I wrote a song for this black dirt running down the hill of the backyard in rain today. It made me think about all that dirt carries…so, I wrote a song for the dirt in the back yard on a hill today….i like it ok, needs some work on the poetry level and lots of editing, but the content interest me. See what you think, i’ll keep a working on it in the meantime, here goes.

I think a lot about the soil these days, and how we’re meant to relate to it. As I said last week the three neglected areas now are: soil (the earth), sight (the imagination) and skin (how to relate the physical body). Anyways, this one was about the soil part….hope you enjoy it, and may your dirt turn to gold one day, or something even better, and more fruitful friends!

Dirt Song

The soil today, in particular fading evening light, runs black in a late day rain flight,
as it often does after wet mists just before sunset;
not, perhaps, on its own volition, but it seems
the earth is under
forced labor to know itself these day. And reminds us of something
systematically culled, plowed, churned, overexposed through years or poor tending, not listening to her well;
And, with our bones all mixed in it, swelling in half song, half moan, forwards, now waiting for something to turn us both into gold, or something more precious than we think we are;
more precious than metal at least.

And even the fields, out back, have forgotten their names by now-that one
for instance, used to be called “watermelon borough”. The hobo men used to jump off trains
just at the sight of all that glowing wet glory, with potential watermelon red fountain within!
But they too now have
forgotten how to return on their own, to prize true treasure, to unearth their own nuances, memories of yielding; or purposes in time. We all forgot our names, so cannot name.
After a while, even this dirt has amnesia. I need to talk to it again-tell her of her potential
wet her nutrients again.
Recall the poem clay and day are, and will be. God looked at dirt and saw humanity. Saw the shape in the clay beforehand.

So, this is the least I can do.
Tell my backyard, she can still sing life, be renewed!
Welcome the birds, and then just listen, for once. Not talk at, not use, not make money off, not even try to make her sustainable, just listen. Be still, and know.

I try to recall the Belgium poppies for hope-to visualize that crimson golden mustard smeared red growing glow from the back of soldiers meant for a king’s robe’s color, but
this is a type of silent groaning which weighs on you after a while, and you too just go silent, like vacant suburbs near malls; and, we
rarely hear that whisper call of evening, until it’s too late.

So, I try to listen into dirt’s silence until the light fades, and this day, at least
is finished.

I try to pronounce rest over us.
I try to say Sabbath with my being. But,
Night has already come, it seems. Or some turbulent darkness
has once again crept in.

Yet, at dawn today, in morning prayer, already there was talk of light breaking over us all, into and through us somehow.

So, I recall morning prayers again, and poppy seeds,
even while I’m watching this soot gather at the base of our tiny hill this evening, and the hens next door running away, in fear in all our backyards,
I’m still seeing, maybe in dream, maybe in night light, red poppies poking out their faces again from inside of
the black earth. And, I know what I saw in the light of prayer this morning! This prismatic resurrection
was already occurring,
even during the night while we slept in Silence,
despite us.

Song for the dirt today:
The soil today, in particular fading evening light, runs black in a late day rain
as it often does after rain mists just before sunset;
not, perhaps, on its own volition, but it seems
the earth is under
forced labor to know itself these day. And reminds us of something
systematically culled, plowed, churned, overexposed through years or poor tending, not listening to well,
with our bones all mixed in it, swelling in half song, half moan, forwards, now waiting for something to turn us both into gold, or something more precious than we think we are;
more precious than metal at least.
And even the fields, out back, have forgotten their names by now-that one
for instance, used to be called “watermelon borough”. The hobo men used to jump off trains
just at the sight of all that glowing wet glory, with potential watermelon red fountain within!
But they too now have
forgotten how to return on their own, to prize true treasure, to unearth their own nuances, memories of yielding; or purposes in time. We all forgot our names, so cannot name.
After a while, even this dirt has amnesia. I need to talk to it again-tell her of her potential
wet her nutrients again.
Recall the poem clay is, and will be. God looked at dirt and saw humanity. Saw the shape in the clay beforehand. So, this is
the least I can do. Tell my backyard, she can still sing life! Welcome the birds, and then just listen, for once. Not talk at, not use, not make money off her, not even try to make her sustainable, just listen. Be still, and know.
I try to recall the Belgium poppies for hope-to visualize that crimson golden mustard smeared red growing from the back of soldiers, meant for a king’s robe’s color, but
this is a type of silent groaning weighs on you after a while, and you too go silent like vacant suburbs near malls; and, we
rarely hear that whisper of evening, until it’s too late. I try to listen into dirt’s silence until the light falls, and this day, at least
is finished. I try to pronounce rest. I try to say Sabbath with my being. But,
Night has already come, it seems. Or some darkness
has once again crept in.
Yet, dawn, in morning prayer, has already started breaking over us all, into and through us somehow,
even while I’m watching this soot gather at the base of all our tiny hill
in all our backyards, I’m seeing red poppies poking out their faces again from within
the black earth. I know what I saw in the light this morning! This prismatic resurrection
was already occurring, even during the night while we slept in Silence.

Prague art talk went well. I’m learning as I go. I don’t think I’ve ever had a translator before. So need to go slower. It helped to have some of my main points down, and to do a brief intro about who I am and what I carry. I talked about wanting to create a space for artists to integrate their art making with their spirituality, and to minister to artists. That Amy and I both had a heart to bless artist with a spiritual context both coming out of church backgrounds and art school ones. That we wanted to be part of God integrating them.

I gave God’s Oneness as the foundation for His desire to come and make every area of ourselves a meeting place, and place of the sanctification process. I told Him that we had released this baptism of the imagination, and that at first, pornographic vision came out, then another process began, of cleansing the perception by making it a meeting place with God etc

The feed back was really good. Esp of course with artist. One girl said time stood still for her as i talked. That what I carry was so REAL. She saw something in that. And that just from me talking awkwardly in front of people, with a mic. Thank You God!

Some people liked the points–I talked about the three most common obstacles to creative freedom or flow: Not filled with Holy Spirit; fear of loss of control so being controlling; lack of faith that God can meet us in this area just as He does in every other area; no models of integrated creative and spiritual–like CS Lewis and a few others…

People seemed really touched and challenged. Cool stuff. I felt like there could’ve been a bit more for “non-artists” about the value of getting to know God in this area, partly to know how innovative, hopeful and how much life it brings!!

I also felt that Sasa helped me at the end, but asking me to speak about Prague in its relationship to what I was saying. I said that I felt she needed a true image of herself again, and that God desires to project that image on her. That she would see herself truly!

I got Mattias wife’ question also–what about non-artists? That helps. I talked to her about how it brings life, hope and vision of possibilities to join God in His Creative process. Because the Holy Spirit is there hovering, and where this spirit is there is freedom etc. That there are very practical reasons for know God as artist and new visioner; helps us get out of ruts etc; brings hope etc.
Overall, it makes me realize that this is actually helpful to people! That something about mentioning the Holy Spirit and art in the same sentence alone gives permission to integrate things in people!

I could get better on intro and exit; i do think that some of the personal story helps at the beginning, and some of the deeper teaching in the middle–the foundations for a theology of the arts–then applying it to the people there, and there city specifically was good. I think i could add a section for “non-artists” so no one is alienated and people who do not primarily create, can get the teachings and desire to know this part of The Father.

I was encouraged that it worked in a different culture as well; and felt that Prague specifically could really use leaders or guides in the arts; there are many artists, but the church expression is not letting them get fed, or even the basic good news. The recovering Christians resonated with the part about control. That God’s creativity is FREE! That He desires us to know this freedom and not fear loss of control and so get controlling or block Him from meeting us in our creative.

There is something for both needed here; as you have lots of creatives who’ve been spiritually abused or boxed or stifled. And then you have artists who desire a higher motivation or context for their art making.
I felt this same spiritual anointing of integration on me, and saw it active in the one girl Klara; the other girl Lenka had a charismatic background, so for her it was like hearing someone who had that language, but also was an artists and cared for artists. She got that part. Cool stuff.

I could feel that there is a much larger knowledge base to draw from now in me; and that was fun to offer some meat mixed in with tales of freedom etc. I’m thankful He has developed some of the bases in me, so i can offer it from scriptures as well!

So the modeling it was also important–to be free as I spoke and expressed the teachings–that modeled integration and authenticity. And helped it go in!
One fellow said that this little group is one of the few places that this integration could take place, for there was not control or religion.
I do feel it is time to father some of this stuff into His People; and i will get better at how to carry it; but it is really needed. We had the same response at cornerstone festival Amy and I spoke at years back.

I liked it in the context of working with Sasa as well; it was interesting him translating what I was saying; at one point, i just said, i will go to my three points now on my phone to bring some order; that really helped. I will use notes in the future; especially if there are distractions. I liked it.

I think i could really enjoy this! It really helps people; at the end, i did have the feeling like I wish there was something people could plug into locally to help nurture this integration between their spirit life and their creative life. There are no spaces here for that; other than controlling church ones. I felt the same for that girl at Cornerstone. I wonder if I should create a space like this–i know we just tried; but it is hard to know what to tell them, when there is no where to go locally on it. Perhaps I am that space as a spiritual father, but there should also be literal little arts communities for people to plug in.

There is something about modeling the way, and then praying that integration in; but there is also the need for follow up and ongoing spaces to help artist balance it all. Things are not fully in place yet for this, but i would love to be part of making the sturdy ship or a true Noah’s Other Boat space.
It would be nice to model it locally as a symbol, and then parent it in travel; plant seeds, and hold up the possibility.

A video of last night with Sasa and I speaking together would’ve been cool–first time we did that! He was translating, and I would love to have that as documentation. Perhaps the 1st need to go unseen though. But I like the encouragement of seeing that happen, and to share it with others–whatever God puts on people as they teach. Plus for others to see and be blessed.

Trying to become a better teacher, not just a manifestor, or manipester! Not just a model, but also able to put my seeds in multiple types of soils culturally and just in people in general.

To reproduce it other spaces, and to remember what I said, and how–would help me get better at it! Especially the stuff around sanctification of the imagination. Would’ve loved to see it later and see what was imparted, and what I could improve on. We never spoke together like that. I should have had Klara video it. Alas! Still, it happened. Thanks God. God says it’s just a beginning. Still, I would have loved to have more documentation because of it being a new season for me in this area-of officially bringing what I carry and going on stage with it. It’s the on stage part I would’ve liked to document! IT WOULD BE COOL TO HAVE IT SHOT ARTISTICALLY-A LECTURE FORMAT! Like I could see that one, with some shots of the atmosphere of that space, and then a vignette look with Sasa and I, and really model the message in the medium, so that the form was artistic and not business conference looking. Then that sermon could go out as a real piece visually as well as spiritual content. That would be so cool. Think if you had one’s of anointed teachings that were shot really artistically! I could get a few people to shoot them well as I was on stage. I would LOVE that! Not just for me, but to model the whole message of integrating the creative with the spiritual message etc. I will get that rolling next time! Always have someone shooting video, and a decent mic! And lighting. That would be so cool to do artistic shoots for ministers and teachers as well. To get a better more true frame around their messages–using the particular content as the aesthetic tone guide for the shoot. For me personally, when I’m onstage, it also brings this theatrical element that I think would make my carrying of it better in terms of presence etc. Using the arts part to deliver the message. I wasn’t all the way there last night. Still, i would’ve liked to have it documented! So that what I am doing on the road is more visible as well. For so many years, it has been invisible. Now that God is developing a fuller word, i would love to have that captured artistically, so it could go out other places.

I know that I have a sense of loss there, where cool stuff that happens is not documented well. Those magic nights at the Bloom even–i wish…So when i do these gigs, would be cool to have a little team or person even to do artistic documentations with texture of venue and interviews with people afterwards–partly so I can see what happened, and partly to reproduce it for those not there; and partly as a learning tool to get better at it. Haven’t spoke like that since The Roxy year and years ago. As part of the service. Cool beans.I liked it. Helped to have notes!

Nothing is lost!! He says. All is to come! Many more exotic venues on your circuit! Get them documented next time to share them, access etc…make or take a team to document what you are carrying–really artistically, as a holistic model of how to carry this message about integration and sanctification of the imagination in a creative way, so medium matches message.

I was also thinking in a traditional service, cool to have little prayer groups as well; it lets the Spirit move the knowledge in deeper. Communion is more whatever form suits that group; realizing that many are recovering from religion, and others grew up catholic and need sacred rituals. How to accommodate all in a way that it can be a “real” meeting with Christ for them all?

Celebrating the song of ourselves into the coming seasons!

The whole person–heart, mind, and imagination-is meant to house God. For those who highlight one of these aspects, that area must even more regularly be brought to the Cross. For teachers, this would be the mind, for many healers, the heart; for prophetic people, the imagination. These must be placed entirely and repeatedly as a practice on His Altar and be consumed, so that His Pure Life can form itself into these areas of who we are. For a prophetic person, to be able to discern his own sight and feeling and thoughts from God’s is the most basic foundation of representing God to others on earth.

Our voices sound like us. I sound “like” my representation of myself-my voice is like me- because “I” am connected to my symbolic expression of myself. We symbolize ourselves. Our self expressions-how we dress ourselves, how we sound, how we walk and sit down- all flow out from who we are. Our voices represent us! The sound of myself issues from who I am. Even our literal voices are like sonic fingerprints entirely unique and flowing from who we are!

Similarly, my art, and all my creative expressions, come out of who I am, and my relationship with God. My representation of myself flows out from my own core identity and so is one with it. This is something God did in me, and that I want to help others, and the cities to do-to re-integrate their creative and cultural parts into and with their core identities. So that who we are is represented and in continuum with, what we create. I want to see the symbolic, or cultural aspect flowing from each person and city’s core identity.

You can sense when a symbol is truly connected. It is grounded in an unseen core that is unique and special. The expression itself is alive and frenetically in life. It is as when you see an artist whose work flows from his or her own true identity-you sense something true in their expression. So should it be with us and our culture. The whole process is modeling how God’s creation expresses His Core Identity (The “I am, therefore” factor). And we, who are made in His Image, should be doing the same. Our symbolic expressions should represent and flow out from who we truly are.

People symbolize themselves through how they dress, where they live, what jobs they choose, types of vehicles they drive (if they drive), virtual representations etc–but no one can escape their own symbolic dimension. For this is an aspect of how God made us–we are in His Image. All our creative expressions are meant to flow from who we truly are. It is all meant to be allowed to express their core identity. So that the whole person is connected as a poem of God.

The symbolic is an aspect of communication. It is a layer and medium for communication. What we are communicating, comes from our core, or from who we really are. Symbolic expressions are a way of holding or containing content which is issuing from our true self. Similarly God’s symbolic expressions are means of carrying messages from His I AM self–His Core identity. If we look at the symbolic as a dimension of communication, it becomes less intimidating. It’s not just about art and being creative; it is an aspect of communication. And one God clearly speaks in, and is part of who we are, in His Image. We as humans are symbolizing creatures. We represent things in symbolic language. And we dialogue with Our Creator using symbolic language. Language itself is a symbol or representation of meaning; as is the whole Bible if you think about it.

People are, by nature of what they are, symbolic. We symbolize ourselves, and our city’s, like a person, symbolize themselves. God wants to heal the connection between core identity and creativity, so that He can symbolize through each person and city what they truly are, and then, by extension, who He is–as we are His Art or expressions on earth meant to reflect back into and reveal His Core Identity! Jesus was “the exact representation of God” (Collosians). He was the uninterrupted art flowing out from who The Father is onto the earth. We are to be like Jesus, as we join His Nature in symbolizing who God is. This is part of our role on earth, especially those who are “in His Name”! This is a dynamic creative process, just as God created the universe as an expression of Himself, so we are to be symbolizing our selves on earth. In doing so, we are cultivating His Image on the earth! That is part of our mandate in this life–to bear the fruit of His Image and cultivate it!

This task is especially important in our time, as God wants to press into us in a deeper incarnation of His Life. He is interested in deep formation right now, and needs His People to yield every area of their lives to His fuller entrance–including our creativity and symbolic life. He desires to express Himself more fully through us–and this is our motivation for allowing Him to integrate and fully inhabit our creativity! We must be freed to allow Him to connect us internally, so that our symbolic aspect can flow freely out from who we truly are. Many of us need to try on and play with this interplay between core identity and expression so that we can “oil the hinges” so to speak. We need to get used to God playing within us, and allowing our expressions to flow outwards in Him. There is so much of His Life in this process. For His Creativity has the aspect of Jesus which is Life–energy, blood passion etc. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Creativity has to do with His Life.

There are many blocks to this process of creative flow out from true identity. Some are self judgements or criticisms by others, on our creativity; invalidated or undervalued creativity; the sense that to create is fleshy or self indulgent; the belief that creativity is a luxury; or the idea that my core identity is not worth expressing. None of these are true. We are as humans meant to symbolize and create expression both of who we are, and what it is to be human. It is ultimately not just about us–God Himself wants to come in and express Himself from who we are! It is for His Purposes and Glory flow that we want to get free and integrated in this area! We are to be representatives of God on earth–or symbols of what He is like (“For don’t you know that we are his poems!” Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10)–ie we are children of God, so like God we should have our creativity flowing from our identity. God Is, so He creates. We also, are, and therefore should be creating.

This is not just about art, you see. It is about God coming into us more deeply and inhabiting His living temple–which we together are! (I Cor 3:16) We are the well lit house in which every room, including our artistic studios are meant to be illuminated. He is The Light, and wants to shine it into every room of the house that we are. Yes, this requires healing and snooping around our interior houses to find which rooms are locked. But we must now! There is no time to have unseen cellars locked up and bared from Christ’s entrance. We need to allow Him into every single room of who we are, and make the whole house shine!

Recently, His Spirit has been pressing on me His Desire to incarnate more fully in anyone who is willing. He wants to occupy and then cultivate the whole self–the whole house. He actually wants to live in the house and look out its windows with us! Jesus is not over there, He is in here, and wants to peer out your inner windows and manifest Himself to others through our gazing together in Him! There is a deeper level of incarnation being made available this season! This is actually the meaning of Christmas–that God came into the house of His Own Creation and dwelt with us. He entered our very physical frame as a human and hung out on earth. He desires to make this more tangible to us-individually and collectively- in this hour. He wants to live in our house. He is looking for an inn to lay His Head in! We are that inn. The unlikely place of the birthing of Our Lord.

This is one of the reasons the prophetic has been restored in the church. It is not just for prophecy itself–which is valuable and needed–but it is, that we may better represent who God is. He is restoring His Own Symbolic nature in His People, so they can better be His representatives, or art, on earth. He wants the world to know who He is, and this is part of our motivation for allowing Him to bring home our creativity and allow it to be connected to who He says that we are, and is causing us to become. God wants to manifest His Son’s Life through us in every area. God is One, and He desperately desires us to become more one or integrated as well. Not just for our pleasure, though, we experience pleasure from being more whole, but so that He can better say to the world who He is!

When His Kingdom comes in us, it includes the symbolic aspect of who He is, and who we are. Our whole selves are being offered a deeper baptism into His Name or Identity. He desires that we go all the way under now. The creative water of His Life is flowing, and it is time for us to drown in it, and be reborn as glorious poems of God.

True identity itself is only revealed by Jesus coming into us. As we see Him, we begin to be shown who we are. That is the transformation of the gaze to The Gazer–face to face; deep to deep exchange that happens when we see Jesus’ Identity! The way to know yourself, is to seek to know Him! As He progressively enters every area of our lives, our true identity begins to shine brighter and brighter. He is a liberator of identity. Even the disciples often forgot or did not see who they were. Jesus would tell them–oh you are a great man, Nathaniel, and Jesus goes on to imply that Nathaniel was also a seer. With Peter, just after he is shown Jesus’ identity, Jesus tells Peter directly who he was, telling him the true nature of his eternal identity. Peter was a solid stoney foundational person. I imagine he would be the one on the bottom of the mosh pit, holding everyone up!

The process of coming into a clear image of ourselves is through the basic steps of: conviction and confession of sin, forgiveness of others and self for the sin, and for not allowing Jesus into that part of yourself before; inviting Jesus in, then learning what the new life is like in that part of your inner house–ie allowing His Spirit to cultivate new life there. Simply put. Realizing you need Jesus to enter another area of yourself. Confessing that you are a sinner in that area and have kept Him out, forgiving yourself for doing this in His Power of forgiveness, then others for whatever wounds they inflicted which made you not want to enter this inner room. Then allowing Him in to clean the room and repaint it in the new creation. He begins to cleanse the windows of our perception of ourselves, and put our true eternal self in true focus. He will then start to celebrate this newly renovated or converted part of yourself as His Own, and showoff the room to others.That’s the basic process of claiming more of yourself in Christ.

Then there are heavenly glimpses of our eternal selves. He will show us aspects of who we really are in dreams, visions and open prayer spaces. Most people when praying, don’t think to look at themselves. When we are truly lifted up and in prayer vision space, we want to see so much of what is there, and somehow it seems selfish to turn and look at what we are “by and in His Spirit”. But this is not a selfish act, if He draws us to gaze through His Eyes at ourselves, it is to remember God’s Perception of who we are, and to celebrate His creative creation! David does this in Psalm 139, and it is very important to see yourself as as amazing as those you are trying to help and pray for. For we are His Poems, and we should radiate and live out our lives as poems. We are meant to attract people to Him! If we have not seen the shape of glory in ourselves, we will not celebrate His shining out through us, and attract others to Himself through our lives.

Paul appears to have had one of these heavenly glimpses of his own identity moments, which he describes in…

I have had several of these glimpses of my eternal identity. In one, I was taken in the Spirit, to a rolling meadow much like the western part of Ireland, but the water, stones and earth were alive radiant, and teeming with energy. I was running very fast, and jumping and carrying messages from God who was at the origin of the longest river I had ever seen. I was literally ecstatically delivering these messages to others from Him. I could feel His joy tangibly with each step and leap! There were animals also in my part of heaven, and the streams all lead to Jesus Himself. The freedom there, just to be myself, was indescribable. In another, I was with The Father, on his lap, and he would give me these messages on stones and paper, and then i would run, fly, race and deliver them to people in the valley on earth. His pleasure was in watching me run with these messages and in how I delivered them. He took specific joy to see how I would get His words to people and places.

Like an earthly father watching in sheer delight to see how their child would run with what he had given them. I knew after that vision, that I carry messages, for the Father’s delight, not because I just want to be special or timely, but for My Father’s pleasure. That is why prophetic actions have always been fun for me. People have said to me before, you have so much fun carrying the prophetic, when usually it is so serious for others. I think this is why it is fun for me. I know that I am bringing My Father joy in carrying my little messages to others, and bringing whatever is in them; and in delivering them in His Orientation–i like giving the words in His Tone and feeling sense, not just the words of the message, but the heart of the One I am delivering them for! That’s my pleasure in life. I really enjoy making Him happy, and that makes me happy! That’s why I love prophetic activity. I also learn so much about the One I am delivering things for, as I do it! That is a huge part of my own spirituality.

I have several other visions of my own identity as well. I think I am much taller in the Spirit than I am on earth, based on a vision. And intensely colorful and energetic. One friend saw me in the Spirit, and said, “You wear color for others, but are also made of color.” There is an outer appearance, and an inner material which are analogous. This seems true to me, as we see that Jesus in His resurrected form was still recognizable, though much more radiant. And we are told that when He returns, people will still see His scars and others marks of his human identity! My point here, is we can in vision and prayer get true glimpses of our eternal identity, and live on earth accordingly.

Much of my own art making is to stay in creative “shape” so I can better present and carry the messages that God wants to speak through me. I want to be able to turn on a dime and offer the words in His exact orientation towards that person, place or thing. I call this prophetic orientation. Like Jeremiah, who at times would teach in the temple, other times, do symbolic actions, and still other times write down the words of God. I want to have the right medium for the right words. I like to be malleable in and for His Spirit to speak in the exact intonations of The Father. That is one of my passions.

Art is like the wrapping of the gift for me. Sometimes i just make art for fun without one of His gifts inside, and that is good also, as I am creative; but my highest pleasure is when i am wrapping one of God’s gifts in art to offer to others. So, when “ministering a word” ask the Father the tone He wants the message delivered in-how He wants to wrap it–what color, what type of texture or ribbon etc. Seek out a little of where the other person is at spiritually also. Then ministering becomes another way of getting to know The Father and His Ways, as you start to see why He would give to this person in this particular way considering exactly where they are at on their journey with Him. Why would He deliver this word to this person in this style or manner? What does that say about who He is? These are vital questions, if want to minister as a way of knowing who God is! That is how ministry becomes our spirituality! All ministry is a means to knowing and loving God more! We are not victims of the task of ministering–it is our medium through which we come to know God’s Ways! Ministering a “word”, for instance, should be another part of getting to know and love Our God. Not something we do “for” Him, but as a means to get to know Him, and be more “in Him”!

Returning to identity, in many ways, we can see others and our cities to the degree we can see ourselves. If we do not know who we are, it is much harder to accurately know who another is. It is also hard to represent Christ, if we do not know who He says we are. Since, formation within us seems to be God’s priority even above what we do, i think this question of knowing our true identities precedes even our ministries and outreaches to our neighborhoods, cities and nations. The great commission requires us to know first who we are. If we do not know the most general facts- that we are children of God and brothers of Jesus- how can we guide others to at least that tier of true identity? If we truly are baptized into His Name, our own names should become much more clear over time.

I had a dream I was a star on a stage. From the audience’s perspective I was a celebrity and performer. In the dream I was looking up at God, and He had put this raiment or garment of fame and color on me, to attract people to himself. I was aware in this dream, that the coat was only an outer representation of an inner reality. How God saw me was much brighter than how the audience did. I was praying interceding for the audience in this dream. I was being the artist as priest, and was crying and screaming actually to The Father on their behalf. I did not need to applause or praise of the audience and could barely hear them, as I was pleading with The Father for His Mercy to tangibly enter my own life and usher into that space.

I had a similar dream once about Bono. The people saw him as rock star, but i could see his bruises and hear his crying for them in the dream. It was the image of a priest-who looked outwardly well dressed and in priestly garb, but inwardly was feeling the Heart of God and interceding. I do believe it is possible to be given much fame and still remain dead and living before The Father. I see this in most of the lives of the prophets who were given a large audience, but lived unto God. I also see this in the life of David, who lived as a very famous man, and stayed transparent and available to God. Many artist and ministers, i think, get caught up in the perceptions or need for approval of others. But I believe, we can, in Christ, be given large platforms of attention and stay in Him. I have seen this in my own earthly father’s life as well.

This dream reveals the priestly aspect of my own way of knowing God. The message delivering aspect of myself, reveals the prophetic. Both require self knowledge and for the need of man’s approval to be clearly and repeatedly entirely placed on the altar. These are necessary ongoing deaths to fulfill my own calling in life. If we are to become kings and queens-coheirs with Christ, we must truly die to the need to be seen as impressive by the world–even if God makes you look impressive for a season.

Well that’s me, but what about you. I pray that He start to offer you even more glimpses of the contours and nuances of your eternal self so that you can live out your short time on earth a little more analogously to your eternal life. For His Kingdom is already coming and here with us. Our spiritual biographies matter to God. He desires to tell the story of Himself through us-tp allow us to become His portents and symbols-His living poetry! Why not live in His Pronunciation of ourselves now?! This is Your Poetry reading God, come read us out loud in the pleasure of Your own Voice!

The theology of identity. The new creature is eternal, so valuable to God, that it’s worth perfecting and growing into, inhabiting He values us, so resultantly so should we!–ie the value of this one life has meaning; the growth process matters; 2Jesus is Unique–He models who God is, and he was distinguishable, and unique in His identity. 3Mary’s line her genealogical line was specific-not duplicable. In short, God celebrates identity-even when highlighting His Own. His Son had specific contours to His Human identity–bloodlines etc. Identity matters to God. I’m looking at foundational truths about identity to ground us on in scriptures.
The I AM is one. God is, therefore he creates. God as model of both identity and creativity’s place.
Look at new creature passages–reborn as eternal creatures; look at the life of Jesus and his uniqueness as a model for celebration of identity and its place in reflecting God;and Jesus human legacy or the bloodline effect.

The theology of Identity:

There are three basic foundations for God’s celebration and ours of true identity: Identity is eternal-ie even in the new creation there are distinct and celebrated identities; Jesus has a unique identity; and God’s overt diversity and sense of continuum with in His Creation. The apostle Peter preparing those who were being persecuted basically told them, Jesus came as a deposit from your own future. Since you have already received Him into your hearts, you know that you have this fuller future inheritance because of who God is. He is faithful and has already begun your salvation, so endure hardships as part of a refining of your faith, so that it becomes like gold. An interesting thing to tell people who were probably about to be persecuted much more intensely. He rest his argument on the continuum of God’s promises.

The new creature is eternal and has distinct boundaries, and thus, particular beauties; Jesus Himself is unique in His Identity, and we are becoming like Him in this; Jesus had a specific genealogy and bloodline while on earth which emphasized His true identity. There are additional reasons for God’s celebration of identity: God is One whole Identity with unique expressions emanating from His Core “I Am” identity; Jesus was unique in the contours of His Identity; and we are each in the maturation process of becoming whole eternal creatures–what we are, has not yet fully been revealed, but we are clearly, from scriptures becoming a something, with unique contours and shapes of being. We are eternally distinct and unique.

I challenge you again to treat another person as if they were eternal. For they are, and so are you. When we start to see people as eternal, we both perceive and value them differently. This person is a family member that i will see forever. But we also see them in their uninterrupted state. People are uninterrupted by sin in heaven! They are an unbroken true expression. They in Him are truly themselves. If we start to glimpse people this way, we cannot help but love them!

Jesus asks Peter–who do you say that I am? He is asking Peter to see his own identity. As Peter did so, through the Father’s Eyes, Jesus was then able to turn and tell Peter his own identity, and name him. There’s a model of coming to know ourselves in this story! We see who Jesus is, and He tells us who we are! We know ourselves as we seek to know Jesus–that’s the Christian journey! But also, Jesus had an identity to see, this implies. That each of us have a solid something that has edges of contours. It is not illusion of just eternal spiritual matter; it has shape, distinction and substance. We have true selves or core identities. We are not just energy and skin and bones.

God celebrates the uniqueness of each identity! Even in the new creation this does not change. God still celebrates identity! We are each made unique and to express that uniqueness. The new creation is also unique–you see Jesus after the resurrection, was recognizable but different; my point here, He was not just a bright light; he had unique form and shape which happened to have a continuum with his pre-resurrected form–people could see the scars etc. Christ has contours of Being; as will we in our eternal forms!

God Himself is obviously unique. He has identity. God is a complex identity, and we are in His Image, so our identities are also complex, or made of many parts, but their is a core, which makes us self consistent. We are not randomly put together, but are knit together in our mother’s womb, and fearfully and wonderfully made! At our very origin we are unique and complex.

Many Christians think that to celebrate identity is prideful. But in truth, when we celebrate the identity that Christ came and died for, and is actively liberating and maturing, we are actually celebrating God! We are saying as David did, look at this amazing poem God made. Of course, we have to be speaking from our spirit and from the new creature we are becoming, but when we do, we are not bragging on ourselves, but on God, and His amazing ability to perfect, through His Son’s Life, our identity–to make it one whole expression of something He wanted to say about Himself. We are His workmanship, created in Christ, to do the specific good works He has prepared in advance for us to do, as Paul puts in in Ephesians 2:10. God celebrates and loves and is making whole His Own creatures. Of which we are one.

We are created and we create after our own kind. So there is a continuum a likeness between what we create and ourselves. My art, looks like something that came from me; my voice itself sounds like me etc. Still, what we create has its own identity or unique combination of elements. This is one of the aspects of being fruitful and multiplying. To keep making new combinations which are still like us in some way. For we, as created in His Image, create things which are in our image-we reproduce after our kind. This is a law God placed into Reality. We see this in our children. They are like us, and yet they are also unique!

My mother used to sing me a little song at night: “There’s no one exactly like you, there’s no one exactly like you–look all the world over steadfast and true-there’s no one exactly like you!” Simple and true. We are each unique expression God has made to enjoy for Himself and give to others as an expression of some parts of Himself. God also made children which were like Him, and yet each unique. This was one of His Ways.

Since we are all members of the same family as humans; sharing the same parents-we are in many ways “like” each other. Our basic makeup has similarities so we can empathize with one another; and yet, we are also–as marriage makes obvious–very different from one another, and have to learn to celebrate other’s uniqueness. The aspects which are different than me, are the ones I learn the most from in my wife, for instance. He did not make us identical. And He is a God of distinction. Land is different than sea. Man is different than woman. And each child like a snowflake is one of a kind. God likes differentiation, as we see in the creation story in Genesis. We are not just one big blob of stuffness.

Now. onto our mystical identity. As we gaze from our spirit into another person’s spirit, we get “gaze- glimpses” of the depth of true identity. We start to perceive them from our spirit through His Holy Spirit, more as God sees them. This is a healing mystery and ministry, and when we are seen in this way, something happens to us. When we open up our spirit’s eyes–the eyes of our heart–we start to behold one another more in our eternal forms. Scriptures say one day we will see everything face to face–or presence to presence. I think we get portents of this while on earth. We are allowed to see things more as they truly are, by His Spirit. It is a powerful act to truly gaze at another’s deeper identity. It somehow heals them to be seen in this way. In this way, seeing by the Spirit is a gift to others. It reminds them of the contours of their true self. God searches and knows us, as Ps139 starts. And the spirit of a man knows that man; just as the Spirit of God knows God (Paul). When we gaze spirit to spirit, something deep and powerful can happen in our perceptual dialogue or conversation. A healing or making-more-whole experience occurs.

I am usually aware of when i start to gaze more deeply at something or someone. My spirit comes awake and I feel something in the back of my head open and hold a space for others to be seen in a safe way. I have had this awareness for a long time, and really enjoy pulling it out and making a safe gazing container for others. I believe that seeing more of others identity is a gift to them. In our busy lives, it is easy to feel “unseen”. This spirit gazing corrects that, and lets people know they are indeed seen–by others to a degree, and most definitely, and fully , by God!

God beholds us fully. We are seen, and we are loved. This is a powerful combination–to feel seen and loved at the same time. This is what I try to let Him bring through me into my workshops–the Father’s Heart and His Gaze or Perception. The combination is healing for us all. Many people don’t feel seen at all. And many others feel little real love towards themselves. The combination of both seeing and loving a person’s deeper or true identity somehow allows it room to bloom! That’s the point of much of my own life’s work.

The Father’s heart and eyes work in tandem in Him, for He is One, so together, His Eyes and Heart heal us. We need to be seen and known and loved, just as we are to be seeing, loving and coming to know The Father. There is a reciprocal type of relationship in terms of how we engage it! And this style of relating extends into our relating to one another. So we engage the whole self in beholding the whole “other” self. And in doing so, get caught up in God’s Gazing!

The new creation does-not negate or homogenize identity. We are becoming like Christ in nature, but still retain our unique expressions of this nature! We are His brothers and sisters, but not His clones! The saints are still unique above. They do not turn into one large energy mass of prayer. They serve in their unique capacities even now. There is this continuum of identity into the heavens.

This is different than other religion’s images of dissolving into over-Soul; or seeing the world as an illusion (samsara) etc. or more modern concepts of death being a type of swimming into collective unconsciousness. We retain distinct boundaries of being even after death-we remain uniquely shaped vessels for His Glory.

If I imitate my teachers, it is to eventually carry their truths in my own style not their’s. Just as in training to write, i may borrow the “voice” of another writer that I admire for a season, but then I find my own voice as I mature. For instance, I like Rick Joyner, the American prophet, a lot-met his kids and amazing wife, but I think I can probably dance more funky than him, and that my wardrobe is a bit more outlandish! I am meant to carry seeds into specifically unique parts of the “field”, where God has placed me. These are the “good works, i was meant to do as part of the path of God which I am.” I still carry some of Rick’s teachings but in a unique package of my own identity. This relates to our unique callings. Each of us is used to carry specific spiritual seeds into even more particular places. These are the places that we were born to carry His Seed (Jesus), and His seeds–the spiritual seeds we are given to plant on earth!

As we celebrate our own identity in Him, we are allowing Him to plant His Own Life into unique places that only we can reach in others and the world around us. It is His pleasure to pick certain vessels for certain spiritual tasks, as we see with the disciples. They were not all called to the Gentiles, or to Africa–but the one’s He chose, went to the places they were meant to plant in. Celebration and receiving more of our true identity, allows us to more easily move into our callings.

God said, “it was good” over all of His Creation. That includes us. We are to join Him in echoing this phrase–it is good-over our own unique identities! It is for His Pleasure that He made us, and we must enter into His Pleasure and sing in joy the songs of ourselves!

Now why does this matter. Well if we are to understand and value ourselves it matters. And then others. But also our cities, nations and our planet. In order to honor our city or nation, we need to see it as having a unique collective identity made up of different parts. As we work as reconcilers and integrators through prayer and direct contact with our neighborhoods and cities, we are believing that there is something unique about them. We recognize some ineffable core which is different in our city than another. Berlin is different from London. Tokyo is not the same as Kansas City. They emphasize and symbolize different core identities. God arranged the cities and nations to reflect unique parts of His Own identity. God is not homogenous in Himself or in His Creation.

Really cities are like a collective person, so her cultural or symbolic parts should be flowing out from her true identity.

What I was thankful for today?

My sister wrote me the kindest words today. My real sister and I are still spiritual friends after growing up together. Nice, and seemingly rare.

Nice to have spiritual intimacy with siblings-as I get older, it appears to be unusual. When your blood family, is actually also a spiritual family, it’s a gift.

Love my sister. Kind of her to write today. She wrote me an encouragement about my voice meeting special ones with healing, and meant it. The tone told me so. I have that spiritual relationship with both my parents, we have a shared spirituality, sort of like Jesus (not that I’m even in the ballpark with Jesus, i mean we are in the same ball park, but He owns the whole stadium and is the team, and the organ which plays before the game and all the fans; I’m just talking about his friendship with his parents here) had with His mom, and I assume His dad as well (I think they were actual friends, it’s just a hunch). But it’s even cooler, as I get older, or as cool, to have a sister love which is also real.

Most people really struggle to make a spiritual or any other type of intimate connection with their family. My family actually cares and prays for each other, and we love each other. It’s a blessing really. Maybe we have the grace of quick forgiveness, because we like each other in clear view of our faults. Nothing to sneeze at, as they say, in the south.

Anyway, nice to get a kind, erudite (our mom, as well as being a remarkable artist, was an english major so we both had to learn to write well) and love en-toned word from my sister today. Words still matter! Especially from a loving sister! So thankful that my actual family is also part of my spiritual family, and that my sister and I dig each other. Nice gifts in life, and as I said, it appears to be rare. That’s what I was thankful for this today anyway.

She’s much more functional than me (I wasn’t the black sheep in my family, but certainly more a purple one; and a bit of an unidentified flying object; i certainly wouldn’t have wanted to parent me!). She is a medical doctor, top of her field, working with traumatic pregnancies, serving women (especially low income) in need all over the world (most recently in Ethiopia); and she’s a great wife and mom, and all that; yet she does more than tolerate her strange artistic brother, she actually likes me, prays for us, and cares about our lives, and invites us into hers. Her culture is very different than mine, but we welcome one another into ours, in tangible love. What a gift. I must be blessed for know family love. Thanks sis. Love still matters! As do kind words from sisters! Best blessing i got today!

All walls can begin to be broken down by love in family. Nice to have a loving sister example of that. Healing begins at home.

I wasn’t the black sheep in my family, more a purple sheep- someone interesting, but your not sure what to do with it. More of a unidentified flying object really. I wouldn’t have wanted to parent me. My sister through the years, has often given me simple love, which keeps me flying.

Sister love can’t be overrated. Thanks sister for your loyal steadfast love to a strange or, at least, as grandmother would say, “peculiar” brother.

Anyways, thankful today for my sister’s kind (and well written-our mom was a english major, so we were both taught to write well early on) words of encouragement today, and thankful that my actual family is also part of my spiritual family. Nice gifts in life, and as I said, it appears to be rare. That’s what I was thankful for this day.

Today’s book reviews and re-visiting some of my favorite southern American writers.

My mom reminded me today of one of my favorite writers, so re-reading a few I like. If you haven’t read these authors, they are treasures.

The great southern woman writer, Flannery O’Connor, who’s peacock farm i got to visit, is a great southern gothic, or she would say grotesque spiritual, writer. Very redemptive themes, who once described the south as “Christ haunted”.

Great perspective on the shift between old and new south in America, and what occurred spiritually and psychologically to regular people during that shift. Or any country’s shift from post-industrialism, or even religious to secular societal transitions, as observed through a particular sense of place. Savvy observations, she makes. But also universal themes of human brokenness and redemption.

Enjoying re-reading her short stories again. Brilliant writer. Has to ability through tone to say a lot with one detail—she shows not tells, really well!

There is a good movie of her first novel “Wise Blood” as well. It’s well done and moving, about a preacher who blinds himself to see God. And many other things. She had a way of loving on her characters while showing all their worst flaws; and somehow making the whole thing about Grace for people. Endearing writer really. Had true empathy for the human condition!

A catholic (religiously, but also in the best sense—universal; for people) writer like Walker Percy, who is also a brilliant southern author to read—“Second Coming” and “The Movie Goer” are both great books, as are his essays on linguistics. Real thinker, also with a tone of Grace. These may be my two favorite southern writers from the previous generation. Enjoying revisiting them.

Last night, watched a great documentary on the American poet Robert Bly, who I also got to meet on my birthday, years ago at Harvard. He and I talked Jesus and death, and he dedicated a poem to me in his reading. Interesting teacher, a mixed bag, as we all are, but a real poet-a lover of the inner life of words- when poets used to matter in society, or were able to prove there was still an inner life worth nurturing! Enjoying re-visiting these writers this season, and considering what they were circling around and in. And what upper story they were pointing towards! Galway Kinnel is another of my favorites I met in Vermont–tender palmed long hearted men, both, seeking a deeper ground of being than most! I love considering considerers on Sunday! Those who tried to live out and express their inner poetry of being! And gave it as a gift to others!

I also got to meet and visit Eudora Welty in Mississippi long ago before she passed. Sweet lady, and great writer also from the deep south. All three of these 20th C southern writers are worth exploring anyway. Enjoying sitting on the porch in southern style with them again today.

I basically just want to write, make art, express and encourage and bless people in Him the rest of my life. I want to stay in Him through all I do. And make everything flow out of that core relationship in my life. That much hasn’t changed since i met Christ. All my mediums lead to Him. I really like writing words which help others. And I need less world stresses to do so. The pressures and stresses of the world do get to me. I lived in between worlds for as long as i know. I still do. I’m an ironic participant really in every role down here. But I don’t want to be afraid to incarnate either.

When I was little i would draw the man walking the tight rope between heaven and earth. I drew him over and over, adding musical notes as sky. He basically lived in the sky, but was tethered to both earth and heaven through The Son. Literally a son made of all the saints! It’s still my life doddle. His rope was connected to cities and people on earth, and to the saints, or rather through them to Jesus above.

I had many visions of my home above. At times, i feel i know that space much better than the one down here. It’s my actual home. And it’s very near Jesus, but with lots of un-repetitious movement. I get messages and run around telling other creatures things. That’s my joy. The joy of my true name. That’s what I do above and down here. Down here, as I said i like to write, express and encourage people from what I see up there. I love people, but I see us all down here as somewhat in hiding from who we really are. We are much bigger than we imagine. I try to live in that much bigger version of myself. I’m trying to live down here, from who I am up above in Him in both places.

I often take a balloon up to heaven in my visions. We talk, He shows me things, then sends me back down through the atmosphere of song to earth. Sometimes I am happy to be back, other times not. But it’s where He goes as well, and we really are close friends, so I’ve come to love what He loves, and stay close by Him. That’s my story really, or how I live.

Along the way, i typically found others living in the invisible circus, or space between–mostly artists. Some where more centered in Christ than others. Those who were, seemed more able to sustain a lifestyle of in between. Not so much a nomadic lifestyle as a truly spiritual one regardless of outer geographic circumstances. That’s always seemed like spiritual contentment to me–to be in and with Jesus regardless of what is going on outwardly. St Paul was in jail and as content, and with Christ, as when speaking in the courts, or talking to the poets. I’ve tried to live like that also. And to serve others from that space of contentment in Christ.

Since Christ is always serving, we end up serving also. But mainly we are just trying to stay very close intimate friends with Him through every season of life. The rest takes care of itself–our destinies, our path prepared beforehand, our callings, our purpose, all spring from this well of friendship with Christ. Our names are revealed in that space over time. Our identities are hidden in Him, and revealed through our relationship. That’s how the unfolding of identity works out over life. And I suppose continues after this life. The white stone poem never ends. For, we are eternal in Him.

All my expressions flow from that core relationship with Christ. I chose that. Sometimes, He let’s me make art and meet Him there, other times counsel or minister to people, and meet Him through that activity. Each activity is a medium of meeting God. See, in Christ, I’ve had a million dollar view!

Love is also a stubborn way. It never relents from us, until we know it more, fully.

Our names are hidden in another Name, which we must seek out and find. Where our true names are hidden is the quest. Then, while doing so, we are both eternal, as we discover our names together. We find ourselves, by finding His Name. The Name above all others, ends up being the harbor of our own identities. To seek The Name above all others, ends up teaching us and revealing our own.

Love into knowledge into deeper insight-that’s what Paul taught. Then, fruits of righteousness follow naturally, according to what we are unioned and united with with. The fruits follow the depth of the union and relationship. They are overflow from that unseen point of union. Whatever we are united with will bear fruits after it’s kind. So if, Jesus, then those sorts of fruits. If somethings else, then you will see those. A tree is by law known by it’s fruit. But also the fruit itself is a sign of the health of the roots, and what they are actually grounded in.

As I was praying for a friend today, caught a blessing…
Caught a blessings from Psalm 139- my favorite song in the book- today!
I hope that I’m described as the commenters describe Psalm 139—“this song, defies all categories! It’s a non-egotistical look at the celebration of being human from God’s perspective, the highlighting of identity as a song of God, or at least, the perspective of someone in love with God!”
Nice reading commentary today on my very favorite psalm—the bible’s song of ourselves! David takes himself as a meditation on God’s creative goodness. This Psalm really has carried me through life! Nice to come across this commentary today, anyway.
Perhaps, each of us defy all categories! Such wondrous poems, each person, God’s specific poetry, despite our personal interrupted cadences at times, we are God’s autobiography!
Fun celebrating other’s identities in prayer today! Let’s celebrate one another as poems of God today! Why not! It can’t hurt to treat one another as the poetry of God!

In Philippians, St Paul is telling us to press on regardless of our stories—both successes and failures in them. He is asking us to continue to allow Christ to form Paul’s motto—“Not I, but Christ” in us all the way until we are face to His Face.
What God has begun in us, is irrevocable, and He is able to complete it. The formation of our true selves in perfect alignment with His Life and Nature in Christ is accomplishable by God. In short, God is able, as Paul puts it.
There is great comfort in this. And then Paul describes what happens along this way: increasing Love, knowledge and insight! The fruits of righteousness, as Paul called them, start forming increasingly in us. That’s the way into the Life of Christ. And this was Paul’s encouragement for his brothers and sisters in Pillipi.
He who started, will complete His work inside of us, until we, like Him are made whole, one. God wants to be One in us through His Son who was and is One. And Paul is promising that God is able to complete this “good work” in us. Nice promise. Let’s live it out!
The Oneness of God is our hope. It is the basis for us becoming more one whole integrated being. He wants to, through His Son, align us into Him, so that we are ever increasingly becoming more Real, more truly ourselves. Poems, hidden in Christ for The glory of His Father! Amen.
God’s oneness is the basis of our healing or being made more whole. The Shema is everything friends! God is One, God loves us, God wants to make us one. Then we can be helping others become more one, or baptizing them more deeply into each of His Three Names—which is the great commission!
These three foundations: God is One, God loves us, God is able to make us whole; these, are the basic foundation for real healing in life. Everything else rest on The Shema!

If God’s not One, then He didn’t send the Son, and our whole Christ-centered faith is in vain. Everything, then rest on the Shema. God is One in Himself, therefore everything else is True! And we are being made new creatures in Him! The whole new creation rest on the fact that God is One! And then that He is Love, and Loves us so much to have sent His only Son! Everything precedes from The Shema!

My own message has to do with helping people be who they really are, and locate themselves in God’s story of them. To become the poems they truly are in Him. To help people find the true image of themselves, necessarily involves them meeting Christ, because He is who tell us our names, and helps us become them. Peter saw Jesus, so Jesus told Him his real name. That’s the path towards true identity. I’ve tried to stay on that path, and to help others get on this trajectory to who they really are. It’s a joy mostly to see people come home! And it’s my life’s task, as I become the living song I am meant to be as well. This is the true identity journey we all eventually must get on! The principles behind it, are that God loves us and want to bring us home into the Name of our true names. The identity above all others is His (the Name above all names), and it is in Him that our real names are hidden and revealed. He contains the white stone room where our eternal names are written, and knows how to guide us there.