Thursday, May 23, 2013

Let Your Wind Blow

 Let Your Wind Blow 

Dear Lord,
Let your Holy Wind blow through me
blowing away all the chaff
cleaning out all the junk

It is not a gentle breeze
but strong
strong enough to take out the old
strong enough to change
to transform
from the inside out
to bring in the new
to thoroughly 
and utterly 
change
how I think
how I act 
how I respond
how I see
how I love
all my relationships

creating out of diverse individuals
self absorbed
filled with fear
a community of love
sacrifice
care

a shining beauty 
shining you
bringing you glory
Acts 2
New International Version (NIV)
The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them. 
Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed,they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b]10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 
13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 
Peter Addresses the Crowd14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:17 “‘In the last days, God says,    I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,    your young men will see visions,    your old men will dream dreams.18 Even on my servants, both men and women,    I will pour out my Spirit in those days,    and they will prophesy.19 I will show wonders in the heavens above    and signs on the earth below,
    blood and fire and billows of smoke.20 The sun will be turned to darkness    and the moon to blood
    before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.21 And everyone who calls    on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[c] 
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[d] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:“‘I saw the Lord always before me.    Because he is at my right hand,    I will not be shaken.26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;    my body also will rest in hope,27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,    you will not let your holy one see decay.28 You have made known to me the paths of life;    you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[e] 
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it.33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,“‘The Lord said to my Lord:    “Sit at my right hand35 until I make your enemies    a footstool for your feet.”’[f]36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

The Fellowship of the Believers42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

Breathe

Breathe

1-2 Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. 
Ephesians 5:1-2 The Message
Breathe in 
your love
breathe in 
your acceptance
breathe in 
your peace
breathe in
your hope
breathe in 
your joy
breathe in 
your strength
Breathe in your meekness
and humility

Breathe out
my insecurity
Breathe out
my fears
breathe out
my panic
breathe out
my anxiety and worry
breathe out
bitterness
breathe out
pride 
breathe out
envy
breathe out
my desires
my desperate
grasping


20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self,created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:20-24 NIV
I need you
I need you like I need air
fresh and new 
every moment
I can only love 
as you loved
with you in me

Panic
fear anxiety
shallow breathing
I am hyperventilating
thrashing
flailing
clinging
my voice shrill,
harsh and loud
driven
impulsive
obsessive
desperate

not enough oxygen
getting in deep enough
to where it is needed

Pray
Breathe in
Breathe in 
Breathe in

You are here 
you have promised to be with me
you have promised to help me
you are what I need

You see all 
you understand all
you are all

moment by moment
you have all that I need
moment by moment
you are all that I need

breathe out praise
breathe out gratitude
breathe out thanksgiving

breathe out lies
breathe in your truth
breathe out pretending
breathe out trying to be what you want
breathe out deceit
breathe out
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.  
Ephesians 4:25 NIV
I love you Lord 

Monday, May 20, 2013

Get Some Air

I spent a lovely warm and sunny afternoon at the pool
trying to help my oldest son improve his swimming skills.
Over and over again I found myself saying,
"Get some air! Get some air!"

The difference between drowning and swimming is 
determined by only one thing
the success of getting enough air
down inside 
deep into the lungs
where it can be transported to the brain
and other important cells
to keep life flowing
growing
 living

without which
function slows and stops 
movement slows and stops
awareness and perspective slows and stops
life ebbs away to
darkness 
stillness
death

My son can swim successfully and independently 
as much as the air in one breath can take him
then the critical moment comes
can he get some air on his own?

one can only hold one's breath so long
then fresh air I must have
nothing else will do 
no substitute will suffice

At this point, form does not matter...
I don't really care how he does it
or what it looks like to anyone else...

Can he get some air 
down into his lungs 
where it makes 
a vital difference?


With air what would be an arena of sure and sudden demise
becomes a wonderfully cool and refreshing playground
a place where the heavy pull of gravity is overcome 
I do not feel my weight so firmly tied to the earth
the limits of what I can and cannot do broken
I can soar and fly

What a powerful metaphor for the Holy Spirit 
He is God with me
given only as a gift
but making all the vital difference
between life and death
floating and sinking beneath
swimming or drowning in life's waves

Knowing and even understanding all the laws of physics, bouyoncy, etc
will not necessarily enable me to swim across the deep end
although it is good and helpful info

Knowing and even understanding all the proper motions and dynamics of how to move one's body in proper format
will not necessarily enable me to swim 
although it is good and helpful info

If there is no air in my lungs 
that can be successfully absorbed and carried 
to every living cell to 
sustain life
then all is lost

I need you
I need you
without you, O God
I am lost

Drowning is not usually loud or dramatic
but silent
as one loses the ability to breathe
they also lose the ability to speak

one can drown while knowing how to swim
one can drown while life saving air is only a few inches away
one can drown in the midst of those who are having a wonderful time

one can drown within easy reach of another
whose lungs are full of life giving air


The motions of splashing, bobbing, wiggling underwater
look identical 
swimming and drowning
except for the look of panic in one's eyes
the water bending the rays of light
distorting
making it hard to see

 I need you
I need you
I need you anew
each new minute

I need you to bring home your truth to my heart
I need you to enable me to love
to serve
to care
to give
to be humble
to not faint
to not be envious
to not be embittered
to not become cynical

I need you to bring peace
contentment
joy
hope

When I feel the air in me diminishing and the panic rising
I want to grasp onto anything
people, things, desires
but you
are always there
waiting 

As I stand just within reach
watching if my son can
find a way to get air into his lungs,
I see how God the Father is standing
silent and near in my floundering
ready to reach out 
saying, "Get some air! Get some air!"

breathe out the old stale exhale of unusable air
casting all my care on you who care for me
breathe in your life giving Spirit
fresh, new, clean, what I need

and fly


12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2





Thursday, May 16, 2013

I saw Jesus last night

I saw Jesus last night

"to learn to speak the language of love where the main language spoken is not Hebrew or Arabic, but hate"

These words from a man who lives in the midst of the Palastine-Isreali conflict

"let them have ____ but let me have Jesus"

"my enemy is my greatest opportunity"

a man who is living free of fear in an area where his collegue and friend was martyred
a husband and father like himself with a wife and small children...

a man whose very first words were in loving remembrance and honor of his beloved wife far away

a man who is part of a ministry who purchased washing machines for the hardworking and impoverished mothers "on the other side" not because they hoped to change them to "their side" but because they were hard working and impoverished mothers who could really be helped by having washing machines. He saw them, trapped in their situations, trying to care for their households of  husband, 10 or more children, parents and parents-in-law trying to do the best that they can day after day with little hope of change ahead.
gifts given with no strings attached and possibly with very little fanfare or even words.
Just love
a gift freely given
not indebting the receiver in any way
seeing those across the great divide as not so different than himself
persons who are wanting to love and care for their household

a man who said if you want to help this region,
what is needed are examples of how to be leaders of integrity
not teaching only
not talk
not books,
lectures,
seminars,
funds alone
but real flesh and blood persons
who can demonstrate responsibility, accountability, faithfulness, integrtiy,
the ability to make decisions and stand for what is needed while being free of self interest, desire for gain
not as a superficial cover for evangelism but as a genuine desire to help and demonstrate Christ

a man who when asked how he would pray for the Church in the western world, said,
 "I am so hesitant to ever speak critically of the Church... She is so precious"

Who encouraged us not to be paralyzed by fear of what others think of us...

I saw Jesus in this soft-spoken, quiet, deeply humble and thoughtful man.
I didn't see a dynamic speaker; I saw true joy
I didn't hear shrill words and harsh rhetoric; I heard peace
I didn't hear plans and strategies and formulas; I saw prayer and trust
I didn't see grasping; I saw patience and hope

who said "there is a creativity born of love" that finds a way to love those whom it is impossible to love without God's Spirit working in us

"For the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." Galatians 5:22-25 ESV

Monday, May 13, 2013

Not what am doing but how


Not what I am doing but how  
13 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned,[a] but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient and kind;
 love does not envy or boast;
 it is not arrogant or rude.
 It does not insist on its own way;
 it is not irritable or resentful;[b]
 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Love never ends. 
As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.
For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.
12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully even as I have been fully known.
13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.Footnotes:
  1. 1 Corinthians 13:3
  2.  Some manuscripts deliver up my body [to death] that I may boast
  1. 1 Corinthians 13:5
  2.  Greek irritable and does not count up wrongdoing
I Corinthians 13:1-13 ESV 
Dear Lord,
Help me today to know and rest in your love for me,
to love as  you loved,
not to be about what my house looks like,
what I can get done, 
what I can (try!) to get my kids to do

Only what is done with your love has any meaning.
Thank you, you love me, regardless of how I feel, how I look today,
what I wish I could accomplish or be like or feel

Thank you, you have promised your Holy Spirit
 to make known your love in my heart, 
to be my Comforter and Guide
to give wisdom and grace

It is not up to me
It never was
It is not about me
It never was

" And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." Romans 5:5 ESV
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." I John 4:10 ESV

Saturday, May 11, 2013

 A Love Letter to My Mom

Dear Mom,

 Thank you for loving me. 
You have cared for me in ways I can never fully appreciate or understand. 
But I thank you.

Thank you for all the practical ways you loved.
For all the home-cooked meals
the homemade birthday cakes
the dresses you sewed
the clean and organized home
how you added beauty and a feminine touch
in needle point 
and putting up our pictures and 
artwork
in decorating for the holidays
I thank you.

But more than these things
for caring
for asking
 for listening
for teaching
for being there
for caring for me when I was sick
tired, confused

I will never forget you
and I hope by God's grace to be like you

you never wrote a blog
you never wrote a book
you only worked as a nurse when we were in school
you were home when we were home
you never went to Africa
you never had a "ministry"

you spent many a day changing diapers
cleaning house
cooking food
playing with toddlers
what some might view as insignificant
and a waste of your talents
but not me

your input in my life can never be measured
your example to me of love,
practical service
and time invested are a
powerful example that will stay with me
the rest of my life
and will hopefully
pass on through me to my children as well.

as I try to understand what it means to be a wife,
a mother,
a woman
I thank you.

I love you, Mom.


post script:
 I mean no disrespect for all the wonderful women who write, speak, lead, travel, have careers. Of course, women can do all kinds of amazing and wonderful things. 
I only mean to say that I see great significance in my mom's life in the daily, seemingly, mundane activities of motherhood. What I remember and appreciate her for, was her willingness to do this in love for us. 
 A home is about the relationships of love we have with one another not whether anything is homemade or not.  Anytime I put things (even my desire for home to be a certain way) over people, I end up losing both. 
Again, this poem is just to say how much I appreciate my mom and the things she did in love. She did not view those things as a waste or her talent or her time or her potential. 

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Transforming Love

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love"        Ephesians 4:2 NIV


... and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility,gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.                        
 
 Colosians 3:10-17 NIV

Oh Lord, 
do your transforming work in my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit to enable me to bear and forgive and love with your love. Teach me your ways and not my own.  Teach me what love is...


"This is real love--not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."
 I John 4:10 New Living Translation (2007)
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  John 13:34-35 NIV

What if we really were known by our love for one another? 

What would this look like in my life right now?

What would need to change for this to be experienced?


I really enjoyed watching the movie Julie and Julia lately.  Julia Child changed the way so many people thought about, and interacted with food, meals and hospitality simply because she loved to eat delicious food and share it with others.  She wanted to learn how to make something beautiful, nourishing and enjoyable, not just for herself but for those she loved. 

I had some fun thinking about the above verses as the beautiful pictures of delectable culinary treats in a cookbook. The ingredients are provided and the picture is so mouth-watering and desirable. But the trying to follow the instructions and put it together rarely yields the same results as those beautiful pictures! at least for me anyways!!
patience,
persistence,
practice,
help from others,
and lots of crying out to God for his transformative work.

You can't eat the pictures!!

18 “Forget the former things;
    do not dwell on the past.
19 See, I am doing a new thing!
    Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
    and streams in the wasteland.


Isaiah 43:18

Love is not niceness
Love is not superficial politeness
courtesy with out true caring

Love is involved, connected
it asks, it speaks, it does
it takes time
energy, commitment
tenacity
courage