How to pray in the new year...

So, I'm not a "how to" girl really. But, after reading Psalm 20 in yesterday's lectionary, how to pray in the new year became planted in the mind of my heart. Here is a prayer to pray for yourself, your family, your friends, for all those missionaries you promised to pray for, for your pastor/priest/minister/clergy-person, for me (I'm smiling!) ... for whomever! As I write it I pray it for you, kind reader! But please, make it personal for whom you are praying by inserting his/her name instead of "you".

Here is my prayer for you for the new year based on Psalm 20:

May the LORD's answer find you in times of trouble;
and may His NAME rescue you, keep you safe from any harm.
May He send help and hope from his holy home,
and support and strengthen you from his shalom (contented peace).
May He remember all you have offered him ... your sacrifices
and show you his mercy and favor.

Take time to think on these things 
as you hold this person in prayer before the LORD.

May He grant you your heart's desires, your dreams!
and make all your plans succeed.
When you succeed, we will not be silent!
We will shout with joy and thanksgiving,
raising praise to our Great God so that all may see!
May the LORD answer all your prayers.

Take time to think on these things 
as you hold this person in prayer before the LORD.

I have no fear; I know that the LORD has sent his answer!
Help is coming. His mighty right hand has sent it.
Others put their hope in their own resources,
but we boast in the LORD our God!
All those others will collapse and fall,
but we will rise and stand firm.

Take time to think on these things 

as you hold this person in prayer before the LORD.

May the LORD God grant you victory!
On the day we call, O LORD, answer us.
In The Powerful Name, Jesus ... so be it!

Happy New Year! 

I LOVE sparklers! May Eternity dwell in your heart in 2014!

Merry Christmas!

Jesus is born!

Advent 4: Restore us, O God!

This morning we will declare with the Psalmist
Restore us, O God; let your face shine that we might be saved!

Three times we say it with the second time adding "God of hosts" and the third time "LORD God of hosts". Israel must be under great hardship and oppression that they call out to God in increasing pronouncements of his power and might and authority. God = creator and ruler of the universe with moral authority; God of hosts = commander of the armies of heaven (angels and archangels and all the company of heaven); LORD God of hosts = the I AM who IS All-mighty, All-powerful, All-knowing, All-present, simply ALL. You can't call on more.

Indeed Israel was in trouble ... they had been feeding on bread of tears and drinking their tears in full measure, to overflowing. They were scorned by their enemies, broken down and defenseless against those who hated them, taken advantage of by any who passed by, cut down and destroyed by those around them. Have you ever lived under that kind of great hardship and oppression - physically or emotionally or socially? Do you live under it now? Do you know someone living under it? This is living in darkness. Sometimes it is of our own making, from our own sinfulness. Sometimes not. Either way, it is darkness; it is feeding on bread of tears and drinking tears to full measure.

Do you see why they cried, "Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel! You who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim ... shine forth your might! Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine into this darkness that we might be saved!" Let your face shine ... Your Might, Your Glory, You ... the I AM ... shine your light upon us, let us see You that we might be saved!

This morning we are in the darkest day of the year and we cry out together
Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let you light shine that we might be saved!

For those believe in Him, we are saved in Jesus Christ. The Light of His Presence is with us and lives within us! We may call on His Light to shine and defeat any darkness in which we may live ... our sinfulness, the oppression of others ... and be freed! And, with our brothers and sisters of all ages and around the world we may look for That Day when the Light will come again and restore us to a world of Light, where there is no darkness at all. There is hope in that declaration. Take hope today. Take hope. O God ... let your face shine!

Winter Solstice

I didn't know that our days are not counted by midnight to midnight, but are counted by solar noon, the mid-point of the day when the sun is at its daily peak in the sky. That means, if you live in the northern hemisphere, the shortest day of the year begins today, December 21, at 12:11pm and continues until tomorrow's "solar noon". Regardless of how you count the day or tell time, this day will give us the shortest amount of daylight ... about 9.5 hours. From this day onward, daylight will begin to increase. How very appropriate that we are in the midst of Advent's deepest time of darkness, and yet we know the Light is coming and will continue to grow brighter until That Day ... when darkness will be no longer. Oh, for That Day when the Noonday will be the only time we count ... the darkness of our sinfulness obliterated by the ever shining Light of the Son.

With that hope I share with you a blessing based on a poem by 

Macrina Wiederkehr

May our Loving God

etch into your heart a bit of heaven

to fill you with His shining Light.

May our Loving God

grant you enough lightning and storms

to invigorate the soil of your life.

May our Loving God

breathe on you the wind of His Spirit

to remind you

of who you are

and Whose you are

and to grow in you the green-ness of new life.

+++

Winter Solstice, Fractal Art by Vicky Brago-Mitchell

Advent 3: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Wonderful rendition by the US Air Force of Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring giving Joy to the World at the Smithsonian.

Advent 2 - Steadfast: fixed in direction, unwavering, faith

Steadfast: adjective

1. fixed in direction; steadily directed
2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc.
3. unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence
4. firmly established
5. firmly fixed in place or position

This is the word that jumped out at me from Sunday's lectionary readings. Paul wrote to the Romans "... whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope." Hope in ... hope for ... what?

What is to come!

Or, perhaps, I should say
Who is to come
and What he will bring with him.

The Genealogy of Jesus, The Saint John's Bible

This is the genealogy of Jesus from The Saint John's Bible. It reminded me of the Jesse Tree image in Isaiah 11 ... "there shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit." The people of Israel steadfastly waited and watched  for this "shoot" for 700 years. And, for those Jews who have not believed Jesus is that shoot, the Messiah, they have been waiting and watching for 2,700 years! Steadfast: fixed in a direction; firm in purpose, resolution, faith.

Think of all the Jews have endured over the ages. How many times has another nation wanted and tried to wipe them off the face of the earth? What kind of effort and energy have they needed to put forth to keep their identity as the people of God ... though they are dispersed around the world? How have they worked at keeping their faith central to Israel although their nation (only since 1948! and they had to fight for that!) is occupied by many nationalities and their place of worship is "owned" by an enemy? How have they endured? Steadfast: steadily directed, unwavering, firmly fixed in place or position. With steadfast purpose they take encouragement from the promises of God written in His Word in former days ... and they hope for their Messiah.

We face many things in these present days. As Christians there are many who would be glad to have us gone and not be reminded of Jesus the coming One. We are dispersed among the nations of the world, which at times makes our differences more evident than the One that brings us together. And, we have no central place of worship ... other than our church buildings ... and even then they can be occupied by those who do not believe. But, we know our Messiah, our Savior ... Jesus. No matter what we may endure, in Him we stand by steadfastness and by the encouragement of His Word that he is coming ... again.

It is His promise.

And, in that we wait and watch and have hope!

Put on the armor of light ... part 2

Yesterday morning my sister and I set up the tree and dressed it in lights. Our family tradition is to put a string of lights on the inside of the tree running up and down the trunk, and then, string lights around the outside branches. When we were finished we had sap all over our arms and hands and little scratches from the needles. But, it was worth it. The tree looks fantastic. (Have no fear, my sister adjusted the outer string of lights to fill that darkness at the bottom of the tree!)

While we were stringing the lights, my mind was working on "putting on the armor of light". What exactly does that mean? How do we do that? Well, it's like stringing the lights on the tree ... it needs to be put on the inside and on the outside. It needs to be a habit of the heart and lived out in the habit of daily life.

Putting the armor of light on the inside of our life means to take God's Word and "read, mark, and inwardly digest it". Today, we call this studying God's Word, but this is what Scripture means when it talks about meditating on God's Word. We read a passage of Scripture. We mark or highlight those thoughts or ideas that jump out at us. Then, we think about it, cross-reference it with other Scriptures, read commentaries about it, and consider what it looks like in real life. Finally, we think about how we can practice that "armor of light" in our own lives.

For instance, lately I've been reading quite a bit about God being my refuge. That has been the main theme jumping out at me from the Psalms appointed for each day. Not only have I underlined these passages, I have written them out in my journal. And, I have looked at other passages and stories about how God is our refuge (Lilias Trotter!). But, those are all words ... lip service to knowing that God is my refuge. Then, I have to practice it. When things appear to be bleak or without hope, I refuse to fall to the temptation that God is not at work. Instead, I remember ... God is my refuge. He is my hope and at work on my behalf. And, I pray that He strengthen this in my heart and mind. This is putting on the armor of light in me.

Putting on the armor of light on the outside of life means to practice it. It means giving testimony to how God does that for me so that others may see it and know it for themselves. This blog is one way I am practicing "God is my refuge" as an outward armor of light. I am telling others, you dear reader!, that looking to God in all circumstances, believing in His protection and care and keeping of us is real and tangible. Just this morning I looked to God in prayer for encouragement, and I said to Him out loud that I needed to hear from Him in a very tangible way that He was taking care of me, of my future. And, one hour later I received an unexpected package from UPS sitting inside the door. It was an invitation to apply for a position. Whether or not this comes to pass ... God let me know that He is my refuge. This has happened more than once over the year and each time God has shown me the present of His Presence with me in the present!

Finally, putting on the armor of light is not just what I do ... we do ... it is Christ within us. It is by the power of His Holy Spirit that we ... He and I, He and you ... string His Light on the inside trunk of our lives and on our outer branches. So let His Light shine.

Put on the armor of light

This afternoon we put on our coats and scarves and gloves and then, drove to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. The afternoon air hovered around the high 30's promising a perfect day for the adventure. It took us a little while to find just the right one, which meant by the time we paid for it and got it tied down to the car we were driving home in the swiftly growing dusk and swiftly dropping temperature. We talked about how fast it was growing dark these days and then, just as fast, we began talking about dinner. My sister looked at the clock and declared, "It's only 4:30!" The chilliness, the effort, the tree, the darkness, the hunger, the time ... all reminded me of this new season of Advent.

From this moment on, our days will shrink shorter and shorter, the darkness creep in earlier and earlier. It's a reminder that before Christ came into the world, we lived in darkness, in our sinfulness.
From this moment on, our days (especially in the north!) it will grow chillier and chillier ... a reminder that without the warmth of Christ's Presence there is little comfort or hope.
From this moment on, our days of darkness and chill are a reminder of the effort we must put forth to keep watch for Christ's coming, that we must put on hope, put on faith, put on love.
From this moment on, our days will require us to eat a bit more to stay warm and stay healthy. It's a reminder that we need to eat more of the Word of God and be strengthened by His promises.

And, then, I remembered a portion of Sunday's Epistle reading:  ... you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light ... put on the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 13.11-12)

These days of Advent remind us to put on the armor of Light, to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. He is come! His Presence is with us ... now. And, these days of Advent ... the chilliness, the effort, the tree, the darkness, the hunger ... remind us that it's time ... it's time to remember that He is coming again! So, bundle up! Put on faith in Christ. Put on hope in His coming. Put on His love for you and let it spill over to others.

And, the tree ... the only reminder I haven't mentioned yet ... the Christmas tree reminds us of growing in Him, ever green, ever lasting with Him. And, all those lights twinkling out from its branches remind us of His Light within us shining out into the world to bless, to show others that Jesus is come and is coming again. And, the joy of ornaments and garland ... reminders of how He dresses us in His grace and mercy, how beautifully He has made us. And, the gifts ... God's gift to us in Jesus Christ ... the Savior ... and His Holy Spirit, and the gifts He gives us to give to others.

Wow. All that from cutting down our Christmas tree.

PS - I already received a Christmas gift. God gave me part-time work at Stray Cat Studios and Store. Beside the bit of income it brings, I may be able to get my hands into some clay! Now, that is joy!

Be exalted, O Christ our King!

Resurrected Christ by Grunewald

I know this is a depiction of the Resurrected Christ, but somehow ... Grunewald's interpretation of our Lord's resurrected power and glory reflects the Revelation Christ we have read about in the daily lectionary. Glimpsing upon the transfigured brightness of His appearance ... and we too fall before Him in worship.

Today's readings from the Psalms: 107 and 108 declare God's steadfast love for us that endures forever. Psalm 107 marches us through all the wondrous works that God has done for us, to us, in us, upon us, before us ... inviting us, the redeemed to fall before Him in worship and praise and thanksgiving. It says, "Let the redeemed of the Lord say so...!" Let them remember how He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Let them remember when He delivered them from their distress and brought them out of darkness, that he burst their bonds apart. Let them remember that He sent out His Word and healed them and delivered them. Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders! And, that's what Psalm 108 is about.

Be exalted, O God, above the heaveans! 

Let your glory be over all the earth! 

For your steadfast love is great above the heavens; 

your faithfulness reaches to the clouds!

That is where Christ our King is seated even now. Tomorrow we remember ... we the redeemed remember Christ our King. What will you bring Him? What praise will flow from your heart and burst from your lips in offering to your King? What will you take to give Him ... for His steadfast love that endures forever for you and all the redeemed? This is a great day to consider it, to be ready for His coming. Whoever are wise, let them attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.

New Choreography ... Hilda of Whitby

St. Hilda in Hartlepool Door by James Clark

Talk about a new choreography! Talk about walking as though your feet kiss the earth ... and leave a bit of heaven in your steps. Today we remember Hilda of Whitby. Like Lilias Trotter, Hilda is one of my BFFs: Best Friend Forever.

Among Celtic believers both men and women could exercise leadership within the church. At the age of 43, Hilda founded and became the Abbess of a Celtic monastery in Northumbria ... a monastery for both men and women. Her boundless energy and love for the Lord drew others to faith in Him and encouraged them to serve Him. Under her leadership the men and women of Whitby Monastery were required to read and study the Bible and live out their faith in service and good works. They cared for the poor and helpless of Whitby. And, because Hilda recognized and encouraged the gifts of those under her care, the monastery soon became a center for learning and the arts. The poet, Caedmon ... originally a herdsman for the monastery's flocks ... flourished under her leadership and encouragement.

Hilda's wisdom was so well-renowned that princes and kings sought out her advice and counsel. In fact, King Oswiu held the Synod of Whitby at the monastery in order to weigh counsel and advice from many within church leadership regarding the date for Easter. (This needed to be decided upon as his wife followed the eastern date and he the western date. This meant they often observed Lent and celebrated Easter at different times! This did not foster marital harmony.) The Synod's decision to follow the western date (Rome) meant a change for Whitby Monastery. It established Roman monastic practice as the rule, meaning women could no longer lead.

The Venerable Bede writes about Hilda (or Hild, the old English form), "All who knew her called her mother because of her outstanding devotion and grace." Hilda of Whitby shows us the way to walk with steps that kiss the earth. She shows us a new choreography ... that perhaps is an ancient one. Our Celtic brothers and sisters in Christ could show us a new step or two. (No you will not see me River Dancing! A Hava Nagila perhaps...)

Kissing the earth ... with prayer ...

... and touching heaven. 

Into His Presence, Ron DiCianni

In your new choreography ... dancing as though your feet kiss the earth ... do you find that because your living is different than it was before, it puts you out of step with others? That's what I'm finding. And, that "out-of-stepness" with others challenges the new choreography. And, those challenges ... or maybe challengers ... tempt you to go back to the old choreography, the old way of living. They want you to dance to their steps, their rhythm again. But, you know you can't go back. You've tasted the freedom and joy of the new choreography, its new rhythm for living. And, even though it feels like you are dancing it alone, you know that Jesus sees you and is praying for you and will come to you when it is the right time. His timing is the right rhythm.

As always, when the challenges come, God sends encouragement (in answer to Jesus' prayer?) to keep practicing the new choreography ... in my case ... living in the NOW, practicing the present of His Presence in the present. The encouragement came from Lilias Trotter. Miriam Rockness posted this from Lilias' journal:

It has come these days with a new light and power, that the first thing we have to see to, as we draw nearer to God day by day, is that 'our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.'  If we can listen in stillness, till our hearts begin to vibrate to the thing that He is thinking and feeling about the matter in question, whether it concerns ourselves or others, we can from that moment begin praying downwards from His throne, instead of praying upwards towards Him.   20 March 1926

Sit in stillness. Wait for the heart to vibrate - take on the rhythm, a new choreography - of the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit within us. Then, our hearts pray from God's perspective ... trusting that He has all in hand. There in His Presence is the rhythm of peace.

In stillness before God, I am finding my new choreography ... and the new rhythm of a deeper faith which directs my steps. I still look for open positions, I still send out resumes and profiles, I still email and call, I still look for other possibilities and options ... I still take these practical steps but with this new choreography it is from a heart that believes and knows that God's hand is on my back and leading the way.The challengers of uncertainty, worry, control, striving, fear, and anger that want to cut in and lead me back into the old choreography ... I refuse them. They will never lead me into the dance of to deeper faith. In fact they will only trip me up. I tell them to go away. They usually listen to me, especially when I tell them with Whom I am dancing. But, I don't always get it right. Like Miriam, I am only a beginner in this new choreography. But, one thing I know ... God is always, always, always standing by with His hand extended toward me, waiting with joy ... for me to come back to dance with Him. And, that is heaven on earth.

enjoy today! in gold letters even.

This is the first thing I read this morning. God's encouragement to live in the NOW, keep dancing that new choreography, row, row, row your boat! 

If you don't understand what I just wrote, please read prior blog posting.

Dance steps that "kiss the earth"

Someone that Ann Voskamp knows has been reading Living Buddha, Living Christ, by Thich Nhat Hanh. This someone said to Ann that "you should wallk through life as though your feet are kissing the earth." The only reason I know it came from Thich Nhat Hanh is because it was on Farrell Mason's summer reading list. And, her blog post about it opened my eyes to see that it is about living in the NOW.

Walking through this life, living this daily life as though our feet kiss the earth is about

• keeping our inner focus on God
• being attentive to His Presence in the world around us
• being aware of His Providence in the people and place of our NOW
• holding these people and place lightly in our hands before Him
• being mindful of His grace given to us in them
• offering thanksgiving ... and praise.

David certainly knew about living this way.

His daily living was taking care of the family flocks, living in the out-of-doors witnessing all kinds of beauty and danger. In that daily living he recognizes the LORD's relationship to him as his Shepherd ... who makes him lie down in green pastures, leads him beside quiet waters, restores his soul; who leads him in paths of righteousness for His Name's sake, is with him always, gently comforts him with His rod and staff; who abundantly blesses him providing for every need ... indeed, his life overflows with God's blessing, his heart overflows for God's goodness and mercy follow him all the days of his living. (Psalm 23)

At another time though enemies and troubles encamp all around him David says, "One thing I have asked of the Lord; one this I seek; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the fair beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple." And, later, "You have said, 'Seek my face.', my heart says to you, 'Your face Lord will I seek." (Psalm 27.4, 8)

David walked through life as though his feet kissed the earth. As a friend of God, a man after God's own heart, his inner focus was on the Lord ... His Shepherd, His Savior, His Comforter, His Provider - to behold His fair beauty, to seek His face in worship ... to see God. Maybe that's how David could write such songs ... such very honest and vulnerabe songs ... to the Lord. David's inner focus was on God, attentive to His Presence in the world around him, aware of His Providence in the people in his life and where he was - his place. And, David did not hold on to the things of earth ... whether of beauty or of danger, but saw them as God's grace and offered them to the Lord in psalm, in worship ... always giving thanks. I venture to say it took a lifetime of practice ... even for David ... this living life as though our feet kiss the earth.

The Hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing came to mind this morning and its words express a prayer for living life as though our feet kiss the earth. This link is to Church of the Apostles Laudamus recording. After you link to the site, click on the hymn to listen ... it's in the upper right hand of the page. 

Church of the Apostles, Laudamus: Come Thou Fount

Keep dancing ... um, I mean rowing ...

This morning my spirit flagged. I awoke taking in my room in my sister and brother-kin's home ... my home for the next couple of months as I wait. My heart welled with thankfulness for their graciousness and kindness and generosity ... and then it sank from the thoughts that flooded in, "This is not where I thought I would be. This is not where I want to be. O, woe is me!" Even the first snow fall of the season that greeted me as I pulled up the blind failed to cheer me ... and anyone who knows me knows that is something! I love snow!

After making a cuppa, I settled to prayers. Before I opened my Bible, I picked up a chapter copied from a book that my friend sent me. I don't know the author and I don't know the book. But, again as in days past, God's voice was encouraging me that He is at work and is with me in this. I wish I could share the entire chapter with you, but here is a bit of it that I hope will encourage you to keep dancing the dance of God's Present Presence with you, to keep rowing even when you can't see Him.

It was dark now, and Jesus had not yet come to them. - John 6:17

"... Doesn't peace always follow obedience? Perhaps the disciples had the same expectation. They only did what they were told. Jesus told them to get into the boat, so they did. They didn't question the order; they simply obeyed it....What was the result of their obedience? 'It was dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The followers got into a boat and started across the lake to Capernaum. By now a strong wind was blowing, and the waves on the lake were getting bigger' (John 6:16-17).

What a chilling phrase, 'Jesus had not yet come to them.' Caught in the storm of the 'not yet.' ...The disciples had been on the sea for about nine hours. John tells us they rowed four miles (John 6:19). That's a long night. How many times did they search the darkness for their Master? How many times did they call out his name?
Why did he take so long?
Why does he take so long?...

Mark tells us that during the storm Jesus 'saw his followers struggling' (Mark 6:48). Through the night he saw them. Through the storm he saw them. And like a loving father he waited. He waited till the right time, until the right moment. He waited until he knew it was time to come, and then he came.

What made it the right time? I don't know. Why was the ninth hour better than the fourth or fifth? I can't answer that. Why does the Lord wait until the money is gone? Why does he wait until the darkness has lingered? Why does he wait until the other side of the grave to answer prayers for healing?

I don't know. I only know his timing is always right. I can only trust he will do what is best. 'God will always give what is right to his people who cry to him night and day, and he will not be slow to answer them.' (Luke 18:7).

Though you hear nothing, He is speaking. Though you see nothing, He is acting. With God there are no accidents. Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him....
So what does God do while we are enduring the pain? What does he do while we are in the storm? You'll love this. He prays for us. Jesus wasn't in the boat because he had gone to the hills to pray (see Mark 6:46). Jesus prayed. That is remarkable. It is even more remarkable that Jesus didnt stop praying when his disciples were struggling. When he heard their cries, He remained in prayer.... He still prays for his disciples. ...

So where does that leave us? While Jesus is praying and we are in the storm, what are we to do? Simple. We do what the disciples did. We row. (We dance. We give thanks!) The disciples rowed most of the night. Mark says they 'struggled hard' to row the boat (Mark 6:48). The word struggle elsewhere is translated as 'tormented'. ...

Much of life is spent rowing. Getting out of bed. Fixing lunches. Turning in assignments. Changing diapers. Paying bills. ... More struggle than strut. More wrestling than resting. ...
...at the right time, God comes. In the right way, He appears. So don't bail out. Don't give up! Don't lay down the oars! ...

When you can't see him, trust him.

He is praying a prayer that he himself will answer.

Living in the NOW ... God at it again ...

It's very strange when one sets one's mind or heart to do a thing and then God continues to bring it to one's attention. I'm talking about living in the NOW ... something on which Ann Voskamp, Lilias Trotter, and Farrell Mason have focused lately. Today, I was sifting through a stack of papers and found a book a friend gave me. The Devotional Paintings of Ron DiCianni. Here is what he said in the Introduction:

"At this juncture of life and work, I have begun to ask myself some very hard, deep questions, not the least of which is, 'Where do I go from here?' ... Frankly, I don't know, nor do I care. I have come to treat every day as a gift from God and to try to do my best to obey and serve Him as my King, one day at a time. ... It just doesn't matter to me anymore what God has in store. As long as His presence is with me, I'm okay. Whatever He allows, as long as His hand holds mine, I'm okay. Wherever He sends me, as long as He comes with me, I'm okay. ... I'm not saying I'm there yet; I'm saying my heart is.
Theresa of Avila noted:
'Here is a secret: God's love and His humility can never exist in you unless you grow in this state of detachment from everything that is of this world. As long as any created thing has power over you, you cannot 'rule' over it in the love and humility of our King.'"

At church yesterday a number of people asked me how I was doing, how was the search going, where was I living, how was I living ... etc., etc.? I responded with something like, "I am doing well. Really and truly well because a little while ago I decided to do my best to live in the NOW and see each day as a gift from God, a gift of His Presence with me. He will take care of the future. Oh, I still search for what is next, but my eyes are wide open for the possibilities He is bringing me today. It has made a wonderful difference in living life." Strangely enough, they didn't exactly know how to respond. I can't blame them for that. We have a tendency to put upon another how we think he/she should respond vs. allowing his/her own response. These kinds of interchanges encourage me that this "living in the NOW, in today, in the present" ... this is what we need to encourage one another to do! It is the only way the troubles and cares and difficulties and challenges of this life will not rule us. Will we still have them? Yes! But, living in the NOW gives the mind of the heart the ability to rule over them "in the love and humility of our King" who is always present with us!

I hope the following DiCianni meditations will encourage you to living in the NOW ... perhaps, God is speaking to you too?

Victory

http://gallery4collectors.com/RonDiCianni-Victory.htm

Weight of the World
http://gallery4collectors.com/RonDiCianni-WeightoftheWorld.htm 

Never Alone

http://gallery4collectors.com/RonDiCianni-NeverAlone.htm

Still living in amazement... in the NOW.

The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco rises about 220' above sea level...

The tallest of the Muir Woods Redwoods rises to 258 feet ... 38 feet taller than the Golden Gate Bridge. This same variety of redwood living farther north can grow to 379 feet! 159 feet taller than the Golden Gate Bridge and 74 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Amazing.

The last time I visited these gentle giants with my sister, we heard a fantastic cracking noise. We stopped in our tracks, searching the woods while holding our breath! What was that? Did we need to run?! The Park Ranger strolling by said we were perfectly safe. We were far from the tree that was going to fall. In fact, it had been in the process of falling for years now. Years? Yes. It can take years for a redwood to fall to the earth, pouring forth its groanings as its axis begins to split apart.

The question comes to mind, "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" This question makes me sigh. It is so human-centered ... as though we are the center of creation. John Muir, after whom these woods are named, said, "Nature is ever at work building and pulling down, creating and destroying, keeping everything whirling and flowing, allowing no rest but in rhythmical motion, chasing everything in endless song out of one beautiful form into another." (Our National Parks, 1901) Muir consistently praised God for the wonder of nature, its wildness that heals us and keeps us ever amazed and mindful of our Creator. John Muir would not have asked the question about the tree and the sound it makes. He knew that nature sings its song to God in endless rhythms to give Him glory ... whether we hear it or not ... and it reminds us, these gentle giants remind us to sing along as we walk with Him in the NOW.

With these gentle giants let us sing, "My mouth is filled with your praise and with your glory all the day long." -Psalm 71.8

Walking with attention and intention

Ann Voskamp's post yesterday spoke about walking with all attention and intention ... giving thanks for the beauty of the LORD that is before us in the TODAY, the NOW each and every moment of the day. She said of her Mom walking through the woods

there’s no loud and flippant way she’s letting anything make her miss the now right under her, no way that that now could just up and slip out from under her

Today, nothing was going to slip out from under me. Today, I took my own walk in the NOW ... in Muir Woods with my sister.

Here in the NOW of these ancient giants everything slows down
and settles quiet into your soul.

Here in the NOW of these ancients we are "married to amazement"* ...

Here in the NOW of these ancients of yesterday, today,
and tomorrow our hearts stretch ... expand ... to take in the height
and depth and breadth of
The Ancient.

Here in the NOW in the midst of these ancients of days ... is His perfect provision for TODAY. Has not The Ancient of Days cared and nurtured and grown and made strong these mighty giants? "God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods." - John Muir

How can I, standing in the midst of these ancients of days ... me, so small ... these ancients, so giant ... how can I not trust The Ancient of Days for his perfect provision for TODAY? How can I not trust Him to care for me, save me from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand tempests and floods? How can I not trust in, live in His perfect provision of NOW?

NOW is the destination.

"I used to envy the father of our race, dwelling in the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I do so no more, for I have discovered that I also live in 'creation's dawn'. The morning stars still sing together, and the world not yet half made, becomes more beautiful everyday." - John Muir

*Mary Oliver

All Saints Day! What a new choreography can look like ...

http://donsweeting.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/all-saints-day-2.png

This image above is not the usual image one sees for All Saints Day. 

Usually icons like this one...

Icon of saints surrounding Christ in heaven

... or a painting or mosaic within a church like this one ...

Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, St. Petersburg

... graces the front of our All Saints Sunday bulletin. But, for me this image ...

... is what a new choreography can look like. In this dance of all the saints around the Heavenly Throne there seems to be room for a poor saint like me to join in. Even though it's just as crowded as the other two examples (heaven is and will be crowded with people from every tribe and tongue and race and nation!), this view seems a bit more approachable, accessible ... more like you-and-me saint kinda people. No halos. They're inviting us to join arms and hands and rejoice with them ...even though they are in heaven.

When we come to the Table today we join that heavenly throng  - the angels and archangels and all the saints in heaven singing, "Holy, holy, holy! LORD God of power and might! Heaven and earth are full of your glory! Hosanna in the highest!" When we do this we practice the Presence of God with us ... His Perfect Provision for us ... today ... in the Bread and Wine, in the Body and Blood of Christ ... and we glorify Him and enjoy Him in a present that is for all eternity. Thanks be to God!

Today, may you know His Perfect Provision in His Always-present Presence. +++

Choreography Wisdom from Lilias Trotter...

He's done it again! God makes me smile and shake my head. OK, I get it!

Yesterday, after posting about the new choreography, I found a bit of wisdom from Miraim Rockness in my inbox. Miriam considers portions of Lilias Trotter's painting journals and shares them with us. Through these amazing women, God has invited me again to join him in a new choreography ... choosing to drink deeply from His well of living water today knowing it is His perfect provision. And, His well will never run dry ... it will always be accessible for every today in the future. Some days the water may sit deep and still, which means I will have to let down a pail for it. Other days it may be a fountain bubbling up to overflowing, splashing over the edge. Either way God's blessing, His Presence is Present and it is His Perfect Provision ... both today and for the future.

Choose to take 3 minutes to read it ... a new choreography ... and may you drink deeply, too.

Parable of the Well Water

What can a new choreography look like?

Sunrise ... Bay Bridge,  San Francisco

I'm watching the day awaken here on the west coast. The sun's softly strengthening rays are painting the horizon with autumn's colors. She reminds me that in the change of seasons our earthly home takes on a new choreography ... a needed new choreography, so that it may continue in its purpose: to bring praise and glory to God. Farrell Mason's post reminded me that we too need seasons of new choreography ... seasons that continually awaken us to our purpose in life: to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. (Westminster Confession)

God has been encouraging me to do this for some time now ... to move into a new season, take on a new choreography. One would think that 10 months out of work would be a new choreography enough! And, it has been. Being called out from a wonderful place with even more wonderful people into the wilderness of not knowing what is next ... well, these past 10 months have taken me deeper into trusting that God is who he says he IS and he IS Trustworthy. I don't know that I would have learned this lesson in this deeper way had I remained in that "choreography".

So, about that new choreography...

During October Ann Voskamp's blog has presented 31 Days of Calling on Jesus – coming closer to Him, resting in Him, remembering His Presence with us. Today she wrote:

Your presence is always in the now
I am with You now — where I AM always is…
Now is the destination

Over these 10 months a good deal of my focus has been for my future ... what's next? This was and is needed ... I do need to pray and look for what is next. But, in the new choreography Jesus calls me to choose to dance with Him today and let Him take care of tomorrow. His perfect provision is not just for some future day, it is for today ... the present, the now. NOW is my destination. NOW is my future.

Making that choice is incredibly freeing. Making the NOW my focus is allowing me to trust even more in God's promise of perfect provision ... for today and for that future day, that destination I do not know. The awareness that His provision for me for TODAY is perfect and good and all I need (give us this day our daily bread!) ... it makes me smile. He IS my provision and I don't need to look any further. HE is my provision. That is true for you too ... no matter what your circumstances. Doesn't that make you want to dance?

Ann went on to write:

Today, I will rest in the present moment with I AM
because this is where I find the rest of myself.

I rewrote this for me to say, "TODAY, I will choose to be alert and attentive and aware of His Presence in the Present ... in the NOW ... because this is where I am." The new choreography is choosing ... moment-by-moment choosing the awareness that we are tucked into His arm, His steps leading ours, His hand guiding us ... for TODAY and for our future. May He give us the fortitude to choose and keep choosing this choreography with Him. That glorifies Him and in it we enjoy Him ... today and for ever.

It's Time for a New Choreography

Dancing Feet by Bob Handelman, Madison

This is such a great invitation and reminder from Farrell Mason today... that I share it with you on Facebook and here on my blog. It is time for a new choreography for living life ... for me today in this "meanwhile" and maybe too for you. Or, maybe it's an encouragement to keep living life with joy in our footsteps, leaving His grace wherever we go. Click on this link and may you read with hope and delight...
It's Time for a New Choreography

God's Loyal Love Is...

Recently, in the daily lectionary we read "The Love Chapter" ... 1 Corinthians 13. The Gospel reading which followed was Matthew 10 where Jesus sends out his disciples to declare the Kingdom of God and "heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." Whoa, wait a minute. What?! I picked myself up off the floor and re-read, "...raise the dead." Then, I returned to The Love Chapter (you'll see how this connects later). It begins,

If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, 

BUT HAVE NOT LOVE, 

I am a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.

And, if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains (raise the dead!), 

BUT HAVE NOT LOVE, 

I am nothing. 

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, 

BUT HAVE NOT LOVE, 

I gain nothing. 

(1 Corinthians 13.1-3)

Let me explain (this is where "raising the dead" comes in): I have been praying for a greater blessing of spiritual gifts in my life ... things like faith and prophecy and words of knowledge and healing. Paul exhorts us to do this. No, I have NOT been praying to raise the dead but, reading these two passages together reminded me that what I need to pray for is the gift of God's Love, His loyal love ... chesed to be poured in to my life and out to my daily living.

So, what does that look like in real life? I took the verbs of what "Love is..." and looked up the definitions:

Love is patient [bears provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc. with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger and the like; quietly and steadily persevering or diligent especially in exactness or detail] 
and kind [good or benevolent in nature or disposition; mild; gentle; characterized by expressing goodwill; charitable; compassionate; pity];
love does not envy [feel discontented or covetous for another's advantage, success, possessions, etc.; jealous; backbiting] 
or boast [speak with exaggeration and excessive pride or vanity about oneself]; 
it is not arrogant [making claims or pretentions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming; insolently proud] 
or rude [discourteous or impolite, especially deliberately; rough in manner or behavior]. 
It does not insist on its own way [act like a selfish king - that was interesting]; 
it is not irritable [easily annoyed; readily impatient or angry; bearish; contentious; grouchy]
or resentful [full of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc. regarded as causing insult or injury; sourness; roughness; thinks evil]; 
it does not rejoice at wrongdoing [to look at or think about with great or excessive, often smug or malicious, satisfaction; to crow; to exult or glory over an evil done], 
but rejoices with the truth [be glad; take delight; be happy over].
Love bears all things [holds up, supports; holds or remains firm under; brings forth; gives birth to; is capable of; presses on or pushes onward; suffers, endures, or undergoes; sustains without yielding or suffering injury],
believes all things [has confidence in the truth, reliability, or existence of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so],
hopes all things [the feeling that what is wanted can be had; to look forward with ... I add faithful ... confidence],
endures all things [holds out against; sustains without impairment or yielding; undergoes; bears without resistance or with patience; continues to exist; has continued or lasting gain].
Love never fails [not ever, at any time, not at all, to no extent or degree ... will love ... fall short of success or achievement; receive less than passing grade or mark; dwindle, pass on, or die away. lose strength or vigor or become unable].

Oh boy. Ouch! We can do all sorts of miraculous things but without love, they are as nothing. ... But, here is what is miraculous: 

That love is at work and living within us 

to will and to work for God's good pleasure! 

And, it never fails us! 

This is the work of our hands, the work of our hearts ... to love as God loves us, to freely give it as God freely gives it to us. Is it hard to give up our selves ... our boastful, arrogant, irritable, wants my own way self ... and take up the ... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things self? Yes. But, it is possible. It takes a daily looking to Jesus and asking for help. And, He gives us that Help in the power of the Holy Spirit at work within us. He is the power of God's Love at work within us. Can't get much better than that.

Could this work of love ... chesed ... not be as miraculous as healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, and casting out demons? Absolutely.

Jesus, Master ... chesed!

So, yesterday The Rev. Dr. Ann Paton challenged us with how we frequently say in our liturgy "Lord, have mercy" ...but do we really know what it means? Do we understand mercy ... hesed  or chesed, that back in the throat pronunciation that we in the west have to think about before we say it ... chesed ... God's mercy? When the lepers cried out, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" they knew what they wanted more than anything ... mercy! They nearly spit out their cry ... their yearning of the heart

"Jesus, Master, have chesed on us!"

I know a little about this right now. Having been without income for over 9 months I have said more than once, "Jesus, have mercy." And, He has. I still don't have an income and none looks to be on the way any time soon, but I have never gone without a place to lay my head or bread on the table. Jesus has provided for me (and my car! Thank you kind friend!) through the gifts of others. He has shown me His mercy through His mercy that lives and is at work in the hearts of others. This is His economy. (I even saw examples of this on the news last night ... mercy being stirred up in the heart of people to help others in need.) This is His mercy, but it is also so very much ... so very very much more.

Chesed: mercy; grace; favor; lovingkindess; 

loyal love; covenantal faithfulness.

God's mercy, God's grace and favor, God's lovingkindness ... His loyal love and covenantal faithfulness ... shown to us, given to us in Jesus Christ. It's too much to take in! When I think that I ask for mercy and in the back of my mind I'm thinking about work for my hands and income. Yes, I want that and need that ... but Lord, don't stop there ... show me your chesed, your loyal love, your lovingkindness. Like those lepers cleanse me to make me presentable in the temple granting me access to Your Throne that I may worship You in spirit and in truth. Pour out Your Holy Spirit upon me that I may in turn show Your Chesed, Your Loyal Love to others ... that I may give You praise and glory in Your Name! Is not this work for my hands? Does this not give me an income that is far greater than anything I can ask or imagine ... any of us can ask or imagine? 

"Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

Oh, Jesus, Your Name is mercy.

Your Name is Chesed.
Lovingkindness.

Your Grace.

Favor.

Loyal Love.

Covenantal Faithfulness.

The world is built with chesed. Psalm 89.3

(Look... it's a chalice... sort of.)

Living in the meanwhile ... Lilias Trotter

Miriam Rockness wrote this from her blog about Lilias Trotter. How like God to encourage during my "meanwhile" from lots of different avenues...

When God delays in fulfilling our little thoughts, 

it is to have Himself room to work out His great ones.    

29 December 1903

"How do we live in the meanwhile?"  These words have been playing over and over in my mind since I first heard them this past Sunday.  So, with a tip of the hat to Dr. Will Miller, I take this thought and wrestle out its meaning in my own life.

Consider, at start, how much of our thoughts are consumed with looking back (better days or wounds sustained) or looking ahead to the next big thing.  Since our earliest years we have strained for what was next:  starting school, summer vacation, graduation from high school, starting college, graduating from college, first fulltime job, marriage, children.  Later on the future held a job promotion, perhaps, a significant accomplishment, a bigger better house, retirement, the dream trip or site.

Fact is, much of our life is lived "in the meanwhile" - that middle ground remembering (for good or for bad) what has been and longing for something yet to come. When things are going swimmingly, "meanwhile" is not a bad place to be but there are those times - periods of time - when our existence seems ordinary, at best, or insufferable at worst.  We long for the extraordinary to relieve us from the ordinary. . .  we desperately pray for something, someone to rescue us from whatever lament we are experiencing.

What do we do when we are waiting for the big miracle?  The change or the circumstances that will make the difference? How do we cope with the meanwhile?  How do we live in the meanwhile?

Consider the Children of Israel, wandering in the wilderness, looking back to what they had (slavery). . .  remembering the big miracle (deliverance). . . and looking ahead to the next big thing (the promised land).  Their problem was "how to live in the meanwhile."  And they didn't do a very good job of that!  They looked back with longing, forgetting their true condition:  oppressed slaves; they looked ahead with yearning for what seemed unattainable: the land of promise.  In the meantime they grumbled and complained and, in the process, stalled entrance to the land of their desire.

Frankly, they were not unlike ourselves - at least me, at least some of the time.  How do we "live in the meanwhile?"  How do we exist without knowing for sure what is ahead and making sense of what is behind?  Probably each one of us could say, without a moment's hesitation, what it is that would give shape and meaning to everything - past and future - if only we could make it happen.  If only we had control of the circumstances.

Or could we?  Could we really make meaning and sense of life with our thoughts, our plans?  Lilias suggests that our thoughts are, in fact, small compared to what God has planned for us.  "When God delays fulfilling our little thoughts, it is to have Himself room to work out His great ones."  Do I really believe, in the midst of the mess and mystery, that God's great plans will trump my thoughts - my hopes, my plans, my dreams?

We, like the fickle and feckless Children of Israel, have been given a map that tracks the story - His Story - and we know that despite our limited vision, there is not only a beginning but an ending.  Better yet, a new beginning in the endless elasticity of time called Eternity.

Futhermore, we have been given a context in which to live out the "meanwhile:" a community of faith, the church which, while not perfect, is united in that same pilgrimage to make meaning along the way to true understanding.  Holy knowledge.  We laugh and cry and listen and learn - from each other.  We break bread and worship;  we forgive each other and are forgiven - through the Grace of God.

In the meanwhile, we capture joy as it comes our way - catch it on the wing, so to speak - in nature, in art, the face of a child, a song, a meal, in conversation that touches deep places in our hearts.  In music, in praise, in fellowship, in remembering.  In the meanwhile.

How do we live in the meanwhile?  Ultimately, we get our cue from God-made-man, in Jesus who chose to live in the meanwhile with us.  Incarnate.  How did He live in the meanwhile?  He loved and served.  He served and loved.  Then He laid down His life on a cross.  His supreme act of love and service for us.  In so doing, He liberated us to love and serve. . . to serve and love. . . more perfectly.

How do we live in the meanwhile?  Love. Serve. Rejoice.  Follow.  Believe!

Painting:  Journal 1893

Do your simple tasks for Me.

That came from God Calling this morning, and it was a good reminder for me, especially today.

Just recently another set-back came in this 9 month search process for whatever God has next for me. My first thought was, "What is God doing?" My second thought was, "What do I do now?" And, this is what I heard ... "Do your simple tasks for Me." That didn't say for me as in me, myself, and I ... do for me. It said for Me as in God ... the Lord Jesus. What are our simple tasks?

Meeting with Him sometime during the day to eat and drink from His Word (which helps me know what my simple tasks are!).






Taking time to eat and drink from the beauty of the world given to us as our home!









Looking for ways to practice the simple tasks every day ... like loving God and loving our neighbor ... (yes, walking the dog can be a way to love God and love our neighbor ... especially when it's the neighbor's dog!) Loving God and our neighbor can also be giving a cool drink of water ... listening to someone in need (not giving advice ... just listening!), visiting someone who is lonely or alone, calling someone who is new to your area and taking him/her out for a cuppa joe, paying for someone's groceries, writing a postcard to a friend ... you get the picture.



Remembering He calls us the Beloved
and His arms are always open to receive us ... always.

So, when we're feeling kinda lost because we're in a place we haven't been before and it seems as though we don't know what to do ... we can remember that He loved us, loves us, and will always love us ... and will never leave us or forsake us. He is near to us ... and isn't asking us to do great and miraculous things for Him ... He will do that ... He asks us to do our simple tasks for Him And, it is enough.