Nothing is Forbidden

With God, nothing is forbidden. There are no taboo thoughts, feelings or actions. Within God, anger can be expressed, murderous thoughts can be formed, hatred can burble forth.

All is safe within God, because He soothes, heals, and finds the kernel of good hidden in it all. His transforming Love causes the ugly exterior to die & fall away as that kernel sprouts, taking nourishment from the dead shell of sin & evil, and so subsuming it all and transfiguring it to glorious Good.

In the End, Good Wins

If God created everything, and if everything God created was Good, then what we call evil must merely be Good twisted and warped beyond our recognition.

In that case, a seed of Good must still lie at the heart of every terrible act, thought & event, because evil is not stronger than God. It cannot destroy what God creates, but only mask it from us temporarily.

That means what we view as evil cannot be the final result, but only an intermediate step visible in this complicated universe. We can trust that in the end, every painful, sorrowful, heinous thing will be transformed: subsumed by the Good that lies hidden deeply within.

In the end of all ends, Good wins. And that is a hopeful thing.

For the Sake of Love

Me: "God, was it necessary for my husband to die in order for me to be spiritually & creatively where I am now?"

God: "No child. There were many other paths to this moment. This has been a sorrowful walk, indeed."

I realize that God's pain is even deeper than mine. Without compassion, God cannot be God. Choosing to be with us, where we are, means taking on our sorrow, too, more deeply than we can feel - for the sake of compassion. For the sake of Love.

Mantra

"I am trusting, I am giving, I am blessing, & I am blessed." This is my reality, and this is my mantra.

Perfect in God's Eyes

"Oh, child, you are perfect. You do not need to change yourself. Just come close, mold yourself against Me - let Me shape you with My loving embrace. Come, come cling to Me. You are my delight, just as you are..."

God my Healer

Taize meditation, God speaking:

"Open yourself to me. Do not hold back any part of yourself - body, mind, spirit. I want it all. Open to me, take me in - healing is possible if you let Me fill the hurt places."

A rush of water, cleansing, cooling - the ocean flowing & ebbing, cleaning, cleansing. Then an infilling of deliciously warm water.

God my healer, my all.

A Child of the Kingdom

I am a child of God, therefore the entire Kingdom is mine. I can afford to be gracious & yielding to all around me, because I have no less through doing so.

Wings

Wings.
I feel my
WINGS.
Unfurled,
heavy attachments
to my shoulders.
The breeze,
the Holy breeze
as they flap lazily
keeping my spirit aloft.
Wings.
I had forgotten.

Special Treatment

The blessing of the elements in Christian communion is more than just show; it is the unfolding of the miraculous before our eyes, each & every Sunday, as the earthy elements of bread & wine are imbued with the living presence of Christ. We should treat the blessed elements in a special way when service is over.

And we should treat ourselves & each other just as specially, because we too are transformed with the living presence of Christ & the Holy Spirit.

Care for my Vessel

Illness is a warning shot over the bow, a reminder to get my ship in order. It is one thing to be battered by storms, and an entirely different matter to take a mallet to my own boat & start punching holes. I must stop hurting myself with overlong hours, inadequate nutrition, and stress. It is not virtue to abuse myself. I must take loving care of this vessel.

The Gift of Emotion

God says, "Your emotions are one of the greatest gifts I have given you. Quit stopping up it up! Let it flow, because it is in that flow that healing & blessing comes into the world."

Pay Attention

Pay attention. The heightened tension/anxiety that accompanies creativity MEANS SOMETHING. Be alert! It may mean positive spiritual movement, or it may mean Enemy. If it turns to high anxiety & fear, it becomes the work of negative force.

Forgive

Forgive. Forgive. Forgive. Body pain is often symptomatic of what's happening inside our souls. Heal the spirit --> heal the body.

Depths into the Shallows

The Enemy deceives us by slowly drawing us from the depths into the shallows, and convincing us that these are the deepest depths. We must throw off the distorted lenses that cloud our eyes.

Dance in the Downpour

God says, "You dwell upon the wrong things, child. Don't cower at passing troubles. Instead, walk boldly forward. Look at the showers pouring over you - love, family, friends. Hold your arms up & dance in the downpour. Live. Love. Serve. Rejoice."

Things You Need to Know, part six

Religious belief & practice are important, because they open us to Spirit. The body & blood of Christ in the Sacrament; the resurrection - these are 'esse', because they are the Spirit-openings into our lives. (Or more correctly, the openings for our lives to travel into Spirit.)

That's why religion is not the enemy. We hear about 'spirituality' vs. 'religion'. Religion is our spirituality developed & put into practice. Without it, spiritual progress doesn't happen, & it remains in the realm of fantasy. Just like great dreams of earthly accomplishment - without a concrete plan, action & follow-through, they remain castles in the air.

But spirituality is not fantasy. It is reality of the deepest & wildest kind. But we cannot travel the path without instruction & guidance & discipline, which is religion.

Things You Need to Know, part five

The point of religion is to make us better able to see Spirit, to BE Spirit. It is deep love, deep passion, deep thought. To be alive, to connect with Spirit - which is every bit of matter, living & quiescent - this is 'esse', the essential part. All the rest comes after.