Jesus - song lyrics by Rich Mullins

 

Jesus - by Rich Mullins

"Jesus, write me into Your story

whisper it to me

And let me know I'm Yours"

The walls seemed to echo back to us these words penned by Rich Mullins. The story as told in the movie Ragamuffin (available on Prime and other sources for movies) features Rich taping the "demo" version of the Jesus record in an abandoned rural church such as this one. Levanna Community Church is on Levanna Rd. near Aurora, New York on the east side of Cayuga Lake. Folks gather about once a month except when it is too cold. The building does not have electricity or indoor plumbing. The dear servant of God who serves as the pastor of the congregation gave us all the details as we visited with her.

The saints of every generation need to have their identity as the people of God whispered to them. The world needs more ragamuffin saints such as Rich and this pastor to live as salt and light...to help us all see how Jesus is indeed writing us into His Story.

Denial and Other Waters, part 3

 Streams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers....these are a few of my favorite things!

As I scroll through pictures to show others a few things from my life over the last couple of years, my response to this picture is "this is me and the St. Lawrence river...the only body of water I didn't swim in on that trip." I know that I will return to that river and swim in it. I have to because, in my very bones now, I am a swimmer. (Disclaimer: this does not mean that I am fast nor does it mean that I can do anything beyond the basic freestyle-crawl move!)

This is a fairly recent development. Until 3 years ago, I would casually swim as a low-impact option for cardio exercise. I didn't crave it and I didn't even really enjoy it until I started swimming outdoors (another aside that I will write more about in the coming weeks and months is that during the pandemic, I became a triathlete!).

Pool swimming was definitely my comfort zone. Growing up in New Mexico, I joke that I had only swam in open water 3 times in my life. "You can't see the bottom!!! Where are the lines? What is that rubbing up against my legs?" So many potential dangers just below the surface of the water.

I am really good at denial. I refuse to admit the truth sometimes. This can work in my favor when I am approaching different waters in which I might want to swim. My aunt Becky joked about becoming shark food as I put on my wet suit on Monday, January 31 for a nice swim in the Atlantic Ocean at the Jacksonville Beach. Sharks are real and there have been shark attacks in those waters. But, no I have to swim in that water! No matter that it is 63 degrees and all the locals have on their snow boots and puffy coats. No matter that it will not be a full mile swim that I am used to. No matter all the potential risks and challenges. I did not "feel" afraid. I told myself that the swimmer in me would be angry if I didn't do what swimmer do....swim! (More on cold exposure in upcoming posts)

Denial does not always work in my favor. Sometimes it is just stupid! Sometimes it is what I do to protect myself from harsh realities with which I just do not want to deal. But if it is true that reality is what you run into when you are wrong, it helps to come face to face with truth even when it hurts.

At the core, though, I am most fundamentally a daughter of the King of the universe. I have been created, redeemed, and given a joyful present and future by God. So many of the labels that we use for ourselves do not get at the core of who we really are. For instance, I may call myself a swimmer nowadays, but what if I injure myself and am no longer able to swim? It is an aspect of my life and something I very much enjoy, but I would not cease to be me if I were not able to swim. 

It could be that some of us at least some of time struggle to anchor our lives in our real identity. I live in denial as a way of remaining in control. Letting go of all the partial definitions of who I am requires a fixed gaze on the true me as seen through the eyes of My Heavenly Father.

I no longer need to swim in the waters of denial if I am "hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3) as the apostle Paul writes. In the New Testament, there are 164 times that the words "in Christ" or "Christ in me" are used. I can trust that this is my true identity.  

Denial and Other Waters, part 2

There is no denying that we live where winter abounds!

I have always loved winter and this is what I told people who would go on and on about how dreadful the winters are in western New York. It is true that it takes longer to do everything in the snow. For instance, you have to plan ahead, know how long it takes to put on your snow boots, your multiple layers of clothing which needs to include gloves, hats, scarf. There is some art and science involved in layering! Also, it is important to plan for snow removal before it happens. It is also good to learn and practice winter sports. There are also things to consider when winter starts again after a few sunny days. A long winter can have impact on all of us, not to mention those that suffer from seasonal affective disorder. 

We are adaptable creatures. God made us that way. This means that if we move to the artic north, we learn to love winter. We learn to snowshoe! We practice making the best out of even the winter that lasts too long.

In a similar way, we learn responsive obedience to God by taking small and incremental steps. Now, we are embarking on Lent. It is a season of the Christian year. If you are new to this idea, I recommend you read this great article "What is the Meaning of Lent..." (https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/what-is-the-purpose-of-lent.html) 

It is a time when we practice things because we want to grow in intimacy with the Lord. 

To specifically address my denial, these are a few practices that I am going to focus on from now until Easter:

• "confess" more which means that I will be having more frequent conversations with God asking for Him to search me and show me areas of my life where I am prone to get stuck in denial...confession really means "owning our junk."
• "repent" in the company of others, see where I need to listen more, cultivate curiosity, ask for more information, and ask for others to forgive me when I am in the wrong.
• "listening to my body" which means taking care of this most precious gift of God, my body...paying attention to getting enough sleep and rest, experimenting with different ways of exercising so that I steward the gift of my body well.

A Lenten Prayer (St. Ephrem, the Syrian)

O Lord and Master of my life!

Take from me the spirit of laziness, faintheartedness, desire for power, and idle talk.

But give your servant the spirit of chastity, humility, patience, and love.

Yes, Lord and King! Grant me to see my own errors and not to unjustly judge my brother (or sister) for you are blessed, now and forever, Amen.