Friday, May 25, 2012

wake up for the journey

I get this daily reflection sent to my email, So beautiful this one. The message I see is that Gods heart full of love is so big even heaven can't define it completely


Life on the road takes us into our heart, for only when we are present in the deep sentences can God speak to them. That's why the Story is a journey; it has to be lived, it cannot simply be talked about. When we face trials, our most common reaction is to ask God, "Why won't you relieve us?" And when he doesn't, we resignedly ask, "What do you want me to do?" Now we have a new question: "Where is the Romance headed?"

There is another great "revealing" in our life on the road. We run our race, we travel our journey, in the words of Hebrews, before "a great cloud of witnesses" (12:1). When we face a decision to fall back or press on, the whole universe holds its breath- angels, demons, our friends and foes, and the Trinity itself- watching with bated breath to see what we will do. We are still in the drama of Act III and the heart of God is still on trial. The question that lingers from the fall of Satan and the fall of man remains: Will anyone trust the great heart of the Father, or will we shrink back in faithless fear?

As we grow into the love of God and the freedom of our own hearts, we grow in our ability to cast our vote on behalf of God. Our acts of love and sacrifice, the little decisions to leave our false loves behind, and the great struggles of our heart reveal to the world our true identity: We really are the sons and daughters of God.(The Sacred Romance , 154-55)


OH MY we really are!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

say it ?

I was about to say I have been pondering my motherhood ... Not wondering if I did a good job because I bowed out of that contest many years ago; but wondering what it is that might be "right" in any style of parenting. Most of us want a schedule but most babies just want their mom or dad to be there when they need them, is that the natural order? I seem to want a small schedule and if it serves me it becomes my pattern and helps me have a rhythm. If I was going to encourage a new mom today I would suggest they set up a pattern and find a rhythm that fits with their child's needs.

I want now to connect this pondering to God in my prayers...

The Lord is faithful in all his words,
and gracious in all his deeds.*
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling,
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand,
satisfying the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is just in all his ways,
and kind in all his doings.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy. Ps.145



Perhaps all of creation and humanity have survived not because we are good at rules and order, but because we are ultimately lifted and carried forward, upheld and satisfied by a sacred pattern and rhythm straight from God. I think I wanted that for my children....While everything may indeed tend toward Chaos, it is that unique God designed rhythm and pattern that preserves us.

We struggle to work out who we are and what definition we need at the moment. We are created uniquely by God, given intellect and creativity. While everything else in nature naturally knows only it's order and follows a prescribed path of being a tulip or a butterfly or a frog; we humans have the God given ability to think and choose and maybe because of our free choice to "not follow directions" we put ourselves lost and into the state of being confused.

Our patterns, rhythms, freedom and creativity might just be the best gifts along the path into the very essence of God; and through our experiences with beautiful music, wonderful art, written expression, and any process that deeply touches our hearts, we can catch glimpses. It is the process more that the product that reaches into us.

Our creator God has built into us the ability to search him out. As mom's we can employ, observe and participate in pattern, order, rhythm, freedom, and creativity, but we might best convey God in the experiences.

Monday, May 7, 2012

Believing in Christ is not necessarily the same thing as believing in the Bible. Oswald Chambers sent this message via a reading for May 6th. I am always amazed at how a small truth can come bursting forth to me from the insights of another.

The Bible is the tool that reveals Christ.
How interesting this statement is. I struggle with the Christian witness of others and even my own witness, I hear comments from well meaning prayerful people trying to be on a spiritual journey who say that something isn't biblical...I never quite know where the next part of the statement will go. the Bible is so vast, not one of us no matter how great a scholar can know it all.

We pretend at best when it comes to any of this. Each moment revealed to us by Jesus is our heart truth and often is defies words, Maybe that is why being a disciple is so much work.