Can you see the Forest or just the trees?

We’ve all heard the expression “They can’t see the forest for the trees.” It usually refers to someone who is so wrapped up in the details of something; they cannot see the whole picture. And this really happens! In 2008, satellite imagery found the outlines of an ancient Mayan city in Guatemala, and in 2013, another Mayan city was “discovered” in Mexico – just 15 miles from a bustling town.

Why didn’t anyone know those ancient Mayan cities were there? Because the buildings and temples were covered with 1,000 years’ worth of trees, dirt, and jungle overgrowth - people thought the tree covered ‘hills’ were just that - hills! The nearby residents were too close to see the bigger picture, and in this case, couldn’t see the Mayan cities for the trees!

Sometimes when we are too close to something enormous, we simply cannot see it.  This is why people need a Spiritual Director or a Spiritual Coach. We are often “too close” to our own lives, and we cannot see God working in and around us!

A Spiritual Coach, is someone who comes alongside you to observe how God is at work in you, and bring it to your notice. A Coach can help people discern where God is calling them, reveal their hidden need for time with God, or identify why their prayer life seems stuck. Contrary to the title, a  Coach doesn’t tell anyone what to do – your relationship with God is not a formula or a program to follow.  However, they can often see the bigger picture and help you see beyond the details.

So what does a Spiritual Coaching session look like?

At The Oasis Renewal Center, sessions may look a lot like a friendly conversation over a cup of coffee, between you and me (I am an RCA-trained Spiritual Coach.) But in the middle of this conversation, I might notice that there is a theme running through your dialogue, and ask questions to help you clarify that theme; connecting it to the direction God is leading you.

Or perhaps your session will occur while we are taking a walk. During the conversation, I may sense an underlying emotion that is being avoided when you talk about your faith. I might say something like, “It sounds like you are disappointed with God; that God didn’t ‘show up for you’ in the way you imagined He would. Is that what you are feeling?”

Sometimes we already have the answers we are looking for, but we can’t find them until we hear ourselves speaking. Often just talking about our faith practices with a Coach will help us identify that answer. For example, Simon was concerned that he kept getting distracted during his prayer times, and mentioned that he prayed at his desk where his computer is. Just as he was saying this, he realized that he allowed the incoming email tone to divert his attention! I (his Spiritual Coach) asked him how he might avoid that particular distraction, and his solution was simply not to pray near his computer; to find a different location for prayer! He knew the answer all along, but by talking it out with me, he “discovered” the problem, as well as the solution!

If you are having trouble seeing the forest for the trees, why not schedule a Personal Retreat and add a Spiritual Coaching session or two? A few days spent in the beautiful setting of The Oasis Renewal Center will change your whole outlook, and a Coaching session just might change your whole life! Check our calendar for available dates, and schedule your retreat online. Hope to see you soon!

Aha Moments on the Road to Emmaus

In this week’s lectionary passage, Luke 24: 13-15, we read the familiar story of two disciples encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Emmaus. This event takes place on the same day that Jesus’ tomb was found to be empty – Easter Sunday.

We only know the name of one of these disciples – Cleopas - he is identified in v. 18. We don’t know much about Cleopas, as this is the only time he is mentioned in the Gospels. Perhaps he lived in Emmaus and was walking the seven miles back to his village from Jerusalem with another follower of Jesus, and most likely, a crowd of other Jewish pilgrims heading back home after celebrating the Passover. During their walk, Jesus comes alongside them and joins them, acting as if He hadn’t heard about his own crucifixion and resurrection.

Since they didn’t recognize Jesus (v. 16) Cleopas and the other disciple tell him their version of the events of the weekend, even admitting that the news of the empty tomb was simply unbelievable to them. They also mentioned “We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel;” hinting at their disappointment that Jesus was crucified instead of overthrowing the Romans, as many people expected.

Even though these two guys were sincere and complete in their narrative, Jesus says, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (v.25) He is essentially saying, “After all this time, and after everything you’ve seen, you guys still don’t get it!?” and then goes on to point out every verse in the Hebrew scriptures that pointed to him, beginning with Genesis, and working his way through the Prophets, and undoubtedly, the Wisdom literature. That would have been a fascinating lecture to listen in on!

When you go back through the entire Old Testament and look for prophesies that point to Jesus, you’ll find that there are quite a lot of them that don’t point to a triumphant conquering Messiah. Nowhere does it say that the Messiah will kick the Romans out of Judea. Yes, some do mention a kingdom. But then there are all of those Servant passages in Isaiah. Or that cry of anguish in Psalm 22 that reads, “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” Not to mention all those one-liners about riding a donkey and being betrayed (Zephaniah); being rejected by his people and betrayed by friends (Psalms); it would be a lot to take in.

And yet, these two still didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of what they were hearing, or who was explaining it to them, until Jesus “took bread, gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them.”  That was the moment that they recognized Jesus; that was their “Aha!” moment. I wonder – was it the nail holes in his hands, or the way he broke the bread that clued them in? Or did Jesus have a particular way of giving thanks that tipped them off?

Their recognition that Jesus was alive must have seemed too good to be true, and Cleopas and his friend needed to reassure one another that they really did just see Jesus. One of them commented that “their hearts were burning” while Jesus explained the scriptures. Now that could have been caused by too much lamb and matzoh washed down with a bit too much wine, but these guys were convinced that it was a spiritual sign.

Their Aha! moment was so powerful for Cleopas and his companion that they left their meal uneaten and ran right back to Jerusalem to tell everyone that Jesus had risen and appeared to them. They ran seven miles, back up the hill, excitedly shouting, “It’s true! The Lord has risen!”

There has been a whole lot written about the veracity of Jesus’ resurrection and appearances in the intervening 2000 or so years since this happened. We’ve heard numerous theories that discount the disciples’ claims; theories that range from they made it all up, to someone poisoned the Passover wine resulting in mass hallucinations. And yet...

Mary Magdalene was convinced that she’d seen Jesus. Peter was convinced. Cleopas and his friend were convinced. Eventually all of the disciples we know by name, and several hundred that we don’t, were ALL convinced that they saw Jesus walking around, after he’d been crucified, died and was buried. And most of them would eventually be killed in nasty ways, still claiming that they had seen Jesus and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that He had risen from the grave.

The reality is that strange things do happen in this world.

Just recently a Malaysian Air jet with 239 people on board disappeared shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia. In the 21^st century, jets don’t just vanish into thin air. And yet, almost two full months after that jet disappeared from radar, not one single piece of debris or any other trace of that jet has been found. Not one. It just...vanished.

I hate to break it to you, but we mere humans don’t know how everything works. We like to think that we do. We like to think of ourselves as very clever creatures who have all the answers. But when the answers don’t jive with our preconceived notion of how the world should work, we just don’t know what to do with that.

Just look at quantum physics. All of the laws of physics as we have known them for hundreds of years do not apply when we’re dealing with things at the quantum level. At the quantum level, a particle can be in two places at one time. That shouldn’t be the case. And yet, it is.

Can you imagine what the scientist who first observed this phenomenon must have thought at that moment? After years of the study, and experiments that yielded bizarre results, someone came up with the wild idea that maybe the laws are different at the quantum level. That person became the laughing stock of the lab I’m sure, but they persevered, and re-ran all of those experiments. To finally prove that the theory was right after all....

Have you ever had an Aha! moment? One of those moments when suddenly everything made perfect sense? A moment in which the answer became crystal clear; despite the fact that you weren’t even sure what the question was? A moment in which time slowed down, light appeared brighter and the edges of reality seemed crisper? Tell me about it!

Cherished Children and Straying Sheep

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.  

What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off.

In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (Matthew 18: 10-14, NIV)

In today’s Lectionary Gospel reading, Jesus talks about children and sheep. This particular passage is part of a larger conversation that He was having with His disciples about who would be considered great in the Kingdom of Heaven, and naturally Jesus called a child over and turned the disciples’ expectations upside-down. (Matt. 18: 1-7)

Children weren’t considered great in 1^st century culture, by any means; they were a financial burden, uneducated and inexperienced, and needed to be protected and cared for. Children were on the lowest rung of the social hierarchy ladder in Roman culture. Jesus is essentially telling his disciples that they need to become the lowest of the low, in order to be considered great in God’s kingdom.

Jesus reinforces that concept with an example of sheep. While sheep were common and provided a way to make a living (by selling wool, meat or milk) even by farmyard standards sheep certainly aren’t considered great or glamorous. They’re noisy, they smell, they’re not very bright, and they bite. However, in God’s kingdom, even one straying sheep is worth going after!

 

I’m sure that the disciples didn’t want to think of themselves as children or sheep. But once again, Jesus was trying to get the point across that those who follow Him have to humble themselves. Just asking the question of who would be greatest proves that the disciples didn’t get it yet.

I have always been of the opinion that children “get it” far more easily than adults. Kids just seem to have an innate sense of who God is; that He loves them, and that they are precious in His eyes. They are often talked out of it as they grow older, but a little child’s perception of - and faith in - God is often rock-solid.

When my son was about three, he came bounding into my bedroom one morning and announced, “Jesus was in my room! He had on a white bathrobe.” Very matter-of-fact; no doubt whatsoever. My son was certain that Jesus was physically in his bedroom that morning. And we both thought that was pretty cool.

So maybe that’s what Jesus was referring to. Maybe he was trying to let us know that having a rock-solid, unwavering faith is something that shouldn’t be looked down upon. It isn’t something to dismiss as cute. It isn’t something anyone should be talked out of. It’s something to be cultivated and encouraged – especially in children! After all, “their angels in heaven” are apparently keeping an eye on this kind of stuff, and Jesus shouldn’t have to go racing down the hill to find them, if they wander off.

Either way, this is Lent.  Lent has traditionally been the season for remembering to humble ourselves before God. (Of course, we ought to be humble everyday, not just during Lent, but bear with me here.) For the next couple of weeks, I challenge you to imagine yourself as a cherished child, and as a sheep with a tendency to stray.  Humble yourself before God. Get back in touch with your child-like faith, and cultivate it. Spend time with the Holy Spirit - through scripture and in prayer – and really listen for the voice of the Shepherd. What is He saying to you?

Silence and Prayer

“In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” ~ Mother Theresa

I recently read Mansions of the Heart, by Tom Ashbrook. It is a wonderful exploration of how we grow spiritually, and a reminder that we never truly "get there" in this life.

One of Tom's stories resonated with me and the purpose of The Oasis Renewal Center. Tom spent some time on a retreat at a monastery, and was curious how the monks could devote their entire lives to prayer. He watched them for a few days before finally asking one of them about it. He offhandedly commented that he would run out of things to say to God, and asked the monk how he could pray all the time. The monk smiled, and replied, "Well, mostly I listen."  Aha!

There is silence at The Oasis. In the silence, you can listen to God. At times the silence at The Oasis almost seems deafening. One of our guests  commented: "It's almost too quiet here!"

When was the last time you experienced silence? In the silence you may notice that your ears are ringing. Or that the wind is blowing. Or that birds are singing. Or that you can actually hear yourself breathing. Or that God is whispering to you.

Confessions

They say that confession is good for the soul. (I have no idea who "they" are, but they are probably correct in this case.) And, of course, James the brother of Jesus, said "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other."

What I am about to confess is not really sinful. Or, at least I haven't found a prohibitive verse in the Bible, specifically referring to my own situation. So here goes:

I AM AN ENIGMA!

There. I said it. Whew, I feel better already!

You may be thinking, "OK...so?"

Well, this enigmatic thing has bothered me for some time. You see, I was an English Literature major in college. I went on to earn a Master's degree and I am a Pastor in the RCA. There are, shall we say, certain expectations and assumptions about people like me. And I don't think I live up to those expectations.

And so, I hereby confess that:


I read Stephen King novels.

• I have never read Moby Dick. Or Tristram Shandy. Or Robinson Crusoe.
• I detest Charles Dickens. Describing a mud puddle with just two run-on sentences that go on for three pages is not good writing, it's showing off.
• I found Jane Austen's books to be silly. I didn't like the characters. Not even Mr. Darcy.
• Don't even get me started on the Left Behind series...
• For the record, I loved the Harry Potter series. All seven books. J.K. Rowling is a genius.

I watch The Walking Dead, Doctor Who and The Following.

• I couldn't sit through 5 minutes of The Bible mini-series. The book is far better.
• I don't like musicals. I have never watched Glee.
• I don't understand the appeal of most sit-coms or reality shows.

I listen to Rammstein, and other Industrial-type rock. Sometimes I listen to other genres, but:

• I have no idea who the latest Christian artists or rappers are.
• I have never heard a song by Ke$ha, One Direction, or Wiz Khalifa that I'm aware of.
• I don't listen to the radio in the car (or anywhere else) so I don't know which station is K-LOVE.

I love Ice Hockey! Even the on-ice fights.

• Baseball bores me to tears.
• I don't understand American football.

I have a warped sense of humor.

• My favorite movies are Dodgeball, Shaun of the Dead, and anything by Monty Python.
• I think Eddie Izzard is brilliant.

I realize that putting all of this out there is just asking for backlash. I mean, a Pastor who admits enjoying violent TV shows and sports? An English major who reads horror novels? What's with her obsession with loud music, and the Un-Dead? What do you mean baseball is boring?? What on earth is she thinking?

I simply want to admit being an enigma; a puzzle; a complicated being who cannot be stereo-typed. I am an enigma, and I'm proud! I think that secretly, we all are.

Peeping-Toms and Prayer

We have a hummingbird.

Or I suppose, a hummingbird has us. After all, we live in his territory. And we never thought to ask permission to move in, we just did. I often wonder what he thought about that. It probably made him grumpy. If I had been away on my annual migration and come home to find a large boxy house planted smack in the middle of my territory, I'd be pretty grumpy about it. Even if it did come with flowers.

At any rate, our hummingbird has been in the yard for several years, and makes his rounds several times each day, surveying his empire. He carefully checks on each plant in our back yard as if he planted them himself. I don't suppose he remarks on how much they've grown or if he even notices that they need to be watered. He pays very careful attention to the blossoms on the apple tree, and the flowers in the side garden, harvesting what nectar he can find. Then he diligently checks each and every succulent, cactus, flower, herb and vegetable to see if any of them have blossomed yet. It is his job, and he is very good at it.

One day I sat outside our on the patio and waited for the hummingbird to stop by. He did, of course, because that is his routine. He didn't seem to even notice that I was there, although he may have been scolding me the whole time. I have not yet learned to speak hummingbird.

The most curious thing about our hummer however, is that he's a voyeur. He is a tiny peeping-Tom. He likes to peek inside our windows. At first we thought he might see flashes of color in our house and was investigating. And then I thought perhaps he saw his own reflection and was threatening a perceived enemy which might have strayed into his territory. However, he does this every day and does not seem to be upset by what he finds.

The hummer hasn't slowed down long enough to explain why he peeks in our windows. Yet each day at noon, and again at 4:00 pm, the hummer flies up to the windows in the living room and hovers in front of each one. Then he maneuvers over to the side of the house and looks into each of the windows of the family room, and the french door in the kitchen. In order. Every day. Twice a day.

Perhaps its a hummingbird form of prayer. Each day the hummer pauses to catch a glimpse of a realm which he can perceive, yet cannot quite grasp. It's as if he's peeking into another dimension, where beings so different, so "other" than him, reside.

We do the very same thing. Every Sunday morning, and perhaps at other times on other days, we try to catch a glimpse of God. We know God is there - we've seen the evidence, we've heard the stories, we've read the Bible. We know that God somehow hears our prayers and answers them, even if we are unsure of the exact mechanism for that process. Yet we still crave the chance to catch a glimpse into that other dimension, where beings so different, so "other" than us, reside. We too are tiny peeping-Toms, hovering by God's windows, yearning for answers.

I'm right and you're $#*%)#!

I had a very interesting discussion yesterday with Junior, our housemate. He's only 21, but I think he has "an old soul."

Junior was lamenting the lack of civility and common decency displayed by his generation. (Yes, he actually referred to people his own age as "this generation.") He decided that just because we can put everything out there on Facebook or Twitter, doesn't mean we ought to. And just because we can comment or make [disparaging] remarks about someone's posts or photos or status updates, doesn't mean it's the smartest thing to do. Whatever happened to conversation? Whatever happened to kindness? This was refreshing to hear from a 21-year-old.

At first we thought it might be the internet that gives us this feeling of anonymity; it's a way to put our opinions out there without the responsibility of actually having a face-to-face conversation.

"I've said my piece, I don't have to listen to, or read, yours and that's the end of it. Ha! So there!"

But it isn't just the internet that gives people the idea that they have license to say whatever they want - there is this idea roaming around that words, beliefs and thoughts have no consequences. 

"After all, I have the right to free speech, right? I have the right to believe whatever I want, right? And if my beliefs have no consequences, then my beliefs are correct, and therefore my beliefs are THE TRUTH. And if my beliefs are THE TRUTH, then everyone in the world should agree with me and abide by my truth." 

It's a twisted logic, and it's dangerous.

At the dangerous end of the spectrum are the people who want to tell everyone else what to do, how to think, and how to live. They think their belief - their "truth" - is the only truth, and somehow God has given them the task of enforcing it. We all know who they are...the folks that picket funerals, the guys that shoot girls in the head because they dare to want an education, people that flip you off on the highway, or guys who want to make sure we all carry our birth certificates in order to use the proper restroom. It doesn't seem to occur to them that they might be wrong.

At the other end of the spectrum are those of us who shake our heads in disbelief and wonder, What on earth are they thinking?

So here's an idea: Let's have a civil conversation. With both parties actually listening to the other side. We don't have to agree on everything. In fact, we might just agree to disagree. We might learn something, or see an issue from a new angle. And we can even respect one another as people! Now there's an idea with consequences!

"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." 

Romans 12:18

Be Still

Be Still.

When was the last time you were actually still? (Not counting when you're asleep, of course.)

It isn't easy to be still. To not move. Not think. Not make to-do lists in your head, or rerun that annoying song from the 80's that is stuck in your head. Not to turn on YouTube and mindlessly watch videos of salsa-dancing chihuahuas. Not to surf Facebook - pretending to be still - but actually spying on your friends and wondering why they watch Duck Dynasty.

BE STILL.

For people who are naturally gregarious, people who are "driven," have ADHD, the "Type A's"  and those with extroverted tendencies, being still can be a real challenge. For those of us who are naturally introverted, being still may come easier. (Please note: Introverts aren't shy, they just recharge by being alone, as opposed to extroverts who recharge better in a crowd or at a party. It has to do with our emotional energy levels.) Yet, we ALL need to occasionally disengage from whatever it is that makes us so busy, and become still.

Jesus was an expert at this. I believe Jesus was an introvert. If you look through the Gospels, you will find that in every single one, the writer reports that Jesus went off by himself. 

"When Jesus hear what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place." Matt. 14:13

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place where he prayed." Mark 1:35

"Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples found him..." Luke 9:18

"Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself." John 6:15

Naturally, since Jesus was off by himself, none of the disciples or Gospel writers were witness to what transpired in those solitary places. I have to think that Jesus was an introvert and He spent time alone, being still, and praying in order to re-energize himself for the ministry tasks that were inevitably coming up in the next few days.

Peter, on the other hand, strikes me as more of an extrovert. Always wanting to plow ahead, to jump in with the right answer, to DO something, Peter only paused for prayer when he was reminded to do so. And yet, in Acts 1:12-14, Peter and the others "went upstairs to the room where they were staying...they all joined together constantly in prayer." Extroverts can pause and become still when the situation requires it.

Susan Cain, an author and speaker, says "Solitude matters. And for some people, it is the air that they breathe."

Be still. Don't put it on your calendar for next Tuesday, just do it. Right now.
Close your eyes.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat.
Be still.

Holding Hands With God

 

The other day I had the privilege of spending half an hour with a gentleman by the name of Leslie. 

Les is from a small town in Arizona, and spent much of his 80+ years working on a ranch. He is a proud man and is fastidious about his appearance; his cowboy boots are shined, pearl-buttoned shirt is tucked in, and he insists his Wranglers are pressed and starched, or he refuses to put them on. He still proudly wears that silver buckle that he won in a roping event, decades ago. His graying hair is neatly trimmed, and his blue eyes still twinkle when he hears someone call his name. But Les is trapped inside a body that he doesn't recognize anymore; a body that refuses to cooperate with him.  

Les has a form of Parkinson's disease. In addition to the sometimes violent tremors in his hands, Les finds it difficult to communicate. Part of his brain has slowed down to the speed of molasses. It isn't that he is slow in understanding - he knows exactly what is going on at all times - it's just that his reactions and speech get bogged down somewhere between his brain and his mouth. It's as if the words have suddenly decided to take a detour through Tokyo. It makes for long silences between questions and answers. Needless to say this is frustrating, both to Les and to the people who care for him.

Les and I sat on a bench by the garden, despite the chill in the air. I gave him communion, and asked him if he would pray with me. We closed our eyes, I held his shaking hands and invited the Holy Spirit to join us. And in that moment, I felt a warm tingling - like an electric current - course down through my arms and hands, and Les' hands became still. 

In that moment, we held hands with God. 

I wish I could say that Les was miraculously healed, but the tremors were back within a minute. Despite our prayers, Les' disease may still progress. His speech may eventually become even more difficult, and the tremors may become more intrusive. But in that moment, we both knew that God still loves him and hasn't deserted him. In that moment, we felt peace. And that is enough.