Whose are you?

A delightful and insightful podcast discussion, “Community and the human spirit,” includes this:

Shirley: “I think there are moments when we are tempted to forget about who we are”
Harry: “And whose we are.”

“And whose we are.”

Doesn’t that make you smile? Most of us wear many hats, sometimes in a single day. And we may think, I am:

• a student, a soccer player, a football fan
• a dancer a musician, an artist, a teacher, a contractor, a manager, an electrician
• a mom, dad, uncle, aunt, grandparent

While these are some of the roles we may fill, they are not who we are.

Who we are is greater than the sum of our roles. When we strip away the uniforms – for student, musician, aunt – what’s left?

I love that Christian Science emphasizes our identity as God knows us. Starting with the first chapter of Genesis where God’s entire creation, including man, is very good. Man is God's very good idea.

Jesus evidently thought man is a good idea too. He showed us Whose we are -- that we belong to a God of Love and compassion and caring. His life records not only his healing others, but what we call The Sermon on the Mount (Matt chapters 5-7). Guidelines for happiness. Goals we can reach for. How God expects us relate to one another. To be merciful, peace-makers, not to hold grudges – basically to live generously.

He taught a simple prayer that is not just words to memorize; the Lord's Prayer meets all human needs. It's rather incredible that so short a prayer connects man to God so concisely and precisely.

Jesus had no patience with criticism and hypocrisy. Instead, he showed by example that we need to treat others the way we want to be treated. And to grab the initiative and do it first.

It’s good to take time daily to go into our mental prayer closets and shut out the distractions, to carve out time to be absent from the body and present in thought with God.

Who are we? And whose are we? Here is the apostle Paul’s conclusions about identity and community. Life can be so simple, if we let it:

God is our Maker. We are God’s work of art!
Created in our union with Christ Jesus
to devote ourselves to the good deeds
for which God has designed us.

From Today’s English Version, Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible
(Ephesians 2:10)

Click here to see the podcast, Community and the Human Spirit:
Then scroll down to August 29, 2007, and click on LISTEN

Tribute to a happy man

Dan with great granddaughter

My father-in-law passed peacefully away this morning. He’d lived a good and long life, survived two wonderful wives, is cherished by a third. He has three wonderful grown kids, grand-children and great grand-children. Dan was just going, as he phrased it a couple of days ago, “to walk into the next room.”

I’ve known Dan for forty years. He is one of the most consistently happy people I’ve ever met. The world doesn’t know what to do with happy people. It works hard to make them sad. He never took the bait. He kept his joy. Sometimes it took a bit of wrestling on his part to stay aligned with the good he believed was supreme in life, but he always rose to the occasion, and quickly.

He enjoyed a good joke. He was a careful and interesting story-teller. With a twinkle in his eye, he would relate an appropriate pun for the occasion, and chuckle at the groans from his audience. He loved people. He devoted the last 40 years to helping others find health, balance, stability, joy, peace – helping them feel the power of God’s love in their lives.

And, this is the big one – I never heard him say an unkind word about anyone. He lived Christ Jesus’ life message: to love one another.

He made the best of what life gave him, and he always felt life was giving him abundant good. He cherished family and friends alike.

With his perpetual joy, undaunted trust in the triumph of good, and genuine love for all God’s children, he set a great example of what it means to unconditionally love one’s fellow man.

He will definitely “Be in that number, when the saints go marching in”!

----------------------------------------------------------------

If you would like to add a tribute to Dan, please do!

If this post has meant something to you, you might want to click on Comments below, and read those too.

Also see "Tribute" post in Kim's blog.

Tender marriage of kindred hearts

I was privileged to be a guest at a very special wedding last week. Karen had been in my Sunday School class – years ago, it seems. Her beau, Ken, has done two tours in Iraq as a Marine. They are both in Military Chaplain training now, for the Army. The Army, it seems, is more family-friendly when assigning spouses, than are the Marines.

Rev. Dr. Julie Ruth Harley gave the best talk on marriage I’ve heard. She began with a joke. She has a couple in her congregation, she said, who have been married over 60 years, so she asked them, “What is the secret to a happy marriage?”

The husband replied, “The secret to a happy marriage is in two words,” long pause. (Those two words are,) "Yes, Dear.” Followed by much laughter.

Her talk focused on the give and take in marriage, the caring that permits compromise. Equal respect for both husband and wife. The love and attentiveness for one’s spouse that is not distracted by career, family, even children.

That when we say “Yes,” to wedding vows, we are saying “No” to other things. For instance, saying Yes to promising to honor one another, is saying “No” to any other intimate relationship.

When they were invited to kiss, Ken took Karen’s face gently in his hands and tenderly gave her a kiss.

The whole ceremony was tender, even the reception. When the maid of honor spoke of her friendship with Karen, she wept with emotion. When the groom’s sister spoke, her voice trembled with deep fondness for her brother and his new wife. When the bride’s brother spoke of his sister as an “amazing woman,” his voice halted; he teared up again as he praised his new brother-in-law. Most people were wiping their own eyes.

In Marine tradition, the Captain/husband (in dress uniform) sliced the wedding cake with his saber. They waltzed to “Edelweiss.” They actually knew how to waltz!

Maybe two tours in Iraq helps a man value a precious good woman when he finds her. Karen has the maturity to value her husband as deeply. We all wish them happiness and safety in their new lives together.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Let the husband render unto the wife
due benevolence:
and likewise also the wife unto the husband.
Paul to the Corinthians (I Cor 7:3)

Matrimony should never be entered into
without a full recognition of its enduring obligations
on both sides.

Marriage should signify
a union of hearts

There should be the most tender solicitude
for each others happiness,
and mutual attention and approbation
should wait on all the years
of married life.
Mary Baker Eddy

Self-worth

Self-worth

Vern looked into the mirror and saw four-day’s growth of stubbly whiskers, and he didn’t care. We met at the mailboxes later that day. I asked if he was sporting the movie-star look.

“No,” he confessed, “too lazy to shave.” I guess my eyebrows shot up. Now even though Vern is well into his 90s, it is unusual for him to not look sharp in every detail. He paused, passed his hand across his bristly chin. “Well,” he said with a smile, “I didn’t think anyone would notice. But if you noticed, I’ll take care of it.”

I like Vern’s spirit – that he agreed not to be stuck in indifference; that someone's smallest caring was enough to boost his morale. Sometimes life is about living in the moment. Sometimes we don’t have plans. When the busyness of family, school, or work – around which we have patterned our lives, perhaps for decades – is not there anymore, then what?

I’m learning to focus my own prayers more consistently around a very simple, “Dear Father-Mother, how can I best praise you today?” And then I try to follow those answers from moment to moment. It might be writing an article or an email, praying for someone or for the world, making a phone call or a visit. I try to be more attentive to the little intuitions that make the difference in following through on my prayers.

I believe that in our little interchange Vern glimpsed something more of his genuine worth, his present purpose, that how he sees himself is important and makes a difference for good.

I love this promise:

“Man, governed by immortal Mind,
is always beautiful and grand.
Each succeeding year unfolds
wisdom, beauty, and holiness.”
Mary Baker Eddy

Building a good community

Somebody who cares about his community, and says he doesn't believe in prayer, sent this email of one-liners on building community. What do you think?

PLANT FLOWERS

TURN OFF YOUR TELEVISION

LEAVE YOUR HOUSE -- GO OUTSIDE

KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS

GREET PEOPLE

LOOK UP WHEN YOU'RE WALKING

SIT ON YOUR STOOP

USE YOUR LIBRARY

PLAY TOGETHER

BUY FROM LOCAL MERCHANTS

SHARE WHAT YOU HAVE

HELP A LOST DOG OR KITTY

TAKE CHILDREN TO THE PARK

HONOR ELDERS

SUPPORT NEIGHBORHOOD SCHOOLS

FIX IT EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T BREAK IT

HAVE POT LUCKS

GARDEN TOGETHER

PICK UP LITTER

READ STORIES ALOUD

DANCE IN THE STREET

TALK TO THE MAIL CARRIER

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS

PUT UP A SWING

HELP CARRY SOMETHING HEAVY

BARTER FOR YOUR GOODS

START A TRADITION

ASK A QUESTION

HIRE YOUNG PEOPLE FOR ODD JOBS

ORGANIZE A BLOCK PARTY

BAKE EXTRA AND SHARE

ASK FOR HELP WHEN YOU NEED IT

OPEN YOUR SHADES

SING TOGETHER

SHARE YOUR SKILLS

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT

TURN UP THE MUSIC

TURN DOWN THE MUSIC

LISTEN BEFORE YOU REACT TO ANGER

MEDIATE A CONFLICT

SEEK TO UNDERSTAND

LEARN FROM NEW AND UNCOMFORTABLE ANGLES

KNOW THAT NO ONE IS SILENT THOUGH MANY ARE NOT HEARD

WORK TO CHANGE THIS

Sometimes life is step by step

“Umm. Guess what? We’ve been following a goat path.”

We peered over the edge of a small precipice. Three of us gals were hiking down from the serene alpine lake that had provided a magnificent setting for enjoying our sandwiches. Somewhere, though, on the way back, we had missed our turn, and now faced the prospect of backtracking up the mountain.

While we considered what to do, a sudden storm caught us. Happily we all had rain gear, but the downpour rendered the rocky terrain very slippery. We decided to backtrack slightly to see whether there was more grass another way. There was.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book, Science and Health, “Step by step will those who trust Him find that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." This was exactly how we came down the mountain. One footstep at a time. We could see where to take a few steps forward. Stop. A few steps down. Stop. A few steps to the right. Stop. Slide a few feet down this rock.

And so it went. Ruth voiced gratitude for each tuft of grass that gave firmer footing. We proceeded on the basis of that gratitude as we found our steps, literally, one-by-one.

A waterfall-fed lake below became the focus of our descent. As long as that lake stayed in front of us, we knew we were headed in the right direction.

Eventually the rain stopped, and the rocks dried almost instantly, providing firm footing again. We discovered our path – the one used by human hikers – and descended into the cool of the forest below tree line. We reached the trailhead and our vehicle, and were warmly hugged and welcomed by friends who had been waiting and supporting us with their own prayers.

A man, not of our group, who had been watching our descent marveled that we had gotten down so quickly. What to us seemed to take forever, seemed quick to him.

Looking back on our hike that day, we were not perfect, we made mistakes, we corrected mistakes. But we were an excellent group. Our collective trust in a loving God guiding us resulted in the mutual cheer, caring and good-will that lightened the struggle of finding our way.

Sometimes life is like that – step-by-step. The struggle becomes our opportunity to trust the gentle and gradual unfoldment of how it is that God would have us glorify Him/Her next.

Even if it rains on our carefully made plans; even when there is no clear path; even when the way seems slippery and treacherous, even when we have to keep figuring out what to do next, God is there for us. And we hear Him/Her best when calm trust uproots fear and discouragement.

King David, one-time outlaw, understood well perilous mountain paths, as well as the need for staying close to the safety and comfort of his God. He wrote, "Hold up my goings in your paths, that my footsteps slip not."

Measuring up for peace

Is there hope for world peace?

Most assuredly. Here's an example.

Kista Tippett, NPR radio’s "Speaking of Faith" hostess, revisited a past interview with Eboo Patel, founder of Chicago’s Interfaith Youth Core. He is a deeply committed Muslim, and an activist for engaging the religious energies of young people across many faiths and traditions. She says his work defies the wisdom of secular society, as he creates grass-roots interactions based on service among youth across cultures.

Eboo said something in that interview that struck home for me, a dedicated Bible reader. He said he is less interested in reading theology, and more interested in “observing how religious people actually interact.” He is committed to discovering how human beings can live together on earth, rather than what they write in books.

I also read another book a lot, Science and Health. It's a deeply spiritual book that, like a good Pastor, explains the spiritual meaning of the Bible. And what I hear Eboo saying is, Let me learn your religious texts by observing how you live.

What a heads-up! So I have to ask myself, how do I as a follower of Christ relate to my family, my neighbors, my community? How well do my conversations and my life speak the love Jesus lived? If someone were observing me to find out how Christians interact in society, what impression would they have?

Each person makes a statement weighing on peace by how they live their lives.

For an eye-opening transcript of their discussion, click on this link:
http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/religiousyouth/transcript.shtml

See also "The diginity of taking responsibility"

http://kimckorinek.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html