from here to there

i'm here.

ode to the crocodile man

hi folks, i know the blog has looked a little screwy lately, but we are in the process of transitioning to divinenobodies.com where i will continue blogging. i'll let you know when the transition is complete. in the meantime, i thought this was interesting.

flying dogs and macaroni pizza

It isn't uncommon for Pam, my 7-year-old daughter Jessica, and myself to huddle together before bedtime, light a candle, and sit in the quiet together listening to God. Sometimes one of us brings a question to press into God about, or a scripture to meditate on, or just being silent with no agenda to see what God might want to say. We each have a journal and often we jot down what the Spirit impresses upon us. Tonight I raised the question, "What is hard about knowing God?" Pam shared it is hard for her when she doesn't understand what God is doing. Things would be much smoother in her opinion if God were more forthcoming in filling in the blanks. Jessie said she found it hard when loving God meant loving people who weren't very easy to love. She had recorded in her journal the words of Jesus, "Love your enemies." I shared how frustrated I get because I don't believe God. There is so much God wants to give if I would simply believe. Instead, I often wus out and default to fear and doubt. Life rolls on here in Nashvegas. This past weekend we hung out with friends and did a bonfire and smores. My contribution was showing everyone how to roast their marshmallows without getting burned by the raging fire, which involved laying prostrate on the ground with your face in the grass and reaching long with your outstretched stick to catch a corner of the blaze. I've made a little more progress on the next book, Unzipped. One chapter (assuming it makes the cut) is about my experiences on MySpace. Wait 'till Tom hears about this! We went to CiCi's Pizza tonight and I ate about 500 pieces of pizza. Did you know they actually make pizza with macaroni as an ingredient? My prediction of the Titans (0-4) winning the Superbowl isn't looking too good. The painful irony is Steve McNair's new team, the Baltimore Ravens (4-0), are headed in that direction. Ouch! I'm looking forward to the MLB postseason and the World Series. It's a tradition for me to watch it each year. I watch it on the big ugly brown television passed down to us from my late Grandma Palmer from Jersey. The television is too big and heavy to remove from our house, but I get FOX fairly well if all the cords are lying just right. Jack seems to be burying his doggie treats everywhere in the house. I caught him trying to dig a hole in our couch to bury one. He goes completely spasmodic a few times a day blazing through the house like a bullet and sailing through the air like Wonder Dog. He sometimes barks in his sleep. Last night there were no sweets in the house and I got desperate. I sliced a banana open, smeared globs of whipped cream down the middle of it, and sprinkled little chocolate cake decoration thingees all over it. I can be creative when I have to.

book out

I received an email from a friend saying they received their copy of Divine Nobodies in the mail from Amazon. My publisher said it should also be in stores now or very soon. If you didn't hear about the MySpace contest to win a free copy, scroll down a few posts and you'll find it.

presence

I've been doing a lot of writing. I've been working on the next book Unzipped. With a November deadline, I've still got a loooooooong way to go! I'm also writing the daily "Signposts" for explorefaith.org to appear in November. I'm speaking at Mosaic Nashville this coming Sunday and I've been jotting down some thoughts to share. And yet, in my gut I feel one of the most important things I've written lately is our neighborhood quarterly newsletter. In case you're wondering, our neighborhood-wide garage sale is Saturday, October 21. And now we can check the weather conditions in our neighborhood because Mike set up a weather station at his house and created a site. Oh yeah, and did you notice we repaired and stained the wood fence at our neighborhood entrance? And if you're looking for a recipe for Spanish Grilled Sandwiches, you really lucked out! I was asked to join the board of our neighborhood association and volunteered to take responsibility for our quarterly newsletter. My first attempt was this two-page double-sided and stapled color autumn newsletter that was taped on doors. Since writing Divine Nobodies, interviews and such have been multiplying and I am sometimes thrust into situations where people want to debate theology and argue about God. Doing life with neighbors comes down to issues more like checking in on aged and widowed Ms. Ellie to see if she's getting along okay or needs anything, and following the ongoing saga of Tony's love life, the single guy across the street. Of course, I don't mean to minimize Mr. Lawson's mole problem, or Brenda's broken garage door. Everyone I've met has a story. Like the little boy missing his dad who is off in Iraq, or the single mom who sits alone on her front steps at night and smokes and cries. We don't argue about God, but whenever I walk the neighborhood I know God is present here amidst our clogged gutters and Christmas lights that sometimes stay up a little longer than they should. Last night while walking Jack, the Spirit reminded me that God is in our neighborhood because I carry his divine life within me and I'm here. I put God in close proximity to others, but the question remains if I will truly be present to them. And of course this raises the question of whether or not I can beyond SELF, that part of that incessantly asks, What's in it for me? How can this person help my work, my reputation, my favorite interests and causes? It's hard to pay attention to others when I am mostly concerned with myself. With God in me, simply being present and available is "ministry". God is at work in Ms. Mary's, Mr. Lawson's, and Tony's life if I will just pay attention. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope. Where there is darkness, light. Where there is sadness, joy. O, divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. It is in pardoning that we are pardoned. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life. St. Francis of Assisi

one common bond

We thank thee, O God, for the spiritual nature of man. We are in nature but we live above nature. Help us never to let anybody or any condition pull us so low as to cause us to hate. Give us strength to love our enemies and to do good to those who despitefully use us and persecute us. We thank thee for thy Church, founded upon thy Word, that challenges us to do more than sing and pray, but go out and work as though the very answer to our prayers depended on us and not upon thee. Then, finally, help us to realize that man was created to shine like stars and live on through all eternity. Keep us, we pray, in perfect peace; help us to walk together, pray together, sing together, and live together until that day when all God's children, Black, White, Red, and Yellow will rejoice in one common bond of humanity in the kingdom of our Lord and of our God, we pray. Amen. Martin Luther King Jr. (photo from United Children)

circle me

Circle me, Lord. Keep protection near and danger afar. Circle me, Lord. Keep hope within. Keep doubt without. Circle me, Lord. Keep light near and darkness afar. Circle me, Lord. Keep peace within. Keep evil out. David Adam (photo by Brugge_monkey)

after the last tear

Hear are the lyrics of my profile song "After The Last Tear Falls" by Andrew Peterson. You can give it a listen on my myspace page The song touched me because I believe God's love is the most transformational force on earth and is a present source of healing and transformation within us. After the last tear falls After the last secret's told After the last bullet tears through flesh and bone After the last child starves And the last girl walks the boulevard After the last year that's just too hard There is love Love, love, love There is love Love, love, love There is love After the last disgrace After the last lie to save some face After the last brutal jab from a poison tongue After the last dirty politician After the last meal down at the mission After the last lonely night in prison There is love Love, love, love There is love Love, love, love There is love And in the end, the end is Oceans and oceans Of love and love again We'll see how the tears that have fallen Were caught in the palms Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all And we'll look back on these tears as old tales 'Cause after the last plan fails After the last siren wails After the last young husband sails off to join the war After the last "this marriage is over" After the last young girl's innocence is stolen After the last years of silence that won't let a heart open There is love Love, love, love There is love And in the end, the end is Oceans and oceans Of love and love again We'll see how the tears that have fallen Were caught in the palms Of the Giver of love and the Lover of all And we'll look back on these tears as old tales 'Cause after the last tear falls There is love