A Love That's Better than Life

Psalm 63:1-8 (ESV)

¹O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
    my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
   as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
²So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
   beholding your power and glory.
³Because your steadfast love is better than life,
   my lips will praise you.
⁴So I will bless you as long as I live;
   in your name I will lift up my hands.

 ⁵My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
   and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
⁶when I remember you upon my bed,
   and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
⁷for you have been my help,
   and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy.
⁸My soul clings to you;
   your right hand upholds me.

I once felt troubled by the verses "your love is better than life". These verses are in a song that we sing at church too. Whenever I heard it, I couldn't help thinking, "What could be better than life?". I couldn't help but think that sometimes it seems like a lot of Christians focus more on the afterlife than life here on earth, and that's the filter I looked through when I heard these verses. That it was minimizing in some way the beauty and gift of our life here on earth.

I was going through a difficult time spiritually. Some of you might be able to sympathize or relate, or perhaps you are going through such a time right now. When questions about God, about the Bible, about one's faith, seem to infinitely outnumber any of the answers that we might have. When the coldness and darkness of the world and our personal experiences in it has penetrated our thoughts so much that arising within us easily is cynisism and doubt and pushed down, far beneath the layers of our souls, is the simple childlike trust and faith that God calls us to have.

It was only after I sought God, with all my strength and heart and received the outpouring of His Spirit, and felt the peace that only He can provide-the peace that surpasses all understanding, that I began to understand those verses. God's love is His reality and it is infinite. God is outside of time and His love will continue on forever. His love for us is deep and intimate, for He has the love for us that a father has for a child, yet it's deeper because he doesn't carry with Him the emotional baggage our earthly fathers do that inhibits their perspective, experience and expressions of love.

When one opens themselves up to God's love and feels it thaw the most distant and hidden corners of one's soul, bringing with it hope and joy and peace, than these verses come alive. When the power and glory of God manifests itself in one's life then one truly knows what it's like to have one's soul be "satisfied as with fat and rich food."

 God's love is transforming. And if one opens oneself up to the reality of God's love one can be continually transformed in the light and power of the Spirit. It enriches our lives and becomes our lives. God's love illuminates areas in our lives that need to be changed while giving us the strength to change them. God's love gives us the strength to face adversity and the endurance to pass through it unhindered. God's love gives us the courage to break the chains of the world that binds us to misery, grief and guilt. God's love is infinite and amazing...God's love is here with us during our earthly lives and with us forever throughout eternity. God's love is truly better than life!

No person could have convinced me of that truth. That was a matter I had to seek God on. I can't convince you of anything...but God can reveal this and many other truths to you if you've not yet experienced His peace and His love. Let's be seekers. Seekers of God's truth, of God's presence...let's ascend the hills to Mt. Zion, enter His holy sanctuary and lift up our hands and hearts in praise and bless His holy name. Let's bring glory to God!

Let's give thanks to God, during this special time of year of Advent, for the ultimate love He showed us-through giving this world His only son which they scorned and beat and ultimately hung on a cross. His only son, who became the means in which we could enter into God's love unhindered through the glorious grace of our Father.

~Many Blessings

Proclaiming Freedom

Isaiah 61:1

 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
   because the LORD has anointed me
   to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
   to proclaim freedom for the captives
   and release from darkness for the prisoners

http://www.integrallife.com/

With the coming of a tiny baby, wrapped up and bundled in an obscure corner of the world surrounded by animals in a dusty hay-filled stable, came the coming of hope for all mankind in the world. With Jesus, we have redemption, we have forgiveness, we have new beginnings. He truly is the good news that the world needs.

Have you been set free from that which holds you captive? That which bars you from experiencing abundant joy and peace in our Lord?  It is true that we are continually assailed with distractions vying for our attention, trying to pry our seeking eyes off of Jesus, taking our attention from truth and devotion, and casting our thoughts on things much less signficant...and frankly cheap, considering the richness there is in the Lord. Have you bought into the world's lies and settled for a cheaper imitation of Jesus and the life that can be found in him? Or do you live fully for the Lord, proclaiming the freedom you've found in God to friends, to family, openly living as a disciple of Christ?

It's not easy sometimes, especially in today's society, to express a genuine devotion towards God and a reverence towards His written Word to others in our lives. It seems like now, especially in our American culture, when one speaks up, proclaiming the Word as the truth and light of God, with that proclamation, quite a number of stereotypes rise up to define one, sometimes unfairly. And that limits the potential of really getting the true, genuine message of Christ across effectively.

Maybe though, to proclaim God's truth in our lives, we don't have to use words all the time. Maybe words can limit our message to people in how God has changed our lives. Maybe words themselves can be like walls, barriers, between us and our message and other people. Maybe just living our lives; changed, free from the yoke of this world and full of the peace of God, is enough to make people start reflecting, start questioning, start seeking. I'm not an evangelist. I don't think I ever will be. I'm just not good at that kind of thing. But In Isaiah, it says to "preach good news to the poor"...to "proclaim freedom for the captives"...and I do think that is important. (It's God's Word after all! )

How can we do that without using words, or "evangelizing" in the traditional sense? I'm putting out a thought here, I'm not saying I'm entirely right, and of course each circumstance warrants particular varying responses, but there are some before me that have had the same notion that are much more qualified than I am, so I think there is some merit in this idea.

I am coming to believe that one of the best ways of proclaiming the freedom that we have found in Christ to a fallen world is through acts of service and through living out our lives, free from bondage, glorifying God and thus, serving as a living testament to His mercy, grace and to the power of the Spirit.

St Francis of Assissi once said, " Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words."

Language is limiting, actions say so much more. Words just symbolize concepts, actions display and live them out. Let's live out God's Word! Let's live out a life rich in Christ. Let's not just talk about Jesus but let's take to heart what he came down and taught us. To go out and serve others, to not let socio economic statuses define us spiritually. To reach out to others, both rich and poor, and help them. Let's find ways to lift others up through our actions and through our Love, the love that God puts in our hearts, and let's show grace and love to those around us. That will say so much more about the God we love and serve than anything words can express.

Consider Mother Teresa. She is respected by so many, Christians and non-Christians alike. She is someone that lived out her life with reverence towards God, service to mankind and great love towards people that most of us find hard to love. The lepers, the poor, the dying. And through her actions of love, through displaying the character of Jesus in a dark world, she shined a light brighter than anything words could create. She lived out her faith and through her gentle spirit, others could see the spiritual freedom she had with God. And that makes one really think deeply about things. We can't "save" anyone...that's God's job, that's the workings of the Spirit. The Bible tells us it is the Spirit which "awakens faith" in believers. But we can introduce hope, love, and compassion and inspire others to question what they believe and to reach out to seek the same freedom we have found and are finding in Christ.

As we prepare our hearts during Advent and anticipate celebrating the coming of Christ in the world, let's reflect on ways we can express the life of Christ in our own lives, without words, but through living out the gospel. Let's also reflect in ways that the world still binds us to it and ask for God to release us from those chains so that we can be more effective servants and live more fully in Him. Let's be free in Christ and proclaim that freedom to others through living in the love and light and Spirit of God! :)

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for helping us find freedom in you. Thank you for breaking the chains of slavery that bind us to the world and for vanquishing the darkness that threatens our peace, inundating our spirits with your light and love. May you continually work in our hearts so that we can experience you in deeper ways and enlighten us in the areas of our lives that need you and that need our attention and prayer in breaking free from.

 May our lives be living testaments to the power of your Spirit which makes such freedom and peace possible. May we seek ways in which we can serve you and speak of your great love, your grace, the hope that is found only in you, through our actions and through our lives. May we be the bright lamps in the world, shining our lights, (not speaking of light but actively shining it!) being the beacons of hope, that you call us to be.

Thank you for your son, for without him, we would have no hope. We praise you and give you all glory and honor.

In Jesus' name,

Amen

Out of Darkness and Into Light

Arise, shine; for your light has come,

and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,

and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,

and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light

and kings to the brightness of your dawn...

but the Lord will be your everlasting light,

and your God will be your glory.

Isaiah 60:1-3, 19

Heavenly Father,

Let us feel the light of your Spirit within us and let us project that light into the world. Vanquish all the areas in our lives that are snares and traps, tripping us up on our walk, taking away from us the joy and peace that there is to be found in You only. We praise you for sending us your only Son. We praise you for the redemption we find through the blood of Jesus.

He was God incarnate walking among us on earth. He could have had it all. Instead he chose to live among the poor, among the most wretched among us. To walk among the dusty streets amidst suffering and poverty, to bring healing and light, love and compassion to those that needed it most. With Christ, came the greatest message of hope. May that hope blossom within our hearts, spurring us onward to discovering more ways in which we can serve you and glorify your name.

May we reflect deeply, through prayer, meditation and encountering you through your Word, the deep meaning of Advent. Like Mary who, pregnant with Jesus, awaited his birth with much expectation and joy, may we prepare our hearts in quiet humble adoration for Christmas, in which we celebrate the coming of our Lord into this world.

In Jesus' name,
Amen



Hartford's Common Prayer Release Party

I was on my way to a book release party held in behalf of Shane Claiborne and Jonathan Wilson- Hartgrove' s new book: Common Prayer: A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals and hopefully on my way to meet some cool folks that have felt the radical presence of Christ in their lives, drawing them towards radical changes and expressions of serving Christ.

As the skyline of Hartford drew near and I eased myself off route 2 into it's labryinth of streets, the arteries in which life flows through our state's capitol, pumping commerce, pollution, dreams and pain, I rechecked the directions I had hastily scribbled on notebook paper. It had been awhile since I last drove through Hartford at night. The driving is definitely different than in the small town in which we live. Lots more stop lights, lots more people drifting across the street. Imade effort in being particularly mindful. I noticed how the city itself at night seems to be living and breathing and really how intriguing it is in its unashamed juxtaposition of beauty and grit.


I must have driven past the place it was being held about three times. It was located on a one way road so I kept having to circle back through a grid of streets to try again. I couldn't believe I hadn't tried to get a contact number, in case I got lost. Here I was in Hartford, in the dark, and in an unfamiliar neighborhood. I fnally, after examining the directions, figured I had to be at the right  location and parked on an adjacent street close by. I hadn't realized it was being held in someone's apartment. My husband had asked me that question, I wasn't sure on the answer but I've been to some political parties/meeting before and I figured it was going to be held in some rented room. Ok..someone's home...in a foreign area, with people I don't  know. This should be interesting!

As I got out of the car, I wasn't sure quite where to go. I figured I'd eventually make my way to the suspected apartment building and see what happened. A young man, in his early twenties was walking up the sidewalk, seeing the paper in my hand he asked with a level of enthusiasm, "Are you here for the prayer party?" A answered in the affirmative in which he very warmly welcomed me to the apartment's entrance where he introduced me to his fiance.

When I entered the apartment I was welcomed very warmly by those present. I noticed a table set up with some new copies of the book, which, through a random drawing I was fortunate to receive. There were also candles and copies of the publication Conspire.  Everyone was primarily from three groups-the host and his friends from a church in Newington-Mill Pond Church, and the others were primarily from the Hartford City Missions and The Catholic Worker. The atmosphere was very inviting as was the conversation. I didn't know anybody, there were many who didn't know some present, but that didn't seem to matter at all. Christ was the theme of the night and the factor which united us all in mutual understanding.

We read the Saturday night prayer, from the book, which was amazing. I liken it to be similiar in its objective and layout to The Divine Hours  books. There are liturgical prayers and songs for each day throughout the year. A set for the morning, afternoon and night. It's a beautiful and meaningful way to keep focused and devoted towards Christ throughout one's day and it's a neat after thought to think of others praying and singing the same songs at similiar times as well. That's a thought that comes to mind from time to time which I use my book, The Divine Hours, by Phyllis Tickle.

I'm going to show my lack of Catholic knowledge here, but the text in the book is similiar to what is read during mass. I'm not sure what the book is called (someone help me out if you know!), but where the priest will read a line and then the congregation will read, in turn all together, another part. The book can be used by individuals but its aim is to draw groups of people together, creating communities of prayer, communities centered on Christ, communities of hope. I'm hoping to use it with my family and perhaps introduce it to some friends who might be interested. It's definitely a book one wants to share and use with others.

About half the room was catholic, the other half including myself, protestants. It showed an interesting trend of the incorporation of liturgical prayer some protestants are now drawing towards to find more depth, discipline and meaning in their daily devotions and walk with God.

After we read the evening prayer, the host, Alex, lit a candle and then one by one, from that single flame in which Alex' candle had begun burning, we lit ours. We celebrated Advent together and Christ.  And then we prayed. We prayed for our faiths to be continually rekindled, we prayed for those sleeping cold and hungry that night, and for many other things. For sure, through the devotion and love towards Christ displayed in that room, God was glorified.

We exchanged information and my hopes is to keep communicating with many of those I had met last night. The Common Prayer release party was more than just a party showing off a new book. It drew many different people together, from different denominations, that all had the same passion in their hearts. Christ. Christ was exalted and he was seen in the eyes of those who prayed and those who glorified him through their service for him. I know it inspired me to seek new ways in which to serve God and man and it was encouraging to meet others that feel that not only should we serve God's children but we should also be mindful towards the environment and how animals are treated as well. ( I thought it very refreshing to meet some other Christians who are vegetarian too!...something not often found, at least from my experience.)

Would I recommend the book? Well, I haven't entirely read it yet, but absolutely! Those that wrote it took great care and consideration and undoubtedly much prayer to create a devotional  book which will prove to aid groups of people in experiencing Christ more in their lives and spur them on in growing deeper in their faiths. The authors who wrote the book are both men who live out the gospel daily in their own lives, which adds to their credibility. They have also each authored many thought-provoking and stirring publications which I'd be sure to check out while you are at the bookstore purchasing your copy of Common Prayer. (Check out Irresistible Revolution:Living as an Ordinary Radical by Claiborne for starters!)

~many blessings

Advent Quote of the Day: Thomas Merton

"Advent is the "sacrament" of the PRESENCE of God in His world, in the Mystery of Christ at work in History...
     This mystery is the revelation of God Himself in His Incarnate Son. But it is not merely a manifestation of the Divine Perfections, it is the concrete plan of God for the salvation of men and the restoration of the whole world in Christ.
     This plan is envisaged not as a future prospect but as a present fact. The "last things" are already present and realized in a hidden manner. The Kingdrom of God is thus already "in the midst of us." But, the mystery can only be known by those who enter into it, who find their place in the Mystical Christ, and therefore find the mystery of Christ realized and fulfilled in themselves."        
            ~ Thomas Merton, Seasons of Celebration



Heavenly Father,

May you quiet our souls during this time and open our hearts to encounter the light within us that is your Spirit. Your Kingdom is already here on earth, living in each and every one of us who has Christ as Savior. May we open up to the light within, may your Peace be felt in our everyday moments as your presence unfolds itself within us. May we experience you in new and deeper ways never ceasing to give praise  honor and glory to our loving Father, risen Savior and your Spirit which whispers truth to our souls.

In Jesus' name,
Amen

Advent Quote of the Day: Dorothy Day

"Advent is a time of waiting, of expectation, of silence. Waiting for our Lord to be born. A pregnant woman is so happy, so content. She lives in such a garment of silence, and it is as though she were listening to hear the stir of life within her. One always hears that stirring compared to the rustling of a bird in the hand. But the intentness which which one awaits such stirring is like nothing so much as a blanket of silence."  ~ Dorothy Day

How are you preparing for the coming day, Christmas, in which we celebrate the birth of God's incarnate son? Sometimes it seems so hard to keep focused on the true meaning of this time of year amidst the distractions of consumerism and busy schedules packed with family get togethers and activities.  All kinds of things during this season compete for our attention.

I suppose I should confess something. Up until this year, even though I've been a Christian for over a decade, I kind of let Advent pass by unnoticed. I, of course, celebrated Christmas, and recognized the miracle it aknowledges, but I didn't pay much attention to the days before. I always felt like Christmas came too quickly and that when it was upon me, it was nearly over already, and the true meaning almost lost among the hectic nature of the day. I always read the passages in the New Testament on Christmas eve talking about Christ's birth-that has especially been a custom since my daughter was born. But the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve really had no spiritual depth or meaning. This past year I've experienced a lot of spiritual changes and growth and have changed my perspective towards observing Advent, fully embracing the concept of preparing my heart for Christmas. If any reading this have gone about the Christmas season like I have, I'd urge you to reconsider. I feel this time of year can be a time of great growth spiritually and one can experience a deep connection with God during this time if one opens oneself up to such an experience.

Let's try to find moments each day to quiet our souls and let the truth and wonder of the miracle God provided for us, the miracle and gift of redemption by means of His son, to penetrate the deep places within. Let's open ourselves to the light, the truth, the saving Grace of God and find ourselves transformed and renewed during this time. With this renewel God will undoubtedly bless us with refreshed souls, filling us with a peace surpassing all understanding and providing us with a new sense of direction in which we can serve Him, bringing Him much glory, honor and praise.

Let's not fall prey to all the things that would distract us and take our eyes off our Savior. I know that's easier said than done sometimes. Especially for us parents that have to deal with the "santa" thing. But through prayer God can help redirect our heart's priorities and help guide us.  Let's keep focused on Jesus this season!

Do you have a way that you have found prepares your heart for Christmas? That melts away the distractions and opens your heart up to Christ, to His presence, and to the real meaning of the season?...Please share if you do! :)  


~many blessings.

Let's Be Laborers (Includes quotes from Shane Claiborne/Mother Teresa)

I remember hearing about an old comic strip back in the days of St. Ed's. Two guys are talking to eachother, and one of them says he has a question for God. He wants to ask why God allows all of this poverty and war and suffering to exist in the world. And his friend asks, " Well, why don't you ask?". The fellow shakes his head and says that he is scared. When his friend asks why, he mutters, "I'm scared God will ask me the same question." Over and over, when I ask God how all these injustices are allowed to exist in the world, I can feel the Spirit whisper to me, "You tell me why we allow this to happen. You are my body, my hands, my feet."    ~ Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical, p. 64-65

When I read that passage from Shane Claiborne I was instantly reminded of Luke:2 where it says:

² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.





Are you a laborer for God? Do you help spread His light and love throughout your home, throughout your community, perhaps even throughout the world? Lifting up those that you are able to lift up? Encouraging? Helping to build the Kingdom right here on earth? Or do you grumble instead at the injustices that surround you...the pain, the suffering? Instead of lifting up your spade to turn over the earth and plant seeds of Spirit, you watch others, or perhaps don't even watch at all, consumed in your own existence and not concerned about the broader picture?

I have to admit, I've been less of a laborer and more of a bench warmer. But I've felt God stirring my heart considerably lately, and books like Shane's as well as through prayer and just reading through the Bible, have led me to acknowledge that if I am to have a genuine faith, things have got to change.

I'd encourage us all to pray for the Spirit to direct us towards new ways of serving God and helping work against the suffering and pain in this world. Let's become laborers for Christ. Let's lift up our hoes and rakes and turn over the soils of injustice and sow seeds that will bear great fruit for His Kingdom. Let's walk the walk of faith and approach this world with love and compassion and interest like Christ did. He went among the most marginalized and came with healing and love.

Sometimes it doesn't seem like my current circumstances allow me to serve God effectively and that can be discouraging. I don't feel like I have the money, the means, the way to go out and do the things I'd like to do to help others. But to do nothing is the goal of the enemy and the lie that because of our circumstances, whether they be circumstances of limited time, limited income or limited ability, that we can't labor for God and help others, is nothing but a false illusion. Sometimes, even from a little, a lot can spring up and be born. Look at the mustard seed...one of the smallest seeds out there...when watered and nourished and allowed to grow, it grows to a tremendous size.

Some encouraging and inspiring words from Mother Teresa about this quandary some of us find ourselves in:

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do... but how much love we put in that action.

So even if you aren't at the point where you can go out and volunteer, engaging yourself in the ministries that seem to draw you to them, you can still start laboring for God right now. There's no better time then the present moment.

Let's be laborers!

Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for your son Jesus, who you sent to us to become a living example of purity, of compassion, of love. Without Jesus, there would be no redemption, there would be no hope. Thank you for your great mercy and love for our Savior.

May the Spirit usher us forward to a new understanding of what it means to serve you. May you draw us closer inward as we express the character of Christ more and more outward. May we get off our spiritual benches which have collected dust, and pick up our spades, rakes and hoes which have become rusty and get back in the field and labor for you. May we help turn pain into healing, suffering into relief, despair into hope. May our lives glorify you while we bring your message of redemption and hope into this dark and fallen world. We praise you, we glorify you and we seek you always with humble hearts always lifted towards your throne. Direct us in ways we can serve you and give us the ways and means so that we can bear fruit for your Kingdom.

In the name of Jesus,

Amen

 

Experiencing God's Presence in the Everyday

"How do we enter an intimate, ongoing communion with God? The answer is simple: with practice. We undertake experiments of everyday life in which we are learning to be with God. And the stuff of our  day-to-day experience is the place where these experiments go on. This with-God life takes no time, yet it occupies all our time. When we go to work, we go to work with-God. At work we are learning how to bless those who curse us, how to weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice, how our very presence can be a joy to others. And the experiments are numerous and varied: "Today, Lord, teach me somehow to bless every person I meet. Show me the preciousness of each individual. Fill my mind with creative new ideas and show me how to break the horns of cruel dilemmas." The same is true for times at home with family and time with neighbors and friends."

~ Richard Foster, Longing for God: Seven Paths of Christian Devotion

That we might accustom ourselves to a continual conversation with Him, with freedom and simplicity. That we need only to recognize God intimately present with us, to address ourselves to Him every moment, that we may beg His assistance for knowing His will in things doubtful, and for rightly performing those which we plainly see He requires of us, offering them to Him before we do them, and giving Him thanks when we have done.   ~ Brother Lawrence, The Practice of the Presence of God

Mindfulness has been a transforming process spiritually for me and I am a firm believer that if we silence our oftentimes rambling and distracted thoughts, we open ourselves up to new levels of consciousness and new ways of experiencing God's presence. I wrote about this very thing in a post titled :Experiencing God - http://ascendingthehills.blogspot.com/2010/10/experiencing-god.html .

Prayer, and as Brother Lawrence puts it, continual prayer, is another way to open ourselves up to God's presence and to His reality. I love how, in Foster's passage he says, "This with-God life takes no time, yet it occupies all of our time." That is so true! To open oneself to continual conversation with God and to find God, who is true reality, manifested in the present moment, applying the teachings of Jesus directly in our lives, is something that we can do while doing our most ordinary tasks and chores. In Brother Lawrence's book he mentioned many times to others that his prayer time differed very little from his everyday ordinary moments of doing his many tasks, mostly in the kitchen, at the monastery. He was in sync with God, within and outside of conventional prayer.

It takes awhile to get into the custom of seeking God and experiencing Him continually throughout one's day through experiencing His presence and through prayer. Some don't think it possible, but my opinion differs from theirs. I'm not going to even give the illusion that I live that way. But I know it is possible because of those who have walked the ancient paths of faith before us. Those like Brother Lawrence, whose book I highly recommend, who can help aid us in beginning our journey towards experiencing God ever deeper with each passing day.


Heavenly Father,

Thank you for being the kind of God that we can get to know. The God that opens His arms to His children, beckoning them to draw near. Give us the strength and direction, the focus and prompting from the Spirit, to seek you continually, to grow with you. I pray that with each passing day we enter deeper in our understanding of you and experience you in new ways. May our lives serve as living testimonies of your grace, your mercy and love. May we always seek to bring you glory, honor and praise.

In Jesus' name,
Amen