Transitions

I sat here some two years ago, really. I was trying to learn to use WordPress. They say it’s easy–but it’s not, at least not to me. I thought I was pretty tech savy–but this is not as easy as it seems. Eventually I figured it out–then started building this ‘space’, this place where I will reveal my thoughts to the world–and maybe somebody, somewhere, will care. Then another pause. Work things, and Church things, Life things, a myriad of things–and the months slipped by. No blame on any of those things, mind you, all of them are what they are. We all get busy.

Then its me and this MacBook, and a desk, and Arvo Part serenading me. Here we are (again). This is scary. I write it, hope it makes sense, and hit ‘send’ and away it goes. There are myriads of others who do this, write books, speak, do all the things I think I want to do, and do them so much better. (I imagine. ) But they too had to start just like this: write it down and hit send.

I know the Voice that spoke to me as a boy–that whispered that I came here to earth to do this–to write. Not that I am so special, or clever, but I am called, as religious folks, as Christians say, to do this. This is the time. This is the place. This is the moment-the now.

Every creative person, or not-so creative person has this moment. They paint that first brush stoke, write that first word, take that first step, smile, extend that hand, or whatever. A “job” I did is coming to an end. There’s no more ‘extra’ things to hide behind. There is no more, “I have to do this and this AND this, AND that–and then (then) I can write publicly.

It’s time–the Voice whispers: “Go–I am with you. Teach what I have taught you-teach what you have learned to any who will listen. Go forward. Go forth.”

Like the experience of the Prophet Elijah, in the Jewish Scriptures, there is only the Gentle Whisper: “Tell them this: YOU are my Beloved Son or Daughter, in whom I am well pleased. Peace be with you.”

If you know the New Testament Scriptures in the Bible–these are words God spoke over Jesus, and words Jesus spoke over His Disciples after his resurrection. You may not believe them because you think it is religious mumbo-jumbo, or you believe it was said and happened, but it is not for you. It can’t be believed, and surely there is no peace with the Almighty!

I am here to tell you that what was said over Jesus is being said over you: You are God’s beloved child–and He is not against you, but for you. He (They) is for you, no matter what is going on. No matter if you are not quite sure about Him/Her, even if you are not sure if such a Being could exist. Even if you are not sure, as you see “religious people”, (some of whom are doing all manner of crazy things), have horribly warped the path to God, filling it with landmines and barbed wire.

God is not just for you, but is at peace with you–has made peace with you, already. As Eugene Peterson wrote in his “Message” Translation of Paul’s Letter to the Romans: “And that’s not all: We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand – out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise.” (The Message, Romans 5:2-12, bold text my own)

Don’t “check out” as I quote the Bible, see that Peterson translates as we “throw open our doors to God”–as we open ourselves to God, we come to experience that peace, that Greater Reality.

And so next time, we will start with one of the three most important Approaches I believe we can have, not just spiritually, but in life: Openness.

-Eric, the Wordsmith

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The Psalms Project

The Psalms Project, like other upcoming writing projects, is my attempt to take the spirit of the Psalms and re-apply them and write new ones for today. I am NOT trying to replace the amazing Psalms already in the Bible! I am in no way trying to paraphrase or restate each Psalm. My Psalm 1 has nothing to do with Psalm 1 in the Scriptures. I view the Psalms as a national and personal Prayer Journal of the Jews of old, speaking to us TODAY about how to be honest and open before God, with anger, sadness, great joy, and even sometimes flawed human thinking, just to name a few. So, I invite you to play along, see what you might identify with or relate to in these. I am still working out my rhythm with this Blog, so I leave you with my First Psalm for a Modern Day. And yes, I do pay homage many times to the originals–how could I not?

Silence

Quietness. That is all that is heard. Silence. I saw a flicker of Light. I dreamed a dream and then forgot it. Then there was a memory, but it slipped away…

There is the Sparkle of Light, the Light that glistens in all Life.

Our ignorance of it does not change it.

IT IS.

It is Him–in all things, binding all things, guiding all things that open themselves.

Empty the cup of the mind, that you may receive Something.

“Too full”, we cry out, and receive nothing.

So, we feel nothing, and seem to be nothing.

“Be still and know, that I AM…”

The Sparkle grows bright, shining in and out, for all to feel.

“The words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, are acceptable to your sight…”

One within. One without. We are One.

Words that are only known in Higher Realms can properly express the Moment.

Feel the Wind, His caress, showing you HE IS.

Selah.

-Eric, the Wordsmith

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Simplicity

I was planning to build out my “Posting Calendar” of what I would write and when, but in Morning Prayer today, I kept hearing the Word ‘simplicity’, and decided to write about it, before I get into more of the Calendar. Let God move, and the Creative Flow have it’s way!

It’s so easy for us to complicate things–we all know this. We live in a complicated world. Hang around me long enough, and I will yell: “Why can’t things just be simple?” Not everything is simple. I am an accountant by day, so I know this. Finances are NOT simple.

But I complicate my Inner Life. Fretting about how I said something: was I sincere enough, did I spend too much time on this, was I mean, on and on. When you have OCD, these voices are incessant! Future posts will delve into my “Theory of the Realms”. But for now, the Inner Realm, of our soul, or inner thoughts and feelings, this is an area where I feel we complicate ourselves. We want to feel a certain way, or think our thoughts should be a certain way. If you are Christian–we can quickly “beat ourselves up” over what is going on between our ears!

So, some healthy thoughts, flowing from my reading and praying. Try to imagine that stream of feelings and thoughts, as that: a Stream of Thoughts and Feelings. Be standing on the shore, and develop some detachment to watch some of what goes by. My biggest issue is to get lost in all those thoughts and feelings, or begin to judge them, and over-moralize them. These thoughts and feelings are just that: thoughts and feelings. I do NOT have to fix them, necessarily. Other people, more learned then me, talk about mindfulness, and that is what is needed. Just observe what is going on in your head without all the judging.

Simplicity is not taking ourselves too seriously, having some lightness with how we approach things, and there is so much more to say on that! As Christians, I think we quickly over-judge ourselves if we are angry, or feel frustrated with someone else. If our thoughts are not “holy”, and we have our own definitions of that, we quickly feel “less than”.

The words of Psalm 46 from the Hebrew Scriptures ring true again: “Be Still, and know…”

Try today to be still among all the To-Do’s. Be simple. Breathe. Don’t try to fix every little thought and feeling. Instead, ask God to show you what He (She) may want to regarding those thoughts. Maybe more compassion is needed for a co-worker, child, or spouse. Maybe we over-booked our day, and are now feeling stressed-out at 9AM. Breathe. Be present to what is right in front of you. When I was in 12-Step Practice, I was asked: “Where are your feet, Eric?” And I would say, very annoyed: “Right here, on this floor.” Then that person would say: “So should the rest of you.”

So, be where you are, right now. Breathe. Do what is in front of you to do. If you follow Christian Practice, the Holy Spirit is in you and all around you, to remind, guide and direct you. Trust that! If that is not your Practice, be open to what I call: “The Great Flow” of the Universe, which is really the same thing, just said more expansively.

Enjoy your day. Remember: you can start your day over anytime.

-Eric, the Wordsmith

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SNEAK PREVIEW

If you stumbled here by accident, you didn’t. I am a writer who is about to start writing a blog about love, a re-imagining of Faith, and subsequent Responses and Actions. While I come from a Christian perspective–you will find things here from other Practices, and we WILL have fun! I am nobody special, just an accountant by day who likes to write, and feels like he has something interesting to say about life, that people will find helpful.

Maybe slightly, moderately intrigued? What could a bean-counter have to teach me?

Well, don’t tune out–bookmark and be patient. You can even subscribe in the meantime. I am still building this thing out.

–Eric, the Wordsmith