Love’s call

to care about

Love’s call to be with

Love’s call to see and be effected by what we encounter;

that mutually transformational daily bodily dialogue we are in with one another!

Trash becoming compost becoming trees, we! Us all becoming tall in Silence.

That beautiful mutual becoming.

For love knows that people, when encountered properly, transform us.

Love’s call to care about how it is with everyone, not just us.

Love’ call to be con-joined, in confluence and caring, and becoming.

Love’s call is clear. A clarion Voice. Stellar and particular. A clearing in the forest. But do we have an open ear. Is the clamor too loud to bare.

Can we hear, love’s calling, that seeding sonance, in the midst of this cacophony, this clamor for attention; for

sometimes she whispers rather than yells, especially in trauma,

until that’s all we hear is the voice, the intonations of Love,

the cadences of being in the Beloved-the dearly loved us, eventually become.

And the sentimental words have to come alive again regardless.

And, we together, enter in again

to Love’s calling. The caress of her voice. The contouring of that voice.

Less a bird, than light, or, maybe, how the sea itself speaks at night, when no one is listening. That unheard silence.

Yet, when deaf, the volume actually goes down, until we tune it in again, and

 seek the inner tone of hearing. The ashes at the foot of fallen towers, or bullets still in the ground, both maybe echo. Or better yet, the whale’s song beneath us maybe (the ancient murmuring of lumbering souls), the healing

through groaning—what the earth is already doing, and what’s churning in us all

until we become the sons and daughters of God.

And we will to join in eventually-like a chorus of reluctant participants, for we are shocked by the melody of kindness, care, relentless graciousness towards us, despite ourselves.

Or falling leaves in winter snow (something as basic as the older seasons), turned to scripted paper with healing for nations. Something which crunches in silence, turning  to colors in mid air, declaring itself in humility. Or maybe a girl’s hand in sunset light, leaned particularly open, exposed, waiting to be held.

Or, somewhere hot steam is rising from rock on stone and bone and skin, and we are brother and sisters again—in starlight wonder, she speaks also like that—in sparkles and glisten, glimmer and our listening.

There are so many ways we can hear love.

Sometimes she whispers, sometimes she yells

for, the same Voice has many volumes but One Tone, applied everywhere.

The tone itself is Love, and we hunt for that tone in our hearts

and the hearts of one another—the good soil is where love is planted.

And I hear Love calling us all, constantly to come

home, be ourselves and bless be patient with one another as we become who we are meant to be and somehow already are in Love-

Love’s stars in perfectly set constellations of this Other Glory

Love’s poem keeps pronouncing itself through us.

And a love poem is the thing to be at the end.

From my journal today: a prayer for this nation! Just felt like sharing it….(got to process all this somehow; sorry it’s long, but, these are long times!)

Ugly days for this particular nation!

 First, Sorry everyone! Terrible days for America—sort of a slow motion horror film, this election. I’m not talking about who got elected (I don’t talk politics but with close friends), but rather the whole process.

Sorry too all my friends globally for visually and phychologically traumatizing you this year! We suck today, lack dignity, and I’m sorry, it’s our worst hour of confusion.   We forgot who we were. And this election process revealed our state of internal heart confusion. Welcome to our wounds. It turns out, we aren’t whole yet.

 Now you see them, and have a choice whether to love us or not. Sorry it came to this. And I apologize for my nation’s behavior. We have acted like teenage brats.

 And I often feel like a father who comes home and his kids are chaotic. He stops thinks about each one and what they need, after bringing them into Peace. That’s my orientation today. How to love people back into place, so we can at least think together (“Come let us reason together!”).

 But let me assure you, we have many good people-women men people of all colors- here still, and many great humble servant leaders as well. I know them. I talked to one of my african friends today, who said, watch out for fear, that’s what comes next.

 For some reason, as my friend said, “God is lowering the flag here for a bit.” She needs to heal. Her stripes are overextended. She needs to remember all her resources are to serve others. She needs humility again. Leaders get humbled so they learn to serve.

 And this could take time. She needs to be delivered from materialism, consumerism and racism and some other things, some of which were inherited sins and ways. This could take some time. Be patient.

 But also please pray for her, if you love her at all, or if she ever gave you something from her true heart of generosity, which she does still have. I know you must not like her now. But today, she is freaking out. So, on another note, the necessary healing…peacemakers and Jeremiah like prophets are being called into place.

 I’ve held three people in tears in my arms today. Those who are in a higher Peace, be praying. “In the world you will have increasing trouble, but I give you Peace (abundant Peace, which is the place to interpret from).” We know that God is bigger than politics and is into people. And there is a great opportunity before us to bless one another now. To move in kindness and love and tangible comfort.

 Today, we have near riots or very loud protest at the least, in our neighborhood, and people are very confused and beyond bewildered how this happened. It’s an identity crisis of course. So let’s find something True to ground our identities in. To recall core values is a decent starting point. Just as Europe was trying to do, when writing their new constitution, but didn’t quite get there either.

 In the meantime, we need healing. So pray for those who are trying to help people feel some comfort and peace today. Bless the peacemakers now, so they can bring Peace. It’s uglier than it looks even on the media. It’s a heart problem not a political one. Perhaps these elections just made that visible-our unhealed areas are now exposed. So what is your response, when someone’s wounds are finally out in the open? If your hopes were in America, you’re as lost as she is. Our hope has to have a higher gravity line than one nation, or one passing leader.

 Hard to watch a teenager nation struggle with sanity though. It’s not pretty. That’s how it’s felt today on the ground. Hard times, as promised. But “I give you My Peace.”

 So, if you pray, please do. This is not good art. But there are things to be learned from this, and discerned through it. And great potential for true formation and transformation, especially in His People. And the story isn’t over. The fat lady has not sung yet!!!

 And now, we have many more people who are more open to true healing and true spiritual grounding, and useful interpretation of the times. There is a great opportunity for those who want to serve and be bringers of peace reconciliation and healing, gentleness and kindness. Sometime a train has to crash to understand its destination. We just did.

 This is one way to wake up- a crash landing. A sudden heart explosion. A cacophony of being. A nightmare you can feel coming before you fall asleep. Not my favorite way to wake up but-sort of like waking up to the sound of bombs instead of birds. Yet, this could be what it takes to stir the conscience of a nation (which as MLK said, is meant to be her church; and if you are religious, please pray for her as well-for unity and ecumenism!) into Life!

  Well, so your wake up call has come, time to drink coffee and consider where you are, and what’s next, now time to roll up your sleeves, put on the clothes of service, and go help some people. Many are manic now even in your own streets. If you really love the human family, time to get down to the business of the heart.

Thankfully, America is not the Kingdom of God. The promised land turns out to be a bit higher! But it is made up still of humans, people in need like everywhere else. And today, for some reason, she needs more than usual.

  I was born here, so had to learn to love her. Many of her ways i don’t love, but I do love her herself. I do even in full view of her naked self. I love some other nations as much, and maybe more, but have never been willing to stop loving her once i saw who she really was, and was meant to be. Once you get a glimpse of a person’s (or nation’s) true identity, you never really stop loving them.

I suppose it is good when you see the overt weaknesses of someone you thought might be a hero. Then you have to think about trying to be heroic yourself (even daily). Or about the Source of heroism or true values.

 Thankfully our God is not a nation, but rather nations are meant to be under God. So hopefully this will lead to a sort of global discipleship, to the degree He allows America to still be some sort of example or fable, parable or tale-a symbol that is (for she is symbolic).

 Europe has been lost for some time in terms of identity (more of an amnesia), now America—perhaps that puts us in a useful insecurity, one which guides us to a higher “ground of Being” than ourselves and our gifts, technology and resources, “good looks and shiny teeth”, as one brother put it.. In the meantime, lots of people are hurting, confused and in need of healing here.

  Good time to move in the Spirit and ways of Christ!

 Fortunately, our identities are not grounded in our nation, but something higher. In fact, this election has revealed to what extent our security is grounded in externals rather than something spiritual.

 Still, once grounded we want to bless and serve the lands we are given, and to plant good seeds in good soil. So we will be searching for that good soil over these next years, where we can plant seeds of righteousness (morality) wisdom (counsel) and love. If you truly care, pray for this silly country until she shines again, and can harvest stars, and understand the stripes of suffering necessary to help one another.

 We need it. And thank you in advance.

Today: quick impressions from America today…

 Why seeking wisdom is practical now, and never a waste of time, even when things are under pressure, and maybe especially then. Today felt led to study Wisdom again. Felt like sitting in that space with The Father of knowing and considering His Ways with Him—just now as our little part of the world is shaking and very tense and hyper, over exposed and confused even in our categories of interpretation. It’s like when your kids are chaotic and the father and mother, stops, steps back, and considers them each, His Love for them, and what they may need today. It’s primarily a Peace-filled space i felt drawn to today, as it is difficult to even talk at my local cafe to many people because of the tense confusions around this election.

 Seems like a good time to study Wisdom—not as a denial, but as an active response! To move in the opposite spirit of these elections is to seek out Wisdom, which it obviously has not been characterized by.

 Looking at all the wisdom literature today, and this NT idea that Christ Himself is “the Wisdom of God”-encapsulating the entire wisdom tradition, all the wise men meet in One. In Proverbs, kings and queens are said to rule by Wisdom. And young people are taught to seek it above all else. Again, i want to say that Wisdom is the application of Godly knowledge applied in love. It is how to apply information into real life situations in His Love. This is why words of wisdom are higher than words of knowledge. For Wisdom applies knowledge, but not vice versa. To interpret the times requires Wisdom. To stay in Peace is Wisdom. To seek Wisdom is wisdom. This is our task now. And the book of Daniel and Jeremiah are the most pertinent literature for our times.

If Jesus Himself is called Wisdom-this would mean wisdom involves incarnating servanthood love, and in this sense is desperately practical. That is like air, Wisdom is something we can’t live without.

When I think about what Wisdom really is in Him, i always think it is most basically, how to apply knowledge or information in the most loving way possible into the situation. It includes accurate interpretation, discernment, but also being willing to sacrifice for one another to get that info into the good soil of one another’s hearts.

Wisdom is always seeming to say…come let us consider together. And until we figure it out, be kind and loving towards one another. Let’s have a loving dialogue in Peace.

 To love one another until we know faces to Face. Praying wisdom and true Peace in Him tonight for this little part of the world. I’m sorry everyone is having to watch her nervous breakdown, but His People are wide awake in America, and we pray they will once again be, as MLK said, the conscience of the nation. Both salt and light—true interpreters in times of tumult, as Jeremiah was.

I started praying for wisdom for this nation after 911. It’s biggest weakness is not just consumerism, materialism or even racism. It is a lack of wisdom. Power without wisdom is deadly. For resources are meant to be allocated in the ways of Wisdom. So we are praying still for wisdom here on this continent. Yes, vision, and recalling your identity, but also wisdom for integration reconciliation, use of resources etc. I had a dream years back that the stripes on her flag turned to blood and frayed—were far too overextended, and that He was pulling down her flag in order to work on her healing. He was lowering her reputation so she could work on her own flag—the stripes of true healing and sacrifice, and the resulting people and people groups being able to shine in their starlike-ness, their true identities.

 To protect people to become who they really are, is a simple version of her mantel. Specifically those who have been oppressed to have enough safety to shine and become! So minorities, immigrants etc—they come here and the covering allows them to re-invent themselves, and make some of the best pizza on earth. Outside of Italy of course. Our whole nation is a story of immigrants finding a promised land to become themselves in.

 This has been going on, and yet…that flag is still frayed overextended and actually fragile right now. Hard to think of such a at time presumptuous leader as being vulnerable or fragile. But she is now. It’s not just about end of empires. It’s about vulnerability after not being wise with leadership. This is easy to discern. Other parts are harder, and require actual love for a nation to see. You cannot prophecy over a nation if you do not love her. And really only to the degree that you do.

But, this little entry is not a prophecy, but rather a prayer for wisdom today. Not just for this nation but for us all.

 I had another dream last week all about the two types of leadership being offered. It’s a complex symbol, but just to say, we are wide awake in America—those in His Spirit aren’t sleeping. And this isn’t pretty. Hard to swallow, how low we went on this one. Still, I have articulate judgements and articulate hopes for America. Her story is not over, but it is being redacted (sternly edited) now. Pray for this land. And forgive her in your hearts. That’s the only place to start. I know it’s hard to like her now, but you can still love her. We need it now.

Materialism, consumerism and racism have to still be the major poisons; yet, on the ground it is still lighter spiritually here than most places on earth. The land eretz (yes, even if you hate america, this land has a blessing on it!) has a blessing on it.

Even as someone from Ireland who was born here, i have a hard time loving her now; yet I do!!!

 Wisdom knows how to contextualize things (even historical crisis) in God’s Love and the patterns of His Own Being or Ways. And applies true knowledge in practical love and vision both backwards and forwards. That’s what needed when the present is tumultuous.

Wisdom, among other things, is the application of true knowledge in love. To the degree we have revealed knowledge, we apply it in love. So you see that Jesus is the ultimate application of Wisdom into the universe. It is practical. It breeds itself. This is why it dwells on heights, crossroads and the gates and marketplaces of cities in scripture (Proverbs 8). It has a larger context to place things in, a broad scoped hermeneutic, a grand interpretation, which is characterized by the tone of Love.

 Let us be wise with how we treat one another in times of trauma and compression. A tree will be known by its fruit. And each of us is tested by fire. Let us bear the fruits of His Spirit in Peace in the midst of shakings.

 It’s a great time to dwell in Real Peace and offer folks all those fruits listed in Galatians—gentleness, kindness, patience etc… Let us especially do this now, so that the world can see the contrast, and have a clear choice between ways. God is always concerned but never worried.

 Perhaps one of the points of global crisis is to put things in clear contrast—those old ways of death, ways of life mentioned throughout the book. To contrast true spiritual crisis, with our soul crisis is sometimes necessary. God is not in crisis.

As my mentor said, “Father is always concerned, but never stressed! He stays in His Own Peace—He stays in I Am; never divides himself under pressure. His Love doesn’t suddenly break off from Himself! Nor does His Wisdom about the nations and everything else under the Son.

To show us what we are really grounded in. These two ways constantly stream beneath and around us—the ways of death, the ways of life. The ways of both are bigger than the moment, and really what we base our daily choices on—whether to love our neighbor or hate them. If they get blurred, sometimes it takes extremes to make the choices clear again.

It also looks at God’s patterns in the past to predict and have hope for the future.

We are praying for wisdom for our whole human family today. We need it, in order to love one another, which at the end of the day, is our most meaningful task in life.

Let us be wise in contextualizing this passing moment within the grand narrative we’ve been given. This too will pass, but The Word, The Truth, The Life will not.

Just felt like a good day to sit with Wisdom, in the shade of The Tree of Life. Sometimes, that’s a practice.

Of course, politics pass, but His government will never end. The Word and truth will last forever. And His Kingdom will never end, and all the nations will come under it. Until That day, let’s pray for a willing yielding to His Kingship and authority in ourselves and our nations, so that the land will be truly blessed, and the poor fed, the oppressed housed, and the orphans protected. This nation has a specific calling to the oppressed, so let’s pray that this mantel be dusted off, in this time of so much need to haven those who are displaced and in need. All her resources were meant for this job. We see the shadows now, but what would it look like redeemed. Let’s pray towards that.

 So praying wisdom, and tangible Peace today for all, as we consider and act wisely in Love towards one another until the end. Here and everywhere else. Know father Peace today friends, and seek out Wisdom. Turns out she is always hollering in Silence.

I”ve had several other dreams about where America is at, though my spiritual attention has been on Europe and Africa. I will share those elsewhere. But in the meantime, pray for wisdom and that her priest would arise. That unlike after 911, her true church would speak, and be shaken awake into unity and consciousness or conscience-ness—if the church as MLK said, is meant to be the conscience of a nation. That her moral consience would stay awake and not go numb in this hour. Thanks. And sorry everyone had to watch this sad and yet potentially spiritually potent moment in US history. God is not done with all of us, and is still in charge of the nations and their narratives.

His church has a great role to play now, if she will stand, dust off her complacency and publicly lament, humble itself and pray. Be both salt (preservers, flavorers) and light (interpreters or bringers of understanding-ie prophet priest)). Then perhaps the rains will return. The church has a unique role when her nation is in crisis. And the state of her heart is made clear or visible in crisis. The Cedar is laid bare!

 Let’s pray she is up to it, or can be caused to stand. The one who called you, is also ready and able to cause you to stand. (Romans). Some are, many are not. It is less about the election, and more about the state of the heart of the church and of this nation. This is heart test. May she pass it into wisdom and humility so she can serve the human family again.

If you are an american, i challenge you to get His love for her again, or if you’ve never felt His heart for this region, then for the first time. It will change the authority of your prayers. If from other nations, to be kind and forgiving, and yes, to pray for the heart of america to be touched and revived. And for wisdom to come from above.

 When a house is shaking, what do you do. I lived through some earthquakes in California. When a house is shaking you already need to have knowledge of what to do, but more importantly you need Wisdom of how to apply it. For as the good book says, “A house is built by Wisdom”. I pray that we gain Wisdom in our days, even through tumult. Pray for wisdom for us. Wisdom is the application of true knowledge in Love.

In Proverbs 8, she is seen at times and places of great change! We are in one. So, she is available now. She is here, waiting to be listened to. In silence she hollers for us to sit beneath her Tree of Life.

Wisdom hangs out with good counsel. And we need that now. So let’s find Wisdom and sit there, so we can be helpful to our times.

Remember Wisdom is not a retreat, it is an active response! It is the place to go to decide from. It is a harbor in times of distress. And Christ is Wisdom!

The actual artist way…how to be a “fine” artist! How to contextualize your creativity in something larger than yourself.

 I often look for a bigger context for artist to create within, which will contextualize their gifts, but offer a purpose other than market or fame-the two big “success markers” in art school or the world. The best example from scriptures has to be Bezalel. (King David would be a close second-for he was able to balance art and ruling well; how creativity connects with leadership or kingship). Artist are often looking for models of how they fit into things or society. They usually pick a few from art history. I would suggest going back further!

(In Exodus 31:1-6 and chapters 36 to 39, Bezalel (Hebrew: בְּצַלְאֵל, also transcribed as Betzalel and most accurately as Bəṣalʼēl), was the chief artisan of the Tabernacle and was in charge of building the Ark of the Covenant, assisted by Aholiab.)

  From scriptures, the true artist way…is Bezalel’s. The priestly role of artist is to actually build the temple of His Presence. To do so, you need certain gifts. In his case, a ridiculous amount of gifts! This guys had a serious gift set!

If you want to be a fine artist with a high calling look at this character from the Torah!

(Exodus 31, he was the chief of all artist!). This guy in order to build and be the master architect of the temple, was given: wisdom, knowledge, design (both two and three dimensional), skills in all the mediums, and in addition, the ability to teach or mentor, to impart excellence in artistry to others! That’s the gift set I’m talking about!

 He could cover lots-impart and implant the vision, and teach the practical skills necessary to incarnate it!

 Great artist, great designer, could work in any medium—metal, wood, cloth etc. And he could teach or reproduce his own gift. That’s useful! in this world!

 He started by being filled with wisdom and knowledge. That’s a good foundation! How I wish we were this well rounded, especially as artist and leaders in whatever field!

One of my favorite definitions of teaching is being humble enough to simplify what you are saying so that it can reproduce past yourself. This guy had that gift. As well as just being a great artist! Good to consider not just the role of the artist, but what types of gifts they need to really fulfill their callings.

  I’m nowhere close to that level of giftings. Good challenge!

“This is the Lord’s Day-the Day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.” This verse, has always haunted me, in the best of ways! What Day is it that we find ourselves rejoicing in, especially on hard days? Where is that Day within our days, in which we find ourselves rejoicing? And how do we enter into it daily?

 Daniel’s prayer also teaches us to confess into thanks into praise every day. That’s clearly one way into The Day! Start with confession, then enter into thanks, and perforce into praise.

And, St John reminds us, if we think we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar. For all have sinned and fallen short, daily. So what is this practice of finding the Day of the Lord, daily?

I’m working on the practice of finding the Day within my days. “In the architecture of time, it’s easy to lose sight of the temple.” as one Rabbi put it. We lose sight of where His Presence is, and start floundering around in mere circumstance. St Paul teaches us that the key to spiritual contentment is to meet God through whatever circumstance you find yourself in. Then all experiences become potentially meaningful and transformational–whether in prison or a palace. Or as Augustine said: “Love God and do what you will.”

I think often of the discipline of finding “The Lord’s Day” within my own. That space where we are meant to meet Him and therefore rejoice. Making all our passing circumstances become tents of meaning and transformation. I try to pray my way into That Day, daily, so that my activities and circumstances become tabernacles of meeting God. That seems like one of the keys to living meaningfully, and allowing all our cirumstances to be potential places or spaces of being transformed or growing—whether our jobs, cooking, walking dogs, picking up kids from school, reading, conversation—everything is a medium through which to meet God, to find The Day of the Lord.

It is somehow our daily practice to find That Day! Let’s interpret our days through that place called His Day! And do so daily. Thinking about this today! How to live today in The Day!

What parts are ours to do in our spiritual growth!

Been thinking about how St Paul in mentoring his disciple Timothy tells him to stay very active in his spirituality. To do certain things, and not others. In the letters to Timothy we are overhearing someone mentoring and training a younger elder. So Paul is passing on and imparting some of what he himself had learned, that would be needed in Timothy’s leadership. He tells him to remember the prophetic words spoken over him, and goes on to tell him to be active in many other areas of his own spirituality and leadership. Good meditation. We have to resist certain urges, rule over ourselves, be little internal governors over our soul and bodies.

Paul tells Timothy to be active in his spirituality—to flee and to pursue certain things. Grace is needed (yet as Dallas Willard said, it is also easy to be paralyzed by Grace in terms of spiritual growth; spiritual growth does not just happen to us, we are partners in becoming! We have to actively do things daily), but there is also an active pursuit or intentionally laying hold of—putting to death, calling to life in our daily spiritual practice. To put certain things on and take certain others off. The scripture do not teach us a passive spirituality. It is very intentional and active all the way through. We are responsible for part of our formation and to position ourselves for transformation. Pursue the ways of righteousness, flee away from (quickly run from) the ways of death. We are collaborators in becoming more whole.

Studying Jeremiah’s times as much like like ours, and a good interpretive lens for now, and came across this passage from Abraham Heschel’s “The Prophets” again…great book on the prophets i’m re-reading for interpretive maps. So well written and clear.  Plus, Jeremiah was asked to dramatize and do public performance art often to symbolize God’s messages. To go bury his underwear, as one of my favorite episodes goes…(God has often asked me to bury my underwear). About his times, Heschel writes:

 “His contemporaries had no understanding of the portent of their times, of the way in which God was present at that time. They did not care for time. But a prophet has a responsibility for the moment, an openness to what the moment reveals. He (or she) is a person who knows what time it is.” Nice definition about how the Kingdom interfaces with time and space. So the kings asked the prophets often, Ok, what time is it? They were to be like spiritual watches, and watchers!

Kindness is a practice. You have to really choose it every second. It’s one of His Ways. It’s not easy for us, because we are very selfish by nature. But we choose kindness. We choose to be generous to others, and we have to actively choose it. Because we don’t have the wisdom to know what is just or fair entirely in the moment. We do not fully know justice, so our option is to be kind to others regardless of their behavior or our way too quick judgements of them. We don’t know where they are coming from when they arrive on our doorstep. So be kind. Then you can consider and interpret things (come let us reason together!—that place of peach where you can start to understand a situation; go there firstly!) That’s your work. We are not in a position to judge another person’s day. We are in a position, constantly and sentiently, to extend Grace and be kind to them. We really have to choose to live out the fruits of the Spirit hourly—that’s the daily work of sanctification). In traffic, when a delivery person shows up late, when we are frustrated about this or that. Thats’s our sanctification process—choose kindness to one another. Enter Peace and then start to interpret things. That’s His Way.