
Tuesday, February 02, 2021
Fully Aware

Monday, February 01, 2021
Meditation: Life's Blinders
While it was in the 50's, I knew I needed more than just my wool sweater, so I grabbed this jacket with hood, and I immediately put the hood over my head to conserve body heat.
I immediately discovered that it was strongly affecting my peripheral vision. I could not detect the movement or moving shadows that help me notice the birds around me and above me. Even pulling it back a little still left me without the full range of vision I am accustomed to. I knew I was missing things. I was not getting the full view of the world around me this morning. It bothered me.
As is often the case, my mind immediately thought about how this applies to other parts of my life. We all have things that are "blinders," that hinder us from seeing the full picture in our world.
The first thing that came to my mind was news sources. It is so easy to read our daily news sources that support our own political beliefs. But, that may blind us in seeing why other people see things differently. It may also prevent us from seeing important news that our favorite sources may not report. I have worked over the last several years to have a Facebook feed that does show me news articles both from "main stream media," from more liberal news pages, and from conservative news sources. I also look at Facebook pages from Christian newspapers, Christian writers, and my Christian friends.
What else can we have blind spots about?
We can be blind about our personal strengths and weaknesses. Throughout my life it has been easy for me to dwell on my weaknesses and my failures without giving equal time for my strengths and my victories.
We can be blind about sins in our life. We all have the things that we know that we need to do better in our walk with God. But, I suspect that we also all have sin in our hearts that are hidden from our own sight. The pschological concept of the Johari Window (https://www.habitsforwellbeing.com/johari-window-we-dont-know-what-we-dont-know/) has 4 "windows."
1. Known to self
2. Known to others
3. Not know to self
4. Not known to others
Conclusion: My time spent outdoors in observation, reflection, and meditation helps me be more aware of some of these things. My time reading inspirational and scientific things to develop understanding of how my intellectual and spiritual self works also helps me be less blind. My time on Facebook where I truly look at what other people think and why, where I read news articles that both support my beliefs and but also look at news that may not support my belief. I have to be careful to study and discern whether the news sources I read accurately portray what is going on in the world around me so I can reduce my blind spots. This is very difficult right now. It is why I read my news from a wide variety of sources. It is why I analyze my news sources here: https://www.adfontesmedia.com This is their methodology and why I trust their analysis: https://www.adfontesmedia.com/how-ad-fontes-ranks-news-sources/
What blindspots are there in your life?
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Be Still and Know I am God . . . Nature Meditations
From scripture:
Exodus 14:14 "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."
Nehemiah 8:11 "Be still for this is a holy day."
Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him."
Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God."
The dictionary definition of still is "deep silence and calm." Another dictionary adds the word "tranquil." Other definitions: "Not moving or in motion. Free from disturbance, agitation, or commotion."
A couple of years ago I was introduced to the concept of "forest bathing." No . . . this is NOT taking a bath in the forest, rather it is a methodology of being still and fully aware of your surroundings. It is a process of slowing down and becoming emersed in God's natural environment. It is taking time to tune in to the smells, textures, tastes and sounds around us. Nature sounds, the scents of the flowers, the sight of sunlight hitting the hillsides, the fresh smell of rain, and the sounds of morning birdsong affect our body in positive ways. They comfort us and reduce our stress and our worries. For me, it gives me a sense of joy. It also helps us relax. More importantly it helps us to think more clearly. Time spent emerged in the nature that God created restores our inner tranquility, gives us energy, washes our weariness away, and rejuvenates us for our other daiy tasks.
I also find that when I take the time to do this type of meditation, that I often receive life lessons from the experience, insight that is very useful.
I will be doing a series of posts with some examples.
For today, I encourage you to find a place near you to go spend time outside. It could be your backyard, it could be your local park. Perhaps there is a creek or river near you. The first time you do this it may seem difficult, but practice doing this. Once you have found your place, sit or stand quietly for 10 or 15 minutes. Notice what is around you. Notice the breeze on your face, the clouds moving above you, the water ripples, the textures, the natural sounds around you, and any scent on the air. Resist thinking about all the things that you need to do or the problems that you will face later in the day. Keep your mind centered on the nature around you. It may be difficult for you at first. I believe that this is a mental and spiritual discipline that will be very rewarding for you as you practice it.
Thursday, August 20, 2020
Interesting Ruby -Throated Hummingbird with Orange Gorget
But this is SUCH a different color than what I expect from a ruby throat. So I sent photos to an expert comparing several hummingbirds that have been at my feeder this summer. He asked for more photos.
Friday, March 27, 2020
Praying for COVID-19
My reading today was Psalm 69.
I also write my prayers during my morning time. My prayer for today, using Psalm 69:
Dear God,
Save me for the virus seems to be approaching.
All around we seem to be sinking in the mire of infection. As a nation we have not found a foothold. We are approaching deep water with overwhelming floods of sick people. Our medical personnel are crying for help.
It seems that we have people trying to destroy us with lies.
Father, you know how foolish we are. We can not hide our sins from you.
Father I keep praying to you to have mercy on us.
Please answer our prayers with your sure salvation from this disease.
Rescue us from the mire of this infection. Let the measures we are attempting keep us from seeking further.
Pull us from these deep waters. As individuals, don’t let this viral flood overwhelm us or deep waters swallow us, or the pit of death devour us.
Answer these prayers, Lord, for I know your unfailing love is wonderful.
Take care of us, for I know your mercy is plentiful.
Come and redeem us, free us from this virus.
In Jesus name,
Amen
Saturday, March 21, 2020
Thinking about how to deal with this difficult time





Please join me in finding positive ways to spend your time during this unexpected change in our lives. Be mindful of the beauty that surrounds you. While you can't ignore the bad news, the number of cases that will surely rise catastrophically, the difficulties in getting your needed supplies, you can make choices to direct your focus on what is GOOD around you. You can be grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what you have not right now.

Grace and peace to you! May you find a special blessing every day to give you hope during this dark time.
Tuesday, February 18, 2020
God’s Glory
So I went and looked up the word: glory.
From Merriam Webster’s online dictionary:
Definition of glory
1a : praise, honor, or distinction extended by common consent : RENOWN
b : worshipful praise, honor, and thanksgiving giving glory to God
2a : something that secures praise or renown the glory of a brilliant career b : a distinguished quality or asset The glory of the city is its Gothic cathedral.
3a : a state of great gratification or exaltation When she's acting she's in her glory. b : a height of prosperity or achievement ancient Rome in its glory
4a(1) : great beauty and splendor : MAGNIFICENCE … the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome. — E. A. Poe
(2) : something marked by beauty or resplendence a perfect glory of a day b : the splendor and beatific happiness of heaven broadly : ETERNITY
5 : a ring or spot of light: such as a : AUREOLE
b : a halo appearing around the shadow of an object
I think the Israelites experienced God’s great beauty, splendor, and resplendence as well as his distinguishing qualities in such a way that led them to worshipful praise, honor and thanksgiving.
I am not sure even after thinking about it that I can really grasp what it would be like to experience the glory of God the way the Israelites did.
I think in today’s world, believers know that God is always with them, but we don’t always see it as clearly as described in Exodus. We don’t necessarily experience His glory in our daily lives as the Israelites did as they saw the cloud surrounding the Tabernacle during the day and the pillar of fire at night. How would it change our lives if we mediated on God’s glory, his incredible power, and sought His glory on a daily basis. Would it change how we treat the people around us? Would it change how we viewed the divisions, the hatred, the animosity that surrounds us in the difficult times we are experiencing? In the search for God’s glory and in the search for what God’s view would be, would it change our hearts, words, and actions?
As for me, I am hoping I can put thinking about God’s glory into my daily thoughts about God and my relationship with him.