Paradox

Sometimes things seem one way, but also another too.  We don't have to have the details figured out yet, we don't need to prove one right and the other wrong.  I believe we are called to hold the tension in a creative waiting period.  Then, through our holding, while we in faith hold both sides of the seeming paradox, we are changed.  Our minds are broadened, our souls open.  The dual mind seeks to make judgements about everything, to put things into this category or that.  The contemplative mind holds all, and invites grace to be the instructor rather than a linear mind. I need not be quick on the draw, I can be patient.  Sometimes the story doesn't unfold overnight, sometimes we wish the answers would appear quicker.  But it is precisely through the faithful waiting, that we are ripened (much without us even know this has happened).  I feel that knowledge can say that something is either this or that, but wisdom lets both sides of something affect us.

Paradox is woven into our very existence.  Remember, Jesus became flesh, so that he was fully God and fully man.  And somehow, our flesh is affected by the spiritual, and the spiritual affected by our flesh.  Thinking on such things can get us out of linear, dual or either/or thinking.  It can deepen our grasp of reality, deepen our participation in truth.  Then, we don't need to have something fully figured out before we can partake in it.  We simply let it wash over us, simply let it be as it is.  I feel that so much of our time can be in the pursuit of knowledge, or the pursuit of some form of control or security, whereas what we need more is to recede control, to participate in reality rather than have it controlled.

Maybe the answer isn't found in one extreme or the other, maybe there is a creativity holding all together that I can let affect me more and more.  In this way, I'm less reactive, less defensive of my corner.  I read recently a description of God as One whose center is everywhere and circumference is nowhere.  Therefore God is involved on both sides of the issue, inviting extremes to lay down arms and meet in the middle.

God grant me the capacity for paradox.

For the weary

Let us take our burdens to the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.  Only there will we find rest.  I try and conjure up my own rest, I try and plan and think and prepare.  But I need rest even from this!  This is why rest can only be found in one place.  Our rest lies in the one who created us, who created everything and saw that it was good.

I struggle in my relationship with rest.  I feel I always need to be doing something, always improving myself in some way.  But rest is an integral part of growth.  Rest takes all of the data I've filled myself with, and integrates it into me.  I helps me see with fresh and refreshed eyes.  It helps me to rest in the One bigger than me.

Rest can help me get in touch with my true self, the self that is hidden with God in Christ.  The self that is being lived through, that is a part of the mystery of the universe, that is at peace, that is good.  For me, it's scary to rest because I fear that nothing will catch me if I fall into relaxation, but this is a lie.  I must remember that there are seasons of life, seasons to fight, but also seasons to rest too.  

If in faith I rest, character can be built into me.  There is time for all the new data, all the new information to take its proper place in me and in the larger story that I'm a part of.  The balance between rest and work can be difficult to understand but I believe contemplation, or a contemplative mind can understand it better than a simple either/or or dualistic way of thinking.  With a contemplative mind, I can see that my rest makes my work all the more sweeter, and good work also will make my rest more productive.

We may even feel guilty or sinful if we start to rest.  Also, when we start to rest we may feel ill at peace because the clutter going on in our mind and body may come to the surface.  Our inconsistencies may seem louder because we have come to a place where we can see them more clearly.  But inviting compassion into our times of rest, inviting the presence of Jesus into it, can help us bind to the One True Voice in the midst of our clutter.  And in this way, we are transformed.  We recognize Jesus more in deeper parts of us, which is salvation.

Lord God, give the capacity, the desire, to rest in you.  Let all my troubles fall away in light of your beautiful rest.  Please help me to be at peace with myself, with others, with you.  And in all, help me to rest in my truest identity as a beautiful child of you. 

Beauty

Beauty shakes us from the familiar, from where we are stuck.  If we but behold it, let it sink in, let it speak into us.  A beautiful song, if I meet it with gratitude, can lift me to new heights.  A beautiful painting can be healing to the place in each of us that longs for beauty, for creativity.  A beautiful sunset can put me at peace, because I feel I'm taking part in the transcendent, in that which is beyond me, but which includes me.

Beauty can create in me a sense of flow, a sense of ease, where thoughts come and go without troubling me.  I don't need to shy back from beauty, from letting it wash over me, for beauty is from God.  In the beautiful moment, I know on a different level, I know in a deep place of me.  In the beautiful moment, I'm held, I don't need to announce my presence, the presence I feel is enough.  In the beautiful moment, I am both awake and at rest.  I am in love, and a part of love.  The script has become to us alive, relevant, free.

Beauty transcends fear, transcends dualistic thinking, transcends ego and ego traps.  It shakes us awake, shakes us from the mundane.  Beauty is related to mystery, to a place where we leave what we know, to join something bigger and better.

God grant me the capacity to let beauty speak to me, to let it wrap around me and take me in.  Let me see you as beauty.

Learning from each other

If we're open, we can learn a lot from each other.  This is the beauty of community, and of relationship. I believe that those are different from us hold special significance for our own personal growth.

Each time I meet someone or talk with someone I want to be open from learning from them.  I believe that this can change us and give us more of an open stance towards life.  Also, this is more inviting to them, and they may be encouraged to share themselves with us.  Also, if I'm open to other people, I will be more open to the moment, to being surprised by the grace in the day.  Also, if I'm not open to other people affecting me, I will not be open to God affecting me either.  I believe that what I'm talking about is more open stance towards life, an opening to mystery, to things that I don't yet know and don't quite know how to take in yet.  To believe that we are complete is to close us off from mystery, from the other.  Also, this isn't living by faith.

We are all a work in progress, and this may sound disappointing, but rather it invites us to dance with the Life flowing through the universe.  If I'm already perfect, I don't need to search for life outside of myself.  If on the other hand I'm aware of my shortcomings, if I know where I end, then I'm more aware of where Another begins.  Our job and goal isn't to work towards independence and self sufficiency, but rather interdependence and dependence on God.  In this way of thinking about things, your gifts are valuable and can add to my life and the life of the community.  Also, my gifts are valuable too and can be used for the common good.

We each have a choice in this life to go about reinforcing our current beliefs, our status quo, our way of seeing the world, or we can open ourselves to mystery, to other peoples' way of seeing, to ideas that stretch and expand our current beliefs.  It's tempting to look for things to reinforce the status quo, for we all want some element of control.  But we can go through our entire lives telling ourselves the same message, of entrenching ourselves deeper and deeper into our own modes.  If we're able to listen for new voices, than we must admit that our own way is just that, our own way, and is incomplete.  I believe we can go through our whole lives fighting for our piece of the pie, or for control, only to realize that life is shared, and made more full through the sharing.

To change from a mode that goes about reinforcing its own beliefs to one open to mystery is to look fully into God, not to get from him what we would like, but to have him speak into us the love that accepts all and transforms all.  We are each created in the image of God, but none of us bears the full image ourselves, we need each other, we need relationship to teach us more about God.  God himself is relationship, lived out in the Trinity.

I also believe that we can seek out areas to challenge ourselves.  Am I shy?  Then maybe I need to seek out those who are more outgoing.  Am I too bold?  Then maybe I need to seek out those who have peace in themselves and don't need to control to have peace.  Am I racist?  Then maybe I need to hang out with those of other ethnicities so I can learn from them, learn to love them, learn to see their uniqueness.  We are given each other to go on practicing the kingdom of God until the kingdom is a full reality.  We are bound to each other, we are given to each other.  To accept this, to open our arms and hearts to others, is to love God.  It is accept infinite mystery, to accept grace that leads to grace and to ever increasing levels of grace.

We will never have this perfected in our lifetimes.  But steadily looking into love, letting our hurts and hangups fall away, can help us to take a more open stance to life.  But we need love and grace for this, we can't muster up the courage to change ourselves.  We need to subject ourselves to mystery, to be open to this mystery, and to not fight back when mystery asks us to give up previous beliefs or ways of being.

Home

Jesus is our home, the place where we can rest our head.  He is our refuge, the place where we can find peace.  He is the creator of all, and we need look nowhere else for our home.  Orphans and widows, the downtrodden and neglected, those uncomfortable with themselves or their bodies, all the sorrowful, we need to come home.  He doesn't criticize us for our troubles, doesn't look down on us for all of the places we've been, only desires us to come home.

Jesus went before us and defeated death, took our burdens for us, hung that he we might be free.  This ultimately journey, God becoming man, living the perfect life, being crucified, and then risen back to life, was done for you, was done for me.  It means that Jesus is our home, with all our imperfections, with all our hopes and dreams, with all our bitterness, with all the places we look for security besides in Him.  He underwent his journey before we asked him to, before we sought a home.  He prepared a home for us in advance of anything we did, good or bad.  He is alive!  He holds all our hope!  He knows us!  The home has been prepared, I need only seek it, I need only say yes to it.

When we find our home, it gives us courage to leave other worries behind.  The worries that I can't control seem to have less grip on me.  When we come into our home, we are changed.  Character is built in us.  Suffering seems less meaningless and can even be seen as a teacher.  Home gives us the courage to go back out into the world and fight the good fight.  Home is both something prepared for us and for which we must give all.

There is room at home for all of us.  We are brothers, we are sisters.  We have one Father, the one who sees us, loves us compassionately and radiates his love and power throughout the universe for all of eternity.  He doesn't fear the differences in us, and invites us to take His perspective on this too.  Our bitterness may not end overnight, but committing ourselves to his grace, his refinement can help chip away at it, until we see a little more like He does.

At home, all of my scars and bruises can be healed.  The places I've been, the areas where I'm ashamed, can all find relief at home.  At home, we are all celebrated.

Worship

I believe that we're called to live a life a worship.  This does't have to mean what we think of worship in the classic sense of the word, of standing in church and singing.  Rather, I think it means having a spirit within us that is responsive to God's Spirit.  Therefore it's not confined to the walls of a church, not confined to music either.  My joy, my laughter, my thinking, even my pain, can all be places for worship.  It's about the disposition and attitude I choose in each of these things.  I can give God praise for my laughter, I can earnestly seek him in my pain.  

I believe that worship means saying "yes" to God on the most basic level.  It's committing all my actions, dispositions, feelings and thoughts to Him.  It's saying "yes" to God with the deepest part of who we are, as our grounding of being, with the essence of who we are.

For this reason, I believe that one religion will never be alone the only place where people can experience and interact with God.  If worship is more about saying "yes" to God in our soul, of giving way to his divine mercy, than of worshiping in the right church, then I believe that it's available to anyone.  Also, for this reason, I believe that a counseling session where God isn't mentioned can be spiritual.  As a counselor, I want to encourage people to say "yes" to a bigger life, "yes" to a life that is meaningful, "yes" to hope, and "yes" to grace.  If this occurs, I believe that God is honored.

This being said, I feel that church can be a great place to worship, as long as it doesn't send the message that worship must be confined to its walls, or that those outside of these walls can't worship.  I believe that a church should send a message of love, one of hope, of grace, of equality, of justice, of freedom, of joy and happiness.  

I believe that worship is choosing love over bitterness, it's about choosing grace over condemnation, it's about saying "yes" rather than no, it's about abundance rather than scarcity.  Each day I have an opportunity to engage the day with open arms, with an open mind, with hope of being shaped and molded by the grace in each day.  But I must choose, it can't be chosen for me.  The grace is already present, God is already working, I must seek where he is working and give all towards His efforts.  

God Wants us to Enjoy Life

This may sound obvious, but it is actually a shift in thinking.  It may have to do with the God you were raised with, or with relationships with parents.  It also may have to do with where the emphasis was put in your early years.  Was your God a vengeful God, a God of wrath?  Was your God a God who stays in heaven looking for ways to accuse, ways to correct, ways to get us back in line?  Was the main message you were taught duty, following orders, giving up pieces of who you are up for the hope of some distant glory that never comes?

We need a benevolent view of God.  The view I have of God affects how I think of myself and my day.  If I have a carrot on a stick theology, always being dissatisfied with what or who I am, I will struggle to find rest.  I will always struggle to feel ok.  This doesn't sound much like good news.  God isn't sitting up there correcting, he is loving, he is pursuing.  He wants more freedom for us than we want for ourselves.  God wants us to enjoy life, he wants us to trust the divine mercy flowing through the universe.  God is love, all else I can hold loosely.

We don't need to put God in a box.  We don't need to go him for spiritual nourishment, and then somewhere else to have fun.  The small details of our life matter to God.  Throughout our day, he is pursuing us more than we are pursing him.  He is hoping we enjoy our day more than we are.

Therapy with Children

I believe that therapy with children is about finding the joyous part of them, the part that's alive, or that has potential, and then working at bringing this out more fully.  In their life, children may have had to bury this part in order to survive.  They may have had to bury the parts that had hope, that give them joy, that sought comfort because they may have reached out with these parts only to find their needs frustrated.  For self preservation, they needed to stop reaching out.  Then in therapy, it's our job to find this part, these hidden needs, to acknowledge, to help remove the shame from them, to call them good, and help the child experience them in a safe setting.  I believe that this is consistent with a strengths based approach.  We look for their strengths, their internal resources and seek to bring these to the surface.  This type of approach is I believe a positive one.  When meeting with a child we are not looking for their deficits, not for the places they are lacking.  Rather, we are accepting them for who they are and encouraging them to share all that they are with us.  

In this type of approach, the atmosphere we want to create is one of openness, one of acceptance, one where the therapist remains curious about and present with the child.  We want an environment conducive to growth for the child.  It's not about the child living up to or attaining to demands we would have.  It's not even about our dreams or goals for the child.  It's more about letting the child's dreams naturally form in the open and supportive environment.  In an atmosphere and relationship like this, I believe that it also takes the pressure off of the therapist.  I'm less pressured to have the answers for the child, less pressured to steer them in a direction and therefore less frustrated if we don't like the direction they are taking.  My job is not to set out goals for the client or steer them in any of my directions, rather it is to join in the child in their world and help the child move towards their individual and unique light.  

For the therapist, this takes a shift in thinking.  I'm not a teacher in the common use of the word.  I don't hold all of the answers, rather I have patience to trust that the path will unfold in the context of a compassionate and supportive relationship.  I also believe that this requires the therapist to trust the natural good in clients.  We look for the goodness, the uniqueness, the creativity in each of our clients and try and provide an environment where these can naturally grow.  Also for the therapist, this takes patience.  It may take some time for the child to feel comfortable enough to show the therapist their hidden needs, or their wishes for freedom, and this requires the therapist to hold a supportive environment and then to wait for the growth to take effect.  This may sound frustrating to wait, but actually it is incredibly liberating.  It is trusting the therapeutic process.  It is trusting that relationship is good, that it is healing, that when given the right footing that a child can run.  

I believe that play can be a big part of therapy with children.  Play helps their uniqueness to shine.  It helps them engage their world in a way that is not threatening to them, but rather inviting.  It helps them to feel understood, to feel that the world is kind.  Play helps the child unfold and for them to get relief from all that is binding them.  I also feel that play that follows the child's lead can be helpful.  In play, like in the rest of therapy, it isn't about the therapist coming up with a great playful therapeutic environment, rather it is about engaging the client, providing a supportive environment, and trusting that the child's natural ability to play will kick in.  If play occurs, the therapist can in a way reflect back to the child aspects of the play occurring.  For example, if a girl client is playing with a dollhouse the therapist may make comments or ask questions about different aspects of the house.  And the comments aren't us telling the client what we think it means, but rather reflecting what the client is doing.  I feel that a therapist can help start play if the child is having a hard time getting going, but the therapist should seek to support the child's natural playful tendencies once play has begun.

Both/And

I believe we live in a dualistic society.  We love to put things into categories, we love our labels.  We look at people as winners or losers, rich or poor, privileged or those to have pity on.  I believe that much of our thinking is either/or thinking.  Someone is either in this category, or they are in that one.  Someone is either a winner, or they are a loser.  I believe that the gospel message pulls us away from this type of polarized thinking however.  I believe that the gospel message is a both/and message instead of an either/or message.  All is taken into account, all is included.  God is willing to accept all of us, even the broken parts of us.

I believe that both/and thinking frees us in ways that either/or thinking cannot.  If my primary mode is either/or, I will be seeking to divide, to put things into this category or that.  I will not be able to take things as they are, I will automatically be judging them and evaluating them from the start.  If on the other hand my mode is both/and, I'm more able and willing to accept you for who you are, and also to accept all that you have to offer.  Both/and thinking accepts people and things for what they are, and then invites them to share themselves.  It is a much more inclusive, a much more expansive way of thinking.  I believe that both/and thinking is more about saying "yes" than "no" or "maybe."

Imagine with me for a moment.  What if we saw the day as gift, as inclusive, as what we can add to it and what it can add to us, as able to expand our understanding, as increasing our ability to love and receive love.  I believe this type of thinking and seeing is grace, and also is the affect that grace has on our lives.  Only God can bring about this in our lives, and my openness and vulnerability with him can be a foundation on which a both/and attitude is built.

Known

We are known by God, inside and out.  There is no recess of our soul that he does not know, no crevasse that is unbeknownst to him.  Therefore let me come out of hiding, let me walk into the light with freedom and confidence.  Let me let go of fear, of crippling darkness, let light be my brother, my companion, my friend.  Into the light we will go, moving from grace to grace, from mercy to mercy.  Let the light be my home, my truest desire.  All that intrigued me about sin, about trying to control my life, let it forever be forgotten in the great light.  I want to hear a whispering in the wind, to know full well where it comes from, full well what it means, and to sell all to be a part of it.  I want to love from the inside out and outside in.  I want love to open up for me depths I never imagined, grace I cannot yet see.

Yes, we are known by God, inside and out.  My intentions do not go unnoticed by him.  His grace beckons me surrender in my deepest parts.  The parts I deemed insignificant, he says wait, I am hear, there is peace, this is good.  Even in my wavering and my doubt, even in my fear and failure, he is present.  His love never fails.  This is truly his story, I can participate, I can play a part, but ultimately it is him moving through me that brings about true redemption.

We are known by God, inside and out.  I need not perch my beliefs, like a hidden alter trying to reach the heavens.  I need only to say "yes".  I need only he.  He put creation into motion and since then has been working creatively with it, inviting us to participate with him in his beauty.

Praise be to the God of all heavens, of all earth, of all creation.  Praise be to the God of all comfort, of all grace, of all joy.  Praise be to the God of all refuge, of all shelter, of all places where I lay my head.  Praise be to the God of the animals, of each people group, of everything good.  Praise be to the one, the only, the infinite God.

With all of me

I need not mistrust the different parts of me.  For all of them are given by God.  All are to be used in unison, all are good.  I need not fear thinking, for God has given me my brain.  I need not fear exercise, for God has given me a body.  I need not fear rest, for God created us to need it.  I need not fear excitement, for we are given a capacity for it.  I need not fear fun, for it unites all of the other parts of me.

God made our minds and bodies to be used.  Accepting a Christian life isn't resigning from the use of our brains or any other part of who we are.  It is to use them more fully, in the blessed confidence of children of God.

I think we forget sometimes that Jesus became enfleshed.  He took on a human life.  I believe that this shows us that we are good.  God was willing to become what we are in order to show us that we need not fear or mistrust what God has created, ourselves.

Yes I make mistakes with my mind and body.  But that does't change their inherent goodness.  Remember, before we did anything wrong, before we took our lives into our own hands, we had perfect communion with God.  Before the fall, Adam and Eve didn't fear or hate themselves.  They were able to humbly accept that they were radically loved without limit.  The love of God is what they knew.  Grace was first.  Love was first.  Sin came later.  So to return to Christ is to return to our original destiny, being lost in the love of God.

I picture God as an energy radiating through the universe, drawing all things into it, making all things one.  We were not only created by God, but were also created in his image.  We need not fear that this all surpassing love doesn't reach us, or that there are recesses in our soul that it doesn't reach.  I believe accepting our identity of a loved child of God is the task of our lifetime.  To internalize this love, to dare to believe it's true, to dare to let it accept us in our brokenness, is our calling.

So in light of this, I don't need to fear myself.  I can think with the power provided by God.  I can experience life fearlessly, without reservation.  I can use all my faculties in bringing him glory.

I believe that human love gives us a picture and snapshot of God's love.  I picture a father, playing with his child, not concerned if the child is doing anything right, only caring that the child is smiling and laughing.  The father, only concerned with life for the child, delights in the child's joy.  If I can believe this about human love, it opens me up to the possibility about a grander love, still deeper, still more persistent, still more present, than we can imagine.  And believing this about the divine, helps me still broaden my capacity for human love.

Embracing Ambiguity (Embracing Faith)

We will never have this life all figured out. We will never have a corner on the market of all truth. Pure wisdom will always be outside of us. But this is ok! We weren't meant to have it all figured out. We are called to live by faith. The call is to walk into mystery, into truth that is guiding us, not truth that we have control over. I say this to encourage us all, it is a great freedom to know that I'm accepted in my not knowing. Faith keeps us in the fight. If I decide against all hope, I've quit the fight. Similarly, if I've decided I have it all figured out, I've left the fight as well. My capacity for mystery, for love, for great truth is dying, and my capacity to hold these things is diminishing. But there is good news. All faith requires is saying yes to God. To open our hands and receiving from him. It does't require that we understand the gift, only that we let it change us, only that we live into it. We live in a society where answers seem to be more praised than questions. But we tend to seek only the answers that confirm our status quo. Whereas questions, questions open me up to the Other, to receiving, to mystery, to what is beyond me. I see this as great news. Faith states to us to stand in the mystery, to abandon our need for control, to drink in deeply to the mercy and love found in this life. Faith helps me to view the sunset, the impeccable mountain, and though I can't quantify the beauty, though I can't accurately explain it in words, I can be grateful for it. Faith helps me get beyond being hung up on the content and helps me engage more in the process. Faith means I already have what it takes to let mystery touch me, I need only to succeed to it. Faith isn't created a beauty from nothing, it is awakening my eyes, my mind, my heart to the beauty already present in the universe. It's less of a spirituality of addition, more of a deepening trust in the God already at work in the world and in my life. At times, I may encounter two or more ideas that seem to be opposing without knowing which if any are accurate. But faith speaks into this situation allowing us to rest in the love and Presence that are God. And, if I'm not quick to react, if I hold the tension in a loving grasp, I may see the truth on both (or all) sides. Weary travelers, let not your unknowing and doubt undue you. Rather, let them propel you into deeper mystery, into mystery that more readily holds all things without passing judgement. Let us together be invested in the God of mystery, who gives of himself in abundance no matter how much or little we realize it or accept it.

Process vs. Content

Often times I feel that we get hung up in the content, when the process may be speaking more loudly.  Take a therapy session for example.  A client may say lots of things, or may be venting, and what they are venting about may be of less significance then their need to be heard.  Or take therapy with children as another example, the session may be full of play, full of laughter, and not full of much dialogue.  But the process of play may have spoken louder to the child than any amount of words could.  As yet another example, take my relationship with Charissa, my wife.  If she has a hard day she may need to vent, and my response to her content may be much less helpful than my being present with her in her process.

In my own relationships, I don't want someone who wants to teach me so much as enter on this journey with me.  I desire people to live by me side by side, walking on to the truth, in honesty, in asking the hard questions, in reflection, in growth, in good times, in bad.  This one of the reasons why I like music so much, it doesn't judge, it just is.  I get to listen to others pouring out their hearts, connect with it, resonate with it, let it affect me.  I may never meet the artist or musician, but for that moment, we connect.  Music encourages not to worry about the end result so much and just enjoy the moment.  Music is mysterious, encourages me to enter into mystery.  How is it that the sound coming out can affect me so?  To me the question isn't as important as just letting it speak to me.

If we think about growth in the spiritual life, or in life in general, I believe the topic of process vs. content can be relevant too.  I believe in the spiritual life, we need both good content and process.  Content might teach me accurate theology, but process helps me to incorporate this theology into my life.  Process gives me the freedom to try out a new idea, to see the results and to learn from it.  God himself is the content, and the way he interacts with us is the process.  Growth happens through the process of gradually trusting him more, of gradually letting his grace speak into deeper parts of our lives, of making this grace more and more our home, more and more the grounding of our being.  It isn't a one time thing, it's a life long journey of growing character.  And if we allow God to speak to us through the process, it can continually refine the content we believe.

Fear Not

We're not meant for fear, we are meant for freedom.  Fear closes us off, makes us worry.  Freedom opens up greater space for us.  Freedom sings into our souls and takes us to places we've never been.  Freedom is but a taste of the ultimate freedom to come.  When seeking God, we need not look back over our shoulder, for God wants us to enjoy life.  God is big enough to hold us as we are, to lead us onward into the mystery we all crave.  Life is good, God is good.  When we're free, we need not worry about how to categorize or use this feeling, being present with God in the moment is enough, and we are changed by it.  We need not be shackled by fear any more!  My inner critic is lying!  I need not shame myself to try and reach some pure position, I need not worry.

If we adapted this attitude towards ourself and others, I believe it changes everything.  All of the sudden, my goal is both your freedom and mine.  I'm less combative, less trying to persuade you of my beliefs, more trying to awaken the presence of God in you.  And not by shame, not by manipulation, not by deceit, but by honest and true presence and love.  Society, each people group, counselors, pastors, leaders, everyone, should be about freedom for each other and for ourselves.  Satan cannot set free, he can only bind.  This is how we know that each freedom is from God.

In the experience of freedom, my attitude has greater gratitude.  I'm more spontaneous, more open, and my troubles seem to slide off of my back.  Being present with freedom is honoring to God.  Also, if I'm free my actions will be more my own, less a reaction to some outside force.  We need not fear freedom, need not fear enjoyment, for these are gifts from God.

Life, is gift from God.

Giving and Receiving

When I give to someone else, a space is automatically opened in me that is capable of receiving.  In loving others, I'm more capable of accepting love from God.  This works the other way too.  Accepting love from God, makes me more capable of loving others.  We are meant to both give and receive.  This life was not meant to be lived in a vacuum.  What I do affects others, and what others do affect me.  We need practice in both giving and receiving.  As we practice, our capacity to hold love is grown.  When we give of ourselves to another, we gain the capacity to reflect on that, to grow from it, to pray about it, and to assimilate into ourselves what we've learned from it.  The same goes for receiving.  When we feel close to God, especially blessed by him, it gives us the chance to reflect on that, and then to make decisions on how to let it affect our actions and lives.

I believe that God is the ultimate example of giving and receiving.  He is totally open to receiving from us, is inviting us to share who we are with him at all times.  And he is the perfect giver, always pouring himself out to us, always available, always advocating for us, always calling us toward transparency and nakedness in him.  Reflecting on the character of God can help me with both my giving and receiving.  Also, reflecting on the Trinity can teach of this balance as well.  In the Trinity, God is perfectly given to the other parts of the trinity and also receiving from them as well.  This is done freely, joyously, spontaneously and without reservation.  Meditating on this can help these characteristics become part of me.  For as each part of the Trinity is giving to the other parts, God also generously gives to us as well.

In reflecting on the Trinity, the dualistic mind and either/or thinking is enveloped in love.  It is given the freedom to let its guard down, to accept something without totally understanding it.  In this light, thoughts are less controlling, more accepting.  We are invited into a bigger grace, a more spacious place.  Also, reflecting on the Trinity can help giving to others become more natural.  It becomes less something I muster up, more something a natural part of my demeanor.  And then the gift given, opens me up to greater gift from God, to receiving from the divine.  I feel this is the purpose of community, namely bringing out God's image in each other and in our lives together.

The Gift of Relationship

My wife is a mirror for me.  In light of the love she has for me, in light of our relationship, everything I do matters.  My decisions affect both her and I.  Now I have a choice, I could become bitter about this, or I could use this mirror, this reflection of my actions, to shape and mold me.

Like the marriage relationship, all relationships are a chance to both give and receive.  In this mutuality growth and change can happen.  If I let those around me speak into my life, I may broaden my perspective to see a little more how they see.  Relationship is gift, and though it may be challenging at times, we are called to community.  We are stronger together.  What I lack, my sister can contribute.  Where I fall, another will be strong, and in their strength can help me back to my feet.  I feel that true relationship is a chance for intimacy, a chance for transparency.  Relationship at its best accepts us for who we are, allows us to share our deep hurt, and then strengthens us by presence in the midst of our hurts.  There is no notion of separate sin, of sin that only affects me and not my brothers.  I am bound by the image of God to those around me, and what I do affects my ability to be present for others.  We could see this as an incredible burden, or as it is, pure gift.  I get to share with those around me.  I am bound to them, and them to me.  We one is strong, we celebrate, when one hurts, we cry with them.  In this way, God is honored.  For God aches when we ache, and is joyous when we are full of joy.  We didn't ask for this sort of love, this love that pursues us to the ends of the earth.  This love that makes itself vulnerable to us, is affected by us and is always available to us.  In the same way, I should let those around me affect me.  This shows people that they matter, that they are real, that someone is willing to feel with them and for them.  It helps to answer the question for them, "Does anyone really care about me?"

I work as a mental health counselor.  I see it as my job to find the strengths already present in people and bring these into focus, to bring them out more clearly.  Anything besides this, is telling people what to do, is trying to form people in my mold.  Remember, Jesus came to set us free, I must follow his example.  As a counselor, I want to let people tell their story.  I want to honor their story as unique, precious and true.  More than intervention, people need a listening presence.  Once I have gained their trust, once I've proven to them that this is their time, not mine, than I have a platform to speak truth into their lives.  But never truth forced, only offered as invitation, and at the same time offering them the choice to accept it or not.  All truth is offered in such a way, it must be accepted, can't be forced.  In this sort of compassionate relationship, a person can gain the confidence to explore topics.  I believe that in this sort of exploration, truth can be experience, faith strengthened.  And it comes not through doctrine, not in telling people the right answers, but through open, trusting and compassionate exploration.  I hope that I have true beliefs, but these beliefs must be tempered by, informed by, and grounded in love. They also must be open to being wrong, or at least incomplete.

The personal work I do will directly affect the way I relate to people.  If I broaden my ability to accept God's love, then I will automatically broaden my ability to love others.  Relief from my fears will translate into a greater capacity to help relieve the fears of others.  In this way, no personal growth is lost, none without meaning.  Refining of myself will always increase my capacity to help, to be present, to love.  And then my loving of others, will greater increase my refinement.  And in this way love grows, pulls us upward, until Christ is all, and in all.

Failure

If I let it, I can learn a lot from my failures.  Because in my failures, I've come to the end of me, the end of what I can do, and I need to rely on Something bigger than me.  If I only pay attention to my successes, I'm only reinforcing what I already am, I'm not challenging myself.  Failure makes me rely more on God, and also more on others as well.  In true community, we need not pretend we don't fail, don't have doubts, don't wrestle with meaninglessness.  Rather, these very things can open us to new truth, new opportunity, new life.  I believe we live in a society that rewards success, but doesn't know quite what to do with failure.  We brush over it, it makes us uncomfortable.  But if we pay attention to it, let grace touch it, be willing to learn, than we don't hate or try and hide these things but rather allow God to hold us in them.  We must remember, before we did anything good or bad, Jesus died for us.  He's not afraid of our failures, and invites us into freedom from the fear of failure too.  I believe that interdependence knows better what to do with failure than independence.  When we live in community, when we see others as our sisters and brothers trying to work out this life than I can let these people speak life, grace and meaning into me.  If on the other hand I try and conquer all my inconsistencies in a vacuum, than my struggle lacks meaning and I'm only trying to tackle my problems in my problematic way, only perpetuating the problem.  We need to harness the spirit of when we were young, when we fell down, scraped our knee, but than got up again and kept running.  The mere fact that we are finite beings in search of the Infinite One means we're going to make mistakes, means we're never going to fully grasp what that is.  I can let this torment me, or I can give up and trust that God is good.

God give me the grace to see myself as you see me.

Mercy

Mercy sets us free, doesn't require that we work for it, but is offered to us before we ask for it.  God is merciful in all his actions.  His mercy works in accordance with his love, grace, wisdom and freedom.  This mercy is greater than any sin I could commit, greater than any wrong I could do.  This is the reason we have hope, that no matter what we do, we will not spend all of God's mercy.  This mercy is offered to us when we wake, while we sleep, it is woven into who we are.  We need only to surrender to it, only to acknowledge that we are created for it.  The more we learn the character of God, the more mercy will be present with us and in all of our relationships.  God's mercy is deeper than we can fathom, better than we can understand.

If I trust this mercy, I can move and be with more confidence.  Not because I'm great, but because I'm part of Someone great.  God likes to rub off on people, he wants us to find shelter in his great mercy.  If God is mercy to me, I should be mercy to those I encounter.  Not a pity or mere pardon for some act, but a disposition towards our fellow that is pure acceptance, that accepts before they have a chance to act.  A merciful disposition is preemptive forgiveness, is grace for all and is love.  Mercy doesn't hold on to anger.

God's mercy is deeper than the deepest ocean.  We can train ourselves to hear it, to let it speak through us.  In this way, I'm less defensive and have less of a need to prove myself.  Mercy can better hold paradox than anger, can give us patience, can help us see the possible good in difficult circumstances.

Lord God train me in your mercy!

Late Night Dreams

Let me be free, let me fall into grace.  Let the strings plucked equal freedom flowing through my soul.  Let there be no such thing as fear, no frightful grip on my soul.  Let my being resonate with the tones of the universe.  Let love fill every pour, let Spirit engulf me.  To know that our song reaches the heavens, to know it's heard.  To live in the moment, to hold paradox, to be willing to be surprised.  To believe it's better than the story I could have written, that the Hand of the eternal is in this world.  All my sleeping, all my resting, being held, a light shining in the darkness.  All that have gone before pave the way, all that follow are beautiful, worth all I can give.  Let us hear the tone in each other, to dance to our different beats.  In stillness, in peace, in soul, in mind, in body, to be alive.  To not fear the distant call, to well up with sound and grace.  To see the universe as it is, not as I would have it, as beautiful.  For love to engulf all, forever, for now, forever.

Sooth and Relax (2 songs)

Here's a few instrumentals I've done.  Hope you enjoy them!

Simplicity

We need not go running to the wind to find all of the different pieces.  Change can happen inside of us, then radiate into all else we do.  When we boil it all down, it comes down to love.  All I say and do is defined by how I love.  Thinking of life as a jigsaw puzzle trying to find all the different pieces to make me whole, gives me a headache.  But what if, what if it were simpler than this, what if more beautiful.  In the depth of our soul, in the ground of our being, we have a desire for love, for mysterious, all consuming love.  Letting this speak to us changes us from the inside out.  Then it's less of a puzzle I try and figure out or constantly rearrange to look better and better, more something I fall into, more something I let consume my very being.  Then we're not on our own, Jesus is molding our very existence, changing us at the ground level.  Now all of the sudden I'm connected to something much bigger, something that always joins, always gives, all combines.  And I find my sisters and brothers here with me, each being transformed by the same love, connecting us to each other.

If we each had a personal commitment to this kind of love, this simple and beautiful love, I believe the world would be a much more beautiful place.  All of the sudden, achievement isn't the name of the game.  Who makes more money isn't who wins.  Even my so called religious achievements aren't so important to me, all that matters is seeing the love with more clarity, all that matters is giving myself more fully over to it.  But a commitment to this kind of love takes discipline.  We each have a thousand things vying for our attention, each a thousand things promising us something if we but only seek after it.  A commitment to this radical kind of love takes us pausing, looking full into it, and returning to this gaze enough times until the love is all that matters to us.  Now my life isn't fragmented into all of the things I do, or all the things I seek security from, but it's base if love, and the love radiates to all I do.  I want love to be my instructor, my mentor, my friend, my Father.

Freedom for Freedom's sake (2 songs)

True freedom doesn't ask for anything in return.  This is the mark of true freedom, it is freedom for freedom's sake.  It is freedom that leads to new levels of freedom.  It is true invitation, true gift.  It is freedom that leads to a new, bigger and more spacious place.  Often I hear the voice of freedom through music, and I hope you enjoy these two songs I'm posting.

Intimate to the Soul

God is intimate to our soul, knows our every longing, knows all of our groans.  His kind heart is present with all of us, inviting us to let our burdens go.  All of our sadness, all our depression and anxiety, do not go unnoticed by him.  He is more intimate with us than we can be with ourselves.  He is the author of peace, of mercy, of love, and he created us for these things.  When he created us, he put his mark on us, we are bound to him and him to us.  He loves us so much, that he became like us, bearing the burdens we bear, so that he may bring us close to him.

It is a story of love.  A story of intimacy, then separation, but then offered intimacy again.  When we as humans walked away from God, we walked away from true understanding, undeserved gift and grace, and his presence.  But even now, he offers us these things.  He is calling to each of us, speaking from without and from within, pleading us to let his love take effect in our life.  He wants his roots to go deep into us, nourishing our souls.  God is the essence of reality, the ground of our being, the Father of our souls, our home.  This is the home of every human, and is freely offered to all.  It's not something we can earn, or deserve, but simply something we can accept, something we can acknowledge and let wash over our souls.  This love starts from God, flows to us and beckons us let it take effect.  The fact that it starts from God means that as humans we are equal.  The essence of our worth is God's love for us, a love that doesn't discriminate but that draws all things to itself.  In this light, we don't need to compare ourselves to each other, but can celebrate each other as we are celebrated.

This is good news.  Not just for the future, but for the present as well.  I need not neglect the physical is hopes of reaching the spiritual.  The physical in life, my body, all that I smell or touch, can all point me to the eternal.  In fact, to become more spiritual is to become more human.  I awake to the deepest parts of me, parts that may have been sleeping but that were present none the less.  To know God is to know ourselves better.  To be intimate with God is allowing love to be intimate with our soul.

The trajectory of history:

Believing in a God that loves the human soul radically changes what I believe in about his plans for history.  If his primary motive towards us is love, than all actions he takes towards us are love.  I believe God wants to restore us to intimacy with him, and that all his efforts are towards that end.  In this light, I can prepare for the future in an open and accepting way.  I need not convince others to be afraid and of fire and brimstones, but rather invite then to open their lives to a love that is calling us all.  If I believe that God's primary motive towards us is love, than I'm more able to enjoy each day.  I need not neurotically examine myself in the hopes of purifying myself from my ailments.  It's not our job to change us.  All change is gift, all change is grace.   This is truly a generous orthodoxy.

Music

I'm posting two instrumental tracks I've done.  I love music, it relaxes me.  I love the passion behind some music.  I feel taken by it, and placed in a new and bigger place.  I resonate with it and for a while feel that I'm connected with the vibrations of the universe, and that is enough.  I love the creativity and the honest expression of pain.  Sometimes for me, music can say what one thousand words couldn't.  Thank you all musicians and vocalists who have added to the library of beauty.

Humility

Humility is holding open the possibility that I might be wrong.  I would also say, that this is essential for growth.  I don't think we're measured by the degree to which we hold our beliefs to be true, but the more essential thing is to be willing to learn.  If I believe in an infinite God, no matter my understanding, I will still have an infinite to learn.  I believe the call to us, is to accept this about ourselves, and to accept God transforming us in his way and in his time.

Humility is much more inviting than pride.  When I become aware of my deficits, of my inauthenticities, of my false self, I much more want to seek solace from someone who is on the same journey of light and darkness as I, much less someone who has "fixing" answers.  In humility, I can admit that I need each person on this planet, and that they need me.  We are not isolated from each other, but are walking this journey together.

Humility is health, it is the willingness to meet each day with open arms.  Humility can teach us those things we need to learn and those things we need to unlearn.  Humility can open me up to areas of myself that are underdeveloped, and also to others who are not like me who can shed their unique light into my darkness.  I believe that humility is a gift, and the more we treat it as such, the more it can work its power in our life.  When we're open to God, the totally Other, the only response is humility.  It is surrendering to mystery, surrendering to that which we cannot yet see, or that we never thought possible.  I believe we are led much more by our humility, much less by our desire to strengthen our own ego our support our own beliefs.

"I might be wrong", is a tough lesson to learn, but offers much more freedom than, "I'm always right."  We can drop pretense, live and love.  I believe those we consider our enemies, or those we understand the least have special significance for use.  If we can learn to love our enemies or those estranged to us than we are more likely to be able to love the estranged parts of our own selves.

God grant me humility.

Into Something

The beautiful about redemption, is that it can turn something that appears to be nothing, into something.  Our darkest parts, when met with redemption, can be used for good.  My deepest darkest hurts, can be used to bring others with similar pain into the light.

Jesus is the cause of redemption, perfection housed in a human body.  He took our sadness to the grave, and rose victorious on the other side.  It helps me to rest from my own work, knowing that someone has already done the work for me.  Then my life becomes about incorporating his work into me, his freedom to take the place of my bondage.  He went before us, to heal us of our hurts, to turn death on it's head.  And now death no longer has mastery, it must bow before him who conquered it.  What a gift!  To have someone innocent suffer on behalf of all humans, that our death might be buried with him, that we may share in his resurrection on the other side.  And a gift freely given, not under compulsion but out of love, to rejoin his creation back into unity with him.  He sought us, travelled to where we were, ate with us, and died for us.  To realize this, to believe it, is to have our burdens loosen their load on us, to have the demons breathing down our neck to be put back in their place.  It is to believe that love works, that it is real, that it transcends the now and lasts until eternity.  Jesus went before us that we might be with him, that we may enjoy his fellowship.

Believing this changes everything.  All of the sudden, it's not about who's right or wrong, not about who has the right beliefs, not about our differences, all that matters is shedding light where there is darkness.  In this new world, love is shown to all, we mourn with those who mourn and rejoice with those who rejoice.  We are connected, each person longing for the other to be free, knowing that someone went to the grave in order for us to live.

In this new world body, mind, heart, gut and soul are all united.  We lose our strange mistrust of ourselves, our fear of each other.  We don't live only in the head, dutifully trying to analyze all that is and fitting all into categories.  Our head sinks down into our heart, and both together illuminate the soul.  This is heaven, the living in love, pure love, that we are all meant for, which was our original destiny.  In light of a love so great, I less want to convince someone of beliefs, more want to relieve their pain.  It helps me to see and be grateful for those who have blessed me, who have sought to release me from my own burdens, those who have selflessly encouraged me to enjoy life.

In this love, I'm encouraged to let down my masks, to be authentic, to sing, to dance.  Celebration comes to life, and my worries and all that I thought was important, gets swallowed up in celebration.  Lord God, give me the grace to live in such a way.

Fluid

I want to be a fluid person, I want to be integrated.  I don't want there to be separate parts of me that I must attend to one at a time, and while attending to one the others get neglected.  I want to see value in each part of me, and potential in each part as well.  Even my dark parts, God can use for his good.  I want each of my parts to be complementary to the others, each encouraging the others to shine.  I don't want to be a musician in one breath, a counselor in another, I want all my parts to be accessible to me and all to shine out of my core identity as a loved child of God.  Each of my deep parts tells a story, each opens me up to a new level of grace. When I'm working as a counselor, I want the beauty of music flowing through me, and when I am writing music I want God's compassion for humanity informing all I write.

Integration will encourage me to not wear a mask in any setting, but to be my true self.  Integration will help me to relate to others out of a more true and honest stance.

The true self

The true self is the fearless self.  It is the self that is connected with the larger picture.  It is the self that doesn't need to put others down in order to feel good about itself.  The true self is always trusting, always alive, always free.  The true self can let it's guard down because it feels no need to hide, no need to pretend to be what it's not.  The true self is passionate and integrated.  The true self doesn't need to defend it's boundaries because it's more about building bridges than drawing lines.  The true self doesn't  fear change, doesn't fear what it doesn't understand.  The true self is accepting of lessons from each other person, accepting other's uniqueness and creativity.  The true self doesn't fear death, knowing death is but the door to the next life.

We all walk in a world where the true self and the self society dictates to us are in conflict.  Learning to listen, learning to hear our deepest yearnings, listening to our deepest desires, can help us get in touch with our true self.  I believe at our deepest core we are a people that desires to be connected to others and the meaning in the universe.  I feel that getting in touch with our true self is an awakening of what's already in us, much less a striving for something we'll never have.  Here in this deepest part of ourselves, we know we are good, lovable, connected with the meaning that unites the ages and holds the universe together.  In our society, I feel that getting in touch with our true selfs is at least as much of an unlearning as it is a learning.  We need to unlearn the messages taught to us.  Messages like hard work always better, I need to look a certain way, more money means I'm more successful, conformity to the norm is the safest option, I need to protect my boundaries, there is a black and white answer to every question, I need to fear what's different from me, I can't learn from other people groups or religions, all need to be unlearned.  I feel that lessons we learn can become part of our psyche, and can drive us in directions we're not aware of until we unlearn them.

In my daytime job, I work as a mental health counselor.  I believe that one task of a counselor could be to reflect back to clients their story so they can see it more clearly and look for ways that their lives are dictated by other sources rather than authentically lived.  I believe this requires of the counselor and the client the grace and patience to hold competing ideas side by side without necessarily knowing which side is more accurate quite yet.  But in the supportive and compassionate relationship present in the room, the client can be encouraged to choose the best option, or the option that is most truly them.  I feel this brings up a good point about the true self.  The true self doesn't fear not knowing.  The true self  is open to paradox.  The true self knows it's but one part of the whole and that it needs everyone else's vision to have the complete picture.  The true self holds all of it's beliefs with open hands, not ever believing it has the corner on the market on any of its beliefs.  And, the true self doesn't feel bad about this, it knows that this is invitation to meaning beyond what we can see, an invitation into the divine.

Thanks for reading some of my thoughts on the true self.

Out of Darkness

This is a song I did a while ago.  I feel that sometimes on our way to the light, we must admit the darkness we struggle with.  Each of us here walk in a world where both darkness and light are present. Being open and honest about the darkness we struggle with can encourage others to do so as well.  We don't need to pretend to be a totally pure people, or that we have it all figured out.  If this were so, we wouldn't need Jesus.  Jesus is in our midst, always healing, always calling us to honesty.  As we comb through the tundra of our soul, we can find great hope, but we can also find great hurt and great doubt as well.  We might not always like what we find when we look inward.  But it is precisely through the exploration and admission of our darkness that we open ourselves up to more light.  I know for me, I like simple formulas or rules, certain things that if I do will guarantee I'm walking on God's path.  Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately) it doesn't work like this though.  God may ask us to do things were not comfortable with, always for the best, but tough none the less.  The good news is that we always arrive at a better place through an honest exploration of our darkness.  We need not be perfect, just honest.  This song is an expression of some of the things I struggle with.  I hope you like it.

Charissa's Song

This is a song I wrote for and sang to Charissa the day I asked her to marry me.  I'm happy to share it with you as I am happy to share my life with her.  She has been with me in the thick and thin, the good times and bad.  Her wisdom has helped guide me to wholeness.  Her humor has worked for freedom in my life.  Life is a journey, and I feel that I have an excellent partner in it.   I hope you enjoy this song.

Want to Know

I believe we are designed for union, for relationship.  I believe this is a hunger in us, a thirst for a bigger picture.  I believe we have meaning in us, that it's been imprinted on us, and we searching for the fullness of what this is.  I believe this is the quest we're all on, to learn why we're here, to learn how to become the fullest of what we're supposed to be.  On this quest, we need not fear asking questions, for it is this that leads us to deeper understanding, to fuller meaning.  As we get awoken to new experience, there will be deeper questions, deeper levels of doubt to be brought into the light.  Dealing with our doubt in part of the faith journey.  I believe that our truest self will be found in the One who created us, in Jesus.  I believe this because we are not on our own down here.  We were never meant to be an isolated people, independent of each other and the love in the universe.  I believe that Jesus in the positive energy flowing through the universe, always seeking to join, to create, to share.  I believe it is our journey to open ourselves to this energy, to this love, and let it speak into us.  I believe this is what connects us to the saints and sinners throughout the ages, that we are bound together, that what we do matters.  I Jesus is a song, we are invited to start tapping our feet, to let it sink down into our soul and to sing and play along.  When we do this, we will be more connected to ourselves, to others and to God.  I believe that the truth doesn't have to be boring, but that it can be a symphony of something greater than we expected.  I want to the know what the meaning is.  I hope you enjoy this song entitled "Want to Know."

Surprise

I want to be taken by surprise by God.  I don't want him to reveal himself to me in a way that I expected.  I don't want to pretend to have God figured out.  I want him to reveal himself in ways I can't yet see, that I wouldn't expect, that maybe I'm not quite ready for yet.  I want to fall into something bigger than me, something that explains all the previous stages of life I've been in.  This can't be of my doing, for I can't transform me.  Transformation isn't something we do, it's something we get done to us.  In this light, I need to hold all of my beliefs with open hands, allowing God to change them, mold them and expand them.  I think we're all longing for something bigger than what we can understand, something of mystery.  I need to recede control and trust.  I hope you enjoy this song entitled "Surprise."

Grace: Only Grace

God is grace, only grace.  He is love, only love.  There is no violence in God, no turning from the creation he loves.  I believe in God on this level so that I can trust him completely.  I don't want to aspire to beliefs I feel he wants me to have, but rather, fall into his grace.  I want to walk deeply into it, into true mystery, into true love.  I don't want to question what he feels for me.  I want to leap out and say, "Daddy, catch me!"  I don't want to come to him out of fear, but with utter trust.  I believe God's message to the world is love, one of hope and longing for us, his people.  "Grace" is a song I wrote a while ago and I hope it holds the flavor of his grace.

A Long Way From Home (Another song with Tyce Murphy)

Hello, here is another link to a video I did with Tyce Murphy.  Click below and enjoy!

A Long Way From Home

Until Then (song with Tyce Murphy)

Hello all, in this post I'm posting a video that I did with one of my best friends Tyce Murphy.  Tyce is one of my oldest friends and has helped me with my musical process as well.  So,  click on the word "video" below and check it out!  Thanks!

Check out this video!

Project Include

I called this song "Include."  I feel that the life in Christ isn't so much a life of things we're not supposed to do, but to a grace we are invited into.  It isn't so much rules or legalism, much more about freedom, joy and peace.  I don't think that God is up there looking for ways to criticize us but is up there wishing that we would experience his freedom.  I like the word "include" because I think it means all of the parts of us are included, all loved by God, all useful, all unique.  This isn't a "anything goes" theology but an idea that God can use any part of us, even the broken parts, for good.  When I write music, I do so in the hope that I become a more fluid and integrated person.  I invite my heart and soul to join my mind in the creating process, ultimately hoping to experience something of God.  I then hope that what happens inside of me helps me to be inclusive towards other people as well.  I don't think that theology, poetry and science need be enemies but are different ways through which we view God.  I hope that you enjoy this song!