One of my Thin Places

There were many people, events and concepts which impacted me at this year’s conference. However the skies over Ghost Ranch held the greatest impact because of what it represented. The weather was outstanding, just a little colder than last year, but still very doable. Thursday afternoon there were some clouds and a few snow flurries. Otherwise, it was this deep blue color.

Several times between sessions I would pass someone who said how’s it going. I responded “I’m trying to describe this sky.” I walked around all week looking up. It wasn’t just the color, there was a depth to it as though you could almost separate each hue of color. And there was the clarity. Every piece of landscape posed against it was magnified to show each leaf and twig. Over and over I asked, “how do I describe this sky?”

On the way back to the ranch Saturday morning, a phrase from Revelations came to mind, “like a glassy sea.” It makes sense doesn’t it; God’s sea could be our sky? Back at the conference I wrote the following just in time to get it into the conference’s daily newsletter.

The Skies of Ghost Ranch

The door to heaven opened this morning.

And the sky before me was like

a glass sea bringing each detail

of the landscape into crystal clarity,

And the rays of the sun mixed with the glassy sky as fire.

The light covered me, and I know, standing firm, I will stand victorious before your throne surrounded not by reflections, but the true splendor of Your Presence.

Rev 4:16, 15:2

Still, I couldn’t quite let go and thought about it all day Sunday as I drove. Why did the sky grip me this year? After all it was the same sky as last year. I’ve looked at last year’s photos and it is the same sky. The qualities I am writing about can’t be captured in a photo. Then I realized last year I hadn’t read Mary DeMuth’s memoir, Thin Places.

Mary says “Thin places are snatches of holy ground, tucked into the corners of our world, where we might just catch a glimpse of eternity. They are aha moments, the beautiful realizations.”

Being at the ranch this year was a “thin place” for me. From my past experience, I came expecting to find God, and I did. My takeaways were not what I would have imagined. (I tried coming without preconceived notions, knowing this would be true.)

A positive takeaway concerned my home. I’ve been fighting an internal battle over my decision to move to this house a decade ago was on my terms, not God’s. I had a strong confirmation of this property being central to my creative process.

I had not planned on being confronted by my fears, but I was at every turning. My Pathways’ friends will recognize this theme for me. I wish I could tell you I faced them, and they are behind me. During the past few years the Rascal Flatts’ song, I’m moving on, is one I claim. Oh, how I long to be able to claim the first line, “I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons.” Let’s say for the moment, I have acknowledged my fears, and the deepest of which is my fear to be who God made me to be.

So, it was in one of the thin places of my life that God’s Spirit revealed these fears to me when He was the closest.

The good news is my skies back at home have a more translucent quality than before for me.

(By the way, Rascal Flatts has a new album out this week.)

The difference light makes

Friday night of the conference I had to come down from the mountain and drive to Albuquerque to attend a Saturday morning BSF leadership meeting. It was one time I could feel some similarity to Moses. I was anxious driving down the mountain and then into Albuquerque in the dark. Not being familiar with the road, I could only know the area my headlights illuminated. It was a relief when I could pop to my brights: my field of vision was expanded sideways, but not much more down the road.

What a difference Saturday morning when I returned in daylight. There was this entire, fascinating world stretching from horizons to horizons where the before I could only see one lane. What a difference light makes on the world.

Tom Davis and Flip Cameras

During the Fiction Track, Tom Davis encouraged us to use flip camera during our research. I felt guilty, since I had never used my flip camera. I took it out of my bag and shot some footage of the beautiful sky. My panning is a little shaky, but maybe the beauty will make up for my inexperience. Do you have a gadget around the house that you've never used?

Tom’s newest book is Priceless. He is CEO/President of the Children’s Hopechest.

The One Thing

During Book Proposal Blitz, Tama Westman reminded us City Slickers was filmed here at the ranch. Jack Palance kept hinting at “The One Things” through the movie driving Billy Crystal crazy because he never finished the sentence.

It set the theme for me through the rest of the conference. I heard speakers use the phrase all week. The one thing you need for good fiction. The one thing you need to be a miracle deliverer.

So what about you? What is “the one thing” you need today?

Tama's site is A Write Start Communications

The 2010 CLASS Christian Writers Conference

The CLASS conference was the reason I was in New Mexico. This was my second year to attend this conference. Each of the writing conferences I have attended offer their own unique flavoring making it difficult to rank them against each other. This conference not only provides high caliber technical sessions and professional opportunities but also challenges your spiritual life. My suite mate summed up the best when I asked her what she was taking home, “I didn’t expect it to be so personal.”

One of the highlights this year was leaving a published author. I think we all politely smiled at the thought and had our several potential submissions under our arms.

We did pull together an anthology of stories, poems, and essays “out of the overflow” and Winepress expects to have it available before Christmas. (I’ll put out more on the book when it is available.)

I highly recommend this conference. It’ll be back at the ranch next November. Click here for information

First Day of my trip Nov 8-9 2010

The drive to New Mexico is longer than one person can make in one day, but trying to wedge a week long trip between my BSF commitments is challenging. I left as soon as I could after my Monday night BSF class and drove to Wichita Falls. I find the hardest part of any trip is getting out the metroplex. While it might seem like I snuck out of town in darkness, this leg of the trip went well and got me on the road. The next day I headed out early, I needed to be in Abiquiu by 4. (The change to mountain time was in my favor.) Near Amarillo, there were cotton fields. I am not sure if I have ever seen cotton at harvest time. If I have, it was a long time ago. I hoped there would still be fields unharvested on my way home, when I can take some photos. My home place was once a cotton field I think. I know the there was cotton in the area of Georgia where grandfather grew up. Seeing the cotton fields resonated with me. And harvesting it looked as ugly as we have heard.

I stopped in Amarillo for the necessities of life and auto. The the fast food store had one of those height yardsticks by the front door causing me two reactions. As someone with vertical challenges I wondered how tall you had to be to eat here. Quietly, I was glad I wasn’t there at midnight.

Just north of Santa Fe I hit a stretch of about 20 miles where I saw no signs of life. A little eerie coming from a major metroplex. Tumbling tumbleweeds were the only movement and I am not sure how much life dry twigs represent. In Espanola, I was grateful to have my iphone to help me navigate the turns. Still, I went through a diamond area of town about 3 times before I got headed in the right direction. Espanola is also the place where you call your loved ones and sign off from the connected world. From a worldly perspective it is like going to the dark side of the world.

I made it to the ranch in plenty of time to register, dump things in my room, have dinner, take part in the pre-conference prayer time and finally to bed.

The Door Knocker

I pound the door knocker, “Hello, I want to come in”

“What? No, you haven’t found the door, go away...”

I pound the knocker again, “Have, I have found the door.

Listen, I am knocking on it”

“No, you can’t be. You are

too young,

too short,

too white,

too clever,

too deep,

too talkative,

too serious,

too funny,

too positive,

too depressed,

too religious,

too liberal,

too conservative,

too imaginative,

too silent,

too thirsty,

too independent,

too needy,

No, you are not like us.”

I pound the knocker again. “But I am like you, Look, flesh - dirt and spit and spirit”

“Neither our scans or codes match. Not this time, not this portal. Vanish”

I stand at the door and knock.

Wednesday night -- Spiritual or Religious

Yesterday my nephew and I spent time together doing mutual favors. I asked him if he had a date for his sister’s upcoming wedding.

“Nope, my girlfriend dumped me.”

I sighed. “Neither, do I.”

He laughed out loud.

“Why did you laugh?”

“I guess I don’t think of you like that, you know dating”

“How do you think of me?”

“Like a nun, you are so religious.”

“Being religious doesn’t mean I don’t want to date, besides I think of myself as spiritual not religious.”

Would you believe he has a joke for women who think they are spiritual not religious?

What about you? Do you consider yourself spiritual or religious? Do you find yourself excluded by either label?

What I did Monday

What I did Monday, Nov 15

This is awkward to talk about the end of the trip, first. but here we go...

I spent the majority of Monday finishing the last leg of my drive home. Even though it was early in the afternoon, I found myself in a lot of traffic through Ft. Worth. I am acquainted with the roads, but navigating to the correct lanes challenged me. Finally I sighed with relief as I made the turn to the final stretch of highway, a road I know well. Before the relief wave flowed to my toes, I felt my back straighten and my voice said, “Oh, no I’m home.” And that other voice said, “That’s right, you’re home. It’s easy to make promises when you are a way from old familiar patterns and people. Are you going to keep the commitments you made?” Even though I travelled almost 2,000 miles in the last eight days, the hardest part of the trip starts now. The old rubber hits the road scenario. The commitments I made cover the spectrum from writing everyday, to change attitudes, greater surrender of my will, overcoming my fears...We will all see what I do,

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Ephesians 5:22-33

I am away from home this weekend at a writing conference and missing Sunday School. One of my sweet Sunday school members quietly mention how convenient for me to out the week the passage included the dreaded “S” word.

In my young adulthood, I studied submission hoping to find something I catch reconcile to my own beliefs. Truthfully I wanted to find Paul’s error. Instead I found Peter used it too. It only takes two sources to change conjecture to truth. This was a major setback for my theology.

I reconciled these passage into my doctrine along these lines. No where does it say for women to be submissive to men. The passages indicate there is only one man to which a woman submits, her husband, I can live with this, (especially if I do not have a man in my life.) It also showed me the importance of making the right choice of a man to be my husband. Much like when the old knight says in The Last Crusade ‘Choose wisely.’

Here is what submission looks like to me. My partner says “Jump”, I do and later ask where the snake was. I respond, confidently knowing he is acting in my best interests.

If we concentrate on the emotions arising from the implications for marriage partners in these passages, we are able to sidestep the real challenge of this passage. So I have to ask, are you submitting to Jesus? Be careful before you answer. Consider the standard Jesus set for us, His place in heaven, His death on earth. Until we are willing to submit to the Trinity, we will never be able to model the marriage patterns set in this passage.

What would your relationships be like of you could model this pattern in your life? What will you to let go of in your life to fully submit to Jesus? He is waiting.

Time Change Weekend Ephesians 5:15-21

Ever wonder if God has a sense of humor? For those of us studying the second half of Ephesians 5 this Sunday, it seems pretty clear. Why else would we be studying a verse admonishes us ‘to make the most of the time’ on fall-back time change weekend (Eph. 5:16, HCSB)? Isn’t this the weekend we plan on sleeping an extra hour? It is as though, Paul reaches across the centuries and turns on our alarm clocks.

Time Change, an interesting ‘man’ concept, isn’t it? Man controlling time for his benefit. In every aspect it’s purposes are opposed to the will of God; one more hour to work, one more hour to play. Busyness every where. (Ever notice how close the words busyness and business are?)

The concept is attributed to Ben Franklin in a parody to his proverb “Early to bed, early to rise...” where he suggested the French would do well to rise an hour early. There is something wrong with my life being controlled by a parody of the French.

It speaks to the Puritan values of working hard that have become our American dream. Don’t waste. Use all the sunlight. Keeping working to move ahead.

Paul goes on to remind us to understand what the Lord’s will is. Fortunately, our Lord calls us to relationship rather than work, rest rather than busyness. Our first call is to bring ourselves into the right relationship with our God. Living full of the spirit, we can reach out to others singing spiritual songs and giving thanks to the Father.

This time change Sunday, who will you reach out too in songs of praise and thanksgiving? Is there someone in your contact file for whom you need to stop your busy world? Will you share the hour you gain with them?

Let me know what you think.

The Future Kingdom

In that day --

the days will be beautiful

sweet peace will fill the land

no machines

no toil

butterflies will soar everyday

no allergies

the flowers will bloom

all seasons will be tolerable

no doctors

no hospitals

no pain no more

each animal will be domestic

trees will clap without the wind

the praise of rocks will roar

each man will look eye to eye

heart to heart

no hatred

no war

love, that’s all

Jesus, our Prince

will stand in glory

Some thoughts on Isaiah 10

In this passage, Isaiah reveals God’s minor plan for Assyria as it relates to His major plan for the cosmos. These verses also reveal God’s character to be consistent with His purpose. Not only are God’s actions consistent through out history, they consistently work toward His purpose of bringing His children back into a right relationship with Him.

The Northern Kingdom or Israel behavior proved they were out of relationship with God. They called on other kingdoms to support them and relied on their wits. They failed to respond to any of the warnings God had sent them. God brought the Assyrians against them in the hope they would return to Him for help or be disciplined to recognize their faith was placed in the wrong things. God continues declare a remnant will return to fulfill His promise to Abraham.

In his pride and arrogance the Assyrian king failed to recognize his part in God’s plan. Believing they were the most powerful force in the cosmos, he stepped beyond God’s plan seeking the destruction rather than the conquest of other nations. Using God’s foresight, Isaiah brings an indictment of Assyria’s actions which will eventually bring God’s wrath upon them. Assyria will march through the land, but will be stopped at Nod, within sight of the temple. Then they will be heard of no more.

And what about us? The good news is God’s plan to bring His children into the right relationship with Him continues for you and me. God is in control of all the cosmos. It is so easy to forget this in a world where we make time, light, communications, and relationships convenient for us. A world where ‘the American Dream’ trumps all, doesn’t leave much room for reliance on God.

God’s plan for the cosmos will happen. What role we will play is a simple choice. Will we stand, like the Assyrians in our own power and be stopped within sight of His temple? Or will we turn, and call out to the One Who Loves Us and be reconciled?