Eventually, we become more useful, by becoming useless; as we get out of our own way, and let something Higher shine through us. Daily death and entering into lived Sabbath is the practice of becoming useless and therefore useful. Are you willing to become useless in order to become more useful to Love. To lose yourself to find your Self, in other, wiser words. To take up our cross, among other things, is to dissolve and be formed and named and nuanced by His. Lose yourself, to find it. Find our true selves, by losing ourselves in His Life. Find our names by allowing His to eclipse, and therefore reveal ours. That’s the most basic way of finding identity.

how long
your poem goes
is less important
than it’s portent-that is
what it carries of Life beyond you
for others.

“Art without soul is like prayer without conviction.” Motto for Bezalel school of art.

Incarnate art includes brokenness and suffering and redemptive hope. Good art and living should have both complexity of suffering and light. Like gospel music or even the blues, or nearly all of David’s poetry. Authentic meeting between humanity and heaven. Where earth heaven meet there is loving friction. Art should reflect that friction.
This is the beauty of a storm. That’s where great art occurs. We are overhearing moments of transformation. Where the imperfect meets something higher. This is why an AA meeting is often more beautiful than many church services. They reflect the manger’s way, more honestly—the way of God coming as a child in an animal stable.
My own generation nearly demands it to be real. We want to see the seams, and the brokenness, then we might encounter what is making things less broken. “To see God, i need to see you, more as you actually are-broken like me.” Good art helps us see more truly, both how things are, and how they are being made to be.
Without seeing the fracture, we don’t trust the cup to hold water or something refined like wine, as one friend put it.
It’s not just that my generation wants to know the narrative. We also want a transparent story, so we can see light in it.
Authenticity is a pre-requisite to both good art and real spiritual transformation. Jesus cannot enter until we say that we are sinners.

A friend today…

“I just need a day to recover and be myself again and then i can serve endlessly. I really need a tangible Sabbath.” My friend said to me today. He continued, “I know it’s not just about being away from people, it’s deeper. I need a place to remember my name.” Nice definition of Sabbath—a place to remember our names.

I relate to that. I told him he could come stay in my trailer if he needs an escape from his roles (sometimes we just need a mental escape from the roles we play) and things he’s caught up in. Just to be himself again.

Aren’t we all just trying to be ourselves again, daily…..

This is why I think Sabbath is the most neglected practice in our times. To actually rest in Being. Or however you name it. To be yourself (outside your tasks, masks, or previous accomplishments) for a moment, still matters. To not just be defined by what we do, but who we actually are, and rest in that space and place, still matters!

Poor Father, He kindly waits for us to enter His rest, so that we know ourselves.

Sabbath is a part of Himself, we resist, but is the home of our identity! His rest in himself, is our rest in who we really are.

The mandate to pause was for our own good and health. The bread that came on the extra day was the bread of life.

That place is a real space we desperately need daily. Yet, we are afraid of resting in Him and being ourselves!

To be fully ourselves, means we actually believe we are loved, even adored, seen and named.

To enter there, requires us to be nakedly ourselves which we afraid of.
Yet, He edits us as, and when we do, step forward in that transformational trusting of stepping towards His Rest in Himself; for, Love is His underwriter. And we, His potential poems find ourselves in His Rest. Sabbath is about developing trust to become!

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. (Nice translation–direct! The other, i like, translates it, “I lack nothing that I actually need today!”)
Finding what we actually need, is usually about finding what we are truly being given each day! Nice morning meditation! Finding today’s manna….
It’s not about His inability to give us daily what we need, but more about our inability to discern what is being given and receive it in thanks, in short! At least that was my take away from this morning’s devotion!

One more thanks friends! From one big fish to anothers–thanks friends, for swimming in the same sea with me over the years!

Shorter intro as promised! I’m working on being shorter winded, more haiku this year. It will be a challenge to keep my life into 17 syllables! Pray for me! I’ll need it!

Just wanted to say thanks again to all the big fish in my life! The ones who keep me inspired and imagin-ing a larger context of Life! Thanks for being you again friends! You keep me swimming! So here’s one more fishy afterword, in the afterglow! I have many fish dreams, but you are some of my most lucid.

The Grammar of love…
Loving in the present tense, also matters! As my spiritual grammar teacher once said! Love occurs in the present tense, but is informed by past, future and, incarnated in the present participle! Loving is the way to be….in all tenses, and seasons of life! If you don’t know what to say, speak love, and you’ll utter something meaningful, despite yourself.

God is so thorough in the art of Love.

A yellow sunflower
sings by itself
for nobody
but God
and a few friends
who happen to overhear.