practical sabbath keeping

I lost myself again the other night.

This sort of thing used to happen often–especially when I was in the 8-12 range. I’d sail with Caspian;  sit quietly with Fern;  drink Chocolate with Charlie; dance with Ramona; solve mysteries with Frank and Joe (and once or twice, Nancy).

As I have grown older that has happened less and less.

Part of that is being a parent of a 9 month old–at the end of a day, it is hard to get away to other worlds  when you find yourself falling asleep in the middle of the page.

Part of it is also that most of the reading I do during the day is so purposley self-aware. I explore this article or that bible passage too often as a means to achieve some end–something for the sermon, or for the bible study, or for the youth group. You cannot really fall into some place mysterious if you find yourself looking for it all the time.

But it happened again the other night, I fell into such a place, almost (and not coincidentally) by accident.

A single title had piqued my interest–I saw something on-line about it being a movie that was generating Oscar buzz.  The title was intriguing, and the price on Amazon was affordable. So I clicked and downloaded and, at 9:30pm,  opened myself up again to wonder.

I started slowly at first, telling myself every now and then, “Just a few bits more and then I will go asleep. No need to finish it all at once.” But then this bit would be a bit shorter, and this twist and turn would be just a bit more compelling, and before you know it, it happened.

I lost myself.  Or maybe I simply found myself, again.

Either way, this time I was racing along with Pat; chanting at Eagles games; contemplating loss, and grief, and the hope of love; nodding my head that it is indeed better to be more kind than right.

When I reached an end, it was nearly 1:00 in the morning. I would need to be be up, no matter how tired, in only 5 hours.

It was worth it.  Losing and finding one’s self  in something so wonderful usually is.
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*Three other books I got lost in are here, here, and here.  Go check them out now.

A prayer prompted by the storms raging upon the East Coast and by those that rage around and within us all…

Rains fall. Thunder echoes. Waters crash. Winds howl.

The coast is battered.  Lives are threatened.  The power of nature rages on.

We long for words spoken long ago. We long for “Peace! Be still.”

Wars rage. Bombs destroy.  Blood spills. Innocents cry.

Those who survive remained scarred.  Some a world away hardly notice at all.  The power of hate and violence rages on.

We long for word spoken long ago. We long for “Peace. Be Still.”
TVs blare. Politicians blather. Pundits shout. Ratings increase.

Public discourse turns ugly and mean. Blood pressure, like the volume, rises. The power of self-righteousness rages on.

We long for word spoken long ago. We long for “Peace. Be Still.”

Strength falters.  Hope breaks.  Bitterness lingers.  Anxiety overwhelms.

Present and future seem unable to hold together.  Life seems rudderless. The power of  fear rages on.

We long for word spoken long ago. We long for “Peace. Be Still.”

It is you, O God, who must speak those words again if we are to believe them.  We do not have strength to say them with conviction without your grace. We do not have the trust to persevere without the gift of your faith.

So speak a word of love to the powers. To us.  Remind us of your steadfast presence amid all manner of storms.  How the waters will not overwhelm forever,  how the fire will not burn us to nothing.  Reassure those who fight against the current; Comfort those who feel too waterlogged to go on. Heal those devastated by the tide

Calm the raging powers once more.  Speak so that we may all hear and all respond in faithfulness:

“Peace! Be Still!”

So after hibernating for 9(!!) months as a new father, I am crawling out of my blogging hole.  If I do not see my shadow, more writing is right around the corner. if I do see my shadow, spring is 6 weeks away.  Or something like that.
Brave on with me if you dare…

For my first post back, I thought I would simply share things that have been feeding my soul lately.

I find it helpful from time to time speaking such things out loud.  It makes them more real and tends to help me internalize their value in a way that simply does not happen when such things go unspoken.

1) Laughter.  Specifically, my son;s laughter.  Brighter than the sun. warmer, too.  Turns me into a puddle of goo.  Heck, he does not even have to laugh, just smile. or just stare.  or cry. Seriously, his face is amazing.

And perhaps it is a bit hokey, but staring at him does remind me consistently of how steadfast God’s presence is. Of how we are all created in God’s image. Of how even our own goofy, grown up faces can be adorable and bright.  I find that affirming (in addition to hokey). And contagious: his mother and I have been laughing some more lately and her face is pretty amazing, too.

2) I have been awestruck recently at all the good stuff happening in the community I call home.  This goes for the folks in our church, who in the midst of a significant transition are responding with faithfulness, hope, and kindness.  It is quite remarkable and makes my and my colleague’s jobs easier than you might think,  given our change in pastoral staff.

But I also have had the opportunity to visit a bit with some other organizations in Concord (CCM and Habitat chief among them) that have given me a slice of hope.  I am particularly impressed with the humble, generous, and cooperative  spirit of folks who have made service to others their vocation–and it serves as a good inspirational kick in the butt, too.

3) Finally, music.  Especially Mumford and Son’s single “”I WILL Wait.” I have been known to load the kid in the back of the car, turn on the ipod, hit repeat and simply drive around with the song blaring, the sun shining, and a feeling of joy that seems nearly endless.  To be able to lose one’s self in such things has been a gift.

Hoping friends of the interwebs, you have significant joys in your life.  Share any you want in the comments if you want.

So, this happened.

2 weeks ago. Which feels like 2 years ago, and at the same time 2 second ago. Apparently, he broke the space-time continuum (which may explain his sleeping habits).

To answer some FAQs::

1) I’m sleeping fine, though Rachel isn’t

2) We are treasuring almost every moment, but it’s hard work, too, you know?

3) I cannot carry a tune in the ocean (if I could even lift the ocean–which I can’t in case you wondered) but the boy seems to like my dulcid tones.  Who knew?

4) As cute as you think he is, Rachel and i think he’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cuter.

Given his arrival, I am re-thinking the blog thing a bit, particularly how many times this thing will update. I’ve decided to only do two posts a week so that a) I have time for other things (like learning new lullabyes, because while I love David Lamotte, and the boy seems too as well, I need a new tune, pronto!) and b) I think extra time in between posts will help promote a bit more time to reflect and interact on particular posts, questions, topics than 3 a week.  I’ll talk more about this and my reasoning Friday.

For now, though simply gaze at the wonder of my  baby boy.  Born like so many other bay boys and girls, one of Gods very own, that we are lucky/blessed/crazy enough to be stewards of.

Shalom,

Ben

This is the first in what will (hopefully) become a regular “feature” of the blog…quote of the week.  I’ll give a quote (maybe with some context) and then leave it for your reflection.

This first one is a bit long as it is cribbed from an earlier blog attempt.  but I love the quote so much I thought I’d share again.  Enjoy!

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One of my favorite thinkers, pastors, writers of all time was St. Augustine, featured in the following pic:

Sure, he was somewhat heavy with the guilt and a bit long winded–but he was a man WAY ahead of his time.  (Which is saying something for a guy who died right around the time the Roman Empire fell.)

He just has so many great quotes about life, love, and our relationship to God. To wit:

“Hope has two beautiful daughters. Their names are anger and courage; anger at the way things are, and courage to see that they do not remain the way they are..”

“Give me chastity and continence, but not yet.”

“Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee.”

My favorite though is this one:

“Love, and do what you will.”

When I first heard it I was flummoxed. Flabbergasted.  And maybe other “f” words as well.  What did that even mean?  It seemed like a justification for doing whatever we want, because, hey, you say you love,  and heck, maybe even what you love is God, so, yeah,  that let’s you do whatever you want!

The friend who shared the quote with me, smiled when I expressed this concern.

“Ben, look at it the other way.  If we love  in the way God desires us to love, what we will…”

“Is to live how God wants us to live,” I said filling in the blank.  ”Oh,” I added. (Profoundly.)

The idea has stuck with me and strikes me as a pretty good summation of what sabbath-keeping may be  about as well–loving God and others in such a way that everything we do–consciously and unconsciously– is about dwelling in God’s presence

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Share any thoughts or even your favorite quotes below!

The last three years, our Youth at FPC, Concord, have gotten together with youth from Quail Hollow Presbyterian and other youth groups in the Charlotte area to wacth movies. but not just ANY movies.  Movies we made ourselves.

The films have been based on biblical stories–Judges, the parables, stuff like that.  they have been dramatic in scope, big with special effects and humor, and yet also profound displays of creativity, nunaced views of who god is and how God works, and just plain old-fashioned fun.

The bets part for me is that my role has usually been to 1) generate the kernel of an idea 2) gather smart, talented adults and youth to tell them the idea and 3) get the heck out of the way and 4) marvel at the results. Done, done, done, and done.

The latest video tells a simple story–a family, a fight, a realization, and a reconciliation.  Pretty normal stuff, and in all honesty, what pretty much the whole bible is about I think.  You’ll notice (I hope) themes of creation, disobedience and sin, redemption, and forgiveness.  Enjoy!

Daily Bible

►

A Prayer for Young People…

Amidst…

Care free days

Piles of homework…

The warm feeling of friendship…

The cold haunting of betrayal…

Inviting presence of family and home…

Pressures to perform and live up to expectations…

Self-confidence  in the face of bullying…

Fear that what “they” say about you is true…

Your standing up for what you believe…

Your standing aside as someone else is hurt…

Your voice proclaiming love and acceptance…

Your cries of “stupid!” and other insults…

Exploring every possibility the future might hold…

Wondering where the heck you are going to end up…

Always know…

You are a Child of God…

You are loved by God…

You are forgiven by God…

You are made new by God…

And so you can …

Meet the challenges…

Withstand temptation…

Connect with others…

Be the change you wish to see…

Let go of your past regret…

Grab hold of the present…

Live with hope…

And be at peace.

In Jesus name,

Amen.

(Note: This was written one week ago, on  January 23, 2012)

It’s raining this morning.

Tornadoes are once again on the horizon in the southeast, including in my home state of Alabama, which was rocked not even a year ago by massive storms of wind and lighting.

There is a leak in our shower and every time Rachel gets up and moves I wonder if her water is going to break.

And I find myself thinking, amidst all those images of water, “baptism.”

Honestly, it started Sunday–when the other Associate Pastor mentioned she would be teaching some of the children about baptism.  I did not think much of it then, but it was like the word, and the images and thought it carries, burrowed itself under my sub-conscious.  And this morning, in the shower of all places, it came pouring out.

I thought of the red steps at the church where I grew up, where I first saw so many baptisms and where I, much to y brother’s aggravation, I answered the questions meant for the parents. (Yes, Jesus is my Lord and savior.  Yes, I will raise that child in the faith.)

I thought of the silver basin in the marble font at First pres. Concord–and how that water is always so warm and so clear.

I even began thinking about the baptism of my own son which I guess will happen 2-3 months in the future.  Visions of the “Lion King’s” opening scene swirling in my head.

Conventional baptisms those.  There’s also the baptism of tears–when sorrow or joy or both in equal measure wash over and something inside you changes deeply. There’s a baptism of no water, of dry mouth and trembling hands, and a dawning recognition that a fresh start is needed. There is, of course, the baptism of fire, the moment when you get thrown in the deep end and discover within a presence guiding and directing you and that was there all along, you just hadn’t ever noticed before.

Baptism, the Presbyterian tradition affirms is an outward sign of an inward reality–a seal of God’s presence with us no matter what, a sign that we belong to God before we could even ask for such acceptance, that we, like the water, are directed by God to fill, whirl, splash, and nurture.

As storms brew, and rain falls, as things leak and anxiety ratchets up, I find that to be helpful.

(Yes, Jesus is My Lord and Savior.  Yes, I will raise that child in the faith.)

P.S. the tile of this post is taken from the tile of a song by David Lamotte.  It’s a good song/poem and he is a wonderful artist you should check out if you have not already.  That is all.

I think this is the 3rd (or maybe it’s the 4th? 7th? 23rd?) time I have tried starting a blog.

Every attempt has begun the same way–with a good bit of excitement, but a sort of hazy idea about what the overall purpose of this little corner of the internets would be.  Thus, each attempt has really been more whimper than bang

And yet…here we are again.  Why?

There are a number of reasons, really, and pretty much the majority of them are meaningful only to me.  The ones that may have relvance beyond my own brain though are:

1) I feel like I have finally struck upon a pretty good purpose–it fits me, my style of writing, and my schedule (as ti stands right now).   Basically I want this site to be  place where through words, pictures, videos, and other creative efforts good conversations can be had, reflective thoughts shared, and the presence of God in our lives enjoyed.  Enjoyment of God–that’s the only agenda.  In my mind this is what sabbath keeping is about–and the reason for this blog’s name.

2) God seems to be into second chances–and 3rd, and 4th and 7th, and 23rd chances.  So, this space is a way of expressing some thanks for that and making the most of the opportunity.

So two reasons for starting and now, two hopes for the ball to continue to (as they say) roll:

I pray, first, that in the days and weeks ahead what will be expressed here will offer, amid the clutter of life, a deep breath, that allows us all to know we are God’s child, precious in God’s sight.

And second, I pray for you to lend your voice and ideas, and creativity as well.  The way this space is going to work best i believe is if I am talking to more people than just myself.  In a very real way, I am trying to think of this not as “my” blog but the blog of all who might read and interact within this space.

I plan to update this space three times  a week (M, W, F).  Some posts will be short, some will be long(er or ish).  Some will include questions, some advice, some  statements.  Some will be pictures, or videos, or art, or words, or word.  Just depends what the Spirit’s inspiration is that day.

When you leave  a comment feel free to offer any or all of the above, but do so in a  way that respects and values others.

With that out of the way…let’s get this thing started…