Smoke on the Water (Pentecost 2023)

•May 22, 2023 • Leave a Comment

…while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’             John 7

Thirsty for Love,

Thirsty for meaning,

Thirsty for Truth,

The journey begins.

First out there,

Far and wide,

And I pray only for the strength,

To travel on,

‘God give me providence,

A place to lay my head tonight,

A generous public,

To fill my busking hat,

And may my traveling companions and I Eat, in the morning, our daily bread.’

But I do feel your voice within me,

And I love the stories. Sometimes even,

when I stumble into a church, just

to rest from the sun and the road dust,

It even seems the stories

and the Voice of Presence,

Speak together within my soul.

And the Soul groans,

‘I am so thirsty…’

The dust settles, and

I enter the Breath………………….

~ breathe ~

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.                                                          Acts 2

Something,

No, not thing,

Has brought me, mysteriously,

To the upper room of me,

To the prayer of Ages,

In the breathing and the Silence.

The world in which I have been so,

Passionately travelling,

Where the quenching always seems,

To may be waiting around the next bend,

Or if not, then surely the following

hundred miles or so,

Seems somehow absorbed now,

As I am led within myself,

To a wellspring, of Living Water.

And the Voice-Presence vibrates,

Though there are no words,

And I drink, deep and slow………

~ breathe ~

Peter shouted out to the crowds, ‘…this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: “In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”’         Acts continued                               

Visions and dreams,

They come together,

The old and the young,

Are One.

The wellspring is bubbling up,

From the centre,

Of time and space,

Until rivers of Living Water,

Flow from every part of me,

In all directions,

Flowing into a great Ocean,

Filled and overflowing,

With the Water from all God’s Creatures,

And the Spirit says, ‘All Being, Live!’

The Coming of the Spirit: Praying, Waiting, Trusting

•May 17, 2023 • Leave a Comment

I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.                                             Ezekiel 36

Do you trust me?

I AM the still small voice,

That vibrates within you.

I know you feel it,

I behold the yearning of your heart,

Despite the ferocious, shouting

Argument screams of –

I’m not this so I must be that,

I am that, so I can’t be this!

Through all your searchings,

For identity, security and love,

All the let-downs, attachments, and

false moves,

I have been waiting,

My beloved,

For you,

To turn within,

And behold the Silence,

In which hearts of stone break open,

To the fountain flow of Living water…

Stay in the spaces between,

Pray deeply, as I breathe in you,

And I will free you from your idols,

And all that binds you.

Do you trust me?

~ breathe ~

Then (the Apostles) returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying…All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.                              Acts 17

Olivet,

The mountain you prayed on,

Stayed by night on,

In the days of the Teachings,

In the Holy Temple,

Place of your doubt and pain, where you placed your death into God’s hands,

Very mount from which you ascended,

Into Glory.

And now here we are,

Sitting like Apostles,

Praying,

And praying,

In upper rooms of morning prayer,

Believing, / In the waiting, /

Trusting in the cleansing, /

Praying, / Waiting,

Trusting…………

~ breathe ~

‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me…Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth…‘I am asking on their behalf…Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one                                                 John 17                                                   

We are in the world,

But we are not of the world,

And the world hates us,

Because the world hated you,

And because we cannot be controlled,

by the systems and values,

Of powerful dictate.

Lord, continue your working in us,

Cleanse us, heal us and send us out,

Filled with Holy Wisdom,

In the Spirit of Love,

To feed the prayers of your people

With the Promise of Life……………

And I Build an Altar to the One True God

•May 17, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar

                                                                        Genesis 8

In the mountains of prayer,

I make an altar,

To sacrifice there,

The clean animals of me,

To set a fire to the LORD,

The smoke of me rising,

In the sweet incense of,

Morning Prayer.

Take the pure wildness of my soul,

And do with me as thou desirest, O God.

I offer thee the truth,

in the inward parts,

and in the hidden part 

thou mak’st me to know

Wisdom.

(God) gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the whole earth, and he allotted the times of their existence and the boundaries of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope for him and find him — though indeed he is not far from each one of us. For “In him we live and move and have our being”; as even some of your own poets have said…                                                           Acts 17

The place and the time,

In which to live,

To search,

To grope for the Source of All Being,

Is the Here and the Now.

Nothing beyond this, is.

The past is just poorly remembered

thought dust,

The future, mere projection,

Tendrils from fantasizing minds.

Here and Now,

God is,

Here, now, in the breath of my,

Breathing body,

I Am

~ breathe ~

 ‘If you love me, you will practice my teachings. And I will ask the Abba, and Abba will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees her nor knows her. You know her, because she abides with you, and she will be in you John 14                                                   

Spirit,

Breathe in me,

Ruḥa,

Breathe through me.

Breathing in, I have arrived,

Breathing out, I am home.

~ breathe ~

‘I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.                                                  John 14 contd.

Beloved,

You need not my offerings,

Though you accept them gladly.

I am the one,

Who, through these, am blessed.

It is in the offering,

Of all that I am,

Each truth that remains,

When all that is false,

Is, by your Grace, burned away,

That I know myself to be free.

In this Moment,

I live,

Because you Live,

In me………………………………

Walking With Jesus

•May 16, 2023 • Leave a Comment

an interview with Steve Balsamo

Steve talks to Tim about his spirituality and faith journey, including dying and rising with Christ, so many times during his portrayal in the West End of Jesus Christ Superstar. Steve talks about shamanism, interfaith dialogue, church, Celtic ancestors and timelessness, God and human…

The Rock of Salvation

•May 3, 2023 • 1 Comment

Through the storms of my life,

But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark. And God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided; the fountains of the deep and the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters gradually receded from the earth…the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.   

                                                                 Genesis 8                                       

And in the dry times,

You are always present,

Though many times I feel alone,

Forsaken,

Abandoned,

Left out,

Hung out,

Used and abused.

And the wildness in me fights

With the settler in me,

The tamed mind,

Wages war with the indigene heart,

Empire thoughts seek the crushing,

Of my soul,

And yet,

Here you are,

Calling me on,

As the ark of me,

Comes to rest in the mountains of prayer

            ~ breathe ~                                

Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life…If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him…I am in the Father and the Father is in me…If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.’     John 14

In silence,

In the stillness of

Stillness,

Among the mountains of prayer,

There comes a voice,

Gentle and firm,

Wordless and yet Word,

Sometimes agitating,

Sometimes reassuring,

Always True.

The fountains of the deep,

And the windows of heaven,

Have cleansed you,

She said,

As the wind blows,

Freedom,

All over my drowning, water-rat head.

And the wind cries, Abba,

I in you,

And you in me…….

Ask in the Name,

And walk in the Way…………

             ~ breathe ~                                 

In you, O Lord, I have I taken refuge…you are my rock and my stronghold; guide me, and lead me for your name’s sake. Into your hands I commend my spirit, for you have redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.  Psalm 31

Abba b-iḏaiḵ sa’em ‘na ruḥ

Abba, into your hands,  

I commend my spirit.

Mother, Father,

Meshiach, Christa,

Rucha, Spirit,

Hochma, Wisdom,

b-iḏaiḵ sa’em ‘na ruḥ.

And I pray, in your name,

For all the lost ones,

The hurting and confused,

For all,

In whom myriad voices quarrel,

And silence cannot speak.

May they find the Peace,

And in her,

The Rock of their Salvation. Amen.

Lent Meditations

•March 23, 2023 • Leave a Comment
Meditation 1: Not by Bread Alone
Meditation 2: The Road is Made by Walking
Meditation 3: Living water
Meditation 4: Light
Meditation 5: Eternal Sound

Temptation

•February 21, 2023 • Leave a Comment

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these… Matthew 4
Prove yourself.
You know what people are saying.
You’re a fraud.
You talk the talk but you,
Don’t walk the walk.
Show them who’s boss.
Make them respect you,
Bow to your authority.
Go on,
Command them,
And they will worship you,
Give you everything you could
ever dream of,
And you can rule your world,
Yes, you heard me,
Control your destiny, rule your world.
You are entitled to this.
It is your birthright. Go on. Take it……

The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die; for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ Genesis 2
Hey humans,
You’re the cleverest of all God’s creatures,
And yet you live in darkness and ignorance,
Tilling the land, scrabbling for food.
You superstitious fools.
You have such great talent,
You’ve created artificial intelligence,
To do all the work, fight your wars,
And tell you the News it knows you need.
So feed your mind with the little devices,
You hold in your hands.
You have the world at your fingertips,
Press the button,
Plug yourselves in,
Eat the Apple, newest upgrade of course,
And know that you are gods,
Walking streets without even needing,
To look where they’re leading………

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Matthew 4
Programmes for happiness,
Too numerous to name.
The snake sneaks and slithers in the brain,
Get this, do that, earn the right to be………. loved…….
Ah, you’re not good enough.
Worship the method.
Try your luck. You gotta be in it to win it!
Trusssst innn meeeee………………

~ breathe ~

Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him. Matthew 4
Through the forty days and fort nights,
In the prayer and in the fasting,
Chewing God’s Word, slowly, faithfully,
Unconsciousness will be made conscious,
And there will be pain, soul searching, and Crying. There will be hunger and thirst.
Breathe, in the breath of God, drink,
Of the Living Water, not fed,
By bread alone. Be patient. Wait, in the
silence, for the Lord.

A conversation at the beginning of Lent, with Professor Malcolm Peet and Nur Jamila Parsons

On the Road to Enlightenment (Advent 4)

•December 13, 2022 • Leave a Comment

…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’

                                                                Matthew 1

Conceived of Holy Spirit,

In the purity of simplicity,

I AM saves,

I AM restoring,

I AM renewing,

God within human,

God in the manifestation,

God in All…….

The prophets tell this,

Mary yesses this, and so it is,

That Christ is and was and is to come…….

God our redeemer, you prepared the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of your Son:  grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour, so we may be ready to greet him when he comes again as our judge      Collect

In the flow of God’s Grace,

We sit in our morning prayer,

Here, in the holy temple of us,

In the inmost part of us,

Where comes the Christ,

In our laying bare of self.

This One will judge what is to stay,

And what in us must burn away.

We cannot decide this,

Our judgement is compromised,

By false beliefs,

Half-understood moral codes,

Programmes for happiness,

And self-surviving, self-serving,

Self-sufficiency, mingling with,

Neediness, unconscious attachment.

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way…When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took Mary as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus        Matthew 1

In the flow of God’s Grace,

Stands the one who listens,

To angels……………………………………………..

Angels never lie;

Listen to them, in the wind, in the forest,

And on the seashore.

They speak in the mountains,

And whisper in your heart,

“Beloved, The One you seek,

Is among you,

Surrounding you,

And within you.”

Look into the soul of lover and stranger,

Dance with the natural,

Gaze deep at the life that beats,

Your own heart,

Ba-doom, ba-doom, ba-doom…

Angels speaking, angels dancing………………

~ breathe ~

Through Christ we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles            Romans 1

Angels are speaking to all beings,

All the time, of God’s love,

To believers and non-believers,

The not even knowing ones, that there is anything to believe, more than the obvious, which is not real,

however insistent it may seem.

In listening,

Is our practice,

From listening, may we speak,

And ears may be opened,

To the music of angels,

And the Cosmic song of Peace.

just the music (stereo and high quality)

The Reed and the Wind (Advent 3)

•December 6, 2022 • Leave a Comment

Be patient, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.  The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.  You also must be patient.  Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.              James 5

Like a seed in the warm-womb earth,

Beneath the frost-cold surface of appearance,

Wait for the I AM,

For the I AM is near.

Winter before Spring,

Spring before Summer,

The seed does not complain,

But keeps silent and waits.

She is nourished by the rain,

When the rain comes,

And when it is delayed,

She does not moan.

A seed has no expectation,

No agenda,

No sense of entitlement,

She simply trusts,

In the Natural One,

In whom all nature,

Has its being….

As The Baptizer’s disciples went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at?  A reed shaken by the wind?  What then did you go out to see?  Someone dressed in soft robes?  Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces…This is the one about whom it is written, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.”                        Matthew 11

The one who waits, in the practice,

Of life and presence,

In the silence,

And the breathing,

No stranger to wildness,

Rooted in the stillness,

Is not shaken,

By sudden change of circumstance,

Or by fearful shouts,

Of social impatience.

This one is prophet.

This one is teacher.

This one is true.

Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees.  Say to those who are of a fearful heart, ‘Be strong, do not fear!  Here is your God.  Isaiah 35

From the silence,

I AM calling,

You,

To be teacher now,

And prophet true.

Take my Love,

And open the hearts,

Of the hurting ones,

Who have been blown dry,

In the wilderness of lost dreams…

~ breathe ~

 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.                Isaiah 35

When you speak,

From the seeded root of the eternal Tree,

My Word embedded in hearts of people,  Will awaken in the stream of living water,

From the truth in you to the truth in them,

And the crocus, lotus child of God,

Will walk in beauty once again,

Paradise restored,

A Christed Prometheus Unbound……

The I AM looses those that are bound; the I AM opens the eyes of the blind;  the I AM lifts up those who are bowed down;  the I AM loves the ones who wait in faith Psalm 146 

The Fire, The Axe And The Sword

•November 29, 2022 • Leave a Comment

Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.  May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.   Romans 15

                                                                

People of faith, share your faith,

With each other, with people of different faith, and with people who don’t think they have any faith.

I don’t mean impose your doctrines,

But share your faith,

The Love that is inside you,

The Love born in the experience,

Of God, I AM,

That in you, which is authentic,

Uncluttered by ideas or ideals,

Spoken of by the Prophets,

And written for you in your Scriptures.

Speak of this, share it,

And be ready to listen.

Listen deeply,

Celebrate what speaks into your heart,

Share what you know, witness,

With steadfast integrity,

To the Christ in you

But when (John the Baptizer) saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?  Bear fruit worthy of repentance.  Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.  Even now the axe is lying at the root of the trees…            Matthew 3

The One who Loves is coming,

With the Christed axe of freedom,

To cut away the trees of arrogance in you,

In me,

All sense of entitlement,

Attachments to religious or philosophic,

Preferentialism,

Self-justifying reason,

Or slanted manipulation of heritage.

No expert knowledge about Abraham will open the gates of heaven, nor about Buddha, Mohammed, Shiva or Christ.

It is faith like theirs,

That holds the key,

That unlocks the sacred Life in every heart.

So let’s wait here, you and me,

Sadducee and the Pharisee,

In the Advent earth beneath our trees,

While the axe of redemption,

Swings at the feeble roots,

Of our fear-constructed,

Self-delineating expertise………………..

~ breathe ~

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing-fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing-floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’    Matt cont.

When the cutting and the burning is done,

Our beautiful selflessness will be laid bare,

And all that marks us out,

In the imagination selfhood,

Will be like ash and splinter,

And I will behold you,

Sister,

Brother,

And you will behold me,

And we will come to know,

That I am you and you are me…………………. 

 
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