There are some days that seem darker than others and it is difficult to imagine that every moment is holy. I know just to be alive is a holy gift.
This publication from Rabbit Room sends out a daily quote from one of the volumes that have been published. Recently it read:
Lord, may I not so much find the right words as allow the right words to find me, not so much compose as allow you to compose me.
And another day they sent out,
Lord, I confess that all these words I love and lay before you were never mine, but always yours; truth itself is never mine but always yours.
I am always blessed when another author expresses my heart so clearly and concisely. Lord, use whatever I write in whatever way you desire. Help me to have the right words. Help me express your hesed, loving kindness, for us. Show me how to collect and compose the messages. Use them as you will. As always, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
To God be the glory forever and ever amen.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5 NIV
I have posted this twice, but it seems to get stuck in the cloud? First I posted it too soon and took it down. Then I re-posted and Bob could only see it by paging through the posts. So here is my final attempt at rock humor!
Driving to a Convent Meeting was accidentally loaded earlier and was then taken down. Hopefully with a new title this will load a-okay on the day I desired it to go up.
I take a couple of freeways to get to meetings at the Convent of the Transfiguration. One interchange passes a landscape supply center. Passing there a couple weeks ago their sign read: “Changing the world, one stone at a time.”
I was laughing out loud as I merged with traffic. You might remember the song I like entitled “One Less Stone” by Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir? The lyrics say that when I praise Jesus there is one less stone that needs to cry out. This episode occurred on the way to Jerusalem, often called the Triumphal Entry.
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”40 “I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:39-40 NIV
So yes, by praise we are changing the world one stone at a time. I also was reminded of the stone that was supposed to seal the grave of Jesus. The women on the way to the tomb …
they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb? Mark 16:3 NIV
One Gospel says the angel rolled it away, or an earthquake. What if Jesus himself rolled it away? Jesus changed the world with the one stone rolled away, meaning by his resurrection and ascension he changed the world with that one stone. Of course, it might have been the angels. As we know from later accounts Jesus can walk through walls! He can likely walk through huge stones, also.
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! John 20:19-20 NLT
What stone can you change today? You do not need to be a big strong landscaper to change the world! Just praise God each hour. It is a good discipline for each of us to participate in.
I would not knowingly use what someone else wrote and claim it as my own. My notes below from June 9 may be my writing or that of someone else. Where it says From Lectio I am quoting Lectio 365 Daily Devotional.
25-6-9
From Lectio of same date. “Holy Spirit, reshape the pattern of my life. I offer you my story again today: all that is old, all that is new, all that is broken, all that is whole. Give me a glad and generous heart to receive your word.”
Many decades ago the Father asked me if I am willing to teach even if it is one woman by the well. Yes, Lord all these years later I am still willing even if it only touches one woman or one man.
I have started work on a second book. The title of this one will have to do with relationship with God. I am trying to put my experiences in words. So hard to SAY what can seem so UNSAYBLE!
Relationship is not going through the motions of religion. True relationship is more like a river flowing through the desert of life. A river that offers refreshing water, gently sloping banks to rest upon.
True relationship offers new vistas towards the mundane things of life, giving us new impetus for growth and flourishing. This is a differing sort of thing than religion offers. Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7b). Seek the Presence of the Holy and your eyes will be opened, your heart softened, your ears enabled to hear the voice behind you saying, “Turn to the left or turn to the right.” (Isaiah 30:21) Relationship offers you mother love and father care. Going beyond that to indwelling assurance of an accompanied life. Never alone, always companioned.
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent John 17:3 NIV
If you are taking a Sabbath rest I pray these ideas give you something to ponder and use as you wait upon the Lord.
As we were about to travel home from New Mexico June 10, I found new music releases to keep me on track with the Lord! Christy Nockles released The King Who Never Sleeps. Designed as lullabies, she discovered through the first recording of lullabies she made that the adults were gleaning wisdom from them, also. The new recording does not disappoint!
One song is given to you here.
At the same time I have been studying hesed, the concept of God’s unfailing love. In fact a book by Michael Card on the very topic of hesed is due to be delivered here today. I came across the concept from the teachings of Dallas Willard as told by the author Dr. Jim Wilder in the book and various recordings about Renovated: God, Dallas Willard, and the Church that Transforms.
I also received my new CD by Brandon Lake entitled, King of Hearts. I know that some of you do not like music too loud or too fast. This is truly worshipful. Hope you enjoy it! Here is The Half Has Not Been Told from the same CD.
So I am supporting my faith with this and other music this summer. I hope you are finding ways to stay close to Christ and worship throughout your every summer day.
Are you familiar with a liturgy? One online sight says, “Liturgies help provide language for hard to articulate thoughts and feelings, and ways to respond accordingly. They are a dynamic form of prayer—acting as a dialogue between you and God, and all those participating. As you read a liturgy the words form you personally and alongside others.”
Douglas Kaine McKelvey has written and collected volumes of liturgies for every occasion imaginable. I first read this portion through the daily quote you can get through the Every Moment Holy app at https://www.everymomentholy.com/
Lord, I confess that all these words I love and lay before you were never mine, but always yours; truth itself is never mine but always yours.
Your truth is in every word and yet always beyond words, and so I ask, when I have finished writing that all I have said or tried to say, may gesture at last beyond itself towards you, that you will bring me and my readers to the brink of language itself, and beyond that brink into the wordless mystery of your true and loving presence. from Liturgy of Labor and Vocation, a Liturgy before Writing, by Malcolm Guite
Malcolm Guite is a living poet, author, professor and Anglican Priest. He has YouTube videos and has written at least seven books. How had I never heard of him before this? He sums up my heart beautifully.
I keep devotionals and liturgy books to help me focus upon my Lord and my King. There are innumerable things in life to distract us from the Kingdom. Any aide that works towards keeping my focus is valuable in the long run.
The EMH books are published through Rabbit Room Press. My first volume of Every Moment Holy was a gift from my friends Dan and Betty Cooksey. I do not own every volume but the selections in this volume drew my heart. This version of Every Moment Holy uses the work of over sixty authors, poets and songwriters and seven artists worked the accompanying prints. The Foreword alone is inspiring!
Rabbit Room Press publishes works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that embody the mission of the Rabbit Room—cultivating stories that nourish Christ-centered communities for the life of the world. We believe in creating books that are beautiful both inside and out, books not limited to any specific genre or market but which adhere to a basic belief in the value of creative writing and storytelling. A well-written and well-made book can help to shape the world around it, and Rabbit Room Press is dedicated to creating such books and putting them into readers’ hands. When author, singer, and songwriter, Andrew Peterson, visited the Oxford home of C. S. Lewis in 2006, he returned to Nashville with a conviction that community nourishes good and lasting artistic work—and that creative work nourishes community. Soon afterward, the Rabbit Room was born with the mission to create and curate stories, music, and works of art to nourish the life of Christ-centered communities for the life of the world.
If you are looking for fresh and even ancient inspiration in everything from changing diapers, to making coffee, preparing for death or welcoming a new child these collections have you covered. You can even find them used at some book sellers.
I do not even remember how I came across this! I listened this morning for the first time to a discussion about an old hymn and then the actual singing of the hymn. I found it to be a most delightful YouTube video. It was also early morning on a cloudless day as I listened. This only heightened my awareness of the light. I hope you like it, also! Luke Powell gives a very nice discussion of how the author Walter Chalmers Smith weaves the theme of God and light throughout the hymn. I had never thought of God and light quite that way before. At the end the he plays and sings the hymn.
Immortal, invisible, God only wise! Yes, the describes the song of my soul, too!
Sometimes I have to just return to home. The home plate with my Father.
I am easily distracted and must withdraw from the many distractions if I am to maintain equilibrium. The Audience of One, the Holy One who loves me, that is where I find rest and restoration.
Daily I need this. When things are too busy I need this more than once a day. Do you have a similar practice? When you get tired of all the outgo, how do you open the faucet for inflow?
This can be especially difficult when my physical being flares up in pain or distress. Why is it so very difficult to ignore the flesh and flow in things of the Spirit? That will be one of my most pressing questions in heaven!
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord,one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:1-6 NIV
I have been reading Joan Chittister’s book Wisdom Distilled From the Daily, Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. In the chapter on humility she writes about both Benedict and Augustine.
Some place between these poles of extreme suppression and extreme selfishness, monastic humility provides a basis for human community and a basis for union with God. To Benedict the process is clearly the work of a lifetime. He calls it “a ladder of humility,” a climb with basic parts, a progression – not a leap- that involves the integration of both body and soul. “Our body and our soul are two sides of the ladder” he teaches. No dualism here just the simple, honest admission that each of us is grounded in something but reaching for God and each of us is attempting to bring the demands of the body and the hope of the soul into parallel, into harmony, into center. Against gravity and despite all the imbalances of our lives. Pulling body and soul together is the problem. It is also the project of life.
The tower and the ladder symbols were favorites with the ancients, but it was left to Augustine to give us that marvelous line: “Do you seek God? Seek within yourself and ascend through yourself.” If we are really seeking God, we have to start in the very core of our own hearts and motives and expectations. We can’t blame the schedule or the finances or the work or the people in our lives for blocking our progress. We have to learn to seek from within ourselves. We have to stop waiting for the world around us to be perfect in order to be happy.”
That is a load to think about! Body and soul. Spirit and seeking. Working with the ladder of humility. I pray this Sunday will start you on a journey of finding more humility in your walk. I hope you can descend within your own heart and discover the power of Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Christ is able to lead and guide us in all of our searching.
The opening photo was by Dan Cooksey taken at The Notch in Colorado 2020.
This prayer below is taken from the Communion prayers at our church last Sunday. There are times when I am struck by the prayers and feel I must share them. I hope you are blessed by the sharing.
Holy One, we gather this day as one people, members of the same body, grateful for your many gifts and carrying the hope within us for a world filled with love. This vision was given by you, from the very beginning of your creation. You made the earth and all that lives on it. You inspired prophets and shepherds, widows and slaves, to seek liberation from all that oppresses. You led your people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt into the Land of Promise. Your redeeming work continued when, through the Virgin Mary, you became incarnate in Jesus Christ, so that through him we might experience the depth and width of your unquenchable love.
While Jesus lived among us he stood up for women and children, he touched the untouchable, healed the sick, and welcomed those who had given up hope of being included. Through him we see a path not only to our own freedom, but a path to the liberation of the whole world. He taught us that it will not be in the brutality of violence that our world will be saved. Rather, it will be in showing kindness to our neighbor, in standing up against injustice, in returning hate with love, in transforming one heart at a time. It will be in the simple but holy tasks of dining together, sharing bread and wine, truly seeing one another as beloved by you.
Those two paragraphs are a lot to be taken in! I could not comprehend it all in one reading. I could not absorb it by typing it out and then finding my typos. I may spend my remaining days trying to live into this prayer!
Too often we think we know exactly what God is saying to us and has said through the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. The indwelling Holy Spirit continues to show me there is more to learn. So much more.
How about you? Have you followed Christ for decades? Are you continuing to discover more about the Kingdom? Are you looking for direct and new insights. Have you shut the door on that idea? Brandon and William Benjamin sing “all that’s good is yours.” I so agree! Hope you will listen and follow the lyrics. There is more.
Our creative God put things into orbit and I am firmly convinced the Almighty continues to open our eyes to perceive and understand more and more and more.
All glass. That photo above is made of glass and spaces. I find that difficult to comprehend. The Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida did not give us an explanation of how they created this.
Looking at the same piece, here you can see the glass fibers. Also notice the tunnel that goes through it. There were eight pieces, block-like that were placed side by side. From the end you could look through the tunnel.
The blue and brown rectangle to the left is another display. I do believe this is art. I just cannot fathom how they created it!
We saw a similar creation at the Cincinnati Art Museum once.
These are Native American symbols. There was a fan gently moving air over the display. The piece was as large as a wall! When the air moved there was a soft tinkling sound. Images with shadows, tube with light and space, all intriguing and beyond my understanding.
How my perspective on life has changed in almost 75 years of living! This I once thought I knew and understood when taken in different perspectives and experiences over time have changed dramatically.
What I do know for certain is that love and compassion are needed every place on earth. We are given the power to live in love through the Holy Spirit who inhabits those who embrace the death and resurrection of Christ. Others have learned love and compassion from other sources and I cannot comment on that. I just know we all need grace, love and compassion, a willingness for others to understand and accept us. God, give us eyes to see like You see, a heart to love like You love us! Unreservedly, grace-filled, unconditional love.
Look again at the images in this post. What do you see this time that you missed at the last glance? Perhaps it time to also look at others in the same way. We think we know people, but many times we miss their essence with our preconceived ideas of who they are. Those same people might be someone lovely we have missed altogether!
We are known intimately by God and loved.
"Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done,
Not because of what I've done, But because of who You are!"
Such wisdom in those words. God help us to live in such a way to bring honor to You.
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 