Do you have a ‘summer list’? Those things, activities, projects you want to accomplish this summer? Many students have a summer reading list. Do you have one? Is this the summer to tackle War and Peace, Mists of Avalon or the most recent Harry Potter, those incredibly thick books that would be too daunting, too overwhelming when snow and cold surround us? If you have a list, hopefully it is not completely filled up with things like..paint the garage…..rotate the tires….organize the linen closet…unless, of course, that gives you great pleasure.

Summer has always been, for me, the time of possibility, imagination, activities that lead to sheer pleasure. I was reminded of it yesterday as I listened to the young girls who are our backyard neighbors play. The one said:"Now we are in South Dakota." Somehow their swing set had been transformed into a wagon carrying them to the Great Plains……from the conversations I’ve heard flowing over the fence, it is clear this is the summer to read Laura Ingalls Wilder books. 

In front of our house another neighbor has had a large pile of black dirt delivered. It has not yet been distributed to its new home, so yesterday two of the younger boys claimed it as their own "mountain". They climbed, tried to ride their bikes on it and finally the smallest one simply crawled to the top and sat there….King of the Mountain! I wondered what was going through his mind….I hope they were summer thoughts…freedom,dreaming,thinking of what will be the next great thing to do.

Recently there have been many reports about how Americans don’t really take vacations, and when they do they take all the trappings of work with them. We have great difficulty disconnecting from our need to work and our technology allows us to blur the lines between recreation and work. It can be very easy to work all the time and not even realize it. There is, at least in my opinion, a certain amount of idolatry in living this way.

As a child, on summer days, I often went from my pajamas to my bathing suit and back again at the end of the day. It was a great change from the intensity of school work and the schedules of the rest of the year. In those days, I was able to read, play, rest, make things, spend time with family and friends, and simply be bored…not at all a bad thing. Out of that boredom I was moved to creative thinking.

In a file I have called "Words to Keep" I ran across a list of exercises mostly meant for nudging a writer out of writer’s block. The exercises included some ideas that may help engage you in some summer list making. Even if your vacation is long past, or will not happen this summer, here’s an invitation to capture the mind expanding joy of summer. Try a list of: 100 things I’m thankful for….100 things I would like to do in my life that I’ve not tried yet….100 places I’ve never traveled to but would like to…If I could fly I could(list)….If I were Superman/woman I could(list)…I wish I were a butterfly because(list)…The greatest joys in my life are(list them).

Go ahead, get something cool to drink, a pencil and paper and begin your list. Who knows….South Dakota could be calling….or you may get to be King- or Queen – of the Mountain!

"The Sufi tell about a spiritual elder who asked the disciples to name what was most important in life: wisdom or action? The disciples were unanimous in their opinions: "It’s action, of course," they said. "After all, of what use is wisdom that does not show itself in action?" "Well, perhaps," the master said, "but of what use is action that proceeds from an unenlightened heart?"
              – taken from How Shall We Live? by Joan Chittister, OSB

Wisdom or action? It is a compelling question. I believe, almost always, in our culture we choose action over wisdom. We are a "do" society….it is almost always better to do something…..anything….than to be in a place of inaction. This is true in work settings, in our daily lives, in our relationships, in our faith communities. To be perceived as "doing nothing" is seen as a weakness.

Yet we have all seen the repercussions of what happens when action ‘proceeds from an unenlightened heart.’ There is almost always back pedaling and  massive, painful cleanup involved.  From world politics and global conflicts to the encounters we have with difficult people and difficult job situations, how might the outcome be different if we took the time….and that’s what it takes…to discern and be open to an enlightened heart?

We do after all have a perfect role model for this: "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness…..When Jesus had come down from the mountain.…That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea….After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee and he went up the mountain, where he sat down..……The Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane and he said to his disciples:"Sit here while I go over there and pray." Jesus always preceded action with the time and space to seek after wisdom.

Summer days can be all filled up with action, lots and lots of action. But they can also be a time when we can take moments  to be open to the movement of the Holy that lead us to the wisdom of the enlightened heart. The beautiful flowers and plants blooming around us in this season come to us, not through action of the immediate but from the slow, methodical process of growing and reaching toward the Source of All.

Wisdom or action? What do you think?

On July 3rd my tear off calendar carried these words: Proverbs are short sentences drawn from long experience. Those words caused me to remember the summer my worshiping community spent exploring the Book of Proverbs through our worship. We found these ancient words insightful and helpful, sometimes confusing, sometimes even humorous. But one of the over arching sentiments was the feeling that at some point in time these words "drawn from long experience" had informed the lives of real people, had spoken to their real-life experience and had given them instruction and wisdom for living.

Here are just a few: Honor God with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce, then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine……..The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom and whatever else you get, get insight………Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evildoers………….My child, keep your father’s commandment and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Bind them upon your heart always, tie them around your neck…….Whoever belittles another lacks sense, but an intelligent person remains silent…....A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger……..One who forgives an affront fosters friendship, but one who dwells on disputes will alienate a friend……..A gossip reveals secrets-therefore do not associate with a babbler..….A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver…..Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Proverbs is a fascinating book to read through. It is rare that we read it in the course of worship or scripture study. I commend it to you. Most of the pithy statements are timeless. As we explored these ancient words, it led us to think about what proverbs guide our 21st century lives. What are our present day proverbs? What legacy of wisdom will we leave for future generations? How will we record the lessons we’ve learned ‘from long experience’?

Give it some thought…..write them down and tuck them someplace that in days to come, someone you know may find them. They might appreciate your wisdom and the fruit of your experience.

This weekend I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen for quite some time. He is one of my more gregarious friends, someone you can always count on to be wearing colorful clothes, often things that speak volumes about his values, his creativity. He is a musician, an artist, a teacher, an activist, a composer….the list goes on and on. Over his lifetime he has almost always been a part of a church. He has led liturgy, written music and traveled the country helping people express their faith.

One of his first sentences in our conversation was "I don’t really go to church anymore. I guess I’ve lost my faith." It was not really a confession, only a statement of where he is right now on his life’s journey. I felt honored that he felt safe to say those words to me. We talked and caught up a bit. In the course of what was turning out to be a very warm morning, he removed the long sleeves of his jacket to expose his arms….now filled with tattoos that I’d never seen before. They were brilliant colors, red, yellow, deep blue and paler shades, a warm brown and rich orange. I asked about these new body decorations. And he began to tell me their story.

He said he wanted to illustrate, in a permanent way, his connection with the four elements…Earth, Wind, Water, Fire. His left bicep held the Earth, a yin-yang symbol swirled where planets often are, stars and water  floated all around. This Earth sat upon a large grape leaf and the vines and grapes of the leaf held the Earth like a nest. The leaf represented his father, a grape farmer whose 50 year old vines now grow in my friend’s back yard.  His right arm displayed Water cascading down, snaking from stream into Celtic knots that moved toward shells that circled his wrist. These shells represented the strong women in his life and the tattoo had replaced a bracelet he had worn in memory of a young niece who had taken her life. He now wears her memory and that of other women who have shaped his journey permanently painted on his right wrist. A Fire breathing dragon encircled his lower left arm. This was a symbol of strength, a connection with the East and one he and his wife agreed represented their marriage and commitment to one another. He was still waiting for the addition of the tattoo that would represent his Mother and her influence. He talked for quite some time of all the thought, commitment, creativity that had gone into the palate of his arms.

When he was finished I could only say one thing:"It seems to me you have not lost your faith. You are wearing it." He smiled and nodded his agreement. In his search for a way to express his connection with what he experiences as the Holy, he has chosen to affirm that understanding by painting it with permanence on his arms. While the faith tradition of his youth and early adulthood no longer seems helpful in expressing his faith, he continues to seek to be true to the movement of the Divine in his life.

I am not a tattoo person. I do not like pain. I can barely stand to pluck my eyebrows. But as I listened to my friend express his unconventional faith, his deep connection with the Sacred in his life, I wondered…….what would my faith tattoos look like? What would yours?

"All that is of earth returns to earth, and what is from above returns above…..but good faith will last forever." Sirach 40:11-12

"O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain…for purple mountain majesties above the fruited plain…………. America! America!"

Tomorrow around noon I will gather with family and friends for the annual 4th of July parade in a small town in northern Wisconsin. It is a tradition, one we’ve had for many years.  The small area of the parade route where we gather has seen, in my memory, at least two generations of children grow up and another is about to be added any day now. We watch pretty much the same entries every year and would be disappointed if they did not show. It is one of those traditions that everyone….all ages…wants to remain exactly as it is. Only we have changed…growing up…growing older.

This is not a parade with marching bands or fancy floats. The people who watch along the road, for the most part, do not live in the town. They are "weekend people", "lake people", "up-North people", those who travel several hours to live in a simpler way, at a slower pace, if only for a few days every summer.

What brings us all together is what will bring millions of people together on this day…..a love of this country and a desire to celebrate it and what it means to us.  When I look at the parade audience tomorrow there will be people from all over this country, those who think differently about this country, those who agree with its politics, those who don’t, those of great economic means and those with less, those who have traveled from "sea to shining sea" and those who have not seen much of our country at all.

The point when we all come together happens at the beginning of the parade. After the singing of the National Anthem the parade starts with the color guard of soldiers from wars past,carrying flags. Each year there are fewer of one generation, additions from another. No matter our feelings about the current war, we stand in honor of those soldiers…… those who have seen things we hope to never see, those who have been placed in situations we hope to never be in or to have our children in. We stand out of respect for their lives and to witness to their living.

"O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years……thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears! America! America! God mend thine every flaw, confirm thy soul in self control, they liberty in law."

Independence Day provides us with the opportunity to celebrate what we love about this country, flaws and all. The beauty of the land, the fragility of the people, the hope of generations past and the promise of those to come…….America!  America!

***Note….I will be back writing on Monday when I return from "up-north". Happy 4th of July!

The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me. I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E. Do you remember that childhood Sunday School song? Perhaps not. It could have been a regional song……. particular to the Bible belt area where I grew up.  It had a catchy, little tune and really was meant to be as much an affirmation as music. The message was…the Bible is the only book I need.

Make no mistake, I love the Bible. I love the people who live within the pages and I love the stories of their lives. I do, however, sometimes get weary of how we can argue and divide ourselves over the interpretations of those stories….the messages of those people. I’ve led enough Bible studies and been present at enough meetings where the ‘word of God’ turns into finger-pointing, "I’ve got the real truth" bullying matches. It can wear on one’s spirit…….and it must grieve the Holy.

This week I was reading a chapter from Leaving Church:a memoir of faith by Barbara Brown Taylor. She had, what I thought, were very profound words to say about this very divisive way we can read scripture. She writes: "I know that the Bible is a special kind of book, but I find it as seductive as any other. If I am not careful, I can begin to mistake the words on the page for the realities they describe. I can begin to love the dried ink marks on the page more than I love the encounters that gave rise to them. If I am not careful, I can decide that I am really much happier reading my Bible than I am entering what God is doing in my own time and place, since shutting the book to go outside will involve the very great risk of taking part in stories that are still taking shape. Neither I nor anyone else knows how these stories will turn out, since at this point they involve more blood than ink. The whole purpose of the Bible, it seems to me, is to convince people to set the written word down in order to become living words in the world for God’s sake. For me, this willing conversion of ink to blood is the full substance of faith."

It is important for me to remember, when in the midst of the ‘scripture wars’, that I am blessed nearly every day…….watching ink converted to blood, witnessing people who have the courage to risk taking part in stories that, as of yet, are still being written. I bet you are, too.

The Twin Cities has been filled with jazz music over the last days. There are jazz musicians making music everywhere. These musicians have been doing their work, making their music, not only in restaurants and bars where they are often the ‘background’ music but in concert with our full attention. It is in this place of  full attention that we listeners get to experience the real art and gift of jazz. It is a style that has much to offer that goes beyond the music.

Being an improvisational style of music, there is usually only a ‘lead sheet’, the shape of the melody that the musicians work around. Everyone shows up with their instruments, there is a down beat and off they go. The music happens in the sharing of melody, taking turns, the wisdom to ‘sit out’, knowing when you are up for the melody and when you are better at backup, at harmonizing. The art form is built on trust and listening.

It is a form of music that has so much to teach us about how we work together, how we are in relationship, how we live our lives. It requires that we give up a certain amount of control and that we trust our fellow travelers along the road, that we listen well and respond when appropriate. It also requires that we trust ourselves to share our gifts and that we stretch ourselves in that process.  It teaches us that sometimes we are meant to be the leader and other times a follower, sometimes center stage and other times backup singers. And sometimes our best work is no work.

What if we did our days, our work, more like jazz musicians? What if we picked up the lead sheet every morning and headed out into the world to ‘play well with others’, trusting one another to lead and follow, play melody or harmony, or just sit out and listen? What if we tried less to control what was happening and instead practiced moving in and out of the basic melody, offering what we had to offer and receiving from others their gifts?

A jazz musician might say………."Cool,man!"

"I find it shelter to speak to you."  Emily Dickinson

An acquaintance gave me one of the daily calendars with poems, inspirations and sweet little drawings meant, I believe, to start your day in a positive, lovely place. This Emily Dickinson quote appeared on June 21st. I routinely miss looking at the calendar for several days in a row, only to read quickly, tear off the day and dispose of the sheets. When I came upon this quote, I tore it off and tucked it into one of the books I am currently reading.

I have no idea in what context Ms. Dickinson made this statement or to whom. All I know is it is a statement that holds so much……trust, intimacy, understanding, reverence, respect, comfort, security, to name a few. What a compliment to have someone say this to you!

Saving the quote has caused me to think of the people in my life who provide shelter when I am with them. I have several friends I can put in that category….those who spread their arms wide, listen with pure hearts and open minds, those who don’t judge but simply hold my words, my very presence, with love. Certainly many in my family create a shelter when we speak with one another. We listen with ears that have been informed by knowing the subtle nuances only partners, mothers, fathers,siblings and children recognize after many years of living together.

This image of shelter reminds me of Psalm 91 and the song "On Eagle’s Wings" that is based on the words of the psalm. "You who live in the shelter of God, who abide in the shadow of the Holy. You say to God, You are my refuge, the one I trust." The psalm tells of someone who is in danger in countless ways. But when the writer remembers this shelter of the One who surrounds their life, this presence who hears their voice, they are filled with peace and trust that their voice is heard, they are held in love.

Shelter……it is one of the basic needs of humans. Whether built of stone or wood, cloth or mud, we all need shelter. We also need the shelter of those who hear our stories, witness to our lives, listen deeply to our voice. May each of us know this shelter of another. May each of us be this kind of shelter for another.

"And God will raise you up on eagle’s wings, bear you on the breath of dawn, make you to shine like the sun, and hold you in the palm of God’s hand."

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend……………………

"Listen to your life. All moments are key moments." Frederick Buechner

Once a month, I go into a quiet, beautiful little room with another person. We sit in soft, comfortable chairs. She lights a candle and we sit in silence for some time. She welcomes the Holy One into our midst and she prays a short prayer. Then I begin to tell her what has been happening in my life since we last met. She listens. She listens not to try to help me fix some psychological or emotional problem but to help me hear how the Sacred has been at work in my life. She asks a question here and there. She makes an observation. She might quote scripture or another sacred text. We end our time in prayer. I leave, sometimes with as many or more questions as I came with and sometimes feeling as if I’ve had the weight of the world lifted off my shoulders. It is holy time.

Today we call such a relationship, spiritual direction. The ancient Celts called this relationship, "annam cara" or soul friend. It is a great gift to have someone listen to your life. This soul friend relationship is different than a partner or spouse, even another friend. Those people hear us with a different kind of love, a different kind of listening based on shared history, shared life experiences. A spiritual director is someone trained to listen deeply for how God is moving in the life of another. More importantly they are trained to help the speaker really hear how God is moving in their life.

In our fast paced, deadline based world it is so easy to keep moving only hearing the swoosh of traffic, the background banter of the radio, the flip and flop of feet rushing by. Our  monkey chatter brains keep us moving form idea to idea, thought to thought, fear to fear, anxiety to anxiety. It is easy to believe that God is not in it with us.

Each month my soul friend helps me stop,look and listen to the pulls, pushes and gentle nudges of the Divine.  She helps "keep me honest" in how I choose to live faithfully. She often prays that God will meet me "at my workbench". I always grin inwardly at that image. It makes my work seem much more physical that it is, much more earthy.

For all who are sitting at their workbench,whatever your work may be, may the Holy One sit beside you and bring you peace.

I am feeling troubled this morning. I have been privy to a deep unkindness and it is nagging me, causing me to stew and fret about what I should do, what I should say, how I should be present to it all. Once again, I am reminded of how powerfully we are connected as human beings, sometimes even when we don’t know it. One person says or does something in a mean spirit and its ripples flow out into so many other lives. I am reminded of the Native American concept of the Sacred Web of Life……one pluck and the entire web vibrates, sometimes for great good and other times for irreversible damage.

Each day we make choices about what we will do, what we will say, how we will behave in any given situation. We go from a meeting to a phone call, sometimes unconsciously brushing past another person with little regard or awareness for what may be going on in their lives. We flippantly make a comment……or try to make a joke…..only to cause hurt and pain to another. In anger, we say things we may later regret.

As the created beings who have the gift of language, we are a powerful lot. If only we might use the power of our words for goodness, for kindness, for instilling hope and generosity and ………genuine love, genuine peace. What difference might that make in the world?

The Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh writes in Creating True Peace:Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community and the World: "We (can) become aware that our mind is like a garden that contains all kinds of seeds: seeds of understanding, seeds of forgiveness, seeds of mindfulness, and also seeds of ignorance, fear and hatred. We realize that, at any given moment, we can behave with either violence or compassion, depending on the strength of these seeds within us.When the seeds of anger, violence and fear are watered in us several times a day, they will grow stronger……When we know how to cultivate the seeds of love, compassion and understanding in us every day, those seeds become stronger, and the seeds of violence and hatred will become weaker and weaker. We know that if we water the seeds of anger, violence and fear in us, we will lose our peace and our stability. We will suffer and we will make those around us suffer. But if we cultivate the seeds of compassion, we nourish peace within us and around us. With this understanding, we are already on the the path of creating peace."

Note to Troubled Self……make sure you are watering the right seeds.