may

Mother May I? This is the month of May. May you have safe journeys and blessings on the way. May your days be filled with love, peace and joy. May the Lord be with you. As we celebrate the last day of May, may we be enlightened and empowered with the beauty of this spring season.

The name for the month of May—with its 31 days - comes from Latin, Maius, or “Maia’s month”. We can thank the Romans for instituting the Gregorian calendar and giving us the name. The Greek name Maia comes from a root meaning “mother, nurse, midwife” and we associate spring with birth, but the Roman Maia appears to be related to magnus, meaning “great” and source of such words as magnify. Magnify the name of Jesus!

There are multiple bible verses that use the word “may” and Psalm 119 is one of those. The Psalm is arranged according to the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet with 8 verses. Each of the sections is given a letter of the Hebrew alphabet and each line in that section begins with that letter. The psalm is about glorifying God and His word. May is after all, poetry month.

Matthew Henry, an 18th century Bible commentator, was told by his father to take one verse of Psalm 119 every morning to meditate on, going through the entire psalm twice a year. Philip Henry, the father, told his children, “That will bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scriptures.”

Verse 125:
Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies.

The writer of the psalm wanted to understand the word of God that was of great importance because he would acquire wisdom and understand life.

Verse 148: My eyes are awake through the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

The psalmist woke early to seek God and also stayed awake through the night to meditate on God’s Word. Jesus was an example of this as well. When we internalize God’s Word, it becomes part of how we think and as a result can function differently as a result. May you strive to think and act differently and meditate on His Word. May you have a beautiful May day.

dance

Whether you are at an Indigenous celebration, a gathering in an African village or celebrating a wedding dance at a community hall, dancing is part of the culture of humanity. I recently attended a jazz performance and was the fortunate one of many in the audience who was mezmorized and captivated by the footwork, movement and creativity of the dancers. As we swayed in our seats, tapped our feet, and listened to the drum beat, the song of the sax and the vibration of the bass, the music pulsed in our veins.

Sometimes we catch a tune and are pulled like the strings of the violin and we skip a beat in our cadence of steps. Sometimes we are held taunt like a tight rope walker, carefully not wanting to step on anyone’s toes. Sometimes we just dance, forgetting the dischords and dancing on the wind of change, ready to explore where it takes us. Other tmes, we are smothered with the dripping, sad notes that need a sassy sway, a jubiliant jump or an energized emission of released creativity. We need the beat.

The music is in us. A solo on stage to the guiding hand of our leading partner on the dancefloor. A sporatic “bust a move” on the worn old sidewalk to the gentle swirl and twirl of lovers entwined in a concrete parkade above the city. In the park, on a roadway, anywhere our feet can move. Dancing with the stars. Dancing with our children. Dancing to the joy overflowing for all our blessings and the gift of music in our lives. So let your dance begin.

Now King David was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets. 2 Samuel 6:12-15

prayers

I recently read a post on social media about a woman who suffered from severe depression but had managed to hold the darkness back into remission for 7 years. She said that it wasn’t just one thing that saved her, but “a million little things all coming together.” She said God was there in the mental, spiritual and physical battles. There were friends, meals, talks, nature, medicine, meals, worship and thankfulness, but the one healing factor that stood out for me was her mention of prayers.

Whether prayer is private or public, done individually or communally; prayer takes on many forms. We recite litanies, hymns and scripture. We used to speak the Lord’s prayer in school. Monks chant them; some sing their requests and others are silent thoughts send heavenward. Some prayer warriors bow their heads; others dance, chant or sway. Prayer is that spritual connection to the God of the universe.

When some people pray, they might have their list of wants all ready and expect God to answer prayers the way they want them answered, but God wants to develop and deepen our relationship with Him. Sometimes His answer to our prayers is a “yes” or a “no” or “wait for an answer” but through our prayers, God does hear us. He hears the cry of our souls, the joyful jubiliation of praise and thanksgiving and even intercessory prayer for others.

In a world of uncertainty; we can be certain that prayer does matter. When we feel we are under the cloud of aches, groans and wellness, we need to be reminded that we are under the shadow of the Almighty. He sees us, knows us and hears us. Matthew 6:9-13 - "This, then, is how you should pray:…" Bocelli sings it beautifully.

Andrea Bocelli - The Lord’s Prayer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8jImIjg4UY

triangles

Perhaps there is some point in our lives where we need to let go, be a little crazy and break from the comfortable and mundane. Perhaps we have been forced to think safety and security when we really need to nurture our true natures and dream again.

Maybe it’s time to sit in the forest among the trees in silence for a time; perhaps a few days alone. Time to turn our heads in other directions. Break out of our boxes and try a triangle. Maybe it’s time to live on the edge, in the moment, get uncomfortable. We think we will live forever, but in fact, we don’t know when our last day on the planet might be. We hope for healthy old age but our precious breath could suddenly cause a “no tomorrow” for us. Why are we so afraid?

Maybe it’s time to wander into new spaces and be terrified of taking a first step; letting go. Time to try something we’ve never done before and dare to live. Think of all the possibilities of a fresh today for a unique tomorrow. God has no limits to the joy we can find in Him. He allows us to explore, wander, make mistakes, experience life to its overflowing. We need to soak it up, dive right in, be fearless, curious and believe that God always has something more in store for us. Take in the world He offers us and truly live.

So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For,

“In just a little while,
    he who is coming will come
    and will not delay.” And,

“But my righteous one will live by faith.
    And I take no pleasure
    in the one who shrinks back.”

 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved. Hebrews 10: 35-39

And so, take your sweet body and your shield of faith and move forward!

way

The way of May is poetry month so …

I sail on waves speaking the word, “Yeshua” Praying for the breath of His spirit in me With a tidal wave of love so powerful it makes the stars shine brighter; makes the blue waves sparkle as they dance in the sunlight And we too, dance to the song of His arriving light.

Ephphatha - open to hear your voice as you call across the oceans of time and being Soft murmurs as waves lap on distant shores. Take us sailing away on ocean-bound ships for distant lands and as we watch the light shimmer glisten like diamonds in a sea so deep rocking us to a lullaby Show us the way.

A million of my ways don’t work There is only one way Tsunamis of trauma, broken hearts floating Below the surface, the world telling us go - go this way - no, go that way and life hurts us, harms us, hinders us.

We need a WayMaker - one to navigate for us to show us the way - not just any way but the Way.

He knows all the ways and is there always with us on the beaten path, the rocky road and the mysterious ways And through it all, he tells us, “Stay the Way.”

Fear steals my direction but Peace drowns me My soul surrenders to His Way and I float eternally on the wings of His love.

The waters saw you, God,
the waters saw you and writhed;
the very depths were convulsed.
The clouds poured down water,
the heavens resounded with thunder;
your arrows flashed back and forth.
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,
your lightning lit up the world;
the earth trembled and quaked.
Your path led through the sea,
your way through the mighty waters,
though your footprints were not seen.

Psalm 77: 16-19

el roi

The God who sees all of me - every single part - and still loves me despite it all. That is what El Roi is. I love that I can change, mess up and have hang-ups, but God keeps loving me despite all my faults.

Spring can be messy. Dirt and dead leaves; bare branches and brown landscapes; slushy snow from the last of winter dumping its contents onto the ground. Puddles, piles, preparing. It feels a lot like me when I look at the landscape of my life at times. My past baggage, waiting for opportunities that are still in the making, disappointments, stagnant spots, lots of hopes and yet, I know that God is working to till my soil and make me fruitful.

He is pruning me, getting rid of the dead branches that aren’t bearing Him fruit. He is turning up the soil to uncover the growth that is possible in my life. He sees the potential of beauty. He is the gardener of my soul.

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. John 15: 1-8