wonder moment

Wisdom

begins

in Wonder

Socrates

moments

God of beginning

and end

teach us to celebrate those moments

that connect us to you

and to others

nouwen moment

Why is it so important that you are with God

and God alone on the mountain top?

It's important

because it's the place in which you can listen

to the voice of the One who calls you the beloved.

To pray is to listen

to the One who calls you

"my beloved daughter,"

"my beloved son,"

"my beloved child."

To pray is to let that voice speak

to the center of your being,

to your guts,

and let that voice resound in your whole being.

Henri J. M. Nouwen

mountaintop moment

I have just returned
from spending three days
on the top of a mountain
in Vermont

face to face with my God
while being held
in the arms of His people

while climbing up this mountain
I understood in a new way
the importance of traveling light

how the weight of the things we carry
can slow us down
cause us to wonder
if the effort to reach the top
is worth it

how freeing it was
to lay it all down
on the top of this mountain
in the Presence of my God

I heard the voice
of my God
say my name
on the top of this mountain

I felt the touch
of my God
on the top of this mountain

it has been a humbling privilege
to be loved
by the body of Christ
on the top of a mountain
in Vermont
in the Presence of my God

after a long trip
from another land
I was home
on the top of a mountain
in Vermont

ascend to the hill of the Lord

and stand in His holy place

Wednesday moments

I need to listen

in the spaces of quiet
relinquish all illusions of control
suspend all thoughts
leaving them detached
empty
ready to be penetrated by the Spirit
and trust my nakedness will be covered by kindness

the molding hands of God
hold all time
all moments
that are ripe for their intended purpose

it is possible to see the eternal
in the midst of the temporary

unwalled moment

if we throw up walls around our sensitivity

we will perhaps be polite and obedient

but we will not love

and when you do not love

there is no hope and no joy

love moment

love is the willingness
to give up a part of yourself
you think you know
to discover a part of yourself
you never knew existed

all that matters is what you love
and what you love is who you are
and who you are is where you are
and where you are is where you will be
when death takes you across the river

you can't avoid the journey
but you can wake up ... now
and see where you've been
and where you are going

Clarissa Pinkola Estes:
One of the most calming and powerful actions you can do

to intervene in a stormy world

is to stand up and show your soul.

Soul on deck shines like gold in dark times.

The light of the soul throws sparks,

can send up flares,

builds signal fires,

causes proper matters to catch fire.

To display the lantern of soul in shadowy times like these -

to be fierce

and to show mercy toward others,

both,

are acts of immense bravery

and greatest necessity.

Struggling souls catch light from other souls

who are fully lit and willing to show it.

If you would help to calm the tumult,

this is one of the strongest things you can do.

gift moment

sometimes the most difficult gift to accept
is the gift of ourselves
who we are
how we are
where we are

sometimes it seems
this gift of ourselves is
most often a rejected gift

there is a longing to be different
to look different
to sound different
to be in a different place
to be in a different season

and there too is the longing to be like another
a coveting
of another's gifts
another's ministry
another's life

which of course
if we were totally honest
means that we wish the death of another
so that we might have what has been given to them

there is this swirling of rejection
and covetnous
sucking the joy out of so many

resulting in a striving

instead of an abiding

l'Arche moment

again today

I had the wonderfilled privilege

of serving in the l'Arche community

I saw afresh the delight of the residents

as they receive the gift of one another

they continue to model for me

that before I can be caught

I must let go

and brave the emptiness of space

it is in the letting go

that I receive

and find safety

in unexpected places of risk

the only thing I have to do

is stretch out my hands

and trust

the outcome of the trust

given into the hands of the One

in whom the trust is placed

and thus I will learn to dance

amid the fragility of life

truths moment

the following 3 truths

have been extremely brilliant this day
while seeking the path
where there is no trail

JHWH
the name of God is so aweful
so unpronounceable
that it has never been used by any of his creatures.
Indeed it is said that
if inadvertently
the great and terrible name of God
should be spoken
the universe would explode
Madelaine L'Engle

Abram was a man who
in response to God's call in his life
was willing to let go of the world he knew
in order to embrace a life
that God himself would give him

Allan Gilman

you do not truly wash anyone's feet
until you are able to wash the feet
of the one who does not think of you
with thoughts of life

abiding moment

at the end of the day

poured out

simply abiding

sound moment

there was a lovely sound in our home Saturday evening
the sound of living stones coming together
touching one another
rubbing against one another
settling beside one another

it was a symphony
played and sung in perfect harmony

like the sound produced when a finger is run along the edge of crystal

the higher the quality of crystal
the purer the sound

the sound the other evening
soared

and the echo of it still rings in my heart today

Friday moment

and so the dance continues ....

yesterday
out of the proverbial blue
I received a call inviting me to an evening of worship and intercession
the caller believed that it was important that I attend
and he offered to come, pick me up, drive me out and bring me home

because of the respect I have for this person, I listened and accepted his offer

and so we went
out deep into the countryside
to a small 200 year old church

the living stones had gathered inside
surrounded by the great cloud of witnesses

the worship was intense and focused
the prayers were deep and passionate
the dance was powerfully beautiful
the cries were from the heart
the groans were groans of labour

there was an abandonment
that birthed a freedom to be all that God was calling for

there was communion

there was oil

there was prophecy

there was healing

there was deliverance

there was love

and in the midst of it all
there was Jesus

and shortly before dawn
I was driven home

amazed
and deeply touched
and filled with hope once again

dance moment

this week has been a struggle
and it is good to simply admit that

some days it has been hard to find
let alone taste my daily bread
however yesterday I ate and was filled
in the learning about myself

there was an invitation to spend time
with those who have gathered from across this land
and some from other lands

some I knew and some I knew only by reputation
but all I consider giants in their ministries

there was a time of listening to their vision
there was a time of listening to one another's heart
there was a time of listening to God's heart

a few years ago
I suspect I would have accepted the offer to come alongside
out of a personal need for affirmation
or sad to say perhaps even recognition

there is such freedom now in the absolute knowing of who I am
in the knowing of my purpose
in the knowing of my position

the freedom of being able to bless their vision
while declining their offer

the freedom and the peace and the solidity
of knowing where I am to be
in the hard times
and in the easy times
even in the lonely times

and I wonder about the jostling within the church
is it because most have not yet discovered their identity

some not dressed for where they are
because they are still wearing the clothes
of where they have come from

a greater desire to listen to another's opinion of us
rather than a determination to seek for ourselves
who we are
why we are
where we are to be
what we are to do
and how we are to do it

without that understanding
it is far too easy to follow every wind that comes along
and thus perhaps be blown completely off course

it is very true
dancing does come after mourning

today I am caught up in the dance
of this knowing
and it is very very good to feel the tight arms of the Dancer
as He leads me through the intricate steps of this journey

worship moment

worship is a candle in the act of being lighted

worship is the soul standing silent before the mysteries

worship is an eager heart seeking for the love that never fails

worship is man climbing the altar stairs to God

when we worship together we are part of a great, cleaving company who through the centuries have come together to worship a living God

today

the pillar of fire

is less visible

it is hidden

in people's hearts

there are times the wind fills the sails
times when we have to row
times when there is a huge storm

please God

put your arms around my shoulders

and your hand over my mouth