"we were made to thrive..."

"And though my heart is torn,
I will praise you in this storm..."

My niece, Lily Oyer, offered this beautiful solo of Casting Crown"s "Thrive" at church on Sunday. I asked her if I could share a video recording of her version of "Thrive" here. I love her -- and her beautiful voice.  It reminded me of this post from a few years ago -- I am re-sharing it here below:

It's no secret that I love the inspired music ministry of Casting Crowns. Their recently released "Thrive" CD is a favorite. Earlier this week their lead singer, Mark Hall, was given an unsettling diagnosis and faces surgery soon. The Casting Crowns family has reached out to their church and fan community for support through prayer. It is a privilege to join them in this way.

In a moving post written for the band's website by Mark's wife, Melanie asked,"When it happens to you, where do you turn?" And the band offered their beautiful song, "Praise You in the Storm" as inspiration and encouragement. Both Melanie's post and the song moved me deeply.

The first paragraph of Melanie's piece read: "The call on your cell phone from the doctor with bad news -- that's something that happens to other people, not to us. Our role, for the last 25 years in ministry, is to be there to encourage other people after the call, and to pray with them and try to bring comfort. So when it happens to you, where do you turn?"

Melanie goes on to say, "Mark and I seemed to be in a bit of a fog for several days while the news was sinking in.
Yet the whole time, the verse that kept running through my head over and over was:

"You will keep in perfect peace
him whose mind is steadfast,
because he trusts in You."
-Isaiah 26:3. 

Yes. This is exactly where we turn. We turn to Scripture which floods our hearts with the Word. We rest our thoughts on these promises -- like life rafts in a roiling sea of "what if…" And as Mary Baker Eddy encourages in her primary work on hope and healing, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, we:

"cling steadfastly to God,
and His idea, allowing nothing
but His likeness
to abide in our thought..." 

And then, we return to the Word - again, and again - for Love's timeless encouragement in stories of salvation, parables of promise, reminders of redemption and resurrection, and messages of healing.

And we are each writing new gospel stories of deep spiritual trust in our lives every day. These contemporary testaments of faith encourage others to remember that, as Mark sings, "You [God] are with us…" At times when we might feel as though we are alone in the storm, we can turn to one another for affirmation, and to the Bible for unshakeable precedent-setting cases of God's law in operation -- even in the storm.

At a particularly challenging time in my own life it was Jesus' parable of the house built on the sand that pulled me out of a death spiral of despair. I've already referred to this experience in an earlier post (linked here) titled,""I will give you perfect peace..." As well as in in another post, "A house that will not fall..." whick is linked at the end of that piece. And because of this personal storm, a parable now lives as part of me -- it is no longer "just a parable" -- it is what courses through my being as vitally as air and water.

The alarming "call" can come in countless forms -- disappointing test results, an upsetting report card, a lost job opportunity, a rejection letter, a health crisis, alarming global events, a child's cry in the night...

So, where do we turn -- we turn to Him, we turn to His Word, we turn to one another for encouragement. Our stories of hope and healing are critical to our neighbors and friends. Our testimonies of deep spiritual trust are vital to the body of Christ, in which we share fellowship in faith. And this is where we hear another call -- the call of Spirit urging us to turn to God, to look through the lens of His love. For it is here that, "He saw everything that He had made, and behold it was -- and is -- very good."

We are not alone in the storm. We are never alone. We have the still small Voice of God. We have the Word. We have the Gospel message of "the kingdom of God is within you." We have angels that hover in the stillness.  And we have each other. Our Father-Mother God is with us -- always. He will keep us in perfect peace.

2019 ps:  Mark and Melanie are thriving! 


offered with Love,

Kate

" to more than I can be...."

"I only hope
someday you find,
that you can believe
in me..."

I was reading some of the emails and notes I have received about a post I wrote, for this blog last winter, about my niece, Lily, and her mom, Laurie.  It brought to mind both Dan Fogelberg's, "Believe in Me," and Westcliffe's version of "You Raise Me Up."

The emails, notes, and FB messages only confirmed for me, how much we all hunger to have someone in our life whole believes in us with all their being. 

Some wrote about their own mothers, fathers, aunts, teachers who encouraged them to live their lives boldly and courageously.  Others wrote of their heartbreak, their hunger for someone, anyone to believe in them.  There were so many teens who felt that "if only" they had someone's encouragement, they could become someone who would change the world.  And there were the moms, dads, and grandparents who still wondered if they could have made a difference in the world themselves...if only.

Today's post has a simple message.  It is never too late. 

I want to repeat that again.  It is never too late.  If all it takes is for someone to believe in you...then its done.  I believe in you.  But that isn't going to do it.  That isn't going to make it happen.  You have to believe in yourself.  You have to believe in the you that God created you to be...perfect, whole, complete, filled with inspiration, beauty, creativity, fully resourced with all that you need to "make it happen."

When I was a girl, I was a dancer, a writer, a painter.  I loved these things.  I saw myself as these things.  My mom and dad had seven (count 'em) seven other children...all younger than I was.  I mourned the fact that my parents could never see me dance in a performance, rarely had a moment to read my report card...much less my poetry, and didn't have the resources to support the purchase of canvases, paints, or charcoal. 

So, slowly my vision of myself as a deeply creative person seeped away like a slow-leaking pool...until all that was left were a few hobbies that I indulged in when everything else was done and all my real tasks were accomplished.

Until one day, I started spending time with the best cheerleader in the universe...God.  I began spending lots of time listening to what He had to say about me.  In the silence of this listening I started to remember what I loved and Who it was who put that love in my heart.  In honor of my love for God, I started honoring those loves.  Not self-indulgently, but God-encouraged, God-inspired, God-impelled.

I loved to write, so I wrote.  And if I wrote, I was a writer, a poet, a lyricist.  I loved to paint, so I painted.  And if I was painting, I was a painter, an artist.  I loved to sing, and if I was singing, I was a singer.  Get my drift?

The more I wrote...the more I would find myself writing.  I put writing, not at the end of my list of the day's priorities, but at the beginning...right after my time with God.  I let that first-things-first time with God, set the agenda for my day.  And God is Love, so if Love said "write first," that's what I did.

You, every one of you...every one of us...has someone who believes in us and stands behind us, saying, "You are amazing, you can do it.  Go ahead...sing, write, paint, climb, run, speak....

Don't let anyone tell you anything about what you can't do.  They are lying to you.  I don't care who they are.  They can be a parent, a school administrator, a church leader, a counselor...it doesn't matter.  If God, Love, is telling you that you love to sing...then sing. 

As Dan sings:

"Too many hearts have been broken,
failing to trust what they feel..."

Trust what you feel.  Trust that it is Love, that is moving you to love...whatever it is you love.  You do it, and keep doing it.  Practice really does make perfect.  Do it because you love it, and others will love it too.  You will inspire them with your courage...and God will always be there to celebrate with you...to encourage you, to cheer you on. 

I hope that you will never forget to love the you that dreams big...

always,

Kate
Poet

*the photo is of my dear friend, and talented artist, Brooks Anderson...I thought you might enjoy visiting his website.  His paintings bless our home with generous beauty.

"And let it begin with me..."

"Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth,
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father,
brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony."

Tonight, my heart is lighter than it has been in days.  I am finding my way as I pray for spiritual clarity about the protests, violence, and conflict in Egypt.  And this song, "Let There Be Peace on Earth," has provided an important spiritual key.  Peace on earth...in Egypt, Tunisia, Somalia, Palestine...begins with me. 

I was sitting in my office the other night, after watching angry horseman ride through Tahrir Square, whipping and beating protesters, and it was just too much to bear.  I couldn't bear the thought of those beautiful animals being used for such heinous, ugly acts of hatred and revenge.  I opened myself to the silent space of prayer, hoping that God would give me (not just Pharoah) "an answer of peace", and that was when the voice of an angel washed this song through my heart...like a cool balm...spilling and pooling over my anguished, fevered concerns. 

The voice was childlike.  So, I went to Youtube thinking that, perhaps, I could find a version of it, by a young singer, that would work for this post...but nothing was right.  Then I wrote Laurie, my niece Lily's mom, and asked her if she thought Lily would be willing to record it for tonight's post on peace.  And voila'!  Here we are tonight, with this beautiful gift.  "Let There Be Peace on Earth" as sung through the eyes, and heart, of a child.  So, so wonderful...

You know, it may look like a contentious revolution is going on in Cairo, that chaos is voicing itself throughout Palestine, or that discontent is percolating in Tunisia...and if this really is the case, doesn't it make sense that the frontlines of any peace initiative must begin to coalesce "over there."  But I really don't think it is.  

As my friend, Dick Davenport, once urged, "The frontlines of peace are always found within our own heart. If you are waiting for peace to take hold out there...in the middle of the dessert, or on an island in the Pacific...so that you can finally feel safe, your sense of secutity is vulnerable.  Real peace, the peace that is unassailable, can only, ever, be found within."  

If we think war, we will see, feel, and hear war.  If we think peace, we radiate the same pervasive, imperative, permeating peace in everything we do, in every word we speak.  It is like a small pebble dropped in a wide pond -- the rippling effects of that inner peace initiative, reaches further and further outward, until it touches the hearts and lives of men, women, and children in Somalia, Yemen, South Korea....Tucson.

I  realize, that the one question I need to ponder tonight, comes from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, where Mary Baker Eddy suggests:

"Ask yourself.
Am I living the life that approaches the supreme good?"

I'm the only person I can ask this question of.  Because the only "place," where I can find peace, is deep within the kingdom of heaven that is in me.   I am the only one who can know if it is peaceful there...or not.  I can never assess the situation in someone else's heart. I believe that it is never my job, or my place, to weigh in, uninvited, on another person's motives. It is mine to see them, as I hope they see me...governed by an omnipotent God, who is Love. To trust that this all-powerful inner Sovereign will always guide us...each and all...into peaceful coexistence for the holiest of purposes...to live love.

All the journalists in the world cannot answer that one question for me.  Countless hours spent watching CNN, taking the pulse of revolution halfway around the world, or waiting for reports from the "front" will never answer that most important question: "Am I living the life that approaches the supreme good?"  And I believe, that the answer to this question, is the only place that the prospect for real and lasting individual, and collective, peace lies.

Tonight, my inner Sovereign asks:  "What will you do today to promote peace in your own heart.  What suggestions will you combat?  What thoughts will you nurture?  Will those thoughts encourage peace, or incite unrest?  What kind of mental ambassadors are you inviting into your relationships, your family, your home, your workplace, your neighborhood, your community, your school, your church, your world?" I believe that how I answer these questions, will make a difference.  I believe that how I think...who I yield sovereignty to - the Mind that is God, omnipotent Love, or the ego-mind that is selfish and fearful...will change my world.   In this vein, Mary Baker Eddy also suggests that:

"In a world of sin and sensuality
hastening to a greater development of power,
it is wise earnestly to consider
whether it is the human mind or the divine Mind
which is influencing one."

Only God has access to the realm of consciousness...the kingdom of heaven...the only place where real and lasting peace is ratified. 

So, in my search for peace tonight, I am taking these questions within.  I am continuing to walk hand-in-hand with them, quietly and attentively listening for answers for how I can better promote peace in my heart. 

I will leave you with the rest of this lyric.  And hope that you, too, will find lasting peace...a demilitarized zone, a place free of conflict - conflicitng opinions, motives, emotions...within.

"Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow.
To take each moment,
and live each moment,
in peace eternally.
Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me."

Thanks Lily for your gift...a song of peace that can sing in every heart...
Aunt Kate
Kate Robertson, CS

"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit..."

"Whither shall I go from Thy spirit
Or whither shall I flee from thy presence
If I ascend up into heaven Thou are there
If I make my bed in hell Thou are there..."
- Adapted from Psalms 139

In Tuesday, July 28th's post (scroll down in you are interested in reading it) I referred to our camp tradition of counselors and staff singing "Whither" to campers at the end of the session.  Thanks to Michael's thoughtfulness, we now have this beautiful tradition captured on film, posted on Youtube, and linked in this post...click on the title earlier in this paragraph. 

This song runs so deeply through my life, that it is like an underground stream...with the onset of the smallest fissure it springs to the surface of thought providing living waters to the thirsty...me.

This was the case last March.  The girls and I left straight from a Saturday morning soccer game, to drive almost two hours through the backroads of Missouri for the last day and a half of the Midwest Youth Summit.  From the minute I pulled up in front of the Lodge, the girls were gathered up by chaperones and absorbed into the middle school program...laughing and running from here to there with a happy group of friends. 

My day and evening were full and happy as well.  A fresh approach to hymn singing, a variety show, conversations with friends I hadn't seen in years filled hours that felt like minutes. Sometime during the evening, the girls found me in a large gathering, to say goodnight before heading off with their friends for cabin-time and a good night's sleep.

And somehow, I too, finally made it back to my room around 2AM.  After mentally reviewing a rich feast of conversations and dozens of reconnections with old friend, I prayed a prayer of deep gratitude, and softly fell off to sleep. 

It couldn't have been more than about fifteen minutes when my cell phone beeped with a text message.  It was one of our daughters.  She was facing a difficult moment alone in the dark, everyone else (including the adult chaperones) was asleep, and she didn't know what to do...and she was fearful.  I tried to text her back with encouragement and to tell her that I had gotten her message and would begin praying, but my phone repeatedly told me that I did not have enough of a signal to send a text message. I thought about calling, but I didn't want to wake the rest of her cabin.

We were in the middle of the woods in a very remote part of southern Missouri and there were few options at 3:30 in the morning.  Her cabin was about a quarter of a mile from where my room was, but I pulled a wool sweater on over my nightgown, and slipped my feet into my flipflops and wandered into the dark without a flashlight picking my way across the gravel and rocks, stones and shale...up and down a long hill to the porch of her cabin.  The door was locked, and all the lights were out.  Not a sound. 

I sat on the porch and prayed.  I very gently tapped on the door, but it was a  large cabin and I had no idea where her bed was in relation to the door.  So I quickly gave up that plan.

Finally I decided to return to the main lodge and try standing on a rise in the hill, where I thought I might be able to get enough cell signal so that I could text her.  But after fifteen minutes of trying...nothing.  I went back into the lodge. 

I didn't want to wake my roommate so I sat in the hallway and as I prayed, bing...another text came through from my daughter.  She was still awake and unsettled.  She didn't know what to do.  She was praying, but was fearful.  This situation was something that, at home, I would have gone to her immediately, snuggled under her quilts with her, whispered spiritual truths about her identity,  and stroked her temples singing hymns to her until she felt well, and had fallen back asleep.   But I couldn't get to her.  I couldn't even get a text message to go through to her.  It had me almost frantic...and yes, I was praying all the while.

That was when this song, "Whither," (I hope you enjoy this new link with my niece, Lily, performing it so beautifully) which my daughters have grown up singing at camp, and hearing throughout the year for inspiration, healing, and comfort, came to me as a new prayer.

I know it sounds simple, but something about these words completely lifted my concern for her.  I remembered.  Her Father-Mother God was already with her in her cabin, in the middle of the woods, in her narrow bunk. Her divine Parent was comforting her, assuring her, giving her all the ideas she needed to be at peace with the situation at hand, to rest upon God's wisdom and guidance, and to pray for herself a prayer of gratitude that she was dwelling in "the secret place of the Most High" where nothing could unsettle her joy.

Within moments I too was at peace.  I remembered that I loved her...and that since there is no fear in love...I was NOT fearful.  I couldn't be.  Love and fear could not dwell in the same space...and my heart was filled with love for my daughters...I was sure of that.

I returned to my room, climbed into my bed and spent the rest of the night silently singing "Whither" to myself, listening for all the assurances from my own divine Parent.  Assurances that I too was Her child and could trust all that I love, including my daughter, to Her care. 

I thought of all the times when the girls were itty-bitties and I had to leave them with my mom, their grandmother, so that I could go where I was needed in caring for the spiritual needs of others.  And as much as I missed being with them and holding their soft little bodies and cuddling with them, I never worried about them.   I knew how my mother loved, I had experienced it as her daughter.  I knew that she loved me, and my children, with an everlasting love...a love that was unfathomably deep and fiercely attentive. 

But I also knew that as much as she loved us, God loved us more.   This was enough.

I didn't fall asleep that night.  I didn't want to...or need to.  As Mary Baker Eddy states in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint,
is in holy work."

And it is.  The next morning I caught up with my daughters at breakfast in the lodge, and both girls were happy, rested, and ready for the workshops and activities that would fill their day.

I was too...happy, rested, and ready. 

Here are the words to "Whither" in case you would like to sing along as you watch Michael's video: 

"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit
Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence
If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there.
If I make my bed in hell, Thou are there.

If I take the wings of the morning
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there shall Thy hand lead me,
And Thy right hand shall hold me.

Grace unto you
And peace from above.
Peace from on high,
From Thy Spirit.

Be still and know that I am God.
Be still and know that I am God.
Peace has come,
Let it stay.
Peace has come,
To all...today."

Peace unto you...and and grace from above...
Kate
Kate Robertson, CS