Posted: under Poems.
A Sunday at a House of Worship
Silence and song
Forgiveness and new possibilities
Coffee, donuts and conversation
Smiles and tears
Prayer for self and others
Children running down the aisle for their time
Holy words of scripture
Inspired words of interpretation
Fellow shipping in the pews and out the doors
Meetings held planning endless programs
Choirs singing in preparation and during worship
Bells and bands ringing out for God
Candles being lit to let us know God is here
Candles being extinguished to remind us we are God’s light in the world
Babies cooing and talking
Individuals feeling comfortable enough to nod off
Birthdays and anniversaries celebrated
Bread broken and wine poured
But most of all
People entering in one form
And leaving in God’s Form
I can hardly wait for another Sunday at a House of Worship
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Poems.
What does it mean to be Stoned
When you aren’t talking about drugs
What does it feel like to wake up in a darkened place
Where you can’t get out
What happens in the endless darkened night
Where death is all there is
Jesus was stoned to death by a Tomb
Where His only hope was to be annointed by his friends
But then
In a moment when time stood still
You hear Your Abba Daddy God say
Arise my Child
You feel a Hand unlike any other
Move the Stone away from the door of our heart
We are no longer drugged by
Darkness
Feeling trapped in life
The illusion of Death
We are invited to come forth
To meet those locked in the upper rooms of their minds
To join a Risen Christ
We are no longer Stoned
We are now Bolder
For Blessed is the one who comes in the Name of the Lord
The one who sees not because they have seen
No the one who sees because they have felt the Touch
Of a Resurrected Christ
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Poems.
Father’s Day
How do we honor our Father God
Let me think of the ways
By letting God be who God is
Not who someone who doesn’t know God defines God
By letting God not impose God’s Will
We are in this together
By letting God be a Father in the best sense
Not as our earthy father defined it
By letting God be a Loving Father
It is acceptable for the masculine side of us to love
By letting God be with us as God was with Jesus
Not by saying God had only one son
By letting God play with us
So we don’t take life so seriously
By letting God never separate from us for any reason
How could God ever separate from who God loves
By letting God encourage rather than condemn
Healthy love supports rather than tears down
How do we honor our Father God
Let ME think of the ways
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Poems.
Grace
A Wonderful concept
A Godly quality
Grace
Some words spoken before a meal
Some words alerting us what to be thankful for in life
Grace
More then our human nature can grasp
More then any spoken word can define
Grace
Empowering us to live fearlessly
Empowering us to leave behind graceless thoughts
Grace
Something given with no strings attached
Something received with no strings attached
Grace
A part of life to be grown into
A part of life to never outgrow
Grace
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Poems.
I met a blind man
He could see a God in song
One we are often unable to see
I met a blind man
His unseeing eyes often glanced upward
I could see God reflected there
I met a blindman
He used his other senses
Now he brought me back to my senses
I met a blind man
It no longer mattered that he couldn’t see
For there is an inner sight we all have
I met a man
We didn’t see eye to eye
No we saw spirit to spirit
I met Jesus in this man
Who introduced me to a new song
One I could sing with Jesus in me
I met a spiritual friend
Who I can see even if he isn’t here
Because God isn’t in our outer senses
God is in our hearts
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Weekly Spiritual Thoughts.
Dear Spiritual Companions,
Our thoughts are always with us. No matter where we go, do or don’t do, they are ever with us. One spiritual perspective tells us to be mindful. Another says empty your mind. Is this the same thing or something completely different? Can one be mindful of an empty mind? Does any of that even matter? Does one lead to heaven or nirvana, depending on your perspective, while the other leads to hell or suffering, which is probbably one in the same? I tend to become confused, how about you? Throw in doing it right, whatever that means, and suddenly there is chaos found in our thoughts.
I don’t really care! I have thoughts and they are what they are. Hard as I may try to empty my mind it only happens when I sleep and that is because I am not conscious of the thoughts. Dreams come even when I am not awake reminding me of the spiritual thought processing going on when my internal defenses are down. When I learn the dream langauage and how to wake myself up, then I have some very interesting thoughts to explore, now found in images. But I digress, which is what thoughts do to you. I like to digress sometimes because then I find myself becoming aware.
I want to become more awake to life, or as the Psychology World defines it – become conscious. This, to me, means paying attention to my thoughts. What thoughts keep popping up in my mind? This can tell me what my inner being may be centered on today. Which thoughts lead me into feeling fear, anger or some other emotion? Are those thoughts related to individuals, activities, the past or future? Maybe by becoming mindful of my thoughts I can empty my mind? Now that is an interesting thought!
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of fighting what is. I want to let life BE. Instead of reacting or trying to change what is, I simply want to respond. Someone does something I don’t agree with or like. Instead of fighting it I can either respond in some way or let it go. Why do I have to right every wrong or have others think the way I do? What kind of thinking leads to those thoughts? Again by becoming mindful I can say no I don’t want to respond to them or yes I do. Some people live in the inner peace of letting life BE. I would like to follow their model. Could their secret be found in their inner thoughts? Maybe the answer for me is found in when I’m feeling peaceful even when my world is chaotic?
Those are my thoughts today. What do you think?
Peace,
Gary
Mar 30 2009
Posted: under Gary as Poet and Author.
A number of years ago I went to a Writing Workshop at Chicago Theological Seminary. I was in my early 20′s and was introduced to writing poetry. The Professor invited us to come up with images which could invite others into our words. My image was a Treasure Chest. The image meant it was the place where I kept my personal treasures. The Teacher said that kind of image would invite the reader to look at what a Treasure Chest would mean for them. I was stunned. I had been taught when you read a poem everyone is supposed to come up with the same answer. I never came up with that answer. Now I was free to let others words speak to my definition of what those words meant to me. In addition, I was told you didn’t have to ryhme the words who even have punctuation. I was sold and have been writing poetry ever since. I have had some published in devotional magazines. I also have a book of poetry, “Mystical Musings.” It is for sale for $10 plus postage. You can also find my poetry on the web site.
I am also an Author. You will find my weekly Spiritual Thoughts on this website. In addition, I also share some of my personal spiritual reflections in my letters. Like my poetry my words come from a place deep inside of me. I listen to the leadings of God in my own life and feel the urge to share them with others. I am in awe of this gift because I never saw myself in this way until the middle of my life. God has been leading me on a very exciting journey of putting words together ever since. I have a CD for sale at $10 plus postage. It is entitled “Poetry, Prose, Paradox and Prayer.” Now that I am retired I plan on wiritng a great deal more. Watch for further updates.
Mar 24 2009
Posted: under Weekly Spiritual Thoughts.
I want to introduce myself to you. I could list my degrees and various accomplishments, but that only gives you a picture of my outer self. If this is important to you I will be glad to share that information with you. Instead I want to give you some inages of my inner self.
I am on a journey with God. I am a Christian, but am very open to the many ways God has revealed God’s Self in other places and cultures. I am not stuck on this or that particular Name for God. I am more concerned with the Being I call Unconditional Love. I have spent my life letting go of the Image of God based on fear, strings attached and this being the only way. I believe these are simply human definitions of the Undefinable. To me God is Love found in a deep personal relationship freely entered into by us.
I was a Pastor for 35 years and the most surprising experience was the way my outer identity as servant revealed my inner identity as a lover of life. I have found this in my relationships with myself, wife, daughters, parishoners and friends. It continues in my developing work as Spiritual Director, Friend or Companion along the way. It also reveals itself in my writing, workshops and work in helping to rebuild New Orleans. I know not where my path is leading, I just know I am on it for whatever time I have left in this human form.
If who I am touches who you are let me know. I am always looking for companions along the way who are Awakening to the gift of life.
Peace
Gary
Mar 24 2009
Posted: under Weekly Spiritual Thoughts.
Dear Spiritual Friends,
I live in New Orleans. As many of you know we had a major hurricane – Katrina hit us August 28, 2005. We have been trying to put our communities back together ever since. It has been a big challenge. We have run into many problems related to factors out of our control. It has been quite a teaching to see how I handle the parts of life I simply can do nothing about or change.
How about you? What is your response to being helpless? If you are like me you might have times of simply running away. Eat something, drink something, watch sports, read, talk with friends and on and on. You might also try to fight it. The rotten government, those who don’t care, doesn’t anyone see our plight and on and on. I have tried those various possibilities all to no avail.
What I have learned is to be vulnerable. Cry when tears begin to fall from my eyes, feel the anger because my world has been violated, sense the happiness found in someone caring. There is more, but the real key is found in my weakness. My spiritual director said, “Pain is a given in life, suffering is optional.” Hurricanes are a part of Nature as are tornado’s, snow and ice storms. When you live in this world the natural unfolding of life events will occur. It is what we do with them that create suffering or possibility. Fight or flight doesn’t work. Standing still and resting in what is may be the way to wisdom.
What is it about letting life be what it is that causes us problems. Maybe it calls into question our illusions. The biggest illusion is we are in charge. We supposedlycan make anything we want happen. It is in our culture and often in our religion. If you try hard enough you can make it happen. If we believe enough then we will get what we want. In truth, maybe what we think we want is the worst thing for us. Maybe even worse is the thought we can make life happen. We become god. We no longer need God. Notice the small “g”? We have shrunk God to our size. It simply doesn’t work.
God, by whatever name we call God,will not punish us for trying on It’s Identity. No this Higher Being will wait until we come to awareness and leave our illusions behind. When we are weak God becomes strong. The apostle Paul wrote those words. Now comes the hardest part – God’s kind of strength is not ours. Life is let to be what it is. Hurricanes are not changed. They are simply left to be what they are, invitations to vulnerability. We don’t run away or attack them, we deal with the fallout. We see what happens and simply live in the midst of them. We use them as opportunities to put our lives together. We see loss and let it go. We see opportunities and help them grow. We feel weak and do nothing. We ………… you fill in the blank. The courageous individuals are the ones who simply show up.
I have talked about hurricanes because that is affecting my life. What is the hurricane in your life affecting yours?
Peace
Gary
Mar 23 2009
Posted: under Poems.
What do we Fall for
Autumn is a good season to ask this question
So what do we Fall for
Leaves
Humid less air
Shorter sun lit days
Is it the kind of leaves on the trees
Or the invitation to leave life be
Both ours and those we love
Or the call to leave God be God
So we don’t have to step into a position already filled
Or the ability to leave our prayers with God
Rather then doubting their outcome
Is it the humid less air
The one which is no longer sticky
So those problems attached to us fall away
The one which allows us to breathe
So God’s Breath can fill us
The one which doesn’t have the close feeling
So now we can be close to what matters
Is it the shorter sun lit days
Where we enter the darkness
To find life less threatening
Where we do less
So we can be more
Where we don’t need sun shine
But rather Son shine
What do we Fall for
Mar 17 2009