How we perceive God directly affects how we live. An unhealthy portrait can frame creation in a hideous and unhealthy state of being. A healthy image can frame creation as vigorous and dynamic. If we are not aware of how we live out these assumptions/frames we are victims of our own stories that we live by.
As finite humans we have a tendency to see all things from our own point of view. Placing God in our own image is disastrous and extremely limiting to His/Her infinite status. Assumptions about His/Her love, purpose and personhood define how we see the world and ourselves. This might seem too philosophical/metaphysical/theological but the implications are as relevant and real as how you see yourself and role within the world.
Being in a love story is quite different than any other genre or story-line. Getting to know the author of this narrative is imperative as to how we decide to live, love and treat others.
Our finite narrative of God is habitually tainted because of our slanted perceptions of God and His love. What is your image of God???
Hey, what can you expect from us!!!-being finite, culturally situated within a time/place and trying to explain: A God who is everywhere at every moment throughout all times. This is a difficult task and must be approach with extreme humility and honesty.
Grace is a romantic tale of a mother/father who sees from afar their runaway child returning home and runs down the street to embrace them with love, compassion and unreserved understanding. This is the gospel, a radical tale of grace and unconditional love. A narrative of God loving His creation so much that there is no limit and no qualification, just because. God runs after us with unconditional love, meeting us where we are and embraces us forever. Within in this love he asks that we do the same-To love Him/others/creation unconditionally and without qualification-just like He shows us.
One of the loudest narratives that we western Americans hear is the one that says: you are guilty of The crime and need to see The grand Judge. The judge pardons you only if you perform the proper religious rituals/postures and processed statements. This popular imagery of how God relates to His creation reveals some shades of truth but is overtly dominated by other perilous assumptions.
Here we have an image of God as judge who finds you {or depending on your narrative:you find Him} and will pardon/love you on a contingent bases of if…..then. So if you do this/that, God will love you. Again there are shades of truth within this equation but the overall assumption is that this love is conditional and contingent upon you. A line of demarcation is drawn and you have to choose what you are doing to do in order to be loved. This type of relationship is conditional, moralistic and limited to either/or groups of people.
This type of narrative leads to a relationship {if you can even call it a relationship} that is predicated on being good/following the right rules and self-protectionism of I’m in and you’re out. In this narrative the relationship is not focused on growing deeper within love but keeping the rules and playing it safe as well a predisposition of wanting to be the gate-keeper of His kingdom.
The narrative of grace-The God of the universe eagerly running after you {as you are} in unconditional love is much different than the grand inquisitor with an itchy gavel-finger. These two narratives carry different assumptions about God/the world/and us.
One pushes you into a deep relationship with the Infinite and mysterious maker of All and creates awareness within you to love as He does: unconditionally with grace and humility. The other narrative places you into a legalistic and limited role/relationship with God, focused on rules and moralized behavior. This latter story-line plays to our finite notions of contingent love, following rules and being in the In-group & self preservation.
God wants all of us to daily grow deeper with Him and enjoy His presence and grace.
What a disgrace if we are missing growing deeper in Him because we have made God in our image and are content within that {especially if that places you in the In-group} and not striving daily to grow within His love and follow in His way.
P.S. Of course there are more than two competing narratives telling the story of God, and more often than not these narratives interlink with each other, but the overarching question still remains: Is the image of the God (whom you grow deeper with every day one) based on unconditional love and grace- who runs out with open arms to embrace you and all His creation or is your image of God one that limits and conditions love based on behavioral rites and conditional procedures?
Monday, December 1, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Changing of the Guard
changing of the guard
may the harmful rhetoric
now be reversed-
& swallow all those divisive words.
conversation begins anew
dream commonly
freely
openly
pendulum swung
joyful impulses take wing &
soar globally/historically
a push and shove into this new dawn.
rhetoric reversed-
conversation begins anew
across aisles, alleys and
oceans…..preference suggest
unity and alliance
not divisive, fearful plots
rhetoric reversed-
conversation begins anew
tears fell like rain
joy flowed like rivers
'to much received, much expected'
subterranean shifts in this vast terrain
enter left, exit right
somewhere in-the-middle and in-between
a sweet melody
reminds us that
We are all together
on this stage…….
at the very beginning of
this new act.
rhetoric reversed-
conversation beings anew
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Product, product, product = life’s receipt.
In an effort to save {time}, life’s return might total= unrest, anxiety and discontentment. In our over-stimulated society we are hurried from task to task in effort to efficiently find/save time. Within the margins of daily-planner there is little space left for much else at all. The fact is life’s demands are many and time consuming, this is true.
However, in the ‘now’ of life, time can only be used, not saved. Life is about the process and not the product. This is key to finding life’s receipt at the end of the day=rewarding, refreshing, and empowering {and yes still probably tiring}.
When life gets busy, we seek time efficient, multitasking solutions to alleviate some of the day’s pressure. Why wouldn’t you do two things at once? All these strategies potentially are good within themselves. The danger is the notion that lurks behind these helpful tactics.
Our life is a process/development. This can range from our mental development, spiritual growth, capacity to love others, developing professional skills, habits, relational skills, etc-very much a give and take of learning and unlearning. The point is that life, your life, never stops growing and developing-a ‘Work in Progress’ sign should be hung around our necks, to remind us that we are always becoming.
How we approach the day, our schedule and our time reflect how we view our own development. We all have responsibilities and obligations of the day but it is more about how we approach each day, every minute of our life.
‘The more the better, the cheaper even better, and the quicker/faster-the best’- is the rhetoric of our over-consumptive culture. This is what shapes us when we are unaware of our life. We become the product of our society. We sprint from task and obligation to the next task to be efficient and save time. This again is a good strategy-if consciously balanced. Typically we believe that if we get all the to-dos done by the end of the day-we will have saved enough time for ourselves to relax and breathe.
Life can become an endless list of things to get done. We feel urged to do them fast/effective/efficiently so that there is time to do other things, like relax and have down-time??. What gets negated or overlooked is the actual process itself. Our tasks and lists become the final product that we are striving to check off and we lose the entire process of each of these obligations.
We become so consumed with efficiently finishing our daily tasks in order to save for the more enjoyable/relaxing moments, that each and every day becomes less of a natural process and more about the end product-all the items checked off in the least amount of time.
This approach keeps us virtually unaware of the present moment because we are simply trying to get to the next task, much like the anxious shopper pushing to get to the next aisle.
The future, up there, around the corner, at the end of the day, or the someday mentality robs us of the NOW. At this pace life’s receipt at the end of the day leaves us feeling incomplete, restless, and anxious. When life becomes more about quickly finishing each task at hand and less about being in and aware of each task’s process, than we are the ones being spent.
To use each day in the now we have to unlearn/learn the vital importance of each moment, the present moment and the natural process of each task. For instance, how can we become more aware of ourselves when committing to something as simple as washing the dishes, washing our bodies, waking the children, feeding our bodies, etc? Each and every one of our daily tasks are processes in and of themselves and it is up to us to approach these tasks as either: being aware of every minute within each process or just another obligation that needs to be quickly checked off the daily list. Again, we have a lot of learning and a lot of unlearning to do in order to get to this point.
Life isn’t about the product, the rush to get to the end of the day; but about the process and development of ourselves by being aware of our time within each process. The clothes still need to washed, the bellies still need to be filled and all the other obligations of the day need to be meet but the fundamental challenge still remains: Are we aware of each minute within our day and living within the process of our every task?
However, in the ‘now’ of life, time can only be used, not saved. Life is about the process and not the product. This is key to finding life’s receipt at the end of the day=rewarding, refreshing, and empowering {and yes still probably tiring}.
When life gets busy, we seek time efficient, multitasking solutions to alleviate some of the day’s pressure. Why wouldn’t you do two things at once? All these strategies potentially are good within themselves. The danger is the notion that lurks behind these helpful tactics.
Our life is a process/development. This can range from our mental development, spiritual growth, capacity to love others, developing professional skills, habits, relational skills, etc-very much a give and take of learning and unlearning. The point is that life, your life, never stops growing and developing-a ‘Work in Progress’ sign should be hung around our necks, to remind us that we are always becoming.
How we approach the day, our schedule and our time reflect how we view our own development. We all have responsibilities and obligations of the day but it is more about how we approach each day, every minute of our life.
‘The more the better, the cheaper even better, and the quicker/faster-the best’- is the rhetoric of our over-consumptive culture. This is what shapes us when we are unaware of our life. We become the product of our society. We sprint from task and obligation to the next task to be efficient and save time. This again is a good strategy-if consciously balanced. Typically we believe that if we get all the to-dos done by the end of the day-we will have saved enough time for ourselves to relax and breathe.
Life can become an endless list of things to get done. We feel urged to do them fast/effective/efficiently so that there is time to do other things, like relax and have down-time??. What gets negated or overlooked is the actual process itself. Our tasks and lists become the final product that we are striving to check off and we lose the entire process of each of these obligations.
We become so consumed with efficiently finishing our daily tasks in order to save for the more enjoyable/relaxing moments, that each and every day becomes less of a natural process and more about the end product-all the items checked off in the least amount of time.
This approach keeps us virtually unaware of the present moment because we are simply trying to get to the next task, much like the anxious shopper pushing to get to the next aisle.
The future, up there, around the corner, at the end of the day, or the someday mentality robs us of the NOW. At this pace life’s receipt at the end of the day leaves us feeling incomplete, restless, and anxious. When life becomes more about quickly finishing each task at hand and less about being in and aware of each task’s process, than we are the ones being spent.
To use each day in the now we have to unlearn/learn the vital importance of each moment, the present moment and the natural process of each task. For instance, how can we become more aware of ourselves when committing to something as simple as washing the dishes, washing our bodies, waking the children, feeding our bodies, etc? Each and every one of our daily tasks are processes in and of themselves and it is up to us to approach these tasks as either: being aware of every minute within each process or just another obligation that needs to be quickly checked off the daily list. Again, we have a lot of learning and a lot of unlearning to do in order to get to this point.
Life isn’t about the product, the rush to get to the end of the day; but about the process and development of ourselves by being aware of our time within each process. The clothes still need to washed, the bellies still need to be filled and all the other obligations of the day need to be meet but the fundamental challenge still remains: Are we aware of each minute within our day and living within the process of our every task?
Monday, September 29, 2008
3 new poems for the fall
#1
Seed to become tree
is planted- but more often deferred,
like a dream-
and never actualized.
If only we counted
minutes like money and rested
within endless arms.
Plant me a kiss and let this romance grow
and I’ll laugh with joy.
#2
Forever- how long do I
carry this burden?
Beseech- chain this albatross and toss it into the
sea.
It’s critical to see someone else’s point and view; period!
We are so determined to have this Omniscient libretto-
to pin it down with our pen-
From precisely……our point {with a pronounced exclamation}
!
View it differently and let go.
#3
The agenda has been set, forever!
The barrier has been removed.
Tell the mediators with their rites and passages
that the curtain is torn, and eternal Sundays are forever.
Sing this new song in the NOW of life,
within the sanctuary of the soul.
The spirit stirs within
the pools of the heart.
No excuse but to rejoice, dance and go
tell ALL the Middlemen to get down and Funky.
The pews are your shoes, the song leads the way and the rolling fields
stretch for miles and miles.
Seed to become tree
is planted- but more often deferred,
like a dream-
and never actualized.
If only we counted
minutes like money and rested
within endless arms.
Plant me a kiss and let this romance grow
and I’ll laugh with joy.
#2
Forever- how long do I
carry this burden?
Beseech- chain this albatross and toss it into the
sea.
It’s critical to see someone else’s point and view; period!
We are so determined to have this Omniscient libretto-
to pin it down with our pen-
From precisely……our point {with a pronounced exclamation}
!
View it differently and let go.
#3
The agenda has been set, forever!
The barrier has been removed.
Tell the mediators with their rites and passages
that the curtain is torn, and eternal Sundays are forever.
Sing this new song in the NOW of life,
within the sanctuary of the soul.
The spirit stirs within
the pools of the heart.
No excuse but to rejoice, dance and go
tell ALL the Middlemen to get down and Funky.
The pews are your shoes, the song leads the way and the rolling fields
stretch for miles and miles.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Politics & the Art of Compromise
Politics is the art of compromise {see Laura Bush’s stance on abortion/Reagan’s or Clinton’s on abortion/Death Penalty}, a strategic game of give or take/flip and flop. Faith is heart felt beliefs in absolute truths that should never be compromised-Thou Shall not kill; love your neighbor & enemy, servant leadership, etc. Trying to mix the two is messy/risky/and potentially heretical business.
Elections are a compromise in and of themselves. Presidential elections highlight this fact every four years, when our national moment of civic participation is called upon?! Two people/parties that we end up having to pick from {both sponsored (on loan) heavily by the biggest corporations} is all we get. They practically tell us which orchard, they tell us which field, they show us the two trees to choose from and we have to enjoy the fruit that we pick, regardless if it turns out sour or sweet or even rotten.
Within each camp, each politician tries to woo the undecided voters (us common folk) into their corner by truths/half-truths/promises and more promises-this is how it is...a 100% media driven frenzy based typically more upon personality than policy. Each camp does actually have specific stances on economic/social issues like foreign policy, environment, social services, social issues like abortion, etc. This is a huge task and role for one person- The leader of the most powerful/wealthy nation the world has ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER seen. Fortunately we have a system of check/balances to oversee this extremely important position {the House and the Bench}, right?
Most people don’t want innocent people to die, whether the case is genocide, tribal warfare, gang violence, random/urban violence, domestic violence, war or abortion. What are we the people supposed to do? How are we supposed to protect those innocent lives? Through direct outreach? Legislation? Obviously all these issues are entrenched in our political/social/cultural/religious groundings.
What is our civic obligation? Our moral obligation? As Christians- our Sermon on the Mount obligation to these horrific daily occurrences of innocent deaths?
Each issue is complex, to say the least. Politicians have it that much harder trying to tow party lines/voters lines/any lines… to get our vote. Well, what are we supposed to do with our vote? Some issues like a consistent life-ethic/abortion/war are more personable to us than other issues.
As the voter, with wisdom/faith one must look deeply into all the issues collectively and decide based on the over-arching platform/issues. Being focused on just one issue turns this whole, huge, entire process {electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world} into an either/or debate on just one issue-this potentially results into a reductionistic/ minimalist/cursory approach. In fact, once elected, Congressional officers typically serve us by working on both sides of the aisle in hopes of uniting not dividing people over complex, multi-layered issues like abortion through legislation that works on protecting all of life. (http://timryan.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=64)
Perhaps the conversation shouldn’t be absolutely and entirely wagered on one specific, exact issue within this huge, complex, multi-issued, multi-layered important election year and we should re-frame important issues like the abortion conversation into: How can we best reduce the number of abortions? {Within the last couple years have the number of abortions declined?} This approach opens this deeply/partisan wedge issue into more of a proactive, less divisive, unifying approach. This conversation protects the issue from being used as a wedge issue to divide people around this serious topic.
Sanctity of life, being anti-death, pro-life are what most of us want in all areas of life. We prefer life over death for ourselves and others. Abortion is an issue that is typically used during this season as a wedge to pit one into an either/or dilemma, highlighting one issue and hiding all others. Either you are for or against- is the rhetoric that we hear attempting to force our hand one way or the other on this one issue. Now I’m no expert in the field of abortion but this issue opens conversation on the complexity of an issue like abortion, for instance, the role of contraception/ morning after pill, women’s choices, unwanted pregnancies, stem cell, rape & incest, partial-birth, adoption, solid child-support policies, inequality&poverty, a consistent life ethic/war, death penalty, etc.
Being wise, faithful and committed we must take all these issues within their context and soulfully ponder them in relation to the entire platform, before being wedge into one way or another. There are multiple issues that deal directly with life/death scenarios so as good stewarts we need to consciously engaged in ALL of these conversations.
These issues should be dear to all of our hearts/minds and our obligations in electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world should be approach with humility, wisdom and hope. Having the freedom to exercise our democratic privilege with a vote should at minimum motivate us into investing how each and every one of these issues within each campaign’s platform hold to our moral/civic/common bonds as individuals within our great and diverse country. It is easy to be swayed by partisan politics, suave-half truth TV ads and the like but our duty as citizens of this world and beyond should be to fully engage in all the issues of the platform/s or risk losing one of the greatest privileges of our democratic process-the responsibility of the vote.
Elections are a compromise in and of themselves. Presidential elections highlight this fact every four years, when our national moment of civic participation is called upon?! Two people/parties that we end up having to pick from {both sponsored (on loan) heavily by the biggest corporations} is all we get. They practically tell us which orchard, they tell us which field, they show us the two trees to choose from and we have to enjoy the fruit that we pick, regardless if it turns out sour or sweet or even rotten.
Within each camp, each politician tries to woo the undecided voters (us common folk) into their corner by truths/half-truths/promises and more promises-this is how it is...a 100% media driven frenzy based typically more upon personality than policy. Each camp does actually have specific stances on economic/social issues like foreign policy, environment, social services, social issues like abortion, etc. This is a huge task and role for one person- The leader of the most powerful/wealthy nation the world has ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER seen. Fortunately we have a system of check/balances to oversee this extremely important position {the House and the Bench}, right?
Most people don’t want innocent people to die, whether the case is genocide, tribal warfare, gang violence, random/urban violence, domestic violence, war or abortion. What are we the people supposed to do? How are we supposed to protect those innocent lives? Through direct outreach? Legislation? Obviously all these issues are entrenched in our political/social/cultural/religious groundings.
What is our civic obligation? Our moral obligation? As Christians- our Sermon on the Mount obligation to these horrific daily occurrences of innocent deaths?
Each issue is complex, to say the least. Politicians have it that much harder trying to tow party lines/voters lines/any lines… to get our vote. Well, what are we supposed to do with our vote? Some issues like a consistent life-ethic/abortion/war are more personable to us than other issues.
As the voter, with wisdom/faith one must look deeply into all the issues collectively and decide based on the over-arching platform/issues. Being focused on just one issue turns this whole, huge, entire process {electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world} into an either/or debate on just one issue-this potentially results into a reductionistic/ minimalist/cursory approach. In fact, once elected, Congressional officers typically serve us by working on both sides of the aisle in hopes of uniting not dividing people over complex, multi-layered issues like abortion through legislation that works on protecting all of life. (http://timryan.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=149&Itemid=64)
Perhaps the conversation shouldn’t be absolutely and entirely wagered on one specific, exact issue within this huge, complex, multi-issued, multi-layered important election year and we should re-frame important issues like the abortion conversation into: How can we best reduce the number of abortions? {Within the last couple years have the number of abortions declined?} This approach opens this deeply/partisan wedge issue into more of a proactive, less divisive, unifying approach. This conversation protects the issue from being used as a wedge issue to divide people around this serious topic.
Sanctity of life, being anti-death, pro-life are what most of us want in all areas of life. We prefer life over death for ourselves and others. Abortion is an issue that is typically used during this season as a wedge to pit one into an either/or dilemma, highlighting one issue and hiding all others. Either you are for or against- is the rhetoric that we hear attempting to force our hand one way or the other on this one issue. Now I’m no expert in the field of abortion but this issue opens conversation on the complexity of an issue like abortion, for instance, the role of contraception/ morning after pill, women’s choices, unwanted pregnancies, stem cell, rape & incest, partial-birth, adoption, solid child-support policies, inequality&poverty, a consistent life ethic/war, death penalty, etc.
Being wise, faithful and committed we must take all these issues within their context and soulfully ponder them in relation to the entire platform, before being wedge into one way or another. There are multiple issues that deal directly with life/death scenarios so as good stewarts we need to consciously engaged in ALL of these conversations.
These issues should be dear to all of our hearts/minds and our obligations in electing the next leader of the most powerful/rich nation of the world should be approach with humility, wisdom and hope. Having the freedom to exercise our democratic privilege with a vote should at minimum motivate us into investing how each and every one of these issues within each campaign’s platform hold to our moral/civic/common bonds as individuals within our great and diverse country. It is easy to be swayed by partisan politics, suave-half truth TV ads and the like but our duty as citizens of this world and beyond should be to fully engage in all the issues of the platform/s or risk losing one of the greatest privileges of our democratic process-the responsibility of the vote.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Ready for Reunion Today?
Perhaps I should have found it a little odd after the third or fourth school kiosk and church announcement that read THE homecoming. What homecoming, when and where and for whom? Block after block I continued to see flyers, signs and announcements about THE homecoming. Beside the fact, why would a school decide to broadcast this on the first week of school, is that normal?
How could a homecoming be for ALL schools/institutes anyway? Wasn’t the point of having a homecoming to celebrate those specific members of those specific institutes, you just can’t have the lion mascot sitting next to the lamb mascot? Homecoming was that special time to reflect on the uniqueness of all those wonderfully shared experiences while reveling as a collective whole, so why THE homecoming?
These signs are welcoming all of us to this reunion/celebration despite the fact that we have all been to or trained in various schools/schools of thought. At this event there will be all these groupings of people with all their differences based on each school’s thoughts and collective manners that are uniquely shaped by culture, history, race, class, gender, religion and culture, etc.
By being trained in different schools, we have developed an inherent us versus them approach (whether referring to that schools’ teams, colors, mascots, ideology, geo-politic positioning, dogmas) distilled in each and every one of us. This divisive instinct mixed with fear is what a lot of us are carrying around these days. Instead of gravitating towards a message of celebrating THE homecoming our inherited defensives tell us to defend our own school versus the ‘other’.
This cosmic homecoming is calling for all of us to celebrate one another by seeing strength in our unity and not our manicured differences. Who is putting this event on and why? The creator of this calling wants to unite us through this invitation to fellowship and know each other. The creator wants all people to see that they are invited to this reunion just because-just because the creator wants it that way. The creator’s invitation extends to all people; in fact I thought I saw the invitation written in the stars!
Henri Nouwen, a fellow pilgrim, highlighted in his book Prodigal Son various reactions that we might have upon hearing about something as grand as THE homecoming. Whether it is wanting or not wanting someone to attend, demanding that this invitation be for only for your school or your people/your thoughts, or perhaps wanting to have the best seat at the banquet table. The creator of THE homecoming desperately wants all of us to drop this division of in/out and celebrate that ALL schools of people are warmly and equally invited, simply because that’s the way we are all invited. This invitation, out of love, is for all people to come together and celebrate the creator’s party by sitting side by side in growing through conversation and unity.
As I continued walking and spotting these signs everywhere a thought occurred to me that from all these signs: THE homecoming invitation never stated a time or place. Perhaps, like any invited guest, I should prepare by cleansing my hands and mind from all its blemishes of divisive thinking and fearful thoughts of the ‘other’ and begin envisioning, like the invitation, to see that we are ALL invited to come home and enjoy the rich, diverse company of others while radiating in the glow of the creator’s loving acceptance.
Squinting across the intersection, between the intervals of passing vehicles, I notice another peculiar sign. And it reads: THE homecoming is here and now, enjoy! I ask the stranger next to me if they can see this sign to check my own sanity and she says yes. Enjoy!
How could a homecoming be for ALL schools/institutes anyway? Wasn’t the point of having a homecoming to celebrate those specific members of those specific institutes, you just can’t have the lion mascot sitting next to the lamb mascot? Homecoming was that special time to reflect on the uniqueness of all those wonderfully shared experiences while reveling as a collective whole, so why THE homecoming?
These signs are welcoming all of us to this reunion/celebration despite the fact that we have all been to or trained in various schools/schools of thought. At this event there will be all these groupings of people with all their differences based on each school’s thoughts and collective manners that are uniquely shaped by culture, history, race, class, gender, religion and culture, etc.
By being trained in different schools, we have developed an inherent us versus them approach (whether referring to that schools’ teams, colors, mascots, ideology, geo-politic positioning, dogmas) distilled in each and every one of us. This divisive instinct mixed with fear is what a lot of us are carrying around these days. Instead of gravitating towards a message of celebrating THE homecoming our inherited defensives tell us to defend our own school versus the ‘other’.
This cosmic homecoming is calling for all of us to celebrate one another by seeing strength in our unity and not our manicured differences. Who is putting this event on and why? The creator of this calling wants to unite us through this invitation to fellowship and know each other. The creator wants all people to see that they are invited to this reunion just because-just because the creator wants it that way. The creator’s invitation extends to all people; in fact I thought I saw the invitation written in the stars!
Henri Nouwen, a fellow pilgrim, highlighted in his book Prodigal Son various reactions that we might have upon hearing about something as grand as THE homecoming. Whether it is wanting or not wanting someone to attend, demanding that this invitation be for only for your school or your people/your thoughts, or perhaps wanting to have the best seat at the banquet table. The creator of THE homecoming desperately wants all of us to drop this division of in/out and celebrate that ALL schools of people are warmly and equally invited, simply because that’s the way we are all invited. This invitation, out of love, is for all people to come together and celebrate the creator’s party by sitting side by side in growing through conversation and unity.
As I continued walking and spotting these signs everywhere a thought occurred to me that from all these signs: THE homecoming invitation never stated a time or place. Perhaps, like any invited guest, I should prepare by cleansing my hands and mind from all its blemishes of divisive thinking and fearful thoughts of the ‘other’ and begin envisioning, like the invitation, to see that we are ALL invited to come home and enjoy the rich, diverse company of others while radiating in the glow of the creator’s loving acceptance.
Squinting across the intersection, between the intervals of passing vehicles, I notice another peculiar sign. And it reads: THE homecoming is here and now, enjoy! I ask the stranger next to me if they can see this sign to check my own sanity and she says yes. Enjoy!
Ranking the Rankings, ?academically challenged??
Just as high GDP rankings don’t guarantee citizens happiness, health or balance in a nation; institutional rankings don’t necessarily measure ethos in an institute. Scales and calibrations measure specific markings at a specific time/place. Scoring high/low on a scale indicates something positive/negative depending on the eyes of the beholder and of course what’s being measured. Too often institutes and their members celebrate high rankings and levels without knowing what’s being measured and what that implies.
Measurements are very useful in that they can reveal growth and potential. It is essential for us, as engaged citizens, to be aware of our progress. But just as essential, if not more essential, is knowing what we are growing towards. What is it that we should be proud of?
Rankings score comparatively. They place people/institutes on a scale, with there being a first and a last. Our natural instinct is to be first; remember the Zebedee brothers? We all want the highest place of honor in the kingdom. What does this mean as an institute? What does this mean in the professional market place? What does this mean to the spirit?
Moving up in the scale is good news! The higher the ranking the better the quality! As earnest learners we know that this only partly true. Scales and their criteria only measure what they want to measure. A dying man can rank high on a healthy scale if it is only measuring things other than vital signs. What are the vital signs of an institute? What is being measured? What should we be proud of? What type of growth are we learning or admitting? What things aren’t being scaled and ranked? How do we balance these rankings in relation to other qualities and attributes? What is the chief end of man/woman?
Measurements are very useful in that they can reveal growth and potential. It is essential for us, as engaged citizens, to be aware of our progress. But just as essential, if not more essential, is knowing what we are growing towards. What is it that we should be proud of?
Rankings score comparatively. They place people/institutes on a scale, with there being a first and a last. Our natural instinct is to be first; remember the Zebedee brothers? We all want the highest place of honor in the kingdom. What does this mean as an institute? What does this mean in the professional market place? What does this mean to the spirit?
Moving up in the scale is good news! The higher the ranking the better the quality! As earnest learners we know that this only partly true. Scales and their criteria only measure what they want to measure. A dying man can rank high on a healthy scale if it is only measuring things other than vital signs. What are the vital signs of an institute? What is being measured? What should we be proud of? What type of growth are we learning or admitting? What things aren’t being scaled and ranked? How do we balance these rankings in relation to other qualities and attributes? What is the chief end of man/woman?
Sunday, July 13, 2008
points at.... missing the target
placing the microscope
so close......
that only one's eyes can see.
this telescopic lens dissects
every particle into more particles.....
So that when every word is cut and drained
of all its life....love's rhythmic, harmonious sound
is nothing more than a dull drone.
studying the art of love
in languages unbound/through these intellectual
rites-of-passage...leave me more lost
and not found.
If letters become words
bounded by a page
I will seek love-and its song
singing its endless praise.
so close......
that only one's eyes can see.
this telescopic lens dissects
every particle into more particles.....
So that when every word is cut and drained
of all its life....love's rhythmic, harmonious sound
is nothing more than a dull drone.
studying the art of love
in languages unbound/through these intellectual
rites-of-passage...leave me more lost
and not found.
If letters become words
bounded by a page
I will seek love-and its song
singing its endless praise.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
mending the compass
-awashed in the busyness of our days with demands stockpiled against us, time’s commodity is of the essence. Sure can feel like ‘chasing after the wind’ or a ‘minus that won’t add up’. All these details and to-do lists are essential for the survival of our life, household and life’s basic functioning. But if ‘life’s a corkscrew that can’t be straightened’ than these daily paths that we urgently pace down might be slightly off course or in the wrong direction.
-I read in the news yesterday of a man who had locked up his younger female relative in a cage in his basement and tortured and abused her for years and years…when he finally appeared before the judge-the moment the gavel was to fall, the moment the judge was to put this deranged man in his own cage for life, the moment justice was to be resolved……………..Grace appeared. She walked over to the estranged man-looked him in his worn out and guilty eyes and said, ‘I still love you.’ Grace gives unconditional love to our frail, self-absorbed, selfish lives. Grace enters the courtroom through the homeless Son-of-Man and takes our place-He takes our judgment.
-You might add-I have never done a despicable act like that fellow…but remember His social contract that He gave His people recorded by Matthew in the fifth chapter…if you feel angry at another-you are GUILTY of murder….pretty harsh huh, well-don’t forget Grace…He goes on to say that you might think your clear of adultery by not getting in bed with another…..but our radical King says that when your heart is in bed with another you are convicted and always found GUILTY…..this refugee from Palestine goes on to say that if you drift into the old law of enemy hate and stand behind the old adage of an eye for an eye-then you are also GUILTY….Jesus ushered in His new kingdom based on a different ethic, one being enemy-love…..to love All, especially those who are the enemy.
-The verdict is out and we are guilty on all accounts….the criminal inside of us all….we are in the same position as the man mentioned above….
-this is the heart of the gospel…..this is why we need to reposition our daily compass….we need to stop trying to impress others as the holier-than-thou, as well as stop constantly dodging our guilty past…..the heart of Our narrative is that God sent His son to invite All into His new kingdom through the acts of sweet, sweet Grace. She embraces the arms of justice-like two lovers in a slow waltz-she smiles, and gives justice a big long kiss on the lips……this is the gospel….
-We are all guilty of being a bit self-focused/absorbed with the great ME…..we are all guilty of putting our selves before others…..Jesus comes knocking on our door…everyday….all the time….whispering to us the message of Grace and love…..we are loved-despite anything.
-Jesus message in Matthew doesn’t stop there….He is calling us to a new life style….He tells us to ‘Grow up’ and acknowledge that we are part of His story and with this new identity-this new self….we are to live the way He lives toward us……to give love/to serve/to give life……this is true north…is this the direction that we need to head everyday…..before, during and after the rushhour of the day…this is the flesh that we have to put on…….
-He calls us to live different, be different and act different…how would you act if you were pardoned from death? Loved despite all your short-coming? Embraced and waltzed with at your worst? Well, guess what??? You are!….believe it and live it…..grow into Him each day and let Our stories join in His great love affair.
-We are the missionaries, your in the mission field and Jesus wants us to love and give life to All His beautiful creation. The message is you! The time is now…Awake to this new Kingdom, embrace this Life so that each step on life’s path is graced with loving others more than ourselves and seeing Him in everything.
-In Genesis the Creator ‘looked over everything He had made, it was so good, so very good!’……how sweet the sound……
-I read in the news yesterday of a man who had locked up his younger female relative in a cage in his basement and tortured and abused her for years and years…when he finally appeared before the judge-the moment the gavel was to fall, the moment the judge was to put this deranged man in his own cage for life, the moment justice was to be resolved……………..Grace appeared. She walked over to the estranged man-looked him in his worn out and guilty eyes and said, ‘I still love you.’ Grace gives unconditional love to our frail, self-absorbed, selfish lives. Grace enters the courtroom through the homeless Son-of-Man and takes our place-He takes our judgment.
-You might add-I have never done a despicable act like that fellow…but remember His social contract that He gave His people recorded by Matthew in the fifth chapter…if you feel angry at another-you are GUILTY of murder….pretty harsh huh, well-don’t forget Grace…He goes on to say that you might think your clear of adultery by not getting in bed with another…..but our radical King says that when your heart is in bed with another you are convicted and always found GUILTY…..this refugee from Palestine goes on to say that if you drift into the old law of enemy hate and stand behind the old adage of an eye for an eye-then you are also GUILTY….Jesus ushered in His new kingdom based on a different ethic, one being enemy-love…..to love All, especially those who are the enemy.
-The verdict is out and we are guilty on all accounts….the criminal inside of us all….we are in the same position as the man mentioned above….
-this is the heart of the gospel…..this is why we need to reposition our daily compass….we need to stop trying to impress others as the holier-than-thou, as well as stop constantly dodging our guilty past…..the heart of Our narrative is that God sent His son to invite All into His new kingdom through the acts of sweet, sweet Grace. She embraces the arms of justice-like two lovers in a slow waltz-she smiles, and gives justice a big long kiss on the lips……this is the gospel….
-We are all guilty of being a bit self-focused/absorbed with the great ME…..we are all guilty of putting our selves before others…..Jesus comes knocking on our door…everyday….all the time….whispering to us the message of Grace and love…..we are loved-despite anything.
-Jesus message in Matthew doesn’t stop there….He is calling us to a new life style….He tells us to ‘Grow up’ and acknowledge that we are part of His story and with this new identity-this new self….we are to live the way He lives toward us……to give love/to serve/to give life……this is true north…is this the direction that we need to head everyday…..before, during and after the rushhour of the day…this is the flesh that we have to put on…….
-He calls us to live different, be different and act different…how would you act if you were pardoned from death? Loved despite all your short-coming? Embraced and waltzed with at your worst? Well, guess what??? You are!….believe it and live it…..grow into Him each day and let Our stories join in His great love affair.
-We are the missionaries, your in the mission field and Jesus wants us to love and give life to All His beautiful creation. The message is you! The time is now…Awake to this new Kingdom, embrace this Life so that each step on life’s path is graced with loving others more than ourselves and seeing Him in everything.
-In Genesis the Creator ‘looked over everything He had made, it was so good, so very good!’……how sweet the sound……
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Paralysis of the Vote
‘Chosen’ by the world lottery to be born into this nation whose pillars are life, liberty and happiness places a unique ‘call’ on its citizens to actively be involved in this democratic and free process of building our nation.
In these liberties we are entrusted freedom of speech, religion, press the rule of law as well as a citizen’s representative government.
Once every year, or two or four, we are called upon and advertised to nominate various leaders for this nation. Amidst all the grand-standing there is also a lot of sidelining. We the observers cheer, hoot and holler while our favorite contestant and mascot’s rating ebb and flow and the rumors and rumors of rumors constantly pop-up on our screens about the diaries of the candidates’ lives. Like reality T.V. we sit back/watch ……and eventually we, the audience- vote.
As an academic scholar once crafted (forgot the reference) that most of our political involvement is comprised of voting and voting is comparable to the act of flushing the toilet-Ya pull the lever and it’s done [paraphrased by me-not an academic scholar]. Well, when framed that way and if our political engagement and civic obligations are actually limited to just pulling the lever-that’s pretty crappy.
Is this the extent of our political engagement: merely sitting on the sidelines and cheering for the home- team, routinely coursing through the latest corporate sponsored breaking news line, and at the end of this exercise-flushing it with the pull of the lever? Does that sound to you like a nation of free citizens collectively building a better tomorrow today? Or has our responsibility been minimized/diluted/marked down enough that this is all that is expected from us-to simply sit back, channel surf through the latest epidemics of our towns-day in and day out and then during that season have corporate media tell us who we should vote off the island?
There is a disconnect here. As a nation of free citizens we are disconnected and disengaged as a whole. We have grown distant to the calls of civic and social responsibility and told simply to vote, to flush.
Speaking of disconnect-The first disconnect that we must make as a nation is the T.V. That’s right disconnect-TURN OFF THE TV!!
Within our God given freedoms we must relearn and become aware of how we vote everyday with our actions/words/decisions/receipts/lifestyle. As citizens we must connect with all that we do everyday. Our role shouldn’t be reduced to simply annually pulling a political lever for the latest political promise on the most up-to-date fade. We shouldn’t feel that we, the people, are the customers being escorted by the latest candidates’ filled promises of discounts, savings and bargains.
We need to connect our daily choices with our actions and remind ourselves that every action in life is a pull on the political lever. Voting for a specific candidate wouldn’t then be the entirety of our political involvement but just a piece, if we are able to see all of life as political engagement. Our daily lives need to consistently connect with our beliefs/our own platforms/and our own life’s campaign. And we can all be thankful that our life campaign doesn’t need corporate sponsorship.
With this right/privilege/opportunity that we have all been given, we need to be stewards and utilize this unique role as individuals and exercise these personal liberties in forming a better today. When we are able to live out our daily decisions as a way of daily voting, then these political seasons will become just that-a season.
When we begin voting everyday with our actions- then when that season comes- it is our message/priorities that need to heard, not their message that we need to be sold on. This action takes action. If you aren’t the political type-well…. we are all political through our actions-so we all need to become more aware of our actions/beliefs/values/direction and own up to our own daily platform called lifestyle.
May we all continue to become more aware of how we DO vote every minute of every day of our lives and that these actions would connect with our convictions/passions/zeal and be evident in our relationships, lifestyle, and purchases. We have been given this freedom and when greatly given-much is expected. Pulling the Big political lever once and thinking that that is all- is simply waste management, but becoming truly connected with action/thought and seeing all of life as voting is choosing well.
In these liberties we are entrusted freedom of speech, religion, press the rule of law as well as a citizen’s representative government.
Once every year, or two or four, we are called upon and advertised to nominate various leaders for this nation. Amidst all the grand-standing there is also a lot of sidelining. We the observers cheer, hoot and holler while our favorite contestant and mascot’s rating ebb and flow and the rumors and rumors of rumors constantly pop-up on our screens about the diaries of the candidates’ lives. Like reality T.V. we sit back/watch ……and eventually we, the audience- vote.
As an academic scholar once crafted (forgot the reference) that most of our political involvement is comprised of voting and voting is comparable to the act of flushing the toilet-Ya pull the lever and it’s done [paraphrased by me-not an academic scholar]. Well, when framed that way and if our political engagement and civic obligations are actually limited to just pulling the lever-that’s pretty crappy.
Is this the extent of our political engagement: merely sitting on the sidelines and cheering for the home- team, routinely coursing through the latest corporate sponsored breaking news line, and at the end of this exercise-flushing it with the pull of the lever? Does that sound to you like a nation of free citizens collectively building a better tomorrow today? Or has our responsibility been minimized/diluted/marked down enough that this is all that is expected from us-to simply sit back, channel surf through the latest epidemics of our towns-day in and day out and then during that season have corporate media tell us who we should vote off the island?
There is a disconnect here. As a nation of free citizens we are disconnected and disengaged as a whole. We have grown distant to the calls of civic and social responsibility and told simply to vote, to flush.
Speaking of disconnect-The first disconnect that we must make as a nation is the T.V. That’s right disconnect-TURN OFF THE TV!!
Within our God given freedoms we must relearn and become aware of how we vote everyday with our actions/words/decisions/receipts/lifestyle. As citizens we must connect with all that we do everyday. Our role shouldn’t be reduced to simply annually pulling a political lever for the latest political promise on the most up-to-date fade. We shouldn’t feel that we, the people, are the customers being escorted by the latest candidates’ filled promises of discounts, savings and bargains.
We need to connect our daily choices with our actions and remind ourselves that every action in life is a pull on the political lever. Voting for a specific candidate wouldn’t then be the entirety of our political involvement but just a piece, if we are able to see all of life as political engagement. Our daily lives need to consistently connect with our beliefs/our own platforms/and our own life’s campaign. And we can all be thankful that our life campaign doesn’t need corporate sponsorship.
With this right/privilege/opportunity that we have all been given, we need to be stewards and utilize this unique role as individuals and exercise these personal liberties in forming a better today. When we are able to live out our daily decisions as a way of daily voting, then these political seasons will become just that-a season.
When we begin voting everyday with our actions- then when that season comes- it is our message/priorities that need to heard, not their message that we need to be sold on. This action takes action. If you aren’t the political type-well…. we are all political through our actions-so we all need to become more aware of our actions/beliefs/values/direction and own up to our own daily platform called lifestyle.
May we all continue to become more aware of how we DO vote every minute of every day of our lives and that these actions would connect with our convictions/passions/zeal and be evident in our relationships, lifestyle, and purchases. We have been given this freedom and when greatly given-much is expected. Pulling the Big political lever once and thinking that that is all- is simply waste management, but becoming truly connected with action/thought and seeing all of life as voting is choosing well.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
another parable
The table is set alone,
three chairs await.
Our time is money
so go and tell them
they have to wait!
three chairs await.
Our time is money
so go and tell them
they have to wait!
a parable
I saw the aerial photograph
of our lives
we looked so small.
Too magnify small acts of love-
they add Up.
of our lives
we looked so small.
Too magnify small acts of love-
they add Up.
clowning around
I once knew a fool
who saw the world
standing on his head.
He turned around and
what he found-
turned him back again.
who saw the world
standing on his head.
He turned around and
what he found-
turned him back again.
to live as loved for the first time
to live as loved
embraced by the wings of
metamorphsis.
take flight through
the stillness of the
ocean blue sky. and
notice again
for the first time-
that springs enters boldly through frozen
soil.
walls separate and divide,
walls yearn
to reach the sky.
love moves mountains and covers east
to west-returning to the exact same spot-
your heart
and rotates and spins with grace.
twirling endlessly twirling
always back to the same location-dizzly loving you
embraced by the wings of
metamorphsis.
take flight through
the stillness of the
ocean blue sky. and
notice again
for the first time-
that springs enters boldly through frozen
soil.
walls separate and divide,
walls yearn
to reach the sky.
love moves mountains and covers east
to west-returning to the exact same spot-
your heart
and rotates and spins with grace.
twirling endlessly twirling
always back to the same location-dizzly loving you
Joseph's Dreamcoat
Since graduating college in ‘98 I have worn many coats along with many new titles. The coats and titles pushed me down various paths, some paved and some pretty dusty.
There is a light inside my soul, pilot to blazing, that propels me to follow His radical love. Throughout the years, the coats have changed, the titles have been replaced and even the grass has withered but the thirst and hunger still burns.
Joseph was a dreamer and had a coat of many colors. Dejected, denied and pissed upon by his own family, Joseph responded (foreshowed) in a radically different path-one of peace, forgiveness, grace and love. Joseph’s ascension from the pit/grave of death arose to use his dexterity/foolishness converting his throne of power into a distribution center of forgiveness, unconditional love and food.
Joseph, I dream too, and have worn various coats and also wish to convert things of this world for His folly. To much chagrin I’m also much like your brothers and guilty of throwing soil over the head of family members (my Father) by desiring paths of selfishness/greed/power/death in pursuit of living my own life.
‘My own life’ sounds laden with cultural implications and religious abominations-that this is my time, my world, my right, my way. All these coats that I have donned along with the various titles that follow my name seem to fail in comparison to my birth-right title: little christ follower.
What coat will I wear next? What title will I hold and more importantly what path will I follow? Do all these things-appearance/occupation/lifestyle/desire reflect the life that the lover of the world asks of me?
What pin is on my lapel/coat? What flag is pinned in my heart? Why am I so easily swayed by the currents of this world? The trends and undertows of this world seem remarkably different than the swaying flow of Joseph’s coat-lture. Grant me the courage to live this dream. Grant me the will to die to things of the grave and become alive with a new title: little christ follower.
There is a light inside my soul, pilot to blazing, that propels me to follow His radical love. Throughout the years, the coats have changed, the titles have been replaced and even the grass has withered but the thirst and hunger still burns.
Joseph was a dreamer and had a coat of many colors. Dejected, denied and pissed upon by his own family, Joseph responded (foreshowed) in a radically different path-one of peace, forgiveness, grace and love. Joseph’s ascension from the pit/grave of death arose to use his dexterity/foolishness converting his throne of power into a distribution center of forgiveness, unconditional love and food.
Joseph, I dream too, and have worn various coats and also wish to convert things of this world for His folly. To much chagrin I’m also much like your brothers and guilty of throwing soil over the head of family members (my Father) by desiring paths of selfishness/greed/power/death in pursuit of living my own life.
‘My own life’ sounds laden with cultural implications and religious abominations-that this is my time, my world, my right, my way. All these coats that I have donned along with the various titles that follow my name seem to fail in comparison to my birth-right title: little christ follower.
What coat will I wear next? What title will I hold and more importantly what path will I follow? Do all these things-appearance/occupation/lifestyle/desire reflect the life that the lover of the world asks of me?
What pin is on my lapel/coat? What flag is pinned in my heart? Why am I so easily swayed by the currents of this world? The trends and undertows of this world seem remarkably different than the swaying flow of Joseph’s coat-lture. Grant me the courage to live this dream. Grant me the will to die to things of the grave and become alive with a new title: little christ follower.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
behooved
clamoring of the hooves
muddling up the blue sky
hard to be aware
stammering of our soles
frantically behind
a heavy leaden arm-time
unaware of thee hour
easier to be
herded through the aisle
picked, not picking
prickly unaware
when the dust finally settles
upon your vast, open field
just when the moment for.. choice
the rumbling stampede can be heard
nathanc
muddling up the blue sky
hard to be aware
stammering of our soles
frantically behind
a heavy leaden arm-time
unaware of thee hour
easier to be
herded through the aisle
picked, not picking
prickly unaware
when the dust finally settles
upon your vast, open field
just when the moment for.. choice
the rumbling stampede can be heard
nathanc
Sunday, March 9, 2008
The joy of Grace
In simple, transparent light
The Sun shines upon us all.
If your vision is speckled and
Your spirit critical…you aren’t alone.
She patiently waits with her soft smile,Gift in hand.
Her name is Grace
The Sun shines upon us all.
If your vision is speckled and
Your spirit critical…you aren’t alone.
She patiently waits with her soft smile,Gift in hand.
Her name is Grace
Sunday, February 10, 2008
His Kingdom Wants the Next Dance
Alive in Him, every breath is a gift from Him.
The spirit connects us together with a vision of love, understanding, wonder and joy for each other. The flesh divides us with anger, competition, resentment and hostility. The spirit is gentle/kind/accepting/as thoroughly forgiving as He is to you. We are in His image, not He in ours. The world knows not the rhythm of His soul.
To let down our guard/pretense and silently be washed in His love/grace/complete acceptance is the gift of our every moment. We must stop constantly neglecting His presence and end our wandering in this barren land alone- emptiness is typically how this land leaves us. It doesn’t save you-it only spends you.
The spirit connects us to each other/His creation/our true vocation-leads us back to the fundamentals of loving and enjoying Him here and now.
Maturing and growing always-His spirit is in us-not waiting for us over there/down the road-not waiting for us to mature into the next phase. The spirit calls us all day to be ‘In Him’, to live holy like Him. This starts today, now. This is His plan to enter His kingdom now.
To drift through our days in this dazed religiosity is not being awake and alive In Him. The Spirit of ALL creation lives within you right now and wants you to transform to His will now-to awake and rise in His love/vision/and new Kingdom.
There is no thunder clap arrival of this new you-this new life/vision…it is a quiet, daily revolution that occurs right in the cell of your heart and though the windows of your eyes-do you SEE Him in life??…the thunder clap is you loving others more than yourself/is you striving to be perfect in Christ/is you wanting to love others more than yourself….the signs and wonders is God entrusting His plan to people like you and me…what an honor and an obligation.
His Kingdom is an invitation to join the’ Lord of the dance’ in His cosmic ballroom. We need to rise from the comfort of our metal folding chairs and enter into the rhythm and beat of God’s soul music-hit the wooden dance floor of life….one that beckons us to grab the ‘other’ spin/dip/laugh/twist in His grace, love and thanksgiving.
Through time we will learn that all of life is His kingdom and that to live and be alive in Him is to join in the dance of life filled with the soul and rhythm of love and true engagement. Dance, dance wherever you may be…..nathanc
The spirit connects us together with a vision of love, understanding, wonder and joy for each other. The flesh divides us with anger, competition, resentment and hostility. The spirit is gentle/kind/accepting/as thoroughly forgiving as He is to you. We are in His image, not He in ours. The world knows not the rhythm of His soul.
To let down our guard/pretense and silently be washed in His love/grace/complete acceptance is the gift of our every moment. We must stop constantly neglecting His presence and end our wandering in this barren land alone- emptiness is typically how this land leaves us. It doesn’t save you-it only spends you.
The spirit connects us to each other/His creation/our true vocation-leads us back to the fundamentals of loving and enjoying Him here and now.
Maturing and growing always-His spirit is in us-not waiting for us over there/down the road-not waiting for us to mature into the next phase. The spirit calls us all day to be ‘In Him’, to live holy like Him. This starts today, now. This is His plan to enter His kingdom now.
To drift through our days in this dazed religiosity is not being awake and alive In Him. The Spirit of ALL creation lives within you right now and wants you to transform to His will now-to awake and rise in His love/vision/and new Kingdom.
There is no thunder clap arrival of this new you-this new life/vision…it is a quiet, daily revolution that occurs right in the cell of your heart and though the windows of your eyes-do you SEE Him in life??…the thunder clap is you loving others more than yourself/is you striving to be perfect in Christ/is you wanting to love others more than yourself….the signs and wonders is God entrusting His plan to people like you and me…what an honor and an obligation.
His Kingdom is an invitation to join the’ Lord of the dance’ in His cosmic ballroom. We need to rise from the comfort of our metal folding chairs and enter into the rhythm and beat of God’s soul music-hit the wooden dance floor of life….one that beckons us to grab the ‘other’ spin/dip/laugh/twist in His grace, love and thanksgiving.
Through time we will learn that all of life is His kingdom and that to live and be alive in Him is to join in the dance of life filled with the soul and rhythm of love and true engagement. Dance, dance wherever you may be…..nathanc
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