From the Minister

Stewardship of Awareness

2011-06-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

Stewardship of Awareness

Seek first the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6: 33

To see a world in a grain of sand,

And a heaven in a wild flower,

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,

And eternity in an hour.

-William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

On Sunday, May 29 Meredith Jackson gave a wonderful sermon on the Lilies and the Birds. She spoke of the futility of worry and how we learn to trust in God, freeing us for compassionate action in the world. She is right on. The scripture from Matthew plus Meredith’s words got me thinking about the above verse from Matthew. It reminded me of the poem by Blake. It occurs to me: it is all about our awareness, seeing the world in a grain of sand, heaven in a wild flower, indeed, eternity in an hour.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Matthew 6: 24 - 34 is all about worry, how we give energy to the ‘small stuff’ in our lives, somehow forgetting that God provides well for us in each moment of our lives. You could say that this passage is about stewardship, how we mind our awareness from day to day. Is it business as usual, sweating the small stuff, trying to control our lives and everything that happens to us? Or, is there a more excellent way? A welcoming way? as we pay attention to God’s presence in all of life? I vote the latter. As does Jesus. By paying attention to God’s presence in all of life, we become aware of the eternal that is present in each moment of every day, “eternity in an hour.” When we have that awareness, we have everything.

Summer: Practicing the Presence

For me summertime is a time of warmth and beauty. Time lengthens as spaces appear between things. Here is the opportunity we have for prayer, to practice. By entering this spaces we can simply turn our attention to God. Perhaps a word of thanks to God for the flower growing alongside the path or perhaps our stewardship of attention can be as simple as enjoying/basking in the sunlight and warmth of a hot summer day. In these spaces, in these precious moments, we find we have everything we need.

So, let’s be good stewards of our awareness, allowing our attention to turn towards God in the spaces of our lives. The miracle of all this is that the more attention we pay to God, the more spaces open in our lives -- eternity in the moment beckons, our true home reveals itself.

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

2011-03-08T14:23:00.000-08:00

Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent, a time each spring when people in the Christian church devote themselves to reflection and the transformation of self, community and world.

What about spiritual practice for the season of Lent?

We often hear of people giving something up for Lent. This is done in the spirit of transformation. When we give something up, when we sacrifice, it opens up the question, "Who am I?" without this thing that I have given up -- which of course is THE spiritual question. Jesus suggests an avenue of discovery as we engage in this inquiry when he says, "you are the light of the world."

The ashes of Ash Wednesday come from the burning of the palms from the previous year's Palm Sunday service. As you remember, Palm Sunday is a day for our high expectations of Jesus and our spiritual lives; expectations that are dashed at crucifixion (Crucifixion can be read as an entry into our real lives (those not determined by our expectations and stories about our lives). Lent is a time for discovery of our life as it is, not as we imagine it to be. Jesus' Way suggests that you might just discover your life and resurrection in your life as-it-is right here and now.

On Ash Wednesday we are marked women and men -- we receive a smudge of ash on our forehead. So marked, we enter into a time of spiritual practice, reflection and discovery. I hope you will join me as we commit ourselves to transformational practice.

What On Earth do you do with a Spiritual Experience?

2011-03-03T11:53:00.001-08:00

This week during Sunday worship we are going spiriutal mountain climibing. Along with Peter, James and John we are going to ascend to the mountaintop with Jesus. There, in the thin air, we are going to percieve Christ in Christ's glory. Matthew will speak of pure white clothing, the brightness of Christ's countenance. With the disciples we will Jesus changed, we will perceive Christ as Christ is.

The Transfiguration as it is called is a spiritual experience. Not so much for Jesus -- he was and always is who he is; but more for the disciples, Peter, James and John, and in our humaness, ourselves. We experience God/Christ in our lives we begin to speak of our mountaintop experiences, the times of closeness and intimacy with God. In Sunday's scripture there are discernable patterns on how we deal with the subline in our lives, That is what we will be talking about: the sublime experiences of life and how to process or deal with them. See you in church!

Flowers and Birds!

2011-02-23T14:01:00.001-08:00

Flowers and Birds!

A few weeks ago during a sermon I mentioned a famous haiku by the poet, Basho. Maybe we can create a story around the haiku.

It had been a restless night for the old poet. He had been travelling on foot on pilgrimage moving from town to town across Japan. The inn where he stayed last night was small. That wasn't so bad. Not even that he had to share his room with an old man who snored. But, he still itched from the bites of his bedmates -- surely a large extended family of bedbugs! So, itching and scratching, a bit agitated from his experience his thoughts moved toward the young widow and her children. They were living in the next town over. He husband had just died and she had no family. She was taking in laundry to supprt herself and her children, but there was never enough. And her children were hungry. By early morning he had decided to return to the her town and spend some of his time helping her to get her feet back on the ground. This seemed to be where his pilgrimage was taking him. Perhaps he could teach haiku, sharing with her the bulk of the proceeds. So, as the sun rose on his sleepless night, he greeted the innkeeper, had a breakfast of porrige and green tea and set out on the road. It was a good ten miles to the town, a long day's walk. With staff in hand, he set out. One step after the other he made his way past shrines, temples, and farms. He stopped at one shrine to make an offering on behalf of the widow and her children. With the offering, things eased a bit as his step quickened.

It is then that he noticed: What a beautiful day! He marveled at how the sun filtered down through the trees, a shimmering tapestry of shadow and light on the road before him. He loved the cool air, the bird song in the morning. Basho enjoyed the beauty of the path as the wind animated the leaves, the road shimmering before him. Then something caught his eye. He bent down to investigate:

When I look carefully
I see the nazuna blooming
By the hedge!

It was as if the world had been lifted off his shoulders. It all seemed to come together -- the bedbugs, the porrige, the long road, his aching muscles, the widow and her children. The light seemed to break through into his consciousness -- all was well. His step lightened as he made his way to the widow's town.

Jesus walked this same road with his disciples. This road is the road of compassion. This road intimates eternity. When he saw his disciples, he remembered their worries, he had even shared in their concerns. He knew that they worried about feeding their families, about dressing their children. And when the crowds gathered he could almost feel the anxiety as it rose among the people. He knew that this is what it has always been - the worries in life. If he could just put their lives at ease. He could feel their worries as they compounded within his consciousness. He was walking with his disciples, listening to their troubles, aware of their worries. Then he saw some flowers along his path, then some birds in the air. In the beauty of the flowers in the smooth flight of the birds eternity broke through, God's presence became palpable. Yes, it was somthing you could feel. This was the teaching now. Why worry? All is well. Eternity enters in. The beauty of God visible, the love of God in the air. People need to know this, so he drew their attention to the flower: Consider the lilies of the field! Then he looked up at the sky: Look at the birds!

So, you and I walk this road. We carry our worries, often troubled in mind. And sometimes we notice the shimmer of the sun on the water of Spring Lake. Sometimes we notice the sound of the rain on the roof. Sometimes itis the flower by the hedge or the lilies in the field. The wonder is how life opens up how eternity breaks through sweeping up the worries that plague us, empowering us for compassionate action in the world. Jesus encouraged us in this. He said,

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Be Well,

Perfect?

2011-02-17T14:10:00.001-08:00

Perfect?
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
~Matthew 5:48
Why would Jesus say this? When we think of perfect. images come to us of everything just wonderfully laid out, executed without a hitch, morally upright, beautiful, etc.... On the other hand, when we think perfect, we also think, "no such thing." I remember my mother saying to me, when I was being unusaully hard on myself, "It is ok,no-one's perfect." So, who do I believe, Jesus or my mother? Fortunately, that's not the choice.

Jesus says, to be perfect as God is perfect. This doesn't mean make no mistakes. Nor does it mean be harsh with yourself and others. No, no. God's perfection is that of an accepting and open heart. God's perfection rests in accepting our situation in life to be precisely what it is, rather than what we might imagine it to be if things were "perfect." We find Jesus loving his enemies, praying for those who persecute. We find Jesus walking the extra mile and turning the other cheek. If acceptance means living life as it is, rather than how we might like it to be we find that we cannot escape our lives as they are. So, we might have enemies, We could hate them and fight them. That's one option as we try to get rid of them or change them into friends. Or it could be that we consider ourselves our own worst enemy, thinking poorly of ourselves and fighting to make ourselves better, or perfect. Usually as we fight our enemies or as we fight the forces within ourselves, nothing improves. We cannot make our lives conform to some external standard of what is perfect. Nor can we lay a trip upon ourselves saying that God wants this world to be perfect so I will lay my enemy to waste. God's perfection rests in openness and acceptance. We might pray, O God, I have made a terrible mistake. God might then speak as my mother did long ago, "That's ok. No one's perfect."

Jesus summed this up in his saying in John, "Love one another as I have loved you." We'll talk more about this on Sunday.

Music and Spirit

2010-06-03T15:01:00.001-07:00

This Sunday is our annual music Sunday. This means that during our 10:30 am service the focus will be music. Our choir is bringing 7 separate anthems to the service and we will be singing some of the great hymns of the church -- Joyful, Joyful; Great is Thy Faithfulness, etc.....

Why music? What is it about singing, playing and hearing music that addresses us at the deepest levels of our lives. Recently, a musician friend of mine, a clarinetist told me the following story. He had taken lessons for a number of years, played in various ensembles, was an excellent musician when he began to work with a new teacher. This teacher was impressed with my friend's technique, but critical of his overall playing. "No spirit," the teacher would say, "where are you in the music?" My friend would practice and practice and every week the same thing, "no spirit." Then one week the teacher tried something new -- he had my friend play faster, and faster, directing him as he played. Soon, my friend began to miss notes, he was having trouble with the beat, he was totally frustrated, making tons of mistakes. Then, he just gave up and it was as if the clarinet began to play itself, he was that close to the instrument and the mistakes, fewer now, didn't matter. The teacher had him stop playing. My friend was worried because of all the mistakes. The teacher finally said, "Excellent! You showed up.

Music is not totally about technique, the right finger the correct note. Music gives us a way to fully occupy our lives. As we embody our musical expression, we leave our selves behind as we not only sing a song, we become our singing. Singing songs of praise, we become 100% praise. Singing thanksgiving songs we become our thanks-giving. It is the same as we listen to music, our hearts resonate and our lives are transformed.

So, this Sunday is Music Sunday. It will be great to see you there as we acknowledge the fabulous musicians of FCUCCSR!

Blessings,

David

Forgiveness

2010-05-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

Forgiveness

Forgiveness is central to our lives. Forgiveness is important because we are forever tripping over ourselves and over other people.There are some folks who will say that Jesus' primary teaching was forgiveness. Before everything else to learn to be human is to learn to forgive. Think about it: where would your life be if you had not learned to forgive?

First, there is forgiveness of self. I have learned that finally I am not in total control of what I do and I am certainly not in control of what happens to me. I have learned that even when I do not have control and I do things that I would rather not do, I have rather severe opinions about myself -- "I am no good. I am not worthy. I am a bad friend" and the list goes on and on. I have also noticed that these opinions I have about myself really do no earthly good. They don't make more effective as a person, a minister, a father or husband. These harsh judgments just seem to make life harder for me. What would my life be like without those harsh judgments? Much easier, I believe. I'd be more free simply to change my low down ways, to add life to my living. So, a first step to richer life is to simply accept oneself, to acknowledge, "Oh, that wasn't helpful and move on." For me that is forgiveness of self. These leads, without fail, to ....

Forgiveness of others. What I have found is that I have rather harsh opinions and judgments of others. I have learned that these judgments are as hard as the judgments that I have of my self. In fact, what I have noticed is that my judgment of others is often a judgment of myself, a projection of what I don't like about myself onto someone else. This is really not helpful and often my opinion of someone else has absolutely nothing to do with them. Isn't that interesting. So, it seems that forgiveness of self is a kind of forgiveness of the other. But, you say, sometimes other folks do mean things. True enough. The way I look at this is that once I have looked at myself and begun to accept myself, the easier it is to accept others -- they are just like me; they make mistakes too.

Back during Holy Week and Easter, I found myself saying, "people will do what people do." Now ain't that the truth. And I will do what people do. See, room for forgiveness.

Then we have the teachings of Jesus: Peter asks, how many times must I forgive, 7 times? Jesus responds, "No, 70 times 7." Who is counting? He is saying, always forgive, make forgiveness a way of life, etc....Then we have stories of Lost and Forgiven Sons, and the story for Sunday, Luke 7:36 - 50, Jesus encounter with a woman who has a questionable past. But more on that Sunday.

Blessings,

test

2010-05-26T08:58:00.001-07:00

test

Scripture that Can Change Your Life: The Needle's Eye

2010-05-13T14:55:00.000-07:00

Why Church? Are we like a club that you can list on your resume when you run for political office? Is this a nice place to come to see your friends? Are we a center for the arts-- do we come to see beautiful things, hear beautiful music? There are many reasons that people come to church. My hope is that our inquiry might run a little deeper than that. Why Church? What is Church for? Transformation. Transformation of our lives, individually and communally, transformation of society. Our Mission Statement puts it like this: Excited and Enlivened by the Holy Spirit, We are Transformed. When I read Jesus’ teaching I see the possibility of life-changing/game changing/earth-shattering transformation. One way that we can unlock this transformation for ourselves comes through a wholly embodied encounter with scripture. May I suggest the following, Mark 17ff, the story of Jesus' encounter with the Rich Young Man. To read the whole story, pull out your Bible. I will be dealing with a few key elements of the story here.

As Jesus is travelling along a Rich Man comes up to him with deep questions about his life. He says to Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" On the face, this looks like a big question, perhaps abstract. But the man is not philosophizing, trying to stump anyone. In the story itself, he appears a bit desperate: he runs up, he throws himself on the ground. This is not a person looking for intellectual conversation. He is more like each one of us: What does my life mean? How do I live with the disappointment and disillusionment that seems like death to me? Or perhaps, my father just died, who am I without him? His question runs right to the heart of his life and he can't put it together anymore and come up with a coherent image of what he is about, so he asks, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" "How can I put it together?" Have you experienced times like this?

Mark records Jesus' response. Jesus looks at the man and "loves him." and then he says, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me." Right away our temptation is to “follow the money.” That’s the problem, we say, riches are what keep up apart from the nameless, imageless One we call God. Get rid of your riches, we think, and all will be well. This is not Jesus' point. Rather, Jesus is asking, what is keeping you from taking up eternity, the kingdom of God which lies in your very midst? What is this lack? A life unencumbered. And so, again, this story comes home to us. What do you hold onto for dear life? What do you hold onto that keeps you apart from the Holy? Does worry do it? What about your self-image, a n image that you will protect, defend and fight for no matter what? How about your anger? Do you hate anyone?

When we take a look at our lives it can be quite overwhelming. We might just give up any thought of life transformed.

Indeed, Jesus does say it is hard work, “It is harder for {one so encumbered} to enter the kingdom of heaven than it is for a camel to get through the needle’s eye.” To which his disciples reply something like, “then who can be saved?” To which Jesus replies, “for human beings it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.” There you have it, can’t be done or, at least, you can’t do it. And just think about it for a moment. Have you ever told yourself not to worry? What happens? You set yourself up against yourself and your worry, only to compound the worry or perhaps transmute it into anger at oneself for being so full of worry. It seems that we have all taken up that extra-Biblical injunction, “God only helps those who help themselves” and have willfully gone to war with ourselves, pursuing a self-image that only serves to encumber us the more. Transformation here? Impossible. There is an oft quoted line from Psalm 46 that is helpful here: “Be Still and Know that I am God.” The word, raphah, that is translated as “Be Still” is more frequently translated from the Hebrew as “let go,” as if one were letting one thing drop in order to pick up another. Be still… becomes, “Let go and know….” As we turn to pick up Jesus’ “kingdom of heaven,” taking up eternity, we lose things, letting them fall to the side. Emptying our hands, and taking up eternity, it is hard to discern who or what is holding whom. We notice the realm of God lightly holding us – just as it has all along. Herein lies transformation. No longer so self concerned, our life opens in our willingness for the brightness of eternity’s light to shine through us, unencumbered. This is following Jesus. How can this be? For God all things are possible. The camel has slipped through the needle’s eye.

A Love that Transforms

2010-04-14T16:00:00.000-07:00

"Feed My Sheep"
John 21:17

Last week, the Second Sunday in Easter, we began a discussion about the "open heart." We noticed how having an open heart changes everything in life: how we see ourselves, our neighbors, friends, even those we might term as enemies. An open heart may also transform our view of God and our own place in the universe. This transformation is what Sunday's scripture is all about.

John 21:1-19 is chronicles a resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples. This time, he shows himself to them on the lakeside. After an unsuccessful night of fishing, the disciples are rowing their way to shore when they see someone there waiting for them. This person tells them to cast their nets overboard and pull up a catch. They do so, Peter recognizes Jesus, and excited, dives into the water and swims to him. Jesus feeds everyone breakfast and then Peter and Jesus have a conversation.

As they talk, Jesus asks Peter three times, one right after the other, "Do you love me? . Three times Peter says yes, and three times Jesus responds to this "Yes" by saying "Feed My Sheep." This is a very curious conversation. You'd think one "Yes" would be enough to satisfy Jesus. But, Jesus keeps asking. In doing so he is asking Peter to move beyond mere intellectual assent, an off the cuff simple, "Lord you know I love you," into an a more embodied response, a response that will call Peter to give away the very love that he receives from the Risen Christ. Jesus is looking for a love that is not owned by Peter, but one that can be passed on through Peter. He is asking Peter to "mind his heart," leaving it open for love's work to be done.

Jesus brings this home to Peter when after the third exchange between them, Jesus says, in effect, "When you were young you went where you wanted to go. When you get older someone will bind you up and take you exactly where you do not want to go." As heart is opened, where love takes us is, in a way, none of our business - love knows the way. Jesus Christ is teaching Peter and all of us, that its not our will in this world but love's that will be done. You may remember the chant I share with you back in January and February:

God Guide us home
Christ make us one
Holy Spirit Flow
Love will be done

As we find our way home, our unity in Spirit, the boundaries that we come to know in life disappear, the Holy Spirit flows and love is done. And that love doesn't belong to Peter, or David or anyone else: it is the Universal Love of God embodied and made manifest through us. Love may take us where we don't want to go, but it really is OK -- for love's sake, for love's sake.

Blessings,

Beyond Our Imagining New Life Rises

2010-03-22T17:26:00.000-07:00

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

-John 20:1

The way John tells it Mary Magdalene went to the on Easter morning while it was still dark. In this I see two things. First, she went. as still dark. Secondly, it was still dark. How do we approach new life?

Jesus was just crucified. It was a scary time for the Jesus's disciples. And you can see it in the stories:

Peter denied Jesus after his death because he was afraid that those who killed Jesus would come after him.
In Chapter 21 of John, we read of the disciples locking themselves up in a room, afraid.

Not imagining resurrection, not looking for anything new, only imagining things getting worse, fear gripes the disciples and they go into hiding. Not so, the disciple, Mary. Mary turns her face towards her fear. She walks to the tomb. She just picks herself up and goes, even though she can only reasonably expect the dead man, Jesus. It is hope that carries her beyond the horizon of fear.

What is this hope? Did Mary know that she would find the resurrected one? Did she know that things would work out beyond her or anyone else's imagining? Could she foresee 2000 years of Christian history? No, I don't think so. Remember, it is still dark as she makes her way along the garden path to the tomb of her friend Jesus. Perhaps you've been in a cave and turned off the light. In the cool darkness, it is as if you are sightless. You can't make out shadows, there are no flickers of light, the darkness covers and hides everything. Mary went to the tomb in just such darkness. She could not see how things were going to work out. She could not be guaranteed any outcome at all. Her hope was not in what she could see or foresee. She held her hope in the dark. Or as Paul was later to put it, her hope, "was in things unseen." Hope is not a guaranteed outcome. No, it is more like a blind trust -- a trust that somehow feels right. For Mary, each step towards the tomb seemed like the right thing to do. Each step taken in the dark prepares her for the next step, opens the territory for her to explore. This is hope: step by step in the dark.

New life or resurrection is not something that we believe in. Rather, it is discovered along the dark pathways of our lives, just over the horizon of what we know. New Life rises as we walk the dark pathways of grief or as we struggle along our life's road, despair and disappointment along the way. New life rises as we walk the dark road of uncertainty. We discover new life as as step by step we move through the garden; eyes, ears, spirits open to life's revelations. This is what Mary discovered on her way. As she was at the tomb, beyond her expectations, on the other side of her what she could think of or imagine, she encountered the Risen Christ, who called her by name, "Mary," he said. She responded "Rabbouni!"

I write wishing you an Easter of new life discovery, the resurrection available to your as you walk the dark (as in unknown) paths of this life.

Easter Blessings,

David Parks-Ramage

Who Lives? Christ lives!

2010-03-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

This Lent as we move into Easter I have been thinking about the reversals that are present to us in Christ. Jesus taught using words like these: “The first will be last, and the last will be first,” or “Save your life and you will lose it, lose your life for my sake and you will save it.” Sayings like these ask us to consider life, living, the choices we make, in ways that we can scarcely think or imagine. As we ponder these teachings it is clear that for Jesus life is not always what it seems, that there is a deeper reality that subsumes the one that defines our conventional lives. In the reversals that Jesus talks about there are keys for new life and birth. So, please join me as together we contemplate the upside down teachings of Jesus as we move towards Easter.

By far the most “upside down” teaching was Jesus’ own life as it leads to his death and resurrection. Paul looked at Jesus' death and resurrection and saw the pattern for a faithful life lived in Christ, lived to the deeper reality of our lives. He saw that as we are baptized in Christ, we experience a death of sorts. One can call this a death to selfish desires, a death of the ego, or simply a death to the self-as-“I”-have-come-to-understand-it. This death is part of the pattern of the Christian life so that we can say with Paul, "It is not I who live..."

...but Christ who lives in me. After death came Christ's resurrection, new life, new birth. For us this means a new identity not defined by "my" desires, "my" ego, "my" self-protection. Rather we come to learn that we each have a new identity and new life as we are alive in Christ. Christianity seeks to transform our human hearts, opening us so that we may live with more love, more compassion, more hope, more joy than we thought possible. The way of Christ is a way through human life to resurrection, to eternity. Through resurrection and new life in Christ we come to identify and experience ourselves more clearly as Beloved of God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus our whole lives hinge and we experience a reversal in our own lives where we live for God and not for “self.”

Lent is nearing its end. This Sunday is the second to last Sunday in Lent. The 28th will be Palm Sunday as we celebrate Jesus' Way, his ride into Jerusalem, his ride as he continues to embrace his life in God. Then Holy Week. Will you join me on this pilgrimage, a pilgrimage that is our journey into our true selves/our true community in God.

Blessings, David

The Eternal Now: Yes and No

2010-03-09T13:17:00.001-08:00

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

Words are powerful. Words build up and words cut off. Words open possibilities and close them down. While dolphins squeak and dogs read body language, human beings use words to communicate. Two of the strongest words in any language are Yes and No.

No stops us in our tracks. If a young child is toddling off towards the road in pursuit of a squirrel the parent will yell at the top of her lungs, "No." And the child will stop. Such is the magic of "No." Similarly, we may be trying out something new, a new relationship, a new way of doing things, a new short cut through the woods and the thought rises - "No, I better not."Like the child toddling off we are stopped in a our tracks. No cuts off.

Yes offers an open road, a new path. Someone wants to know, "Do you want to go to the movies?" Yes has us in the car and on the way to the Rialto. or, "How about some ice cream?" It is "yes" that drips down our chin as we take another lick off our cone. Yes, opens us up, our lives, what is possible.

Paul offers us this: In Christ, God is offering us "Yes!" Christ is God's affirmative response to humanity a sign of high regard and deep love. With God's "Yes" life opens for us, wide -- possibilities for love, compassion, justice, hope, and faith become manifest. God's openings to us are always, "Yes." Paul then suggests a response, a joining of our energy to the divine. That response is just like God's call to us: to God's "Yes" we respond, "Amen."

See you on Sunday.

Blessings,
David

Yes and No

2010-03-09T13:12:00.001-08:00

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

Words are powerful. Words build up and words cut off. Words open possibilities and close them down. While dolphins squeak and dogs read body language, human beings use words to communicate. Two of the strongest words in any language are Yes and No.

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2010-03-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

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The Eternal Now: Becoming Light!

2010-03-02T11:33:00.000-08:00

while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
Luke 9:29,30

The Eternal Now: Becoming Light!

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr,, on the night before he died, preached a sermon in Memphis. Recounting the story of Moses on the eve of his death King said,

I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land.

The mountaintop experience. We talk about it and we experience experience ourselves anew on the mountaintop. An experience of the mountaintop is that moment when it seems that everything comes together, where worries and fears and the focus on our failures just seems to drop away. The mountaintops in our lives are about transformation and well being. Dr. King experienced the mountaintop and he speaks of the eradication of fear in his life AND the reality of his vision. "I've seen the promised land!" And he knew that the transformation was not for him alone, but for the struggles of African American people as they faced segregation, prejudice and institutionalized hatred in the United States. He knew that transformation was about Justice. So King said,

"I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight , that we, as a people, will get to the promised land."

Jesus, Peter, James and John climbed the mountain. There, on the mountaintop, Peter, James and John were excited to see Jesus in his glory. His clothes were a bright, bleached white. Jesus' countenance shone. They saw Jesus transformed and they saw the possibility for their human lives, as transformed by the incarnate Spirit of God. And as if that were not too much, they met their mountaintop ancestors. Peter is so overwhelmed by the experience (as we often are on the mountaintop) he said to Jesus, "Let's build little houses - one for you Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah -- and let's just stay here.

On the mountaintop we discover and experience who we are, the Beloved of God. This is an overwhelming experience, one that might tempt us to take leave of our lives, the nitty gritty of the day to day. This experience can cause us, like Peter, to build a hut to contain our experience and pull away from life "down in the valley."

This was not such a good suggestion, or at least Jesus ignores it. One cannot live on the mountaintop -- the wind blows hard, the weather is harsh, there is no water (water flows downhill). We live in the valley. And if we check out our biblical characters, Elijah and Moses, we see they both returned to life, to their work for Justice in the world. Jesus, too, descends.

After Peter speaks, there is a voice from heaven that announces who Jesus is and the group of them go down the mountain. The very next day Jesus and the disciples are surrounded by a crowd, teaching and healing -- living out their mission through word and deed.

So it is for us. We experience the light and truth of our lives on the mountaintop. We sometimes call this "being saved" or our "spiritual experience." To be sure, we are transformed through these experiences. It is by the grace of God that we are changed on the mountaintop.. But, that is just the beginning. I'd say that we become light down in the valley. We become the light of God for others. This means we are comfort for the afflicted freedom for the captive, liberation for the oppressed.
Ireneaus said that "the glory of God is a human being fully alive." This means descending from the mountaintops of our spiritual experience to the valley of our day to day. It means that we fully occupy our lives,living fully, compassionately and lovingly right where we find ourselves, right where we are.

Embracing eternity within ourselves, our bodies, our environment, we become the light of justice and peace in the world.

Blessings, David

It is All Upside Down or How We Change

2010-02-22T15:43:00.000-08:00

¹⁸Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.

1 Corinthians 3:18, 19

Upside Down or Things are Not What They Seem

Don’t you love it how the best spiritual writing turns things on it head? You have Jesus’ “the first will be last, and the last will be first,” or his equally upside down, “Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.” And now Paul, “If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise.” In this topsy turvy world things are not as they seem and what one might count on – having it all together – is no refuge at all. Even what you think is wise, is only a shell game, an illusion slapped over Reality. It is better to become as a fool, surprised by life’s turns. What is going on here? A simple faith based on what we know, in this light, is foolishness. Far better to lose our minds.

That’s it, all upside down: maybe it is a good thing to lose our minds, our maps of how the world is put together, our notions of reward and punishment, what is good and what is bad, our ordering and categorizing our environment in the illusion that if we understand it, we can control it. This is a common human tendency – try to make sense and control – but when we examine this tendency very closely we ask along with Dr. Phil, “Is that working out for you?”Remember the maps of the “ancient” mariners (at least those before 1492)? These antique maps stopped at what was known, assuming peril on the outskirts, “there be dragons” beyond the known world. We are reminded that maps are not the territory, our conceptions of the God, the world, our lives based on what we know will by necessity always fall short – we do not know what we do not know. Wisdom based on what we know is foolishness, foolishness that admits what we don’t know is wise and open for the unknown.. So Paul says it, straight out, “you should become fools so that you may become wise.”

This means, of course, you never know with God. In Second Corinthians Paul points out that our faith is not in what we see and comprehend, in what we know. Our faith is rather in that which we cannot see, for in the unseen and unknowable mystery (Christ, God, Life, Rebirth, Resurrection, Love, etc...).lies eternity – that in which we can place our trust and find hope. Once again, the teaching is upside down. Usually, we look at the visible – what can be seen, understood, manipulated and controlled. Here Paul says look at the invisible, the unknown and trust God to carry you.

Transformation

This brings us back to our lives, our growth in life and spirit. Usually we believe that change and transformation can come by adding things – knowledge, skills, etc…. A Christ-centered transformation comes rather in losing things – our ideas, our conceptions by which we hold on to the world, find our bearings. We lose our reliance on these things as we grow in trust of the unknown and eternal. When Jesus speaks of “the realm (kingdom) of God” he is pointing us in this direction. You may remember his saying about the “Lilies and the Birds.” Of the birds he says, “they neither sow nor reap, yet God takes care of them.” Of the Lilies he points out that they neither “toil nor spin” and God takes care of them. How might this be? God cares for them just as they are. Simply being what they are they are provided for. So, for us: our call is not to add anything, but to acknowledge ourselves as the Beloved – loved, honored and blessed by God. Figuring it out won’t help, saying the right words won’t help. Fixing what we imagine is wrong with us won’t help. It is in just being who we are that we find eternity. Before we learned anything, before we adopted the notion that we can plan our lives out and be happy, we were already loved, cared for, blessed. Jesus put it like this, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will God not much more clothe you – you of little faith?” Our place in this is to let go and trust in that which we cannot see, which ultimately cannot be known. Jesus put it like this, “seek first the Kingdom of God” and, now I paraphrase, you will be fine.

Transforming Community

The First Congregational United Church of Christ, like all churches, is a living inquiry, an experiment, if you will. In our life together as a community and as individuals our desire is for that which will open us to who we are: the Beloved. When we find the realm of God, God’s unfathomable love, at the center of our life together we are able to let go, trusting ourselves in God, one a part of the other As our individual hearts open to the grace of God we find ourselves, as the Shakers put it, “in the place just right,” finding ourselves in the ”land of Love and Delight.” In this we find the transformation of our lives as we begin to acknowledge our true nature as it is revealed to us in the eternal now.

Blessings,

David

From Here to Eternity: I’ve Been Had

2010-02-15T16:34:00.000-08:00

⁷O Lord, you have enticed me,
and I was enticed;
you have overpowered me,
and you have prevailed.
⁹If I say, ‘I will not mention him,
or speak any more in his name’,
then within me there is something like a burning fire
shut up in my bones;
I am weary with holding it in,
and I cannot.

-Jeremiah 20:7,9

Jeremiah has noticed something about his walk with God. The hounds of heaven are fierce and they have prevailed, God has prevailed in his life. Jeremiah has noticed that once caught all he can do is surrender to God’s Way in life. And he has experimented – “I just won’t mention God anymore,” he says to himself. When he does this he notices that when he tries to be quiet about the Reality of God’s being in him, it is like he has shut a burning fire up in his bones. His very bones want to cry out. He is weary, tired and forlorn as he suppresses the sublime in his life. He no longer is content to lie about who he is (a beloved one of God) and who he belongs to (he has his being in God). He is called out of himself to live as God would have it.

Surrendering to the truth of God’s presence in our living and breathing we notice that we have been “had.” As a mother has her child, I have been “had’ and we are "being had" by God. Our whole lives are spent gradually waking to the reality of this: we live move and have our being in God. During Lent we seek to open ourselves to a more direct and intimate experience of the grace of God in life. We will open again to the Eternal that is offered to us in every moment, with every breath. We will mention the implications for this in our lives. And we will notice that even as our lives seem to be a movement from here to eternity, we never left home. In the Eternal Now we discover our true home in God is as close as our next breath. Please join me in church over Lent.

Love, David

Disillusion Me!

2010-02-02T10:46:00.002-08:00

Jesus comes to some fisher people at the end of their working day -- it is morning after a long night of fishing. They have caught no fish and they are filled with ideas about their failure to catch fish, their inability to take care of themselves, their just plain dumb luck. They are caught up in it all: there are no fish to be had, we are failures as fishermen and there is no hope, our families will go hungry. In the course of the discussion Jesus tells their leader Peter to throw the nets into the deep water. By doing so, he will come up with a big catch. Peter caught up in his sense of failure and disappointment speaks his sense of failure and hopelessness to Jesus: We've been out all night and have caught nothing. Why bother now? Jesus responds, "Well, just do it." Peter and his companions pull so many fish on board that the boat nearly capsizes.
As we carry our disappointments with life into the present, we believe that they are predictive of what is to come. Peter thought that there were no fish to be had because he caught no fish last night. If we are sad, we tend to believe that we will carry that sadness wherever we go. Jesus shows Peter that these limiting thoughts are an illusion, a thought that pulls us into a fantasy world. Peter believes in the fantasy of no fish. Jesus shows him not so -- here and now, a record catch. Jesus seeks to rid him of his illusion inviting him to participate in his life. He "dis-illusions" Peter.
I have been thinking a lot about being dis-illusioned. Even though I may feel bad as my illusions about life, religion, relationships, etc...are "dissed," it is always a good thing. Yes, I said always. If illusions keep me from the realities that confront me from day to day, what good are they -- I'd rather have them shown for what they are and "pull in the catch," the abundance that life offers. We talk about these sorts of things in church. See you Sunday.

Blessings, David

2010-01-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

“In the Beginning was the word…”

-The Gospel of John, Chapter 1, verse 1

Say the word and you'll be free
Say the word and be like me
Say the word I'm thinking of
Have you heard the word is love?
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love

-The Word, Lennon/McCartney

Dear Friends,

There is a little song I learned back in the 90’s that brings the Gospel of John together with the Beatles’ song, The Word:

Love, Love, Love, Love,

The Gospel in One Word is Love,

Love your Neighbor as Yourself,

Love, Love, Love

And that’s it. As human beings we are called by the Gospel, the Good News. Leaving all belief aside, the gospel in one word is love. Love calls us into prayer – a closer communion with what is present in our lives, a closer communion with God. Love calls us into service. In Love we sense our kinship with all humanity, seeing how no one is left out of the equation. With a deep empathy we reach out.

The Good News, the Gospel in one Word is Love. This Good News Word found expression in Christ, and seeks expression in us each moment of the day.

Two significant things are happening this month at our church: February 14, Valentine’s Day falls on a Sunday and Feb. 17 is the beginning of Lent.

I hope you will make every attempt to be in church on February 14. We will be having a Love Fest and a Love Feast. In morning worship we will sing Love songs, sacred and secular. We will read love chapters from the Bible and poems from some of our greatest poets. It will be a delicious worship service. And following 10:30 worship there will be a delicious meal served in Friendship Hall, the Love Feast. This will be a tremendous morning AND a great way to bring a friend (someone you love) to church. All church guests will eat free! I look forward to greeting you on St. Valentine’s Day, February 14.

We begin the season of Lent on Weds., February 17, with two Ash Weds. Observances – the first will be after Bible Study, 11:30 am. The second will be at 7 pm during our Meditation time. That is Weds, Feb. 17. See more about Lent in this Newsletter.

The last verse of the Beatles’ song goes:

Give the word a chance to say
That the word is just the way
It's the word I'm thinking of
And the only word is love
It's so fine, It's sunshine
It's the word, love

Love,

David

Love is our Mission -- Martin the Cobbler

2010-01-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

We fear Leo Tolstoy, or at least his masterwork, War and Peace. While known as the author of that epic novel, Tolstoy also wrote short stories the most famous of which is Martin the Cobbler, also known as Where There is Love, God will be there Too. The story begins with Martin whose wife has died and left him with one living son. Through a series of unfortunate events his only son dies and Martin is beside himself with grief, seeing no way out of his unhappiness. He is visited by an old friend of his who is a monk. The monk counsels his friend to read the Bible in order to find a new foundation for his life. Martin follows his friend’s advice.

One night as Martin is reading he hears someone call his name, “Martin, Martin, look out onto the street tomorrow for I will come to visit you.” Martin sleeps and the next day it is all Martin can do to keep to his work cobbling shoes: his gaze is out onto the street watching people pass by. There are a series of people who come by Martin’s window. There is Stephen, the old man indentured to the man across the street shoveling snow. Next a young woman with a baby who is cold and in need of food walks by the window. Finally, he sees an altercation between an old woman street merchant and a young street urchin stealing her apples. In each instance Martin addresses the needs of the folks in front of his window. Still, he wonders, “Where is the Lord?”

Martin continues his reading of scripture when he senses people in the room with him. They are the people Martin helped that day; Stephen, the woman and her baby, the merchant woman and the street urchin. They each disappear as he notices them. Turning to the scripture, Martin reads, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. As Martin read down the page, he came upon this: “When you did it to one of the least of these, my brethren, you did it to me.”

Tolstoy concludes, “And Avdeich understood that he was not deceived, that it was as though his Savior had come to him on that day, and just as though he had received Him.”

The story of Martin the Cobbler is worth spending time with. You can find it here: http://www1.umn.edu/lol-russ/PopLit/where_love_is,_there_is_god_also.htm

This Sunday we will be celebrating our Mission Sunday. We will have a special speaker, John Records, the founder and director for the Committee on the Shelterless (COTS). Also, representatives of the various local missions which we support will be present during coffee hour ready to address your questions and offer you opportunities for service. Ten organizations will be present.

For our Mission we remember, “That where love is, there is God also.”

Blessings,

David

New Year -- All Things New!

2009-12-28T12:50:00.001-08:00

Behold, I Make All Things New!

-Revelation 21

Happy New Year! And Grace and Peace to you for 2010. Every year we do it: we watch the ball or is it an apple, drop from the building on Times Square. When it hits bottom, the fireworks light the sky, the whoops and hollers reach become a cacophonous din, champaign flows, and kisses abound. Hope is found anew, another year begins. The following day is a big holiday -- the roads are clear as people stay home and enjoy a time apart from the hustle and bustle of their lives. This is wonderful, it is good. However, at its very best the new year serves as a reminder that the Holy Mystery that we know as God in Christ is continually making all things new -- each and every moment of our lives. So, enjoy your new year and remember that each moment is a celebration of the newness that is ours in Jesus Christ.

Valleys Raised -- Mountains Laid Low

2009-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

We are taking it easy with Advent. As the autumn skies move to winter, as the days lengthen and the dark descends we linger and keep company with the the following verses from Isaiah:

3A voice cries out:
‘In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4Every valley shall be lifted up,
and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
and the rough places a plain.
5Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together,
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.’

If we were not so involved with our lives, that is, if we could step back and have a little distance on our experience, we would find that life, indeed, is very interesting. We are immersed in mystery and have very little control over what happens to us or to those we love. At times we feel that we have entered the bare place, without landmark and assurance -- the wilderness. It is right here, on the brink of desolation, that we hear it: the voice -- a call. Isaiah says, "a voice cries out." For some of us this is an inner call, for others it comes through the senses, for still others it is found in the love that we experience with lovers and friends. This voice calls, but it does not reassure, it does not make it all better, it does not take away pain. It simply speaks and says, "PREPARE."

About ten years ago, a friend of mine was having trouble moving out into the world. He spent much of his time in bed late into the morning, lingering on the couch into the afternoon. He was not satisfied with much in his life -- his work, his faith, his relationships, his prospects. As he spoke of this time he spoke words from the Christian tradition. He called it his "dark night of the soul." One night deep into this time he had a dream. A large figure, maybe it was more a presence came to him, suggesting that he "clean up," that he was getting a visitor. It was four in the morning and my friend got out of bed, took a shower, shaved, had breakfast and began to clean the house. Then he waited. No one came. So, he cleaned the garage. He finished with the house so he cleaned the yard. Then he washed the car. It continued on like this when he thought of himself -- so he resolved to quit doing things that he thought unhelpful to himself and others. As he cleaned up, he noticed: he was the one who had come to visit. He had come to occupy his own life, his own loves. From that point, he looked at life anew.

Life is a mystery. At times the mystery, darkness, seem to overwhelm -- not knowing about one's life and destiny becomes more than we can bear. A voice calls in the night; a voice in the wilderness, as Isaiah puts it, calls to us: PREPARE. For what? we might ask. Just simply prepare, make straight a path. As we prepare we are invited to notice our lives, to notice the hope that is already present to us-- the light that shines even in our darkness. Notice -- that though the valleys seem low, there is a way through. Notice -- that though the mountains seem insurmountable there is a way over. Notice -- we are the ones who come to visit -- hope lives in us.

Jesus was born into a dark time. Mary and Joseph on the move to be counted by Roman occupiers, could only find accommodation in a stable in Bethlehem. When Jesus was born only a few folks knew about his birth -- there were a few working stiffs on the night shift, watching the sheep, some angels, and of course Mary and Joseph. The rest of the world was clueless. Yet, new life came in this night. God had visited God's people.

Christ is the one who comes to visit. When we are in the midst of our 'dark night,' as the voice calls and we notice hope, as we discern peace, as we awaken to love, as we come home to ourselves, we come home to the light that has been lit in our darkness, we come home to Christ. Jesus was born in a stable. Here the light was lit. Now it is Advent. As we move into the darkness of our lives, the mystery of life itself, simply notice that hope lives in the deep down of things. PREPARE.

Blessings,

David

This is It! Put Your Whole Self In!

2009-11-10T11:51:00.000-08:00

All of me
Why not take all of me

-Jazz Standard written by Marks and Simons, 1931

As you may know, I have been taking West African Drum lessons for over a year. I have my patient teachers to thank for what little progress I have made. Also, I have them to thank for opening my life to wonderful rhythms, abundant rhythms filled with life. Today, I am thinking about the rhythms that I have learned over the last year. What is clear to me is that although I drum with my hands, drumming, rhythm has more to do with my whole self, my whole body, than it does with my hands. If I had no hands, I would still have rhythm, a rhythm that could be expressed through dance, by bobbing my head...whatever. This human capacity for rhythm is something that involves my whole self. In short, to drum, to dance, to sing, I have to "put my whole self in."

That is the way it is with faith. Some have said that faith is a verb. That means that “we faith” -- faith is something that we do. I don't know about you, but when I do something it involves all of me. Typing this for example -- it is not just fingers. It is my brain, it is the way my feet are on the floor, my eyes focused on the monitor, my straight back in the chair, my eyes following the letters as I put them up on the monitor. It is not even a matter of putting your whole self in to an action -- your whole self is in every action you take. So, in this season of stewardship we are aware that whenever we do anything it takes all of who we are, body, mind, spirit, soul. Stewardship asks us to look at how we approach our faith. As they say in gambling circles, are we “all in?”

All of me

It takes all of me

-Jazz Standard, 1931, improvised upon by DPR, 2009

It takes all of who we are. That is how we are called into our lives. We aren’t born in pieces you know. It takes all of us. And that is how we approach the abundance of life that we known as a community of faith. It takes all of me to live a faithful life. This means, of course, full involvement in my faith. In the last weeks, we have tried to help you think about what “all of me” means. We have asked you to consider going 5 for 5. Putting your whole self in means worshiping, learning, doing, connecting and giving. This Sunday, you will have an opportunity to express yourself by putting your whole self in. Please bring your 5 for 5 form to church along with your faith promise card. Experience again what it means to fully engage your life through careful stewardship of your life.

Blessings,

David

Put Your Whole Self In: Giving

2009-11-05T09:27:00.000-08:00

Two members of our congregation died over the last week. Warren Kreml was a minister who gave his life to the ministry, always on the leading edge. A real pioneer, Warren put his whole self in, generously holding nothing back. And the same is true for Corrine Orr, a life-long teacher, who gave herself - heart, mind and soul - to the children that she taught throughout her life. She taught in our Sunday School up to just a few years ago. These two fine human beings, Warren and Corrine, are find examples of what it means to put your whole self in through your generosity, by giving.

Paul calls generosity a gift of the spirit. Why would this be? When I look at generosity I look at my hands. Hands can grasp or they can open. Hands can hold tight or they can let go. What Paul is saying about generosity is that it is a divine gift to open and let go. Just thinking about it a little bit I see how this is true. Look at how much in our culture is oriented towards grasping and holding. Our economy is based on grasping and holding -- companies make stuff and advertisers tell us how we can't live without more stuff. It goes so far that our whole identities get caught up in grasping and holding -- we are called consumers, we are those who grasp and hold, who are encouraged to find ourselves in what we own. But, look at your hands. The grasping hand is tight fist, holding on for dear life. Our culture is all about grasping and holding. The natural tendency that we have to look out for ourselves is exploited and we grasp and hold on as if our life depends on it. Wars are fought as collectively we grasp and hold on to oil, territory, and rigid ideology. Generosity is different from this.

The generous hand opens as we notice our generous hearts, as we notice the empathy and compassion that wells up within us, sometimes despite ourselves. This "sometimes despite ourselves," is the place to look for the spiritual gift. Spirit ties us together, helps us to be aware that we are one body, all part of one another. As are lives are so intimately tied we are open to one another and hands open. The generous hand is the hand that opens to give, to massage, to sooth, to teach, to heal. The generous hand opens because, in community, we have nothing to lose. Life will ebb and flow, stuff will come and go, but as part of one another we all have what we need. Period. If you need a listening ear, in community we are there generously giving to one another. If you need, a meal in community we are there generously giving to one another. It feels good to be generous. In generosity there is really no giver and receiver. In generosity there is the flowing of energy and life through community. No one really holds on as we are caught in the flow of generosity. With open hands we hold the hands of others, we are constantly passing back and forth to one another and like fountains our hearts spring forth in generosity towards all Creation. This sort of generosity is well reflected in the last verse of the hymn, "My Life Flow On in Endless Song!"

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart,
A fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His-
How can I keep from singing?

I give thanks for the lives of Warren and Corrine. I give thanks for the generosity with which they lived their lives, for the good of all. So, Let's take a look at our hands as we contemplate the theme, "Put Your Whole Self In: Giving.

Blessings, David

From the Minister

Stewardship of Awareness

Stewardship of Awareness

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Summer: Practicing the Presence

Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down

What On Earth do you do with a Spiritual Experience?

Flowers and Birds!

Perfect?

Music and Spirit

Forgiveness

test

Scripture that Can Change Your Life: The Needle's Eye

A Love that Transforms

Beyond Our Imagining New Life Rises

Who Lives? Christ lives!

The Eternal Now: Yes and No

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

Words are powerful. Words build up and words cut off. Words open possibilities and close them down. While dolphins squeak and dogs read body language, human beings use words to communicate. Two of the strongest words in any language are Yes and No.

Yes and No

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

Words are powerful. Words build up and words cut off. Words open possibilities and close them down. While dolphins squeak and dogs read body language, human beings use words to communicate. Two of the strongest words in any language are Yes and No.

This blog has moved

The Eternal Now: Becoming Light!

while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.Luke 9:29,30

The Eternal Now: Becoming Light!

It is All Upside Down or How We Change

Upside Down or Things are Not What They Seem

Transformation

Transforming Community

From Here to Eternity: I’ve Been Had

Disillusion Me!

Love is our Mission -- Martin the Cobbler

New Year -- All Things New!

Valleys Raised -- Mountains Laid Low

This is It! Put Your Whole Self In!

Put Your Whole Self In: Giving

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not “Yes and No”; but in him it is always “Yes.”
2 CORINTHIANS 1:19

while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.
Luke 9:29,30