Seeds
for
Celebration
for the
Jubilee! Community
Asheville, North Carolina
Summer, 2016
Via Positiva:
The Blessed Mess
VIA POSITIVA: The Blessed Mess
Clutter and mess show us that life is being lived.
– Anne Lamott
Life is just so painful and messy and hard and worth it and all that stuff.
- Robert Downey, Jr.
Not only had the monsoon-mimicking rain kept him up most of the night, it had opened leaks in the roof of his newly-purchased home. First discovered leak was the one directly over the toilet – his one and only toilet. This was his first non-rental abode. At age 33, the first home he had ever owned. It was listed by one realtor as a cabin and by another as a cottage. He called it his “cabage.” He had moved in two weeks ago, and was stinkin’ proud of it. His dad called it a “primo bachelor pad.” And though he didn’t like the terminology, he loved the concept.
His name was Francis Lucius Baumgarden,IV. It was a family joke that no one ever wanted the name, so they kept passing it down. So, rather than tempt the bullying fates in school, he had always gone by Luke.
Now, Luke’s roof was leaking. He’d gotten very little sleep and had an important 8:00 a.m. meeting with his supervisor at work. He drank his coffee, sat on the toilet with a towel over his head, showered and opened his closet to discover yet another leak immediately over the shirt - the only currently clean shirt - he was going to wear for the meeting. It was soaked. “Oh boy,” he muttered. “Oh friggin’ boy!” He plundered through his laundry basket sniffing the armpits of each of the shirts and scoping the fronts for pizza droppings.
Now he was running late, but finally dressed and remembering he didn’t own an umbrella, he wrapped himself in a garbage bag, grabbed his iPod and headed out the door only to discover that his car was completely surrounded by a puddle of water at least 6 inches deep. Car Island. Which meant he would have to go back inside, roll up his pants, take off his shoes and socks, go back outside, wade to the car and finish dressing in the front seat. However, even though he was in pretty good shape, trying to negotiate socks, shoes, iPod, rolled-up pants and garbage bag through the pond surrounding Car Island did indeed tip the scales in his coordination department and one shoe with sock inside, took a dive. A sole-soaking dive.
He squish-thump-squish-thump-squish-thumped into the conference room at 7:58. His shirt didn’t smell that bad though a quarter-sized glump of (possibly) guacamole had found a home just above the pocket. Probably droppings from last night’s Mexican dinner with his girlfriend. His supervisor - always an advocate for good appearance – came in looking as if he had stepped from a Calvin Klein website. “Luke, I’m sorry. Got an unexpected Skype call in 10 minutes,” he said. “We’ll have to meet later. What’s that on your shirt? Did you have guacamole for breakfast?” And he was gone.
Francis Lucius Baumgarden IV, sat alone in the conference room with an iPod, a wet foot and a soggy garbage bag stuffed in his pants pocket. He took a deep breath and let out a heaving sigh. His phone beeped. Text. It was his girlfriend telling him that she had been throwing up all night. “I think it was the guacamole,” she texted, “so I won’t be able to see you tonight. Hope you have a really good day.”
Francis Lucius Baumgarden IV, began to cry. “God,” he mumbled aloud, almost as if it were a prayer, “God, why does life have to suck?” Silence. More silence. But then, almost as if in answer to his prayer, the phone beeped again. “And remember,” his girlfriend texted, “I really love you.”
Francis Lucius Baumgarden IV, felt a silly grin curl his cheeks under the tears. He breathed another deep sigh, but this one had a sweetness to it. He stood up. “I’m a lucky guy,” he whispered to anyone and no one. “I’m a friggin’ lucky guy.” And he squish- thump-squish-thumped all the way to work.
- Howard
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
June 26, 2016 – PURPOSE & DIRECTION
1 Kings 19: 11-13
What are you doing here, Elijah?
Luke 9: 57-62
Foxes have holes, birds have a nest but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
Amanda Jane didn’t play favorites when it came to family, but she was quick to say that Eleanor was her absolute favorite niece. The fact that Eleanor was her only niece was seldom acknowledged.
Eleanor was 20 years old, a junior in college and had come home for a couple of days after spring break in Colorado with her boyfriend. Amanda Jane, who had been visiting family found Eleanor intently focused on her iPad either studying or on Facebook. Amanda Jane couldn’t tell and didn’t care. “What was your favorite thing about spring break?” she asked.
“I guess being with Luke,” Eleanor answered. “It was all fine, but, Aunt Amanda, I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I don’t know if I want to get married or have kids. I’ve changed my major 3 times and am still not sure what direction I want to go. I’ll be a senior next year, Aunt Amanda. A senior! And I have no idea what I want to do. I have friends applying to graduate school and others interning this summer so they’ll have a job when they graduate. But I am simply clueless and I don’t want to disappoint my parents.” Eleanor’s eyes began to puddle.
“You know,” Amanda Jane replied, “I’m twice your age and still am not sure what I want to do. I have done lots of things that bring me joy and some things I really don’t like so much. But I’m always wondering what might come next.”
“You’re an excellent friend,” said Eleanor, wiping a drip from her nose. “You’ve always been my friend; and maybe that’s what counts. Maybe that’s all that counts.”
Amanda Jane put her arm around Eleanor. They leaned their heads together silent for a moment. “You may be right, my dear. Maybe that’s all that counts.”
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
July 3, 2016 – FINDING CONNECTION
Isaiah 66: 10-14
That you may drink deeply with delight.
Luke 10: 1-9
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals…
For some, it’s a job. For others it’s vacation. For others it could be a lover or friend, family, community or a dog. Some find it in church or in yoga or at a bar. And some find it walking in the woods, basking in the spray of a waterfall or skinny-dipping in the ocean by moonlight.
Anam Cara is a Gaelic term meaning “soul friend.” A soul friend, according to the old Gaels, is anyone or anything that connects you to life and makes you feel fully free and alive. Some soul friends are with you to the end. Others come and go. But you know a true Anam Cara when you see one. Or smell one. Or feel one. Or kiss one.
But there are times – plenty of times - when we don’t feel connected. When we can’t find an Anam Cara. Or our Anam Cara has flown the coop. And without that connection our lives can feel all flibberty-jibberty. Nothing to hold on to. Loose ends flapping in the wind.
There isn’t any one solution to those messy, unconnected times. Some go to Xanax, booze or thrills and distractions. Or, you might try being an Anam Cara for someone who’s feeling as un-connected as you. Who knows?
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
July 10, 2016 - FAITHFULNESS
Deuteronomy 30: 9b-16
Surely this commandment is not too hard for you.
Luke 10: 25-37
Who is my neighbor?
Your therapist tells you to be faithful to your spouse. The guy at the gym says to be faithful in exercising. Your health-food-nut friend tells you to be faithful in eating all organic. Your priest, rabbi or minister teaches you to be faithful to God.
Fidelity, faithfulness, commitment, loyalty. It can be confusing. You can be faithful to an organization, a cause, a friend, a lover, a routine or a dog. You can faithfully vacuum your home every week, faithfully turn off your lights to lower your carbon footprint, faithfully vote in every election, faithfully get to work on time, faithfully feed your goldfish or not sleep with that hottie when you’re married.
Though, it usually serves a noble purpose, fidelity can be demanding. Obligating. Stressful. The pressure can come from all sides and we sometimes find ourselves racing here, there and everywhere trying to be faithful to everything to which we have promised our fidelity.
For all the good fidelity can do, it can also drive us crazy and make us feel as if we have little or no control of our lives. When Shakespeare penned, “To thine own self be true,” he wasn’t whistling Dixie. He may well have been on to something. If we’re not faithful to ourselves on a day to day basis, we can easily get sucked into the fidelity vortex of religion, work and society and find ourselves spinning wildly out of control. Sing it, Shakespeare!
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
July 17, 2016 - OBLIGATION
Genesis 18:1-15
Oh yes, you did laugh.
Luke 10: 38-42
You are worried and distract by many things.
You gotta do this and you gotta do that
Gotta bring in the dog and let out the cat
Gotta show up for work and make it look good
Gotta get enough funds to make a livelihood.
Gotta do. Gotta-do. Gotta do-watta-do-watta-do.
Gotta pay my bills and hope there’s enough
To get to the store and buy some more stuff
Gotta fix the car and mow the grass
Don’t have no time to sit on my ass
Gotta do. Gotta-do. Gotta do-watta-do-watta-do.
Gotta be a good friend without distraction
Gotta find a sweet honey, maybe get a little action
Gotta keep on doin’ till I bid adieu….
Gotta do. Gotta-do.
Gotta do- do-do-do diggity do.
Gotta-do. Gotta do.
Gotta do-watta-do-watta-do.
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
July 24, 2016 – TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING
Genesis 18: 20, 22-33
Far be it for you to do such a thing…
Luke 11: 5-13
Ask and it shall be given.
The road to hell is paved with what? And what the hell is wrong with good intentions? If you have no intentions, then how is anything going to get done? You got to a have a direction, a purpose, a goal. Don’t you? There’s got to be a starting point, a dream, an idea that kicks things into gear. I say, “Let’s hear it for intentions!”
But we all know how intentions can get diverted, misdirected, up-ended, bypassed, ignored, or just plain forgotten. We’ve all been there, done that. And then comes the guilt and chagrin. Then comes the disappointment, disillusionment and the feeling of failure.
How many times have we pledged to “do something about civil rights” or “do something for the refugees” or “insure safe and affordable housing” or “work for a cleaner environment” or “be kind to every person we meet?” And then there’s the personal promises to lose ten pounds, eat more veggies, exercise regularly, drink less booze, clean up the house, be more generous and quit dating losers.
We want to do the right thing. We want to stay on track. And maybe there are too many tracks. Maybe we make too many promises to ever possibly keep them all.
Be that as it may, trying to consistently do the right thing gets pretty messy sometimes and can lead to despair and dis-couragement. “If you can’t do anything else,” says the bumper sticker, “just be kind.” Maybe bumper sticker wisdom ain’t all that bad.
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
July 31, 2016 - POSSESSIONS
Ecclesiastes 1: 2, 2: 18-23
What do mortals get from all their toil and strain?
Luke 12: 13-21
Be on your guard against all kinds of greed for life does not consist in abundance of possessions.
“I want my kids to have all the things I couldn’t afford,” said Phyllis Diller, “and then I want to move in with them.”
If you’re making a list of ways to mess up your life, possessions should be close to the top. The problem with possessions is not so much that they cost a lot or clutter your home or make you want more or make you jealous of your friend who has more. The problem with possessions is not that we live in a consumer society and are constantly being badgered to buy more. The problem with possessions is that they possess you.
Everyone admires the fact that Jesus owned nothing. Jesus even said one secret of eternal life was to sell all you have and give it to the poor. But you don’t see many Christians – or anyone else – lining up to do that.
Continued
We think we own that TV the size of Montana. By God, we paid enough for it, didn’t we? But in truth, the TV owns us. We even define ourselves by the car we drive or the clothes we wear or place we live.
The problem, of course, is that we’ve all got possessions of some sort. Some more than others. Some far, far, far more than others. And that inequality is where revolutions get started. But we do have possessions; and how we deal with them and how we share them can just might make a difference in how they mess with our lives.
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
August 7, 2016 - FAMILY
Genesis 15: 1-6
Count the stars… so shall your descendants be.
Luke 12: 32-34
Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
The problem with families is, you can’t live with ‘em and you can’t shoot ‘em. When it comes to stress and mess, nothing beats your family. Families can drive you to drink and then give you hell for drinking. Families can tell you to do something with your life and then when you do, insist that you could do better. Families can embarrass you, cajole you, discourage you, wheedle you, bore you, obligate you, piss you off and, of course, love you.
Maybe the problem with families is that you know way too much about each other. Maybe a little ignorance might bring more bliss. Not only do you know where each others’ buttons are, you know exactly how hard and when to push them. Maybe a little distance can prove helpful. Many of us have experienced the struggle that comes when you move back in with the parents as an adult. But nonetheless, families are like boogers and butts. We all have them.
It’s important to remember, of course, that our families are where we come from. It’s where we were formed and fashioned, twisted and tweaked. Not one of us would be who we are today without our families – a fact which can comfort and maybe discourage us. Families continue to be our teacher – continue to hold up a mirror to see ourselves more clearly. And that vision and lesson can be messy. And blessed. And holy.
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
August 14, 2016 - LOVE
Jeremiah 23: 29-32
Is not my word like a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces?
Luke 12: 49-53
Do you think I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, rather division.
You gotta give a little, take a little and let your poor heart break a little.
That’s the story of, that’s the glory of love. (Billy Hill)
“Will you go with me?” he asked. “My granddad’s dying and I want to go see him in the hospital. He was 17, she, 16. They had been dating for nearly a year now.
“Sure,” she answered, though, in truth, she was not so sure. She had never been around someone whose death was imminent. “I mean, is he going to die soon?”
“We don’t know. Nobody knows,” he answered, “but the doctors say it can’t be long. Granddad – I call him G-Papa – was the one who helped me through the time when my parents got divorced. Don’t think I could have made it without him. I was crying all the time and he was always hugging me, listening to me and taking me out for ice cream. I love him so much.”
When they stepped into G-Papa’s room at the hospital, a nurse was just finishing checking his vital signs. “Come on in,” she said. “He’s pretty doped up, but maybe he can talk to you.”
The teen sweethearts moved slowly to the bed. The whole scene felt surreal. “G-Papa,” he said. “G-Papa, I’m here for you.” The young boy took his hand and started to cry. The old man turned, opened his eyes and looked at his grandson and smiled. “I love you so much, G-Papa. And this is my girlfriend. He reached over and took her hand.”
And like a holy tableau the three held hands in silence, feeling the glory of love more than any one of them ever thought possible.
VIA POSITIVA: THE BLESSED MESS
August 21, 2016 - UNITY
Isaiah 66: 18-23
I am coming to gather all nations and tongues.
Luke 13: 22-30
People will come from the east, west, north and south and will eat in the kingdom of God.