Finding Your Spirit Song

So, did you give up something for Lent?  Chocolate or soda perhaps?  If you did, you are in good company.  There are many Christians who “sacrifice” something during the period of Lent.  For a lot of people, this sums up the period of Lent for them.  Lent, is a time of sacrifice, nothing more, nothing less.  I won’t argue with that belief, but, I would like to help you broaden your perspective a bit and perhaps, give you a deeper appreciation of what Lent can be for you personally.

We are told in the Gospels, that Jesus went out into the wilderness.  Many believe that he actually went out in to the desert.  When you think about a desert, the vast majority of people think of a dry, hot, dusty, lifeless area, that is certainly quiet and not a place that you want to go.  Now, I personally have never been to a desert.  I have family and friends though, who have.  The most fascinating stories come from those who have actually lived in a desert area or who have been in a desert for an extended period of time.  They tell me that the desert isn’t quite as lifeless as the rest of us perceive it to be.  Life in the desert is subtle, but it is there, if you just take the time to stop and pay attention.  A sudden rain will cause things to bloom, things that you didn’t even know were there, but were waiting, just under the surface, for the right time and the right circumstances.  Sunrise and Sunset paint dramatic pictures across the landscape-color, shadow, shape, things that you would not normally see or expect to see in such a lifeless place.  But most fascinating to me are the friends who tell me that the desert sings.  The desert is not this vast silent space.  If one listens closely you can hear the song of the desert when the breeze blows and the sands shift.  The desert sings and all because a breeze blows through.  That doesn’t sound lifeless to me!

As a girl who grew up in the country, I can understand this subtle singing.  I have heard the singing in a different way though.  I grew up hearing the sound of pines whispering or maple leaves rustling.  I have heard the difference between a babbling brook, a lapping lake and the ocean roar.  I have heard it at the top of a granite mountain where alpine flora and fauna cling tenaciously in the nooks and crannies and sway in a gentle breeze.  Each, is part of the wilderness, and it is vast, and wide, and open enough that you can hear the song of even a gentle breeze.

Now, you can look at time in the wilderness as a matter of sacrifice-giving up the comforts of the known and familiar, “doing without”  being the soul purpose of going out into the wilderness.  Or, you can broaden your perspective and look at this as an opportunity where the spirit can blow a fresh breeze into those spiritual spaces.  For me, personally, the second option adds so much more meaning to the time of Lent!

The thing that got me to seriously consider the second option was a meditation that Rev. Leslie Weatherhead wrote in his book “A Private House of Prayer”.  In it, he describes how he imagines the story from John 3, verses 1-8.  He imagines Nicodemus eating dinner with Jesus and that it was traditional to have the shutters closed so others could not overlook them while they were eating.  He describes how stifling it is in the room until Jesus walks over to the shutters and flings them open to let in the evening breeze.  He sees Jesus using this experience to describe the New Birth-when the fresh air wafts gently in and drives out the stale, stifled atmosphere that prevailed before.  Fresh air replaces dead air.  The breeze blows, and it is clean and new!

My great-grandmother understood this well!  Apparently she would open the windows of the house, even in the dead of winter, for five to ten minutes, every day, in order to let fresh air in to the house.  She said it made it easier to heat the house and keep it warm, once you did that!  For those of you who have never experienced a Vermont winter, let me assure you, it can get mighty cold!  30 below zero is not an uncommon temperature at certain times during the winter, so to commit to this routine every day throughout the winter was quite a feat, especially in the days when the house was heated by a wood stove only!  Warm stuffy air was sacrificed long enough to let the fresh air in!

Now imagine that your soul is shut up tight, like a house in winter.  Imagine that your life is warm and cozy because you have everything shut tightly.  The problem though, is that things can become stifling.  The air can become stale.  You forget the sound of the song.  You forget what it feels like to have a fresh breeze blowing.  So you make the conscious choice to sacrifice and go out in to the spiritual wilderness.  You open up the doors and windows of your life, and your soul, so the breeze can waft its way through.  It may mean that you confront some things that you have kept tightly sealed or hidden.  It can mean being temporarily uncomfortable.  That’s what Jesus did out there in the desert.  He left the known and the comfortable and traveled out to a place where the breeze could blow.  In doing so, the song of the Spirit came through and he was able to confront those things that needed to be confronted.  Did it involve sacrifice?  We know from the Gospel of Luke that it most certainly did involve sacrifice.  But I would argue that it was so much more than that!  In the bigger picture, it involved opening up to the breeze of the Spirit, blowing through the soul, providing a freshness that allowed him to confront the things that needed to be confronted, so he was able to go on and do the thing that he had been sent to do!

What would happen in your life if you made the spiritual journey out in to the desert?  Are you willing to open up your life and your soul?  Are you willing to be uncomfortable and to confront some things that may need to be confronted?  It would involve sacrificing the safety and security of the known comfort zone and venturing out in to the unknown.  The wilderness may seem lifeless at first, but when the gentle breeze blows, the air changes.  If you listen closely, you can hear the Spirit song.  Not everyone will be willing or ready to do this, but I want each of you to consider the possibility.  Instead of just going through the motions of preparing for a High Holy Day, consider taking the risk of going deeper.  Consider taking the risk of venturing out in to the desert.  Consider the possibility of opening yourself up to seeing things that you did not expect.  Consider going on the quest to hear your very own Spirit song from God!

Let the wind blow God, let the wind blow!

I'd Like a Little Cheese to go With my WHINE!

Darling readers, pray for little ole me cause I'm a wretched miserable mess!  Fall, one of the most beautiful glorious times of the year in Missouri is a wretched time for me until a hard frost hits!  Fall allergies-bane of my existence!  I sneeze-my head feels like it's going to explode.  I sniffle, snort and blow my nose-my head feels like it's going to explode.  Even my ears itch!  Allergy meds you say?  Well, that's complicated.  You see, I live in an area where there is an active methamphetamine producing culture, so in order to try and stop the production of meth, the county passed a law whereby you must have a prescription-which means a visit to the doctor-which means I have to have a car and a co-pay.  We're down to one vehicle (mine) and since my husband going to work in order to have money to, oh I don't know, pay the bills is rather important...you get the picture.  Pass the cheese please.  There you have it, my sad little whine.

Oh if only someone could lay hands on me and heal me like Peter did in Acts 3:6 when he healed the crippled man at the gate!

"...I have no silver or gold, but what I have I give you; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk."

Miracles, healing, do they exist today in our modern world?  If you watch religious television with the mega tele-evangelists you would have to think yes.  But, I also know some of those "miracles" have been called in to question.  With modern medicine and technological advances things that seemed "miraculous" before seem rather common place now.  We have become somewhat jaded methinks in regards to miracles-we take an awful lot for granted.

What would it be like to experience that wonder and excitement again of being awed by a miracle?  Better yet, what would it be like to count our blessings and be thankful for what we have?  Think about it.  The discovery of Penicillin was huge!  Something that would kill a person before could now suddenly be cured!  The Polio vaccine was miraculous.  Advancements in imaging technology allow doctors to see tumors much earlier than before.  Organ transplants, reconstructive surgery for our veterans, advances in cancer treatment-it wasn't all that long ago that these things were not even possible!  Add to that the doctors who volunteer to go to places that do not have these technologies in order to help others who would not otherwise get help and the fact that they can actually get to these places-that's miraculous!  Can you imagine what Luke would have done if he had these resources at his disposal?  A faithful follower of Christ giving what he had to heal and help those who could least afford it-WOW!  How cool is that to imagine?!

Healing taking place right in front of our eyes-miracles do still happen.  We just need to open our eyes to see them!  What an amazing world we live in!

Thoughts on Roads Taken and Not Taken

Growing up in Vermont, I was introduced to Robert Frost and his poetry at a very young age.  I loved his poetry so much that my parents gave me an unabridged collection of his poems as a graduation present.  I still have that book after all these years!

I was reminded of a Robert Frost poem today as I read Psalm 84 in The Message paraphrase:

"And how blessed all those in whom you live, whose lives become roads you travel; They wind through lonesome valleys, come upon brooks, discover cool springs and pools brimming with rain!  God-traveled, these roads curve up the mountain, and at the last turn-Zion!  God in full view!"

One of my favorite poems by Robert Frost is titled "The Road Not Taken."  I was reminded of the last few lines in the poem:

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference."

How many times have we come to a fork in the road and had to make a decision about which one we were going to take?  Take this job or not?  Make this move or stay put?  Choices, choices, choices and you have to decide which one is best!  One path being well worn, the other less traveled.  That well worn path can seem pretty tempting but a spirit filled life tends to lead towards taking the road less traveled.  There's a huge difference between following the crowd and following where God leads.  The obvious choice may not be the God choice! 

Discernment-what is God asking you to do?  It involves a lot of prayer and waiting on that still small voice.  Especially if the least traveled path doesn't look like a path at all at first glance!  It may look like you have to blaze a trail and cut a path yourself!  Truth be told, God has already traveled that way, he has laid down the path, all we are asked to do is follow.   Once you step on to that path it suddenly becomes more obvious!  Suddenly, right there in front of you is a brook, a well watered spring!  Who knew that you would find such beauty on this path!  It was there all along, just waiting for you!  You just had to make the choice to follow!

Change can be incredibly scary!  You're taking a risk and you're not sure of the outcome.  Well meaning friends and family tell you that you've lost your mind to even consider doing something different!  Why would anyone in their right mind veer from the path that they are on-that well worn path that others follow?  It's not "logical" it makes no sense!  What is God asking you to do?  What is that still small voice saying to you?  Do you trust God to lead?  Do you have enough faith to follow?

Jesus tells the parable in Luke 19 about the three servants that were given a sum of money by their master to look after while he was away.  The first servant doubled the money, the second made a 50% profit but the third, out of fear, put the money in the cellar for safe keeping.  The money was taken from the third servant and given to the first servant.  When the disciples questioned Jesus about this, The Message paraphrase says that Jesus responded by saying:

"Risk you life and get more than you ever dreamed of.  Play it safe and end up holding the bag."

Two roads diverged in the woods.  Which path are you being asked to take?  Which one will you choose to follow?

Opinion is not Religion

One of the shortest John Wesley sermons that I have read is his sermon "On the Trinity" where he starts out with this statement:

"Whatsoever the generality of people may think, it is certain that opinion is not religion... Persons may be quite right in their opinions, and yet have no religion at all; and, on the other hand, persons may be truly religious, who hold many wrong opinions."

Wesley was talking about people who had a hard time believing in the Trinity (the 3 in 1 of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit) because they couldn't fully explain or understand it.  But I think his statement, taken in a broader context, can sum up pretty precisely why there is so much conflict in our world today.  We have allowed opinions to be turned into quasi religion!  Say it long enough and loud enough and people might just start believing it!

Not that this is a new or modern phenomena.  Ah yes, history does love to repeat itself because we choose to ignore the past!  In Luke 18, Jesus is telling the story of the Tax Man and the Pharisee.  I like how The Message Paraphrase words it because I can clearly picture it in my head:

"The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: 'Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people-robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man.  I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.' Meanwhile, the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, 'God, give mercy.  Forgive me, a sinner.'"

What a contrast in approach!  Here's the kicker:

"Jesus commented, 'This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God.  If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.'"

God's view or the world view? Time and again, we are asked to choose our source.  This occurs all the time, whether it is at church, or in politics, or science, or life in general.  Getting to know God's view, choosing him as our source takes work, especially if you want to become more than yourself! 

The tax man knew who he was and didn't make excuses or try to deny the truth.  He knew he was a sinner!  We don't know the rest of the story but if you look at your own life, change happens from within when you get honest and choose to simply be yourself.  When you acknowledge your shortcomings and ask God to work through you, inward change is reflected by your outward response to the world around you! 

The Pharisee on the other hand was living in the world of opinion that became his "religion".  He "posed" before starting his prayer, he was "all that" and he knew it because he was an "expert" he was "high class" he was obviously better than the common man!  But who did Jesus say was made right with God that day? 

So where are the modern day examples you ask?  Let's start with church.  How many people stay away from church because they think they are not good enough to be there in the first place?  They make a statement like "I will go to church when I..." (insert whatever various reason they give for not being good enough to go in the first place).  And let's be honest, the church hasn't done a lot to change that perception!  Somehow we have managed to make people outside the church think that they are not welcome unless they have it all together.    

Then there is politics.  Agreements can not be reached nor plans made because the latest opinion poll shows that compromise might effect the possibility of being re-elected.  So they do TV interviews and make speeches about how right they are and how wrong the other person is without regard to what is best for the country.  They do nothing but try to look good while we teeter closer and closer with the cliff edge.

In science you have individuals who have researched and have formed opinions but they haven't been able to prove them yet.  The good scientist clearly state that it is simply an idea that they haven't proven.  They are humble enough to admit that they could be wrong.  The arrogant scientist will word their opinion as fact even though it hasn't been proven.  And heaven help the individual within the field who might disagree because they stand a good chance of being ostracized because they are not in the same league as the "great and mighty one!" 

Oh how the mighty will fall if they continue to walk around with their nose in the air!  They take their opinions and proclaim them with a religious zeal that would be the envy of any great camp meeting preacher!  The religion of opinion?  World view prevailing over God's view?  On the surface, it may look like a hopeless situation, but it's not.  There is always hope with God!

I have a choice.  I can start with me.  I can start with simply being who I am.  I can study the Bible and pray and follow in the way that God leads.  I can do what God asks me to do and I can strive to change what I can for the better.  I can treat others with dignity and respect even if we differ in opinion.  I can look for common ground and work to find solutions. We all have that God given power!  We don't have to bow to the religion of opinion!  One person can make a difference!  And the change will happen when we start with being who we are and confess just like the tax man "God give mercy.  Forgive me a sinner." 

The difference between the tax man and the Pharisee comes down to humility.  One chose to listen to opinion, the other chose God as his source.  Each of us has the same choice as to who we will listen to and what path we will follow.  Choose your source!  Choose wisely!