Reading and teaching from Isaiah 41 (and 63) this week as a lens for now: here’s what I’m getting in a nutshell: Don’t fear, instead rejoice, and tell God stories…

  The great and most erudite of the prophets Isaiah has this great chapter set at the end of the world. There are three characters in this passage: God, His friends, and those who are building idols of one sort of another.

  God’s friends are asked to do three things in times of shaking and idol building: not to be afraid, to actually rejoice instead, and to tell the stories of God’s kindnesses.

  Nothing has changed in terms of the correct response to turbulent times. Practice actively (whatever practices help you not move in fear) not moving in the ways of fear, actually rejoice as a sign that God is still here, and tell stories (in whatever medium you choose), past and present of all God’s kindnesses.

  God stories make room for God to be here. Or as Madeleine L’Engle wrote: “Jesus was not a theologian. He was a God who told stories.”

 Raw notes from my little homily today: why not share it here also, as this is like the outer courts of the temple where the people gather to discuss what’s up. And Jeremiah always hung out in that space. And I like that guy! Anyway…if you don’t believe in Jesus, or if you like Jesus but don’t like religion, just skip to the parts about Love versus fear!

Today i watched a father show his son a bullet hole in a wall. The son grew afraid and the father already was.

 I was on the way to talk to a small group of people on Henri Nouwen’s idea of moving from the house of fear to the house of love, and living from that place where we hear the tone of Love in our hearts as a necessary spiritual practice in our times of fear and shaking externally. I had felt impressed to meditate on Isaiah 41 today, and was going to teach from that passage which is set in the end times.

  I was thinking, that we as friends of the Prince of Peace, if we take that friendship seriously, not just religiously, are meant to according to Isaiah, move in the opposite spirit than fear if we are His Friends, and not just religious acquaintences.

  For ideology (or even our best ideas) want make us safe or a safe place, “the shelter of the Presence of the Most High” and friendship or close proximity with Him, will. We have to actually walk around as friends of God.

 That in Him, we are safe havens of love and kindness, His presence is Peace, and we are carriers of that Presence; especially as darkness increases, and true light of His Presence (not just ideologies) must come in higher contrast, as we tell the stories past and present of His kindnesses to us.

 Isaiah is the most erudite and articulate of the prophets, expressing most of his content in fluid symbols which tap into the Reality of his message.

 So you see three directives in this chapter towards God’s friends, which is set in “end times”: don’t fear, rejoice, tell stories of God’s kindnesses so people can know Him, and see the high contrast with the shaking turbulences around them. We get to be living signs in the story.

 There are three characters in this passage: those busy building idols, the friends of God, and God Himself. The setting is the end of the world! Pretty grand narrative here. Similar to chapter 63.

 That’s the opportunity now, in our times. So, we discipline ourselves to not live in fear. We hold fear captive in our hearts, so to the degree it doesn’t rule over us, we can bring that fearlessness to others. That’s the practice of daily overcoming fear. For perfect Love, which is God, cast out fear. So our job is to be in and near God—friends.

 I see increasing fear, anxiety, and confusion everywhere these days. But we are called to do three things: don’t live in fear, instead rejoice, and tell stories of His kindnesses to us. Telling the stories, also keeps us in Peace as we remember His faithfulness across the years of our own narratives.

 So, we are to be clinging to His command to not be afraid (Isaiah 41), to actively, hourly find the Voice of Love, to listen for that tone of His Presence, as Nouwen would put it. Not to fear, instead to actually rejoice, resonate in, and tell His Stories of life through ours! Express well, His “kindnesses” to you—past and present.

 That ushers in healing and the safest place on earth-His Presence. It brings a space of love and safety for others around us, and for ourselves for that matter.

  There’s lots more in this passage and how it relates to chapter 63 as well. Like the type unity (being unified around a common fear is not true or higher unity) that evil has in building idols, how that type of unity is meant to intimidate and distract us from true unity in Love; and the contrasting unity His people have in love. But to hear that part you would have to come to the group.

 Henri Nouwen wrote: “When we begin to understand at a deep, spiritual level that we live surrounded by love and in communion with God no matter what the external circumstances, we can let go of the fear that lurks on the outskirts of our minds. We can move from the house of fear to the house of Love where the Voice and Presence of God is.”

  So, don’t fear, instead rejoice and find His Presence, and tell stories about it, through whatever creative mediums you tell stories. That was my sermon in a nutshell.

 Interesting always how “real life” brings scriptures to life. Turns out they still apply. I promise i compressed this into seven minutes at the gathering! Not easy to do when preaching from da prophets!

 Hope I get to see that man and his son again to tell them they don’t have to live in fear. In the meantime, i’ll say it here.

So let me just suggest, here is what the true church, at least should be doing now: practicing not being in any sort of fear (whatever spiritual practices keep you out of the ways of fear), being actively in His Joy (re-joicing–ie re-bounding and re-sounding His Joy), and telling every story you can think of from the past and present of God’s kindness to you personally. This will make a way on earth for others to encounter Him directly. And it is our mandate now. We are meant to be signs in these times.

The seasons of life…why marry another?

Each aspect and season of life is sensual and beautiful in its on way, a marriage or collaboration into being and becoming—can we live that out fully? Not just the lover metaphor or  initial stages (the attraction to the carnival of life), but the being in constant communion through all the season of life-the dying for one another when it is tougher and not as lovely.

Some seasons of life are sheer work together. The blazing of sharpening the inner heart’s furnace of faith. Others are ridiculously pleasurable. Either way. We must chose to continue as one…that’s the bond of becoming…

The Song of Solomon is meant to lead us towards the incarnation of Revelations, and laboring with, into, as one, the fullnesses of one another–the symphony of selves only possible in wedding.

 The Lover stage is easy. Attraction is simple. Sacrifice is harder.  The daily deaths necessary to become. The Laboring with, through seasons of life, stages and levels of sacrifice—more like Jesus; more like the One who originally attracted you. Why not go on into the fullness of His Glory…to become older together is the best art. The best wines have passed through many seasons of life.

Why do we stop at lover? Why not press on to partners in a garden which never ends?! Are we that timid before becoming? The maturation of our own souls and spirits. That intimidated by His calling to become the sons and daughters, the husbands and wives of His Own wedding banquet….

Today i watched a father show his son a bullet hole in a wall. The son grew afraid and the father already was.

 I thought how we, as friends of the Prince of Peace, if we take than friendship seriously, not just religiously, are meant to according to Isaiah, move in the opposite spirit than fear if we are His Friends.

 That in Him we are safe havens of love and kindness, His presence is Peace, and we are carriers of that Presence; especially as darkness increases, and true light (not just ideologies) must come in higher contrast, as we tell the stories past and present of His kindnesses to us. (Isaiah 41).

 Isaiah is the most erudite and articulate of the prophets, expressing most of his content in fluid symbols which tap into the Reality of his message.

 So you see three directives in this chapter towards God’s friends, which is set in “end times”: don’t fear, rejoice, tell stories of God’s kindnesses so people can know Him, and see the high contrast with the shaking turbulences around them. We get to be living signs.

 There are three characters in this passage: those busy building idols, the friends of God, and God Himself. The setting is the end of the world! Pretty grand narrative here. Similar to chapter 63.

 That’s the opportunity now, in our times. So, we discipline ourselves to not live in fear. We hold fear captive in our hearts, so to the degree it doesn’t rule over us, we can bring that fearlessness to others. That’s the practice of daily overcoming fear.

I see increasing fear everywhere these days. But I’m clinging to His command to not be afraid (Isaiah 41), instead to actually rejoice and tell His Stories of life!  Isaiah taught us that His friends are the safe places on earth. Where His friends are, there is peace and true story telling. So, I won’t give into fear. Instead I will rejoice for the Lord is with me. And so I can be a place of Peace and Safety for others, and bring them into His Haven—the shelter of The Most High’s long story. Perfect love, cast out fear.

My job then will be to not be in fear, rejoice and tell the stories of God in my life. That’s my conviction for the rest of my life. That’s what God teaches us to do in the end times through Isaiah the prophet. And that’s what I want to do. Tell the stories, not live in fear and rejoice in God openly, overtly as a sign to others.

Art giving!

   My dear friend sent this sketch of me this week of my lamenting cowboy self, as an art response to my little video.  Nice to have someone observe you in this medium. And to respond by making art, and share it as a gift.

 Something happens when responding to one another through art. Can’t recall having someone sketch me before, other than when I worked at the art school in San  Fran. Thanks friend! That blessed my day. Kindness and art exchanged between friends is like oil on one’s cowboy hat.

 Art given between friends may be my love language. Give da gift of art to one another! Takes it out of da market and into da Love!

  If we all just started making art, or giving our gifts (gifts of beholding and creating in response to one another’s lives), things might get better.

  I have so many artist friends globally. I would love to do a whole show of art gifts others have given me over the years. And art responses from me. I love how art as gift giving, just keeps giving deep to deep, symbol to symbol, heart to heart and helps heal us in unseen ways. Art in dialogue has a unique power.

 That was the essence of my art therapy training at Lesley college years back in Cambridge, Mass. Art–responding to one another’s lives through art, is mutually healing, on a level that sometimes even words can’t touch. The gift of beholding one another through art, and then giving it as a gift of sight, can’t be underestimated in the healing journey.

 Thinking lots recently about ways to bring unity in many types of communities—making art in encounter with one another, would be a simple way.

 Make up a song for someone today (or your city or nation), or whatever way you choose to play, whatever medium catches your fancy today, and giving it to them as a gift. I guarantee it will bless them! This one, did me.

 The other thing it does, if you are an artist, or one who highlights the creative process, is redirect your gift from just self success or expression, and marketing your own gifts (whether in ministry, counseling or art, for that matter) to actually blessing others.

 Something to be said about the humility factor involved—how it turns navel gazing and the pressures of success towards loving one another.

 Just some art thoughts today, having received this little treasure. And how to give from the gifts we are given!

 Anyway, this little sketch made me think of that today. And blessed me. Thanks friend for reminding me of things that matter in this short creative, and still beautiful life!

His burden is light. We can only bear the amount of light given to each of us. That is our range of constellation or what St Paul calls our radiance. We are responsible for developing that radiance however. Spirituality is not passive in that way. And He will not give us more than we can bear—that amount meant to form us properly if we let those trials become His Victories in us. Thinking about the bearable light. That amount of light we are meant to collaborate with God in. That level of understanding, insight and ability to live well. That’s our part of the garden to tend. The pleasant lines of our inheritance. As we get older we start to sense the parameters of our labor. The circumference of our domains. We stop trying to move in other’s fields, but tend our own in order to bless others. It is part of knowing the pleasant lines of our particular domains in life. What part of the situation we are meant to bless, and when to defer to others. So we don’s “soul” effort it into place. When young, we are searching for our fields. We are learning to possess them, to become them; then, we move on into seasons of cultivation so the fruits of our lives can bless others. Each of us have unique paths in this sense, which are somehow mysteriously networked in God. Life is beautiful in that way, and His burden is Light!

The nighttime sky-scape has been moving me this week….

  The barefoot risk of seeing the  moon this week, was worth it! It’s been a pleasure just watching the drama in the skies above us all this season, in the midst of the turbulence of the days. Enjoy watching the skies wherever you are friends! The skies continue to contextualize us. Thankful for the little big things this week—the domes of glory we are encapsulated in.

A bit more on overcoming racism, as i ran into my friend’s older sister today and hung out talking what the role of the church is in all this. She felt they were too divided to speak well now, but needed to address the issues directly in Love, unlike after 911. I agreed.

  I told her the story of how my uncles, who lived in the deep south and were famous for serving “blacks” in the bbq joint they ran on Interstate 29—back in the day, it was the main highway up the east coast before 85 and 95 were added-so the african american musicians used to travel south on it to do shows down in Georgia and Florida. They feared the journey, but needed safe havens along the way, and my uncles would even keep open after hours so they could have some good NC bbq.

 My uncles were famous in that little region of North Carolina, for serving others. And one time ended up serving Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz musician who was already well known in Europe, but at that time, was just getting known in the deep south. And it was still hard for a black man to travel north to south, even then. The word got out, that there where white people in the south, even back then, who would serve anyone food. Plus the barbecue was amazing!

 Anyway, my friend and I talked today about people who made morally pioneering decisions in their times under their current cultural prejudices to do what was right. Each of us is responsible to aligning with Kingdom values in our time, and moving against the darker currents of morality.

 At that time in America’s history, there were “colored” and “white” churches in the deep south, and there were literally train tracks between the two. And once again barbecue was the place of reconciliation! But it did require those willing to cross the lines! It’s a good part of my own family heritage-that we welcomed those at that time perceived as “other”, realizing in some ways we are all children of God, and all “other”. All fallen short of the glory….all in need of a forgiveness. All in desperate need of Love.

 There are choices to make each generation, regardless of our cultural situations or moral milieus, or even strongholds of thought, and they chose to do that right because of their Christian beliefs, or maybe because they knew the Spirit of Christ in them, not just cultural religion. They thought Jesus turned out to be an inter-racial lover.

 I remember one of them telling me before he died, “Jesus was an outsider even in his own culture, and so are we all—even christians are only grafted in to another religion, and their way is the way of blessing the stranger. Jesus was and is The Stranger. So be kind to those who see themselves as strangers. There are specific blessings for those who go out of their way to welcome the foreigner, or those who see themselves as the loser in the Game of life.” I wrote that down, and still recall it.

 Lots of my uncles, weren’t so sure about traditional church, even way back then, but they all knew Jesus and wanted to walk that way out practically.

 Anyway, my friend and I today, went on to talk of which parts of her family were forgiving towards whites and others, and which held bitterness for years against those who had oppressed them. I told her, I had apologized for any of my family line who had done wrong towards her line. Then we started talking about the church as a model of the human family reconciled.

 There have been people in every generation who have been cultural advocates for not just the poor, but those who saw themselves as “low class” (class systems are also a statement of racism, but based on resources—materialism) or not included in the dominant culture. The Ebed Melech’s, the story of Jeremiah the prophet (the african who helped Jeremiah the Jewish prophet out of the pit he was thrown in), advocates to the Voice of God,  who have gone against the grain in loving people of other colors, races or those who were considered trash in their society. Gandi is another example which comes to mind, who worked for the “outcast”. It was an active choice, and one of high risk. And it is like God to do so.

  Watching a documentary last night about a German man who anonymously saved over 10,000 Jews and others, during the wars. And ended up himself with no grave.

 Time to be those type of unsung heroes in daily practical ways. Let’s all become trees of righteousness for having gone out of our way to bless those who were being persecuted in our days.

 Challenged this week, by those who chose well under pressures before us to love especially those who see themselves as discarded in the human family. Going out of way to bless them—at risk to themselves. That seems to me the way of Christ.

Thinking of the moon and sun (most basic symbols above us) this week, after so many signs in the skies during these turbulent days and nights! Time to read the skies as well as the daily news! I told you I’d be singing this week!

Moon and Sun…how God speaks through them….one is self radiating penetrative, the other receptive reflective (the masculine and feminine of God)

God set up the moon to govern the night—the unconscious the place where the police have to govern on earth, and there is often fright. the place where suicide and death happen, where we stupidly misperceive one another in un-founded ways, where bricks are thrown in cowardice, and make visible fissures seen the next day;

where we spray paint hate on one another’s bodies; but also night is where lovers meet, and children sleep. when the moon has a rainbow, as it did this week, there is colored hope, astute rayed splendor statements made from Above, even in the unseen parts of our days and selves of love. Hope between races, men and women, generations! Kind conversations in the silence of Love’s tone-in moon shadow.

The Sun brings overt hope daily-sheer life, but the moon is steadfast in what is “night”. That right but softer light, continues, and will return at dawn for the moon reflects the Sun, it does not generate it, but receives it well-and that is her type of authority. So when you have a rainbow around the moon, you have hope in the unseen parts of the inner room, the un-obvious responsive part of God in us. Perhaps the place where we receive The Voice!  The place where people are sleeping is also a place of choice. Rainbows there matter even more, than the overt symbols of day.

God set up the two symbols to govern in both ways. They still tell His stories daily. And perhaps we should be listening to the night of the soul around now?

The day blares so loudly now, i can barely hear you.

The night brings it’s own rainbow-mooned comforts

which seep into our sleep like dreams do.

Dream on God. We still need you. Dream through us in moon rainbows if you must,

until we hear, whether through day or night,

whichever medium or metaphor You choose we know will be right,

We are listening again. You got our attention.

Speak as Sun or Moon, and we will be wet with Your Words

by morning, as dew, as we heard the dawn is already breaking in our hearts somewhere.

And God is always speaking even when we are presumably asleep!