In Our Distress

Meditation: angelus est nomen officii

In my extremity, I called out to the Lord;
I cried out in the congregation in my distress.
I was answered with love;
I was restored and removed to a better place;
With the love of the Lord with me, how can I be cut down?

Place your trust in the Lord;
Seek the Almighty where he waits upon his beloved;
Though your enemies surround you;
Though you find yourself at fault and unworthy;
Though you see no escape, there is help and hope for you;
The Lord is our strength and right arm;
His servants listen for the cry of the oppressed;
They wait upon the word of the Lord.

The Lord is our salvation and our help;
Though we may be chastised,
we are not condemned;
Though we find ourselves in distress;
even at the end of our lives and beyond;
We are enfolded and comforted;
In the Lord we find our true labor;
In the Lord we truly find ourselves.

-distantly after Ps 118

Who Is It?

Meditation:  Bring your sins to God's throne, and you will receive the peace of God.

Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?
Who is this that cometh up as a flood, whose waters are moved as the rivers?
Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?
-This that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength?
Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass?
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us:
this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


Songs 8,
Jeremiah 46,
Songs 3,
Isaiah 63,
Lamentations 3,
Isaiah 25

That's Still Nuttin - 8,000

As of today, this blog swept past eight thousand visitors.

That's quite a few folks wandering by since December 9th, 2006, and with me posting less lately, due to the interesting nature of my life, it seems like a milestone I should mark by reprising my poem 'That's Nuttin!'

...And thank you for dropping by, all eight thousands of you. See, there was plenty of room after all...


That's Still Nuttin:

Eight thousand folks came knocking
Eight thousand at the door
Eight thousand people searching
Eight thousand, and now more

Eight thousand hidden smiles
Eight thousand who came by
Eight thousand from all countries
Eight thousand who drew nigh

Eight thousand quiet moments
Eight thousand friends to tea
Eight thousand 'I understand's
Eight thousand friends for me

Eight thousand people questing
Eight thousand asking why
Eight thousand gleaming stars
Eight thousand in the sky

Eight thousand cups of coffee
Eight thousand bits of toast
Eight thousand hands held in comfort
Eight thousand times a host

Eight thousand questions answered
Eight thousand, more or less
Eight thousand joined in prayer
Eight thousand joined to bless

Eight thousand is so little
Eight thousand is so small
Eight thousand is not many
I have space for one and all

So come in off the doorstep
Come in, come through the door
Come into my guest room
There's room for many more

Thanks to each of you for coming
I'm sad when your visits end
And please do come back often
And please do bring a friend

I'll be waiting by the doorstep
I'll have the kettle on for tea
Come by whenever you want to
And spend more time with me

-LE

I Found The Door Unbarred

I found the door unbarred
I found my way within
There was a basin there
Placed welcoming, yet dry
An unlit candle stood tall
The light within was dim
Warmed by illumined saints
Precious woods shone and
Ancient stones gleamed coolly
I paced down the aisle
As carvings spoke to me
Of legend, ritual, faith
I knelt there for a moment
And next to me knelt God
Who accepted my foolish words
Alone in that spare place
And as God often does
I found that my small requests
Were blessed and all came true
The large ones… …it could be
God is leaving them for me

LE

Tell Your Story

It has been a while since the passing of Madeline L'Engle, but thoughts of her and her writing keep coming to mind, and so maybe, in this meditative season of Lent, contemplating the following words from this spiritual woman is appropriate:

“Why does anybody tell a story?” Ms. L’Engle once asked, even though she knew the answer.
“It does indeed have something to do with faith,” she said, “faith that the universe has meaning, that our little human lives are not irrelevant, that what we choose or say or do matters, matters cosmically.”

So, my guests and friends, share your stories. It will help us all, more than we can know.

Peace,
LE

All Lenten Thoughts

Dreaming of the Father

I dreampt that I was a father,
An adoptive father,
Posessed of a particular race,
A race different than my usual;
And that I had seven adopted children,
Of all different races,
At first I was suprised,
That I had adopted so many children, and that I had dared to adopt children of other races;
But then I saw what a joy and wonder it was;
and how full of love we were;
I saw that it was good in a profound way;
And very, very right.

Happy Dreams
LE

That's Still Nuttin:

As of today, this blog swept past two thousand visitors.
Not so long ago, on July 14^th , it hit one thousand,
And I posted a poem to commemorate the event, which poem I update below.
I promise, I'll wait till at least FIVE thousand before I make any more fuss.

p.s. I do see that lots of you are coming here wondering about your dreams and visions, and I do have a post that discusses discerning about the dreams, signs, visions and the like you have here, and I will be posting more on that subject. Please also feel free to post as comments dreams that you have, and I will share the ones that inspire me as blog entries. Do also feel free to share any comments, prayer requests, or other requests that you have.

...And thank you for dropping by, all two thousands of you. See, there was plenty of room after all...


That's Still Nuttin:

Two thousand folks came knocking
Two thousand at the door
Two thousand people searching
Two thousand, and now more

Two thousand hidden smiles
Two thousand who came by
Two thousand from all countries
Two thousand who drew nigh

Two thousand quiet moments
Two thousand friends to tea
Two thousand 'I understand's
Two thousand friends for me

Two thousand people questing
Two thousand asking why
Two thousand gleaming stars
Two thousand in the sky

Two thousand cups of coffee
Two thousand bits of toast
Two thousand hands held in comfort
Two thousand times a host

Two thousand questions answered
Two thousand, more or less
Two thousand joined in prayer
Two thousand joined to bless

Two thousand is so little
Two thousand is so small
Two thousand is not many
I have space for one and all

So come in off the doorstep
Come in, come through the door
Come into my guest room
There's room for many more

Thanks to each of you for coming
I'm sad when your visits end
And please do come back often
And please do bring a friend

I'll be waiting by the doorstep
I'll have the kettle on for tea
Come by whenever you want to
And spend more time with me

-LE

Joy

You are not yet so joyful as I mean you to be!

So Live-
And live in joy!
And share your joy and love with those you meet-

Be not dauted;
but daunt with love-

Let your heart expand;
Let your love flow;

And live in joy-
Mourn no more;
And regrets leave behind-

But share and give;
And love;
And live!

Let your blood flow;
And let your love grow-

And all you are;
And all you can be;
And all you are with;

Give
And Give;
And Give;
And Give!!!

Be not single and small
But Live
And Live;
And Live;
And Live!!!

For living is about giving;
And giving is about living;
And loving is about living;
And loving is avout giving;

So Give;
And Love;
And Love;
And Live!!!

Joy!

We Are Alike

We are alike
We love
We care
We love beauty
We care for others
We are alike

Our hearts beat
Our blood flows
We can be hurt
We can cry
We are alike

We make friends
We like to share
We like to talk
We like to take food together
We are alike

We can walk
We can walk together
We can help each other
We can help others
We get joy from helping
We are alike

We can give
We can give to the needy
We can share knowledge
We can see justice done
We can comfort the sorrowful
We are alike

Our love can flow
Can flow out from us
Together it can be
It can be a river
A cataract
A torrent
A flood
An ocean
Covering all the earth
Filling every hollow
Rushing into every closed room and cell
Washing out every dark hole and sewer
Flooding the caverns and canyons of the earth with liquid light
We are alike
And together we can do wonderous things

Let us begin

"They'll Take Anyone"

Jesus stands at the door and knocks,
But not just at your door,
You'll find him knocking along every street
Mine, and theirs, and yours

This feast that we are called to
Is open to all who'll come;
And it's our job to welcome
Each and every one

We must mean it when we say that
Our sins belong to God;
Jesus himself has told us
We may find the guest list odd.

Forgiveness is for sinners,
For us sinners, every one;
And a mixed lot of repentant sinners,
Will make our feasting much more fun.

So may we be among the guilty;
Told: "You'll take anyone",
And be numbered with those oddball saints,
When at last our lives are done.

Peace,
LE

That's Nuttin!

A thousand folks came knocking
A thousand at the door
A thousand people searching
A thousand, and now more

A thousand hidden smiles
A thousand who came by
A thousand from all countries
A thousand who drew nigh

A thousand quiet moments
A thousand friends to tea
A thousand 'I understand's
A thousand friends for me

A thousand people questing
A thousand asking why
A thousand gleaming stars
A thousand in the sky

A thousand cups of coffee
A thousand bits of toast
A thousand hands held in comfort
A thousand times a host

A thousand questions answered
A thousand, more or less
A thousand joined in prayer
A thousand joined to bless

A thousand is so little
A thousand is so small
A thousand is not many
I have space for one and all

So come in off the doorstep
Come in, come through the door
Come into my guest room
There's room for many more

Thanks to each of you for coming
I'm sad when your visits end
And please do come back often
And please do bring a friend

I'll be waiting by the doorstep
I'll have the kettle on for tea
Come by whenever you want to
And spend more time with me

-LE

Difficult Introductions

Inspired by this and this.

...

'Sin', 'Death' and 'Hell' seem like such tough words to use when introducing God to children... ...any of God's children.

When my children introduce me to their friends, they say that I am 'nice' and 'funny'.

I think God is jealous of me.

Very jealous.

Love,
Locust-Eater

Why Do You Teach Sunday School?

I teach Sunday School because:

Once upon a time, someone asked me to help.
I got over my fear of caring for other people's children.
It is needed.
I had good examples in the other parents.
I get to create a welcoming, safe, friendly, happy place for children in church.
I get to play with the *other* children.
I care about the place that the children are.
I get to hear children explain God.
I get to see quiet, shy children turn into outgoing, engaging little people.
I get to be an unnofficial God-parent, over and over and over.
I get to draw, color, stamp, paint, and make up silly crafts and lessons.
I am building memories that will last forever, both with the wee ones and with me.
I worry that sunday school will become rote following of pre-packaged lessons.
I think that coloring even a poorly drawn lesson from me is worth much much more to a little person than sitting in a long and confusing service.
I know that sometimes, the families come to church because the children want to color, paste, stamp whatever I have made up for them today.
I get to see the Bible and Prayerbook through a child's eyes - (and they need some healthy editing to be accessible to young ones).
I help build relationships and communities of faith.
I learn that everyone can bloom.

And because it's wonderful to see everyone bloom.


On a similar topic: Click Here

Pente-Caust

This Pentecost I was made humble
This Pentecost I was made small
This Pentecost I was shown foolish
Perhaps the most foolish of all

On Pentecost we spoke as our brothers
Not in words known just to the elite
We spoke in tongues that were humble
Like the savior who washes our feet

Fire fell on us from heaven
Fire not of anger but of love
Fire made us one with our brethren
Fire fell on us from above

So next time we feel we are better
Next time we judge our way best
Let's remember the fire from heaven
That marks us all equally blest

And laugh at me that I am foolish
And laugh that we are all so weak
And laugh with the joy of the spirit
Who stands with the humble and meek

A Vale of Sorrows?

The Christian Faith, The Bible, CS Lewis, and many other respected authorities seem to tell us that what we do today is just a prelude to the world to come.

CS Lewis speaks of this life as being like school, a period when we are learning and training. The Apostle Paul tells us how we cannot begin to know the wonders that are in store for the faithful, and John's Revelation speaks of the new City of God which the faithful will reside in.

I also believe that this is not the end, and that we are called to an eternal life of participation in the ongoing creation of God.

But the idea of this world as a prelude, an entryway, of this phase in history as just the portal to something larger concerns me, because I worry that it encourages us not to take it seriously. I worry that people will say 'this is too much for this age, and I will leave this for the next generation', or even the next world, to solve.

We are where we are, and if we cannot fix the world, perhaps we can find ways to make our corners of it places of blessing. I believe this is one of the calls of Christianity, to make our little corners places of blessing.

If we must live on the stoop of eternity, on the doorstep of the new age, in the entryway of the House of God, let us make our little spot as welcoming, as blessed as we can. This may be the morning of the new day, but there is much to do in the morning, even before the sun is up-no matter how dark it is.

This entryway is where we live and work today. Let's not treat it and each other with disrespect because we hope to be invited inside, to a better place with more exclusive company tomorrow.

So let's get to work. There is a lot to do here in the entryway. There are new arrivals, (many of them wounded, lost and hungry) to make welcome, food to serve, and water to bring to the thirsty. Roll up your sleeves, and put an apron on - the morning has broken, and God's house is open for the business of Life.