Shining Spirit

For all who have ears to hear,
take hope, for this is “The
Morning of Gladness,” this is
“The Day of Beginnings.”

I will see with the eyes of my heart.
I will be still. I will wait for
the common to burst into flame.
I will expect an experience of
genuine joy, and it will come.

In spite of my pain, out of my worry,
my heart will smile and I will sing
my song of gratitude to the
brightening eastern sky, as darkness
departs and the morning colors of
Light blend on creation’s canvas.

For all who have ears to hear,
be neither afraid nor reluctant.
This is “The Morning of Gladness.”
This is “The Day of Beginnings.”
This is your day. Hold it gently,
live it fearlessly, walk in gratitude
among the yellow daffodils.

I took a walk yesterday and I saw the ugliest thing!
I turned my eyes away from the pitiful giant.

I took a walk yesterday and I saw something unique.
I’ve never seen a saguaro like this,
so I took a picture of it for later study.

I took a walk yesterday and I was stopped in my tracks
by this strangely beautiful saguaro. I sat on the ground
for an hour taking in the shapes and curves and almost
mystical appearance. What a great gift to those of us
who walk this way.

Curious, isn’t it, how different eyes can see different things?

The earth laughs in flowers.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

I have lost my smile.
Don’t worry, the dandelions have it.
Tich Nhat Hanh

God writes the Gospel not in the Bible alone,
but also on trees, and in the flowers
and clouds and stars.
Martin Luther

The delicate artistry, so beautifully crafted,
is but one example of the abundance
of God’s gracious love
for all creation.
The One who creates, cares.
The One who cares, sustains.
The One who sustains,
walks by your side.
Thanks be to God!
Amen.

This is a scene that happens all over the country, in major
cities and smaller communities.  It is the sorting and bagging 
of food items for people who might otherwise go hungry.  This 
happens to be an elementary school where 100 bags of vegetables,
fruit, canned food, bread and other important necessities are distributed 
to families.  And it is an illustration of how people care for people, even
people they don’t know.  It is encouraging to find this community,
volunteer effort happening in so many places, but it is also a candid
illustration of how close some folks live to the edge and have to reach
out for a little help.  We dare not become satisfied with our own comforts
and neglect the homeless, the poor, and the hungry.
You will remember the admonition: Do unto others…
Well, sometimes we have to do for others when they
can’t do for themselves.  This is the crowning glory of
being a human being.
What are you doing to lend a hand or 
assist those who need a little help?

I thought the shaggy bush in the back yard was dead. It was a big cluster of brown stalks, no buds, no hints of life. Since it was near the water faucet, I tossed a little water on it just to soothe my conscience. In time the other plants in the backyard began to bud and blossom. The peach tree sported pink flowers, bougainvillea challenged with reds, yellow fruit on the lemon tree asked to be plucked, and various patio potted plants joined the awakening. But not the shaggy bush with brown stalks.

Not until yesterday when it all happened. No more brown bush. Beautiful purple blossoms burst out from the stalks and each one was topped with a crown of delicate lavender leaf. All it took was a little water and time. The purple surprise reminded me that all living things want to bloom, to produce, to contribute. I think we are made that way. But I also think that I get so preoccupied with my own life needs and desires that I don’t see the other (plant or person) who needs just a little encouragement or assistance in order to come into its fullness.

Paying attention, seeing with the heart, lending a hand, encouraging are all gifts, sacred gifts, we can give to another person. What a wonderful act of Christ love: to care someone into the fullness of his or her life. The one who cares is blessed, the one who
receives the caring is blessed, and the Spirit smiles.

May this be our experience today and everyday, to the glory of the Living God.

One light can’t illuminate one city.
One star can’t fill the evening sky.
Lights, stars, songs, books.
More than one!
One person can make a little change.
Two people — better.
1,000 people — greater change.
Community, neighborhood, congregation
Let your light shine so that all will know
the Way of Jesus exists. Your light matters.
You matter! In community and in solidarity,
shine!

God is the Space between musical notes in a Beethoven symphony
the Reality filling soundless moments between ticks of the clock
the Interval linking all heart beats from first to last
the Quiet joining each recurring echo of coyotes singing in the canyon
the Moment between lightening’s flash and thunder’s rumble
the Split Second separating Einstein’s “ah ha”
the Distance between every star in every galaxy known and yet to be known
the Electrical Snap linking the impulses from my brain to my hands

God: the unseen Adhesive of life

God is the dark Silence at the bottom of the deepest ocean
the rhythmical Whisper of a respirator in a hospital room
the first Gurgle from the mouth of a newborn in her mother’s arms
the Roar of engines as the rocket lifts off into fathomless space
the Fragrance of apple pie cooling on the kitchen table
the Music of rain dancing on a tin roof

God: the intrinsic Voice of life

(Written December, 2017)