Standing Grain

In the Gospel of Matthew

at the beginning of chapter 12

an incident is described

in which Jesus and his disciples

are walking through a field of standing grain.

The disciples are plucking the ripe heads

and eating them because they were hungry.

The Pharisees protested because

according to the letter of the Law

this constituted doing work on the Sabbath,

which is forbidden.

Jesus took this situation as a teaching moment

and explained how legalism can inhibit spirituality.

You may wish to read the passage (Mt 12:1-8).

Once when I meditated on this scene,

trying to understand the lesson being taught,

I wrote in my prayer journal

the following poetic interpretation.

I hope you enjoy reading it

and wonder at the mystery hidden within the

Standing Grain.

THROUGH THE STANDING GRAIN

Make a pathway through the standing grain;

live your life with more than just your brain.

Follow Jesus as he teaches you

how to pluck the grains of what is true.

There are those who want you to be strict

and throw away the grains that you have picked;

but Jesus speaks to them of tables turned:

the law of love's essential to be learned.

To value law and protocol is good

because it helps us live the way we should;

but putting law above all human pleas

is just to emulate the Pharisees.

The pilgrimage we make keeps God's precepts;

The loving heart builds on the mind's concepts.

We must be fed on grain that Jesus gives

to gain the strength to live the Way he lives.

So walk through life with disciples who obey

the Word of God who loves and leads the Way.

Be not fooled by teachings that are vain

as you follow Jesus through the standing grain.

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The "Being Stirred" quote for this posting is

“To-day, the waters of this stagnant pool were wildly stirred.”

21 April 1862 entry in diary of Mary Chestnut.

("A Diary from Dixie", Gramercy Books, 1997)

Flutter By Meditation

Wandering broadly, weaving

left and right, willowing

up and down; all ways wondering.

Pausing narrowly, piloting

in an out, pulsating

back and forth; on the way pondering.

Finally, at least for a green moment

the spiral of wandering to wondering

the growth of pausing to pondering

discovers the straight and narrow Way.

Perhaps there is something to learn

from the transient leafed butterfly.

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This photo was taken by my precious wife during a visit to

the Virginia Beach Aquarium, an engaging experience.

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With each new blog posting will now come a different

"Being Stirred by God" quotation from a variety of sources.

Here's the first:

"as leaves stirred by wind whisper softly outside"

from a poem by Megan McKenna in her collection,

Dancing with Angels (Continuum, 1998, page 90).

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May you find your way to the Way

who is the Christ.

Mixture Meditation

A retired friend took this photo on one of many Winnebago trips with his wife. The scene, a mixture of fertility and barrenness, perhaps suggests the way life can be - a mixture positive and negative elements. After meditating on this aspect of our shared human experience, what i wrote in my prayer journal appears below. I wonder what your perception might be regarding life's mix of beauty and ugliness, of good and evil.

it is not enough to meditate on beauty

for there is ugliness in the mix

or behind the scenes

turn over the portrait of a flower art crafted

of colored string and thread and ribbon

and you will see chaotic knots and random criss-crossings

visit the neatly dressed and well-mannered family

who fit perfectly on a magazine cover

in the home at secret times where and when

there is domestic violence or child abuse

learn to look through a person's eyes

into the truth harboring soul

and be not distracted by smile or charming words

so as to recognize evil for what it is

not every place in the world is safe

from invasion, kidnapping, torture and careless death

trust people who have seen the worst

and still give witness to the best

they are sparks of life in the divine fire

in a society of packaging for promotion

angling for advantage and snaring for sales

there are instances both of service and of greed

there are examples of real ministry and abusive power

there are champions of generous giving and of greedy taking

both beauty and ugliness are in the mix

in which wisdom perceives behind the scenes

and knows that meditation itself is not enough

Our prayer might begin as does Psalm 43:

Defend me, O God, and plead my cause against a godless nation.

From deceitful and cunning men rescue me, O God.

4th of July Weekend

On this 4th of July weekend, may you know both quiet reflection and shared celebration.

Carol and I recently celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. It was June 19 (which was also Fathers Day) and did so in the quiet of one of the cabins at Pine Haven in Beaver, West Virginia. We elected the "lovers package" and so were greeted with roses in a vase, chocolate covered strawberries and toasting liquid refreshment with keepsake glasses. We passed on white water rafting and rock climbing options, but did exercise horseshoes, Frisbee golf and some shuttle cock. Dinner at "The Char" restaurant was delightful.

Several years ago, while we were visiting Canada during a 4th of July weekend, Carol did take some photos as we watched the fireworks show from a hotel window. Here is one of her photos and what follows is a prayer I wrote while meditating on the exciting sky explosions we watched together. Perhaps this prayer will be one you may wish to say a few times this holiday weekend.

Fireworks Prayer

Lord Jesus,

I wish so much to be close to you

to allow you to draw as near as you may wish.

Sometimes your Presence explodes into my awareness

and I am awestruck with color, wonder, beauty and mystery.

But most of the time it is like a dark, black and empty sky.

How I treasure our relationship!

I apologize for so often ignoring it,

or for presuming upon it,

or for just flirting with it.

May my heart and mind be open to you completely,

whether the night sky of my soul is dark or exploding in light.

May you be the Master

of my thoughts,

my words,

my deeds.

Amen.

Wet and Dry

Just back from four days, husband and wife alone, in the wild and wonderful, silent and serene, relaxing and rejuvenating mountains of West Virginia. While there in a friends' ski chalet (Windlanding) of the Timberline Resort in Canaan Valley, it rained gently and generously. While Carol caught up on some much needed sleep, Emil went out early in a morning and became part of a rain fall and the first of the Fall colors in the wooded surround.


Prayer was his conditioned inclination, and a creative expression of what he was experiencing appeared as a poem in his journal. The first half of Emil's poem is shared with you below the photograph his much loved wife took on some previous nature joint expedition.

Rain and wind - play a tune - on the leaves.

It's a dirge - that tells how - my heart grieves.

So much time - have I spent - on what's wrong.

Now the woods - that are wet - sing my song.

Rain drops fall - just like tears - I have cried.

Gust of wind - are the sads - I have sighed.

But there's hope - that smells sweet - in the air.

Fresh and clean - in my life - is my prayer.

When he got back to the chalet and shared coffee with his wife, he picked up her guitar and rendered the poem to music. Emil and his guitar-talented friend, Kevin, hope to recored this new song at Bias Studios in Springfield, Virginia. Perhaps in a year or so it will appear as a track on their second joint CD of original inspirational music. Their first CD project, "Come Into the Presence", is in production now and will be released some time in September.

Silence

Here is a photo of me taken on an overcast day by my wife at Half Moon Bay, California. This image captures a valuable moment and appears also on the cover of my book, "Personalizing the Psalms".

It was a blended time for us of visits with friends and of cultivating silence together. One aspect of this experience of sitting on the seawall and gazing out over and beyond the Pacific for me was to recognize Silence as Woman - as expressed in the following poem:

Silence is the teacher of how to speak.

She gives you strength when you are weak.

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Silence is the icon of your own beauty deep.

She awakens your soul from self-centered sleep.

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Silence is the ticket that gets you into the show.

She will even escort you to the very front row.

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Silence is a lover who takes you to her bed

and makes love to your soul rather than your head.

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Silence is a book written by the spiritually wise

who will help you find truth and avoid worldly lies.

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Silence is the music made in heavenly spheres

that strums and drums away all of your fears.

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Silence is the mother of new life in truth

Mary is God's fountain of eternal youth.

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Leaves

While out for a local neighborhood walk this morning, I saw the very first sign of leaf color change. This sign of what is to come left me thinking about what is about to leave all around me. It reminded me of a poem I once wrote about "Leaves" and a photo that my wife took on one of our Maine meanderings. So I thought I would share it today.

I wonder if you have a similar or quite a different take on the philosophy of life that my poem attempts to articulate.

Grasping at life

leaves you

Gasping for breath.

Lusting for things

leaves you

Lasting with nothing.

Rushing in time

leaves you

Rashing in stress.

Fretting inside

leaves you

Forgetting who you really are -

the beloved of God!