Walks with Barry - Profoundly Simple: A Walk Reframed

  Well, another week has rushed past and been added to the mountain of memories and experiences that comprise our lives. This week has held a bit of everything - good, bad, happy, sad, sunshine and rain. We have been formed and fashioned a little by all that has happened to us and by what we have done to others. On this day, the sky was perfect, the air fresh and it seemed as if all were right with the world - at least for a moment. This towering tree caught my attention as I walked past. How many days has it seen? How many good and how many bad? How much laughter has it heard and how many tears have fallen across the years as it spread it branches toward the heavens? I wonder how many summer droughts have threatened its life and how many freezes challenged its strength and stamina. But it stands tall, waiting for spring and another chance for leaves to sprout and the calendar to turn another page. It is comforting to see this tree, framed by the blue sky, endure. Scripture teache...

  While getting in my daily walk for our congregation’s 40 Day Challenge during the season of Lent, I limped around the corner of the building to see the moon high in the bright cloudless sky. It was strikingly beautiful, though strange and out of place. Walking in this boot has certainly frustrated me and complicated my life. But, it has also slowed me down. My pace is not what it was just 4 weeks ago, and I am noticing things I would probably have missed. That is a gift. It takes such an image to remind me that both the sun and the moon are always present, day and night. It’s just that we usually can’t see them at the same time. The rotation of the earth around the sun, the brightness of the daytime sky, the season of the year; all these factors determine whether we SEE the sun or moon, not whether they exist. They always ARE. It is good to be reminded from time to time that it is not our perception or our knowledge that creates reality. Some things just are. The anonymous concen...

  The sun has made its return to our little corner of the world, and with it came shadows once again. It is easy for shadows to go unnoticed until you have a long week of overcast skies which produce no shadows at all. To my eye, the return of shadows is as striking as the return of the bright light of the sun. They give depth and interest to even the mundane scene. Who knew that a parking lot could appear so interesting that a person would strive to capture the image? Shadows make for great painting, for great poetry, for a greater understanding of the human psyche. In the Bible there is mention of the shadow of death, the shadow of the the Almighty, the absence of any shadow of turning with God who is always faithful to us in love and grace. Lady Gaga writes, “If you don't have any shadows you're not in the light.” Walt Whitman said, “Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you.” Every life has its shadow side, some more than others. But I fin...

  It seemed so strange today to see this view without everything covered in a white blanket of snow. Each time I step out of my office, I enjoy this vista of the pond and golf course across the street. It was a brilliant, white view for that past week. As the weather returned to seasonal norms, so did my view. I must admit, it looks rather plain. In the Book of Lamentations, we find these surprisingly positive words in the midst of great struggle and sorrow: “Because of the Lord’s great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” This day is a gift and each day really is a sign of God’s compassion and faithfulness. What will I make of this day on my end? Will I make it a day where others experience compassion through me? Will I make it a day where others find a faithful friend that sees them through a tough time? I have the power to make ...

  It is hard to believe, as the temperature climbs into the seventies, that just five days ago we were freezing in an unprecedented snowfall and record low temperatures. We went from busted, frozen pipes at the church on Tuesday, to wishing the heat was not working so well as I preached In my robe and stole and sweated my way through my sermon on Sunday. My, how things change! But change they do. All week, the little garden outside my office door was piled deep with snow. Now there remains only this small patch, hanging on for dear life. In fact, at the end of the day when I left, the snow was but a memory. All now appears to be well on its way to Spring. Storms are like that, aren’t they? They roll in, disruptive and all consuming. It soon seems as if we can’t even remember life before. But storms also roll out. Some stay for a day, some hang on for so long it seems we will not be able to endure them. But the snow melts, the roads clear and clean up begins. Life continues moving f...

  As the winter storm and its effects are hopefully winding down, we now assess the damage. Broken pipes. Wet floors. Damaged walls and ceilings. Frayed nerves. Exhausted minds and bodies. Long waiting lists for the services of those who can help us recover from it all. The idea of record cold and accumulation have long ago given way to other feelings and hard questions. The snow is no longer white and beautiful. We are so ready to move on. In our baptismal garden at the church, the snow was truly beautiful. As I entered this space for the first time after the last snow of the stormy week, I thought the font looked like a half-eaten ice cream cone. Then I saw the cross, mounted on the wall on the opposite side from which I had entered. It seemed to be planted in the snow on the font. It appeared to be rising like a sun over the horizon of the snow-filled font. It is my prayer for all who are tired and frustrated from the effects of the storm sense that something is rising on their ...

  I loved the image of the snow on this outdoor table. As the wind blew the snow under the cover of the patio, somehow the flakes did not “fill in” the open space of the design. Instead, as the snow piled high, the uniqueness of the surface was accented, not diminished. The result was beautiful. Each of us is unique. We look different. We see the world through the lens of our own experience. We face life with our own set of challenges. We pray and relate to God in different ways. We, each of us, in some way, march to the beat of our own drum. In the story of David, we find the Prophet Samuel struggling with finding the next King to anoint. He could only think in terms of the stereotypes of what a leader looked like. Then God spoke, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” I find it great comfort to know that God sees US. God s...