Has there ever existed a human being who didn't contemplate love?
Your thoughts on love have come to be just that, thoughts. The love you've maybe hoped for, everything falls short of. In the midst of the great cloud of confusion love almost certainly offers, are glimpses of it, Loves existence. It's sometimes fresh gleaming in the light of the honeymoon, other times well worn with experience and a depth which stretches beyond the realms of description. Love comes in how many forms, it's the existence between the admirer and the admired. The sacred grounds of deep connection... trust... loyalty... and sacrifice.
I asked this question the other night as I was walking around downtown or somewhere passing by open patio restaurants, admiring and enjoying the almost palatable connections some shared. And it wasn't confined to one particular segment -- male & female on date type segment. There were those clearly friends, those clearly more than friends, there were straits, gays, old and young... and they all shared with the other in that they were experiencing love, in relationship of some form. Love in that moment to me appeared as though it were a living being... I saw, albeit along a whole spectrum of evolution, love as this thing that was/is born, nurtured and grown between people. Just the sight of the other awakening the being of love between the two.
This gave a new perspective. "Opening my doors.." to the being of love has new meaning. A beginning, a place to plant it's seed, that's all love asks. And from there, how it's grown... so crucial. The list of metaphorical paths I could journey down at this point is endless... the moral of the story would be that love exists and it is living. And when it all makes sense -- the magic behind that feeling -- is when the source of love is discovered. He has a name, it's Love. The maker of it all... literally, it all... calls himself by this name.
With access to this perfect love, I am in a shadowless land illuminated all around as i find myself in the source of love, it's light leading the way. Bringing this love then to the world, that is most certainly the goal. Being open to it's seed always, that with all people, in one form or another, love might come to exist.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Monday, August 5, 2013
Words... They're Powerful.
While it certainly aint the easiest thing smoking a pipe and typing at the same time, tonight I find myself under the stars enjoying the silhouetted smoke on my computer screen as I dive into what was a weekend which filled me as quickly or quicker than it drained... spiritually, physically, everyally... I enjoyed "church" in the non-traditional sense all weekend long, communing with randoms, floating rivers, finding alone time... church.
Saturday night I found myself pouring Sozo wine at an incredible event in Vancouver called Sip-n-Stroll... a beautiful fundraiser all to benefit the efforts of the Hough foundation. I could go into all the beautiful things they're doing at Hough, or the dozen or so incredible conversations I had that one night (the whole weekend really) instead I want to share about one in particular which has had my mind spinning & my heart feeling good in the time since...
At some point during the night a woman in her mid-fifties strolls in and - after tasting the two Sozo blends we were offering - proceeds to allow her mind to be blown by the unique model of Sozo wine... specifically the beauty behind the names of the different blends. That night we were offering Compassion Chardonnay & Contribute Cabernet... I told her of the many others including Abundant, Mercy, Bountiful, Generosity, Charity, Freedom etc...
She was clearly the hippie type, and one of my first questions to her was if she practiced meditation, See, in meditating its common to identify your intention, or choose a single word to focus on, shaping your day around a word, an intention; love, peace, joy, forgiveness... good things. Yes, not to my surprise she practiced this and understood the power of focusing on a word, and in that time of meditation clearing your "cache" of anything that doesn't serve your intention.
Anyway... moving on... it was maybe five or so minutes into talking with this woman that MY mind began to be blown. I remembered an old video I had watched on YouTube of a study done by a Japanese man, Dr Masaru Emoto where he took jars of water and soaked them with words... literally had people stand by them, and think of a word specific to each jar.... praying over them with this specific intention, communicating the emotion of the word into the physical structure of the water... into their surroundings really, the water was just what would be tested, and the results are fascinating. There were two groups of water jugs, one group where good thoughts soaked the air, and another with things contrary to good. What he found was incredible - and in some ways hard to believe. The physical structure of the water molecules in both groups appears as different as night and day... one group the molecules looks like a piece of art, perfectly designed crystals which demand a stare, the engineer of which deserves the highest worship... the other, just blobs of nothingness, ugly, unattractive, nothing to enjoy... I've given a link to one of the many videos on this study at the bottom, check it out..
So anyway, I remember this study and - at a new level - feel the goodness of what my hands have found to do for the time being.. Sozo. I saw it in a new way. See, this lady was - in a passionate way - going off on how powerful a single word can be, and in that moment I realized how beautiful it was that each bottle was given a virtuous name... Generosity, Mercy, Compassion... and in that moment I remembered that study by Dr. Emoto and felt the power of what Sozo was delivering not only to those receiving the benefits of meals/freedom/water contributed... but the holder of the bottle. Could the physical structure of the molecules within those bottles be growing in beauty as growers, bottlers, admirers, and customers experienced the emotion of the name given that particular blend of wine? I just don't know... I'd like to believe yes:)
I believe in the supernatural. You can't believe in the God of "my" understanding and not believe in powers outside of mans understanding.. I cannot. And having worked this new territory just north and south of the beautiful Columbia River this past month, Sozo has wings when most like it seem to just have legs... and while legs aren't bad, wings certainly do help:)
My pipe died about ten lines ago... a damn shame. I will leave you - whoever might've made it this far in reading such a mess of thoughts - with what I believe to be the best words to meditate on. In the word of my God, they're compared to fruits which we can all grow by the power of our maker's Spirit... juicy fruits for all to pick and enjoy... the kind which blow your mind with their flavor, juice dripping down your cheek but you don't even care because it's so good.. fruitstand fruits... not that crap at safeway... ha
So... here it is...
"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Some beautiful words to focus on... to soak in... to believe in and feel your body's structure turn to a beautiful glow as you grow fruit and transform your molecules to their intended design.
Do yourself a favor today and click here for a quick vid (one of many) on Dr. Emoto's study...
G'night... moon?... and whoever's on the other side of these words.
luke
Saturday night I found myself pouring Sozo wine at an incredible event in Vancouver called Sip-n-Stroll... a beautiful fundraiser all to benefit the efforts of the Hough foundation. I could go into all the beautiful things they're doing at Hough, or the dozen or so incredible conversations I had that one night (the whole weekend really) instead I want to share about one in particular which has had my mind spinning & my heart feeling good in the time since...
At some point during the night a woman in her mid-fifties strolls in and - after tasting the two Sozo blends we were offering - proceeds to allow her mind to be blown by the unique model of Sozo wine... specifically the beauty behind the names of the different blends. That night we were offering Compassion Chardonnay & Contribute Cabernet... I told her of the many others including Abundant, Mercy, Bountiful, Generosity, Charity, Freedom etc...
She was clearly the hippie type, and one of my first questions to her was if she practiced meditation, See, in meditating its common to identify your intention, or choose a single word to focus on, shaping your day around a word, an intention; love, peace, joy, forgiveness... good things. Yes, not to my surprise she practiced this and understood the power of focusing on a word, and in that time of meditation clearing your "cache" of anything that doesn't serve your intention.
Anyway... moving on... it was maybe five or so minutes into talking with this woman that MY mind began to be blown. I remembered an old video I had watched on YouTube of a study done by a Japanese man, Dr Masaru Emoto where he took jars of water and soaked them with words... literally had people stand by them, and think of a word specific to each jar.... praying over them with this specific intention, communicating the emotion of the word into the physical structure of the water... into their surroundings really, the water was just what would be tested, and the results are fascinating. There were two groups of water jugs, one group where good thoughts soaked the air, and another with things contrary to good. What he found was incredible - and in some ways hard to believe. The physical structure of the water molecules in both groups appears as different as night and day... one group the molecules looks like a piece of art, perfectly designed crystals which demand a stare, the engineer of which deserves the highest worship... the other, just blobs of nothingness, ugly, unattractive, nothing to enjoy... I've given a link to one of the many videos on this study at the bottom, check it out..
So anyway, I remember this study and - at a new level - feel the goodness of what my hands have found to do for the time being.. Sozo. I saw it in a new way. See, this lady was - in a passionate way - going off on how powerful a single word can be, and in that moment I realized how beautiful it was that each bottle was given a virtuous name... Generosity, Mercy, Compassion... and in that moment I remembered that study by Dr. Emoto and felt the power of what Sozo was delivering not only to those receiving the benefits of meals/freedom/water contributed... but the holder of the bottle. Could the physical structure of the molecules within those bottles be growing in beauty as growers, bottlers, admirers, and customers experienced the emotion of the name given that particular blend of wine? I just don't know... I'd like to believe yes:)
I believe in the supernatural. You can't believe in the God of "my" understanding and not believe in powers outside of mans understanding.. I cannot. And having worked this new territory just north and south of the beautiful Columbia River this past month, Sozo has wings when most like it seem to just have legs... and while legs aren't bad, wings certainly do help:)
My pipe died about ten lines ago... a damn shame. I will leave you - whoever might've made it this far in reading such a mess of thoughts - with what I believe to be the best words to meditate on. In the word of my God, they're compared to fruits which we can all grow by the power of our maker's Spirit... juicy fruits for all to pick and enjoy... the kind which blow your mind with their flavor, juice dripping down your cheek but you don't even care because it's so good.. fruitstand fruits... not that crap at safeway... ha
So... here it is...
"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." Some beautiful words to focus on... to soak in... to believe in and feel your body's structure turn to a beautiful glow as you grow fruit and transform your molecules to their intended design.
Do yourself a favor today and click here for a quick vid (one of many) on Dr. Emoto's study...
G'night... moon?... and whoever's on the other side of these words.
luke
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Candide ~~ "Committing To The Current"
Again, a month since I've written here? It seems crazy. So much has happened.
I'm now in portland, Sozo is cruising... His Spirit - I truly believe - is the only thing which will guide this thing to prosper -- for His kingdom purposes. When I'm engaged, apart from self, starting my days with Him, amazing things seem to happen... but the other days (there definitely are other days), it's uncanny how a fog seems to loom over the lighted hours. I don't like it... these fogs.. and in my bouncing around (which i'm all too familiar with in it's many forms) I know He won't give up on me, or this, using me to realize Goodness. Thirst. How long, oh my soul, will you put this on the side burner... with full knowledge of your captivity to it's path; a burden i'm thankful for.
I'm reading the book Candide, and really what got me to writing today is this book. I'm about half the way through, and I find myself engaged in a new way. Voltaire has his way with words, that even the most dull of situations can be colored with description enough to place the reader deep into the world illustrated. To this point that skill has described the most horrible evolution of a man through life's sufferings, beginning his earth's journey a noble, well admired man in a kingdom among kingdoms. Of course he falls in love, only for his love to be ripped away from him with the belief that it were for eternity. Still he searched for her.
Years later, through journeys of sufferings, he would - to his astonishment - find her alive... and well, alive. This was enough to draw thanks considering what they'd both been through, to now be re-united. Anyway, fate would lead them together through more suffering, and then to another separation... and it's in this gap - the thick of his search for her once again - that I find myself.
Candide finds himself in a foreign land, he would find out it's South America, and then peru. Him and his philosophical journeymen Cacambo, with one last breath in them - trapped in a land completely foreign to them - hope for something better... and upon finding a river, set afloat. "The two travellers had the courage to commit themselves to the current." I love that... especially for the land they would soon realize. The river would eventually claim their canoes and everything in them, and upon touching land they would find themselves in a country "cultivated as much for pleasure as for necessity. On all sides the useful was also the beautiful." The descriptions of this place are unreal... Gold, rubies, diamonds... everywhere. In first meeting the natives of the land, Candide realized their children to be "well brought up, since they are taught to despise gold and precious stones." They were not wealthy by their possessions... in fact the natives would laugh at Candide & Cacambo's reaction to their "yellow clay" which trumped the worth of all the "nations of Africa, Asia & Europe combined."
The people met their visitors (which they had never experienced due to the harsh surroundings) with splendor... feasts, clothing made of a thousand hummingbird's feathers, musicians by the thousands, goblets made of a single diamond to drink from... a crazy place of which Candide was soon to realize "is probably the country where all is well; for there absolutely must be one such place."
He found it:)
They stayed there one month before his desire to find his love pulled him out of paradise... but in his time there he learned their ways of peace. He learned they served one God, to think of there being more than one didn't make any sense to these people. "We are all priests" said an elder in the community... Candide wanted to know what they asked of their God to be so blessed... the elder's response was "we do not pray to Him, we have nothing to ask of Him; He has given us all we need, and we return Him thanks without ceasing." Perfect.
The king of the land was a humble man, adorned with all wisdom which reflected it in the majesty of his surroundings and his people; he accepted both visitors with all due honor and "received them with all the goodness imaginable".
This land was Voltaire's heaven... at least how I read it. And Candide would leave after just a month. And with the blessing and aid of the king, he and Cacambo would be given - what to the natives was worthless - one hundred sheep carrying the wealth of many kingdoms, setting out again to find his love. Idiot. ha
Well, one hundred sheep would turn into fifty, which would turn into twenty, then two... all but these two dying off - along with the wealth they could carry - somewhere along the journey. Bummer...
They would make it back to Europe, and the crazy events which would follow are well worth reading, but all that's important is that his wealth would fade, he would realize "how perishable are the riches of this world; there is nothing solid but virtue." And in remembering the beauty of the past world he was called family in for even just a month, the only thing remaining on his life's to-do list was to find Cunegonde, his chica.
I don't get it really yet, the ending is still 50 or so pages off, but why he would leave 'heaven' to pursue a woman on the other side of the globe not even knowing whether she lived or not -- no facebook in those days -- seems crazy to me. This depth of love, if it exists, is beyond me.
Their whole journey out of dark and into goodness started with them getting on the river, and "committing to it's currents". I understand that, going with the current of the river, not knowing whats around the next bend until you get there, it makes sense to me... and so in life.
I learn from Candide today to give thanks first... always.... for He has provided all we require (its so trueee)... to not fall into the lies of things associated with great wealth, for it soon fades, but joy and peace will remain... and the reliance on it can - as in his case - lead to ruin and suffering, yet again. Confronted with the "real" world after leaving paradise, Candide was hit by the "villainy of mankind presenting itself before his imaginations, in all its deformity, and his mind was filled with gloomy ideas." There is but one God... and for Him we live and give thanks for all provision
Anyway, a great book... check it out.
And the current which we should trust... I made a video of a river journey I had yesterday... an awesome expedition in new territory -- hard not to feel like candide, looking for "paradise" just 'round the river bend...
Click here for the video.
Later friends...
I'm now in portland, Sozo is cruising... His Spirit - I truly believe - is the only thing which will guide this thing to prosper -- for His kingdom purposes. When I'm engaged, apart from self, starting my days with Him, amazing things seem to happen... but the other days (there definitely are other days), it's uncanny how a fog seems to loom over the lighted hours. I don't like it... these fogs.. and in my bouncing around (which i'm all too familiar with in it's many forms) I know He won't give up on me, or this, using me to realize Goodness. Thirst. How long, oh my soul, will you put this on the side burner... with full knowledge of your captivity to it's path; a burden i'm thankful for.
I'm reading the book Candide, and really what got me to writing today is this book. I'm about half the way through, and I find myself engaged in a new way. Voltaire has his way with words, that even the most dull of situations can be colored with description enough to place the reader deep into the world illustrated. To this point that skill has described the most horrible evolution of a man through life's sufferings, beginning his earth's journey a noble, well admired man in a kingdom among kingdoms. Of course he falls in love, only for his love to be ripped away from him with the belief that it were for eternity. Still he searched for her.
Years later, through journeys of sufferings, he would - to his astonishment - find her alive... and well, alive. This was enough to draw thanks considering what they'd both been through, to now be re-united. Anyway, fate would lead them together through more suffering, and then to another separation... and it's in this gap - the thick of his search for her once again - that I find myself.
Candide finds himself in a foreign land, he would find out it's South America, and then peru. Him and his philosophical journeymen Cacambo, with one last breath in them - trapped in a land completely foreign to them - hope for something better... and upon finding a river, set afloat. "The two travellers had the courage to commit themselves to the current." I love that... especially for the land they would soon realize. The river would eventually claim their canoes and everything in them, and upon touching land they would find themselves in a country "cultivated as much for pleasure as for necessity. On all sides the useful was also the beautiful." The descriptions of this place are unreal... Gold, rubies, diamonds... everywhere. In first meeting the natives of the land, Candide realized their children to be "well brought up, since they are taught to despise gold and precious stones." They were not wealthy by their possessions... in fact the natives would laugh at Candide & Cacambo's reaction to their "yellow clay" which trumped the worth of all the "nations of Africa, Asia & Europe combined."
The people met their visitors (which they had never experienced due to the harsh surroundings) with splendor... feasts, clothing made of a thousand hummingbird's feathers, musicians by the thousands, goblets made of a single diamond to drink from... a crazy place of which Candide was soon to realize "is probably the country where all is well; for there absolutely must be one such place."
He found it:)
They stayed there one month before his desire to find his love pulled him out of paradise... but in his time there he learned their ways of peace. He learned they served one God, to think of there being more than one didn't make any sense to these people. "We are all priests" said an elder in the community... Candide wanted to know what they asked of their God to be so blessed... the elder's response was "we do not pray to Him, we have nothing to ask of Him; He has given us all we need, and we return Him thanks without ceasing." Perfect.
The king of the land was a humble man, adorned with all wisdom which reflected it in the majesty of his surroundings and his people; he accepted both visitors with all due honor and "received them with all the goodness imaginable".
This land was Voltaire's heaven... at least how I read it. And Candide would leave after just a month. And with the blessing and aid of the king, he and Cacambo would be given - what to the natives was worthless - one hundred sheep carrying the wealth of many kingdoms, setting out again to find his love. Idiot. ha
Well, one hundred sheep would turn into fifty, which would turn into twenty, then two... all but these two dying off - along with the wealth they could carry - somewhere along the journey. Bummer...
They would make it back to Europe, and the crazy events which would follow are well worth reading, but all that's important is that his wealth would fade, he would realize "how perishable are the riches of this world; there is nothing solid but virtue." And in remembering the beauty of the past world he was called family in for even just a month, the only thing remaining on his life's to-do list was to find Cunegonde, his chica.
I don't get it really yet, the ending is still 50 or so pages off, but why he would leave 'heaven' to pursue a woman on the other side of the globe not even knowing whether she lived or not -- no facebook in those days -- seems crazy to me. This depth of love, if it exists, is beyond me.
Their whole journey out of dark and into goodness started with them getting on the river, and "committing to it's currents". I understand that, going with the current of the river, not knowing whats around the next bend until you get there, it makes sense to me... and so in life.
I learn from Candide today to give thanks first... always.... for He has provided all we require (its so trueee)... to not fall into the lies of things associated with great wealth, for it soon fades, but joy and peace will remain... and the reliance on it can - as in his case - lead to ruin and suffering, yet again. Confronted with the "real" world after leaving paradise, Candide was hit by the "villainy of mankind presenting itself before his imaginations, in all its deformity, and his mind was filled with gloomy ideas." There is but one God... and for Him we live and give thanks for all provision
Anyway, a great book... check it out.
And the current which we should trust... I made a video of a river journey I had yesterday... an awesome expedition in new territory -- hard not to feel like candide, looking for "paradise" just 'round the river bend...
Click here for the video.
Later friends...
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
If you love the river...
You'll stick around, read and then watch the video at the bottom... ha
I've had quite the journey since I last wrote. Much to share, but whatever... this last weekend I went to Bend. I was meant to be there. The second day there I had one of the most profound river experiences I've ever had. I went down a section of the Deschutes with three friends... a hodge podge group from pasts presents and most likely futures... it was wonderful.
I made a video of the experience, it was the first time i've used this camera - a gift from my parents:) I stitched it with a song we randomly discovered minutes before putting on the river, it was a profound moment, and set the stage for what would be a spiritual experience for all floating that day.
From my perspective, you'll see all three in the beginning, and at some point going through the rapids all of them are out of their boat (can you spot it, first the kayak then the empty raft), and I witnessed this believing - at the point i'm sitting in the eddy after the first big wave - that the girl in the kayak was caught in a strainer river right or in serious trouble.. well, I would cross the river and see her clinging to the rock, can you see her?
How we got her out of the eddy (took an hour and a half.. kayaking back through rapid, hiking lava fields, ropes everywhere.. it was nuts) is after the fact... the profound moment of this whole experience was leading a group where in the middle of the rapid (three big waves right below the incident) you look back and see everyone bobbing in the river... if you're a river person, you can probably relate. It does something to a person, it's crazy... I put the song we loved to the video I took, it came out alright and I think conveys well what my mind and spirit were going through, first seeing her not get her roll up in practice, then going through the rapid and everything you hoped wouldn't happen does. The raft gets off line because they focus on the flipped kayak and they dump truck because of it.. everyone out of the boat. Then to see the boat fly by with both back in it, pheww... but where's the kayaker?? Anyway.. I think you might enjoy... it was a spiritual experience for all involved (rookie guide, first time rafter, young kayaker and myself) consider it a journey into my experience. my first video edit.. ha
Click here for the video **Watch in HD**
My journey has been sweet these past months... I hope to share more with -- whoever reads this crap -- in the future.
Good night friends..
luke
I've had quite the journey since I last wrote. Much to share, but whatever... this last weekend I went to Bend. I was meant to be there. The second day there I had one of the most profound river experiences I've ever had. I went down a section of the Deschutes with three friends... a hodge podge group from pasts presents and most likely futures... it was wonderful.
I made a video of the experience, it was the first time i've used this camera - a gift from my parents:) I stitched it with a song we randomly discovered minutes before putting on the river, it was a profound moment, and set the stage for what would be a spiritual experience for all floating that day.
From my perspective, you'll see all three in the beginning, and at some point going through the rapids all of them are out of their boat (can you spot it, first the kayak then the empty raft), and I witnessed this believing - at the point i'm sitting in the eddy after the first big wave - that the girl in the kayak was caught in a strainer river right or in serious trouble.. well, I would cross the river and see her clinging to the rock, can you see her?
How we got her out of the eddy (took an hour and a half.. kayaking back through rapid, hiking lava fields, ropes everywhere.. it was nuts) is after the fact... the profound moment of this whole experience was leading a group where in the middle of the rapid (three big waves right below the incident) you look back and see everyone bobbing in the river... if you're a river person, you can probably relate. It does something to a person, it's crazy... I put the song we loved to the video I took, it came out alright and I think conveys well what my mind and spirit were going through, first seeing her not get her roll up in practice, then going through the rapid and everything you hoped wouldn't happen does. The raft gets off line because they focus on the flipped kayak and they dump truck because of it.. everyone out of the boat. Then to see the boat fly by with both back in it, pheww... but where's the kayaker?? Anyway.. I think you might enjoy... it was a spiritual experience for all involved (rookie guide, first time rafter, young kayaker and myself) consider it a journey into my experience. my first video edit.. ha
Click here for the video **Watch in HD**
My journey has been sweet these past months... I hope to share more with -- whoever reads this crap -- in the future.
Good night friends..
luke
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Out of the Valley - From a few weeks ago
I wrote this a week or two ago journaling, it gives a good look into what the transition out of CO back to WA was like for me internally.. life aint all cherries.. but it sure is good..
~ ~ ~
4/12/13
I sit here now, my life it seems couldn't feel more full, I have nothing but 'thanks' overflowing with the force of all our maker's beautiful waterfalls combined. It's big. See, I wouldn't have said that a week and a half ago - a month ago even - as many of the question marks which hit me like hail from the sky have now cleared and the "path" seems to be revealing itself in the clearing of a great storm. A week and a half ago I was basically homeless (not really though, but kinda.. ha), putting large amounts of weight into a new job I still had many questions about... financially things were lookin more grim than I was used to, and my life was packed up in a truck (I love you gunner) who with every sputter seemed to be reciting it's own eulogy. I was hanging to my faith,, listening more and more to the words of "the great accuser" and struggling in areas of my walk I'm not proud of. "Waiting" found a new synonym friend in "lazy", and my hands were getting antsy. Combine this with a spur of the moment move back to a seemingly foreign land in my hometown Seattle (not to mention my leaving buena vista, a town I saw as nothing short of my land of "milk n honey")... I had grown this vision of a future, of growing roots and building foundation for things I desired giving them chance to become reality... I felt such a large gap existed between the two... and in my fear - although never with words, but more with my feelings - I cursed my God at times, definitely turning my gaze.. looking back on it, i deserved the cursing... I never lost a vision for truth though, and with the little dust of faith I had, he was faithful...
And here I now am.. a week and a half later and it's as though I live in a completely different reality. I sit in my new home for the next two months, a little guest home, one room with a fire, bed, couch & kitchen all in one room... it's beautiful.. and this little home being right a stones throw from the shores of Burien, it's only natural the insides be constructed of rich mahogany, white stripped walls, copper boarders on every circle window, it's as though i'm in the kings cabin of a ship sailing comfortably across the dreaded atlantic. It's a dream really. My new boss who has so graciously invited me to live here for the time, is the man... Couldn't be more thankful. Of course a week and a half ago, where I was to live and how i was to afford it was the biggest question mark of all. This new job I came excited about but with questions, has only ironed itself out becoming smoother with each day. Gunner is in fact running great, and the gap shrinks before my eyes in an impossible amount... head bowed, all I have is thanks because I'm a piece of shit and don't deserve the blessings, but if by His grace.
... thanks ...
I did my first wine event tonight with my other boss (there're two, both rock, both love jesus and are completely unique from one another, its awesome)... the event was at Holy Names all girls school for a group of alum... a crazy night, I loved it. These past five days with Sozo, all amazing and more to come later on the details, but each day amazing & unique, what fun it is to represent a top tier quality wine, leaning with my associates on the power of Jesus, praying often, calling on the Spirit in using this gift of delicious juice to bring glory and healing to His kingdom and His people. This... THIS is what he calls us to, by what means, for profit not for profit, whatever wherever, that's ours to decide...
"Although The Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'this is the way, walk in it.'" isa 30:21
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." eccl 9:10
I love these..!. wherever, whatever, do it with all your might, for Him, and the spirits voice will comfort with words confirming your path.. even when the path to get to the peaks must first weave a valley or two..
So the time of questioning, the time of hanging by a thread - a thread enough for HIm to hold me in this case it seems - of faith where the only thing i could mutter was "I love, trust, and thank you God.."... those the only words I had, because anything else would've seemed empty (although i'd try, and lie, and it sucked..).. All I had was my core which i'm thankful was able to mutter even that. But from where I sit now, from that raw core life has sprung and spring it seems has made it's way to my soul.
I'm thankful for a job where every moment it seems pops a new vessel of creative juice in areas of my brain which had long since callused over... creative juice now flowing, and in an area I feel I know well, but had been out of for some time... the world of business. It's fun to feel like maybe those calluses were purposed, as was their popping, waiting to release my old "knowledge" over new life "experiences" I've found these past years.. and it would all make sense... There's that little voice again:)
If I had more time or energy I would write more about the job, the product, the beautiful causes behind it... I would write about my eventually moving to portland, my stoke level for getting back near family... I would talk about how I know jack squat about wine, but couldn't be more confident to bring it's goodness to the parched land of Portlandia... I would probably write a little about kayaking, because I love it.. then I'd write ya a little hum-dinger right before I signed off. So having given you the summary of what I "would" do, I think I'll go to bed now...
G'night friends...
~ ~ ~
4/12/13
I sit here now, my life it seems couldn't feel more full, I have nothing but 'thanks' overflowing with the force of all our maker's beautiful waterfalls combined. It's big. See, I wouldn't have said that a week and a half ago - a month ago even - as many of the question marks which hit me like hail from the sky have now cleared and the "path" seems to be revealing itself in the clearing of a great storm. A week and a half ago I was basically homeless (not really though, but kinda.. ha), putting large amounts of weight into a new job I still had many questions about... financially things were lookin more grim than I was used to, and my life was packed up in a truck (I love you gunner) who with every sputter seemed to be reciting it's own eulogy. I was hanging to my faith,, listening more and more to the words of "the great accuser" and struggling in areas of my walk I'm not proud of. "Waiting" found a new synonym friend in "lazy", and my hands were getting antsy. Combine this with a spur of the moment move back to a seemingly foreign land in my hometown Seattle (not to mention my leaving buena vista, a town I saw as nothing short of my land of "milk n honey")... I had grown this vision of a future, of growing roots and building foundation for things I desired giving them chance to become reality... I felt such a large gap existed between the two... and in my fear - although never with words, but more with my feelings - I cursed my God at times, definitely turning my gaze.. looking back on it, i deserved the cursing... I never lost a vision for truth though, and with the little dust of faith I had, he was faithful...
And here I now am.. a week and a half later and it's as though I live in a completely different reality. I sit in my new home for the next two months, a little guest home, one room with a fire, bed, couch & kitchen all in one room... it's beautiful.. and this little home being right a stones throw from the shores of Burien, it's only natural the insides be constructed of rich mahogany, white stripped walls, copper boarders on every circle window, it's as though i'm in the kings cabin of a ship sailing comfortably across the dreaded atlantic. It's a dream really. My new boss who has so graciously invited me to live here for the time, is the man... Couldn't be more thankful. Of course a week and a half ago, where I was to live and how i was to afford it was the biggest question mark of all. This new job I came excited about but with questions, has only ironed itself out becoming smoother with each day. Gunner is in fact running great, and the gap shrinks before my eyes in an impossible amount... head bowed, all I have is thanks because I'm a piece of shit and don't deserve the blessings, but if by His grace.
... thanks ...
I did my first wine event tonight with my other boss (there're two, both rock, both love jesus and are completely unique from one another, its awesome)... the event was at Holy Names all girls school for a group of alum... a crazy night, I loved it. These past five days with Sozo, all amazing and more to come later on the details, but each day amazing & unique, what fun it is to represent a top tier quality wine, leaning with my associates on the power of Jesus, praying often, calling on the Spirit in using this gift of delicious juice to bring glory and healing to His kingdom and His people. This... THIS is what he calls us to, by what means, for profit not for profit, whatever wherever, that's ours to decide...
"Although The Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'this is the way, walk in it.'" isa 30:21
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might..." eccl 9:10
I love these..!. wherever, whatever, do it with all your might, for Him, and the spirits voice will comfort with words confirming your path.. even when the path to get to the peaks must first weave a valley or two..
So the time of questioning, the time of hanging by a thread - a thread enough for HIm to hold me in this case it seems - of faith where the only thing i could mutter was "I love, trust, and thank you God.."... those the only words I had, because anything else would've seemed empty (although i'd try, and lie, and it sucked..).. All I had was my core which i'm thankful was able to mutter even that. But from where I sit now, from that raw core life has sprung and spring it seems has made it's way to my soul.
I'm thankful for a job where every moment it seems pops a new vessel of creative juice in areas of my brain which had long since callused over... creative juice now flowing, and in an area I feel I know well, but had been out of for some time... the world of business. It's fun to feel like maybe those calluses were purposed, as was their popping, waiting to release my old "knowledge" over new life "experiences" I've found these past years.. and it would all make sense... There's that little voice again:)
If I had more time or energy I would write more about the job, the product, the beautiful causes behind it... I would write about my eventually moving to portland, my stoke level for getting back near family... I would talk about how I know jack squat about wine, but couldn't be more confident to bring it's goodness to the parched land of Portlandia... I would probably write a little about kayaking, because I love it.. then I'd write ya a little hum-dinger right before I signed off. So having given you the summary of what I "would" do, I think I'll go to bed now...
G'night friends...
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Hosea meets Pilate meets Me
What a beautiful journey through the word this morning... Starting out with the last few chapters of Hosea, living through the peaks and valleys of the Lord's relationship with Israel, it was what I needed. Then jumping to where I'm at in John, the end of Jesus' time on earth. Where I started the journey was with Jesus - after preaching beautifully to his disciples - He looks up to heaven and prays for them, his followers... "for I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me."... "Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one." He prayed for them. Read it sometime..
Then He prayed for you, and for me.. for "all believers".
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one..." Read the prayer, it's awesome, and for those who believe, pleease join me in feeling the power of a prayer lifted specifically for me, by my Jesus. On our behalf, he brought our case before the Father, and we are free to enter into unity with Him, in His kingdom.
So he prays... then follows his betrayal, his being led before the high priest, and then to Pilate. I want here to posit that - by what I read in John's account - Pilate wasn't that bad of a dude, in fact I'd say he's sitting up in heaven with our Lord right now just lovin life... Here's what I read..
When he first receives him from the Jews, he questions seriously this mans guilt, he even tries to give him back. When all attempts fail, he questions Jesus himself. Jesus at one point describes his "kingdom" that awaits, at this Pilate proclaims "You are a king then!"... jesus replies "you are right in saying I am a king" ... "... for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
I think Pilate took this to heart, because he follows with "what is truth?" A serious question I believe...
Next what happens is my favorite..!. we're not told what Jesus' response to him was about truth, but in the next sentence Pilate goes out and basically says "hey, I don't see any reason why this man should be killed, but I'll let you choose one last time and decide between this guy - the "king of the jews" and Barabas, one badass criminal, which to kill"
They choose Jesus, and Pilate gave him over to be crucified. See, I believe that in Jesus' defining truth to Pilate, part of that was understanding what Jesus had to do. See back in what I read earlier, in Jesus' prayer for us, he answered this question for us, it's awesome.!.. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth."
I don't think it's any coincidence these two uses of 'truth' were put so close to eachother. See, Pilate confronted this truth in this moment we're not told the details of, the moment when Jesus shared with him Truth. But Pilate leaves changed... he will insist on Jesus being recognized as the "King of the Jews". He encountered all truth we are given in the word.. it's life.. and he stood to defend it's recognition, accepting his King's fate, understanding the weight & importance of this event.
So then Pilate when he's about to give him over to the Jews finds out that Jesus apparently is also claiming to be the Son of God.. when you read it it's almost like the record screeches, he stops on a dime turns around to jesus & says "hold up... you're the Son of God too??!" He believed his truth, and now he asks Jesus "where do you come from?" Jesus' answer is perfect, and it says Pilate's response is that he from then on "tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting."
What happens next I think is truly fascinating, and I'd never caught it before.. stick with me. Pilate goes to Jesus, gets him and brings him out in front of the people where he (pilate) would sit on "the Judges seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement" This seems significant only because of what Pilate would say. Addressing the people, he says "Here is your King." he then asks "Shall I crucify your King?" Twice recognizing this man's title. Their response, "we have no king but ceasar".. Pilate got it, he proclaims "HERE IS YOUR KIIING, DON'T YOU GET IT?!!".. His being crucified needed to happen. Pilate however believed in Jesus' innocence, and believed His truth, proclaiming Him as his "King". Against the will of the people, he will then insist on there being a sign above Jesus' head which reads "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." In Latin, Aramaic & Greek... for ALL the people to know, He is King. And when challenged, pilate's last recorded words are "I have written, what I have written." A strong statement by a strong man who knows and is living out the Truth he was recently exposed to.
So, that's what I learned from Pilate. And bringing it back to Hosea, as Israel would go in and out of affection for their Maker, the words of The Lord for his people are this, that in and out of trouble, "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lilly. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon... I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
And on that note, goodbye :)
Oh.. if you made it that far, do yourself a favor and listen to this guy, Jordan Frye, his new album is on spotify and is pretty awesome..
Then He prayed for you, and for me.. for "all believers".
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one..." Read the prayer, it's awesome, and for those who believe, pleease join me in feeling the power of a prayer lifted specifically for me, by my Jesus. On our behalf, he brought our case before the Father, and we are free to enter into unity with Him, in His kingdom.
So he prays... then follows his betrayal, his being led before the high priest, and then to Pilate. I want here to posit that - by what I read in John's account - Pilate wasn't that bad of a dude, in fact I'd say he's sitting up in heaven with our Lord right now just lovin life... Here's what I read..
When he first receives him from the Jews, he questions seriously this mans guilt, he even tries to give him back. When all attempts fail, he questions Jesus himself. Jesus at one point describes his "kingdom" that awaits, at this Pilate proclaims "You are a king then!"... jesus replies "you are right in saying I am a king" ... "... for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
I think Pilate took this to heart, because he follows with "what is truth?" A serious question I believe...
Next what happens is my favorite..!. we're not told what Jesus' response to him was about truth, but in the next sentence Pilate goes out and basically says "hey, I don't see any reason why this man should be killed, but I'll let you choose one last time and decide between this guy - the "king of the jews" and Barabas, one badass criminal, which to kill"
They choose Jesus, and Pilate gave him over to be crucified. See, I believe that in Jesus' defining truth to Pilate, part of that was understanding what Jesus had to do. See back in what I read earlier, in Jesus' prayer for us, he answered this question for us, it's awesome.!.. "Sanctify them by the truth; your word is the truth."
I don't think it's any coincidence these two uses of 'truth' were put so close to eachother. See, Pilate confronted this truth in this moment we're not told the details of, the moment when Jesus shared with him Truth. But Pilate leaves changed... he will insist on Jesus being recognized as the "King of the Jews". He encountered all truth we are given in the word.. it's life.. and he stood to defend it's recognition, accepting his King's fate, understanding the weight & importance of this event.
So then Pilate when he's about to give him over to the Jews finds out that Jesus apparently is also claiming to be the Son of God.. when you read it it's almost like the record screeches, he stops on a dime turns around to jesus & says "hold up... you're the Son of God too??!" He believed his truth, and now he asks Jesus "where do you come from?" Jesus' answer is perfect, and it says Pilate's response is that he from then on "tried to set Jesus free, but the Jews kept shouting."
What happens next I think is truly fascinating, and I'd never caught it before.. stick with me. Pilate goes to Jesus, gets him and brings him out in front of the people where he (pilate) would sit on "the Judges seat at a place known as the Stone Pavement" This seems significant only because of what Pilate would say. Addressing the people, he says "Here is your King." he then asks "Shall I crucify your King?" Twice recognizing this man's title. Their response, "we have no king but ceasar".. Pilate got it, he proclaims "HERE IS YOUR KIIING, DON'T YOU GET IT?!!".. His being crucified needed to happen. Pilate however believed in Jesus' innocence, and believed His truth, proclaiming Him as his "King". Against the will of the people, he will then insist on there being a sign above Jesus' head which reads "JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." In Latin, Aramaic & Greek... for ALL the people to know, He is King. And when challenged, pilate's last recorded words are "I have written, what I have written." A strong statement by a strong man who knows and is living out the Truth he was recently exposed to.
So, that's what I learned from Pilate. And bringing it back to Hosea, as Israel would go in and out of affection for their Maker, the words of The Lord for his people are this, that in and out of trouble, "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lilly. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon... I am like a green pine tree; your fruitfulness comes from me."
And on that note, goodbye :)
Oh.. if you made it that far, do yourself a favor and listen to this guy, Jordan Frye, his new album is on spotify and is pretty awesome..
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
~ Homeward Bound ~
March 11th, 2013
One week left, then it's goodbye to Colorado. It's different this time, saying goodbye without a date i hold onto in my mind for when i'll be returning. Every day it seems tougher than the last, i find new gems each day in the jaw-dropping creation which wraps it's beautiful arms in, on, all around & through me... am I really leaving this place? These people? This river? Valley? Ugh.. Each day too tho i'm gifted something new to look forward to in moving back to truly the most beautiful corner of the country.. I find myself dreaming about ferry rides in the fall... learning the cascades... the olympic peninsula.. beaches enough to explore for a lifetime. Floating the over 300 rivers which reliably feed our beautiful green land year round.. glory. I dream about spending more time with my family... is it possible I could really be close enough to see Liam once a week??... Chels & Cas? Ma & Pa? Mimi & Papa? Grandma? Aunts, uncles, so many little cousins now... I've already promised a ferry date to one Everest Pinneo:) and with Liam's little brother or sister now to come in August, my spirit's grown an undeniable magnetic charge pulling my gaze back home...
So one week from today I'll be just hours from hitting the coast near LA where i'll meet my family to take ma neph Liam to Disneyland.. stoked. And two weeks from today I'll be on a familiar journey up the 101. I realized just recently how intense the experience could be... see the last time I made the trek I had just graduated, popped the little nazarene bubble i'd found myself in, and took five or so days picking my way up the coast. I let loose my spirit, and met some of the most incredible souls along the way. I can still feel the weight of how significant an experience that drive was for me. See, I could've stayed in Cali, I could've stayed in the PNW, both safe places. But on the road I was given tastes of what I knew awaited me, and soon I would be back on the road heading to where I felt drawn to taste more, where I believed I could taste in abundance what I craved... that place was Colorado just a little over four years ago... what I craved was a greater diversity in our (humanities) observing of our place on earth... simple living, suffering with joy, oneness with creation.. And in pockets all over, I found it. So driving back up the 101, as the page turns on what seems to be the ending to my thickest most enjoyable chapter, I anticipate that with every familiar turn i'll encounter in a fresh way the 22 yr old luke. Remembering. This will be one of the greatest gifts of this journey. Remembering to where, through what, and with whom I've journeyed my last four years in this school called life.
It's amazing remembering. He's always interested in me, in using me, filling me, leading me, teaching me love, revealing Himself to me through His word & His people.. all of creation. I wish I could say the same about my interest in pursuing Him... there have been dark nights of the soul.. It's the remembering which turns the tides.
I wont forget tonight, walking out back the house to the creek under the light of the stars alone... just myself, I was met in silence by the comfort of my maker, and with all the question marks which litter the path I'm quickly approaching.. i found peace, the kind thats familiar but every time it feels like the first time.. ya know?. I found new forgiveness (it's offered each day always.. it's great), a fresh but familiar feeling that where i stand is good, today IS a day lived in eternity.. now. As I walked back to the house I noticed the fun pattern I'd made just a few days ago in the snow with my steps.. well, it was gone. The snow still spotty in places, but had melted enough to erase my path.. the path I had walked just a few days earlier was squiggly & all over the place, inspired by the fresh dump of white goodness... that day on that walk I was impacted by grace as the whole land was made new, the ground, trees, mountains, every step I took was new.. and in my heart I felt this same gift, experiencing tangibly & spiritually the reality of what is meant by 'white as snow'. But the evidence of this journey, tonight was nowhere to be found.. the journey is a new one, and tomorrow when it snows and a new carpet of the whitest white calls me to make a new journey, I surely will. His grace is new every day. I see the road ahead as though it had a fresh snow the night before... and even if the journey's already been made, there're fresh steps to be had along the way.. each day.
So the 101? Home? 2400 miles? Pray for me.. imma need it.. ha. Each day a little harder, but each balanced by new light shining over my destination. Lotsa clouds in Seattle (again, pray for me!), but something tells me i'll be reminded on the cloudy days to simply remember & be filled.. each day finding it's light.
So... right now sitting under a tree, by a stream... just found this gem of a psalm.. I wanna be like this tree.. they're the coolest
"...he is like a tree planted by streams of water... whatever he does prospers."
.. click for the whole thing...
~The creek out back~
One week left, then it's goodbye to Colorado. It's different this time, saying goodbye without a date i hold onto in my mind for when i'll be returning. Every day it seems tougher than the last, i find new gems each day in the jaw-dropping creation which wraps it's beautiful arms in, on, all around & through me... am I really leaving this place? These people? This river? Valley? Ugh.. Each day too tho i'm gifted something new to look forward to in moving back to truly the most beautiful corner of the country.. I find myself dreaming about ferry rides in the fall... learning the cascades... the olympic peninsula.. beaches enough to explore for a lifetime. Floating the over 300 rivers which reliably feed our beautiful green land year round.. glory. I dream about spending more time with my family... is it possible I could really be close enough to see Liam once a week??... Chels & Cas? Ma & Pa? Mimi & Papa? Grandma? Aunts, uncles, so many little cousins now... I've already promised a ferry date to one Everest Pinneo:) and with Liam's little brother or sister now to come in August, my spirit's grown an undeniable magnetic charge pulling my gaze back home...
So one week from today I'll be just hours from hitting the coast near LA where i'll meet my family to take ma neph Liam to Disneyland.. stoked. And two weeks from today I'll be on a familiar journey up the 101. I realized just recently how intense the experience could be... see the last time I made the trek I had just graduated, popped the little nazarene bubble i'd found myself in, and took five or so days picking my way up the coast. I let loose my spirit, and met some of the most incredible souls along the way. I can still feel the weight of how significant an experience that drive was for me. See, I could've stayed in Cali, I could've stayed in the PNW, both safe places. But on the road I was given tastes of what I knew awaited me, and soon I would be back on the road heading to where I felt drawn to taste more, where I believed I could taste in abundance what I craved... that place was Colorado just a little over four years ago... what I craved was a greater diversity in our (humanities) observing of our place on earth... simple living, suffering with joy, oneness with creation.. And in pockets all over, I found it. So driving back up the 101, as the page turns on what seems to be the ending to my thickest most enjoyable chapter, I anticipate that with every familiar turn i'll encounter in a fresh way the 22 yr old luke. Remembering. This will be one of the greatest gifts of this journey. Remembering to where, through what, and with whom I've journeyed my last four years in this school called life.
It's amazing remembering. He's always interested in me, in using me, filling me, leading me, teaching me love, revealing Himself to me through His word & His people.. all of creation. I wish I could say the same about my interest in pursuing Him... there have been dark nights of the soul.. It's the remembering which turns the tides.
I wont forget tonight, walking out back the house to the creek under the light of the stars alone... just myself, I was met in silence by the comfort of my maker, and with all the question marks which litter the path I'm quickly approaching.. i found peace, the kind thats familiar but every time it feels like the first time.. ya know?. I found new forgiveness (it's offered each day always.. it's great), a fresh but familiar feeling that where i stand is good, today IS a day lived in eternity.. now. As I walked back to the house I noticed the fun pattern I'd made just a few days ago in the snow with my steps.. well, it was gone. The snow still spotty in places, but had melted enough to erase my path.. the path I had walked just a few days earlier was squiggly & all over the place, inspired by the fresh dump of white goodness... that day on that walk I was impacted by grace as the whole land was made new, the ground, trees, mountains, every step I took was new.. and in my heart I felt this same gift, experiencing tangibly & spiritually the reality of what is meant by 'white as snow'. But the evidence of this journey, tonight was nowhere to be found.. the journey is a new one, and tomorrow when it snows and a new carpet of the whitest white calls me to make a new journey, I surely will. His grace is new every day. I see the road ahead as though it had a fresh snow the night before... and even if the journey's already been made, there're fresh steps to be had along the way.. each day.
So the 101? Home? 2400 miles? Pray for me.. imma need it.. ha. Each day a little harder, but each balanced by new light shining over my destination. Lotsa clouds in Seattle (again, pray for me!), but something tells me i'll be reminded on the cloudy days to simply remember & be filled.. each day finding it's light.
So... right now sitting under a tree, by a stream... just found this gem of a psalm.. I wanna be like this tree.. they're the coolest
"...he is like a tree planted by streams of water... whatever he does prospers."
.. click for the whole thing...
~The creek out back~
Thursday, December 6, 2012
"Choose a girl who reads..."
“…If you find a girl who reads, keep her close. When you find her up at two a.m. clutching a book to her chest and weeping, make her a cup of tea and hold her. You may lose her for a couple of hours but she will always come back to you. She’ll talk as if the characters in the book are real, because for a while, they always are.
You will propose on a hot air balloon. Or during a rock concert. Or very casually next time she’s sick. Over Skype.
You will smile so hard you will wonder why your heart hasn’t burst and bled out all over your chest yet. You will write the story of your lives, have kids with strange names and even stranger tastes. She will introduce your children to the Cat in the Hat and Aslan, maybe in the same day. You will walk the winters of your old age together and she will recite Keats under her breath while you shake the snow off your boots.
Date a girl who reads because you deserve it. You deserve a girl who can give you the most colorful life imaginable. If you can only give her monotony, and stale hours and half-baked proposals, then you’re better off alone. If you want the world and the worlds beyond it, date a girl who reads.
Or better yet, date a girl who writes.“
- Rosemarie Urquico
Monday, November 19, 2012
Title: Lacking inspiration for a title
I was once told you could tell a true lover of reading, by whether or not they re-read books... this made so much sense to me, and in that moment reading took on a whole new light. I already enjoyed reading, but it almost felt like a harvesting effort, rather than simply for the enjoyment of picking the fruit offered between the rows of words.
I'm re-reading a book currently. Mountains of Spices, by hannah hurnard. It's an allegory which in it the "King" has just taken one of his transformed daughters named "grace and glory" up to the mountain of pomegranates, or rather the mountain of 'love'. The pomegranate here represents love (duh?). Without going into my crazy appreciation for the colorful combination of words she uses to describe this place's beauty, I want to share some thoughts I had drawn from reading this chapter...
I think actually I'll just type my maybe sloppy notes i jotted after finishing it.. then touch on a few spots..
"Love... Love is giving of oneself to others.. Others over ourselves.. As we've crowded out love with anything contrary to perfect, fruits stop growing, and the disparities in wealth only continue to widen. He came as the complete expression of love, his appearance glowed with the love we can only anticipate one day being reunited with. But as evil makes haste, and disparities widen, a cleansing is on its way, the uniqueness of our time is obvious.. and Jesus will return and we will feel that love once again, true life.. but first comes birth pains. Living a life (every aspect) of love is what we're called to, for others to enjoy and crave our fruit, and ourselves to experience true joy and gladness. That feeling, love... ever felt it, how? Now imagine perfect love free from the tics of pain, anxiousness, fear, or any other lovesucking creature. That is what awaits, but if what awaited you, we're already here, would you choose to wait? Heaven is now, earth in all its beauty is where we all as one can claim citizenship, and one day, under our creator, it will be so... free from evil.. which lying at the root of every species is the love of money.. 'The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.', blocking off healthy growth with whatever will break soil being the root...
Don't love it, free yourself from the lust for it, give it freely as the spirit guides, and in your giving you will be blessed, you will have manna for the day.. that's the promise.. and apparently manna was the bomb"
So...
I truly wonder if we have a clue just how unique this sliver of human history is that we are able to experience. I sit here, in a perfect chair made of a cow, relaxing behind four panes of glass enjoying the stars and moon, free from the wind & rain. I have music in the background, music that on my demand can be from any culture, time period, genre... anything.. should I choose. On my lap (also in my pocket), sits a device that can instantly tell me just about anything I want to know in the world... if I just ask siri nicely.. not to mention live-stream revolutions happening on the other side of the world. I could go drive to the nearest city and choose food from just about any significantly populated country. I could go downstairs and instantly have boiling water (no kiddin), cubes of ice by the dozens, a box that with a few buttons heats anything.. I mean comeon...
I could go on longer than you could hold your pee in.. my point.?.. try and understand that we live in an extremely unique period of human history... with that device in your pocket or on your lap - like all things i believe created by man - it is capable of equal amounts of bad as good. With it we aren't allowed to hide from knowledge of the disparities in the world. Wider and wider they grow...
The requirements of love for me are i struggle for... i've learned i'm not good at it (i'm human). So when I stare Love in the face, learning it's definition in reading the life of Loves expression made in the likeness of a man, i'm reminded, & recentered. He walked this earth, for three years, and every single first impression of people who believed in what he had to offer (love), was one not of the usual substance... and those that stayed near him grew comfortable in his offering, and themselves went out to share that love... 'taking nothing with them'... he was enough.
I'm trying to figure out a creative way of saying that me writing this, I'm writing it to myself (truly)... nothing.
I don't know why I'm so blessed to have such comfort.. really. And I'm daily soaked in a new world of work where those 'disparities' are about as unobvious as maybe three hovering humming birds... right in front of your face... wearing cowboy hats.
You know it's there...
i live suspended in this balance almost every day, and while I'm suspended I believe for the cause of good, it means too that my own weaknesses are magnified as I scramble for strength amidst the suspension. In ways I feel stronger.. in ways - even in the process of growth - I don't..
But what I read tonight in allegory - the story of love and it's unique supremacy of the ultimate good among man - I saw the purity in Love and it's offerings, and my insides shrunk in humble thanks for knowing the God of love. And Jesus, the living, and then dying, but then living manifestation of that Love. He's a gift for us...
It's a damn shame thinking of all the ways the name of Christ has been used, abused, jammed into unwilling ears.. instead of simply offering the expression of that which we say we believe in... love...
It's a beautiful thing meeting a person who doesn't make the same claims to faith as myself, maybe they don't even have a faith, but they love genuinely those around them... I always learn something from these people.. and find myself craving more..
So, I guess the thing I'm struck with tonight, I'll leave you with.. I'm thankful in new but familiar ways for an example to look to in Jesus, the example I can glean eternal wisdom from as I live in a suspended world of such obvious disparity.. in an age that is undeniably unique. And as ever growing evils battle evergrowing love for the right to exist on this planet... i'm locked in imagining the new earth, that which awaits those who will one day experience the wholeness of that which they struggled for on earth... and I see the purpose of love, to bring that earth to bear, to bring the love of our eternal dwelling down into the suspension... and free from fear of death, free from ourselves, we grow fruit who's source of nourishment, whose roots are founded in eternal virtues... the greatest of which is love. I imagine our existence in eternity is merely where we find ourselves locked into that which exists only in the roots of our lives here on earth.. the roots don't lie.
So if love is chosen, the source of love which we experience in glimpses on earth, we'll walk alongside existing wholly in the direct path of that Love... for always..
Anyway..
Choose Love people..
Over n out
I'm re-reading a book currently. Mountains of Spices, by hannah hurnard. It's an allegory which in it the "King" has just taken one of his transformed daughters named "grace and glory" up to the mountain of pomegranates, or rather the mountain of 'love'. The pomegranate here represents love (duh?). Without going into my crazy appreciation for the colorful combination of words she uses to describe this place's beauty, I want to share some thoughts I had drawn from reading this chapter...
I think actually I'll just type my maybe sloppy notes i jotted after finishing it.. then touch on a few spots..
"Love... Love is giving of oneself to others.. Others over ourselves.. As we've crowded out love with anything contrary to perfect, fruits stop growing, and the disparities in wealth only continue to widen. He came as the complete expression of love, his appearance glowed with the love we can only anticipate one day being reunited with. But as evil makes haste, and disparities widen, a cleansing is on its way, the uniqueness of our time is obvious.. and Jesus will return and we will feel that love once again, true life.. but first comes birth pains. Living a life (every aspect) of love is what we're called to, for others to enjoy and crave our fruit, and ourselves to experience true joy and gladness. That feeling, love... ever felt it, how? Now imagine perfect love free from the tics of pain, anxiousness, fear, or any other lovesucking creature. That is what awaits, but if what awaited you, we're already here, would you choose to wait? Heaven is now, earth in all its beauty is where we all as one can claim citizenship, and one day, under our creator, it will be so... free from evil.. which lying at the root of every species is the love of money.. 'The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.', blocking off healthy growth with whatever will break soil being the root...
Don't love it, free yourself from the lust for it, give it freely as the spirit guides, and in your giving you will be blessed, you will have manna for the day.. that's the promise.. and apparently manna was the bomb"
So...
I truly wonder if we have a clue just how unique this sliver of human history is that we are able to experience. I sit here, in a perfect chair made of a cow, relaxing behind four panes of glass enjoying the stars and moon, free from the wind & rain. I have music in the background, music that on my demand can be from any culture, time period, genre... anything.. should I choose. On my lap (also in my pocket), sits a device that can instantly tell me just about anything I want to know in the world... if I just ask siri nicely.. not to mention live-stream revolutions happening on the other side of the world. I could go drive to the nearest city and choose food from just about any significantly populated country. I could go downstairs and instantly have boiling water (no kiddin), cubes of ice by the dozens, a box that with a few buttons heats anything.. I mean comeon...
I could go on longer than you could hold your pee in.. my point.?.. try and understand that we live in an extremely unique period of human history... with that device in your pocket or on your lap - like all things i believe created by man - it is capable of equal amounts of bad as good. With it we aren't allowed to hide from knowledge of the disparities in the world. Wider and wider they grow...
The requirements of love for me are i struggle for... i've learned i'm not good at it (i'm human). So when I stare Love in the face, learning it's definition in reading the life of Loves expression made in the likeness of a man, i'm reminded, & recentered. He walked this earth, for three years, and every single first impression of people who believed in what he had to offer (love), was one not of the usual substance... and those that stayed near him grew comfortable in his offering, and themselves went out to share that love... 'taking nothing with them'... he was enough.
I'm trying to figure out a creative way of saying that me writing this, I'm writing it to myself (truly)... nothing.
I don't know why I'm so blessed to have such comfort.. really. And I'm daily soaked in a new world of work where those 'disparities' are about as unobvious as maybe three hovering humming birds... right in front of your face... wearing cowboy hats.
You know it's there...
i live suspended in this balance almost every day, and while I'm suspended I believe for the cause of good, it means too that my own weaknesses are magnified as I scramble for strength amidst the suspension. In ways I feel stronger.. in ways - even in the process of growth - I don't..
But what I read tonight in allegory - the story of love and it's unique supremacy of the ultimate good among man - I saw the purity in Love and it's offerings, and my insides shrunk in humble thanks for knowing the God of love. And Jesus, the living, and then dying, but then living manifestation of that Love. He's a gift for us...
It's a damn shame thinking of all the ways the name of Christ has been used, abused, jammed into unwilling ears.. instead of simply offering the expression of that which we say we believe in... love...
It's a beautiful thing meeting a person who doesn't make the same claims to faith as myself, maybe they don't even have a faith, but they love genuinely those around them... I always learn something from these people.. and find myself craving more..
So, I guess the thing I'm struck with tonight, I'll leave you with.. I'm thankful in new but familiar ways for an example to look to in Jesus, the example I can glean eternal wisdom from as I live in a suspended world of such obvious disparity.. in an age that is undeniably unique. And as ever growing evils battle evergrowing love for the right to exist on this planet... i'm locked in imagining the new earth, that which awaits those who will one day experience the wholeness of that which they struggled for on earth... and I see the purpose of love, to bring that earth to bear, to bring the love of our eternal dwelling down into the suspension... and free from fear of death, free from ourselves, we grow fruit who's source of nourishment, whose roots are founded in eternal virtues... the greatest of which is love. I imagine our existence in eternity is merely where we find ourselves locked into that which exists only in the roots of our lives here on earth.. the roots don't lie.
So if love is chosen, the source of love which we experience in glimpses on earth, we'll walk alongside existing wholly in the direct path of that Love... for always..
Anyway..
Choose Love people..
Over n out
Thursday, October 25, 2012
The new job -- on ma way to Chicago
Back on a plane heading east, I once again find myself with one of life's pages in hand, turning it with excitement towards what appears to be a new chapter... how in this coming chapter will the one holding the pen make sense of my past (the ups & the downs... He always does), while bringing new questions, new hopes, new possibilities for the unwritten future.
The new job. So ya, i'm on this plane heading to chicago with plans to dive in headfirst for round two with Warm Blankets Orphan Care. Starting with a completely random (riiiight..) phone call while in the middle of our road trip, Craig (boss @ wb) presented me with the possibility of coming back on the team with a newly defined objective... analyze the water quality of our over 200 orphan homes, become more educated on the many different water solutions available in the third world, go after donors to get the program underwritten & the wheels rollin, find solutions for homes in need of better quality water, then forming teams to take across & do the installations (if necessary). The water guy.. So much more to come here...
My month on the road I've explained was in many ways a month of healing, as well as a month of epiphany... a month spent shedding my own foggy self interests to see clearly His desires for my life. I've always found unique peace in being on the road, and always will. The epiphany was this... I'm ready.
In no way would I take back the last four years of misadventures, in fact I can't imagine where I'd be without them... they've proven vital to my developing into.. well, me.. the today me. I encourage everyone... if there's an itch, itch it.. if there's a curiosity, explore it... but throughout keep your ears open and your spirit raw to the touch and guidance of His voice... and "whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'this is the way, walk in it.'" Is 30:21 The spirit which confirmed my place while on the river, on the road, and wherever, is the same spirit that when I listen now, is calling me to a new direction... and in shedding my selfish desires (the tree farm, maui in the spring, another summer on the river etc...), I was brought through into a field of vision for the next three to five years of my life that I hadn't even imagined before I let the other things go... healing.. epiphany... I'm learning to trust Him more and more each day..
So...
To the right, or to the left... it don't matter. Do you get it? It's not important which direction we go, just so long as we follow the voice of God's spirit... we are in the right way. The voice? "great.. luke's a wacko" Ya, voices (sort of)... a spiritual realm exists amongst us, don't fool yourself. Spirits feeding us lies about ourselves, about others impressions of ourselves, about our capabilities, our past, our appearance, our future... everything. Then there're spirits of truth... & asking of the Holy Spirit - the one which resides above them all, the spirit of our Lord - to come in and fight on the side of good, for you, for me.. for all who seek to know, and believe in Him and his promises.. this is 'the way'. Promises of freedom, of life, of joy, of community, of abundance, of generational blessing.. not free however from suffering, persecution & the likes.. they exist together.. joy in suffering.. it's real.
I'm still learning this.. I would hope to never stop learning this i guess...
I got this visual about a month or so back, it was on the river & I was having a discussion with someone where the physics of the river and the movement of water came up... I learned in this conversation that the fastest place on the river is... where? The eddy-line. The eddy-line is where the current meets the eddy (eddies are usually created by rocks in the water, causing water to go back up stream behind the rock, creating a nice break from the current), creating swirls of water accelerating along the convergence of the two... the eddy-line. The fastest place isn't where I'd've imagined... no, it's not the thick of the current.
While my left brain is learning these new things, my right brain seemed to be simultaneously painting a beautiful image of my life made sense by this new understanding... It's not in the current of society where I've found life, but near the eddies. In the current we're fooled into believing everything is okay... The failing economy, our tortured ecosystem, the manipulated media, poverty & riches.. lied to (opening that box soon). Nearing the eddies we're exposed to all sorts of people. Whether it's Haiti, Peru, the river, the tree farm,... anywhere on the road and in-between I've sought to be near those who challenge me, those outside the current. I don't want to imply that allll i've met along the way have been 'lost' in the eddy.. not even close. In fact it's in these places where I've found myself, it's in the people, the ones I've met and grown close to along the way... But it's where I've been called to shine my light.. and it's in these places i've been met by many different forms of 'light' - as well as new n different forms of darkness - but mostly light.. I'll spend my whole life learning the uniqueness of people's light and still not fill the whole of the spectrum which i'm convinced can only be found in the face of God ..
Anyway, the eddy...
With this new understanding of water, and the painting still working itself out in my right brain, my left made immediate sense of it's interpretation... living in the eddy-line is good, it's where you meet those in need - those going back up stream - with your light, your hope... the risk here (i've learned) is getting swept into the eddy, and then yourself being pulled back upstream. I've found myself in-n-out of eddies.. and more and more I find myself pushing away from the main current. the eddy-line, this is where I aim to be... Forgive me for speaking in such general terms... it's just that each journey is unique, and to each it's own eddy, eddy-line & current. Imagine for yourself where the eddyline might be in your life... just a touch outside your comfort zone.. aware of the risks.. risks of the eddy as well as the current.. and then finding life swirling between the two, touching both, moving faster and with the kinda purpose that keeps ya on your toes... and remember, "where there are two." This is important..
We begin work tomorrow on defining this new position... please send me your prayers/good thoughts as I go forward... The plane has been circling over O'Hare for about half an hour now.. apparently Air Force one and el presidente are making a quick pit stop on their way back to the White House... so obama can cast his vote... for himself... no kiddin... but now we're landing, so i've gotta run.. more soon
be well friends,
luke
The new job. So ya, i'm on this plane heading to chicago with plans to dive in headfirst for round two with Warm Blankets Orphan Care. Starting with a completely random (riiiight..) phone call while in the middle of our road trip, Craig (boss @ wb) presented me with the possibility of coming back on the team with a newly defined objective... analyze the water quality of our over 200 orphan homes, become more educated on the many different water solutions available in the third world, go after donors to get the program underwritten & the wheels rollin, find solutions for homes in need of better quality water, then forming teams to take across & do the installations (if necessary). The water guy.. So much more to come here...
My month on the road I've explained was in many ways a month of healing, as well as a month of epiphany... a month spent shedding my own foggy self interests to see clearly His desires for my life. I've always found unique peace in being on the road, and always will. The epiphany was this... I'm ready.
In no way would I take back the last four years of misadventures, in fact I can't imagine where I'd be without them... they've proven vital to my developing into.. well, me.. the today me. I encourage everyone... if there's an itch, itch it.. if there's a curiosity, explore it... but throughout keep your ears open and your spirit raw to the touch and guidance of His voice... and "whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'this is the way, walk in it.'" Is 30:21 The spirit which confirmed my place while on the river, on the road, and wherever, is the same spirit that when I listen now, is calling me to a new direction... and in shedding my selfish desires (the tree farm, maui in the spring, another summer on the river etc...), I was brought through into a field of vision for the next three to five years of my life that I hadn't even imagined before I let the other things go... healing.. epiphany... I'm learning to trust Him more and more each day..
So...
To the right, or to the left... it don't matter. Do you get it? It's not important which direction we go, just so long as we follow the voice of God's spirit... we are in the right way. The voice? "great.. luke's a wacko" Ya, voices (sort of)... a spiritual realm exists amongst us, don't fool yourself. Spirits feeding us lies about ourselves, about others impressions of ourselves, about our capabilities, our past, our appearance, our future... everything. Then there're spirits of truth... & asking of the Holy Spirit - the one which resides above them all, the spirit of our Lord - to come in and fight on the side of good, for you, for me.. for all who seek to know, and believe in Him and his promises.. this is 'the way'. Promises of freedom, of life, of joy, of community, of abundance, of generational blessing.. not free however from suffering, persecution & the likes.. they exist together.. joy in suffering.. it's real.
I'm still learning this.. I would hope to never stop learning this i guess...
I got this visual about a month or so back, it was on the river & I was having a discussion with someone where the physics of the river and the movement of water came up... I learned in this conversation that the fastest place on the river is... where? The eddy-line. The eddy-line is where the current meets the eddy (eddies are usually created by rocks in the water, causing water to go back up stream behind the rock, creating a nice break from the current), creating swirls of water accelerating along the convergence of the two... the eddy-line. The fastest place isn't where I'd've imagined... no, it's not the thick of the current.
While my left brain is learning these new things, my right brain seemed to be simultaneously painting a beautiful image of my life made sense by this new understanding... It's not in the current of society where I've found life, but near the eddies. In the current we're fooled into believing everything is okay... The failing economy, our tortured ecosystem, the manipulated media, poverty & riches.. lied to (opening that box soon). Nearing the eddies we're exposed to all sorts of people. Whether it's Haiti, Peru, the river, the tree farm,... anywhere on the road and in-between I've sought to be near those who challenge me, those outside the current. I don't want to imply that allll i've met along the way have been 'lost' in the eddy.. not even close. In fact it's in these places where I've found myself, it's in the people, the ones I've met and grown close to along the way... But it's where I've been called to shine my light.. and it's in these places i've been met by many different forms of 'light' - as well as new n different forms of darkness - but mostly light.. I'll spend my whole life learning the uniqueness of people's light and still not fill the whole of the spectrum which i'm convinced can only be found in the face of God ..
Anyway, the eddy...
With this new understanding of water, and the painting still working itself out in my right brain, my left made immediate sense of it's interpretation... living in the eddy-line is good, it's where you meet those in need - those going back up stream - with your light, your hope... the risk here (i've learned) is getting swept into the eddy, and then yourself being pulled back upstream. I've found myself in-n-out of eddies.. and more and more I find myself pushing away from the main current. the eddy-line, this is where I aim to be... Forgive me for speaking in such general terms... it's just that each journey is unique, and to each it's own eddy, eddy-line & current. Imagine for yourself where the eddyline might be in your life... just a touch outside your comfort zone.. aware of the risks.. risks of the eddy as well as the current.. and then finding life swirling between the two, touching both, moving faster and with the kinda purpose that keeps ya on your toes... and remember, "where there are two." This is important..
We begin work tomorrow on defining this new position... please send me your prayers/good thoughts as I go forward... The plane has been circling over O'Hare for about half an hour now.. apparently Air Force one and el presidente are making a quick pit stop on their way back to the White House... so obama can cast his vote... for himself... no kiddin... but now we're landing, so i've gotta run.. more soon
be well friends,
luke
Monday, October 15, 2012
Ending a month on the road... a glimpse
So I'm home... well, back in the NW at least. After over a month on the road, it feels good to be in a place where 'being still' is really the only thing on the short term agenda. I'm in Lake Oswego currently, living with my parents in their new home... it's beautiful.
So real quick, for those of you who might be interested in the train of events i'm currently riding.. skip to next paragraph for more 'meat'. Anyway, the river season finished up well despite the low water... our season ended with the passing of Labor Day weekend and then the fun began (like working ON a river isn't fun enough??). Our company treated those who stayed to the end of the season with a four day float down the colorado river, the section is called Westwater and begins in CO, ending a short ways into Utah... it was beautiful. Three days of no bigger than class I, then a day of rowdy class IV, the river getting narrower as we carved deeper into the canyon... my first overnight trip, it was unreal. We finished that trip up, got our lives together, and it wasn't more than a day or two before my good buddy Mark (fellow river rat) and I hit the road to begin what we had planned would be two months through Tennessee and the east, hitting all sorts of rivers along the way, eventually finding work in East Tennessee on the Pigeon river working the late season on into November. Fate, as it turned out, had a different plan... the trip was condensed to almost exactly a month, and with the condensing of duration, the experiences of the trip it seems were reduced down to incredibly rich nuggets at each corner. Nashville, Knoxville, Hartford, Summersville, Roanoke, Asheville, Brevard... everywhere we went we were met with nothing but love, warmth, and kindness.. southern hospitality defining itself through our experience. I want to share each and every experience... but how? over blog? It just doesn't seem right... over coffee maybe:) but every day was perfect, every day I felt the Spirits hand in our moving 'blindly', the people we met, oh the many people, and the life-long friendships we made... Kt, hannah, willis, bob, barb, coco, michelle, gabe, caleb, salmon, clint, TENNESSEE LIZ, paul, and others.. people with spirits that stuck to ours like velcro, and within seconds of meeting these new people at these new places, we were home, with family... raft guides, UT hippies, Older couples, younger ones too.. providence was our guide, and lives were changed in the process.
My reasons initially for going to tennessee were very different than what I eventually got out of the experience... in fact the collapse of my original intentions, and the pain which followed, were quickly restored and a new vision for the trip was formed, one we lived out in color. It was a month of healing in many ways for both Mark and I. And as my cousin Amy put it, on my last day in knoxville, "fate" would gift me the closure I needed from the previous collapse, the perfect cap to the whole experience.. so obviously I'm alluding to a whole lot, and I hope to share more later on this.. it's just better that I wait.. the story's still being written i guess...
I've had about 20hrs of solo road time this past week, lots of time to think... and our experience i realized can be summed up into one day. Towards the end of our time in Tennessee, Mark and i took some time on the AT (app trail), and on day one of our trip we at one point found ourselves seriously lost in awe of all the beauty surrounding us... just staring at everything from the forest floor to the canopy mosaic above,, each leaf a different color contributing to the whole of the picture... we were overcome with feelings of contentment, feelings of being in a good 'way', of - during this month - finding our place among created, and for me at least, more and more faith in the Spirit as guide... see, to some we appeared lost, but to others we were anything but, and our trusting that at each corner we would be met with a purposed environment, led our open hearts & minds to people who - as it would turn out - were in need of the light we offered, as we were too in need of theirs... in faith that our journeys path was one paved with providence, lives were changed, lives were enriched...
My old roommate mimi and I are obsessed with the golden ratio.. ever heard of it? Other names for it are the golden mean, the Fibonacci numbers... Anyway, if not, watch this short clip and let your mind be blown (http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=U2bAlIK4KkE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU2bAlIK4KkE).. but basically the golden ratio is in everything, all creation it seems, from the way a flower blossoms to the way galaxies are formed, all exist according to this ratio... on the AT I felt the weight of this as I saw this perfect pattern everywhere, in nature and in myself... with much time on the road to think and give thanks, to sink deep into my experience, I saw life - life as I've grown to understand it - as one large picture, one that with the dimension of time extracted (so hard for us to do in flatland, but a very real thing.. eternity), our lives as a whole will offer beauty, color, and light to others, according to how we walk within each experience, within time. Living each day in love, each experience when looked at individually (like each new place we found ourselves) may not make a great deal of sense, but it just felt, it just feels right... and so zooming out, our experiences - if guided by love - create a whole picture which only makes sense to the one painting it, but shines its beauty to the world. Confused yet? me too... but back to the golden ratio, god's perfect number found throughout... I suppose I believe that in the spiritual world, if we allow ourselves to be led by love we are allowing God (God is love... thats it... if it's love, it's God) to design in and through us something more beautiful than is in our control, the golden ratio in existing in our lives... and because he who engineers this beauty is extracted from that dimension which binds us in the moment... time... only He can make sense of it and it's purpose. The past four years of my life, the past eight really, are fun to look at as a whole because of the evolution of my spirit as I've learned more and more to lean on these good things.. it's spiraled me into, well, this place.. a place of new understanding, of peace, each day a new journey, one that only He, only love can make sense of, a place that in the moment may seem confusing or difficult (i've negative $$$ to my name, and am back at my parents for the time being.. haha), but are filled with hope because of this understanding that our stories exist outside of time, and He, Love, wants to create something curiously beautiful in us for the world to experience and glean from, then in observing, learn to live in a way which makes sense of their lives outside of the day to day confusion, outside of time... the golden ratio, it's perfect.
Anyway, I go in thursday to the Doc to have my shoulder checked... may or may not need surgery... pray for this. Soon, depending on what my pt needs are, I'll be starting what seems to be a dream job, again working for Warm Blankets, but with water... Another beautiful story I plan on sharing more of as it unfolds in the coming weeks... More to come on this, but know it's good, all is good, life is beautiful, and love it seems is truly the only answer...
I plan on writing more into the fall... so many stories to tell... the past month has left me with pockets full of nuggets, and I feel led to share. Thanks for reading (supposing you made it this far.. haha)...
Be well, friends...
luke
So real quick, for those of you who might be interested in the train of events i'm currently riding.. skip to next paragraph for more 'meat'. Anyway, the river season finished up well despite the low water... our season ended with the passing of Labor Day weekend and then the fun began (like working ON a river isn't fun enough??). Our company treated those who stayed to the end of the season with a four day float down the colorado river, the section is called Westwater and begins in CO, ending a short ways into Utah... it was beautiful. Three days of no bigger than class I, then a day of rowdy class IV, the river getting narrower as we carved deeper into the canyon... my first overnight trip, it was unreal. We finished that trip up, got our lives together, and it wasn't more than a day or two before my good buddy Mark (fellow river rat) and I hit the road to begin what we had planned would be two months through Tennessee and the east, hitting all sorts of rivers along the way, eventually finding work in East Tennessee on the Pigeon river working the late season on into November. Fate, as it turned out, had a different plan... the trip was condensed to almost exactly a month, and with the condensing of duration, the experiences of the trip it seems were reduced down to incredibly rich nuggets at each corner. Nashville, Knoxville, Hartford, Summersville, Roanoke, Asheville, Brevard... everywhere we went we were met with nothing but love, warmth, and kindness.. southern hospitality defining itself through our experience. I want to share each and every experience... but how? over blog? It just doesn't seem right... over coffee maybe:) but every day was perfect, every day I felt the Spirits hand in our moving 'blindly', the people we met, oh the many people, and the life-long friendships we made... Kt, hannah, willis, bob, barb, coco, michelle, gabe, caleb, salmon, clint, TENNESSEE LIZ, paul, and others.. people with spirits that stuck to ours like velcro, and within seconds of meeting these new people at these new places, we were home, with family... raft guides, UT hippies, Older couples, younger ones too.. providence was our guide, and lives were changed in the process.
My reasons initially for going to tennessee were very different than what I eventually got out of the experience... in fact the collapse of my original intentions, and the pain which followed, were quickly restored and a new vision for the trip was formed, one we lived out in color. It was a month of healing in many ways for both Mark and I. And as my cousin Amy put it, on my last day in knoxville, "fate" would gift me the closure I needed from the previous collapse, the perfect cap to the whole experience.. so obviously I'm alluding to a whole lot, and I hope to share more later on this.. it's just better that I wait.. the story's still being written i guess...
I've had about 20hrs of solo road time this past week, lots of time to think... and our experience i realized can be summed up into one day. Towards the end of our time in Tennessee, Mark and i took some time on the AT (app trail), and on day one of our trip we at one point found ourselves seriously lost in awe of all the beauty surrounding us... just staring at everything from the forest floor to the canopy mosaic above,, each leaf a different color contributing to the whole of the picture... we were overcome with feelings of contentment, feelings of being in a good 'way', of - during this month - finding our place among created, and for me at least, more and more faith in the Spirit as guide... see, to some we appeared lost, but to others we were anything but, and our trusting that at each corner we would be met with a purposed environment, led our open hearts & minds to people who - as it would turn out - were in need of the light we offered, as we were too in need of theirs... in faith that our journeys path was one paved with providence, lives were changed, lives were enriched...
My old roommate mimi and I are obsessed with the golden ratio.. ever heard of it? Other names for it are the golden mean, the Fibonacci numbers... Anyway, if not, watch this short clip and let your mind be blown (http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=U2bAlIK4KkE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DU2bAlIK4KkE).. but basically the golden ratio is in everything, all creation it seems, from the way a flower blossoms to the way galaxies are formed, all exist according to this ratio... on the AT I felt the weight of this as I saw this perfect pattern everywhere, in nature and in myself... with much time on the road to think and give thanks, to sink deep into my experience, I saw life - life as I've grown to understand it - as one large picture, one that with the dimension of time extracted (so hard for us to do in flatland, but a very real thing.. eternity), our lives as a whole will offer beauty, color, and light to others, according to how we walk within each experience, within time. Living each day in love, each experience when looked at individually (like each new place we found ourselves) may not make a great deal of sense, but it just felt, it just feels right... and so zooming out, our experiences - if guided by love - create a whole picture which only makes sense to the one painting it, but shines its beauty to the world. Confused yet? me too... but back to the golden ratio, god's perfect number found throughout... I suppose I believe that in the spiritual world, if we allow ourselves to be led by love we are allowing God (God is love... thats it... if it's love, it's God) to design in and through us something more beautiful than is in our control, the golden ratio in existing in our lives... and because he who engineers this beauty is extracted from that dimension which binds us in the moment... time... only He can make sense of it and it's purpose. The past four years of my life, the past eight really, are fun to look at as a whole because of the evolution of my spirit as I've learned more and more to lean on these good things.. it's spiraled me into, well, this place.. a place of new understanding, of peace, each day a new journey, one that only He, only love can make sense of, a place that in the moment may seem confusing or difficult (i've negative $$$ to my name, and am back at my parents for the time being.. haha), but are filled with hope because of this understanding that our stories exist outside of time, and He, Love, wants to create something curiously beautiful in us for the world to experience and glean from, then in observing, learn to live in a way which makes sense of their lives outside of the day to day confusion, outside of time... the golden ratio, it's perfect.
Anyway, I go in thursday to the Doc to have my shoulder checked... may or may not need surgery... pray for this. Soon, depending on what my pt needs are, I'll be starting what seems to be a dream job, again working for Warm Blankets, but with water... Another beautiful story I plan on sharing more of as it unfolds in the coming weeks... More to come on this, but know it's good, all is good, life is beautiful, and love it seems is truly the only answer...
I plan on writing more into the fall... so many stories to tell... the past month has left me with pockets full of nuggets, and I feel led to share. Thanks for reading (supposing you made it this far.. haha)...
Be well, friends...
luke
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Journey Through the Thorns
It's been a rough few weeks in many ways... each day it seems I'm still able to find my pocket of Light, but I've felt the weight of the fog resting more heavily on my shoulders. My reasons for going to Tennessee - while I still plan on and am excited about going for different reasons - have definitely changed, and while I don't feel the need to go into it online, the process of this evolution in my spirit (the past 12 months really) has jaded me in ways, and made it more difficult to connect in a pure way, a way I've felt before, with my Maker.
I came down to the river today, in need of rest. My body found it - rest - hovering near the river in my hammock, and my spirit tiptoed back into the word, seeking it. I went to look up the word 'rest' in my concordance, but before I found it I stumbled on a word I'd never really learned the definition of, but sort of knew what it meant. Precepts. I felt drawn to read scripture on this, as I felt like I should... Psalm 119 was where 5/9 references led me to...
119 is the longest of the psalms, and rarely will I jump to it for a quick psalm fill, simply because it's so long.. But I decided to... and it might now be one of my favorite. I was meant to read these words today... Twenty-one sections, each it seems is written by a different person with names like 'Ayin, Resh, Taw & Kaph to name a few.. each person laying out their heart for their Lord, seeking to 'find wonderful things in His law'. The word precepts, I counted later, and 17 times it is used in this psalm. The word means: 'a commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct.' All there for guidance, that we might experience joy contrary to what the world has to offer...
And if it's not the word precepts, the words 'statutes' & 'decrees' were both used equally if not more in this book of the psalms. Each author of the 21 different sections it seemed was at a unique place in their walk, some are 'laid low in the dust' with 'soul(s) weary with sorrow'. Others asking the lord to open their failing eyes, and give life to their spirits which are dried up like a 'wineskin in the smoke'. But they put their hope in the Lord, seeking to learn his decrees, and live up to his - their Father in Heaven's - precepts, because they know and have felt the life and freedom which is promised, the blessing poured over those who walk in these ways has and continues in their journey on earth to annoint their heads.
I read each of the 21 different authors intimate moments with God, as if they were my own. I journeyed into the souls of men who truly lived according to His word, men who lived into, and each day found Freedom in His promises, men who like me feel "laid in the dust" at times.
I came for rest, and what I found was an intimate moment with my Maker, a dripping wet moment of confronting his precepts for my life, confronting the ways I've turned my heart and taken it upon myself... and I can't do it. I dove deeper to the raw roots of that which has led my spirit on paths which - with time - have become encroached by the poison ivy of selfish desire, and thistles of fear and doubt. It seemed some of these 21 authors had experienced at some point a similar path, but all found their freedom in observing his precepts, keeping his decrees, seeking to understand his statutes and live according to His will.
The thing about having a real encounter and engagement with jesus, then learning through time in His word (guided by the spirit) the heart of our God and His pure call on the lives of those who choose him... is this word becomes burned on your heart in ways unique to you as a person, growing uniquely in your faith, and those precepts which you know lead to life (because you too along with so many others in n out of scripture have felt the freedom of the Spirit) become the 'cost of discipleship' we have at one point joyfully accepted, and are called to live into.
I haven't been taking the best care of myself; my eyes, feet and hands all have gone down their own path, and only in encounters such as mine today with my Lord, is that burden lifted, and I can feel the angle of my path turn towards the upward slope. Every day, there's that pocket of light. The Lord has preserved - like those 21 authors - my spirit, and longs to lead me out of the thistles and ivy to a more beautiful path which leads up to freedom and sanctification.
The Tennessee changes of these past several weeks - both in my spirit and future circumstances - have indeed led to my seeking this broader more scenic path, where I'm free again in His hope for my life. This walk through the thorns & thistles to His path for my life, a path 'lit by His word', isn't promised to be easy, but good. But with that weight of the upward journey, there's equal promise in his helping me (all) along the way feeding me assurance of His love throughout.
So many good things I'm blessed with... each day on the river, my cup overflows. It is with joy that I dive into the raw places of my heart and seek cleansing from His spirit, and with thanksgiving that I approach the day.
I'm not really sure why all this is worth sharing... maybe it isn't. But I know that throughout my journey sharing whats on my heart with y'all, it's the valleys which come with the peaks, and in all things we ought share and give thanks. Peaks are always ahead, and the light shines today a bit brighter through the ivy. And as the 21 responsible for the psalm I read today brought me light in their stories, may we all learn and grow from each others, and turn our eyes to the Maker of that which colors our world above, below, all around and within us.
I found that rest, and after 119 I went to Matthew 11 where Jesus promises in His 'gentle and humble heart, rest for your souls. For His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.'
:)
I think I'll rest well tonight.. Company super-hero party tonight in Cañon City (I'm going as quail man!!), then back in the hammock, under the stars, resting in His promises, learning and inviting his precepts.
Rest well, friends..
Onward
I came down to the river today, in need of rest. My body found it - rest - hovering near the river in my hammock, and my spirit tiptoed back into the word, seeking it. I went to look up the word 'rest' in my concordance, but before I found it I stumbled on a word I'd never really learned the definition of, but sort of knew what it meant. Precepts. I felt drawn to read scripture on this, as I felt like I should... Psalm 119 was where 5/9 references led me to...
119 is the longest of the psalms, and rarely will I jump to it for a quick psalm fill, simply because it's so long.. But I decided to... and it might now be one of my favorite. I was meant to read these words today... Twenty-one sections, each it seems is written by a different person with names like 'Ayin, Resh, Taw & Kaph to name a few.. each person laying out their heart for their Lord, seeking to 'find wonderful things in His law'. The word precepts, I counted later, and 17 times it is used in this psalm. The word means: 'a commandment or direction given as a rule of action or conduct.' All there for guidance, that we might experience joy contrary to what the world has to offer...
And if it's not the word precepts, the words 'statutes' & 'decrees' were both used equally if not more in this book of the psalms. Each author of the 21 different sections it seemed was at a unique place in their walk, some are 'laid low in the dust' with 'soul(s) weary with sorrow'. Others asking the lord to open their failing eyes, and give life to their spirits which are dried up like a 'wineskin in the smoke'. But they put their hope in the Lord, seeking to learn his decrees, and live up to his - their Father in Heaven's - precepts, because they know and have felt the life and freedom which is promised, the blessing poured over those who walk in these ways has and continues in their journey on earth to annoint their heads.
I read each of the 21 different authors intimate moments with God, as if they were my own. I journeyed into the souls of men who truly lived according to His word, men who lived into, and each day found Freedom in His promises, men who like me feel "laid in the dust" at times.
I came for rest, and what I found was an intimate moment with my Maker, a dripping wet moment of confronting his precepts for my life, confronting the ways I've turned my heart and taken it upon myself... and I can't do it. I dove deeper to the raw roots of that which has led my spirit on paths which - with time - have become encroached by the poison ivy of selfish desire, and thistles of fear and doubt. It seemed some of these 21 authors had experienced at some point a similar path, but all found their freedom in observing his precepts, keeping his decrees, seeking to understand his statutes and live according to His will.
The thing about having a real encounter and engagement with jesus, then learning through time in His word (guided by the spirit) the heart of our God and His pure call on the lives of those who choose him... is this word becomes burned on your heart in ways unique to you as a person, growing uniquely in your faith, and those precepts which you know lead to life (because you too along with so many others in n out of scripture have felt the freedom of the Spirit) become the 'cost of discipleship' we have at one point joyfully accepted, and are called to live into.
I haven't been taking the best care of myself; my eyes, feet and hands all have gone down their own path, and only in encounters such as mine today with my Lord, is that burden lifted, and I can feel the angle of my path turn towards the upward slope. Every day, there's that pocket of light. The Lord has preserved - like those 21 authors - my spirit, and longs to lead me out of the thistles and ivy to a more beautiful path which leads up to freedom and sanctification.
The Tennessee changes of these past several weeks - both in my spirit and future circumstances - have indeed led to my seeking this broader more scenic path, where I'm free again in His hope for my life. This walk through the thorns & thistles to His path for my life, a path 'lit by His word', isn't promised to be easy, but good. But with that weight of the upward journey, there's equal promise in his helping me (all) along the way feeding me assurance of His love throughout.
So many good things I'm blessed with... each day on the river, my cup overflows. It is with joy that I dive into the raw places of my heart and seek cleansing from His spirit, and with thanksgiving that I approach the day.
I'm not really sure why all this is worth sharing... maybe it isn't. But I know that throughout my journey sharing whats on my heart with y'all, it's the valleys which come with the peaks, and in all things we ought share and give thanks. Peaks are always ahead, and the light shines today a bit brighter through the ivy. And as the 21 responsible for the psalm I read today brought me light in their stories, may we all learn and grow from each others, and turn our eyes to the Maker of that which colors our world above, below, all around and within us.
I found that rest, and after 119 I went to Matthew 11 where Jesus promises in His 'gentle and humble heart, rest for your souls. For His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.'
:)
I think I'll rest well tonight.. Company super-hero party tonight in Cañon City (I'm going as quail man!!), then back in the hammock, under the stars, resting in His promises, learning and inviting his precepts.
Rest well, friends..
Onward
Monday, August 6, 2012
Red letters & Tennessee
Writing again... It can be intimidating. This first paragraph is for you... re-familiarize yourself with these keys... open the stream of consciousness, let your fingers flow freely, and encourage their exploration of new places... this is a place where you ought feel free, where you ought freely drop the murmurings of your spirit... today... now. Always. I want to write again, I want to inspire, I want to be inspired, I want to be re-centered in my own understandings, and find new footing through digging into scripture, seeing it in new ways, observing and recording its flow as it - a living word - pierces me in new ways, making raw my spiritual flesh to His calling on my life. My journey through scripture this summer, while I haven't shared much of it, has been nothing short of raw... And as after a long season on the river my body longs for the healing powers of the ocean, my spirit too longs for cleansing as - after a long and very different summer - it stares at itself in the mirror with evolved eyes to see where it falls short...
In my journey cycling through the gospels I found myself in Mark the other night... I had my hammock hung down by the river and I got all warm in my sleeping bag, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the nearly full moon over the mosquito mountains. I called it in early that night as a small group of us were waking up at 5 to go do a sunrise kayak down the upper sections of the Arkansas.. we did, and it was glorious. I laid there in my hammock, turned on my headlamp, and opened to the gospel of Mark. Now, I don't usually use the red light setting on my headlamp (it's intended for reading), but this time I did. As I started reading with this red light, I got a paragraph or two and realized that with the red light, I couldn't make out even a hint of the words of Jesus (they're in red letters). How interesting... I read on a bit like this, only reading the words surrounding the words of Jesus... I didn't enjoy it much...
So I thought about something... I thought it might be interesting to just read the words of Jesus, and nothing that surrounds them. So I turned my normal light on a dim setting, and I began reading just the red letters from about chapter four, on until the end of the book. What I read, was beautiful... And while having a basic understanding of the surrounding stories helps, the words of Jesus, will meet anyone. "Let us go over to the other side... Quite! Be still!... Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?... Come out of this man, you evil spirit!... What is your name?... Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." For me, reading it this way was nothing more than an interesting experiment, but what I got out of it was pretty rich. In reading it this way (and again, having a basic understanding of the stories surrounding his words helps) I found myself putting my own character into the stories, it was more natural, it was as if in the stories, Jesus was talking to me. And in dealing with the teachers of the law, the priests and people who thought highly of themselves, it was also a very real experience in hearing Jesus talk directly to me in pointing to the areas I hold back from God. But in reading only His words - the words in red - I felt throughout as if I were floating on top of an unimaginably deep & swift current of love which we are gifted the opportunity to experience, if we give our lives to Him... and what he tells us is, it's worth it.. and with even the slightest amount of faith, the word comes alive. So hang a hammock, watch the full moon rise, and wonder... It's worth it.
This summer's gone by fast. Guiding low water has been tough, but a far better experience from what I had imagined. My love affair with Anha (my kayak) has only grown deeper as I explore new and tougher sections of whitewater. I couldn't be happier about the people I work with, each completely unique and necessary to create such a beautiful family of guides. As the summer closes, I have now just a few weeks left on the river, and it seems my nose has sniffed out a desire to explore more rivers in the east. I'll be pointing my nose towards tennessee come labor day... just for a few months. It's good:)
I plan on writing more, as reading often times seems empty afterwards without the discipline of exploring it at new depths on paper, slowing the brain to the confines of the hands., I've much I could use writing about...
But if you're the praying type, pray for me these last weeks... I hope to finish with a healthy spirit, and a healthy body, tying up summer relationships here with sturdy knots that will last on until next summer when we all come back yet again (high water!!). Pray my spirit would bloom in these next weeks, that the light would shine, and I would respond and align my life to reflect that light.
I'm in my hammock now, and it's just startin' ta rain... I'm gonna be off to bed now. more to come... g'night.
In my journey cycling through the gospels I found myself in Mark the other night... I had my hammock hung down by the river and I got all warm in my sleeping bag, eagerly awaiting the arrival of the nearly full moon over the mosquito mountains. I called it in early that night as a small group of us were waking up at 5 to go do a sunrise kayak down the upper sections of the Arkansas.. we did, and it was glorious. I laid there in my hammock, turned on my headlamp, and opened to the gospel of Mark. Now, I don't usually use the red light setting on my headlamp (it's intended for reading), but this time I did. As I started reading with this red light, I got a paragraph or two and realized that with the red light, I couldn't make out even a hint of the words of Jesus (they're in red letters). How interesting... I read on a bit like this, only reading the words surrounding the words of Jesus... I didn't enjoy it much...
So I thought about something... I thought it might be interesting to just read the words of Jesus, and nothing that surrounds them. So I turned my normal light on a dim setting, and I began reading just the red letters from about chapter four, on until the end of the book. What I read, was beautiful... And while having a basic understanding of the surrounding stories helps, the words of Jesus, will meet anyone. "Let us go over to the other side... Quite! Be still!... Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?... Come out of this man, you evil spirit!... What is your name?... Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." For me, reading it this way was nothing more than an interesting experiment, but what I got out of it was pretty rich. In reading it this way (and again, having a basic understanding of the stories surrounding his words helps) I found myself putting my own character into the stories, it was more natural, it was as if in the stories, Jesus was talking to me. And in dealing with the teachers of the law, the priests and people who thought highly of themselves, it was also a very real experience in hearing Jesus talk directly to me in pointing to the areas I hold back from God. But in reading only His words - the words in red - I felt throughout as if I were floating on top of an unimaginably deep & swift current of love which we are gifted the opportunity to experience, if we give our lives to Him... and what he tells us is, it's worth it.. and with even the slightest amount of faith, the word comes alive. So hang a hammock, watch the full moon rise, and wonder... It's worth it.
This summer's gone by fast. Guiding low water has been tough, but a far better experience from what I had imagined. My love affair with Anha (my kayak) has only grown deeper as I explore new and tougher sections of whitewater. I couldn't be happier about the people I work with, each completely unique and necessary to create such a beautiful family of guides. As the summer closes, I have now just a few weeks left on the river, and it seems my nose has sniffed out a desire to explore more rivers in the east. I'll be pointing my nose towards tennessee come labor day... just for a few months. It's good:)
I plan on writing more, as reading often times seems empty afterwards without the discipline of exploring it at new depths on paper, slowing the brain to the confines of the hands., I've much I could use writing about...
But if you're the praying type, pray for me these last weeks... I hope to finish with a healthy spirit, and a healthy body, tying up summer relationships here with sturdy knots that will last on until next summer when we all come back yet again (high water!!). Pray my spirit would bloom in these next weeks, that the light would shine, and I would respond and align my life to reflect that light.
I'm in my hammock now, and it's just startin' ta rain... I'm gonna be off to bed now. more to come... g'night.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Why are titles so difficult? I wrote a blog...
April 18, 2012
It's been a week and a half since my return from Africa.. I have lots to share, but I haven't felt led to share any writing just yet, until today, and what I felt led to share was not about Africa. Soon, I hope...
Driving from Salida to BV last night, I became so thankful for the beauty I call home. The collegiate mountains - more 14,000ft peaks to keep any one man busy exploring for three lifetimes. Beautiful... I got to thinking how lovely it was that in scripture, God time after time tells his people that He cannot be found in the temple, in man-made creations.. His glory is not to be bound, and the path to his heights it says are not of stone shaped by man. It's what's in my backyard, God's temple.. it's all around :)
And so... in relatively modern human history, the world has become extremely small. The globe was not complete until only just over 500 years ago... but it has not been until inventions like the airplane and BlueRay discs that we've had the ease of which to travel and experience first hand the glory of all beauty which exists throughout the whole earth... or, for those not so fortunate/interested, modern technology has also allowed us to sit in our lounger and watch programs like planet earth, or the human planet (my favorite)... minds being blown everywhere...
We have the privilege of experiencing the globe in ways humans have (relatively) never been able... with this great understanding comes great worship... worship as unique to the individual as their fingerprint... each connecting in a different way...
We know what is out there...
And this is the God I worship. This is the temple I stand before. All created things truly bearing witness to the unfathomable greatness of its creator... This God, is God of all.
For those struggling to open themselves up to a specific religion... at least allow your soul the opportunity to open itself up to this God... and the God of your understanding will begin to reveal Himself in your life.
And with this, it's my warmest belief - your soul now open to the God which takes your breath away through nature, the universe, the eyeball etc.. - that the courier of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, will meet you on that journey, and reveal His pure love to you. And if not in this life.... in the passing.. (lots lots here to discuss theologically... it's my hearts conclusion)... and "mercy triumphs over judgement"... So at the very least, open yourself up to God, the engineer behind it all, and you will be given eyes for eternity, and it will change your life... it'll change everything.
See... Jesus came to give those who had hearts desirous of oneness with their maker, freedom. The gift of the Spirit...
This is my belief, it is also my experience...
This love affair really started for me (on my early twenties journey) with the opening of myself up to the God who created all my eyes were being blessed to experience...
And everything changed... so the journey continues, living each day a day in eternity...
Consider this God :)
Be well friends!!
It's been a week and a half since my return from Africa.. I have lots to share, but I haven't felt led to share any writing just yet, until today, and what I felt led to share was not about Africa. Soon, I hope...
Driving from Salida to BV last night, I became so thankful for the beauty I call home. The collegiate mountains - more 14,000ft peaks to keep any one man busy exploring for three lifetimes. Beautiful... I got to thinking how lovely it was that in scripture, God time after time tells his people that He cannot be found in the temple, in man-made creations.. His glory is not to be bound, and the path to his heights it says are not of stone shaped by man. It's what's in my backyard, God's temple.. it's all around :)
And so... in relatively modern human history, the world has become extremely small. The globe was not complete until only just over 500 years ago... but it has not been until inventions like the airplane and BlueRay discs that we've had the ease of which to travel and experience first hand the glory of all beauty which exists throughout the whole earth... or, for those not so fortunate/interested, modern technology has also allowed us to sit in our lounger and watch programs like planet earth, or the human planet (my favorite)... minds being blown everywhere...
We have the privilege of experiencing the globe in ways humans have (relatively) never been able... with this great understanding comes great worship... worship as unique to the individual as their fingerprint... each connecting in a different way...
We know what is out there...
And this is the God I worship. This is the temple I stand before. All created things truly bearing witness to the unfathomable greatness of its creator... This God, is God of all.
For those struggling to open themselves up to a specific religion... at least allow your soul the opportunity to open itself up to this God... and the God of your understanding will begin to reveal Himself in your life.
And with this, it's my warmest belief - your soul now open to the God which takes your breath away through nature, the universe, the eyeball etc.. - that the courier of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, will meet you on that journey, and reveal His pure love to you. And if not in this life.... in the passing.. (lots lots here to discuss theologically... it's my hearts conclusion)... and "mercy triumphs over judgement"... So at the very least, open yourself up to God, the engineer behind it all, and you will be given eyes for eternity, and it will change your life... it'll change everything.
See... Jesus came to give those who had hearts desirous of oneness with their maker, freedom. The gift of the Spirit...
This is my belief, it is also my experience...
This love affair really started for me (on my early twenties journey) with the opening of myself up to the God who created all my eyes were being blessed to experience...
And everything changed... so the journey continues, living each day a day in eternity...
Consider this God :)
Be well friends!!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Be encouraged... From Africa.
**dont have time/energy for an edit... sry for misspellings/grammar woes :/**
Jambo friends... I write this from Kitali... Today was one of the more difficult for me... my spirit dealt with some very difficult things, the rocking from which I have faith will sink my foundation to an even greater depth, a more sturdy place for my spirit to rest with His. Difficult nonetheless..
We've to this point visited three orphan homes, all of which have their own unique and beautiful experience attached to them.... I want to share about today though.
We left yesterday on a five hour journey up the Rift Valley (runs all the way to Israel.. beautiful history here) to a village inhabited by the indigenous poqout people. I cannot possibly describe those I encountered here, on the drive to here, in all of Kitali for that matter... the poverty/oppression they wear on their sleeves (if they have any), the intensity of which rivals the poverty our culture experiences on its inside... it's not pretty. I could tell you of their joy, their smiles, their kindness, their laughter... I could share with you of the many fruits I've picked off of these peoples low hanging branches... the diversity of flavors/colors/nutrients which exist in experiencing each one individually. I'm tasting good things... I'm touching tough things. Touching people who are obviously not well.. a handshake, a hug, a warm gesture they aren't to be denied...we learn this in scripture. I won't attempt to describe the conditions these people call home... photos later will have to tell that tale.
Haiti prepared me well for this trip... the spirit has reached to touch some newly sensitive areas in my life this time 'round.
I've the chance to speak with many people, men, boys, children, in these conditions about our mutual love for Jesus Christ. Brothers who share in the vision of one day dancing in heaven together, a place described in revelation as being a new eternal home to those who "never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." rev.7:16
Sink in this please... but first sink into my shoes, if you can. I have written next to that verse in my bible "i am too comfortable"... yes, it is true. If these are who are to inhabit the kingdom one day.. gosh.. so much there.. i move on.
Arriving at the poquot village, our goal was to register a small handful of the children who were to be placed in the orphan home once it is constructed.. While pictures were being taken and names/birthdates recorded, all the while dozens of children and tribesmen/women hovered around the shaded area where we met the elders of the village... a scene I won't soon forget.
Michael Silitei... my brother. I sat down next to this man, and to my surprise, he spoke fairly good english. I was gifted this relationship by the spirit, because at a very tough time for me (I have become increasingly disgusted at the westernization of these places, and how it is to blame for the poverty and destruction of beautiful cultures rich in tradition and one with the earth... one of many crushed by the west, capitalism, the love of money... a whole other blog), we were able to share in these sentiments. We sat together looking out at the valley, painting the vision of what it must have been like to be a Poquot tribesman thousands of years ago, before colonization, before money... We dreamed about heaven together, and in his broken (but well understood and felt) english, I had him read the whole of revelation 7... tears escaping all four eyes looking on, although I would imagine he felt them at a much deeper level than I can possibly imagine, being that he will truly be freed from these things in this place we read about... free from hunger, thirst, scorching sun...
He told me how he was raised in the catholic tradition, and in school they weren't allowed to have a bible, that it was expected they would rely on the priest for scriptural guidance (I won't share how I feel about this.. here at least), and when he finally did was once he was an adult and out of the church... reading scripture on his own he found jesus. He told me how he discovered Jesus was/is not religion... but love. He shared with me how upon reading the story of zacchaeus, he could relate. Raised having misunderstood the gospel, he crawled up and above the crowd of "judges" (as he called them, and while it doesn't call them that in scripture, it's the message), he could now see Jesus... and He (Jesus) came through the crowd, and called to him. He has been healed, touched by the spirit, brought above the crowd - the law - and given freedom... "zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he..." bla bla bla... a catchy tune the church taught me and so many others.. the message Michael gave to me about this passage came in power, and from the spirit... I saw it in a new way, with new eyes. He told me how he was a volunteer teacher with the children... and not once did he ask me for anything (so refreshing you don't even know), but our spirits connected and in sharing scripture together he said he was "given new courage", while I was given new hope... the body of Christ at work. After a long while learning eachother and resting in a nest of spiritual encouragement together, we wandered into a shaded area outside of where everyone was communing to pray together... In the middle of our praying, the children were roused by something and dozens ran by and through where we were standing yelling joyfully in a playful manner like kids do all across our beautiful earth.. it was perfect, and the prayer needed it as we were praying at that moment for 'faith like children...' eyes closed, it was surreal to in this moment hear these children running by all around us - it seemed they didn't even know were there, but the spirit knew, and He knew we needed that.
I could go on, go on, and go on some more... but I leave you with that...
As my spirit processes this, that, and so many other new relationships/revelations... pray for me.. pray for them... pray to feel the power of prayer in your life, to feel how REAL it is... for faith like a mustard seed is not about how much you can do with so little, but how with faith - faith like a mustard seed - we 'know' how grand the gift is which awaits us as we exist now, a seed in soil, faithfully awaiting life which will soon spring forth up and out of the s(t)oil into an existence which cannot possibly be imagined, but with faith.
Off to bed... on to Lodwar tomorrow... be well friends :)
Jambo friends... I write this from Kitali... Today was one of the more difficult for me... my spirit dealt with some very difficult things, the rocking from which I have faith will sink my foundation to an even greater depth, a more sturdy place for my spirit to rest with His. Difficult nonetheless..
We've to this point visited three orphan homes, all of which have their own unique and beautiful experience attached to them.... I want to share about today though.
We left yesterday on a five hour journey up the Rift Valley (runs all the way to Israel.. beautiful history here) to a village inhabited by the indigenous poqout people. I cannot possibly describe those I encountered here, on the drive to here, in all of Kitali for that matter... the poverty/oppression they wear on their sleeves (if they have any), the intensity of which rivals the poverty our culture experiences on its inside... it's not pretty. I could tell you of their joy, their smiles, their kindness, their laughter... I could share with you of the many fruits I've picked off of these peoples low hanging branches... the diversity of flavors/colors/nutrients which exist in experiencing each one individually. I'm tasting good things... I'm touching tough things. Touching people who are obviously not well.. a handshake, a hug, a warm gesture they aren't to be denied...we learn this in scripture. I won't attempt to describe the conditions these people call home... photos later will have to tell that tale.
Haiti prepared me well for this trip... the spirit has reached to touch some newly sensitive areas in my life this time 'round.
I've the chance to speak with many people, men, boys, children, in these conditions about our mutual love for Jesus Christ. Brothers who share in the vision of one day dancing in heaven together, a place described in revelation as being a new eternal home to those who "never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." rev.7:16
Sink in this please... but first sink into my shoes, if you can. I have written next to that verse in my bible "i am too comfortable"... yes, it is true. If these are who are to inhabit the kingdom one day.. gosh.. so much there.. i move on.
Arriving at the poquot village, our goal was to register a small handful of the children who were to be placed in the orphan home once it is constructed.. While pictures were being taken and names/birthdates recorded, all the while dozens of children and tribesmen/women hovered around the shaded area where we met the elders of the village... a scene I won't soon forget.
Michael Silitei... my brother. I sat down next to this man, and to my surprise, he spoke fairly good english. I was gifted this relationship by the spirit, because at a very tough time for me (I have become increasingly disgusted at the westernization of these places, and how it is to blame for the poverty and destruction of beautiful cultures rich in tradition and one with the earth... one of many crushed by the west, capitalism, the love of money... a whole other blog), we were able to share in these sentiments. We sat together looking out at the valley, painting the vision of what it must have been like to be a Poquot tribesman thousands of years ago, before colonization, before money... We dreamed about heaven together, and in his broken (but well understood and felt) english, I had him read the whole of revelation 7... tears escaping all four eyes looking on, although I would imagine he felt them at a much deeper level than I can possibly imagine, being that he will truly be freed from these things in this place we read about... free from hunger, thirst, scorching sun...
He told me how he was raised in the catholic tradition, and in school they weren't allowed to have a bible, that it was expected they would rely on the priest for scriptural guidance (I won't share how I feel about this.. here at least), and when he finally did was once he was an adult and out of the church... reading scripture on his own he found jesus. He told me how he discovered Jesus was/is not religion... but love. He shared with me how upon reading the story of zacchaeus, he could relate. Raised having misunderstood the gospel, he crawled up and above the crowd of "judges" (as he called them, and while it doesn't call them that in scripture, it's the message), he could now see Jesus... and He (Jesus) came through the crowd, and called to him. He has been healed, touched by the spirit, brought above the crowd - the law - and given freedom... "zacchaeus was a wee little man, a wee little man was he..." bla bla bla... a catchy tune the church taught me and so many others.. the message Michael gave to me about this passage came in power, and from the spirit... I saw it in a new way, with new eyes. He told me how he was a volunteer teacher with the children... and not once did he ask me for anything (so refreshing you don't even know), but our spirits connected and in sharing scripture together he said he was "given new courage", while I was given new hope... the body of Christ at work. After a long while learning eachother and resting in a nest of spiritual encouragement together, we wandered into a shaded area outside of where everyone was communing to pray together... In the middle of our praying, the children were roused by something and dozens ran by and through where we were standing yelling joyfully in a playful manner like kids do all across our beautiful earth.. it was perfect, and the prayer needed it as we were praying at that moment for 'faith like children...' eyes closed, it was surreal to in this moment hear these children running by all around us - it seemed they didn't even know were there, but the spirit knew, and He knew we needed that.
I could go on, go on, and go on some more... but I leave you with that...
As my spirit processes this, that, and so many other new relationships/revelations... pray for me.. pray for them... pray to feel the power of prayer in your life, to feel how REAL it is... for faith like a mustard seed is not about how much you can do with so little, but how with faith - faith like a mustard seed - we 'know' how grand the gift is which awaits us as we exist now, a seed in soil, faithfully awaiting life which will soon spring forth up and out of the s(t)oil into an existence which cannot possibly be imagined, but with faith.
Off to bed... on to Lodwar tomorrow... be well friends :)
Friday, March 23, 2012
Next Stop, Africa
-- Africa --
March 23, 2012
So, I'm on this plane. My third plane today, fourth this week, eighth in the past three weeks... Oh, ash wednesday :) This particular plane is something special however, as it will be landing on the continent of Africa in just under five hours.
Somehow in my lifes journeys - both as a duckling following behind my travel hungry father, as well as on my own adventures - I've never stepped foot on this rather large chunk of land. Africa. I wish to learn the power behind this word, this culture, its people, its pain, its depth, its beauty... I know it's there, and I can't imagine finding it will be that difficult... in fact, even just hovering over this land in a big metal tube I feel some layer of unidentifiable substance being peeled back, exposing a blended mixture of emotions for this elusive land. It's SO BIG! I'm a fool to think that in touching just a fragment of Kenya & Uganda that I'm experiencing, 'Africa'. I know better... Soo much to explore :)
We will be landing in Nairobi, hoping around Kenya for ten days, then off to Kampala where we will spend five days enjoying Uganda. Our time in Kenya will be spent - for the most part - gathering information on the orphans in four of the homes Warm Blankets supports, putting the children in a newly created database which will be shared with the UN. See, if these orphans are not registered and properly identified, they are liable to being stolen, sold, moved into different forms of slavery etc... and with no way of tracking them, they become lost. Terrible things. Happening to little children. ALL OVER the earth. Seek justice, receive life...
So I was just in the bathroom a minute ago, and after watching several TED talks on the perilous status of our floating rock, earth (The truth in the messages being: "The economy will fail...", "Environmental concerns are real and dangerous..." "The earth IS full..." "Change MUST happen..." etc..), I found myself with a smile on my face and that liquid joy rolling down my cheeks as I FELT at my core a deep appreciation for the things my Lord has brought near to my heart... the things I have become passionate about. I looked at my life and said "if for the rest of my brief stay here on earth, I can seek justice (it comes in SO many forms..), and enjoy creation in the ways I am currently (rivers, mountains, people etc etc..)... I will never be lacking. Joy always. Glory to Him. Selah :) A warm feeling...
I wondered too how will my fingers glide over this keyboard on my return trip... what words will drip from my heart.. Crazy.
I want to share a brief story I came across as I journey now through Judges... A story which has touched me, like if a person were to come up to you with an extremely sharp spear and prick you on your exposed chest. I feel it... I know it's sharp... I know there is power in it. I know too that with time, I will feel the PIERCING power of this spear living it's truth in my life... and hopefully yours too :)
Gideon. Judges 6-7
This story, I cannot do it justice in a summary, although I'll try..
Gideon was just working the winepress one day and an angel came to him (we now have the spirit which speaks to us and gives us power in this way.. thanks to Jesus :)) and said "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
'Umm... okay?' -Gideon
And he doubts... so much so that three times He asks the Lord to prove his power over his life in really strange ways.. He doubts. Wouldn't you?! The Lord is asking him to SAVE Israel, to defeat the Midianites who have soaked them in oppression... impossible things He is asking him to do.
So he seeks confirmation that it is the TRUE Lord guiding his steps, his words, his spear, his people... and the Lord was patient with him, all three times He delivered what he asked (which surprised me to be honest, but made me glad that the Lord was patient with his servant of whom he asked seemingly impossible things.. so glad as I feel shades of doubt too).
Here's the tip of that spear I was talking about... stay with me...
About to attack the Midianites, Gideon has found his power in the Lord and with troops numbering over 32,000 behind him, he is ready to do some serious battle... But his ear and his heart, they are still faithfully in tune with the Lord's, and what does he hear? The Lord says 'that's too many... anyone (soldiers) who tremble with fear may turn back...'
22,000 men left. 10,000 remained.
"Still too many" - Lord.
He tells Gideon to take his 10,000 down to the water, and those who lap the water with their tongues he is to seperate from those who kneel down to drink... those who lap the water, these are your soldiers.
300 remained.
"Umm... Crap." - Humans
"Yeaaa... now I can show them my POOOWER" - God
Strange? Sure... What's the point? Earlier when there were still 32,000, the Lord said this to Gideon... "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her..." ... I will sift your troops down to an impossible 300. "With the 300 men... I will save you" says the Lord.
Okay, so read the story (PLEASE), because obviously Gideon and the 300 go on to defeat the midianites and it's awesome (If you're a dood who loves Jesus, and you don't love the old testament, you crazy!).
God wants to deliver us..!.. and he wants to do it in a way that only HE can receive the Glory... He will take the humble, and through impossible circumstances raise them up in their kingdom pursuits, bringing glory to His name on earth....
I cannot express in words the depth to which this story has hit me...
"He must become greater, I must become less." is a verse which just burst into my mind outta my heart...
It doesn't mean 'great things won't happen'... It means that in making ourselves less, we are widening the gap for Him to show up in Glory, fulfilling the impossible, making great things happen as we give the credit back to Him... as Jesus did time after time... why are we surprised he was able to do such great things?? He was the only earth walker who came down from his eternal dwelling right next to His maker in Heaven... He had faith more than ANYONE in his true citizenship... and all the glory went to His father.
So we do the same... we learn from Gideon, we listen to the spirit, we seek impossible things which bring glory to Him... and by sticking the nose of our compas in scripture, we trust the spirit to guide us on a true path which leads to that place in eternity which He is preparing for all who live in love with Him and with others... take me today, tomorrow, or eighty years from now.. just deliver me, and use my life (or death?) :)
So, what will this story mean to me in two weeks? Will that tip have pierced my flesh?
If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with my most recent journies and how the Spirit has undoubtedly hovered over it all. This new job... I'm reminded daily of the gap I am trusting the Spirit to fill... I have faith in the impossible things becoming reality as myself and those in this ministry seek to do good for these orphan children... and now as I sift my own being down to 300 units of whatever from 32,000... I put my trust in Him, and struggle through doubt to proclaim His glory through it all, whatever may come :)
There is power in the Word. Life in the Spirit. And in my own broken flesh, I will tell you that He wants to use you too in ways impossible to our understanding.. put your trust in Him... listen, and act :)
I crawl over the sleeping Kenyan next to me and look down... There she is :) Africa :) If you're the praying type, I would appreciate your joining me on this spiritual journey, being here with me in the spiritual realm, pleading to God on our behalf that he would give us impossible power to do impossible things :) It's real, so very real.
Be well friends :)
March 23, 2012
So, I'm on this plane. My third plane today, fourth this week, eighth in the past three weeks... Oh, ash wednesday :) This particular plane is something special however, as it will be landing on the continent of Africa in just under five hours.
Somehow in my lifes journeys - both as a duckling following behind my travel hungry father, as well as on my own adventures - I've never stepped foot on this rather large chunk of land. Africa. I wish to learn the power behind this word, this culture, its people, its pain, its depth, its beauty... I know it's there, and I can't imagine finding it will be that difficult... in fact, even just hovering over this land in a big metal tube I feel some layer of unidentifiable substance being peeled back, exposing a blended mixture of emotions for this elusive land. It's SO BIG! I'm a fool to think that in touching just a fragment of Kenya & Uganda that I'm experiencing, 'Africa'. I know better... Soo much to explore :)
We will be landing in Nairobi, hoping around Kenya for ten days, then off to Kampala where we will spend five days enjoying Uganda. Our time in Kenya will be spent - for the most part - gathering information on the orphans in four of the homes Warm Blankets supports, putting the children in a newly created database which will be shared with the UN. See, if these orphans are not registered and properly identified, they are liable to being stolen, sold, moved into different forms of slavery etc... and with no way of tracking them, they become lost. Terrible things. Happening to little children. ALL OVER the earth. Seek justice, receive life...
So I was just in the bathroom a minute ago, and after watching several TED talks on the perilous status of our floating rock, earth (The truth in the messages being: "The economy will fail...", "Environmental concerns are real and dangerous..." "The earth IS full..." "Change MUST happen..." etc..), I found myself with a smile on my face and that liquid joy rolling down my cheeks as I FELT at my core a deep appreciation for the things my Lord has brought near to my heart... the things I have become passionate about. I looked at my life and said "if for the rest of my brief stay here on earth, I can seek justice (it comes in SO many forms..), and enjoy creation in the ways I am currently (rivers, mountains, people etc etc..)... I will never be lacking. Joy always. Glory to Him. Selah :) A warm feeling...
I wondered too how will my fingers glide over this keyboard on my return trip... what words will drip from my heart.. Crazy.
I want to share a brief story I came across as I journey now through Judges... A story which has touched me, like if a person were to come up to you with an extremely sharp spear and prick you on your exposed chest. I feel it... I know it's sharp... I know there is power in it. I know too that with time, I will feel the PIERCING power of this spear living it's truth in my life... and hopefully yours too :)
Gideon. Judges 6-7
This story, I cannot do it justice in a summary, although I'll try..
Gideon was just working the winepress one day and an angel came to him (we now have the spirit which speaks to us and gives us power in this way.. thanks to Jesus :)) and said "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
'Umm... okay?' -Gideon
And he doubts... so much so that three times He asks the Lord to prove his power over his life in really strange ways.. He doubts. Wouldn't you?! The Lord is asking him to SAVE Israel, to defeat the Midianites who have soaked them in oppression... impossible things He is asking him to do.
So he seeks confirmation that it is the TRUE Lord guiding his steps, his words, his spear, his people... and the Lord was patient with him, all three times He delivered what he asked (which surprised me to be honest, but made me glad that the Lord was patient with his servant of whom he asked seemingly impossible things.. so glad as I feel shades of doubt too).
Here's the tip of that spear I was talking about... stay with me...
About to attack the Midianites, Gideon has found his power in the Lord and with troops numbering over 32,000 behind him, he is ready to do some serious battle... But his ear and his heart, they are still faithfully in tune with the Lord's, and what does he hear? The Lord says 'that's too many... anyone (soldiers) who tremble with fear may turn back...'
22,000 men left. 10,000 remained.
"Still too many" - Lord.
He tells Gideon to take his 10,000 down to the water, and those who lap the water with their tongues he is to seperate from those who kneel down to drink... those who lap the water, these are your soldiers.
300 remained.
"Umm... Crap." - Humans
"Yeaaa... now I can show them my POOOWER" - God
Strange? Sure... What's the point? Earlier when there were still 32,000, the Lord said this to Gideon... "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into your hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her..." ... I will sift your troops down to an impossible 300. "With the 300 men... I will save you" says the Lord.
Okay, so read the story (PLEASE), because obviously Gideon and the 300 go on to defeat the midianites and it's awesome (If you're a dood who loves Jesus, and you don't love the old testament, you crazy!).
God wants to deliver us..!.. and he wants to do it in a way that only HE can receive the Glory... He will take the humble, and through impossible circumstances raise them up in their kingdom pursuits, bringing glory to His name on earth....
I cannot express in words the depth to which this story has hit me...
"He must become greater, I must become less." is a verse which just burst into my mind outta my heart...
It doesn't mean 'great things won't happen'... It means that in making ourselves less, we are widening the gap for Him to show up in Glory, fulfilling the impossible, making great things happen as we give the credit back to Him... as Jesus did time after time... why are we surprised he was able to do such great things?? He was the only earth walker who came down from his eternal dwelling right next to His maker in Heaven... He had faith more than ANYONE in his true citizenship... and all the glory went to His father.
So we do the same... we learn from Gideon, we listen to the spirit, we seek impossible things which bring glory to Him... and by sticking the nose of our compas in scripture, we trust the spirit to guide us on a true path which leads to that place in eternity which He is preparing for all who live in love with Him and with others... take me today, tomorrow, or eighty years from now.. just deliver me, and use my life (or death?) :)
So, what will this story mean to me in two weeks? Will that tip have pierced my flesh?
If you're reading this, you're probably familiar with my most recent journies and how the Spirit has undoubtedly hovered over it all. This new job... I'm reminded daily of the gap I am trusting the Spirit to fill... I have faith in the impossible things becoming reality as myself and those in this ministry seek to do good for these orphan children... and now as I sift my own being down to 300 units of whatever from 32,000... I put my trust in Him, and struggle through doubt to proclaim His glory through it all, whatever may come :)
There is power in the Word. Life in the Spirit. And in my own broken flesh, I will tell you that He wants to use you too in ways impossible to our understanding.. put your trust in Him... listen, and act :)
I crawl over the sleeping Kenyan next to me and look down... There she is :) Africa :) If you're the praying type, I would appreciate your joining me on this spiritual journey, being here with me in the spiritual realm, pleading to God on our behalf that he would give us impossible power to do impossible things :) It's real, so very real.
Be well friends :)
Friday, March 2, 2012
The New Job.
3 . 2 . 12
"For my father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life... I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will NEVER die. Do you believe this?" - Jesus (jn6:40/47/11:25)
Chicago went well. Extremely well. :)
Allow me to share...
Craig (president of Warm Blankets) greeted me at the airport and took me directly to HQ where we would - after meeting the handful of incredibly warm spirited, extremely driven & obviously compassionate staff members - sit down in the 'think tank', mapping out what his vision was for me within the organization.
The job will consist of me helping to develop a strategic approach and establishing a foundation of consistent donor support... going first after specific niche industries (PT clinics/real estate groups etc..), we'll give them the opportunity to come alongside an orphan home within the Warm Blankets network, giving the children consistent financial support, over time building relationships with the orphans and widows in the homes, and even getting the opportunity to visit, and feeeel the weight of the impact of their support. Mutual benefits abound.!.!. both the orphans and the groups domestically who'll be committing to support will have much to gain through this relationship, both in the spirit & worldly realms... the Lord wants to bless those who bless others. And I get to help deliver these blessings to both groups! What a blessing :) God is goooood...
So, growing these - soon to be - many new donor streams of financial support, the big picture is that Warm Blankets would realize a more stable foundation where the reliability of month-to-month support would grow from many little streams flowing into one big, deep, fast moving river of support to deliver our God's hope and love - in the form of care - to these children who have been pulled out of war torn regions of SE Asia and Africa, and giving them (orphans & widows) a family & a home above a church where the goal is to transform and give life, making disciples for the Kingdom...
It's funny.. these homes are in some real sketchy, sometimes extremely dangerous environments where I'll get to go visit... and my roommate Judd when I was telling him about the details of the job (He's SO excited for me and wants to be a part of this work somehow.. praise god :)) he at one point paused and said, "so, it's like you're a soldier for the Lord?"
YES! Exactly! :) Glory...
Mmmm.. moving on... the job would allow and encourage between 3-5 (+/-) international trips/year where I would be a part of a team leading these new donors through the Warm Blankets network, giving them the opportunity to prick their finger with the end of the spear they've grown sharp over time with their faithful support...
My first trip is on the 22nd to Kenya for ten days. :)
Working from Salida (although I'm going to CHI again monday for a week, and will probably 1-2/mo), we're going to get it done... The Lord is in this process, and good is the goal... it will be (is being!) blessed. Rafting - of which I had grown a peace in my mind about not being a part of because of pressures from the spirit to move towards this kind of work - as it turns out is probably going to be an option :) The river is life.. and these people (raft guides) are dear friends... and it appears (based on our strategic timeline at WB) that another summer on the Ark is as good a possibility as any... working out so that come August I'll enter back into more of a full time role with WB. Right now I am considered a 'consultant', but we have hopes and plan on me becoming a full-time salaried employee... Glory :)
Warm Blankets mission statement... James 1:27.
Couldn't ask for anything more :))
So much more between the lines here where the spirit has just 'shown up' and made it so obvious this is a good fit, I could write a book on it... but I won't :) just yet anyway.. ha.
Last, and certainly not least.. before I go... Thank you, thank you, THANK you for your prayers those of you who lifted me up after my last post asking for you to join me in prayer.. and thank you, THANK you to those of you who were lifting me up even before then after my second to last post on ash wednesday where so clearly the spirit wanted to move, wanted me open and acknowledging His power in new and beautiful ways.. and I did.. and you prayed on my behalf.. and He is good, he is faithful, He is 'the resurrection and the life, that he who believes in Me shall realize everlasting life... life given on earth in the form of our God's spirit, sent to comfort, and guide us through this world on our way to eternity.' :) glory.
Be well friends!
If you're interested in hearing more about the organization, check out the website or shoot me a message... would love the opportunity to share more :)
"For my father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life... I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.. I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will NEVER die. Do you believe this?" - Jesus (jn6:40/47/11:25)
Chicago went well. Extremely well. :)
Allow me to share...
Craig (president of Warm Blankets) greeted me at the airport and took me directly to HQ where we would - after meeting the handful of incredibly warm spirited, extremely driven & obviously compassionate staff members - sit down in the 'think tank', mapping out what his vision was for me within the organization.
The job will consist of me helping to develop a strategic approach and establishing a foundation of consistent donor support... going first after specific niche industries (PT clinics/real estate groups etc..), we'll give them the opportunity to come alongside an orphan home within the Warm Blankets network, giving the children consistent financial support, over time building relationships with the orphans and widows in the homes, and even getting the opportunity to visit, and feeeel the weight of the impact of their support. Mutual benefits abound.!.!. both the orphans and the groups domestically who'll be committing to support will have much to gain through this relationship, both in the spirit & worldly realms... the Lord wants to bless those who bless others. And I get to help deliver these blessings to both groups! What a blessing :) God is goooood...
So, growing these - soon to be - many new donor streams of financial support, the big picture is that Warm Blankets would realize a more stable foundation where the reliability of month-to-month support would grow from many little streams flowing into one big, deep, fast moving river of support to deliver our God's hope and love - in the form of care - to these children who have been pulled out of war torn regions of SE Asia and Africa, and giving them (orphans & widows) a family & a home above a church where the goal is to transform and give life, making disciples for the Kingdom...
It's funny.. these homes are in some real sketchy, sometimes extremely dangerous environments where I'll get to go visit... and my roommate Judd when I was telling him about the details of the job (He's SO excited for me and wants to be a part of this work somehow.. praise god :)) he at one point paused and said, "so, it's like you're a soldier for the Lord?"
YES! Exactly! :) Glory...
Mmmm.. moving on... the job would allow and encourage between 3-5 (+/-) international trips/year where I would be a part of a team leading these new donors through the Warm Blankets network, giving them the opportunity to prick their finger with the end of the spear they've grown sharp over time with their faithful support...
My first trip is on the 22nd to Kenya for ten days. :)
Working from Salida (although I'm going to CHI again monday for a week, and will probably 1-2/mo), we're going to get it done... The Lord is in this process, and good is the goal... it will be (is being!) blessed. Rafting - of which I had grown a peace in my mind about not being a part of because of pressures from the spirit to move towards this kind of work - as it turns out is probably going to be an option :) The river is life.. and these people (raft guides) are dear friends... and it appears (based on our strategic timeline at WB) that another summer on the Ark is as good a possibility as any... working out so that come August I'll enter back into more of a full time role with WB. Right now I am considered a 'consultant', but we have hopes and plan on me becoming a full-time salaried employee... Glory :)
Warm Blankets mission statement... James 1:27.
Couldn't ask for anything more :))
So much more between the lines here where the spirit has just 'shown up' and made it so obvious this is a good fit, I could write a book on it... but I won't :) just yet anyway.. ha.
Last, and certainly not least.. before I go... Thank you, thank you, THANK you for your prayers those of you who lifted me up after my last post asking for you to join me in prayer.. and thank you, THANK you to those of you who were lifting me up even before then after my second to last post on ash wednesday where so clearly the spirit wanted to move, wanted me open and acknowledging His power in new and beautiful ways.. and I did.. and you prayed on my behalf.. and He is good, he is faithful, He is 'the resurrection and the life, that he who believes in Me shall realize everlasting life... life given on earth in the form of our God's spirit, sent to comfort, and guide us through this world on our way to eternity.' :) glory.
Be well friends!
If you're interested in hearing more about the organization, check out the website or shoot me a message... would love the opportunity to share more :)
Sunday, February 26, 2012
In-n-out of the desert... He is faithful!
2 . 26 . 12
Happy Sunday friends :)
I wish to bring to the eyes and hearts of those who might be reading this, a request for prayer... These last few days have been crazy, the spirit is on the move... like the wind. Please read on...
Last week - on ash wednesday - I wrote about the season of lent, the cleansing it represents, and discipline it requires...
Re-reading my words, I thought I should copy the end in this post. Remembering the condition of my heart on wednesday is now such a gift as the events which would follow are just too much to ignore... Here's how I ended the post, followed by my account of the days following (feel free to skip on ahead if you've already read it...):
"...the gift of God which awaits those who present themselves as faithful in pursuing the sometimes difficult commands of the spirit(Jericho). Then in a pure light being cleansed from unrighteousness (Achan) where the Lord can now hold you warmly in His perfect hands, giving hope for today, and eyes for tomorrow…
And of course,it all comes back to Jesus, the Son which cleanses… delivering through his death & resurrection the gift of the spirit which will hover above and within as I journey this next week, learning new discipline, leaning on the spirit to give power in moments of weakness & temptation…
The whole purpose..?. its my gift (so small but so significant) to my maker … a display of my affection for Him and a way of saying thanks for all he has blessed me with. It's a pouring out… a re-throning of the Spirit in my life, giving His touch - the same touch which delivered Moses & Joshua with glooory - authority and creative license over my life and it's direction."
After this day of ash, the spirit was given new freedom in my life...
So Thursday I got an email from the president of an organization called Warm Blankets International, a group I'd been working with this past year, struggling to get a Sunspring unit to a community in Burkina Faso (W Africa) where it would provide safe water to over 1,000 impoverished individuals, who just. don't. have any.
This process has taken over a year.. a year to recruit and gather the $$, ship the unit, break out of customs, properly educate on set-up, and eventually install... at each step there were moments of "is this going to work"?
Anyway, Thursday he sent me this email with the pictures of it's finally having been installed. In the pictures I saw the unit pumping water with community members surrounding it full of joy, for now they can drink... Glory!!:)!!
Selah.
In the email he asked if I was interested in doing consulting work with Warm Blankets, and said we should talk soon... we spoke friday for an hour.
Walking through what his vision was for me within the organization, tears rolled down my cheeks... my spirit could not have been more glad... ash now gone, i felt 'warmly held in His perfect hands, given hope for today, and eyes for tomorrow'.
This guy Craig, we've never actually met, but apparently our conversations on the phone regarding the Sunspring and how it was handled were enough for him to reach out. He candidly told me that his spirit felt my name come into his mind wednesday as discussions of who they might recruit to fill this position were beginning. Coincidence? :)
The hour conversation was not enough... He told me he wanted to fly me out to discuss the job further and actually meet me. Tomorrow I'll be in Illinois, Tuesday night I'll be back... I wonder what my 'eyes for tomorrow' might see as this journey only gets more interesting...
The job: It's framework - as I understand it - looks like this... building relationships with high net worth donors, sharing the story of Warm Blankets (whose mission statement is James 1:27... gahh love it!), and then leading these people around the network of orphanages in over a dozen countries throughout SE Asia & Africa where their $$ has touched so many... first trip would be to Africa in two months. I'll find out more soon... tomorrow actually:)
So pray for me. Pray for it to be a warm introduction... that if this is the direction the spirit is wanting to lead me, that I would respond and move... move my feet towards His good work.
"Why are you planning all these great things for the fall; plans to do work which you know makes your heart pump with passion, work which you know you were created to do... when I may want to use you now to do these things??"
This is what I felt as I drove the 1400 miles from Seattle-Salida... having a firm grip on this summer being a raft guide again, I felt the spirit pressuring me to - in my heart - open up this space for Him to move... If rafting is not meant to be, I want to be okay with that... pray for this. I love the river... so much. The people I work and the community we've built... even more.
Moving on...
Equally significant and definitely worth a mention are the other ways the spirit moved in the days following wednesday. Two Sunspring units I've been waiting on since October, the money has finally come through... all in His perfect time. Shoutout to Rotary International and the good work they're doing with clean water for the people of Northwest Haiti... Glory!
And one more I'll share, thursday I got a call from a person I know will become a dear friend here in the valley... Mallory Mccall, calling to give me the classic YL welcome, inviting me over sometime for beergharitas and burgers at their home where she lives with three other YL leaders, all who work just next door at the Salida Hostel... Just perfect. It now has a scent of 'home' this town...
Judd and I went over there last night and met her as well as her roommate Katie, both just a year or two outta college... what beautiful spirited women who clearly love jesus and have such beautiful vision and hope for how the Spirit wants to move in this valley, where in many ways darkness reigns..
Did I forget to mention too that the methodist church I've gone to these past three weeks (wherein grey heads full of wisdom outweigh youth like myself at least 20:1.. ha.. love it) has just last week shown interest in me speaking to the congregation about the possibility of having a raft guide dinner in Salida, like the one in BV where over 150 mangy guides come each week for a warm, home cooked meal and a shower... could be my first time behind a pulpit.. where is this meant to lead I wonder?
Gosh... So much more to share about each of these crazy happenings... that should do for now.. join me in praying for each, please:)
I write these things, not for myself... i know it, I feel it, I relyyy on "it". I write for you... that the warmth and perfect guidance of the Holy Spirit might touch your life today... that you might have your very own 'ash wednesday', today, tomorrow, whenever... a day for your spirit to give up that which hinders, and touch life, re-connecting with it's source, giving the maker of you, the maker of your eyes - your most beautiful, complex eyes - which read these words, authority over this life, delivering new hope for a life offered us all in eternity.
Ending with some meat to chew on... this morning in scripture I found myself nearing the end of the story of Joshua. His journey... just crazy. Without the hand of God, it's nothing... But His plans were to bring Glory to His name, and freedom to His people, through the spirit led leadership of Joshua, and before him Moses.
It hasn't been an easy journey for Joshua and his people... anything but actually. However, he remained faithful... and his people are now settled in the land which was promised them long loooong ago... a place they could only dream about as they journeyed forty years in the desert, manna falling from the sky, they knew and trusted (most of them..)... even in the desert, sand and suffering stretching as far as the eye could see.
And now the journey is ending... and "the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give... they took possession of it and settled there. The lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."
Beautiful, no?
We are all promised beautiful things... if only we'll let the Spirit be our guide. We know this from scripture.. we feel it, and in desert moments, we do our best to remember our own 'exodus', the ways in which the hand of God has touched our lives, and maybe those around us.. and as we munch on manna and dream of a future bedded warmly in eternity with our maker, we can then be used, our joy which overflows bringing life to those in need, theirs then overflowing to those longing to overflow...
Be well friends! Thank you for your prayers! I'll hope to be back wednesday with an update :)
Happy Sunday friends :)
I wish to bring to the eyes and hearts of those who might be reading this, a request for prayer... These last few days have been crazy, the spirit is on the move... like the wind. Please read on...
Last week - on ash wednesday - I wrote about the season of lent, the cleansing it represents, and discipline it requires...
Re-reading my words, I thought I should copy the end in this post. Remembering the condition of my heart on wednesday is now such a gift as the events which would follow are just too much to ignore... Here's how I ended the post, followed by my account of the days following (feel free to skip on ahead if you've already read it...):
"...the gift of God which awaits those who present themselves as faithful in pursuing the sometimes difficult commands of the spirit(Jericho). Then in a pure light being cleansed from unrighteousness (Achan) where the Lord can now hold you warmly in His perfect hands, giving hope for today, and eyes for tomorrow…
And of course,it all comes back to Jesus, the Son which cleanses… delivering through his death & resurrection the gift of the spirit which will hover above and within as I journey this next week, learning new discipline, leaning on the spirit to give power in moments of weakness & temptation…
The whole purpose..?. its my gift (so small but so significant) to my maker … a display of my affection for Him and a way of saying thanks for all he has blessed me with. It's a pouring out… a re-throning of the Spirit in my life, giving His touch - the same touch which delivered Moses & Joshua with glooory - authority and creative license over my life and it's direction."
After this day of ash, the spirit was given new freedom in my life...
So Thursday I got an email from the president of an organization called Warm Blankets International, a group I'd been working with this past year, struggling to get a Sunspring unit to a community in Burkina Faso (W Africa) where it would provide safe water to over 1,000 impoverished individuals, who just. don't. have any.
This process has taken over a year.. a year to recruit and gather the $$, ship the unit, break out of customs, properly educate on set-up, and eventually install... at each step there were moments of "is this going to work"?
Anyway, Thursday he sent me this email with the pictures of it's finally having been installed. In the pictures I saw the unit pumping water with community members surrounding it full of joy, for now they can drink... Glory!!:)!!
Selah.
In the email he asked if I was interested in doing consulting work with Warm Blankets, and said we should talk soon... we spoke friday for an hour.
Walking through what his vision was for me within the organization, tears rolled down my cheeks... my spirit could not have been more glad... ash now gone, i felt 'warmly held in His perfect hands, given hope for today, and eyes for tomorrow'.
This guy Craig, we've never actually met, but apparently our conversations on the phone regarding the Sunspring and how it was handled were enough for him to reach out. He candidly told me that his spirit felt my name come into his mind wednesday as discussions of who they might recruit to fill this position were beginning. Coincidence? :)
The hour conversation was not enough... He told me he wanted to fly me out to discuss the job further and actually meet me. Tomorrow I'll be in Illinois, Tuesday night I'll be back... I wonder what my 'eyes for tomorrow' might see as this journey only gets more interesting...
The job: It's framework - as I understand it - looks like this... building relationships with high net worth donors, sharing the story of Warm Blankets (whose mission statement is James 1:27... gahh love it!), and then leading these people around the network of orphanages in over a dozen countries throughout SE Asia & Africa where their $$ has touched so many... first trip would be to Africa in two months. I'll find out more soon... tomorrow actually:)
So pray for me. Pray for it to be a warm introduction... that if this is the direction the spirit is wanting to lead me, that I would respond and move... move my feet towards His good work.
"Why are you planning all these great things for the fall; plans to do work which you know makes your heart pump with passion, work which you know you were created to do... when I may want to use you now to do these things??"
This is what I felt as I drove the 1400 miles from Seattle-Salida... having a firm grip on this summer being a raft guide again, I felt the spirit pressuring me to - in my heart - open up this space for Him to move... If rafting is not meant to be, I want to be okay with that... pray for this. I love the river... so much. The people I work and the community we've built... even more.
Moving on...
Equally significant and definitely worth a mention are the other ways the spirit moved in the days following wednesday. Two Sunspring units I've been waiting on since October, the money has finally come through... all in His perfect time. Shoutout to Rotary International and the good work they're doing with clean water for the people of Northwest Haiti... Glory!
And one more I'll share, thursday I got a call from a person I know will become a dear friend here in the valley... Mallory Mccall, calling to give me the classic YL welcome, inviting me over sometime for beergharitas and burgers at their home where she lives with three other YL leaders, all who work just next door at the Salida Hostel... Just perfect. It now has a scent of 'home' this town...
Judd and I went over there last night and met her as well as her roommate Katie, both just a year or two outta college... what beautiful spirited women who clearly love jesus and have such beautiful vision and hope for how the Spirit wants to move in this valley, where in many ways darkness reigns..
Did I forget to mention too that the methodist church I've gone to these past three weeks (wherein grey heads full of wisdom outweigh youth like myself at least 20:1.. ha.. love it) has just last week shown interest in me speaking to the congregation about the possibility of having a raft guide dinner in Salida, like the one in BV where over 150 mangy guides come each week for a warm, home cooked meal and a shower... could be my first time behind a pulpit.. where is this meant to lead I wonder?
Gosh... So much more to share about each of these crazy happenings... that should do for now.. join me in praying for each, please:)
I write these things, not for myself... i know it, I feel it, I relyyy on "it". I write for you... that the warmth and perfect guidance of the Holy Spirit might touch your life today... that you might have your very own 'ash wednesday', today, tomorrow, whenever... a day for your spirit to give up that which hinders, and touch life, re-connecting with it's source, giving the maker of you, the maker of your eyes - your most beautiful, complex eyes - which read these words, authority over this life, delivering new hope for a life offered us all in eternity.
Ending with some meat to chew on... this morning in scripture I found myself nearing the end of the story of Joshua. His journey... just crazy. Without the hand of God, it's nothing... But His plans were to bring Glory to His name, and freedom to His people, through the spirit led leadership of Joshua, and before him Moses.
It hasn't been an easy journey for Joshua and his people... anything but actually. However, he remained faithful... and his people are now settled in the land which was promised them long loooong ago... a place they could only dream about as they journeyed forty years in the desert, manna falling from the sky, they knew and trusted (most of them..)... even in the desert, sand and suffering stretching as far as the eye could see.
And now the journey is ending... and "the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give... they took possession of it and settled there. The lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their forefathers. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord handed all their enemies over to them. Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."
Beautiful, no?
We are all promised beautiful things... if only we'll let the Spirit be our guide. We know this from scripture.. we feel it, and in desert moments, we do our best to remember our own 'exodus', the ways in which the hand of God has touched our lives, and maybe those around us.. and as we munch on manna and dream of a future bedded warmly in eternity with our maker, we can then be used, our joy which overflows bringing life to those in need, theirs then overflowing to those longing to overflow...
Be well friends! Thank you for your prayers! I'll hope to be back wednesday with an update :)
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