Chasing light, the ocean's current mesmerized my soul. Castles made from little hands, hope swirled effortlessly upward, quietly, deliberately floating with the movement of air. Pausing, I breathed in deeply as the sun cast it's illuminating warmth. The soft shimmer against specks of gold. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; these were the cuts etched with precision hands in a diamond found buried within the mud. Carat - the weight/ color - the brilliance/ clarity - the wisdom/ cut - the experiences; this gemstone is of rare beauty. It is a treasured gift if found by chance.shine with a soft tremendous light
Swirl A conference about atoms and molecules, a pod-cast about parenting, one about the old traditions of the bible, one loosely connecting historical letters, a book about boundaries, a workshop about children and stress, articles in the news; it is a swirl of thought and perspectives. My mind automatically connects "dots", drawing symbolism and big picture ideas to small obscure theories. It is as if I must sift through ocean sand in search for a rare and valuable jewel. Format: 30-40 tables of four in an auditorium of about 150 people rotating with four questions. It was a follow-up to a video we watched and a panel of discussion by guest speakers. First question, first table. If we are talking about mental illness, the rise of drug use and suicide in teenagers, maybe we "as a generation of parents" are doing something wrong, I said. Well - that stopped (or slowed) the conversation. Post a picture hinting of our inequities and it might get one "like" or two - maybe. People rarely want to cast the light upon themselves but that is exactly where a faith journey must begin; it is a jeep-trail of discovery for the adventuresome. If statistics are giving us accurate information, something is amiss in a world that needs hope. We hobbled through the remaining few minutes and I went to three more tables with 12 more people and kept my tongue under a finer filter. But, what if WE have something to learn from our kids? This blog is about Faith and change has to begin with me. I have a tendency to brag about my three kids (all in their twenties). Getting older: I stop, listen, speak less. Am I willing to let go into the arms of a heavenly father? I have a tendency to preach about forgiveness but then not reconcile with my own father? Getting older: I stop, listen, speak less. Am I willing to let go into the arms of a heavenly father? I have a tendency to put fear above faith? Getting older: I stop, listen, speak less. Am I willing to let go into the arms of a heavenly father?
Speak Life Leaving a football game with my mother and sister, we followed the large crowd exiting the arena when we came across a boombox blaring a pre-taped message that Jesus is the way. It was 3-4 young people sitting on the curb looking sad and empty and I couldn't help but think they were being paid to amplify the bulletin. I continued being herded with the rest of the crowd toward the parking lot, not dismissing the image. Well - it just felt so unholy. When I think of the most holy, sacred moments in my life - the ones that transform my faith into action, the ones that turn religion upside down with a spin of something greater and deeper and more unexplainable, they have been moments unrelated to a sermon. They brought what the breaking of bread looks like in a community of believers. With the thought of God's grace through the sacrifice Jesus made on a cross, tears were the instrument cutting a diamond on the inside out where the dust blew freely through the delicacies of my spirit. I entered the large exterior glass doors. I paused. Next, I entered a second set of windowed glass. Pushing with force, the air contracted into puffs of movement. I stepped forward taking in the sight of community in an empty sanctuary. The fragrance of church was intoxicating. There were no lights and no people, no music, no papers; I found my seat alone albeit the holy spirit that embraced me. The inside of my soul overflowed with gratitude for a faith etched by loving hands. Church not only represents tiny, little experiences but everything. God has created you as carefully as He has designed me. I had the opportunity to hear the conversation between a father and his sons this week. The image is a quick snapshot in a corridor of an abbey where the quiet gregorian chants of men in worship whisper through halls of faith. I realized the creator of the universe created you to "speak life" in a way that nobody else on the planet could. This interchange of thought seemed a contrast to a blasting, blaring sound in the crowded noise. It is a hushed whisper of intimacy forever transforming ... one person at a time.
a Stained Glass Listening to a pastor at a conference, he was simply a teacher at a workshop and I realized I was surrounded by men and women who had no faith. It was a lonely wind that drifted in that morning. Yes, the church is it's people but there is also something so regal and humbling before the cross on weakened knees in a holy sanctuary. Scripture, biblical truths, ancestry, a lifetime of quiet exchange between a holy God and a humble heart and for a brief moment, the exchange of an inhaled puff of oxygen with the exhaled one of carbon dioxide was the same windowed glass I entered but this time - into my soul. In Galatians, Paul was speaking to the people of the church who had begun to wander away from their freedom and again toward legalism. He urged his brothers and sisters to grow-up in their faith. The more intimate their relationship with Jesus Christ, the more their love spilled out to those around them. The natural brilliance of color, clarity, cut and carat as a proactive pursuit of faith is the artisan cutting a diamond on the inside of your soul; the remaining dust is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. It never was about the chasing of traits but rather the earnest yearning toward a living God. Which brings us back to a castle and sand, a girl and a boy, hope and love and with a child-like faith, the community of believers share the treasure they have found ... because it spills out from their innocent love. May you, too, encounter a holy God. Come, all who are tired ... into His arms of strength. The savior's arms are open wide.
"Tell the World of the Treasure You've Found" As they looked toward the heavens, quiet rain fell like confetti - seeping into the stillness of souls.
Amen
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AuthorA fellow point guard for the faith; a writer, deep thinker, music loving, jeep blazing ... follower of Jesus. Archives
June 2019
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