The Merry Monk

I know a couple temples of God, a priest and a priestess, and these two have a big-ass altar (see pic). Recently my wife and I joined them and 60 other people for a divine meal they call Greensboro Grub.

Charlie and Ruth Jones occupy the entire second floor of what used to be the Craven Hotel in Greensboro, North Carolina. Once a month they open their home to 40-50 people, set up a 40-foot long table down their 71-foot hallway, and they cook up a feast.

My wife sat next to a Croatian Latin teacher. I sat next to a lady with a very large blue hat. Down the table to the left was a guy from California who used to work for the N.S.A. The head of a local gay and lesbian group was there too, along with people from Charlie and Ruth’s Christian church. I’d never been a part of such a unique gathering of people of different ages, races, and beliefs.

Charlie and Ruth share their space, their food, their considerable talents as cooks, and the Happy Spirit that possesses them. Then, after dinner, everyone gathers in the great room to share their art, music, poetry, acting, words, and a sense that something “other” is taking place.

The Grub is more than a meal or social event. I believe it is the birthing of a new creation within the dying shell of the old. Hunger gives way to fullness. Drab surroundings give way to beauty. Barriers and isolation give way to new friendships. The monotonous drone of daily life gives way to infectious joy.

I drank. I ate. I flirted with my wife. I laughed. I shook with fear as I read The Whiskey Mystic, and felt the energy as my words pulled laughter and gasps from the room. I shared my Wild Turkey with a man who is no stranger to pain…we toasted to life. My wife and I cried as Charlie and Ruth performed Darby.

That night, I saw the words of God. He said, “This is Heaven in Earth. Taste and see that I am good.”

Luke 14:15-16 “…’Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!’ Then He said to him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many…’”

Watching Words posts document my attempt to “hear” God by paying attention to reality. The idea behind this spiritual experiment is that, in the Biblical narrative of creation God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said, and if you want to hear his voice, watch his words.

For more on the concept, see Cymatics and the Voice of God and Parables and the Voice of God.

This is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen (props to Ben Hughey).

I watched this in awe of the fearlessness of these humans that dare to abandon the safety of our prison of solid earth, and instead soar above it at 100+ miles an hour. They know the exhilarating freedom that comes from a mind unencumbered by the boundaries of fear.

Yet, at what price? Make sure you watch the whole video. These guys know life viscerally in a way that only comes by facing death.

This has challenged me in a profound way. Am I willing to lose my life that I may find it? Honestly, I have to say “No.”

Matthew 16:25 “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

Watching Words posts document my attempt to “hear” God by paying attention to reality. The idea behind this spiritual experiment is that, in the Biblical narrative of creation God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said, and if you want to hear his voice, watch his words.

For more on the concept, see Cymatics and the Voice of God and Parables and the Voice of God.

I woke the morning of the day after Thanksgiving to watch the sun rise. As I watched its slow ascent, I asked our Father, “What are you saying in this vision before me?”

Then I remembered my prayer before the Thanksgiving meal (if you work for a “religious” organization you always get pegged to pray at these occasions). As our family gathered around the kitchen, I was moved to thank God for the sun and the earth and the sky and the rain and the plants and the animals and all of the people who made the meal before us possible. I thanked him for my family and the call to his table. Then I asked for a sense of his joyful presence as we ate and that he bless the food.

As soon as I remembered that prayer, I believe I got the answer to my request to see a word from God. The sun climbed above the horizon.

“I heard your giving of thanks son…and you’re welcome. I Am, and always will be faithful. I will continue to make the sun rise and I will continue to provide for your family. Remember, you are always welcome at my table.”

Matthew 5:45 “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

Lamentations 3:21-23 “This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.”

Luke 12:32 “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Watching Words posts document my attempt to “hear” God by paying attention to reality. The idea behind this spiritual experiment is that, in the Biblical narrative of creation God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said, and if you want to hear his voice, watch his words.

For more on the concept, see Cymatics and the Voice of God and Parables and the Voice of God.

Watching Words posts document my attempt to “hear” God by paying attention to reality. The idea behind this spiritual experiment is that, in the Biblical narrative of creation God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said, and if you want to hear his voice, watch his words.

For more on the concept, see Cymatics and the Voice of God and Parables and the Voice of God.

Helplessness & Intimacy

I went to a wedding a couple weeks ago. It was a moving ceremony with a reception to match.

The young woman who got married, Samantha, has a twin sister named Suzette. Suzette has cerebral palsy and she relies on a wheelchair for mobility. Samantha enjoys perfect health.

Imagine the range of emotions that Samantha and Suzette have experienced as they grew up. Through grade school, high school and beyond, although they are twins, they’ve each lived very different lives.

It was extremely important to Samantha that she honor Suzette during the celebration of her marriage. Even though Suzette can’t walk, during the reception, Samantha wanted to share a dance with her sister. Bette Midler’s Wind Beneath My Wings was the song Samantha selected for the moment that she planned over a year earlier.

As the song played, Samantha (a petite young lady) lifted Suzette from her wheelchair. Suzette’s feet couldn’t reach the dance floor as Samantha held her and swayed to the music.

It must have been cold there in my shadow,
To never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that’s your way.
You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,
While you were the one with all the strain.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero,
And everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

As they danced, Samantha struggled to hold Suzette up and she started to slip. Seeing this, Samantha’s husband Jason joined her on the dance floor and helped her lift Suzette. Supported by Jason’s added strength, the three of them tenderly held each other as the music continued.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
But I’ve got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
You’re everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
For you are the wind beneath my wings.

Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
So high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
Thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.

I believe this is a profound word from God about how helplessness leads to intimacy.

As children, we inevitably experienced the pain of helplessness. As babes in a world controlled by adults, we often suffered because of their choices, powerless to change our circumstances. As we grew older, we developed coping mechanisms and strategies to control our world. Until, as adults ourselves, we now take pride in being independent.

We vow never to experience the pain of helplessness again. Obstacles are overcome and we successfully maintain the illusion of control (until the uncontrollable – cancer, job loss, divorce, etc. – shatters that illusion and we head for a nervous breakdown.)

Along with this tenuous adult independence comes an isolation that has become a way of life for us. You see, if anyone gets too close, if in a moment of insanity we give someone our heart, we run the risk of being at their mercy. If we join an intimate community of friends, something could go wrong. We could get hurt. Past experience assures us of this danger.

At this point we have a choice, isolation or connection. Stay safely in control and alone, or take a chance on helplessness and intimacy.

Suzette has no choice but to be helpless. But in her helplessness we see the voice of God. Because of her helplessness, she shared an intimacy on that dance floor that many of us will never know. She experienced a profound gesture of love that she would have never known without cerebral palsy. She was lifted and held as God sang over her. What’s more, when Samantha could no longer support Suzette, her struggle drew in her husband and expanded the circle of compassion.

God is wooing us through Suzette. She doesn’t have a choice, but we do.

Where are you fighting against your helplessness? Are you willing to lay there and wait to be lifted up and carried to the dance floor? Will you risk relying on the compassion of God and those closest to you? Will you mourn that you may be comforted? Will you become like a vulnerable little child that you may experience the kingdom of heaven on earth? Will you risk greater degrees of helplessness, that you may enjoy greater degrees of intimacy?

Matthew 5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

Matthew 19:14 “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

“Study how water flows in a valley stream, smoothly and freely between the rocks. Also learn from holy books and wise people. Everything – even mountains, rivers, plants and trees – should be your teacher.” – Morihei Ueshiba (Founder of Aikido)

In my first Watching Words post, Cymatics and the Voice of God, I introduced the idea of hearing God by paying attention to reality. The idea behind this idea is that, in the Biblical narrative of creation God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said, and if you want to hear his voice, watch his words.

In this post, I’d like to throw out the idea that many of Jesus’ parables reveal that watching words was one of the ways he heard from our Father.

For instance, I’ve been taught that in the parable about the sower of seed in Matthew 13, when Jesus says, “Behold, a sower…” he’s saying, “Hey guys, look at that sower that went out to sow.” Rather than asking his audience to think about a hypothetical sower, Jesus is pointing to a particular sower. In essence, he’s getting a message from our Father by looking at what’s going on around him and he’s sharing that message with his followers.

Maybe some of the parables are amalgamations of people and events Jesus encountered. I’m sure some are stories Jesus made up to make a point, but even then, he meditated on how to convey heavenly truths using earthly experiences. He was paying attention to creation…to the things God “said.”

Check out some of the parables below. See if you can imagine Jesus going away to a quiet place to be alone with the Father to sit in intimate silence, to watch and wait for God to speak through what he sees. Imagine him walking through busy streets and quiet countrysides watching God’s words. Imagine him sitting on the shore watching fishermen and their nets speak the word of God.

Then when you’re done reading some parables, imagine doing the very same thing yourself.

1. Drawing in the Net – Matthew 13:47–50
2. Laborers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1–16
3. Lost Money – Luke 15:8–10
4. The Faithful Servant – Luke 12:35–48
5. The Good Samaritan – Luke 10:30–37
6. The Seed Growing Secretly – Mark 4:26–29
7. The Lost Sheep – Matthew 18:12–14, Luke 15:1–7
8. The Mustard Seed – Matthew 13:31–32, Mark 4:30–32, Luke 13:18–19
9. The Pearl – Matthew 13:45–46
10. The Prodigal Son – Luke 15:11–32
11. The Sower – Matthew 13:3–23, Mark 4:1–20, Luke 8:5–15
12. The Wedding Feast – Matthew 22:1–14, Luke 14:16–24
13. Pharisee and the Publican – Luke 18:9–14
14. Ten Talents – Matthew 25:14–30, Luke 19:11–27
15. The Budding Tree – Matthew 24:32–36, Mark 13:28–32, Luke 21:29–33
16. The Friend at Night – Luke 11:5–8
17. The Hidden Treasure – Matthew 13:44
18. The Importunate Widow – Luke 18:1–8
19. The Leaven – Matthew 13:33, Luke 13:20–21
20. The Master and Servant – Luke 17:7–10
21. The Rich Fool – Luke 12:16–21
22. The Rich Man and the Beggar Lazarus – Luke 16:19–31
23. The Tares – Matthew 13:24–30
24. The Ten Virgins – Matthew 25:1–13
25. The Two Debtors – Luke 7:41–47
26. The Two Sons – Matthew 21:28–32
27. The Unjust Steward – Luke 16:1–9
28. The Wicked Tenants – Matthew 21:33–46, Mark 12:1–12, Luke 20:9–19
29. The Wise and the Foolish Builders – Matthew 7:24–27
30. Unmerciful Servant – Matthew 18:23–35
31. Building a Tower – Luke 14:28–33
32. The Barren Fig Tree – Luke 13:6–9
33. The Guests – Luke 14:7–15
34. The Lilies of the Field – Matthew 6:28-30

I have some pictures of something I believe God said to me. When I get some time I’ll post them along with my meditation on their meaning. I’ll also open up the site to you if you’d like to watch words with me and share your thoughts.

This is a video I came across at Ted.com. It features Evan Grant demonstrating how sound can cause form within matter. It’s fascinating how the invisible gives shape and complex patterns to the visible (reminds me of crop circles).

It’s particularly interesting to me the way sound forms the archetypal forms found in nature. Grant’s musing on the immense sound of the big bang got me thinking about the Biblical narrative of creation. God said, “Let there be…”, and there it was. That’s sound giving form to matter. So, we’re essentially God’s words walking around in God’s words. All of creation is something he said.

This is the idea behind a new series of posts coming up at TheMerryMonk.com called, Watching Words. I’ll be taking pictures and video of God’s “words” and sharing my meditations on what I imagine and believe God is saying to me personally. I’ll also open up the site to you if you’d like to watch words with me and share your thoughts.

But first, here’s that video.