Spirituality is ... Rest

Oh I been getting heavy into my reading
Oh I been listening to my favorite song
Well I could never keep down a force-feeding too long
Eat up whatever I want whenever I want

Well you're gonna meet the wall
When you think you've heard it all
And then you got nowhere left to go
Then you're gonna know

Where not to look for freedom
When you're inside your prison
And you're the only warden...
Tell me where to look for freedom
"Where Not To Look For Freedom" by the Belle Brigade

I picked today to write this note because it is my favorite day of Advent - the Day of Joy.  And it is a joy to me and hopefully a joy to you when I tell you the reason for this note after such a long silence is to share two good things.

1.  I have been resting
2.  I am starting anew (not again, but anew) on January 1

The inside view from an amateur rester:

Resting did not come easily to me, so fortunately it came naturally - without my consent.  I decided in June to take a 2 or 3 week break and come back after July 4th. But when I got ready to write, I found I had nothing to say. (Those of you who know me well understand what a shocking and odd thing that would be). So I decided to take a little more break time. I thought of scriptures, themes, ideas...but still - none of it made it to the screen.  July ended and August began. I decided to start back when school started.

"I'll call it a summer vacation," I told myself.  September became October and I realized I was nowhere near ready to return.  I started justifying to myself:

• Work is really busy
• I'm doing a webcomic, starting another web outreach in Jan and writing a lot.
• I'm co-teaching a bible study requiring tons of prep time
• I'm writing Bible Curriculum
• I'm learning - It's not just like I'm sitting around.

Finally when I ran out of excuses - I asked God - "What am I doing with this blog? Am I quitting?" and Wise God said, "No, dear. You're resting."  October and November have been much easier on my psyche.

I've been studying, and playing games. I've enjoyed reading other awesome blogs, and times when I didn't read a darn thing.  I've been at the gym, comic conventions, watching netflix documentaries, and staring off into space.  I have not been productive in the slightest in regard to this blog. It's been lovely.

Why wait for our "eternal rest" -- when I can start now?

 But for everything there is a time - and a season -- and the time for rest came to a natural end at the gym a week ago when a thousand Shepnerd writing ideas all flooded my head at once. I asked God, "What am I doing with the blog? Am I starting back?" and Wise God said, "No, dear. You're starting anew." It hit me - "starting" and "back" don't really go together half as well as "starting" and "new".

That's what rest does. It helps make us new.  That's what Christmas does - The Christ child appears in our churches and in our hearts - a baby again. The newborn baby Jesus doesn't come "back" every year. He comes anew.  Forget New Year's Eve -- Christmas is the day we can begin. Praise be to God.

So - Jan 1 - Notes from the Shepnerd will begin with its first new post and be updated on Sundays as per usual. However, I have such a flood of ideas - I would like some help in decision making.  It is great for me as a writer to know what you - the readers - want/like/think/imagine from this blog.  So, I did what any good ShepNERD would do -- I made a 5 question Survey Monkey survey.  Input appreciated, and thankfully received.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VS9KKMW

 

 5 questions, anonymous, no one will see the answers but me (and God). Please take a minute (unless you are resting) and give me your thoughts.

And have joy -- not just today - but all days. 

For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
 Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
   and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
   with justice and righteousness
   from that time on and forever.

Isaiah 9:6-7

Spirituality is...a Bended Knee

Baines:  Have you even bent your knees, Malcolm?.
Malcolm X:  Yes, when I was picking a lock to rob someone’s house
Baines:  Tell Allah that.  (Malcolm tries to kneel but can’t bring himself to do it.) You can grovel and crawl for sin but not to save your soul. Pick the lock, Malcolm. Pick it!
Malcolm X: I want to. God knows I want to.
         “Malcolm X” directed by Spike Lee.

In many of the world's religious practices, the bended knee holds a special place and spiritual value. Whether it is kneeling in prayer, the lotus position, sitting with someone and holding hands or bowing in faith -- there is something powerful about bending your knees. Most people talk about kneeling before God as an act of submission to God, and the physical acknowledgment of who God is in relation to who we are.  But, kneeling or bending the knee has a lot more advantages and purposes than reinforcing the fact that God is bigger than us. Bending your knees offers a host of spiritual lessons.

Flexibility 

I don't know about you - but I don't have a problem kneeling down on the floor. The problem I have is getting back up! I am always grateful I don't go to a church that practices kneeling in prayer during its Sunday worship because the moaning and groaning it takes to put me back in standing position would ensure me a seat in the narthex or our choir would begin to repeatedly sing "dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones!"  I am simply not flexible.
   "You should try yoga," some helpful person will say.
   "I love yoga," I respond. "Except for all the falling down and screaming."
   "That has never been a part of my yoga class," they say.
   "Then you've clearly never been there with me."
 Flexibility isn't just something good for the body. It's good for the soul too.

Inflexibility is one of the things Jesus strongly opposed when he talked about the Pharisees dedicating themselves to the "letter of the law, but not the spirit."  Too often people have confused worshiping the "One God" with enforcing the "one way" - one way to think, one way to be, one way to know.  Yet the bible describes itself as the "living word" and what do we know about living things? The more flexible they are - the more suited to both surviving and thriving.

Cats:  Our flexible overlords

That is not to say the Bible can "mean anything" - but it does mean that the more we are open to history, learning, listening and growing in biblical understanding the stronger we become in faith and in life. 

Function

 One of the many things I've discovered since I started gardening is the simple fact that if you want to get your hands in the dirt - you've got to put your knees on the ground. I saw plenty of tools at Home Depot designed to let people stand up while working on the garden, but none of them seemed as efficient or as functional as just getting on ground level and getting things done.

Spiritually bending allows us to be closer - closer to people, closer to the problems, closer to the joy, closer to the work.  That proximity gives us the heart and ability to reach out with God's love and God's empowerment and make things happen in the world. Spiritual bending may mean we have to go places unfamiliar to us, or hear things that challenge us. It may mean we have to refresh our minds and hearts in God more frequently to be clear on what God is calling us to do. Almost always - spiritual bending, like physical bending, will develop our muscles and led to a strengthen of our heart and spirit.  My favorite quote on spiritual bending comes from Rabbi Israel Ben Eliezer (of the Talmud):

"If you want to pull a friend out of the mud, don't hesitate to get a little dirty."

Focus

One of the first things we teach youth workers or people who work with small children is that the best way to instruct them or have a conversation with them is to sit down in a chair or on your knees to be at their eye level. It is much nicer for them to see the adults who are speaking to them than to be talked at from above.However, the benefit is not just for the child - but for the adult too.

Once you get down to that level - you instantly get a sense of how big the world is and how overwhelming it can be. You realize that to spend most of your time looking up at things, not being able to reach things without help, and experiencing most people as a talking set of calves is to be at mercy to the forces around you.  Spiritually bending the knee has the same benefit. You aren't just showing submission to God, but you are reminding your spirit how very big the world is, and how very much we need and long for someone who can reach all the counters, and guide us safely through the things that crowd around us.

There are many postures in faith that give us spiritual abundance. When there is turmoil God wants us to stretch out and rest. When there is injustice, God wants us to stand up and fight. Yet in the day to day relationship we have with God, there is always a time to bend.

Spirituality is...Opening Your Eyes

What are we scared of? Why are we frightened of the dark?

Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's nothing but a spark

Everyone's longing. Everyone's longing to be wise.

What if its simple? Easy as opening  your eyes.

               "Breathe" by The Kennedys

  

Spirituality  can be transformed, enhanced and nurtured through readings and writings in sacred texts. However, while we manage to find plenty of spiritual encouragement in everything from TV sitcom theme music to elegant 15th century poetry, we seem to have problems finding it in a text designed for spiritual encouragement. The bible.

Too often the bible is written off as an archaic rule book we really don't need or it is studied at such a close and scrutinizing range that we miss the larger point of living in the world with a faith based on love.  The problem isn't just the fact we rarely read anymore - but the lens we look through when we read it.

Not long ago I heard a woman say, “I love C.S. Lewis”.  That certainly made my ears perk up!

“Which book do you like best?” I inquired. “Screwtape Letters? Great Divorce? Mere Christianity?”

“Oh,” she replied, as if antennas had started growing out of my ears. “I’ve never read any of his books!”

“But you love him?” I asked suspiciously.

“Yes,” she said. “I’ve seen those Narnia movies several times!”

Whether I like it or not, we are becoming a nation of “see-ers” more than a nation of readers. As a writer, that’s something I would like to rail against. However, I have to admit I do it too. With limited time and patience, watching a 2 hour movie sometimes seems easier than reading an 800 page book.  

I’ve often wondered what would happen if we turned the Bible into a movie, or better yet, a series since the story is much too big for one film. Series films worked for Harry Potter, Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Why not the Bible?  They could cast different directors to do the different parts.

In my perfect world the following directors would be cast:

For the creation narrative – A great naturalist director like David Attenborough. It would, of course, be narrated by Morgan Freeman (or James Earl Jones, if Mr. Freeman is busy).

For the lives, dramas and loves of the Patriarchs, their wives and children – Nora Ephron, queen of the romantic comedy/drama would be great.

For the laws of Leviticus through Numbers – Morgan Spurlock, of “Supersize Me” and “30 Days” fame can do a documentary where he tries to live by the whole law for 30 days.

Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon – Definitely Merchant and Ivory – with Emma Thompson cast the “the Beloved”.

Prophets – Michael Moore could do an investigative documentary on the lives of the prophets and their messages and if he’s still too controversial, then a turn by CNN’s Christiane Amanpour might be interesting.

Who better to tell the gospel story with its miraculous conclusion than the master of happy endings, and resurrections – Stephen Spielberg?

Nick Cassavetes, director of acclaimed memoir movies like “The Notebook” and “My Sister’s Keeper” would do a great job with the epistles.

And for Revelation, with its vibrant imagery and final battle, there can be none other than action-disaster maven Michael Bay.

Armageddon: This time it's personal!

Maybe, if we filmed it that way, people might be willing to give the Bible a second chance (or even a first look).

Reconnecting with God can be enhanced greatly by reconnecting with the love story set before us to help us understand the nature of God in relationship.  Sadly, many people have a preconceived view of the bible which acts as a deterrent to their investigation of scripture.

• “The Bible is so anti-woman.”
• “It’s nothing but a bunch of rules that don’t matter anymore.”
• “The Old Testament God is so angry; I can’t stand to read it. It’s like being trapped in a car with my grandfather who is throwing a raging fit and telling me how messed up I am.”
• “It’s a series of folk and cultural narratives that have nothing to do with my life.”
• “The Bible is just used to shame and keep us from asking real questions.”

 On and on the stereotypes about the Bible persist.  And yet, when you find yourself saying one or more of those sentences you aren’t revealing anything about the Bible; you are showing what lens you’ve been looking at it through.

Whether you see the Bible through the lens of a child who was preached to or punished with Biblical edicts, or from the academically detached lens of literary criticism, you aren’t giving it a chance to permeate your heart, mind and soul with the living truth and inspiring examples it has to offer.

Seen differently:

• ·         “The Bible lifts up women as examples of courage, faith, hope and life”
• ·         “Living by codes like “do unto others” and “love your neighbor” can make your life better and joyous.”
• ·         “The Old Testament God tries time and time again to make a lasting love with the people of Israel, and every time they fail that relationship God forgives them, brings them back and tries again. The Old Testament is the story of a God who never stops reaching.”
• ·         “The stories of rage, regret, love, sacrifice, ambition, and hope are still played out in our relationships with each other to this day.”
• ·         “The Bible wants us to think, like Thomas did, and shows Jesus revealing answers to the questions and proof to the doubts. The Bible repeatedly encourages us to ask, seek, reach and knock.”

How can the same Bible create both of those lists?  It isn’t the book, it’s the eye of the beholder that matters. If you aren’t happy with the way you see the Bible and its wisdom, then change your lens and look again. Stop seeing the bible as an "old book" and start seeing it as a new hope.  Recognize it as a love story - between God and the people of Israel (OT) and God and everyone else (NT).

At it's core spirituality is about openness.  In terms of the bible -

Open the book

Open your mind

Open your heart

Open your life

Open your eyes.

 

Spirituality is...a Forever Change

Xena: See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then....(throws a large rock in)....the water ripples and churns. That's what I became.
Gabrielle: But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again. You'll go back to being calm.
Xena: But the stone's still under there. It's now a part of the lake. It might look as it did before but it's forever changed.
"Xena: Warrior Princess" - Episode 1.3 Dreamweaver

 
 One of my favorite lessons in middle school science was the Mobius Strip. They are easy to make. Take a strip of paper, give it a twist then tape one end to another creating one strand. The curious thing about the mobius strip is that because of the twist - you can trace the entire surface of the strip in one continuous movement without ever coming to an end or an edge.  It is both changing and unending. It's good sometimes to remember spirituality follows that form.  Why is it good to remember? Because it is so easy to forget.

The Myth of Lost Faith

I've heard it. I've said it. You've heard it. And maybe, just maybe, you've said it too.  "Lost faith."   I usually encounter the myth of lost faith when talking with a group of people or listening to prayer requests.  However, when you stop and think about it - its something that seems to hang in the air around religious conversations  like a mosquito swarm.

•      "Please pray for my son-in-law. He's lost his faith."
•      "I used to be active in youth group but when I grew up I saw church as hypocritical and I just lost my faith in it."
•      "I don't want my students reading ideas from the Jesus Seminar.  They could lose their faith."
•      "I'm going to a pastor's conference on reclaiming those who are lost to faith."  
•      "Losing my Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in American and Found Peace" is a book by former LA Times religion reporter William Lobdell. 

Surrounded by so much rhetoric and repetition it becomes easy to believe lost faith really happens. However there exists numerous forms of evidence to suggest faith really doesn't get lost at all. It changes, it causes ripples in the calm waters of our being, and it may seem to disappear beneath the surface but the fact remains that once you've had a spiritual experience you are forever changed.

Part of the reason for this myth is the tendency of evangelists to promote spiritual change as a "one time only" kind of deal.  When they are talking to someone about Christianity they really play up how gaining a relationship with God through Christ is going to change you.  What they fail to stress is that once you change - you're gonna change again, and again, and again.  So we see the phenomenon similar to William Lobdell's situation frequently.  People's lives are a mess, they embrace Christianity and change, then they get disappointed (in Lobdell's case he traces his change of heart to years of reporting on the Catholic sexual abuse scandals), or they embrace something else and they change again, claiming to have lost faith.  Only they haven't lost it. They have changed it and chosen to believe in something more comfortable, or less disappointing or more reflective of where they are in life.

People marvel and feel spiritual awe when they encounter the beauty of a deer drinking from a creek, or look at the sonogram of their new baby getting ready to enter the world.  They may place the credit for this awe on God, science, or nature, or kismet, but the fact remains the spiritual experience is still a part of their being - they haven't lost it at all. These feelings change them and add to the complex system they understand in life.  What is seen, can't be unseen. The rock is in the lake and nothing is the same again.

Jesus frequently describes the idea of teaching about faith as "planting seeds" and uses quite a few seed parables to remind us faith life is a process which involves change at every juncture.  When you plant a seed the ground is changed and the seed is changed. As it grows the plant will change. When it is harvested the fruit will change and the harvester will change from having the experience of gathering fruit. The ground isn't lost, the seed isn't lost, the fruit isn't lost.  It's all just changed.

mmmm....change is good.....

Once we rid our thinking of the myth of lost faith - spirituality regains its place as a connection we all can share.  When we no longer have to hold on to our faith with such a tight grip that we can't read, hear, see or learn things that challenge us, we open ourselves up to a more adventurous faith and a stronger bond with God.  When we don't have to label people as "lost" - we find our commonness with them creating the pathway to peace, not the highway of suspicion, superiority or seclusion.

Think of the great things that happen in our hearts and in our world when churches stop scrambling for programs to keep from losing attendance, and start programs designed to bring more of heaven to earth. Imagine the peace that could be found in families when we stop thinking someone who is experiencing spiritual change is "off the path" and start embracing them with love so they can find a steady path to walk upon.  Without fear, we can revel in the times we share spiritual moments with one another, knowing after that interaction or experience we will not be the same again.

There are people who fall into depression. There are people who seem to have given up on life.  There are those days we have when our prayers seem to bounce off the ceiling and we wonder if it wouldn't just be easier not to believe.  However, that is not a loss of faith. It is a blockage of a faith that is still there.  Even in the most angry heart a shadow remains of the good, the God, and the positive spiritual experiences.  With medical treatment, connection or persistence that shadow can guide us like a sundial back to a place where our faith is waiting.

Spirituality is not being seduced by the calm water and pretending the ripples never happened.  It is also not being caught up in the ripples and thinking the calm water will never return.  Most importantly, spirituality is not pretending that when the calm waters do return that everything is the same as it was before.  Spirituality is the forward moving, continuously changing lake of our soul.  May we refresh it, and be refreshed in it, always.

Spirituality is...Having Without Possessing

The wise:
Teach without telling
Allow without commanding
Have without possessing
Care without claiming
The Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu

I have to admit that every time I come across that verse from the Tao Te Ching I normally get distracted by the "teach without telling" part and end up thinking of "wax on/wax off" from The Karate Kid.  However, in a culture as beset by economic issues, consumerism and downright fear as our modern western culture, I have been paying more attention lately to the "have without possessing" part.  How do we "have and not possess" and, what's so wise about that?

To possess something is to own it fully and have the power to use it at your will. The American Heritage Dictionary tells us the word possession came into Middle English from the word posidere -  posse (to be able) and sidere (to control or inhabit). To possess is to use one of the first words we learn once we realize there are other people in the world besides ourselves: Mine.

Let's face it. Someone else's toys are just cooler.

To have something is to be able to access it, to use it at your discretion but to also understand that it is something meant to be used not held or secluded from others.  When we possess something - it is ours to keep. When we have something it is ours to use and to share.  We should be cautious though. Whether it is money, property, credit, glory or fame - the desire to possess is mighty indeed. 

One of the stories in the Jataka involves a turtle who could not stop talking. On and on he talked until everyone he knew became quite bored with him.  He was very unhappy where he resided because few would come by to listen to him talk anymore. One day two geese came by and he started talking to them. He praised their feathers and their abilities and spent most of the day chatting them up. When it came time to leave they said they enjoyed his company but had to depart.
     "Take me with you," the turtle begged.
     "We can't," the geese responded. "We are flying far away and you cannot keep up."
     The sad turtle looked around, and seeing a stick came up with a brilliant idea.
      "Wait!" He said as the geese were leaving. "You two can hold this stick in your beaks and I will clamp onto it with my strong mouth. You can use that to fly me to the next pond where the people don't know me and I can make new friends."
      "It's too dangerous," replied the geese. "If you were to let go of the stick you would drop to your death."
      "My mouth is very strong," the turtle replied.
      "Yes," said a goose. "From all your talking. But during the flight you would not be able to talk at all or you would drop."
       "I can do it," said the turtle. "I have discipline and since I know talking would mean my death, I know I will not talk."
        So the two geese decided to give it a try.  Holding the stick between their beaks they took off with the turtle clamped on tight.  Everything was working as planned.  Until....
        A group of children saw the geese and began to clap and cheer for them.
        "Look at those geese!" Exclaimed the child calling to the heavens.
        "That is the smartest thing we have ever seen. Look how cleverly the geese are carrying that turtle!"
        "Way to go, Geese!" One child called.
The turtle was incensed. The children were mistaken and giving credit to the wrong parties! After all it was the turtle who figured everything out.
        Unable to withstand the geese getting all his praise the turtle cried out, "This was MY IDEA!!!"  and in doing so, let go of the stick and fell to his own demise.

Good thing they didn't have cell phones then...

Instead of having the knowledge that his idea worked, the turtle wanted to possess the idea and have credit for it was well.  Because he could not give or share, he ended up losing it all.

Spirituality is the ability to have without needing to possess. That doesn't mean it is wrong to own something - a story you wrote, a house or a degree - but when the ownership of a thing becomes more important than the actual use or value of it -  you're headed for spiritual trouble.  Jesus seems to give the same message through the gospels.

"If someone asks you for your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic too" (Luke 6:29). Jesus isn't advocating we run around naked  and give away all our clothing, but that we recognize that the value of people is more important than the value of clothing, and we give to those who need. Jesus wants us to have clothes (consider the lilies in the field) but not simply to possess them.

In the big picture, we realize our life is God's given to us to use, to enjoy, to share in this world. Our life is something we have, not something we own or can always control.  In the day to day - our talents, our gifts and our passions are something we have but we have them in order to develop them, share them and make the world better with them. They are not something we own that needs to be hidden away or kept from others.

The spiritual practice of having something, without possessing it, is the ability to celebrate all that is within our grasp and let go of the stress of simply hoarding up more to own.   Now, if we can just get that wax on/wax off thing down -- we'll all be okay.

Spirituality is...Ready To Sail

Cast your fate upon the water
Catch a big wave by the tail
And when a good wind comes your way
Be ready to sail.
"Be Ready To Sail" by Claire Lynch

It's been an interesting week as we watched to see what would happen with the prediction the world was going to come to an end on May 21.  I don't think very many people actually believed the world would come to an end, but it did make a lot of people stop and think, "am I ready for the world to come to an end?"   We all know life on earth is fragile and beautiful and it can change course or end at any moment.  However, things like the rapture prediction make us stop and take stock about what we have done, what we have left undone, and what we have yet to do.

The thing that concerned me most about this apocalyptic prediction - and in fact most evangelism based on eschatology - is that it tends to use fear to fuel its path instead of faith. The message is usually "You better be afraid because if you aren't found worthy, you will be left behind in torment."  The messengers hope by giving you a sense of fear, you will choose to change your life.  A much better message would be one of faith. "Something amazing is going to happen someday, and I think you would like to be a part of it, and until then - you can be a part of the amazing that is happening now - because the "now" is amazing." sounds like a better message to me.

Spirituality responds to the message in its positive stream. Spirituality isn't asking you "Are you willing to burn?" but rather - "Are you ready to sail?"

Don't get the idea, though, that spirituality is simply about floating along life's waves bouncing up and down like an untethered fishing bobber. There are several things that have to be done in order to sail.

You can't just  buy a boat, jump in it and hit the water.  You have to have a boating license and take some safety classes. There are a lot of things to know - everything from how to tie/trim a sail to who has the right of way in the water, to passing etiquette.  Failure to learn before attempting to sail can be dangerous, frustrating or at the very least, funny (in a "laughing at you, not with you" kind of way).

Maybe he shouldn't have skipped the first 30 minutes of class...

Spiritually, we need to learn too. We don't need a license to be spiritual - but the more we read, know and understand about ourselves, our world and our God - the more smooth the sailing will be.  We don't have to "learn it all " (that's not even possible!) but we should always remember that spirituality, like sailing, is a learning journey.

Coracles or Catamarans

A coracle is a rudderless, keel-less one-person boat made of wicker covered by animal skin used for ages in Ireland and Scotland. It doesn't have much directional ability (although some direction can be achieved by paddling, not very much overcomes the force of the current).  Legend has it that Saint Columba, who founded the monestary at Iona, set sail in a coracle and let the waves take him until he ended up in Iona. The journey and the boat are often used as an allegory for sailing on faith.

A catamaran has rudders, keels, and two hulls (instead of a regular mono-hull boat). Catamarans are used for ferries, vacation boats, racing, and transport.  Having 2 hulls makes them more stable, and controllable than regular boats.

Spirituality is able to embody both types of sailing.  Sometimes you do need to "set out" and "see where God takes you."  It may be a new job in an arena you've never worked before, or a mission trip where you can't begin to predict the outcome. There is something faithful and fulfilling about setting out in faith, using the skills you do have, and discovering where you wind up.  An adventurous spirituality is a gift and greatly to be valued.

Other times, you need to rest in the stability of a boat that has a solid foundation, and good bearings. You need a map to show you where you are going and you want to be able to steer your journey as much as possible. When you are ill, you ask for information about the treatment, side-effects and successful outcomes. Being ill makes you vulnerable enough, you need as much guidance and surety as you can find to navigate those waters.  It's not a lack of faith to need to know where you are going, or what a loved one is going to experience. It's simply a time for a spiritual catamaran to pull you safely through.

Coracle or Catamaran?  A healthy full life will have times for both. So learn as much as you can about the seas of world you will be sailing - the ocean of family, the lake of work, the river of life -- and make sure you are picking the best boat for the time at hand.  Then you won't have to be so worried about whether the rapture may come, or illness may strike, or a new person may enter your life - because no matter how rough or calm, dark or clear, choppy or still the water is - you'll do fine on your journey - because you are ready to sail.

Spirituality is...A Blind Date

"Most of us don't know where to start with God.  We've got a lot of excess baggage and "God as Told To Us By" and it can feel an awful lot like a blind date.  The trick with God, just like blind dates, is to suit up and show up. Who knows?  God might turn out to be someone you really like. Somebody you can actually talk to and go salsa dancing with. Somebody who gets your jokes.  The point is that until you try to meet God, you aren't going to know."                                                                                     Some Say God is No Laughing Matter by Julia Cameron

This morning I had a chance to have breakfast with some folks from my church I admire very much. We share a common faith in Christ, a love for all kinds of music, and a fondness for dry, cranky humor. However, in some ways, we are very different. They were raised steady and solid, lived in the same area most or all of their lives, and have an internal sense of who God is that would leads me to believe they have known God since childhood. They are raising their daughter in the church with the same solid sense of God's presence they reflect in their service and dedication.

I, on the other hand, came from a chaotic mixture of people and places where I learned to accept and appreciate different kinds of folks, but I wasn't taught anything about God.  I didn't' meet God until I graduated from high school, and when I did it was definitely a blind date. Fortunately,  that date led to a series of experiences culminating in a life given, a life received and a journey shared.  I wondered today, not for the first time, if my faith, my hope, my joyous relationship with beloved God - would be different had God and I started out sooner or if I began on more solid ground. When I asked God the question, I got a question in return. The conversation went like this:

Me:  God, wouldn't it have been better if I had known you from the start?
God:  What?  And give up our blind date?

There's something courageous, and entrancing, about sitting at the table waiting for God to walk through the door.  Even people who are raised in faith can usually point to a time when they transitioned from the God they were taught about in Sunday School to the God who invited them to dinner years later - the God who laughed with their joy during the appetizer or cried with them over their pain while the entree was being served, the God who encouraged them to order dessert, the God who paid the bill.  Ultimately for anyone to to get to know God, they must commit themselves to experience a blind date, and then take the next step - the trust to open our eyes and see.

"But everything is going so well..."

 The God who made us knows us, and longs to be with us -- so you wouldn't think it would be so hard to open up and reveal our honest thoughts and questions. And yet, particularly for those raised with a God more interested in punishing sinners than embracing souls, it can be the challenge of a lifetime.  If we have set ourselves on a course to have a blind date with God - we clearly desire to be with God -- so you wouldn't think it would be so hard for God to talk to us.  And yet, particularly for people who are too busy or too frightened to hear anything other than what they already believe, God is challenged to get through our defenses or distractions with a great message of grace and gifts.

Social science tells us we get what we expect.  So if we go on a date with God, we will pretty much expect what we were told by others who have shared the table.  Some people expect a God who shows up late, annoyed and instantly blames you for giving bad directions or choosing the wrong table. Some people expect a God who shows up with flowers and candy but spends the whole night wanting to hear you talk about how fantastic God happens to be. Some people bring a list, hoping God will open up a wallet and leave a huge tip without asking too many questions or insisting on a steady relationship. And, sadly, some people wait at the table as the candlelight grows dim, not really expecting God to show up at all.

Spirituality begins as a truly blind date and expects the God who is unexpected.  The God who breaks into a song at the table, or the God who moves the plates and puts down a map to show you some exotic place or unforeseen calling is the God who will show up if we allow it. I think one of the reasons Jesus acts so unpredictably throughout the gospels is to help his disciples understand the daily trust walk of following Christ meant you didn't always know what was going to happen, but you knew God was changing something, someone or some path.

Of course, all lasting relationships must eventually pass through the dating stage and become steady, hopeful, and directional. Yet, anyone who has been in a long term love will tell you that couples who are the strongest still manage to date quite frequently, and enjoy unexpected adventures along with daily bread.  But in order to get to that journey of an honest everyday life with God - no matter if you've known about God forever or for a day - you must be willing to "suit up and show up" for the date.

Would I give up my blind date with God? Never!
Would you?

Spirituality is...Stolen

"Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."
Pablo Picasso

The history of the word "steal" reveals it is an ancient word - entering language before 900, from the Norse word "Stelan"  meaning to "carry off".  Since that time it has come to mean "taking something that doesn't belong to you without expressed permission or compensation."  Have you ever known a more common practice in daily life?  As Picasso noted about the great artists, stealing is something we do almost every day.

We "carry off" or take from all the things around us. We take advice we hear on TV, or at the ice cream shop over a scoop of chocolate with sprinkles, and we use it to make our lives better. We take energy from the warmth of the sun and use it to give us strength to break ground and plant a garden. We take joy from the sheer happiness watching children or grandchildren at play can bring us, and we take pride in the accomplishments of people we love.  Let's face it - we take, and take, and take.  Nowhere is that more true - or wonderful - than in the realm of spirituality.

Spirituality is an openness to the ideas, wisdom and experiences we are exposed to and the ability to discern which of those things can enhance our faith and our life. Things we learn and "steal" to add into our understanding come from many sources. One of the great places for us to steal a lot of faith is stories.

The world is full of amazing stories. In fact, when you think about it - the Bible is a collection of stories (scholars prefer to use the term "narrative" because it sounds more churchy and doesn't upset as many people) - stories of strong women, faithful men, donkeys that talk, and rain that won't stop coming down for 40 days.  When we are in one of those times in our life when it seems like the rain of disappointments, frustrations and garbage never ends - a story about an ark full of hope and a bird that returns with an olive branch can give us lots of comfort.

But we shouldn't seek spiritual stories solely from the bible or those self-help books you find at the Christian bookstore - in fact, only reading from those sources can limit and narrow our vision - which is the opposite of spirituality. Stories from interesting lives can inspire us. Stories of amazing courage can uplift us. Stories of sports triumphs can give us the power to develop our God given skills and stories that make us laugh can heal us.  Watch movies, read novels, and listen to the world around you.

Don't be afraid to learn from fiction.  After all, Picasso also tells us - "Art is a lie that makes us realize truth."

There's a story I love, in the form of a graphic novel (later made into a movie), in which a woman who has been questioning the world around her was tortured for a period of time as a cruel method of removing fear from her life. She emerges from her torture cell dirty, hurt, and more confused than ever . Needing fresh air, she runs to the rooftop to discover its raining. Unafraid, she steps into the rain, reaches to the heavens and lets the water cleanse her body and soul. She says aloud, "God is in the rain."  When something has me spiritually lost or overwhelmed - I remember the freedom of standing in the rain letting it all wash over me and I regain my peace.

"God is in the rain."

 Does it matter whether I get through the rain in my life with the lesson of Noah's ark or the inspiration provided by writer Alan Moore in his novel "V for Vendetta?" No. What matters is that I get through the rain in my life, and God has sent me many stories to guide me through it.

Spirituality breaks open the locked door of "I only know what I am supposed to know" and steals from history, tradition, nature, story, art, and life experience. It allows us not simply to plod down the well scripted path of rules and endurance but to dance in the rain, to find a mission in an uncharted territory, and live a life of adventurous faith. 

So the next time a great inspiration, thought or understanding comes your way:  encounter it, pray about it, discern if God has a place in your life, and if need be - steal it for your very own.

Photo:  from V for Vendetta (c) 2006, Warner Bros Studios.

Spirituality is...Personally Responsible

"There's a blue moon shinin'
When I am reminded of all we've been through
Such a blue moon... shinin'
Does it ever shine down on you?"
       "Once in a Very Blue Moon" by Nanci Griffith

 About a year ago I got a speeding ticket on our little backwoods road. I live in a small county out in the country and the police are very friendly. I had an interesting conversation:

Officer:  Ma'am I clocked you at 49 and the speed limit here is 35.
Me:  I am so sorry. I wasn't paying attention, and I was speeding.
Officer:  I won't write down that you said that. You don't have to admit that.
Me: But, I WAS speeding. 
[after the ticket was written]
Officer: Ma'am - sign this line. BUT, you should know signing this line does not mean you are guilty or admitting anything. You are just signing that you received this ticket.
Me: Is there a line to sign that says I am guilty?
Officer: (confused) Um...no. Just sign here.  Now, if you want to challenge this in court and get it dismissed you can call this number and schedule a date. Now, I know people think if you go to court and the officer doesn't show it will get dismissed but this is a small county circuit court and we all go. Still, you can try it if you want or if you want to challenge this in any way. You might be able to get it dismissed.
Me: I don't want to challenge it. How do I just pay the fine?
Officer: And, if you take this driver's training course, you can get this taken care of and it won't be held against you. It will be like this didn't happen. There's a fee for that - but it will erase the incident.
Me:  I don't want court and I don't want a class. I just want to admit I did this and pay the fine. Is there a way to just pay for my mistake?
Officer: (disappointed)...Yes, um...you can do that online.

I'm sure he drove away thinking I was an idiot, and I left amazed by all the ways we have developed to get out of our responsibilities. I didn't have to admit it, I could challenge it and maybe get by with it, or I could just wipe it away. Too often the finer choices - pay for it, learn from it, and own it are at the bottom of our list.

We don't just do this with traffic tickets and library fines. We do it a lot.  The world is full of reasons and people to blame.

• Well, if I had known someone was going to check that report, I would have turned it in on time. Why didn't anyone tell me the boss was going to read them?
• How was I supposed to keep track of the dentist appointment I made? They should have called me to remind me. They shouldn't charge me for the missed time; it was their fault.
• The teacher isn't very good. She's failing my kid. She doesn't remind him to take his homework home, and puts much more weight on the homework he doesn't do than paying attention to the two assignments he did turn in. I want him out of her class and with someone who will make sure he passes.
• My church believes this....or...My pastor says that......

That last one is particularly concerning to me.  I'm very likely to challenge someone who tells me what their church believes and say, "Is it what your church believes or is it what YOU believe?"  I am perfectly happy to let people believe as they choose -- but I do want them to be able to own their beliefs.

Spirituality is a developed relationship with God secure enough for us to take responsibility for our thoughts, words and deeds understanding our relationship with God will continue with grace and second chances. The ability to be honest with yourself and with God empowers you to own your achievements and your mistakes; to learn from them and to change through them. Spirituality is the lens that shows you the refining fire isn't just to punish you - but to purify and strengthen you.

In the book of First Samuel is one of my favorite "out of the way" Bible stories. It's the story of an angry old man named Shimei.

 ⁵ As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the same clan as Saul’s family came out from there. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he cursed as he came out. ⁶ He pelted David and all the king’s officials with stones, though all the troops and the special guard were on David’s right and left. ⁷ As he cursed, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you murderer, you scoundrel! ⁸ The LORD has repaid you for all the blood you shed in the household of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. The LORD has given the kingdom into the hands of your son Absalom. You have come to ruin because you are a murderer!”
 ⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.”
 ¹⁰ But the king said, “What does this have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the LORD said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who can ask, ‘Why do you do this?’”
 ¹¹ David then said to Abishai and all his officials, “My son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone; let him curse, for the LORD has told him to. ¹² It may be that the LORD will look upon my misery and restore to me his covenant blessing instead of his curse today.”
 ¹³ So David and his men continued along the road while Shimei was going along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went and throwing stones at him and showering him with dirt. ¹⁴ The king and all the people with him arrived at their destination exhausted. And there he refreshed himself.
I Samuel 16:5 - 16:14

The story of Shimei is not often preached about – perhaps a story saying it's okay to curse leaders and throw dirt at them isn’t what most preachers want to encourage from the pulpit.

David, get off my lawn.

The story shows David is ready to take personal responsibility.  David knew Shimei had legitimate complaints. David was a bloody king, he did take Saul’s throne, and he had murdered unjustly. David’s own son was trying to kill him. David knew the only way to relate to God and the people of Israel about this disaster was to be honest. He’s tired of hiding. He’s done with excuses and spin doctors. “I sinned and the result was this bloody war that has split my family and this nation,” David is ready to say. Along comes Shimei who is willing to say it for him. Shimei tells David’s truth in his spew of curses and David is ready to hear it.  He even ponders if maybe God had instructed Shimei to set this into motion.

Notice David doesn't want to forget the past and stop and argue with Shimei about who was at fault. He just wants to own what happened, acknowledge Shimei's right to be upset, and keep moving forward.  My favorite part is verse 14 where it says “When they arrived at their destination – they were exhausted”. I bet! How much cursing and dirt would it take to turn your trip upside down?

Our lives are probably not the action-packed adventure that David's was, but we all have things we need to take responsibility for doing. When we are ready to take ownership of our rights, and our wrongs, we are making the spirit's journey to truth and peace with God (and it is sometimes exhausting!). But forgiveness and future are what await us as we move along.

Spirituality is not a journey of forgive, forget and pretend it never happened. It's a journey of forgive, learn, and go forward.

Spirituality is...A Builder

"The religious leaders say that God desires a world that is pure and empty of sin, like a desert. They talk like a man's role isn't ever to be a builder, but always only an insanely jealous protector."
                 Aaron and Ahmed, by Jay Cantor

What's the difference between a mob and a community?  They are both groups of people with like-minded thinking, a specific purpose, a call to action, and committed followers. They are both groups of people who will sacrifice for what they believe in. They are both groups of people who want to change the world around them.  So what makes one group a terrorist cell, and another group a church?

The difference comes from the purpose and the product of the group at hand:

A mob is usually created out of powerlessness.  Powerlessness makes people sad or afraid; sad or fearful people became angry protective people; angry, protective people grouped together become a mob. The currency of a mob is force, and the product it buys is oppression.

Communities are created out of empowerment.  People who believe they are called to a purpose or idea become happy or secure people, which makes them a committed, focused people. The currency of a community is togetherness, and the product it buys is change.

Communities seek justice;  Mobs want vengeance
Communities try to listen; Mobs tend to shout
Communities want to heal; Mobs want to punish.
Communities tend to build; Mobs are desperate to protect


In faith life we have seen some of both groups through our history.  The communities of Iona and Skye sought to build a place of contemplation and spirit. The mobs of crusaders sought to punish those they considered "infidel" and protect their lands from diversity of faith.  The community of Taize seeks to build a type of peace through through prayer, song and inclusion. The mob of many churches seeks to protect their traditions through politics, dogma and exclusivity.  Over and over we realize - having a cross on your building, your car or your necklace doesn't show us whether you are part of a community or a mob. Only your actions can do that.

I don't think they are here for a bake sale.

Spirituality is a builder. Spirituality is the part of us that takes risks and recognizes that the space between us as people doesn't need a guard gate as much as a bridge. Spirituality values traditions but also seeks to reach out through them to new people in a new way.  Spirituality is the building, hopeful part of who we are as beings.

In Acts 28, the Apostle Paul has just gone through a time of trial and terror. Tossed by a storm, starved and shipwrecked he and the survivors wind up on the coast of Malta. What's the first thing the people of Malta do? Run find some arrows or weapons?  Draw a line in the sand and prohibit the castaways from going further until they have a chance to question them? No - the first thing they do is build a fire because the survivors are wet and cold. Spirituality builds.

Spirituality doesn't build unwisely. It takes effort to build something. You have to know the design and how to build, make sure you have the proper tools and proceed with care as well as hope. Spiritual people have all come in contact with someone whose goal is to knock down your construction or use your good nature for their own harmful purposes. Construction workers who reach in peace get burned many times. Yet, still, we build.

As you encounter new people, old people, new ideas, old prejudices or anything in between - remember to listen and pray and not just look for things that offend you or you might need to defend against - but look for the tools, materials and pathways to build something new, warm, or good.

Spirituality is...Just a Vehicle

The warm water beads as it runs down the curves
Of the beautiful surface so tan
She's polishing the Jaguar again

Hasn't run in a year or two
Nice car but the wheels don't move, anymore
Maybe she remembers
Maybe something's got her scared
It's too precious to be careless
And it's finally been repaired

So you never see her drive it
She won't risk it any more
It's too easy to collide it
And it hurt so much before

Could it be
That it's really just a vehicle
Standing like a statue all this time
Could it be
Its just a vehicle
She shines
"Just a Vehicle" by David Wilcox

One of the reasons we have trouble pinning down what spirituality is probably has to do with our tendency to use that word as a noun, which the dictionary affirms is rightfully done. However, when we transition our understanding not to the letter of the law but the spirit - the word suffers in its proper form.  You remember nouns - "person, place or thing."  Starting with that perception and marinated in America's consumerist, personality obsessed culture, spirituality can morph into something as useless as beautifully waxed sports car that sits in the window on display.

Where will I put the groceries?

 Spirituality is not a thing we can own like so many gadgets, machines or paintings.  We can't buy and we certainly can't sell it - even at the Christian Book Store.  Spirituality is not a person. We can find evidence of it in the behavior of people - Mother Theresa, Ghandi, The Dalai Lama, or Mrs. Wallace from our Sunday School class, - but no one human being is spirituality incarnate. We should never get so caught up in the star-culture (cult-ure?) that we get confused and lose our way.  Spirituality is not a place we arrive, but a method for getting somewhere.

While I hate to argue with the good people at Dictionary.com, spirituality in its purest and best form is a verb. It is an active, moving vehicle made to take us to our destination.  Every person has a different idea of where they want the car to go.  Some folks just want it to take them to a happy day, or drive them out of a valley of sorrow or a late night abandoned street called "Fear."  Others want to travel to realms they have never seen before - beautiful places like "Peace" or busy intersections like the corner of "Need" and "Community".  Still others want it to drive them all the way to Heaven, sometimes without leaving earth.

Our lives as spiritual people is often a search for the key that makes this car go and sadly most have a key in their own pocket, having picked it up long ago.  Just like there is more that one type of car - there is more than one key that can put the vehicle in gear. Some of the best keys are prayer, peace, reflection, giving, listening, opening. forgiveness and, of course, the master key that can start every car - love.  And once you start the car - you must drive it.

It's a risk, you know. You could run out of gas if you start out on a long journey of faith without enough fuel and provisions. You could get lost and need to find somewhere to stop and get directions (and, you would be willing to have to ask for them!).  In a world so full of doctrines, traditions and interpretations - you might even crash your car into someone's parked ideas.  Through the spiritual journey - some cars start out shiny and new, but end up looking like this:

Well, I don't have to worry about those window dings anymore.

When that happens, the amazing love of God, and the spirituality found in the love of others will drive you where you need to go until the frame can be healed, the metal melted and re-formed and the tires changed. Then, as the repairs are complete, your task is to get behind the wheel anew- and keep going.

Spirituality isn't something we have to be admired or gain status. Its a functioning vehicle of heart, mind and soul designed to take us, and sometimes passengers we pick up along the way, to all the places God would have us go.

Spirituality is....Eschewing Obfuscation

Detective Spooner: So, Dr. Calvin, what exactly do you do around here?
Dr. Calvin: I specialize in hardware-to-wetware interfaces in an effort to advance U.S.R.'s robotic ahthropomorphization program.
Detective Spooner: So, what exactly do you do around here?
Dr. Calvin: I make the robots seem more human.
Detective Spooner: Now wasn't that easier to say?
Dr. Calvin: Not really. No.
                                  Dialogue from the film "I-Robot"

One of my favorite T-shirts in a catalog for writers I receive says, "Eschew Obfuscation".  Its a funny way of illustrating that saying something simply is better than puffing it up with big words that don't matter, or hiding the truth behind a bunch of complex nonsense.  Or as my Mamaw would say, "Don't take the long way 'round the barn."

We got a very good look at obfuscation this week when Congressman Jon Kyl said 90% of what Planned Parenthood does are abortions. Confronted with the fact that was completely incorrect (its more like 3%) his office released the following statement, "His remark was not intended to be a factual statement,...".  What?  I don't know where he grew up - but where I grew up, "Not intending to give a factual statement" means - you're telling a lie and you know it.

Why do people "obfuscate"?  Lots of reasons.  It limits confrontation because people are too confused to know how to argue, it is supposed to make the speaker appear more intelligent or the idea more complicated than it really is, or it just (supposedly) makes things seem more valuable. Whatever the reason, the basic cause is the same:  need.   People who make things harder than they have to be or hide behind complex language and murky ideas have some need - the need to be admired, the need for validation, the need for authority, the need to pass the blame.

Spirituality is the opposite of this practice.  Spirituality is not need based - it is abundance based. Spirituality is the part of us that recognizes that God meets our needs, and our relationships with others are to be based on security and love, not fear and manipulation.  Spiritual people don't require larger words than necessary, or decide to place truth outside of the realm common people can understand. Jesus addresses this understanding in his famous teaching about prayer.

"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one."
Matthew 6:6-13

When you look at verse 6 in the King James Version it reads, "Go into your closet and pray." The first time I encountered that my immediate thought was, "Jesus has obviously never seen my closet!"
My closet is full of unplayed games, dirty gym socks that managed to evade the laundry basket, boxed Christmas decorations, photo albums and clothes so old I couldn’t fit into them with a crowbar. I don’t have time to clean my closet, let alone pray in it.

Maybe I should pray to be neater...

What Jesus is saying, of course, is that prayers aren't for public approval or affirming self-righteousness - they are a time of communion between you and your creator and deserve respect, focus and honesty.  The sample prayer Jesus uses as a teaching tool has been studied and recited for centuries. However - in learning about it - some good old obfuscation has appeared.

When trying to give us better understanding of it most preachers and teachers use the acronym ACTS.

Adoration
Confession
Thanksgiving
Supplication

The problem with the ACTS model is the words. They are big fifty-cent words. Stained glass words. Words from an air-conditioned, padded-pew, everyone-in-a-dress church setting. But what about the everyday? What about the day you are standing by the side of the road waiting for a tow truck to haul your car back to the garage that was supposed to have fixed it correctly the first time? Is "Adoration" really the word you are thinking as the sun beats down on you? Probably not. While you are silently asking God to help the tow truck arrive before a psycho-killer notices your predicament, would you call that your supplication? It’s doubtful.
Maybe there are some better words:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,"

KNOW - Know that the creator of the universe is holy, and loves you.

"your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

REMEMBER - Remember that God is in charge and has desires for what happens on earth that it should become more heavenly.

"Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

ACCEPT - Accept and Acknowledge what God gives to you.

"And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."

ASK - Ask for God’s help, guidance and assurance.

Know, Remember, Accept, Ask: Everyday words for an all-day-long God. This model probably won’t become very popular because it doesn’t spell anything catchy. That’s okay, because when you are standing on the freeway choking down the dust as the tow truck pulls up and you feel the cool breeze of blessed relief, those are the words you’ll be thinking about.

The first hallmark of spirituality is its honesty.  No matter where or how you spend time in communion with God - be clear, sincere and open.  Spirituality doesn't have to "sound good" - it simply has to seek what is good.