What does God look like?

What does God look like? 
Or how does God appear to you?

I find it weird (and frankly, a little disturbing) that I still have this imagined image of God that looks similar to Michelangelo's image -- white headed, white bearded, old white guy with a great physique. 
In fact, I find the idea of humanizing God with names like Father and a gender (he) as well as phrases like "the hand of God" or "the Son of God" somehow diminish the greatness and magnificence of God.

I recently was introduced to the word -- panentheism.
Pantheism is basically the belief that all of creation is God. Everything is God.
Panentheism is the belief that God is in all of creation. 

I like that.
The more time I spend contemplating God, the more time I spend in nature, the more I study the stars, even the more I spend with people -- the more I begin to grasp the idea that God is indeed imprinted on and in all of creation.
While I understand the personification of God, I do wish that I had not been exposed to so much of it that ii is now difficult to unlearn some of it. On the other hand, it is pretty cool to discover that our Creator is much more magnificent than I once believed.
My image of God as an old white guy is beginning to fade and I am starting to sense God as a life force or positive energy rather than to see God as a glorified person of some kind. 

When you think of God, do you get a mental image?
If so -- what does God look like to you?
Just wondering.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

 

May today be an easier day for all of us!

John

Early Tuesday

It is quite early (for me) on a Tuesday morning. The sun is not yet up and nature is still relatively quiet. I have been sleeping quite well the past few nights. It may be the cooler nights and the open windows next to the bed. It was a cool 56 (13c) degrees at wake-up this morning. I'm sure I could have gone back to bed for another sleep cycle, but I am well rested and awake so I donned some pajama pants and a sweater and am now enjoying my morning coffee on the deck.

It looks to be a beautiful, sunny day today. After quite a string of lazy days, perhaps I'll do a little work today. Right now I am planning to go to the Springfield Cardinals baseball game tonight. It's hard to believe that they only have one more home stand after this one. I have a ticket for Saturday night's game and one for the last home game of the season on Sept 14. I'll use my general admission pass for tonight's game and any others that I attend between now and then.
I have already renewed my Red Access Membership for next season.

I've been working on some potted plants and plant starts. I have a few cuttings that I am trying to start in water -- philodendrons, and several varieties of caladium. I am also attempting to root some hydrangea cuttings. As rewarding as flower gardening and small potted plants are, the necessary patience to wait on nature's time cycle is a little maddening to me. 
I am also trying my hand at growing a few succulents in small pots.

Although I do read quite a bit and follow a few social sites on gardening, I consider most of my gardening work to be experiments -- Let's try this and see what happens. I consider it to be a blessing that nature's will to survive is often greater than my ignorance and incompetence. 

I have books to read, work to do and a baseball game to watch.
I hope your day is as good as mine is shaping up to be.

John

Thinking Ahead

It's a cool morning in the Ozarks of SWMO -- 62 (17c) at 6:30. 
The sky is overcast and I had to turn on the deck lights to sit out here with my morning coffee. With the cooler temps expected for the week, we turned off the a/c and opened the windows yesterday and I think that's the way we will end August. 

It might seem like it is a little early to be thinking about the coming winter, but the organizations that manage the crisis cold weather shelters are making preparations for the coming season. Meteorologists seem to think that this year's La Niña will bring a cooler, wetter winter to our area. Ugh.

Typically our shelter season runs from the beginning of November through the end of March. Each church or organization that provides shelter space relies heavily on volunteers to make everything possible. The group I work with uses 15 volunteers each night we are open. 
There are people that work the sign-up table at dinner, set up the shelter, greet and serve our guests, transport animals in the evening and again in the morning (we are the only shelter that takes pets), fix coffee and oatmeal in the morning, clean the facility, and transport laundry to and from the cleaners. These are all needs in addition to the ones that spend the night at the shelter. 
Shelters are only open when the temperatures are below freezing for most of the night.

Previous seasons have only had a few places open for shelter on most cold nights. Some additional places open when the nights are extremely cold, but even then we are far below the capacity we need. If you can help with any of the volunteer needs over the winter months, please reach out to us. Or maybe you can provide us with a container of coffee, hot chocolate, or a box of oatmeal. 
We also distribute coats, gloves, socks, warm clothes, etc.

I know that there are reasons that many churches cannot provide space for sheltering people in need, but it is very disappointing that of the several hundred churches in Springfield MO, only about a dozen participate in providing shelter or shelter volunteers during the winter crises cold weather season.

If you have questions or stuff -- let me know. I can put you in touch with the people that put all of this together. 

John

Quiet is good (and random notes)

It has been a quiet week here in the Ozarks of SWMO. My riding mower has been in the shop for a couple of weeks and should be back next week. The yard and field aren't too bad as the heat and little rain have kept the grass from growing too much. I've been content to be lazy and read a lot in the past week.  

Next week the local AA baseball team will be back in Springfield and I think I will try to take in a game or maybe two. I haven't done much people-ing, so I should be okay with a solo night at the ballpark. I've also been content to have coffee at home for the past couple of weeks. Maybe I will venture out for a morning coffee shop experience next week.
Simple coffee shop conversations are generally good. If anyone in the area is up for that next week, let me know. 

I mentioned screen time in my last post and I have been doing better about not using my phone as much. I still play games on it, but not as much. I've been spending less time scrolling social media, but still spend way more time than I need to be spending on mostly nonsense. I'm afraid it will be an ongoing battle.

A couple of days ago Highlandville MO experienced its last 8 PM sunset of the year. It will be April 28th before we have another sunset that late. I have been noticing the morning sun slowly moving southward as the sun shines on the deck now and affects my morning Chromebook viewing. I can't say that I am looking forward to fall and winter. I really am more of a summer boy. 
The Farmer's Almanac is calling for higher than average precipitation for our area this winter. We are on the boundary of what will be either snow or rain. The snow is pretty, but you don't have to shovel rain!
Fortunately, our winters here are pretty mild as Midwest winters go.

I am happy that there is still another month of summer and early fall in the Ozarks is still warm enough to keep me happy. To all of my flannel wearing, fall loving friends -- Be patient. Your time is coming. 

Enjoy life, my friends!

John

DND

Do Not Disturb

I use the DND setting on my phone most nights. The setting allows for exceptions. I have my wife, kids, and mom as exceptions. Everyone else goes to voicemail.

Yesterday I didn't have my phone on me for a good part of the day, and the ringer was set to vibrate so I didn't hear it from the deck or other room. It made for a nice, quiet afternoon.
Truthfully, I don't get many calls or messages and I have eliminated a lot of notifications. But setting my phone down and walking away from it has reminded me of how much of a distraction it is.

Maybe I should turn off a few more notifications. Do I really need to know every time someone scores during a Springfield or St Louis Cardinals game?
Or maybe I should leave the DND feature engaged throughout the day. It's kind of like being in airplane mode with those few exceptions.
I have a couple of games I play on my phone. I still use the Kindle app for reading. I use Facebook too often, and the same is true for Instagram. And I use Pandora while driving or working in the yard.

I would probably check my phone less often if I wore a watch for time. Once it is in hand, it is too easy to check other things. Is it really necessary to know how hot it is? Isn't hot or too hot enough?
Or maybe I just need to be more disciplined about my phone usage.

What are your go-to apps?
Do you monitor or restrict your screen time/phone usage?
Is your phone just a part of your everyday life and you don't think about it?

Just curious,
John

I Peopled This Week

People-ing (being around people) isn't a big deal for most of you. I can usually get by fine without it. Tuesday I was all set to go out to the ballgame, but decided (at the last minute) that staying home would be more enjoyable.
I missed a lunch meeting for chaplain volunteers yesterday (could have made it, but had other things to do) and was pretty on the fence about leaving the comforts of home to go to our Thursday evening gathering of Venues' people at Mother's Brewery. I have to admit that the decision to actually go was largely influenced by the need for coffee (I only had enough left for this morning). If I didn't need to go into Springfield for coffee, I might not have gone.

As it was, I had an enjoyable time conversing with some new people and enjoying this year's Oktoberfest brew from Mothers. There were several people that I hadn't met and a few more that I just hadn't seen in quite some time. The conversations and the beer were both good. Maybe I should get out more often.
As is often the case after a Thursday night at barchurch, I begin to think that maybe I should start going to church on Sunday mornings -- until Sunday morning rolls around and I think, "What was I thinking?" as I enjoy my quiet time and coffee on the deck.

I may be out (again) on Saturday night to watch the UFC PPV at a Springfield movie theater. I've watched a few this summer and it isn't a bad deal. There is a sports bar nearby and I can watch the prelims there and then walk to the theater for the PPV card. 
There really isn't very much people interaction involved and the reclining theater seats and big screen are a definite plus.

I have no people-ing planned for today. 
I have my pour-over brewed coffee for this morning and have a jug of Ethiopian cold-brew steeping for the coming days. I have good cigars, tequila, bourbon, a six-pack of Mother's Oktoberfest, several books, a comfortable chair, and lots of time. 
I may do a little plant re-potting today. We'll see.

For the most part I expect it to be -- just another day in the life of John.

John

Thursday Theology -- but not really

This quote is more about religion than it is about theology, but it definitely should make one examine their own religious beliefs and actions.

John

Wednesday Wisdom

A thought provoking perspective, isn't it?

John

Contemplating Imperfection

It has recently come to my attention (though not for the first time) that I have no marketable skills. There really isn't anything that I do well. Although I enjoy flower gardening, a cursory glance at my flower beds will quickly tell any observer that I am no gardener. The landscaping pictures in my head never quite make it to real life.

Past life John did well in retail sales, managing a jewelry store for a national chain and then leading two stores in sales for a now defunct lumber company. People sometimes commented about the difference when I switched from wearing a suit and selling jewelry to wearing khakis and loading lumber. I generally responded by telling them it wasn't that different -- I just went from selling rocks to selling sticks.

I generally did okay at sales. At one point I even peddled salvation for your soul. At least that's what the evangelism gig often felt like -- carnival barkers looking for suckers to bring into the big tent. 
Incidentally, I did pretty well at that, too.

The air traffic control (ATC) gig had a pretty unique set of skills. I can't really think of another occupation that they would transfer into. It is a good thing that retirement suits me well. I am extremely comfortable enjoying life from the deck of our rural home and being a non-productive member of society. For the past decade, my sole contribution to society has been as a consumer and that's pretty much it.

I embrace the low skill level I have when it comes to gardening. I'm learning as I go.
The same goes for my struggles with learning to smoke meats on the little smoker I have. Learning by failing kind of sucks, but it seems to be okay in gardening and outdoor cooking. It probably is not a great way to learn that ATC job.

I think that for most things in life a little imperfection is okay. Perfection is often oppressive and the stress to be perfect can be detrimental to one's health or even to relationships. I'm not saying that we should strive for imperfection, but I do believe that we should recognize that all of life is a learning process and that imperfection is a necessary part of that. 
And perfect can be different depending on perspective.

When I am cutting flowers to bring into the house and put into a vase, I look for the perfect ones, the fully developed ones with no missing nor damaged petals. The butterflies and bees seem to like the newly opened blossoms and the golden finches go for the ones that have started producing seeds. The insects and hummingbirds are attracted to the brightly colored ones, but I like to mix in a few of the pale colors for contrast.
Maybe nature is trying to teach me that imperfection isn't really a thing and that understanding that timing and purpose makes it (and us) all well suited to the moment.

Hmmm...

John