Winter!

candles in the window. on the table.
snow flurries.  now they fall gently.
now they dissipate in the wind like smoke.
now they rage like ghostly flames,
creating a barrier of white, consuming the
backyard's natural shapes. work awaits
onscreen, waylaid for days by other more
fun things to do. and the luxury of time.
the inner quietness of acceptance and
peace, of space inside to embrace newness
oldness oneness loss reality and
possibility.  you. me. us. Him. wishing to
better understand the patterns and the
lines that connect one thing with another.

GLS

We had the Global Leadership Summit here in Helsinki this weekend.  It's a conference for Christian Leaders and takes place worldwide, although it originated in the US as Willow Creek Church.  There were about 700 attendees and speakers from business, church and political arenas.

As a result, I am distilling a bunch of things beneath the surface, things not only related to leadership but my place in kingdom business.  For this season, my place is here.  I know that, and I have known that since March.  But now my heart has caught up with me and I care.  It hit me like a ton of bricks. I care about what happens in this country and that people here would get free of the things that bind them and blind them.

I have great expectations for what is to come.

what is real?

I see these pages have been silent.  It's not for want of things to write about, that's for sure.  Perhaps it's that the space inside of me is being stretched and pulled and all the things that matter, aren't matter.  They are invisible, yet real, the way all things are real as they are part of the energy of the created order. 

I have been reading a series of fantasy books from my childhood.  Written by one of my favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle, they follow the growth and adventures of Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin in understanding dimensions and reality.  Old books are like old friends, and reading these again as an adult is just as fun.  I curled up with A Wrinkle in Time and read it aloud to a friend of mine on a long train ride this past weekend.  It is even more fun to share the strange yet familiar world--of tessering to different planets, of the power of love over evil and the quirky characters who are not perfect--with a listening ear.  It reminds me of childhood nights crept into my sister's room and reading to her when we were supposed to be sleeping.

So mostly, as I stretch and grow, I am reminded of how little I know.  How little I understand of what is real.  How I think there must be so much God wants to show us, but how little we care or are willing to be undressed of our perceptions and opinions and judgements.  If we did, we could move forward with greater ease, opting for the freedom of Christ, the peace of humility and the certainty of love.