Inspiration – Page 3 – God of the Sparrow 🌱 By Kathy Manis Findley

When I Die: An Epitaph

March 22, 2017March 22, 2017 Rev Kathy

When I die, give what’s left of me away
to children and old men that wait to die.

And if you need to cry,
cry for your brother walking the street beside you.

And when you need me, put your arms around anyone
and give them what you need to give me.

I want to leave you something,
something better than words or sounds.

Look for me in the people I have known or loved,
and if you cannot give me away,
at least let me live in your eyes and not in your mind.

You can love me best by letting hands touch hands,
and by letting go of children that need to be free.

Love doesn’t die, people do.
So when all that’s left of me is love,
give me away.

– Epitaph By Merrit Malloy

In celebration of the life of Elizabeth Scott Hankins . . . Libby

June 16, 1993 – March 17, 2017

Freedom, Inspiration, Light

Lady Liberty’s torch went out last night due to a power failure. New York harbor was absent her light. There was even online speculation that the move was deliberate, to show solidarity with the “Day Without A Woman” inequality protests taking place today. We will possibly make more of this than we should, seeing the loss of her light as a commentary on our times. For certainly these days, some of our citizens experience the light going out on their freedom.

For those young people we call Dreamers, the light seems dim and their dreams seem to be in jeopardy. For our Muslim brothers and sisters, freedom’s light has dimmed. For Mexicans seeking refuge, there is the shadow of an unwelcoming dividing wall. Women once again fear the affliction of inequality.

Is it true? Has freedom’s light really gone dark in our country? Is there no light in the harbor?

The answer is a resounding “No!”

The Light was out for only two hours. What is more important is that America — the land of diversity, freedom, welcome and acceptance — will endure. The Statue of Liberty lights the harbor again, and the inscription on her base will remain as a testimony of welcome to the immigrants, immigration ban notwithstanding.

Inscribed on the base of the statue is the poem that Emma Lazarus penned in 1883. Protesters across the country cite the Moving poem as a clear argument against President Donald Trump’s travel ban and immigration crackdowns.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

God grant that America will always welcome the tired, the poor, from every corner of the world.

Inspiration, Joy

Remembering

February 1, 2017 Rev Kathy

Today you are being handed a towel of servanthood with your name on it.

Those are words written by Nancy Hastings Sehested for my ordination service on March 29, 1992. From that day to this, the power of that towel has been a part of my life. I won’t lie. There have been times when I wanted to lay it aside, get out from under the high calling it symbolized.

In 1996, I was presented an actual towel of servanthood by my church family. That towel has remained with me, a reminder of God’s sacred call to ministry. I took it out of its box last week and contemplated the flood of memories it holds.

I thought of patients I encountered as a hospital chaplain. I remembered their pain and suffering as if it happened yesterday. I remembered baptizing a stillborn child as her parents held her close.

I remembered the mother who prayed for a miracle in the hospital chapel after her son was injured in a car accident and declared brain dead by the doctor. I remembered the very moment he miraculously woke up and started his path toward healing.

I remembered the funeral of one of my church members, also a dear friend. I remembered the sheer joy of living and working with the people of Uganda. I remembered the day I preached my first sermon as a pastor.

I am grateful that the Holy Spirit abides with me and reminds me of my call — the grief, the pain, the labor, and most of all the joys. Remembering inspires me.

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of everything that I have told you.

– John 14:26

Today, I placed my towel of servanthood in a visible place so that I would see it every day. That’s where it really needs to be, to help me remember.

Abundance, Inspiration

Here’s to Extraordinary Days!

January 26, 2017 Rev Kathy

Life can seem so ordinary at times. Since being retired, the days seem to run together, one being just like the next. There is no workplace to be every day that can punctuate each day with events. I have discovered, though, that the secret to being happily retired is to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. I like was Steven Charleston says about that.

I look for God when I do the dishes, I search for the Spirit as I take out the trash. The sacred is revealed in brilliant light only rarely, in the flash of some great insight unexpected, but much more than this the holy is to be discovered in our daily lives, in the moments when we are simply being ourselves. Putting the kids to bed, working in the garden, sitting on the porch in the evening: the beauty of eternity is that it hides in plain sight all around us. We are all prophets of the predictable pattern, witnesses to the wonder of the average day.

– Steven Charleston

Finding wonder in the average day is not as easy as it sounds. It requires mindfulness. Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, yet not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Mindfulness helps us put some space between ourselves and our reactions, breaking down our conditioned responses. Here are some practical ways to be more mindful:

1) Set aside some time. You don’t need a meditation cushion or bench, or any sort of special equipment to access your mindfulness skills—but you do need to set aside some time and space.

2) Observe the present moment as it is. The aim of mindfulness is not quieting the mind, or attempting to achieve a state of eternal calm. The goal is simple: we’re aiming to pay attention to the present moment, without judgement.

3) Let your judgements roll by. When we notice judgements arise, we can make a mental note of them, and let them pass.

4) Return to observing the present moment as it is. Our minds often get carried away in thought. That’s why mindfulness is the practice of returning, again and again, to the present moment.

5) Be kind to your wandering mind. Don’t judge yourself for whatever thoughts crop up, just practice recognizing when your mind has wandered off, and gently bring it back.

– From http://www.mindful.org/meditation/mindfulness-getting-started/?gclid=CjwKEAiA2abEBRCdx7PqqunM1CYSJABf3qvaauVuejiHYoLcIYxifEBqDiya__MAbIcn9gNVf5SnFxoClYrw_wcB

Winnie the Pooh gives us one of the best pieces of advice about making an ordinary day extraordinary.

What day is it?” asked Pooh. “It’s today,” squeaked Piglet. “My favourite day,” said Pooh.

So here’s to extraordinary days!

Dreams, Inspiration

Imagine a World

October 13, 2016October 13, 2016 Rev Kathy

Imagine a world . . .

Where every person is accepted and cherished;

Where faith fills the heart of every person;

Where there is always enough time to watch the stars and listen to the music of the night;

Where there is a sense of calm in every soul;

Where peace reigns in every nation, through every community;

Where we speak to one another with words of kindness and respect;

Where we search for the goodness in every person;

Where we respect and care for the earth;

Where we care for every child;

Where compassion guides our every action;

Where we live as one people, united by lovingkindness.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22-23 New King James Version (NKJV)

Inspiration

The Bridge Endured

October 12, 2016 Rev Kathy

The Broadway Bridge between Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas has graced the Arkansas River for 93 years. Yesterday crowds of people showed up on the banks of the river to watch the Broadway Bridge implode. The charges detonated shortly after 10 a.m. and puffs of smoke could be seen coming from the bridge. The steel from the bridge was supposed to fall into the Arkansas River within minutes. But after the smoke cleared, the bridge was still standing. They called it a failed implosion.

That old bridge was apparently stronger and more firmly and deeply fixed than the engineers thought. The explosives were carefully calculated and placed. The charges detonated like they were supposed to. The bridge simply did not fall. And the people were asking, “why are we replacing a bridge that is strong enough to withstand an explosion?”

The people renamed the stubborn Broadway Bridge “the Darn Bridge.” It refused to fall down after being hit with a Big Bang, and crews made seven additional attempts to pull it down with cables and barges. In five hours — around 3:00pm yesterday– the bridge finally came down.

I could not help but make an analogy regarding humans. The world may seriously underestimate how deeply and firmly rooted we are. I am certain that throughout my own life people have watched from afar to see me fall. Sometimes people are like that. Sometimes others relish in our failures. But the truth remains constant. We a deeply rooted and grounded because of the depth of our faith. Life’s explosions cannot destroy us.

We stand strong. We have built our lives on a firm foundation. We endure. We can withstand attempts to destroy us. It’s good news.

You must remain firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without being moved from the hope of the gospel that you heard.

Colossians 1:23

Beauty of Nature, Inspiration

Seeing the Holy in the Ordinary

October 11, 2016 Rev Kathy

To see the holy in the ordinary . . . that is something to aspire to. Seeing the holy in the ordinary can change one’s life, making mundane activities into sacred moments. Learning to savor our days and the experiences that fill our lives can transform us.

Normally, we are a people content with the unremarkable, everyday moments, accepting the usual happenings without thought. But what if the flutter of butterfly wings prompted a season of contemplation? What if birdsong became a symphony of the spirit? What if the gentle breeze rearranged the story of our souls?

Macrina Wiederkehr writes of bringing the longings of our hearts into every present moment. She writes about finding the sacred in the ordinary by gathering up joys and sorrows, struggles and beauty. She urges us to gather the dreams and hopes of every hour that “they may be consecrated at the altar of daily life.”

Oh, that our lives might be open to holy moments and sacred days. God would be well pleased.

Inspiration, Life storms

Rooted and Grounded

October 9, 2016 Rev Kathy

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14-19 New King James Version (NKJV)

Being rooted and grounded is important. It gives us the ability to stand fast in the face of life’s storms. It gives us the grace to endure trials. As the scripture passage says, it makes us able “to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge . . . and to be filled with all the fullness of God.”

With that kind of rootedness, we can live life to the fullest, with confidence and assurance. So how do we stay rooted and grounded? I think there are at least two ways. First, cherish long-term, genuine relationships and friendships. Nourish them and open your heart to the people who love you. Stay close. Create abiding bonds.

Secondly, nourish your faith. Honor your relationship with God and allow it to grow and deepen.

Set your feet firmly on the solid foundations of relationships and faith and you will find yourself rooted and grounded in love, forever.

Freedom, Inspiration

With Hearts Wide Open

September 30, 2016 Rev Kathy

There is nothing as harmful as a closed heart. So many things can close a heart . . . A loved one’s death, a ruined relationship, a loss of career and livelihood. When tragedies occur, they hurt so badly that the heart can close itself off from the pain. The problem is that a heart closed to pain may also be closed to love, joy and hope.

It can become a faith crisis for anyone. It can become chronic and it can last for years. The question is always how can we keep our hearts open when it is holding such deep pain? The answer is difficult to find. The answer can elude us.

But there are some obvious remedies. It is possible to open our hearts to the messages of Scripture, to the comforting strains of sacred hymns, to comforting words from those who care for us, to holy moments of contemplation and prayer.

Andrea Keh writes this:

To live with an open heart is to remember that the essence of our true self is love. We must forgive, heal and feel the depths of our emotions before we have the space to connect deeper and higher. This open heart space is where we reflect divine love and light for each other!

So let us greet this new day with hearts wide open, honoring the past, but savoring the future.

Inspiration, Uncategorized

Without a Song

September 22, 2016 Rev Kathy

What a life is ours! Doesn’t anybody in the world anymore want to get up in the middle of the night and sing?

Mary Oliver, Upstream

The truth is that singing is good for you. For thousands of years, in all cultures, in all parts of the world, people have been singing.

Singing is in our genes and in human nature. All types of singing have positive psychological effects. The act of singing releases endorphins, the brain’s “feel good” chemicals.

The urge to sing – and to hear others sing – is in all of us. Singing – like laughter, play, sunshine, countryside and exercise – helps underpin and maintain our well-being and happiness.

You don’t even have to be good at it!

“Without a Song” is a popular song with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, published in 1929. The song holds a great message.
Without a song the day would never end.
Without a song the road would never bend.
When things go wrong a man ain’t got a friend,
Without a song.

That field of corn would never see a plow.
That field of corn would be deserted now.
A man is born but he’s no good no how,
Without a song.

I got my trouble and woe but, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll;
And I’ll get along as long as a song is strong in my soul.

I’ll never know what makes the rain to fall.
I’ll never know what makes that grass so tall.
I only know there ain’t no love at all
Without a song.

Enjoy your day. Try a little singing.

Inspiration, Risk

One Wild and Precious Life

September 4, 2016 Rev Kathy

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

I am constantly inspired by the poetry of Mary Oliver. What is it that I plan to do with my one wild and precious life? That is a question worth asking throughout life, asking again and over again at every juncture. Life is definitely not still or stagnant. It moves with the hours of the day, the moments of the soul. It constantly asks of us decisions . . . What will I cherish on this day? What will I do about this challenge? Where will I move at this crossroad?

The answers to such questions steady our journey. The answers give adjustment to our sails as we travel into the wind. The answers are crucial ones, imperative to a life path, making space in the heart for the unimaginable.

I leave you with the words of Mary Oliver.

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it is over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

Inspiration, Loss

Ordinariness

August 29, 2016 Rev Kathy

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Life can be as ordinary as a field of common clover, all three-leaf. I sometimes get tired of ordinary. I grow weary of passing days with 24 ordinary hours, day after ordinary day. Nothing exceptional marks the days and nights. They just pass, making me wonder if I’m wasting them.

In my younger years, I had the ability to make extraordinary things happen. Not in these days. These days, it seems that my most noteworthy accomplishment is to thrive in the midst of ordinary days.

I would be lying if I said I did not miss the extraordinary days of my life. And I would be lying if I said I am not still trying to reach the extraordinary realm in some way. The truth is I am trying. I am struggling to find meaning in my present days and to cherish every day as a gift. By the way, now and then in that very ordinary field of three-leaf clover one spots a sprig with four leaves, and suddenly it is not so ordinary. It has been estimated that there are approximately 10,000 three-leaf clovers for every four-leaf clover. Even so, people still look for them and known records for finding that rare four-leaf clover have reached as high as 160,000.

Still, I make peace with ordinariness. And as I do, I pay close attention to the words written by Lindsey O’Connor.

“Sometimes mystery defies what our head knows and we feel God reach down into the ordinariness of nightly ritual and speak to our heart with a whisper.”

― Lindsey O’Connor, The Long Awakening, a Memoir

Even in the ordinariness of ritual, I can say that God reaches down and speaks to my heart with a whisper. It is those holy moments that sustain me. An an occasional four-leaf clover.

Courage, Faith, healing, Hope, Inspiration

An Unconquerable Soul

August 25, 2016 Rev Kathy

We face dark obstacles at times. We are as assailed on every hand, tried by difficult life circumstances. We sometimes find that our very soul is heavy with grief and loss. Yet our soul is unconquerable. We face life unafraid because of our faith in a protective and faithful God. When tribulation covers us, we know that we are also covered by God’s grace.

“Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, For my soul takes refuge in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.” – Psalm 57:1

And there we abide, under God’s wings. We strengthen one another with our stories, taking solace as we hear that others have survived their storms. We share both our joys and our sorrows, our hope and our descent into hopelessness. The stories give us courage and raise in us the will to move past whatever pain we suffer. One such story is that of William Ernest Henley.

At age twelve, Henley was diagnosed with tubercular arthritis that necessitated the amputation of one of his legs just below the knee. His other foot was saved only through a radical surgery. As he healed in the infirmary, Henley began to write poems, including “Invictus,” which concludes with the oft-referenced lines “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul.”

Invictus

William Ernest Henley
1849-1903

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate,
I am the captain of my soul.

I have been brought low in this life, too many times to count. I have fallen into the dust, barely able to pick myself up off the ground. But on this day as I stand tall, safe from the throes of pain and loss, I give thanks to God for my unconquerable soul. There may yet come a day of darkness for me. But what remains is a soul unconquerable.

Dreams, Inspiration

Possible Dreams

August 15, 2016 Rev Kathy

Possible dreams and inspiring stories surround the world’s fastest 400 meter sprinter, Wayde van Niekerk of South Africa. There is the story of his coach, a 74-year old great grandmother who has spent her entire life coaching and now watching her protege compete at the Olympic Games.

And there is also the story of his mother, Odessa, who was a world class athlete who was not allowed to compete for her country because of Apartheid, watching her son win an Olympic gold medal and set a new world record.

But Wayde van Niekerk is now living his own story. Apartheid has passed. Dreams, once impossible, are now possible. And in this new day, van Niekerk broke the 400 meter world record last night in Rio, a record set in 1999.

There is new life beyond Apartheid. There are new dreams coming true. There is hope where once hopelessness reigned. Wayde van Niekerk’s story is a story of possible dreams.

Freedom, Inspiration

Toward a Brighter Season of Hope

August 10, 2016 Rev Kathy

In this time in history, we should make time to look through all that is happening, to look beyond violence to see peace, to look beyond rancorous politics to see hope. As a nation, we are better than what we are seeing on our newscasts every night. We are a brighter people, full of promise that we seem to have lost. We can ride this wave of disunity and let it guide our way, or we can say “enough!” There is not one political candidate or issue that should have the power to divide friend from friend, family from family. We can look higher. We can be better.

This writing by Steven Charleston says it all. I hope we will hear his words and lift our eyes to a brighter season of hope.

Time to look up. Time to look through the valley mist to see the sun sparkling on the mountains beyond. Time to move. Time to begin again the journey that brought us through so much celebration and sorrow to this place of new beginning. Time to gather the community. Time to make sure we have all of our tribe from every clan and family ready to walk together. Time to pray. Time to ask for a blessing on what we are about to do and to give thanks for the power of hope that carries us forward. Time to sing. Time to let the valley echo and the mountains ring with the sound of our voices as we set off once more on the great adventure of the human story. Time to love. Time to be who in our hearts we know we are.

Amen and amen!

Creating, Faith, Inspiration, Spirituality or Religion?

The Soul of Music

August 8, 2016 Rev Kathy

Music is the stuff of the soul, a universal language that speaks to the depths of our being. I have long been a devotee of the choral composer John Rutter. I have marveled at his art and his giftedness. I recently read an article about his faith. Here is what he said.

You certainly have to have a sense of faith. That is not usually difficult for a musician, as musicians move easily in the realm of the mysterious and the transcendent. I don’t think it matters whether you are a signed-up believer of one particular faith.

I learned also that his faith is not of a specific tradition. It is more about spirituality than religion. He describes himself as a reverent believer at the time he is working on a sacred piece. He adds,

When I take a sacred text I believe every syllable of it while I am setting it to music because I think it’s part of an artist’s job to enter into states of being which are not necessarily his or her own. As long as I’m writing or conducting I am a firm believer and when I have finished I go back to being what I am the rest of the time, which is Agnostic.

Regardless of our religious tradition, God places a kind of brilliance within us. John Rutter, no matter his faith, has inspired the world of sacred music for decades. Music emerges from the soul, and John Rutter has created music of the soul.

I invite you to listen to his brilliant arrangement of the hymn, “For the Beauty of the Earth” at https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PaMkj4_H8WM.

Adventures, Courage, Dreams, Freedom, Inspiration

A Strange and Wonderful Concept

August 7, 2016 Rev Kathy

What a strange and wonderful concept . . . Running toward something instead of running away from something. Ten athletes without a country will compete in the Rio Olympic Games. They are refugees. They have persevered after losing home and country, some after losing parents.

These ten refugee athletes will act as a symbol of hope for 21.3 million refugees worldwide and bring global attention to the magnitude of the refugee crisis when they take part in the Olympic Games Rio 2016.

One of the refugee athletes, Yusra Mardini, is a swimmer. About two years ago, Mardini was swimming to save her life and others. She was one of 20 refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea in a boat when the motor stopped running.

Mardini fled the Syrian war in 2014 with her sister, who was with her on the boat. They dived into the water with one other passenger and pushed the boat to the shore. Everyone on board was saved.

She will compete for the Refugee Olympic Team (ROT) – the first of its kind. They marched proudly into the Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremony immediately before the host nation, Brazil, waving the Olympic flag.

How important a lesson we can learn from these athletes! How to survive in crisis. How to find strength and hope in the midst of loss. How to thrive after losing home. How to keep trying when others might have given up.

I am moved by their bravery, their tenacity and their resilience. I pray for good things to come to them. I pray that the world will be inspired by their example, to lift our eyes up to hope, to move forward into brighter days, to always strive to be the best we can be.

Faith, Grace, Hope, Inspiration

Holy Sunday Morning

July 31, 2016 Rev Kathy

Sunday morning. A day of rest. “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” To do that today, I share with you the words of one of my favorite poems, “Desiderata.” It has wisdom for the living of these days.

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann, “Desiderata”

Beauty of Nature, Hope, Inspiration, Light

When the Moon Is New

July 25, 2016July 25, 2016 Rev Kathy

A new moon holds a hint of promise to me. It’s a sign of hope, an event that will lead to something fuller. It marks starting over, the beginning of something that will fully bloom into something more magnificent. New moon refers to the first visible crescent of the moon.

Some religious groups, such as the New Israelites of Peru, keep the new moon as a Sabbath of rest. No work may be done from dusk until dusk, and religious services run for 11 hours, although a large number of the devoted worshippers spend 24 hours within the gates of the temples, sleeping and singing praises throughout the night.

In many faith traditions, the new moon is viewed as a special time. For me, the beauty of a new moon is breathtaking. Though my faith does not commemorate the new moon in any special way, I am often moved to offer praise to the God who created it. And praising God is always a good thing.

When the moon is new . . . It’s a time of wonder, a promise of hope, a new beginning, and a very appropriate time to praise the One who created the moon and the stars as gifts for us.

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Category: Inspiration