Friday Photographs-The road less traveled

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear,

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I marked the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

Robert Frost

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"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." 

Matthew 2:18

Lord in your mercy hear our prayer...

(Dedicated to those who are affect by today's school shooting in Connecticut)

Prayer for Healing & Light

This is an excerpt from my prayer journal from a few days ago-I believe many people have a similar prayer!

Holy One, I strive each day to be authentic and true-to be vulnerable and courageous. I can see and feel the wounds of my mind and soul healing. They are healing slowly from the inside out, from the depths to the surface-the way wounds should heal. I know I have "soul work" to continue that will aide in the healing that only your love can provide. As my wounds heal, I discover a deep love and longing for my authentic self. I discover a desire to stop living in hurt and fear and begin living in worthiness and true love. May your healing and transforming love continue to wash over me and flow into the depths of my mind, body, and soul so that I may be light to this world...AMEN!

Jen's Life Lessons

I first met Jen my sophomore year in college. She was spunky, friendly, funny, compassionate, and full of life! Little did I know I would spend two years as her roommate, gain an amazing friend, and she would teach me valuable a valuable life lesson-live life to it’s fullest despite incredible challenges. You see Jen lived with a very rare auto-immune disorder that caused her body to be unable to fight illness.

Jen had many challenges resulting from her immune disorder. She wore hearing aids as a result of aggressive treatment in childhood. She had a permanent IV line so she could give IV medication to herself. In her four years of college she was in the hospital at least numerous times. Once in she was in the ICU followed by isolation for several weeks. She was in chronic pain and had secondary health issues resulting from disorder and many treatments over her twenty plus years. Yet, this woman was full of life and lived life to it’s fullest. 

Jen lived life to it’s fullest in three particular ways-she loved to laugh, she thought of others first, and she never gave up! 

Jen loved to laugh! We were always laughing. I remember one time when Jen was sick and was on IV medication. As part of this process she had to flush her IV line with water using a non-needle syringe. She decided it would be fun to shoot water out of one of the syringes at me. I proceeded to take another syringe and shoot her back. This resulted in a water syringe fight that left us rolling on the floor laughing. In many ways it was “medicine” for both of us. It broke the tension in our friendship. It made the stressful times easier. She taught me that laughter really is the best medicine for life’s many struggles and challenges.

Both in the midst of illness as well as when she was doing well, Jen thought of other before herself. One night I awoke in the middle of the night to find Jen packing a bag. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she had decided she need to go to the the local hospital. I told her I would take her but she told me that she has already called campus security to take her so I could go back to bed. The comfort and well being of others always came before herself! She taught me to put others first through humbleness, compassion, and sympathy.

Up until Jen died in the summer of 2006 she never gave up on life! I never once heard her say I don’t want to do this any more-it is too hard. Despite all the time she spent in the hospital and in the colleges health services, Jen finished a difficult and time consuming Elementary Education major in 4 year. She was alway talking about becoming a elementary education teacher even when it was evident that her body was failing her. She was always hopeful that she would be “cured” and her body would allow her to live a long life. Jen taught me to be strong and never give up on life.

Jen’s life and friendship have touched my heart and changed my life. Jen loved dragonflies. To this day every time I see a dragonfly I stop and say “hi” to Jen and thank her for the life lessons that her actions and her spirit taught me. The dragonfly reminds and inspires me to live life to it’s fullest by laughing more, putting others first, and never giving up no matter what life throws at me!

(Adapted from a recent Toastmasters speech)

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"He who does not love solitude will not love freedom"

Arthur Schopenhauer

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I love fall-the smells, the vibrant colors, but my favorite thing about fall is walking through the leaves. The sound of crunching leaves under foot makes me smile and makes my heart sing. For years I wondered why this sound made me so happy. I think I have uncovered the reason-it reminds me of the pure joy I felt playing in the leaves as a child. Adults need to play too! It brings me pure joy to play...to walk in the fall with the leaves crunching under foot! 

How do you cultivate play in your life?

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"Walking mindfully opens the eyes to beauty 

everywhere, leading the release of

 sorrow and worry, so peace and inner

freedom may enter."

~Thich Nhat Hanh

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“No one lights a lamp in order to hide it behind the door: the purpose of light is to create more light, to open people's eyes, to reveal the marvels around.” 

~Paulo Coelho

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"Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down the dulcimer.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kiss the ground."

-Rumi

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"The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky proclaims his handiwork"
Psalm 19:1

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"Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit."

-Saint Francis de Sales

Pondering "When the Violin"

For months I have been wanting to pair a photograph of a violin and Hafiz’s poem “When the Violin”. I was finally able to do this this past Friday. I have been pondering this paring for a long time and wanted to reflect and write on it. This poem spoke to me the first time I read it. It stabbed me in the heart. It took my breath away. I remember thinking to my self this is what I need to do and this is who I want to become.

I long to “stop worrying about the future” and “become such a drunk laughing nuisance”!  These phrases struck a chord with me. Being overcome with laughter is such a beautiful image of a way to live ones life. Laughter invokes great joy and a letting go of the worries of the world. Laughter lets us become our authentic selves because we have to let our guard down and take off the mask we show the world. Laughter is also about being fully present in the moment. When we in the midst of a truly hardy laugh we are not thinking about what we must do tomorrow, how we are going to pay the credit card bill, or wonder what others think of us. We are just laughing and enjoying being fully present in the moment.

The final stanza of the poem pierced my heart. To “forgive every wound caused by others” and for my “heart to start singing” is a huge step to authentic and wholehearted living. It struck me that Hafiz did not say forgive the people who caused the wounds but instead forgive the wounds caused by others. Forgiveness is about transforming our own wounds into hope and courage. This journey of transformation may include forgiving the person or people that caused the wound. However, ultimately is the wound that needs healing and transformation so that we can live a life of hope and courage.

When we can name and forgive our wounds they no longer define us. Instead we are set free to be our authentic selves and our whole being can start singing our part in God’s great song...or we can “become such a drunk laughing nuisance” that God joins in our singing and laughter! This is how I strive to live my life!

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When the Violin

When

the Violin

Can forgive the past 

It starts singing.

When the violin can stop worrying

About the future

You will become

Such a drunk laughing nuisance

That God

Will then lean down

And start combing you into

His

Hair.

When the violin can forgive

Every wound caused by

Others

The heart starts

Singing.

-Hafiz

(A special thank you to my friend Karen Morgan for loaning me her father's violin to photograph!)

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"A bear, no matter how he tries,

Grows tubby without exercise."

Winnie-the-Pooh

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Song Bird

The song bird sang,

A notorious tune.

A sudden bang,

that ended so soon.

The air was still,

and nothing heard.

A silent trill,

of the dead bird.

(A poem I wrote in 1995)

Christian Education as a Vital Ministry of a Congregation

You enter a congregation for their “Christian Education hour”. You might hear children singing, laughing, and talking. You smell bread baking and a smell you can’t quite define. You see beautiful banners, whimsical artwork, and adults walking a labyrinth. This is just a small sampling of the many aspects of Christian Education ministry. Each congregation’s Christian Education ministry looks different. Christian Education Ministry is not just for children. It is a vital multigenerational ministry within a congregation.

Christian Education Ministry can be defined in many ways. The Book of Order defines Christian Education (they use the term “nurture” instead of “education”) as “a process of bringing [people] to full maturity in Jesus Christ” (W-6.1003). I believe Christian Education can also be defined as any activity that enhances a persons understanding of their faith and helps them become more aware of The Holy (God) within and around them. As congregations and individuals we are called to worship God and serve God by serving others. Christian Education enhances, informs, supports, and shapes worship and mission and service in congregations and individuals. 

Through Christian Education ministries the people of God become more aware of The Holy within themselves. When they become more aware of God within them they become more fully engaged in worshiping God. Through Bible studies they learn about the ways God works in and through people and how God works within them for transformation. They learn about the how and why of worship. They are able to engage in worship in creative ways. Christian Education ministries are vital in shaping the worship life of a congregation.

“[Christian] nurture...[is] one way in which Christians minister to one another” (Book of Order W-6.1003). Christian Education ministries help people become aware of God around them. This awareness of God leads Christians to become more fully  engaged in ministries of pastoral care, mission, and service. They engage in activities that inform and transform their views of the world around them. They experience the transforming love of God and are called to share this love with all of Gods children. Christian Education ministries are vital in shaping the mission and service of a congregation. 

Ministries of Christian Education provide experiences that nurture our awareness of God within and around us. Christian Education ministries are embodied in many ways. They all look and feel different because each congregation has a different ethos. However, all ministries of Christian Education seek to enhance, inform, support, and shape individuals and congregations in the ministries of worship and service. Christian Education is a vital to the overall ministry of a congregation.

(Note: "The Book of Order" is the governing document for the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.)

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May the light of God 
   illumine the heart of my soul,
May the flame of Christ 
   kindle me to love,
May the fire of the Spirit 
   free me to live this day, 
   tonight and for ever.
-J. Philip Newell

Mind, Body & Spirit

The mind, body, spirit connection both baffles and intrigues me.  Being a psychology major the workings of the mind have always fascinated me.  Being brought up in the church the idea of the Holy Spirit has also intrigued me.  Being an athlete the workings of the body also interests me.  However, it is only in the past year or so have I begun to explore the many dimensions of the mind, body, spirt connection.

For years our culture (including much of Christianity) has pitted the mind, body, and spirit against one another. We were told that our bodies and minds were the enemies-the reason for sin. We were told that the only good was The Spirit. We have been told that we are at our core sinful. Now I don’t dispute that we are all sinful, in fact I know we are all sinful. However, I have come to believe that God see us as the spiritually perfect beings we truly are. 

What I have begun to realize is that the mind, body, spirit connection is essential to being human. We can not have one without the others. When one is suffering the others are affected. In other words the whole of who we are (mind, body & sprit) is always in need of God’s transformational and healing love. I was first introduced to this concept of attending to the mind, body, and spirit by my Spiritual Director, Anita Cummings. In our work together we always spend time attending to the mind, spirit and body. Actually, we attend to them concurrently. For Anita, ‘body work’ (attending to the flow of energy in our body in a variety of ways) is an essential aspect of spiritual healing and transformation. 

In the beginning I was skeptical of ‘body work’ as a form of spiritual direction and transformation. I wondered how ‘body work’ could affect spiritual transformation. It just seemed so foreign and it wasn’t part of my Presbyterian theos that said that the Spirit and the body were at odds. As we began attending to my body through this ‘body work‘ I became aware of how this ‘work’ affected my mind and spirit. I began to sense and feel the connection between my body and my mind and spirit. When I attend to my body I am also attending to my mind and my spirit.

There are so many dimensions of the mind, body, spirit connection that I continue to explore-intellectually, physically, and spiritually. What connections do you see? What dimensions and/or connections would you like to explore? What questions do you have about the connection between mind, body and spirit?

For me, the connection between mind, body, and spirit is one of God’s surprising wonders!

  

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Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the Glory of God.

Romans 15:7

Attending to our Divine DNA

The body is an amazing thing! I use the word amazing in its truest sense. The way in which each bone, muscle, tendon, ligament, and nerve are connected to each other leaves me awe struck. The fact that merely stretching a muscle in my foot can at the same time stretch another muscle in my back and my shoulder is truly wonderful and wondrous. 

I am beginning to realize that our bodies know what they need to be healthy and feel good. The problem is that we are not very good at ‘listening’ to them.  I know this is true for me. In fact, there are many aches, pains, etc. that I ‘suffer’ with because I think that is normal for me. Yet, a small voice in my gut says “You don’t have to be ‘suffering’. Go to the doctor. Find healing.” Yet, because of my stubbornness, my shame, my finical situation I do nothing.

This is not totally accurate. Thanks to my Spiritual Director, Anita Cummings, I have begun to listen to my body. Recently, I was feeling very sore and tight. I knew I needed to do ‘body work’ with her. So I set up an appointment to just do ‘body work’. As she was guiding me through Wallace Method stretching she used a phrase that stuck with me.  It hit upon this idea of ‘listening’ to our bodies. She said “you need to feel and sense when an area of you body needs more attention.” We need to learn to sense when our bodies need our attention. Then we need to learn how to attend to those areas of our body that  need healing or extra attention. 

Attending to our intricate and amazing bodies is very spiritual. We are wonderfully and uniquely created in God’s image. As Fr. Richard Rohr states, “Our DNA is divine.” Thus, by attending to our amazing bodies we are attending to the divine in all of us. 

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There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.
Nelson Mandela