What are you and your city’s central stories you tell yourselves to remember who you are? We all tell ourselves stories to remember ourselves by! Even cities and nations do. It matters which stories we tell ourselves.

Finding a person or places central stories or symbolic tales, has become more than a hobby to me—more a way of seeing, over the years!

I try to ask a city it’s central stories to know it. When I return often to the person or place, I start to sense their repeated symbols, and where they are at in healing them. Fun way to travel about!

Antwerp, for instance, where I stay has a David Goliath like story about underdogs overcoming, and cutting off the hand of the abuser. So there are many hand symbols throughout the city.

Tells lots about how she sees herself. And why she still welcomes the weak!
Her hand is extended from her heart. But also an oppressor was thrown off and that became a healing place.

We can see where she was wounded in the story as well. Exactly where her gift of friendliness and extension of hand is. And what she had to do to heal it. Defeat the giants of oppression and abuse, historically and daily, I’m sure.

So much in city’s stories, which you can often read through architecture or central landmarks or statues!!! And the personal stories we repeat to ourselves and others to remember who we are. Our identity motifs. Again symbols hold expressions of core identity.

What again are you and your city’s stories you repeat to carry identity?

The Greeks repeated stories of origin, adventure, conquest-all sorts of Odysseus as they equated travel with wisdom. Etc. each culture has its central stories. In fact, it is said that Alexander slept with both the Iliad and the Odyssey and a dagger under his pillow. What books are beneath your pillow, they may guide your journey, for better or worse!

I often sometimes also ask, what stories are your historical or foundational ones, and how are those interpreted currently. How are your symbols in dialogue across time. It’s another way of reading the overarching narrative of a person or place.

The Jews repeat the Passover story each year to remember themselves.

We all have haggadah’s. But each reflect unique aspects of identity? So, what are your central stories, and where are they at in editing, or healing process of you and your city’s identity. Fun to work from our stories into our cores!

It’s always about to rain in belgium
In Texas, everything leans towards Summer instead.
Yet, in both, church bells are just about to always ring…
birds and church bells are about to converse with everything..
It’s how I keep time in both places. I’ve given up
other types of time. They take too long.

After the workers next door stopped their drilling yesterday…

The Silence which comes
after the workers finally stop
their buzzing and drilling next door.-the noise of toil.
What an endless space
that silence is, which comes like mind breath. Makes you thankful
again for home, that place you hear the Voice of Love,
and your other name,
the one you didn’t work for.

(Saw an old bike last evening leaning into an enormous cathedral from medieval times. The bike’s been there for years, just leaning into ancient stone…as if it wanted the church itself to be its headstone!)

An old black belgian bike now leans on a cathedral
in soft sea white light of evening here.
It was there the last time I visited, and hasn’t moved an inch since.
I don’t think anyone would steal it,
as it’s heart is no longer for sale.
Maybe it just decided to stop; having offered it’s last ride one morning,
Besides, it had to anchor somewhere, why not a cathedral in a port town!
People have always leaned their bikes here
or tied their horses to the arches of this old church…But, this one
hasn’t left in years. I’ll probably end up leaning into
an old Church too, just like it, still holding design and evening in time;
good place to eventually lean, it won’t be torn down anytime soon, The Church,
and angels live there, seems smart to lean into…
and we all end up leaning somewhere, into something anyway. Regardless,
nice to see this bike again in evening’s last light.

My little prayer today:
We need precise tears,
Clean love,
And pure bread
Down here.

Stories as a way in the South….stories as a way of knowing, and conveying what you know so far: learning regional epistemologies!

People tell you what they really believe through telling stories here. All sorts and colors, shapes and lengths, of stories. Requires a different type of patience.They’ll tell you their religious and political beliefs implied between the lines of long tales, some tall, some shorter. Not directly, or abstractly as ideas, but ideas embedded in narratives—life stories. And you test one another through tales as well.

In Boston, where i used to live, you would get someone’s best three ideas, here you will get their best three tales which carry all their ideas. Bit more Jewish than Greek, i think! They way here.

One time, we had rats in the attic, we called a local, and before he would tell us what to do about the problem, he told us at least six great rat stories from his long career. My wife wondered if he’d ever get to the point of fixing the problem, which he eventually did, but not until we had lots of rat wisdom!

Just met an old timer today, who told me old Spanish stories when Texas was still deciding who it was, or rather who to ally with in being itself. Great stories, little fables and parables—that’s how people are here. I like the ways of the South despite her long shadows. There isn’t a day goes by, that i don’t hear a story here. I appreciate that.

Heard one today about a man’s grandma who used mascara on her legs because in that day, you couldn’t afford stockings or hose. And carried that mentality into his generation—rationing, being careful with resources, and thinking about the next generation. Good values, even if you must use mascara on your legs.

Plus, this little place welcomes all sorts of people, but to really get to know each other, you will need to tell and listen to a few good stories first! Then, you have a place at the table forever.

Plus, stories last forever if they are good. I like stories as a way of carrying what we know, requires us all to become better story interpreters. That’s one thing this region teaches, how to tell and listen to a good story. I appreciate that about it. All my uncles were tall tales, and told them as well. I still like that way. I still like stories as a way of knowing.

Stories as a way in the South….
People tell you what they really believe through telling stories down here in Texas. All sorts and colors of stories. They’ll tell you their religious and political beliefs implied. Not directly. And you test one another through tales as well. Just met an old timer who told me old Spanish stories when Texas was still deciding who it was, or rather who to ally with in being itself.

Great stories, little fables and parables—that’s how people are here. I like the ways of the South despite her long shadows. There isn’t a day goes by, that i don’t hear a story here. I appreciate that.

Heard one today about a man’s grandma who used mascara on her legs because in that day, you couldn’t afford stockings or hose. And carried that mentality into his generation—rationing, being careful with resources, and thinking about the next generation. Good values.

Plus, this little place welcomes all sorts of people, but to really get to know each other, you will need to tell a good story. Then, you have a place at the table forever.

Plus, stories last forever if they are good.

So why do stories still matter:

Story telling is a way of carrying truth in the south, and many other parts of the world. Stories hold things like dreams do, in symbol.

All the parables are contained in a good story down here. I myself was the only one to return to Texas in my family. The myth of Texas has many aspects of the truth in it. The sky really is bigger than anywhere I’ve lived, which is nearly everywhere. So possibility resides here.

Appreciating Texas and Austin’s ways today. Friendly creative and story telling. Like where I grew up but more global in its thinking. What starts here, changes the world. But almost always it starts in story.

We tell stories to get to know one another. We don’t make points, we tell tales.

If you look at the two ways of knowing as Greek or Hebrew. A way of abstracting principles versus telling or embedding things in concrete symbols as also native Americans and indigenous peoples tend towards, then texas’ epistemology certainly leans towards the later. We know through symbolic story.

I appreciate that about it. Makes you have to become a good story interpreter to get at the heart of things. I like that practice.

I love considering different cultural and regional ways of knowing and expressing what you know thus far. Story is certainty the container of knowledge down here. Each place has its gifts! And there is always this implied-you can go to the moon-mentality just in the background. Nice combo.

Plus, I learned today from an old couple, that the crawfish are coming out early this year. They teach the weather patterns round here. Nice.

A little Porch Pub wisdom your way today!

I love thinking about the gifts that each region of the earth reflects best, and how to help them work in tandem! Today was talking with Belgian friends…

Thinking of my friends in Belgium today, having just spoken to a friends from there—creative friends, as Peter Bos called them collectively. Curious, friendly and easy going-good characteristics that region reflects! Each region reflects unique aspects of the big pattern. Thankful today for friendliness, such an underrated way on earth these days!

On the phone, i also sensed some of the eccentricity of the dutch, but with a laid back manner which is rarer in the northern parts of places. Being, is still valued. I appreciate that emphasis on relationship above just getting things done that specifically Flanders carries and reflects well! Some people see valuing relationship above productivity as a fault. I tend to value that characteristic more and more as i get older! Anyone can produce, few can Love well. Thanks to my belgian friend for reminding me of that today!

If we honored more what each nation and region is meant to carry, we would get along better, i think! And get to see more of God’s overall integrative expression of Himself! We work in global tandem down here. There are unique gifts on certain regions of the planet. Good to honor them, and express our needs for those eternal characteristics we each reflect. Plus, friendliness, for instance, the one i encountered today, can never be overrated! God, if nothing else, is a Friend!

Let’s find those gifts that one another highlight, help them shine, and find how they relate to our own!

I know that there are shadows to each region as well. As a case study, California is a great synthesizer, and can think at the speed of the north, but with the story telling wisdom of the south; yet, struggles with insularity, isolation from the whole, and materialism (which also means disparity between rich and poor–one of the biggest homeless populations in the US etc) for instance.

Yet what a great synthesizing teacher and interpreter. So many spiritual and tech movements and new metaphor have first been symbolized by her. But, not everyone can interpret her language and way, and there is a need for humble servanthood to help her wisdom get out to the rest of the nation. Still, like Paris, she speaks in poems and symbols and has a high level of visual intelligence. Yet a poem must have a servant art, as all art is meant to be a servant.

Each region, of even this nation has their own gifts, shadows and struggles. True identity, broken identity, and redeemed identity! Just like people. What God intended to reflect through you, how you messed it up, how He redeemed it. Then, we have the question of how to share our redeemed identities with one another to make a fuller expression!

If we can encourage the gifts and their connectivity to other’s, we end up with a better banquet table I think! Where I grew up is a royal haven, or safe place for regal things to develop. This got wounded of course, by pride and a sort of class system which was inherited from europe. Yet, it still is a regal safe place to haven. It struggles with connectivity with the rest of the nation at times, but also stands, as a highly educated state somewhere in between the elite of the north and elite of the south—those who could start and heal the north south divide still present in this particular struggling nation.

Interesting to think what the gifts of your region could do, and how they fit into your nation’s larger healing process and dialogue. NC is not deep south, but relates to the deep south and the intelligent quick witted north. It should be a haven for conversations on how to unify the nation at the heart level.

You have to look at integration of your region of nation as well as the global banquet of gifts to start to desire to heal your local gifts, and call them forth in tandem with other’s.

Europe as a whole, for instance, not unlike America, has a north south division. There is of course also a east west division , but often i see the north south divide as more spiritually intense. Two different ways on the same continent which need to integrate and share gifts. As in England, the industrial north and the literary south, but so much dialogue is possible now between the various parts of our nations or regions, if we can recognize one another’s gifts.

Certain places struggle more with isolation; other’s with creativity. But each of us need one another and reflect different aspects and gifts.

What’s the gift of your part of the world, and how can it be redeemed to work in relationship and mutual blessings with others? That’s been one of my guiding questions as a global person.

Of course, every region has been wounded, which is usually aimed at the exact gifts of that region. Sometimes we can find the true identity of that place, by looking at where they were most wounded. Just as it is with people. I love thinking of different regions of the world and how they need one another to be whole. Thankful for Belgian friendliness today, as well as the friendliness and can do spirit of Texas today.

We want to find, celebrate and heal our own gifts and one another’s! And then see how they are meant to collaborate and compliment on another into a fuller expression! That’s my passion, anyway! Again, what are the gifts you carry, your neighborhood and city carry collectively, then your nation? And how to move to healing those, then considering how they could bless and collaborate with other regions of the global family! Fun meditation today!

In a local cafe today…
Today in my local cafe, two guys writing songs out loud to one another, about the just before Spring place in life, another set of friends, working on a new website, still another annotating old musical notation from Bach, still another older couple talking about the weather, and how the crawfish have come out early. There are students, professors, and long time locals, talking Willie Nelson and the new south. There are vets in the corner playing hard darts, and swapping war stories, there is a couple who do animation and run one of the local fest. There are the public television folks talking about what matters to cover locally. And a few new folks from California and Seattle considering bbq and music and where they meet. Nice local banquet conversation. Two priest from different denomination discussing local breweries and doing some needed research. A golf pro, a face book exec, a beer distributor, an award winning author or two hiding in the other corners, and me observing the whole in thanks. I love diversity. My african american friends just showed up—huge family, this could turn into an observational party soon. They are charismatic and bring a long table wherever they go. This could easily turn into a Kingdom party!

My love is a secret, whispered over time into my inner heart. Thankful for this long unfathomable poem my wife is. My love is a strong mystic poet and poem, a leader and teacher, and a dreamer with land in her veins. A Scottish celtic song. A Seer, with her feet on earth, but her eyes in heaven. A steward of beauty.
Thankful for her way on the earth today, and every day throughout the year! Love is a mystery which comes to earth wrapped draped and fabric-ed in Love. Thankful to be married to a practical mystic and teacher who still puts up with my shenanigans!
God has been kind to me through Amy.
Of course, our Real Lover, the object of our ultimate affection who gave us to one another in the first place, stands behind and between us smiling through one another as we gaze at one another in wonder and love, and as we learn to care and love one another in time. Good to have a common Lover between us, helps us see one another’s beauty more acutely and accurately.
Thankful for that Lover today also! Love’s context and contextualizer who teaches us how to love one another, down here. Every particular love flows from that fact: For God so loved the world….nice that we share that Love.
Anytime, i forget I’m loved, i look at Amy, for God so loved me, that he gave me this lovely poem to learn to read forever….thanks God, and thanks Amy for being my forever valentine! Love is a long lesson, great to be learning it with you my love!