The Heron & the Coot

By Hubert Hausoul

The Great Blue Heron strutted through the shallows among the lily pads.

A Mud Duck saw him and bid a cheery “Good day and good fishing.”

The proud heron annoyed at the distraction called back,

“The fishing would be easier if I could ignore the reflection of my great stature.”

“You are beautifully made” said the coot “but I am glad I am not you. God made me small and  simple but he takes care of me well.”

“From my magnificent vantage,” replied the heron”I can see fish from afar.”

“I am not stuck fishing in the shallows.” said the coot “I can dive deep and go where the fish are. From my simple vantage I can see God’s point of view. I do not get my opinion of myself by looking at myself. I am valued because the creator values me.”

The heron turn his head sideways and gazed at his reflection with new curiosity.

Mirror Mirror, who are you?

reflections of Hubert Hausoul

Self contemplation is just another story that thrills my soul.

As I examine my motives, my drives, my ambitions with the purpose to analyze my thinking I’m using a logic I created.

Is the science of my brain a valid mirror?

I have discovered that I am always telling myself stories and then test them to see if they ring true. We all tell ourselves stories and we should know when we are spinning the stories to make ourselves feel better. Or are we such good storytellers that we believe our own lies? Are you capable of examining yourself with an impartial eye?

Could you surprise yourself?

I was surprised to realize that I am an adventure seeker. This would surprise you to if you knew me and my uneventful blue collar existence.  The kind of adventure I seek is in the story that is life. Is this common? Are we all Walter Mitty creating adventure to add meaning and excitement into our life?

Is this a necessary part of a sane existence?

Thousands of years ago Socrates said an unexamined life is not worth living. What if we examine our life and find the only value is that which we make up. The fact that we create the currency does not make it less valuable.

Story gets you through work and into vocation without changing jobs.

Story gets you from internal loneliness into the company of kindred spirits without shaking hands.

Story gets you from embarrassment into humility and from discipline into love all within your own mind.

Spin the story, wash your brain and chose the outcome that keeps you sane.

How crazy is that?

Holy Saturday

Everyday of holy week represents a place for us spiritually. Every day is a glorious place to be except Saturday. All the days have uplifting messages except for Saturday. Saturday is the saddest yet Saturday is where I find myself spiritually most often.

On palm Sunday and Easter Sunday we celebrate God is here. He is with us, he can conquer even death. We feel his presence and we have joy in knowing the creator is with us. When God is with us who can stand against us. No one!

Monday the temple is for the believers. On Monday Christ went to the temple and kicked over the money changers tables. We are called to relationship with God. Religion is meant to draw us nearer to Him yet sometimes it does the opposite. We need to have righteous indignation to all that comes between God and us. We need to be aware of the devil in the temple.

Tuesday is for thanksgiving. On Tuesday Mary poured incense over Christ feet. Thanksgiving is the secret to joy in our life or the lack of thanksgiving the reason for most of our misery. We take so much for granted. I don’t even think we can comprehend how much God does for us every minute of our lives. How glorious it is when we get a glimpse of how much we are blessed.

Wednesday Jesus lifted up His believers in prayer. How great is the power of prayer. How wonderful is the church to be called the body of Christ. Missionaries are giving glory to God across the globe. Christians to support and be supported. Solidarity and iron sharpening iron.

Thursday is for service. Jesus cleaned the feet of His apostles. I have been happiest when I have found a way to serve others in need. Work with purpose is what every man desires. We spend so much time in our own self serving thoughts that to set that aside and help others is cleansing. Service takes action and moves my soul toward my desired goals.

Friday I am set free from sin. On the cross Christ paid the price. His body broken and His blood spilled for my redemption. Sin has no power over me. No power to penalize me. No power to hold me or captivate me. I am free and have the ability never to be grabbed again.

Saturday God was silent. The apostle Joseph laid Christ in the tomb. The rest of the followers were scattered. Confusion and dismay ruled the day. The hands that healed were cold, lifeless and broken. On Friday I was redeemed but on Saturday I am revealed. My character flaws show and my doubts are exposed. Like the apostles I too have been in God’s presence yet suddenly I’m afraid, lonely, depressed and disjointed. On the cross Christ called out “my God why have you forsaken me”. On Saturday his disciples cried out to God and heard nothing. Joseph was brave enough to go ask for Christ body for burial. God gave Joseph burial rituals and customs that helped Joseph through this hard time. The myrrh and aloes used with linens to wrap the broken body of our Lord were fragrant and comforted the sorrows. When God is silent I need my rituals. I wish to greet each morning with this prayer: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of Your love. Send forth Your Spirit and they shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth. I’m intentional about prayer and bible study. Find your rituals and be comforted in God’s silence. Know that the glory of Sunday is just a day away.

In this modern age we like to believe that along with technology we have invented new theological ideas. The realities are that most of the same "modern" issues of society were thought about and deeply discussed centuries ago.  I read about what St. Bonaventure wrote and it seams progressive or "new age". He lived from 1221 to 1274.

According to medieval scholar St. Bonaventure we perceive with three eyes: Eye of Flesh, Eye of Mind, and Eye of Contemplation

St. Bonaventure, the great Doctor Seraphicus of the Church and a favorite philosopher of Western mystics, taught that men and women have at least three modes of attaining knowledge—"three eyes," as he put it (following Hugh of St. Victor, another famous mystic): the eye of flesh, by which we perceive the external world of space, time, and objects; the eye of reason, by which we attain a knowledge of philosophy, logic, and the mind itself; and the eye of contemplation, by which we rise to a knowledge of transcendent realities.

The mind in contemplating God has three distinct aspects, stages or grades—the senses, giving empirical knowledge of what is without and discerning the traces (vestigia) of the divine in the world; the reason, which examines the soul itself, the image of the divine Being; and lastly, pure intellect (intelligentia), which, in a transcendent act, grasps the Being of the divine cause.

All my eyes are turned to God this lent season.

Oh, trust thyself to Jesus by W Warren Bentley 1883

Oh, trust thyself to Jesus
  When conscious of thy sin,
Its heavy weight upon thee,
  Its mighty pow’r within:
Then is the hour for pleading
  His finished work for thee:
Then is the time for singing,
  His blood was shed for me.

Oh, trust thyself to Jesus
  When tempted to transgress,
By word or look of anger,
  Or thought of bitterness:
Then is the hour for claiming
  Thy Lord to fight for thee:
Then is the time for singing,
  He doth deliver me.

Oh, trust thyself to Jesus
  When daily cares perplex,
And trifles seem so mighty
  Thy inner soul to vex:
Then is the hour for grasping
  His hand who walked the sea:
Then is the time for singing
  He makes it calm for me.

Oh, trust thyself to Jesus
  When thou art wearied sore,
When head or hand refuses
  To think or labor more:
Then is the hour for leaning
  Upon the Master’s breast:
Then is the time for singing,
  My Savior gives me rest.

Come Holy Spirit by Issac Watts

Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,

With all Thy quick’ning powers;

Kindle a flame of sacred love

In these cold hearts of ours.

Look how we grovel here below,

Fond of these trifling toys;

Our souls can neither fly nor go

To reach eternal joys.

In vain we tune our formal songs,

In vain we strive to rise;

Hosannas languish on our tongues,

And our devotion dies.

Dear Lord! and shall we ever live

At this poor dying rate?

Our love so faint, so cold to Thee,

And Thine to us so great?

Come, Holy Spirit, heav’nly Dove,

With all Thy quick’ning powers;

  Come, shed abroad the Savior’s love

And that shall kindle ours.

Romans 1:17 "...as it is written the just shall live by faith."

I read that this verse was life changing to Martin Luther. Many people believe that wisdom is secret and hidden but my experience is that it is simple and overlooked. Martin Luther had read this but not taken it to heart so God hit him over the head with this verse three times. He often reveals things to me repeatedly and it it good to see that I'm not the only one who needs to hears things over and over. So why is this simple verse life changing. I know I'm the "just" as I have accepted the sacrifice of Jesus and now have his justification or righteousness. Unfortunately I find myself living by fear and worry. Lonely and scarred I act under my own provisions and fail.

To live by faith means to have peace and purpose,
to have joy and confidence
to have trust and security
to be bold and intentional
to rise to the challenge of the impossible and see it accomplished through Him.

In living by faith my life brings glory to the God who spoke the laws of fractal geometry into existence.
I have faith, this is the kingdom life God wants for me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXM9J77StL0

God's flame, my lantern

Romans 1:17 "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith. "
What is the purpose of mans righteousness. Our good deeds cannot earn our way to heaven. Our self righteousness can get in the way of Gods work. It is Gods righteousness we need yet our own righteousness is still very important to God and his work.
I'm not being noble and humble when I acknowledge that I'm a sinner. If I am honest before God, I am ashamed and on my knees before my Lord. I am thankful that even my wife of decades is not exposed to my constant petty, selfish, lustful, mean spirited thoughts. Even I get used to my own selfishness and I minimize or overlook my sins.  My Father is exposed to my every sin yet He loves me for who I am instead of what I think and do. He loves me so much that he found a way to entrust me with His righteousness. This is my ticket into His presence, into His kingdom. As undeserving as I am he calls me into his presence and with my sin stain that is impossible. This is why God became man and suffered as a sacrifice for my sins. I can not ever be good enough to earn any glory worthy of praise. I do not get halfway up the mountain and he carries me the rest of the way. My travels might gain me altitude up a mountain but it is transport into heaven itself that we all desire. I don't need to gain this altitude, God can lift me from any height. So again we come to the question, why do I need to struggle to be good? What good is man's righteousness? It is because God's righteousness is revealed out of faith and into faith. 
For many decades I understood God loved me. In that last two years I have experienced God's love through the lives of close christian friends. What I knew, now I feel. This has transformed me. It was faith in God that moved my friends to carry God's glorious light and share it with the world. God's righteousness out of their faith and into my faith. Now I will carry God's light in my lantern. If I carry a light of my own, it can burn out or blow out. Carrying your own light is a chore. Carrying God's light is a joy. Being grateful of all of this blessing I can not help but draw closer to God and He makes me grow in my own righteousness. It is like my mirror gets polished to reflect His light. I may gain altitude so to shine His light from high but as I go I will seek out others with lanterns. Hug your fellow man, share the light.