Mid-Morning Practice

The Essential Things.

Bows,

Alan

Morning Practice!

Nature's Mantra

Early morning,

Wet and green.

 Drip, drip, drip.

The gutter prays it’s mantra

Bows,

Alan

PEAKS AND VALLEYS

This spiritual life we live.

This life we live as spiritual.

This life we label spiritual.

This life.

No labels.

Just lived.

Bows,

Alan

RESURRECTION AND NESTING

Looking back on my previous post, how appropriate was that post for a Good Friday. And now here we are on Easter Sunday with four different stories about how the followers of Jesus first had their hearts broken apart but that "breaking apart" eventually became hearts which were "broken open".


How else can we explain the history that followed? Something profound happened to these people that changed their lives and the world forever.


That event has been layered over so many times, it is foolish to say I understand it!
I'm still trying to understand that and Mu.
Both are important to me.


"Not knowing is most intimate!"


It's like I told my grand daughter Alice in a post on her blog recently, the Native Americans (not sure which ones), when telling a story, say it this way:

(I think I have this quote right. I just read it recently and cannot remember where. So I apologize to the source)

"I don't know if it really happened this way or not but the story I am about to tell you is true."


Happy Easter





Empty tomb

 Mark 16
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they could go and anoint Jesus' dead body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. 3They were saying to each other, "Who's going to roll the stone away from the entrance for us?"4When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. (And it was a very large stone!) 5Going into the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right side; and they were startled. 6But he said to them, "Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.u He has been raised. He isn't here. Look, here's the place where they laid him.7Go, tell his disciples, especially Peter, that he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.8Overcome with terror and dread, they fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.v

(THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ENDING TO MARK BEFORE ADDITIONS)

Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 48574-48582). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition. 

Resurrection

 Matthew 28
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. 2Look, there was a great earthquake, for an angel from the Lord came down from heaven. Coming to the stone, he rolled it away and sat on it. 3Now his face was like lightning and his clothes as white as snow. 4The guards were so terrified of him that they shook with fear and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the women, "Don't be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified."6He isn't here, because he's been raised from the dead, just as he said. Come, see the place where they laid him.7Now hurry, go and tell his disciples, 'He's been raised from the dead. He's going on ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there.' I've given the message to you." 8With great fear and excitement, they hurried away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. 9But Jesus met them and greeted them. They came and grabbed his feet and worshipped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid. Go and tell my brothers that I am going into Galilee. They will see me there." Guards' report 11Now as the women were on way, some of the guards came into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12They met with the elders and decided to give a large sum of money to the soldiers. 13They told them, "Say that Jesus' disciples came at night and stole his body while you were sleeping.14And if the governor hears about this, we will take care of it with him so you will have nothing to worry about."15So the soldiers took the money and did as they were told. And this report has spread throughout all Judea to this very day.


Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 47778-47782). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.


The empty tomb
Luke 24
Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4They didn't know what to make of this. Suddenly, two men were standing beside them in gleaming bright clothing. 5The women were frightened and bowed their faces toward the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?6He isn't here, but has been raised. Remember what he told you while he was still in Galilee,7that the Human Oneo must be handed over to sinners, be crucified, and on the third day rise again."8Then they remembered his words. 9When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles. 11Their words struck the apostles as nonsense, and they didn't believe the women. 12But Peter ran to the tomb. When he bent over to look inside, he saw only the linen cloth. Then he returned home, wondering what had happened.


Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 49867-49877).
 Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.  

Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 47768-47778). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.






Empty tomb
 John 20
Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him."3Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. 4They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. 5Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn't go in. 6Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus' head. It wasn't with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. 8Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9They didn't yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.


Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 50857-50861). Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.
Common English Bible (2011-06-15). CEB Common English Bible (Kindle Locations 50852-50857).


Abingdon Press. Kindle Edition.






“To be fully alive, fully human, and completely 


awake is to be continually thrown out of the 


nest.”
― Pema Chödrön




And so they became "People Of The Way",
Not Believers, But Followers!
Maybe they could have been called "birds without a nest".


But eventually nesting began again and now we have many different kinds of nests.


Go Figure!


Happy Easter!


Bows!


Alan

BREAKING OPEN/BREAKING APART

CONFRONTING BROKENESS WHEN IT STILL REMAINS HIDDEN TO THE VESSEL

 byMusicgurl1388




I HAD THE DIFFICULT TASK THIS WEEK OF 

CONFRONTING SOMEONE CLOSE TO ME ABOUT THEIR 

TOXIC BEHAVIOR. 


IT WAS NOT AN ACT OF POWER ON 

MY PART. IT WAS AN ACT OF FINALLY DOING WHAT 

WAS RIGHT, EVEN WHEN I KNEW IT WOULD CREATE 

CONFLICT, PAIN AND CONFUSION AND EVEN CHAOS IN 

THIS PERSON’S LIFE. 


SOMETIMES BEFORE WE CAN 

SEE WHAT NEEDS REPAIRING, WE NEED TO BE BROKEN 

OPEN, SO WE CAN SEE ALL THE PARTS IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

PARKER PALMER TALKS ABOUT BEING BROKEN OPEN VERSUS BREAKING APART.

“I argue there are two ways for the heart to break: APART into many shards like a fragment grenade, or OPEN into a greater capacity so we can hold life’s inevitable tensions creatively, not destructively.”

Parker Palmer

FOR ME, I WONDER IF WE CAN CHOOSE WHETHER THE HEART IS BROKEN APART OR BROKEN OPEN.

MAYBE THAT DEPENDS ON WHETHER WE REACT TO THE EXPERIENCE OR WHETHER WE RESPOND.

THE PROBLEM IN THIS CASE IS THAT I DON’T KNOW IF 

THIS PERSON WILL TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK 

INSIDE, HOLDING TENSIONS TOGETHER, I’M AFRAID THIS 

PERSON WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK OUT AND POINT AT 

OTHERS, BLAMING THEM. 


I FEEL SURE THAT THIS 

PERSON IS METAPHORICALLY ON THEIR KNEES 

LOOKING AT ALL THE SHARDS FROM THIS 

INTERACTION, FEELING BROKEN APART, NOT BROKEN OPEN.

I CAN’T BEGIN TO TELL YOU HOW DISTURBING THIS 

WAS FOR ME. 


BUT ONE THING I HAVE NOTICED AS I 

HAVE SAT WITH MY WORDS SPOKEN TO THIS PERSON 

AND SAT WITH THAT PERSON'S WORDS SPOKEN BACK TO ME: 

FOR THE FIRST TIME THERE IS A SADDNESS, NOT JUST ANGER.

SOMETHING DIED IN THIS EXCHANGE BUT IT WAS 

SOMETHING THAT HAS NEEDED TO DIE FOR A LONG TIME. 

DEATH IS NECESSARY IF THERE IS TO BE ANY HOPE FOR RESURRECTION.

MAYBE SOME OF MY ANGER DIED. TIME WILL TELL. 

  THERE ARE OTHER THINGS TOO, 

NOT KNOWN BY ME OR THIS PERSON, I’M SURE.

I’M WRITING ALL THIS NOW, HOPING TO HAVE A BETTER 

UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ALL THIS MEANS. 

MY WRITING CLARIFIES THINGS FOR ME AND IS ONE OF MY MOST TREASURED SPIRITUAL PRACTICES.

I SPEAK OF DEATH IN THIS INTERACTION AS A "LETTING 

GO" OF THINGS AS THEY HAVE BEEN AND NOT LETTING 

THOSE DEMONS RAISE THEIR UGLY HEADS AGAIN OR AT LEAST NAMING THEM WHEN THEY DO.

HOW THIS OTHER PERSON IS EXPERIENCING THIS 

DEATH, I DO NOT KNOW. 


MY GUESS WOULD BE AS A 

VICTIM. 


IT’S QUITE  POSSIBLE THAT THIS PERSON WILL TRULY DIE JUST THAT WAY, A VICTIM.

I CANNOT RAISE THIS PERSON UP FROM THIS DEATH. 

THIS PERSON WILL HAVE TO GO DEEP INTO 

THEMSELVES AND LOOK FOR THAT POWER WITHIN. 

THIS PERSON WILL NEED A GUIDE FOR SUCH A 

JOURNEY BUT I DON'T HOLD OUT ANY HOPE THAT THIS PERSON WILL SEEK SUCH A GUIDE.

UNTIL THE “BREAKING APART” BECOMES A “BROKEN OPEN”, IT WILL REMAIN CHAOS FOR THIS PERSON.

MY FEAR IS THIS PERSON WILL PUT ALL THESE PARTS BACK TOGETHER JUST AS THEY WERE BEFORE.

THERE IS AN OLD ETHIOPIAN PROVERB WHICH SAYS:

“HE WHO CONCEALS HIS DISEASE WILL NEVER HEAL.”

THIS IS MY FEAR FOR THIS PERSON.

AM I INNOCENT IN ALL THIS?

NO!

I HAVE SPENT MANY YEARS JUST BEING PASSIVE 

AGGRESSIVE INSTEAD OF JUST STRAIGHT FORWARD AND HONEST. 


THAT HAS CREATED A LOT OF UNECESSARY PAIN FOR BOTH OF US.

I AM JUST GLAD I FINALLY DECIDED TO STOP!

WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

I JUST SIT WITH WHAT IS.

I CONINTUE TO REFLECT,

WAITING (HOPING) FOR SOMETHING NEW TO BE BORN.

BUT MY GUESS IS THAT THIS WILL BE A LONG LABOR.

I have asked this question before - 

What does this have to do with practice?

Everything, of course!

Bows To Another Teacher

Alan