John 21:1-14. Peter jumped into the sea.

Onlookers must have thought Peter was crazy. He put his clothes on; then he jumped overboard. Lots of folks thought “Jim” had gone overboard, too. Forsaking his lucrative career as a home builder, Jim went to work with Habitat for Humanity. Instead of McMansions, he built simple homes for the working poor. People shook their heads: Jim was taking his faith way too far. He had gone overboard.

One day Jim told me why. Pointing to an inner city child playing near our construction site, Jim said: “I do this because I love God; because I grew up in a rough neighborhood just like this one; and because that little kid over there is me.”
In Matthew 14, Peter goes overboard and begins to sink, but John 21 tells us of another time when Peter jumped into the sea to splash joyfully-all the way to shore, right to his Risen Lord.
Where are you playing it too safe? How could you or your church get out of the box/boat-crazily, happily overboard in love with Christ? Easter invites us to hope, risk, and grow in love. What are you waiting for? The water’s warm. Our Savior awaits.  (from Forward Movement)

During the season of Lent, I committed to a focused daily mediation–a short one–coupled with a prayer for healing of a hurting world.  I prayed for those who hadn’t a voice, or weren’t yet confident enough to use it.   I took to lighting what my daughter calls the “Mexican Jesus candle” in order to center my prayer.  I’m not a Catholic, but centering tools for prayer are wonderful–be it a labyrinth, a chant, a posture, or a candle.

Tiffany joined me in the daily meditations, and we oftentimes exchanged thoughts with each other, and shared them with a couple of my diva sisters.  It was funny when Tiffany mentioned how she missed that daily email, that moment out of each day, that we took to read scripture and the ruminations from someone else on said scripture–particularly because they were focused on the world… not on the individual.  It was funny that she mentioned that, because I’d thought the exact same thing.  I missed those thoughts and words.

Today, I watched CNN for what will be the last time for a while.  The anger at the president (who hasn’t even reached 100 days in office yet… 85, if you’re counting), the despair, the frustration, the evil in people… it’s just too much.  IT’S TOO MUCH.  It’s too much to handle without a focused daily grounding.

Don’t you know that love and consideration of all people is the ONLY way out of global problems???  The more one focuses on self, the less likely that person is to be blessed.  All the anger, all the pejorative words, all of the messages of hate are doing each person a disservice.  To use godly ideals to defend this behavior is even more off the mark.  Love FIRST.  Give FIRST.  FAITH (the verb) first.  There are not enough picket signs in the world that will create the change that love and radical compassion will create.

In an effort to keep myself grounded, and to send love and compassion into the world (something that I struggle with every day), I will keep a daily (or almost daily) blog series of meditations using the Forward Movement daily meditations.  I hope that you pray for the healing of the world with me.  Let’s pay it forward…

Psalm 105:1-8. Search for the LORD and his strength; continually seek his face. Remember the marvels he has done.

Five months after our son was born my wife was diagnosed with cancer. That was seven years ago. My wife survived the cancer. Our marriage did not.

When I was at my worst, entombed in loss, when everything in me died, I kept my eye on those folks I called my “Lazarus people” (see John 11). Those were my parishioners who had been divorced. Some had remarried; some had not. All were survivors. Their kids had been through that fiery furnace, too, but they were essentially okay. All of them had been entombed as I was and, by grace, they again were alive. I thought: What God did for them, God will do for me. God will not forsake me. I can be a Lazarus person, too.

Looking back, that realization was a deep gift from God. That gift, along with many other graces, the unconditional love of my church, a wonderful psychologist, and a faithful spiritual director, kept me from perishing in that hell.

By grace, I arose. Whatever your tomb, trial, or hell may be, you will, too. Take it from another Lazarus.

Today I give thanks for my Lazarus people.  I pray that I am a Lazarus person to those who need me to be that to them.  I ask that each person finds his/her divine curative spirit that will bring that person through moments of darkness, and into healing light.

-Tamika