago, there was a woman with an illness for which there seemed to be no cure. She tried everything she could possibly try within the realm of conventional or traditional practices. However, the only changes were negative as both the condition of her health, and her wealth, continued to suffer.

After being through so much over the course of many years, the woman was moved to try something not only different, but also bold and new. It would take courage, especially given the times in which she lived and her status in society. It would also require a great leap of faith. However, as nervous or afraid as she might have felt, when she considered all things, deep down she knew that trying more of the same, would only lead to further suffering. She came to see that she needed to do something different, so she did, and it made all the difference.

Oftentimes, steadfastness can be confused with, or perhaps too tightly associated with, choices that are “conventional” or “traditional.” Yet, when looking through the eyes of faith and one’s experience along with tradition, and Scripture, God’s steadfastness is not stagnant, nor is it ever tied to the “rules” of the time, space, or place in which one might find themselves.

In many ways, and as seen through all of Scripture, including the life and ministry of Jesus, God is always present as well as constantly evolving. At the same time, God calls each of us to evolve, too.

The woman who suffered with hemorrhages for twelve years certainly had faith. We can also surmise that she had been praying all that time too in addition to seeking medical help. However, her healing only came when she listened deep within, took courage, did the unconventional, and touched the cloak of Jesus.

There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years.
She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors
and had spent all that she had.
Yet she was not helped but only grew worse.
She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd
and touched his cloak.
She said, “If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.”
Immediately her flow of blood dried up.
She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.
Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him,
turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who has touched my clothes?”
But his disciples said to Jesus,
“You see how the crowd is pressing upon you,
and yet you ask, ‘Who touched me?'”
And he looked around to see who had done it.
The woman, realizing what had happened to her,
approached in fear and trembling.
She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth.
He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you.
Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.” – Mark 5: 25-34,

Back to the Garden…

Sometimes when you dream
Your dreams come true.
In extraordinary ways
Suddenly, a day can be so amazing.
And sometimes when you yearn, you burn the air.
And then you are not the same.
And the world is. – Mindi Dickstein

Many dreams begin from broad aspirations. They may also include visions of idyllic outcomes along the way. Yet life seldom works that way.

In the beginning, there was the Garden of Eden. It was sheer perfection, beauty beyond comparison. Then it was lost. However, it was not irretrievably lost. While it would never be the same again, the Spirit behind it would always be reachable, always waiting to inspire, embolden, and strengthen those who might seek to live in it.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain,
and for nothing, uselessly, spent my strength,
yet my reward is with the LORD,
my recompense is with my God. – Isaiah 49:4

As we go through life, it is hard to go after one’s dreams and to work at being the best version of you, you can be. Many things may warrant our attention. Sometimes they can pull us in directions that are unexpected or unwanted. However, even within these tangents, the Garden of Eden often lies. The key is to remember, it is up to us, in each situation, even in the ugliest of ones, to search for the truth, beauty and knowledge that it may hold within, and to do all we can to let it grow.

“I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” – Louisa May Alcott

 

Sowing Seeds…

If I take a stone and throw it across the top of still water, immediately I can see the ripples caused by the impact of the stone. Depending on how quiet my surroundings are, I might also be able to hear the impact. Furthermore, having previously experienced the sight and sound of a stone skipping across water, even if I could not see and hear the affect, I would still be able to envision it. The way the mind works is interesting, and our ability to remember, to make associations, and to imagine, can be of great value.

As we enter Father’s Day weekend, I find myself thinking about the fact that so much of life comes down to what one values. Whether working independently, with a partner, or in a larger group, it is always that which is valued most, that has the greatest impact on what you sow, and therefore, what you reap. In chapter 4 of the Gospel of Mark (verses 26-34), Jesus is essentially telling the crowds, when you sincerely respect and value God, what you sow, that is both your words and your deeds, reflect God’s ways, producing more than you can envision and reaching much farther than your wildest dreams.

Whether or not you can see the ripples in the water or the fruit from the seed, have faith, they are there.

TheSower

Jesus said to the crowds:
“This is how it is with the kingdom of God;
it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
and would sleep and rise night and day
and through it all the seed would sprout and grow,
he knows not how.
Of its own accord the land yields fruit,
first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,
for the harvest has come.”

He said,
“To what shall we compare the kingdom of God,
or what parable can we use for it?
It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,
is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants
and puts forth large branches,
so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”
With many such parables
he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
Without parables he did not speak to them,
but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

– Mark 4:26-34

 

On the Edge, Greatness…

At the beginning of the week, as I looked out the window and scanned the back yard, I spotted a doe, yes, “a dear, a female deer,” at the edge of the grass path that leads to the woods. Although tempted to step away to get my camera to try to capture the moment, instead I stayed and watched. For quite some time the doe just stood there in its peaceful, patient way, nibbling at the leaves of a branch. Every so often it lifted its head to glance all around, surveying and taking in the environment with its big, beautiful, pensive eyes. Then, in what seemed like a flash, it was gone, heading off deeper into the woods.

Thinking about this experience, I am struck by the faith that is needed to go into, or to return to, the wilderness. Yet, it is this very same faith that calls creation to the place that is less familiar, less comfortable, or perhaps altogether unknown. Even more, it is the same faith that assures us, moving us toward peace and patience, and helping us to know, we are never alone.

True faith awakens and arises us, calling us closer to the edge, and whispering: Come. Come deeper into the mystery that is God.

In Every Age – by Janet Sullivan Whitaker

Long before the mountains came to be
and the land and sea and stars of the night,
through the endless seasons of all time,
you have always been,
you will always be.

In ev’ry age, O God,
you have been our refuge.
In ev’ry age, O God,
you have been our hope.

Teach us to make use of the time we have.
Teach us to be patient even as we wait.
Teach us to embrace our ev’ry joy and pain.
To sleep peacefully,
and to rise up strong.

In ev’ry age, O God,
you have been our refuge.
In ev’ry age, O God,
you have been our hope.

You have been our refuge
You have been our hope.

OnTheEdgeGreatness

Taking the Baton…

There I was, jogging in place, raring to go, waiting in anticipation for the race to start, the baton to be handed off, and trying to be ready to receive and hold onto it, as the moment arrived and my turn approached. Although it was well over 30 years ago, I recall that relay race very well. It was a rite of passage as one prepared to transition from one school level to the next.

Transition is so much a part of life, as is competition. While change and a drive toward accomplishment can be wonderful and life altering, depending on the mood, or the spirit, operating it may, or may not, be life giving. How to tell the difference? When life feels like a race rather than a journey, or it is more about “I” and “me” than about “we” and “us,” chances are the tide is shifting, or has changed, to that of earthly matters.

In the relay race, one can be ready and raring to go, but it is only when the baton is passed, received, and held onto, that one can run their leg of the race, helping the team to accomplish the task at hand.

When Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room (John 20:19-23), he extended them peace, showed them proof that it was really him, breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In the Book of the Prophet Ezekiel, it is through the breath of God that the dry, dead bones, come to life (Ezekiel 37). “As I watched, sinews appeared on them, flesh grew over them, skin covered them on top, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me: Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man! Say to the breath: Thus says the Lord GOD: From the four winds come, O breath, and breathe into these slain that they may come to life. I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath entered them; they came to life and stood on their feet, a vast army (verses 8-10).

In the Book of Genesis, God created the first human being, who then came alive by the breath of God (Genesis 2:7).

The breath of God—Ruah… the Spirit of God is truly life giving. By it we have been blessed into being. It is for us to take and receive over and over—ever-present and always available, to hold onto, and to be run with, or rather to be led by. When we live in and through the Spirit of God throughout our journey, life abounds, not just for ourselves, but also for those around us.

“In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

One need not run like the wind, so much as to let oneself be carried by it.

NantasketClouds2

Draped in Green…

Surveying the area, an array of green could be seen across the land and against the backdrop of blue provided by the sky. It can seem so easy, almost effortless, to appreciate and recognize that which is pleasing or good to the eye. That which is good for the soul, though, can sometimes be elusive or require more time, patience, and insight.

In the seventeenth chapter of the Gospel according to John, in verse 17, Jesus says, “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.” These sentiments are part of a prayer to God prior to Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion. Jesus knows the ugliness that lies ahead for himself and the disciples, both those in front of him and those to come. However, he also knows it is temporary and that the sacred beauty that exists within all creation, the seeds that have been planted, and the fruit that will be born is eternal.

Imagine Jesus’ prayer as an ongoing prayer for the well-being of humanity. “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.”

God’s word is truth. It is found in Scripture, discovered through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and revealed by the Holy Spirit, prompting, sometimes prodding, and often quietly guiding us to truth, both the kind that is pleasant, and the kind that is not.

So whether draped in green, saddled in mud, or somewhere in between, Truth will always find you, and gently bring you home.

ShadesOfGreen

 

On the Edge…

The drops of water lay so gently on the flower’s petals, leaving no evidence of the heavy downpours in the hours before.

Currently, in the state of Hawaii, there are rumblings underground through which lava is flowing. Where there was no evidence of faulty ground visible to the eye, where once perhaps there was what seemed steady, tolerable or even glamorous, now there is disruption. However, depending not on where one stands, but on how one stands, the ground, though it may be cracked and shaking, remains intact.

When Peter and his fellow Apostles were carrying on after Jesus’ death and resurrection, the ground was shaky. The future was unknown, yet they remained intact. They were able to proceed despite differences, disputes, and disruptions. They remained rooted even when the ground was moving.

The Apostles stood firm in their love of God. This was the manner in which they lived—how they stood, wherever they stood. Their love of God and desire to be faithful to God, impassioned them. It opened their hearts and minds, enflaming their spirits and their willingness to listen and to be guided by the Holy Spirit, despite their prior understanding or personal thoughts on the way things should be.

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him
and, falling at his feet, paid him homage.
Peter, however, raised him up, saying,
“Get up. I myself am also a human being.”

Then Peter proceeded to speak and said,
“In truth, I see that God shows no partiality.
Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly
is acceptable to him.”

While Peter was still speaking these things,
the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word.
The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter
were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit
should have been poured out on the Gentiles also,
for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.

Then Peter responded,
“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people,
who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?”
He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

– Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

While the Apostles lived so very long ago, the way they lived… how they stood, is much more than history. It is like drops of water on a flower petal, waiting on the edges of every experience. It is Wisdom for the ages.

OnTheEdge

“It is at the edge of a petal that love waits.” – William Carlos Williams

Fruitcake…

At each step along the way, whether rocky and disjointed, or smooth and sure, invitation awaits, promise exists, and fulfillment is upon the horizon.

“We are constantly invited to be who we are.” – Henry David Thoreau

Who we are, and who we aspire to be, can lead us in many different directions. Sometimes it can be hard to know which way to go. It can be tempting to go only where the path is more predictable and “certain”, to be drawn into misplacing priorities, to hold onto that which may be intended to be temporary, or to let go and walk away too easily.

Despite all that occurs in the world, or in our lives, and that can cause parts of us to become rigid, who we are calls us to be flexible. While there is much in society that attempts to pull our hearts toward being secure in or through ourselves and others, rather than in and through God, who we are calls us to be fluid… open to guidance and direction, nurturing and pruning, by God—the vine grower (John 15:1).

Jesus said, “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:4-5).

Jesus is reminding us, who we are. Telling us who our lifeline is, and that if we’re going to hold onto, grasp, or cling, let it be to God. Let it be to the Love that sustains and gives life.

Each of us is created in the image of, and out of, Love. A Love that calls us to embody itself and be a presence of love in the world. At the same time, we are also called to allow ourselves to be loved by others. For Love is the source of all fruit that is born.

Love is the driving force of life. Not just a passing affection or surface desire, but a deep, never ending Love. One that connects all living things to one another, and that is neither bound by space nor time.

To love well, or to bear much fruit, requires honest work and cooperation. It is ongoing. It stretches, builds, and challenges us, and can only be truly done in communion with God and one another. It cannot be accomplished in a vacuum, or on an island, so to speak. Nor can it be only alongside those who seem more pleasant to be around or more agreeable. Attached to the Vine, amid many branches, and all through the Vine Grower, there are many ways of bearing fruit as well as many kinds of fruit to bear.

Bearing fruit… extending Love in its many splendid forms to all is the essence in which we are created. It is who we are, who we are called to be, and what we are called to honor. It is to be at all times, and in all places, and most importantly, it is always through the grace of God.

 

FruitCakePost

 

The Good Shepherd…

On one side of the pond, it was overcast and drops of rain were falling to the ground. Yet, across the pond, in between the water and the darkness of the trees, and the dense clouds above them, was the sun. Light in darkness, peacefully, quietly reaching out and waiting to be received, both amid the clouds and within body, mind, and soul… an open invitation to all.

One calling out in both the rain and the dry: Seek refuge in the Lord who is Love… God whose tenderness fills all needs; comforts all sorrows; heals all wounds; carries, lifts up, and strengthens all who desire.

The Good Shepherd sheds tears alongside us. Also, shares in our laughter and joy.

The Good Shepherd is always breathing life… always present.

Sunset1

Love Never Fails 

Love is not proud
Love does not boast
Love after all Matters the most

Love does not run
Love does not hide
Love does not keep
Locked inside

Love is the river that flows through
Love never fails you

Love will sustain
Love will provide
Love will not cease
At the end of time

Love will protect
Love always hopes
Love still believes
When you don’t

Love is the arms that are holding you
Love never fails you

When my heart won’t make a sound
When I can’t turn back around
When the sky is falling down
Nothing is greater than this
Greater than this

Love is right here
Love is alive
Love is the way
The truth the life

Love is the river than flows through
Love is the arms that are holding you
Love is the place you will fly to
Love never fails you

Songwriters: Brandon Heath / Chad Robert Cates
Love Never Fails lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Capitol Christian Music Group

At the End of the Day…

The other day as I was in the car waiting to pick up one of my children, I was looking toward the top of the school steps as a sea of students flowed out of the building. As I was watching for my child, suddenly there was a knock on the car window. Startled at this unexpected knock, I turned toward the window to see my child’s face. While I was looking in one direction, my son had appeared from another direction. This was something new and completely unanticipated.

When the two disciples on the road to Emmaus encountered Jesus, they had no idea who he was (Luke 24:13-35). They were not expecting him and could not have anticipated that Jesus who had been crucified would appear to them. They were with him for quite some time and it was not until after he broke the bread and said the blessing that they were able to recognize him. It was as if in that moment everything came together and they turned their heads to see what was in front of them as they journeyed.

When they return to Jerusalem to tell the others about Jesus appearing to them, they learn that Jesus has appeared to Peter too. Then as they are recounting what happened to them along the way to Emmaus, Jesus appears again (Luke 24:36-49). Each time Jesus appears, it is unanticipated and unexpected. It is also in response to hearts that are troubled… hearts that are longing… hearts that believe and that are trying to find or to put the pieces back together… striving to continue to live out of a relationship that was, that is, like no other.

In all these cases where Jesus appears, it seems the person(s) to whom he appears is letting their guard down and openly thinking, speaking or trying to understand their experience. They are remembering and recounting what transpired. They are looking at where Jesus was, wondering about what happened and where he is now. They are also watching, waiting, and listening. In doing so, wherever they are, Jesus is suddenly with them and making himself known.

On the road to Emmaus, the two disciples recalled with each step all that transpired. Jesus joined them and their hearts were burning as he helped them to take an intimate look, to remember, and to see, perhaps with new eyes. The Lord also appears to others, including us, helping us to remember or to reclaim and to go forward or to wait… helping us to know more surely, more confidently, who we are and how to be.

As we go through life, God is with us from before our first steps, and all the way through. Sometimes we need to rest, and allow the Lord to help us recount and remember.

Our soul waits for the Lord,
Who is our help and shield.
For in the Lord our hearts rejoice;
In God’s holy name we trust.
May your mercy, Lord, be upon us;
As we put our hope in you. – Psalm 33:20-22

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