Shining Spirit

“If you can see your path
laid out in front of you
step by step, you know
it’s not your path. Your
own path you make with
every step you take. That’s
why it’s your path.”
Joseph Campbell

Yes, but aren’t we supposed to follow the path of Jesus, the one who has “gone before us?” Consider this: there is no “one size fits all” pathway; no “follow the yellow brick road” guide. Some people wait and wait and wait some more for their spiritual path to appear. “I’m waiting for the Lord to show me the way.” It’s a long wait until that person finally realizes that their path of faith depends on putting one foot in front of the other. He gives us resources, encouragement, values, principles, and the freedom to risk the outcome of blazing our path. Just apply his message to your brain, your heart, and your two feet and you’re on the way.

Campbell was right. We have watched Jesus blaze a trail of compassion, justice and truth. Now it’s my turn to leave footprints in the sand. I know where he wants me to go, how and why. Those same angels who sang over the Bethlehem manger at his birth are poised to sing again. If you want to hear the song, walk the path. Your path for him.

The words that follow were written by the hands, the mind, and the heart of my friend Robert, or “Robere” as we know him in the community. Everybody needs a friend like Robere.

I am blessed with plenty — in the world where billions go without. While the meaning of life may be elusive, nonetheless it seems it must include joy and beauty. Otherwise, how are we to make sense of such things as a familiar tune that sets our foot a tapping; a baby’s smile that warms our heart; a sunset that fills us with awe — all ephemeral yet providing riches beyond count.

Thus, I choose to dedicate a portion of my riches to the joyful celebration of life and an appreciation of its many beauties on behalf of those who are not so richly blessed. I choose to become duty bound to experience joy in what might otherwise seem mundane.

The simple things I might take for granted — entering my home; eating a meal; drinking clean water; lying in my warm bed; all take on new and celebratory significance. All become sacramental acts and evidence of my sacred pledge to others, that I will enjoy my bounty as their ambassador to a world from which they are not yet included.

By recognizing I live in a heaven that others can only dream of, I consecrate my every fortune and action. In doing so I raise my life to a level of holiness shared with those of the cloth who by choice go without and those who without choice can only wish such bounty lies somewhere to be enjoyed by someone. Here is that somewhere. I am that someone.

Get ready! Get set! Bloom!

Another symbol of Advent, the “get ready” time leading us to Christmas. How are you doing in your own Get Ready season? Decorations up? Gifts purchased? Cards sent? Meal planned? What am I forgetting? Oh, yes. How about your spiritual preparation? By the way, that’s not an “end of the list” item; It’s the banner headline.

A suggestion: remember that Christmas is a celebration of a memory, but the One whom we celebrate is here in our midst, with us, right now. “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” Makes the party even better, I think.

Bloom today! Share the joy of preparation with friends and neighbors. Be sure to invite Jesus to the party.

Not just your average Christmas tree. This beautifully decorated tree stands as the centerpiece of a huge lighting project in the town-center of the community where I live. It’s really spectacular. Music plays, the lights twinkle and then many different lighting patterns embrace the tall tree. But, even better, after the thrill of seeing the light patterns on the featured tree, light explodes to the right and to the left. All the rather common Mesquite trees, growing naturally from the ground, burst into color. Every color imaginable. And the light pulses to the beat of happy Christmas music. Amazing sight.

One tree standing alone is breathtaking in its lighting robe of many colors. One tree alone was reason enough to drive the distance, contend with a huge crowd and, therefore, lots of cars moving at 3 mph in and out of the single parking lot. This one, particular tree made the effort worthwhile. But when fifteen other trees, to the right and to the left of the big one, erupted in dancing colors, it became a very memorable moment. It was like watching a light-ballet, or better, a disco celebration.

One tree was great. One plus all the others became spectacular. There must be an insight here…don’t you think? May the Light consume you this good day, and may your bright light blend with others around you to bring a moment of joy to the world.

Yes, there is a path there. You just can’t see it. Yet.

Trailblazers are always faced with scenes like this one. To get from here to there is going to take some effort. You’ll need a plan, a vision of where you want to go. Then, bring along the right equipment; in this case a lot of it. That looks pretty dense to me. Next, it would be nice to have some help, so bring some friends. Finally, bring some basic medical supplies because there will be scratches, cuts, bug bites. Trailblazing can be tough.

Once there was a man who blazed a special trail, not through a thick forest like this one, but through the tangles and briars of life. He had a plan, a universal forever plan given to him by his Father. His equipment consisted of something he called The Word, the message that had power and purpose within itself. He was convinced that The Word could change everything, even the places where it seemed impossible to break through. And he had help. He brought a special group of people he called Disciples, but there were many, many more who supported his trailblazing efforts. The only thing he didn’t bring for the work was a bag full of medical supplies. Instead he talked about “sacrifice” and the willingness to give oneself to the project.

Jesus did all this because he was convinced that on the other side of that thicket was a beautiful place where all trail followers could sit by still water, restore their bodies and souls, and find, to their utter amazement, a picnic blanket spread and enough food for everyone. Everyone.

Well, the trail has been blazed and used by millions of travelers. I’ve been told that when you follow this trail you might hear his voice in the wind, his encouragement to keep going. The journey is its own reward; the beautiful place ahead is a gift. Who would turn down a chance to walk a pathway like this.

Not me.

I particularly like the parable Luke mentions in his 18h chapter. It’s about a blind man who waits at the side of the road, knowing that Jesus is going to pass by soon. And sure enough, the time arrives, the man hears the commotion around him, and he begins to yell: “Jesus of Nazareth, have mercy on me.”
Those standing around the blind man tried to hush him up, but he yelled all the louder. “Son of Davd, have mercy on me.” When Jesus heard the shouting, he called the man to his side and asked “What do you want from me?” “Master, I want to see again,” he replied. And it happened.

Jesus apparently never touched the man, but only said to him: “Go ahead…see again. Your faith has saved and healed you.” Interesting that the crowd and those who had tried to shush the blind man now “joined in shouting praise to God. So, the point?

Good old determination! Perserverance! In whatever you do to make this world a better place, stick to it. And, when your spiritual thermometer dips too low, remember the blind man and his tenacious spirit. These days it takes strong women and men to cause change, but together, and with the presence of the Spirit, change can happen

“I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.” Phil 4:8

Paul, the author of the wise words above, is recommending in the present tense and thinking ahead in the future tense. “…you will do best…” if you do this now. Something like: think about these things if you want a happy and meaningful tomorrow. But what about those memories we file away, the past tense of yesterday’s successes and failures? Most of us could fill one of those fancy new storage facilities with the boxes of our memories. Climate controlled, laid out like little apartments in multi-storied buildings, the memory motel business is booming. Lots of reasons for the boom, I know. One is certainly that memories have a long shelf life, even the ones we don’t want to keep; and, memories are often powder kegs waiting for a match. If you give them any encouragement, they bang on the storage room door until you let them out.

Memories can take over and run the show. And that’s not always good. Thus Paul’s good advice: unless you really need a memory in the moment, fill your mind with lots of good and wholesome thoughts and let the memories rest. A word to each of us: I am responsible for what tumbles around in my mind. I choose the good thoughts and the not-so-good ones. How and what I think creates my reality of the moment. A word to memories: sit down and be quiet. I’ll call you if I need you.

What I think is most often what I do. Be very careful about opening the storage boxes of memories. The contents are life-directing. Be very intentional about what runs through the corridors of your mind in this moment. And in the mix of powerful memories and tomorrow’s unknowns, be sure to include determined faith in the One who creates all our tomorrows and calls us into them. Christ is the now of our lives, standing between the “was” and the “will be.” Fill your mind with Christ and the good, the just and the meaningful will follow. Press on.

It is very likely that Mary did not look anything like this. The same goes for Jesus who is looking at you from the lower right corner of the photograph. But does it matter how they looked? I don’t think so.
And that’s because looks do not define a person. Unfortunately, we categorize people by what they wear and how they look; we label them successes or failures by the way they dress.

Perhaps during this Advent season, you and I could work on that issue. Let’s resolve right now that first glances don’t reveal the whole person, that style of dress may tell me about home or circumstances, but style of dress does not reveal a heart. Every person is sister or brother because of the common heart beat that moves the world. Let’s get passed how we look and move to the more basic question: how much and how deeply do I love?

“…and they dressed him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.” Swaddling cloths?

So, again, I encourage you to use these days of Advent to address the major faith issues you carry in your mind and heart. Maybe one of them is how we regard the stranger. I believe the result of your Advent efforts will be a rich and meaningful celebration of His birth. Press on in faith, hope, and trust.

Simplify. Clarify. Sanctify. I have been thinking about how I can better order my life. These three words come to mind. To simplify how I live. To clarify how I think. To sanctify how I act. These are the first steps to a life of spiritual discipline. I share them with a prayer that we each be renewed by taking them. For it is in simplicity that we discover our center, in clarity that we hear our calling, in offering every act to God that every act becomes a blessing.

The words of Steven Charleston in his book Hope Older Than Fire. Read them again and use them as the backdrop for your own self-examination.

Today is a gift. Treat it gratefully.