Silence

"To you, God, silence is praise." (Psalm 65:1) I want to find ways to be comfortable with silence, content with nothing said or thought. The silence of a winter night with no insect sounds takes me to God. Two close friends riding in a car can be comfortable with silence. Why not also in my relationship with God. That's mainly what I try for in centering prayer. No need to think nor talk nor make a plan. When we get right into the heart of who God is there is silence. It follows that the best way into the Divine is silence.

Contemplating Snow

It has been snowing for two days. Snow can be dangerous. Yesterday morning before the roads had been properly plowed I slid off the road going up around a steep turn. Fortunately rather than going over the hill I ended up against the bank on the opposite side of the road. The more I think about it, the more grateful I am to God for watching over me.
Snow can be fun. Speaking about the plow just now reminded me that when we were small most of the roads were not plowed. We had one road in our little town where we could sled almost a mile down hill. When the rare car would come along a warning shout went up from all the kids who were pulling their sleds back up the long hill.
Snow creates a beautiful stillness. When I went out to walk this morning the wind had died down and the snow was falling gently. I did not see a car for the entire time I was out. I felt surrounded by God.

December Dreaming

These long nights of December are grace-filled times for dreaming. Isaiah's vivid dream of a world without war. His beautiful dream in chapter 11 of a return to Paradise. All God's creatures living in harmony: wolf and lamb, calf and lion, human
child. Harmony with family and friends and foreigners. Are these impossible dreams? Did we destroy Paradise forever by eating from the sin tree?
In the song "Woodstock" Joni Mitchell sings,
"We are stardust, We are golden,
and we've got to get ourselves back to the Garden."
Well, for sure, on our own we can't get back. With God all things are possible.
Langston Hughes encourages our December dreaming:
Hold fast to dreams for when dreams die,
Life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go,
Life is a barren field covered with snow.

Swords to Plows

"They will hammer swords to plows and spears to pruning knives.
Nations will not take up arms, will no longer train for war."
These verses from the prophet Isaiah are on a plaque in the gardens of the United Nations building in New York. The Jewish Study Bible (Tanakh translation)has this note on the passage: "The prophet does not imagine a future without borders or distinct nationalities. International conflicts will stlll occur, but nations will no longer resolve them through warfare. Instead, nations will submit to arbitration at Mount Zion. The Temple will become the headquarters of a divine Security Council with a membership of one and unsurpassed ability to ensure compliance."
An interesting image: God as arbitrator among nations, helping us to settle our differences without resorting to war.

Moonset #2

Yesterday, after taking the picture from my bedroom window of the pale moon setting, I put on a heavy coat and went out into the still, freezing morning and took some more pictures from my deck. This final picture of the moon setting in the west is tinted by the sun not yet risen in the east. A gift.

Moonset

I woke this morning a little before seven with the full moon shining in my bedroom window. When I checked it out it was setting where the sun sets in the summer and it was reflecting in the lake. I grabbed my camera, opened the window, and shot from there. The temperature was 14 degrees. There were no sounds at all. Just stillness and pale moon over the trees and in the water. A glimpse of God.

Hawaii

The fall had been so beautiful and warm that I wondered why I was going away on vacation. Where do you vacation when you live in Paradise! Then Monday morning the temperature dropped to 22 degrees and we had our first frost of the season. I left that day for Baltimore and then Hawaii.
I seemed to have arrived at the same time as the rainy season. At least it is warm. The place where I am staying is as captivating as before. The trees are not blooming as in the spring but there are wild orchids popping up everywhere. I am amazed at Nature's ability to bring life out of this jagged lava. Equally amazed at God's bringing life out of our jagged ways.

Haven't figured how to do pictures from this distance.