Monthly Archives: October 2011

The Blind Exercise

Posted on
8

Grab a blank piece of paper and a pencil or pen. Humor me. ;)

Now are you ready? You’re going to write with your eyes closed. You can do this. Just go with it. Ready? No cheating.

Yet.

On the frist line write “I” then circle it. Write “am” and then write “me” and underline it. Then write “and.”

Great work. Keep those eyes closed.

On the second line write “no one” and underline that three times. Then write “else.”

Bravo!! I should’ve made this a video, then you would hear clapping!! You did it!

Now keep those eyes closed. And flip over your paper to the other side.

Open your eyes to see that nice clean full-of-potential side waiting to be used.

Let’s use it.

Follow the same instructions as before, but with your eyes open this time. Do you feel a bit less awkward? A bit more confident that you can do this and do this well? Suddenly it’s a simple exercise of writing.

And in five seconds you’re done.

And it looks great.

But you haven’t forgotten what’s on the blind side. Let’s flip that page back over & take a look.

Wow. This looks very different from the neat side. See how you didn’t quite line up the words. And the underlines and circles were not exactly where they should be. And that third word? What does that say again? Doesn’t look like “me” at all.

It’s amazing how well we can express ourselves when we can see what we’re doing.

And this is exactly how I feel about trying to write/sing/explain bits and pieces of myself when I’ve got the blindfold of denial or fear or control covering my eyes. I can hardly write a sentence worth reading.

But when I really open my eyes to what’s inside and what’s happening and what I’m feeling and thinking and living, I know what I’m writing. And I feel much more competent. And, surprisingly, a lot less anxious.

So, I’m hoping to return to writing with my eyes open. No more of this blind-writing. It’s not worth reading/singing/sharing anyway.

Do you believe in Divine coincidences?

Posted on
14

I woke up this morning replaying the past three days and the striking coincidences that have unfolded before my eyes… I thought one was just a really neat story, until Drew said “Well, seems like that’s a little pocket of grace in your day.” (Or something like that. Would he say “pocket of grace?” maybe not)

Soooo… Was it? Is it? I don’t know.

(If I had a dollar for every time I’ve said “I don’t know” over the past week, I’d take myself out to lunch.)

I have a new friend–let’s call her One Of Those Aforementioned Coincidences–who seems to find Significance in a lot of things. Not that she’s expecting God to be around every corner, but she keeps her eyes open just in case. I’m not there right now–the “eyes open all the time” place. But, these coincidences definitely have my attention.

And I’m wondering how I should process them–if I should put them in the “I think I might’ve seen a bit of God at work in my life finallydadgummit” category. Or if I should put them in the “Remember this because something strange is happening” category. Or the “What a neat surprise” category.

Anyway, if you frequently find yourself in that place of “wow. huh. That was an interesting coincidence. How did that just happen?!” would you see the hand of the Divine behind those moments? Or a random surprise? Is there another option?

Clearly, I have questions.

Soul-Mining.

Posted on
26

Every time I see another news story about workers trapped in a mine I can’t help but think the world would be a better place without coal-mining dipping and diving down below the earth’s surface, down into darkness and danger.  I also can’t help but think they’re crazy to go down there to begin with.

How heartless is that?! Iamashamed.

But, permit me to ask: why would anyone want to go down there with all the risk of the world falling in on them?

Miners have some serious bravery. Bravado. Whatever it’s called. You know what I mean.

And they’re motivated for a reason. The Man is paying them a (hopefully) decent wage to dig down and dirty until they find coal. Obviously, that black flammable stuff is worth it.

I don’t want to make light of the nightmare they and their families experience.

I don’t.

And I don’t want to diminish their plight to a simple metaphor.

But…

I think there’s some dark crap truth treasure down in me. And digging it out feels a lot like risking my life.

Metaphorically, of course.

There’s something metaphoric and inspired to my coal-mining mind-wanderings, and it’s worth noting.

Here’s to Soul-Mining.

Life begging for art.

Posted on
13

We have a saying around the church office that goes something like: Life begging for structure, not structure begging for life.

We use this phrase when we are facing necessary innovation, struggling to come up with structure as we see the craziness of life that comes with, well, people.

But let’s not dig too deeply into that.

The whole point is that I’m also seeing moments where life is begging for art. Where profundity sneaks up on us and can only be properly captured and properly framed through art.

Just a few weeks ago, in response to Gitz’ decline, Jen commented:  ”I dug out my old prayer book from my Anglican days, and let the most beautifully worded prayers speak the grief and longing of my heart. But I have none of my own.”

In that moment, her heart and emotions begged for art.

Moments like those–the great milemarkers of life and death and growth and memory and significance–need art. They need words and images of beauty to help the soul express what is sitting and stirring and rising inside.

I’m realizing how we, as a people of faith, in our stripped down warehouses of contemporary worship, have lost the beauty and transcendence that those true moments of worship deserve.

And our artists are awkwardly worship and wait in the corners of the sanctuaries, hoping to paint murals on the walls.

Thankfully, they are picking up their paintbrushes. Watch the beauty unfold.