Good Food

Oh, but that the annals of one’s life would be tasty:

That at the end, the lips would smack in delighted satisfaction.

The ingredients could matter less than the collective: the flavors, the experience, the satiation.

Would that we dined more readily on the life and lives that nourish us.

What if we enjoyed the bites as gifts?

We’d probs compliment the overall meal too.

‘Cause doesn’t the temporal, the earthy hold the deliciousness of worlds?

(Yes.)

Held, magical, at all.

What if we – each one – saw our own life and lives as such?

As a glorious repast, a necessary constant, complement?

What if we – each one – saw all others’ too, in such a way?

Savorable.

Relished.

Received.

Nourishing.

‘Cause we are:

Each life containing worlds of wonder:

This is the Way.

Walk in it.

Take your time, close your eyes in deep relishing enjoyment.

We are fed with the impossibility, the actuality, the wonder and bewildering, magical improbability of myriad number of flavors.

A banquet for the receptive palate of taking in life-at-all.

Food for the soul, for the body, for the living and dying that’s ours.

Life and its effects, its requirements, its delights…

Taste and see that it is good.

Taste and see…

And then sit back, wide smiled, expanded in contentment and gratitude for the full stomach’s filling.

And then share.

Invite another to the table.

Rummage through the pantry

In willing participation to the feast.

If we all shared and celebrated the eating, no one would go hungry.

The Great Conversation

I’ve always loved the concept of “The Great Conversation.”

Coined in the 1950’s by Robert Maynard Hutchins and Mortimer Adler, “the concept describes how thinkers throughout history reference, build upon, and respond to the ideas of their predecessors.”

Quite unfortunately, however, it’s become increasingly difficult (impossible?) to dialogue with some folks about some things. They simply won’t “go there”. Whether it’s a mistrust of me specifically or just flat out refusal to engage in general, I don’t know, but I gotta do something with all this vacuous inactivity, and words seem to be pretty much all I’ve got to offer at present.

My partner Greg has a unique skill set for this unprecedented time. He taught American History for 34 years: he knows some stuff. And since I’m no longer content with his valuable knowledge of law, politics, and the history of our country being wasted on just me, because I’m seeking solace, clarity, solidarity, truth and justice for all, and because we consume our share of news, books, articles, podcasts, etc., spanning from the current to the historic, the factual to the more esoteric, we thought we’d share some of what we’re learning, talking about, and wrestling with. Maybe it’ll be helpful to others who’re also trying to make sense of things, and who may not have the time, bandwidth, or access to same said sources. Like one of our favorite thinkers, Dan Miller from “Straight White American Jesus,” often says, we’re “reading it so you don’t have to.” (Though of course READ IT if you can!)

It’s easy to chalk up differences as “different value systems,” but I’d like to think that at the end of the day, were we to strip away all the extras, that being human, we’re all – or ought be – interested in the concerns of all the other humans and the world and existence we share. In other words, I’d like to think that “value” is universal, and it’s worth tryna get to.

Greg and I have come to call my wanting to share with the world the goodnesses I’ve found as “throwing sparkles.” Sadly, the sparkles, instead of enlivening and improving the spaces, often feel to be trampled in the mud by those I’d hoped would receive and be better for them.

This is our effort to add our voices – our sparkles – to the world in the belief that each and every one of us has our own to contribute. Discover, use, share what you have, should you feel so led! The world needs all our voices in their respective colors and timbres. Let’s work toward being more evolved, more equal, more universally nourished in all the ways.

Unfortunately too, much of what we’ll be sharing is terrifying. But exposing dark things to the light will hopefully lead to mobilization toward positive change.

Here’s to the Great Conversation in all its worthy-of-perpetuating glory.

Protest

Take a deep breath.

There’s One Who knows, can help, lead, protect, hold, guide in best ways (and all-ways).

Ask Him. He knows.

And while you wait for the opportunity to present,

Enjoy, love, savor the life that surrounds (fills… makes… creates…. begets, improves, enlivens, radiates, heals, raises, feeds, clothes, provides-in-full for).

And it’s fun to think about that while we hold our breath a little, the earth seems to be taking a much needed one: the earth is quieting, the pollution has dissipated some, heck, I’ve had opportunity to slow, breathe, see, listen to the life that surrounds. Gotten to wait for it to present to me instead of me trying to catch up with it.

What a relief and blessing to be listener… and have the room to say as much, be as much. Thank You, Lord.

Pluck

Pluck up and start

Greet it all

Expansive, ready, open and willing

– Though terrifying –

You Are trustworthy

To hold, filter, remedy, REDEEM,

Hold, sustain, MOVE,

Delight enrich,

BE.

Praise and thanks to You, rest God, that You Are and

SO.

Good

That there’s good. That there’s love. Isn’t this enough and more than enough? Yes.

THIS – this good – This is what needs not only remembered (its own challenge!), but insisted on.

Keeping good things in our line of sight may not always be an immediately practical matter: God knows that there is plenty wrong in the world and that it clamors loud and noxious to distract and despair.

But no matter what, no matter how ugly the ugliness presents, it does not win in the end. Therefore, our challenge is to embrace, exalt, insist upon the truth that is:

that those who love, who believe in the One Who shines brighter, have constant, glorious opportunity to thwart the dark.

He reigns supreme and glorious; GOOD. Hallelujah, it’s a thing! THE thing! Always present, always possible, GOOD.

Praise and thanks that it’s so, great God. Make us strong and courageous, excellent rememberers, effective insisters. You are glorious… and GOOD.

Revolutionary

Remember, my soul,

– All souls –

Where to go:

Respite is He.

Yes and Amen.

Return, return, return,

Bow low, seek, praise.

Caught up a little in

You as Other and You within.

Both seem scandalous on either front – any front.

That it’d be so at all,

That You’d be so (much less at all!).

– And yet –

Willingness to accept (You) – see You –

Is the most revolutionary thing possible.

(See Jesus.)

And praise His Name, see Jesus!

A psalm

45 years old and I’m still wasting time.

Waiting (in vain) for some life to start: waiting for more than just getting through, just finding something to look forward to, just distracting enough to fill moments with meager amusements only to find that it’s all ash and dust, leaving me more hollow, bereft, and with less time to fill, with the quality I crave, than when I started.

What if I – we all – were just honest with Him?

Remembered this terrible plight, admitted our utter inability to be different than we are – (by our own hands and efforts) and held up all these teeny lives for His loving scrutiny, His healing care?

What if I allowed Him to crispify the ugliness, the complete folly and sin of all this wastefulness and trusted Him to transform the ashes to beauty?

What if I were honest? What if I trusted the Life that’s there to be the Life it is and simply let It Be? Simply enjoyed and celebrated that He Is So?

What if I just handed over all-that’s-wrong to All-His-Right?

What if I remembered to celebrate the Life more than I bemoaned the death?

It would not be wasteful. It would not be in vain. It would not be disappointing, hopeless, a dead end, a new regret, or just another guilt infusing pursuit.

The only ashes would be turned beautiful. There would be no more hollows or scramblings, guilt, regret or lost time.

There would be – because there is if we’ll have it – living water brimming up and spilling over.

There would be fullness and it would well up by virtue of its generosity, its very inability to atrophy, and spread more goodness.

Like spring in the light and the warmth, the pulse of this great sleepy life would quicken and enliven to its Creator, by its Creator, because of and in response to His Life in it.

Praise and thanks, great God, for fresh starts, new seasons, and most of all that You Are and So.

Intercession

Be my love.

May Your tidal wave

Crash over them

Like so much soothing balm

Warm oil

Penetrating

Rolling over, through, saturating.

Thank You that I can – may – ask it

You-Who-Are-All-Needful-Things-

And Beyond

What I – or any of us- can or may put words to

Oh, Gracious One, please look past

What we aren’t – You

And be You anyway

(I know, as You’ve done all along & before and continue)

In wretchedness, as we are, as I am

I know I’m not enough

But know that You Are

And hope that is.

Hoping the crumb reaches You

And praise You that it ever has.

niche-less

Niche: 1. a recess or hollow in a wall, as for a statue, bust, or vase 2. a place or position particularly suitable to the person or thing in it 3. any small, specialized business market 4.b) the specific space occupied by an organism within its habitat

Niche-less.

That’s right and now I’ve said it.

“Arriving” is the lie, isn’t it?

Maybe all kinds of honest floundering is where it’s at.

Maybe it’s “lucky” for me that me and my ways aren’t beautiful

In an in-crowd, pretty and put-together kind of way.

I have been unsuccessful at stuffing in neat and tidy boxes.

I’m sort of a mess.

(So I guess I have arrived somewhere. See “mess.”)

Maybe it’s its own niche,

But I don’t think so.

‘Cause really, none of us has “arrived.”

Leastways not with any permanence.

(Not yet.)

Gettin’ er done? No, not really.

Floundering around under the illusion of control?

All of us: no matter how well the illusion paints otherwise.

So why not be an honest – to goodness? – mess?

Maybe this is where the progress is.

Not in a drowning sort of way, but in a

stop-trying-to-keep-up-and-compare-to

kind of way that admits need and begs help and seeks direction

and admits not-knowing and looks and believes

that healing inward to healthy outward means looking upward.

Anyways, niche-less does preclude collecting dust.

(And I really hate dusting.)

Messy, yes.

Dependent on the direction of Another, yes.

But for whatever reason, He seems not to want any

Do Not Touch signs.

Light of the World, Remember!

Floating through

Dragging my feet

Languishing and lazy

‘Til everyday feels like Saturday

With all its special gone.

Seeped and stuck in the sameness (and horror) of “status quo”

I settle.

Where’s my urgency?

Fight? (Not to mention “good fight”?)

Excellence-insistence?

Remembering – and repenting – paves for rallying*

(*rally – to rouse or recover from inactivity)

Takes energy, light.

Where the dark would have me still, stagnate, die off, smother, forget

Light’s instead remarkable: emitting only when electric’s current quickens the matter.

All these particles’ radiation could electrify, could be magnetic,

Push back the dark.

But only would I plug into life’s – light’s – Source

Oh, Lord, may it be so.

Only then will the scales fall

And dark and light’s difference recognized.

It’s there I’ll recognize Him:

There in Him where the real living is.

Where all the dark of wasted (death) days is forgotten and

Right remembrance and good days – enlivening, rich, beautiful, vital, and vibrant life-days are restored.

Like Paul, a blaze of light’s what’s needed, and now given.

Thank You.
Acts 26:12-18, Matthew 5:14