Circles in the Sand

            The beach beckoned to me this morning, a stronger call at the moment than the knowledge I could buy a good amount of fresh tuna down at the Farmer’s Market.  But the wind was relatively calm, the tide was low, and the sun was shining. 

            As I broke out of the dunes, I was washed with the peace of the shore.  The warm sand between my toes, the salt air, the calm….a moment of rest and respite in a busy and somewhat stressful week.  Obviously the call to a walk was a whisper from God…”I have something for you!”

       

     For as I neared the rocks of the point, I saw a crowd of people and remembered, ‘It is a weekend!  Low tide!  The Circles in the Sand man* could be at work!’  And sure enough, I found a massive labyrinth etched in the sand, an intricate path winding in and around itself, center circles decorated with a variety of sculptures and drawings – yins and yangs, stone pillars, sun faces, aboriginal hands.  There were plenty of people, yet I felt alone with God.  As I walked the path….the following poem wrote itself:

The path in the sand winds and turns;

I enter, knowing not if I go in the ‘out’,

Knowing not where the way will lead.

It twists and turns, rotates, and winds back upon itself.

I cannot see the whole at once.

Just steps right before me;

Individual steps that drive me forward.

Such is life?

We know not the future, just the day.

We are called to trust, to follow,

To take each step in faith.

Yet scattered along the way,

I find circles of holy places:

A Joshua tower of stones;

An aboriginal symbol of God;

The Sun. The Son?

Ying and Yang.

Centers for refocus.

Holy reminders of God. 

My footsteps are silent on the shifting sand,

But the music of the waves, the gulls,

And the laughter of children

Drift on the breeze.

Step by step I wind my way;

In and out of the rocks,

Near to the waves and back.

I pass another center, another holy place,

And once again reach out and feel God’s presence.

Thank you, Lord, for he* who creates

The Circles in the Sand.

For he* who shares your gifts so freely.

His art is God-art, an act of celebration and joy

Of who you are.

Holy Circles in the Sand. Amen. 

*HE is Denny Dyke, the circles sand artist.  See more at http://www.circlesinthesand.us/

And PS….I did get my tuna also!  

AUGUST Scripture Meditations

8.1.16                        Proverbs 6:28 GNT

Can you walk on hot coals without burning your feet?

            Can we do stupid things without consequences?  Not usually.  This passage is part of a long lesson from King Solomon on fidelity in marriage, but the message holds true for most anything:  You can’t play with fire without getting burned!  Good advice to heed for selfish reasons, but also because you can’t usually play with fire without someone else getting burned as well.  So even if we don’t care about the blisters on our own feet, we should be careful for the sake of those around us. 

Forgiving God…I will try to keep from making stupid mistakes, but rest in the comfort of your grace in spite of my errors.  Amen. 

8.2.16                        Psalm 68:9 (Combo)

You pour out buckets of rain, O God, and restore a parched land to an oasis. 

            Buckets of rain; buckets of comfort and support.  That is what I am feeling this day.  Calls from siblings, calls from friends, text messages, all from friends and family in support of my presence here with mom.  Wow.  It is living water for a soul filled with worry and concern.  My parched heart is dealing with doctors office who seem to think responding to phone calls isn’t necessary, nor keeping the hours they have posted on their answering machines.  Sigh.  I’ll call back in another 15 minutes.  

Patience, Lord, fill me with patience. 

8.3.16                    

John 7:37-38 VOICE

Jesus: If any of you is thirsty, come to Me and drink…. rivers of living water will flow from within you.

            I love all these passages on water while I am at the ocean and listening to the constant roar of the waves just outside the window.  There is a renewal and restoration in water, in the changing tides, the changes we witness each day along the shoreline and in the sand.  Rivers of living water flow all around us.  Thank you, God.  

8.4.16       Mark 6:31 GNT

There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his disciples didn't even have time to eat. So he said to them, “Let us go off by ourselves to some place where we will be alone and you can rest a while.”

        

A good place to rest: beach walks!
I loved the shapes in the anenomes
clinging to the rocks yesterday.  

    When life gets crazy, time to be alone, to meditate, to rest, is so important.  We need to take the time to take care of ourselves or we can’t really care for others very well.  Good to remember.  Good to practice.  But it is a delicate balance between too much ‘me’ and not enough ‘me-care’. 

Caring God….help me take care of myself in order to care for others.  Amen.  

8.5.16                        Mark 6:49-50 GNT

…but they saw him walking on the water. “It's a ghost!” they thought, and screamed. They were all terrified when they saw him.   Jesus spoke to them at once, “Courage!” he said. “It is I. Don't be afraid!”

          How many times in the Bible does Jesus say, ‘Fear not!’ (Or perhaps God or the angels voice the words!)  Over and over.  In fact, a little Google research (ok, so authenticity might be questionable) cites about 365 instances of Have Courage! Fear Not!  Be Not Afraid!  Is that any coincidence?  Once for every day of the year?  Does God realize that we constantly need the encouragement to place our faith and trust over our fear?  We fear what we do not know – the future, death, strangers.  And yet God assures us that the Holy walks besides us every step of the way and that is KNOWN.  Fear not!

          Good words to remember as our family and Mom are facing perhaps some months of unknown in the days ahead.  Understandably, Mom has some fears of the diminishing energies she feels.  Some of her activities might have to be cut back; some of our activities might need to be altered.  But through it all, we can take heart and KNOW, without a doubt, that God is not a ghost.  God is with us. 

God of all...give us courage to face the unknown with the confidence of your presence.  Amen.   

8.6.16                        Matthew 17:5 MSG

This is my Son, marked by my love, focus of my delight.  Listen to him!

      

      ‘Focus of my delight!’  I realize this is The Message interpretation, but I love that image….God delights in us!  We are marked with love and joy!  Why, oh why, do we so often turn that delight into sorrow on God’s behalf, as we persist in turning against one another?  I think I shall just revel today in the knowledge that God is smiling down on me, especially when my actions show the ‘mark’ of God’s love for others! 

God of love….may my actions demonstrate love and bring you pleasure and joy.  Amen.  

8.7.16                        Exodus 23:12 GNT

“Work six days a week, but do no work on the seventh day, so that your slaves and the foreigners who work for you and even your animals can rest.

            We make so much of the six days work and one day rest, usually in a selfish ME directed attitude.  But the day of rest was as much directed to enable those who are oppressed, those in servitude, to have that same opportunity.  I always feel for those who must work on Sundays and hope they are able to take a day of rest on another day of the week.  All need a day of restoration, a day to recharge batteries, a day for emotional and spiritual fulfillment.  I am sensing another walk on the beach beckoning to me this afternoon, even if the skies are cloudy!  Thank you, God!  

8.8.16              John 6:27 MSG

 “Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

      

      ‘You need food that sticks to your ribs!’  Such is the spiritual food that we receive from God.  Yes, our physical bodies must eat to live, but all too often we focus far too much on our physical needs and forget or neglect the everlasting food of the Spirit.  Such is the nourishment that will sustain far beyond a cheeseburger or slice of pizza! 

Fill me up, God, with the food of your love, the nourishment that lasts far longer than meal to meal.  Amen. 

8.9.16              John 10:11 GNT

I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep.

            I love the images of Jesus as the Good Shepherd – one who tenderly watches over us, yet fierce in his battle on our behalf in the face of our ‘enemies’ – whatever evils they might be.  I am traveling today and welcome my Shepherd to ride in the car with me.  Together we will safely head north to Portland.  May the same Shepherd watch over the sheep I leave behind – Mom, Luke, and Kady. 

             Falling behind in drawings….but I love sheep pictures, so maybe this will eventually get done! 

8.10.16            Psalm 23:2-3 MSG

You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
    you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
    you let me catch my breath
    and send me in the right direction.

            I thought this was the text for last Sunday because it was the text for worship that morning.  But now I am remembering that I am using a liturgy schedule from 2011 or so, so the dates won’t match up necessarily!  But while I was in church and pondering this very passage in light of my Saturday walk in the labyrinth, I changed the words to:  “I find rest on the soft warm sand, the lull of the waves washing over me.  I can catch my breath and find the right path.”

            But today I am finishing my sojourn to the coast and driving the second leg of my travels toward Baker.  In my absence the lush green meadows of the Meacham area have burned, the waters of Unity area aflame as well.  May this part of the earth be restored, O Lord, and all Creation be sent in the direction of your will. 

Restoring God….guide me safely home and grant me opportunities to catch my breath and be restored.  Amen. 

 

8.11.16            Matthew 7:12 Voice

In everything, in every circumstance, do to others as you would have them do to you.

            The classic Golden Rule Reminder….maybe I will just find this image and reuse it!  

8.12.16            Mark 10:14 MSG

“Don’t push these children away. Don’t ever get between them and me. These children are at the very center of life in the kingdom. Mark this: Unless you accept God’s kingdom in the simplicity of a child, you’ll never get in.” 

            Another well known passage of scripture loaded with meaning.  Come as a child, without the preconceptions, skepticisms, or baggage of adulthood.  Come with innocence and trust. 

            A busy time trying to catch up on ‘home stuff’, prepare to leave again, and still keep track of what is happening in Bandon.  My prayers may be audible for the week while I work. 

God… grant me the trust of a child. Amen. 

8.13.16            Romans 15:32 GNT

 And so I will come to you full of joy, if it is God's will, and enjoy a refreshing visit with you.

            How often do we come to other FULL OF JOY?  So many times, it seems we are eager to bring our troubles, our aches and pains, the sordid details of our lives, but we omit the JOY!!  The key word after JOY in this passage is REFRESHING!  JOY refreshes others!  It makes God’s presence more visible and real; it uplifts!  The biggest compliment I can receive from others is a they see a smile on my face and a positive attitude that puts joy in their hearts. 

God of sunshine and smiles…..may I bubble forth with the joy of your grace and presence!  Amen.  

8.14.16            2 Timothy 1:16 GNT

 May the Lord show mercy to the family of Onesiphorus, because he cheered me up many times. He was not ashamed that I am in prison,

            I know some men that are in prison from the Bandon church.  They are basically good people, who made some very poor choices.  They love God.  They love their children.  I know my mom makes an effort to write to them while they are in prison.  Those who are incarcerated are sometimes very dangerous and mentally unstable, but just as often they are men and women like you and me, who made a big mistake.  Does God love them any less?  No.  Are they deserving of our love and support?  YES! 

Loving God….help me to better remember and respond to those in prison.  Amen.  

8.15.16            Proverbs 11:25 MSG

The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed;
    those who help others are helped.

            There is the saying that God helps those who help themselves.  I prefer to think of this in terms of the Proverbs scripture: God helps those who help others!!  When we give, our gifts are returned in abundance;  when we help, we find we are the true receivers.  May we be generous in our offerings.

God of abundance….may I continue to look for ways to give of my wealth, my time, and my energy.  

8.16.16            Matthew 9:13 MSG

 ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.”

            Peterson’s Message puts this verse into very concrete terms.  Other translations are a little more gentle:  ‘It is kindness that I want, not animal sacrifices.’ I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts.” (GNT) or ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.” (NRSV)  For me the key phrase is ‘mercy, not sacrifice’.  Jesus was referring to those who felt they were religious because they followed the ‘rules’ of animal sacrifices.  They went through all the motions without the heart of mercy and compassion.  The rules became more important than grace.  And I think we get caught up in this same failing today.  Too many ‘religions’ arguing this or that practice or rule all while ignoring the cries of the outcast, the poor, the suffering in their midst.  I struggle at times with our Presbyterian ‘decently and in order’ when order battles with grace, when structure negates compassion, when rules overcome common sense and doing what ‘right’!  ‘Nuf said, I’ll get off my high horse and attempt to practice what I preach! 

God of mercy….may I reach out to the outsiders and let compassion rule my actions.  Amen.  

8.17.16            Matthew 6:1 MSG

I realized the other day that the purple columbine
was blooming for a second time this summer!
So beautiful!!

“Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don’t make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won’t be applauding.

            How often do we desire to call attention to ourselves when we are being ‘good’!  How often do we turn a worship service into a performance rather than an offering?  Instead, we should practice ‘stealth’ giving, ‘secret’ service, and attend to the anonymous factor.  We are then truly giving from a heart with the right intentions, rather than a self-serving desire.  How easy to write, how hard to practice. 

Keep me on a ‘stealthy’ path, Lord, as I attempt to serve all your children.  Amen.

8.18.16            John 4:24 MSG

God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, ….

            We cannot hold back our heart and soul from God, all while professing our faith and commitment in following rules and regulations of ‘religion’.  The Spirit of God is everywhere and in everything, including our heart and soul.  May my worship, my service, my prayers reflect an intimate relationship with the God-Spirit within. 

Fill me up, Lord, with your spirit.  Make us one.  Amen. 

8.19.16            Acts 3:19 MSG

Now it’s time to change your ways! Turn to face God so he can wipe away your sins….

            How often did our parents attempt to clean our face with a washcloth and our first impulse is to turn our face away?  We didn’t like the harsh cloth or the firm wipe!  We didn’t like to admit our face was dirty!  Do we do the same thing with God?  It is difficult to confess sin or perhaps the forgiveness demands we do something that is hard.  We can’t receive the grace of forgiveness, however, without turning and facing our God, without presenting ourselves fully before our Savior and admitting we just might have made a few mistakes along the way (ok, perhaps MANY!)  And the beauty of God’s grace?  God will wipe our face clean OVER and OVER again! 

May I once again turn my face to you, O God, that you might wipe it clean.  Amen.  

8.20.16            Matthew 6:14 MSG

You can’t get forgiveness from God …. without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God’s part.

  

          You can’t have one without the other.  It not the God withholds the grace of forgiveness from us, it’s there!  But unless we have that same forgiving attitude, we fail to realize the freedom such grace allows.  Our failure to forgive doesn’t cut God from us on God’s part, but we CUT OURSELVES from God and hence fail to receive the gift that is waiting.  Our pride, our self-centeredness, gets in the way of peace. 

Forgiving God….may I stay within your touch and freely forgive others without reservation.  Amen. 

8.21.16            Matthew 11:28 GNT

Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.

            Today is a busy day.  Worship this morning.  I have arranged for communion preparation, I will provide worship music, and we have a 4 hour Session retreat this afternoon.  AND Rick and I leave for a three week trip tomorrow morning with the trailer. Produce to harvest, watering, final food packing.    Preparations to be wrapped up for departure.  On top of that, I worry for my mom and her health.  May I turn it all over to God this day and find rest in worship, find calm in discussion within a natural setting, find peace in the assurance we haven’t forgotten something major, and assurance that Mom is in the BEST of hands. 

God…may I approach today with peace and find relief from stress in you.  Amen.  

8.22.16            Jeremiah 31:25 GNT

I will refresh those who are weary and will satisfy with food everyone who is weak from hunger.

As we drove today through the “Bread Basket of America – the Palouse wheat fields of Eastern Washington” I truly was seeing the abundance with which God can satisfy our hunger.  Fields that were a myriad shade of greens in June were now golden – wheat, lentils and dried pea colors of gold and brown.  All had the tell-tale lines of harvest following contour lines in and around the hills.  Grain elevators, abandoned barns, and a few combines still hard at work harvesting.  So much wheat, so much flour.  We could only guess at how many loaves of bread!

            Now, somewhat weary from travel, we are refreshed with the sound of the gurgling creek just five feet from the back of the trailer.  The bank is lined with yellow flowers.  There is nothing like falling asleep to the gentle rippling of water, washed clean from the trials of the day. 

Thank you, God, for safe travels and the bounty for body and soul you provide.  Amen. 

8.23.16            Mark 9:31 MSG

Trying out a tessellation pattern I found for my
last Crossroads Class! 

“The Son of Man is about to be betrayed to some people who want nothing to do with God. They will murder him. Three days after his murder, he will rise, alive.”

                  Betrayed by those who don’t understand, who don’t WANT to understand.  But there is HOPE in Jesus’ words. Read past the murder to LIFE. 

                  Genia is being betrayed by her body.  But in her living she is showing hope of life.  May we all be moved to live in such a way.  On to Kalispell today. 

God of hope…may I live in the promise of the resurrection, moving past betrayal and death. Amen. 

8.24.16            John 6:65-66 Voice

Jesus:  This is why I have been telling you that no one comes to Me without the Father’s blessing and guidance.

 After hearing these teachings, many of His disciples walked away and no longer followed Jesus.

            How many of us walk away again and again because we don’t like some particular teaching of the Gospel?  Because it demands too much?  And then we come running back when it is convenient or we feel the ‘need’ for God?  A relationship with the Almighty must be a two-way street with our trust and faith and God’s blessing and guidance. 

            I said a few prayers of blessing today for Rick as he hiked over the pass  - especially after I heard so many of the nearby trails were closed for bear activity.  But God is good and all went smoothly ….6 ½ hours after I dropped him off at The Loop, Rick emerged at the Swiftcurrent Trailhead on the ‘other side’! 

Guiding God…Thank you for your blessing and presence.  Amen. 

8.25.16            John 6:68 Voice

Lord, if we were to go, whom would we follow? You speak the words that give everlasting life.

            Everlasting life.  Life that comes back again and again from troubles and pain and even death. 

            We wandered today through the black stick forests of the 2015 wildfire that swept through the forests at the north end of St. Mary Lake in Glacier NP.  I was prepared for an ashy walk devoid of color.  But the power of rebirth after a fire is part of God’s miracle of creation!  The  trail was lined with green – thimbleberry and beargrass, fireweed and spirea.  If we had hiked a month earlier the colors would have been amazing with bold patches of white and pink.  We overheard a snatch of a ranger hike and her words, “Two weeks after the smoke and the chaos, our summer inalterably changed by the havoc of the fire, I was absolutely moved to see the tiny green shoots of beargrass already poking up through the ashy ground.  My whole perspective of the fire shifted.”

            There was a beauty in the fire landscape as we hiked that I didn’t anticipate.  God had sculpted trees into statues of odd shapes.  Far reaching vistas normally shrouded by trees were visible through the black skeletons.  Life after death. 

God of life and death…may we be ever reminded of your promise for Eternal Life in you.  Amen. 

8.26.16            Proverbs 25:13 MSG

Reliable friends who do what they say
    are like cool drinks in sweltering heat—refreshing!

      

      Cool, refreshing water.  The waterfalls we hiked yesterday were like those cool drinks of water in the sweltering heat of the fired landscape.  I imagine they continued to flow last summer in spite of the wildfire raging around them.  Abundant water crashing down through rocky chasms and clefts.  A refreshing reminder of God’s presence. 

            Can I be a waterfall for a friend?  A cool drink on an otherwise stressful day?  I know of friends who have been such a drink for me. 

God of waterfalls and blessing….may I be a refreshing source for my friends and family.  Amen.

8.27.16            Mark 10:25 MSG

I’d say it’s easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for the rich to get into God’s kingdom.”

            A familiar verse and a disturbing verse.  Those of us with abundance (compared to most of the world) don’t find this an easy thought.  Sure we can!  We just write a check occasionally so we can say we have ‘done our part’!  Nope.  It takes a little more sacrifice than that.  A sacrifice I have to ask myself daily if I am willing to make more often. 

            Today is relaxation day.  I am going to continue my prayers with the vistas and scenes from Glacier NP.  Today…Going to the Sun Road Prayers!  (This design is the one that inspired this ‘style’ of drawing – I saw the line drawing on a T-shirt Wed at Logan Pass.)

God…through all my efforts, may I continue to wiggle my way through the needle and find YOU.  Amen. 

8.28.16            Philippians 4:12 MSG

I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.

            Be happy and content with what we have!  It is so easy in the RV park to envy the big rigs of others, the comforts they enjoy while on the road.  But we have what we need!  When life throws a loop at us, it is so easy to turn against God and say why?  But to find the good in that discomfort or distress will lead to content. 

            How can you not find peace with the vista at the Wild Goose Island overlook at St. Mary Lake?  And Friday morning I was able to enjoy it ALL ALONE!  (A very rare occurrence on this busy road, but it was early!) 

Help me, Lord, to be content with all your blessings, large and small.  Amen. 

8.29.16            Matthew 6:25 GNT

Glacier Prayers: St. Marys Falls

“This is why I tell you: do not be worried about the food and drink you need in order to stay alive, or about clothes for your body. After all, isn't life worth more than food? And isn't the body worth more than clothes?

            When it gets right down to it, we need very little in the way of provisions and clothing to survive or thrive.  We think we need fancy clothes and fancy foods, but in truth, we don’t.  Some of the CAVs we have met today are traveling FULL TIME in trailers not much bigger than ours.  They have stream-lined the necessities down to what really counts and invest their time and money and energy in those things that really matter.

God of plenty….may I trust in your provision enough to focus on more important things. 

Glacier Prayers: East side tunnel and Mt. Clements

8.30.16            1 Timothy 6:17 GNT

Command those who are rich in the things of this life not to be proud, but to place their hope, not in such an uncertain thing as riches, but in God, who generously gives us everything for our enjoyment.

            Reinforcing yesterday’s scripture!  God is generous and good.  May we be the same. 

Generous God….may we be as free with our riches as you are with us.  Amen. 

8.31.16            Philemon 1:7 MSG

Friend, you have no idea how good your love makes me feel, doubly so when I see your hospitality to fellow believers.

Glacier Prayers: Avalanche Gorge

            Kearney’s, you have no idea how good your welcome made me feel yesterday when I visited your house!  I was filthy dirty and yet Angela insisted on giving me a hug anyway.  She refilled my water glass twice, and excitedly gave me sizes for their shirts.  I will prepurchase for them since she doesn’t get paid until Friday.  Part of the joy of returning to the Kalispell build over and over is the relationships we have established with the homeowners.  The kids remember Rick …..he plays with them!  Mahrias had a gift for me today of a set of paint tubs for poster paints.  I may see if Amanda can use them in her classroom.  Mahrias remembered I like to do art!  Such love is returned from the grateful homeowners. 

God…you continually remind us that our service is rewarded over and over by the love we receive from those we meet along the way.  Amen.