Resurrection
I gaze into the firmament
Dark, sublime
Ready to consume my dreams and my desires
It tastes my aura
And inhales my courage to lie dormant on the earthen floor
I’ve been lifted without effort
Without notice
Without boundaries
And the weight that once held me secure
Has slipped from my memory
No longer bound by human dreams
Human voice
Human touch
Only the presence of an eternal traveler
Gathering the echoes from timeless
Breaths of epiphanies
Stands present to witness the latest
Dawn of love
Friday, June 26, 2009
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Roots of Faith
It was not a very early hike, just before mid-morning. Birds sang out in chorus, not just a simple echo of a mating call or the announcement of a stranger in the woods, but an all out symphony of tweets, chirps, caws and whistles, woven together in nature’s awe-producing theatre of wildlife entertaining themselves. I had ambled up a short grade to an overlook of the valley from a group of rock outcroppings. It was time for a break. A black birch caught my eye. It was jutting out from a crack in the side of a room size boulder. The trunk appeared swollen in comparison to the roots, which disappeared into a crevice about the width of my hand. How deep and how far spread this anchoring system reached into the rock could not be known. What was displayed was the tenacity and strength of the system that allowed the birch to tower some twenty five to thirty feet upward. Before I could begin to further investigate its structure up close, wondering how it managed to stay upright, a gentle breeze creased my neck and I somehow understood the tree being solidly grounded in the faithfulness of God.
It was here then, that I began to wonder about my own faith, how deep it reaches into the foundation of my body, soul, and mind. What is it anchored in? How thick are the roots? Have I made faith the verb it can be intended to be and do I live in that faith of being? The tree cannot question any of these things, yet it continues to survive and thrive in the most unusual of circumstances. And here at times I question and doubt some of the simplest of notions and ideas that should be firmly held in confidence!
Any time I encounter the subject of faith, I am brought without hesitation to the name of Peter. Cephas. The Rock. Here – this tree rooted in the rock – is yet another reminder to bring awareness to any situation I encounter, where doubt and uneasiness are present and seem to be conquering my self-assurance and confidence. Just as the foundation of the tree, the roots, are firmly gripping the rock to allow it to serve its purpose by reaching out to the world and being alive; my own actions must be anchored in faith, allowing me to grow in understanding and assuredness that God is being faithful to me, allowing me to serve my purpose while reaching out to the world and being alive. And so as I continue my hike through this time, I will strive to make faith the verb it is intended to be; walking with God and Christ. Perhaps then I might have a better chance of living in the faith of Being.
It was here then, that I began to wonder about my own faith, how deep it reaches into the foundation of my body, soul, and mind. What is it anchored in? How thick are the roots? Have I made faith the verb it can be intended to be and do I live in that faith of being? The tree cannot question any of these things, yet it continues to survive and thrive in the most unusual of circumstances. And here at times I question and doubt some of the simplest of notions and ideas that should be firmly held in confidence!
Any time I encounter the subject of faith, I am brought without hesitation to the name of Peter. Cephas. The Rock. Here – this tree rooted in the rock – is yet another reminder to bring awareness to any situation I encounter, where doubt and uneasiness are present and seem to be conquering my self-assurance and confidence. Just as the foundation of the tree, the roots, are firmly gripping the rock to allow it to serve its purpose by reaching out to the world and being alive; my own actions must be anchored in faith, allowing me to grow in understanding and assuredness that God is being faithful to me, allowing me to serve my purpose while reaching out to the world and being alive. And so as I continue my hike through this time, I will strive to make faith the verb it is intended to be; walking with God and Christ. Perhaps then I might have a better chance of living in the faith of Being.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
A totem for me?
"...the hummingbird is taken to be a symbol of resurrection...
for many people, the hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart...
When it becomes our totem, the hummingbird teaches us to laugh and enjoy the creation, to appreciate the magic of being alive, and the truth of beauty..."
I had sat down on an old picnic table along the intersection of a back road and a hiking trail to make some notes of my thoughts. As of late there was much going through my mind on re-birth and new beginnings...not as in changing directions or locations or jobs...just a rejuvenating of my vitality and attention to life. For instance where I'd previously seen a void, now there was energy. The words "...so we may have life and have it abundantly..." came to mind and I turned my direction to the faithfulness of God in everything. Below is how it transpired:
How gracious is this? The plants give us proof of it. Even after they've withered and died, the beauty and abundance carries on...
Whether through the seed carried off in the over-stuffed beak of a hungry cardinal, or from the nutrients it leaves behind from its decaying body; we will be blessed once again by the ever present Creator in all His faithfulness.
I praise and give glory to this Trinity, who showers me with sights that inspire awe and wonder. It would be so enriching to have my own eyes display to others what has been open to me in this moment! At first a heavy strumming increased in tone and volume, nearing my table. Then movement caught my eye. Finally I focused on the image and my senses brimmed with excitement as a hummingbird was greeting me. She first announced her arrival with the steady humming of the air around her wings, then the offer of a somewhat distant - but clear - view of her as she perched in a branch about 15 feet above my head.
This was indeed a blessing! She watched as I wrote. More birds began to arrive and fill my vision. She sat there for nearly 20 minutes. A blue jay joined me on the forest floor and a pair of cardinals entertained me in the distance with an aerial battle of supremacy, perhaps over a nesting female? As all things happen, the time to leave came upon me. I still had a walk up hill to the office, but it would be that much more pleasant with these sights and sounds embedded in my soul. Thank you, God, for sending me this tiny messenger of life and resurrection to confirm that what I started to write about - new, abundant life, was the right thing to do.
"...the hummingbird is taken to be a symbol of resurrection...
for many people, the hummingbird is the creature that opens the heart...
When it becomes our totem, the hummingbird teaches us to laugh and enjoy the creation, to appreciate the magic of being alive, and the truth of beauty..."
I had sat down on an old picnic table along the intersection of a back road and a hiking trail to make some notes of my thoughts. As of late there was much going through my mind on re-birth and new beginnings...not as in changing directions or locations or jobs...just a rejuvenating of my vitality and attention to life. For instance where I'd previously seen a void, now there was energy. The words "...so we may have life and have it abundantly..." came to mind and I turned my direction to the faithfulness of God in everything. Below is how it transpired:
How gracious is this? The plants give us proof of it. Even after they've withered and died, the beauty and abundance carries on...
Whether through the seed carried off in the over-stuffed beak of a hungry cardinal, or from the nutrients it leaves behind from its decaying body; we will be blessed once again by the ever present Creator in all His faithfulness.
I praise and give glory to this Trinity, who showers me with sights that inspire awe and wonder. It would be so enriching to have my own eyes display to others what has been open to me in this moment! At first a heavy strumming increased in tone and volume, nearing my table. Then movement caught my eye. Finally I focused on the image and my senses brimmed with excitement as a hummingbird was greeting me. She first announced her arrival with the steady humming of the air around her wings, then the offer of a somewhat distant - but clear - view of her as she perched in a branch about 15 feet above my head.
This was indeed a blessing! She watched as I wrote. More birds began to arrive and fill my vision. She sat there for nearly 20 minutes. A blue jay joined me on the forest floor and a pair of cardinals entertained me in the distance with an aerial battle of supremacy, perhaps over a nesting female? As all things happen, the time to leave came upon me. I still had a walk up hill to the office, but it would be that much more pleasant with these sights and sounds embedded in my soul. Thank you, God, for sending me this tiny messenger of life and resurrection to confirm that what I started to write about - new, abundant life, was the right thing to do.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Day One
Here we are with day one of my blog. Maybe day two. Depends on where you are in the world and when you got here. I need to write something to let the world know I'm actually doing something with me summer off from school (okay, so its not regular college school or even graduate school, but it is education non-the-less). Maybe it would help to write what I'm not doing. I'm not going fishing. Some of you will be amazed and some might even pass out from shock! But a 2009 license is nowhere to be found on the old fishing hat - or vest - this year. Now its not that I've given up fishing! By no means! It's because I've not really made the time to get the license, pull on the waders, and jump in the water. Wait!!!! I forgot about new line on the reel and checking the tackle. Never even got around to making some spinners over the winter either... and it's already June!
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