“Billy Don Moyers (born June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. He served as the ninth White House Press Secretary under the Johnson administration from 1965 to 1967. He also worked as a network TV news commentator for ten years. Moyers has been extensively involved with public broadcasting, producing documentaries and news journal programs. He has won numerous awards and honorary degrees for his investigative journalism and civic activities. He has become well-known as a trenchant critic of the corporately structured U.S. news media.”

About that time I met Billy–or Bill Moyers! I like people who live out loud! And as I’m writing about famous people I’ve met, and enjoyed talking with…
Hanging out in Jeremiah’s gates and meeting famous people! I tend like Jeremiah to like to go wherever the living dialogue is happening within our just outside the gates of the church or synagogue—where culture, spirituality and true faith meet!

When I met the American interviewer Bill Moyers and his wife in Paris once: (working on a few short pieces on amazing humans i’ve been privileged to meet!)
Bill Moyers, the great interviewer and cultural commentator, and I talked about his famous interviews with Joseph Campbell, and about growing up baptist, and how we were able to find Christ despite Christianity. Good talk. We also talked about living our spiritual journeys “out loud” and how it effects people when people are living out their faith, even when it’s in a crisis, or transition.
His series on Joseph Campbell had by then become a staple in religious studies, and is still the most watched public television series ever; although i disagreed with them both on nearly everything (and Campbell’s version of Jung never caught me all the way, though i respected that he was trying to re-mythologize society—don’t throw out global stories, but not every story causes you to live well!), i found that he wanted to re-mythologize life was interesting-to put the supernatural narratives back into the story! Some stories are more true than others though.

That he also wanted to equalize all myths never sat with me, nor did his opinions on Jesus (borrowed directly from Jung, i think). Each “myth” some of which aren’t myths, bear unique fruit when lived out!

Regardless, i like how one person’s journey can honor and bring useful dialogue to others. Bill was kind to the best thinkers of our times, and generous in giving them a voice and critiquing them in Love, or at least, kindness. I always liked that about Bill Moyers.

And Bill and his wife were kind. We talked about the privilege of getting to do what you love, and our mutual respect for Henri Nouwen, through whom he edged back toward the church! I’ve been blessed to meet some people who have lived an “out loud metaphor,” and kept their hearts open along the way! I guess people would call them the seekers, but many of them are also pathways for others to explore afresh the possibility of true spirituality.

Plus, like Jeremiah, i just like hanging out in the gates where the real conversation is going on! I also just like talking with people i disagree with at times, but like their heart to journey towards….

Hanging out in Jeremiah’s gates and meeting famous people! I tend like Jeremiah to like to go wherever the living dialogue is happening within, or just outside the gates of the church or synagogue, mosque or marketplace, art gallery—where culture, spirituality and true faith meet! God is always having a fresh conversation there!

When I met the American interviewer Bill Moyers and his wife in Paris once: (working on a few short pieces on amazing humans i’ve been privileged to meet!)

Bill Moyers, the great interviewer and cultural commentator, and I talked about his famous interviews with Joseph Campbell, and about growing up baptist, and how we were able to find Christ despite Christianity. Good talk. We also talked about living our spiritual journeys “out loud” and how it effects people when people are living out their faith, even when it’s in a crisis, or transition.

His series on Joseph Campbell had by then become a staple in religious studies, and is still the most watched public television series ever; although i disagreed with them both on nearly everything (and Campbell’s version of Jung never caught me all the way, though i respected that he was trying to re-mythologize society—don’t throw out global stories, but not every story causes you to live well!), i found that he wanted to re-mythologize life was interesting-to put the supernatural narratives back into the story! Some stories are more true than others though.

That he also wanted to equalize all myths never sat with me, nor did his opinions on Jesus (borrowed directly from Jung, i think). Each “myth” some of which aren’t myths, bear unique fruit when lived out!

Regardless, i like how one person’s journey can honor and bring useful dialogue to others. Bill was kind to the best thinkers of our times, and generous in giving them a voice and critiquing them in Love, or at least, kindness. I always liked that about Bill Moyers.

And Bill and his wife were kind. We talked about the privilege of getting to do what you love, and our mutual respect for Henri Nouwen, through whom he edged back toward the church! I’ve been blessed to meet some people who have lived an “out loud metaphor,” and kept their hearts open along the way! I guess people would call them the seekers, but many of them are also pathways for others to explore afresh the possibility of true spirituality.

Plus, like Jeremiah, i just like hanging out in the gates where the real conversation is going on!

I’ve gotten to meet and converse with some remarkable folks along my way…..
Met this Rabbi back in the day, and was just re-reading his book on Jewish literacy today! Very helpful and earnest book. And I always wanted to work in a synagogue for performing arts!

Funny fellow as well. Humor is necessary for inter-faith dialogue at the very least! Works between races and generations as well, i think!

“An Orthodox rabbi by training, Telushkin serves as a spiritual leader of the Los Angeles Synagogue for the Performing Arts, founded in 1972 by Rabbi Jerome Cutler. He is an associate of the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership and a former director of education at the non-denominational Brandeis-Bardin Institute. Telushkin is also a Senior Associate with CLAL, the National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, and is a member of the board of directors of the Jewish Book Council. He has been on the Newsweek list of the 50 most influential rabbis in America since 1997.”

Here’s what we talked about:
With I met the famous Rabbi Telushkin (a nice man who wrote a great book on “Jewish Literacy”) back in the day, when hosting him for a book fair at a local book shop i worked at, i asked only one question: what empowers or allows you to live out, your ethics? What causes you to be kind, at the end of the day? What empowers the fruits of the Spirit—gentleness, patience kindness etc?
It led to a mighty night of discussion, as they say. I was privileged to get to dialogue with the Rabbi, but i think i was also able to challenge him. Love meeting teachers, and treating them like people!
His book is still one of the best introductions to basic Judaism I’ve read. But a solid Jewish perspective on the Holy Spirit is what i felt like talking about that night!
My other question to him, then, was: “By what spirit were the prophets speaking?” It’s still an interesting question to me. By what Spirit are you speaking….the Rabbi was kind in answering. He put up with my 38 year old self’s questions and desire to dialogue!
Again, it’s always good to have your heart’s questions ready, especially when questioning a Rabbi. And get your jokes ready as well!

Shall we dance?

“But, shall we dance friends, while here in our moaning and particular sufferings?!” my mentor used to ask us!

Wrote it down on a napkin, which i found again today!
Can you dance in and through cancer and political turbulences, church splits and wars-in short, can you dance in hope while the song is seemingly out of tune! Can you still hear the song?

When my mentor friend and great artist, was dying (he had a brain tumor), he actually made art from the X-rays of his own brain! Impressive art of relentless hope!

“Look at this brilliant collage of the brain, what a wonder, even with disease”, he said to me, near his passing.

I’ll never forget that—making art from our sufferings, hope’s art born in pain. Or dance, out of and in darkness. That’s the way.

But, and so… shall we dance, or complain our ways across that old line, which we all will eventually cross? How we face death shows how we lived life.

What my friend wrote on that napkin, recalled that question to me again today!

Sitting beneath bridges, some my own..

Since, a friend asked where all I’ve lived today in an interview, had to at least list a few cities and ways i’ve lived. I’ve lived under all sort of roofs and the lack of roof. In cars, and bars and under the stars….

Lived under many of my favorite bridges among this nation (most of which i know by name still!) and many others. Also lived in cars and parks, and beneath the endless stars…i tried to list most of the actual cities i’ve lived in for my friend, but i left out some i love the most.

I fell in love with cities when i lived in their parks and sat with them through the dark nights, met their homeless and their executives. Their poets and their governors both!

I fell in love with cities by living beneath their bridges. I sat with all the losers and listened to, and wrote, poetry throughout our nights!

Writing and talking today, about what we can learn from living everywhere in life. You start to see patterns as you go. When the convenience store opens, and when people need to go home.

You can learn lots by not living everywhere, but you can also learn a lot from loving everywhere! The world is a single live oak tree, it is also in a river–as they say!

You start to notice, what people really need as you go. To be loved, and be able to love others is basic, but there’s even more…nice to try to tell a bit of my tale today to a friend….I think he’s putting it in his homeless paper tonight under his bridge. I’ll try to get you a copy!

Most of those i’ve known, need a path as well–meaningful labor or being, as they say. Or as the old book put it, “the good works prepared in advance to be our way!”
Anyways, since someone asked….

More from praying for my friend Europe today:

Praying for the rivers in Europe today. Saw that they were being cleansed through confession (as all things do!).

So much death floating beneath, murk, so many unconfessed instances-undealt with debris—the undulate undercurrent, with debris of deaths unspoken (that’s how i heard and saw it anyway today in prayer!) Undulate under-currents of un-dealt with deaths being cleansed through confession, is what i think I saw in prayer for you today!

Praying for your rivers themselves to be baptized again, cleansed and that they become connected in the flow of good news throughout your heart, good news which clears the mind and heart of all amnesia and fogginess. I saw more in prayer for you today friend, but I’ll stop there for now.

I also dusted a few vacant watchtowers off as well today. They are tall and see far, Wisdom felt lonely there. So we sat together before anyone came. I could see the entire new world from there, and then i looked East, as your heart will do when praying….but i couldn’t yet pray into that direction fully, so I climbed down the tower and started to give the village children hugs. Praying for your children and theirs to come today. It was a weighty privilege praying for you today Europe!

I like praying for you, it helps me see you as you really are, and will be-and treat you with that respect. And I still loved you afterwards, and i still do friend.

I’m just a kid in the the new world you planted, in love with the nations and in love with you. And we are a mess, but I’m still praying your way today friends! I’m remembering for you today, until you come out of your own amnesia. I’m sitting by your bed, until you awake back into a very needed Wisdom! Just wanted you to know.

Post card to Europe from a true prayer today:

I haven’t forgotten you europe, you are always in my heart and daily prayers-I wear a ring to remind me of you hourly. It’s just that my own country is a mess right now, and needs help. As soon as i’m done, i’ll return to care for my parents! Just wanted to send you a postcard, and say thanks—I’ll see you soon! I know you are dealing with lots now also. Such a huge demographic shift happening now, and your rivers are being touched and cleansed again.

I’m praying your arts shine a way forwards for you (especially cinema, for some reason)-that they would be a headlight, or head-lamp-illuminating your way forwards- and that your heart will know comfort and Wisdom this day old dear friend. I wear you as a ring daily to remind me to honor my parents in prayer and action.

Today i kissed that ring again, and was lead immediately to pray deeply for you again. I haven’t forgotten you Europe! Just wanted you to know, someone was praying in your direction today! We are with you friend til the end!

A musical confession, outside of Bach, i listen to this type of music when writing….and it affects my costumes! Never write without a good costume on! Art is empathy!

Listening to The late great Tom Petty and brother Bob Dylan today as I was writing. Kept me rocking and lyrical! (Bit of REM and Flat Duo Jets, and the DB’s on the side, and touch of Ramones at the very end, and when i tired, Fugazi, into the Replacements-still one of my favorite bands ever- instead of coffee!)

Oh yes, at the end of the afternoon, a bit of Buddy Holly, whose grave i visited as a kid, and whose records still feel pure to me; and Chuck Berry who i got to see in Richmond once, and always respected that he drove himself to his own gigs (as i try to still!)-those two, for honesty’s sake.

I think it’s effecting my look! Good honest combo though on an afternoon of writing. Maybe I’ll go jazz tonight, or motown, and find a velvet smoking jacket. Music contains worlds.

Music is a ladder, as someone said. It’s also the atmosphere we live in, and each song implies an outfit! Each artist for me, requires a costume change, at the very least, to honor.

When i was a kid, i tried to corral the moon and stars, from that tipping red rocking horse on our patio.
I leaned back, thought i was a cowboy, and had a real lasso that i saw
could reach to the stars. I believed to see, then.
I would try to rock back and forth so fast my blood would rush to my head;
i could barely see, and then the rope would extend
what felt like forever, or until it lassoed a star or two.
Later i dreamed i became a tight rope walker between the city rooftops and the Sun–her rays were musical notes in my dream.
Same dream bigger scale, recurred over and over as recurring dreams do.
Later in art school i drew the walker between worlds
but i never forgot that cowboy kid rocking so hard to get the blood running
and hurling that rope out towards heaven
i was like that then, still am.
I like living between worlds
i like to rock fast
i like to corral stars and the sun
and listen to the music in between city and sky.
Whatever we were dreaming as kids
is still true, as it turns out.
Above and below are still connected
in dream, and we are still kids over and over
trying to rustle stars with God.

The “check you out” of God.

Once when i was younger, i was climbing up the stairs of the Eiffel tower, and I heard a voice behind me audibly say, “Check you out!” I turned, and no one was there. I laughed as I felt God’s heart in enjoying His kid climbing up the Eiffle tower. That “check you out” stayed with me in life. God’s pleasure in each of us, especially when we are doing our “thing”—check you out! I mean, check you out!!! Once that is internalized, you can, as St Augustine said, “Love God, and do whatever.” God must’ve told St Augustine—“Check you out!” That day on the Eiffel tower, when i heard God say to me: “Check you out!” changed my life.