Archive for the ‘Ravings & Realizations’ Category

Song in the Elevator – Sacred in the Chaos

Posted: January 23, 2013 in Ravings & Realizations
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A little over a month ago we were in the city celebrating my husband’s birthday.  We decided to venture on foot to Coit Tower, an icon that can be seen from most places in San Francisco.  We got to the top by elevator and enjoyed the views.  From every direction there was a different scene to please the eye.

Coit Tower

Coit Tower

The wind whipped around us and other tourists as we watched the sun sink behind the Golden Gate.  On each window sill there were coins from all over the world – mementos of real people, with real loves, real hates, real stresses, real journeys through life.  Each coin has a story to it – a representation of how we’re all linked to each other – how our lives collide and mesh more than we realize.  We dropped our coins with the others, leaving our dimes standing watch as tiny tourists overlooking the Bay forever.

Coit Tower Window

Coins on the window sill looking out from Coit Tower

As the temperature began to drop we crammed with the others back into the tiny elevator to descend back to our separate lives, our schedules, our calendar of events and appointments.  The door closed and there we were, packed into the tiny box, our personal bubbles forced to pop as we all rubbed shoulders for the ride down.

There was that silence – you know the kind.  The silence that crescendos upon an elevator as the doors close, and those inside wait, as if frozen in time and space, hibernating from life for a few seconds.  But this time something changed.  One of the strangers made a joke about how we were all so quiet as we stood shoved into this common space, waiting for the floors to descend and the doors to release us.  We all laughed nervously, somewhat relieved that someone had helped to break the awkward silence.  Then my husband jovially told everyone it was his birthday today.  Suddenly the moving box became electric with an energy of voices wishing happy birthday and asking for his name.  And there it was –  that same feeling: magic in the mundane, Sacred in the chaos, Spirit among strangers.  One of the young men, a kid probably in his late teens, announced that we had to sing!  And so, the moving box of strangers of all ages, cultures and from all walks of life,  began to sing out a happy birthday chorus that felt spontaneous and authentic, even though none of us knew each other’s names or stories.  We were all suddenly linked by a song that the world knows – a song that celebrates life and a recognition that we are all connected and we are all a miracle as sacred, living beings who cohabitate this planet.

elevator

The elevator inside Coit Tower

It was only 10 or 15 seconds.  Just the time it takes to descend 10 stories in an elevator.  By the time the doors opened at ground level, we somehow felt connected and like friends.  Everyone, smiling and giggling from the spontaneous warmth of what just had taken place, wished each other a great rest of the day, and many more “Happy Birthdays!” rang out through the air.  Life celebrated – in mere seconds – and the Sacred lingered with each of us as we returned to our schedules and routines and lives.  Each of us feeling a twinge of magic, a chord of connection, and an enveloping sense of joy.

The Sacred shows up everywhere.  Whether we’re in an elevator, or stuck in traffic on the interstate, or going through the routines of everyday life, the Sacred is there.  But we have to slow down to see it.  We must open our eyes.  It’s there, waiting to dance around us, sing to us, sit with us.  It’s happening all the time, but we miss it so many times because of the tunnel vision we let creep into our lives.  We miss it because maybe our eyes are cast down into our digital devices.  Or perhaps we miss it because of our schedules that rule our day-in-day-out interactions, so that spontaneity is choked by well-meaning plans and trivial pursuits.  But I believe that if we took time to pause, maybe just 10 – 15 seconds (the time it takes for an elevator to descend 10 floors), we would hear it.  We would hear the song that is being sung around us all the time.  This song that is telling us all how beautiful we are, how we are loved, and how this day and this space is special because we reside in it.  This chorus is cascading around you and me all the time –  may we have the courage to raise our voices with that song, celebrating this beautiful life we share with all creatures!  And even the most mundane places will turn into cathedrals where we encounter the Sacred.

Christianese – Part 1

Posted: October 3, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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We’ve all seen the drama performances – you know the ones – where Jesus is seen on one side of the stage and the poor human is on the other side of the stage, reaching and striving to get to Jesus, but all the distractions of life and temptations keep taking the human down.  We see Jesus struggling to try to get closer to the human and as the music crescendos, Jesus finally wins and the person gets to Him, with all the demons and distractions of life dead and gone around them.  This kind of drama performance is very powerful – but also very flawed.

Then there are the songs that refer to Jesus waiting for us to come spend time with Him, as if He’s this insecure Being waiting in the corner of our living room, longing for us to just pause and spend time with Him.  And if we miss it, He’ll still be waiting there for us, hoping we’ll one day stop and come and meet with Him.  And as we go out on our day, he’ll be waiting in that “old familiar place”, wanting to spend some time with us…and if our day goes badly it’s cuz we left Jesus at home and ran out the door.

“I really want to get closer to God…”  We hear this phrase a lot.  And songs or drama performances and other illustrations supports this mentality.  This phrase, which summarizes the underlying message of some of these songs and dramas, is an example of Christianese.  Christianese, according to the Urban Dictionary, is “A communicable language within the Christian subculture with words and phrases created, redefined, and / or patented that applies only to the Christian sphere of influence.”  Christianese.  Words or phrases used, usually by those who go to church or claim to follow God, that others don’t understand.  Here’s an example given from the Urban Dictionary of what Christianese might sound like:

“Christian: Brother, I felt like I was really backsliding, so I crucified my old man and put on my new man, and now the fruit of the spirit is evident in my life! 
Non-Christian: What the hell did you just say? You speakin’ Christianese?” 

Christianese.  I would argue that many times a “Christian” may not even understand what they are saying, and how the phrases used may be quite flawed when really analyzed.  I believe the phrase “getting closer to God” is an example of Christianese, even among Christians.

First of all, don’t get me wrong: maybe these types of dramas, songs and other illustrations have opened our eyes to God in a way that we never have experienced.  Maybe they have given us a glimpse of our condition if there was no God.  But they also hint of a false concept that God is far away and I have to really overcome all this stuff in my life to finally “get close to God.”  It’s as if the Sacred is off somewhere waiting for us to be enlightened that we need him, and show our proof that we want Him, and then He’ll fight for us, as long as we fight for Him.  Really?  Is that what God is like?  Doesn’t that image actually give more power to me?  Let me explain more.

It’s all about a name.  Emmanuel.  Emmanuel was the name given to Jesus. (See Matthew 1:23).   And it means “God with us.”

God WITH us.

Not waiting for us.  Not hoping we’ll “get closer.”  (How can you get closer when you’re already with?)  Not pulling some imaginary rope at the proverbial other end of the stage.  God is WITH us.  Emmanuel.

Which at first seems weird.  Really?  God is with us?  God is WITH me?  Right now?  But I don’t see Him.  I don’t feel Him.  What about all the “bad” stuff I’ve done lately?  I need to do something to get closer to Him.  He’s disappointed in me.  As soon as I overcome this one issue, then I’ll finally get closer to God…  And the list could go on.  At times I think we expect more from ourselves than we do from God.

And really, what does it really mean to “get closer to God” ?  Just sit with that statement for a minute.  ”Get Closer to God.”  There’s something wrong with it.  The emphasis is placed on me.  The action is placed on me.  The phrase itself puts God in a place of inactive disappointment waiting for me to make my move.

But Emmanuel, God WITH me, God with you, God WITH us, is different.  Suddenly, I am not fighting my battles alone.  Suddenly I am not having to overcome an obstacle to get closer to God – God is WITH me overcoming the obstacles in my life.  It’s about TOGETHER.

So some may say, “Yes but sin separates us from God and so we have to overcome these types of obstacles to get closer to God.”  Part of that is true.  But most of that is wrong.  Does sin separate us from God?  And if so, what is sin?  And what exactly does the separating? (Perhaps these are more examples of Christianese :)  )  Let’s say that we were to agree that “sin separates us from God” – which makes Emmanuel that much more powerful because THAT’S WHY GOD HAD TO COME AND BE EMMANUEL TO US.  We can’t overcome these obstacles on our own.  If in fact sin separates us, and sin lives in me, I can’t stop sinning apart from a higher power, therefore I need Emmanuel – God with me – God in me.  We need the power of WITH to make it happen.

In fact, I would say that because God’s name is Emmanuel – God with us – perhaps sin at its root is really being unaware of His name.  Perhaps it’s the fact that I try to be my own emmanuel.  Perhaps sin is me trying to get closer to God, when all along God is already right here, right now, right next to me,  - in fact, right WITH me.  And perhaps sin is the fact that I am blind to that truth.  Which then results in behaviors that others might refer to as “sins” – and the greatest sin being self-righteousness and pride – when it’s just the natural result of me trying to do what only God can do, and is trying to do in me right now.  Perhaps it’s time we stopped trying to be God and let God just BE with us and in us.

What if this became our prayer:  ”God, I know You are already here.  Make us aware of Your presence.  Open our eyes and our ears to see you and to hear you.  Open our minds to your movements all around us.  We acknowledge Your presence…”  The emphasis is off of us, and on the Sacred.  God is already here – and here is wherever you are.  God WITH us – Emmanuel.

Going back to the drama illustration, what if the drama would like this:  Jesus and the human are together.  The obstacles of life and the temptations still arise and come to the human, but Jesus is right there with them, fighting their battles with them.  The obstacles don’t always disappear, but the human is not alone.  They are not trying to “get closer to God” because God is already with them and in them. Even when they are not aware of it.  They are together on this journey called life.  They are together through the ups and downs.  Whether the human is aware of it or not, He’s still there, cuz it’s his name – Emmanuel – God with us.

What Money Can’t Buy

Posted: June 28, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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Just finished watching this great movie.  The movie A Thousand Words tells the story of Jack McCall (played by Eddie Murphy), a man who talks too much and cheats and lies his way to the top.  He is consumed with making money and getting only what he wants out of life.  He hears about a guru who’s fame seems to be rising, and all he can see are dollar signs.  So he meets with this guru, offers him a book deal, and thinks he’s gonna get rich.  The opposite is true.

He ends up with a mysterious tree planted in his yard, that seems to be strangely linked to himself.  Whatever happens to the tree, happens to him.  But something even stranger than this occurs – for every word he uses, the tree loses a leaf.  As the leaves begin to drop and he realizes they are dropping for every word he speaks or writes, he begins to try everything he can to get rid of this tree.  In some comedic moments we watch as he tries not to waste his words – a hard thing to do when you are used to talking and lying your way through life.  As the tree’s leaves fall with every word he says, he feels himself losing energy and like he is losing his life force.  He then realizes that if all the leaves on the tree fall, he most likely will die.  He attempts to stop the falling of the leaves by trying out religion, donating to charities, or doing random acts of kindness.  But to no avail – leaves just keep dropping every time he speaks.  Due to people thinking he’s crazy, he ends up losing his job, his wife leaves him, and he has no friends, except a random coffee barista and his lowly assistant from work.  He has nothing left except himself and the tree…and silence.

As he gets down to his last few leaves, he realizes he needs to do some soul-searching.  So in the forced silence of his circumstances, he begins to look at his own life and at his own soul.  He visits himself as a child in his memory, listening to his own pain and taking the time to see himself in that pain.   As the leaves get even fewer, he takes a walk on the beach and for the first time in years sees and hears the beauty of life around him – the miracle of the NOW.  He looks at his life and all the things that are beautiful – his child, his wife, his health.  With only a few leaves left, he finally sets out on a journey to use those last words wisely.  He visits his wife and child, his ailing mother, and finally his father’s grave.  With every last leaf he uses words that make a lasting difference – words that are not wasted.  That’s as much as I will say – you’ll have to see the movie for yourself to find out how it ends!

When was the last time you were silent?  When was the last time you listened – really listened – by holding the space for yourself, or for someone else?  When was the last time you picked your words carefully – not wanting to waste a single word – because life was just that precious?  When was the last time you stopped and really noticed life around you?  Not planning ahead to the future, or analyzing the mistakes of the past.  Not checking Facebook or your phone texts.  Not turning on the radio to drawn out your own mind – but just made yourself present to the moment at hand?  When was the last time you opened your eyes and ears to the messages of the Sacred that are falling all around us every minute of every day if we just take a moment and BE STILL.

A few weeks ago I spent some time in the mountains of Oregon.  It was a retreat of sorts, where the mornings were silent and we had time to listen – really listen – to our souls.  The place was a place of safety.  The others there were kindred spirits on a similar journey – a journey of longing for solitude, and wanting to slow down in this rat race we’ve created – this race we’ve almost convinced ourselves is true happiness.  That week was and still is amazing.  I’m still processing it – perhaps soon I will write about some of it here.  But one thing is certain, now that I am back in the “real world.”  This world we’ve created – this consumeristic living and comparing and surviving and mistrusting and this every-man’s-an-island mentality – this is not reality.  This is not the way it was or is supposed to be.  With coming back and these two realities colliding, this is what I see:  The more simple, the better.  The more broken and vulnerable, the healing can begin.  The more silent, the more truth and beauty is spoken.  There are things that we all have within our grasp – things that money could never buy.  But these things require a payment of sorts.  They require time – they require a willing risk to say no to the games of politics and religion and social classes.  These things require us to stop and listen and BE STILL.   (I will write more of this and some of my experiences in some future posts).

A long time ago, I remember hearing a cool poem of sorts.  Some say it’s a chinese proverb.  Other’s say it’s a “wise saying”.  I will put down what I remember of it, and add my own to it.  It went something like this:

Money can buy a house, but not a home

Money can buy a bed, but not sleep

Money can buy food, but not an appetite

Money can buy medicine, but not health

Money can buy sex, but not love…

What I would add, based on my limited experience:

Money can buy entertainment, but not happiness

Money can buy vacation destinations, but not peace

Money can buy a car, but not a free spirit

Money can buy an alarm system, but not security

Money can buy fashion, but not joy

(What would you add?)

May we realize that the very things our souls ache for are perhaps already in our hands.  In fact, the more we try to attain “stuff”, the more we lose the real stuff of life:  joy, peace, love and the Sacred.  Hush.  Be still.  Turn down the noise.  Put your money away.  Pause.  Do you hear it?  That’s the Sacred whispering your name.  And the questions you are running from and the peace you’re trying to buy?  Just stop for a minute and let the questions be heard.  And the peace?  The peace – it will come.

Strange Fruit

Posted: April 22, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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I was at the park a few years ago with my father.  The benches were painted with creative designs and colors.  He saw a painting that reminded him of an old song entitled “Strange Fruit.”  He told me a little of the story behind the song and how this one simple song was such a powerful protest against what had been happening in the south years ago.  So I decided to do some research on this song and look it up for myself.  What I found was amazing and demonstrates the power of ripple effects.

“Strange Fruit’” started out as a poem written  by Abel Meeropol, a Jewish high-school teacher from the Bronx, about the lynching of two black men in the south.  He was appalled by what happened and expressed his rage and sadness in a poem.  He published under a pen name, Lewis Allan, which he had gotten from his two children who he had lost in infancy.  He tried to find someone who could put music to his poem, but finally decided to write his own music to it.

Abel Meeropol

But this man, Abel, was more than just a thoughtful poet.  He lived what he wrote about.  His life was a passionate display of justice, love and kindness to all humanity.  For example, he and his wife adopted Julius and Ethel Rosenberg’s two sons, Micheal and Robert, after their parents’ executions.  Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were American communists who, in 1953, were convicted and executed for apparently committing  espionage.  The conviction was based on an alleged conspiracy to commit espionage by apparently passing information about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union.  They were the first Americans ever executed for espionage, and their execution was, and still is, controversial.  After their parent’s death, Micheal and Robert needed a home, especially with the hatred and hysteria surrounding their parent’s life and death.  So Abel Meeropol and his wife adopted them, and the boys took on their surname to protect their identity.

The song, “Strange Fruit”, became a plea for civil rights and its haunting tone and lyrics put emotion into the injustices that were being committed.  It became a song that motivated many people into action.  The people who made this song most popular were singers Billie Holiday and Josh White.  Billie Holiday was introduced to the song and made it a regular at live performances.  Billie Holiday approached her record company, Columbia, about getting it recorded, but they feared repercussions, especially from people in the south.  Finally, after a lot of controversy and people afraid to help her record it, she was able to get the recording finished, and it became one of her highest-selling records.

Billie Holiday

Some of the Honors this Song got were as follows:

  • 1999, Time magazine called it the song of the century.
  • 2002, the Library of Congress honored the song as one of 50 recordings chosen that year to be added to the National Recording Registry.
  • The Atlanta Journal-Constitution  listed the song as Number One on “100 Songs of the South”.
  • Bob Dillon cited “Strange Fruit” as an influence in the 2005 documentary No Direction Home.
  • Serbian rock musician, journalist and writer Dejan Cukic wrote about “Strange Fruit” as among 45 songs that changed the history of popular music in his book 45 obrtaja: Priče o pesmama.
  • 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the “Top 20 Political Songs”.

 

After researching the song’s history and hearing the recording of it, it’s astounding – all the pieces that went into play for this poem and song.  It was a great reminder to me that justice is waiting to be celebrated, and sometimes the best places to promote it are in what we naturally do well.  For it is in these places that it is easier to resonate with all our hearts and we feel an “amen” to what our inner soul knows is right.  Also, the story of Abel and his life of love, mercy and justice to others made his poem that much more powerful.  Because actions really do make our words legit.  And finally, sometimes what is most worth fighting for will scare people, especially those who’s identity is wrapped up in what other people think.  But what is most worth fighting for will always be worth the fight in the end.  And ultimately, the world is waiting for those who will have the courage to do the right thing – because it is then that it gives weaker ones the courage to stand up for the right thing, too.  May we keep fighting against apathy, injustice and hatred.  May we all realize that the truly strange thing in this world is to hate another human being.  We all are sacred.  We are all made of the same stuff – therefore, when I hate another person, I am also hating myself.  Let us keep fighting for Love, no matter the cost.

Here is Sonny White’s version of “Strange Fruit” sung by Nina Simone:

A Different Kind of Poverty – Part 1

Posted: March 29, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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As soon as we made our way outside you could tell it was a different place.  The hot, humid air was immediately sticky on our skin, and the smell of exhaust from all the motor cars hung lightly on the air.  We had made it.  We grabbed our luggage, and stuffed it in the back of a truck, and made our way out to the Amazon River.  After a brief stop at the Belen Market, we headed out with all our baggage to a little village on the Amazon River.  The adventure had begun!  I will be recounting some of my favorite moments from the trip to Peru that I have just arrived back from today.  18 of us – 12 students and 6 adults – went to Peru for the past 2 weeks.  These are some of our stories…

On a jungle trek outside the village San Andreas

As we landed at the bridge of San Andreas, a small village of Bora Tribe people on the Amazon river, it began to clearly sink in:  this was the real deal.  This was going to be a rich and satisfying experience.  The wealth of what met my eyes felt like water to a parched throat.  I heard a pure, peaceful serenity that hung heavy with the sounds of the wild jungle – bird noises I had never heard; cicada bug; chickens, and the sound of children playing in the wild outdoors.  It was a small village, with houses that had thatched roof, and a few that had rusted tin.  We made our way to where we would pitch our tents and began to set up camp.

Part of San Andreas

After not showering for 2 days, we were ready for a good clean bath of some sort.  I asked where the showers were and the woman in charge of the village looked at me like I was crazy for even asking and replied, “the river,” as if, duh, I was being silly.  So, for the first time in my life, I was going to “shower” in the Amazon River!  So I got the girls and the staff ladies together and asked if they wanted to join me…but where to go?  My American mind raced with objections and tried to come up with more “sanitary” options, but at the same time I was angry at that side of me and wanted to prove my inner wimp – that side of my comfortable, sterile selfishness that sometimes whines and groans -  that it was wrong and to shut up already!  And so the challenge was on!

As we were finishing getting our tents set up, a little village girl approached me with a small green parrot.  She smiled, and in her face I could see a young, mighty warrior.  Her eyes shone with a deep wildness that was kind and adventurous.  I smiled back and began to speak with her, using my highschool spanish skills that had laid dormant for years.  I felt drawn to her right away.  I introduced myself, and then asked her “su nombre?” (“your name?”).  And that was the start of a great friendship – Her name was Mierta, and the bird’s name was Loleta.  She gave it to me to hold, and I put my finger out, and Loleta climbed on board.  She laughed as I began talking to the bird, and I could feel my soul breathing deeply as her wild kindness warmed my heart.

Mierta with Loleta

As all us ladies got our “shower stuff” and began to head out to look for the perfect, private bathing spot, Mierta came out to greet us again.  One of our students spoke spanish, so I asked her to ask Mierta where the best place to bathe would be?  Mierta began to talk a lot, like any 9-year-old will do, and so I asked our student to see if she would take us with her and show us in person?  She quickly agreed, and off we went, following our new friend through her village.  She stopped along the way and picked something off a tree and opened it up – it was some awesome tasting fruit.  She gave us a handful of it, and talked away.  I asked my student what she was saying, and she was talking about how she caught her bird, Loleta, a few months ago in the jungle…like how cool is that??  Finally we arrived at what looked like a pond, but with plenty of privacy.  She said it was good for bathing, but we could smell feces.  So we asked her if there was another spot.  She quickly nodded and boldly led us to what would become our bathing area.

Walking to our bathing spot

We showed up to another clearing in the small tributary-creek that meandered through the village.  There were a few huts here and there, but as we inched down to the water, there was a nice clearing that had a pool-type area with a tiny current going through.  She walked right in the water and turned around as if to say, “C’mon! What are you waiting for?”  Once again that spark and wildness in her eyes was so beautiful and intense and alive.  So we looked at each other, and undressed as much as we dared, and stepped into the water.

The water was SO refreshing!  It was cool and a few of us were caught off-guard by the slope of the ground beneath the water’s surface as we slipped on the mud.    Screams of delight filled the air as we all found ourselves bathing like most of the world does: a bunch of women, some younger, some older, wearing our tanktops and shorts, with Mierta splashing us.  I had brought my bar soap and washclothe, and we all shared the soap, laughing, rinsing, and delighting in the refreshing feel of cool water on a hot humid day, and the result being clean skin.  In a moment we became one with the fact that we could bathe in the river – and that it actually was a lot of fun, not to mention bonding.  We named our bathing spot at that moment our “Amazon Spa – by Mierta”.  We dried off and sloshed back to camp in our damp shorts and tank-top, with Mierta laughing along-side us.  And a bit of her wild wonder, daring spirit, and kind fierceness had already rubbed off on us.  We felt like we had experienced a baptism from our spoiled, “blessed” lifestyle of “comfort” and had awakened to what it means to have community, and how necessity draws us all to be awakened to a true happiness that materialism could never afford.

Amazon Spa by Mierta

I began to feel that inner calling reminding me of what it means to truly live.  In that moment of bathing, a kingdom moment occurred – a sort of baptism – a reminder that perhaps those who are wealthy in materialistic things, or those who have all the creature-comforts one could ask for – perhaps they, or should I say we, are the ones who are living in poverty?  And that our friends who are living out in the huts on the Amazon River and in other places around the world –  who survive off of the land and catch pets in the jungle and use a generator for electricity and who bathe in their natural Amazon Spa – those who understand that true fortune lies in community and love and taking care of each other no matter what – these are the ones who are truly wealthy!  This is the treasure we should invest in…

Mierta and I later on in the week

BEING the Answer to our Prayers – Part 2

Posted: March 14, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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Have you ever asked “what if?”  What if I won a million dollars?  or What if I hadn’t eaten all those beans last night? or What if I had actually studied for that test?  There are so many “what-if” questions out there.  Here’s another one: What if we were to actually live a kingdom of love and justice and compassionate action?  What if Jesus actually meant what He said?  What if the reality found in Luke 4:18 was lived out and not just read, spoken of, or quoted?

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free.”

If the above words (Luke 4:18) were actually lived out, phrase by phrase, this is how I think the reality would look:

- The Spirit of the Lord is upon me -

God is LOVE and this Spirit, LOVE, is the essence that changes the world.  When this Spirit is on me and you, and IN me and you, that is how the Revolution begins.

- He has anointed me -

You and I and all of us who are alive at this time in history are anointed.  We are all sacred, so therefore we all must protect the sacredness of each other – no matter where we are from.  And this anointing is of LOVE, which as Cornel West says, “Justice is what love looks like in public.”  We are all anointed, but we all can choose to reject this mindset of anointing – this mindset of LOVE/JUSTICE – and we can choose to live a different culture of walls and selfishness and materialism.  Whatever we do with the time we’ve been given, one thing is for sure:  we will make ripple effects, regardless of what we choose to live for.

- Bring Good News to the poor -

Bringing good news to the poor is not necessarily about preaching.  What good does preaching do for people who do not have food, clothes, a shelter, or basic human rights?  They need “good news” in the form of actions and needs met.  Like the old saying says:  ”actions speak louder than words.”  In fact, most communication specialists say that words only constitute 7% of communication, tone of voice is 23% of communication, and body language, or actions, is 70% of communication.  So what good does it do someone in need if I tell them God loves them, but I don’t prove it by my actions in helping to provide some basic needs?  If God does love them, and that LOVE is on me and in me, I will do so much more than mere words.  As Saint Francis of Assisi put it: “Preach the Gospel to all the world; and if necessary, use words.”

- He has sent me -

To be sent means that there is something greater beyond my little box, my little world, and my little reality.  There is a need that must be met, and if I don’t step outside myself, then someone’s universe will be lacking.  And we are all sent.  To be sent means to leave something and go somewhere else.  I believe this place we are to leave is not necessarily a physical location, but it is a me-culture, a kingdom of selfishness and greed and materialism that is constantly shouting at us, surrounding us, and pulling at us.  We are to leave that mindset behind and go…

- Proclaim that captives be released -

If I have the ability to proclaim that captives be released, that means that I am in a position of freedom and power to do so.  In other words, a lot of people could say that releasing captives is someone else’s “job” or “calling”.  But if the spirit of LOVE is upon us, I am in a position of liberating others, regardless of who I am.  This LOVE has liberated me, so that I can then liberate others. When we are experiencing any kind of freedom in our experience, be it financial freedom, educational freedom, spiritual freedom, the freedom of a geographical location (do I live in a country that gives me the freedom and resources to choose my direction in life), then it is our duty to proclaim freedom to every living soul.  And I can do this “proclaiming” in so many ways:  I can offer financial assistance; I can educate and raise awareness for others; I can share my LOVE through small acts of kindness with every sacred person I come in contact with; I can use the status of where I live as a power to help those who don’t live in a free situation; and I can use my talents to change the corners of the world I find myself in.  And the list could go on.  This is what it means to “proclaim.”  It’s not just about updating my Facebook status or making a speech, it’s living a reality of proclaiming through every miniscule task, tweet, text, email, purchase, smile, conversation, etc. that another world is possible!  That there is a reality of freedom that belongs to every single soul on this spinning planet.  I must proclaim!  Every single moment of every single day, I will choose to proclaim!

-That the blind will see -

What if “the blind” is referring to me?  What if I am the blind, unaware of human need and suffering?  What if I am the one shutting my eyes from the atrocities of evil that surround me?  What if I am the one who can help to end suffering, but I close my eyes tightly shut because to see that suffering and acknowledge it, means that I must now get involved.  And to get involved would mean that I change my way of living for myself.  To shut my eyes keeps me safe, and naive, and comfortable, and clean, and sterile, and especially keeps me from being accountable. As the quote from Spiderman says, “with great power comes great responsibility.”  So if I choose not to see that side of the fence, I can have an excuse not to move.  And so many times we choose to believe the lies of advertisements which scream at us:  ”You deserve that!”  ”Don’t help others – they got themselves in that situation.”  And we turn into the Pharisee that prays “Thank you God that I am not one of them.” We feel justified to only look in the mirror and build up our kingdom of self.  And when someone does shine the light on a situation to raise awareness, many times we shrink back and close our eyes tighter, trying to make excuses for not getting involved. But the flip side of shutting my eyes is to settle for a reality of living that keeps me cold, empty, selfish, bitter, greedy, bored, tired, entitled, bigoted, and ignorant.  It keeps me devoid of LOVE.  But when I let LOVE  heal me, when I open my eyes to the world around me, beyond me, and the poverty within me, I can see through a different lens – a lens of compassion, justice and mercy, and I will be compelled to take action.  But just remember:  the first time you see, it may hurt – the awareness of light may hurt our eyes cuz we are so used to darkness.  As we experience compassion, it may hurt because now we are involved, but it also means that we are alive and I have found that this hurt propels me into compassionate action.  As Mother Teresa says: “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love.”

-That the oppressed will be set free-

Oppression is defined as  ”Prolonged cruel or unjust treatment or control, and the state of being subject to such treatment or control.” We are to set free those who are victims of cruel, unjust treatment, or cruel, unjust control.  Every person who is in this condition is my responsibility to get involved and unlock their chains.  This ties into “proclaiming”, cuz not only do I proclaim, but I am to care.  I have to become invested.  I choose to do what is in my means of control to break the chains of oppression.

However, what if this last step, “the oppressed will be set free” is also referring to you and me?  Aren’t we under cruel and unjust treatment and control?  And most of it we put on ourselves by believing lies of financial debt, entitled living, non-involvement, social status, living-for-self, and compartmentalized outlooks on the world.

Oppression of the soul.

Chains that we perhaps put on ourselves, or we let society put on us.

Chains that are constantly trying to suffocate our passions, dreams, and empathy.

These chains are trying to make a captive out of you and a captive out of me.

What if this is the oppression that steals at us?  What if this is the oppression that locks up our freedom to be who we were meant to be for this time in earth’s history?  How do I become a captive?  Usually the chains that attempt to shackle us are greed, selfish living, a sense of entitlement, apathy, pride, distractions from my purpose, noise, disdain for others, blindness to the condition of my brothers and sisters around the world, or maybe it’s discouragement or fear…and the list could go on. I must recognize these chains that are constantly trying to wrap around my soul, and squelch my passion and my ability to take action.  I must be reminded that I am defined by something so much greater than my title, status, social class, etc.  I must be reminded that I am FREE.  That when myself or others come and try to lock my soul back up in expectations or apathy or selfish-paper-castle-living, that I am FREE from all those voices.  I am defined by something so much greater.  I am defined by LOVE.  And it is there that the cycle starts over again:  The Spirit of Love is upon me and in me…and that is what defines my journey, and that is what propels me to see and celebrate every living soul for the sacred, beautiful creation that they are.  One World.  One Love.  One Life…. Let’s do something!

Being the Answer to Our Prayers – Part 1

Posted: March 10, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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I am blown away, seriously.  When I first saw the words “KONY 2012″ and word of some video on the internet, I overlooked it, thinking it was just another random video.  I was kinda annoyed, really, as I scrolled through my Facebook status updates and kept seeing this “KONY 2012″ statement over and over again.  That was Monday.  Then I started seeing more of it Tuesday.  Some of my Facebook friends suggest I watch it right away, but when I saw how long the video was, I was discouraged cuz I just didn’t have the time right then and there.  Finally, by Wednesday morning, I had 30 minutes to spare, and so I opened the video up and began to watch…

I was spellbound right away.  I was brought to tears.  I was reminded, once again, of the sanctity of human life.  I was reminded to not be apathetic.  I was reminded that there are more important things out in the world happening besides checking my Facebook status…although ironically I had to check Facebook to see the video ;) .   And I was impassioned to do what I could do at that moment.  And so I hit the “SHARE” button, not knowing at the time that I was participating in history, helping to make this video go viral – literally.

I didn’t know at the time that the video had only been released at noon on Monday – two days prior to my viewing it.  And by the time I watched it, 2 days later after release,  it had received over 5 million views on YouTube.  By Wednesday evening, YouTube viewings jumped to 11 million.  By Thursday morning, viewings were at 27 million.  And on this day, Friday evening, only a little over 5 days from posting the video, YouTube viewings are at 60 million and climbing.  On a recent interview on the Piers Morgan show, Jason Russell and Ben Keesey of Invisible Children, the organization behind the video, hope that it gets to a billion views.  They say that it went above and beyond their expectations and they are simply blown away.  (To see the interview with Piers Morgan, go here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MSYdMsfsbc)  On an interview with CBS news, Invisible Children‘s Jedidiah Jenkins states that their goal was to get 500,000 views of the video by the end of 2012.   Well, that happened probably in the first 24 hours!  (To see the whole CBS interview, click here:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505266_162-57394045/charity-defends-kony-2012-video-expenses/).

This truly is an amazing thing.  Videos have gone viral before, but to have a video that is 29 minutes long, and is raising awareness about justice, and to have it go this crazy within days, shows the power of not only social media, but also reveals to the world the desire for justice that we have for our fellow humankind.  My husband said it this way:  There are an estimated 27 million slaves in the world today.  In 5 days a video has had more than 60 million views – proving that people can make a difference and that every person has the power to change the world.  If every person did something for just one other person, could it be possible to eradicate such things as slavery, hunger, poverty?  According to these numbers, I believe so.  I mean, we weren’t having these conversations a week ago…We, as a human race, are indeed powerful…especially when coupled with the power of social media.

But it all comes down to choice.  There are some great questions being asked about this whole KONY 2012 thing, and many great discussions and answers are taking place.   And then there are a lot of people who have seen this as an oppurtunity to sit back and point fingers and be critical.  Some of them have good questions to ask, but then there are many of them who are making ignorant statements, or are seeing all the hype and trying to put their two cents in to get some of the spotlight.  And then there are those who have actually said things to the effect of “what can we really do?  If we take KONY down, then another evil person will rise up to take his place, and what about all the other evil people in the world?”  This line of logic makes me crazy.  Cuz the underlying message is this: “since there will always be evil people in our world, why even do anything good?  Evil will always win, so let’s just do nothing.”  Bury our heads in the sand.  Live for self.  It’s as if we don’t like being faced with the fact that maybe we could, actually, change the world.  It’s like we are suddenly afraid that, could it be true, we have far greater potential for power and change than we had ever hoped?  But that thought is so frightening, that we shut it out with remarks like “well, someone else will take KONY’s place, so….”  So what, we shouldn’t even try??  As Edmund Burke says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

What if what we’ve just witnessed with the KONY 2012 going viral the way it has, is proof and evidence that we already have the tools to change this world, to fight injustice, to live and uphold love, to promote and actually experience love to all humankind, beyond race and border and country?  What if what Jesus said is true – that another world is possible?  What if the only thing holding us back from experiencing this reality of love is us?

I will close with this verse taken from Luke 4:18, where at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry He quotes:

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

What if we all were to quote this – and then take it far beyond a quote and actually LIVE it?  What if instead of videos going viral, a lifestyle of love, compassionate action, justice, and mercy were to go viral the way this KONY 2012 video has?  What if we were to inspire each other as we made the above-mentioned kingdom a living reality, and others were impacted with witnessing the change, and so started to step out and love others, and they hit “SHARE” and began living this kingdom, too?  What if others saw that passion, and then started to try it out and then others jumped on and the ripple effects went crazy and we, as the human race, actually became a reality of compassion, love, justice and mercy?

You know how some people say that when they pray it seems like God isn’t answering their prayer, cuz look at all the evil that is still in the world.  And we pray for it to stop, and there just seems to be more and more evil.  But could it be God already answered our prayer?  What if God has answered our prayers, and the answer lies within us, right now??  And as we question God with “why won’t you answer our prayer and stop all the injustice in the world,” maybe He answers back and says, “I did:  Look in the mirror!”  One thing is for sure:  we are more powerful than we realize.

To watch the KONY 2012 video, check it out!  To find out more about Invisible Children, go here:  http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

Love in the Midst

Posted: February 13, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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On a recent episode of American Idol, one of the contestants who is auditioning has a heart-wrenching story of why she wants to sing.  When I saw this, it reminded me of what true love looks like.  It was a reminder to me in the midst of my busy, hectic week that God’s love is beyond what I can imagine.  That God, being LOVE, never ever lets me go.  This story reminded me that LOVE is not just a word thrown around to make us feel all mushy inside.  True Love is beyond mere words: it is action, and it shows its true colors in all situations of life, be they the high mountain-top moments, the lazy plateau’s, or the low, dark valleys. Check the story out:

So with Valentine’s Day here, sometimes it’s hard to see love around us, unless it’s on a cheesy card, or heard in a love song on the radio, or seen in a chic flick.  Maybe it’s not that love isn’t around us, but maybe our eyes are not open to it.  What if LOVE  is whispering to us at every second?  What if we’re the ones who are numb to it, deaf to it,  or just too busy to see its signs?

Could it be that God is shouting “I LOVE YOU” all the time, and we are the ones who are missing it?

Going back to the American Idol episode, I’ll be rooting for her for sure!  But deeper than that, I’m reminded that God has not given up on me, even in the moments I’ve forgotten Him, or can’t speak clearly, or am waking up from my own spiritual paralysis.  He is there, singing to me, teaching me to speak, helping me to walk, and wooing not just me, but ALL of us, to fall in love.  And then, carry that love to others, no matter the situation, circumstance, or place.  Because when you fall in love, you can’t help but tell the world…

Courage Like a Kid – Part 2

Posted: February 1, 2012 in Ravings & Realizations
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This kid is pretty awesome!  He saw that there was an injustice and changed the law!  As he puts it, “If you think there’s a problem in the world, you don’t wait for other people to fix it. You have to try to fix it yourself.”   Check out his story!

video?id=4123376#.TybN9sHUTag.gmail

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/PersonOfWeek/story?id=4123327&page=1#.TybKgFwkJSQ