So? – A Poem to Ponder So you aren’t Tolstoy or St. Francis Or even a well-known singer Of popular songs and will never read Greek or speak French fluently, Will never see something no one else Has seen before through a lens Or with the naked eye. You’ve been given just the one life in this world that matters And upon which every other life Somehow depends as long as you live, and also given the costly gifts of hunger, Choice, and pain with which to raise A modest shrine to meaning. Leonard Nathan And as another poet, Mary Oliver wrote: “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” … [Read more...]
When My Soul is Startled
Heavy silence draped the normally chatty room. My Weight Watcher leader shared a list of what we shared as a group about the negative thoughts we experienced about managing our weight. We all listened with sad hearts to the damaging self-talk we splatter on ourselves. I will never lose weight. This is just too hard. Losing weight takes too much time. The leader then asked us to switch the statements to positive sayings: Slow but steady will win the battle. Starting new habits is hard but healthier. I am worth it. That last one startled my soul. “You are worth it, aren’t you?” she said. Silence again hung like a damp dirty rag on each person. The hesitation to answer that question said it all. None of us felt worthy of putting ourselves first in this war for better health. None of us felt good enough to spend the time, money and effort for new habits. None us were felt valuable or special enough. Not enough. Not good enough. Not worthy of love. The … [Read more...]
Six Benefits of Wisdom
This summer I hear Wisdom calling me. It is as if wisdom has been inviting me to tea. I feel her tug to draw closer and get to know her better. So I have been reading, asking, searching, staying open and surprisingly quiet, trying to hear her lessons. Last June we had a good discussion on this blog about wisdom. So I thought I would share one dimension of wisdom I have been exploring and get your thoughts about the benefits of building wisdom in our lives. One aspect of learning more about wisdom is pondering the benefits. Why should we try to grow in God’s wisdom? What does the Bible teach us about this? Here is what I have discovered so far. Spending time with Lady Wisdom invites the following: Communion with God. Contemplation. Proverbs 2: 5 - then you will understand the fear of the Lord. Fear in this sentence does not mean the fright/flight human reaction but implies the awe-inspiring, can’t-quite-comprehend-it-all-wonder of God. Contrast – Proverbs 2: 5 – find … [Read more...]
Marinating in the Scriptures
Marinate. Marinate means to seep, rest in, soak in the elements, to leave time to reflect. This word reentered my heart when I attended the Network of Bible StoryTellers Festival Gathering a few weeks ago. In order to learn the bible story they are sharing, the teller gives time for the story to marinate within them. Most tellers commented that learning the story wasn’t a process of memorization, but the story became a part of them, transforming them forever. They marinated in the story. How powerful is that? God’s living Word taking root deep within us, soaking every cell and element of this human body and spirit, then blossoming outward for others to see and hear. And when you marinate, you absorb the taste, the spices and all the wonderfulness of what infuses your soul. God’s characteristics enveloping us. We become the story. Dr. Leonard Sweet wrote: "The more you marinate your mind and soak your soul in the Scriptures, the more the Word becomes your … [Read more...]
Weeds – Lessons from the Garden
Weeds! We were only gone six days last week and weeds invaded, besieged my garden. Not only did they abundantly appear, the weeds grew tall like arrogant, pompous, well you know. Not only did they multiply like unwelcomed rabbits, the weeds imbedded their gangly roots near the bases of my blooming perennials. Not only did they grab vital real estate belonging to the cheerful Black Eye Susans, the weeds brought along their buddies, the beetles. No, not John, Paul, George and Ringo to serenade my garden – nasty looking hard shelled black ones delightfully chewing on my roses. Reminds me of the parable about the sowing of the seeds: “Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seeds. As he scattered them across his field, some seeds fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate them. Other seeds fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seeds sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plants soon wilted under the hot sun, and since … [Read more...]
Bible Storytelling
I am attending today a conference/festival on Bible Storytelling presented by a group called the Network of Biblical Storytellers. I have always been fascinated by good storytellers – they bring life to words and pull even the most reluctant adult into a story world. Going to this festival has been on my bucket list for a long time. Our own holy scriptures were first told verbally. Just imagine hearing the parables of Jesus or the story of Noah told well around a campfire. Sacred stories are those of transformation, they are stories that draw us closer to what I call the Lord Within The Heart, and they help us to see our connection to all things. There’s a saying in the Jewish tradition that the shortest distance between [a hu]man and God is through a story. So if storytelling is a journey, sacred storytelling is a pilgrimage—a pilgrimage to a place called Hope. Andy Fraenkel I will share more about my learning adventure next week once I return but this made me think about … [Read more...]
1000 Posts Already???
Ever miss an important day? Skipped over a landmark? Forget to notice a key milestone? Well I just did. On July 15 I posted my 1000th message on this blog. And I didn’t realize it until yesterday. OOPS! I am not sure if I really believe I have written 1000 posts. It doesn’t seem possible. Some posts I have liked and others, not so. Many that I didn’t think were very good received wonderful comments. Reading the comments many of you take the time to write or email to me builds connections and community and mean a lot to me. I do appreciate all of you, the silent ones and the more verbal ones. Love you all! Why do I keep writing? Writing a blog helps me think. I clarify my different experiences and where I am seeing God in my life. I gain a new perspective often when finding just the right words to put on each page. I have been so blessed by all of you – friends I have met in person and friends I only know over cyberspace. When you share that you have … [Read more...]
Living the Questions
“Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.” Rilke I used to more uncomfortable with uncertainty. That tension between knowing and the living in the gray area of unknowing. I used to seek the supremacy of feeling you are in control, having your act together, wearing the prettiest mask. What happen to curiosity? To taking the risk to ask questions you know you won’t be able to answer for a long time, if ever? To not know and to question and live with hazy vagueness? I know I am not the only one who recognizes as life goes on, we don’t have the answers and the only real path to growth … [Read more...]