Carry
your
sorrows
in your compassion.
Carry
your
regrets
in your forgiveness.
Carry
your
opinions
in your wisdom.
Carry
your
dreams
in your heart.
Carry
your
love
in your hands.
And
carry
your
steps
to the dance floor.
In every second
in every moment
The Maker lives in you.
Why not entertain
the music
with your graceful feet
on the belly of the heavens?
The moon won’t mind a few more footprints.
~a poem by Shelly Monte
Grace in a Toilet Bowl
Yes, you read that correctly.
I found grace in the most
inconspicuous places
like toilet bowls
and dirt-packed laundry.
Was there ever enough time
or clothespins?
Hardly….
bookkeeping with numbers
that multiplied
and vegetables
and weeds
and meals
as daylight
diminished.
Then one
evening, unaware
you staged
a Divine Ambush.
So ample life now,
and time.
Surely you heard my praises.
But tell me,
was I the first to thank
the toilet bowl
and pay homage
to the weeds
and laundry
as I clung
to your fringe?
We begin this season, most of all, trying to acquire much. The least of us will celebrate this Christmas with the least of all. Here is a poem, inspired by the style of concrete poetry Robert Lax is known for.
May it enrich your spirit. May it nourish your soul. May it radiate the light and love within you to be gifted to those with the least this Merry Christmas.
Most
of
All
of
Most
of
Us
are
Least
of
All
giving
to
the
Least
of
Us.
While living in Patmos; I became acquainted with Robert Lax. At the time, Robert was well into his purpose of serving Jesus with simple poems of recognition and praise. Robert’s clear blue eyes, fixed on yours, could burn meaning into a simple word or response. He was brief at every opportunity. And every word given by his love for Jesus was elevated by its simplicity and worth. This Christmas; I remember Robert’s love for savior Jesus. This poem was originally written in December of 2016. I have changed a few lines in this version.
I see you looking
for the The Lamp.
The One
that warms the honey
for your invisible bread.
Long ago
will find the way my children.
Aren’t new stars born
to our eyes
really lightyears from the past?
Look for those cheerful eyes
that milk laughter, dance, sing,
and churn butter into life.
Be still now and wait.
For long ago is just around the bend.
Wake from this sleepless night.
All discourd was not dreamt, was it?
“Tell me, my love?”
You hold near to hear these words.
Rest at the counter with coffee and thanks.
It will come.
Let the night of sleeplessness recede.
Hold still
long enough
to bump into
yourself.
Hold still.
Spirit insures.
The promise
is
here.
Hard wired we go to this and that grasping the moment.
Full circle
circles back
in you
my
friend.
Let’s not
be fussy.
Re-Lax
accourding
to R. Lax.
I wish all
to know
the you in me
I wish all
to feel
the love
you give
so free
I wish all
to know
the beauty
the
grace
I wish all
to know
YOU
ARE
THE
PLACE
Do you ever wonder why people don’t change much? How about yourself? Do you see the same old patterns in your life repeat, rinse, repeat? I have…
Does discouragement interfere with your ability to trust? Does it hinder the comfort that you would choose for yourself if it wasn’t for your thoughts? Does it speak out from you in negative sentences and remarks? Does discouragement impede the good belief you hold of yourself? And does it mandate how you score others?
Our mind wants to be in control of us. It wants to protect us by forcing us to rely on the network of thinking having been made from previous connections, actions and responses. And to our misfortune, it has only the pathways established in our brain to connect us to our experiences, whether new or old. It cannot create a new outcome thought that has not yet been established by our thinking or actions. Discouragement is a loss of confidence or enthusiasm or dispiritedness. And how can we think new thoughts when the gravity of fear takes hold when thoughts have no pathways to travel. Our anxiety, terror, dread, distress and fear kick in due to lack of mental pathway support when we go outside the network we have built in our brains.
Creating new pathways in our brains to connect new outcomes can be like climbing the face of a stone wall thousands of feet up without safety lines and backup crew below to catch a fall. It can be similar to an emotional experience of walking a tightrope 50 stories up secured from one skyscraper to another, without a net below. It is scary to act on and trust in the the uncertainty of not knowing.
We are wired to our historical thoughts and patterns, perceptions and observations. What choices do we have to upload and upgrade our mind-works to reveal encouraging new outcomes?
Jesus provides an answer. In the new testament his message over and over is to encourage people to think differently. He says not to judge others, to forgive. His miracles were one way to his teachings. They were done to erase the old mindsets of those he met and those who received the miracles. These miracles in and of themselves allowed the brain to reconfigure old thought patterns into new ones which had never been held. Jesus was flushing the systems of thought and mind into new consciousness. He was paving the inroads for us to abandon the mind patterns we held. He is giving us a safety net to forge new brain patterns by assuring us if we trust in him with pure faith we will prevail into the kingdom of heaven. Could “heaven” be the full spectrum of consciousness and the ability to live in the power of the moment. Could the mind set of trusting in Jesus relieve the brain of overreaching for control? I believe it could be so.
Jesus also makes it very clear that not everyone who calls his name will be saved, but those who act on his words will be wise. (Matthew 7: 22-26)
Does this mean that holding a thought and trusting with our faith is not sufficient? Does this translate that we need to act on our faith fully in order to form new patterns, in order to uplift our consciousness?
Encouragement and Faith
Both of these work hand in hand. Applied faith in Jesus gives us power over the brain’s response to control us. From acting in faith we feel encouragement and the peace Jesus offers us.
Sound too easy? The brain is so capable of controlling thought that we barely see when it is taking us for a ride. Look at yourself as you go about the day as though you are being observed. Watch how fast and how efficient the mind is to formulate judgement, outcomes, scenarios and reaction, even dialog.
I hike the most beautiful forests of the Pacific Northwest while my mind works to take my attention away by going over a laundry list of things unrelated to my hike. Each time I notice my mind has slipped from the immediate experience, I settle my thought on listening for Jesus. This practice brings me directly back to the moment. I work on focusing my attention to the immediate and disconnect my brain from overreaching to control.
We are given an amazing outline in the New Testament. Jesus gives us directions toward “heaven”. He assures us over and over again with his words how we can find our way. It is by way of the “good shepherd”. (John 10:11)
With a loving and tender heart for Jesus, we encourage you.
“Liberated is the soul which sees all human behavior as either and act of love or a call for love.” ~ unknown author
Let your heart
touch a flower
have it sing with the bees
Spirit moves through
mountains
Spirit rides the seas
Dancing on moonbeams
While lighting love
in our smiles
Taking all our
nonsense
But trusting in a child
The Christ we hold
is truly, really more
Than we can ever
put to thought
and
much
much
more
than
lore
I
take
a
dose
of
dying
a little bit each day
then
you
draw
me
close
to
you
I choose to trust your way
I
can’t
report
it’s
comforting
to give my parts away
but
then
when
it
is
done
the better parts can stay
is
this
the
mystery
of
the
cross
why not come out and say
but
then
you
know
by
watching
us
we’d still get in our way
so
death
by
inches
death
by
dose
I’ll take it just the same
just
please
write
upon
my
heart
your precious, precious name
truth to tell 