Very Good!

 Richard Rohr points out/says that we, as part of creation, were made good:  in fact, “very good” as the crown of creation. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good...Genesis 1:31

I note that "very good" was the assessment that God made when he added mankind to creation. 

If you made a list of the "good" things in life, 

would you be on the list? 

If we are highly Christianized, we would argue that "there is none good," quoting Paul in Romans.  I'm going to argue for a different view of ourselves based on Old Testament revelation.

We are taught about original sin and how we all sin.  Well, sin is prolific in personal and community life, but I am not sure about the original sin bit.  The original sin doctrine did not get formulated until the 300s by St. Augustine.  He argued that God made us sinners.  I'm having trouble balancing that with a lot of scripture about our original goodness, even as unique individuals. (Psalm 139) God did not intend bad for us.  You cannot read that anywhere in scripture.  He, rather, intended good, of which there is tons of scripture, including "he works all things out for the good in those he loves..." (Romans 8:28)

We can embed our identity in this goodness, especially as we explore identity and flourishing, spoken of as "righteousness" in the New Testament, which means "being as one ought to be, as God intended."  He intended us to be good.

This makes us all the more responsible for our sin.  It is not innate in us, though prolific around us.  We have the core identity of what God has given and the chance for spiritual power to overcome all these principalities' sin offerings.  

I wanted to find that inherent goodness that God intended for me.  I want to live it out.  I want to ride it into the presence of God so we both can find joy in the creation evidence in me. Paul even tells us how to join God in that pursuance:

2 Corinthians 13:11 Finally, rejoice.  Aim for restoration, be comforted, be like-minded, live in peace and the God of love and peace will be with you.

• Finally – what remains (final pursuit)
• 
  
• Rejoice – be well, thrive. 
• 
  
• Restoration - returned to original intent - be made complete - make one as they ought to be.
• 
  
• Be made complete –mend, repair; outfit, equip; strengthen; find the good ground/foundation of one’s being.  “frame of oneself”; be as one ought to be (as created/intended by God)
• 
  
• Be comforted – parakaleo – call for/draw alongside of

 those who console, encourage, strengthen

• Be like-minded – phronea – understanding, be wise

 about yourself, modestly humble yet with honest assessment

 (savor truth)

•  Cultivate peace – irenea - protection during vulnerability and tenderness (as in protection for young plants in the spring)
• 
  
• God will be with (with/after/behind) you -denotes accompaniment

That would be Very Good!

Be a Monk

 I love history and have often passed through studies around the monks of old, of several religions.  They are an interesting lot!  I decided that monkism needed a modern definition so I could be one, too.

Here is the old definition:  Usually a member of a religious community living under vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

Here is a new definition for the Modern Monk:  A member of the family of God who decides to live in the world, yet under a different pretext and premise for life:

• To engage in poverty that is non-indulgent in goods and wealth that interfere, cloud or block the full presence of God, yet accessing the "good" goods in order to join in the joy of God's creation and God's work.

• To rest in a definition of sexuality as God designed it in order to enhance our goodness and as a way to enter the good of God.

• To respond in obedience to the love of God, carrying out love-actions through compassion, inclusion of all people, and justice-seeking.

All of these exclude me from the world's way of thinking, its culture, but doesn't preclude me from the world's needs and issues and my proper place in it.

Do you want to be a modern monk?

Humility II

 Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others.  Be humble, thinking of others better than yourself.  Phil 2:30 NLT

Don't push your way to the front; don' t sweet-talk your way to the top.  Put yourself to the side, helping others to get ahead.  Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage.  Forget yourself long enough to help others.  Phil 2:3 The Message

The clash of worldly "wisdom" with that of God's wisdom when it comes to the subject of humility is clearly seen in this verse from the apostle Paul.  For any person who has been indoctrinated into the way of competition and opportunity in American culture, we are often blinded, if not resistant, to biblical truths.  Messages that we are given to "make something of ourselves," to "get ahead," "be successful," are strong within the culture and can become so strong, so ingrained that we don't even see the Bible's opposing viewpoint, let alone comprehend it.

I know what it means to be involved in one-upmanship, always striving to be heard or seen, often thinking I had the best or final word to be given.  The race to success can be very alluring (and culturally rewarded).  It can lead us to make gods of ourselves, but the problem is that it is truly a rat race and if you are in it, "remember you're still just a rat." (Lily Tomlin)

God proposes something much different.  He proposes that we put ourselves second to others, that we not pursue our own way, that we not be concerned about what others are thinking of us.  This thinking couldn't be more opposed to what we are taught by the culture.

In Corinthians, Paul says that we are dealing with strongholds in our life that can only be dealt with divine weapons.  We cannot look to any source but Jesus to determine how to live.  The battle will only be won through His resurrection power.  For me, that means I lay down the weapons, the tools, the ways of this world and pick up the power-infused weapons, tools and ways of God.

Maybe you have been given a unique advantage in that you can have been taught those divine ways since birth.  You have held the power of prayer in your heart and mouth, the wisdom of God's Word in your mind and hand, the strength of God's Spirit and the unity of the fellowship of believers.  What a gift to know that you've got each other's back and the full of knowledge of Truth, which overcomes every insignificant idea that comes up out of the messages of this world.  

Most of all, you bear the name of the Creator of the universe.  His image is pressed within you.  You have the mind of Christ. It is a high calling to represent Him, which will require that you lay down your earthly strength, your worldly knowledge in favor of His.

How could you not do so!

Ten Supports

 As an educator and therapist, I have come to realize that NO and DO NOT often do not help people know what to DO.  For example, in a school hall, it is much more productive to tell a child to "Walk" as opposed to "Don't run."  "Don't run" might mean I can skip, trot or crawl, which doesn't really lead me to "walk."  

Also, because of human nature, many people just inherently rebel against "Don't," which repels them, while "Do" could attract them to new behavior and thought.  So, I decided to rewrite the ten commandments given by God, which are mostly "do not."  What do you think?

Exodus 20:1-17 

God began to speak directly to all the people (including Moses):  

I am the eternal one, your God.  I led you out of Egypt and liberated you from lives of slavery and oppression.  As a result, remember that I am only for your good, so serve me only.  Let me be the center of your ideology and desire - in your heart where I belong.  Consider me first in all your comings and goings.

Be loyal to me.  Let your love for me, which I will give you and cultivate in you, grow into a passionate loyalty to me and my kingdom.

Love me by demonstrating a commitment to the path I set before you.

When you speak, remember my name is sacred.

Set apart a day of rest so that you can capture a sense of that sacred.  Let your whole household take respite so that my purposes can be focused and directed inside the hearts of all in your household.  I myself rested, you know.

Honor your parents.  How you do so reflects your honor of the Lord and will be reflected into your children.

Value the life of your fellow people - neighbors near and far.

Stay true to the one you marry.

Value the prosperity of your neighbors:  what is his is his.  I gave it.

Let your tongue value truth, especially about your neighbors.  Only tell what is right, obvious and known.

Keep your heart focused and grateful on what God has provided you.  Let it be enough.

Now that list gives me more to do than just avoidance of behaviors.  Rather, a descriptive guidance leads me to growth within the life of God.

Amen.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

....A voice cries in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  Every valley shall be lifted up and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level and the rough place a plain.  And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together...  Isaiah 40:1-11

Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight...and there, John preached repentance... Mark 1:1-8

Sin causes us homesickness for heaven:  tight turns, hills and dales make the drive nauseating.  Jesus, the Way, has changed the path.  He is now the super highway (straight and level) to righteousness (being as we should) and heaven.  Repentance is the entrance ramp.

John preached repentance.  "Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is near," he says in Matthew 3:2.  Repentance in Greek is metanoia, which means "change your mind."  Repentance is our off ramp.

Meta - less close, less intimate with; against

Noia - your mind, your way of thinking and understanding.

True repentance, Tim Keller says begins when these end:

1) white washing (it's not so bad)

2) blaming

3) self-pity (sorry about getting caught/consequence)

4) self-flagellation (punishing myself to avoid criticism by others)

It begins when I come into agreement with God and, through Christ, walk a different path - the one he prepared for me to follow him.  This path is not without challenge and will be filled with great meaning through the developing presence of heaven.  That's what I want - more of heaven!

Amen!

Make it so!

Saved by the Earthquake!

 Acts 16:20-34

Paul and Silas are beaten and put in prison for preaching the gospel.  It sounds mostly bad, until the very end when the jailor, who almost committed suicide, was interrupted by Paul's cries to not do it.  They were all saved by the earthquake, which interrupted the night, released the prisoners' chains and caused the jailer to be ministered to by Paul and Silas (and, I imagine, all the prisoners there).

The unsettling of an earthquake, large or small, will grab your attention, cause you pause and usually results in actions which cause you to run from any structure you might be around.  I have been in several earthquakes and I have seen people saved when they ran (far) out of the building.

The metaphor is haunting me:  what was once their comfort zone, in an earthquake, becomes a danger zone.

How much is crisis like that for us?  When it comes, do we hunker down?  Do what we always do?  Hide within the walls of some coping mechanism?  When each could be our death, our danger?  What if we learned to reach outside of our comfort zones when in danger?  Housed inside our "usual" could be fatal or dangerous...and the answers are not there...

The earthquake released them all: Paul, Silas, other prisoners, the jailor and his family.  May we realize how our earthquakes could do the same for us.

Notice

 Jesus said, "Who touched me?"  Luke 8:40a

Jesus was having a jam-packed day, if we only stay in Luke 8:  he's teaching and explaining parables:  he gets into a boat after a big day of it and goes across a lake, having to quiet a storm to keep the disciples calm; he heals a man of a demon, and upon arrival in town, is asked by Jairus to heal his daughter.  It's crowded.  There's much excitement at Jesus' presence.  And in the middle of it, Jesus notices someone has touched him.

Peter's response is golden:  "Master, everyone is touching you - you are pressed in."

Have you ever had days like that, where the assignments and demands come from a hundred directions?  Like you are responsible for everything? Everyday occurrences surround us like they surrounded Jesus, but he was able to stay present to the needs of those around him:  "I felt power go out from me..."

What would happen if we could stay present to the moments in the middle of busy-ness?  What if we could know that interruptions could become invitations to sacredness?  It was such a powerful request, probably with Jesus scanning the crowd, that woman could not stay hidden and with her presentation to Jesus as she fell at his feet, he affirmed her effort:  "Your faith has made you well; go in peace."

First, how do we develop that awareness for sacred presence, even in the midst of our busy lives?  Sacred presence notices a touch and recognizes the need for healing.  Sabbath teach us with rest: rest which gives an awareness of sacred moments. Sabbath-rest allows us to recognize when God is at work and present, then we can recognize it "on the street."  

How does rest help us notice?

Secondly, do we notice Jesus' notice of us?  We may think no one sees us - our needs, our loss, our long struggle - but Jesus does!  He does!  When we bring our whole selves to him, when we are least expecting it or deeply seeking it, he notices.  His power is going out to us in those moments.  In every moment.

Think of your day.  When were you in greatest need?  When were you least aware?  Can you picture Jesus noticing?  Always.

The Mountain Top

 We always want to be on the mountain top, although not always as committed to the path it may take to climb there.  Switchbacks seem like delay, undergrowth a barrier.  The shadow side of a mountain can cause us to shiver; exposed outcrops blast us with the wind and the hot sun.

But what if every step mattered?  

What if every turn a tool?  

What if the elements were a blessing?

As always, the journey provides the greatest truth that makes the summit all the more glorious.  Looking back on the path traveled, the climb becomes just as amazing as the final step.

My Dear Young Self

Letters can open a view into the personality of character.

Dear Young Gina,

Here I am, your older self with the unique opportunity to reach back through time and offer some guidance and a bit of hope for what you are going through.  On this side of time, I know you've been crushed and I know you feel like too many bad decisions have led you to where you are.

About to lose hope.

About to give in to the dark.

Let me tell you, the dawn is coming and the best thing I can tell you  is to make decisions in the light, specifically in the light of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know its full truth, its full light is not yet fully on you.  Oh, you think you can see, but, truly, like the apostle Paul, you see as in a mirror darkly.

So seek the light of the way of Jesus, who said he was "the" light.  For every step.  For ever decision.  At every juncture.  To deal with every siren's call or earthly plea.  Turn the light onto your path.  Go to the well.  Sit in those moments at the feet of the Light-giver.

Many such moments will come upon you when you don't even realize you have a restricted view.  You'll rest in your own knowledge.  You'll lean into your own desires.  Instead, let the light shine onto the knowledge Jesus will give, consider (and come into agreement) with the desire of the Christ for you.

Don't be so late in coming to his light - it will be clarifying for you and many others.  The light of life will enthrall you!  Stay trusting of the One worthy of it.  Stay loyal to the love of the Father.  This will grow your faith and it will shine through you.

Love, 

65-year-old Gina

A Self-Revelation

You knitted me in my mother's womb.  I praise you, God, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.  Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.  Psalm 139:14

Maybe my soul doesn't know it very well.  The world has long tried to convince me that I am lacking.  

What if I took this one verse seriously?

"Start with the grace of resting in your dignity, then let the truth of identity flow out of that."  Christopher Huertz says.  

Dignity is something worthy of honor and respect. I need the grace, the gift to rest in that one truth.  I am God's and I have been from the beginning.  He formed me, with the intention of having ownership over me.  He knitted me - blocked in my qualities such that they define me, cover and protect me.  They provide the definition of who I am and whose I am.

And as his creation, I am awesome and astonishing and wonderfully made.  My personhood is distinctive, distinguished and filled with the wonder of humanity and my uniqueness.  This is that gift he created me to be - a representation of himself in my unique form.  That is my identity:  my value and worth as assigned by God.  My distinctiveness is part of God's creative design.

As such, it is to be honored - held in esteem as to its valued and selective uniqueness.  You, too, are so created!  

These truths need to be held tightly against the lies the culture would generate about us.  We should be aware of the persona (mask) that we would build in order to deal with the world.  Our true identity holds an original righteousness that is expressed through our faithfulness in relationship to God, as our creator.

I need a humble exultation to appreciate God's great commitment to me.

Saved!

 I looked and I could hardly believe my eyes!  Everything was new:  the earth was gone; the sea was gone; even the heavens had passed away.  Yet, I saw Jerusalem, the holy city, descending from above, from God.  It was beautiful!  She was prepared as a bride prepared for her groom.

And a voice said:  See God has come to live with his people:

• they will be his people
• God will be with them
• He will wipe away their tears!
• Death will be no more!
• No more reason to mourn; no more reason to cry.
• Nothing to cause pain!

                        They are all gone!   

Revelation 21:1-4

The fulfilled Kingdom's presence will be filled with God and all the old, painful parts of life will be gone!  Think of anything which causes you to cry, to fear, to be in pain.  It will be gone!  It is God's presence which will dismiss these pain-causers!  

Here's what his presence will look like:  it will involve the sense of "home" and a present and active God.  The connotation for home here indicates a dwelling with the aura of being "under one roof" with other kingdom inhabitants, including God.  It reflects a theme of togetherness with a relationship theme:  we will belong to him and carry a moniker - "his people." This reference is a group-identity idea:  like a tribal or national identity.  The Greek uses heritage language that connects historical truth to futuristic promises.

This makes me think of Johnny Cash's song "These are my people."

Then John, the writer of the Revelation, says that God's true self will be present.  His being will be with them in such a way that he is known to them; he will be in proximity to them and will accompany them.  It is a companionship model.  It has permanent connotations, indicating that this relationship with the true God provides a sense of belonging and protection.  God may be on the throne, but he will bring us into the household as full-fledged members, not just late-comers or in-laws, but full-fledged belonging.

Do you feel like you have a home, a tradition, a heritage that can carry you into the future?  God has an ever lasting heritage for you.  He has claimed you as his own - His child - and wants to return you home with full assurance.  

Whatever this world has shorted you on, whatever this world has lacked, whatever holes you have felt in your existence are because you belong only one place:  in the household of God.  Seek its presence today.  Glory in its future fulfillment!

The Cross?

 If you don't carry your own cross as you follow me, you cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26

My cross?  Didn't you do that?  

Add this to the previous verse, which says to "hate" every other relationship, even hate your life and it is hard to imagine why anyone would be interested in being a disciple.  Yet, Luke does not tire of talking about this dying to self.

If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily and follow me.  If you try to hang onto your life, you will lose it.  But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.  For what good will it benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?  Luke 9:23-25

There it is - that cross again. This theme is repeated in Matthew, Mark and Luke.

The word literally is a reference to that terrible instrument of death used on Jesus.  Did he mean that we all had to die to prove our Christian mettle?  

A deeper look at this word might come from cross' (stauros) base meaning.  The root word for stauros is hestame and it means to make a stand,  to be firmly resolute and establish a position of strength, to be unwavering.  It means to be on solid ground, safe and sound, and, resultantly, to not waiver.

Essentially, Jesus says we must be sure.  We must be sure with whom we are standing and for what we are standing.  We can't have one foot in "the world" and the other in the Kingdom.  We cannot serve two masters.  Like the stake which stood firm to uphold a dying man, our "stake" in the world must signify a serious "line in the sand" to reflect who we follow.  

That "line in the sand" might distinguish us from others, might cause us to be removed from others who do not follow the same path.  It causes us to look different and behave differently.  Paul called it "Put off" or "throw off" your old sinful nature and your former way of life and ... instead "Put on" your new nature...Ephesians 4:21-24.  This line in the sand needs to be deliberate and will result in a drastic new way of being.  There should be no doubt as to whom you belong, whom you follow.

Have you taken a stand? Does your marker clearly delineate which side you are on?  That is your cross!

Raise the Christ

 If any of you come to me without hating your own father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters and even your own life, you cannot be my disciple.  Luke 14:26

This sounds astonishingly harsh and actually inconsistent with the rest of biblical text,  and I can understand that Jesus wants us to place the whole of our life in proper priority with Him as the head, the driving force of life.  It's not that we lessen the value of relationships and life, but that we raise Christ and follow Him to an even greater status than all the rest.  To elevate the value of Christ and Christ-likeness to a higher place comparatively to what we already hold dear is to esteem Him all the more.  If we lessen significant relationships, we actually lessen the Christ position in us.

Greater love of earthly relationships should drive us to greater love of Jesus.

My example is in my relationship with my children.  When I am in closeness with them, I think, "Lord, you love us more than this.  You delight and desire my attention more than I do with them."

When the children are difficult or wayward, the same prayer thought comes, "You put up with us like this, too.  We fail you, take paths away from your presence.  Your heart is more broken than mine by this absence."  It always leads me to my own repentance and desire to pursue Jesus.

Don't negate the vehicle of earth-bound relationships, but ride them to greater intimacy with Jesus.  

Center

Matthew 6:25-34 (sections thereof) Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life - what you eat or drink - or your body - what you will wear.  Is your life more than food and body more than clothes?

(Living is more than eating and the body more than dressing up. The Voice)

But seek first his (God's) kingdom and his righteousness and these things (life needs) will be given to you as well. 

Jesus is appealing us to put our lives in order, placing our priorities in life under the umbrella of God's kingdom.  His use of certain words emphasizes this prioritizing.  When he says "seek" - zeteo - he is intoning a serious pursuit of a goal.  It means to strive in a goal-oriented way.  And, of course, he highlights God's kingdom as the goal, indicating God's overall and encompassing authority over our lives.

But not just the kingdom, but its righteousness - it's rightness.  Diakino is that righteousness, indicating a condition acceptable to God.  It means to be "right," as God intended for us. This correctness of character is to be a pursuit of thinking, feeling and acting.  It is to be as we should be, in general, and, specifically, in relationship to God.  When I seek righteousness, then my true self, my God-intended self would be developed and completed in me.  If righteousness in character, then this pursuit is identity formation.

What a statement to make:  "I am becoming righteous." (as I should be.) Yet it must be true because righteous living will come no other way.  (A good tree bears good fruit.)

All this time, we have been trying to go by the rules when the rules cause nothing in us.  At most, they are checkpoints along the way;  maybe more like safeguards for a free field of play.  

Because Christ is my righteousness-giver and my righteousness-model, he is the solution for my identity change.  Who am I?  What is Christ in me?  Christ alone.  Christ, author and finisher of my faith.  Every question I have about my pursuits should be turned towards Christ-influence of those pursuits.  I can only operate in pursuit of the kingdom by me finally getting "right," deep into my center.

Entirely Ready

There is an endless set of verses in the Old Testament and New on readiness.  In the Old Testament, the verses revolve around being ready for battle, the scribe's pen being ready, and being ready to do the king's bidding.  

In the New Testament,  Jesus expands the usage to be readiness for God and the coming Kingdom.  Paul bemoans people's lack of readiness for the "meat" of spiritual learning.  Readiness for advancing the kingdom and its work is prevelant.

In the Twelve Steps, in addition, I find another powerful admonition:  "Be entirely ready..."  Be entirely ready to have God remove all defects of character.  Am I ready to remove all the blocks which keep me not only from healing, but those which keep me from all the biblical directives to receive and transmit the Kingdom of God?  Can I acknowledge and own them?  Can I remove them?

To me, that means to prepare the environment of my soul to let the Holy Spirit have it to do her work.   I can allow contentment to grow in such a way that there is room only for the Holy Spirit and her presence, as preparing for a guest.  I can unclutter it of resentments, worry, projection, sinful anger, and wrong expectations of God and myself. It also means that no other earthly satisfaction will suffice.

How else can I be ready for subsequent faithful action if my soul is not prepared?  I think about Mary, the mother of Jesus, when she said, "let it be to me according to your word."  She was entirely ready.  

I want to be, also. 

Entering the Darkness

Most of us know the familiar territory where darkness prevails and we usually work to avoid it at all costs, from the extremes of addiction to keeping a good (false) attitude of the place we are in.  We are just avoiding the darkness.  We fear it.  It is not fun.  Yet, what if, in it, we could find God? What if, in it, we could find the greatest truth of all?  God is not afraid of it.  It doesn’t surround him like it does us.

…To you, the night shines bright as day.  Darkness and light are the same to you.  Psalm 139:12

Oh, God! Of course, you can see through either.  Both can dispense your truth and your presence.  What if the darkness might hold just as much truth as the light?

Places of darkness are different for each of us.  Maybe it’s the darkness of a hurt we have buried or the darkness that befalls us when we quiet ourselves from shiny, noisy or blustery practices and we have to sink into the center of who we are.  Maybe it’s the darkness of an unresolved relationship or truth about ourselves.  The list goes on, but God’s truth about each can often only be revealed in the chasm. 

And since He is there, seeing it as clearly as if by daylight, if we allow ourselves to enter with him, he can shine the light on the truth we need.  We can stay in the darkness knowing he is there, whether resolution comes or not, knowing that he is there to comfort or guide, satisfy or use it for our good. 

I am not so afraid of quiet now or even the darkness that some would claim to be the absence of God.  I think in the end the only one refusing to be in the darkness is me.  Now I know to enter it and relish the pause it gives, the truth it shows, and the comfort it brings.

Enemies

 But I tell you this:  love your enemies.   Pray for those who torment and persecute you - in so doing, you become, you reveal that you are children of your Father in Heaven...for He causes the sun to shine on evil and good alike...It's easy to love your own kind (those who love you), for even tax collectors do that.  So be perfect as your Father in heaven is.  Matthew 5:43-48

Some key words to consider.  Enemies - ekhthro - haters, those who are actively hostile.  Perfect - mature, virtuous.

What enemies, Lord?  Haters.  Those who would steal my joy and subvert my path towards godliness.  I am thinking about how I can act righteous and pursue godliness with support and how certain dreadful people get me off track - make me want to swear and obsess about their dreadfulness.  

How about the system which oppresses my black/brown friends?  It breaks my heart and steals their joy.  How do I pray for those enemies of God's people?  Martin Luther King said they would only be won over with love.  Which prayer could I pray "for" them.  By implication my prayers are that they would be moved towards God.  

The scariest prayers I pray for my loved ones, these enemies deserve:  "Lord, do whatever it takes..."  Do whatever it takes to remove oppression, to return hearts towards the Lord, to allow love to flow between people instead of hate and eliminate hostility.  Such a focus would move me and them.

I think of how I want to pray for my friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters in Christ.  May I want to pray for all enemies with the same fervor.  Feels daunting, but I must.

Linger

 Having weathered many storms (gulf coast freezes and hurricanes, midwest blizzards and tornados), I know how to prepare and improvise  through a catastrophe.  As a city, country and world traveler I thought that during the pandemic, this would be a nice time to regroup.  This would be a good time to collect myself.

But I didn't need 12 months to regroup.  At first, the puzzles mollified me.  A few things got cleaned that needed it.  I increased my meditation and study.  These were all good.  But 12 months?  There was no way I was going to stay away from grandkids and kids for 12 months, and they pretty much stayed in the same bubble protocols as we did, so I didn't have to give up visiting. 

Now, in the 12th month, I have had some new revelations.  I have learned to love the space I am in.  I like being in the rooms of my house.  That may sound like an obvious thought, but I mean that I actually take time to enjoy a picture or an item, sometimes for its inherent artistry, its source - the aura of its presence adds a color or a memory.  I love my yard and gardens. They speak to me; I speak to them.  (They really need some encouragement right now.)

This kind of quiet presence in the company of great blessings, I must admit I haven't always held.  I'm usually on the clock, or worse yet, a stopwatch for activities. 

A pandemic lull has been the place I have really learned to linger.  In some fashion, I am at peace in a new way.  I don't want to go back to "normal."  I want to rest, take in nature and humanity, my own and others.  I want to continue some sense of deeper knowing that I didn't have before.  My words are slack in telling it, but I want to stay where this pandemic has put me.

I have given much thought to this:  Do less so you can be more.

Rise

 God is so rich in mercy and he loves us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sin, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. It is only by God’s grace that you are saved.  For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and sealed us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-6, 7-10

Over and over I read about the generosity of God and the sacrifice of Jesus to deliver these riches to us.  These origins of the faith, I cannot forget.  My peace from His torture, my healing from His wounds.  Heavenly realms are spoken in the present tense.  It’s now.   “He raised me up” is the song by Josh Groban:

            He raised me so I can stand on mountains…

            He raised me up to walk on stormy seas….

What low place might we feel right now?  How might we “sit” ourselves in the heavenly realms with Christ?  Take 2 minutes and breathe that truth.

So God can point to us in the future as the example of his incredible wealth of his grace and kindness, to show what is available for those united with Christ.

A life of meaning comes from the design of God.  We are to be the example to a lost world of his incredible grace and kindness.  To allow His gift to us to flow out is a gift, an honor, a burden.  The world doesn’t always seem to welcome it, but we an do no other thing.  Consider how we can show grace and kindness in all the places we are.

Nourishing the Soul

 May the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit (pneuma) and soul (psyche) and body (soma-life) be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.  God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful. 

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24

It is an exercise in metacognition to be able to think about our feelings:  to step back from them and use vocabulary to name and describe them, which is more than just experience and act on them.  When a person can engage in such self-awareness, it causes them to be able to use their emotions rightly and not just be reactive.  This is a basic practice in emotions management.

Similarly, with that same kind of self-aware cognition, I can begin to think about my soul.  I wonder what is my soul, different from the whole of whoever I may be.  I wonder how I can recognize my soul, differentiated from my heart or spirit.  In teaching others about their spiritual selves, I realize we must grasp the greaterness of the depths of being.  To fail to do so is to live reactively if we cannot locate a language and understanding of the soul.

I realized my physical center--my heart-- gives me the metaphorical lesson for my soul.  My heart sustains my body.  Even my brain cannot operate without my heart.  And though my heart can function with minimal brain activity, it is also dependent upon my brain.  For my heart to be at its best, I must take care of my body by keeping it fit and active, or my heart fails.  The interdependence of my body, brain and heart is clear.

So, my soul. 

My soul sustains my life.  My spirit cannot operate without my soul.  And though my soul, which is my identity, can function with minimal spirit(ual) activity, it is dependent and enlivened by my spirit.  For my soul to be its healthiest/fullest/truest self, I must take care of the entirety of my life by keeping it engaged in righteous pursuits and relationships or my soul loses its fulfilment, its greatest capacity.  The interdependence of my spirit, soul and life is clear, especially in the pursuit of blamelessness, complete blamelessness, as Paul writes here.  The language here means to be preserved completely for a whole and righteous life.  To be blameless means to have no cause for disapproval and to be free from fault or defect.

The metaphor continues.  For my heart to be well, my doctors and medical community say I need to exercise and to be selective about what I eat (less sugar and fat, and more plants) and less gluttonous about what I eat.  Exercise needs to be regular (as in daily) and with enough exertion to raise my heart activity to what they call cardio. 

So, my soul.

For my soul to be well (and souls do become sick and damaged, unable to sustain a healthy life), I need to engage in spiritual activities and be selective and less gluttonous with intake of worldly activities.  What is the “sugar” of this world that sets up my lifestyle to damage my soul?  Maybe idolatrous practices of which I can’t get enough and which completely distract me from God, such as addictions to TV, social media, shopping, food, or other substance abuse.  And the gluttony:  those behaviors which are legitimate needs of the soul, such as relationships or service to God, in which I indulge to the exclusion of God and to the condition of my soul. 

The activities/exercise for my soul need to be regular (daily) and with enough passion and engagement to raise my soul activity to a level that engages the power of God and brings the energy necessary to strengthen and sustain my soul.

Like a heart which can get injured through accident or attack, the soul can be harmed, too.  And like the heart, which can be healed with the intervention practices of a doctor, so can the soul be healed by the practices of spiritual healers and guides who use prayer, companionship and coaching into wellness.  The Greek word for soul is psyche.  Those spiritual guides and healers could be called psychologists, but they could also be called prayer warriors and partners, sponsors and mentors, and friends. 

Jesus would call us brethren, which means “of the womb,” those who are born into new life by His work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s engagement in this new life. To know and nurture your soul, you must be born again, Jesus would say, into a community of reborn souls and sustained by a soul-healthy lifestyle and a soul-fitness community.  I would call it the Kingdom of God.

To use the metaphor shamelessly, when the heart is strengthened for exertion and endurance, it can stand the rigors of a demanding life; it can bear the physical burdens of caring for household and community well into old-age; it can lead the rest of the body into wellness if injured or attacked.

So, the soul.

The soul, strengthened, will respond and enable a strong lifestyle on a parallel level to my heart responding to the care and exercise it receives.  The soul then can be equipped to bear the demands and burdens of the struggle with sin.  It can then carry the heavy load of loss and grief of self and others.  The soul can forge new paths and develop a life that serves the greater good and bears the glory of God into a hurting world.  Only a strong soul can carry that weight. Then the entirety of what is life will be preserved (taken care of, guarded; specifically from external attack).  It will be a fortress.