Valuing the moment

Paul would have walked this street in Philippi

(The rubble remains pretty much where

earthquakes have left the pieces.)

On this trip to Greece to find Paul the apostle, and better understand his life purpose, I wonder if Paul had been an athlete. He shows his respect for runners by frequently using racing metaphors.

I’m impressed that he refused to be shackled to his past. If anyone had a past to regret, it was Paul. As Saul, he mercilessly persecuted Jesus’ followers, even stood by approving Stephen’s death by stoning.

But Paul was so busy going forward with his Christ mission that he couldn’t indulge the past. He refused to let regrets or remorse anchor his life purpose in the murky waters of what happened last week, or three years ago.

He writes to the Philippians, “I keep going on to try to win the prize for which Christ Jesus has already won me to himself.” Modestly, he continues, “Of course, brothers, I do not think that I have already won it; the one thing I do, however, is to forget what is behind me and do my best to reach what is ahead. So I run straight toward the goal in order to win the prize…” (Today’s English version)

Rejecting the temptation to dwell in the past is an apt beginning for Paul appreciation. Most of us on this tour have, for two weeks, left behind friends, family, careers, responsibilities, not to mention time zones.

Every person in our group is facing forward -- with anticipation and good cheer. Missing our flight from Paris to Athens (due to an influx of travelers at the passport checkpoint, and a minimum of official checkers) produced not a single grumble or complaint. This collective expectant attitude constitutes a good start.

I wonder if I can resolve to be as committed to the good of the moment as Paul. My life mission is not likely to be as world-shaking as his. Yet can I be as consistently aware of my own purpose to also love with God’s unconditional love? To shake up that part of the world my life does touch with this incredible love?

And why not! Valuing God’s love for each of us, this moment, is everyone’s present opportunity.

More about "now."

By the way, for those who may be interested, this tour was hosted and led by http://www.biblicaltravels.com/

Never too late for Amazing Tenderness

Philippi -

where Paul met Lydia,

the seller of purple

St. Paul was a busy man. I’ve spent the last two weeks on a most amazing tour, with a group following his footsteps around Greece – Philippi, Berea, Thessaloniki, Corinth, Athens, even Ephesus in Turkey.

What surprised me most about Paul was discovering his tenderness. This man who had terrified and persecuted Christ’s followers in his career as Saul of Tarsus, now a convert himself, proved kind, caring and tender towards his new friends in these far-flung cities. These new friends became the foundation, the core, of new Christian communities.

In Philippi, he found Lydia the seller of purple – at the upper layer of the city’s economy; he freed the fortune-telling slave girl from what’s described as demonic possession – which so enraged her owners that they had Paul and Silas beaten and thrown into prison where these bruised and bleeding men sang hymns. Paul baptized the jailer and his whole family after an earthquake freed the prisoners and the jailer would have killed himself, supposing they had all escaped.

Here in Philippi were the elements of a fledging group of followers of Jesus, who identified with this God of Love Paul was showing them. They represented all economic classes – from merchant to jailer to slave. This God who is also Love knew no economic class, honored no categories – neither slave nor free, male nor female. And Paul built all his relationships on this universal Love he was himself learning to live.

So one moral Paul is already teaching me, is to open wider the possibilities of amazing relationships through absolutely refusing to categorize or classify those I meet. Rather to connect with the sparkling man of God’s creating in everyone, across cultures, without age. It's an exciting goal, because there is something special in everyone, something worth discovering.

For Paul’s adventures in Philippi, see Acts 16:9-40

Gone is the distinction between Jew and Greek, slave and free man, male and female – you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Living Bible)

By the way, for those who may be interested, this tour was hosted and led by http://www.biblicaltravels.com/

See you middish October!

Hello good friends - wherever you are in God's great love,

September has presented us with brilliant blue skies that backdrop stunning sunsets and highlight clouds in vivid pink.

It’s been a super adventure sharing spiritual discoveries -- putting on the new cloth, the new garments, of who we are as God knows us.

It's time for an autumn break, and I look forward to seeing you again soon – around mid-October.

In the meantime, you might enjoy discovering previous posts – all the way back to February!

Just scroll down the right hand column until you see "Blog Archives." Then click on the little triangle next to August, or your month of choice. Then click on the name of the month. And voila! You have that month’s worth of posts before you.

As we journey on together, yet individually, may you feel the warmth, comfort, power, and delight of God’s love in everything you do.

Sandi

Traveling with Paul

Ships in Bible times

Paul, as in the Apostle, is my theme today. I’m traveling with him mentally, perhaps spiritually.

What I’m loving about Paul right now is the fact that his many trials increased his conviction that he could never be separated from the love of God.

Never.

Shipwrecked, three times, he says. Beaten, stoned, often in danger from those who hated his words, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, at sea, and among those who pretended to be his friends but were not. He adds that he was often hungry and thirsty and cold.

But never separated from God’s great love.

Fearlessly he forged ahead.

I think, “I’m not Paul. I don’t have to be brave. I’m not a threat to anyone, so far as I know. People don’t hate me - well, so far as I know.”

Yet each day requires some bravery on our part. The events of any given day are unknown when we awake each morning. We assume a certain routine, but that could be interrupted any time – a colleague is promoted, or fired; a treasured friend moves away. Someone who loved us is no longer around.

We can lean on that same great Love that sustained and inspired Paul through much scarier days and nights. Life does go on and, if we’re holding back, we need to shift gears and participate in Life’s fullness. The world needs our caring, our prayers, our peace, our laughter, our involvement.

Paul felt he was a conqueror. He conquered his fears, his insecurities, his doubts, his short-comings - because he knew he had a purpose.

We can do the same. God intends us to be conquerors too. You too have a God-given purpose to bless.

Doing the right thing

Chicago transportation - many alternatives

Today I attended an all-day seminar on “The Social Media Revolution.” Very cool insights on the role of blogs and podcasts within an organization.

But that’s not what this piece is about. This is about doing the right things.

I had learned through an email that Bill was signed up for this seminar too and, amazingly, he lives not far from me. I don’t get excited about driving into Chicago, especially during rush hours. Bill had received the same email, so, "Aha," I thought, "Perhaps he’ll offer to drive."

He didn’t. Two days before the meeting it occurred to me to offer him a ride (and then maybe he would offer to drive). Since I’m trying really hard to listen to what I call “angel messages,” those intuitions from God that guide us safely and wisely, I emailed Bill and offered to pick him up.

He accepted – but did not offer to drive. In fact, he needed a ride. It turns out that he is very familiar with side streets into and out of Chicago, and he had a great route for us that avoided the gridlock of the expressways. Because of his newspaper writing background, he shared a wealth of Chicago history unknown to most folks.

He also told me about parking at Midway Airport's CTA lot and taking the Orange line into the city – something he has done often. I was grateful to learn about this practical alternative.

From time to time I’ve noticed that God helps me do the right things – in this case taking the initiative to offer Bill a ride -- in spite of my own line of (well, yes, sometimes self-centered) reasoning.

Speaking of doing right things, I remember hearing how my grandfather came upon a car accident beside the road. Think 1930s. He stopped to help and discovered someone pinned underneath. He should not have been able to physically do this, but Walter was able to lift the car, so the injured person could be pulled to safety.

As I see it, there’s a lot God can do with an honest heart.

Do not forget that an honest, wise zeal,
a lowly, triumphant trust, a true heart,
and a helping hand constitute man,
and nothing less is man or woman.
Mary Baker Eddy

Most excellent fun

Wrestling cats demonstrate headlock

Playing is important. Experts in social behavior believe play in both humans and animals helps the young learn social responses that allow them to grow into thoughtful, balanced, well-adjusted adults.

Play is a happy time of interaction with no purposeful result. At it's best, it is taking part and engaging in spontaneous fun.

I have two cats. Buster has grown in just a year to be considerably bigger than his sister. He soon discovered he could easily overpower Bibs. He would decisively win their tussles, and she would run off and hide. Eventually Buster realized that although he had won the wrestling match, he had lost a playmate.

Over time he has learned to play more gently. They engage in sparring more often, chasing each other through the house. Sometimes he lets Bibs win a little.

Life is about adapting and compromising to achieve more important social goals. This is not timidity that lets another walk all over you. Rather it is self-worth that is so founded on the conviction of a loving Father-Mother good cherishing and maintaining us, that selfishness is quenched by a generous spirit.

The following most amazing video link shows the naturalness of the spirit of play. Having gentle fun for the sake of having gentle fun.

You shouldn't need to click anything after this link. Please be patient while the video loads.

http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/play/audiogallery/soundseen.shtml

Never trapped

"The Gingerbread Man" story comes to mind. The rascally cookie dashes away from those who care most about him, sprints from others who clearly want to eat him, and ultimately trusts a con artist who cunningly manipulates the tasty treat to achieve his own goal. The carefree little cookie ends up in the tummy of that foxy fox.

The Gingerbread Man is a secular version of the Prodigal Son - except in Jesus’ account, the son comes to his senses before it’s too late, repents of his foolishness, and is welcomed safely home by a caring Father. A happy resolution is so Jesus.

A friend once told me, “Christ always finds a way to go forward.” Christ is never stuck in a corner.

Sometimes we are faced with two bad choices. Sometimes we have to pick the least bad of the two, and keep moving in the direction of least bad choice. It can feel cumbersome, but if we’re faithful in making the best choice available, progress will be steady.

More often, if we can find it, there is a third less obvious, but clearly inspired, choice that comes from sitting down with an open heart and asking that Higher Power variously called God, Truth, Father, Mother, Allah, “What shall I do? What do you want me to do? How can I be of service today?”

When asked from a quiet and honest heart, answers come. This is my sense of Christ speaking to us when we are ready to hear. Sometimes we may not like what we hear because it goes contrary to our “wants.”

I’ve gone kicking and screaming in the “right” direction many a time. When we are willing to follow that answer (with or without the kicking and screaming) the very action of courageous choice lifts the burden of indecision and reaches out to bless others.

Those obstructing mental walls somehow dissolve as we forge out of self-centeredness into participating in God’s good plan.

Even if ignorance, carelessness, or self-will has launched us pell-mell into trouble, Christ always has an alternative.

A time to dance, and a time to be quiet

Ellen is a trooper. She’s the mother of a guy I dated in Junior High, and we’ve stayed in touch these many years. We went to an indoor concert last week

The catch is that we weren’t quite sure what we were getting into, only that it would be different. A lively and delightful Cuban Salsa band invited the audience to dance in the space between the stage and where the seating began.

We totally enjoyed watching the dancing. I counted 32 couples just before intermission. These included what appeared to be grandmas and sons, dads and daughters; a family with children dancing enthusiastically; there were couples with polished moves, and people just having a good time.

Ellen and I struggled with the volume issue though. In case you’re wondering, it was REALLY loud. So in spite of the joyous dancing, we left at intermission.

So what did we learn from this experience? We learned to be adventurers. To push beyond our comfort zones. We succeeded in looking for the good. We found we could have a happy evening together in spite of the volume. We also discovered that it was good to know when it was time to leave.

While the instruments drowned out even the singer, which we found odd, we heard quieter messages that united our hearts in companionship for the evening.

That’s not so different from everyday life. Sometimes the volume or the momentum of the day would try to upstage or push aside the inner stillness that speaks to our hearts and restores our peace. It’s important to know when to step aside and find that quiet space that challenges the rush and noise.

It’s also important to know that we CAN step aside. It’s in that quietude that balance is restored, perspective broadens, alternatives appear. Claiming our special space is as old as civilization.

Christ Jesus called it prayer. And he advised that the best way to hear what God is telling us is by going into the closet and shutting the door – closing out all distractions.

Not a bad idea.

Optical illusions - things are not always what they appear to be

If you want to have some fun, look at the following optical illusions:


Two circles of identical size are placed next to each other. One is surrounded by large circles. The other is surrounded by small circles. The orange circles appear to be different sizes, but they are the same.

________________________________________

The red bars appear to be different shades. It's the relation of the red bars to the background -- white or black -- that makes the shades appear to be different. All the red bars are the same shade.

______________________________________

In this illusion, the horizontal lines appear to be bent. If you hold a ruler to each, they will run true along the edge of the ruler.

We cannot always trust what our eyes tell us. There's a lot that we see during the day that isn't necessarily true.

For instance the evening news, if we believed our eyes and ears, would convince us the world is a terrible place full of crime, deception, and disease.

However, everyone knows the media news gives a sharply distorted view of the life. It headlines only what is shocking. Very little attention is given to good people doing good things -- which is the reality of life for most of us.

Unfortunately illusions can be fatal. There is the story of a criminal, about 150 years ago, who was the victim of an experiment in which warm water was drizzled over his arm. He was told that he was bleeding to death, and he died because he believed the illusion.

So, how can we be not deceived by illusions? I find it helpful to measure relationships and events against what I understand to be God's nature -- good, caring, loving, fair. If something doesn't conform to God's nature, then it is not to be trusted to have the final word.

And if something isn't conforming to God's reality, I believe we have the authority of Christ to challenge and resist whatever is unlike good. And to expect change.

When friends and I missed our turn hiking down a mountain in Colorado this summer, we saw dismay, discouragement, danger, weariness facing us. But was it real or was it illusion?

Since we felt strongly it was not God's nature to let his children wander, we chose to identify those negatives as illusions. Instead we found gratitude for one small thing, and saw that as evidence of a good and merciful God leading us safely down the mountain. Which it was, and S/He did - gently, patiently, steadily.

Coming down that mountain

Other optical illusions:
http://listverse.com/miscellaneous/20-amazing-optical-illusions/

Talking with the animals

Snack time

Communication involves listening more than anything else.

While hiking in Colorado with friends this summer, we were followed out of the tree-line by a gang of three jay-sized birds. They seemed particularly interested in us, so I took a piece of crust from my sandwich, and held it in my outstretched palm. Instantly a jay lit on my hand, took the crumb, paused - perhaps to say thanks, and flew back to the pines.

Without knowing that these (later identified as) gray jays have a rep as “camp robbers,” there was communication. I had understood that if we offered something, they would respond.

Even better, a friend from New Hampshire, seeing that photo, emailed her own bird experiences. “A few years ago I was able to rescue a tiny hummingbird and got to nestle him and let him know he was just fine until he flew off.”

Jen prays about everything, and I know her well enough to know that with this “nestling” she was affirming his unbroken link with his Creator, that his Life was constant, uninterrupted, and that this little idea had an important role to fulfill in Life’s plan.

Jen added, “Just last year when we were screening in our porch, a nuthatch flew in after we had gone into lunch. Evidently he was stunned and wasn't able to find his way out. I picked him up and talked with him while I carried him outside, and do you think the little guy would leave my hand and arm that he was exploring? No, so I had to help him off onto one of the bird feeders.

“A short time after that I was watering one of the hanging plants and lo and behold (I'm sure it was the same little guy) he landed on the plant not 12" from my face and ‘talked’ to me! It was amazing, and I think he was just saying thank you!!”

When the heart speaks,
however simple the words,
its language is always acceptable
to those who have hearts.
Mary Baker Eddy

See fellow bloggers:
Squirrel rescue /Scroll to September 12
Hummingbird communication