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Seeing Europe again…

26 Wednesday Oct 2016

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Seeing Europe:
Had a vision of God pouring huge amounts of fresh water and healing liquid into the rivers of Europe. Some from the high places—i saw the alps and high mountains—the sources, then also saw some of the valley rivers which supply the water to the wine in vineyards etc…Look to the rural areas as well not just her urban centers. He is refreshing her from without and within.
Over europe, He is pouring out vessels of liquid now into her rivers. Watch the rivers, for healing and communications. The waterways of europe matter now. Purification from death spirits and buried sins. Confession is in order. Confess the sins of your recent and distant fore-parents. Pray that He will cleanse your waters, and make them flow with life again. Many things are buried in her rivers. Many sins, and some treasures. Elijah’s time they raised the axe from the waters. The prophets are often near waters.
In terms of His Church—letting burn off the dying parts and bringing much breath into the living parts—resuscitation of her heart. Checking her pulse to see blood flow between parts of the lands and His People in them. Connection matters to get blood flow in Europe.
To do: confess the generational sins which took place on different lands. Repent from amnesia about God. Seek His Face or Presence actively. Use prayer to come into His Presence often. Pray for your rivers, sources and that His Blood would flow in His Body to unify it in prayer and priestly activities. This is a time of healing and turning and unifying in His Body. And the tone is her prayer life.
The rivers must be clarified in order to baptize the coming harvest ones. Many will quickly of suddenly turn and see Him, and His Face; so be in preparation for his european harvest! Start by getting the baptism rivers cleaned and cleared of debris spiritually, and literally if necessary. Prayer walks where people are picking up trash and dredging parts of the rivers, especially near or at the entrances or exits to major cities!
I’ve seen this before, there are river gateways at the entrances and exits of major cities, if they have a river; so pray over these spaces for cleansing and refreshing.
I’m pulling up false anchors which have wedged at the gates and blocked a good flow of spiritual waters. Purification flowing in, so purer waters flow out. Source of life—the water. All the vegetation is dependent on the state of the waters.
Life flowing in and out back to supply the farmers and agriculture etc…
river are also about connectivity between the right cities and nations and peoples especially in the Body which symbolizes and activates the rest, by starting in His Spirit. A time of unity and collaboration is coming. Work for unity in His Body between many parts which are still living.
 The urban centers and marketplaces meant to broadcast His Love and His Kingdom ways. Preaching and being the Kingdom in the centers of the cities is important also, as nets to catch and nurture the many fish which are coming. Some of the older frames are obsolete, others will be used. YWAM for instance or salvation army etc…consider where there is living fruit or Life in them. Shave off what’s not living. Edit the into the true church. Find it, highlight and bring needed nutrients into the living parts of His Body.
Church must take the lead in modeling ecumenism as well as generosity to the foreigner orphan etc…it is starting to. But must take the initiative as the conscience of the nations. And the state of her hearts. Prayer positions us to receive more of His Kingdom and His Presence. That’s our orientation now—to prepare for outpouring. To prepare for the rains of heaven. We can’t afford to ignore working on nurturing the health and heart of His True Church. It is vital for the whole of the european continent, as a place of true dialogue between the nations.

How to basically help people

26 Wednesday Oct 2016

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How to help people:
Basically if I am looking at a person in order to help them or disciple or guide them, I ask in prayer: where are they at in their spiritual growth Lord? What are you trying to give them now? How is the enemy trying to block it? And how are you working redemptively in their lives to bring wholeness? I ask this in prayer for people, cities and nations. It’s a simple method which has worked for me. It allows me to partner more with God is actually giving each person or place, and not just give them my own ideas.
Jesus discerned their true needs, their real questions, before He responded or taught them. “Perceiving their hearts, He turned and said…” That priestly seeking of God for others, comes first if we really want to be helpful. This is also how ministry can become part of your true spirituality or increasing union with Christ. We get in awe after we can see what He is really up to in this person or place’s life. It perforce, forces us to appreciate and love Him more, which is “the big law” Jesus taught.
  Christianity is a spirituality of increasing union with Jesus Christ and who He is, and therefore leads us into The Father and His Love for His Son. That’s its most basic spirituality—increasing union with Christ, so becoming more like Him in an embodied way, caught up in that space between Father and Son, in every area of who we are. We visit His cross, die to self, through confession and forgiveness, and move into His New Life in each area progressively as He leads us. So the ultimate goal is to be found “in Him”. That practice towards union is our daily practice.
We can read another person by where their spirit is with Christ’s. And start to see in prayer what they may need next in their journey with and into Him.
And He is always working to form more of Himself in each of us, so we can be found more in Him on that day. Our spirituality is a progressive series of deaths to self to enter more of Himself and therefore our true eternal selves. We lose ourselves to find ourselves in Him.
Each of us, is capable of being shown where we are spiritually, and what we need next to grow into our next season. The job of counselor is to help facilitate this process.

Love for women!

24 Monday Oct 2016

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 Blessings  for women everywhere-not worship, but blessings. I bless you specifically with safety to become who you are, being fully seen, protection and sanctity!
 Riding the wave of this wedding, and considering the gender contention around these elections, today I recalled standing there at the wedding this weekend, staring at all these beautiful daughters, wives, mothers and grandmothers at one point, and feeling Father’s heart for all women. We are given those categories of sight in scripture to see women through–daughter, sister, bride, mother and grandmother. That’s it really. Good to remember.
  I try to do that in my heart and my imagination always. Anything less is a broken image of how He sees us. I want to see people whole, especially women in our times, or closer to how He sees us. Seeing one another well is healing for us all, and is a discipline for both men and women. Let’s sanctify our imaginations to see  one another well, it helps–ie in alignment with Kingdom categories of vision. Then we will treat one another as kings and princes, queens and princesses–that is, as who we really are!
Sorry, every once and awhile, i just have a pure father moment….
  Listen women. I just want to bless you all from a place of wholeness from a man of God (or one who is at least chasing after His Character), who is not in competition with you or wanting to abuse or use you, or who needs you for my own needs. And who tries not to form you in the image of my own needs-or objectify you, but to appreciate and encounter you as you are–a poem of God! Each so specially nuanced! And worthy of endless consideration, honoring and protection into becoming…
 Be blessed and seen women! I’m very thankful for you all. In the midst of so much confusion (in the midst of a crisis in distinctions-gender, authority and every other area!), just want you all to know how dearly you are loved, covered, and seen, adored cared and heart-warred for. Speaking from His father heart to you all. Be blessed lovely persons! Father love to you in the deeper spaces of your subtle, and unseen, and ever more beautiful  parts of your hearts. You are dearly loved cared for and seen. Sorry for all our sins against you, but we are here, and care about your journey, and will protect it. Much love, from father’s in Him, everywhere. D
 Gender wars are the way of the enemy, the prince of the atmosphere. Let’s not move in that atmosphere, instead, let’s move in The Kingdom’s, which is fragranced by the tone and atmosphere of Love, and it’s radiance. We do have a choice. Whether to be governed by hatred of one another and competition, or mutual caring. This is true with genders, races, cities and nations. We have to chose to love one another. Let’s!
I’d like to move in the opposite spirit of these elections, and our current atmosphere, and reach out in blessing towards women. Feels important now, for men to bless women, and vice versa. Let’s go over the top with it.
“In the ears of God, there is an intercessor and an accuser constantly speaking-a blesser and a curser; let’s join the stream of blessings towards one another.” I’d like the bless women from men today. So i think i will. Or, just did! Be blessed friends!

Airstream studies…

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

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From the airstream study this month:
 Reading these two books by Albert Schweitzer, in tandem this week. Deep food. Neither of which i knew this man ever wrote. You never know what people are doing in their spare time. In the case of Albert Schweitzer, who was an organist, medical missionary, philanthropist, author, teacher and nobel prize winner, i found it interesting to think about what he was considering in his down time!
 Plus, I’m really interested in looking at St Paul as a mystic! Since his entire story starts with this blinding mystical vision and encounter with the Risen Christ and follows from there. Looking forward to digging into these rare books this month. Plus, i love controversial books! They tend to stir things up into useful conversation.
 Of course, i’m also reading from the book of D! A piece of book art I made myself. If I ever did an autobiography it would look like that. And you’d have to piece together the text in between to imagine the narrative!
 Nice to be in the monastic study this month, in the midst of many happenings. I love sitting under the cloud of witnesses and beneath the elders who have gone further into the forest of knowing than i! Sitting under their covering, helps us grow faster. As Jeremiah put it, those who do… “shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out its roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but its foliage shall be luxuriant; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit..” Luxuriant foliage—that’s what I’m talking about!
 I know many reject authority these days, but some people actually do have more of the Author in them than others! And an oak tree doesn’t have to be perfect to sit under its shade. The Light and the shade is the thing. “Don’t wait for your teachers to be perfect before you receive the best seeds they carry.” as my mentor put it.
 Also fun having a mobile library. A portable study. Bring the knowledge to da people. Like having your office in the Succoth tent! Plus, actual books (codex form hardcopy) still really make me happy. They are still objects of wonder to me. I collect way too many of them. Nice to have a studio office nations study and counseling center all in one metaphor. Although i think i need a periodic table like in old libraries. “To be surrounded by books, is like having wallpaper made of knowledge.”

Jeremiah’s times like ours?!

19 Wednesday Oct 2016

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Like Jeremiah’s times, ours:
Certain stories in scripture are windows into your own time. Most of the book of Jeremiah is. Jeremiah’s time needed a clear voice of God to be heard. Empires were rising and falling, there were few good leaders, and outside of King Josiah, few great kings. Still, Jeremiah counseled on through the entire collapse of his nation, and felt it all, and prophesied hope based on vision of a future glory.
Who are the Jeremiah’s in our time? And who the Daniel’s who read the words of Jeremiah, and had hope that God was still sovereign. Who are the Ebed Molech’s who advocated for the prophetic voice? Who are the leaders of peace, who realized power and authority are temporarily given to fulfill God’s purposes?! Who are those like Daniel who are poised to give prophetic counsel to the kings of our day? Who can interpret dreams and know God in the symbolic realm, and see His Realm interfacing with ours? Who can keep themselves as pure as Daniel and rule even while in a foreign land?
 Reading Jeremiah (my favorite prophet, priest, poet) again today, as a lens on our own times. Shaking of empires, weak leadership, not listening to or being able to recognize, the voice of the Lord (The Voice which is in the tone of Love) coming through Jeremiah etc. There are many parallels to now—increasing shaking between the nations daily. Lots of false interpreters, few true ones. The media was bad in his times, didn’t think long term or contextualize properly. Conversely, Jeremiah said that,
“Israel is the Lord’s hallowed portion”-His central symbol and dwelling place, among the nations, so symbolize His heart for humanity, and the nations.
 His sacred symbolic people did two great evils in those days. They rejected the fountain of Living Waters (the Source of Life), and they built for themselves cisterns to hold the water in.
In his times, there were also the sins of rejecting the voice of God, turning to other gods, oppressing and not welcoming the foreigners or defending the orphans and poor and oppressed, or keeping the sabbath. Lots of sins, not unlike our own these days. Remember, Jeremiah was really a social justice prophet in many ways. Spoke often with the people and talked in the outer court of the temple where the conversations took place. He also stayed with the poor and others not considered worthy of taking away to Babylon. He was a man acquainted with the griefs of the regular salt of the earth people. And even decided in the end after prophesying to them against it, to go down to Egypt to be with the remnant. Powerful sign and example, his life. And apropos for our times. We certainly need some people moving in the way and spirit of Jeremiah the prophet!
 There were two types of sins the people in his days were committing most overtly, and are specific. One is rejecting God Himself, the other is forging our own containers of spirituality. The water speaks of whatever type of spirituality we fill our hearts with. And they were guilty of building their own spiritualities rather than the one provided by God. To reject God, and to build our own spiritual containers—both of these sins put them in a place about to be more severely judged. He would rather not, and offers ways out. Jeremiah said if the king surrendered the city would be spared. The prophet was thrown into the pit for that “word”.
 In their case, Jerusalem being destroyed. Jeremiah warned, interpreted and offered future hope; he also bore witness in his own poetic heart (was very human, complained lamented even quit the job once), to the suffering, and stayed in Jerusalem to see it destroyed- openly seeing and lamenting poetically God’s Heart.   Wondering where the Jeremiah’s are in our times? We need some.
Those risen up to warn beforehand, and sit with during, interpreting the news of the day (his outer court job), counsel kings both good and bad ones, and offer future vision afterwards from God’s perspective. We need those guys around these days!
We need some Jeremiah’s these days. Enjoying looking at the world through his times today. I like looking at the stories in the book as lenses to see through into and interpret our own times more accurately. Human patterns haven’t changed. Nor has God. Fun study today.
Jeremiah, a priest and son of a priest, played this tough role in history, and did so for many years, allowing himself to see feel and express…
One of my favorite Jeremiah quotes:
   One of the prophet’s famous sayings is the one in which he points out that wisdom, might, and riches, are nothing compared to the happiness (inner contentment) that man achieves through real knowledge and understanding of the ways of G‑d: “Thus saith the L-rd: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches. But let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he understandeth and knows Me personally, that I am the L-rd Who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight, saith the L-rd.” That guy had some things to say, and they still speak!

Considering the creatures!

17 Monday Oct 2016

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My wife was at an animal rescue center today in upstate New York, she knows how much I love the creatures and birds specifically. Might be my Cherokee heritage.
These guys were all rescued after hurt on the highway. Check out these two wonders-what specific glory!
I love birds, in particular, they move me. Hawks, Owls, and kestrels are my favorites-they reflect and contain deep parts of God! Both of these were hit by cars and so being healed now. What creatures! Red tailed hawks are one of my favorites-so keen and focused.
I always feel like they move in the spirit of Nimrod in the great stories of the scriptures. Gorgeous articulate birds. And owls are just made of wisdom.
We have several owls who hunt at night on our land. So still, in presence and a known silence.
Thanks for seeing those today my love Amy McDonald Chapman!
I’ve always prayed for a Noah anointing to care for the creatures. In some ways, he was like a pre-second Adam, getting to haven and re-name the animals by caring for them. I also love that after that flood, God also made a covenant with the animals! Not just us. Creatures make me happy just by considering them!

Stewarding the stare of creatures!

14 Friday Oct 2016

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Stewarding the expectant stare of the creatures—attempts at Adam-ing!
  Psalm 123. I know some people don’t meet God through animal care, or nature or haven’t caught His heart for the earth and creation, but it’s the same lessons of life in whatever medium you learn through.
 This dog (Jakob, my Jewish dog with a built in Yarmulke) gets that psalm. How we are meant to look towards God the way a dog does to his master-in total hope and expectancy, faith, or higher trust, for everything! I’m slightly altering the metaphors of that psalm, but the sentiment is the same. Earnest expectation of the best from your Master. I learn so much from my creatures.
 Of course, it also challenges me to be a somewhat decent and present father, considering his needs above my own. When a creature is that reliant and looking in hope at you, it makes you want to show up as your best self.
 The psalmist is expressing something a bit higher- to lift up our eyes to Him who is enthroned in Heaven as your hope and provider, but creatures echo that pattern daily, and we learn it all through daily life. This way of looking, puts us in a position to receive what we really need!
 We all look to a Higher to help us out, even just for food, water, air, and we have to trust it to come through daily, in order to live.
 Creatures look to us for safety, food, enjoyment, and it requires us to consider their actual unique needs in their creature-ness, which is also to consider who or what they were created to be, which is a mediation on God’s creativity outside of us.
 Of course, there needs may be simpler than ours (sometimes i wonder, as this dog has about a 43 word vocabulary and can distinguish between a scarf and a hat-in english and Spanish, as i try to speak to him in both, and some hebrew of course!), but just as our basic needs and orientation towards the Universe—trust in love is involved!
 And we can’t just project our needs on them, or expect them to parent us, as happens in some families unfortunately—parental inversion, i think it’s called in counseling.
No, turns out the creatures beneath us have their own needs, and position themselves in a way which calls us forth into parenthood!
 Anyway, animals are cool when you really engage with them, as God’s poetry, and our responsibility to steward and guide well.
 Thankful today for this expectantly hopeful dog. His hope in the best of me, helped me to be a better person today. More sacrificial. I enjoyed stewarding the hopeful stare of my dog today!
  Like Adam, who got to name some of the animals, or discover their names (identities) together with God, we still have this responsibility to recognize their identities and steward the little passing but somehow eternal poetry of being, they each are. Fun stewarding the creatures once it becomes part of your spirituality.
 jakobs-expectancy

Beauty is in the “I” of the beholder! How to teach art.

14 Friday Oct 2016

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Studying Martin Buber, the great jewish thinker mystic interpreter, on teaching art:
“Thus, when a teacher relies on explaining art (much like explaining God, versus leading people towards encounter!), rather then educating towards experiencing the painting or the sculpture. Only very rarely, such an approach will lead to a personal change in the way of life of the student, which may alter his or her manner of creating and relating to art, or towards creativity. Buber states that:
 “This is the eternal origin of art that a human being confronts a form that wants to become a work through him. Not a figment of his soul but something that appears to the soul and demands the soul’s creative power. What is required is a deed that a man does with his whole being: if he commits it and speaks with his being the basic word to the form that appears, then the creative power is released and the work comes into being.”
In other words, art can be transformative if encountered well.
An interview with a musician recently: “I am creating the work with the audience as mid air collaboration, depending on how deeply we show up and collaborate (with each other, with God), something transcendent and transformative can happen. But we both must show up fully in our deeper selves.”
We’ve all experienced this is great concerts–a Third (The Holy Spirit) is present, and we are mutually altered by it.
 Buber would call that the I-thou exchange versus the I-it. He considered it a grace give by God to encounter the heart of the other from our hearts. But something we could be positioned for, or oriented towards, in life, when we treat one another in love.
I might add, love puts us in a position for spirit to Spirit depth transformative encounter with one another, nature, or God.
 I love studying aesthetics and religion. In college, my mentor wrote a great article using Buber’s categories called, “Beauty is in the “I” of the beholder”. If you want to understand a piece of art, you have to “show up” with your deeper self, your heart.   He applied it to the life of St Francis, and it’s effects on nature around him.
 The Christian native american thinker John Sanford, who my wife studied under recently, has some good thoughts to add on this topic in his recent book called “healing the land”-nice christian perspective on spiritual ecology, which few Christian thinkers have really addressed well–our relationship with Nature.
 Still, my mentor’s article is one of my favorite articles on the purpose of art. It’s meant to engage our deeper spirit in a collaborative becoming process. That’s why we like to look at art, or make it, at the end of the day. It changes us, if encountered deeply enough, just as real conversation with other people, or nature, can and does. Deep to deep, spirit to Spirit encounter alters us, or allows God to fashion new contours in us.

Two monk’s quotes, i made up.

13 Thursday Oct 2016

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Two monk’s quotes from study this week, which i liked. I learn so much from studying other’s spiritualities, especially those who have matured into good and useful wine:
“To think of another person, genuinely at least, as more important and majestic in meaning, as and than yourself. That’s daily practice. People are poetry. Treat one another as creations of God, and live as one.
(A father-abbot- monk to his student: his last advice)
Live your lives constantly before God.
Stay in Father God. Remain in Him. Do everything before Him. Live in front of God, as if He were your only audience. You will then live a meaningful life and become who you are. As the hills surround Jerusalem, be constantly surrounded by God. Let God dwell inside of you and around you. That will alter the atmosphere and bless others. Concentrate on nothing else—fix your Gaze on God, as the prophet Daniel did, and you will gain true understanding. Even when studying scriptures look only for God—meet Him in study. Meet His Spirit through the words. That is how to read the book devotionally. Don’t read just for ideas, read to meet God! Do everything to meet God. Garden to meet Him, talk with others to meet Him, do your chores to meet God. Do these things in His Peace and kindness towards creation. Then you will live well.  Jesus only did what He constantly saw His Father doing. Live like that. A life of love and service will follow.”
My other favorite quote this week, my mom reminded my wife today, that my grandfather used to say, before travel: “Don’t accept any wooden nickels.” In other words don’t settle for the lesser version of things, wait for His best. And discern the difference. Sort of like not going after “fool’s gold”. Or doing the soul version of what is meant to be led by The Spirit-picking a Saul, when God wants to give you a David! Got to love southern wisdom idioms. So much life wisdom packed into a small phrase. Portable wisdom!