a gift

and in a moment of silence

it becomes clear

that the truth comes as a gift

but the wrapping is different

each time

sometimes

it comes wrapped in pain, sorrow, anger

sometimes

it descends in fire

burning my tongue

and my whole being

shaking my foundations

down to the core

sometimes

it hovers around me

like a fly buzzing

next to my ear

then up on the wall

then bouncing against the window

wanting to be free

from the walls

i’ve put around it

suffocating it

restricting its movement

truth is always moving

place to place

person to person

and keeping it from going

where it’s supposed to go

keeps it from doing

what it’s supposed to do

heal, illumine

direct, protect

make holy

make whole

sometimes

Truth arrives on the wings of grace

in words beyond eloquence

in a living Word

full of grace and truth

a Word that moves

place to place

person to person

and yet is in all places

among all persons

a Word that moves

in the receiving and giving and living

that brings healing

in the hearing and telling

that brings grace and truth...

and life.

'NEW' BLOG POST on MiM - 'Zen and the Art of Lawn Maintenance'

greetings, faithful friends and readers!

it's that time of year (at least where i live) where most folks are scraping the rust off of their trusty lawnmowers and making their first attempts at taming their urban/suburban landscapes.

in honour of this annual, time-honoured and patience-testing tradition, i offer a 'new' blog post on MakeItMissoula.com!

'Zen and the Art of Lawn Maintenance'

for the few of you who have been reading my pieces since i started this site, you may notice that this is a piece i originally wrote about a year ago for this site. it is slightly re-worked for MiM (with some photos for additional flair) with gratitude to MiM for giving it a chance at a wider readership.

enjoy...and remember...whether its a lawn in your yard or a circumstance in your life, before you 'mow' it, take time to 'know' it. :)

peace,
brian

NEW BLOG on MiM - 'puddles and muddles, ripples and revelations'

hi again! TWO in ONE week! call me crazy, but sometimes i just need something like a rainy day to bring some inspiration.

and it came today, in the form of an unexpected puddle in the front yard of the house i live in whilst working in Ukiah...and a beautiful blue jay paying a very brief visit.

here's the link for the new piece on Make It Missoula: 'puddles and muddles, ripples and revelations'

thanks as always for reading, and for your support...if you enjoy it, don't forget to 'LIKE' it on the MiM page...and send it along to others!

peace,
brian

*NEW BLOG POST on MiM - 'Enjoying the Ride'

greetings, all of you who remain out there as patient and faithful readers :)

please forgive the long absence from my writing and this blog. life happens...sometimes in such a simultaneous'y urgent convergence of experiences and events that other important things get buried underneath the weight of the urgency.

thanks for staying with me through the 'silent weeks'. it's good to be back :).

and i'm happy to announce that my first new piece in over two months is now live at Make It Missoula!

it's in honour of my dear son, Ian, leaving his teenage years behind as he turns 20 years old today :).

it's called 'Enjoying the Ride'.

hope you enjoy it...and happy birthday to my 'Big Blue'. :)

peace to you,
brian

NEW BLOG on MiM - 'Maundatum'

hi friends...

on this week known in my faith tradition as Passion Week or Holy Week, i've posted a new blog (actually one from my archives on Facebook) on Make It Missoula...

it's about the tradition of 'Maundy Thursday'...and how two simple, yet profoundly life-changing and world-changing commandments can become such a complicated quagmire in our religions and relationships.

it's called maundatum. (click on the title to read the blog.)

in this season of new life springing forth from the dormant earth, may you be surprised and delighted by new experiences of deep peace and real love emerging from the depths of your being into your lives.

salaam shalom to you all... :)
brian

supporting meg brooker

hi friends...

i just got word that a good friend is traveling through a daunting journey in her life, and i wanted to spread the word about how she and her husband can be supported.

Meg Brooker is a good friend of my family, and the wife of Trevor's cross country coach at Hellgate High School, Anders Brooker. she has been diagnosed with a brain tumor, and will be having surgery next Monday, 1 April, to hopefully remove all of it. they do not know at this time the condition of the tumor, only that it is in her left frontal lobe and it is large.

i know some of you who follow my blog know Meg and others don't. regardless, i would ask you to remember her (and Anders) in your thoughts, and for those of who you may be people of prayer to hold them prayerfully in your hearts.

i will not be posting regular updates on my site, but there is a site that has been set up to do that. here is the link:

http://meganbrooker.blogspot.com

Meg has been a great source of support and encouragement to Trevor in his running and life, and to my family in our time of transition. thanks so much for any and every act of support you can offer for her.

deep peace to you,
brian

 

nothing but blue

flying to a new place is always exciting and slightly disorienting at the same time.

case in point: last week, i flew from SFO to Cancun, Mexico.

believe it or not, of all the dozens of times i've been to Mexico, this was my first time flying directly into the country itself and not driving. and it was also my inaugural visit south of the border for a reason other than leading/participating in some kind of missions experience/service project. and while i was in Tulum (72 kilometres southeast of Cancun) to co-officiate the wedding of a dear friend (and thus, still officially 'on the job' in that sense), i was also invited there to receive the great gift of simply enjoying the unique and incredible beauty of this part of the world with some of the most amazingly wonderful people i know on this planet.

and i encountered the transcendence of this place while i was still in the air.