We all adore God in different ways
but can join together in one symphony of praise...

photo taken in Northampton, MA

One Grand Providence

God's care is more evident in some instances of [His providence]

than in others to the dim and often bewildered vision of humanity.

Upon such instances we seize and call them providences. It is well

that we can; but it would be gloriously better if we could believe

that the whole matter is one grand providence.

- George MacDonald (1824-1905), "Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood

Photo: inside an orchid, Northampton, MA

A Garden of Kindness

"Kind hearts are the gardens,

Kind thoughts are the roots,

Kind words are the flowers,

 Kind deeds are the fruits,

 Take care of your garden

 And keep out the weeds,

 Fill it with sunshine

Kind words and kind deeds”

--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

photo taken in Northampton, MA

How to Encourage Spiritual Hunger in Others!

"'A man can not lead others where he is not willing to go himself.
Therefore, beware of the prayerless church leader who no longer
readily admits his own need for more of the person and power of
Jesus Christ. Only a seeking, praying heart can truly encourage
spiritual HUNGER in others!' - David Smithers."

photo taken in Edinburgh, Scotland

Spiritual Examen: Is My Worship Reasonable and Spiritual? Part 1

I plead with you therefore, brethren, by the compassionsof God, to present
all your faculties to Him as a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to Him.
This with you will be an act of reasonable worship. 2 And do not follow the
customs of the present age, but be transformed by the entire renewal of your
minds, so that you may learn by experience what God's will is--that will
which is good and beautiful and perfect.... (Romans 12: 1-3, Weymouth translation)

There is so much that is discussed about "worship" that relates to style and form, that often,
the true heart of worship,or its lack, is not talked about or understood. When we think
of "worship" we often think of what happens during a "worship" service in our particular
church. Some churchs are liturgical, some are charismatic, some are seeker--friendly, other
are hell-fire and brimstone (not so common today). In the charismatic/ pentecostal world it
would appear that not a lot of people have a clear understanding of the nature and purpose of worship.
Somtimes churches differ in their style of worship music but this is not the main issue.
Often, people say things, "Oh, wasn't the worship good this morning at church."  Or,
"I could really feel the presence of God."  But this is not really a biblical understanding
or accurate judge of what is "good" worship. 

The apostle Paul uses the words "λογικην λατρειαν"-- logiken latreain" (reasonable,
spiritual worship). It is whole-bodied and whole minded: rational and reasonable.
Reasonable worship is what is proper to give to God (which by our measure might
be unreasonably extravagant!). It is not just worship words, or felt experience, but
the whole of our life presented to God. What would hold more worth for "worthship":
for someone to say, "I love you" with great sentimentality, or for someone to actually
wholeheartedly walk in agape love every minute of every day ?

There is an aspect to worship that we miss at our own peril and which robs God
of what is due Him: not giving God the discipline of a carefully reasoned
offering of our ENTIRE life. This is not something that you can come to accurately without
a carefully reasoned inventory, ( i.e. a spiritual examen that brings us to the action of extreme
worship.)  I must become a living sacrifice offered to God: a conscious decision to
put every detail of my very  life on the altar, something not possible or reasonable
under the Old Covenant.

When we appeal to only the experiential in worship, without reason and discipline
backed up with a fully-converted life, then we soon will end up being steered by
personal agendas, power plays, human whim, cultural preferences, or doctrines
of demons.

In the article, Conformation or Transformation: Toward Reclaiming Meaningful Distinctives in Evangelical Worship Practice    Linda Schwartz writes,

"The New Testament call to identification in the Cross and to abundant
—not easy—life based on kingdom values, is being silenced by worship
practice which refuses to acknowledge the cost of discipleship. Worship
services approximate forms of entertainment that are designed to elicit
only passive response rather than active engagement from participants.
People have been lulled into checking their brains at the door...

It is disturbing, therefore, that evangelicals place so much stock in the
emotional experience or realm of feelings: this is the one area of human
nature that evangelicalism has traditionally regarded as an appropriate
response mechanism; and, for many, it has become an exclusive outlet,
the single gauge by which the validity of faith is measured. In fact,
‘gut feeling’ or the realm of emotion also internalizes and projects
 erogenous emotions, as well as feelings of misery, aggressiveness, and
 guilt; and these often become confused with appropriate spiritual behaviour.
When human feeling or emotion is compartmentalized from cerebral or
sentient experience, the worshipper is no longer able to engage in a balanced
or fully human response to worship.


Reasonable, spiritual worship is the whole of one's life, working in Godly harmony, and  lived
out of  Kingdom values, offered to God. The apostle Paul then proceeds to give us a spiritual
examen that will help us move toward such worship. We will discuss that tomorrow. :)

Spiritual Examen: Using Spiritual Filters to Build Healthy Relationship with God

If we are to move toward a really intimate relationship with God then we must understand
that there are no secrets kept between two people that love each other. When we love
God we WANT to be known by Him and to KNOW Him. We want to hold nothing
back. We want to know every detail about God and we want Him to know every
detail about us

Notice what happens the first time that sin enters into the world in the garden of Eden:
hiding behavior! The beauty of unrestricted openness with God is gone. Somehow we,
in our blinded, sinful state, have allowed ourselves to believe that we can choose when to
come into God's presence or, on the other hand, when to choose not to.

 But God is everywhere and He is always with us, not as a Judge, or Chaperone,
or Watcher, but simply as our Father, our Creator, our Companion and Friend.
God created us for intimacy with Him.

Like attracts like. Goodness attracts goodness. How can two walk together unless
they be agreed? "But if we live in the light in the same way that God is in the light,
we have a relationship with each other. And the blood of his Son Jesus cleanses
us from every sin." I John 1:7.  So it is not hiding from God that keeps us
safe, but walking with God in the Light of His Presence.

Think of all the filters in your life! We like to keep them clean because they trap
unwanted particles that clog up essential items: air conditioner filters trap pollutants
that you don't want to breath in; drain filters keep hair and debris from clogging
your drain pipes; water filters take out things that we would do better not drinking.
So let us not look at questions of spiritual examen as something that make us
feel ashamed and thus, drives us from God.

 Let us, instead,  use the questions as filters knowing that they catch unwanted
 things in our spiritual lives before they clog our relationship with God.  You do not
want to be separated from God. I know that I don't. And yet, sometimes God
feels distant. This does not happen for no good reason. God is still there, but
debris has come between us and Him.

If you only clean your bathtub sink drain once a year, your ability to enjoy
your cleansing time will be severely diminished. So let us catch spiritual problems before
they cause us further trouble. If you feel, "I have sinned so long and so much
that God does not want me around" then you misunderstand the dear heart of  God.

The prodigal son had many issues. If you met him in person you may not have liked
him, but he understood one thing: that his Father wanted him and that he could
always go back to him. Of course he had thought that life on the farm was a bore,
and that his older brother was a goody-two shoes, but it was his bad choice that
had caused him to leave, and it was his good choice that easily brought him back home.
Go back to God. What we learn in our exile is that God is always right and that
there is no place like Home.  Your sinfulness and mine is a paradox. Its right
to kill us has been dealt with on the cross of Christ: we have been forgiven.
Yet, our sinful nature still affects us because our complete conversion is a
gradual process. Of course, there is an initial moment when we choose God,
but it is lifetime of learning to give Him every bit ourselves freely and with
no reservations. All of my experience in life is custom made to allow me to
bring all of my heart, soul, mind and strength to Him. You are built for that
kind of connection with God.


So let us begin our examen with some general questions about our intimacy
with God. Its good to get in the habit of doing this often, even every day!
Our hearts should be going toward God continually, just like those
who love each other always want to know what the other is doing,,,
 
God, when did I sense Your presence the most in my day?

When did  I lose track of the fact that You are with me?

How do I see You loving me today, even when I didnt
see it in that moment?

How did I respond to the love You showed me?

and finally,

Did I love You today in such a way
that Your heart smiled?

Sit with these questions for a few moments and give
time for God to speak with you, and you with Him.

Spiritual Examen : Seeing Myself as God Sees Me

As we continue to explore the seven deadly sins, we need to lay
some groundwork. You may be asking, "What good will looking
at my sinfulness do me?"  Won't it be discouraging? What if I
get discouraged and give up? 

The important thing to remember in all this is that we are not
just routing out our sins as if we were finding rotten easter
eggs hidden in a garden. The point is to rid ourselves of
the false image of ourselves that cloaks our relationship
with sinful attitudes and habits. No one can argue that
we should agree with God and that His view of us is
the correct view, right?  So let us begin by asking God
for His view of us!

Heavenly Father, please show me how You view me.
Just as You looked at the seven churches in the book
of Revelation, pointing out both their strengths and their
shortcomings, please reveal to me what pleases you
about my life and what can be improved. Show me
what is hurting You as You watch me, and, show me
where I fail to see the effects of sin hurting me.
It is easy for You to hate sin because You
clearly see what it does to us. Give us that same clarity!

When I see that I have been entertaining such
dangerous and repugnant company it will be so much
easier to allow You to take action in my heart.
Please show me what I need to know, ...I know you
will do it in a way that is as easy as possible for me
to accept. Its ok if it gets hard. I love You and trust
Your hand and Your counsel in my life. Amen!

Part of what is amiss is that we too readily trust
our own opinion of ourselves. How we look at
something is often caught up in how it affects me,
what benefits it seems to have for me, and what
will be the easiest and least invasive route for
me to get to where and what I want. But Jesus
did not live this way. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say
to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord,
but only what he sees the Father doing. For
whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
....
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my
judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the
will of him who sent me. ..If I alone bear witness about
myself, my testimony is not deemed true. There is another
 [John the Baptist]who bears witness about me, and I know
that the testimony that he bears about me is true... But the
testimony that I have is greater than that of John. For the
works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very
works that I am doing, bear witness about me that
 the Father has sent me. And the Father who sent me has himself
borne witness about me. (John 5: 19, 30-32. 36-37).

Jesus lived before His Father in utter simplicity and trust.
He did not hold his own opinion. He only looked to God.
There was no pressured sense of Himself that He felt compelled to
"live up to." He listened to and lived for His Father alone. He
did not need to look to others to see what their opinion
was, He simply walked with God.

So let us put ourselves in the hands of God and ask
Him to show us how He views us: after we get
acclimated to the downgrade, we can enjoy the
upgrade :), for we are far worse than we know,
and yet, far more holy children of God than we can
take in.  Let the huge weight be lifted from your
shoulders: just be who God made you to be,
nothing more, or less!

The Seven Deadly Sins or What I Can't Bear to Face about Myself X7

During the season of  lent, traditionally a time of self-examining and turning to God,
it behooves us to discuss things that one rarely ever hears preached on, usually
because they would make the preacher unpopular, or because the truth is not
something everyone wants to hear.

Human beings are quite predictable. Patterns develop in our lives quite
easily without our recognizing it. Think about how we always gravitate
toward the same seat at church; always seem to pick the same snacks
at the store; always seem to follow a certain series of tasks when we
get out of bed, and when we get ready for bed!

The enemy of our souls takes advantage of our predictability and
once we our enslaved to a bad habit, we are seriously held back
from entering fully into our freedom as sons and daughters of God.
Sin entrenches our direction down a path that we don't want to go,
and those sins start with bad attitudes.

Remember two words: inclination and  repetition. We have underlying
attitudes that incline us toward sin, and once we have gone down
that rode a few times repetitively, we forget that there are holier
and happier routes. We repeat our sins over and over until
they are firmly entrenched.  But how to be rid of them?

Underlying all sin, never mind the seven deadly ones, are
deadly attitudes. When we start to think about this it gets
uncomfortable really quickly and we can say we don't care (?),
we can say that our sins are forgiven (they are); we can say that all this is too
negative and discouraging, (as if denying the problem will make it
go away?) or we can use what we learn to find out where
are souls are leaking righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost.
Wise spiritual guides down through the centuries have
recognized that these seven players are what most often
keep us from entering the World Series of  Truly Loving Jesus
on Team "Christ in Us the Hope of Glory."

If we understand where we fall short, we are that much closer to
knowing what we need to put on the altar of God. We are sinners:
not just before we are Christians, but after, also! God is not
surprised by the state of our souls, so seeing our self as He sees
us, and  knowing that His grace is big enough to fix us, should not
be cause for us to want to back away from a deep inward journey.

The point is not to navel-gaze, but to be set free so that
we might more unself-consciously gaze at Him! Sin is a fat
man in a room full of lithe spiritual worshippers! It keeps us
from decreasing and thus makes it harder for Him to increase.
He is a Gentleman and will not evict our sinful "alters" and
altars  unless we allow Him, too. He deserves all our spiritual space.

When we invite Jesus in, we should not make Him live with
the seven deadlies seated on seven thrones within us!

So let us begin by naming the 7 deadly sins: Pride, greed,
envy, anger, lust, gluttony and sloth. Throughout history,
there have been slightly different variations, but these
are ripe to begin with. See how the mention of them,
immediately starts an interesting inner process? :)

Tomorrow we launch in!

Spring is Dawning

Jesus is God! The solid earth,

The ocean broad and bright,

The countless stars, like golden dust,

Strewn 'cross the skies at night,

The wheeling storm, the dreadful fire,

The pleasant wholesome air,

The summer's sun, the winter's frost,

His own creations fair.

.

--Frederick Faber, Hymns (adapted)

photo taken in Northampton, Massachusetts

Grace to be Taught New Things!

"In these days, God taught me as a schoolteacher teaches a pupil."

I remind myself that there are things God has to teach me yet,

and ask for the grace to hear them and let them change me.

--Ignatius of Loyola

photo taken in Worcester, Uk

Julian of Norwich on Getting in Our Own Way

And when God Almighty had shown me some of His goodness so plentifully and completely,

I desired to learn whether a certain creature I loved continued in the good living I hoped had

begun by the grace of God. And it seemed that I got in my own way with this desire to

know about a particular person, for I received no teaching about it at this time. But then I

was answered in my reason, as it were, by a friendly advisor, "Take what you are shown as

general, and look at the courtesy of the Lord God as He shows it to you. For it is a great honor

to God for you to see Him in everything than in one, special thing.

I assented, and thus I learned that it is a greater honor to God for us to know all things in

general than to delight in any one thing in particular. And if I want to act wisely according

to this teaching, not only should I not be glad for any one thing specifically, I should  not be

greatly disturbed for any kind of thing, for all shall be well. The fullness of joy is to behold

God in everything, for by the same blessed power, wisdom and love that He made everything,

our  good Lord leads it to the same end continuously, will Himself bring it there, and when it

is time, we shall see it.

--Julian of Norwich, The Revelation of Divine Love, chapter 35.


photo taken in S. Deerfield, MA

Julian of Norwich on "Wellbeing and Woe"

All of us who shall be saved have within us during our
lifetime a marvelous mixture of both well-being and
woe. We have within ourselves our risen Lord Jesus Christ,
and we have within us the wretchedness and evil consequences
of Adam's falling. Dying in Christ, we are everlastingly
preserved, and by the touching of His grace, we are raised
to a real trust in salvation.

By Adam's falling we are so broken in our feelings in
different ways (by sin and by various pains by which we
are made dark and blind), that only with difficulty can
we find any comfort. But in our intentions we wait for God
and faithfully trust we shall have mercy and grace--and this
is His own working in us. --Julian of Norwich

photo taken on Gold Camp Road, Colorado Springs, CO

Holy Curiosity: Contemplate the Mysteries of Eternity!

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.” ~Albert Einstein


photo taken near Abergavenny, UK

A Tender Heart

“Because thine heart was tender…” 2 Kings 22:19

What a desirable thing is a tender heart. How earnestly we should aspire after one. And when such has been graciously bestowed upon us, what diligence we should exercise in seeking to preserve the same. The tenderness of Josiah’s heart was precious in the sight of the Lord, and in consequence thereof his prayers were answered, as the remainder of our opening text declares. There is nothing like a tender heart, my reader, for obtaining the ear of the Lord. A tender heart is one which is responsive to the voice of God, and unless we possess this how can we expect Him to hear our calls? A tender heart is the only one which truly honours God, as it is the only one which ensures our growth in grace. How deeply important, then, is the question, Have you, have I, really a tender heart? May we be enabled to answer truthfully.

…it is probable that not a few readers would prefer for us to tell them how a tender heart may be recovered. They are already persuaded of the great excellence of this spiritual treasure….What grieves them is that they are conscious of guilty failure in safeguarding this Divine gift. They are sensible that the fine gold has become dim, that little foxes have spoiled their vines, that their conscience is no longer so sensitive as it once was, that they do not respond so readily to the motions of God’s Spirit; that much hardness now resides in their hearts.

It is sadly true that a tender heart may be lost: not absolutely so, but relatively; not permanently, but temporarily. But sadder still is the fact that many who have suffered this deprivation are unconscious of it. It is with them as it was with Ephraim of old: “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not” (Hosea 7:9). They may still attend the means of grace and perform their outward devotions, but their hearts are not in them. They may still be respected by their fellow-Christians and regarded as in a healthy spiritual state, while in reality they are backsliders. Sights from which they once shrank appall them no longer. Things which used to exercise their conscience do so no more.

Said the Apostle to the Galatians, “Ye did run well, who (or “what”) hath hindered you?” (5:7). What are the things which destroy tenderness of heart? Ungodly companions is one. Satan will tell the young Christian that he or she may keep old friends and suffer no loss, but God says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor. 15:33). Friendship with worldlings will soon have a paralyzing influence upon true spirituality. Prayerlessness is another thing which speedily affects the heart. Unless a close fellowship with God be maintained—and that is impossible if the Throne of Grace is neglected—coldness and hardness will soon steal upon us. Equally so will a neglect of the Word. This will not necessarily mean the omission of reading so many chapters each day, but the absence of actually communing with God therein. The spirit of hypocrisy, pretending to be what we are not, hardens—for guile and tenderness are incompatible.

Yes, a tender heart may be lost, as truly as first love may be left (Rev. 2:4). Can it be regained? Yes, though not as easily as it may be hardened. How? First, by warming afresh at the fire of God’s love. This is ever the most effectual means of removing hardness of heart.

What was it that melted and broke you down at your first conversion? Was it not a sense of the Divine grace and a sight of Christ’s dying love? And nothing is so calculated to soften the backslider: it is “the goodness of God” which leads to repentance (Rom. 2:4).

What was before David when he commenced his contrite confession? This: the Lord’s “lovingkindness” and the “multitude of His tender mercies” (Psa. 51:1).

When was it that Peter went out and wept bitterly? Was it not when the Saviour “turned and looked upon him” (Luke 22:61)? Was it not the sorrow which Peter saw in that look—a sorrow which issued from love for him—which broke his heart?! The Lord had given him every proof that he was dear unto Him, and how had Peter requited that love? And has not the Lord given you, my brother, my sister, abundant evidence that you are precious in His sight? Did He deem any sacrifice too great to make atonement for your sins? Has He not favoured you above millions of your fellows in bringing you to a saving knowledge of the Truth? Has He not bestowed the Holy Spirit upon you? Has He not borne with your dullness with infinite patience? Can you dwell upon these things with unmoved heart? Surely not. Seek unto Him, then, and your coldness and hardness will indeed be thawed. --A.W. Pink, A Tender Heart


photo taken in Astoria, Oregon. ....this is a wild deer.

An Amazing Coincidence: Some things never change, some things do!

I was so excited to post the picture of Kirkstone Pass yesterday with a wayfarer quote that I had just found. Then later in the day, I was cleaning out a file of old postcards and found the exact same scene,
photographed at just about the exact spot OVER !00 years ago. It was so amazing! Little had changed in the picture--the telephone poles were gone, but it was basically unchanged. What a blessing! I just wanted to share the postcard with you, and the original scene again....In the midst of a world of change, I am just so glad that some of the most beautiful scenery in the world has not been
spoiled. Thank God!

Thou Wayfaring Jesus, a pilgrim and stranger

 

Thou wayfaring Jesus, a pilgrim and stranger,

exiled from heaven by love at Thy birth:

Exiled again from Thy rest in the manger,

A fugitive child 'mid the perils of earth--

Cheer with Thy fellowship all who are weary,

Wandering far from the land that they love;

Guide every heart that is homeless and dreary,

Safe to its home in Thy presence above.

... Henry van Dyke (1852-1933),

photo taken near Kirkstone Pass, Lake District, UK

Life Itself is Grace

"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."
— Frederick Buechner (Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation)

photo taken in Glencoe, Scotland

The Sweetness of Devotion

Devotion is the real spiritual sweetness which takes away

all bitterness from mortifications, and prevents consolations

from disagreeing with the soul; it cures the poor of sadness,

and the rich of presumption; it keeps the oppressed from

feeling desolate, and the prosperous from insolence; it averts

sadness from the lonely, and dissipation from social life; it

is as warmth in winter and refreshing dew in summer; it knows

how to abound and how to suffer want, how to profit alike by

honour and by contempt; it accepts gladness and sadness with an

even mind, and fills men's hearts with a wondrous sweetness.

... Francois de Sales , Introduction to the

Devout Life [1609]

photo taken near Monsale Dale, Derbyshire, UK

He Awakes My Slumbering Soul

You ask then how I knew He was present, when His ways can in no way

be traced? He is life and power, and as soon as He enters in, He

awakens my slumbering soul; He stirs and soothes and pierces my

heart, for before it was hard as stone, and diseased.

- Bernard of Clairvaux

photo taken in Colorado Springs, Colorado

Help me to journey beyond the familiar

and into the unknown.

Give me the faith to leave old ways

and break fresh ground with You.

Christ of the mysteries, I trust You

to be stronger than each storm within me.

I will trust in the darkness and know

that my times, even now, are in Your hand.

Tune my spirit to the music of heaven,

and somehow, make my obedience count for You.

The Prayer of St. Brendan

photo taken in Glencoe, Scotland