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“Abiding…”

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As nice as it can be to adventure, travel, and see new or favorite sights, it’s always wonderful to come HOME. Our homes provide us with shelter and resources, offering us the comfort of familiarity, simultaneously reflecting the individuality and commonality within our shared humanity. We choose our dwellings in the places we love and surround ourselves with friends and family who provide us with affection, companionship, and safety. 

 

Apart from the physical places we inhabit, we are also invited to another. In John 15:9, Jesus tells us that as the Father loves Him, so He has loved us, and invites us to ABIDE, to make our home, in His love. Wherever I’m at, He offers me “…a place where I can enter and be at rest, even when all around me is a sea of trouble” (Andrew Murray). His love and presence are unconditional and unfailing. As Deuteronomy says, “The eternal God is our refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”

 

This invitation reminds me of a favorite love song, one that describes the heart of my abiding God even better, “To Make You Feel My Love.” Bob Dylan wrote:

 

“When the rain is blowing in your face

And the whole world is on your case

I could offer you a warm embrace

To make you feel my love

 

When the evening shadows and the stars appear

And there is no one there to dry your tears

I could hold you for a million years

To make you feel my love

 

I know you haven’t made your mind up yet

But I would never do you wrong

I’ve known it from the moment that we met

No doubt in my mind where you belong

 

I’d go hungry, I’d go black and blue

I’d go crawling down the avenue

There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do

To make you feel my love

 

The storms are raging on the rollin’ sea

And on the highway of regret

Put your hand in mine and come with me

I’ll see that you don’t get wet

 

I could make you happy, make your dreams come true

Nothing that I wouldn’t do

Go to the ends of the earth for you

To make you feel my love.”

 

Within the heights & depths of our human experience, we may feel unseen at times, regardless of who we share our lives with tangibly. God sees and surrounds us with His Presence. He unfailingly goes behind & before us. He hems us in (Psalm 139:6), lives with us, loves us, sees us, understands us. He is THE ultimate Witness to each of our journeys. As the Psalmist proclaims:

“You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in-behind and before me…. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there. If I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far ends of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light becomes night around me,” even the darkness will not hide me, the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created me in my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:3-5a,7-13, NIV).

Let us accept Jesus’ invitation to share our respective & collective journeys with Him. “Remain in Me, & I will remain in you” (John 15:3). In celebration of this gift, we can rejoice with the cry of the disciple John: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (I John 3:1, emphasis mine).

“Your Love Awakens Me…”

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I’ve noticed that when I can’t be still, when my OCD tendencies kick in and I’m operating on overdrive when I’m spinning in circles in a wild attempt to fix everything, that I need to stop and pay attention. Something is going on under the surface. Instead of numbing through activity and efforts to keep things under the illusion of control, I must be willing to sit with the discomfort. And this…this is hard.

 

As author, researcher, and speaker Brené Brown says, we all have ways of numbing. For some, they come in the more blatant form of substance addiction. For most of us, it’s subtler. We escape the pain of conflict, life, or difficult seasons or relationships with Facebook, food, television, or shopping…even cleaning. Not that any of these things are bad. They are all necessary and good in moderation. But the question is…are they bringing us pleasure and rest, or are they deadening our senses so that we feel we can cope?

 

Although I often retreat to unhealthy spots, God continually calls me out of these places, reminding me, “Come out of hiding, you’re safe here with me…You’ve been on lockdown and I hold the key…..(Steffany Gretzinger & Amanda Cook, Bethel Worship)” He is perpetually opening my eyes to the world around me, helping me learn that it’s connection, not escape, which helps me survive. Brené Brown also states that letting go of numbing and powerlessness is one of the ways we cultivate a resilient spirit and embrace wholehearted living.

 

This reminds me of what the great poet Rumi said, “Your task is not to seek for love, but to see and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” It also brings to mind a recent worship song, by Phil Wickham, but also sung by McKenna Sabin, “Your Love Awakens Me,” which states:

 

“There were walls between us,

By the cross you came and broke them down…

You called me out of the grave. You called me into the light.

You called my name and then my heart came alive.

Your love is greater. Your love is stronger.

Your love awakens, awakens, awakens me.”

 

It’s a continual process, but I ask that this day, moment by moment, I can allow His love to lead me out of the darkness and into the light, to break every chain, to awaken me. As poet e.e. cummings once wrote,

 

“I who have died am alive again today…

now the ears of my ears awake and

now the eyes of my eyes are opened.”

“Always We Begin Again…”

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As I walked my dogs the other morning, I looked out onto a world made new. The crisp azure sky highlighted jagged mountain peaks covered in a dazzling fresh coat of snow. Cat Stevens’ song rang out in my mind, “Morning has broken, like the first morning. Blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing, praise for the morning….” Creation is continually sustained and remade, just as we are.

 

The new year and decade remind me that no matter where we’re at, whatever regrets we have or roads we may wish we had taken in the past, whatever has us feeling trapped or stuck, it’s always possible to find redemption for the areas in which we fall short and start over. As the great poet Rainer Maria Rilke prompted, “Let us believe in a long year that is given to us new, untouched, full of things that have never been.”

 

Leeana Tankersley writes about the prayer of St. Benedict used to call the saints of old to the holiness of repetition, “Always we begin again.” As an intention for each new year, day, or moment, it reminds us that all of life is about the openness for continual renewal. As Tankersley writes, “…that’s what so much of life is–learning how, and learning how again, over and over.”

 

Colombia has one of the oldest standing guerilla armies in the world and a long-standing internal conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands, affecting over nine million. Executive Jose Miguel Sokoloff and a group of peacemakers led their native country in transformation over several years during the holiday season.* Initially, they covered a path from the jungle where the guerillas hid with Christmas lights and left a message stating, “If Christmas can come to the jungle, you can come home. Demobilize. At Christmas, everything is possible.” The message worked and soldiers began to lay down their arms. The next year, Sokoloff’s group put bouncy balls that lit up into the rivers with personal messages inside from families who had soldiers fighting. Several soldiers a day returned home. Eventually, as many as 17,000 laid down their weapons. 
If this kind of societal transformation is possible, what is conceivable within our own individual stories? Will we allow the things that break our hearts to also crush our spirits? Will paths that fizzle out become dead ends or opportunities to forge a new road? Will each new day be a reminder of the time we’ve lost or of all that awaits? Emily Dickins exhorted, “The soul should always stand ajar, ready to welcome the ecstatic experience…DWELL IN POSSIBILITY.” If we are open-hearted and open-minded, willing to embrace a life that will consistently surprise us and a Creator that will continually transform us, the possibilities are endless. We can always begin again.

*(1) Lisa Shipley, “Christmas after Christmas: How a Colombian ad exec helped demobilize guerrillas by advertising peace,” The Bogota Post, December 3, 2017.

Safe Space…

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After spending fifteen years in public education, I’ve fielded my share of questions.. Middle and high school students have not yet accepted the status quo and see the world in a different way than adults. Though their questions can be challenging and cause me to reexamine hard issues with a fresh perspective, they also merit an audience, a safe space to be heard.

 

Those who have helped me in my own journey are those who have been able to sit with me in the times I’ve doubted and questioned. They’ve assured me that I’m seen, that it’s okay to ask, that I serve a God who’s big enough to answer. They’ve also offered their wisdom and ideas, shared their experiences and council, and helped me find answers through study and God’s word.

 

From Job to the Psalmist to the prophets, God has made space for the doubts and questions of mankind. Jacob wrestled with God. Job asks many questions of God in his suffering, and he was not ignored, “…the LORD answered Job” (Job 38:1). Jesus did the same for those who came to him. From the rich man to the Pharisees to his disciples, he showed each he didn’t fear their questions. His answers often reframed their thinking, but he heard them. Each walked away understood and met in his own place of need. 

 

Paul and Peter also model this for us in their letters to the early church. It’s obvious they address questions held by various individuals or communities in specific, yet supportive ways. Whether the issues be faith, sin, Spirit-filled living, marriage, or understanding God’s will, they don’t hesitate to seek or explain, or encourage. Questions are not ignored or derailed. Concerns are heard and addressed so that growth can be facilitated. 

 
I Peter 3:15 tells us, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect….” Peter encourages us not only to be prepared to respond to those who inquire, he encourages civility and reason in our discourse. The council comes from the apostle who continually questioned and even challenged Jesus. But because Jesus met him in his place of need, his story, name, and life changed forever.

“Emmanuel: God With Us…”

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I have a few friends who have nailed the art of being present. When I’m with them, they look at me, listen without interruption or distraction, nod their heads as they actively participate in the conversation, and then offer their hearts and lives in exchange. Because they’re so focused, they have this way of showing others they matter. It’s a gift to receive that kind of love, to have others who are there, ready to celebrate or cry or just sit beside me, willing to offer their strength or joy or compassion. 

 

God’s like this. He gives Himself fully to each one of us, with the infinite capacity to be present in all of us in life’s ups and downs, in just the ways we need. He pursues us and fills us to overflowing with His individual ministrations and unconditional love. How telling it is that two of His names are “I AM” and “Emmanuel/God With Us.” During the Christmas season, we remember that the Eternal God sent His beloved Son as the long-awaited Saviour. He would dwell as man with us and give His life as an atonement for our sins. 

 

I love that on his Christmas album, accompanied by Yo Yo Ma, James Taylor sings the Beatles’ song, “Here Comes the Sun.”The Son has come, and His arrival changes everything: “Little Darlin’, it’s been a long and lonely winter…but here comes the sun. Here comes the sun, and I say, well, it’s alright.” 

 

Taylor also sings one of my favorite Christmas songs, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” an old English carol based on a Nineteenth-Century poem by Christina Rosetti:

 

“In the bleak midwinter/A stable sufficed;

The Lord God Almighty—Jesus Christ…

What can I give Him/Poor as I am?

If I were a Shepherd/I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man/I would do my part,—

Yet what I can I give Him—Give my heart.”

 

O Come, Emmanuel, be present with us this winter, in each day, as you have in ages past. Thank you for providing us with access to the ultimate gift—the feast of your presence.

“Be Like the Bird…”-

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We all have times where it feels like the ground is falling out beneath our feet, when everything solid that we know suddenly disappears. The things we thought were firm and sure supports either cease to bear the full weight of our lives, become disconnected from one another, or crumble completely—our foundations are revealed to be faulty. As believers, we know that God is the only sure base, Christ is the Solid Rock, but our own expectations & experiences become subtly intermixed. 

 

Just as the birds, whose mothers often nudge or even push them out of the nest, these times are necessary if we are ever to find our wings. Victor Hugo has a poem that describes this well, & encourages us to find a song in the midst of this scary process of learning to fly: “Be like the bird who, halting in flight, on limb too slight, feels it give way beneath him, yet sings, knowing he hath wings.” Our worlds may shatter & our backs may buckle & our feet may falter, but the One who watches over us has not ignored our fall. Instead, He has equipped us with both wings and songs. 

 

A dear friend recently sent me a quote by Og Mandino that beautifully describes what it means to live with this kind of bravery:

 

“I will greet this day with love in my heart. And how will I do this? Henceforth will I look on all things with love and be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness as it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.” 

 

Just like the birds who learn to soar through the very experience they initially avoided at all costs, the experiences & skills we gain through the storms of life can offer such freedom. Though we are grounded earthlings, that will not always be the case; shouldn’t our human experiences include both flight & joyous song? Though the wind may blow and the limbs beneath us may give way, because God has offered us His everlasting embrace, we are safe.

“Seeing New Lands, Losing Sight of the Shore…”

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In college, I studied and trained to be a social studies educator, then found it difficult to find a position where I wanted to live in rural Colorado. Encountering this temporary career obstacle was one of the best things to ever happen to me. It prompted me to change my course and accept the invitation of a friend to teach English in the interior of the Dominican Republic. Without knowing more than a handful of words in Spanish, I left on a life-changing adventure. As Sheryl Sandberg says, “If you’re offered a seat on a rocket ship, don’t ask what seat. Just get on.” 

 

The time in the D.R. was simultaneously the most difficult and amazing experience of my life. Not only did I learn a new language, I gained the skills to navigate another culture and forge successful relationships within it. This rich season prompted a love of culture and travel that has shaped my adult years. When I returned to the States a year later, I became a Spanish teacher, a position that provided the opportunity to share this passion with countless students. My students and I often discussed the many benefits of travel..

1. OUR WORLD GROWS EVERMORE CONNECTED WITH EACH PASSING DAY.

The Twenty-First Century world we live in is more connected than at any other previous point in history. Technology, particularly the Internet and SmartPhones, has made this possible. In 1990, the distance between any two people, say strangers meeting in an international airport, was thought to be six people. Today, that distance is shortened to around three people (https://research.fb.com/blog/2016/02/three-and-a-half-degrees-of-separation/). The youth graduating in today’s world will compete for jobs with those from other nations. It is essential those nations are able to communicate with one another and have some level of understanding.

2. TRAVEL OPENS OUR EYES, EARS, AND HEARTS TO THE WORLD.

Through travel, we learn the skills to appreciate, understand, and build relationships with other cultures. Though speaking more than one language is important, even essential, it’s far more crucial that we each have the skills to appreciate, comprehend, and empathize with other value systems and ways of doing things. These skills are key to any type of relationship. 

2. ADVENTURE IS A STRETCHING AND REWARDING EXPERIENCE. 

The thrill of adventure can be uncomfortable, but also freeing. Through it, we are offered growth, learning, new perspectives and vistas, as well as fresh layers of comprehension and enlightenment. A former Harvard president once said, “Consider the turtle, “He doesn’t grow unless he sticks his neck out.” Growth always involves an element of risk, but it comes with infinite possibilities for reward as well. As André Gide once said, “In order to see new lands, one must consent to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.”

Framing through Attitude…

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Many things are a matter of perspective. Our point of view often frames our experience, though life would have us believe we are victims of circumstance. Regardless of what we have suffered or the hands we have been dealt, we always have a choice over our attitudes.

 

In one of my all-time favorite quotes, author and pastor Charles Swindoll states:

 

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church….a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

 

Kristene DiMarco of Bethel Worship has a song entitled, “I Am No Victim” in which she proclaims this:

 

“I am no victim, I live with a vision. I’m covered by the force of love, covered in my Savior’s blood.

I am no orphan, I’m not a poor man. The Kingdom’s now become my own, and with the King, I’ve found a home.”

 

Kristen continues by assuring us, “He’s not simple reviving, not simply restoring. Greater things have yet to come.”

 

How wonderful to believe that the best is yet to come. 

 

One of my favorite bands, The Head & The Heart, echoes this sentiment in their spellbinding song “Library Magic” with the hopeful cry:

 

“I can see the sunshine rays gleaming through the clear waters,

Telling me you gotta hop in for this chapter’s ride.

There will always be better days….”

“Just Another Ordinary Miracle Today”

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For the second time this year, my husband has undergone major surgery. The last time, it was an emergency situation that caught us both by surprise, almost took his life, and required a month of living in the hospital. This time, we planned for the follow-up reversal surgery. Though I feared our lives would spin out of control again the moment we stepped into the hospital, things went far better than expected. They found few symptoms of his auto-immune disease, he required no time in ICU, and we left after a stay of three short days, with the doctors and nurses amazed at his rapid healing.

 

I wish I could say it hadn’t come as a surprise to me. It’s true–I’ve prayed and believed for his healing many times over the past several months. Apparently, however, there were places of disbelief I held back. The moments I allowed my fear to be bigger than my faith are greater than I would like them to be. This experience, as well as others, provides a lesson in POSITIVITY. An unknown quote posted on my wall encourages me to become a “possibilitarian.” Eventually, gradually, purposefully…I hope and will work for conversion.

 

To ground myself, I remember the cadence of gratitude that came after a month in the hospital last spring: 

  1. Sleeping and waking up in our own bed, not to mention getting to sleep in the same bed.
  2. Cooking and eating our own food…mmmm…though I’m sure my husband will occasionally miss those mystery meat patties from the hospital.
  3. Looking out at the mountains instead of concrete and highway traffic.
  4. Sitting in the sun instead of a hospital bed as the sound of windchimes replaces hospital alarms. 
  5. Being outside and breathing fresh air with our dogs, enough to bring us both to tears! 
  6. Being able to sit on our couch without constant interruptions from the IV monitor or those we affectionately called the “cuddle police” at the hospital.
  7. Hot showers.
  8. Better sleep. No more daily or 4:30 am IV draws or middle of the night interruptions. 
  9. No more 6:30 am visits from the team of doctors, though we are thankful for the care they provided.
  10. Returning to life, not as we knew it, but some semblance thereof. 

 

Sarah McLachlan’s beautiful song, “Ordinary Miracle” reminds us that each day is full of these possibilities:

“It’s not that unusual

When everything is beautiful.

It’s just another ordinary miracle today.”

“Come Rain or Come Shine…”

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“Come Rain or Come Shine” was Billie Holiday’s song, & no one sings it like she did. Only she could so soulfully, so sweetly, so gently sing the words to what each & every one of our hearts long to hear from our beloved:

 

You’re gonna love me, like nobody’s loved me, come rain or come shine.

High as a mountain, deep as a river, come rain or come shine.

 

It’s such a beautiful song, & what an amazing promise it offers, but…do the words carry any truth? Is it really possible to find that elusive love, or even to faithfully offer it to another?

 

Though all good relationships are proved in their ability to weather the storms mentioned in this song, few in this world come close to dwelling in that symbiotic state where love is given & remains unfailing…always, forever. Life can be beautiful when we find love, but it can be messy too, just as anything involving human beings is. Our love falls short of being perfectly patient, kind, unconditional or selfless. Only through Jesus do we experience the satiating love whose width & breadth & height & depth all surpass our understanding. All tangible glimpses we are given here somehow first flowed from His throne. 

 

The love & friendship He offers us is truly incomprehensible to the human mind, truly intimate. Casting Crowns sings about the extravagance of His love: 

 

“Your love is extravagant, Your friendship intimate.

Spread wide in the arms of Christ, is the love that covers sin.

 No greater love have I ever known than You considered me a friend.

 You’ve captured my heart again.”

 

God knows our every flaw & failure, & loves us still, more than we can fathom. There is no fear in His love, for no matter what we do, He could never love us more or less than He already does. His love is already that complete. Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that He takes great delight in us, quiets us with His love, & rejoices over us with singing. 

 

His Word is His love letter to us, & His creation continually plays the melody of His song. In the words of John Denver in Annie’s Song, we could, in turn, say of our Lord:

 

You fill up my senses, like a night in the forest, like the mountains in springtime, like a walk in the rain. 

Like a storm in the desert, like a sleepy blue ocean. You fill up my senses. Come fill me again.

Come, let me love you. Let me give my life to you. Let me drown in your laughter, let me die in your arms.

Let me lay down beside you, let me always be with you. Come, let me love you, come love me again.

 

We are made new in relationship with Him. We receive the love He has for us, but we also receive His ability to offer that heart to the world. An old poem by an unknown author says: “I love Thee Lord, but with no love of mine, for I have none to give. I love Thee Lord, but all the love is Thine, for by Thy love I live. I am as nothing, & rejoice to be, emptied & hollowed & swallowed up in Thee.” By His grace, we can boldly sing to my Saviour, Friend, Father & Beloved: 

 

“I’m gonna love you, like nobody’s loved you, come rain or come shine.

High as a mountain, deep as a river, come rain or come shine.”