A Few Thoughts on Breakfast Cereal

Posted on July 28, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Wheaties: The Breakfast of Champions

Good Morning, God

The cereals of my childhood. Wheaties! And Cheerios! I remember once we had 5 boxes of Cheerios open so I could send the box tops off for a Captain Midnight ruby decoder ring — or was it the Buck Rogers Venusian Alligator glow-in-the-dark ring?

I suppose, having gotten so much enjoyment out of the cereals of my childhood, it unkind of me to carp about their nutritional content — or lack of same.

Then along came Sugar Frosted Flakes and Lucky Charms and I let my children eat them. I think, God, that is what happens when families turn away from Grandmothers and toward Experts. Not that my grandmothers were saying anything. Of course, it is all relative. Artificial sweeteners are so bad that they are making sugar look almost good for us.

We are eating a lot of things that You didn’t create, God. It was Michael Pollan who observed that all traditional diets will support life. Our’s is NOT a traditional diet. Let’s see. What is the latest news. 4 cans of diet soda can increase a pregnant woman’s chances of having a premature baby by 80%.

Perhaps the problem isn’t so much Experts as Corporations. Profit making tends toward pandering. We love sweet stuff and so competition makes cereals sweeter. Hard to resist. Of course, our “food” manufacturers are pretty much the same companies that brought us cigarettes. Hmmm.

I think, God, that we might need a New Leviticus. At least a few more Prophets decrying Splenda?

Tagged with: cigarettes and sugar frosted flakes
Posted in Cherishing our Bodies, choices, choosing HARD, Common sense and reasonableness, compassion to care for myself, traditional food patterns, Transitions

Hope for Our Future? Calling all Grandparents

Posted on July 27, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Grandfather Tom and William

Good Morning, God!

This photo came from a colleague of Kit’s and it brought tears to my eyes! The FATHER SPIRIT glows — only it seems to take us humans to the GRANDPARENT category before the Parent Spirit can step out — freed from daily worries and fears. Oh, God! Would that we had more of YOUR SPIRIT glowing through us all.

And, that is surely a good place to end my morning blog, God. Smile. Only — not too surprisingly — I have another thought. Well, two thoughts. The first is that when women started to live longer — becoming more grandmother than mother — their daughters had more help and so did their daughters children. The second thought is that as the demographics of the Industrial World slide us into EXPLODING GRANDPARENTHOOD — maybe this could help our species survive?

I like thoughts like that, God! I’d like to think that we are all growing toward MEANINGFULNESS. Certainly, after survival and status needs are met — MEANING and PURPOSE seem essential for true satisfaction.

And now I “hear” You reminding me of Gandhi’s famous quote: We must BECOME the CHANGE we wish to see. Hmmm. That “we” would be me. That would mean change in MY LIFE.

Yes, yes — You are saying it isn’t so much ONE BIG MOLT as a thousand small — seemingly insignificant — steps. Steps toward YOU — steps toward the LIGHT! So Please, God, let me be about Your Business of Recreating me.

Tagged with: A daily becoming a New Creature in Christ
Posted in asking for help for myself, Becoming FRESH from God's Hand, becoming the change I wish to see, changing who I want to become, choosing HARD, Choosing Meaning, Choosing to respond

Zipping Around the East End of Oahu

Posted on July 26, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Rabbit Island seen from Kit's car

Good Morning, God

Well, what do You know! I worked TOO hard getting everything “done” before the Sabbath Day.

Or maybe it was doing a 2 mile run first thing on my Sabbath morning — followed by the drive in for the 7:00 a.m. service? Or maybe it was that there is a BIG difference between Resting and needing to be in RECOVERY? THIS IS AN APOLOGY, GOD! Or is it more of a confession?

Actually, it feels more like an Oh! I didn’t realize how WHY Orthodox Jews start the Sabbath with the First Star. That is so a GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP is PART of the Sabbath.

And WHY Rabbit Island . . . that dear rabbit relaxing in the water with his nose just out and his ears lying back in the water . . . because I took it ZIPPING around? So that what is photographed are the railings and the side of the road. Or because I’d like to be resting in the water — like that rabbit?

Helen Perkins Gilmore said “You can’t pour a quart into a pint.” And on Saturday that was exactly what I tried to do. That is sort of a PATTERN in my “working” life . . . Hmmmm. DOING is SO Addictive!

Aaaah! Here is a NEW WEEK! Let’s try again! You were so right, yesterday, God. I still haven’t put the pieces together. I’m pretty sure You are going to have to EXPAND my mind/heart before the pieces fall into place.

Oh? They won’t FALL into place? I’m going to have to WORK at repositioning them? SIX DAYS I’m to WORK? Hmmm.

Tagged with: A New Week!, Does the Full Sabbath GIFT alway elude us?
Posted in a prayer for healing, asking for help for myself, attitudes, being a Slow Learner

Could I be like Corrie ten Boom? An Astounding Question!

Posted on July 25, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Corrie ten Boom, who in World War II hid Jews in her home in Holland

Good Morning, God!

Off I went early this morning — jogging — and without my iPod, too! Both of those were YOUR ideas, God. You wanted me in silence — and away from home’s distractions so You could get INSIDE me.

I confess, I can’t tell WHAT You do inside me. At this moment I feel as if You are saying to Yourself — she STILL doesn’t GET IT! She’s CLOSE, but she can’t put the pieces in the proper order. Sigh, Ah, well, in Your Time, God — in Your Time.

Meanwhile I find that You keep bringing me back to Oskar Schindler and Corrie ten Boom. Oskar seems to me to have been very successful in saving Jews from the death camps of Nazi Germany. Yet at the end he is distressed that he didn’t do MORE — he sees clearly that his fancy car and his silk shirt represent people who could have lived.

On the other hand — or at the other end of the Numbers Continuum — is Corrie ten Boom. Her family saved just a few and they all — her father, her sister and herself, and no doubt the people they had been hiding — ended up in the death camps. Yet, when I heard her speak there was no sign that she had ever focused on the “Why didn’t I do MORE” question.

This morning I found a quote that helped me begin to understand. Corrie ten Boom said “It is not my ability, but my response to God’s ability, that counts.” Oskar was DOING IT. Corrie was coming alongside what YOU were doing.

Hmmm. I tend to be like Oskar, don’t I God. Do You think I could become like Corrie?

Tagged with: Can I become like Corrie ten Boom?, Can I just RESPOND to God?
Posted in changing who I want to become, God's Provision, sabbath rest, sacred space, so much to learn, solitude and silence

Size and Numbers Don’t Seem to Matter to God

Posted on July 24, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A very small pink miniature rose from my garden

Good Morning, God!

I brought this rose in from my miniature garden a few days ago and I love looking at it! It’s so small — yet just perfect. It is even fragrant. Often I look at it and smile. It makes me think of the example Deborah Tannen gave about how differently the genders categorize gifts,

As I recall, God, she said that the typical male in giving a gift categorizes it by size, number, and value. So a dozen roses is a BIGGER gift than one rose. But the typical female instead sees or “counts” the ACT of giving. A gift of a dozen roses, is ONE gift. And the gift of one rose, is ONE gift.

I tried to explain this to my husband — the idea that the true value in a gift lies in the relationship it represents. Kit being a Scot was taken with the idea that ONE rose would do as well as 12. Smile. But, the stores sell roses by the dozen and so I have yet to get the gift of ONE rose. But, I am a typical woman, God. For me one rose IS one gift — just as a dozen roses would be ONE gift.

I feel, God, as if You are more like a woman than a man — when it comes to our giving You gifts. I’ve been thinking about how Oskar Schindler saved hundreds of Jews in World War II — and how the Ten Boom family in Holland saved only a few. But I think YOU “counted” both people as having given You the same gift.

In the Talmud it says: whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world. Help us, God, to save lives — even in small ways — even just one.

Tagged with: Can we give Gifts to God?, He who saves one life saves the world entire
Posted in a matter of scale, gifts and giftings, Giving, Help me to see, Venturing out of the shallows?

Where Earth, Sky and Water Meet — and how God and I Meet

Posted on July 23, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Sky, Koko Crater and Kokohead, Ocean and Palms -- at Kahala

Good Morning, God!

It’s true that I live in a valley — but I do get to go off into other parts of the island — and Kahala is one of my favorite places. I’m always happy to be where Ocean, Earth and Sky meet.

To me the Ocean connects us to all the other islands — large and small. After all our World is 80% water — it’s a deep blue Water World — isn’t it, God. And I ended my day, yesterday, at the Water’s Edge. This time putting my focus on the Sky and the Moon rising.

I guess, God, I’m back to the idea of what we SEE being a question of Vantage Points and Focus. Only the Night Photo adds one more factor. My camera has a setting that SLOWS DOWN the shutter and allows more light to come in. That’s why the moon seems larger than normal.

Moon over the Marina -- looking between Koko Crater to the left and Koko Head to the right

All of those factors seem to me to be involved in Prayer. I shared the book Prison to Praise with friends yesterday.

You know how this book changed MY life, God. It helped me to STAND ON YOUR LOVE and offer up the Sacrifice of Praise FOR my PAINFUL and Humanly Unacceptable Reality. That meant a dramatic change in Vantage Point.

But it took over 20 minutes of praying with a Prayer Friend BEFORE I could OFFER my Reality to YOU as a Sacrifice of Praise. That sure is a SLOW SHUTTER SPEED. Yet, that TIME and FOCUS made it possible to speak the Words of Praise. And those WORDS seemed to Open the Door of my Heart to Your Spirit!

Yet, HOW can I share THAT with people IN PAIN? How can people who haven’t experienced the Miracle of a Changed Vantage Point in SMALL WAYS take SUCH A LEAP OF FAITH?

Did I hear You? Saying TRUST ME! Follow ME! Yes . . . I believe I did. HELP ME DO THAT, PLEASE!

Tagged with: Offering the Sacrifice of Praise, Out of the Shallows and into Obedience
Posted in a hand up, Perspective, Trusting God, Vantage Points, Venturing out of the shallows?

Praying Together — God’s Chance to Change, Clean and Bless Us

Posted on July 22, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Rocks and Life Giving Water

Good Morning, God!

Yesterday was such a lovely day! It began with my Wednesday Morning Prayer Group. You know the one, God, — the one filled with Oldest Daughters — the ones always asking You to Do This and Do That.

The question came up: Do our prayers CHANGE Your Mind? Such an interesting question, God! I kind of think Your Mind and Intentions are WAY TOO COMPLEX for that question to have a yes or no answer. But, I DO KNOW that praying changes ME! Connecting with You in Prayer is like a Desert coming to ask for Water. I’m certain You want to FLOOD me with Your LIVING WATER. But, I have Rocks of Resentment, Rocks of Regret, and a Lot of JUDGMENTAL GRAVEL blocking my connection with You. So mostly only a trickle of what You Give comes through my Rocks. You want me to Give those Rocks to You — FOR-GIVING is just that — giving them ALL to YOU — one rock at a time.

The middle part of the day was filled with assorted tasks and duties — blessed by two dear friends calling to ask for prayer — in both cases, a BIG GIFT TO ME! How lovely that You join us together and let us pray for one another! Then off I went to have fun with my Mom! God, You have given to her the Gift of Appreciation! That is surely a Gift that Blesses all those around her. She took a couple of photos of me with my new iPhone and when I said I’d email them to her — she said “Reality has passed Science Fiction on the fly!”

Your Reality, God, far surpasses both our Science AND our Fiction! Please help me APPRECIATE YOU and YOUR REALITY!

Tagged with: Prayer -- God's way of changing us, The Joy of Connections
Posted in appreciation, gratitude, Prayer, relationships, simple joys of daily life, thankfulness, water and love

Extending my Mind Maps in Time and Space

Posted on July 21, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Qasr al-Farid - a Nabataean tomb in the North Arabian desert Photo by: Aaqib Kabin

Good Morning God!

Sure, I’d heard of Petra — a city carved in stone — friends have visited it. I even learned recently it had multiple levels in its various “buildings”. But it was just “A Place in Jordan.” Then with an article this month in Archaeology I learn it was the key city in the Nabataean Empire. Nabataeans? Empire? More to the point, I learned that the Nabataean Empire extended into Northern Arabia and existed from around 400 BC into Roman times. They were merchants and traders with extensive routes — perhaps as far as India. There sure has been a lot going on, God that we (I) don’t know about! And, I do wonder just HOW they managed the marvelous carvings.

There is something quite enlarging, God, about learning about Other People. Suzy is listening to French radio to recapture her command of French.

Entering Petra, the capital city of the Nabataeans

She wondered if perhaps it might make Americans more understanding of immigrants if we had to learn another language. How easy it is to judge others when we are unaware of their language, heritage and culture.

You do tell us DO NOT JUDGE, LEST YOU BE JUDGED. Besides, often Judging just doesn’t work. It mostly closes doors — instead of opening them.

Not judging isn’t the same as agreeing. To me it is more like seeing the person as a fellow child of God — a person You, God, love and care about. I think, God, You want us to speak words of Hope and Joy and Love to them — in short, to Tell them the Good News!

Tagged with: Expanding Minds and Hearts, The Nabataean Empire
Posted in A God given diversity, a matter of scale, acknowledging another's existence, respect, so much to learn

A Rendezvous with Rosy Fingered Dawn

Posted on July 20, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Dawn from the ridge overlooking Kalama Valley

Good MORNING, God!

This morning I awoke a bit after 5:30 and wondered: Is DAWN really briefer than Dusk? Then I thought, I can go and see! So I fixed a pot of tea, dressed and drove off to the ridge overlooking the Eastern Tip of Oahu.

This was made possible because my more Sensible Half was helping our church with Family Promise and was spending the night there. Left to my own spontaneous devices OFF I WENT! Reaching the end of the road I parked and then crawled through the gate and walked up to find a Vantage Point. That is REALLY important! Living in a valley is lovely — but it doesn’t provide a Vantage Point for viewing Sunrises and Sunsets.

And, of course, as I stood there looking 360 degrees at Your marvelous world, I realized that it isn’t JUST having a good vantage point, it is a matter of looking in the right direction.

Dawn from a wide-angle perspective

I was so excited when I saw the first golden tips on the clouds, God! Now, you would think, how hard is it to look toward the LIGHT! But, I had been taking photos of Hawaii Kai and Diamond Head and was surprised to turn and spot the first Rosy Fingers marking the sun’s location.

Now I am back in my Valley — back inside — and pondering all of this. The two photos are of the same thing. The top one is a Close Up. The lower one a wide-angle view.

I remember what You showed me when Patty died. Her Death had RIPPED A HOLE in my Cocoon of Expectations — I had a choice. Would I stare through that Hole into Darkness? Or would I TURN and FOCUS on Your Light? That HOLE made BOTH the Darkness and the Light much more “visible”. Which one to focus on? You helped me turn toward Your Son Light. Thank You, God!

Tagged with: Choosing to focus on The Light, The Gift of a New Day
Posted in choices, God's gifts, going THROUGH the sorrow, gratitude, Grief

A lovely SLOW Sabbath Day

Posted on July 19, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A BIG obake -- a type of anthurium

Good Morning, God!

Saturday evening I scurried around Getting Ready for the Sabbath Day. Stuff got put away, if not done. So when I got up in the morning my environment was restful. Work was BEHIND my desk — not in front of me. Funny how easy it is to forget little tricks like that. While not smelling the roses, literally — I did admire this giant obake. I learned that anthurium are related to taro, philodendron and monstera. I love flowers and I am learning to make sure I have them in our home.

Kit was off early yesterday, being a course marshall for a run — such dedication. And I went out a bit later semi-jogging the 2 miles to the post office. When Kit came home he prepared a big breakfast for us. After breakfast I had a soak in an epsom salts bath and an afternoon of napping and reading until we went off to play scrabble and have dinner at my Mom’s retirement residence — followed by more reading in bed.

I DID chat with Suz and Sandy and I had a face to face phone call with Mark — which was exciting — but not work. My batteries were charging all day and today I am looking forward to a Full Monday.

Now that I am Celebrating Your Gift of the Sabbath, God — I am MOTIVATED to rearrange the rest of my week. I want Sabbath Rest. And I am also beginning to understand how much I need it.

Tagged with: Obeying brings understanding, Sabbath Rest
Posted in lap time, letting the Holy Spirit flow through us, sabbath rest