Shining Spirit

He did what? That nice young man?
And after all you have done for him!
You must have felt so humiliated.

I agree. I would never invite him
to my home again. Never.
It was fitting for Hannah to
bring her cousin, a lovely and
respectable girl. And your other
guests, accompanied by honorable
friends, all at your invitation. What
a nice gesture on your part.

But this rude young man! Has he
no understanding of social custom?
To bring that riff-raff into your home
is inexcusable. A beggar! A smelly
street person!

I agree with you completely. I will
never invite him to my home. And,
may I suggest that the next time
you see him, simply say: “Jesus,
you are no longer on my social
list.”

I hope he learns a lesson, because
this kind of behavior will not serve
him well. Indeed!

Morning prayer. 4:36 a.m.

Lord, I am grateful this morning for the following things.
Let me know when you’re ready to copy.

I am grateful for…my friends and most of my acquaintances;
my cell phone that keeps me in touch with all the
news that I’m not grateful for; beautiful mountains and
starry skies; my church, even though I can’t remember
what it looks like because of this wretched virus, for which
definitely I am not thankful; memories of my pal
Maggie May who is somewhere chasing tennis balls
right now (Hi Maggie May); my tolerant wife and
my beautiful children, and the delete
key on my computer.

Delete: to strike out, remove, cancel, erase, or expunge.
I didn’t care for the photo above so I hit the key.
Lord, I can think of a lot of uses for
that key in my life: in politics (Yes!), in
religion (Sometimes), mosquitos and
brussels sprout; rampant injustices; people
who insist on driving 25 in the inside lane
of a 45 mph street. How about this, Lord:
Lord, how about installing Delete Buttons on
human beings in the future
so we can just

Isn’t it amazing how animals…all sorts…know instinctively how to adapt to a locale or environment. Of course, I guess Mom has a role to play in the little ones’ development. Modeling. Instructing. “Pay attention, Henrietta.” This little dove knows that on a cold, December morning it feels good to fluff your feathers so they become a warm blanket. Momma was a good teacher.

What life lessons do you remember? Who helped you through those learning years when you used to put your left shoe on your right foot, thinking you knew how to do it? How many times have you heard, or said, “I know how to do this”, only to find out that there might be a better way to water the indoor plants than pulling the garden hose inside the house…true story. I’ve lived a long time, but I’m still learning about life from other people and from life’s experiences. I don’t think we ever stop learning, at least being offered opportunities to learn. Whether we recognize the offer or agree to accept it is a different matter.

You can teach an old dog new tricks, as long as the old dog has an inquisitive mind, one that’s open to signals of change and potential growth. It’s the same with God. Lots of opportunities to grow in spirit and faith, but only for those who treat life like a creative journey, not a holding pattern. Airplanes circle the runway waiting their turn to land…round and round. But life is not circular. It is a meandering journey through wonder and awe. Thank God!

Just look at the expression on his face.
Do you see the disdain? As if to say, “So, what is it you want?”
Well, all I wanted was to have a pleasant conversation. Just,
“How are you today? Or, I think you are a handsome bird.”
But, no. He paused for just a moment, and he didn’t even smile
for the camera. He flitted his tail and raced off after a careless lizard.
But he is handsome. I think elegant is the word. Self-confident.
And he is very fast on those skinny legs.
The world is filled with beautiful creatures, isn’t it.
And I think it’s nice to compliment them every now and then.
They appreciate it as much as we do.
Beautifully and wonderfully made?
Yes, I think so.
The handiwork of the Creator is really amazing.

May you walk in the sunlight of Love today.

May Hope arise from the ashes of your disappointments.

May Joy surprise you and
Kindness, received and given,
cause your spirit to smile.

In difficulty, be determined.
In pain, remember the promise:
“I am with you always…”
When you want to give up, don’t.

Practice Justice.
Promote mercy.
Pray from your heart,
not just your head,
for friend and foe, alike.

And this will be a Remarkable Day.

The announcement of Christmas…
A Dove is released into the world.
Good News of great joy!

The wonderful illustration above is an Icon, defined by the dictionary as “the representation of a sacred personage.” Icons have been in existence for many centuries and are used even now as portals to another world of spirituality. People who meditate with an Icon usually spend quiet time looking at the drawing until it invites them into a deeper level of understanding or awareness.

As a window or a portal, the Icon is a very valuable resource for someone wanting to probe new dimensions of spiritual consciousness. Let’s spend a moment with the Icon above, and let me make a couple of observations. What quickly comes to mind is the biblical story of Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus in their flight to Egypt when Herod announced the deaths of all male children of a certain age. So, the portal opens for someone who follows the thought pathway of the stressful journey. Think and pray about a fearful journey you have undertaken. Pray for those who are now on such a journey. Let your mind and your heart feel the stress of such an experience. Or, look at their faces. No smiles, no happy countenance. Individually each one feels the dangerous threat. The portal opens and invites you into prayerful meditation on the fears that drive us to run and on the comfort we have in Christ. Or, look at the donkey. Head down, moving very slowly, carrying a heavy burden. See how this works. The Icon pulls you into the story and you become a character, a player.

Sure, it takes practice to feel comfortable with this form of spirituality. But it is worth the effort.

Might I suggest, also, that any object can invite you into spiritual meditation. Trees, the mountain,
a flower, birds nesting — just about anything can issue the invitation for a grand experience of touching the Holy through the ancient practice of spiriting looking. Try it. Not just once. Try it until the portal opens and you are invited in. Like I said, well worth the effort.

Uninvited guests can be a blessing
or a bother. Sometimes it’s “O boy!” and
at other times it’s “O NO! Not you again.”

The grim guest I’m thinking of at the moment
is named “What if?” He likes to sneak up behind
me and whisper over my shoulder, “What if you
make a mistake, a really big one? What if you
suddenly speak Norwegian and nobody can
understand you? Or, what if a meteor hits you
on the head? Or…O my…what if your best friend
turns out to be a Republican/Democrat, Progressive/
Conservative, you know, one of those? What if…”

“What if?” is persistent but he’s really not a
problem. And that’s because he’s a phony,
a momentary madness. When I introduce him
to reality, to truth, he wanders off to pick on
somebody else.

But he’ll be back. He gets a little charge out
of pestering me, I guess. In the end, truth always
wins out…and faith.

“What if all this religion stuff is bogus?”
And I reply, “Let me introduce you to my friend
whose Way is Truth.” Old “What if?” shuffles off,
but no worry. My friend is always around.

Yesterday started the countdown. Forty minus one and counting. We are now into the Christian season of Advent, the forty days preceding Christmas. It’s generally understood as a “get ready” time, preparation for the remembrance celebration of the birth of Jesus. I’m just curious…what do you do to get ready? What’s on your checklist of preparations?

On the more secular side, we make sure we have enough Christmas cards. Don’t forget the stamps. We begin early planning for the Christmas meal with family and/or friends. But this year…well. Decorations! Of course, inside and outside. The electric power company loves us. Some of us try to lose ten pounds so we can put it back on from Christmas to New Years. Some of us don’t and we look like Wally the Walrus by New Year’s Day. The planning goes on.

On the religious side, we attend special services at our churches. Well, we used to. This year we will stream Advent across the networks. We read Advent devotional books, focus our prayer experiences more toward Advent/Christmas, and devise other wonderful ways to prepare for what’s coming. Something wonder-filled.

I suppose there is a secular/religious side, too. In that you might include special efforts to care for the poor, the homeless, the helpless…whether they are believers or not. Advent and Christmas bring out the best of our benevolent selves. Everybody makes the list on Christmas.

Now, I’m not a wet blanket, but I’ve heard of people who have to take a week or two off after forty days and Christmas to recover from the joyful season. And they are not all clergy, by the way. So the moral to my story is this. We are in an enforced slowdown environment right now, and we will be, in all likelihood, on December 25. So, let this Advent season be an intentionally slower paced process than in previous years. Use the new Covid definition of time as an opportunity to breath at a normal rate, become more intimately involved with your inner being, think of others as personal blessings, not just people to buy for. Connect. Connect.

The anniversary of Jesus’ birth is going to come whether you are ready or not, whether we like it or not. Give yourself…and give God…the thoughtful gift of your fullest presence to the Good News. As they say in the movies, this Advent can be “the beginning of a wonderful friendship.” Maybe out of this terrible time, into which Advent comes, in which Jesus’ birth is honored, maybe out of this heart-breaking time you will build a memory which will feed your spirit for years to come.

May it be so.