Friday, August 30, 2002

The week, she ees almost over. I'll finish two projects today. Already finished one, in fact. I love that feeling of completion, knowing something is done, over, wrapped up, solid, secure. It's something I had control over (although I invite God's help), something I was able to put away in a file or folder and name it good. And yet I know that in the scheme of things, these continual projects are just part of the ebb and flow of my work life--I invest my energy in service, I use my mind, and I do my best. In that way, I feel connected to God as I work, whether I'm writing about OfficeXP (I have another blog called blogOfficeXP that talks about practical *computer* related things) or doing an article or writing these blog notes. Someday perhaps I'll also love the *not knowing* and be able to feel good/whole/comfortable even when completion isn't mine to control. For now, I sure like to get things finished.

Wednesday, August 28, 2002

Okay, it's been a great day. Logic says that's not possible, with the pressures from work, the multitude of looming deadlines, and the ticking of the clock (and the calendar). But you know what makes such an incredible difference that it can turn a day of impossible tasks into a light-hearted, uplifting day? People. People I enjoy working with, people who make me laugh, people who remind me that we're all in the same boat (which at the moment is overburdened with today's catch--thanks, Jesus!). The people make the difference. Kristen, Tim, Claudette, Suzanne. People. And the God in them. Thanks for making the impossible possible again today, Lord, through the people you send to help carry the load with a smile. :)
Where is this week *going*? I've barely had time to think. I updated my business site this morning and realized that there's a certain knowing that you grow into when you've been doing something for a long time. Do we become what we do? Or do we do what we are becoming? I keep seeing this image of a tulip opening...that's the way I've grown into my business...that's the way I've grown into myself...that's the way I've grown up in my relationship with God.

Saturday, August 24, 2002

A few moments ago, I had to share some difficult news with a friend and I heard her reaction mirror my own: stunned and sad. When we get unexpected or upsetting news--especially if it's an issue that has touched our lives in the past--we often feel the emotion before our minds can begin to make sense of what's happening. I heard this in my friend's voice and knew she didn't hear anything else I said. I know how much I need help in quickly getting over the stunned spots so that my mind can clear to hear what to do. In this case, our friends have asked for our prayers...after much struggle, they have decided to separate and divorce. We can only pray that God will continue to lead them and stay close, and make his will and love known to them, together and individually. Who among us knows what is best in these circumstances? Only love, only God, only healing has an answer.
It occurred to me this morning that sometimes my internal drive for success is really a fear that God won't provide. If I'm successful, I have the money-home-food-comfort-things I need and I don't have to be afraid of doing without. If I'm not successful, who knows what will happen? So the thought goes. But I know it's not real. It's not needed. It's just fear talking. The reality--which I have experienced over and over again--is that God *does* provide and God *is* faithful and God has a plan in place. I can (and do) release my fear-driven quest for success and let God show me how to give my gifts. "Concerning the work of my hands, Lord, command ye me." :)

Friday, August 23, 2002

Here's something I read this morning... "A healthy mind in a healthy body is free to find God." I have found that it's certainly easier to be aware of God in my daily life when I am not struggling emotionally or physically. I know that's true. But I've also found that God can slip silently into the midst of a horrible headache, lift heavy sadness, bring peace right into the middle of torment, and dissolve obstacles like they were never there. Thank goodness that we don't have to have a healthy mind and body before we can find God. It can make hearing him easier, but I think he does some of his best work when he reaches in and lifts us up in our weakest moments.

Thursday, August 22, 2002

For a refreshingly cool break in the middle of your workday, visit this site and watch and listen to the ever-clear James Taylor singing a beautiful new song and a sweet classic. Just a little rest stop along the way...CBS News | James Taylor’s October Road | August 20, 2002 09:57:49
Does it ever seem to you that we try too hard? We drive miles to church, we take classes, we read books, we reach and reach. We try to live according to our conscience, we "do the right thing", we agonize, we think, we pray, we work...and all of it is a kind of veiled effort to reach the God who has been living in us all along. Do our strivings make it harder for us to simply be with him? Just let me be with you, Father, through this day...and know I'm with you. That's all.

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

People on the radio this morning were talking about high school, the good old days, the times when you had it good and you didn't know how good you had it. Left me feeling a bit tenderhearted. I wonder whether my sons know that they are now living the best time of their lives. I wonder whether my daughter knows it. I wonder whether you and I do. There is no time but now. This moment, whether we're healthy or sick, strong or weak, happy or miserable, is truly the best time of our lives. God is near. God is here. Life courses through our veins. We breathe in and out, the common act of all living beings. The fact that we continue living another second more is an acceptance of a gift of life. Two weeks from now we may be tempted to look back and today and wish that we somehow could have held on to what it offered us--peace, sunshine, health, security, love. But that day, two weeks from now, will be the real moment, the real gift, on that day. Then, in that space and time, that day will offer us the best time of our lives. Wherever we stand, whatever month, whatever year, this day alone is the one in which we love each other and meet God. All other mementos we carry from the past are just crumbs of yesterday's manna.

Monday, August 19, 2002

One more quick one. We went to Canada and back to pick up my daughter Kelly this weekend. 1100 miles in about 30 hours. But a beautiful drive and good conversation along the way. If it's been a while since you've seen the country, since you saw with your own eyes the way the corn tassles move together and sway in the golden light of late afternoon, it's time for a road trip. Some beautiful things just can't be imagined, they can't be written about, and they can't be filmed. You've just got to see. With your own eyes. :)
A quick note. School is good. God is good. Cameron came out of school the first day with a big smile on his face."It's crazy," he said. "I already have four friends...and a girl *likes* me!" Not crazy, I thought. Prayer. :)

Wednesday, August 14, 2002

It's late and everyone's asleep. (Even Georgie the puppy is snoring behind me as I write.) It's been a long, full day...a day with trumpet lessons and football practice and lots of work. A day with anxious moments at bedtime as my 9-year-old son Cameron tried to settle in for the night, knowing that in the morning he wakes up to a new school year, in a new school, with all new kids. I sometimes forget how big and impossible the world can look to a 9-year-old; how big a lump being the New Kid puts in your throat, how a few uncomfortable moments can feel like they will last the whole rest of your life. I needed some real practical faith tonight as I stretched out beside Cameron and cuddled him close. I prayed and reminded us both that God is with us every second, and that God sees all the good in us and will help us with the fear part if we let him. As I packed Cameron's bookbag later, knowing he had finally drifted off to sleep, I wished that I had told him that everyone is uncomfortable--we're all uncomfortable--but the discomfort most often dissolves quickly when someone smiles at us or says "Good morning," or simply casts a friendly look our way. Little things lift. But to a 9-year-old perhaps you can only say, "It will be all right, honey. Wait and see."

Tuesday, August 13, 2002

Ever heard the phrase, "It's all in the details"? I just finished filling out this simple little questionnaire my son sent me...40 questions about your favorite color, favorite place, favorite song, best memory, and so on. Things like "What's in the trunk of your car right now?" and "What time do you wake up in the morning?". Little details that we rarely know or think to share about each other. As I answered these questions my heart just lifted. I sent this silly little thing to my mom, my dad, my brother, my kids, and my sweetie. I felt as though I was giving them a piece of my heart. Little, yes. Inconsequential, yes. But the joining is the thing. I want to be known by others and I want to know them, too. I want to know what time everybody wakes up in the morning because it's one human act we all share. It's joining. It makes us one. The very fact that you love someone--anyone--makes you part of me. I like that. :)

Monday, August 12, 2002

Expecting a sleepless night? Why not take in a meteor shower? Check out this link to see the calendar of all the meteor showers in 2002. Cool stuff.IMO Meteor Shower Calendar 2002

One time I was up praying late and I looked up in time to see a shooting star. I said a word of thanks and continued praying. A few minutes later, another shooting star. Then another. And another. After a total of six I stopped counting and went to bed, sure that I was either hallucinating, the world was coming to an end, or God was trying to tell me something in a really dramatic way and I was totally missing it. Now I'm thinking, meteor shower? Perhaps. :)

Sunday, August 11, 2002

Sometimes I think honoring God is as simple as thoroughly enjoying a strawberry milkshake.
This morning in meditation I found myself worrying about a meeting I'll have on Monday. It's a review of a project on which I was a developer...it turned out to be a complicated project and I'm wondering what people will say and I guess I'm concerned that I will be criticized. When I caught hold of the thought, I tried to offer it to God (and let go of it), and the prayer that followed was, "Let there be joining, and not separation, in that meeting." Peace is union. Division is disharmony. It had never occurred to me to pray for joining in all conflicts, but that is God's way--bringing us together, dissolving our fears, and embracing us all as one. TYG!

Saturday, August 10, 2002

If you don't know anything about A Course in Miracles and you'd like to see what it's all about, check out this web site. I've been studying ACIM for years. It shows us where to find "that of God" within us and leads us there by untangling the knots we create in our logical minds. Daily Workbook Lesson
Do you have a story too? Email it to me at kmurray@iquest.net and I'll put it up. :) k
I just got off the phone with a friend. She's been struggling to get some equilibrium in her life since her husband died last fall. She's had half a dozen jobs and quit them all; she stays as close to God as she can but her grief engulfs her sometimes. Just now she told me of a job she tried to quit at a wonderful little grocery store in Columbus, Indiana. The manager said, "No, wait--don't quit. Go home, calm down, and come back in the morning. I'll have something else for you to do." The next day when she went in, he told her a job in the bakery had opened up. It's the absolute perfect, loving thing for her. She's a grandma with a big heart and loves to cook for everyone. She didn't even have to think about it. We talked about the way God works--we each struggle and try and squint, trying to force ourselves to make sense out of our lives, but when God opens a door, it swings open like a breeze and we are carried in with arms of love. A good reminder. :)
Okay, so I won't keep clicking Publish to send the same message over and over. But it looks as though everything is working. I still have to figure out the links...Hey, this is cool! :)
Hello! and welcome to my first blog attempt. I've been fascinated with blogging ever since I first heard about it...I imagine it to have the potential to bring huge & wonderfully diverse groups of people together...reaching out, sharing, listening, thinking, encouraging, puzzling, trying, and being together. The most important points to me are these: (1) we each have experiences and insights to share that could help somebody else; (2) we are stronger together than we are apart (peace is union); and (3) not one of us is outside God's* love. (*whoever or whatever you understand him/her to be*)

I hope you'll enjoy the stories and thoughts on this blog and feel welcome to share your own. Let's begin! :) k

~p r a c t i c a l ~ f a i t h s c r i p t ~ Please drop me a note and let me know what you think of this blog so far (kmurray@iquest.net)
Hello! and welcome to my first blog attempt. I've been fascinated with blogging ever since I first heard about it...I imagine it to have the potential to bring huge & wonderfully diverse groups of people together...reaching out, sharing, listening, thinking, encouraging, puzzling, trying, and being together. The most important points to me are these: (1) we each have experiences and insights to share that could help somebody else; (2) we are stronger together than we are apart (peace is union); and (3) not one of us is outside God's* love. (*whoever or whatever you understand him/her to be*)

I hope you'll enjoy the stories and thoughts on this blog and feel welcome to share your own. Let's begin! :) k