Come to a land I will show you, God said to Abraham. As long as these words remain for us part of an Old Testament story, or an historic event such as the Civil War, they do not impact our lives at all. Once these words become part of our own history, everything begins to change. Our freedom begins with the Word of God addressed to us in a personal way: Come to a land I will show you.
Every one of us is meant to hear the Word of God directed to us, penetrating and changing our lives. In order for this to happen, we must begin to "root down" in Scripture and in prayer. Verse 1 of Psalm 1 puts it this way: Blessed is the man whose delight is in the law [instruction] of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. The word "meditate" in this verse actually in the Hebrew means "to mutter." In English, the word "mutter" has connotations of craziness, so the translaters choose a more lofty-sounding "meditate." But in order for the instruction of the Lord to sink deep into the soil of our lives, we do need to "mutter" it over and over.
It is not so much "Bible study" that we need, as Bible penetration: Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. That's what we need--pondering, chewing, letting the Word of God sink deeply into our hearts. Intellectual study is input---information coming in. The intellect gathers and prepares the food on which we are to feed; in meditation, the heart eats and digests the food in prayer. The Bible can mean little to us if we hear it only on Sunday and forget it the rest of the week.
When we approach the Bible not as a book to be studied, but as a library from which the Holy Spirit can choose to illumine our hearts and minds, it becomes a personal "school of the Holy Spirit," just for us. When I was first "baptized in the Holy Spirit," after someone in the hospital prayed for me, and as a result, began reading Scripture, I wanted to go to ministry school where someone could teach me about the Bible. In prayer one day, as I was asking to be directed to a greater knowledge of the Word, I heard these words: I've got you in the school of the Holy Spirit.
How wonderful it is to be taught by God Himself, who alone knows our hearts and what it is we need to know at any given moment of our lives! We need only to "show up" every day at school and take notes---keep a journal. The Holy Spirit will not fail to be present when there is a student of the Word, and He Himself will direct our study. But we must be willing to accept the lesson of the day and to let it direct us to the next level.
Come to a land I will show you. Abraham had no GPS, no map, not even an idea of when he would arrive. His daily lesson required no previous knowledge on his part---he only had to stop each day and build an altar of prayer to be certain that he was still moving in the right direction and being guided. The Bible stories are our stories; if we have not yet seen that, we need to "fold up the wings of our intellect," in the words of Catherine de Heuck Doughtery, and allow the Spirit of God to direct our reading and the thoughts of our hearts. The Word of God will take root in us, directing us in the way we should go. We cannot know it ahead of time; it unfolds day by day as we read and ponder, mutter and meditate on the food which God gives us in His Word.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Finding our Identity
Sooner or later, each one of us must give up the idea that somehow we belong to ourselves and can make our own choices. We do not and cannot. We were created by God for God; we were born in Christ for His mission.
As long as we are seeking our own "identity" and self-fulfillment, we are bound to run aground. As soon as we begin to seek Christ's identity and the fulfillment of His kingdom on earth, we finally begin to discover that for which we were made from the beginning.
Everything created has a purpose---not self-determined, but determined before-hand by its Maker. The axe cannot decide it wants to be a shovel; it was not made to be a shovel and will perform badly as a shovel. The shovel cannot be an axe. The question we need to ask is not "Who am I?" but "What is it that I was born to do?" Then, in doing what we are made to do, we will find out who we are.
As long as we are seeking our own "identity" and self-fulfillment, we are bound to run aground. As soon as we begin to seek Christ's identity and the fulfillment of His kingdom on earth, we finally begin to discover that for which we were made from the beginning.
Everything created has a purpose---not self-determined, but determined before-hand by its Maker. The axe cannot decide it wants to be a shovel; it was not made to be a shovel and will perform badly as a shovel. The shovel cannot be an axe. The question we need to ask is not "Who am I?" but "What is it that I was born to do?" Then, in doing what we are made to do, we will find out who we are.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Waiting for a Plane
At a gate in the airport, waiting to board a plane, a young man with a two-year old child, facing the window. He is bent over his cell phone, texting; she is looking around in panic, with tears in her eyes. "Mommee, Daddeee!" she calls out several times, her voice rising each time. Suddenly, he turns to her and yells with vehemence: "YOUR MOTHER IS NOT HERE!" "Mommee gone?" she asks, on the verge of tears again. "YOUR MOTHER NEVER WAS HERE!" he yells again, clearly more angry at the mother than at the child. "WE ARE GOING TO ATLANTA TO GET HER!" He went back to his texting as the child leaned into him for comfort. Turning to her again, he said more quietly, "Do you want a spanking?" Leaning back in her chair, she shook her head. "Then sit down and be quiet," he said.
This was a man at the end of his rope; the entire community of listeners was frozen in place, uncertain of what might happen next. Suddenly, a young woman slipped up to the child's seat and began whispering to the little girl. Then man turned around surprised, but did not say anything as the child nodded her head and slipped past him to sit on the floor with the young lady, who had with her a yellow legal pad and some colored markers. The two of them began to draw pictures. Then another lady joined them on the floor, drawing and engaging the child with stories and pictures.
At first the man did not turn around, but then he got up and took a seat facing the two women. He watched them with a sort of wonder in his face, and bit by bit he began to relax and even to smile. Everyone in the area relaxed also as the two women got the child up and hopping like a bunny. A few people chuckled and drew the father into conversation: "I wish I had that energy!" "If you could bottle and sell that, you'd be rich!" The entire atmosphere at the gate had changed in just a few moments because of the decisive action of one young woman. A potentially bad situation was defused by her loving kindness to a stranger. Before getting on the plane, the two women joined hands with the father and child and bowed their heads in prayer for the rest of the journey.
Later, I was reminded of several Scriptures: The Son of Man did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to seek and to save what was lost.
Whoever welcomes one of these little ones welcomes Me.
The young "savior" in this situation wasted no time in judging and condemning the father for his anger at the child; she immediately entered the situation, risking his anger and rejection of her offer of kindness. She became the conduit of God's love to both father and child, and her decision brought peace and joy to all who were present.
A great lesson in what one person can do if we are willing to let go of fear and condemnation!
This was a man at the end of his rope; the entire community of listeners was frozen in place, uncertain of what might happen next. Suddenly, a young woman slipped up to the child's seat and began whispering to the little girl. Then man turned around surprised, but did not say anything as the child nodded her head and slipped past him to sit on the floor with the young lady, who had with her a yellow legal pad and some colored markers. The two of them began to draw pictures. Then another lady joined them on the floor, drawing and engaging the child with stories and pictures.
At first the man did not turn around, but then he got up and took a seat facing the two women. He watched them with a sort of wonder in his face, and bit by bit he began to relax and even to smile. Everyone in the area relaxed also as the two women got the child up and hopping like a bunny. A few people chuckled and drew the father into conversation: "I wish I had that energy!" "If you could bottle and sell that, you'd be rich!" The entire atmosphere at the gate had changed in just a few moments because of the decisive action of one young woman. A potentially bad situation was defused by her loving kindness to a stranger. Before getting on the plane, the two women joined hands with the father and child and bowed their heads in prayer for the rest of the journey.
Later, I was reminded of several Scriptures: The Son of Man did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to seek and to save what was lost.
Whoever welcomes one of these little ones welcomes Me.
The young "savior" in this situation wasted no time in judging and condemning the father for his anger at the child; she immediately entered the situation, risking his anger and rejection of her offer of kindness. She became the conduit of God's love to both father and child, and her decision brought peace and joy to all who were present.
A great lesson in what one person can do if we are willing to let go of fear and condemnation!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
last posting until April 27
Visiting my grandchild will occupy all the space in my head until I return on April 27---that's happy space, and I'm sure it will find its way into the next postings.
Who is God to you?
A few days ago, I wrote that someone over 30 years ago asked me this question, and it changed my life. In reflecting overnight on the question I was asked at the time, I suddenly came to realize that God was the God of my past----that is, I could look back over my personal experiences and realize where he had been there for me in the past. Occasionally also, I sensed His presence in a present moment, when I would experience that He was with me, but those moments would quickly pass, leaving me once again fearful and worried.
My conclusion was that God was the God of my past and occasionally of my present, but He was not the God of my future. I did not trust Him for the next day, or the next year. At the time, every silver lining had a cloud in my mind---yes, but.... I was worried about almost everything: would my children be healthy or sick? Would the United States experience food shortages and famine in the 80's and 90's, as Edgar Cayce had predicted? Would we have enough money? Would I be able to "keep up"? Everything I thought about was related to my resources, my energy, my capability to meet the challenge, rather than to God's resources, God's divine and inexhaustible energy, God's capability. No wonder I was so worried!
Peter says, Cast your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you. And the Book of Lamentations says, He has taken up all the causes of my life. Obviously, at the time of my great anxieties, I had no knowledge of these scriptures---and even if I had been familiar with them, my spirit was so blocked that I could not have entirely embraced them and leaned upon them as The Truth of my own life.
At one point in my own journey, a friend said to me, "Put it in the hands of God."
"That's what I cannot do!" I sobbed.
But God hears our sobs, our inadequacies, our weakness---and not only hears, but takes action to fill the vacuum created by them.
Asking the question, "Who is God to you?" is only the first step in coming to realize where the holes are in our realtionship. The next step is to begin to address that God, the One we have identified as "our" God. I did not specifically ask Him to become the God of my future, but my answer, "He is not the God of my future" revealed a very deep longing in me that I had not before known---I wanted Him to be the God of my future; I wanted to be able to cast my cares upon Him, knowing that He cared for me, and that His care was powerful and active, not weak and helpless. I wanted to know that He had taken up all the causes of my life so that I did not have to "solve" every problem, but could trust Him with the solutions.
God's gracious and smiling response to my cry was to teach me to wake up every morning and sing, as the cardinal on my windowsill did. He did not say to me, "Do not worry," a command I could not have carried out at the time. Instead, He sent me a little bird, singing. "Sing," He said. "Sing." And as I learned to sing, I discovered that singing and worry cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
He made Himself the God of my future. I have learned since then that my own resources will always be pitifully inadequate to the challenge, that I will always fall pitifully short of the goal--but thankfully, I am not limited to my own resources, energy, knowledge, or ability. I will undoubtedly fail at every moment of my life---but God.....is greater than any weakness I have. And He will not fail.
Habakkuk, one of the Old Testament prophets, put it this way:
My conclusion was that God was the God of my past and occasionally of my present, but He was not the God of my future. I did not trust Him for the next day, or the next year. At the time, every silver lining had a cloud in my mind---yes, but.... I was worried about almost everything: would my children be healthy or sick? Would the United States experience food shortages and famine in the 80's and 90's, as Edgar Cayce had predicted? Would we have enough money? Would I be able to "keep up"? Everything I thought about was related to my resources, my energy, my capability to meet the challenge, rather than to God's resources, God's divine and inexhaustible energy, God's capability. No wonder I was so worried!
Peter says, Cast your care upon the Lord, for He cares for you. And the Book of Lamentations says, He has taken up all the causes of my life. Obviously, at the time of my great anxieties, I had no knowledge of these scriptures---and even if I had been familiar with them, my spirit was so blocked that I could not have entirely embraced them and leaned upon them as The Truth of my own life.
At one point in my own journey, a friend said to me, "Put it in the hands of God."
"That's what I cannot do!" I sobbed.
But God hears our sobs, our inadequacies, our weakness---and not only hears, but takes action to fill the vacuum created by them.
Asking the question, "Who is God to you?" is only the first step in coming to realize where the holes are in our realtionship. The next step is to begin to address that God, the One we have identified as "our" God. I did not specifically ask Him to become the God of my future, but my answer, "He is not the God of my future" revealed a very deep longing in me that I had not before known---I wanted Him to be the God of my future; I wanted to be able to cast my cares upon Him, knowing that He cared for me, and that His care was powerful and active, not weak and helpless. I wanted to know that He had taken up all the causes of my life so that I did not have to "solve" every problem, but could trust Him with the solutions.
God's gracious and smiling response to my cry was to teach me to wake up every morning and sing, as the cardinal on my windowsill did. He did not say to me, "Do not worry," a command I could not have carried out at the time. Instead, He sent me a little bird, singing. "Sing," He said. "Sing." And as I learned to sing, I discovered that singing and worry cannot occupy the same space at the same time.
He made Himself the God of my future. I have learned since then that my own resources will always be pitifully inadequate to the challenge, that I will always fall pitifully short of the goal--but thankfully, I am not limited to my own resources, energy, knowledge, or ability. I will undoubtedly fail at every moment of my life---but God.....is greater than any weakness I have. And He will not fail.
Habakkuk, one of the Old Testament prophets, put it this way:
Though the fig tree does not bud,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
though the olive crop fails,
and the fields produce no food;
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
I will be joyful in God my Savior.
The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to go on the heights.
"Sing," He said to me. "Sing!" And thus, He taught me joy. If perfect love casts out fear, I have found that perfect joy casts out anxiety.
Friday, April 15, 2011
My Peace I Give to You....
every situation is clarified through being related to Him...
von Balthasar, Prayer, p. 156
Recently, I was listening on the radio to a couple who were talking about their marriage relationship. What struck me as they spoke was that both people were primarily related to God first, and that primal relationship determined their relationship to one another. They did not "say" as much, but what they did say made it obvious that God Himself was the center, and that His wisdom, love, and compassion ruled their lives.
The man talked first about their honeymoon, how excited he was to be spending unlimited time with his wife, how wonderful he expected the experience to be. But after swimming one day, the wife stood in front of the mirror and began to criticize her appearance, which made him very uncomfortable. He did not know what to say or do, and felt impatient toward her. "God," he said, "You've got to give me something here, because I don't know what to do."
Suddenly, he got up from the bed and walked over to his wife, putting his arms around her. "I want you to see yourself through the mirror of my eyes," he said. "If I have to break every mirror in the house, I want to be the only mirror through which you will ever see yourself." He said he immediately felt a change in her at that moment, and he realized that God had given him just the right thing to say and do.
The Book of James says this: if anyone does not know what to do, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him (1:5).
God has promised to be the Senior Partner in the enterprise of our lives, but so few of us consult the Senior Partner before making decisions. We just go ahead and do whatever we think best at the moment. But our thinking is often clouded by feelings of fear, impatience, helplessness, etc. We seldom have the clarity we need, especially when someone we love is upset or threatened, or even worse, when we ourselves are upset or threatened.
This man's quick prayer-- God, you have to give me something here, because I don't know what to do--brought instant clarity and wisdom. How much grief we could save ourselves by being primarily related to God and secondarily related to those around us. Then our peace would flow from Him, and we would not place the burden of our joy on those we love. It is when we expect "the other" to make us happy that we are disappointed in our relationships. But the truth is that our partners have their own baggage; it is not within their power to satisfy our deepest needs and longings.
If God is the Source of our peace and joy, we can never be disappointed, bored, or spiritually depleted. His resources are infinite, and He does not mind sharing them with those who ask.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
To Whom am I speaking?
For years, when I prayed, it seems that I was addressing "God," with only a vague idea of Who "God" was-- the Supreme Being who made heaven and earth, according to what I learned in grade school. But Jesus intimately knew this "supreme being," not as "God" (His title), but as "Abba, Father."
Like our earthly fathers, God has a personality. He has a sense of humor, a heart of compassion, a depth of wisdom and understanding. He is kind and merciful, not holding men's sins against them, but reaching out to the poor and helpless. He is angry at those who unthinkingly tred upon the weak or who abuse the innocent.
From the very beginning, "God" (the title) revealed His Name (Yahweh--I Am) to mankind so that He would not be a distant entity, but up close and personal to man. He wanted us to call Him by His Name, not address Him by His title (i.e., "Mr. God" or "Your Excellency"). He did not want us standing at a distance, but wanted us to approach him with confidence and comfort in His presence.
Before we begin to "pray," it is most helpful that we ask ourselves, "Who am I praying to?" Who is "God" to me?
Once we truly answer that question, we have already begun to draw closer to His Presence, to His Personality, to His warmth. In fact, we have already begun to pray---because prayer is dialog, not with a "supreme being," but with a Person---and more that than, with a Person who knows and loves us beyond all measure.
Years ago, I had a very close friend, who loved talking with me. She had what I was later to call "the gift of hospitality," because she had the unique ability to make each person in her presence feel as if that was the only person on earth, someone who she had been eagerly waiting to talk to and to listen to. She seemed to think that everything I thought was wonderful, that my children were brilliant and wonderful, and that she could spend days with me without growing weary. When she died, I thought to myself that no one would ever love me the way she did, and I asked God to grant me her gift of making each person feel so loved and so special in her presence.
This had to be the way Jesus drew people to Himself, by making them feel as if He was there just for them. They would not have wanted to spend time with Him had they not sensed His deep desire to spend time with them---and was He not reflecting to them the love of the Father Who sent Him?
Before we launch into whatever we call prayer, why not take a few days to explore our idea of "God." Who is "God" to you? Someone asked me this question 35 years ago, and my search for an honest answer to this question literally changed my life forever. I cannot recommend this journey highly enough---your answer to the question cannot leave you unchanged!
Like our earthly fathers, God has a personality. He has a sense of humor, a heart of compassion, a depth of wisdom and understanding. He is kind and merciful, not holding men's sins against them, but reaching out to the poor and helpless. He is angry at those who unthinkingly tred upon the weak or who abuse the innocent.
From the very beginning, "God" (the title) revealed His Name (Yahweh--I Am) to mankind so that He would not be a distant entity, but up close and personal to man. He wanted us to call Him by His Name, not address Him by His title (i.e., "Mr. God" or "Your Excellency"). He did not want us standing at a distance, but wanted us to approach him with confidence and comfort in His presence.
Before we begin to "pray," it is most helpful that we ask ourselves, "Who am I praying to?" Who is "God" to me?
Once we truly answer that question, we have already begun to draw closer to His Presence, to His Personality, to His warmth. In fact, we have already begun to pray---because prayer is dialog, not with a "supreme being," but with a Person---and more that than, with a Person who knows and loves us beyond all measure.
Years ago, I had a very close friend, who loved talking with me. She had what I was later to call "the gift of hospitality," because she had the unique ability to make each person in her presence feel as if that was the only person on earth, someone who she had been eagerly waiting to talk to and to listen to. She seemed to think that everything I thought was wonderful, that my children were brilliant and wonderful, and that she could spend days with me without growing weary. When she died, I thought to myself that no one would ever love me the way she did, and I asked God to grant me her gift of making each person feel so loved and so special in her presence.
This had to be the way Jesus drew people to Himself, by making them feel as if He was there just for them. They would not have wanted to spend time with Him had they not sensed His deep desire to spend time with them---and was He not reflecting to them the love of the Father Who sent Him?
Before we launch into whatever we call prayer, why not take a few days to explore our idea of "God." Who is "God" to you? Someone asked me this question 35 years ago, and my search for an honest answer to this question literally changed my life forever. I cannot recommend this journey highly enough---your answer to the question cannot leave you unchanged!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The Alpha and the Omega
I am the Alpha and the Omega (Rev.1:17).
Every act of creation or of re-creation in our lives begins with the spoken word of God to us: Light! Be!
Lazarus, Come Forth!
Ephratha! (Be opened!)
Every act of creation or of re-creation in our lives begins with the Spirit/Breath/Wind of God hovering over the chaos of our lives and beginning to stir: Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit....the wind blows where it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit (Jn. 3:6-8).
The Life of the Incarnate Word of God began with the spoken word of God to Mary, with the Spirit of God hovering over the emptiness of her womb. "Yes," she said, "Let it be done according to Your Word." And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
The Word is the Seed, springing forth in darkness to new and eternal life. The Spirit waters the Seed and makes it grow and become manifest in us. As the Word and the Spirit were the agents of creation, so they are the agents of re-creation---the new birth of the children of God.
By nature, we are not "children of God;" we are offspring of the Evil One, the Prince of this world. The works of the natural man are obvious: hatred, discord, fighting, jealousy, anger, resentment, seeking escape, seeking to build one's own kingdom, murder, rage, pride, etc. These are not the works of God, or of His offspring. That is why Jesus said that unless we experienced a "new birth," of water and of the Spirit, we could not see the kingdom of God. He did not say that "doing good things" would change the natural man; he said we must be born again of water and of Spirit.
And He alone is the agent of that new birth: to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (Jn.1:12). He is the Creative Word that brings forth the light; He is the fountain of eternally flowing and refreshing Water--He gives the Spirit to all who will come to Him. He is the beginning of our faith (our new birth) and its end--He will bring to completion all that belongs to Him.
In Him, all of life is re-created and resurrected into eternity. In Him, we bear the fruits of the children of God: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). These are not the fruits of the "natural man;" they are the fruits of the Spirit of God flowing through those in whom the Word of God has become incarnate, or taken flesh.
Jesus came from the Father, taking Mary's flesh. So, too, He still comes from the Father to indwell, take flesh, in those who will receive Him. Come, Lord Jesus!
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Why Weeds?
As a gardener, I often think how much easier it would be if I could just plant a garden and then enjoy it, without having to constantly be on the alert for the weeds which threaten to overtake and suffocate the fragile plants. Years ago, however, I read that weeds help the plant roots go deeper than they could go on their own.
Now that's a life-lesson: the very things that threaten to overwhelm us also help us push our roots deeper into the soil/soul of our existence. It is when we "don't know what to do" that we find deeper ground---or we die. It is a matter of life or death.
When my children were very small, I felt overwhelmed by the things I did not seem to be able to manage--cooking, cleaning, laundry, "covering the bases" every day. No matter which way I turned, I saw only failure. Every day, I was forced to see the things I could not manage, my own inadequacies: unmade beds, unclean house, undone laundry, crying children, not having any idea what we would eat for dinner that day. Focusing on the "weeds" of my life made it impossible for me to see and appreciate the gifts of each day. I felt that if I could only get my life under control, things would be better.
Finally, the weeds did completely overwhelm my little garden, and I "gave up" the fight. Exhausted by the constant effort and lack of sleep, I found that I could not stop crying for days. I thought I needed a psychiatrist, but instead went to the Cenacle for three days of prayer and rest. The day I was to return home, I was awakened by a bird perched on my window-sill singing and singing and singing. I went to the window to see a beautiful red cardinal singing its little heart out.
That, for me, became a moment of absolute grace. I realized then that I did not have to solve all the problems, that I did not have to be super-mom, or super-woman. All I had to do was to get up each morning and sing. How simple, even for a person who does not have a musical bone in her body!
I began to realize that if I "sang" each day, the weeds would not be all I saw, the most important things in my life. In this case, the weeds that threatened me on a daily basis forced me to find a deeper truth---that I could not "manage" anything at all, but that in letting go of my control and singing, I could rely on God instead.
To this day, when I see a cardinal outside my window, I am reminded of who is in control of my life---and I "sing" in thanksgiving that He is able to handle all the weeds of my life.
Now that's a life-lesson: the very things that threaten to overwhelm us also help us push our roots deeper into the soil/soul of our existence. It is when we "don't know what to do" that we find deeper ground---or we die. It is a matter of life or death.
When my children were very small, I felt overwhelmed by the things I did not seem to be able to manage--cooking, cleaning, laundry, "covering the bases" every day. No matter which way I turned, I saw only failure. Every day, I was forced to see the things I could not manage, my own inadequacies: unmade beds, unclean house, undone laundry, crying children, not having any idea what we would eat for dinner that day. Focusing on the "weeds" of my life made it impossible for me to see and appreciate the gifts of each day. I felt that if I could only get my life under control, things would be better.
Finally, the weeds did completely overwhelm my little garden, and I "gave up" the fight. Exhausted by the constant effort and lack of sleep, I found that I could not stop crying for days. I thought I needed a psychiatrist, but instead went to the Cenacle for three days of prayer and rest. The day I was to return home, I was awakened by a bird perched on my window-sill singing and singing and singing. I went to the window to see a beautiful red cardinal singing its little heart out.
That, for me, became a moment of absolute grace. I realized then that I did not have to solve all the problems, that I did not have to be super-mom, or super-woman. All I had to do was to get up each morning and sing. How simple, even for a person who does not have a musical bone in her body!
I began to realize that if I "sang" each day, the weeds would not be all I saw, the most important things in my life. In this case, the weeds that threatened me on a daily basis forced me to find a deeper truth---that I could not "manage" anything at all, but that in letting go of my control and singing, I could rely on God instead.
To this day, when I see a cardinal outside my window, I am reminded of who is in control of my life---and I "sing" in thanksgiving that He is able to handle all the weeds of my life.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Discovering the Truth
You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (Jn.8:23).
Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, but when he heard what John said about Jesus -- the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel---Andrew began to follow Jesus instead. The first thing he did was to find his brother Simon (Peter) and to say, "We have found the Messiah," bringing Simon to Jesus.
When Jesus first looked at Peter, He said, "You are Simon, son of John. You will be called Cephas (Aramaic for "rock"---later translated into Greek as "Peter," Greek for "rock.")
If the rugged fisherman had known himself at all, if he had explored every region of his ego prior to his encounter with Christ, it is doubtful that he would have found "Peter" there (von Balthasar, Prayer, p.60). He might have known himself as a just man, trying to do the right thing, but often impulsively, stumbling over his own passion to right the wrongs he saw. The man who seized a sword to cut off the ear of the high priest's servant could not have been described as a "rock." Yet, when Christ looked at Peter, what he saw was a man appointed by God for an unlikely mission, and endowed with all the strength that mission would require.
A recent movie called Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce, a 19th - century English politician, who almost single-handedly was responsible for the abolition of slavery by England in the early 1800's. At first, Wilberforce wanted only to lie in the grass and gaze at spiderwebs, or enter a monastery to contemplate the love of God, but he was reluctantly persuaded to enter politics to do what he could to overcome the English bias toward selling slaves as commodities. As he took up the mission of his life, he was ridiculed and ostracized as a fool who could not see that abolishing slavery would destroy the English way of life and give power to the French. In the end, Wilberforce's persistence paid off, and the Houses of Lords and Commons voted to end slavery in England.
The truth of our existence lies in Christ, and only in Him can we come to know and understand who we are and what we were meant to do. The Book of Revelations says that, to him who overcomes, Christ will give a white stone with a new name known only to the one who receives it. The particular "truth" of our own existence, the mission reserved for us alone, is hidden in the mystery of Christ's soul, for it is essentially His mission, expressed through our unique personalities, that is being carried out.
Who we are meant to be cannot be discovered by human reason and categories; the truth of our existence is not ours, but God's, and only He can reveal it to us. The question is not how we can do good by our own power, but how God can do good through us, if we allow Him to show us who we are. And if we ask Him, the truth will not be withheld from us (see Luke 11:9-13).
Many years ago, I prayed asking God to make me a good teacher.
"Why don't you ask Me what My plans for you are?" He responded.
That was a scary invitation, one that I was not sure I wanted to respond to. But His answer surprised me about as much as His designation of Simon as "rock."
And I knew that His plans for me were not within my own power to accomplish, but had to be worked in me by Him alone.
I invite you to ask God what His plans for you are---then you will know the truth that will set you free.
If the rugged fisherman had known himself at all, if he had explored every region of his ego prior to his encounter with Christ, it is doubtful that he would have found "Peter" there (von Balthasar, Prayer, p.60). He might have known himself as a just man, trying to do the right thing, but often impulsively, stumbling over his own passion to right the wrongs he saw. The man who seized a sword to cut off the ear of the high priest's servant could not have been described as a "rock." Yet, when Christ looked at Peter, what he saw was a man appointed by God for an unlikely mission, and endowed with all the strength that mission would require.
A recent movie called Amazing Grace tells the story of William Wilberforce, a 19th - century English politician, who almost single-handedly was responsible for the abolition of slavery by England in the early 1800's. At first, Wilberforce wanted only to lie in the grass and gaze at spiderwebs, or enter a monastery to contemplate the love of God, but he was reluctantly persuaded to enter politics to do what he could to overcome the English bias toward selling slaves as commodities. As he took up the mission of his life, he was ridiculed and ostracized as a fool who could not see that abolishing slavery would destroy the English way of life and give power to the French. In the end, Wilberforce's persistence paid off, and the Houses of Lords and Commons voted to end slavery in England.
The truth of our existence lies in Christ, and only in Him can we come to know and understand who we are and what we were meant to do. The Book of Revelations says that, to him who overcomes, Christ will give a white stone with a new name known only to the one who receives it. The particular "truth" of our own existence, the mission reserved for us alone, is hidden in the mystery of Christ's soul, for it is essentially His mission, expressed through our unique personalities, that is being carried out.
Who we are meant to be cannot be discovered by human reason and categories; the truth of our existence is not ours, but God's, and only He can reveal it to us. The question is not how we can do good by our own power, but how God can do good through us, if we allow Him to show us who we are. And if we ask Him, the truth will not be withheld from us (see Luke 11:9-13).
Many years ago, I prayed asking God to make me a good teacher.
"Why don't you ask Me what My plans for you are?" He responded.
That was a scary invitation, one that I was not sure I wanted to respond to. But His answer surprised me about as much as His designation of Simon as "rock."
And I knew that His plans for me were not within my own power to accomplish, but had to be worked in me by Him alone.
I invite you to ask God what His plans for you are---then you will know the truth that will set you free.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Transforming our Genetic Makeup
If we could analyze the genetic makeup of our fingernails, a piece of our hair, and the lining of the inside of our mouths, we would find the same genetic material in all three structures. A micro-biologist once explained it this way: if we take the genetic structure of our fingernails to be ABC, and then re-arrange the same material in a BCA pattern, we would have hair. Then, if we could re-arrange the material again into a CBA pattern, we would have the lining of our mouths.
Wow! that information sort of blew me away. The same Creator who can re-arrange molecules for different functions can re-arrange the cells of our bodies, minds, and souls so that what was once on a path of destruction and decay can become instruments of life-giving energy. For the One who shifted the same genetic material into different forms, it is not difficult to change us in one moment from death to life. All that is required is our permission and submission. The genetic material He first worked with was pliable and obedient to His command---our souls are less so, having been so long obedient and submissive to the prince of this world and the powers of darkness.
We were sold into sin and made captives to it by those who came before us, who have handed down to us "an empty way of life," and in our innocence, we did not realize that there was another Way. So we handed on our own genetic makeup to our own children.
But the Resurrection of Jesus has given us a way out of our original patterns of thought and behavior. By His new, life-giving Body, all of our molecules of mind, body, and soul can be re-arranged so that we now conform to His life-giving Person. It's not difficult; He has already done all that is necessary and that we ourselves could not do. Paul says, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and also just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so let us bear the likeness of the man from heaven (I Cor.15:49).
We are no longer slaves to the powers of darkness if we allow the Christ to re-arrange our molecules so that we bear His likeness instead of the likeness of the old, unredeemed man. Why do people persist in thinking the Christian life is a life of "toeing the line" instead of allowing ourselves to be transformed by the God of the universe?
Wow! that information sort of blew me away. The same Creator who can re-arrange molecules for different functions can re-arrange the cells of our bodies, minds, and souls so that what was once on a path of destruction and decay can become instruments of life-giving energy. For the One who shifted the same genetic material into different forms, it is not difficult to change us in one moment from death to life. All that is required is our permission and submission. The genetic material He first worked with was pliable and obedient to His command---our souls are less so, having been so long obedient and submissive to the prince of this world and the powers of darkness.
We were sold into sin and made captives to it by those who came before us, who have handed down to us "an empty way of life," and in our innocence, we did not realize that there was another Way. So we handed on our own genetic makeup to our own children.
But the Resurrection of Jesus has given us a way out of our original patterns of thought and behavior. By His new, life-giving Body, all of our molecules of mind, body, and soul can be re-arranged so that we now conform to His life-giving Person. It's not difficult; He has already done all that is necessary and that we ourselves could not do. Paul says, If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and also just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so let us bear the likeness of the man from heaven (I Cor.15:49).
We are no longer slaves to the powers of darkness if we allow the Christ to re-arrange our molecules so that we bear His likeness instead of the likeness of the old, unredeemed man. Why do people persist in thinking the Christian life is a life of "toeing the line" instead of allowing ourselves to be transformed by the God of the universe?
Saturday, April 9, 2011
The Power of an Image 3
God has not left us to guess Who He is. In the Book of Exodus, when Moses asks to see His glory --i.e., His substance, His essence,--- the Lord appeared to him in a cloud and proclaimed his name--Yahweh (I Am)---saying, I Am; I Am, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin (Ex. 34:5-7).
But He did not stop even with this revelation of Who He is; He needed to put a face on the words He had spoken to Moses---He needed to give us an exact image of His personality and His "abounding" love and compassion. We needed to see Who God is in order to fall in love with Him---and nothing else would do to satisfy the heart of God but that we fall in love with Him. Now we cannot fall in love with an abstraction; we need an actual, living and loving Person if we are to fall in love.
In the Book of Colossians, Paul writes of Jesus: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation....For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things (1:15-19).
God, who always sees our faces, wanted us to see His face also, as lovers want to reveal themselves to one another, and to share with one another their own experience of life. It is not enough to "tell" the other what we have experienced; we want our lover to experience it with us. That is why we say, "Come, look at this sunset."
In his book on Prayer, Hans Urs von Balthasar writes this of contemplation:
The person at prayer need only let himself be carried from one picture to the next: in the humanity which he enounters in each picture, he will see a revelation of eternal, triune love. First the child as such, with his natural qualities; the boy, the youth with his, then the grown man; each stage and condition of life; waking and sleeping, liveliness and tiredness, solitude and conversation with others; the "feel" of morning, midday, and evening; work and rest, eating and fasting, pleasure and the forgoing of pleasure; human emotions and the lack of emotion, festivities and the monotony of the daily round. God the Creator has designed and created every one of the changing conditions of human life, and now, in the fullness of time, he has sent his Son into them, to "taste" them and make them the "experiences" of God in human nature, to charge them to his account. Thus he crowns the accomplishment of human life, and by rising from the dead, he elevates its truth, its quintessence, into eternity.
Now,...there is a communion in which the transitory becomes a vehicle for the eternal, filled to the brim and running over with the fullness of meaning of divine love. The Child at peace in the lap of his virginal Mother; the way he clings to her breasts with his little hands, desiring her milk; the way he sleeps in her arms or, at night, at her side; his child's cry for nourishment, his first step taken by himself, the first words learned from his Mother; the first object he makes in the workshop with Joseph's help; friendship with all its joys and disappointments; school, the worship of God, solitary walks and times of prayer: everything begins to speak of the "revelation that was kept secret for long ages but is now discolosed" (Rom. 16:25), namely, eternal love. All this human life of his is flesh of the Word of God, the expression of what is eternally true and valid.
In contemplating what we see around us every day, we find God----now there's an image we can live with!
But He did not stop even with this revelation of Who He is; He needed to put a face on the words He had spoken to Moses---He needed to give us an exact image of His personality and His "abounding" love and compassion. We needed to see Who God is in order to fall in love with Him---and nothing else would do to satisfy the heart of God but that we fall in love with Him. Now we cannot fall in love with an abstraction; we need an actual, living and loving Person if we are to fall in love.
In the Book of Colossians, Paul writes of Jesus: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation....For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things (1:15-19).
God, who always sees our faces, wanted us to see His face also, as lovers want to reveal themselves to one another, and to share with one another their own experience of life. It is not enough to "tell" the other what we have experienced; we want our lover to experience it with us. That is why we say, "Come, look at this sunset."
In his book on Prayer, Hans Urs von Balthasar writes this of contemplation:
The person at prayer need only let himself be carried from one picture to the next: in the humanity which he enounters in each picture, he will see a revelation of eternal, triune love. First the child as such, with his natural qualities; the boy, the youth with his, then the grown man; each stage and condition of life; waking and sleeping, liveliness and tiredness, solitude and conversation with others; the "feel" of morning, midday, and evening; work and rest, eating and fasting, pleasure and the forgoing of pleasure; human emotions and the lack of emotion, festivities and the monotony of the daily round. God the Creator has designed and created every one of the changing conditions of human life, and now, in the fullness of time, he has sent his Son into them, to "taste" them and make them the "experiences" of God in human nature, to charge them to his account. Thus he crowns the accomplishment of human life, and by rising from the dead, he elevates its truth, its quintessence, into eternity.
Now,...there is a communion in which the transitory becomes a vehicle for the eternal, filled to the brim and running over with the fullness of meaning of divine love. The Child at peace in the lap of his virginal Mother; the way he clings to her breasts with his little hands, desiring her milk; the way he sleeps in her arms or, at night, at her side; his child's cry for nourishment, his first step taken by himself, the first words learned from his Mother; the first object he makes in the workshop with Joseph's help; friendship with all its joys and disappointments; school, the worship of God, solitary walks and times of prayer: everything begins to speak of the "revelation that was kept secret for long ages but is now discolosed" (Rom. 16:25), namely, eternal love. All this human life of his is flesh of the Word of God, the expression of what is eternally true and valid.
In contemplating what we see around us every day, we find God----now there's an image we can live with!
Friday, April 8, 2011
The Power of an Image2
I have been tutoring a 3rd-grade boy who cannot remember math facts, no matter what we do. In his mind, 7 x 1 is some random number that he is supposed to guess at. I have tried lining up marbles, drawing pictures in color, bouncing a ball to a certain rhythm, and reciting the tables out loud in a sing-song pattern ----nothing has helped him retain any math facts at all. If I say "seven 1 time," he is finally beginning to grasp that one fact, but when we get to "seven 2 times," he is lost, unless he counts on his fingers.
Yesterday, after blogging about the power of an image, I decided to try images connected with the 7x tables, which he must learn now, even though he does not know the previous tables.
First, we listed his "favorite things:" his favorite food (lasagna), his favorite hobby (building models,) his favorite school, and so on. Then we connected each math fact to one of his favorite things. In less than 15 minutes, he could recall all the math facts from 7x1 to 7x7--by recalling the images connected to each fact. Now, when I say "7 x 1," he knows that equals 7 plates of lasagna, and 7 x 2 = 14 model cars.
Unfortunately, then we had to start his homework, so today he faces a test of which he knows only half the facts---but that's more than he would have known otherwise. I'm just wondering how many images we'll be able to concoct before we finish learning all the math facts he needs to know.
Knowing how "slow [we] are to understand," God has given us also unforgettable images of His faithfulness. We recall His faithfulness to Abraham on his journey to the Promised Land, and His faithfulness to Moses and the Israelites in Egypt and in the desert. We see the people crying out to Moses for water in the wilderness, and we see water flowing from the rock.
God is not in a hurry to build his images---for 1000 years before the coming of Jesus, He patiently built images that would culminate in the Messiah--images of light, of restoration, of water, of faithfulness; images of shepherd and sheep, of kings and prophets, images of captivity and miraculous release. When Jesus quoted Scripture, his hearers immediately knew and understood because of the images they carried in their history and culture.
Our history and culture does not carry the same images; as a people, we have not reflected on God's action in our lives and how He has carried us through the wilderness and provided water from the rock, releasing us from slavery and bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey. Psalm 106 is a tragic review of what happens when a people forget what God has done for them:
Yesterday, after blogging about the power of an image, I decided to try images connected with the 7x tables, which he must learn now, even though he does not know the previous tables.
First, we listed his "favorite things:" his favorite food (lasagna), his favorite hobby (building models,) his favorite school, and so on. Then we connected each math fact to one of his favorite things. In less than 15 minutes, he could recall all the math facts from 7x1 to 7x7--by recalling the images connected to each fact. Now, when I say "7 x 1," he knows that equals 7 plates of lasagna, and 7 x 2 = 14 model cars.
Unfortunately, then we had to start his homework, so today he faces a test of which he knows only half the facts---but that's more than he would have known otherwise. I'm just wondering how many images we'll be able to concoct before we finish learning all the math facts he needs to know.
Knowing how "slow [we] are to understand," God has given us also unforgettable images of His faithfulness. We recall His faithfulness to Abraham on his journey to the Promised Land, and His faithfulness to Moses and the Israelites in Egypt and in the desert. We see the people crying out to Moses for water in the wilderness, and we see water flowing from the rock.
God is not in a hurry to build his images---for 1000 years before the coming of Jesus, He patiently built images that would culminate in the Messiah--images of light, of restoration, of water, of faithfulness; images of shepherd and sheep, of kings and prophets, images of captivity and miraculous release. When Jesus quoted Scripture, his hearers immediately knew and understood because of the images they carried in their history and culture.
Our history and culture does not carry the same images; as a people, we have not reflected on God's action in our lives and how He has carried us through the wilderness and provided water from the rock, releasing us from slavery and bringing us into a land flowing with milk and honey. Psalm 106 is a tragic review of what happens when a people forget what God has done for them:
- they forgot what he had done,
- gave in to craving,
- grew envious,
- worshipped idols,
- despised His inheritance,
- did not believe His promise,
- grumbled in their tents,
- did not obey,
- yoked themselves to Baal,
- sacrificed to lifeless gods.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The Power of an Image
A few years ago, I met a co-worker who had run into the building on a Sunday morning to pick up something. I happened to be there finishing a project, and we walked out together. I noticed that he was flying Green Bay Packers flags on his car, and that team happened to be playing the Saints that day. Whoa! What was he thinking, driving around New Orleans with those flags? I asked him if he had come from Wisconsin to N.O., but it turns out he was born in New Orleans.
"How did you become a Green Bay fan?" I asked. "When I was in the 3rd grade," he explained, "we had to draw football helmets for art class. The one I picked to draw had this big G on the side. Ever since then, I've been a Green Bay fan."
That encounter made me realize the power of an image to change our brains and emotions, and I thought back to a similar experience of my own. When I was in the 8th grade, we had to draw one of a number of religious symbols for display in the hall outside our classroom. I drew an antique oil lamp, the kind a genie emerges from, and somehow, I discovered in the process that the lamp represented wisdom. That day, I fell in love with wisdom and began a life-long habit of praying for wisdom---even before I was sure I knew what wisdom was. To this day, I pray daily for wisdom--and all because I drew a lamp in the 8th grade!
We know from brain research that images imprint physically on the brain. Anything we gaze at for more than a few seconds will physically change the brain, to the point that we can actually see the image on the brain of a monkey who was euthanized while gazing at a pattern (see The Art of Changing the Brain for more information.) If we cannot form an image of a process or a concept, we may be able to memorize a formula, but we will not be able to store it in long-term memory or comprehend meaning without the images. Very simply, we think in images.
For years as I was growing up, I did not like the word "Grace," which I heard about all the time. Now I know that since I could not form an image of Grace, I kept rejecting the concept. I had nothing in my experience to connect to Grace, defined as "the unmerited favor of God." Recently, though, I have come to see Grace as powerful energy flowing from God that changes us, sometimes dramatically (as in "Amazing" Grace), and sometimes gently and gradually, as the dawning of the sun in our souls. I have experienced in my own life both types of grace--as churning water that runs turbines and as softly flowing water that gently carries one downstream.
God is always with us, and if He is present to us, His life-energy is communicated to us, just as friends communicate their life-energy in one another's presence. We have only to drink in that amazing force to be renewed!
"How did you become a Green Bay fan?" I asked. "When I was in the 3rd grade," he explained, "we had to draw football helmets for art class. The one I picked to draw had this big G on the side. Ever since then, I've been a Green Bay fan."
That encounter made me realize the power of an image to change our brains and emotions, and I thought back to a similar experience of my own. When I was in the 8th grade, we had to draw one of a number of religious symbols for display in the hall outside our classroom. I drew an antique oil lamp, the kind a genie emerges from, and somehow, I discovered in the process that the lamp represented wisdom. That day, I fell in love with wisdom and began a life-long habit of praying for wisdom---even before I was sure I knew what wisdom was. To this day, I pray daily for wisdom--and all because I drew a lamp in the 8th grade!
We know from brain research that images imprint physically on the brain. Anything we gaze at for more than a few seconds will physically change the brain, to the point that we can actually see the image on the brain of a monkey who was euthanized while gazing at a pattern (see The Art of Changing the Brain for more information.) If we cannot form an image of a process or a concept, we may be able to memorize a formula, but we will not be able to store it in long-term memory or comprehend meaning without the images. Very simply, we think in images.
For years as I was growing up, I did not like the word "Grace," which I heard about all the time. Now I know that since I could not form an image of Grace, I kept rejecting the concept. I had nothing in my experience to connect to Grace, defined as "the unmerited favor of God." Recently, though, I have come to see Grace as powerful energy flowing from God that changes us, sometimes dramatically (as in "Amazing" Grace), and sometimes gently and gradually, as the dawning of the sun in our souls. I have experienced in my own life both types of grace--as churning water that runs turbines and as softly flowing water that gently carries one downstream.
God is always with us, and if He is present to us, His life-energy is communicated to us, just as friends communicate their life-energy in one another's presence. We have only to drink in that amazing force to be renewed!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Transformation in Christ
But we all, with faces unveiled, are being transformed into His likeness, from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18).
As we gaze steadfastly at Christ, Who is the Light of the world, we are transformed slowly into His image, until we ourselves become filled with light. At first, we cannot see any transformation at all, the change that others immediately see but do not know how to explain. We are still burdened with all our former thoughts and attitudes, strongholds that will gradually dissolve to nothing as the Light of the world continues to shine in us and on us.
What is required is not that we "strive for perfection," (as we cannot overcome what has held us in slavery for so long), but only that we continue to gaze "full in His wonderful face" and to contemplate His beauty and glory. As we do so, we are gradually transformed into His image, He who is the exact image of the invisible God, whose face He came to reveal. And He has given us the power to become children of that wonderful Father, children whose faces resemble their Father in heaven.
Since only He knows what the Father loks like, only He has the power to transform us into the glory and image of God. We do not know how He is doing it; we do not have to know where we are on the journey---whether close or far away---we simply have to continue gazing at Him who has the authority to bring all things under His marvelous power and control.
And at the end, we will say with Him: He has done it; it is finished.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
What is Truth?
not by power, nor by might, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts (Zach.4)
Revelation, Truth, Power of Understanding come to us not by "figuring it out," not by thinking hard, but by the Spirit of God "turning on the light" in our spirits. And that happens only in worship, not in reasoning. It is when we have lost ourselves in the Presence of God that understanding comes.
As long as we ourselves are the center of our thoughts and actions, we remain in the dark, dimly perceiving distant realities, but not quite reaching them -- as Plato described in his metaphor of the cave. Isaiah says, "The whole head is sick...," so we cannot "think" ourselves into health, into truth, into spiritual understanding. It must be given from above.
In 1 Cor. 2, Paul tells us "the natural man does not grasp the things of God, nor can he, for they are revealed by the Spirit of God, who searches the things of God..."
But God wants us to know the "things of God," so He freely gives them to us--but only in worship. It is when we move away from our own center and into the center of the Living God that we begin to apprehend Truth. That is why Caesar asked Jesus, "What is truth?" It remains to the world at large only one guess among many, only one expression of opinion among many--that is, until we bow in worship before the Creator of heaven and earth, whose gift is wisdom and truth.
Truth is one in its essence, though varied in its expressions. Truth cannot be divided or 'disagreed' with. Jesus said the reason He came into the world was to bear witness to the truth. In surrendering our own "truth" and becoming one with Him in spirit, we enter into the Truth. There is no other way.
The eternal Truth comes Spirit to spirit----and then, and only then, to our minds. It never works the other way around.
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