In the morning rain I headed out to join some fellow hikers. Deep into the forest we went where the rain sporadically touched my face. The most significant part of the hike was the number of paths that were filled with water, making them into streams. The normal streams were rivers overflowing from the abundance of rainfall this month. Instead of water that whispered as it meandered to the sea it was streams that shouted their significance as they raced to the open water and freedom. The spray from their exuberant race bathed my face in moisture as I stood in wonder observing the raging water. Overflowing grace that is eager to reach the ocean where it goes beyond what I can see or envision. Add to that the fragrance of the forest and the evolution of life and death in that setting with the fragrance each offers.
In the evening friends joined me at my table for dinner. We started with thanks. Conversation meandered into serious, into laughter, into hopes and into holding others in the Light who are in pain. Each of these people have seen the best and the worst of who I am. Yet they have been flesh and blood to Jesus overflowing grace. The fragrance of the various dishes lingered in my house and each of us felt satisfied having consumed this repast. The menu was posted in What’s Cooking, the previous post. The textures, flavours, colours and scents melded together as did our conversations. We finished by each speaking to Abba of gratitude.
Then there are times when in solitude we must look at the ashes of our lives. Over that scent of fire Grace pours the fragrance of the rose. Life comes out of these exchanges. Life comes with overflowing grace and fragrance, whether in the rain, in the safe places of community or in the ashes.
As I walked this morning on “my bit of beach” heavily laden streams shouted out that there would always be a way to the open ocean of grace and freedom. In the scent of the rain I inhaled each fragrance and each reminder of overflowing grace.
It has been an amazing weekend overflowing with what only Ruach (wind and Spirit of life) could have choreographed.
Monday, January 24, 2005
Friday, January 21, 2005
What's Cooking?
January 21, 2005
What’s Cooking?
Michael, over at Blogin Idiot, left a comment on my last post wondering what’s cooking.
Well to tell you the truth it is probably soggy preserves right now! It is January. It rains for days on end here on the West Coast and this is the wettest January since the 1940’s. I don’t like rain very much as it makes me feel very depressed. So, having given you that outline let me think about what’s cooking! I should check the cupboards of the brain and see if there is anything there or it is just empty space. If it is empty space in this cranium maybe I should advertise it “to let” – rental space available. Hmmm that would bring some extra income in wouldn’t it?
Oh no, back to the cupboards. There are some dry beans, which could cook up into a wonderful bean stew, with my new pressure cooker that works well for this task. But the main task at hand this weekend is the dinner which I have given as a Christmas present to the wonderful people I work for/with. I had no clue what to give them for Christmas and in the end decided to offer them one thing I can do, and that they enjoy – a rack of lamb dinner. Last night I sat eating my samosas and having a lovely glass of beer – yes beer and spicy food have a wonderful dance with the taste buds – and on my ottoman was a plethora of Bon Appetite and Cooking School books. What flavours blend well, what colours, what textures and then quantities. You don’t want people to be full at course #1 when you have 5 more to go!! So at the moment the menu looks like this:
· Prawns, butterflied, encrusted with pecans and parmesan on a bed of spinach with lemon sauce
· Proscuitto with grated Romano cheese in crepes with some slow roasted roma tomatoes
· Then a palate cleanser is required – a sorbet of lemon or lime
· Next we have rack of lamb based with a grainy Dijon and then Provencal encrusted. Some steamed potatoes, fresh green beans and banana squash. I like some wonderful mushrooms as well. I will make a white wine Dijon sauce. The key will be to have the potatoes at the right place in the middle of the plate to nicely fan the lamb round it.
· Of course a nice crisp white wine and then a full-bodied red have to be chosen as well.
· Ah desert. I hate making desert but I think just a plain ginger orange crème brulee will be okay
· Finally I believe we should finish with port and cheese. A fine British tradition I am fond of.
After all that I am not a dairy or meat eater on the whole so I don’t know whether I will dine with them or simply let them dine and I can dance round the kitchen keeping it organized and clean through each course.
So Michael, I have wracked my brain and no this isn’t brain stew that will be cooked up, nor is it bangers and mash but I hope to have fun and that my guests will too. Music of course is another ingredient. Personally I like some classical piano sonatas but maybe that will be while I cook and test the red wine! Who knows what will come from this kitchen!?
And thanks Michael for the kick in the butt, which dislodged me from the dullness of this rainy, depressing weather!
What’s Cooking?
Michael, over at Blogin Idiot, left a comment on my last post wondering what’s cooking.
Well to tell you the truth it is probably soggy preserves right now! It is January. It rains for days on end here on the West Coast and this is the wettest January since the 1940’s. I don’t like rain very much as it makes me feel very depressed. So, having given you that outline let me think about what’s cooking! I should check the cupboards of the brain and see if there is anything there or it is just empty space. If it is empty space in this cranium maybe I should advertise it “to let” – rental space available. Hmmm that would bring some extra income in wouldn’t it?
Oh no, back to the cupboards. There are some dry beans, which could cook up into a wonderful bean stew, with my new pressure cooker that works well for this task. But the main task at hand this weekend is the dinner which I have given as a Christmas present to the wonderful people I work for/with. I had no clue what to give them for Christmas and in the end decided to offer them one thing I can do, and that they enjoy – a rack of lamb dinner. Last night I sat eating my samosas and having a lovely glass of beer – yes beer and spicy food have a wonderful dance with the taste buds – and on my ottoman was a plethora of Bon Appetite and Cooking School books. What flavours blend well, what colours, what textures and then quantities. You don’t want people to be full at course #1 when you have 5 more to go!! So at the moment the menu looks like this:
· Prawns, butterflied, encrusted with pecans and parmesan on a bed of spinach with lemon sauce
· Proscuitto with grated Romano cheese in crepes with some slow roasted roma tomatoes
· Then a palate cleanser is required – a sorbet of lemon or lime
· Next we have rack of lamb based with a grainy Dijon and then Provencal encrusted. Some steamed potatoes, fresh green beans and banana squash. I like some wonderful mushrooms as well. I will make a white wine Dijon sauce. The key will be to have the potatoes at the right place in the middle of the plate to nicely fan the lamb round it.
· Of course a nice crisp white wine and then a full-bodied red have to be chosen as well.
· Ah desert. I hate making desert but I think just a plain ginger orange crème brulee will be okay
· Finally I believe we should finish with port and cheese. A fine British tradition I am fond of.
After all that I am not a dairy or meat eater on the whole so I don’t know whether I will dine with them or simply let them dine and I can dance round the kitchen keeping it organized and clean through each course.
So Michael, I have wracked my brain and no this isn’t brain stew that will be cooked up, nor is it bangers and mash but I hope to have fun and that my guests will too. Music of course is another ingredient. Personally I like some classical piano sonatas but maybe that will be while I cook and test the red wine! Who knows what will come from this kitchen!?
And thanks Michael for the kick in the butt, which dislodged me from the dullness of this rainy, depressing weather!
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Wisdom from others words.
If we choose to remain ourselves, full of potential, then we can take whatever happens and redeem it by openness, courage and willingness to move on...
Madeleine L'Engle
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
Soren Kierkegaard
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you. Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.
King Solomon
Madeleine L'Engle
Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
Soren Kierkegaard
Never let loyalty and kindness leave you. Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart.
King Solomon
Saturday, January 15, 2005
Waiting
Jeanne Guyon, a seventeenth century writer, has challenged me with her words today.
Your trouble comes from seeking externally what all the time is with you. Accustom yourself to seek God in your own heart, and you will find him there.
The following words about waiting are from her writings in Experiencing the Depths of Christ If you set forth for the spiritual lands...you must realize that times of dryness await you. She warns that in these times we are tempted to respond by a great deal of activity. She urges us to take a different approach. You must await the return of your Beloved with patient love. What if the Lord called upon you to spend your whole lifetime waiting for His return to you? How would you conduct yourself it this were the lot the Lord should mete out to you for all the rest of your life? Wait upon Him in a spirit of humility, in a spirit of abandonment, with contentment and resignation."
Your trouble comes from seeking externally what all the time is with you. Accustom yourself to seek God in your own heart, and you will find him there.
The following words about waiting are from her writings in Experiencing the Depths of Christ If you set forth for the spiritual lands...you must realize that times of dryness await you. She warns that in these times we are tempted to respond by a great deal of activity. She urges us to take a different approach. You must await the return of your Beloved with patient love. What if the Lord called upon you to spend your whole lifetime waiting for His return to you? How would you conduct yourself it this were the lot the Lord should mete out to you for all the rest of your life? Wait upon Him in a spirit of humility, in a spirit of abandonment, with contentment and resignation."
Thursday, January 13, 2005
Every Heart Is An Instrument
Compositions
The music of life must come from within.
The instrument upon which it is played is the heart and it is composed in the sacred space of the soul.
Somewhere within every human are the compositions of life.
In that sacred space where the scores are written and held is where one must reach for, and retrieve, the courage to permit these instruments be played.
Laments, the andante, the adagio, the allegro, arias, minuets, sonatas…every variation is written, will be played.
Courage is the call of the Divine Maestro: courage to allow the soul’s compositions to be played upon the heart and one’s life to be the concert stage upon which it is shared with the world.
At times the concert is for one – God alone. Perhaps the music belongs to an intimate duet. Some will reach a wider audience. Yet the worth of those compositions is when they are shared in each setting, in the grandiosity of life’s concert hall.
In the stillness of the morning – I am seeking the Concert Master, the Divine Maestro to review recent compositions.
Adonai, be my helper!
…so that my well-being can praise you and not be silent;
Adonai my God, I will thank you forever!
Some Good Articles to Read
Ben at Marriages Restored connected me to Intolerantelle, and from there I went on to read this article by Dr. Ray Pritchard called Not Our Kind of God. Excellent article
Wednesday, January 12, 2005
Quote du jour
If you don't experience your life, you're not going to come up with solutions for anything. Every intention, every achievement has come out of dissatisfaction, not serenity. No one ever said, "Things are just perfect. Let's invent fire."
Fran Lebowitz, American Writer
Real development is not leaving things behind, as on a road, but drawing life from them, as from a root.
G.K. Chesterton
Fran Lebowitz, American Writer
Real development is not leaving things behind, as on a road, but drawing life from them, as from a root.
G.K. Chesterton
Monday, January 10, 2005
Creativity in the "Discomfort Zone"
During the Second World War many children in Britain were moved out of the cities into the country to be protected from the bombing. One person who opened the doors of his home to these children was C.S. Lewis. Solitude and quiet are essential ingredients to the environment of writers and so for Lewis to have children filling his home meant his work environment was drastically changed. In fact that change would put his work life in jeopardy. I can only suppose, from what I have read of C.S. Lewis, that it wasn’t easy for him to reach out to children. Yet somehow they opened his heart and a deep affection for them was planted inside of him. One afternoon one of these children approached Lewis to ask about an old wardrobe in the house, curious to know what was behind it. Out of this question was planted the seeds that grew into one of the most beloved books, The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe.
Out of “discomfort” came a masterpiece of allegory that is very powerful. Out of Lewis stretching and opening his heart, risking and loving in a new way, came one more expression of God’s heart in this man.
So what is the “discomfort zone” in my world today that will allow the emerging of something richer in what I love to do, my passions in life? Lewis probably was not aware of how these children would change his life, or his writing, but he took the risk of opening himself up to an experience that would go beyond what he could envision. As I have gone through the day I keep pondering this subject. It says to me that I must be very observant of what this day, week, month or year holds. It also reminds me that I cannot see everything in focus yet. The wide-angle lens with which God views my life is at the same time the zoom lens God is looking at me. The full picture and the intricacy of this very moment are viewed simultaneously.
I cannot know what discomfort or stretching of my heart today will permit something rich to be produced in the future. But I realize that I want to be aware and open to taking the risks and seeing the “discomfort zones” in a new way. Somewhere in my life I would like God to create my own “Narnia”.
Out of “discomfort” came a masterpiece of allegory that is very powerful. Out of Lewis stretching and opening his heart, risking and loving in a new way, came one more expression of God’s heart in this man.
So what is the “discomfort zone” in my world today that will allow the emerging of something richer in what I love to do, my passions in life? Lewis probably was not aware of how these children would change his life, or his writing, but he took the risk of opening himself up to an experience that would go beyond what he could envision. As I have gone through the day I keep pondering this subject. It says to me that I must be very observant of what this day, week, month or year holds. It also reminds me that I cannot see everything in focus yet. The wide-angle lens with which God views my life is at the same time the zoom lens God is looking at me. The full picture and the intricacy of this very moment are viewed simultaneously.
I cannot know what discomfort or stretching of my heart today will permit something rich to be produced in the future. But I realize that I want to be aware and open to taking the risks and seeing the “discomfort zones” in a new way. Somewhere in my life I would like God to create my own “Narnia”.
Monday, January 03, 2005
New Year Greeting
Greeting cards. Standard greeting for letters. No, I don’t want a “standard greeting” for 2005. Saying “Happy New Year” makes me think of saying “how are you” with a plastic smile and just as plastic a reply “fine thank you”. What is an authentic, deep, true greeting that came come from my heart at the beginning of yet another chapter of life?
At first I thought I would write just to my In the Tent sisters, but I need to include my soul sisters, my friends, my fellow bloggers, those who stop by to read out of curiosity and maybe those who hunger for some kind of touch to their soul.
Writing has not come easily in the last month or so. Was it because the well was empty? Reading Anj’s post Rain Reflections, thinking of laments, thinking of tsunami’s and digging deep inside, I conclude that the well is never empty. Perhaps it is just that I have looked for the easy and familiar rather than searching, seeking, following the whispers, the laments, the lilting jigs, and letting the window of the soul be open to a fresh breeze, a fresh flowing of Ruach in the soul.
The words of a song keep flowing through the ventricles of my soul/heart:
Today I choose to follow You and live. As they bring clarity, fresh wind and speak gently, I find the words I want to share as my greeting to you in this new year. There are words from the Word and then words from my heart.
But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you don’t know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that this truth doesn’t breed lies.
Let it sink into your life. If what you have heard…lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
…those who are trying to deceive you…they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you – Christ’s anointing.
Live deeply. Live deeply in Christ
(1 John 2)
As we choose, as we feel, deep within, that we belong, we continue to listen to the music. At this moment I hear the lament of loss, tsunami sized losses. I hear the cacophony of noise that keeps us away from heart living. Within those melodies I hear the beauty of heartstrings that make the symphony of community. The melody of the sea whispers as it breathes upon the shore. I hear my heart humming “today I choose” and I know the Voice that is humming along with me. The Voice that says “I choose you.”
Today I choose to let you know how wonderful you are to me. Today I want to enjoy the intimacy with my “in the tent” sisters and my soul sisters. I want to let that fragrance of living deeply to go even wider. I want my melody of life to be one that will sometimes lend the harmony to those I am in relationship with, to those I make eye contact with on the street, to someone I have a brief conversation with or a long dialogue, and perhaps one day a mate. A ripple affect that goes way beyond what I can see or hear.
Today I choose to follow You and live
Il Signore ti benedica e ti guardi. Il Signore faccia risplendere le sua faccia verso te, e ti sia propizio. Alzi il Signore la sua faccia verso te, e ti stabilisca la pace.
Numbers 6: 24-26
At first I thought I would write just to my In the Tent sisters, but I need to include my soul sisters, my friends, my fellow bloggers, those who stop by to read out of curiosity and maybe those who hunger for some kind of touch to their soul.
Writing has not come easily in the last month or so. Was it because the well was empty? Reading Anj’s post Rain Reflections, thinking of laments, thinking of tsunami’s and digging deep inside, I conclude that the well is never empty. Perhaps it is just that I have looked for the easy and familiar rather than searching, seeking, following the whispers, the laments, the lilting jigs, and letting the window of the soul be open to a fresh breeze, a fresh flowing of Ruach in the soul.
The words of a song keep flowing through the ventricles of my soul/heart:
Today I choose to follow You and live. As they bring clarity, fresh wind and speak gently, I find the words I want to share as my greeting to you in this new year. There are words from the Word and then words from my heart.
But you belong. The Holy One anointed you, and you all know it. I haven’t been writing this to tell you something you don’t know, but to confirm the truth you do know, and to remind you that this truth doesn’t breed lies.
Let it sink into your life. If what you have heard…lives deeply in you, you will live deeply in both Son and Father. This is exactly what Christ promised: eternal life, real life!
…those who are trying to deceive you…they’re no match for what is embedded deeply within you – Christ’s anointing.
Live deeply. Live deeply in Christ
(1 John 2)
As we choose, as we feel, deep within, that we belong, we continue to listen to the music. At this moment I hear the lament of loss, tsunami sized losses. I hear the cacophony of noise that keeps us away from heart living. Within those melodies I hear the beauty of heartstrings that make the symphony of community. The melody of the sea whispers as it breathes upon the shore. I hear my heart humming “today I choose” and I know the Voice that is humming along with me. The Voice that says “I choose you.”
Today I choose to let you know how wonderful you are to me. Today I want to enjoy the intimacy with my “in the tent” sisters and my soul sisters. I want to let that fragrance of living deeply to go even wider. I want my melody of life to be one that will sometimes lend the harmony to those I am in relationship with, to those I make eye contact with on the street, to someone I have a brief conversation with or a long dialogue, and perhaps one day a mate. A ripple affect that goes way beyond what I can see or hear.
Today I choose to follow You and live
Il Signore ti benedica e ti guardi. Il Signore faccia risplendere le sua faccia verso te, e ti sia propizio. Alzi il Signore la sua faccia verso te, e ti stabilisca la pace.
Numbers 6: 24-26
Dancing Barefoot
Praying Mantis referred me to the song Dancing Barefoot by U2. Excellent words and you can find them here
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