Thursday, April 30, 2009

the invitation

I remember well the outdoor amphitheater, the log benches in row after row.  It was night and the glow of the enormous bonfire filled the the arena and beyond.  The warmth was palpable; the embers mesmerizing us all as we listened thoughtfully, reflectively to the invitation.  In our youth, we were eager, ready and waiting.  Anticipation overwhelmed us and yet we were hesitant. What would our actions to the invitation mean? The transformation that beckoned us, the light that hypnotized us, would it require all we had?  Was I willing to make that kind of sacrifice?  I stood and calmly, yet fearfully moved forward.  I would accept the invitation, I would answer the call.  Drawing closer to the fire, meeting the speaker's eyes, I stood. The speaker merely nodded, eyes filled with the Spirit of God, warm and welcoming.  I was ready to make a commitment, a statement of dedication.  The light that drew me in at five, re-appeared and filled me. In the presence of the community, I made my allegiance clear.

Monday, April 27, 2009

experiencing the light

The first time I felt the warmth, sensed his presence, and experienced the light, I was a child of 5 years old.  I remember vividly the day.  I sat, dejected and forlorn on my bed.  My room was small and sharing it with my older sister made the space even tinier.  She and I were worlds a part in our thinking and our being.  Often, we were in conflict.  The windows were to my right, as I cried on my bed.  It was windy, too, as the shadows of the branches of the old white oaks danced across the the floor.  Spiritedly, those shadows would jerk.  What seems like eons of time passed as I waited in my prison, comforted only by the light.  This light was warm and enduring, wrapping me in a thick blanket, holding me close.  And then a gentle knock, and a strained voice shook me out of my reverie.  It was my first encounter with sin, and while I don't remember the infraction...quite possibly insolence, I remember the weight of my depravity.  I was a sinner and needed saving.  The light would save me that day as my mother led me in the prayer of salvation.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Seeing Truly

In the children's book, The Spiderwick Chronicles, the main character uses a spy-glass to see the truth of the world around him. There are fantastical creatures of beauty and of horror and they have been there...here, around him, all the time. He never saw them before, but just because he was ignorant to them didn't mean they weren't there. As the writer of 1 Corinthians concludes in a passage written to the people of Corinth, he states, "now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. There is a way to see truly, see things for what they are...we have to seek this seeing out. Does it matter? To some, it won't. But to others, those who truly want to see, to live fully, it matters completely. More than life and breath, food and comfort.

Monday, April 20, 2009

What love is

Ancient words from the bible tell us that, "love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." This picture of loves seems distant and foreign, a description that is often unseen. An image of love that takes discipline and effort to experience. I believe we are all capable of such love. It's within us. Do we have the guts to practice this kind of love?

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Waking up

I didn't realize how long I'd been asleep.  Hours, days, months, years.  They all slipped together, woven into rhythm of to do lists, work projects, meal schedules, homework details, on-going problems and busyness of life.  It was the busyness that lulled me to sleep; a seducing, twistingly haunting melody that persisted so intensely that I closed my eyes and drifted away.  The sleeping part wasn't joy filled, but it felt necessary, accurate.  Meet the needs of others, fulfill obligations, answers demands, just keep going. And then, I simply woke up.  A calling from love awakened me to the fullness of life.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

The beginning

Why blog?  The writing process has always fascinated me.  To express a thought, exchange an idea, elaborate on the world around me; writing is for me a tremendous release.  It's a process that leads to healing and wholeness.  And, it's about the potential impact one idea can make.  Potential.  The word alone inspires expectancy.  Potential is having the capacity to become something in the future.  Potentialis-the expectation that things will become.  After all, we are all in process.