tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36954942024-02-06T23:56:17.923-05:00Practical ~ faith ~Living a life blossoming in loveKatherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.comBlogger412125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-12943386826559628582013-12-03T08:00:00.001-05:002013-12-03T08:00:13.138-05:00Doing doing doing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeDU19vXyuJklLorJpHIU9jyWZPHFLn9b8Fqs8gBSFlHZdvrg4s8sW3VsNQREcrQxIFy4upTVXWo8tcCIL86FkO0-7OM-cWS5J62zk8QIOW4XB43rqtdI_gUrQHssHT4x4UjGRA/s1600/clouds+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeDU19vXyuJklLorJpHIU9jyWZPHFLn9b8Fqs8gBSFlHZdvrg4s8sW3VsNQREcrQxIFy4upTVXWo8tcCIL86FkO0-7OM-cWS5J62zk8QIOW4XB43rqtdI_gUrQHssHT4x4UjGRA/s200/clouds+017.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I was just reading a story an author had written about how much he tried, how hard he worked, and how unfairly he was treated. This is not an uncommon story, but what struck me was this: <em>everything he wrote about was external to himself and his own attitudes</em>. Those around him weren't getting the effort he'd put in. Circumstances weren't arranging themselves the way he hoped. One person couldn't get over their obvious resistance to his suggestions.<br />
<br />
I saw this as so much effort being thrown against a mirror. The figures in the mirror aren't going to change their actions until the person reflected there makes a change.<br />
<br />
Remember you're seeing reflections and projections today. What could change for you?Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-34756250487435916342013-11-21T14:53:00.001-05:002013-11-21T14:56:53.742-05:00Open for presenceIt's a mystery to me why some days have a kind of squeezed feeling, as though no matter how many things I cross off my list, there will always be more. It will never be enough. I will always feel I'm "winging it," never feeling solid, sure, rooted.<br />
<br />
And then other days things flow easily. Energy leads, God feels like everything and everywhere. Peace and security reign. What makes the difference? My diet? My list? My surroundings? Solar flares?<br />
<br />
Which is the real me? I know the answer to that: it is the part of me that is not separate, could never be separate, will not ever for a single moment in my life be separate from God. My soul knows that. Oh my mind, if you're in fact separate from my soul (but how can you be?), would you please try to remember too? <3 p=""><!--3--></3>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-2382321037028255532013-11-20T08:25:00.002-05:002013-11-20T08:25:46.201-05:00Blessing the all<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEpRoZ2EPWiHTHb8d16S1lUx9GbOMTxoRcKjbUViwmrk85T5STRoXJ8Mp-UpaHSVigVBgPz8zd7c6EWcusTBM2f-rclV_ng5ADfWqa7Cvohyj_fSDXXF2m373-nN-ufxHHNDx6w/s1600/IMG_3118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnEpRoZ2EPWiHTHb8d16S1lUx9GbOMTxoRcKjbUViwmrk85T5STRoXJ8Mp-UpaHSVigVBgPz8zd7c6EWcusTBM2f-rclV_ng5ADfWqa7Cvohyj_fSDXXF2m373-nN-ufxHHNDx6w/s200/IMG_3118.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<em>Precious God, Lord of all life, Lover of all creation, thank you for being present in every moment, every cell, every ray of light, every smile, every tear. Help us feel you in the space between our bodies, in the gaps of our understanding, in the place where no answers can be found, and in the unexpressed yearnings and doubts and confusions of our hearts and minds. You alone know the work of our souls, being knit together again in you. You love and bless and guide our work, day by day. May we see it. May we know it. May we rest in it. Amen.</em>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-5684210204224615142013-11-12T08:02:00.000-05:002013-11-12T08:02:10.514-05:00A prayer for the morning<em>Oh loving and precious Lord, who in the night spreads freshness over all the earth, please breathe your love easily to all who need it this morning. To those who struggle in the Phillipines, give your tender and protecting and guiding hand. To those fearful of the coming winter, help them feel a sense of "enoughness" and your constant, never-failing provision. To those facing the day alone, O God, be a loving companion and Guide, and to those who labor through the day without a sense of your divine holding, come alongside, O Lord, whisper in their ears, touch their hearts, that their spirits may be lifted and they may catch a gentle sense of the infinite Love and Care that is pouring out to them, even now and in every moment. Amen.</em>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-9935270606493692062013-03-11T21:44:00.001-04:002013-03-11T21:44:49.731-04:00Thank you, God<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVho5qdk0U12Fhn62EqhEbivC1ayxyQqdFMiaDj8Uv60Tlm0jn6I5XtrkJbw3S_YI0LRBWriRRyKjloIW9eYeMZNlDUZc3oaBx30s451tGpDcLFesEt2jhcpnK-B3WuTeeE9nb5Q/s1600/IMG_3701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVho5qdk0U12Fhn62EqhEbivC1ayxyQqdFMiaDj8Uv60Tlm0jn6I5XtrkJbw3S_YI0LRBWriRRyKjloIW9eYeMZNlDUZc3oaBx30s451tGpDcLFesEt2jhcpnK-B3WuTeeE9nb5Q/s200/IMG_3701.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
For a peaceful day * that my cold is GONE! * that the dogs are happy * that my mom is feeling better (and close) * for good energy * for tulips, just one inch tall so far * for the green twigs on the bush * for birdsong in the morning * for generosity everywhere * for the way opening for my son * for the great people I work with * for compassion pouring out from my heart * for compassion pouring out toward me * for a home I love * for Joseph * for answers to prayer * for answers when I didn't pray * for curiosity * for creativity * for everything that happened today * for fun dreams last night * for a good night's sleep (okay, that one is in anticipation). <em>Goodnight, God. Love you. </em>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-61751192691523680732013-01-14T08:01:00.002-05:002013-01-14T08:01:57.886-05:00Resistance to change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteabxmJIl4wB2aTgGXebMna6BIA9XcUEzUKnK6LRs_3qhkGNcwCvct3MJLWT-HucdljUY5WcPMR44e1lh75pyjg0tTGMhnMoXD6EHLMtZ-kN2do02fl6fcGWG9gnke3rs1kEf6Q/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteabxmJIl4wB2aTgGXebMna6BIA9XcUEzUKnK6LRs_3qhkGNcwCvct3MJLWT-HucdljUY5WcPMR44e1lh75pyjg0tTGMhnMoXD6EHLMtZ-kN2do02fl6fcGWG9gnke3rs1kEf6Q/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
I was surprised to find that what bubbled up this morning for me during my meditation time was a big heavy block of resistance to change. By actually letting the sweet thread of a past memory wind through my thoughts, I experienced all the warmth and comfort that event brought. And right at the end of that feeling, I also got a big dose of protective energy--<em>this is why I need to keep my life the way it i</em>s<em>, </em>the thought said.<br />
<br />
Ah, yes. Protection. Safety. Peace.<br />
<br />
There's something to be said for a life you know, a life you created and constructed, a life you love.<br />
<br />
But sometimes the process of growth calls us to new things. Doesn't it feel like such a risk to open to the possibility that things can change? What if changing brings loss? (and doesn't it always, in some sense, ultimately?) What if I'm less happy after allowing change in than I am right now? Couldn't I just go on as things are, balanced, peaceful, and calm?<br />
<br />
I don't believe that change has to be like Mount Vesuvius erupting. I think change can happen beautifully and with joy, like ice melting in warm sunshine. And yet I see that the way I've constructed and safeguarded my current reality, I see change as a threat to the existing order and not as the welcome fresh breezes of spring.<br />
<br />
That will be my ongoing meditation today, and a prayer for you, too, if you're in the same place. That we may smile at change as a friend, come to add even more blessing and love and beauty to our lives. And so it is. Amen.Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-5042177414635718692012-12-29T19:34:00.000-05:002012-12-29T19:34:00.765-05:00Let Us See What Love Has Done<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lnr3XuiciNwBTf2x9-lhStCnWxxxU6kUfbBaJtXpVjGZEpLY2g7pxRfj_PdIgGRGV4iaFrXPkUExs08jByB_3i3kshB6zZe6h9Jnt2h2kIctRrwZHh1Jo1Wr9Uftyl-NTbRIHQ/s1600/IMG_3763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_lnr3XuiciNwBTf2x9-lhStCnWxxxU6kUfbBaJtXpVjGZEpLY2g7pxRfj_PdIgGRGV4iaFrXPkUExs08jByB_3i3kshB6zZe6h9Jnt2h2kIctRrwZHh1Jo1Wr9Uftyl-NTbRIHQ/s200/IMG_3763.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Several weeks ago, sitting in silent worship at <a href="http://www.indyfriends.org/" target="_blank">Indianapolis First Friends Meeting</a>, I kept hearing the phrase, "Let us see what love will do," bubbling up over and over again from my heart. I accepted this as a gift of spirit and opened my eyes, looking in love around the beautiful, simple sanctuary. I saw bowed heads. <em>Let us see what love will do</em>. I saw the choir. <em>Let us see what love will do</em>. I saw families in front of me. <em>Let us see what love will do.</em><br />
<br />
I felt full of this loving mantra, a reminder to be here, right now, in the present moment, witnessing the movement of Love and its blessing.<br />
<br />
When I told my wonderful Writing as Ministry class at <a href="http://esr.earlham.edu/" target="_blank">Earlham School of Religion</a> about my experience the following Tuesday night, they quickly pointed out that this was a phrase of William Penn's, the first governor of Pennsylvania and a weighty Friend: "Let us then try what love will do." Whether I was channeling William Penn or hearing the fresh voice of Love arising in the silence, that beautiful phrase has stayed with me in the weeks since. <br />
<br />
Here at the end the year, I find myself reflecting on the movement of Love throughout my 2012. Yes, we have had challenges and tragedies--some of them unthinkable. Yes, we have had setbacks and frustrations: some of them carried out by those elected to represent us. But are we ending the year with more Love than we began it? Has Love carried us through the weeks, smiled in the face of challenge, and graced our lives when we didn't expect--or deserve--it?<br />
<br />
My reflection here at the end of 2012 is about noticing how Love has been at work in my life these past 12 months. Are my relationships at peace? Is there creativity in my life? Do I feel close to God--close enough to smile and say <em>thank you</em>, and close enough to throw the occasional temper tantrum? (I believe God understands and actually <em>enjoys </em>those.)<br />
<br />
As we end this year so full of blessing and heartbreak, let's stop for a minute and consider the moments Love changed everything. And let's hope--and watch--together for more of those moments in 2013.<br />
<br />
Peace, beloveds. And Happy New Year. :)Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-67338956656625289972012-11-23T13:28:00.000-05:002012-11-23T13:28:11.008-05:00Thanks, lived.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sm3pq1_chTuE2Naim3msixSfw8mIhgoDhHTt2DO12-mBIdhXG6ecen8XyyJ6LNowVDfjoz51fzj8MB7Qge4qQk71IrC6ImfW4tDiwewSbzbpfpBHWYO0F1rAI7nCJjW1Yk0hIg/s1600/IMG_3680.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0sm3pq1_chTuE2Naim3msixSfw8mIhgoDhHTt2DO12-mBIdhXG6ecen8XyyJ6LNowVDfjoz51fzj8MB7Qge4qQk71IrC6ImfW4tDiwewSbzbpfpBHWYO0F1rAI7nCJjW1Yk0hIg/s200/IMG_3680.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Yesterday I had such a sense of thankfulness. And the day was so completely full that it wasn't until after midnight, when everthing was cleaned up and returned to right order, that I actually took time to pray my thanks. But throughout the day, there were moments when I felt every breath was a thank you. Each happy look from one family member to another was a thank you. The oranges and blackberries on the table were thank yous. The quiet settling over my family, lined up on either side of the long banquet table, was a silent <em>thank you</em>.<br />
<br />
Maybe in its heart of hearts, the pulse of an appreciated life beats <em>thank you, thank you, thank you.</em><br />
<br />
Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-9495856700029185632012-04-17T13:29:00.003-04:002012-04-17T13:29:26.315-04:00God is my marketing manager :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZNpFNywVZpP7Rm4I2JgqBJrcaOmHCGJMhAuV6u_F6gVVACwWJY3NnZUV5VJdJ5BEhij4Gb7Vjq0t3Hky2hM6NKvDTuPSiqAn61e7um9qOV7-DoWidVLriTfLagwpOAUwaI1aaQ/s1600/spiritual_direction_brochure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZNpFNywVZpP7Rm4I2JgqBJrcaOmHCGJMhAuV6u_F6gVVACwWJY3NnZUV5VJdJ5BEhij4Gb7Vjq0t3Hky2hM6NKvDTuPSiqAn61e7um9qOV7-DoWidVLriTfLagwpOAUwaI1aaQ/s200/spiritual_direction_brochure.jpg" width="93" /></a></div>
Well, my *everything* manager, really. But this morning, instead of what I'd <em>intended </em>to do (which was write the chapter of a new book), I completely revamped the brochure I created for my spiritual direction practice. I'm really excited about the way the practice is going--plus I find it fascinating that all my experience in technology is actually weaving itself even into the life of spirit. Now we can meet virtually by Skype, Google+, email, IM, or another video-or-voice offering and share the same sense of the sacred and good, warm-hearted connection. <a href="http://www.revisionsplus.com/spiritual_direction_brochure_041712_final.pdf" target="_blank">Here's my new brochure</a>--feel free to share it with anyone you think might be interested! Peace.Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-25348880756586867032012-04-16T09:35:00.001-04:002012-04-16T09:35:30.406-04:00What's God creating right now?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzckffY7jOdQKQIda3NR1BMG45rCC_VmnQ6NLjD53aLsGsrcyWVINYgXiTLGLmZ3YzUlMEljHVQhvkAByStEX-otZEQeBwftlIWo2qvj-DtD9mK4wv7FV6cu2667LIjGV8yHC8Vg/s1600/IMG_1816.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzckffY7jOdQKQIda3NR1BMG45rCC_VmnQ6NLjD53aLsGsrcyWVINYgXiTLGLmZ3YzUlMEljHVQhvkAByStEX-otZEQeBwftlIWo2qvj-DtD9mK4wv7FV6cu2667LIjGV8yHC8Vg/s200/IMG_1816.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I was thinking this morning about how easy it is to get caught up in the idea of ministry. We can think it's something "out there" or "something I'll do when I retire" or "something I'd like to pursue if I have the time/money/support/opportunity." <br />
<br />
As a person who went to seminary, I can say that I had that idea of ministy--maybe I should write it Ministry--for a long time. I designed programs. I looked for jobs. I thought about the days when I'd be free to live out that which God was stirring within me.<br />
<br />
But the older I've gotten, and the more I've lived, the more I've healed relationships, the more I've opened to life as it arising in the moment. God is here. God is living. God is inspiring and moving us--as a community, as a family, as person-and-pet, as nana-and-grandson--to create a moment of love. Right now. This instant.<br />
<br />
Who is around you? What is around you? What living beings are in your environment at right this very minute? You are together creating a moment of love that won't come again. That in its truest sense--in my understanding anyway--is your real ministry. All the rest is someday and wanna-do. It's not where the life of God is moving, blessing, reaching, comforting, and laughing, because that's happening in this exact, precise, and perfect moment.<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-35212518367503177842012-04-04T11:25:00.001-04:002012-04-04T11:27:56.111-04:00That look<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjyKicagip-p1bmZcnOuWr1MxKFVpXAtAc-93FzdYPU_hsc1ojCS69nECoyrJTO8ADuoKrz0lscUvTmkqRrNsLkNYdetTuEpf3TXkPo5V9fGFZg7_g-Ovf81CcTTg00FwoRf_fw/s1600/IMAGE_911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFjyKicagip-p1bmZcnOuWr1MxKFVpXAtAc-93FzdYPU_hsc1ojCS69nECoyrJTO8ADuoKrz0lscUvTmkqRrNsLkNYdetTuEpf3TXkPo5V9fGFZg7_g-Ovf81CcTTg00FwoRf_fw/s200/IMAGE_911.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
This morning I collapsed into the big chair to begin my meditation time, hoping for a peaceful sense that would wash away the stress still clinging to me from yesterday's challenges. As I settled in to the quiet dark, an image began to appear in my mind's eye...it was the image of sitting in a crowded room, where Jesus was preparing to teach. I noticed the sense of quiet and stillness--is that peace?--that surrounded him like a cloud. The group still chatted and jostled, getting comfortable in their seats, leaning forward with questions, hungry for direction, for confirmation, for next steps. Jesus silently looked around the room, a small, loving half-smile on his face. He embodied such quiet!<br />
<br />He glanced over the crowd and, almost like a spotlight shining on buildings on a summer night, his gaze had an illumining effect. Each person he touched with his eyes grew quiet, peaceful, waiting. I felt him start to look my way and felt both like hiding my eyes and looking back. I sat still, and our eyes met, and in that instant I knew, like the woman at the well, he knew everything I'd ever done, and it didn't matter. He loved me anyway. The twinkle in his eye told me that. That delicious peace of perfect acceptance spread over me, too. I watched in wonder as his gaze touched every person in the place, and their hunger was satiated and their questions were answered. <br />
<br />Soon we were all sitting in perfect peace. And he hadn't said a word.<br />
<br />Now our meditations can begin.<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-34774314204447179672012-04-02T16:01:00.002-04:002012-04-02T16:01:35.494-04:00A life blossoming in love :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNVbKD3SXmhWpVUHpQu8eoX0fn_t-i_yazvGDbmv_oHUabHV7MfA7RQCU8QnWTEyzKdAffkdBsMY8gNg6EQigXLChJm-cxwCM9jP_nlDDfh4TY73nh6-xoGLlihh4YWyHkaovbw/s1600/IMG_1595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfNVbKD3SXmhWpVUHpQu8eoX0fn_t-i_yazvGDbmv_oHUabHV7MfA7RQCU8QnWTEyzKdAffkdBsMY8gNg6EQigXLChJm-cxwCM9jP_nlDDfh4TY73nh6-xoGLlihh4YWyHkaovbw/s200/IMG_1595.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Years ago, when I was in my first year of seminary, the professor of my Pastoral Care to the Dying and Their Families class asked us, on the first night of class, to write out whatever we wanted to appear on our headstones. I thought that was an interesting first exercise, and the phrase I wanted on mine instantly filled my head. It was <em>A Life Blossoming in Love.</em> The image that went along with that saying was a vine of morning glories, lush and purple and blue and open to the morning sun.<br />
<br />
In the years since, I had many ministry experiences--most of them wonderful--as I worked as a chaplain, a spiritual director, and now teaching at the seminary level. I feel very connected to God's goodness and the sweet, moving energy of life. But still I wonder: What's next? Should I write a big book on Eco-Spirituality that <em>really sums up</em> <em>everything</em> I feel about God and nature and our flourishing lives? Should I find a new chaplaincy position somewhere, so I could return to that amazing and unique work that I loved so much? Should I look for a position as a spiritual director on staff at a retreat center, or start my own workshop schedule...or...or...or?<br />
<br />
I am not certain why I am always looking for the right "fit" for what stirs my spirit. Could it be a lack of trust that what's unfolding is the Right Thing? Could be. Or could it be that my spirit is stretching and yearning for that big thing that's just around the corner? Could be.<br />
<br />
I don't really know.<br />
<br />
But today an interesting link led me, of all places, to this article on Oprah's website: <a href="http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Six-Word-Memoirs-O-Magazine-Mini-Memoirs">http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Six-Word-Memoirs-O-Magazine-Mini-Memoirs</a>. And I decided to create some mental space, go outside in the sun, and prayerfully invite my own six-word phrase to bubble up. Suddenly, instantly, I knew it, and it was only five words: <em>A Life Blossoming in Love.</em> I've known it for years! And it really is the hub around which my life revolves--God, family, home, and work.<br />
<br />
I am not sure why I do so much pushing and prodding and analyzing and wondering and waiting, when I've already written my memoir. I already <em>know</em> what my life is about. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that. In fact all the dust clouds and questions and doubt that gets kicked up around that bigger sense of life purpose could just be my industrious crazy-making ego, wanting to feel in control of the show.<br />
<br />
Could be. :)Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-75076483045478352032012-01-12T09:00:00.001-05:002012-01-12T09:00:28.854-05:00Thinking about "sinners"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeDU19vXyuJklLorJpHIU9jyWZPHFLn9b8Fqs8gBSFlHZdvrg4s8sW3VsNQREcrQxIFy4upTVXWo8tcCIL86FkO0-7OM-cWS5J62zk8QIOW4XB43rqtdI_gUrQHssHT4x4UjGRA/s1600/clouds+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqeDU19vXyuJklLorJpHIU9jyWZPHFLn9b8Fqs8gBSFlHZdvrg4s8sW3VsNQREcrQxIFy4upTVXWo8tcCIL86FkO0-7OM-cWS5J62zk8QIOW4XB43rqtdI_gUrQHssHT4x4UjGRA/s200/clouds+017.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I noticed something really interesting this morning. In the book of Mark, right after Jesus had walked by the tax collector's booth and invited Levi (later called Matthew, one of the other Gospel authors) to come along, he was having dinner at Levi's house. And it was a motley crew--not the typical upper eschelon of guests you might expect at a dinner party with a popular teacher. The curious thing to me is that the word <em>sinners</em> appears in this passage (Mark 2:15-16) in quotation marks. <br />
<br />
I've been an editor for 20-some years, and we typically use quotation marks to set off a word used in a common way that might not be a completely accurate fit for what you're trying to say. The quotation marks mean "we don't really mean it quite this way, but this is what people call it." Like "debt-free," when they mean, well, not quite. And "low-calorie," when they are hoping you'll think the product is good for you, but they know it chocks you full of your sodium allotment for the day.<br />
<br />
So "sinners" to me means, well, this is a word everybody uses, but we don't really mean it. The commentary in my NIV defines <em>sinners</em> (no quotation marks) as "Notoriously evil people as well as those who refused to follow the Mosaic law as interpreted by the teachers of the law. The term was commonly used of tax collectors, adulterers, robbers and the like."<br />
<br />
Ouch. Notoriously evil people? But not really (because of the quotation marks). Perhaps those quotes mean "some people" thought of them as "sinners." But not Jesus. And not me.<br />
<br />
Have you ever been in a church where the preacher spewed fire and brimstone and talked about how we're all sinners and don't deserve the grace given us? I have. It's not fun. Besides my own inner resistence to that type of spewing, I don't think it honors God to tell God's children they are inherently bad. <br />
<br />
But think about this--wouldn't it take the sting out of that angry preacher's words if he stopped and made the little "air quotation mark" sign whenever he said the word <em>sinners</em>? It would for me! What a great image. I feel the tension fade away. <em>Nobody's really a sinner</em>, those little air quotation marks say. <em>We are just in different points of understanding as we continue to wake up to our divine relationship with God.</em><br />
<br />
So let's relax. And love. And have dinner with Jesus and the other disciples. I notice the word <em>disciples</em> doesn't have quotation marks around it. And that's got to be saying something.<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-65812288363629941362012-01-11T08:20:00.001-05:002012-01-11T08:20:25.330-05:00The karma of Genesis<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteabxmJIl4wB2aTgGXebMna6BIA9XcUEzUKnK6LRs_3qhkGNcwCvct3MJLWT-HucdljUY5WcPMR44e1lh75pyjg0tTGMhnMoXD6EHLMtZ-kN2do02fl6fcGWG9gnke3rs1kEf6Q/s1600/IMG_1065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteabxmJIl4wB2aTgGXebMna6BIA9XcUEzUKnK6LRs_3qhkGNcwCvct3MJLWT-HucdljUY5WcPMR44e1lh75pyjg0tTGMhnMoXD6EHLMtZ-kN2do02fl6fcGWG9gnke3rs1kEf6Q/s200/IMG_1065.JPG" width="200" /></a>As I mentioned a few weeks back, I was inspired by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_M%C3%BCller" target="_blank">George Muller</a> to begin reading my Bible every morning again--I hadn't done this for years--and I am just loving this quiet study time in the early mornings. I have always loved reading the Bible and experiencing the openings the text (and spirit) brings each time I read. A few days ago I read again about Jacob and Esau and all the trickery and deceit that went on in order to secure Jacob's blessing. Rebekah had a big part in that, and poor Isaac! Lying there dying and his own family is tricking him into doing something he didn't want to do. What about the intention of the heart? What about honoring a patriarch's wishes?</div>
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
It seems bizarre to me that in this early book, we are being shown that blessing can be secured by deceitful practices--that the ends justifies the means. Or that you have to be willing to do anything to make the scriptures true (which doesn't seem to me to be something that God would really want to say or intend).</div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
This morning, reading about the crazy childbearing competition between Leah and Rachel (Jacob's wives--and, by the way, is there anyone he <em>didn't</em> sleep with?), I thought, "Well, this chicken has come home to roost." Jacob's deceitfulness in tricking his father, and his unholy (my word) competition with his well-intentioned older brother, seems to be appearing in Jacob's family in the competition between his wives. I wonder, in today's narrative framework, whether we would consider that Jacob was reaping what he sowed--practices aimed at self-glorification, positioning, and greed, instead of a loving, harmonious, God-blessing home.</div>
<br />
I wouldn't want to live in that tent! I'd rather have fewer children and no honor and live harmoniously with God than trick my siblings or my husband or sister into giving up their blessing for me. But maybe...just maybe...the fact that I today would choose love over self-glory has something to do with the way Jesus turned (and turns) life inside-out, bringing right order and freedom that opens the path for love.<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-40595663709765693352011-12-22T08:30:00.003-05:002011-12-22T08:33:24.756-05:00Choices for healing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PdO0AuLFbPaUgU9KOWkrOBWetn6Q1KAxl5CKxSxLYe7_5d-0ZadYn2-NTboThjdDpf6Km7zHeX48bZ8XNQcm7NfGQ4kPlwYFmpF7duQAqVeXdh2i8_Zx0j5Xol3pW01dN0i2zw/s1600/IMG_0219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="111" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8PdO0AuLFbPaUgU9KOWkrOBWetn6Q1KAxl5CKxSxLYe7_5d-0ZadYn2-NTboThjdDpf6Km7zHeX48bZ8XNQcm7NfGQ4kPlwYFmpF7duQAqVeXdh2i8_Zx0j5Xol3pW01dN0i2zw/s200/IMG_0219.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I've been coughing my way through this week with what turns out to be a sinus infection. I rarely get sick and even more rarely feel the need to go to the doctor for anything. I tend to think that the body is a pretty miraculous thing and that it (mostly) balances and heals itself if we don't get too much in the way with medicines and such. I'm not prescribing that approach for anyone else, of course--but that's how I tend to look at the care of my physical well-being: I go to the doctor only if I have to. <br />
<br />
But this week things looked like I was heading down Have To Lane. My cough got worse and worse; I couldn't sleep; I couldn't eat. I finally decided that if I wanted to be well enough to enjoy Christmas with my family, I'd better go let the doctor tell me what's going on and prescribe something if needed. The diagnosis: sinus infection. And today, after 24 hours on the antibiotic, I feel about 85% better. Thank God.<br />
<br />
This morning the passage I read was in Matthew 9, which was fitting. It was the story of Jesus saying to the paralyzed man, "Your sins are forgiven," and then, when the Pharisees gasped in shock and whispered, "Blasphemy!", he responded, "Which is easier, to say 'Your sins are forgiven,' or 'Get up and walk'?" So he then told the man to get up and go home, which he did, to the astonishment of all the people looking on.<br />
<br />
After my bout with sickness this week, I looked at that passage a little differently. Instead of just marveling that Jesus was able to do that, I heard that we have choices about how we heal, and about how we help others find healing. For some, it's through church. For others, it's through the doctor. For still others, it's through alternative routes. Some people go directly to the spiritual or mental cause; others focus on solving the physical puzzle. I love that the path we choose for healing--or the channel by which wholeness returns to us--may be less important than the fact that we heal. That feels freer and more in line with a big-hearted, compassionate, Everywhere God.<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-77832991037408932462011-12-20T05:52:00.000-05:002011-12-20T05:52:33.192-05:00Would you just please leave?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQC9YQtci0H87ACqPQORXDLqJsB1Lbzjmvx6PAdJIiy0Ts-7sFExA5R_YhRtJDhdNHHFHD-zRqMHYMHij0Bh03CHkYigBiC9afetGPX1VqmS3h3xo00vJZ6gxtaxalAicGOSKww/s1600/101_2097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQC9YQtci0H87ACqPQORXDLqJsB1Lbzjmvx6PAdJIiy0Ts-7sFExA5R_YhRtJDhdNHHFHD-zRqMHYMHij0Bh03CHkYigBiC9afetGPX1VqmS3h3xo00vJZ6gxtaxalAicGOSKww/s200/101_2097.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
It seems to me that the eighth chapter of Matthew is all about how people project all over Jesus, and what they project determines how much blessing they are able to receive from him.The chapter starts off with a man who has leprosy; he believes his healing is possible, and he believes Jesus is the guy to do it. "If you're willing," he says, "you can make me clean." Jesus tells him he is willing and the man is healed and whole.<br />
<br />
Then the centurion comes along and asks for help because his servant at home is suffering terribly. Jesus feels compelled to go help the servant, but the centurion stops him (which is interesting in its own right) and says, "No need--you can just say the word and it will be done" (because God's words do not return void). Jesus is surprised and pleased by the centurion's faith, and the servant healed "at that very hour."<br />
<br />
Then, in the boat with the disciples, a "furious storm" arose and the waves were sweeping over the boat. The guys woke Jesus in a panic, and he stretched and made a comment about their lack of faith, and then rebuked the waves and wind. I wonder what he did there, don't you? Did he take a big dramatic Moses pose and throw his arms up in the air and yell something boldly at the thrashing environment? Or did he simply lift his hand and make a simple, smoothing gesture, and all was calm? In any case, the disciples were baffled and likely a bit frightened by the power of the one in the boat with them.They asked, "What kind of *man* is this?" (emphasis mine; it's an important question!)<br />
<br />
And finally, in the demons-to-pigs story, Jesus casts the evil spirits in two violent, demon-possessed men into a herd of pigs, which run crazily into the lake and drown (which makes me sad--poor, innocent pigs). Instead of marveling at the healing power of this visitor, the townspeople freaked out and "pleaded with him to leave their region." The commentary in my NIV says the people were more worried about their own possible financial losses than they were the healing or saving power that cleaned the psyche of those two miserable men. This resonates so much with me in terms of the personal cost our own healing may bring--if you get healthy, will it cost you the relationship you're in? If you begin treating customers more fairly, will you lose some of your income? If you give money to causes you care about, advocate for the disempowered, speak up for the voiceless, invite the rejected to your table, will someone, some place, or some system say to you, "Would you just please leave?"<br />
<br />
The receptivity of our environment has so much to do with how our gifts are received, whether we are designing a web page for someone, ministering to the elderly, or reading a child a book. It took me years to grasp this. Whatever our actions, our own internal motivation is important (the clearer and the more compassionate, the better, I think), but the receptivity of the environment, which includes the type of image that is taking shape in that place and time--<em>who do you say I am?</em>--has a big shaping influence on the outcome. If someone has a mistaken idea of you, that thought shapes their relationship with you. If a group is not ready for an idea you suggest, chances are that your good idea won't blossom--right away, anyway. We're not "doing ministry" or "teaching others" or "serving the group" as though it's a one-way action that flows from us to them. We are co-creating, in every moment, a shared experience--you, me, others, the thought environment, the physical environment, and God.Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-43410699314810405432011-12-19T07:54:00.001-05:002011-12-19T07:55:52.085-05:00Smiting and other miscommunications<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iz7ogoQFMEOjAFG-R-kgVxz-ygTn_JuwuLKOVOFh5l-CBIgztyZoGRULh_vVfEwZEJqJ9j57-ZrGxlfsKhKd8h8BL2-C9Q2W2CGajRnR3whEiynwzXzZ9tW7BOuvUlcv6Qo37Q/s1600/IMAGE_908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-iz7ogoQFMEOjAFG-R-kgVxz-ygTn_JuwuLKOVOFh5l-CBIgztyZoGRULh_vVfEwZEJqJ9j57-ZrGxlfsKhKd8h8BL2-C9Q2W2CGajRnR3whEiynwzXzZ9tW7BOuvUlcv6Qo37Q/s200/IMAGE_908.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Have you ever had a book let you know it's time to read it? I have had a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/George-Muller-Bristol-Prayer-Faith/dp/0825434645/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324296114&sr=1-2">George Muller biography</a> for quite a while, but it sat on my bookshelf unopened. I bought the book after hearing about how Muller was able to care for 10,000 orphans in England in his lifetime and start a number of schools, without ever asking a single person for support. He literally prayed for all the support he and those in his care needed, and God provided, every single time. Muller knew what it was to live a life of prayer, and he was willing to keep after God, praying and listening, until he understood that his prayers were answered. A few days ago my attention was suddenly drawn to the book on my shelf and I knew it was time to read it. I picked it up and began scanning different pages, and then wondered what <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Muller" target="_blank">Wikipedia might say about Muller</a>, which lead me to all of <a href="http://www.dustandashes.com/index.php?id=434">George's narratives</a>, which are available free online (although you do have to create an account and log in to read them).<br />
<br />
One of George's favorite practices was to read the Bible every day, reading at least one chapter from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament at each sitting. I've always loved the Bible (exegesis in seminary was one of my favorite courses, which surprised me!) and although I do read passages fairly often, I haven't done a consistent, daily study of it for years. [Note that I am aware as I write this that the Bible has gotten a bad rep because people often want to beat each other over the head with what they feel is true or not true about it and try to make others conform to their own interpretations. My own love of the Bible comes from what I would call an almost mystical sense of connection and "eye-opening" that arises as I read it--I consider it a gift from Spirit. I would never force my understanding of what I read on someone else; but I would invite you to read similar passages and hear what your heart and spirit says to you about them.]<br />
<br />
As I began this daily practice, one of the first new ideas that leapt out at me had to do with the story of "the Fall." I've read Genesis over and over through the years (most recently as part of a course I teach in Eco-Spirituality), but one thing I never noticed before was the cause-and-effect aspect of God's action in the Garden of Eden. When God creates this lavish, abundant, perfect environment and places Adam and Eve in this lush landscape, God tells them about the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. God tells them not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil "for you shall surely die," but he doesn't put any constraints on the Tree of Life. Eat away! Life forever! I want you here in the Garden with me for eternity because you are so much in harmony with me--we will be great companions, living and walking and talking here.<br />
<br />
And then the serpent comes along and calls God a liar, telling Eve, "you won't die--you'll have so much understanding that you'll be like God!" And with that seed of distrust planted in Eve's mind, she wonders about God's motives and decides that it's worth the risk--she eats the fruit. And it tastes good! She shares it with Adam. And their eyes are opened, and they see they are naked and they are ashamed and they hide from God. They are no longer in harmony with the divinity that created them--a new vibration has begun which has already separated them from living in awareness of All Good.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it's their new-found knowledge of good and evil that causes them to fear God, the one who created them and gave them every abundant thing. Did they project their own inner guilt onto God, turning God into a wrathful, tricking tyrant? What images were now in their heads as a result of believing that good and evil could exist in their former paradise? <br />
<br />
What happens next is heartbreaking, I think more for God than for Adam and Eve. God tells them they must leave the Garden--God can't have them ruining all of paradise by running around dividing everything into Good and Evil categories. God has already handled that--God created it all and named it Good! Plus the fact that they now look for evil and distrust creation means that they will likely create all sorts of drama in their lives, so God has to put a limit on the whole Tree of Life thing. They will need a rest after a few hundred years of ego-centric experience-making. So cherubim are put in the Garden to guard the Tree of Life so that Adam and Eve can no longer eat its fruit.<br />
<br />
And you know what? Because their access to the Tree of Life is blocked, Adam and Eve will no longer life forever. God's statement about avoiding the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is now the effect of their distrustful act: "You will surely die." Not immediately, and not next Tuesday, but at the end of your days, there will be a limit on your existence. You are now mortal. That momentary distrust has widened and hardened into a gulf between God and people; they will no longer walk together in the cool of the evening and experience the same level of trustful connection they had just hours ago.<br />
<br />
And then God makes them clothes--such a tender resignation/preparation for the existence they have chosen for themselves!--a sad, gentle attempt at care by a God who would develop a reputation for smiting just a few chapters later. It makes me wonder--is smiting really a part of God's nature? Or a result of ingesting the LSD of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Because suddenly people feel threatened and judged and they make God angry and they need to offer sacrifices (what? kill the life God so beautifully just created?) to win God's favor. It all leaves me wondering what God looked like to us before we ate from that damned tree. If there was never an interruption in trust, if you still walked in the Garden in the cool of the day with God, if the fall had never happened for you, what would that feel like right now?<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-36971764134542565222011-11-29T07:24:00.001-05:002011-11-29T07:26:07.938-05:00Earth intention<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQrNDtvU1hx-pKTWFiTi2E8ZAydghrZUFbTiaj-Yg8h6nbXkpIY5FPi1GztCWCr213ZAZPl7SgV3TPVXuFQiZYqtdML2E5tw0gDxn0fTgOxoS1PymV43_XQIZhtFks0X3mc7p6g/s1600/WP_000038.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" dda="true" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQrNDtvU1hx-pKTWFiTi2E8ZAydghrZUFbTiaj-Yg8h6nbXkpIY5FPi1GztCWCr213ZAZPl7SgV3TPVXuFQiZYqtdML2E5tw0gDxn0fTgOxoS1PymV43_XQIZhtFks0X3mc7p6g/s200/WP_000038.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 11.25pt 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", "sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: 0.25pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">What comes up for me when I ask what my intention is has nothing to do with far-distant time but is that my actions today might be in harmony with what brings about a healthier, better loved planet so that no more trees have to suffer, no more species go extinct, rivers can run clear, villages are safe, children have clean air to breathe, and people feel a real living connection with the earth. The result might come soon or not-so-soon, but I want my actions today to be in alignment with that ideal of alleviated suffering and restored harmony.</span></div>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-42054738553198115112011-10-13T08:43:00.002-04:002011-10-13T08:50:09.060-04:00And one day, life :)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCw0X1xOr2j6VMYtgSj_O_iq6cfVE5sidnkGkr1CC7A5oSjO81FHVFBTg7SXqvBsAXv3EF_1DVpXR98CuHjwdpuLnMjTA-LC5WG809flIVdv3bR0t2pMe66-c2Z8V6-U2p5Syyg/s1600/clouds+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCw0X1xOr2j6VMYtgSj_O_iq6cfVE5sidnkGkr1CC7A5oSjO81FHVFBTg7SXqvBsAXv3EF_1DVpXR98CuHjwdpuLnMjTA-LC5WG809flIVdv3bR0t2pMe66-c2Z8V6-U2p5Syyg/s200/clouds+017.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
I'm feeling a kind of rolling blessing inside today, a big beautiful cloud of quiet joy that is edged with a lining of contentment. It's funny to me that these words and all the emotions connected to them bubble up so clearly now, because I awoke with that "I'm behind!" feeling, aware that almost all the projects I'm involved in at the moment (eight of them at once! Unthinkable) range from <em>a little behind schedule</em> to <em>a lot behind schedule</em>. <br />
<br />
That's not like me, as I have known "me" in the past. Deadlines have been non-negotiable lines in the sand. You just make them. It doesn't matter whether you have to work all night, or skip meals, or forget to take the dogs out (sorry, dogs). You just have to make those deadlines. That keeps food on the table and the roof over your family's head and besides, you gave your word. Your agreement to those deadlines is your bond.<br />
<br />
Except grace comes and hangs around, haunting you. And one day, it moves into your space. And life curls its breezy little finger at you and you have to go see what party it's inviting you to. Years ago I didn't have room for this type of grace in my work. I did have a place for it in my life--usually with my kids--but that playful, life-arising energy had to sit outside in the hall when I was working. I was too busy for exploring. I had deadlines to meet.<br />
<br />
And deadlines are still important to me today, but the beckoning finger that life used to draw me hesitantly out into the sunshine before has become a living force within me. It <em>moves</em> me now and causes me to throw my arms open and breathe in, deeply, and damn the deadlines (for the moment). It offers me choices and directs me when it can, and somehow it has become a stronger energy than the tight, clamped down, <em>gotta-do-it</em> energy I used in the past to keep a tight grasp on my projects.<br />
<br />
I can't explain it except to say that life has moved in, somehow, and animated the moments, bringing joy and warmth and energy to everything--my teaching, my speaking, even my technical writing. For that matter, I can write a check today and feel attuned to spirit moving. It's a beautiful, wonderful thing--an almost inexpressible richness of being. A swelling, swirling, beautiful cloud of life arising right now, and right now, and <em>right now</em>.<br />
<br />
Of course I have to deal with my deadlines, and of course I need to finish my projects, and I will. But it's so infinitely much better to feel connected to the spirit of creation--with all its love and joy and color and possibility--while I do. <br />
<br />
I am grateful. :)<br />
<br />Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-38756977067156803302011-09-15T08:42:00.000-04:002011-09-15T08:45:37.040-04:00Creating the day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZN8opj5tOTIYRBig_rsh0vXiT6Vjg8si8ZNST62P36GNyadMB4-V2DcPijxuS-08sSodkqKTXtjRDrAqPxDQ4jyyT2P3t_F4l8SzamUV6N29Lzxx0szXYb7qXFKcKyZnhcjk0Ug/s1600/mushrooms.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZN8opj5tOTIYRBig_rsh0vXiT6Vjg8si8ZNST62P36GNyadMB4-V2DcPijxuS-08sSodkqKTXtjRDrAqPxDQ4jyyT2P3t_F4l8SzamUV6N29Lzxx0szXYb7qXFKcKyZnhcjk0Ug/s200/mushrooms.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I've been thinking a lot lately about the images we create in our heads--or perhaps, I should say *I* create in my head, although I think it's a pretty universal tendency--and then react against them. For example, this morning I woke up with anxiety running around inside me. The images popping into my brain almost right away had to do with deadlines, and expectations, and responsibilities. How would I get it all done? I'd better leap right out of bed and get busy!<br />
<br />
But I noticed that anxiety was driving the start of my day, and I decided I wanted to reset things and start over. So I prayed to release that "image of lack" that was making me want to spring into action during a time when I normally pray and meditate and do yoga. I wondered what positive gift would fill that hole left by the now-erased "image of lack," and a sense of creation popped in there.<br />
<br />
Okay, I create my day. I've heard that a thousand times. Maybe today I can get closer to understanding that and seeing the effects. So as I started my morning, I decided to choose as a kind of mantra/affirmation that I have what I need ("no lack") to create my day. So my inner mantra was a kind of Q&A session:<br />
<ul><br />
<i>Do I have the courage I need to create my day?</i> Yes.<br />
<i>Do I have the knowledge I need to create my day?</i> Yes.<br />
<i>Do I have the desire I need to create my day? </i>Yes.<br />
<i>Do I have the support I need to create my day? </i>Yes.</ul>
<br />
These questions help me fill that former "image of lack" with the very real tools I have for creating my day, affirming that the power flows through me to create a day in harmony with God's principles of love, peace, honesty, goodness, and abundance. I am hopeful for the day ahead, and look forward to that moment when I turn off the light, feeling "this was a good day." I will let you know! :)Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-14744516612273666612011-08-18T15:46:00.000-04:002011-08-18T15:46:59.103-04:00The beauty of bread labor<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9REXV_GxMqArtMTSoctzAPPldeEML7KX-dQPo7qekaFEk8BLXYoyAeiViDp-ttVXacLIhpvsrzxKO0LCYct8hoHG4Yot8gp3S9MpdKvfLH3RqodX6mdjXfKerm8WenhodQ1iGw/s1600/blackberry_jam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9REXV_GxMqArtMTSoctzAPPldeEML7KX-dQPo7qekaFEk8BLXYoyAeiViDp-ttVXacLIhpvsrzxKO0LCYct8hoHG4Yot8gp3S9MpdKvfLH3RqodX6mdjXfKerm8WenhodQ1iGw/s200/blackberry_jam.jpg" /></a></div><br />
A friend and I went to our State Fair yesterday and had a wonderful, dusty, hot afternoon visiting cows and lambs, pigs and horses. We saw the old farm equipment and stopped to talk to a blacksmith. We ran into a few friends and laughed and chatted like people who have nothing better to do on a Wednesday afternoon. On the way home, we talked about honest work. Simple, meaningful tasks you do with your hands to create a life. So much of what we do now is head work, intellectual figuring, technology wrangling, web wrestling. It's not tangible labor that makes us sweat and gives us something solid to see for our efforts. This summer I've been spending a lot of time doing things that have more connection to "reality"--baking bread, making my own yogurt, learning how to can jams and vegetables. It feels so good! There is something immediate and contactful about it. And I feel that *all of me* is involved in the effort--not just my head, and not just my skills. It feels like a whole experience.<br />
I just ran across this page where <a href="http://www.mkgandhi.org/journalist/bread_labour.htm">Ghandi is talking about the sacredness of "bread labor,"</a> and after this wonderfull--and wonder-full--summer, I think I know what he means.Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-69036645526348902302010-04-05T08:49:00.002-04:002010-04-05T08:55:01.898-04:00Rolling the Stone AwayI hope wherever you are in the world and whatever tradition you claim as your own, you had a beautiful day filled with life and love yesterday. I attended my Quaker meeting in the morning and our pastor (my meeting is semi-programmed) spoke about the immediacy of the presence of God in our midst...how the resurrection is really about Life not in the past but Now. A wonderful message.<br><br />I left envisioning that moment in the story when Mary goes to the tomb and the rock has been rolled away. The one she's looking for is no longer there. I was thinking, "what have I entombed in my life that isn't there anymore?" Perhaps saving love for a special someone. Maybe holding back from telling the whole story. Maybe keeping a rein on my own creativity. Perhaps clinging to old stories that no longer fit.<br><br />What have you entombed in your life as "that's the way it is" or "welcome to my life"? Perhaps if you really look, you'll see the rock has been rolled away and all that energy is free now, out in the world blessing others, flying to the points on the globe where it can do the most good.<br>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-60710813824364974892010-03-18T09:26:00.002-04:002010-03-18T09:35:23.221-04:00Epiphanies<a href="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/ocean-798968.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/ocean-798965.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>In honor of the 58th anniversary of Thomas Merton's epiphany (shown below), the Merton Institute of Contemplative Living invited people to share their own epiphany moments. The result is a set of PDF files with more than 100 entries. The stories are uplifting and hopeful--if you have a moment, <a href="http://www.mertoninstitute.org/retreatsandprograms/TheMertonInstituteEpiphanyProject/tabid/106/Default.aspx">check it out</a>. <ul><i>In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut, in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be alien to one another even though we were total strangers. It is a glorious destiny to be a member of the human race ... there is no way of telling people that they are all walking around shining like the sun.<br><br />I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God's eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all of the time. There would be no more war, no more hatred, no more cruelty, no more greed...</i></ul><br /><small>Thomas Merton, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Conjectures-Guilty-Bystander-Thomas-Merton/dp/0385010184/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268919183&sr=8-1">Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander</a></i>, 1996</small>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-6465114200848213362010-03-15T13:33:00.002-04:002010-03-15T13:37:32.101-04:00Daily blossom of mindfulness<a href="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/mindfulness-733070.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 155px; height: 200px;" src="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/mindfulness-733066.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Hi everyone, I hope you're having a good March! I created the PDF available at the following link after reading a beautiful online interview with Thich Nhat Hahn. I thought it would be wonderful to print the reflection and put it where I will read it each morning as I'm preparing for my day. What more do we need? A grateful and graceful life full of compassionate action. Beautiful. :)<br><br />Download <a href="http://www.revisionsplus.com/Mindfulness_Makes_Life_Beautiful_and_Meaningful.pdf">Mindfulness Makes Life Beautiful and Meaningful</a><br>Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3695494.post-82471595110842134812010-02-27T08:06:00.002-05:002010-02-27T08:19:08.748-05:00Thinking of friends in Santiago...<a href="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/rainbow_sky-725418.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://revisionsplus.com/uploaded_images/rainbow_sky-725415.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Promises for you...<ul>He will cover you with his feathers,<br />and under his wings you will find refuge;<br />his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.<br /><br />...and...<br /><br />For he will command his angels concerning you<br />to guard you in all your ways;<br />they will lift you up in their hands,<br />so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.</ul><br />-- Psalm 91:4 and 91:11-12Katherine Murrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00232396177458297322noreply@blogger.com0