Living Deeply

Coming to God: First Days (Mary Oliver)

Lord, what shall I do that I
can't quiet myself?
Here is the bread, and
here is the cup, 
I can't quiet myself.
To enter the language of transformation!
To learn the importance of stillness,
with one's hands folded!
When will my eyes of rejoicing turn peaceful?
When will my joyful feet grow still?
When will my heart stop it's prancing
as over the summer grass?
Lord, I would run for you, loving the miles for your sake.
I would climb the highest tree
to be that much closer.
Lord, I will also learn to kneel down
into the world of the invisible,
the inscrutable and the everlasting.
Then I will move no more than the leaves of a tree
on a day of no wind,
bathed in light,
like the wanderer who has come at last,
and kneels in peace, done with all unnecessary things:
even motion, even words.

Listen To Your Uneasiness (Thomas Kelley)

Over the margins of life comes a whisper, a faint call, a premonition of richer living, which we know we are passing by. Strained by the very made pace of our daily outer burdens, we are further strained by an inward uneasiness, because we have hints that there is a way of life vastly richer and deeper than all of this hurried existence, a life of hurried serenity and peace and power.

Jesus and Justice (John Perkins)

You cannot have Jesus without doing justice.  Jesus and the work of justice are inextricably linked.

Be the Church (Shane Claiborne)

 

Stop complaining about the Church and be the church you want to see.

Read the Scriptures, Think About Where God Placed You, And Live There Faithfully (Father Anthony - Desert Father)

"Someone asked Abba Anthony, saying, "What must we keep in order to be pleasing to God?" And the elder answered, saying, "Keep what I tell you. Whoever you may be, always keep God before your eyes. And whatever you do, do it from the witness of the Holy Scriptures. And in whatever place you live, do not leave quickly. Keep these three things, and you will be saved."

Keeping the Sabbath Wholly

The bible calls us to observe the Sabbath.  The unfortunate truth is that we do not keep it.  We think it is old fashioned.  We think we have "too many important things" to be engaged in to stop and honor God.  We are also afraid of the idea of doing "nothing."  Doing nothing seems a waste, an inefficient way to spend our time. 

When we explore the meaning and history of Sabbath keeping we discover that keeping Sabbath is not about doing "nothing."  Sabbath keeping is actually an active process of ceasing, resting, embracing God, and feasting on or celebrating the gifts that God has given us.  By keeping Sabbath, whether that be on Sundays, or other times during the week, we discover a new, but ancient way of honoring God and experiencing renewal.

If you want to learn more about the meaning of Sabbath, and how to keep it, read Marva Dawn's Keeping the Sabbath Wholly : Ceasing, Resting, Embracing, and Feasting.

Once or Twice-Born?(Elizabeth Lesser)

The philosopher William James wrote that there are two kinds of people in this world—the Once-Born and the Twice-Born. Once-Born people do not stray from the familiar territory of who they think they are and what they think is expected of them. If fate pushes them to the edge of Dante’s famous dark woods—where the straight way is lost—they turn back. They don’t want to learn something new from life’s darker lessons. They stay with what seems safe, and what is acceptable to their family and society. They stick to what they already know but don’t necessarily want. Once-Born people may go through life and never even know what lies beyond the woods—or that there are woods at all. Perhaps a Once-Born person awakens one morning and feels the beckoning finger of fate loosening disturbing questions: “Is this all there is to life? Will I always feel the same? Do I not have some purpose to fulfill, some greater kindness to give, some inner freedom to taste?” And then he gets out of bed and dresses for work, and he doesn’t attend to the soul’s questions. The next morning, and all the next mornings, he lives as if the soul was a figment of a flighty imagination. This inattention makes him confused, or numb, or sad, or angry. A Twice-Born person pays attention when the soul pokes its head through the clouds of a half-lived life. Whether through choice or calamity, the Twice-Born person goes into the woods, loses the straight way, makes mistakes, suffers loss, and confronts that which needs to change within himself in order to live a more genuine and radiant life.

One Necessary Thing (Henri J. M. Nouwen)

Jesus does not respond to our worry-filled way of living by saying that we should not be so busy with worldly affairs. He does not try to pull us away from the many events, activities, and people that make up our lives. He does not tell us that what we do is unimportant, valueless, or useless. Nor does he suggest that we should withdraw from our involvements and live quiet, restful lives removed from the struggles of the world. Jesus’ response to our worry-filled lives is quite different. He asks us to shift the point of gravity, to relocate the center of our attention, to change our priorities. Jesus wants us to move from the “many things” to the “one necessary thing.”

A Living Prayer (Alison Krauss)

(Listen)

In this world I walk alone
With no place to call my home
But there's one who holds my hand
The rugged road through barren lands
The way is dark, the road is steep
But He's become my eyes to see
The strength to climb, my griefs to bear
The Savior lives inside me there In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee
In these trials of life I find
Another voice inside my mind
He comforts me and bids me live
Inside the love the Father gives
In Your love I find release
A haven from my unbelief
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee
Take my life and let me be
A living prayer, my God to Thee

The Call to Reconciliation: 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.