Saturday, March 28, 2020

What strange lands do we venture in?














What strange lands do we venture in?
what strange times are we now commence?
Alice’s’ tipsy turvy world to our chagrin
Jesus turning all upside down
Hustle bustle suspended indefinitely
Where is that solid ground?
Where is true credibility?
Wise words and fluffy sentiment
Lest we forget fretfulness and foreboding
All trying to be relevant
Scientists, doctors, prophets all attempt decoding
Sabbath and rest
Life and death
Broken hearts displaced
Best of plans laid bare
Heights and depths chase
Momentary times without care
 Blessed are the meek
Our abilities to control now cease
What treasure do we seek?
The unexplained, A holy peace


Monday, March 23, 2020

Socially distancing and isolation in proximity

Socially distancing and isolation in proximity


Socially distancing and isolation in proximity

These words bubbled up as I was walking alone at a park with literally 100 or so people social distancing too. We all are trying to understand these times that have shaken us out of our rhythms and places of “normalcy”. Many of us feel it as a time to enter into something different but unsure of the bigger picture. For others it is a time where we gather deeper into our families and rediscover close connections. For some, fear keeps pushing up into the surface, as “what if and what then?” questions rise. And probably for most, it is all of the above and more.  And as the initial waves of the newness of being apart wears off and stretches longer than we hope, feelings of isolation and loneliness may also start to stir. Those who claim a faith in a power higher may be finding some comfort overall but also “battling “the unknown and the lack of community. Community is a word we throw around with a Christian ease in the church and in the world at large we talk of building strong community. Covid-19 has surely stopped those thoughts and practices in their tracks...But does it have to?  
Can we re-imagine what community is? Hasn't humanity been practicing a form of isolation in proximity for a long time.  Pseudo sense of being together but not knowing ourselves or each other. I feel in my own struggles and processing, a call, an invitation, to enter into a deeper connection with my relationship with Jesus as well as with family. Here is the rub, being in close quarters with loved ones can feel tricky, in that sometimes, and I would dare say most often, with those closest to us the “real “us peaks out. Our impatience, selfishness, self-reliance etc oozes out. This social distancing has de-cluttered our schedules but also rips at the fabric of our camouflage. It does not feel good.
Can we begin to move closer in, first to ourselves and then learn how better to connect with others.  What does it look like to offer yourself a sense of acceptance and kindness? To no longer isolate your emotions and stories but to more fully connect to our whole selves, warts and all. The hiding of ourselves began in a garden, I believe we each have a certain time we have been allocated and believe that this strange season we find our world in is truly an opportunity. An opportunity to stop isolating the real us and to then begin to move in a new way, that though physically distant, we learn to move more intimately with those around us. Let’s rename social distancing to intimate proximity. Can we learn to be truly more real and connected with those closest to us and when we are no longer bound by physically distancing ourselves learn how to be socially intimate in proximity?


Tuesday, March 17, 2020

this crazy COVED-19 Flu

This crazy COVED-19 Flu
isolating
creating
potential chaos
Yet the birds still chirp
the sun shines
spring flowers push up
unapprised
Life is slowing down
A time when worldly
enterprises stand still
trusted platforms bend
below
Shaking up of status quo
May a new hunger
begin to stir
social distancing
give way to
community rebirth
The atmosphere infused
uncertainty and fear
rebuked
the future unclear
Grab hold of the
unwavering rock
taking stock
truth will never depart
the promises of old
store them in
your heart
the living word
in heavenly realms
every prayer heard
aligning back
all relations
God and man
all of humanity
to creation
the antidote to insanity
 shalom released
placing our feet
exchanging self for others
The sacrificial lamb
the cover
to all our needs
Holy spirit
help us discover
futile thoughts and deeds
turning into celestial pleas
Up to the one who saves
breaking forth in
unadulterated praise
This generation to break bondage's
freeing slaves