Words of Advice – Words of Life

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

Zuni coral earrings

Good Morning, God!

So, yesterday, as I was leaving a talk after church a lady stood in front of me — staring at me, but not exactly at me. I asked her, “Am I in your way”? No, she said, “I am looking at your earrings.” Then she asked me to take them off so she could see who made them. She explained that she loved Zuni jewelry. Peering at them intently she agreed with me that there was no artist’s name on the back. Then she handed them back and with a smile suggested I take a turkish towel and polish the silver.

Later I did polish them — discovering small little silver drops all around the edge of the earrings — drops I had never seen before.

Amazing! You know, God, we don’t get “interactions” like that very often. Indeed, for the last one, I have to go back to 1996 on a trip to China. I was out early walking in a spot favored by the local people. A woman came up to me and clearly indicated (without language) I was to STAND UP STRAIGHT – SHOULDERS BACK — and LIFT MY FEET HIGHTER. WOW! I was improved for quite a few minutes. And if only she lived in my neighborhood I would be much improved!

I suppose that is the purpose of spending TIME in Your Word. I almost always get an “Interaction” from the scriptures. The lectionary on Sunday was Luke 9:51-62 and had to do with the COST of Discipleship. When Jesus says FOLLOW ME and the man replies that first he needs to go bury his father — I think, OF COURSE! So, it is a shock when Jesus replies: “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

I read that and I realized, while not exactly one of the “dead”, I am not out proclaiming the Kingdom of God, either! It comes to me, God, that while I do ask to be filled with Your Holy Spirit, the Spirit comes IN in order to flow OUT — it LONGS to PROCLAIM YOUR KINGDOM!

Could we do that — softly?

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Posted in interactions, power and peace and gentleness, The Holy Spirit

Bioluminescence, Genes, Change, GMOs and FOOD

Posted on June 27, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

not bioluminescence -- just a flash off a moon jellyfish

Good Morning, God!

For some odd reason I was thinking about bioluminescence this morning. Why? No idea! But, of course, a google search turned up lots and lots of photos — many of them, like the one here, cautioning us that it ISN’T bioluminescence! Then they went on to describe bioluminescence as COLD light. Apparently an electron gets “excited” and go up an energy level and coming back down emits a photon. Hmm. I think I have that right. Ah well, there is TONS more and UCSD has a lovely website.

A tobacco plant PLUS firefly genes

All that is all very well, God. Nature is amazing. What I feel uneasy about is this image of a tobacco plant enhanced with firefly genes. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil springs to my mind. I suppose this ought to lead me into the question of genetically modified food — GMOs. I find it odd that Europe (with a low level of religious folks) is so ANTI GMO food — while Americans (with a higher level of religiously inclined people) go blithely on EXPERIMENTING.

Way back in my mind is lodged a factoid (maybe true, maybe not) about how tomato plants with lizard genes added have been created. Lizard genes? My mind wobbles! I guess it is about FOOD. FOOD, I feel ought to stay the same! Yes, I know that the Green Revolution has fed the World. Still, I confess to having a DEEP FEAR of changing what we eat. Europe has chosen Tradition. We have chosen Change.

And I — a Lover of Technology, and all things APPLE — am concerned. God, we have taken Freedom between our teeth and are OFF. Off into the unknown. Please, God, help us as we “navigate” the Waterfalls of Change.

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Posted in accepting my need for help, Balancing and adjustments, experimentation

Stones – the bones of civilizations – and our Hearts

Posted on June 26, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Hera's Temple in Poseidonia or Paestum 50 miles south of Naples

Good Morning, God!

I love stone buildings, OLD stone buildings.

Caenarvon Castle in Wales

There is something about being next to stone blocks that is satisfying. Odd. The photo at the top is from the current issue of Archaeology and is of two temples to Hera build in the 600s and 400s BC.

And it comes to me that Temples seem to be even older than castles. I still remember the thrill of standing up at the top of Caenarvon Castle in Wales — Caernarvon being 1200s. I mean, in this issue there is a story about a holy site in Mexico where the central holy stone goes back over two thousand years. Civilizations have come and gone . . . but the place has remained “sacred”.

Of course, stones aren’t just used for Sacred or for Fortification purposes. Entertainment has been important, too.

Pula Arena in Croatia

Temples, Wars/Defense, and Entertainment. Three Primary activities of Human Kind. I thought, for a moment that I had forgotten Education . . . and the old libraries DO resemble Temples . . . Hmmm. Educational institutions didn’t arrive until the Universities that sprang up after the Black Death plagues of the 1300s made the teacher / student ratio really low.

All of these images, God, seemingly linked only by the use of stones — is there a message for ME in all of this? Oh? The verse from Ezekiel 36:26 26 “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart”

Ah, YES! THAT is exactly what I need and what I WANT! Please, God, let it be as You have spoken!

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Posted in asking for help for myself, attitudes, Forgiven!, Forgiving, The power of images

Climbing Beacon Rock (not me!) and Climbing Over the Rocks of Our Past

Posted on June 25, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

I haven't done this! Climbing Beacon Rock: Photo by Tom Kaser

Good Morning, God!

I don’t like heights! I am maybe not quite as scared as I used to be — back before I was taking vitamin E — but, still I couldn’t see myself climbing up this trail. Yes, it has nice bars keeping you from slipping over. I know that, God. But it takes me back to when Kit and our girls (not yet teens) were hanging over the bars looking down at NOTHING at Glacier Point in Yosemite. Bad memories.

I’m glad I’m writing this down, God, because I find myself thinking — SO LET THEM GO! How does one root memories out of our amygdala? Pray about them? Look at them WITH You there — standing by? It brings to mind Combat Veterans and abused children who have to deal with REAL post traumatic shock. How does PSTD differ from just having a terrible thing happen? (God, I actually stopped and looked this up.) One way PTSD differs is that the symptoms don’t decrease with time. Apparently there is a separation between our memories of what happened and our feelings about it. Facing and feeling memories are part of the treatment.

I wonder if a feeling of powerless is involved, God. When I was attacked in my home by a burglar – I had positive things I was able to do. After I fell down the stairs and hit my head and the burglar stood over me hitting me with a stick I cried out, “Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, HELP ME!” The third time I cried that, the stick wavered in his hand, I grabbed it and he ran out. I was ALIVE! And I began giving You, THANKS and PRAISE!

That night I called a friend who was a pastor and asked him to come and pray with / for me. Second I called a friend who did home construction and asked him to come and put bars on the windows the burglar had come through. Being able to DO SOMETHING to “keep it from happening again” was really important to me. It gave me a sense of control.

Where is all of this taking me, God? Right now, I feel MUCH more COMPASSIONATE — toward myself (I’d forgotten that incident) and toward others. We can’t see inside ourselves or others, can we, God? Please help us as individuals and as a community to focus on HEALING and HELPING — ourselves and others. And, oh yes, on PREVENTION!

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Posted in a prayer for healing, Expand my Heart, finding hidden fears, Praise, Thanksgiving!

Auroras, Solar Winds, and Miracles

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

An Aurora Australis (because it is around the South Pole)

Good Morning, God!

Look God! How amazing just this one small planet is! Thank You! This Aurora was caused by a large Coronal Mass Ejection back in May. Now, I know YOU REALLY KNOW ALL ABOUT THIS. And, I know we are just starting to learn — but I have to say, being able to watch a speeded up movie of Coronal Mass Ejections was impressive. These ejections take place over several hours — so since total solar eclipses only last for several minutes — we weren’t able to see them until the space age.

Back when I was in school I learned that LIGHT travels as 186,000 miles per second. That means that light travels from our sun to earth in around 8 minutes.

An image of the speeds and sources of Solar Wind

But, here I am learning that light isn’t the only stuff coming from the sun. There is something called the Solar Wind that is also flowing out from the sun — but more slowly — its speed is measured in hundreds of kilometers per second. Hmm. Actually, there is a FAST solar wind and a SLOW solar wind coming from our sun all the time — winds that vary not just in speed but in density and composition. And the Coronal Mass Ejections interact with the Solar Wind and can cause magnetic storms here on Earth.

Science sure has changed from my time in school. And it is still changing. My mother told me that when she was in school they were told that 60 miles an hour was the maximum speed humans could ever achieve. I find it odd, God, that Science can be so CERTAIN! Or is that HUMANS that are so certain. Good science is open — as are good minds.

So I find myself torn between delight at what we are learning — and a growing humility at the extent of what we don’t know. For me it means that I find Miracles easy to accept. There is a lot going on in Your Creation, God! And most of it is beyond our ability to see or measure. Norbert Weiner observed that we can’t make sense of any system without recourse to a larger system. I must say, I am grateful that YOU are my largest system, and Science is set within YOU.

I am THANKFUL FOR YOU — thankful that You CARE about us — THANKFUL THAT YOU LISTEN!

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Posted in humility, Sunlight explored, Understanding, Venturing out of the shallows?, web of life

Awesome KING, Compassionate Spirit — Our Hearts Know You!

Posted on June 23, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Good Day, God!

Thy Kingdom Come - a stained glass in St James in the City on Wilshire


Kit is HOME with me — HURRAY — but thank You, too for his good visits with our daughters and grandsons! How precious we are to each other and how easy it is to take that for granted — letting BUSY get in the way of BEING TOGETHER. I guess it is one of those BODY things, God. Emailing is great. Chatting away on the phone is super. Ah, but BEING WITH a beloved family member or friend is FAR FAR MORE. I’m smiling. I think our Mind doesn’t like to acknowledge that. Or, would that be MY Mind?

Actually, I like to THINK that I DO appreciate my Body and that it communicates with those around me in ways that my Mind isn’t designed to understand. We talk about people giving off “good vibes.” Perhaps there really is something going on BEYOND what we can currently measure. I LIKE that idea!

We talk about the Body of Christ — meaning the aggregate body of believers — but maybe it is more? I know that just sitting next to a person on Sunday morning brings a certain closeness. . . especially over time. I’ve been thinking about this, God, because on Fathers’ Day Suzy and Kit went to St. James in the City, an Episcopal Church on Wilshire. I love that church! I was raised in the Episcopal Church so I resonate with the stained glass, the eucharist (communion) and the ritual. Do You suppose, God, that Episcopalians see You more as King than Friend?

You are BOTH! Actually, SO MUCH MORE! The AWESOME STAR MAKER and GALAXY SPINNER. The Gentle Loving Spirit longing to comfort and encourage! You are way way way beyond words. Even so, there are times — sometimes in a church service — sometimes not — when YOUR PRESENCE is PALPABLE. When, indeed, it seems that my Body knows far more than my Mind. THANK YOU God, for Glimpses!

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Posted in being together in a compassionate presence, Communion, connections, God as High King, God wants to nourishes us

Reaching Out — Working Together — Remaking a River — and Your World

Posted on June 22, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Penobscot River -- draining 1/3 of Maine

Good Morning, God!

I just read a story about Freeing a River — opening Maine’s Penobscot River back up to Atlantic salmon and Atlantic sturgeon — giving them 100 miles of the main stem of the river and over a thousand miles of tributaries for spawning. I’m not even a fisherman — and I still rejoiced! Getting to this point hasn’t been easy. For years protests and pleas to restore the river by removing 2 dams fell on deaf power company ears. Then here is what happened as told in the Summer 2010 issue of Nature Conservancy

“Two local men who had run the dams for years suggested to their new managers at PPL that the company should try to talk to the local community about the river’s future, rather than continue the fight. Those men, Scott Hall and Richard Fennelly, thought it would help to negotiate around a conference table rather than argue in front of a judge’s bench.”

It may sound silly, God, but I sort of teared up when I read that. Imagine choosing to TALK TOGETHER! WOW! What an IDEA!

The story continues: “Scott approached the tribe and said, ‘We want to do business in a different way,’” says John Banks. The Penobscot nation saw in this gesture an opportunity that was bigger than the tribe. It asked the Atlantic Salmon Federation and the Natural Resources Council of Maine to join the negotiations with PPL. More conservation groups joined in the process, including American Rivers, Maine Audubon and Trout Unlimited. These groups and the tribe formalized their coalition as the Penobscot River Restoration Trust.”

Everyone came together to buy the two dams and they are still raising the money to take them down. It isn’t done. But I’m REJOICING, God! Partly because of all the creatures that are going to “return” and repopulate this river. And partly because this is an example of backing off from adversarial roles and working toward a Win / Win. The Power Company will even get to generate the same amount of electricity. Please, God! May we have MORE TALKING TOGETHER — MORE WORKING TOGETHER!

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Posted in a new view of Commons, clear waterways, Common Sense, Communication, rejoicing, web of life

A Happy Marriage – A Thankful Wife – On Our 51st Anniversary

Posted on June 21, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

The two of us in Ireland

Thank You, God! THANK YOU!!!

I am married to a GOOD MAN — and I dare say THAT is a Key Component to a Happy Marriage! Actually, Kit is a VERY good man. And I must say, God, I am VERY THANKFUL!

I’m sitting here pondering what goes into a good marriage — besides good “ingredients” and good examples. Well, let me start with the Good Example. My Mother has attended four generations of Golden Wedding Anniversaries: her grandparents , her parents, her own, and then OUR Golden Wedding Anniversary. My Father’s parents celebrated their Golden Anniversary, too. That helps.

But even with a VERY GOOD MAN — one still has to contend with Giant Gender Gaps.

The book, You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation


I remember how excited I was when I discovered Deborah Tannen’s books and realized the men and women really are living in different universes! I’m laughing, God! How could something so obvious — take so long to see? Hmmm. I am still being surprised.

Then there is the HUGE MATTER of YOUR HELP, God. Becoming a BELIEVING Christian — confessing I NEEDED Your Help — that meant that Kit didn’t have to bear all the weight of keeping me loved and valued. That was a BIG and HEAVY load off of him. Besides, You made it clear that my job is working with You to recreate ME — not him.

One more thing. Being loved by YOU has given me the courage to speak the truth in love about myself. You helped me to understand that when Kit hurt my feelings I FLASHED to ANGER! I would tell him to GO AWAY! And he would. Then I would be more hurt than ever. With YOUR help I finally confessed that when I screamed GO AWAY what I really wanted as a hug. He heard me. He remembered. And his hugs have saved the day many a time! THANK YOU, God, THANK YOU!

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Posted in Communication, gender universes, hugs, learning, letting the Holy Spirit flow through us

So Great a Cloud of Witnesses and Mango Days

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

Mango Days: A Teenager Facing Eternity Reflects on the Beauty of Life

Good Morning God!

Yesterday I worked VERY hard getting everything I could think of DONE so I could ENJOY a full Sabbath. This morning, I observed that if I had loaded the tea kettle last night, and put the tea in the pot — I wouldn’t have needed to do that this morning. I’m grinning, God! Is that ADVANCED LEGALISM? Or am I just getting the feel of Refraining from Work?

So, here I sit with my tea and half a BIG mango — a melt in your mouth, mango — pondering the 29th anniversary of Patty’s Death. Marveling at how YOU got us all through it. And at the same moment realizing we are all still IN IT! Just recently a new friend shared about her sister’s death and I realized that we are never done with the adjusting. It is an amazing Overload of Feelings. There is still sorrow over the loss . . . still thoughts of WHAT DID I DO or NOT DO that might have kept this cup from us. . . they are muted now . . . I have to turn and seek them out.

Cumulus Clouds: Photo by Peter Essick

And at the Same Time there is GREAT REJOICING for LIFE! I had Patty for 18 years! I still “have” her . . . waiting and maybe watching as part of that Great Cloud of Witnesses. And I have Sandy and Suzy and Kit and I am GRATEFUL!

When I see puffy clouds I often think of Patty DANCING above the Clouds. Actually those words aren’t part of her poem The Hike. Here is the last stanza:

Someday I’ll sleep below the grass
And dance above the sky
But now I lie between the two
and let the wind blow by.

Thank You, God for EVERYTHING — even the DARK DARK — for YOU are with us in it! And You LONG to comfort us and walk with us through it.

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Posted in a hand up, breathing in Your Spirit, Choosing Meaning, Grief, thankfulness, Trusting God

Shower Trees and the Joy of Sharing

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

A Golden Shower Tree near my Mom's retirement residence

Good Morning God,

The World is so FILLED with lovely things that they crowd into my vision — WAITING, WANTING to be appreciated. Here in Hawaii, the Trees mark the seasons. We are now in the Season of the Shower Trees. They begin with the Yellow Showers, and then move on to the Rainbow Shower trees. I thought this photo was of the Golden, but perhaps it is another hybrid.

I look forward to the flowering of Shower Trees — and I especially enjoy them on morning walks — when I can catch their subtle fragrance. And, now You remind me that they, too, allow me a glimpse of TIME TURNING. So, it isn’t just Dawn and Dusk, but the Seasons. Seasons marked by flowering trees and FRUIT! It is Mango Season! And I am about to go off to the Farmers’ Market at KCC and look for lychees and mangos. Ah. THANK YOU!

The challenge in all this appreciation is BALANCE! Are we back to Opposable Virtues, God? I suppose so. Appreciation is NOT gluttony. Perhaps, gluttony comes from NOT TASTING. We seem to be designed to taste in descending acuteness. The first bite is best, second a bit less so, and after the third I am not getting the full taste experience — unless I cleanse my palette. Of course, THIS is yet another reason why we are to eat slowly! (Please help me with this!)

We are also designed to EAT TOGETHER! Solitary food consumption is a bit like solitary drinking. And this week while Kit has been seeing our daughters — I have had five lovely dinners WITH family (my Mom) and WITH friends. As I balanced my attention between friends and food — I enjoyed both more.

Thank You, God, for people who INVITE OTHERS OUT — invited them IN — into their lives. SHARING is such a JOY!

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Posted in Abundant Life, acknowledging another's existence, appreciation, Balancing and adjustments, beauty

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