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I’m in an interesting place today.  Since December 1, (so basically for three full months) I’ve been so involved in an interim ministry assignment that I’ve allowed my other ministerial activities to take a back seat.  I’ve not worked on my books.  I’ve not made any progress setting up my podcast.  I’ve come to a decision about the name and focus of my ministry, but haven’t taken any action on that decision.  I’ve come to a decision about how I wish to get involved and be active in my organization, Centers for Spiritual Living, and I haven’t acted on that one either.  Instead, I’ve been creating and doing talks, creating and doing workshops, creating and doing a full day retreat.  And I’ve been doing some fairly intense one on one work with quite a few folks.  This is all work I love, and it is all work that I set an intention to do when I was visioning for my ministry.  But also included in that vision was the podcasts, the books, and more blogging.  And UGG, I may have to do whatever necessary to get over my objections to video format, because I’m learning that is the in thing nowadays.  And just by my language, you can tell a lot about me.


OK boomer.

 
Go ahead, you can say it to me, I’m good with it, Ok boomer.
In short, I’ve been a bit out of balance.  And now I am in a blissful almost three week break from intense interim ministry work.  They actually told me they wanted a bit of a break!  Apparently I’ve been working them too hard.  Well, yes, I can see that.  I sort of thought that was what I was there for, but they’ve been working hard right along side me and I’ve learned that most people are not as driven as I am.  Hence, the out of balance.  

Anyway, my intention during this time was to get some things done in the areas I’ve been neglecting.  Plus I have a celebration of life ceremony to create, and several wedding ceremonies to create, and one batch of wedding photos to edit.  Instead I’m contemplating which hot springs to go to and what seeds to plant for my summer garden.  I’m recuperating from a cold.  We’ve had unseasonably warm weather, so I’ve been sitting in the sun a lot.  Just sitting.  
I guess I’m just getting back into balance rather than swinging past it, so I’ll just lean on into this for a bit.  Go with the flow is the phrase of the day today.  There is a spiritual principle inherent in going with the flow.  My friend Jeff Anderson, in his book “The Nature of Things,” says it like this:  “in mind, body, heart and soul we are designed to be supple, to move and to bend in constant movement as the environment and conditions of life change, both around us and within us.”
In the Sermon on the Mount, this concept of going with the flow is described as meekness.  “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.“ I say this because the metaphysical meaning of the word meek is yielding, pliable or flexible.  And blessed means delighted.  And the earth signifies our outer experience.  Inheriting the earth thus means we have control of our outer experiences.
So today, I go with the flow.  I remain supple.  I remain flexible.  And soon, I know that from within this suppleness and flexibility will come that state of being delighted.  Until then, flow.  

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I've been having a lot of fun with apples lately.  Noticing the abundance of them, picking them, preparing them, finding apple pie recipes, and making pies.  And giving said pies away.  It has occurred to me that I have a whole bunch of excellent metaphors here and I'm having a bit of fun with it, so I'm passing it on to you.

First of all, the abundance.  I live across the street from a neighbor who has a very green thumb.  He has pumpkins (lots!), corn (lots), tomatoes, squash, onions, various kinds of lettuce.....and lots and lots and lots of apples. Four trees, with branches so laden with apples they are bending down to the ground.  First metaphor, be flexible so you don't break.

I love metaphors for abundance.  Seeing all this abundance in a garden reminds me to remember that there is abundance everywhere, including in my life.  In order for me to receive said abundance, I must collect it.

So I've been helping with the harvest.  I've picked apples, kept an eye out for tomatoes ready to go, brought home squash, plucked onions.  There is a law that says in order to experience abundance in our lives, we must accept it.  I'm looking at all this harvesting as a metaphor for accepting and receiving my good.

...continue reading "What I learned from making apple pies"