A first time.........

This morning, I sat on our deck overlooking our back yard, for an hour of prayer. I'm not a nature lover per se. I enjoy nature from the view of my office window mostly. But this day, I was participating in a world wide hour of prayer to connect with and heal the earth. It was called Fire the Grid. As I anticipated this event, I wondered how I would ever fill an hour with prayer in nature?

My prayers were of connection. Claiming the one who empowers me, Jesus the Christ, and respectfully acknowledging all how join this time of prayer from whatever tradition they pray from. Prayers of unity, of earth love, of respect for the Source of Life who creates all.

It was a powerful and joyful experience. Truly. Wow. Who knew?

At first, it was about watching the playful birds: a swoop of red from the cardinal, calling back and forth, silence when the cat strolled through.......

Then it was about thoughts of love. Not random romantic notions, but love...deep and purposeful and earth shattering.....like that between parent and child, lovers, friends.........

At some point, my body and spirit began to lighten and relax, deepen and wait. And then the oddest thing happened.

An old prayer language that I used way back in college days (during my charismatic exploration days) bubbled right up and overflowed from my mouth. This language has always struck me as being similar to a Native American or Hawaiian tribal tone. As always, I vocalized the word glyphs rising from inside/outside.......until it was done. Then, as always, sitting until interpretation comes. Like the oily warmth of a massage therapists hands moving from lower back to upper shoulders, the understanding that I had just spoken these words ebbed over me, "Holy holy holy. Holy Jesus."

Now, I am not a "Jesus thumper". I most often use the term "Christ" to depict something more cosmic than "Jesus" which is too solid and point-in-time-ish. But this was the interpretation and I'm sticking with it. Great peace followed.

Then, the words to a familiar hymn rose from within and I sang:

For the beauty of the earth
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.
Source of all to thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

What a morning.

amysgr

saving souls? discipleship?

I was not brought up in, nor live in a religious culture of saving souls. The Church of the Brethren is a simple living, earthy, common sense discipleship sort of denomination. I think back over my life, and see so many hands involved in my faith development.........some very wise of mind persons, and some very wise of living persons. Deep in my core, my discipleship has bloomed and affects the outer parts of my being. There is nothing shallow there. That is not to say that I am not shallow. I can be as shallow as the next person.

As I read and meditate upon Matthew 25:30ff (the parable that Jesus tells that puts himself as the main character, sitting high on a throne separating sheep from goats, the doers from the ignorant) I am more and more drawn to the theological understanding that the confusion of those for whom Christ lavishes praise is based on the fact that they didn't know they were serving Christ, didn't know they were meeting some need, didn't know that they were accomplishing anything.

This 'not knowing' is key to the parable. When was the last time that someone you cared about was ill, was in financial trouble, had a relational crisis? Your response would be to support, see them through it, provide a few meals, maybe pay a couple of bills.........with no thought as to your own reward. Then months or years later that person sits with you and says "I just wanted to let you know that I wouldn't have been able to get through that bad patch without you. Thank you." We are often stunned by such commentary......we don't know what they are talking about. We simple did what was part of the relationship to do.

And that is the other key.

Christ calls us into relationships.......not to simply support and care for our friends, but to engage with all of God's children who are brought into our lives, in deep relationship. Those in the parable who are cast out are the ones who didn't get the connection between themselves and Christ, themselves and their neighbor, themselves and God's wide creation. They didn't get beyond their own nose.

Truly, it is in the relationships and the connection that we find God, Christ, one another. In that finding, we save our souls. Here and now. Yes, sure in the eternal to come as well. But right now we can live a life of abundance and connectedness. Ah, how glorious.

amsgr

striving after strivings

I seek to build a family of good people who desire to lift the veil of life's frustration and fear through the experience of poetic living and creative spiritualities. Old Guard and Gatekeepers need not apply.

~Travis Poling's blog Radical Pie

I read this a few weeks ago, and I keep finding myself returning to it. How do we know when we've become the gatekeeper or old guard? I want to know when I've arrived at being one who lifts the veil and lets down the guard. What happens if we just stumble into this new land, new family, and are not aware of it?

After I graduated from seminary and was in the pastorate, I began to recognize the community and education that was granted to me during my masters program. Was I just too in the middle to notice it while it was happening?

How do we know when we are just self satisfied, and when we've actually arrived at a place that we sought to create? Is there anything wrong with staying there for a little while? Taking deep breathes of the clear air, resting our muscles, shifting our gear.............in order to head out in a new way?

I think so. I think it is a beautiful thing to be in a place we thought we could only imagine. I would want that created place for others, too (their created place, not my created place...unless mine is theirs).........not just simply striving after strivings.....with no thought of arriving.

asgr

CommonSense EveryDay Church

I was just reading Brian McLaren's website Deep Shift, with info about his EverythingMustChange tour.

Good stuff. Well, good stuff if you like change. If you like considering things deeply.

I do.

Our church is about to head into a deep shift. Here are a few of my untested, early articulated thoughts on church.........feel free to challenge or take me further along the road........

I dream of a church that comes together to worship and to be inspired........and then heads out into the community to "be". Not so much "do". There is doing in the being, but the primary work is to seize the who of who we are and then live it. Called to be a computer geek? Then do it with high standards, integrity, fairness. Called to work at a seminary? Then do it with high standards, integrity, sacred space. Called to teach? Teach well, grow your students. Called to do acupuncture? Then do it with a heart for the poor, the sick and not the bottom line. Called to work somewhere? Work well, be on time, demonstrate honesty and trustworthiness. Called to be a high school student who lives differently than your peers? Do it with style. Let others take note.

Our evangelism then comes when those we work with, impact and encounter say "Wow, you're different". Then we can explain why. We can then explain that we live another way, peacefully simply and together. That we are not into the behaviors of gossip, slander and hate..........that we revel in forgiving and being forgiven.....that while imperfect, we strive to be more attuned to the Holy.......that God is our center and reason for all things.

A church can have a soup kitchen, can have youth clubs, can women's fellowships: but if it isn't a common sense everyday church, it is nothing. Each one of us can evaluate the church programming to see if it is what the church needs to be. New paradigm, old paradigm......doesn't matter. As long as the church (local) is what God has called into being.

asgr

Support German proposal for emissions reduction

How do the people of the United States, get our leaders and the President to move toward the proposals of German Chancellor Angela Merkel for 50% reduction of carbon emissions by 2050. In a democracy, do the leaders lead out with the will of the people? What is the will of the American people when it comes to global warming?

Our family has already made changes toward this effort, by switching to compact florescent bulbs, reduction in electric clothes dryer use, banning the use of the dishwasher, driving a car that gets 38 mpg, keeping the car parked and taking bikes, open windows instead of using air conditioner......we have a long way to go for our family alone, but we are taking this very seriously.

It is an act of faith and stewardship of creation. We are not given the bounty and beauty of this good earth to do with as we please. We are to care for all things, all people. There is joy in living with alternative behaviors, even if there are less conveniences.

Life is good. Life is interesting.

asgr

Oh Rosie and vitriolic diatribes

Now, I must first state that I do not watch TV on a regular basis. I find little there worth consuming my time. But yesterday, as I was on the internet, scanning the through some youtube videos on Jon Stewart from Comedy Centrals The Daily Show (which is the best show on Television), I came across a clip from this week's fracas between Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck from the View.

During an episode this week, Rosie called Elizabeth on the carpet for not stepping up as a friend, when Rosie was needing to clarify her wording that insinuated that she thought the troops were terrorists. There was implication in her words, but her intent was to point the finger to President Bush and not the troops. During this particular episode of The View, Elizabeth put it back to Rosie that Rosie alone is responsible for clarifying her innuendos and thoughts.

It turned into a public fight, split screen to see both, with Rosie seemingly in control. And why wouldn't she have been? She knew that she was going to put Elizabeth on the defensive. Elizabeth was on the defensive.

I bring this up, solely because our culture and society have mistaken vitriolic/Springer-esque verbal attacks for public discourse. It is not a good or growing thing to watch two adults go after one another, no one listening, both talking over the other, both having valid points to make.

In this case, Rosie thought the whole thing was about a friend not sticking up for a friend. For Elizabeth, it seemed to be that she wanted to push Rosie on being an adult and taking consequences for her words.

It became about politics and mud slinging and no one heard the real issues. Elizabeth should simply say why she chose not to defend Rosie (which could be for any number of reasons), and Rosie needs to come to terms with the fact that if she digs a verbal hole, she must get herself out of it.

I yearn for adult discourse, where we can express hurt feelings without everyone going on the defensive. When we can open a can of worms and then hear what our friend has to say to us. Where we live to grow and learn and develop......which means listening and hearing.

There have been many times when I've given in to this type of tirade, sure of the rightness of my position. It is ugly, and it feels ugly, and then we have to go an clean up the relational mess.

Really, there are better ways.

Rosie and Elizabeth, get a mediator who will help you paraphrase, listen & hear one another.

As for the rest of us? Let's step up to the adult plate and be adults.

asgr

DMin

I've been accepted into the Doctor of Ministry program at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur GA. It took much longer to receive this word than I had anticipated, and by the time I did get the email saying "congratulations", I had moved past the excitement of being a doctoral student, and am in a much more balanced place of excitement for the learning.

This will impact my next 4 years, mightily.

asgr