firstly.
i must say thank you to everyone for your love on that last blog. the support is extremely encouraging.
i started reading a new book today called Spiritual Direction by Henri Nouwen.
holy crap.
i was reading through the introduction and it blew me away. i think something that God is speaking to me about right now is being one person. all the time. in every situation. check this out.
"The discipline of the Heart makes us aware that praying is not only listening to but listening with the heart. Prayer helps us stand in the presence of God with all we have and are: our fears and anxieties; our guilt and shame; our sexual fantasies; our greed and anger; our joys, successes, aspirations, and hopes; our reflections, dreams, and mental wandering; and most of all our family, friends, and enemies--in short, all that makes us who we are. With all this we have to listen to God's voice and allow God to speak to us in every corner of our being."
"This is very hard to do since we are so fearful and insecure. We keep hiding ourselves from God and from others. We tend to present to God and to others only those parts of ourselves with which we feel relatively comfortable and which we think will evoke a positive response. Thus our prayer life becomes very selective and narrow."
wow. i'm gonna take a time out and go burn my costume. the one that i've worn before my friends and my family and our God.
time to get real.
12 comments:
Danny, I only get to "see" you through your blog so I admittedly only get a partial view, but I love the way you see an issue that needs attention and then just go and do something about it. I like to think about things and reason them through and ponder on them and consider the alternatives and ... You get the picture.
So if you're gonna hold a costume burning party, I've got some great ones I can bring with for the fire!
praise God for that -- the getting real, i mean.
this feels like a holy moment in your life. and i'm in total support with you, rallying all the way, as you learn what it's like to live life without the costume disguise. (trust me, i get that one.) this way is so much better in the end. it's what leads to real relationship with God and others. the other way prevents them from getting to the trueness of us, of knowing us truly, and leaves us feeling a bit empty and alone . . . because it's not the real us they're loving.
learning to live in this new place is scary and awkward. it will feel like wind over an oozing sore. ouch! but yes, it is so, so good and necessary.
yeah, henri nouwen will rock your world. and i have that book, too!
Danny;
your post reminds me of a sermon i heard about 3-4 yrs ago by Efrem Smith. What lodged in my memory was this statement: "Jesus did not die that horrible death on the cross to make our lives comfortable. He did it to turn out lives upside down, to change us."
sounds like you may be getting turned upside down . . .
I adapted this one from poet...
rsvp regrets only...
I have no new fig leaf thing to wear!
so we're gonna get to see even more of the real danny YAY!!!
dean-
my man. my homie. i love reading your comments dude... i'm very much that way too... processing, analyzing, waiting... and i think that's GOOD. otherwise we'd all make a TON of foolish decisions a lot more frequently. but sometimes... there's just no need to think... you just have to jump on it.
christianne-
my dear sweet sister (:
a holy moment... i like that. makes me want to take my shoes and socks off... "for surely God was in this place, and i did not know it"
i like what you said about preventing people and God from getting to the "trueness" of us... otherwise it's not really us they're loving. wow. i'm gonna have to think about that one... (see dean? i think!)
poppa-
efrem smith is the man. yeah... i'm definitely feeling some upside downage happening... but it's good...
it's the kingdom... right? (:
di-
wow di... i really liked that too... i'm feeling a bit "naked" without my costume... but i'm learning how to live without it... unashamed.
hoorah for the upside-downage!!
go, bro. it's crazy scary, the act of costume burning. but those costumes make good bonfires for dancing around, dancing like someone set free of his chains.
i love that feeling, that set-free-of-my-chain-ness!!
party on, brother. i'm dancing on my little corner of the map here. ;o)
kirsten-
ha... all this dancing around a bonfire seems a bit cult-ish... ha... we're gonna have to have a dance party when you come to visit!
speaking of which... when is that happening again? (:
"that set-free-of-my-chain-ness!"
ha... you are hilarious
um, i'll get there as soon as i can & i'll cook you something gluten-free & so delicious you'll be begging for fifths before you know it.
i told you i liked adding -ness on to things. ;o)
i'll come as soon as i can. maybe late summer/early fall. i seem to be burning through time off at work like crazy what with writer's conferences & all.
so yeah, you have some time to get ready & ramp it up. i'll bring the dance, you bring the music.
see you soon, bro. as soon as we have a date, you're getting your own countdownr on my blog.
**serious giggly yahoo-ness!!!!**
Danny,
Pass the gasoline and matches. Thanks for sharing this.
i'm a proud momma. love you sweetie.
is it burned yet? you should tell us about it. :)
whoops... it's been a week or something since i posted... sorry for the delayed responses gang!
kirsten-
my sista from another mista.
how's my sissy doin? my goodness i cannot wait for the day i actually get to meet you! it shall be a glorious day filled with laughter, love and home-cooked meals! ha...
LOVE YOU!
nathan-
you are welcome friend! join the bonfire party!
momma-
i'm glad i make you proud momma (:
and as far as telling you about the burning process...
consider it told.
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