alignment moment

the key to unity isn't in one another –
it's in our relationship with Him

the degree to which we will walk in unity
as a body of Christ
is the degree to which we will first recognize
the Headship
and Lordship
of Jesus Christ
and come into alignment with Him

David Demian

garden moment

last year
a friend gave me a stunning plant
for the garden

beautiful colors
amazing fragrance
strong stem
easy multiplication
and
was sure to pop up every summer

it looked and seemed happy
last summer
while sturdily blooming

I waited and waited this season
for it to poke its head through the soil
but there was just an empty spot
in the garden

then last week
a little late
seedlings appeared
many of them
fat and healthy

the challenge is
they have appeared
in the grass
not the garden
and are in constant danger
of being mowed down

if I attempt to dig up and transplant
there is a strong chance
roots would be damaged
and perhaps the seedling killed

what to do?

I had a friend given to me
a few years ago

this friend had an amazing aroma
was very beautiful
and brought everyone much joy

after a season or two
this friend pulled up roots
and went into the ground
leaving an empty space
in the garden of my heart

only lately has there been
the hesitant
now and again
beginning
of a slow emerging

the challenge here too
is that the emerging is taking place
in an unsafe spot
in impure soil

I am concerned about the soil
the intermingling of roots
which determines the strength of the stem
the brilliance of the flower
and the health of any fruit

what to do?

unity moment

What is the key to corporate unity?
I believe it’s when we realize
that true unity is not found in collective human strength
or giftedness
but from collective death
and humility
and brokenness
that brings us into a place of submission
to the Lord
and to one another.
David Demian

poustinia moment

I introduced my three and a half year old grandson to the poustinia last week -

when he caught his first glimpse through the trees he became very very quiet -

instinctively taking off his sandals at the door, he slipped inside to sit on the cot-

he remained absolutely quiet and still

after some time I asked him what he was thinking .........

his response was

shhhhhhhhh I like the singing

I have never heard the singing .......

but his little ears and heart were filled with it

sunday moment

as I was leaving church this morning
after a tender wonder-filled service
my beautiful pastor pulled me aside
and asked

Andrea

at what point
does faith
become fiction .............

I remain arrested by those words
and their wondering

friend moment

there is something a little sadly weird going on

email

emails fly back and forth between "friends"
who have the choice to respond
or not

if a "friend" was sitting across the table and asked a question
we would respond
or at least acknowledge the question

so why is it
when a question comes via email
we feel we have the right not to respond
or even acknowledge

and now facebook

what exactly does "friend" mean

I get requests from people I have never met
to accept them as "friend" - what is that all about

they know nothing about me
I know nothing about them
and yet
they ask to be a "friend"

why are so many only comfortable
having a relationship
with the distance of the internet between

have we lost the desire to touch
to see
to hear
to wipe the tears from another's cheek
to offer a shoulder
to simply silently be with another
in good times
and not so good times

what happened to the hug

to looking in one another's eyes

if the eyes are the window of the soul
is there a log in the way
so we try to hide from one another
and stay hidden
in the ether of the internet

I admit
I love to touch
and be touched

but the impersonalization
of this whole phenomenon
saddens me

something very valuable
and rich
is disappearing from our lives
and we are less whole in its loss

take a moment
touch someone

in stone moment

a church in Shiraz, Iran
has the following words
carved in stone
above its door

where Jesus lives the great-hearted gather
we are a door that's never locked
if you are suffering any kind of pain
stay near this door
open it

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi
islamic philosopher and poet

Thursday moment

what do you seek


where do you abide

son moment

there was a season
when fathers trained their sons
in the family business
by letting them watch
and participate
in what they were doing

the father initiated
and the sons followed

children were not called sons
until they could do what the father was doing

children had not yet learned
to work under the father's authority

we become sons and daughters
by obedient responses to the father's voice

sonship implies a level of maturity
that has learned to submit
to the father

it is still the same
in this season

listening moments

listen to me ........

consider the quarry from which you were mined
the rock from which you were cut

listen to me ...........

what good is fasting
when you keep on fighting and quarreling

you must go
and speak
and don't be afraid of the people
for I will be with you
and take care of you

what do you see

i see a pot of boiling water
tipping from the north

my heart is broken
because of the false prophets

the land itself is in mourning ........
its pastures dried up
for the prophets do evil

peace moment

woods that have been left alone are quiet
there are birds singing
and the wind sometimes roars through the trees
but there is a special deep peace in those woods
if you walk through them long enough
some of that quiet gets absorbed inside


when nature whispers beauty
I do not always respond well
feverishly I want to get inside
I bang at the glass
it is so beautiful
it is too beautiful
only rarely do I feel calm
equal to the occasion
then I am
myself
transparent
S. Russell

pressing moment

one of my great pleasures while at the lake
is walking the roads
alongside the lake
and through the woods

six or so weeks ago
I pulled some grasses to press
thinking I might be able to use them
at some point

this afternoon
realizing it was now time to store them
I opened the press

and

the aroma was stunning

an amazing sweet fresh scent filled the room

and I realized anew
that it is indeed in the pressing
the fragrance is released

pot luck moments

yesterday
there was a potluck at the lake


because I am home now for a few days
I considered whether or not
the four hour round trip drive
was worth it


but
felt this pulling to go


this is our fourth summer on the lake
and although we have made valued friendships
with some neighbours
we had yet to meet those on the other side of the lake


and so
pot in hand
we decided to attend


the weather was perfect
the hosts were wonderful
the fellowship was rich


there are about 80 cottages on the lake
and my best guess is
40 or so families were scattered on the lawn


there was an abundance of food
a huuuuuuuuge pot of coffee
tubs of beer, wine and pop


in the middle of the groaning table
was a chocolate fountain
surrounded by fresh fruit for dipping


met some absolutely fascinating people


there was one gentle man
who looked like grizzly adams
a massive barrel chest
plenty of hair on his cheeks, chin and in a pony tail
hands like baseball gloves
there was a moment
when beer in one hand
dripping garlic buttered skewered shrimp in the other
tears in his eyes
he simply asked
have you seen the herons dance


another lady
recently widowed
in her early 80's
came over
laid her head on my shoulder
and at that moment said
thank you for praying for me last week
I called my daughter
she is coming to see me tomorrow
and bringing my grandchildren
whom I have not seen for five years


another man overheard me talking about the kayak
and said
have you kayaked during dawn
and at that moment
we agreed to experience the beginning and the ending
together in the middle of the lake
(he too wishes for a coffee cup holder in his kayak)

and in another moment
two more kayakers agreed to join us


another couple drive every Friday night from New Jersey
to spend the weekend on the lake
they spent 3 years building their cottage
on a piece of land
the highest point of the shoreline
in a moment
we agreed to have dinner together in 2 weeks


another woman said she had heard I was on the lake
but did not know how to find me
and suddenly
in a moment
we were sharing dessert
and agreed to spend Tuesday mornings together

there was another young couple
sitting by themselves
under a tree
and in a moment
I recognized the weight on their shoulders
introduced myself
and quickly learned
he was a pastor
recently bitten by the sheep of his pasture

there were some off the wall moments too

accepting the challenge
to jump off the railing of the high deck
and somersault into the lake

and joining the kids on the trampoline
up and down
up and down
over and under

when saying good by and thanking our hosts
they mentioned hearing the singing from our dock
a week ago
asked if they could join us next time
and if he could bring his guitar

in a moment
it was evident
that the aroma of worship had crossed the lake
and touched hearts on the other side

so
all in all
I am very grateful
for the moment
we decided to go
pot in hand

rising moments

vapor is drawn up by the sun
and as it gradually ascends
is rarefied
and made pure

the vapor's only contribution to this exercise
is to remain passive
and rise

Saturday's moment

if the Lord does not come into the house
and abide
only a servant will dwell there

singing moment

the woods would be very silent
if no birds sang there
except those who sang best
John James Audubon

Thursday moments

in every man lies a zone of solitude
that no human intimacy can fill and there
God encounters us
Brother Roger

one is always looking
perhaps finding is simply looking further

the building we call church,
merely a scaffolding of struggling souls

only the voice of God
can make the desert sands rejoice

why do we strive to get people to go to church
when we are the church

dying is seeking the inner freedom to let go
and trust something new will be given

dying is moving into life beyond life

the challenge is to live our wounds through
by letting them go into our heart
instead of thinking them through
to let them enter our silence
instead of talking about them
hear the deep strong inner voice of love
and let it lead beyond the boundaries of this life

because of our belief in community
we choose to have no superiors
or inferiors
among us
we choose to be a community of dance and song
in spite of the tendencies of our times
to despair and cynicism
Weston Priory, Vermont

invading moment

a friend recently wrote a short article
in which he included the following phrase:
"allow the Lord to invade the ordinary moments of our lives
with His presence"
David Demian

within moments of reading David's words
another friend sent me a note
and I realized he was living what David had written

tent tethered among jackpine and blue-bells
lacewings rise from rock incubators
wild geese flying north
and I can't remember who I'm supposed to be
R MacL