Ryan's Ramblings

the dark flames into light

 

The Dark Flames Into Light

by Ryan M. Roberts

 

As the sun rises it transforms

night into day.

The dark

flames into light.

 

So do the mercies of God;

new again,

they color our darkened lives.

 

The result is

beauty,

hope,

life,

and God's glory.

 

captives of hope

This morning my Bible reading calendar led me to the first chapter of Colossians and Paul’s words in Colossians 1:5, jumped out at me,

“. . . the faith and love that spring from the hope . . .”

Wow, faith and love spring from hope?! That is a big deal.

Faith is the way that we engage with the grace of God in our lives (Eph. 2:8). Faith is what the ancients were commended for (Heb. 11:2). Faith is what we live by as God followers. 

And love . . . well, love is the apex of it all.  “God is love” (1 John 4:8). Love is the thing that endures beyond all else, “the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13). 

But where do faith and love come from?  They spring from hope!

This thought reminded me of the first sentence in John Eldredge’s new book,   All Things New: Heaven, Earth, and the Restoration of Everything You Love , where he says,

“We could sure use some hope right now.” 

Yes, we sure could. The fake news pales in comparison to the pain and dismay of the real news that surrounds us and encroaches upon our real lives.

The enemy’s strategy to defeat us is to leave us bereft of faith and unaware of love. The way this is done is by occluding and stealing our hope—imprisoning us in hopelessness.

Where is the hope?

Hope resides in nothing other than the Lord Jesus Christ and in his promises. The pain, sadness, and death all around us are not the end of the story, for we are in the midst of God’s larger story of redemption. As we move through the pages of our lives we might come to the end of a chapter, a difficult chapter, and feel hopeless, but we must remember that it is not the end of the book.

God entered the story of our lives and responded to our cries for hope with the cross of Christ and the empty tomb. God’s story includes the restoration of all things—where the things that are worn and tattered, and seemingly destroyed, are made new.

God has the final word and that word is, “Behold, I am making all things new.” (Rev. 21:5) 

I have this quote written in my Bible next to Col. 1:5,

Hope is the ability to hear the music of the future;

faith is the courage to dance to it today. –Peter Kuzmic

I love the idea of dancing, with courage, even in the minefields of today.

May we be captives of hope.

the only real thing

On October 13, the movie, “Goodbye Christoper Robin” opens in the United States and I can’t wait to see it. It looks to be, in-part, a bit of backstory to the books, Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner. I love the tender, innocent wisdom of Pooh and I delight in the unique and colorful personalities of his many friends that reside in the Hundred Acre Wood.

The author, A.A. Milne is the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh and his stories were written for and about his son, Christopher Robin. The story of Winnie-the-Pooh is tinder for the imagination, and in the early 1900’s served both as a respite, and a point of hope, to a humanity ravaged by World War I.

Sometimes the real world occludes our vision of the things that matter most in life. We need stories like Winnie-the-Pooh to give flight to our imagination, allowing us to rise above the milieu and see, by means of make-believe, those things that are most real, like friendship, hope, love and Truth.

In 1996, the London Times reported that Christopher Milne (the real Christopher Robin) had died at the age of 75.  In response to that news, the poet, Czeslaw Milosz wrote, in the voice of Winnie-the-Pooh, the following anecdote on youth and age, time and eternity.

***

Christopher Robin¹

by Czeslaw Milosz

I must think suddenly of matters too difficult for a bear of little brain. I have never asked myself what lies beyond the place where we live, I and Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore, with our friend Christopher Robin. That is, we continued to live here, and nothing changed, and I just ate my little something. Only Christopher Robin left for a moment.

Owl says that immediately beyond our garden Time begins, and that it is an awfully deep well. If you fall in it, you go down and down, very quickly, and no one knows what happens to you next. I was a bit worried about Christopher Robin falling in, but he came back and then I asked him about the well.

“Old bear,” he answered. “I was in it and I was falling and I wore trousers down to the ground, I had a grey beard, and then I died. It was probably just a dream, it was quite unreal. The only real thing was you, old bear, and our shared fun. Now I won’t go anywhere, even if I’m called in for an afternoon snack.”

***

I love the exchange that Milosz created between Christopher Robin and the “silly old bear.” As a child I loved the stories of Winnie the Pooh—where toys were fast friends and the backyard was a world of adventure—limited only by my imagination. To me, Milosz’s anecdote fits; giving voice to an unexplored realm in A.A. Milne’s beautiful story, where each of us are one or more of the characters in the garden.

The anecdote begins with Pooh describing the garden where he and his friends live. It is a place of little or no change, where all abide happily together. Pooh has no idea what lies beyond the garden, nor does he care. Nothing seems to change; except for the fact that he says, “Only Christopher Robin left for a moment.” 

Pooh knows that his friend, Christopher Robin, went somewhere. Wise old Owl says that “somewhere” is beyond the garden, where Time begins, and he describes this unknown place as an “awfully deep well.” Pooh lives beyond Time and has no idea that Christopher Robin’s “moment” is the deep well of a lifetime (75 years), where he left the garden and entered the world of adulthood—with all of its adventure, pain, regret, opportunity, loss, mishap, gain, anger, joy, hope and love.

Currently, I am surprised to find that I am a bit like Christopher Robin was in his “moment.” I am beyond the garden of childhood innocence and unchecked imagination, and Time (note the capital “T”) is having its way with me.  I, in my long trousers and graying whiskers, am free falling headlong into the unknown deep.

Yet, as I fall, I find that I am even more like Pooh, a “bear of little brain.” But it is not because I am faced with things that I don’t understand or care about. Rather, it is because I forget to live into and appreciate the things that I already know. I take for granted the fact that each day, and the moments and people that inhabit them, are precious gifts.

So here I am in the midst of my “moment.” and it all seems very real to me, but I am reminded that it isn’t. It is quite unreal. It is at this point where beyond make-believe my imagination leads me to the only real thing—the Truth.  There is something beyond this vapor of a life we live.  What began in a garden long ago ended victoriously on a cross and all of our “moments” were subsumed in the depths of an empty tomb.

The author of this truest of anecdotes is Jesus. In Him alone is the genuine place of love, forgiveness, relationship and “shared fun.” In Jesus Christ is found the “only real thing,” a place where Time is no more; where there are no more tears, no more regrets, no more separation and no more goodbyes—just life together, in all of its fullness, forever. A place where we can say along with Christopher Robin, “I won’t go anywhere, even if I’m called in for an afternoon snack.”

¹ Milosz, Czeslaw. New and Collected Poems (1931-2001), 2003, pg. 656.

 

 

 

good news, great music

I just came across this and had to share. Great music and such good news.

 

 

 

 

 

 

a kiss vs. two judo chops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It just keeps on coming, doesn’t it? 

Recently, I have encountered people, issues and situations that are just plain frustrating:

-business agreements that have not been followed through on,

-poor communication leading to unmet expectations and confusion,

-and then there are the other drivers on the roads (of course it is always the “other” drivers, not me).

As much as I would like to, I can’t change any of it.

All I can address, and hopefully change, is me.

It has been said that, what you do is who you are.

Who am I and what do I do in the midst of frustrations?

I need some help, and today Snoopy is my teacher.

“One kiss is worth two Judo chops any time.”

If you are interested, here are some other thoughts and people that are teaching me today:

 

A gentle answer turns away wrath,

    but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Proverbs 15:1, NIV)

 

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;

    if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. (Proverbs 25:21, NIV)

 

Fools show their annoyance at once,

    but the prudent overlook an insult. (Proverbs 12:16, NIV)

 

There is nothing stronger than gentleness.  —John Wooden

 

I have always felt that a raised voice was a mistake.  —William Stafford

 

There are three things that are important in human life.

The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.

    —William James

good ≠ easy

Ask where the good way is, and walk in it,

and you will find rest for your souls.

Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV)

 

 

Commence! (a graduation post)

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

(Rom. 12:1, MSG)

 

 

Here it is, graduation time once again.

Students look for it, long for it, even dream about it, and then suddenly, it’s here. (gulp)

The robe is donned, the family gathers, the pomp is played, and you walk off the stage with an empty folder.

Pictures are taken (lots of pictures) and the next thing you know you find yourself surrounded by relatives at a backyard BBQ.

It’s a good time. You get some handshakes, pats on the back, words of wisdom, a few gifts, some cards with money in them and it’s all nice (especially the money).

The rest is a blur and the momentum gradually shifts toward the next thing.

Except for that one earth shaking question.

If someone doesn’t ask you at the BBQ, you ask it of yourself the next morning,

“What are you going to do now?”

And then come the aftershocks:

“Where?” “How?” “With what skills?”

These are big questions, but don’t let them rattle you.

You have what it takes to get started, just go for it.

Commence!

Take all that learning, relating, studying, writing and creating and combine it with all that you are and have been, inside and out, and take the next step.

Live forward; past the now and on to the next thing.

In God’s economy nothing’s wasted.

Look to him, call upon his help and let him work good in your life.

You’re going to need to do some work too, but you are ready.

Place your talents, your accomplishments, your experiences, your learning and your life before God as an offering and step out.

I love the movie, “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” (the one with Ben Stiller). It’s a fun film with lots of great life lessons scattered throughout. I think the clip below touches on the idea of living forward with what we have, from where we are, with hope.

In the movie clip, Walter is in a foreign place and he is faced with a big challenge. (Sound familiar?) He wants to move on to that next thing, but the obstacle before him seems insurmountable. 

Yet, the way forward lies right in his hands. 

In one hand he carries a skateboard. As a kid he was a serious skateboarder and in the midst of his current adventure he just happened to make a trade for a skateboard.

In his other hand Walter holds a duffle bag containing his office work clothes. Contrasted against his current adventure, the dress pants, dress shirt and tie are representative of an old, limiting and stifling life. 

Or are they? 

The things from his past come in handy.

He ends up using his dress tie to secure some rocks to his hands so he can safely navigate the high speed turns that he will make on the skateboard on the way to his desired destination.

It’s a cool scene that illustrates the idea that all that you are and have been, inside and out, is ripe fodder for God to use for good in your life.

Check out the clip below. Embrace all that God has given you, place it before him as an offering and . . .

Commence!

 

 

Follow Me (An Easter Poem)

 

Follow Me (An Easter Poem)

by Ryan M. Roberts

Where Jesus walked, the disciples followed;
But not all the way.
“Where I go, you cannot. You will follow later,”
Was all that He would say.

At midday prayers Peter’s words rang out,
“No matter what or where or who;
You are mine, and I am yours,
I will die with you!”

Amongst friends, huddled ‘round the fire that night;
“Hosanna in the highest!” a bright memory.
Hopes are high, resolve is low,
The glow fades into Gethsemane.

Watching ends in darkness,
Prayers turn to sleep,
And Peter’s vow, though earnest,
Was more than he could keep.

He followed at distance, into the cold dark night;
Warming hands and feet by the fire of his foe.
When asked, “You’re with Jesus, yes?”
Three times his response was, “No.”

Then came the loss, despair and death.
A look, the whip, a crown, the hill,
A cross, the cry, a spear thrust forth;
The King of Kings to kill.

Three days passed, Peter sat alone;
With guilt and regret—his choice.
Now what? Now where? Now who? . . . He’s gone?!
Peter leapt at Mary’s voice.

He ran to the tomb, bent low, went inside,
Echoes, predictions and rags filled the space.
“Tear down this temple and in three days it will rise.”
Peter left, wonder full on his face.

There were sightings and sayings that, “He is alive!”
Stories no book could contain.
Ashamed, Peter watched the Christ from a far;
He should laud, but his failures remained.

Peter said to his friends, “Let’s fish,” and they went,
To row and to cast was no chore.
The fish, they were few, but the company good,
Then they heard a voice from the shore.

Jesus was there, by the fire, cooking fish.
He said, “Come friends, let’s eat.”
Peter pledged all his love—heart, mind and soul,
Jesus smiled and replied, “Feed my sheep.”

“Your efforts and failures, left you lost and in chains,
Through my wounds and my death you are free.
Where I went, you could not go on your own,
But now, in my power, Follow Me.”

 

enslaved but free

 

But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life.

                                            Romans 6:22 (NIV)

 

Take me to you, imprison me, for I

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

                                            - John Donne

 

 

Even in freedom,

we are slaves.

Addictions,

where good becomes bad

and bad becomes worse.

What’s left?

Regret, pain, loss,

the curse.

Chains, shackles, traps,

they bind.

It is death we reap,

in body, heart, and mind.

 

Rescue comes;

through cross, blood, grace, love,

a Slave, and

slavery too.

The benefit?

Holiness, help, life, hope,

for me and you.

A God and King,

whose enslaved are free.

No regrets!

Bind my hands, feet, mind and

heart;

Throw away the key.

 

the life in our hours

 

The hours of our lives—they are a precious commodity.

We don’t want to lose a single one. 

So we say to ourselves and to others:

don’t smoke,

stay away from fried foods,

exercise regularly,

cut the sugar,

manage your stress,

get regular check ups,

avoid the lines at the DMV,

and, be careful!

We all want to live.  We want every hour of life we can get.

But why? So we can watch more Netflix? Football? and Fixer Upper?

Too much cotton candy leaves us sick and unsatisfied.

Time flies as the hours congeal into days.

Is it time spent or invested?

Do our minutes have meaning?

We give great attention to the hours of our life;

but what about the life in our hours?