Your Trick Bag

Old leather or new; bound up and all of the goodies rolling around in it, clinking around as you move through life. The 'stuff' of some of it touches other parts and exchanges power and energy. Others aren't as giving, and wait for you to reach in your hand to pull them out, unchanged. They will release upon your verbal command, or in the way you apply their power. Some elements are deadly, but sometimes, the solution to "life's problems" is The End.

We look and observe these limited bodies and wrongly perceive that we are as limited. But a story told before it came to pass, is that God is plentiful and stores his best in "jars of clay." He places in skin and bones, what cannot be named, will not stay confined. And when it is time, he not only reclaims it, he makes it special and unique and it more than it was when it rattled around in these old skin bags!

We are more! Far more than the skin portrays. But in placing the divine in flesh, Flesh is more than we would be. We are made in God's image and placed in bodies, on the ground, next to one another. We are permitted to love and hate, to cherish and destroy. And in living this life, we experience, both light and dark; the two cross lines and exchange energies in ways that defy our short-sighted cultural biases.

My friend: Look up and Live!

The Ancients

Wisdom of the ages doesn't end and begin with the old. There is knowledge and insight to be shared at any age. When an individual opens their mind to take in life, experience the moment, whether that moment is joyous or sad, in that moment, they experience liberation! And in that moment, they are available to perceive the wisdom and depths of the ALL.

Thought for The Day - A Measure

Birds of a feather 18 x 24 pastels

I'm Listening 24 x 36 oils

A dip in the container, the amount available surpasses what's needed. But from time to time, we look at the container and the scoop (what's inside us) as if we needed to dole it out in small portions. We measure, we calculate and somehow our calculations don't include the supply. And yet, this supply, the place where we draw from, never runs dry.

Lavish living; not spending every penny earned, but finding joy in what cannot be purchased. Or what is purchased is cherished, valued and enjoyed!

Thought for The Day - "I"

I'm Listening 24 x 36 Oil

Yes
I am here
This place where you sit
Quietly
Pouring out your soul
Clamoring for answers

I am Here
Here
Here
Where your eye is
And where it cannot go
I hear each syllable
And the intent of your heart

In the light of day
You look for me
In the faces
The movement of people
And the noise of the day
Oh I am there
But your vision is clouded
Looking for an expression
Perfection in skin and tone

In the darkness
When you sleep
I am
The movements unseen
The silence of a morning
Not quite yet born
I sit perched
And quick as a dart
I am here
Over there
And back here again

Between the hearts of two
And the heartbeat of one
I speak
Between the "whoosh"
And the "thump"
In the silence
Like a gap between notes

In the fruit
at the core
where the seed lies
waiting
I wait
In the ground, will I go
Or disappear in the trash
So much more than the question
And greater than destiny

I am the journey
The answer
I am the question you ask repeatedly
And would never move your mind to form
I am the night
And the noon day
The particular love you cannot have
And the mystery of the Shroud of Turin
Am I you ask
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

You wait for a reply
Because you think you've asked for information
But in your heart
You've asked for interruption
Disruption
A change you control
I am not remote
for your control
I am timeless
And limitless
And just before you breathe your last
I am...

Thought for The Day - I am "Here"

A red dot marks my location on the map...and this concept gets copied and modified on electronic devices and software. We can be found "here," or "there." Like the "dash" between a birth year and year of departure, there's no telling what that dot contains!  The dot, the dash, they're just indicators, but no indicator of the stories stored in that location. The reps can't tell you I've moved from this spot in the room, the house, or the office building. It can't tell you I'm on the first floor, getting in the tub or in the basement reclining on the couch while the television serenades me. And the dash doesn't indicate how many people's lives we have impacted for the good.

Words, representing a focal point for the day, a point of concentration, like the rudder on a ship. In this venue, the focal word or phrase says "use 'this' as a mile marker, a reminder of things important. Use it to build, tear down, plant and uproot." There exist thoughts, notions and intentions in us that are taking us to a dead end; we want life, especially in us. There are secret plans we've been plotting and scheming, perhaps we aren't aware how damaging and destructive they can be. We need a remedy, a sense of hope to redirect our course. Sometimes one word, a single concept is all that is needed to put us back on the correct path. And sometimes, the equivalent of an embrace (one word or "thought"); that basic human point of contact changes our location and the direction of our lives.

It's just a word, a thought or a feeling. In the language of "dots" and "the dash," it doesn't register. But in the day-to-day living, the microscopic details of the grand design, eternity is found "here."

Thought for The Day - The Gears are Moving

A car idling, is never really "idle..." External stimuli, anticipating your needs and responses. Or driven by the need to say, to render and present. I'm often driven by these forces and more. There is the "unseen hand," either turning my attention, redirecting, allowing the hurt of others (how is it I can feel the pain a friend experiences hundreds of miles away, without a word?) the smile of a child or feel of fabric, to catch my attention.

There's a world spinning, changing, unfolding like the blooms of a flower, day-by-day! The sound of a tune I haven't heard in years comes to mind and I'm quietly humming it and smiling. A beautiful woman standing at the door of the train and smiling at me; all parts of a intricate puzzle, a woven tapestry, a story with no end or beginning...

There are times when I sit in this room and consider the possibilities. There are times when I write and write and write. Sometimes while sitting at work, actively testing, I have to scramble for paper and pen, or open a new document to ensure I get this latest thought. Electronic sketchpad or old fashioned paper to document this concept, the shape of a nose or the gleam in an eye...

...the gears are moving, always!

Thought for The Day - Rise, Dreamer

Not much light around as I write this morning; I'm allowing the fish in my aquarium to sleep a little longer. As a matter of fact, other than the light from my monitor the room is dark. It's just one of my experiments in trying different approaches to the creative process. I'm also writing from a different room in the house, which lends another spin to the creative process.

What I find to be true: we humans are receptive tools of consciousness. Whether we are awake or asleep, we are constantly absorbing and "experiencing." Sometimes, we act "impulsively," but that action is a result of our mind, having processed a notion from a time before. There is so much to process, so much to work out and to express! And truly there is no limit what can be done when we make the effort to do so!

This is my challenge on a daily basis: break the chains, set yourself free! What seems like new ideas and methods of being are really paths of information untried! Open your heart and mind to soar!

Thought for The Day - Blended

In the best of us, there's a "dark side." And in the most evil people, kindness can be found...

We are a mix of good and bad, strength and weakness. You ever notice some of the most outgoing, well adjusted folks can be found in private moments looking sad? We both give and need encouragement and strength. We need one another and the force of God's love to alter our lives for the better.

Thought for The Day - Your Part

...what is it? Your part? What part do you play in the world's growth, expansion, the love quotient that makes the globe a better place? Now before you minimize your part - the self-accusing type - or overemphasize your role - the "superstars" - realize we operate on so many levels.

I remember asking myself many times, growing up and as an adult, what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember three distinct careers that came to mind: scientist, artist and businessman. Scientist, because I love experimenting with things, trying to make 'stuff' and the idea that there are undiscovered concepts, compounds and cures. Artist, because I love to create - seemingly, something out of nothing. And I wanted a business because I like the idea of earning money! But there were so many roles and parts that I thought about, and yet I've done them all!

• I wanted to be a husband and father - doing that
• I knew there was a calling for ministry on my life - done that
• I wanted to help people work through their problems - doing that
• I wanted to help people return to a higher calling for their lives - doing that

Some are born to be parents. Maybe not stellar, soccer mom and dads, but parents that teach lasting values to their children and their children in turn, teach those values to their children. Some are born to be politicians; they navigate the "peopled waters" where opinions and agendas determine policies for the nation. Some are born to help and fall into roles as doctors, dentists, nurses, etc. And there are so many more parts to play in this life! 

Here's an interesting notion and one that allowed me to pick up my brushes again: when you feel restless and as if the life you're living is missing something, SEARCH! You see, there's a strong possibility that you have yet to reach your potential! Now when I say "potential" I'm not talking celebrity status or notoriety. I'm talking about tasks and parts you have not tried yet. And while you may die, never having done them (we get stuck on the idea of "destiny"), understand, there's far more to your life when you're doing these things.

Thought for The Day - Identity

What makes you, you? What distinct features and blend of character traits mark you place on earth? What would your spouse, children, parents, friends and coworkers say makes you unique? Have you changed over the years, beyond physical? Are you prone to outburst or are you always quiet or laid back?

Personality; you are born with it and you always have it. It is your unique mark on this world. While this seems obvious, it's equally amazing that we like to classify and categorize people! And no matter how we hate to be put in a box, we do it to one another often. We are blends of family dynamics, neighborhoods, regional areas, peer influence and values. We may love similar foods and music as siblings, but there will always be a food that others love and we hate! There are distinctions between every person.

Appreciate our differences, celebrate one another's unique brand! Though we are all made in God's image, our distinctions indicate our God cannot be narrowed to our view!

Thought for The Day - In No Particular Order

I am here

Now there

Holding down this job

Running this Bible study

In front of the canvas

Behind the camera

In front of this computer screen

And then this congregation

It all seems so random, so out of order and scattered-brain. But it is my life and somewhere beneath the surface, roots intertwine and connect, forming the nucleus of my soul.

There are times I want to understand the "why's" and "wherefore's" of my life, but for now I will allow the mystery to amaze me.

Thought for The Day - A Long and Full Journey

A Thousand Miles in a day...

No color, no sound; then a rush of subdued grays, a muted light filtering through the window. A long power driven whoosh of a motorcycle riding by. The warm feeling of the bed under the left side of my body from shoulder to feet and pulling back the bed spread to rise...

Mid day, bright sunlight, music from my headphones mixing with the sound of cars driving by. Each step taken, leaving the building for a rejuvenating walk, faces are met, perhaps a nod, a slight smile. Faces I've never seen before and may never see again. In groups of twos or threes, others out for a walk to lunch, more about the conversation than filling the stomach, but a blend of both. The pavement is uneven in spots and my feet slowly adjust to the unevenness. Slowly, I increase my step to force muscles, tendon and bones to work out a morning of sitting too much. Body begins to warm and before long the water runs from the right side of my forehead...

...It's another day's journey and in it, I've observed, words, thoughts, impressions and suppositions.

...A Thousand Miles is only a fraction of the journey...

Thought for The Day - The Message

You can read words until your head spins,
You can sit in a sweat lodge until every pore pours water
You can meditate until your transcendental spirit floats out to the stars

But the message you want is where you are.
It's no mystery because it is written and spoken in a familiar language
It speaks in patterns and rhythms
In images that haunt long after they out of view
Listen, but don't fixate
Heed, but stay in the present...

Thought for The Day - Submerged

Beyond schedules, missed deadlines, disappointments and health concerns, there is a place of tranquility. Imagine it as a place so secluded and insulated, it's as if you were under water. For those who swim and love it, the feeling is like floating on your back in the water. A better comparison is swimming underneath the water and watching the light from above and below, the waters surrounding and supporting you.

My studio is my space; it is not only a sanctuary, but a place where worries and cares can be checked at the door. In the spirit of the sacred places, it's also the place where concerns can be taken and left in the safe care of One uniquely tasked to solve problems. The work of my hands and mind are my way of unraveling mysteries, of diving to depths no other person knows and allowing my soul to flourish!

One thing I've found to be true: sanctuary and solace can be found where ever you are. Certainly, it's good to have a time and place where you are certain you can commune with God, but in truth, no place can hold him. So out for a walk, sitting at my desk, in the middle of tasks that never end, I go there, to Him, and the light above and below surround me! I am set free!

Thought for The Day - Watch

There is what we observe and what we want to see. When you find yourself seeing and wishing it or 'they' would do something else, that's your judgement that things "should" be a certain way. But in truth, we are always seeing, always absorbing. We hear, feel, see and hear. And when necessary, we taste. Five Senses; five primary antennae and sources of information. But there is so much more going on!

Watch. Look. See. Observe. There is a world occurring in front of us and inside us. We are more than physical beings. Though our mind perceives input from the five senses, there is far more going on beyond the range of our senses...

Thought for The Day - Expansion

You know, nearly every thought is an opportunity for growth. Merely allow that energy connecting heart and head to flow and you are well on your way. we have notions and intentions, dreams and plans and any given moment is the doorway to become what we desire. It's long been my thought, since we are made in the image of God, at the core of our thoughts and desire, we long to be like him, producing good, light, love and growth. But it is the "weeds" of life and our reaction to them that allow evil to make more sense.

A heart that chooses purity and love is a heart that continues to grow. One chooses to respond to difficulties, hardship and heartbreak in a way that fosters these essentials of life. It's a continuous process and one that circumstances can dwarf, but keep at it. Each day we are choosing to live more and more like God and less and less like some warped 'demigod.'

As a child, my father was the shining example. My father's hip was displaced when he was a teenager, still growing, so one leg was just a bit shorter than the other. He walked with a limp all my life, but it never prevented him from doing what he chose to do. I don't know if he felt pain from this injury, or how bad he felt when asthma developed from years of working in a chemical plant and smoking, but he wouldn't tell anyway. He always moved fast and thoughtful, always working to ensure his family had what it needed. He worked hard on his job, taking on more and more responsibility. And though he wanted "something" of his own, he continued working at what he knew. Physically, my father was worn down, having many injuries on his job, but not only did he continue working, he continued smiling. One thing I've learned from my father is to listen. Certainly I have a great deal to say, I could probably talk for hours if allowed, but its better to listen. Others need to talk; people need someone to hear their concerns and pains, their desires and needs. And if I offer a listening ear, gentle reassurance and an open door to allow the person to come back and talk again, I've lived my life, growing and expanding.

Thought for The Day - Mission Impossible

Sleeping Beauty 8 x 11 pencil drawing

Shooting from the Hip...

Life long journey, at it for more days than my conscious mind could reason. Fighting each day to make this life have meaning. I've done what everyone else does, I put books in my hand and words in my head, trying to make sense of the life I've been given. Some days, I'm not sure if I got the logic down.

So I put brush in oil-based pigments and touched canvas: energy and light! Except there aren't enough hours in the day or a return to the tune of giving up the day job. My expression of love gets pushed to the side and gets hobby level hours. What's in me? What light dwells beneath these brown eyes? My daily words try to express it, write and post on Google to record my time here. Sharing a good word, or a gut wrenching truthful word, all the while, more words spill out everywhere else.

I put them - the words - in sermons, telling the good news to congregations that heard a quarter of what I said. Every now and then someone acknowledged deeper waters. Taught in classes where the focus is on a Man who loved us so deeply, he wrote it through ghost writers over thousands of years. We still wont believe or try to hear what he says.

It seems like a mission impossible, an assignment we should just close the books on, blow this blue and green rock out of orbit and be gone. But if it's a mission with no possibility of a return, we will keep at it until every bit of light (love) is spilled on those who reject it. But it's an endless source, so the mission is not impossible. I/We will win!

Thought for The Day - In the Face of The Void

Pre-dawn light (bird in flight) 24 x 30 Oils

Let me start off by saying I truly hate it when "strong Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc" get on a high horse and forget their moment of darkness. We all have them, and some of us, multiple times, repeatedly and unexpected. When you think you've conquered every dragon, demon, "ex-somebody" or bad habit, another shows up to play slap tag with your sensibilities.

I remember years ago, preaching a sermon about Elijah the old testament prophet, and his exposed moment of darkness. He had a God appointed meeting with 450 prophets of a idol god called Baal. He made them look silly with on simple request to God: "accept the sacrifice and light the fire." Done. Celebration by all who witnessed this show of strength and the 450 prophets were killed. Yeah, yeah, I know, in our "sensible society," such acts are unconscionable, but that was then, and this is now. Let's get to Elijah's turning point. The next day, when King Ahab, the ruling king of Israel (northern tribes) told his wife, she sent a message to Elijah: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them."First Kings 19:3 says: "Elijah was afraid and ran for his life."There is a great deal afterward, but I want you to see the void, the darkness he faced! He had served God for we don't how many years before this, he hid in the wilderness while King Ahab lost his mind and decided to kill anyone associated with the Jewish worship customs and he stood up to him and 450 prophets when God asked him to do it. Why would he be afraid now? This was a woman; the king had all the power and he was dealt with!

My friend, it wasn't 'her' that got to him, it was "all of this!" Have you ever had an "all of this" moment? Often, when we want to know what made someone 'snap,' we look at the the last detail before they lost it, before their character changed. For many of us, that's the straw that breaks the camel's back, but it's all the other straw sitting there, weighing you down as well. It is the unanswered question "why am I so different from everyone else?" Or "why is it, every time I save $200, I have to spend $300 on repairs?" (that one says "why can't I get out of this hole?") There are hundreds of question, either directed at God or the 'air,' but we ask them incessantly, consciously or unconsciously. And those questions, the thoughts are the void that we fear crossing. It is the place where no answer seems to live.

The King of kings faced one himself. He faced a darkness that we would never believe God would. He called it "the cup." That late night as he and his disciples sat in the garden of Gethsamane, as he prayed and mentally prepared for what was to come, he took a look into that dark liquid in the cup. He faced the darkness like you and I would. He asked this question three times: "If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. But nevertheless, not my will, but yours be done." I know we know this story and it's outcome, so the significance of the moment can pass you by without your acknowledging it. He looked in that cup and wondered, should I do this? Should I go this route? Do I really want to do this? THIS. IS. HUGE!!!! He faced a darkness; God himself faced a darkness and learned a valuable lesson: obedience and humility.

The darkness comes for many of us, because we have a ways to go. Our journey is long, though we don't know how long. We may have a resume of accomplishments or a rap sheet as long as a greedy detective's arm, but we have history. And no matter how far you travel, no matter what you know, you will face darkness, or the void from time to time. I offer no solutions today, but I will say this: hang in there. If necessary, if required - you will know by what your soul tells you - go into that void, but know you will come out of it.

God's blessing on you today.

Thought for The Day - Shhh! We're Talking Now!

A Rhythm of Her Own 18 x 24 pastels

We say it, dance it, arrange it in prose. Many say it in strange colors and images and you tilt your head and say "my five year old could do that!" He does and you don't hear it still. The message continues to flow and your ears are full of wax: a combination of your sweat and oil, the fruit of your labor limit your hearing. 

We write it in stories, sing it song, strum it on a guitar and yet your dull ears can't perceive a thing! When we put it on the large or small screen, if isn't scintillating, you turn away, far too accustomed to sensationalism, without truth. But we say it again, and again, and again.

It is our mission to repeat phrases, reuse words, splash the dullness of lives with the brightness of reds, yellows and ebonies! We have been tasked to bring messages to this world, to get your attention, to change your mind! And though you try to ignore us, we are clearly seen and heard by those with a yearning to know. Those whose hearts have been broken, whether the offense is minor or major, yet they ache for healing...those are the one's who perceive. 

Our work is never done because there will always be one or two or many who don't get it. And we continue, from generation to generation, declaring this good news.

Are you ready to listen?

Thought for The Day - Thought Patterns

Linen with a Swirl 24 x 30 Oils

My wife doesn't "get" abstract art, but she loves me. :) So it's okay that I do what I love to do. I have explained the process but it bears repeating: themes run continuously through my head and yet, it isn't until I sit down to begin a new painting that "one of them" comes to the surface. The series: "Linen," is one of those patterns.

I have sat and stared at the pattern of woven material, many times and it never ceases to amaze me! the intricate over and under, the tightness of the material, the weave and texture - simply amazing! The same holds true for landscapes and cityscapes; look at the patterns and the way areas rise and fall as they spread out over the horizon! And one of the most amazing patterns is the pattern of skin texture. Simply look at your own skin (and rather than fixate on your flaws, actually look at the pattern that runs underneath), hold your hand up and look at the intricate detail "woven" there!

So with all the patterns in my head and found in a given day, "Linen" continues to grow!