The Mysterious

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this 'emotion' is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder, or stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead. His eyes are closed.
-Albert Einstein

We leave very little to our imaginations any more. We don't allow much room for the mysterious. And yet God is wrapped in mystery, and there is so much beauty and awe because of that. Did you ever wonder why God likes to stay in mystery?

The mysteries of God are no trifles. They are full and wondrous and encircle our lives, in everything we see and don't see. It can be as small as a word spoken to you by a friend that sinks into your soul. We can stand in awe looking out at the view from the top of a mountain, or from the valley below, like we did in Yosemite National Park. Half Dome (in picture above) is certainly mysterious.

We can stand in His silence and listen to the whispers...

Through experiences we can see God work in situations we never even dreamed of or ever thought possible. Where the only explanation is no explanation except that it must be the work of a divine being.

And there inlays a mystery that opens our eyes and heart to God.

Thankful Hearts Growing...

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. - Colossians 3.15

Let us remember to take a little time to stop and thank God for everything in our lives. We can also thank Him continuously throughout the day. We have so much to be thankful for. Did you wake up this morning? There's a good start. Did you eat some breakfast and enjoy a cup of coffee? A lot of people don't have that luxury. Did your car start? (well, on Monday it didn't) You are blessed to own a car at all.

And then there are the obvious things that we know we are thankful for, but don't quite express it enough. Like a supportive and loving family, close friends who know your dark & light and who you can share anything with, a comfortable place to live, a job, gifts and talents, this day, the faith we hold in Christ, the air we breathe, and remembering those loved ones who are no longer here with us. I am thankful for the 25 years I had with my Dad.

From a thankful heart sprouts a thriving tree bearing fruits of the spirit.

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Dark Night

Who among you fears the Lord

and obeys the voice of his servant,

who walks in darkness and has no light,

yet trusts in the name of the Lord

and relies upon his God?

-Isaiah 50.10

We have much to be thankful for, even if we are wandering in a strange land full of change and uncertainty. I need to use this week of Thanksgiving (and beyond) to recognize and muse upon the place I am in right now. The other night I was reading one (of my several) books purchased in Oxford, Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster (a very thought-provoking and challenging book that hits points of being a disciple that we tend to ignore) and this passage jumped out at me and I felt it was something I needed to reflect on. I read it a few times and wrote it out in my journal:

Recognise the dark night for what it is. Be grateful that God is lovingly drawing you away from every distraction so that you can see him clearly. Rather than chafing and fighting, become still and wait.

It is so obvious when you think about it, but we don't see things that way. Did you ever think about why you might be being lead away from something, or why a certain tug on your heart won't go away? Could it be that something was distracting us? And we are so bad at practicing the part of being still and waiting. Why do we find that so hard when the plans God has in store are so much better than our own?

Imagination

The poetry of the Bible is beautiful and powerful. It has been written with imagination, and it needs to be read with imagination. - Knut Heim

I recently read an article that was very thought-provoking on this topic. The author re-invented the hypothesis that Saint Anselm did, in the eleventh century. That is: what if we could use our imaginations to prove the existence of God? Here is the breakdown: Saint Anselm began with one fact: that we can use our imaginations to think of God, who is unimaginable.

Next, Anselm claimed that God is beyond anything we could ever imagine.

Lastly, he stated that it is greater to exist than to only be imagined.

So, we can say that God exists in our imaginations and then we can recall the statement that it is greater for God to exist in reality. Remembering the first fact that God is greater than anything we can ever imagine.

Conclusion: God must exist in reality because if He only existed in our imagination then we could think about something that is greater than God. And by definition here, God has to be greater than anything we can imagine. So God exists.

There are holes in this approach, of course, but it is an interesting theological experiment. None of us can prove the existence of God. It requires our deepest faith.
The heart has its reasons which reason cannot comprehend. It is the heart which knows God, not the reason. -Blaise Pascal

Behold the Sky

The bird saw its cage open- beheld the sky- remembered its own remote isle & grove & nest- heard in spirit a voice call it to come- felt its pinion nerved with impatient energy- launched into air & was gone.

-Charlotte Brontë

My creative thoughts are forced to be checked all day as I am in the office. Finally at the end of the day, as I am free from the cube life (both literally and figuratively), my stream of thoughts can fly freely. Sometimes they are still scattered and abrupt, bouncing off each other in excitement for being set free. Sadly, sometimes errands or household things get in the way, and I suppress them. But I will push those things aside if I can get my journal and pen in my hands fast enough.

For to write, to muse about how God is working in my life, to reflect on my day and record stories, to ponder life and be creative with words, is one of my greatest joys and passions in life. And that is far more important than mopping the floor (well, the floor will have to mopped eventually, but it can wait).

Priority. We all set our own priorities in our everyday, even if we don't realize it. I have learned over the years that there are much more important things in life than what the world tries to ingrain in us, like spending time with family and close friends, following your passions and using your gifts for good. We can let the world dictate what is our priority, or we can choose to set our own. I find that when I let the world choose for me, stress abounds. Yet when I follow my passions and use the gifts God gave me, I am relaxed and easy-going. Still focused and passionate, but not pressured and stressed. Goodness and opportunities come to me. Stress takes away from my creativity, so I kick it out.

Free then, I let the words jump from mind to pen to pages.

Expectation

We are always harking back to some occasion which seemed to us to reach perfection, setting that up as a norm, and depreciating all other occasions by comparison. But these other occasions, I now suspect, are often full of their own blessing, if only we would lay ourselves open to it. God shows us a new facet of the glory, and we refuse to look at it because we're still looking for the old one.

Letters to Malcolm, C.S. Lewis

As you read through this, does it feel like Lewis is writing a letter to you? You aren't alone. It is so true, and as I read it, I recognize how often I do that without a second thought. We place our expectations in this world unreasonably high, setting ourselves up for disappointment. We forget that we are living in a fallen world full of imperfect people who tend to forget about you, fail to keep promises, and unintentionally hurt others. We expect that if something previously turned out perfectly, every other occasion is going to follow suit. In holding all those expectations, we neglect to notice the blessing that is right in front of our eyes.

We all know better than to believe that everything is going to go our way. Yet we still do. Somewhere along the way we adopted an entitlement facade, believing that we deserve this or that. Then our expectations sit on that high shelf that is hard to reach. 

When I catch myself setting expectations or telling myself that I deserve "something", I hear Shakespeare's wise words in my head, "Expectation is the root of all heartache". And instead of holding expectations for people, I shift my expectation to the One that I can trust no matter the circumstance. As Paul writes in Philippians 1.20:

...as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

Ending Is....

I watched the final installment of the Harry Potter films last night. The seven-book series is a battle between good vs evil through the life of Harry Potter. Though many consider the length of the series to be too long, many wished it would not end. Howsumdiver (whatever the case may be), the last movie is a reminder that an ending is merely the beginning of something else.

At the end of it all, love triumphs. The theme of love is central and profound, especially at the end of the series. Harry's Mum's love is the trigger that causes Voldemort's ultimate death. Even though she was killed when Harry was a baby. But Voldemort does not understand this kind of love. It is totally foreign to him. The message comes through that love never ends and love never fails when it is truly selfless and self-sacrificing.

I can't help but see the Christian story of Jesus and the self-sacrifice there. And then I am left with the questions- do we really know love? Do we act in a manner that produces patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control, and that stays clear from jealousy, boasting, arrogance, and rudeness? Do we follow 1 Corinthians 13?

True love never ends. Even if an ending occurs.

One Moment

One moment to the next

Is pregnant with uncertainties

Spanning the large chasm

That takes you there

Though it is only a second

Millions of quantitative calculations

Burst in your mind

To try and find

The best decision

Which will take place

At least ten times

As you read these lines...

My Day in Pictures

I thought it would be kind of fun to go through my day using pictures. These are all things I see during my usual workday- from home to work and back again. I like taking pictures and finding interesting things to shoot, but a novice I surely am. Some day I would like to learn the intricacies of real photography. It is another way to explore some of my creativity that I don't get to venture into with my work. So take a peak at my day in pictures.

Either / Or

What is it we fear in this day itself

What do we welcome when we need help

Either live the day, or let it pass

Reflect in thought, or break the glass

Step close to Him, or push away

Keep to the narrow, or become a stray

True character builds up, or you can tear down

Look up with a smile, or watch the ground

Take a step of faith, or keep your seat

Find joy or annoyance with people you meet

Choose gifts of love, or resist the offer

Follow God of creation, or the evil scoffer