Shining Spirit

Some days I'm afraid to spread my wings.
The wind is too strong, the sun too hot.
What if I try and fall to the ground?
Who would bother with one little bird?
Who would care and come to my aid?

"Not a single sparrow can fall to the ground
without your Father knowing it."

Today you will make choices.  
To speak or not to speak; to act of
not to act; to protect the weak
or to ignore them; to give 
or to withhold.

Don't be afraid to do the honorable,
to act with principle and conviction,
to support the good and name the evil.
Spread your wings and fly.
We were made to live, not just exist.
Every little bird makes a difference.
And so do you.

Gracious God, I sit in your presence
as I think of my day and things
that must be done.  Some I
greet with joy and gratitude.
Some I'd prefer to erase from
my calendar.  I pray that in each
activity and encounter, I will discern
your presence and from that presence
discover strength, compassion and 
direction.  As you have entrusted
to me this amazing gift of life,
so I trust You to guide me in my
decisions, my responses, and
my mercy.
Lord, please comfort the sick
and dying, the vulnerable and
helpless, and show me how to
be the comfort of Christ for
all who suffer.  I give myself to
you in this moment in
confident trust.
And I make this prayer in
the name of the Living Christ.
Amen

Sometimes you never know
how beautiful the bird
is until it spreads its
wings and flies
away.
Common is overwhelmed by
the wing spread of 
extraordinary.
Is it too late then to rejoice
when she is drawn 
up and up?
No.  For having beheld the treasure,
it never disappears.  It is etched
into mind and memory
forever.  
Sometimes you never know
how beautiful the bird
is until, in its rising, 
wings extended on
sacred breath,
her memory heals all the brokenness
caused by her leaving.
Grieving grows into
gratitude for even
the momentary
glimpse of 
grace rising.

They are not forgotten. On a brilliant Saturday morning, at the Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in the small community of Marana, Arizona, a beautiful thing happened. The cremains of more than 20 veterans were laid to rest with dignity and appreciation. Each of the simple wooden boxes had been left unclaimed, but in this ceremony, each veteran was named, acknowledged with appreciation, and carried with dignity to a final resting place. They may have been forgotten by human beings, but not by Love that prompted this gathering. Jesus once told his friends: “In my Father’s house are many rooms…” and I will go and prepare a place for you. No one gets left behind. No one is forgotten in the mind and heart of God. This morning they rest in the earth, acknowledged with appreciation by the living, received with joy by Life’s Source. Welcome home. Be at peace.

And so I debated with myself this early morning: Should I go down to the Fitness Center for a workout? Or, should I go outside and walk for a couple of miles? Fitness Center: quiet, excellent equipment, comfortable conditions. Outside walk: rather cool this morning, cars and trucks rumbling along, noisy, up and down off of curbs. So, in one of my better instinctual decisions, I went outside. And do you know what I found? Perfect temperature for a walk, very few cars at 5:30 on a Sunday morning, brilliant sunshine, birds singing their hearts out, flowers blooming everywhere, glowing mountains in the distance, and a multi-colored hot air balloon floating just above my head.

It was reasonable to stay inside in a place made for exercise. It was unreasonable to go outside and deal with a lot of unknowns. My mind told me one thing. My curiosity and my heart told me another.

Don’t be afraid to lead with your heart.

Be at peace today, and leave peace behind everywhere you go.

What I reflect today, Lord, 
depends on decisions
I make now.  If, in the moments 
of stress or pressure
that will come, I forget You, 
I will reflect the confusion
that surrounds me.  The 
anxiousness that controls
me.  I ask that You help 
me remember the
little house by the pond 
and this 
peaceful moment, so that I
might reflect You,
the Source of
my hope.
Amen

My printer decided to go offline without asking my permission. I needed a particular book to finish a project; it was on Mars or Pluto. It was not in the bookcase. My fountain pen…yes, I use an old fashioned fountain pen…ran out of ink and the nearest ink replacement inserts are at Office Depot. While searching for the book and the ink cartridge, I walked around the end of the twin bed, the one with the wooden frame, and put one leg of the bed firmly between my great toe and its next door neighbor. I hopped around the room, trying to hold my toe and maintain my balance. But I didn’t, and I leaned against the wall, exactly on the overhead light switch, which I turned off with my shoulder. And now I am in complete darkness, without a printer or ink or a normal foot. Then it hit me…not literally…that I needed an Emergency Shut-Off Switch, the one in my brain, the one that says: Ok, calm down. Get control.

The other name for that switch is prayer, or reflection from the mind and heart, or meditation…name it as you will. It’s sitting down, clearing your mind as much as possible, breathing deeply and letting go of the urgencies that have gained control. I know, of course, that not all confusion or chaos is the result of simple inconveniences. Sometimes the situation is much more serious, but the Switch works then, too. To intentionally sit with Jesus, side by side, until the pain lessens is what I need in those moments. An Emergency Shut-Off Switch. Do you have one of those? Do you use it?

I’ve met some people over the years who are very tight-fisted about their money or their possessions or their willingness to give somebody a second chance. One mistake, one blunder, even accidental, and no second chance. Apologies don’t matter. Restitution is out of the question. One mistake and it’s over. No second chance. I have to admit that I’m a big fan of second chances, especially since I’ve had to ask for a few. You?

I think of this today for two reasons. Jesus, the author of our faith, didn’t hesitate to give people a second chance if they were contrite. “Go and sin no more,” he used to say. Learn from your mistake; don’t do it again. A second chance. The other reason is part of the lyrics of a song sung by a wonderful folk-ballad singer, Gregory Alan Isakov. In the song titled “Second Chances”, Isakov sings: “if it weren’t for second chances we’d all be alone.” Probably true. Second chances have not only taught lessons, but also given the benefit of the doubt and encouraged new and better efforts.

Friendships, marriages, business deals…second chances. Have you ever been given the gift of a second chance? Maybe that makes it easier to bestow a second chance on someone who has made a mistake affecting you. Maybe today you’ll have a chance to bless someone with a second chance. What would the world be like without them? “If it weren’t for second chances, we’d all be alone.” Charity and mercy are markers of our faith. Those who walk the way of Jesus know the value of a second chance.

Do you remember the phrase “Random Acts of Kindness?” It wasn’t so long ago that we were encouraged to look for “random” opportunities to be kind. During the day, be alert to and prepared for that moment when you can do a kind thing for someone else. Great phrase and great idea!

But, let’s change one word of the phrase for a different emphasis. How about “Rehearsed Acts of Kindness?” Random = Watch for opportunities. Rehearsed = Make the opportunities. Reactive vs. Intentional. Here’s how it works: think of all the events and things you will do during this good day. Maybe there are meetings, or appointments, or social gatherings. Next, in at least one of those scheduled moments, think of a person(s) who will be the recipient of your Rehearsed act of kindness. The point is to enter the activities of your day with a Kindness Plan…and carry it out.

Then, tonight when you go to bed, give thanks to God for all the moments of Rehearsed Kindness, for each one was provided by the Spirit. God’s grace is sufficient, but grace is just a word until it is turned into acts of intentional kindness. Okay? Start planning.

Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher once said that people “never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction.” Someone who is absolutely convinced that he or she is right by the authority of God, and that I am wrong because I disagree with the “authorized” version, is at least misinformed and at most dangerous. It must break God’s heart to observe the meanness of people who are fanatic about their “God given rights” and who ignore the fullness of the Gospel taught by Jesus. Anytime the Gospel is narrowed down to “the basics”, you can bet there is a narrow mind somewhere in the neighborhood.

Using God for personal or political gain, no matter if you ride a donkey or an elephant, is evil. I grow weary of hearing pulpits tell us how to cope rather than how to create. The only people who can, and should, address this phenomenon are Christians, and it’s about time. WWJD? Jesus told us to walk the narrow way, but he never meant with a narrow mind.

I’ve heard the comment that our nation is toying with the concept of democracy as a political system. That may or may not be true. More likely we are moving toward a referendum on the Christian faith as a meaningful expression of human life. I neither expect nor want Christian preachers or national Christian organizations to engage in the tactics of who can shout loudest. I do expect that the undeniable message of Jesus will echo across the land, and that message is not about passive toleration. It is about passionate transformation of rage into relationship, anger into mutual agreement, cruel comments into compassionate acts.

The pablum days of Christianity are long gone. As I was told the other day in a local restaurant: Our menu has changed. So it should. Today we feast on truth, justice, compassion, mutuality and mercy. It’s time to order. Bon Appetite.