We were given a rule of gold,
treat others with kindness we’re told,
I’ll treat others well,
or damn them to hell,
it depends on what viewpoints they hold.
The Golden Rule
Paper Love
Love sounds good
on paper
but paper love
is too easily
crumpled, torn, and burned.
True love
comes from
a more primitive place
not bright white smoothness
eight point five by eleven,
but from an ancient seed
blown to the ground
and buried in death
that transforms into
something greater
Always reaching for the light,
though daily assailed
by gales
or scorching sun
Perhaps not comforting,
but necessary.
Today is a Gift
Today is a gift
Stay present
To all that
Is happening
Within you
And around you
Take it all in
Breathe deeply
Inhale what is
Exhale thanksgiving
For everything
That comes your way.
Snow Scrawl
Racing fast
leaving crimson marks
upon white expanse
tracing cursive lines
perfectly written
by the teacher
scribbles becoming legible.
“I’ve got the hang of this”
I tell myself
flowing effortlessly
as I maneuver to and fro
upon a wide tableau
quicker we go
heart and machine
accelerating.
I watch him
make a sweeping arc
poetry in motion
I follow suit
trying to execute
the loop with grace.
But I colored outside the lines
uncertain what happened
illegible marks
tell the tale.
I study the lines
my ego bruised
to a deep crimson
knowing that
I got ahead of myself.
“Mistakes are great teachers”
I say
as I hold my ribs
take a breath
and begin again.
Start Close In by David Whyte
Start close in,
don’t take the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
Start with
the ground
you know,
the pale ground
beneath your feet,
your own
way to begin
the conversation.
Start with your own
question,
give up on other
people’s questions,
don’t let them
smother something
simple.
To hear
another’s voice,
follow
your own voice,
wait until
that voice
becomes an
intimate
private ear
that can
really listen
to another.
Start right now
take a small step
you can call your own
don’t follow
someone else’s
heroics, be humble
and focused,
start close in,
don’t mistake
that other
for your own.
Start close in,
don’t take
the second step
or the third,
start with the first
thing
close in,
the step
you don’t want to take.
What does it mean to be a person of peace?
What are the characteristics of peace-filled people? How do they show up with others? Assuredly, there are many traits that could be entertained, but let me suggest five that not coincidentally use “peace” for their acronym.
Presence
Equanimity
Amicability
Calmness
Empathy
Presence. A person of peace is not continually distracted, but rather stays in the moment. In conversation, others feel attended to and important. In a world where all of us have ten thousand internal and external distractions, those who can set those aside and become present are a gift.
Equanimity. A principal construct in Buddhism, equanimity has to do with mental evenness, even in the midst of turmoil. It must not be thought of as disinterest or aloofness, but rather I tend to think of it as unflappability.
Amicable. Amicability is characterized by friendliness and a desire for goodwill. Even in the midst of conflict or disagreement, it is evident that amicable people desire the best for others, whatever that may be.
Calmness. A person of peace possesses calmness, which is similar, but not identical to equanimity. In a calm person’s presence, people perceive a sense of settledness and tranquility and the freedom to catch their breath.
Empathy. An empathetic person is able to communicate emotional withness to others by attuning to their emotions, thoughts, and actions. Empathy is not demeaning or simply feeling sorry for another, but a desire to join with another.
Do you desire to be a person of peace? Be present to others. Seek to be calm, kind, and even tempered with a desire to love and understand.
Living in the Larger Story
This book, Living in the Larger Story: The Christian Psychology of Larry Crabb, has been a long time in coming. In 2015, Eric Johnson passed along a few pages that Bryan Maier had written about Larry Crabb for the Christian Psychology journal, Edification and with Bryan’s blessing, asked me to revise and extend it for a possible journal article.
I dug into Larry’s writings—at the time, 24 books—trying to identify the themes and development of his thinking as a Christian psychologist over a career spanning over 40 years. Larry graciously offered me a lot of background and information as well. Eventually, I finished the article and asked authors from multiple fields to respond to what Bryan and I had written. Nearly everyone I asked agreed to contribute, grateful for Larry’s influence in their lives. After compiling the responses, Larry wrote a final piece, integrating the responses with his own reflections on his career.
Still, the plan was to publish these articles together in a special issue, but due to a variety of circumstances, that option became untenable. In preparation for a conference celebrating Larry’s career and the founding of the Gideon Institute for Christian Psychology and Counseling at Houston Baptist University in May 2019, we chose to put it together as a limited run book for the conference attendees. However, there was enough interest in the book that I had hoped to release the book more widely for those who were unable to attend the conference but who love Larry as much as I do.
As of yesterday, Living in the Larger Story is finally available through Amazon (It should be available through other distributors soon). It is available in paperback and as a Kindle book. The formatting of the e-book is slightly different, though the content is the same.
As the editor of Living in the Larger Story, I decided to split any proceeds from the book between Larry’s non-profit NewWay Ministries and the Gideon Institute. If you purchase one book or 100, not only will you get what I think is an important and interesting book, but you will benefit two very important ministries. I do hope you will consider supporting the book and these two ministries through your purchase.
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
The Second Coming, William Butler Yeats
Top 10 books–2019
For the past decade, I have posted my favorite ten books I read during the previous year. 2019 has been a light reading year for me; so far, I have finished 81 books, which is about two dozen fewer than my average, which also means that the field of contenders is smaller. As I consider this year’s list and I compare it with previous lists, I am aware of a shift in my thinking. Of course, the question arises, has my thinking shifted because of what I am reading, or do I choose books that reflect these changes? Presumably a bit of both. Another observation and a warning to go with it: at least seven of these books may challenge deeply held assumptions. So, without further adieu, here are 2019’s top ten.
Do you need a resolution?
Do you still need a New Year’s resolution? Let me offer a suggestion. Listen with generosity and curiosity to those who think and believe differently than you do. Read and listen to things “outside of your camp.” Do not pass along angry, hate filled rhetoric. In fact, when you find yourself drawn in to it, turn away to something whole and beautiful. Build others up. Seek to be an agent of reconciliation where it is possible, and a person of peace where it feels impossible. Each and every one of us can choose to pursue wholeness or disintegration in how we live and relate with others. Which will you choose in 2020?
Jason Kanz 