Bright Spots — Learning to Look for Them

Posted on July 8, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

A young man from the Langley Ukulele Ensemble

Good Morning, God!

What a lovely way to start the day — hearing high school students from Langley, British Columbia, Canada play their ukuleles at Kit’s Rotary Club. This ensemble comes every year to Hawaii — playing our “State Musical Instrument” — the ukelele. How fun is that!

This morning, when Kit asked me to join him my first thought was Nothing is better than Something! You see, God, I am appreciating the value of LESS. However, I was free this morning as my walking friend is in San Francisco. DUH!

Really, God! I get so stuck in routines that I miss a lot! So THANK YOU for this morning. Thank you for such a Bright Spot in my week. In fact, thank YOU for all Bright Spots.

The book I am listening to today is called Switch by Dan and Chip Heath. In it they talk about how effective it is in Problem Solving to LOOK for Bright Spots — to focus on WHAT’S WORKING and HOW CAN WE DO MORE OF IT.

Now, God, wouldn’t that be a marvelous way to approach my life! In fact, wouldn’t that be a marvelous way to approach a whole lot of things? That change of perspective could really turn our world Right Side UP!

Tagged with: focusing on Bright Spots, What's Working? How do we do more of what's working?
Posted in Enjoyment, Fun, JOY, Music, Perspective

A Counterweight to the Other Six Days

Posted on July 7, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The counterweight on the Whipple gamma-ray telescope on Mount Hopkins - 50 miles from Tucscon, AZ

Good Day, God!

This week, I really FELT the Sabbath Day. It felt as if the Day of Rest was a Counter Balance to the BUSYNESS of the previous six days. I finally felt that the Sabbath Day has WEIGHT sufficient to balance the other six days. This image of a counterweight at the end of the gamma-ray telescope is so helpful for me. I can see that this big heavy weight balances the telescope — making it easy to turn and focus. It comes to me — slowly — that is exactly what the Sabbath Day does for the other six days.

I guess, God, it is like the Asian use of negative space. In their aesthetics, NOTHING is something — a powerful and useful something. Whereas in Western aesthetics, nothing is just a space to be filled in. Hmmm. I seem to remember that people in Asian cultures don’t just see the Object in a photo — they see the background, too. That’s Interesting, God!

I wonder if people out of an Asian Culture would be able to see the WEIGHT and POWER of a Day of Rest — a Day that looks to us pretty much like empty space — unproductive space.

Oh, God! How hard it is for me to obey Your commandments out of Trust. And You have been giving me so many explanations for this commandment! Each time, I think, OH, NOW I CAN DO IT! Ah, God, I am wise enough to know now, that I can only do it if I come humbly asking for Your Grace.

Meanwhile, I felt a bit of a nudge to post a link to a story from a few years ago called “God’s Repair Trucks.”

Tagged with: A significant Counterweight to the busyness of life, Giving the Sabbath its proper weight
Posted in A weekly day of rest, accepting my ability to REDESIGN, Nothing as Something

Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam

Posted on July 6, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Portland - with Mt. Hood in the background - a green city

Good Day, God!

Last Friday I heard David Brooks (a conservative columnist) say that America needed a Massive Infrastructure Upgrade. Then, listening to America the Beautiful (verse 4) on the 4th of July I was struck by the image of Alabaster Cities!

O beautiful for patriot dream
That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam
Undimmed by human tears!

I was taken by the idea of Cities Undimmed by Human Tears — because what really needs rebuilding are Human Lives. So, I got to thinking, God, about JOBS — jobs with pre-training — jobs that bring hope. Hopelessness is such an evil, God, and it breeds from one generation to the next.

I love the idea of helping people learn and work — doing MEANINGFUL work like rebuilding homes for their neighbors. (In one plant in China, workers making high tech products feel so hopeless that they are committing suicide. In America, drugs and alcohol may act as a slow form of suicide.)

Portland, Ore., seems to have the right idea, God. They are not just building a Green City, they are building a City for Human Beings.

I was going to say, God, that You might nudge our President! We could really use a BIG VISION right now. But, the truth is, these ideas can flow UP! Each of us can do something! And it doesn’t take a very large group to make a difference. So nudge, ME! Nudge all of us ordinary folk! Help us take our Faith and Love and use them to create HOPE.

Tagged with: Faith Hope and Love, Thine Alabaster Cities Gleam, Undimmed by human tears
Posted in a hand up, a new view of Commons, Focus on what unites us, generating options, hope, Hope as a gift from God, meaningful work

Drifting Happily Through a Sabbath Day

Posted on July 5, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

A photo of anthuriums in my office -- a couple of years ago

Happy Sabbath Day, God

A slow leisurely morning, God, then on into Church, and afterwards we had a nice visit with Fred and a surprisingly enjoyable “picnic” brunch with people we got to know over the food. Then home to a long relaxing nap . . . aaaah. And now sitting at Your feet, listening to Iz sing Over the Rainbow. . .

Freed from work . . . freed from doing . . . freed to drift . . .

How could I have failed for so long to embrace this Gift from You? That is a KEY QUESTION, isn’t it, God. Why, indeed. Because my Time & Place reinforced DOING and ACCOMPLISHING? Because I was susceptible to PRODUCING? Certainly those are factors.

Another factor is that it takes a lot of Discipline and Planning to even sort of get ready to Enter Into Your Rest. Today I was not ready but I was so tired and needy from a week of working harder than usual that I knew I had no real choice.

No choice but to TRUST YOU? Oh, my. Dear God, I feel remarkably slow and blind. Ah well. I am loved AS I AM. How lovely to realize that Slow and Blind don’t matter! Ah, now THAT is freedom! THAT is an AMAZING GIFT.

In a sense, the pot of anthuriums pictured above is an image of what my Well Tended Life would resemble. Hee hee! I should go and take a photo of my raggedy anthuriums that live down in the car port — and post it so I can see myself as I am — Not YET as WELL TENDED as I shall become!

Let me rephrase that: As Well Tended as I shall become WITH YOUR HELP.

Tagged with: Being Embraced by God, Entering into the Sabbath
Posted in being a Slow Learner, freedom, intentional and invited sacred space, relaxation, sabbath rest, sacred space, stopping, The difficulty of changing, Trusting God

The Joy of Flowers – Ah, But the Pain of Tossing

Posted on July 4, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Flowers in a window box in Dublin

Good Morning, God!

A Sabbath Day! Not one where everything is bright and shiny and READY — but one in which I am VERY THANKFUL for a Day of Rest. Thankful also that I am ready to receive Your Rest! Thankful that we even have lots of leftovers for dinner so that is easy, too.

Not to give myself a lot of credit, God. I can relax today because I am taking off Monday as a HOLIDAY. Although, maybe I should give myself some credit for not “going in to work”. I have my own house to “get in order”. And speaking of order, there are levels of order — I’d love to have flowers outside my house – as in this photo. I could too.

But, I don’t. Why? Partly it’s about making choices of how I spend my time and energy. Partly it’s because it is hard for me to uproot flowers that are past their prime. I have a fair number of pots of anthurium that have sailed way past raggedy. But, I look at them and see a new bloom working at emerging. How could I toss them?

Hmmm, too much RUTH! Clearly I need to love MYSELF more and my STUFF LESS! How odd, God! It feels ODD to come to You and ask for a drop more RUTHLESS in myself. Actually, as You just pointed out – RUTH refers to feeling compassion for the suffering of others – or remorse at one’s own shortcomings – NOT COMPASSION ABOUT DYING FLOWERS!

Shoot, God! If that isn’t a flagrant case of misapplying the perfectly lovely gift of compassion — there are people starving, homeless, jobless and drifting without purpose or meaning — and I’m feeling compassionate about raggedy flowers.

Sigh! I obviously need a better balance between appreciating and evaluating. I feel MUCH BETTER asking for THAT — I don’t really want to be ruthless.

Tagged with: Pairs of Opposable Virtues, The PAIN of discarding
Posted in appreciation, being planted, being repotted, blooming, Flowers, opposable virtues

White Hibiscus Flowers: Appreciated or Evaluated?

Posted on July 3, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

white hibiscus at dusk

Good Morning, God!

Kit has been going on walks with me after dinner – it is a true gift from him – as he has often run in the afternoon. I’m grateful! But, I will admit, God, that I am still surprised by the different Universes we inhabit, side by side.

A couple of evenings ago, at dusk, we set out and came across a big hibiscus bush covered in these lovely white flowers. I was delighted and pointed it out to Kit, overjoyed at how lovely it was. Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL, I asked rhetorically. They’re WHITE he said dismissively. There followed a period of mutual non-comprehension – but he finally made it clear that with COLORED hibiscus being so much MORE beautiful, he couldn’t work up any appreciation for white ones.

A spray of blossoms form a Rainbow Shower Tree

Now, God, I understand that flowers are not Kit’s thing — he does sports, and I do flowers. But, I guess, it never occurred to me that each kind of flower, each color of flower, wouldn’t be appreciated for itself — as opposed to being ranked from Top to Bottom. I mean, it wasn’t as if we had to pick out a lei and CHOOSE. We were just out for a walk — and a walk to me means seeing and appreciating.

So, God, now I’m pondering the differences between Appreciating and Evaluating. Appreciation can stand alone. Here the white hibiscus is. And I can see it’s beauty. But another way of seeing the white hibiscus is to Evaluate it — that is, see it in CONTEXT — COMPARE it with other colors and other flowers — and in Kit’s case, find it wanting.

Of course, evaluation has its uses and we probably need to do more of it. Still, God, I surely hope and pray that when You “look” at us You are more into APPRECIATION than EVALUATION!

Tagged with: The Gift of Appreciation, walking side by side in separate universes
Posted in appreciation, beauty, gender universes, perspectives

Being Aerated – Regaining Perspective – The By-Products of Prayer

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

Central Union Church by the early morning light

Good Morning, God

One of my favorite times of the week, is our Central Union Church Wednesday Morning Women’s Prayer Group. As You well know, God, there is a lot of talking and a lot of laughing – as well as prayer. Marge Terpstra told us IT IS ALL PRAYER! And it is. It is a very safe place and a very REAL place. I suppose there is an almost childlike honesty / candor about our verbal free-for-all.

Childlike — I had not considered that word until one of us used it this week — but it struck me as just right. Children — who haven’t learned to try and impress others. Children — who have yet to experience being judged and found wanting. Would that the World were filled with such children!

Rewick Board Room

We meet in the Rewick Board Room — it has a huge table but it isn’t a “grand” room — it is homey and comfortable. Several years ago we discovered that all of us who come are OLDEST DAUGHTERS. I guess only oldest daughters would somehow feel “responsible” enough to rise early and go about the business of prayer. . . or as it sometimes seems — the business of urging You to DO OUR WILL. I’m Smiling — but, I confess, I sighed first. I am just a trifle embarrassed to admit that.

Mind You, God, we DO PRAISE YOU! And we DO TRUST YOU. But we would not be real or honest if we didn’t persist in pleading for You to HEAL and COMFORT and BLESS the people we pray for. We wouldn’t be real if we didn’t ask for healing and help for ourselves, too. There is no shame in being needy. The great sorrow is not to recognize that fact. As Paul has told us ALL HAVE SINNED AND FALLEN SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD!

This sort of being together WITH YOU and with one another aerates my soul — brings me closer to You and to Your Perspective. THANK YOU! And God, please nudge other first born daughters to come and join us!

Tagged with: aerating our souls, regaining perspective
Posted in attunement, being together in a compassionate presence, Perspective, Prayer

The Nile, Temples dug out of the sand, and each of us as God’s Temple

Posted on July 1, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

View on the Nile; painting by Thomas Seddon in Ashmolean Museum

Good Morning, God

The most wonderful book came in the mail yesterday. Letters from Egypt by Florence Nightengale — written when she was 29 years old. Imagine that, God! Ah, the wonders of the online used book market. This View of the Nile (done in 1850s) is timeless. But, other scenes of Egypt – from the same time period – made me all too aware of the ravages of time.

Portico of the Temple of Philae

In this painting you can see COLORS on the stone. Now, the artist could have made that up — or since the painting was done soon after the temple was dug out of the sand — perhaps the colors have faded in the 150 years since it was opened up.

Colored stone — especially the idea of COLORED Greek statues — shock us! Our aesthetic sensibilities were also shaken when the Sistine Chapel ceiling was cleaned and Michaelangelo’s bright colors were revealed!

Of course, as Tufte observed, it is very easy to do color badly. Still, I LOVE COLORS, God. And I love colors with Sun Light shining through them. I suspect, God, that You would love it if we humans had Your Light shining through us. Every once in a while we see that! We catch a glimpse of what YOU are calling us into.

We ARE called to be Your Temples — called to invite and welcome YOU to dwell within us. Indeed, God, Paul says to us in I Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?

Powerful words — COME Holy Spirit, PLEASE COME!

Tagged with: God's Light, God's Spirit living in us, Letting the Holy Spirit flow OUT
Posted in beauty, Colors, intentional and invited sacred space, letting the Holy Spirit flow through us, Light, Light shining through, The Holy Spirit, the Light of the World, We are God's temple

Hagia Sophia and Sacred Places

Posted on June 30, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Hagia Sophia from Dr. Bolman's ahaafoundation.org site

Good Morning, God!

Wow! Is this a glorious image! Hagia Sophia built as a Byzantine Church – then turned into a mosque — and now a museum. So often churches are built on earlier holy sites. Thin Places, God? Is there something that we can’t yet measure about certain places that makes them more conducive to connecting with You? Or can continuous prayer CHANGE a site and make it more Holy? It probably works BOTH ways. Something to think about as we choose our prayer “closets”.

inside Hagia Sophia: from ahaafoundation.org

Back to Hagia Sophia, God. I’ve been in it and it is awe inspiring. I was just looking at this and other recent photos and it has been refurbished very nicely since my visit years ago. I’m glad that it has been and is being cared for.

It isn’t easy to care for what we CAN SEE. HOW MUCH HARDER it is to care for what we CAN’T SEE! I can’t see my inner Temple. I can’t get a printout on the state of my soul. There are No meter readings to tell me how I’m doing on energy inflow and output.

I noticed this first observing Caregivers – they gave and gave and by the end seemed almost worse off than the one they were caring for. It came to me, God, that they had BORROWED AGAINST THEIR INNER BANK. They had a huge loan to pay back! But, they had no quantifiable bill. No numbers. Not knowing – makes it hard to cut back energy outflow far enough – so that the Loan can be paid back!

You say WE CAN KNOW? That You HAVE given us DIALS so to speak. But we have been taught to ignore them?

I THINK I hear You saying that as we REST and RELAX and in my case DO CENTERING PRAYER we will recharge to the point where we can read our meters. May it be so, God. Help me become aware of my limits – help me journey toward humble,

Tagged with: Borrowing against our Body's Bank, Metering our Energy Outflow
Posted in Centering Prayer, humility, living within limits, recovery time, rest, sacred space

Learning HOW to enjoy a Sabbath Day

Posted on June 29, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Good Day, God!

It has come to me that my purpose and meaning have come from WORK for so long that a FULL DAY WITHOUT WORK leaves me feeling rudderless and listless. Yeah, I do sort of realize that is withdrawal from adrenaline — kind of — mostly — well, ALMOST realize that.
.

Really? Do You mean to say that my six days of BUSY are like six days on adrenaline? My own internal version of SPEED? I really don’t like knowing this. Please help me God to ponder this. When I was sitting in Centering Prayer I realized that I can’t SEE what is going on inside me. When YOU work in me — when I sit giving You permission to work in me — I often feel aimless. I am addicted to being productive.

YIKES! Well, I guess it is better than other addictions — but, maybe not. If it were drugs, I’d KNOW I needed to kick the habit. Shoot! I really LIKE / LOVE being productive. It is such an easy way to confirm my existence. I love feeling USEFUL.

You say, You are offering me A NEW KIND OF USEFUL! And I should PAY ATTENTION! I should. But I am going to bed.

Well, I am BACK, God. And VERY aware that the Sabbath Day of Rest is the AXIS on which the other SIX Days TURN. I have a WHY to keep the Sabbath. But my HOW is wobbly. I can see it involves STOPPING even if I am not done. I can see that my six other days need limits and boundaries.

NOW I hear that small small nudge . . . seeing isn’t FEELING. I won’t change until I FEEL the need. FEEL COMPASSION AND LOVE FOR MYSELF — AS A NEEDY PERSON.

OUCH! O.K. God, here is a NEW DAY — one of the six to BALANCE caring for myself and others. You WANT to help me. THANK YOU MOST LOVING GOD!