November 2018 – lpb quest – the twilight dance

A young, brown-skinned man, his wife and their newborn baby, fled their native country after learning it wasn’t safe for them to stay. They believed their sweet baby’s very life was in grave danger.

So, they sought asylum in a neighboring country.

Now, the people in this neighboring country had no idea who this man and woman were that sought entry.

Were they terrorists, or members of some bloodthirsty gang, intent on murdering everyone in their way?

Were they trying to smuggle something from where they had come?

Were they trying to enter the country illegally? Would they then steal jobs from some other, more deserving people, or expect to get a free ride in their new “home”, not paying their taxes or medical costs?

What possible consequences would there be for allowing this family asylum in their country?

Perhaps this can provide a clue:

The parents’ names were Joseph…

View original post 54 more words

November 26, 2018November 28, 2018

don’t worry, be happy

Just another traveler on life’s highway hanging out in the slow lane. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. Beyond the horizon is rest calling my name. Green pastures, still waters, my cup overflows.

Western culture is familiar with this title of a Bobby McFerrin song from 1988. George H.W. Bush used it without authorization in his 1988 presidential campaign prompting McFerrin (a Democrat) to publicly protest the use of his intellectual property and further distanced himself from Bush by dropping the song from his performance repertoire. Later rumors circulated that McFerrin had committed suicide. Born in 1950, he continues today as a prominent figure in the world of jazz.

Lesser known is Meher Baba, an Indian spiritual master, 1894 to 1969, who taught that “the Universe is imagination, that God is what really exists, and that each soul is really God passing through imagination to realize His own divinity.” His spiritual transformation began at age 19 and lasted seven years until early 1922. From 1925 to his death in 1969, he maintained silence communicating only by an alphabet board and unique hand signals.

Meher Baba’s most noted quote is, “Don’t worry, be happy.”

I find his spiritual insights easier to swallow that many other of today’s religious theologies, but I especially appreciate “don’t worry, be happy.” Even Christian scripture exhorts me to this same practice.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.” Matthew 6:34

This chapter of Matthew 6 describes how the lilies are beautifully clothed and the birds of the air are fed without any concern for tomorrow.

“Can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?” Matthew 6:27

The verses do not promise trouble-free days, but they do advise me that to worry about those difficult days will accomplish nothing. Modern Christianity with its promise of worldly prosperity and eternal good feelings is a setup for a major spiritual crisis when those promises do not materialize and I am left holding a bag of remorse and guilt for being immensely deficient in my faith. I refuse to go there anymore.

Life is meant to be enjoyed. Life is designed to follow the footsteps of the One we name as Lord and Master, that same One who directed his followers to not worry about the incidentals of living, but rather to attend to the eternal values of life.

aquatic-plant-beautiful-bloom-612797

November 16, 2018

blessed are the sick

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you.” Matthew 5:1-12

What’s that you say? Blessed are the sick is not one of the Beatitudes. Are you sure? Hmmm, maybe I’m just feeling especially needy today and wanting another blessing. My body has been plagued with this year’s influenza “du jour” for the past ten days and I am, well for lack of better words, sick of it. The bug has visited every part of my body and is now considering follow-up visits. I won’t have it. Enough is enough.

A friend, not known for encouragement nor social tact, commented that this is God’s way of using me in another person’s spiritual walk. Really? Obviously, God and I need to have a talk. I can visit the sick, I can write encouragement, I can hold another’s hand in solace, I can cook a dinner, I can run errands, I can mail a cute ‘get well’ card. But, I don’t see the benefit of puking for God.

“Son, you have so much to learn from me.”

“Lord?”

“Who else talks to you in your hour of need?”

Nowhere in Matthew 5: 1-12 does it say, “Blessed are the hale and hearty, the fit and healthy.” Each of the Beatitudes bestows a blessing on the weak and needy because it is there in that weakness, need, and abject powerlessness, that our Father can meet us and use us to further his work in our kingdoms. When I become absolutely incapable of controlling my body and my affairs is the time when Jesus can nominate another of his followers to step in and become a dispenser for his tender mercies.

That is one the most difficult parts of recovery. We have learned to love with patience and compassion, but allowing ourselves to be loved with patience and compassion is a challenge. Allowing our weakness and sickness to be a tool in another’s faith walk is not part of the ego’s game plan.

The great mystics speak of the need to give up the gaze upon the heavens for guidance and direction, but rather to descend into the masses of suffering and despair to discover the essence of a Savior. Religion often tells us to look up. Jesus teaches us to redirect our attentions downward where humanity suffers because that’s where He exists.

UNSHACKLED 2

November 9, 2018

a common quandary

One of my blogging buddies, MIKE, recently shared a post to which all of us can relate. We try to be sincere, try to share our experiences and insights, then hope that someone out there in the blogosphere will exclaim, “Me, too! That’s my story, too.”

It seems that this blogging undertaking is a numbers game for some of our fellow writers. Whatever the reason, whether it be recognition or monetizing, the MO works this way. I’ll throw a like on your post and follow your site with hopes that you will do the same. Increases my numbers on the WP stats page. Most likely I did not even read your post which I liked nor do I intend to read any more of your blog which I am following.

So let’s not give too much credibility to “likes” and “follows”. WP seems to have rectified the trolling situation that was rampant during the beginning of this year. Daily I was being followed by sites with comments that were totally irrelevant to my writing material. Some were legitimate business concerns just trying to advertise, but most were ploys to have me redirect to their sites. The spam button is easy to find. It’s on your dashboard under comments. I also find it comforting to delete those nefarious “pretender” followers. It’s easy. Under the dashboard, click on people, then followers, then delete whatever doesn’t look kosher. Trust me, you will not miss that follower on your site.

But, back to Mike and his great blog site. It’s the sincerity of purpose and tortuous self-searching that pops off his pages. I have told him this before, but it bears repeating. “Mike, you don’t preach at me, you teach.”

He came back at me saying, “All I want to do is come aside you and walk your path with you.”

Our world needs a lot more of that. Guys like Mike and many more of my blogging friends who just want to walk my path with me for a while and share a life.

November 5, 2018November 5, 2018

Jonah’s Whale

jonah

Jonah, historically, was a prophet of the northern kingdom of Israel in about the 8th century BCE. His name is given to the Book of Jonah representing the Judaic teaching of teshuva, the ability to repent and be forgiven by God.

The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather for the sky is red,’ and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Jesus left them and went away. Matthew 16: 1-4

There’s only one sign I’m going to give you: the sign of the prophet Jonah.

Briefly, the Biblical story of Jonah tells about a man of faith who was instructed by his God to journey to the city of Nineveh to warn the residents to repent of their sins or face divine wrath. Jonah instead flees in the opposite direction and gains passage on a ship to Tarshish. The voyage encounters tumultuous seas threatening ship and crew with destruction. Jonah, realizing he is the cause of this raging storm at sea, orders the crew to throw him overboard. He is swallowed by a whale, survives inside the whale’s belly for three days, is then vomited ashore. Jonah completes God’s mission, the people of Nineveh repent, the disobedient man of faith is forgiven.

I enjoy reading this story about Jonah. It is a rich example of the Judaic society of that time drawing upon the writings of the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans expressing a faith system in greater powers than themselves. It is a fascinating mythology. But, in contrast to the neighboring cultures, the Hebrews developed a monotheism worshipping one God to whom they attributed power greater than any of the other gods of the time.

Our powerlessness is acutely apparent when we are in the “belly of the beast”. Those times when I know what is right and sustaining, but choose instead to follow what is convenient and comfortable are days in the belly of the beast. The times when I know what the Lord of my life commands, but follow instead what pleases my ego are even more days in the belly of the beast. I relate to Jonah when what I choose to do is in opposition to what God desires for me. The seven deadly sins (character defects) of greed, anger, envy, sloth, lust, gluttony, and pride will in a heartbeat put me in the belly of the beast.

It’s a place I can’t fix, control, explain, or understand. Sooner or later, life is going to lead us there, you and I. Graciously, that’s where transformation most easily happens—because only there are we in the hands of God—and not self-managing. It’s transformation that leads recovering addicts out of the beast of addiction. Like Jonah, that whale vomits us back up onto the shores of sanity and submission. I am rebellious by nature, slow to learn lessons, and have spent many days and nights suffering in the belly of my personal giant beasts.

Thankfully, the Hebrews taught me about teshuva. The story of Jonah affirms the teaching of their wisdom. Repentance and forgiveness, repentance and forgiveness – the cycle continues into eternity.

November 4, 2018November 4, 2018

BEGGAR & WANDERER

Is my faith walk measured by correctness and certainty? Or is it filled with intense need and desire?

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5: 5

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5: 6

None of the above verses from the wisdom of the ancient writings say anything about getting it right or being sure about my thoughts concerning God. As a matter of fact they point to the need to be poor in spirit, to be meek, to hunger for righteousness. I do not have the answers to the mysteries nor will I ever in this lifetime, but there is a way to search for those answers and that searching is in itself the purpose of faith.

Knowing that I just don’t know is sometimes difficult. It is not an inherent human trait to admit that the object of my searching is an undefinable, indescribable, unspeakable mystery which is the driving force in this earthly life. Many men and women have taken a stab at descriptions and definitions, but in the end they fall short of certainty.

But, we do know what a God-driven life produces in our lives. It is love. Not the warm, fuzzy feelings associated with a friend, family member or spouse, but the gut-wrenching compassion for victims of violence, for the hungry and needy, for the financially stressed, for asylum seekers. A God-driven life produces peace makers rather than war-mongers, stewards of the earth rather than exploiters, givers rather than takers.

We can know this as truth because the Spirit (conscience) within says this is right and this is love.

“All we have to do is receive God’s gaze and then return what we have received. We simply complete the divine circuit, ‘love returning love’ as my father St. Francis put it. This is our spiritual agenda for our whole life.” Richard Rohr

Can’t get any simpler than that. Look at God’s gaze (the Spirit within – love) and then return it to God and every other creature on earth. I am a spiritual beggar and wanderer filled with an intense need and desire. This is all I need to know.

Month: November 2018

I Wonder

don’t worry, be happy

Just another traveler on life’s highway hanging out in the slow lane. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. Beyond the horizon is rest calling my name. Green pastures, still waters, my cup overflows.

blessed are the sick

a common quandary

Jonah’s Whale

BEGGAR & WANDERER

Share this:

Like this:

Just another traveler on life’s highway hanging out in the slow lane. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. Beyond the horizon is rest calling my name. Green pastures, still waters, my cup overflows.

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this:

Share this:

Like this: