simply surprised

Another turn of the calendar page - in the rythym of the seasons,
at the close of a grace filled decade, I find myself simply surprised by joy -
grateful for God's goodness and abundant provision .
This song by U2 just seems to sum it up: GRACE
Joy is the icing on the cake.

Where and when have you been surprised by joy?

Waiting,.. Watching,.. Still...

The season of Advent presses in.

"Winter solstice, when the sun seems to stand still in heaven,
watching for the Baby to be born." (1)

FIRST COMING
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anquished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice! (2)

(1) Lucy Shaw
(2) Madeleine L'Engle
from WINTER SONG - CHRISTMAS READINGS

simply waiting

Tomorrow – a turn of the calendar page. Another beat in the rhythm of the seasons.

This past Sunday ushered us into the season of Advent – a season of anticipation, expectancy and curiosity, promise and possibility. A season of assurance and waiting for the fulfillment of our hopes. It is during this season of Advent that we look to the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. For me, this will be a season of intentionality to practice the Presence – to live into and out of both the mystery and the reality of Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27.) As I enter into advent practicing gratitude, might I be mindful of God’s goodness and abundant provision.


Welcome Advent with me by singing this hymn:

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

What is your hope this Advent season?

Simply breathe

Today I am simply grateful for the air that I breathe;
for the ability of my lungs to inhale and exhale;
For the oxygen that infiltrates my blood, making its way to the cells of my body to keep them healthy;
for the gift of life.


You know I like to keep things simple.
Since my last post, I’ve been trying to let go of so much perfomance in the practice of the spiritual disciplines and navigate through each day simply aware of God’s presence.
Today, (slow learner that I am) it struck me that my very breath could serve as a moment by moment reminder of God’s presence with me.

Michael W. Smith’s classic, BREATHE, is the song of thanksgiving that I am singing today:

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you

And I, I'm desperate for you,
And I, I'm lost without you,

I'm lost without you,

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you Lord,

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm lost without you.

Simply practicing God's Presence

Oh, Honey Girl is a slow learner! Back in the early days of this blog she had said, "I’m giving myself permission to start my practice with baby steps. If I trip up or fall, might I have the grace to get back up and pick up where I’ve left off. "

I have a confession to make – seems I’ve made too much of the spiritual disciplines and I’ve tripped myself up. Lately they’ve become more about performance than practice. In recent days I've had to toss out all of Richard Foster's references (gasp!)and solely practice the presence of God In an effort to keep things simple.
This practice, of God's presence, above all others has proved to be the single most important in my experience with these applications. It is both foundational and pivotal - all the other disciplines and practices hinge and build on this one practice.
Practicing the Presence of God stirs up in me an attitude of gratitude.

I’ve been reviewing this blog's origins. One of the original intents was to use this space as a Gratitude Journal. Might I share with you then, just a few things for which I am grateful at the close of this day?

I’m grateful for each new day and the grace to pick up where I’ve left off or get back up when I’ve tripped and fallen. I’m obliged to a friend – who, this morning reminded me that it’s a brand new day.

Over the past few days, I’ve been thankful for a wood burning stove which has kept the house warm after the furnace quit working.
Today I’m so appreciative that skilled technicians were able to come to the house to install a new furnace.

And now, I’m grateful for the gentle rhythm that comes in anticipation of restful sleep and another day tomorrow when I can simply be aware of God’s presence.

What are you grateful for today?

Keepin' it simple

In keeping with the Spiritual practice of simplicity, Honey Girl shares an old Shaker hymn with you:

'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free,
'tis the gift to come down where you ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
It will be in the valley of love and delight.

Refrain:
When true simplicity is gained,
To bow and to bend we shan't be ashamed.
To turn, turn will be our delight,
'Til by turning, turning we come round right

'Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return,
'Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn,
And when we expect of others what we try to live each day,
Then we'll all live together and we'll all learn to say,

Refrain:

'Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be,
'Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of "me",
And when we hear what others really think and really feel,
Then we'll all live together with a love that is real.

Refrain:


I especially love the opening phrases from this old hymn -
'Tis the gift to be simple,
'tis the gift to be free -
Now, if I can only receive the gift....

a simple primer

In my last blog, Honey Girl invited you, dear reader, to consider implementing some spiritual practices that will help keep your heart beating in a regular rhythm of love to the ONE who is faithful and ever present in your life. I'm curious if you’ve taken any action on this or if you’re contemplating where to begin.

Some of you might even be wondering just what these spiritual disciplines are. Are you as put off by the use of the word,” discipline,” as I once was? Well, think of them as practices, then.

For those of you, who are not familiar with these practices, allow me to present you Richard Foster’s list from his classic book, CELEBRATION OF DISCIPLINE, which became my primer from which too learn about the disciplines – or practices.

Here, then, is Spiritual Discipline 101:

There are four Inward Disciplines:
Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study.

The Outward Disciplines are comprised of these:
Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, and Service.

Then, there are the Corporate Disciplines consisting of:
Confession, Worship, Guidance and Celebration.

Something struck me as I exercised the Discipline of Study the other day - Foster allows for Celebration at the end of his list. Yet Jesus begins his ministry at a Celebration – the wedding in Cana.
Now I don’t think that it really matters which order any of these practices are to be implemented, but right now it makes good sense to take a look at Celebration. if you haven’t yet started a practice, what would keep you from beginning with this?

If you were to begin the practice of Celebration as a way to raise your awareness of God’s goodness and abundant provision in your life, what would that look like? I’d love for you to share it with me and those who visit Honey Girl’s Blog Spot – in keeping with Foster’s nod at Celebration being a “corporate” discipline.

Foster quotes Augustine in his chapter on Celebration – “The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot!”
I love that! And it brings to mind the words of another good ol’ hymn
(you know I love old hymns)

Come, Christians, join to sing
Alleluia! Amen!
Loud praise to Christ our King;
Alleluia! Amen!
Let all, with heart and voice,
Before His throne rejoice;
Praise is His gracious choice.
Alleluia! Amen!

Come, lift your hearts on high,
Alleluia! Amen!
Let praises fill the sky;
Alleluia! Amen!
He is our Guide and Friend;
To us He'll condescend;
His love shall never end.
Alleluia! Amen!

Praise yet our Christ again,
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain;
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven's blissful shore,
His goodness we'll adore,
Singing forevermore,
"Alleluia! Amen!"

At the very least, sing with me.
(In this way you will be celebrating and practicing a discipline all at the same time. ;o)

And remember to stay tuned for a book giveaway in the coming months that will celebrate a specific spiritual practice.

Until next time,
Grace and peace

simply beating

Much as I’ve enjoyed this summer season which is fading from view, I’m welcoming the change of season- settling into a simpler rhythm of autumn. (I can hear some of you with school age children refuting this perspective! [Think soccer, gymnastics, dance lessons, cross country, football and marching band practice, homework, etc.])

Since late May, there's been an irregular rhythm; of getting ready to go away, being gone, coming back home, catching up, and doing it all over again. I need a predictable rhythm in my life or the chambers of my spiritual heart simply don’t function to their fullest capacity.

It seems that all this coming and going has put me in some type of spiritual Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)

Physiologically speaking, A-Fib is an irregular heart rhythm that affects the upper chambers of the heart (the atria). In A-Fib, the atria quiver rather than beating in a normal manner - going into a life-threatening, dysfunctional pattern. This condition is characterized by a lack of coordinated atrial activity - a loss of organized atrial contraction which can lead to a myriad of clinical scenarios… As this condition progresses, ventricular tachycardia may set in and the activity of the heart becomes chaotic - beating too fast to effectively pump blood. At this point, a decisive intervention by way of defibrillation has to be applied or the heart will fail – resulting in death.

Paralleling the clinical assessment and evaluation of A-Fib, I’ve taken a serious look at my spiritual vital signs. Applying this to my inner life, there are some very clear symptoms that point to Spiritual A-Fib.
Figuratively, my heart rate is irregular and racing. Oxygen saturation is diminished due to insufficient respiratory activity. This has led to wheezing and diminished breath sounds. Venous pressure has built up in my head and neck. Other symptoms include tenderness, edema and over reactive reflexes.


Posting this blog entry has given me pause to apply a portable Defibrillator to my heart; allowing it to return to a productive heart rhythm. As I settle into the autumn of this year, it is time to return to some of the spiritual practices that have fallen by the wayside over the past few months – and breathe.

I’m so grateful for this reminder to keep it simple and focus on God’s goodness and abundant provision. As I think back to the inception of this blog, there was an intentionality of expressed gratitude and sharing of the practice of spiritual disciplines.

Simple reflection has given me a direction to take in future blog postings. If you choose to journey with me, I invite you to consider implementing some spiritual practices to your own life that will help keep your heart beating in a regular rhythm of love to the ONE who is faithful and ever present in your life.

Stay tuned for a book giveaway that celebrates a specific spiritual practice.

Until next time,
Grace and peace,
Honey Girl

a simple hymn of praise

I sing the mighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

I sing the goodness of the Lord, who filled the earth with food,
Who formed the creatures through the Word, and then pronounced them good.
Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, where’er I turn my eye,
If I survey the ground I tread, or gaze upon the sky.

There’s not a plant or flower below, but makes Thy glories known,
And clouds arise, and tempests blow, by order from Thy throne;
While all that borrows life from Thee is ever in Thy care;
And everywhere that we can be, Thou, God art present there.


This old hymn puts to words what I've been unable to articulate after returning from a memorable vacation in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Savoring the week just past, I can still hear the rhythm of the waves on the Lake Superior shoreline, envisage the double rainbow on the beach, review the most spectacular sunset ever witnessed, breathe in the pine scented air while hiking the forested dunes - each of these reminders of the freedom, gentleness and unfettered lightness that infused each day. Upon my return, I ponder - How might I capture and continue to live out of a grateful heart for the simple abundance of those grace filled days where I delighted at every turn in God’s presence and glorious creation?

Is there a song that speaks of where you are today? I’d love to have you sing it back to me.

a simple channel

Earlier this summer I was witness to a 700 foot freighter getting stuck in the channel at Ottawa Beach. The channel had recently been dredged out, but significant rainfall allowed for beach sand to wash back into it. Obviously the canal has to be deepened repeatedly to allow for the safe, unobstructed passage of the occasional freighter.

Currently the street I live on is closed to through traffic while the road commission is working to replace the culvert that allows a stream to flow under the road. It’s quite an interesting project which gives me another visual of the importance of keeping the channel open.

Any consideration of these watercourses suggests that regular maintenance is required to keep the water flowing freely. Unless debris is removed from the approach, it could well become clogged or dammed up resulting in all kinds of problems. When the medium is maintained, there is a simple downstream gravitational flow that runs freely.

With that in mind, this old hymn invites me to look at my interior life as a channel – a culvert – a conduit.

I love old hymns and words.

Channels Only
1. How I praise Thee, precious Savior,
That Thy love laid hold of me;
Thou hast saved and cleansed and filled me
That I might Thy channel be.

2. Just a channel full of blessing,
To the thirsty hearts around;
To tell out Thy full salvation
All Thy loving message sound.

3. Emptied that Thou shouldest fill me,
A clean vessel in Thy hand;
With no power but as Thou givest
Graciously with each command.

4. Witnessing Thy power to save me,
Setting free from self and sin;
Thou who boughtest to possess me,
In Thy fullness, Lord, come in.

5. Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit
Hearts that full surrender know;
That the streams of living water
From our inner self may flow.

Chorus:
Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous power
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us
Every day and every hour.

Doris Donnelly reminds me that as a conduit of Living Water, "I am pulled not by guilt but by gravity and grace to do what I have come to understand with a high degree of certainty is God's will for me."

The morning office from The Divine Hours concludes with this Prayer of the Church:

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen

Words, hymns and prayers; simple reminders of God’s abundant provision to help me fulfill his purpose on this pathway that is the river of life.

I invite you to apply this prayer and the above hymn to your purpose as a conduit of God’s love and grace. Where then, might you need some dredging or opening so as to more freely flow with the Master’s power?

simple symphony

Wanting to post another entry here on honey girl's blog spot over the past few weeks, several drafts have been composed but nothing felt right. You know I like to keep it simple. Today, then, allow me to simply share the following quote:

To live content with small means,
to seek elegance rather than luxury
and refinement rather than fashion,
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not rich
to study hard, think quietly,
talk gently, act frankly,
to listen to stars, and birds,
babes and sages, with open heart,
to hear all cheerfully, do all bravely,
await occasions, hurry never-
In a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common.
This is to be my symphony.
William Ellery Channing (1780-1842)

I like it. It holds a reflection of this blog spot's purpose - to post simple reflections expressing gratitude for God's goodness and abundant provision. It reminds, me, too, of a plaque hanging on my wall, which affirms this truth - Beckoned or not beckoned, God is present.

Taking a cue from starsandstillness, I'll add this caveat:
"As always, this quote is not a recommendation of the author’s general work, about which I know next-to-nothing."

Where are you aware of God's goodness and abundant provision -
unbidden and unconscious growing up through the common?

simply me

Today's post stems from some ponderings that I've been absorbed with after someone asked the question, "when are you most completely you?"

I am most completely me when I'm in a creative space. There are several facets to Honey Girl's creative side - I'm a writer, yes. I'm also a baker and a musician. (Does my interest in photography make me a photographer?) These are some of the creative processes that feed my soul - that flow out of my true self and give expression to the woman that God created me to be.

I am also most completely me when I'm in a relational space as a spiritual director and spiritual companion - fully present to those around me.

Another scope of these ponderings is a reflection of my relationship with the ONE who calls me friend. Whether blogging, baking, making music, in community, or practicing silence and solitude, my hope is that my heart's desire is clearly echoed by these words of Brother Lawrence in The Practice of the Presence of God:


The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clatter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in as great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament.

I invite you to consider this question, when are you most completely you?
When are you most fully alive, living out of your true self, in possession of God?

Simply grateful

Summer is in full swing and this post invites me to give expression of simple gratitude as the rhythm of the seasons pulses along.

This morning found me grateful for flitting hummingbirds and butterflies in the perennial garden and a pair of wild turkeys strolling in the back yard with their ten chicks. Now, as dusk settles in, I'm grateful for lingering daylight and flickering fireflies. In the growing darkness, I’m grateful for the faithful appearance of Venus in the Western sky. Bird song has settled down for the night and a chorus of crickets has taken up the beat.

Except for the awareness of these simple pleasures it might have been an ordinary day.

I’m so thankful for eyes to see and ears to hear these evidences of God’s goodness and abundant provision.

How might you give affirmation of the same during these summer days and nights?

grateful with nothing new to say

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Chorus
Great is Thy faithfulness
Great is Thy faithfulness
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Chorus

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside

Chorus

Lingering sounds from The Lion King http://disney.go.com/theatre/thelionking/#/home/ – like a perpetual eight track - (The endless loop tape cartridge player from the ‘70s) keep going round and round in my head. You know how that is? To get rid of it, you just have to sing it – belt it out. Allow me to share. Sing along if you like. Please note that I’ve taken a bit of liberty with the interpretation, but this is, in part, why I particularly love these two songs: Endless Night & He Lives in You (Reprise).
Listen and you'll hear Simba’s lament in the first of these.

Where has the starlight gone? Dark is the day
How can I find my way home?
Home is an empty dream Lost to the night
Father, I feel so alone
You promised you'd be there whenever I needed you
Whenever I call your name you’re not anywhere
I'm trying to hold on just waiting to hear your voice
One word, just a word will do to end this nightmare
When will the dawning break Oh endless night
Sleepless I dream of the day when you were by my side
Guiding my path Father, I can't find the way
I know that the night must end and that the sun will rise
I know that the clouds must clear and that the sun will shine
I know
Yes, I know
The sun will rise
Yes, I know
I know
The clouds must clear


Sometimes one needs to put it out there in the form of a good lament to clear the air and get centered with a proper focus on the reality of God’s presence with you again. Here, let me say that I’m uncomfortable with the phrase, “…and then, God showed up.” Let us remember that God is omnipresent – he is everywhere. (Psalm 139:7-12, Jeremiah 23:23-24)

Simba’s confidence in his father’s abiding presence – even though he hasn’t felt it, has been restored. He can now join in the chorus of the second of my favorites. (Consider this one from the perspective of Colossians 1:26 and 27 “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages & generations…the glorious mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”)


He lives in you
He lives in me

He watches over
Everything we see
Into the water
Into the truth
In your reflection
He lives in you


Having shared these thoughts, I’m grateful for the music - for the artistry and the beauty that the Lion King has brought into my life.
More than that, I’m grateful for reminders of God’s abiding presence.
Grateful too, that in difficult times, times when I feel lost and He seems far, far away, He hears the cry of my heart.

What is your lament today?
How has God proven His abiding presence in your life?

Did I say ordinary?

Wait a minute - did I say my life was ordinary? Ordinary - not to be confused with dull, indifferent, humdrum, run-of-the-mill, second-rate, so-so, undistinguished, uneventful, unexceptional, uninspired, unmemorable, unremarkable... Pondering my musings of yesterday, I see that my life is anything but ordinary. Simple, yes. Ordinary, no. How could it be ordinary? There is so much to be grateful for. Is anyone's life ordinary? Is not life itself extraordinary?
This thought has stayed with me all day & I can't rest until I set the record straight.

Here’s my short list for the day that proves (to me, at least) that life is anything but ordinary – each jotting a source of uncommon praise:
• I have opposable thumbs
• Watched a doe deer go face to face with a tom turkey in the back yard
• Enjoyed a picnic supper out at Lake Michigan
• Climbed the 240 stairs of Mt. Pishgah with out stopping
• Savored a Tommy Turtle Sundae from Captain Sunday

Life is good. I see God’s goodness and abundant provision at every turn.

Where do you see the extraordinary in the day to day?

living an ordinary life

Today finds me grateful - back home after a week of safe and satisfying travels to Southern California. One of the highlights of the trip was experiencing The Lion King. I was enthralled – enraptured with the sounds and sights of my first Broadway experience! Now I’m back on the stage of my ordinary life – catching up with cleaning and yard work, getting essential errands run – trying to get back into the groove of the day to day without loosing my focus and center.

During Lent and the Easter Season I found that certain practices helped establish a practical rhythm that kept me on track. Sometimes I need an assignment to get ‘er done. A good book points the way - The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and "Women's Work" (Madeleva Lecture in Spirituality) by Kathleen Norris begins with a quote by Gregory of Nyssa:

“Let us remember that the life in which we ought to be interested is “daily” life. We can, each of us, only call the present time our own… Our Lord tells us to pray for today, and so he prevents us from tormenting ourselves about tomorrow. It is as if [God] were to say to us: “[It is I] who gives you this day [and’ will also give you what you need for this day. [It is I] who makes the sun to rise. [It is I] who scatters the darkness of night and reveals to you the rays of the sun.”

But I don’t want to read my life, I want to live it.

So, as I live this day, in the day to day, I choose an attitude of gratitude even in the ordinary.

What's next?

Life just seems so ordinary without required reading and papers to write. What's next? This question keeps popping up these days now that the epic Spiritual Formation/Spiritual Direction Practicum has drawn to its close. For one who has always been scrambling around for the next thing, it's a valid question. I'm trying to hold the response that is coming into being lightly - keeping in line with what I’ve said elsewhere on this blog page:
• I try not to take myself too seriously.
• I realize that I need a lot less than I want.
The answer seems to be, "Not what's next - rather, what's alongside of."

In this blog I’ve been tracking time and the rhythm of the church calendar through Lent and the Easter Season’s joyful conclusion on the day of Pentecost Sunday. So far as this blog goes, I’ve been wondering, what’s next?

Liturgical churches now enter into what is known as Ordinary Time. While not meaning "common" or "mundane," this term comes from the word "ordinal," which simply means counted time.

As one who has not been involved in any church that has marked much of this liturgical church calendar, I find myself in an ordinary time of the common variety.
It’s not a question of what’s next – it’s simply a time of being in the here and now.

In this ordinary time that I find myself in, I’d like to use this page as a place to do what Honey Girl's blog spot has been established to do – be a spot to post simple reflections expressing gratitude for God's goodness and abundant provision.

The journey of the past five years has brought me to a place where I realize that I have everything that I need. For now, let me simply say that I am grateful for today - for opportunity to be outside on this glorious summer like day. Grateful for the time and energy to get some necessary yard work done. Grateful to come in out of the heat into air conditioned comfort and take a break.

Does today find you in an ordinary time? Even so, what are you grateful for?

Pentecost

Pentecost Sunday, observed tomorrow, marks the close of the 50 day Easter season on the church calendar. I’m grateful for this observance and the rhythm of seasons.

Allow me to share a prayer…

Come Holy Spirit
Come as a cleansing wind
Come as a fire and burn
Come as a light and shine
Come into my heart
Convict and convert
Until I am wholly Thine.

…and a poem entitled, A Man from Phrygia, on Pentecost by Madeleine L’Engle

Lord, I did not choose to be comforted.
I am not ready to bear the many things
you have yet to say: you said it yourself.
But you have sent me (against my will) your comforter
And what is comfort but an iron command?

I don’t want to obey. I won’t. Yes: I will.
Why must I interrupt my self-indulgent weakness
to respond to the austerity of your demand?
I must set my face sternly towards truth
as you turned toward Jerusalem, that all
obedience should be shown us and accomplished.
Your way to truth is hard, is dark, is pain.
You have shown me the way, O Lord, but I
am not prepared to bear your comfort.
And yet, unwilling, unready, recalcitrant,
I receive the flaming thrust that you have sent,
And voices speaking as in my own tongue,
And nothing will ever be the same again.

Direction

How many bloggers begin with this: It's been awhile since my last posting...
Here's my excuse ;o) Five years of learning in a most profound spiritual formation program/spiritual direction practicum drew to a close this past weekend. The previous month found me in the throes of writing my final paper and now, I’ve come out on the other side not knowing what’s next - what direction to take.

Today finds me pondering and processing with a grateful heart and an open posture of letting go and receiving - simply waiting for direction.
Until honey girl's next posting, let me leave you with this poem by John O’Donohue:


Blessed be the longing that brought you here
and quickens your soul with wonder.

May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
that disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.

May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
to discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.

May the forms of your belonging – in love, creativity, and friendship-
be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.

May the one you long for long for you.
May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.

May a secret providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.

May your mind inhabit your life with the sureness
with which your body inhabits the world.

May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage.

May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.

May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.

A Prescribed Burn

Since Lent, while intentionally cultivating an attitude of gratitude, I've found myself wondering how Paul was able to say, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances." What was the Apostle's secret? Recently, while reading from the book, THE WAY TO LOVE, by Anthony DeMello, a turn of the page became a match strike when I read these words, "Search ...in your heart for the spark of discontent and tend the flame till it becomes a conflagration and your world is burned down to a heap of rubble." ... Tend the flame of discontent?

A few days ago the GR PRESS ran a story entitled, "Blaze is creative spark that renews the land.” It told about a controlled fire set on a 32 acre wildlife habitat in Lowell. The Frederick Meijer Gardens had the wildflower meadow torched a month ago in similar fashion. Fascinated by the process, I learned that these prescribed burns are a way of managing fire-dependent ecosystems in a safe, controlled fashion. They are effective in managing invasive species while simultaneously stimulating native plants - incinerating all the non-native plants which compete for sunlight, rain and soil nutrients.

In light of the above examples of incendiary tactics, I see the wisdom behind DeMello’s words. In preparation for a prescribed burn of the spark of discontent; be aware. Take note of the invasive vexation. Name it. Tend its flame. Out of the ashes is the promise of new life. Having visited the Meijer Gardens a few days ago, I was curious – What had been, just days before, blackened, charred ground was now an area boasting tender sprouts of abundant wildflower foliage. It has been transformed into a rich fertile area – one that I look forward to revisiting in the weeks and months ahead so as to enjoy an abundant display of blossoms.

In this fifth week of Easter, I’m on the lookout for signs of resurrection. The wildflower meadow at the Meijer Gardens has become, for me, a tangible reminder of resurrection. For that I’m grateful.

What spark of discontent in your heart is waiting for the breath of the Spirit to ignite and set ablaze that you might see resurrection?


God of the resurrection, God of the living, untomb and uncover all that needs to live in me. Take me to people, events, and situations and stretch me into much greater openness. Open me. Open me. Open me... for it is only then that I will know how it is to be in the moment rising from the dead. (J. Rupp)

trying to keep it simple

Uggggg - for someone who likes to keep things simple, imagine my dismay when technology failed me in the posting of what was to have been my latest blog posting.
Days of pondering and contemplating, searching the Thesaurus for that perfect synonym, it all was swept away by some mysterious cyber malfunction. To say I am disappointned is an understatement. Might I say that it was my best blog ever. Well, that just goes to prove that Proverbial truth- pride goes before the fall ;o)
Even so, this simple post finds me grateful - grateful for a blank page, and an opportunity to try again.
Grateful that I'm learning not to take myself too seriously and grateful that there will be other opportunity to share certain musings. Stay tuned...

tyranny of the urgent

"The proper function of reflection is not the supression of spontaneity, want and feelings, but rather the liberation of wants and feelings from impulsive reactions to immediated stimuli." This quote, taken from the book, Refining the Acoustics of the Heart, reminds me of a familiar phrase from long ago. I find myself fully aware of this thing called the tyranny of the urgent.

Curious about the origins of this phrase, I Googled it and came across an essay written by Charles E. Hummel back in 1967. I invite you to read it as I have copied and pasted it below. See if it doesn't evoke some ponderings of your own....

Tyranny of the Urgent
Charles E. Hummel


Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day? Surely this extra time would relieve the tremendous pressure under which we live. Our lives leave a trail of unfinished tasks. Unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, and unread books haunt quiet moments when we stop to evaluate. We desperately need relief.
But would a thirty-hour day really solve the problem? Wouldn’t we soon be just as frustrated as we are now with our twenty-four allotment? A mother’s work is never finished, and neither is that of any student, teacher, minister, or anyone else we know. Nor will the passage of time help us catch up. Children grow in number and age to require more of our time. Greater experience in profession and church brings more exacting assignments. So we find ourselves working more and enjoying it less.

JUMBLED PRIORITIES…

When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than a shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. Hard work does not hurt us. We all know what it is to go full speed for long hours, totally involved in an important task. The resulting weariness is matched by a sense of achievement and joy. Not hard work, but doubt and misgiving, produce anxiety as we review a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks. We sense uneasily that we may have failed to do the important. The winds of people’s demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration. We confess, quite apart from our sins, “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”
Several years ago an experienced cotton mill manager said to me, “Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.” He didn’t realize how hard his maxim hit. It often returns to haunt and rebuke me by raising the critical problem of priorities.
We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important. The problem is that the important task rarely must be done today or even this week. Extra hours of prayer and Bible study, a visit with the non-Christian friend, careful study of an important book: these projects can wait. But the urgent tasks call for instant action---endless demands pressure every hour and day.
A man’s home is no longer his castle; it is no longer a place from urgent tasks because the telephone breaches the walls with imperious demands. The momentary appeal of these tasks seems irresistible and important, and they devour our energy. But in the light of time’s perspective their deceptive prominence fades; with a sense of loss we recall the important task pushed aside. We realize we’ve become slaves to the tyranny of the urgent.

CAN YOU ESCAPE…….?

Is there any escape from this pattern of living? The answer lies in the life of our Lord. On the night before He died, Jesus made an astonishing claim. In the great prayer of John 17 He said, “ I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do” (verse 4).
How could Jesus use the word “finished”? His three-year ministry seemed all too short. A prostitute at Simon’s banquet had found forgiveness and a new life, but many others still walked the street without forgiveness and a new life. For every ten withered muscles that had flexed into health, a hundred remained impotent. Yet on that last night, with many useful tasks undone and urgent human needs unmet, the Lord had peace; He knew He had finished God’s work.
The Gospel records show that Jesus worked hard. After describing a busy day Mark writes, “That evening at sundown, they brought to Him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered about the door. And He healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons” (1:32-34).
On another occasion the demand of the ill and maimed caused Him to miss supper and to work so late that His family thought He was beside Himself (Mark 3:21). One day after a strenuous teaching session, Jesus and His disciples went out in a boat. Even a storm didn’t awaken Him (Mark 4:37-38). What a picture of exhaustion.
Yet His life was never feverish; He had time for people. He could spend hours talking to one person, such as the Samaritan women at the well. His life showed a wonderful balance, a sense of timing. When His brothers wanted Him to go to Judea, He replied, “My time has not yet come” (John 7:6). Jesus did not ruin His gifts by haste. In The Discipline and Culture of the Spiritual Life, A.E. Whiteham observes; “Here in this Man is adequate purpose…inward rest, that gives an air of leisure to His crowded life: above all there is in this Man a secret and a power of dealing with the waste-products of life, the waste of pain, disappointment, enmity, death---turning to divine uses the abuses of man, transforming arid places of pain to fruitfulness, triumphing at last in death and making a short life of thirty years or so, abruptly cut off, to be a ‘finished’ life. We cannot admire the poise and beauty of this human life, and then ignore the things that made it.”

WAIT FOR INSTRUCTIONS…

What was the secret of Jesus’ work? We find a clue following Mark’s account of Jesus’ busy day. Mark observes that “….in the morning, a great while before day, He rose and went out to a lonely place, and there He prayed” (Mark 1:35). Here is the secret of Jesus’ life and work for God: He prayerfully waited for His Father’s instructions and for the strength to follow them. Jesus had no divinely-drawn blueprint; He discerned the Father’s will day by day in a life of prayer. By this means He warded off the urgent and accomplished the important.
Lazarus’s death illustrates this principle. What could have been more important than the urgent message from Mary and Martha, “Lord, he whom you love is ill” (John 11:3)? John records the Lord’s response in these paradoxical words: “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was ill, He stayed two days longer in the place where He was” (verses 5-6). What was the urgent need? Obviously it was to prevent the death of this beloved brother. But the important thing from God’s point of view was to raise Lazarus from the dead. So Lazarus was allowed to die. Later Jesus revived him as a sign of His magnificent claim, “I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in Me though he die, yet shall he live” (verse 25).
We may wonder why our Lord’s ministry was so short, why it could not have lasted another five or ten years, why so many wretched sufferers were left in their misery. Scripture gives not answer to these questions, and we leave them in the mystery of God’s purposes. But we do know that Jesus’ prayerful waiting for God’s instructions freed Him from the tyranny of the urgent. It gave Him a sense of direction, set a steady pace and enabled Him to do every task God assigned. And on the last night He could say, “I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do.”

DEPENDENCE MAKES YOU FREE…

Freedom from the tyranny of the urgent is found in the example and promise of our Lord. At the end of a vigorous debate with the Pharisees in Jerusalem, Jesus said to those who believed in Him: “If you continue in My Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free… Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin…So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:31-36).
Many of us have experienced Christ’s deliverance from the penalty of sin. Are we letting Him free us from the tyranny of the urgent? He points the way: “If you continue in My Word.” This is the way to freedom. Through prayerful meditation on God’s Word we gain His perspective.
P.T. Forsyth once said, “The worst sin is prayerlessness.” We usually think of murder, adultery, or theft as among the worst. But the root of all sin is self-sufficiency---independence from God. When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength we are saying, with our actions, if not our lips, that we do not need Him. How much of our service is characterized by “going it alone”?
The opposite of such independence is prayer in which we acknowledge our need for God’s instruction and supply. Concerning a dependent relationship with God, Donald Baillie says: “Jesus lived His life in complete dependence upon God, as we all ought to live our lives. But such dependence does not destroy human personality. Man is never so truly and fully personal as when he is living in complete dependence upon God. This is how personality comes into its own. This is humanity at its most personal.”
Prayerful waiting on God is indispensable to effective service. Like the time-out in a football game, it enables us to catch our breath and fix new strategy. As we wait for directions, the Lord frees us from the tyranny of the urgent. He shows us the truth about Himself, ourselves, and our tasks. He impresses on our minds the assignments He want us to undertake. The need itself is not the call; the call must come form the God who knows our limitation. “The Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:13-14). It is not God who loads us until we bend or crack with an ulcer, nervous breakdown, heart attack, or stroke. These come from our inner compulsions coupled with the pressure of circumstances.

EVALUATE…

The modern businessman recognizes this principle of taking time out for evaluation. When Greenwalt was president of DuPont, he said, “One minute spent in planning saves three or four minutes in execution.” Many salesmen have revolutionized their profits by setting aside Friday afternoon to plan carefully the major activities for the coming week. If an executive is too busy to stop and plan, he may find himself replaced by another man who takes time to plan. If the Christian is too busy to stop, take spiritual inventory, and receive his assignments from God, he becomes a slave to the tyranny of the urgent. He may work day and night to achieve much that seems significant to himself and others, but he will not finish the work God has for him to do.
A quiet time of meditation and prayer at the start of the day refocuses our relationship with God. Recommit yourself to His will as you think of the hours that follow. In these unhurried moments list in order of priority the tasks to be done, taking into account commitments already made. A competent general always draws up his battle plan before he engages the enemy; he does not postpone basic decisions until the firing starts. But he is also prepared to change his plans if an emergency demands it. So try to implement the plans you have made before the day’s battle against the clock begins. But be open to any emergency interruption or unexpected person who may call.
You may also find it necessary to resist the temptation to accept an engagement when the invitation first comes over the telephone. No matter how clear the calendar may look at the moment, ask for a day or two to pray for guidance before committing yourself. Surprisingly the engagement often appears less important after the pleading voice has become silent. If you can withstand the urgency of the initial moment, you will be in a better position to weigh the cost and discern whether the task is God’s will for you.
In addition to your daily quiet time, set aside one hour a week for spiritual inventory. Write an evaluation of the past, record anything God may be teaching you, and plan objectives for the future. Also try to reserve most of one day each month for a similar inventory of longer range. Often you will fail. Ironically, the busier you get the more you need this time of inventory, but the less you seem to be able to take it. You become like the fanatic, who, when unsure of his direction, doubles his speed. And frenetic service for God can become an escape from God. But when you prayerfully take inventory and plan your days, it provides fresh perspective on your work.

CONTINUE THE EFFORT…

Over the years the greatest continuing struggle in the Christian life is the effort to make adequate time for daily waiting on God, weekly inventory, and monthly planning. Because this time for receiving marching orders is so important, Satan will do everything he can to squeeze it out. Yet we know from experience that only by this means can we escape the tyranny of the urgent. This is how Jesus succeeded. He did not finish all the urgent tasks in Palestine or all the things He would have liked to do, but He did finish the work which God gave Him to do. The only alternative to frustration is to be sure that we are doing what God wants. Nothing substitutes for knowing that this day, this hour, in this place we are doing the will of the Father. Then and only then can we think of all the other unfinished tasks with equanimity and leave them with God.
Sometime ago Simba bullets killed a young man, Dr Paul Carson. In the providence of God, his life’s work was finished. Most of us will live longer and die more quietly, but when the end comes, what could give us greater joy than being sure that we have finished the work God gave us to do? The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ makes this fulfillment possible. He has promised deliverance from the sin and the power to serve God in the tasks of His choice. The way is clear. If we continue in the Word of our Lord, we are truly His disciples. And He will free us from the tyranny of the urgent, free us to do the important, which is the will of God.



Copyright 1967 by Intervarsity Christian Fellowship. Reprinted by permission of InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Il 60515

The better thing

Do you ever find yourself just killing time - full of excuses why you don't have to do the one thing that could be done? (notice that I did NOT say, "should be done") This goes beyond procrastination. It is a deliberate avoidance of the better thing. This is where I found myself entrenched for a good part of yesterday afternoon. At the time, it seemed that the posting of a blog entry might even have been a ploy to escape from what really needed to get done. After weeks - indeed months, of favoring an intentional disposition of practiced discipline, it seemed the thrill was gone. Chalk it up to spring fever on that luscious mid April day? Could I blame it on allergies? Or, is it out- right sloth or laziness?

Those were the thoughts going through my mind yesterday. Having put some space between myself and those reflections, I am grateful for a new day. Grateful for the realization (once again) that this sacred dance is so often one step forward, two steps back. That is grace. I'm grateful for grace. Grateful for second chances. Grateful that I can begin again. And again.
It's a new day. Late morning finds me writing this blog. This helps me keep my perspective in proper focus. Right now, for me, this is the better thing that could be done. For that, I am grateful.

What is the better thing for you?

Post Lent

After much anticipation, the promise of resurrection has been fulfilled. This past Sunday was Easter Sunday – my favorite day of the year. It was with great joy that I was able to say, "Christ has risen," and to have others respond with, "He is risen, INDEED!" Subsequently the church calendar has moved from the season of Lent to the 50 day season of Easter - which will take us to Pentecost Sunday. I've exchanged my copy of The Little Black Book for an Easter booklet which is entitled, The Little White Book.
In the exchange, there is a constant - certain Lenten practices, cultivated and kept with intentionality, have become habitual characteristics of how I desire to live my life post Lent. Having given up isolation as my Lent intent, it gradually dawned on me that community could be found in the most unexpected places. As this reality came into clearer focus, an attitude of gratitude has been cultivated. I approach the turning seasons with a celebratory spirit, a grateful heart and a firm resolve to stay in community.

Since my last post, there's been precious little time for me to just “be.” Yet, as seasons come and seasons go, that's alright. The awareness of rhythms has been instilled in my heart and by simply taking the time to reflect with this blog post, I see that it is all good.
I hope to gently press into this next season with a sense of doing a sacred dance – gracing myself with the reality that one step forward occasionally follows with two steps back. The weather pattern of the past week gives a reminder of this – lest I get too far ahead of myself - on Easter Monday it was 75 degrees and nature was bursting forth into full bloom and bud. A cold front early Tuesday morning collided with that warm air bringing in thunder storms and showers. The resulting wind and rain stripped many bushes of their blossoms. This morning the ground was dusted with snow. One step forward – two steps back - suspended animation for the tulips and azaleas. Time out for me.
Right now, I’m grateful for some “being” time – after a busy week of rushing headlong into the next thing. I’m grateful for the turning seasons and the church calendar which gives me a frame of reference for practicing spiritual disciplines. Evidence of simple abundance stirs my heart to thank God for his faithful provision.

Eight weeks have passed since some gave things up for Lent. In previous blogs, I’ve noted that research shows that it takes 21 days to develop (or break) a habit. With that said, faithfulness to our Lent intentions, along with God's grace and support of loving community, made for an encouraging word. Reviewing your Lent intent - As you practiced change - how would you sum up your experience? Did a new habit develop through the discipline? Having given something up during Lent, did you pick it back up again, or do you find that you don’t miss it after all? What have you learned? For what are you grateful today – on this Friday, the first week of Easter, 2010?

water

I'm grateful for water today - cool, fresh drinking water and hot water for washing up my dinner dishes this afternoon.

A ground lightning strike took out our well pump in the middle of the night this past Tuesday. Thankfully, by 8:30a.m., the guys from Wahfield drilling were here to begin making repairs. Six hours later indoor plumbing capabilities were restored.

My niece, Hannah, was here that morning and we imagined what it might have been like for pioneers and discoverers who were dependent on rain water, rivers and streams for their water supply. We put some buckets under the eaves to gather rain water for an emergency supply. Aside from the inconvenience, we had fun.
Our little adventure is a stark contrast to another reality for "over a billion people around the world (who) lack access to clean water and suffer terribly because of it. In Rwanda, most have to grab a bucket, jug, or jerry can and walk for miles until they reach the river or a local pond. The water may be discolored from pollution, and though it will probably make them sick—water-borne illnesses are the leading cause of death in children under five worldwide—they drink it. But it's the best they've got."
(The above quote is borrowed from Mars Hill's website -
http://www.marshill.org/water-series/ -)
The website goes on: "Water is also incredibly symbolic. Life with God all begins with thirst, the thirst for something more, the thirst for the kind of life we were created for— And ultimately, the thirst for God."

I'm grateful. I'm thirsty.

Are you thirsty?
I invite you to allow this to be become a conscious thought this week.
To prime the pump, consider this from Psalm 42:1

As the deer pants for the water,
so my soul pants after Thee.
How I thirst for living water.
How much longer will it be?

Grateful while waiting...

The 2010 Lenten journey is drawing to a close.
While we wait, consider this from Madeleine L'Engle:

"If I can learn a little how to die,
To die while body, mind, and spirit still
Move in their triune dance of unity,
To die while living, dying I'll fulfill
The purpose of the finite in infinity,
If God will help me learn to die today,
Today in time I'll touch eternity,
And dying, thus will live within God's Way.
If I can free myself from self's iron bands,
Freed from myself not by myself, but through
Christ's presence in this simple room, in hands
Outstretched in holy friendship, then, born new
In death, truth will outlive the deathly lie,
And in love's light I will be taught to die."

And this, from Paul:

"We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life." (Romans 6:4)

While I wait, I'm grateful for the learning, growing into greater freedom, holy friendship (Christ in me, the hope of glory) and the promise of resurrection.
Stay tuned...

wasting time with God during Lent

Home from a long weekend away on silent directed retreat, there are a couple of directions I oould go in this new post on Monday of Holy Week 2010. On the one hand, I could pontificate about the contrasting voices of Palm Sunday's jubilant crowd shouting, "Hosanna...blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," and the loud cries of "crucify him!" which are ramping up for Good Friday.

But, on the other hand, this morning, I want to hold onto the silence of the weekend and share some other kind of reflections. One thing about a silent retreat is that there are hours and hours to do absolutely nothing - except wasting time with God. Seventy two hours of silence invited me to revel in a couple of my favorite things -reading and walking.
Friday dawned clear and bright. After a morning of reflective study and a session with my Spiritual Director, I took the opportunity to drive the short distance from the retreat center in Conway, Michigan, to Petosky State Park. Hiking into the campground and along the shore of Little Traverse Bay, I could hear layers of echoes from past summers - shared camping experinces with family. Saturday I drove a bit further into Petoskey - parking the car at Bay View and walking down the bike trail to the clock and the dock on the bay - sittin' there - praying for each dear family member and simply wasting time with God.
Sitting here, just now, basking in the memories of the weekend and beyond, my heart is stired with gratitude. I'm so grateful for the refreshing and renewal that this annual retreat brought me. Grateful for good memories of family and fun camping experiences. Grateful for time to reflect - for time to simply waste time with God.

When have you simply wasted time with God? When was the last time you you took time to simply be? Give it a try - I'd love to hear how this stirs up gratitude in your heart.

Keepin' it simple during Lent

Today is Wednesday of the fifth week of Lent, 2010. Five weeks ago, on Ash Wednesday, I picked up THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK (with it's) six-minute meditations on the Passion of Mark. This humble little book has been my companion during these days of Lent. The book’s intent is to guide the reader through the daily meditative readings and develop a practice of prayer based on reflection and meditation. The intentional use of the Little Black Book has been framing my observance of Lent in a simple way and for this, I am grateful. Simplicity is what I have needed so as to not get caught up in a legalistic, performance based adherence.
Six minutes - that's all. Yet, this morning's reading cut me to the core. Taken from Mark 15:22-24, the first four words of verse 24 brought another of my Lent intentions - simplicity - into focus with startling clarity. "Then they crucified him." "Then they crucified him" - Pointed words directing my attention to next week's Good Friday. Sharp words - yes, but such an expression of love that I am urged to joyfully press on with my Lent intent - press on to the glory of Easter.
This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday which opens the way to holy week. The season on the church calendar known as Lent is drawing to a close.
I'm grateful for the invitation that comes from Lent - grateful that the observance of Lent has come into my sphere of living. Grateful for this annual reminder and marker to enhance the daily journey of spiritual formation and transformation. Grateful for the community of faith that shares this practice with me.
Where are you in this next to the last week of Lent? How has this simple Lenten reflection stirred gratitude in your heart? I'd love it if you'd share that with me.
Grace and peace to you, dear one.

Around the world during Lent

Last night’s Grand Rapids PRESS alerted me to a most interesting phenomenon. The International Space Station (ISS) was on course to fly directly overhead. Not wanting to miss this event, I sat out on the back deck - enthralled - up above, stars twinkled and a thin crescent moon smiled down on me. Meteorologist, Bill Steffen, had informed viewers to look to the NW. Sure enough, at precisely 8:58p.m., the ISS appeared – moving straight towards me as it travelled to the SE – visible for a full three minutes. After it had passed out of sight, I wondered if there might be a way of tracking it online. A quick internet search revealed this site: http://www.heavens-above.com/. What a fascinating revelation! For the next hour and a half, I followed the course of the ISS around the globe.
Tracking its flight, I was reminded of my visit to the Kennedy Space Center back in October, where I was able to enter a replica of a small portion of the ISS. Memories of NASA’s early history also came to mind…. In the early days of the space race – formative years for me, growing up in the 1960s - some Western sources claimed that Russian Cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, during the first manned space flight, had made the comment, "I don't see any God up here." He might not have seen God, but he missed the point. God sees. God knows. Isn’t it comforting to know that “the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
(2 Chronicles 16: 9)

Having been captivated by last night’s spectacle, I’ve been giving the Heavens Above homepage an occasional glance and see that the ISS continues to circumnavigate planet Earth, like some giant eye in the sky, over two hundred miles high in orbit, at 17227 mi per hour – that’s sixteen orbits of the Earth during each 24 hour period.

For some reason, all this makes me think of Christians all over the world – across the various continents where the global church is alive and well today. I wonder how these brothers and sisters are commemorating this Lenten season. This gives me pause to consider the church through out the ages as well – professing an ancient creed – “…I believe a holy catholic church, the communion of saints….” Omniscient, omnipresent God, who transcends time and space, sees…. knows….. Here is a source of joy and gratitude for me as I continue with some Lenten practices – a sense of solidarity and community shared by the body of Christ – through out time and space.

Springing forward in Lent

Yesterday morning, those of us who remembered, woke up an hour earlier than accustomed due to the time change. Here is where we “spring forward” – thus loosing an hour of sleep.
Every year we do this. Every year I ask myself, “What’s the point?”
This morning, I woke up cranky and blamed it on the fact that I was trying to adjust to the time change and that critical hour of lost sleep. Like a slinky, I flopped out of bed and wondered what the point was. Feeling more than a bit cantankerous, other things came into play and I resisted making the bed – again, asking, what’s the point? All this got me thinking, so, really – what’s the point of me personally observing Lent? Pondering that particular aspect of the question and playing with words a bit, invited me to consider that the intentional observance of Lenten practices can, in a way, be seen as another type of "spring." It seems that perhaps these disciplines allow for some of the same functions that the mechanics of various kinds of springs hold forth. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia helped me learn something about springs. For example,
• A torsion spring stores energy.
• Some heavy trucks and railroad cars use coil springs which reduce concussion or shock from violent jolts.
• Torsion bars or leaf springs absorb stresses by twisting.
• The disk spring, which consists of a laminated series of convex disks, is widely employed for heavy loads.

Today, as this picture of a spring is framing my Lent intent, another question is forming – one that is encouraging me to be faithful to these practices. How might these disciplines that are becoming part of the rhythm of my days be a type of spring that will store energy, reduce shock, absorb stresses and keep me flexible, or help distribute heavy loads in the face of that persistent question, “What’s the point? “

The point is, by pondering this question, it seems there's a new bounce in my step -a firmer commitment - a resiliance to follow through with my Lent intent to be grateful. This evening, as the sun sets an hour later than it did last week, I’m choosing to be grateful – grateful for something that I know has a point – That which I know is true: God delights in his Honey Girl. He is the provider of much simple abundance. He is faithful. He knows. He cares.

When have you asked, “What’s the point?” If your Lenten practice could be compared to a spring, which type would you be looking for in answer to the question? And what might you be grateful for even when you miss the point?

Coasting through Lent

Today marks the halfway point between Ash Wednesday and Easter. The rhythms of the Lenten season are becoming more practiced and this day finds me with a grateful appreciation of the rise and fall of each new day - a measured flow, yet varied. Waking up this morning, I feel cradled me in a coasting mode. Seems I simply need to let my body seek its own pace. It was the first day in a long time that I haven’t woken up to the alarm. Tuning in to Blue Lake Public Radio seems like the perfect way to ease into the day.
Referencing an online glossary of terms, (http://www.classicalworks.com/html/glossary.html)
allowed for some sweet analogies for this Thursday of the third week of Lent and prompts some questions to be asked of me and you….

Is your day flowing harmoniously or are discordant notes interrupting your hours?
What themes are moving through your days?
Which of the following musical terms describe where you are today?


Fugue - A composition written for three to six voices. Beginning with the exposition, each voice enters at different times, creating counterpoint with one another

Exposition -The first section of a movement written in sonata form, introducing the melodies and themes.

Sonata -Music of a particular form consisting of four movements. Each of the movements differ in tempo, rhythm, and melody; but are held together by subject and style.

Sonata form - A complex piece of music. Usually the first movement of the piece serving as the exposition, a development, or recapitulation.


Counterpoint - Two or three melodic lines played at the same time

Legato - Word to indicate that the movement or entire composition is to be played smoothly.

Staccato - Short detached notes, as opposed to legato

Rococo - A musical style characterized as excessive, ornamental, and trivial.

Serenade - A lighthearted piece, written in several movements, usually as background music for a social function.

Requiem - A dirge, hymn, or musical service for the repose of the dead.

Refrain - A repeating phrase that is played at the end of each verse in the song.

Pastoral - A composition whose style is simple and idyllic; suggestive of rural scenes.

Monotone Repetition of a single tone.

Minor - One of the two modes of the tonal system. The minor mode can be identified by the dark, melancholic mood.

Major - One of the two modes of the tonal system. Music written in major keys have a positive affirming character.

Hymn - A song of praise and glorification. Most often to honor God.

Grave - Word to indicate the movement or entire composition is to be played very slow and serious.

Galliard - Music written for a lively French dance for two performers written in triple time.

Forte - A symbol indicating to play loud.

Piano - An instruction in sheet music to play softly.

Fermata - To hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer.

Drone - Dull, monotonous tone such as a humming or buzzing sound. Also a bass note held under a melody.

Dissonance - Harsh, discordant, and lack of harmony. Also a chord that sounds incomplete until it resolves itself on a harmonious chord.

Coasting into this Lenten day, I'm grateful for the variety of tones, rhythms, styles, notes of the musical forms - & how these metaphorically play out in my days; for Bonnie Bierma at Blue Lake (you can listen here: http://bluelake.ncats.net/) and ears with which to hear the music.

Lent and March madness

Kids were out in mass holding court in driveways all through the accustomed neighborhood. Dribbling basketballs punctuated my walk on this, the third Sunday of Lent. Temperatures were hovering near 45 degrees and I was almost CRAZED with spring fever. There was nearly a sense of disorientation – Seven days of sunshine in a row? Was this really Western Michigan or had I been transported to another place? Yet, here were all the familiar houses along the routine route which I have walked countless times over the years. My thankful heart, overwhelmed with yet another day of brilliant blue sky, pumped a new rhythm into my step. Yet, aside from the abundant sunshine, there was something more… Walking through Lent, an attitude of gratitude is being cultivated. A growing mindfulness of what is good and plentiful stirs my heart to sing a grateful song of praise, here, to the One who supplies an abundant and loving provision for me, his beloved Honey Girl.
Now, some might say that it’s simple to be so happy on such a beautiful day. I’m highly aware that clouds will, one of these days – perhaps tomorrow, blanket the sky. Using that as a metaphor, I recall the first entry of this blog. The quote below, from Donna Roberts and http://www.gratefulness.org/word/index.htm, helps me bear in mind that in sunshine or rain, joy or pain, mad, glad, or sad, we need each other.

A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.

A day is coming when I’ll need a friend or two to sing to me. Meanwhile, I’m going to continue the cultivation of this attitude of gratitude – shoring up for myself daily reminders of God’s lavish and bountiful store. I invite you to do the same. Here’s what I’m grateful for this morning:

Community
Friends
Timely quotes
Opportunity to simply be home today and get out for another long walk in the sunshine and blue skies

Lenten season and song, rhythm and rhyme

The chorus from Tevye's exquisitely poignant song from Fiddler on the Roof has been playing through my mind, over the past few days.
Sunrise, sunset, swiftly fly the years,
one season following another,
laiden with happiness, and tears.

The measured rhythm to that song, stirs a longing for a greater acceptance of the reality of this familiar phrase: There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

This season of Lent is inviting me to practice mindfulness - to be more aware of the simple things - day in and day out. This seems to be translating into a more purposeful attention to the details of each day. A heightened awareness helping me settle in to the rhythm of life. Each tick of the clock this morning suggests that this day will develop it’s own measure and rhyme. My hope is that this mindfulness will allow me to be more fully present in the moment. Might this mindfulness allow for a more courteous posture and a more attentive spirit to the one that I’m with. More conscious of the beauty all around me... as well as more watchful for any needs that I might attend to. On this Thursday morning of the second week of Lent, I’m mindful of, attentive to, and grateful for these familiar rhythms:

Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall – Seasons
Sunrise, sunset – morning by morning, new mercies I see…
Waves– lapping or crashing on the shore
Music and song
Breath – inhale, exhale

What rhythms are you noticing during this season of Lent?

Limping along in Lent

Herculean task that it was, I imagined myself conquering it in just one day!
After living with it for 21 years, yesterday was the day. Perhaps by taking this initial step in the process the rest would simply fall into place. Sometimes it takes me awhile, but then, once it’s time, by simply putting my mind to it, I can get’er done.

It all began about a year ago with a trip to Home Depot – to find the perfect color of paint. Good intentions were taken on to freshen up the living room. Oh, but then there was the obstacle of the ancient piano. Before justice could be done, that behemoth would have to go. Months later in the middle of summer, that space was vacated but now I had another excuse not to paint - it was too hot! Seasons waxed and waned. Good intentions lagged. Motivation was suspended - until yesterday when the paint chip card which had been lost in the clutter, was found in a frenzy of spring cleaning. A question formed and I answered that perhaps by rearranging the furniture, I’d be motivated once and for all to actually paint the living room. And so, I set out by moving some of the furniture around. Starting with the cabinet that houses the stereo equipment, I attempted to lift a corner – hoping to jockey it away from the wall. A warning pain shooting through my knee suggested that my body mechanics could be better. In reality, I didn’t have the strength to move the cabinet across the room as it was. After that jolt, my right hip began complaining and I knew that this task was not to be accomplished quickly. Determined to at least begin the project, down on my knees, each stereo component was carefully removed from the back of the cabinet. Considerably lightened, the piece of furniture was easily moved to the space that had been taken up by the piano. Now the individual contents could be moved back into place. All those wires and cords carefully tended to made for slow going, but soon enough it was back in working order. I’m pleased for having taken this first step in actually working towards the fulfillment of getting the living room painted.

What in the world does this have to do with Lent, you might be asking.
Today finds me walking with a bit of a limp after wrestling with that ungainly piece of furniture. This limp reminds me of Jacob’s experience of wrestling with God in Genesis 32: 22 – 31. It seems that the experience of Lent could be likened to a season of wrestling with God.

Old habits and patterns of resistance cannot simply be rearranged, Good intentions, by themselves, do not make for change. A shared commitment to my Lent intent is spurring me on to persevere during these forty days. In a previous post, Anonymous commented...

Honey girl,
Gods grace and love continues to remind me of my walk with him and others is never perfect but I keep trying to be more like Jesus. Lent is a perfect time to reflect on my life and how to change a habit if only for 40 days, and then maybe a lifetime? And to know Gods forgiveness is always there, all I need to do is ask and recieve.

honey girl responded...
Research shows that it takes 21 days to develop (or break) a habit. With that said, faithfulness to our Lent intentions, along with God's grace and support of loving community, makes for an encouraging word. Grace and peace as you practice change.

Today, I need to take my own words to heart and just keep limping along. Meanwhile, I’m grateful for loving, supportive community; for friends who encourage and come alongside; for companions in the journey. I’m grateful for good words and ancient stories that ring true today. And I’m grateful for a new day to step out, once again with my Lent intent – even if it is with a bit of a limp.

Lent and Simple Abundance

For those who might be interested and as a bit of history, the concept for this blog was conceived almost a year ago. It's had a long gestation period and is now birthed. Taking those initial baby steps, it was a question of which direction to go with this thing. My intent is that this be a spot to post reflective thoughts expressing gratitude for God's goodness and abundant provision. One of the names originally considered for this blog spot was Simple Abundance - but another blogger had already claimed that for her own.
Saturday morning of this first week of Lent, 2010, reminds me of my simple intent with this quote of Henry David Thoreau: "O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it, for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment."
Simply put, this morning, I am grateful for this cozy time to reflect. Mug of fragrant tea - sweetened with a spoonful of honey (of course) - at hand, sitting in a comfortable chair in a room of my own doing what I love to do. This is the wealth of enjoyment.
What simple pleasures are you grateful for today?

practice and performance

If I am to press on with my intention for these forty of Lent and the ongoing race that the Apostle Paul speaks of, I’m giving myself permission to start my practice with baby steps. If I trip up or fall, might I have the grace to get back up and pick up where I’ve left off. The Olympics offer both illustration and inspiration during this first week of Lent. Last night’s figure skaters set good examples for me. U.S. skater, Rachel Flat, reminded me of this quote by Padre Pio: "Be content to progress in slow steps until you have legs to run and wings with which to fly." Rachel began skating at three years of age. Beginning with baby steps, and developing a faithful practice regimen, over the past 14 years, she has developed into an Olympian. Even so, “rising to the moment and the skate of her life,” (quoting the commentator’s rink side critique) Rachel, had the lowest score of the top seven skaters.
Most of these skaters, in the final set of last night’s competition, demonstrated that with in their individual disciplines, there was a margin of error. That didn’t stop them from giving it their best shot. For one, her best attempt involved several missteps and a fall. World class skater that she is, she picked herself up and continued with her long program as though nothing had happened. Final marks took that fall into consideration however, and she too, was out of medal contention. Another demonstrated costly errors and her hopes for Olympic gold were dashed. A fourth contender skated her personal best and yet, for me, there was nothing note worthy about her routine. Joannie Rochette, the stuff of Olympic legend, persevering with grace and dignity under her great sorrow, came away with the bronze. During one performance, commentator Scott Hamilton, suggested that a skater was “playing it safe – going through the motions.” Yet this Japanese skater captured the silver medal. Under intense pressure of expectations for perfection,South Korean,Kim Yu-na, delivered and won the top prize – Olympic gold.
Meanwhile, I plod along through these forty days – grateful that I can do so without the scrutiny of critical judges - grateful that there are no commentators evaluating my every move; grateful that no intricate scoring system is set in place to grade my performance; grateful that no Choctaw turns, triple toe loops, sit spins or spirals are required of me. Lent is a time for practice – not performance.

Olympics and Lent

Captivated by the story of Canadian skater, Joannie Rochette, I find myself imagining the hours and hours of practice that went into last night's stunning performance just 48 hours after her Mother's unexpected death.
Perhaps you know where I'm going with this.

Eugene Peterson's, The Message, puts it like this in I Corinthians 9:25 - 27:
"You've all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You're after one that's gold eternally. I don't know about you, but I'm running hard for the finish line. I'm giving it everything I've got. No sloppy living for me! I'm staying alert and in top condition. I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself."

I'm grateful for this annalogy of an athlete in training. Like the Apostle Paul, I'm running hard for the finish line. My hopeful prayer for these forty days that are Lent is that these spiritual practices will help keep me fit and alert - fully prepared for what lies ahead - ready to take the ice, as it were, even in the face of the unexpected.

Appreciative of an athletes example, I got out the snowshoes again today and tromped around in the winter wonderland - my heart swelling with gratitude for joints that moved freely - for the warmth of protective outer wear, crisp, fresh air and the ability to simply breath.
What are you grateful for today as you train and run this race that is life?

first week of Lent - Tuesday

And then, along came Tuesday...
Insomniac that I was last night, this morning came too early and I pondered the dailyness of this thing called Lent. And we have to do this for forty days?
Trying to stay in a Lenten state of mind, I reminded myself of Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness and prayed that I would not be led into temptation.
Then I thought of Jonah's 40 days in the belly of the whale - oh, no! that was only three days!
It was Noah who was in the ark for 40 days of rain.
Sometimes it feels like it's rainin' all over the world.
At other times, a desert experience is what one is going through.
Then, again, perhaps this day finds you in haven of rest amidst calm seas.
No matter where you are, can you say with Julian of Norwich, a 14th century mystic , " All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well."
Job said, "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord"
Where are you today and for what are you grateful?
Here's my top five for this first Tuesday of Lent:
a reliable car that got me across town today and back again
my warm home
supper simmering on the stove
a relaxing evening ahead of me
a good book
anticiaption of a good nights sleep

first week of Lent - Monday

Waking up this morning, I found myself overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude realizing that community is being formed – Cheri in Cascade, Jami in Jenison, Tara in Buffalo, Leah in Seattle are living out
I Thessalonians 5:11 for me, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” The Little Black Book suggests this morning that Lent is “a time when we think long thoughts about the long haul.”
Borrowing a phrase from the Beatles, I dare say that during the long haul of Lent, I’ll get by with a little help from my friends. And then this quote from Henri Nouwen came to my INBOX: “When we persevere with the help of a gentle discipline, we slowly come to hear the still, small voice and to feel the delicate breeze, and so to come to know the presence of Love.”

So, today, I’m grateful for a growing sense of community.
For gentle disciplines and the encouragement of friends.
For waking up refreshed and sharing with another a feast with God in the early hours.
Might God be praised on this Monday of the first week of Lent.

1st Sunday of Lent 2010

My companion during this Lenten season is a copy of The Little Black Book – six minute meditations on the Passion of Mark. The book’s intent is to guide the reader through the daily meditative readings and develop a practice of prayer based on reflection and meditation. The intentional use of this Little Black Book is framing my observance of Lent in a simple way and for this, I am grateful. Simplicity is what I need so as to not get caught up in a legalistic performance based adherence. This first Sunday of Lent finds me in a place of peaceful, joyful consolation – a stark contrast to the unsettling desolation of Ash Wednesday. Getting ready for church this morning, I wondered if I could genuinely commemorate Lent unless I sink into a dark place of serious introspection, sacrifice and penance. Imagine my sense of relief and freedom when our new teaching pastor, Shane Hipps, invited anyone who is in a place of light during this dark season – a counterpoint to the glory of Easter, to observe Lent as a symbol of solidarity for those in our community who are grieving. If you are dreading the darkness, might you find here a little beam of light which will illuminate your path – a loving presence representative of the Living Christ - to point you to the liberating Truth of the gospel – the good news that will help to set you free from some hidden snares of avoided places of grief, pain and old wounds. Perhaps, walking together through the next five weeks of Sundays, we can find simple things to be grateful for each day despite the solemnity of these days before Easter and thus direct thankful hearts to our loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
With that said, here’s my list of five things that I’m grateful for today:
The Little Black Book
Our new teaching pastor, Shane Hipps
The fellowship of disciples that is Mars Hill Bible Church
Sabbath rest
This season of Lent
What are you grateful for today? Can you name five things? or is the darkness keeping you from seeing them? What one thing, then?

Lent Intent

So, what about Lent?
Others on facebook have posted what their intentions might be for this season of reflection. Caroline suggested, "I've been thinking I might finally nail myself down to the discipline of writing every day." This prompted me to reply, " hmmm - Carolyn - to yield to that discipline suggests a letting go of something else. I might just do the same."
On this Saturday after Ash Wednesday you'll find me still pondering what to give up this year. Last year I gave up facebook for Lent. But I found that I need you, my facebook friends. I've come to the discernment that this year I am going to give up isolation. I see how facebook might be used as a vehicle to facilitate community - as well as make good on my intentions shared with Carolyn.
From now until Good Friday and Easter I invite as many as are willing and able to participate - to share what you are especially grateful for today.
Each day I hope to share five things for which I am grateful. What follows is the beginning of my Gratitude Journal. Read along if you like.
Let me get the ball rolling here by saying that I'm grateful for this technology.
Today I am also grateful for sunshine and blue sky (three days in a row!) For these eyes and the vision to see. For my glasess that clarify the vision.
What are you grateful for today?

Entering Lent, I’m filled with a sense of foreboding. Metaphorically, oppressive, gray Western Michigan, skies hang like a shroud overhead. I don’t want to mark off the next 40 days! I want to fast forward to Good Friday and Easter. The longing for spring overwhelms me today. Reluctantly I set out, alone, for our Ash Wednesday service.
Feeling restless and especially vulnerable, I am relieved to meet two dear friends with whom I can sit and share the experience.
How can an experience be both shared and singular? Yet, such was the case today.

Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth. Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we have everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior.

A shared experience with these dear ones who are this fellowship that is Mars Hill Bible Church; this is also a collective, intentional communion with fellow Christ followers around the globe and throughout the history of the church.

In community, I am buoyed up with a sense of mutual love, joy, and hope.
Being intentional in my solitary attendance helped me shore up some endurance, courage, strength and grace for the journey of the next forty days.