A Completely Marvelous Day!

Posted on March 31, 2011 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

A birthday breakfast

Good Morning, God!

I don’t know when I have enjoyed a birthday more than I did yesterday! It was just a completely marvelous day! Thank You!

A few years ago, God, I might not have thought to thank You for things like wonderful days. It feels GOOD to thank You! It feels RIGHT to thank You.

The act of saying Thank You seems somehow to make more room inside me for You to “hold on to.”

It makes me think of the children’s spinning top, the dreidel. I was playing with one a few years ago and thought “Wow! if this had six sides, instead of four, it would be a great visual representation of our week.”

Each side would be one of the working days. And the pole that comes up the top would be the Sabbath Day. The one that You use, God, to pick us (the top) up and give us a “spin.” I loved the image then, God, and I still love it! Our week is designed to pivot and spin on the point or base of the Sabbath. And the pole is “set apart” so You can get a good grip on us.

All of this is very practical, God. Because I NEED for You to have a good grip on me. I’m almost through listening to Willful Blindness and I have become PAINFULLY AWARE of how HARD it is to make “good” choices when we are part of a group. Because it is so important to us to be a loyal group member.

So, please God, help me make MORE room for You in my heart and in my life.

Posted in gratitude, Hearing, Sabbath as PLAY, sabbath rest, seeing, thankfulness

Thankfulness and Two Birthday Wishes

Posted on March 30, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Bird of Paradise seen unexpectedly on a jog

Good Morning, God!

Wheee! Today is my birthday and I am SO THANKFUL! I am blessed — and I know it. And I would count the ways, God, but then I would be sitting here all day!

I’m thankful that I did go jogging yesterday — with stops for photos. My first jog in a few days.

So much beauty, God, so much beauty. And how good it is for my spirit to pause and appreciate it. Beauty is healing in some strange way. Beauty in the physical world and beauty in the smiles of family and friends. Again, God, I am VERY THANKFUL!

But, God, I confess, I have TWO BIRTHDAY WISHES. The first one is for folks who enjoy praying. Please pray for Heidi Lum and her young son, Noah, who are off to Swaziland to review and encourage our (Advocates for Africa’s Children) partners and projects. What we are doing is ground breaking and important and needs prayer.

The Second Wish, God, is that People will watch this marvelous video of Dr. David Servan-Schreiber talking about what we can do to turn back cancer. We DO have the power to do that, God. We CAN help ourselves. And the BEST time to do it is NOW. I would so much rather have family, friends and “unmet friends” watch this video and commit to taking better care of themselves than receive leis or cards or nice stuff like that. Of course, I love cards!

But, I LOVE PEOPLE so much more! And I LONG for us all to TAKE CARE of ourselves. So please, God, help people WATCH this video.

Posted in gratitude, Growth Opportunities, healing, health, Helpful Hards, Prayer, thankfulness

Making Changes to Live Better and Live Longer

Posted on March 29, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Dr. David Servan-Schreiber

Good Morning, God!

It seems to take a while for things to soak in to my brain. A wise friend has been sending me LOTS of information about Dr. David Servan-Schreiber and his book Anti-cancer: A New Way of Life.

And I thought, RIGHT, more about eating broccoli. But, I watched him in a brief YouTube presentation and he’s really GOT IT! I bet Being French helped him. The French are still mostly eating real food so it wasn’t totally unfamiliar to him.

It isn’t so much that I didn’t KNOW that sugar and white flour feeds cancer. Not that I didn’t know that the changes in fats since the 1940’s (especially transfats) were BAD for us. And I knew that the industrialization of the meat and dairy industries has switched the fast fat (omega 3) that comes from cows eating GRASS to the slow fat (omega 6) that happens when you feed them grains.

But, those factoids were scattered about in my brain, God. They never seemed to gather together for a “Critical Mass” that would get this Little Lemming pointed away from the sea.

What to do is clear. ONE: Eat lots of vegetables, no packaged foods, no oils except olive oil, and only grass-fed meat and grass-fed dairy. TWO: exercise for 30 minutes six times a week. THREE: build relaxation/contemplation into all of life. FOUR: avoid pollution and contaminants.

We are talking SLOW HARD CHANGES. God! True, I don’t need to do it all immediately. I can work toward it. I can ask Kit to help, friends to help, and YOU to help.

Posted in Changing, Cherishing our Bodies, choosing HARD, Heal Us Now, health

Entering Slowly into a New Week

Posted on March 28, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

leaving church at Central Union

Good Morning, God!

Yesterday was a lovely Sabbath. I slept in, went to church, had a bite to eat and napped. Ahaaa, wonderful.

Then, a little grocery shopping, a walk and games with my mom, and dinner at home with guests. All without rushing. All at a slow pace. In fact, even our “crockpot” dinner was going slow.

I prayed too, God — lifting up friends — and people I know. Hmm. I don’t think I prayed for world leaders and corporate heads. I should have. Can we make that retroactive, God?

We all need help, but people in positions of power need MORE help. It is just so easy for people in power “not to know”. It doesn’t even require “Willful Blindness!” Although, I dare say there is a bit of that, too!

Speaking of that book, I’m almost done. It has been hard, God, learning how easy we all find it to fit in and to conform. How easy it is to let money influence us. How easy it is to tell ourselves that if we don’t do it someone else will.

In short, God, we really want to explain away the Sermon on the Mount. But, Jesus wasn’t kidding. He meant it. And if I think keeping the Sabbath is hard what about selling all I have and giving it to the poor? Yikes!

Ah, but being rested gives me a much better shot at hearing You, God, and sometimes even responding. That’s an encouraging thought. But, O God. I’m afraid I am going Very Slowly.

Posted in sabbath rest, seeing myself as a sheep, self care as self compassion and humility

Beauty, Busy and a New View of Time

Posted on March 27, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A yellow lehua blossom

Good Morning, God!

A Smaller Lighter Life? I think that’s what I want, God. Ah, but old habits and old mindsets are VERY persistent.

It takes Work and Planning to be able to Rest. Hmm. Maybe, it just takes Stopping and Relaxing? There’s a thought!

I have certainly been pursuing the Sabbath as if I had to carefully plan ahead and get everything done BEFORE the Sabbath. Acting as if it were an assignment instead of a great life-changing gift that You want me to have.

The image of turning in Papers at School comes to mind. ATTENTION: You are NOT in school anymore. YES! That’s RIGHT! Thanks, God!

But, You see, God, I don’t know HOW to REST. I know how to NAP. I know how to distract myself. I even know how to avoid work. But, I’m pretty sure that IS NOT WHAT YOU MEAN BY SABBATH REST.

Today, I shall go slow. I shall admire Your World, God. I shall enjoy Your People. I shall look for beauty. And I shall see if I can — for blessed moments, now and then — leave My Time and enter into Your Time. Your Enormously Huge NOW!

Posted in a hand up, sabbath rest, time, Transitions

The sorrows of life, the joys of praying

Posted on March 26, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

pencil drawing from a photo of Mother Teresa

Good Morning, God!

Thank You for the great gift of Your interest, love and attention. I am so thankful!

I have been praying with and for people at Honolulu ’11 and I have experienced Your deep interest, concern and love for each person coming for prayer. Your love feels far MORE real than the ordinary things of life.

Indeed, I feel more “real” more “alive” and more “me” when I am praying with people. I know, God, that prayer is not “magic.” Pray isn’t so much a matter of coming with “what we want” as it is coming with our broken hearts and broken dreams and handing over the pieces to You.

You take the shards of our heart and put them together with Your Grout. Sometimes it takes a long time. But, Your “grout” is more permeable to Your Love. It makes for more loving hearts.

I have often thought that Mother Teresa’s heart must have been almost ALL grout. I look at her face, God, and I see sorrow and love mixed together. There is an enormous amount of sorrow in this world, God. And some of it can be addressed with physical solutions — wells for water, gardens for food, jobs for money and meaning.

But, other sorrows come from emotional traumas, losses and pain. For those sorrows, God, it seems best to pray — listening WITH YOU — hearing people into speaking out their pain and sorrow. Prayer is — hearing with Your Heart — speaking with them and for them, asking together for Your Help.

Thank You, God, for LONGING to help — for helping us before we ask and as we ask. Thank You so VERY MUCH!

Posted in a prayer for healing, being together in a compassionate presence, Prayer, Praying together extemporaneously, thankfulness

Permission to Rest — the Kindness of God

Posted on March 25, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The upraised arms of our Convention Center

Good Morning, God!

I have been given permission to rest! And now I am smiling as MANY people (including myself) have been trying to give me permission to rest. But, somehow, I didn’t “believe” it — or “accept” it.

Aaah, but yesterday, as I heard Jan Johnson talk about prayer as connecting with You, God, and then while she talked about the spiritual practices of solitude and silence, something clicked.

Maybe it was when she told the story of how Dallas Willard, in one of his classes, required people to spend 10 hours in bed the first four days of the class. TEN HOURS IN BED?

Part of me thought HOW WONDERFUL. Another part thought, IMPOSSIBLE. I pondered whether I could do it. Let’s see — if I climbed in bed by 8 p.m. and stayed there until 6 a.m. THAT would be 10 hours. I resolved to TRY it.

And I DID IT! Aside from getting up in the night for a trip or two to the bathroom I was in bed over ten hours. Alas, I can’t do it four nights in a row. But, I am looking forward to more sleep and less busy. More Time with You and less to Do!

I shall fall and fail. But, my Heart LONGS for this. My Body NEEDS it. And Your Spirit will help my Spirit — to get BACK ON YOUR PATH.

Posted in a series of molts and upgrades, A weekly day of rest, accepting my ability to REDESIGN, rest, Rethinking

The Importance and Beauty of Trees

Posted on March 24, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A monkey pod tree along Punahou St.

Good Morning, God!

Just as seeing the Kolea brightens my day, so do the monkey pod trees bring me joy. There is something about their shape that just makes me happy.

I like to think, God, that they make You happy, too. In Psalm One the folks who love and follow in Your Ways are compared to Trees. Furthermore, they are Trees planted by streams of water, whose leaves will not wither. They are called Trees who will bring forth fruit in their season.

The Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galations 5:22-23). You know, God, I always forget about that “longsuffering” fruit. Now we translate it as patience or forbearance.

But, I once saw an image of our now lush tree-filled Nuuanu Valley — completely deforested! The photo was taken back in 1900. There was not a single tree. Only grass. It was so sad, God. Truly, I believe the Land itself was suffering. Certainly, the ability of the land to absorb and hold rain water was badly damaged. Trees are so important, God, to the health of the land and thus to our health.

Hmm. The Land was both suffering and patient. But, the Land was also forgiving. We (the Territory) declared it watershed land and planted trees. And the Land recovered its health. So, maybe, that “longsuffering” fruit — is sort of a willingness to begin again? A willingness to have TREES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS planted? A willingness to BECOME A TREE?

We need More Trees, God! We need Both real trees and people that You will call Trees. Trees of both sorts bring Joy!

Posted in becoming the change I wish to see, Endurance, Fruit of the Spirit, Trees

Golden Plovers and their Spring Trip

Posted on March 23, 2011 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

: Pacific Golden Plover

Good Morning, God!

We are getting close to mid-April when the Kolea (Pacific Golden Plovers) gather and then fly off to Alaska. I love seeing these bird, God. Partly, because they are beautiful, but also because the whole idea of these birds flying off to summer in Alaska is mind-boggling.

Apparently, it is a 50 hour direct flight. 50 hours! If they were like us, they would have to be doing “training” flights. Although, just how one would train for a 4,000 mile flight isn’t clear. It is especially not clear, God, because the Kolea seem to prefer walking!

Then there is the question of “navigation.” I had thought that maybe the young birds just followed the older birds that had been there (Alaska) before. But, it seems that the older birds fly first — leaving the young to get there on their own. Hmm. One study of 20 birds — banded and fitted with radio transmitters in Hawaii — found that 19 of them returned from Alaska. That is a pretty good percentage survival rate. Although, I find myself hoping, God, that bird #20 decided to fly to California with friends.

Their breeding plumage is also a delight to me! They fatten up and put on what I think of as “tuxedos” — so smart and dressy! Surely, God, You DO watch over these birds! And, it comes to me that You long to watch over us as well. Please help me, God, to trust You as the Kolea do!

Posted in delight, interspecies contact, Trusting God, web of life

A Very Effective Ant Killer

Posted on March 22, 2011 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Ant killer? My ants are gone!

Good Morning, God!

One of my most reliable friends recommended this artificial sweetener as a very effective ant killer. I thought, Really? How odd is THAT, God!

But, we have been beset by the world’s smallest ants for several months. Kit and I have trouble seeing small crumbs — crumbs that will feed a multitude of these tiny ants. I don’t like poisons in our home — so I was being really clean — but not clean enough. So last time I ate out I brought home two little yellow packets. I sprinkled them in a few corners and prepared to wait the week my friend said it would take.

But the ants began to disappear more quickly than that. But the end of the day there were only scattered groups left. And the next day I only saw a few scouts. Yesterday I couldn’t find any ants. Amazing! I am really pleased about this ant killer.

But, God, I confess to being worried for my friends who are using these small yellow packets. I admit, although I love techie toys, I am VERY conservative when it comes to food. If I could turn the clock back 200 years, I would.

I understand that humans are MUCH bigger than ants. Still, I am uneasy knowing I will be watching dear friends dump this artificial sweetener into drinks. There are people who are concerned about sugar substitutes. But, the concern seems to be based on scientific studies. I wonder. God, how much MORE concerned people would feel if they had just used them to kill ants?

Posted in food questions, health