Simply Be

7/3/06

Sumatra Mandheling…it is a complexity of flavors that ends in a smooth spice. I am enjoying my experience with this cup. I am at Bitter End, a coffee shop in Grand Rapids. I am sitting here with my buddy Elch. We enjoy coffee, reading, discussing life, listening to music, and staring into space. This brings peace. Peace…we are not anxious in these moments, we are in our own worlds at times and then come back together to discuss what we’ve seen and heard. Separate but together…

How can we be separate but together? How can we be thinking our own thoughts but still be on the same page? I feel the key here is to “be”. This word is so complex. Two letters come together and say so much…

To exist in actuality; have life or reality: I think, therefore I am.

1. To occupy a specified position: The food is on the table.
2. To remain in a certain state or situation undisturbed, untouched, or unmolested: Let the children be.
1. To take place; occur: The test was yesterday.
2. To go or come: Have you ever been to Italy? Have you been home recently?
3. Used as a copula in such senses as:
1. To equal in identity: “To be a Christian was to be a Roman” (James Bryce).
2. To have a specified significance: A is excellent, C is passing. Let n be the unknown quantity.
3. To belong to a specified class or group: The human being is a primate.
4. To have or show a specified quality or characteristic: She is witty. All humans are mortal.
5. To seem to consist or be made of: The yard is all snow. He is all bluff and no bite.
4. To belong; befall: Peace be unto you. Woe is me.

Do we exist in actuality? Do we have life? Do we go? Do we come? Do we belong?

I think that all of these questions can be answered yes in the sense that we must have do all of these things to still be alive in the physical.

Do we do these things in the spiritual? Exist, have life, go, come, belong… Are we alive in the Spiritual?

Are we being physical…yes, we do that without thinking.

Are we being spiritual?

When sin entered this world did we stop being physical or stop being spiritual? Who were we distanced from? How should we pursue One that we are distanced from?

We must SEEK God…we have probably heard about a hole that only God can fill…this hole may be our spiritual side that is longing to be completed again. W are physical and spiritual beings that long to have both parts satisfied. I am fully alive when I am BEING fully physical and BEING fully spiritual.

Just as two letters come together in a complex way, and two friends can be totally different in totally different worlds but BE together so should we BE…we should SIMPLY BE.

Beautiful. Thank you. I want to be with you.

Game time...

Beautiful:

This glove is unique to my hand…I have been placed in a position. My Father is playing with me. We have been playing for years, learning the game, enjoying each other. I haven’t had a glove because I haven’t needed it yet. I had to grow into it. The glove was being specially fitted for me. My Father has been teaching me how to care for this glove and move it properly. I had to learn when to raise it up and when to squeeze it. I had to learn how to care for it so that the softness and flexibility would still be there. It was made of fine leathers that were very supple and I didn’t want to mess them up.

I now have taken my position, I have learned to trust my Father, and I am equipped to play. The game is about to start and I get a little bit nervous. I don’t know if I needed to practice more or if I learned all the rules. I look into my Father’s eyes and I know that I have everything that I need. He has faith in me and I have faith in Him. I am ready to play any position but He reminds me that He only needs me to play the one that I am in right now. I need only remember what I’ve learned and enjoy the game. He throws me the ball and I squeeze at just the right time, the glove wraps around the ball and holds it until I am ready to pick it up with my other hand and throw it wherever my Father tells me. My palms are still a little sweaty, I am nervous that I might ruin my glove that is so precious. I am afraid to get it dirty but my Father assures me that it can withstand the pressure of the game as long as it is on my hand. He has carefully created it so that it will never fall off and will always be ready to go.

I start to realize that the point is not me or the glove but the game and being able to show everyone how incredible my Dad is. I have the coolest Dad around and other people see the game going on. They want to join in and play. They see us laughing and running, never stopping but constantly with each other. People begin coming from all over to play in the game that my Father started. I realize that I used to be on the sidelines where they were, or running around the concession stand getting snacks and other things but realized that the game was so much more satisfying. I realized that I couldn’t have a relationship with my Father if I was over eating candy.

He was calling out to the people at the concession stand all the time, “Come” and play over here. There’s room on the field, there are positions open…He would stand at the gates and tell them, “Come and follow me”. I’ll show you how to play. Don’t waste any more time, there is a game going on and I want YOU to play. I remember being at the concession stand and constantly running back for more…but now I’m with my Father…

…and I’m playing.

Hidden

Linda

I don't know who she is but I am sitting in a new coffee shop enjoying her blend. I think that the term blend is interesting. How often do we "blend" things and never even stop to think about what we are blending. We blend cultures in the U.S. every day. We blend ice cream with whatever we want to create a smoothie (so good). We blend coffee beans to get "Linda's Blend". We can have things however we want them and if we can't figure out what we want then we start blending the basics together.

Is this what we do in our faith? Do we have a whole bunch of choices and if we don't like any of them or they don't "fit us" then we start to blend them. Is it ok? We have blended worship styles, blended services, blended communion (literally some places just put them both together). We like to call much of this POMO or Post-Modern. I am doing a lot of thinking and studying on what the Post Modern Era is and how it is affecting our faith. I am interested to hear any thoughts that you might have...

God Spoke