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Meditations – Mid 2009
Meditations – Mid 2009 – May – July 2009 – Daily Affirmations
For over five years now I have risen daily before dawn and sat in stillness after reading a verse of scripture. What follows is the fruit of that quiet time that I want to share with you. As you will see the format remains the same. Someone suggested that I share this with a wider audience — my family and friends.
July 31, 2009
Scripture:
Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind, for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth. Psalm 26:2-3
Prayer
Help me, Lord, to be still in the examination process.
Response:
Examine my heart and my mind. That is the prayer for you this day. It is that invitation that brings or at least contributes to serenity of the spirit. You are and have been on a long walk – sometimes quite distant it appeared from refreshment areas. At some times your breathing – again of the heart and mind – was shallow, hurried, deep, anxious, satisfying, interrupted, and even measured – gasped in grief and rollicking in laughter. Now after all those experiences of life and love, there is a time to say, examine my heart and my mind as the psalmist did many centuries ago for you to hear this morning wherever you are in life or location.
There is a confidence that you might not have had previously as you accept the love that is ever before you. That love is ever present and you begin to wake to that realization and acceptance with a conviction that becomes deeper than the conviction that the sun will soon rise through the darkness – though it is still quite dark.
Though you only can whisper words that you continue to be tested, hoping perhaps that you won’t be heard, take heart and courage knowing more fully each day that my love is ever before you. Emphasize in your growing conviction the word ever.
All for this morning.
July 30, 2009
Scripture:
But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Hebrews 5:14
Prayer
Help me to discern.
Response:
That’s the request – to discern. With all you read, hear, see, what you desire through grace is the gift of discernment. There are three ingredients to discernment – maturity where you are no longer swayed to the left or right with each passing opinion or sight. If on the water, you have righted the sails of your craft and measured the wind and its direction and are beginning to skip atop the water.
You are not a weekend or less frequent sailor but seek the water frequently, daily, to refine your new found skills in rigorous training, even when the water is choppy. It is then that you begin to discern weather patterns long before reading a weather forecast or hearing one on the radio. And I do not mean to suggest that you should spend the time in your shed reading. There is much for you to consider and act upon when you allow your eyes to leave the page.
Discernment is a gift because at exactly the moment your impulse is to react, my grace gives you pause to take in a scene or event or discussion with a peripheral vision that seems extended – and it is. Accompanying this heightened vision is courage – courage to accept the conclusions that are drawn even if they are contrary to what initially you surmised. Discernment is a holy pause, followed by a sometimes infrequent aha, a hidden melody that was disguised hidden until you paused in my grace.
All for this morning.
July 28, 2009
Scripture:
To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Faith, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood. Grace and peace be yours in abundance. 1 Peter 1
Prayer
How often I skip over the introduction, the foreword, to get to the meat of a text. Bring me to a place to settle on the verse before me.
Response:
As you don’t rush to the last chapter to see the conclusion of a novel, this opening is filled with insights that you ordinarily missed. Have you considered yourself among the elect and at the same time a stranger in the world? Do you see the contradiction? Spend a moment on what this means to you. Notice that you don’t get a chance to flee the world and your circumstances. You are in the world to serve.
For reasons that are clearly beyond the capacity of your mind and reasoning, you have been chosen. It’s like discovering that an election was held, or better a prominent leader whom you have never met selected you for a prestigious post in a foreign land; and you come to learn that the assignment was made on this leader’s intimate foreknowledge about you, who you were, what you have experienced, your intentions, and your secret inner most thoughts.
And then you get a clue as to how this is possible in the rush of the wind, the touch of a breeze, the comfort that comes upon you in sorrow, the joy without reason, the peace in times of stress – and it is then in this stillness that you know about suffering, acceptance, and salvation and more – you receive grace and peace in abundance to share with those still calculating what seems are slim chances for election.
All for this morning.
July 27, 2009
Scripture:
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:5
Prayer
The psalmist’s words nearly glide by my attention. Help me with commit, trust, righteousness, and justice.
Response:
Commit is simply dismissing the alternatives and embracing the truth that has been revealed to you without further discussion or restraint. Sounds harsh? Not really, you are to be who you are in my truth without comparing yourself to another’s actions whether by that comparison to gain encouragement that you are better, or discouragement because you neighbor is better. No false comparisons, no further on the one hand to defend indecisiveness.
A two word definition of trust is let go. You have been nurtured and trained to soar. Now soar! The wind you feel is not an approaching storm, but support as you reach beyond what you thought possible.
Righteousness is your display in action and service what you have come to know as your purpose, your truth. Righteousness is the harmony of your soul displayed.
Justice is the affirmation of your mission in life on display as a noonday sun after a morning storm.
You neglected to emphasize one other word – path. You know this; only sometimes forget and think that you are stationary in the circumstances that surround you. Path is an invitation to explore the unfolding of my love in your life and this path leads to an eternity beyond your comprehension – though you have a hint of the grandeur that waits.
All for this morning.
July 26, 2009
Scripture:
Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children. Proverbs 17:6
Prayer
As I have the opportunity to be with a daughter and grandson, help me to touch more deeply that crown.
Response:
The crown is circular to remind you of the circle of life found in all creation; and see it as priceless – studded with gems of inestimable worth. The crown is not one found new in the craftsman’s shop before sale, but one that is worn, burnished with the life experiences each bear. You might even see some nicks in it where it was dropped or some event fell on it. Yet, the crown represents something earned and, of course, to be passed to the next in line.
Children are the answer to those who would have you remain in the past without hope. Children are the dawn of an unexpected sunrise when the clouds seem too thick and dense to allow the light to break through and then it does, catching you speechless, wishing someone was alongside with whom to share it.
And parents in this circle of love are the pride of their children, even if that pride might be quiet at times. What better representative of the essential element of my love that for you to be aware of this love in the brilliant reflections of light reflected in all the prisms of the gem – in the generations – that you witness and that you wear the crown lightly.
All for this morning.
July 25, 2009
Scripture:
Even in darkness light dawns for the upright for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. Psalm 112:4
Prayer
Bring me closer to the meaning of darkness and light.
Response:
Notice that the psalmist is not writing in linear time, that is, darkness followed by light, rather in darkness light. This is important for you to reflect upon. In the midst of seeming uncertainty light is dawning at that very instant for the gracious and compassionate and righteous among you. This truth is so much more powerful than you yet understand, especially in relationships that prove difficult to resolve –among loved ones, family, friends, and especially strangers.
The impenetrability of the darkness diffuses into the light for those who remain gracious, compassionate and righteous in all circumstances. A discordant sound is harmonized, a path is discovered through a thicket maze, a mind – no longer scattered – becomes focused, doubt is replaced by confidence and knowing, and love in my grace offers clarity.
Freed from scattered thoughts and past recriminations, welcome this dawn with surprise and thanksgiving especially in the darkness.
All for this morning.
July 24, 2009
Scripture:
When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit, “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you come out of him and never enter him again.”. . . After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out? he replied, “This one can come out only by prayer.” Mark 9:25-29
Prayer
Speak more about the power of prayer.
Response:
Too often you see prayer as making a paper airplane by the sea and tossing it into the wind, hoping it will reach its destination. However, prayer –focused, intentional prayer – is more like the arrow let loose at a target by a seasoned archer. There is nothing casual or random about prayer, just as with an archer poised in a dark wood. His preparation and motions might appear to you to be routine; rather they are the result of discipline, training, and practice; but it is not the motions, the form of which I talk, rather the intention. And notice the archer does not let loose one arrow after another. Each one has direction and purpose.
With this focus – not chanting or repeating some memorized formula – expressed through a pure heart and in my grace, your prayer will always, repeat always, hit the mark – expelling those deaf and mute spirits that rage in violence near and far.
So instead of bemoaning the lack of results for your sometimes befuddled prayers, take heart literally and pray earnestly and deliberately. Know that your prayer will always hit the target – always. Be the archer.
All for this morning.
July 23, 2009
Scripture:
In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.” Exodus 16:2-3
Prayer
Though there have been times when I can identify with the Israelites at the edge of the desert, give me the grace to see beyond, journey through the deserts of my life.
Response:
And here I thought you would glue your attention to the phrase if only. Those words represent that lingering glance back and sometimes it is more than a lingering glance. Without over dramatizing your circumstances, you too are at the edge of a desert; you too could look back and question why. Ponder why; and as much as you don’t want to admit it each desert brings you closer to the conscious awareness that you seek of my presence in your life, of my love made so manifest in all you encounter with the first steps where your sandals seemed buried and your progress slow.
How is my presence manifested, you might ask? And then, even you cannot restrain a smile of acknowledgement. It’s like fearing that everyone has forgotten your birthday and discovering a magnificent celebration of love that greets you while you are still glancing back, muttering if only. The desert is filled with treasures that are lost in the over stimulation of distraction in which you routinely live. Here you see inch high, brilliant flowers that blossom against a stark background at the very hint of rain. So it is in life during a time of trial.
The deserts you encounter in life are passages to freedom. Pause here. The deserts you encounter in life are passages to freedom. And so it was with those grumbling at Moses and Aaron until they too journeyed through their desert.
All for this morning.
July 22, 2009
Scripture:
Elisha sent a messenger to say to {Naaman}: “Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.” 2 Kings 5:10
Prayer
Prophet – healer, help me to enter this scene.
Response:
This scene is vividly described. What I want you to reflect upon is how the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, rushes about seemingly on a breeze, touching you to spiritual and even physical health without you even being able to calculate the recipe of healing. The theater that Elisha stage manages is for the sole purpose to demonstrate that he is not the healer but by his direction the channel of that healing – at a physical distance. And consider the bland directions over which this mighty warrior took umbrage – Wash yourself seven times.
How many times have you been healed with even less direction and then questioned the healing because it seemed coincidental to circumstances? Pray earnestly for your own healing or even for another – as Naaman’s mistress prayed for him – and you find that your prayer is answered; though perhaps, not in the manner that you had expected. After all, Naaman did not expect to be told simply to bathe in the Jordan.
Think about times in your life when you desperately needed healing and consider the prayers that you uttered and those who loved you who did similarly; think of the strangers that might have heard or seen you once and did likewise; and finally thing about the strangers who never met you, whose prayers originate from another land or another time.
In healing, be gracious in your thanksgiving to the Holy Spirit who rushes through the world in which you reside, bringing peace and healing, anticipating your needs, and blessing those who bless you.
All for this morning.
July 21, 2009
Scripture:
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horn and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad, you who seek God may your hearts live. The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Psalm 69:30-33
Prayer
What a blessing – May your hearts live. Help me to pause and listen.
Response:
Do you understand yet how simple this life is with all its twists and turns, with all the formalities that are imposed by hierarchies of whatever sort? My guidance rings over the chorus of words, dogma, instructions, and form – May your hearts live. Please don’t continue your search in the indexes of crusty tomes. Praise God even in captivity to circumstances beyond your control or solution.
And the Lord hears your plaints, those spoken from an earnest heart with words that you have yet to utter aloud. The poor in spirit, those discouraged beyond hope it would seem, hear those sentiments, your sentiments, and take heart. What appears to you to be their dull gaze becomes alive again in recognition – and your hearts live.
For today, pray earnestly from the heart.
July 20, 2009
Scripture:
As you come to him, the living stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 4-5
Prayer
The words living stone and spiritual sacrifices caught my attention this morning. Help me to grasp better your meaning.
Response:
Let me begin with spiritual sacrifice – not the burnt offering variety – but rather a sacrifice that wells up from within freely – as your act of acceptance and worship. Wells up. It is important to consider how spontaneous your offering is to become. No longer tied to setting aside money to purchase what would become a burnt offering on a special day, dressed in ritual clothing, arrangements to be made with the official conducting the ceremony. Now, through the sacrifice of Jesus, you are invited to offer sacrifice of the spirit that surges from within a graceful and grateful heart.
Your offering reflects your growth and love; no need, in fact I discourage it, to look around and compare another’s growth and/or love to yours. You see, offering is a very private manifestation of my love though you might not yet be able to comprehend yet this truth. In witnessing what you see as a spiritual sacrifice reverence its manifestation and the privilege granted to you to be present for it.
Living stone – now that is an expression that should occupy your mind so you can go deeper – represents the miraculous transformation that seizes what was lifeless and revives – there’s that word again – restores this lifeless statue posturing some past event into a living and breathing Being present in service to those discovered on the path.
Spiritual sacrifice begins in love and service to another. For today, become conscious – yes conscious – of a spiritual sacrifice welling up within you, ready for release— if you will.
All for this morning.
July 19, 2009
Scripture:
Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself. Then we will not turn away from you; revive us and we will call on your name. Psalm 80:17-18
Prayer
Tell me more about being revived.
Response:
I guess you won’t be satisfied with a dictionary definition. You know the sense of being physically revived – like after an exhausting race when a hidden source of energy seems to circulate once more throughout though all movement had ceased; emotionally when frozen in grief you warm and with it the ice that had formed; spiritually in a desert trek you come upon quite suddenly an oasis of relief; and in relationship with others you come upon an unexpected smile. That is the essence of being revived.
You are restored and much more. It’s as if you have left your former state of exhaustion of whatever sort and are able to touch the star above that you had only observed at a distance previously. Being revived is taking a deep breath figuratively – being inspired and being able and willing to do so. By inspired, I mean graced – and by now you know from what source. Being able is coming to the knowing that you can; that you are new and at the point of a new beginning; and that knowing is coupled with the willingness to act on the reviving that has taken place.
And finally, what could you do after you experienced my touch but to call upon my name in thanksgiving, and to share this gift with others around you.
All for this morning.
July 18, 2009
Scripture:
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation . . . I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13
Prayer
Would that I took to heart Paul’s words at all times.
Response:
Let me startle you by saying that your contentment is not about you – you being calm in adversity; but rather about being settled so that you can show a generous heart in service to those who are absent contentment when their lives are disrupted. It is becoming conscious of my love that contentment enfolds you. Through my love you discover this strength of spirit that might have gone unnoticed. Once discovered, you have no choice but to share that bounty with all you are in contact, family, friends, and strangers.
So contentment in adversity is a true sign that you are conscious – else you would be considered quite odd; though accept the risk that those who still slumber in frenetic activity will consider you such. It is important to see contentment and strength as one. No task, no challenge, no circumstance is a match for the overwhelming strength that contentment endows. Contentment is the secret in the martial arts of life – the guiding the force, the energy of chaos and adversity, rather than opposing and resisting it. Spend a moment on how you can guide that which at first you would resist.
Finally, the truth buried in these two short verses is a secret, that is, unknown by the vast majority of those lumbering along in the footsteps of those before them, their attention held hostage to every crisis that they read or hear about, or experience. In knowing now the secret truth, don’t keep it secret.
All for this morning.
July 17, 2009
Scripture:
To the Jews who had believed in him, Jesus said: “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32
Prayer
What is this truth? Bring me to a deeper understanding.
Response:
Let me say that the truth is not material for an exam to study. There is no passing grade where you missed many questions and guessed correctly on the rest. The truth is not relative to how old you are or how long you have been closeted in your attic pondering my questions to you. No, the truth is full light and is not shaded with doubt or debate. You see the truth, my truth, is given to you without your merit, without you earning it as you perceive everything else in the world.
Relative only to your state of consciousness is the truth known fully by you. And my teaching is not esoteric. It is a teaching of love and compassion. Embracing this truth, you will receive assurance that you are awake and free in how authentic you become. It is an unfolding that occurs in each of you at whatever age to confirm this truth, my truth.
In my truth your vulnerability manifests in strength; the questions that range in your heart are answered; the dreams you nourish are realized; and the light that you bear becomes like a torch held aloft in a darkened corridor leading you to the freedom you sought.
All for this morning.
July 16, 2009
Scripture:
{David} said: “Lord is my rock, my fortress, and deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior – from violent men you save me.” 2 Samuel 2-3
Prayer
Help me to take these familiar verses to a new level.
Response:
It sounds like you are in a warlike mood this morning, at least an invigorated one. As any warrior, David is assessing what is arrayed in his favor that day – and for you this day. Think of the images presented – rock, fortress, deliverer, refuge, shield, horn of strength. Do you think any less is afforded you this and every day?
Focus on deliverer for a moment. The Lord delivers you from the heat of your battles and challenges along a safe path even if at first you are not quite sure where it is leading. Missing in these verses, but assumed in every image, is trusting in the Lord. The rock, fortress, refuge, shield are without value or purpose without your trust vested in me. It might be like flying high above a rough terrain and turning over the controls for landing to me, or finding yourself desperately lost in the jungle as light fades beneath a thick canopy of trees and praying that I find the way back to your refuge.
Consider each day as an opportunity to see, really see, the rock, fortress, and refuge – and of course strength – with which I lavish you and those in your midst in whatever circumstances you or those you love experience on the surface. As with so much that you reflect upon, see your growing consciousness as special praise and appreciation for my grace distributed freely to you.
All for this morning.
July 15, 2009
Scripture:
After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Exodus 13:20-22
Prayer
Help me to see your guidance in these descriptive verses.
Response:
You’ve been at the edge of a desert or a barren land and you have experienced the need to calculate accurately your direction; in life you have similarly paused trying to gain your bearings before trekking off into the unknown. A considerable difference between a land trek and a soul trek is that for the latter I am there to guide you in a pillar of cloud – or sand if you prefer – and with a light the turns ever bright on the darkest night.
With this assurance, you can be quite an explorer, discovering new regions of your soul if you make bold to take the first step. Indeed, I am not encouraging you to remain in your steps, awestruck by the unknown before you. Rather I am prodding you, inviting you to take those first steps directly forward, following my guidance that never leaves you.
On this journey, one of enormous significance, you discover that all your previous encounters with the unknown prepare you and you are more alert, indeed conscious, to that guidance that is visible, shining bright on the most windswept or rain swept night. My guidance is heard in laughter, felt in tears, refreshed in silence.
For today greet what awaits you at the edge of your desert – even if you expect the day and the terrain of the mind and heart you travel to be without surprise – make bold to venture forth knowing that you cannot become lost or even disoriented once you acknowledge that pillar of cloud and light that goes before you.
All for this morning.
July 14, 2009
Scripture:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. Galatians 2:20
Prayer
What a startling line of verse. Though I have read it before this time is noteworthy because I paused. Help me to plumb its meaning.
Response:
What if I said this morning that the verse is rather straightforward, not as difficult to understand, though profound? Your life to this point – and who would have believed you would still be around except you – has included a whole series of humbling experiences. Some have been minor upsets, others and there is no need to return to the past to list them have been devastating, life changing events. You bear the wounds for all of them. Some of those wounds have healed so that you would have difficulty recognizing the scar –emotional or not – or sometimes recalling the experience. But then there are others where your devastation or loss or defeat was so overpowering that you sank to your knees literally or emotionally. You can recall without much effort how you asked in prayer for relief, for understanding, and even sometimes had the strength, yes strength, to offer that suffering to ease the suffering for another even if a stranger.
Well, whether you realize it or not, or realized it or not at the time, you were crucified with Christ at that moment – and indeed you no longer lived or live, but Christ lives in you. Read this last sentence again and notice the present tense. I am not suggesting that life is a walk to Golgotha. Rather I am suggesting that crucified with Christ in your acceptance of life with all its “surprises” – and by acceptance I should have added conscious acceptance – you are changed forever. I hope I don’t have to define what forever means!
Now what is that change? Christ lives in you. You are a heartbeat near – not away. Doesn’t that truth give you a new swing in your arms, an easier gait; doesn’t your vision of what lies ahead improve, and what about your listening? And yes, does this realization help you with prayer in stillness?
All for this morning.
July 13, 2009
Scripture:
For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; and he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Revelation 7:17
Prayer
Amen.
Response:
It is at those times when words fail you that I am closest and your listening is most acute. These words hold a powerful message of healing, healing beyond your comprehension; but you see, there is no need for you to understand my purpose, nor analyze how I heal you in my grace. There is a purpose for you all even in the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, and my grace in love for you is abundant, overflowing.
Springs of living water –that is what awaits you after a grueling, sometimes uncertain, arduous, even dangerous journey. Shed of your garments of disguise, these waters rinse you clean of all sorrow and grief, all weariness and uncertainty, and all regret. It is called living water because you become new life and are clothed in fresh linens, light and airy, that allow your free movement of expression in union with my love.
This is a time of joy and jubilation as every tear – not just the initial flow – is wiped from your heart in the realization of my love overflowing within you. Without sorrow you might miss the refreshment that waits in my grace as the storm cedes to the bright sun of an eternal day.
All for this morning.
July 12, 2009
Scripture:
The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel, Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 10
Prayer
Help me to listen.
Response:
How can you miss? You’ve been up for over two hours without uttering a word aloud. You are in receive-mode and I will not disappoint you. This verse could be reduced to one word – listen! It’s a verb and you are directed to perform an action though observing you one could say you are not doing anything, but how mistaken the outsider would be. In listening you let go of distractions whatever they might be; time – measured minute time – has retreated behind a bulky curtain; sight vision has been replaced by heart search; mental fatigue like a shadow is dispersed in an inexplicable light; though without writing implements all heard is recorded. Now doesn’t that sound like an experience that you are missing or do not savor often enough?
No rigorous training is required for this life and soul changing event to enter your life regularly. No degree is awarded, no tuition paid, no academic robes to be worn. You will find that you can listen at sunrise, at sunset, outside or inside a hutch on a mountain slope, or gazing out to sea from a desolate – or even crowded beach. You can listen alone or gathered together.
Now you might ask, what will I hear? Such a question is like thumbing through a book to the last chapter. Let me say though what you will hear is spoken to you with clarity for you alone though you might be sitting, standing, or simply present with others who are listening or not. All you must do to receive the clarity you seek is to be. Consider this line; reflect upon it; and you will discover the essential meaning of listening.
All for this morning.
July 11, 2009
Scripture:
O Lord, what is man that you care for him, the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow. Psalm 144:3-4
Prayer
Though the words of the psalmist are clear, help me to grasp the truth contained therein that often escapes me like a fleeting shadow.
Response:
To help you further, realize that the psalmist speaks of one breath – not the thousands and thousands that take you through a day. One breath –that’s it. And consider how a shadow – a fleeting one at that –disappears without a trace when a flashlight beam meets day light. Now consider the question that the psalmist poses to you stretching to reach you from the past of three thousand years, a distance of several thousand miles, a language you haven’t studied, a location far distant from the sea. Yet, you pause upon reading and reflecting upon these words.
In such reflection, do you notice that the long list of wants and desires, the responsibilities and tasks that await, consciousness of time –even fleeting, are overcome by the realization that in your nothingness I care for you and I am with you. More than undivided attention, I linger even luxuriate in your presence and watch intently as you begin to stir from your sleep – that is, unconsciousness. When conscious these two verses are abundantly clear as you say at a soul level – thank you!
These verses are not meant to leave you puzzled but rather astonished by the depth of my love for you. When is the last time you experienced astonishment? Well, the answer is, this very moment as I prod you into wakefulness. You might be disappointed to discover that this like every other day and its shadow aspect is an opportunity to share this insight, inspiration with someone still measuring the length of his or her breaths stretched out semi-conscious.
All for this morning.
July 10, 2009
Scripture:
Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: “In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the same plea. ‘Grant me justice against my adversary’. For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, ‘Even though I don’t fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me I will see that she gets justice so that she won’t eventually wear me out with her coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge said. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night?” Luke 18:1-8
Prayer
Give me in your grace the persistence of the widow.
Response:
The persistence that you ask is similar to a visit to a doctor who writes a prescription that you fill and on the bottle it tells you the dosage or the frequency you must follow. On the bottle or package are written the words, Day and Night. It does sound like a heavy dose, but you must admit that the direction is simple. You are not directed to stand, sit, kneel, sing, or shout. No, you are directed – yes directed – to cry out day and night. And why cry? Because you are to speak from the heart, without any disguise of your intentions to yourself. Repeat the words, to yourself. Can you think of a better way to surface your deepest concerns whether they are for yourself, or some refugee in Afghanistan or Western China, or an orphan forgotten on a desolate road – even in America?
It is only when you break the pattern of formal prayer that has constrained you to a place and time that your authentic self, that soul seeking union with God, realizes that you are this moment in union with God in prayer. So praying day and night is being day and night in God’ presence, in a consciousness that escaped you previously.
So this day and the night awaiting you, pray – be consciously in my presence. And witness the change that overcomes you as your challenges ease as did the widow who challenged the judge with her persistence.
All for this morning.
July 8, 2009
Scripture:
“You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king.” John 18:37
Prayer
I heard an African-American spiritual sung at Michael Jackson’s funeral that touched me. Soon and very soon we’re going to see the king were the words of the refrain. Help to understand your kingship.
Response:
Doesn’t it surprise you that a word that you have read and repeated so many times – and in Scripture – strikes you in an instant with new meaning. It’s as if you noticed someone standing alongside you in a crowd though you have been standing for hours in the same place. Yes, king encompasses magnificent news for you. You need go no further and power resides with Him and in Him. No appeals are necessary because He is all-knowing, all-compassionate, all-forgiving, all-loving. And you have been invited into his audience, his personal presence. You have not journeyed so many miles, endured so many trials, and then required to wait in an enormous square to catch a fleeting glimpse of Him in a window. No, you are invited into His presence. Extraordinary and He is the king.
Reflect how Pilate shares his conclusion, even if said soliciting Jesus’ denial, with you this morning. The only change you can make is to change a king to the king. Pause and reverence that revelation that is meant for you –each of you in the privacy of your heart to spur you into action. You have been standing long enough. It is now time to consider what you do with this revelation. Does this truth cause you to commit yourself to service to those around you who by choice linger in the courtyard and have even forgotten or neglected to look up at the window? What would a friend do upon returning from just such a private reception with the king? Would he or she do no more than tell you about it or show you photos. You decide.
For today repeat every once and awhile the words, Soon and very soon we’re going to see the king. And you are – some of you sooner than others. Don’t fret. You are being invited to a celebration.
All for this morning.
July 7, 2009
Scripture:
Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him. Romans 4:7-8 & Psalm 32:1-2
Prayer
Help me to understand how blessed I am.
Response:
Let us spend a moment on the meaning of blessed. Does it help for you to understand blessed, if you imagine a elder – even bearing more years and scars than yourself – taking your bowed head into his hands. In the silence of that moment and right now, can you begin to comprehend in the silence without words or need for expression what blessed means for you? You never outgrow your blessing. Think about that – as blessed, you never outgrow the occasion of your blessing.
And this blessing is administered even when you don’t lower your head or continue to allow scattered notions to invade your peace and harmony – soul qualities with which you are graced. Blessing is the silence, the holy gasp between two waves heading for the shore. While blessing might seem elusive to define, you experience this showering of my love almost without notice. It is the rain that falls steadily upon you though the sky is bright and the clouds you estimated were distant. Blessing is the rush of relief after an arduous ascent in your daily life.
Regarding transgressions don’t spend much time comparing or excusing your transgressions with those of a neighbor, rather sing praise even if your voice is hoarse or the tune escapes you for you are loved beyond your finite comprehension. You will discover in accepting on faith this declaration that you become conscious and see for the first time as if sight has been restored – and it has. Restored, I say. Imagine that.
All for this morning.
July 6, 2009
Scripture:
When she sat down with the harvesters, he offered her some roasted grain. She ate all she wanted and had some left over. As she got up to glean, Boaz gave orders to his men, “Even if she gathers among the sheaves, don’t embarrass her. Rather pull out some stalks for her from the bundles and leave them for her to pick up, and don’t rebuke her.” Ruth 2:14-16
Prayer
How many times have I been generous but sought recognition? Teach me your wisdom.
Response:
You don’t have to wait for a time in the fields to show your generosity. Boaz displays a depth of spirit that he conveys to you this morning as if you were one of the harvesters waiting for the fields to dry from the rain. A rough farmer of few words, yet the words he utters are directed, focused and generous. Consider the teaching he provided those under him and how his words would influence all in his presence –and I include you in that number.
It isn’t as if he is giving foreign language lessons. The fact there were no questions indicates that the wisdom – yes wisdom – of compassion and generosity resides in all of you. For some, the language is almost a forgotten language, though it springs back to life with use – as any foreign language not used over time.
And the wisest sentiment Boaz offers is, don’t embarrass her. Keep your gift to yourself, even if it means that you don’t get credit – whatever that means – for your efforts in the fields of your daily life. So today, measure your steps with instances of generosity that might go unnoticed. They become your mile markers; you will be surprised at the distance you will travel without fatigue.
All for this morning.
July 5, 2009
Scripture:
Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we call on your name. Psalm 80:18
Prayer
Speak to me of revive.
Response:
Revive, restore, re-invigorate are all words to remind you that you are not journeying on this path alone. Just when your strength flags, your patience shortens, or you discover that it is the future that worries you or the past that hounds you, I comfort you and restore your equilibrium in my favor which is my grace. All times of the day I am present to hear your plaint even if words do not accompany your distress.
Those precious moments that you take, especially when you feel dry and parched spiritually, win you a blessing without measure. It is at such times that you literally push through the curtain that had seemed impenetrable – and you are rewarded, you are revived.
Reflect this evening on times when you were physically spent – like after a grueling race; emotionally spent as at a time of deep grief; and spiritually vacant when you found yourself apart. All of those experiences share a common emptiness that defines a deep, deep cleansing – or put another way, a soul-plough readying the field for planting, or a scourging storm that shears jagged rock from a mountain escarpment. Time devoted in quiet prayer at such times might seem counter-intuitive, yet you will discover a wealth of blessings in the resulting purification, harvest, or shimmering smooth stone.
All for this today.
July 2, 2009
Scripture:But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:4-5
Prayer:
So much contained in these short verses; provide me the deeper meaning to these words.
Response
If you were a theologian, you could spend the rest of the day exploring the nuances and meaning of these words that has proved elusive to so many – theologians included. Spend a moment on the images that the word rich and mercy carry for you. See an entourage of servants carrying into the great hall bundles of gold which they lay before the potentate. And instead of riches to command the subjects of his kingdom, the gold represents his overflowing love for you, discovered in his abundant mercy, and he dispenses this love to all present, as if it were without end – and it is.
How to grasp this truth? How to grasp this truth? It is only possible when you pause; stop the ceaseless chatter in your mind; keep still as when you try to distinguish the gentle sound of a bird or insect in the woods at dawn; as you listen attentively with the ears of your heart. Then, and only then, do the folds of confusion and neglect dissipate or at least diminish, and you encounter at that instant a lock on this truth; and you are one with this truth.
This experience which some would describe as “ahah” is like resuming breathing after an unnatural pause, breathing that is deeper, more refreshing, revitalizing, and your color has never been healthier at such moments. Indeed, all pressure has been relieved in your system; you have returned to the life foreordained for you in my grace, so abundantly poured over you in a silence of being that you had missed up until now.
All for this morning.
July 1, 2009
Scripture:I will lead the blind by way they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. Isaiah 42:16
Prayer:
Help me to such faith along unfamiliar paths.
Response
Sometimes you assume that focused, looking with clear eyes, measuring each step along the path, with concentration, study, and endurance, nothing more is required. Yet, even with those treasured traits and discipline, more is asked and it comes hardest for those who reflect and perhaps even boast these traits. Simply stated, you have, are, and will discover times that with all your best efforts you are disoriented, adrift, and uncertain – the path is certainly unfamiliar. Your soul eyes have not adjusted to the light or lack of light.
Oh, that becomes the test for you; for at such times you must accept the truth that I will guide you along this uncertain path. What makes this path so unfamiliar is that you can’t ask for guidance from the usual traffic directors – however reliable they have been in the past. At such times, and you will clearly recognize these occasions – if you are conscious and awake – because of the depth of impact and the shattering experience surrounding in what appears to be a dimly lit corridor. You will find that you are called to accept your “blindness,” unknowing,
It is at that instant – yes, that instant – when you no longer resist, when you let go of the control, that your steps with my guidance become as fluid as the steps you could never negotiate on a dance floor – and with each step in unison with me you will experience a light that was always there in the shadows of your discontent and though barefoot and vulnerable you explore vast regions of your heart effortlessly, tirelessly, awake to my love and grace.
All for this morning.
June 30, 2009
Scripture:
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Prayer:
How often must I be reminded of this truth that exceeds all my understanding?
Response:
In accepting the words of this verse again and again, you will discover the peace that follows. Notice Isaiah is saying to you that perfect peace waits. This means, if you still have not grasped it, that you are asked to be conscious, focused, and, if you can believe it, relaxed in the tumult of your life. Whatever your circumstances, whatever the deadlines, whatever the tasks that you are certain cannot be performed in the time allotted, trust in me and instantly – without delay – you will experience the peace within that you were scattering your resources to discover outside in the very turmoil that seeks to unglue you.
This perfect peace is not a one-time happening but a state of harmony that is sustained for as long as you remain steadfast. What an incredible covenant we share. And once you touch that state of my harmony that incidentally is a glimpse of eternity, you will find that you have discovered inexplicable union in my love. In that moment you shed all your disguises and the word authenticity takes on the precious meaning you long sought – even unconsciously.
For today, test the promise of the verse. Be steadfast and trust – trust in prayer, in action, in reflection, in love, and especially in service; and experience simultaneously my perfect peace.
All for this morning.
June 29, 2009
Scripture:Praise the Lord, O my soul, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion. Psalm 103:3-4
Prayer:
In these verses my eyes lingered paused on the words pit, love, and compassion. Show me their interrelationship.
Response
Keep the image of your journey, at times along a darkened path –like this morning. Even though you know your path along the beach, you must be watchful as today as the tide pulled back from the shore allowed a steep ridge to form. Consider this image, especially if you walked unaware and stumbled into a pit. And let’s say it was a deep pit, dug out the previous day by industrious vacationers. Quite apart from your embarrassment, you are having difficulty getting out as the sand walls tumble on top of you as you try to manage your escape.
Now that could be a life situation where one just can’t seem to negotiate the walls that keep collapsing and prevent one from resuming one’s down the beach; and then suddenly a light is visible above, a hand thrust out – though it startles one – is grabbed and one is pulled to the surface. Nothing less dramatic occurs when one accepts the grace of my love in that light and helpless grabs the extended hand to the surface.
In this description notice that you had not even time to shout for help and would probably have hesitated anyway since the beach was deserted in the dark. And yet the help extended was immediate; and was not met with recriminations of your foolishness for not having your own light with you. Rather you were greeted with love, concern, and, yes, compassion for your predicament. My call to you this day, the one rescued, is to walk the beach in your life and be alert to extend your hand to another wayfarer who stumbles unknowingly into the pit. And that wayfarer might be a stranger who causes you to hesitate or someone close – a family member, friend, or associate, who needs a grip to resume the journey you are all called to undertake.
All for this morning.
June 28, 2009
Scripture:“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12
Prayer:
Previously, I simply skipped over the mention of fire in the same verse with the Holy Spirit. . Bring me to a deeper understanding.
Response
How could you have missed it when you look over your life and the baptism of fire that you experience? Yes, you have heard of the baptism of fire in combat, and when thrust into a life situation whether or not you feel or felt prepared. There lies the key for you to consider. Reflect upon those instances, those events, those surprises that you would have avoided if you could, even those missteps that you would retrace — again, if you could.
Your baptism by the Holy Spirit caused within you a conflagration. It began with an ember which over the course of your life is smoldering into a flame that does provide light, but for you much more importantly continues to burn the chaff that obstructs your capacity to fully embrace the light.
Don’t be so quick to identify the chaff with those around you and afar that are condemned. Instead look within and see the transformation that is taking place now and each moment of your existence. For the blacksmith it is not a one time/one stroke event to forge what he envisions, or the same for the potter at the wheel, or the artist seeking to capture a scene of inestimable beauty. And so it is with the Holy Spirit who with fire sears that covering, that shell that obstructs you from full union with my love. As long as you walk the earth, you will know baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Your baptism is with you each and every moment of your life. It serves to waken you from your slumber.
All for this morning.
June 27, 2009
Scripture:Jacob said: “Please tell me your name.” But he replied: “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. Genesis 32:29
Prayer:
Help me to understand what is in your name.
Response
In this single verse is contained deep, deep meaning. As you ponder your existence, the why of it, you ask over and over again, please tell me your name. And no question you ask goes unanswered, and so I speak to you now, earlier as you looked across at the flat ocean, in the soul-penetrating silence, in the tumbling down as you reach the levels of your soul that welcome further exploration.
Please tell me your name, is the prayer of one, like Jacob, who has struggled all night and wants relief, wants an answer as you do to your question. And instead of an answer, he hears resounding so loud in his soul a question: Why? Why if life were to be lived on a surface level – for some surrounded by accomplishments and achievements, and others disappointments and regrets – would this question be so startling? Well, you have answered the question with your silence. And in your silence, you have penetrated the mystery of this quest upon which you have embarked.
In that instant you are blessed. In that and every instant you struggle, not letting go of the pursuit, seeking to capture the sometimes elusive stranger moving further up the path, leading you, he turns and blesses you. Think of that for a moment. You are blessed for your dogged pursuit, however ragged it is at times; you are blessed for your boldness in commanding, yes, commanding, to know my name, though others, your companions maybe, might look furtively to the ground in silence. I seek that boldness, that consciousness, and my blessing is your reward.
All for this morning.
June 24, 2009
Scripture:He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they holding golden bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:7-8
Prayer:
In the quiet of this morning, long before dawn, touch me with understanding.
Response
These two verses are esoteric as is much of Revelations appealing to biblical scholars who would have you parse each word for a hidden meaning. Instead I ask you first to read the lines as you once read a line of poetry presented in Greek or Latin, or even an inscrutable line of poetry in English. Gently mouth the words even if in a whisper and allow those with meaning for you to catch your attention – scroll, right hand, throne, elders, Lamb, harp, golden bowls, incense, and prayers of the saints.
If you were a painter, perhaps you would choose a palette of colors to suit the words that resonate with you in the dim light preceding the dawn, and sweep across the canvas in brush strokes to capture majesty of the scene; or perhaps a phrase would inspire you to write a poem. Who you are also influences you – in your youth falling down to the ground for any purpose did not require the deliberation and care that age insists upon. Yet, in this scene of adoration the elders demonstrated an abandon long neglected.
So perhaps for you this morning, the words that touch the deepest core of your being are those of the elders who in an instant transform age even frailty to youthful exuberance in my presence. And so the question for you is why? Remember, they are not members of some elaborate chorus of actors on a stage. They like you are on a journey of dawning consciousness in my love, just as you wait the sunrise this day.
All for this morning.
June 22, 2009
Scripture:As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that is yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 56:10-11
Prayer:
I want to spend some time discerning a deeper meaning to your word.
Response
Stay for a moment with the images that Isaiah paints – rain falling in the spring and snow in the winter. In both elements are represented the healing of the earth, and preparing for the abundance that follows in the planting and harvest. The snow represents the germination – a time of quiet and reflection on my word, while the rain represents a season of activity both preceding, during, and following the rain.
These seasons are not separated in your time but are found in each day where you experience the cleansing of my grace and the inspiration to fulfill my word in your life. And you have a time where –secure – you view the snow drifting down, collecting on a field in quiet. This too is reserved for you each day in silence even if you spend your days in a warm climate.
As the seasons bring rain and snow to the expectant farmer, so you receive the same as you become conscious – and of my grace – and you perceive the mission for your life as at dawn viewing a sunrise. And that mission which is especially fitted for you is nourished and becomes clearer each day – regardless of how many days you spent in slumber – as my word begin to resound robustly in your heart.
All for this morning.
June 21, 2009
Scripture:There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place. Deuteronomy 1: 31
Prayer:
Let me see your care drawn in the experiences of my own life.
Response
It is good to consider the elemental experiences of your life without clouding them with theological theses and ponderous sermons. In your life you have carried many children whether on your shoulders or in your arms. Consider the care and focus you became ensuring that you didn’t stumble or lose your grip on legs dangling from your shoulders or a body that trusted your grip. Don’t forget the last words of the verse – until you reached this place. And so it is with you, especially when you need picking up – so weary is the journey at times.
Carries – cares are words that in the context of the verse can be used interchangeably. Consider the intent and focus of the father – and mother – in those precious moments when the child lets go and accepts the love exhibited in a touch, in a grip, in a look. No less, in fact infinitely more is the love of the Father for you and you don’t have to slump down in exhaustion before you are swooped up in the grace of his love.
This special day consider how you were carried in the arms of someone – if you can remember that far back; recall all those instances when you reached down to hold a young one; rejoice in those instances when you were carried without warning to a safe place of inner peace; and lastly anticipate with joy the time when someone will carry or care for you all for the sole purpose that you reach this place of which you have come to know in faith and in my love.
All for this morning.
June 20, 2009
Scripture:Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people: “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” Isaiah 6:8-10
Prayer:
Lord, help me to read to the end of these verses – to turn and be healed.
Response
You allow the clatter of your life to affect the clarity with which you receive my words spoken in the circumstances that you encounter and even endure, in the words of a friend or stranger, in the thoughts or inspirations that tingle in the recesses of your heart. This clatter manifests into a fog of doubt that wraps you tight.
You are not abandoned though. Above the roar of an angry sea, the emptiness of a lonely heart, the distraction of unrealized expectations, the helplessness to control outcome, without warning you see, hear, and understand – and in that instant you are healed. The without warning is the acceptance of my grace; and in that instant you turn within and are healed.
It is much easier to describe the process in another. Take some time, perhaps now, to acknowledge the inexplicable shift in your consciousness as you turn to be healed. And, of course, realize that this is not some spa vacation; recall the opening question: Whom shall I send? I trust your answer is: Here I am. Send me!
All for this morning.
June 19, 2009
Scripture:For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows that you have come to royal position for such a time as this? Esther 4:14
Prayer:
Unlock a deeper understanding to this verse.
Response
Be assured that time spent reflecting upon why am I here is time well spent, and in prayer the answer is provided. You will, not might, be surprised to discover that asking the question leads you to depth of spirit you had not discovered earlier. It’s as if you are in a large gathering and with little warning discover that you are standing alone – and the amazing thing is that you are not lonely.
Don’t place too much burden on this reflection by considering that without your willing and active participation in my plan all is lost. Recall that deliverance will arise from another quarter, if you remain silent, impassive, distracted, or even disinterested. But that is the question for you to ask yourself regularly: why am I here.
So today spend some time wondering why you have come to your royal position at such a time as this. Jot down a list of the fruit of your reflection. Why the path that led you to where you are is important; far more important is why you are where you are now. And if you are burdened down with concerns, worries, regrets, anxieties or anything else that disturbs your prayer, take to heart that the question and your answer are as important as that of the power brokers who are in seemingly good health. One final admonition, don’t remain silent. Why are you here?
All for this morning.
June 18, 2009
Scripture:The Lord will keep you from all harm – he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8
Prayer:
There are times – perhaps when I first wake up and my first impulse is to get charged up for another day – when I forget that I am watched, even in those moments I feel that I am on my own. Help these words of the psalmist bring me to consciousness.
Response:
For this morning, rephrase the verses into the present tense and allow the sense to slip within you accepting. I realize that your first tendency is to ask where were you when . . . happened with or without warning. I ask you in response to see your journey and the journey of those around you whom you love – and those whom you fear even if they go unnamed – in the dimension that timelessness – eternity affords. Instead of being overwhelmed by such a consideration, see it as a release from detail –the dots of distraction. See creation and your presence in the fullness of a magnificent tapestry that stretches into infinity.
If you can make the leap into a deep clear pond to which I invite you, you will understand these words at the profound level meant even before your feet touch the water. The sound of the water crashing about you will drown out the shrieks of those who stand on the shore immobilized in fear.
Take these words literally this day and every day. And take particular comfort in the answer to your question that was and is anticipated – both now and forevermore.
All for this morning.
June 17, 2009
Scripture:When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you (in a whirlwind)?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. 2 Kings 2:9
Prayer:
Mention of a whirlwind earlier in the text caught my attention after walking in the swirling wind and sand before dawn. Help me to a deeper understanding of this verse.
Response
Farewell, departure, union, and reunion – all happening, it seems, simultaneously. The whirlwind, symbolically akin to the swirling wind on the beach, causes your vision to dim as you protect your eyes from the sand, your steps to be less determined and assured, the mounds of sand more pronounced. And yet you move on along the steep ridges that border the swirling sea. And most importantly, you let go and let happen. The question you have asked and the response you have received resounds in your heart, remembering when a similar question was posed to you and so you replied.
For this morning, concentrate on the inheritance that is yours – a double portion of my spirit in grace. Put aside thoughts of separation; instead accept your inheritance that is bountiful and not riches stored in the counting house of your mind, but endless wealth to be distributed at the crossroads to those journeying afar.
My question to you is what can I do for you? Speak up. If you missed the hint, this is the time for you to pray for your own plight and for those whose hearing might seem impaired. And be bold in your prayer as was Elisha – a double portion he requested.
All for this morning.
June 15, 2009
Scripture:He gives his King great victories; he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed, to David and his descendents forever. Psalm 18:50
Prayer
:In the quiet this morning bring me to understand better your unfailing kindness.
Response
Most times you hesitate to acknowledge kindness for fear that it was an accident or it disappears into the ether once spoken. Have no fear; my kindness is truly unfailing, is deliberate – no accident, is conscious, and serves to forge your bond with me. How could you fail to ignore someone who bumps you in a crowd as you walk along? Well, we are not in a crowd and I bump into you by the moment with my kindness, measured in my love. Look up and see who this stranger is and you will be surprised because you will recognize me in the deepest recesses of your heart.
Consider the word unfailing. You might say resolute as the waves that return undiminished time after time along the shoreline; as the sun growing in intensity over the horizon at dawn; or the refreshing breeze that pushes the languid air west. Unfailing means that you don’t even have to look up to question, and I am there. Do you, can you, accept this truth this morning and every morning? There is nothing waiting that inhibits this flow of grace that you know as my unfailing kindness.
Accept your lineage this morning, and exhibit this same unfailing kindness in all you do in service to those you encounter who might still be trying to wake up though it is long past dawn.
All for this morning.
June 14, 2009
Scripture:Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 1 Timothy 5:14
Prayer
:Give me more understanding of prophetic messages.
Response
For this morning this short verse provides more than you would expect about gifts, prophetic messages, and community. You might have a tendency to dismiss the notion of a gift, as if you earned what you receive – especially in the spiritual realm. So as not to dismiss these gifts, first you must prod yourself into consciousness so that you realize that indeed you have received a gift, and once you do to identify its nature. It might be the gift of listening – something that you truly had to receive since your tendency was contrary; or perhaps you discovered that you found yourself less prone to judge though in the past you were quick to decide the merits of matters and people. Spend a moment on such gifts that have appeared in your life and daily routine and express wonder about their origin.
A prophetic message is the precursor to the actual gift. You might have endured a period of a particular behavior, truly intensified to demonstrate in stark contrast your behavior without the gift so that even you could not miss its receipt. Such messages reach you in all conveyances; however, they would go unopened, so to speak, if you suddenly did feel an impulse to pause and to reflect on the message as being unique, unanticipated, and especially related to you or your present circumstances. And the message might not even be welcome as it demonstrates with clarity who you are and offers promise as to who you might become.
Now rest in the knowledge that you do encounter the elders – even if they are younger than you would expect – who lay their hands on you, perhaps in a deliberate embrace, a handshake that lingers, in a presence that is not rushed, in offering a word that even the “elder” can’t explain what influenced the utterance. You are surrounded by miracles of intention that are ready for you to decipher their occurrence and affect upon you – if only you look around you with soft eyes.
All for this morning.
June 12, 2009
Scripture:In my anguish I cried to the Lord, and he answered by setting me free. Psalm 118:5
Prayer:Why anguish?
Response
Anguish is an overwrought state that brings you to your knees figuratively and sometimes literally. Anguish is an acknowledgement of helplessness, of an inability – however momentary – to puzzle out the future. Anguish is a blessing. It is the pause button that causes you to be still, giving up the search for the missing piece of a puzzle that you had considered almost solved by your good effort.
Anguish leads you to letting go of expectations, acceptance of my will unfolding in your life regardless of the circumstances, and most importantly a generosity of spirit once you experience the freedom that results. Anguish is a sign that you are almost cleared of your suffering – whether spelled with a small or capitalized S. It is a marker you would greet with relief, if you realized the freedom that awaits you. And most welcome of all, you don’t have to do anything to accomplish this – it is my gift through grace given freely to you.
If you have followed me thus far, you can see why I say anguish is a cause of celebration. It’s the road sign on an arduous journey – and there are many such journeys in life –that you are approaching an inn that offers a clean, well-lighted place for the weary traveler. And all it takes for you to identify the road sign on the deserted road is to cry out in the darkness.
All for this morning.
June 11, 2009
Scripture:Then Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and Samuel. 1 Samuel 12:18
Prayer:Help me to stand in awe.
Response
Before you can express and experience awe, you must be conscious. In awe you step out of the shadow of your doubt. In awe you embrace the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the unexpected –the all powerful presence in your midst, alongside you, of One that exhausts your efforts to contain; and at the same time releases you into the limitless regions of your heart where all is one, in union, in harmony.
In awe you leave the theater to touch the reality of my love in expression by your service. It is as if you have been training for so long to match or replicate certain moves or steps and then in an instant you are creating the dance. And in that instant of recognition you see and know the depth of your awe. Awe is speechless, is silent – even still. No longer do you puzzle for a solution or strategy, you simply are present without reason but with a fullness of heart.
Bring awe into your life. Experience it at dawn in a sunrise, in a smile spontaneous, in peace unplanned, in forgiveness not prompted, and at sunset. Don’t expend energy in trying to determine how or why, simply stand in awe.
All for this morning.
June 9, 2009
Scripture:Scripture: If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill; may my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you. Psalm 137:5-6
Prayer:Bring me to a deeper meaning of these verses.
Response
These verses are to sustain you when you seem to wander aimlessly; when you are pulled to dwell selectively on memories of events that you wish you could correct, or pushed forward anxious to a future for which you seem unprepared. These verses restore your balance in the present, nourished by my grace as you recall and pull into your consciousness my presence, and more importantly my promise to nourish you in all, yes all, circumstances. Even when you feel aloneness— yes even loneliness –I am present to bring you comfort. In recalling the skill of your right hand – for you the left hand – and realizing the fluidity of your speech, see these as signs to stir your heat to be in harmony, acceptance, patience, and wonder of my plan for you.
Bring yourself to the depth of the psalmist’s reflection and prayer. Utter from your heart wordlessly your questions even if at times you feel that you have been deposited in the center of a foreign city that you had not visited previously. Get your bearings, perhaps not taking a step at first, revolving slowly on your heels, before indeed the scene takes on a familiarity in your consciousness that indicates that you have been here before in the remote past of your experience.
Rejoice as the psalmist in proclaiming unconditionally that you will not forget me even in the foreign landscape of your present experience and circumstances. As the adventurer that resides in all of you open up the worn map that you hold and take your first steps with the assurance that the path before you I have tread previously. I am only asking you to catch up and joyously.
All for this morning.
June 8, 2009
Scripture:(These men) are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted – twice dead. They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame, wandering stars, for whom the blackest darkness has been reserved forever. Jude 1:12-13
Prayer:
The imagery of these verses caught my attention. Instruct me.
Response
No doubt you fear that at some time you too were a cloud without rain, a tree without fruit, and yes, you might have stormed about as waves on an uncontained see. But, rejoice, the blackest darkness is not reserved for you. Why? Because those very same clouds you allowed to fill in my grace with the joy and sorrow – be alert to these paradoxes that surround you; the dry, brittle bark of your shell to moisten, soften, and open to blossoms though one would have thought the harvest was past; the tumultuous sea is now there to bring you to vistas not even imagined previously; and the blackest darkness is there for you to bring my light.
Those lines catch your attention because you recognize a certain aimlessness. It is almost as if you don’t want anyone to know you are reading the words, fearing they – whoever they are – would associate your experience with the images. I encourage you to dispel that fear and instead rejoice. Those words are signs or images carved on the walls of a long abandoned tunnel in the deepest reaches of an abandoned mine. In the light they are dimensionless, without contour and color.
I end with a few questions for you to consider – how do you know a cloud is without rain, or a tree without fruit, or waves at sea without purpose, or stars that wander in the heavens without a destination? There are no wrong answers, though reflecting on the questions will bring you to a place of further still.
All for this morning.
June 7, 2009
Scripture:“Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.” Isaiah 60:1-2
Prayer:
Help me to understand better the light of which Isaiah writes.
Response
This light startles you into consciousness – just when you allowed yourself to slumber, engrossed – entangled within the sometimes overwhelming routine of daily life. The light literally lifts you to another plane as you plunge within – a paradox for you to consider. There is no gloom, distraction, self-absorption, anxiety or anxiousness that this light does not penetrate. Note, I did not say cannot penetrate.
Now you ask, what is this light? It is my touch that brings instant clarity, release – and you can identify from what, calm – if not serenity of spirit, and a recognition of overflowing love that defies definition. If you must, consider the Michelangelo masterpiece with two fingers touching to represent that spark jolting you into wakefulness.
And for what purpose? Isaiah accurately anticipates your environment though he wrote almost three thousand years earlier. These words are crafted for you today for a single purpose – dispel the darkness that covers the earth and the thick darkness that is over the peoples. You have witnessed a spectacular sunrise. Please do not keep it a secret.
All for this morning.
June 5, 2009
Scripture:“I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs.” Isaiah 41:18
Prayer:
Dark clouds line the horizon this morning. Help me to anticipate your presence.
Response
Let me begin with a paradox. Dark clouds have taken on one meaning in your psyche, one of foreboding, and caution; and I am saying to you this morning that the clouds bring promise. How else do you think that rivers flowed on barren heights? See the black clouds as generated to accomplish that transformation of the landscape; and so it is with your landscape. Take in the scene – black clouds converging on a height, the lightning strikes, the winds spinning the dry brush, and then the rain in a huge downpour splattering against the rocks.
My promise is that this storm will bring a sustained flow of water; for you it means grace. Yes, in the storm of what you considered the barrenness of life, I will provide you overflowing grace – as overflowing as what drenched the desolate mountain top. And that grace will flow naturally – some would say supernaturally – down to all regions of your heart; create streams to nurture your dreams and aspirations; and service those within your reach, even those in the desolate, abandoned deserts of loneliness and despair.
Consider this day that the advancing storm clouds usher in my grace, just as this moment my grace flows within you reminding of my presence to simply your life, making straight your path to me.
All for this morning.
June 3, 2009
Scripture:You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3
Prayer:
My mind is scattered this morning; bring me to stillness.
Response
Scatter for these few moments the list of tasks that are on your list to accomplish like clouds in a morning sky; and allow my peace to enfold you. Feel the settling that occurs as if the breeze that was buffeting your small craft has without warning subsided. Each time the sail flutters with a lingering rush from the wind, keep the bow pointed toward the horizon. Notice that the wind has indeed seemed to have shifted because you are beginning to glide without effort or anxiety.
Important for you to keep your hand firmly on the tiller, that you sit high so that you can observe what lies in your path, that you look up to detect in advance a shift in the wind; and above all else that you remained poised, totally focused on this current moment – not rehashing in your mind previous encounters with turbulent weather.
Faith in me is the faith of a mariner, who ventures far from shore in the confidence that focused he will manage all he encounters in the unexpected; and that at the end of the day, he will return to his safe port. You all are mariners of the deep, refining skills, alertness, acceptance, awareness – and all for a purpose that extends beyond the narrow confines of your craft.
All for this morning.
June 1, 2009
Scripture:Suddenly the sound of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Acts 2:2
Prayer:
The rush of the wind at dawn near the ocean caused me to select this verse. Help me to be present in the scene.
Response
So much more important than observing the event is to be in the experience. Wherever you traveled, whatever sights you have observed, this verse is written only for you individually this and every morning. The rushing wind sounds in your heart and soul each morning bringing with it a grace of inestimable value to transform you in consciousness. Don’t stand dumb and think about those with a flame above each head and the gift of speaking in foreign tongues. No, see that flame within you, stirred from a sleeping ember to a conflagration whose flames cannot be contained. That is the power of the Holy Spirit that you sometimes reduce to a bedtime story as you fall back into slumber.
You should know that your acceptance or rejection does not alter, affect, or even divert, this rush that surges through and over creation, touching and stirring the gifted and the lame, the warrior and the hesitant, the craven and the bold, those to be feared and those uncertain, the sick, the old, the young, those about to be born and those breathing their last breath. The Holy Spirit rushes across and within each – no discrimination – bringing this energy of love and service that cannot be contained, diverted, dismissed, or even ignored.
That is the sound you hear when you listen and discover yourself filled with a new understanding – though you were sitting.
All for this morning.
May 31, 2009
Scripture:My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. James 1:2-3
Prayer:
I am listening.
Response
Let me begin by saying the trials do not have to appear to be, or be, overwhelming. Each nudge that seems to push you into the past of regret – what you should of done, or anxiety of some future looming hazily in the future, is a trial that fits into the category of various. You are like a hearty piece of green wood that must be stripped of the rough bark, aged, then smoothed, shaved, and polished to form the elegant work of art unfolding within you.
Recognizing a life experience as a trial improves your depth perception as you begin to distinguish events and circumstances as fitting into the pattern of life that each one encounters. I don’t say pattern to indicate that there is a determined obstacle in your path that keeps reappearing, but rather to encourage you to see the variations in your life experience as colors in a variegated tapestry. By taking in the whole experience and allowing the eyes of your soul to rest easily – in patience – on the tapestry you will see what emerges is a vision of joy. In that single moment of reflection you embrace a knowing for which words prove inadequate to describe.
In patience, the fruit of soul-observing quietly, your pace on the path is not hurried, or delayed, but rather is as it unfolds. Trials serve as the timing mechanism to return you to the present. For today, consider those trials in your life and see if you can discern a melody of patience emerging.
All for this morning.
May 30, 2009
Scripture:He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Isaiah 53:3
Prayer:
For some reason, I was drawn to this verse, especially the words a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. Bring me a deeper understanding.
Response
Perhaps, you catch in this description an authenticity in the human experience, your experience. Sorrow and grief while not outweighing the joy you experience do serve to underline the real-ness of who is described and who accompanies you each day. It is as if you are at a party and everyone is gaily sharing surface-level experiences; all are dressed appropriately and finely; people are moving freely about; conversations starting up and ending as one walks into another circle, between trips to the food and drink offered.
You begin to wonder how much longer you will stay. And then you encounter someone who looks and is dressed like everyone else, converses as freely, but you know, or maybe you are informed that this man is a man of sorrows and is acquainted with grief. You pause to observe him from outside the circle around him; you find yourself drawn to him. Is it because with all the levity surrounding, you sense that this is someone who understands you; someone who would bring the conversation or sharing to a deeper level, putting aside for a time a discussion of weather patterns?
As you move closer, in Him you encounter someone who has shared the deepest sorrows and disappointments you have and perhaps do; he knows the loss of loved ones and the grief that accompanies; he touches the sick and those beyond physical recovery; he knows the lost, those determined to leave the path, and has deep compassion and forgiveness. And you rejoice, yes rejoice, in that you have found someone with whom you can relate, want to maintain contact – to listen to his wisdom, share your journey, be healed by a healer. Suddenly, you are not checking the time to see when you can slip out of this reception; instead you feel that you are received by someone who knows your sorrow and grief that are spoken only in the quiet of solitude. For today, see yourself at just such a reception and that you have moved into the inner circle where you are this moment with this man of sorrows who is acquainted with grief.
All for this morning.
May 29, 2009
Scripture:The Lord is God and he has given us light. Psalm 117:27
Prayer:
In this early morning before the dawn help me to comprehend more deeply this light.
Response
You don’t have to wake in the dark to catch the significance of this short verse. In fact, you don’t have to be walking about in the dark to catch the light. However, use these words to anticipate the light in your life each day. Each day. The light overflows you even when circumstances in your life are cloudy. Yes, the brilliant light of my love in grace flows over, within, and surges outward from you each day. Your consciousness increases its magnetism as it in turn attracts souls who might have to be reminded of this gift.
What is this light, you might ask? Sitting before a puzzle on the table, hardly any pieces in place, you suddenly see the formula for completing the puzzle without taking the joy of discovering and placing successfully each piece. The light that I offer provides encouragement, insight, an uncanny knowing to view events that surround you in a new interpretation, a new perspective, a gentler view of the world in which you are visiting.
This light encourages you to release preconceptions, biases, and formed judgments either from your own analyses or those imposed upon you from a wide variety of authorities who would assume your responsibility. This light which is written for you today is the elixir of freedom. Freedom to love generously without fear; to serve with abandon; to cut free from the anxieties that would entangle you, restrain your undivided expression of love. You are called to joy and you find joy in the light that I shower upon you daily.
All for this morning.
May 27, 2009
Scripture:So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12
Prayer:
Bring me to a heart of wisdom.
Response
Each moment, especially upon wakening, or during a respite you snare during the day, or, of course, as you prepare for sleep, allows, encourages my teaching to reach you – conscious. At those times you have put down your remote, or maybe it has dropped from your hand due to circumstances beyond your control; and you listen.
Instead of looking back on how few or many days have preceded and await, look at this day, this moment, as the first in time, and allow my wisdom to penetrate your outer shell into your heart. Once there, this wisdom resides for an eternity even if you neglect it; ready to spring into blossom with a single tear of recognition as flowers do in the desert with what seems to be only a hint of rain.
Value wisdom in your life as my sign that you are heart, soul, body, mind integrated. If you hear a hum at such moments, it is an indication of how calibrated, in harmony, in balance, or wise you are becoming.
All for today.
May 26 2009
Scripture:God is not unjust so as not to forget your work and the love that you have shown toward His name. Hebrews 6:10
Prayer:
When I feel alone, perhaps unnoticed, this verse helps me to look up and around and within.
Response
It is difficult sometimes not to look ahead and wonder if only . . . Whatever if only signifies, it causes you to insert an element of future time into an equation of life for which you are not responsible. The looking up is really the pause that offers a moment of reflection and allows you to appreciate your contribution to those around you – to family, friends, and near strangers. Leaving what you were dong to toss a baseball with your son; breaking out of your revelry in a gathering to listen, really listen, to those around you; walking the plane of life one step after another keeping or at least restoring focus; serving those in need; developing and exercising a spirit of generosity.
Let me say a word of love. As you have come to realize, love, my love is manifest in all you are and are to become. In this spring season, it is the sprig planted in the ground of my grace, growing into a blossoming flower and attracts all who pass with its beauty. And a secret is that the flower itself realizes its beauty in my love as you do – especially when you consider the alternative action you could have chosen that would have held back your capacity to serve.
Your work, however humble it might be or unnoticed or hesitant, is not forgotten, is noticed, and does make a difference that is far beyond your comprehension of the mind. However, if you pause you just might get a heart appreciation of its impact.
All for this morning.
May 24 2009
Scripture:In you O Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue. Psalm 31:1-2
Prayer:
Remind me to pen this note to you daily.
Response
I hear your murmurings before you even pick up the pen. And you must appreciate that I don’t have far to travel. With your mind no longer stirring its concerns, with your will accepting of relief from all your travails great and small, you will witness my presence in the harmony you become and reflect.
How to describe this relief is the challenge all who witness to my love face. Yet, the challenge is eased because witnessing does not require acknowledgement for its value, rather like a lighthouse fixed at the edge of a stormy sea, its light flashes to unseen ships traversing dangerous shoals in the night. Consider how the light might have contributed to a course correction, a confirmation of a point on a sea chart, or a knowing that stays with the mariner on future journeys.
I invite you to take refuge in my presence wherever you are in life, whatever your circumstances, however strong or frail you are, with or without assurance, even with or without purpose, with or without success – however you define it. Refuge promotes balance within you; harmony you might say. My refuge is not some forgotten, austere shelter in the wild, but rather a communion, a gathering of souls who consciously seek my presence. And with no exceptions, all are comforted, restored, consoled and even, this might surprise you, emboldened.
All for this morning.
May 23 2009
Scripture:Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
Prayer:
Well, I am not so sure I can describe it as pure joy when I encounter another trial. Guide me in the understanding of these verses.
Response
It’s difficult to let go of the hurt, sadness, sometimes outrage that a new trial or even an old well causes in you; but let go is what is required. Or perhaps better said, letting go is encouraged, eased in my grace. Sometimes you hold onto the grief and sadness because you have difficulty embracing the joy discovered in the healing process. In fact, you don’t want to let go and choose to remain rigid in your grief. At such times, you miss the opportunity of lightening the load of another fellow-traveler, raising high the beacon of hope that my grace fuels.
You might ask where does this joy spring? It springs from the tears shed, answers sought, plans shattered; and with no warning you discover a presence within in quiet listening – some would say prayer that you had misplaced earlier. There is no special time when joy springs through what had been a desolate wasteland of grief or a period of intense trial caused by circumstances in your life quite unanticipated – but spring it does as any seed nourished by my grace. And you will be surprised again and again at joy’s determination to overwhelm you even in trial.
All that is required of you is to cultivate gently the art of patient endurance. The breaking up of who you thought you were and perhaps more importantly who others considered you to be contributes immensely to your willing reception of my grace. Before you can identify the time when joy in trial overcame you and you became a beacon for those in trial, consider how , yes how, joy is manifest in your life now; and please do not answer that there is no joy. There is no one listening to your answer but you.
All for this morning.
May 22, 2009
Scripture: In quietness and trust is your strength. Isaiah 30:15
Prayer:
Bring me deep to your meaning.
Response
You have not uttered a word aloud this morning, though you have walked on the beach alone with your thoughts and reflections. In that quietness you listen. Learn to listen even when all about you is in clamor. In your listening you will find that I sustain you with encouragement, helping you to put the events in your life, any life, into perspective. The grip in your neck eases as do your hands relax. Quietness is medicinal. No excuse or apology is needed to savor such moments when contrary to your culture, everything of import occurs.
Now trust signifies your purpose, commitment, discipline – if you will – that proves in time to be unshakeable. Perhaps, I have overstated the latter. In times of loss, of course, tremors range through your frame; and from a distance it may appear that you are swaying sometimes precariously as a high-rise or cedar in high winds. In my grace, you will survive the circumstances, so personal; and you discover that the winds seem to subside or you simply adjust to the new clime. And you stand tall and lightly. Spend a moment and consider what lightly means to you.
Now the strength I speak of is not a lifting strength, but the strength of patient endurance, acceptance, ease, and even laughter and joy, discovery in quietness and trust as we began the verse.
All for this morning.
May 21, 2009
Scripture:Into your hands I commit my spirit. Psalm 31:5
Prayer:
Remind me to begin each day with this intention.
Response
Might I suggest that it is the way for you to end each day as well. Some practical advice is that you will discover that with this intention your path suddenly clears of the early morning fog that can disorient you, of the thickets that seek to entangle you, or the chasms that engulf you with treachery. As I have said countless times in these early morning sessions is that my way might seem arduous at times but it is direct and the directions require no GPS system.
As you recall, these are Christ’s words on the cross. With these words he ended his day that you are still talking about many years later. How rich is the meaning and tradition of a spirit conveyed in symbols down through the years for you to reach the same commitment. Notice that Christ uttered his words after a full life of love, compassion, forgiveness, service, healing, strength, commitment, disappointment, encouragement, and the list could go on and on as you settled into listening. Remember they were uttered after a full day in the midst of the market place of life. Do the same in witness to the confidence these words bring you.
Simply, this day – that is the theme – recall these words throughout the day in every action you undertake or are required to participate in. See the difference in your attitude approaching what you would avoid if given the choice. And undertake your activity lightly, if you can, realizing that commitment sanctifies, yes sanctifies, all you do this day and the days allotted to you.
All for this morning.
May 20, 2009
Scripture:He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God had done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11
Prayer:
Surely that applies to me most days, especially when I bemoan my fate or slip into future thought.
Response
You are rather direct this morning. And that directness, circumspection serves to awaken you. You all tend to hold onto a script that you have written carefully and deliberately hoping that you will get a chance to read all your lines and at your timing. Then, a dawning occurs as you come to appreciate that for some, you won’t have the occasion or even the need to perform as you anticipated. And you think to yourself, I have worked so hard on the lines and it seems that I won’t be heard. Or you have written a plot in which you fit prominently and discover the drama ends early or continues further and there is no occasion for you to act out.
You are encouraged to allow the lines to flow, accepting whatever role is reserved for you – even if it is a new role for which you haven’t had time to rehearse, or is a role you would not have sought, or an ending you could not have contemplated – at least for yourself. But do keep your interest, follow each action as if you are instrumental in all – and you are. Just in case you missed it, there are no minor roles, there are no standout roles – that is roles that do not require a supporting cast – and alternatively, an attentive audience.
See this day if you can get glimmer, an insight into the eternity set into your hearts that serves to release you from all anxieties – especially the anxiety that you might not be called upon, or worse, that you forget your lines.
All for this morning.
May 19, 2009
Scripture:For it has been by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Prayer:
Two short verses with such meaning that are too easy to allow my mind to slip over and move on through the text. Help me to pause in the meaning.
Response
There are times when you think that if only life was a routine exercise that you practiced in a gym, or on a track, in a studio; that the movements were laid out in advance and you could accomplish them and go off on your own; be assured that there was nothing more required after all you earned your place. These verses are suggesting quite firmly that first and foremost that your faith and the grace that is showered upon you daily are gifts of God that are renewed each moment. There is no pause in the flow of God’s love into which you are embraced.
Humbly acknowledging your state is the beginning of consciousness in my love. In those moments when you are awake it is absurd to boast. It would be as if you were plucked from an angry sea by a vessel sent to find you after you were struggling helplessly for hours, and then you boasted of your great strength as you clutched the outstretched hand. Instead, I seek that your first gasp be upon being hauled to safety – thank you and next how can I join this rescue effort for others.
When the realization hits you – and it will only strike you when you are fully conscious – you will be humbled, penitent, compassionate, forgiving, joyful, patient, and committed in my love. Each day take in the image of rescue and allow it to guide you prayers and actions as you touch others who equally search for assistance sometimes in an angry sea.
All for this morning.
May 17, 2009
Scripture:I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Psalm 57:9-10
Prayer:
Speak to me this morning of your love and faithfulness.
Response
Remember the childhood rhyme: She loves me; she loves me not, as you plucked a flower petal, maybe not quite literally, but in your heart? In the full dimension of love without any boundary or condition you are loved. So simply stated and yet you counter with questions, What if I did or do, or were or are . . . , even in those circumstances would you love me? And the answer for each time and occasion is affirmative in my grace. I say in my grace because it is through grace that your soul is healed, your inclination to fall asleep is eased, and your wonder is nourished.
Imagine you are standing on the beach, facing the sea, and before you in the gray light you see a pod of dolphin heading south as you did this morning. Then suddenly, without warning, you are encompassed in a gold arch of light that reaches out and up as far and beyond any distance that you are able to calculate. There in that image is the breadth of my faithfulness to you – as if you are the only soul in existence though you were the only soul on the isolated beach – and to all even if you and they have not yet wakened.
For today, translate this extraordinary statement to the mundane tasks you engage, in those you encounter, in the opportunities to smile than to grieve, in the gestures of generosity – especially of the spirit – you can will to offer. Can’t you almost hear the echo of my love and faithfulness in your presence?
All for this morning.
May 16, 2009
Scripture:So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? Ecclesiastes 3:22
Prayer:
Help me to make some sense of these somber words – at least somber words for me.
Response
You might catch the meaning at first, but don’t you see the clear if not subtle message to remain in the present in all your activities, and do not allow your mind to drift off into an amorphous season in the future where you are poised, you think, to review what has yet to occur.
Sorry for the obscurity of these words. Stay in the present is my advice. Be present for every moment whether you are walking for leisure or exercise or to reach a destination; be present when you are with others even if they are strangers you are meeting for the first time; stay focused in all your tasks, whether they be routine, or a challenge that you are undertaking for the first time.
And why do I recommend this? Because I don’t want you to forfeit the experience of the heart by forfeiting such enjoyment to a future at what you will not be present. Be known for your presence right now, even if there are no witnesses and you are alone in solitude. Create an atmosphere of joy in your presence – in all your endeavors — and that becomes the legacy of promise you offer to those who observe you even in your absence.
All for this morning.
May 15, 2009
Scripture:For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those who hearts are fully committed to him. 2 Chronicles 16:9
Prayer:
Help me Lord to establish eye contact with you.>
Response
The next time you are on a walk before dawn and you look up into the sky and notice clouds drifting along in the faint light of the retiring moon, stop for a moment in your tracks; banish all thoughts of the tasks that await you this day, or those you neglected to do the day prior. Once you have found that place of stillness, go within and discover if for the first time my presence in the eye contact you confirm.
This contact is not limited to the knowing glance, the recognition that you experience on a crowed city street or at a reception from across the room from someone you first thought a stranger. Rather you will find restoration and nourishment to a peace and harmony familiar but misplaced as you churned forward on clipped footsteps. Because in that instant of recognition you are strengthened – rewarded even – in my grace for your determined search even in the midst of life’s chaos.
See in these pauses, in your prayers, reflections, how the eyes of the Lord range east and west, north and south, covering all the secret places of concern, anxiety, and wonder to find you in whatever your circumstances for only one purpose – to strengthen and restore your heart in His love.
All for this morning.
May 13, 2009
Scripture:“That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain.“ Exodus 18:22-23
Prayer:
Give me insight into your wisdom.
Response
There is something in your ethic that counsels you to go it alone. This day you are being counseled to see community as a great resource. For community encourages you to admit that you are not self-sufficient and that admission alone leads you to heart-felt, sincere prayer, gratitude, and to service—service to those who like you need assistance on the path.
For some your service might be literally carrying the load, providing encouragement, suggesting an alternative route less arduous than the one traversed, or perhaps leading the one struggling and yourself to stillness in prayer. A community of prayer! Think of it as an experience not dominated by the brick and mortar of an edifice, but soul vibrant as two or three or more clasp hands or simply remain in silence listening to or for my Word.
These lines offer you guidance in how you can lessen your load and your neighbor’s, and avoid or at least endure the strain of daily life. Be open to sharing the burden of your heart and extending yourself to listen without judgment to another’s plight, no matter how counter-intuitive it might seem for your culture; in doing so prepare to resume, I repeat resume, your journey in the company of like-minded, listening souls.
All for this morning.
May 12, 2009
Scripture:“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.” John 15:16
Prayer:
Such familiar words that I have allowed my eyes to rush over; my mind to fail to comprehend the meaning. Give me understanding.>
Response
Yes, you are chosen. As I have counseled, do not, do not I repeat, judge those you decide are not called. It is for you alone to deal with the summons, though you might find yourself in the company on the path with similarly inspired companions.
What does that appointment entail? First, it is a summons for action, for service. You are to go forth into the world, into your community, and even into your family with the good news, the announcement of your appointment. It is as if you received in the mail a special assignment and you must share the good news with those closest to you – even if that special assignment might cause some disruption in your life, represent a challenge not encountered earlier, or surface a concern that you might not succeed or are not worthy.
But return to the promise, namely that what you are being appointed to perform, a trial you are being asked to endure, that will bear fruit which will last into eternity. How easy is it for you to spend a moment and identify such summons in all of your lives! Your only problem is that there are times, perhaps many times, when you cannot confirm the quality of the fruit. In such cases, simply accept that in your diligence and spontaneity and response, you bore the fruit asked of you.
Finally, ensure that you ask the Father in my grace your wish; and believe in that instant your prayer is answered, represented to reflect the quality of your sacrifice and generosity.
All for this morning.
May 11, 2009
Scripture:“I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.” Isaiah 49:15-16
Prayer:
Bring me to understand more deeply these words.>
Response
Begin by realizing and accepting that I do not forget you. You do not have to wait for some future consideration. At times when your prayer is a groan, a sob, or a tear that dries silently in the wind, I am present in your agony of the soul. You see I need no reminder of your distress. I don’t have to look you up in an album to determine from where this urgent message is originating.
Your image is engraved on the palms of my hands. You are, all of you, my exclusive interest, and the object of my love. As you unburden your soul in wordless prayer, without pause or even consideration or deliberation, I receive you and recognize you as the one engraved on the palms of my hands, just as I unfold these very palms. And these same hands bless and anoint you; provide comfort and solace.
You will find at such times you sense a wave, energy, flowing even surging through your body. My blessing is palpable and present. All I ask is that you reserve a stillness of the heart to receive this special blessing.
All for this morning.
May 8, 2009
Scripture:“But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.” Matthew 10:33
Prayer:
I see myself in an endless line shuffling up to the bench, awaiting my turn for the record of my life to be read aloud, before the verdict and before moving on. Help me with this verse.>
Response
Be still for a moment. As I have said to you these last days, let go of your desire to control outcomes, determine success, and attain respect and acknowledgement. Instead, develop, even nourish, the ease to be present to my grace and love; welcome surprise. Instead of going fast-forward to that scene drawn from film versions that your mind creates, remain in the present.
What I mean is take each moment in your day as an opportunity to reflect and acknowledge my love. Accept fully that this particular moment will not repeat itself and that this moment is of infinitesimal value, whatever that moment holds. Please do not forfeit the moment or occasion for a perceived objective or goal that only lures you to a side path ending in a forest overgrowth.
Awake, who would disown me? Strive to become, remain, conscious from the moment you rise in the morning to when exhausted perhaps you lay your head down on the pillow. This awakening consciousness might be a new concept for you. If it is, rejoice that the words have finally penetrated the fog of doubt. If you have been aware or are even awake or awakened, don’t go back to sleep. Let me say finally, awake to my love it would be impossible for you to disown me. Don’t go back to sleep.
All for this morning.
May 7, 2009
Scripture:“I have told you these things, so that in my you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
Prayer:
Tell me more about taking heart.
It should come as no surprise that I am asking you to detach from the consequences of your pursuits. I could stop there, if you would heed these words. When I implore you to take heart, I am asking you to be just the opposite of what you would expect if someone was about to run into you – as the world and your circumstances do at times. I am asking you to loosen up, don’t resist with clenched fists or tense shoulders. That is my definition of take heart. In being so, you are trusting in my words – I have overcome the world.
When you succeed in presenting yourself to the onslaughts as I prescribe, you will hear the words of this verse resounding in your ears and heart as if a recording preprogrammed to play in your life at an appropriate time. You will display an authentic peace, not one feigned for the cameras. And the mind cameras of those who encounter you will be attracted to the serenity and ease that you reflect.
You see, my words are lifts to bring you to a higher plane, above the calamity that engulfs so many. From this vantage point, you will discover a new perspective; one missed scrambling in the turf. And from that perspective, you will be able to lend support to others who look up for answers in their confusion.
Whenever you experience the approach of what appears to be an overwhelming wave, take heart in stillness; know that I have overcome the world and all that could upset the serenity of your spirit in my love.
All for this morning.
May 5, 2009
Scripture:He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Prayer:
How powerful these words sound to me this morning –still dark after yesterday’s rains and winds. Help me to put me aside and consider the power that surrounds me in your presence.>
Response:Perhaps, you do need words like these of the psalmist to bring you to another plane of understanding. And don’t be surprised if you don’t have the words to respond. Sitting quietly in awe, silent in my presence is the deepest form of prayer and adoration. At such times you return to a holy place where you are planted solidly on the ground in reverence, speechless as one selected to enter the sanctuary, struck dumb in witness.
Reflect upon what I mean by shelter by drawing up from your experience times when you were sheltered – on a trek in a high altitude, huddled in a wheel house outrunning a storm at sea, comforted at a time of deep grief, withdrawing gingerly from danger to return to safety – so many scenes that are there for you to draw upon as you acknowledge my shelter.
Now, instead of considering that I reserve a place in my shelter only for those extreme life experiences, note that the psalmist reminds He who dwells. My admonition to you this morning is, don’t leave the shelter, but rather bring the shelter with you as if you were a Plains Indian roaming the prairie. Reside and rest in my shadow wherever you roam; and you will discover a peace and confidence not bounded by your material circumstances. You will discover, no doubt, that you take on aspects of one who is invincible in my love. Yes, invincible in my love.
All for this morning.
May 4, 2009
Scripture:I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live, . . . and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God. Ecclesiastics 3:12-13
Prayer:
Tell me more of satisfaction.>
Response:Satisfaction is the ease you feel when you let go of all your expectations, remain in the present time, and conduct yourself with honor, integrity, commitment for my purpose in your circumstances. How’s that for catching your attention in the stillness of this predawn. When the only noise is the clatter of your fingers on the keyboard?
It’s quite simple you see. Following that formula you will discover or rediscover a joy that you might have misplaced. You need no audience to acclaim your accomplishments, no formal event to receive an award of recognition. In fact, you need absolutely no recognition. Your happiness will confound your circumstances and puzzle those who might stand in judgment of what the world considers your lack of success.
Spend some time on the words find satisfaction. That is the challenge. And it requires you to approach all your toil – be it at home, in the work environment, in relationship, in family, with your own circumstances, out in the world with strangers – as you would a massive door that you lean against and discover it swings open easily on its hinges.
Satisfaction, joy, happiness, contentment and challenge are all wrapped up in the manifestation of my present love. Don’t miss my insertion of the word present –no past or even future. Stay present.
All for this morning.
May 3, 2009
Scripture:“You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” John 6:67-68
Prayer:
Help me to hear Peter’s words as if I were present.>
Response:As I instructed you so many times, you are present. The words spoken by this sometimes harsh fisherman are alive and anointed for you this morning. Their plaintive note describes full honesty. All pretense of who Peter is among his peers and in the world is dropped. These words are spoken by someone who already perceives what lies ahead for all of them, yet he does not flinch. There is a quiet courage in Peter’s response, and underlying the courage is his acceptance that he does not know where this is leading, but he accepts what lies before him in advance.
Peter has let go of the control that seeks to dominate all of your lives. Please recall that this is not someone accustomed to letting go – he was a fisherman who controlled when he fished, where he fished, how long he fished, just as you. Yet, even as a fisherman he was already groomed to accept a sudden storm for which he was not responsible, nets that snagged and needed repair early, catches that evaporated though seemingly in his grasp. He even learned to let go and witnessed the calming of the storm waters and direction from a stranger on the shore to an enormous bounty of fish.
Peter’s words ring aloud for you this morning to encourage resolute acceptance. Use the same determination and perseverance that usually controls your life to let go in trust to the mystery of God’s plan in your life. Wipe clean the slate board that automatically fills with alternatives that rule your life almost on a daily basis. Instead fill your heart with the acclamation: You have the words of eternal life.
All for this morning.
May 1, 2009
Scripture:So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:5-6
Prayer:
Help me to comprehend grace.
Response Now, indeed, that is a question for this early morning. First, you must accept that grace is a mystery. Not only trying to describe grace, but just as mysterious how grace is conveyed, and most important of all why grace is conveyed, and to whom.
Let me begin with the last, to whom is grace conferred? Rather than look around and attempt to conduct a poll of those around you who are graced, accept that you are graced and graced mightily. So you have the answer to the last question – you are graced. Before leaping to the next question, allow a moment to take this in – you are graced sitting, standing, sleeping, working, loving, consoling, being consoled, struggling, laughing, crying, healthy, ill – and every other aspect that might describe you for a time. You are graced.
Now, why is grace conferred on you? Notice I did not say was conferred on you. Grace is not a one-time transmission. Grace is as essential to you as the air you breathe, the water you imbibe, the sustenance you ingest. Grace is the love that pours out over you and within you – and you can’t seem to identify the source or the depth of the stream that you seem to have entered. Does a boulder in the middle of a mountain stream churning down the mountainside ask why me as the water cools in the blazing sun? Maybe a better question is why are you positioned in the middle of the churning water? So perhaps a hint to the answer lies in where you are, not what you are doing.
How is grace conferred? Imagine an oversized canvas and along side is a palette with the most vibrant colors – no grays or dark browns or blacks. And a collection of brushes – some wide, some narrow to depict subtlety. And who do you think the artist is approaching this huge canvas? Right! With broad strokes I enliven – don’t miss this word – the scene in which you participate. I lend you a season of color to enlighten your adventure and it is that light that you use to navigate your journey and to lighten the path for those that follow. That is how grace is conveyed.
The last question – actually the first – what is grace. Pure and simple, with no attempt to disguise its import, grace is divine love. Is, repeat that word, is divine love. So you see, the mystery is lessened, though it will take more than this early dialogue for you to comprehend the depth of my words. Accept it on faith that grace is divine love, conveyed in the brush strokes of your life because of you – not because how you look or what you do. If you continue to puzzle over why, I suggest that you simply say thank you.
All for this morning.
