The Post-Easter Work — Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Posted on April 5, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The first few flowers on a bare plumeria tree

Good Morning God!

The Glories of Easter are still resounding in my ears — namely the Hallelujah Chorus. Standing there in church with the brass reverberating through my bones and the voices of dear friends soaring — ah, God, THANK YOU!

Then, later in the day, I was captivated by these humble plumeria blossoms — although, humble should not be used with blossoms.

Appreciation seems to me to be such a major aspect of worship. My Mother is an Appreciator — and passed on her gift to me — via nature and/or nurture — for which I am very grateful. Of course, appreciation of nature leads to worship. But, I think appreciation of people (we, too, are part of Your Creation) is key to leading a Connected (to You) Life.

Dear friends are in Japan right now — joining throngs in appreciating the cherry blossoms. How marvelous is THAT! Surely, that appreciation brings You JOY! I mean, it brings me joy and I didn’t create the cherry blossoms or the people! Smile!

Now, by appreciation, I don’t mean evaluation — I guess I mean a respectful appreciation of their core humanity — including their warts, eccentricities, and unique deviations from our expectations.

Why, Yes, God. I suppose that might be called love. I hadn’t made the connection.

Do I hear You saying that I am not to LABEL people? Not to “cast them into outer darkness” because they don’t agree with me? Are You reminding me FORCEFULLY that I am not ABLE to judge? Reminding me that You meant it when You said BLESS BLESS AND DO NOT CURSE.

You say that You would rather help me CLEAN MY HEART than clean my office. You desire of me a Spiritual Spring Cleaning!

Ah, the Post-Easter Work begins. Thank You, God . . . thank YOU!

Posted in A Spiritual Spring Cleaning, an invitation to abundant life, appreciation, gratitude, Handel's Messiah, LOVE, respect, thankfulness, The Hallelujah Chorus

Easter, Bright and Glorious!

Posted on April 4, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

Bougainvillea twined around the fence near our driveway

Thank You God, for EASTER!

Thank You for the resurrection of Jesus the Christ and for the hope that came into the world on that Day.

Hope for a future life after death — hope for a more abundant life — now.

Just look, God, at these humble bougainvilleas. I was going to search for photos of flowers magnificent enough to put on this Easter blog.

But, these ordinary bracts when lit by Your SunLight GLOW! And isn’t THAT what You want to do with us! SHINE on us until we GLOW with Your Light and Love!

Perhaps it is because I am such a NOW person, God, that I focus on the ABUNDANT LIFE that Jesus promised — more than an afterlife later. Mind You, God, I LOVE the idea of Life after Death. The very idea of it gives PERSPECTIVE to this time and place. Everything seems more meaningful and to my surprise MORE important than it would be if this linear sequential time was all there was.

I’m sitting here — with my heart so full — full of THANKSGIVING AND REJOICING. My mind is full of AWE and AMAZEMENT. This is OVERWHELMING!

Now, God, how is it that it is so hard to share this Good News? How is it people turn aside? Hmm, yes, it might have something to do with how rigid some believers are — it might have something to do with people trying to scare folks into believing — turning the Good News into Bad News. Forgive us, God. Forgive us — and help us to stay in Your Light and Love — and not get in Your Way.

Posted in Abundant Life, Easter, Good News!

Holy Saturday and the Holy Spirit

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

What the tomb might have looked like before they put Jesus inside

Good Morning, God

Over the years I haven’t thought much about Holy Saturday. It was just a day on which I waited for Easter. Good Friday I can picture. Easter, too. But for Holy Saturday I have no images.

Now that I actually think about it — it seems to me that it was during this time that Jesus descended into Hell. That’s what it says in the Apostles’ Creed.

ancient image of Jesus preaching good news to the dead

I like the idea of Jesus visiting hell — the Word announcing Himself to all who had gone before. Mind you, God, Hell as a concept has fallen out of favor. In C.S. Lewis’ book the Great Divorce, spirits from Hell can go up to Heaven on a day’s “bus trip” — but then, C.S. Lewis presents Hell as a Place where people “choose” to stay — not where the wicked are cast into the fire. Lewis’ hell is more like a Northern English industrial city -grey, dull and smoggy.

But, I didn’t mean to get into THAT topic, God. I was just trying to imagine what happened on Holy Saturday.

Maybe I am jumping into Easter, but the verse I love best is the verse in Ephesians 1:19 about how THAT SAME GREAT SPIRIT that RAISED Christ Jesus from the DEAD is at work in US.

Yes, God. You DO want to be at WORK in Us. I believe it. But it really does seem way too astounding to be easily comprehended. Only it isn’t so much a matter of comprehending it — but rather being APPREHENDED BY IT!

Sigh, I want to be apprehended immediately — I want to be GRABBED by Your Holy Spirit now! But God, for me it seems to be a slow moment-by-moment matter of focusing attention on You. It’s about Focused Attention and The TRUST/COURAGE to RESPOND to Your small nudges. You wait for me to say, Yes. And saying yes is scary.

But, with Your help, God, YES! YES, GOD!

Posted in a thought or two on Hell, Apostles' Creed, Holy Saturday, The Holy Spirit

Good Friday, Judas and Me

Posted on April 2, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

A deep look into Space and Time. The Goods South field

Good Morning, God

Good Friday — I wanted something black as a photo — and I looked and looked.

This photo — filled with galaxies — seems perfect. I tend to get “sea sick” when I contemplate looking back at close to the beginning of our cosmos. My Mind can’t handle it.

My mind / heart has a hard time with Good Friday, too.

I have to try to “reduce it” to get it to fit into words. It is MYSTERY. It is beyond me. But even the events we know about (assuming there was a lot more going on cosmically speaking) are powerful. You COME to OPEN a WAY for us to CONNECT with YOU.

You do not do it INTELLECTUALLY — it is so symbolic that Jesus chose not to speak — You did it PHYSICALLY — Jesus — beaten, spat upon, crucified — for me.

Knowing it was FOR ME — is so different than knowing it was for US. I got the FOR US. It was the FOR ME that took me longer — a lot longer. Perhaps it was being raised an Episcopalian? We repeated a general confession weekly and received forgiveness. But SIN wasn’t a big thing for us — like it was for Baptists. It took time for me to become aware of my innate inadequacy. And that happened only when I read in Romans that sin could be defined as “Missing the Mark”. That I did!

Back to Good Friday — Jesus said it would have been better for Judas had he not been born — but God, I keep thinking that when Jesus said “Forgive them Father, for they know not what they do” that he might have been thinking of Judas, too. I hope so. I find Judas distressingly human — after all that time with Jesus — he didn’t understand You. He wanted You to do his will. But, then I so often want YOU to do what I want. Please help me.

Posted in being FORGIVEN by God, Forgiving, God's Provision, Good Friday, Heavens declare the Glory of God

Maundy Thursday — and the Waiting Cross

Posted on April 1, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

The cross after Maundy Thursday service at Central Union 2009

Ah, God, THANK YOU!

This is what the people will see coming out of the Maundy Thursday service at Central Union Church, tonight.

It is so simple — yet simply unforgettable.

The cross prepared for Good Friday. Last year I stood there gazing at it. Stood and stared. Wordless.

We try with words. Words fail. But as I stood there, silent — my Body Knew. Even now, looking at last years photo — my throat constricts, my eyes fill — I KNOW.

So, THANK YOU, GOD, THANK YOU!

Leaving Central Union Church after Maundy Thursday service 09

The service is built around the Last Supper when Jesus ate with his disciples and Judas left to betray him. Judas — off to force Jesus into Exercising Power — willing Jesus to do his (Judas’s) will and reign as King.

Sigh, if I were there — so certain I was RIGHT — could I have done that — tried to maneuver Jesus into doing MY will? It doesn’t take much, does it God, to tip us into trying to maneuver You.

We get it backwards. We should be seeking Your Will. We should, in humility accept how limited our vision is — how much You want to expand us.

You do move in us — nudging us onward — out of our comfort zone. Oh, how important it is to pray as Jesus did — NOT MY WILL, BUT THINE, BE DONE!

Please, God, help me — help us ALL — to seek You and to seek Your Will.

Posted in Holy Week, humility, Maundy Thursday, responding to God's Spirit, Rethinking, stopping to see, the waiting cross

Holy Wednesday — Bears and Betrayals

Posted on March 31, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

A Bear Alert posted in Yosemite

Good Morning, God

Today is Holy Wednesday — thought to have been the day that Judas went to the Religious Rulers and arranged to betray Jesus. Betrayal is so painful. It is a sort of Inter Personal Treason. How does it happen?

You know, God, I sort of hope that Judas didn’t really mean to do anything other than just force Jesus to call on His Heavenly power and take over.

Yikes! That is PLAYING GOD, isn’t it! There is no “JUST” about trying to force YOU to do anything.

Sigh, the thing is, God — when BEARS or lions or tigers harm a human — they are just doing what they are sort of supposed to do. But for one human to betray or harm another? That seems wrong on a very basic level. THAT IS NOT THE WAY YOU HAVE DESIGNED US! I think we have to be damaged to do that — damaged before or after birth. There seems to be an awful lot of “damaged” people running around these days. The level of disrespect and hate seems so much higher than it ever was before.

Is it because of a rise in HOPELESSNESS? A by-product of economic troubles? Or is it a failure to find meaning? Viktor Frankl said that we are born with a NEED for Meaning. And if for some reason that need is not met — then we turn aside in to the perversions of Power or Pleasure.

Of course, power is useful, and pleasure is a gift, God. But if we put them in the place of MEANING then they become perverted!

Funny, isn’t it, God, now that I have forgiven AT&T and — yes, stopped hating them — I want everyone to stop hating. I’m not sure I can say I have come around to respecting AT&T but I’m trying. Please, God! Help us forgive ourselves and others. Help us RESPECT one another.

Posted in a series of molts and upgrades, Betrayal, Forgiving, Holy Wednesday, Holy Week, Removing the Root of Bitterness, respect, Trusting God

AT&T and me — a sneaky root of bitterness

Posted on March 31, 2010 by a moment with god — 2 Comments

AT&T Logo

Well, God, I’m pretty sure it was a nudge from You this morning in the shower when it came to me that I HAD to forgive AT&T. And not just forgive — I had to blog about it — TODAY.

Bummers! I’m embarrassed to admit that I have ACTIVELY . . . could I say disliked? or do I have to say HATED . . . AT&T. It has been YEARS since the incident in which I called to appeal for help with a $350+ bill. They didn’t waive a dime — they kept repeating that I was “legally responsible.” Well, I KNEW THAT! I was hoping for a bit of compassion. Maybe a bit of sympathy? How about a SORRY . . . Sigh. Well, God, there it is. I have been harboring bitterness in my heart all these years.

Sure, AT&T was acting like a monopoly and had turned their employees into automatons. I don’t approve of that. But as Sandy so lovingly said — resentment only hurts the person who harbors it. And it had hurt me. It grew underground, so to speak — into a Root of Bitterness. I am so much better off without it. And, I know that a root of bitterness gives the Devil a Foothold.

Apple's iPhone G3s

This morning it seemed to me that You wanted me to forgive AT&T as My Birthday GIFT TO YOU!

Only, of course, now that I have done it, I can see that it is truly Your birthday gift to ME!

And, now AT LAST, I am FREE to get an iPhone G3s. THANKS SO MUCH, GOD!

Posted in becoming the change I wish to see, being repotted, Choosing to respond, confession, humility, opportunities to forgive myself

Holy Tuesday, Half Dome and Birthdays

Posted on March 30, 2010 by a moment with god — 1 Comment

Half Dome in Yosemite -- late winter

Good Morning, God

Here I am — entering into Holy Tuesday. The day in which Jesus was supposed to have foretold the destruction of the Temple. After a disciple commented on the beauty of the Temple he said “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” [Luke 21:6] How hard that must have been to hear!

Looking at Half Dome reminds me that TIME and NATURE do scrape away the non essentials. Half Done was left as a glacier retreated. It is an order of magnitude older than the Temple in Jerusalem. It is hard to think that it too, will pass away.

Time is hard for us, God. Change is hard for us. I think of all those religious leaders who were blinded to who Jesus was — blinded by their expectations of what the messiah must be. Would I have been any different? I like to think i would have responded to Jesus — but what if I had been taught by the experts to expect someone so very different. Ah, the dangers of “Knowing.”

Half Dome in summer. Photo by Mark Bramhill

But, let me move on to a smaller topic — me. Today is not just Holy Tuesday — it’s my birthday. So, for today, let me bask in the Light of Your Love! Let me put off thoughts of endings and focus on NOW. Now is GOOD! Now is FULL — filled with people to love and useful and satisfying things to do.

It is true that my office wasn’t cleaned, yesterday, in spite of my desire to get that done. But what I did was clean up my mind of all the loose and floating tasks. I made progress capturing them and in sequencing them. Thank You!

Oh, and one more THANK YOU! It comes to me that it is easy for me to love birthdays because I still have my mom — just a mile away — to play games with and chat with. She is still doing the hard work of being the lead goose in the family flight formation. My day will come — but for now — I fly comfortably behind her. Help me to be for my daughters — what she is for me — an admirable role model.

Posted in a hand up, appreciation, daughters, Experts and THE EXPERT, gratitude, Holy Tuesday, Holy Week, Light

Holy Monday – Cleansing the Temple, and my Office

Posted on March 29, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

The Annunciation to Zechariah: British Library MS 599874 Ethiopian

Good Morning God!

It is Holy Week! And by late afternoon the Moon will be FULL. I must say that spending this time with YOU is focusing my attention on the whole week. Usually I rejoice on Palm Sunday and then go along on my own — not thinking about it being Holy Week — until Maundy Thursday arrives.

Is it that we don’t have special names for these three days? Ah, well — I just checked and this is Holy Monday. Tradition has it that this is the day Jesus cleansed the Temple and said my House is a House of Prayer — not a den of robbers.

Hmmm. Perhaps, God, I could CLEAN my Office? I’m sort of embarrassed to think of such a mundane way of honoring Holy Monday. But that was the first response that popped into my mind. Because, I want to DO something to set today apart.

What a TIME we humans have — caught up in Chronos — with its linear flow of details and detritus. And all the while we are NEXT TO / PARTLY IN? Kairos. I can’t do more than three dimensions, God. So I picture Kairos as a Super Sphere — where all of Chronos has been wrapped up and put inside — where it is always NOW for You. I like that image. When I read where St. Paul says “Pray for Me”, I do. I pray because, Then is still Now for YOU.

Back to this Robber thing — yesterday I robbed You of some of my Rest Time on the Sabbath. I confess — I did do a little work. I tried really hard to make it just about taking care of MY stuff. I didn’t do anything for others (yes, that’s my definition of work) until after dark — after the first star was seen. And I did have a relaxed morning and a long nap after church. Still, I just wanted to confess that I still need LOTS more help in Keeping the Sabbath — and not robbing You of Time that is to be given to You — so You can bless it — and give it back to me.

Posted in God's Time, Holy Monday, Kairos, Sabbath as PLAY, sabbath rest, self care as self compassion and humility, slow incremental change

Spring, Palm Sunday and Rocks Rejoicing

Posted on March 28, 2010 by a moment with god — Leave a comment

Flowering fruit trees in Beverly Hills

It’s Palm Sunday, God!

And it’s SPRING! The season of new beginnings — new life — new hope!

Dear friends are leaving soon for Tokyo to see the cherry blossoms there. They will be appreciating, enjoying and I hope, rejoicing.

Rejoicing is such an EASTER WORD. And it is also a Palm Sunday word. That was the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. People covered the road before him with palm branches and their cloaks — shouting Hosanna! It was a day of rejoicing. I like the Luke version best: Luke 19: 37 the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: 38″Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” When the religious rule keepers told Jesus to rebuke his disciples, Jesus replied “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Ah, the very elements — the very ground itself — REJOICED! It was, in truth, a New Beginning.

a palm at UH

But, the week had yet to unfold for Jesus — a week of the darkest lows and the Highest HIGHS. I never tire of walking through this week, God.

Each year I struggle to put myself back into a state of not knowing how it will come out. It is as if I NEED to enter into the Darkness — to see myself in Peter’s fearful denial. . . to repent of all my failures to SEE and GRASP You and Your Reality. It is in short, an exercise in seeing myself — and seeing what You are calling us to become.

But for NOW? Now I lay my cloak on the road and waive my palm branches and shot HOSANNA! HOSANNA! The rocks and I are crying out our praises together. HOSANNA!

Posted in Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Praise, processing on deeper levels, responding to God's Spirit