Thresholds & Portals

With the New Year there is closure and speculation about the future. We find ourselves at a formal portal to things different and new and an opportunity to view what is past as prologue and to live the saying, “today is the first day of the rest of your life.” All outcomes, of course, depend upon follow-through. And follow-through can be boiled down to steps taken in commitment.

Faced with the future and desiring favorable outcomes I’ve put a great deal of my trust in belief that there is a “God Plan” for my life in which I believe there is to be found purpose, joy and a paradoxical source of refreshment and energy draw from the challenges and trials I encounter versus having energy drawn from me by them. In the midst of uncertainty and change I have often asked God to show me the way – to show me a doorway to His perfect plan for me - that I might walk through it. Those doors, however, do not always materialize and I struggle to identify them.

Saying that one puts faith in a “God Plan” does not by any means imply that one's foot never hits the gas pedal or that one sits around passively waiting on God to act. God does what we cannot do but there is plenty we can and must do. We all have unique talents, abilities and things we do that make us come alive. Those are the things we are to do. Those are the things that, when done, trigger resources and energy and vigor in the doing. But you already know that.

What distinguishes between who takes what action and when, in my opinion, lies in the “initiation” factor. Although the subject of this piece is not “initiation” the concept of it bears some discussion as it is an element of activity associated with doorways, thresholds and portals. God is love and His love and character are initiating in nature. He goes first. After all, He is the initiator/creator of everything. John 1:1-4 (NKJV); “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”

God leads and He leads by example. God also leads by first seeking (pursuing) us. In Romans 3:11 Paul is very clear to point out that the unconverted do not seek after God. God initiates the relationship. What follows is another matter. God pursues us as a lover pursues and He is possessively jealous of the relationships that He initiates. Initiating action is leadership action. Initiation goes first. Initiating action can be a thought, a vision, an idea, a notion, a glimpse of something that inspires or bothers us - a cause of which we become aware. In my opinion, those initiator things are “of God”. In a sense they are the things that draw our gaze toward His doorways. What follows is our action from natural ability and talent combined with energy fueled or inspired by and in response to the initiating impulse.

The Gospel of John, Chapter 10 captures the image of God’s initiating leadership and of doors and thresholds together (NKJV verses 1-4); “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.”

This concept of “doors” had me wondering what is really true about doors, portals toward new realities and new beginnings. Have I had a correct perception of doors? When I think of doors I think of something solid with hinges and a knob for opening. Maybe there’s a small peep-window, but generally the door is solid, probably of oak, and surrounded by a frame. There may be light coming from a gap under the door but, in general, the door is a barrier to what is beyond. It’s easy to get stuck in the notion that doors are barriers we must confront and open as if to penetrate a wall to get at what is on the other side. Maybe that’s not right.

Someone once said that the door of progress swings on hinges of resistance. The Bible warns us to guard our “door” for what is let into us and for what we let out. Where we interface with what surrounds us are our doorways; our eyes, our nose, our mouth, our mind. God advises us to keep a guard over the door of our lips in Psalm 141:3 and to “guard the doors of your mouth” (Micah 7:5). In Proverbs 4:23 (NIV) we are exhorted; “Above all else, guard your heart (the door to the soul – my interpretation), for everything you do flows from it.” If there are barrier doors they are our open/closed eyes, our open/closed mouths and our open/closed ears and after that our open/closed minds.

A plea for God to show me a door implies my abandonment of self-sufficiency and a receptive availability to His plan. How often has it been said that God uses and guides those who are available? When I’m preoccupied with my own agenda, my own intended outcomes, my own doors - then I'm not really available, am I? My senses, my doorways are closed and I don’t see the entrances He presents before me. The "oak" door is of my own construction. The resistant hinges are my will. God’s “doors” have no oak member, they are wide open portals!

There is a famous painting by William Henry Hunt (1851) of Jesus standing at a door. The door is overgrown with vines and appears that it has not been opened for some time. Jesus holds a lamp and appears to be knocking (Revelation 3:20). To those of the Christian Arminian bent the door signifies volition; the free will of all men to accept or reject the Christ as savior of the world and their soul. To the Calvinist the rendering is false – there is no door that can be put between God and man if God does not will it. On the other side of conversion, the door is the will against post-salvation discipleship. To me the door is figurative. Jesus might as well be standing directly in front of an individual who’s eyes are shut, hands are over his ears and head is turned away. The oak door is the hardened heart turned toward itself - the glow of His lamp calling us promisingly from beneath the door.

What really makes one portal different from another is a willingness to know that it’s there, to face it, enter it and commit with a step across its threshold. I expound a bit on commitment in my book, Fruition ~ Reflections on a life grafted-in. Once across the threshold, once that first step is taken, we enter the new reality and perspective of being in that new space. Everything hits us from a different direction, perspective shifts, opportunities present. Where there was no light there is now enlightenment. The horizon advances bringing vistas and destinations into focus that, before, were unseen and unknown.

Life is a continuum of doorways, thresholds and portals all transitioning and linked. Each step through one results in manifold outcomes and new realities. Every step is like piercing the veil of another dimension. Who can know what is next? This is exciting. We are forever at the threshold of what is next. One ounce of commitment converted into the smallest step makes the difference between the reality that is now and the next. To embrace what’s in store one must simply do the next thing whatever it is!

God show me a door? You’re at the door! Take a step in commitment!

All the best!

Bill

The "One-Lane" Road

Note that the title of this blog post is not “One-Way” road – it’s “One-Lane” road. That’s what the sign read, the sign that was washed up on the shore, face down and under a few inches of gravel and sand, about 50 yards from where a similar orange sign washed up about two years ago that read, “Road Narrows”.

That’s where I found the sign, quite by happenstance, while investigating an odd piece of flotsam that had washed ashore after an early New England winter storm. That freak item I was investigating from my kayak was a port-a-potty!
When I told a friend about this uncanny reoccurrence of a sign washing up on the shore where I regularly paddle, he said, “You’d better get pictures because no one will believe it. That stretch of shoreline, my friend, is your Mount Sinai”.

The “re-occurrence” refers to the subject of my January and February 2010 blogs and a sign that read, “Road Narrows” (photo included at that January 2010 post on this Blog).

“Road Narrows” infers that the road is about to narrow ahead. And so it did and has since that day in early 2010. The narrowing has not been as constraining as I had thought it might have been but rather a refining and an enriching experience. The “narrowing” has been; me joining a small enterprise that, with hard work, is now turning and may be beginning to flourish and (by the grace of God) I’ve published a book titled; Fruition ~ Reflections on a life grafted-in. And there have been so many other rich episodes along that narrowing road.

“Road Narrows” infers that the road will be narrowing – up ahead. It’s a warning, or rather, an advisory of things to come - a promise – something to anticipate. So this new sign had me contemplating the significance of what seemed to be a continuation of that advisory. “Road Narrows” to “One-Lane” road. For starters, this new sign suggested a present condition, the way that things are. The road has indeed “narrowed”. Had it narrowed to a “One-Lane” road?

What exactly is a “One-Lane” road?

In our town we don’t have alternate side of the street parking regulations and so we have many thoroughfares that, over time, have practically “become” one-lane roads. This does not mean that they are “one way” roads. And when cars are parked on both sides of those roads, or when it snows, those “one-lane” roads – well - narrow. But that’s not where I’m going with this. You see, on a “one-lane” road, either direction has the right of way and requires cooperation to navigate a single block. Don’t try to turn around. Once you’ve committed to a block – you stay the course to the end.

My wife and I have a favorite local restaurant. Crossing town to get there requires that we take local streets that inevitably lead us to a few of these “one-lane” roads. It is inevitable that we will find ourselves halfway down a block and confronted by an adversary coming the other way. Two cannot pass side-by-side – one must yield. And so a driveway or an open parking pace becomes a point of yielding so the other car may pass. The yielder will pull off in anticipation of the impossible close-quarters situation and so signal with a headlight flash, receiving the appreciated counter flash from the other as the “one lane” road travelers pass like ships in a restricted channel executing a proper and dignified “one whistle” passage. I enjoy that headlight flash exchange – especially when I initiate it. I don’t know the person on the other end – but we connect there for a moment in the execution of that maneuver of courtesy.

Some (many?) avoid such precious opportunities for a gentile encounter. It’s somehow tragic that one might take the easy exit of a quick right or left hand turn to avoid dealing with the encounters presented by a “one-lane” road. That option costs in the “going around the block” and the missed opportunity to dispense a little grace or to accept the grace of a stranger.

So, what is a “One-Lane” road? It is NOT a “One Way”. It is frequently narrow. It presents the opportunity for close encounters with others - strangers. It provides an opportunity to express charity and the receive it. It is wise to proceed slowly on a “One Lane” road because you never know what may enter from the right or the left, from between parked cars or from a hidden driveway. You cannot pass a slower traveler on a “One Lane” road – patience will be tested. Entering such a road one is committed to traveling in one direction. Turning around (changing one’s mind) is difficult if not impossible.

The other day my wife and I were on our way to that favorite restaurant of ours. We were traveling down one of those “One Lane” roads. We had to yield to an oncoming vehicle and pulled over into a vacant spot in front of a charming old Victorian home. Headlight flashes were exchanged. I was anxious to get going and the other vehicle was moving particularly slow. My patience was waning a little but I was committed so I forced myself to de-focus on the passing for a moment and look around. It was then when I noticed the Christmas lighting of that Victorian home. It was like an exquisite old classic Christmas card. In fact many of the other homes along that street were equally dazzling in their Christmas adornment.

The passing car was long gone when we pulled out of our choice parking spot along that “One Lane” road to proceed to … oh yes … dinner.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy New Year and - - - all the best!

Bill

Discordant But Not Discarded

I recently attended the Desiring God “Finish The Mission” Conference in Minneapolis hosted by Pastor John Piper. The kickoff message on opening night was delivered by Louie Giglio. Giglio pastors a church in Atlanta and is renowned for his contemporary Christian music, Campus Crusade for Christ activities and his astronomically oriented message titled, “Indescribable”. I recommend that you do a search for and watch any of the versions of “Indescribable” that you can find on the internet. You can watch Giglio’s message from the Desiring God Conference here (watch it to the end because the end is – well - “symphonically” wonderful):

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/conference-messages/the-global-god-who-gives-the-great-commission#/watch/full

If you watched the video you will be in-tune with the remainder of this blog. [Without ruining the surprise content of Giglio’s message, what you experience is the unedited, orchestral resonating proclamations of creatures and celestial bodies as if they were all programmed to express their creation in acknowledgement of their Creator].

My 83 year old father has been an amateur astronomer, star gazer and student of quantum physics for as long as I can remember. Knowing his passion for observing the wonders of the heavens I kept thinking … boy would he like this Louie Giglio piece. So I sent my Dad an email with the link. His response came a day later;

“CAELI ENARRANT GLORIAM DEI !!!!! (Psalm 19). How true. Right on! While the music was playing, a small fruit fly came out from somewhere and danced all over my monitor screen. My first impulse was to kill it with a finger press but it dodged successfully so I let it go. It stayed ‘til the end of the music and then disappeared. Awesome! Whales and fruit flies are in tune. Are we in tune?”
My Dad’s reaction and question stopped me. That was a pretty profound reaction. From the smallest to the largest .. and what about us – mankind?

And so after a bit of thought this is what came to mind in response;

Although created for Him but different from all other creation – created in His image - we (mankind) seem to be out of tune - discordant. Something is amiss, something went wrong, terribly wrong. We are distant and out of tune while all of the rest of creation is focused on Him. Perhaps the restlessness expressed by Saint Augustine in his familiar statement; “God, You created us for Yourself and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” is our manuifestation of the discord. All of creation in resonance - mankind (of all creation) oddly struggling out of tune.

Our Creator, who loves us - pursues us. And thank God for His indescribable gift - that through Jesus Christ - resonance, harmony, accord and relationship are restored!

My voice will be stronger and more deliberate when I next sing in worship. All the heavens do indeed proclaim His glory and all creation resonates with praise! Me too.

All the best!

Bill

Wedding Reflections

My niece got married on Labor Day weekend. The wedding quickened a memory that some time back it had occurred to me that the woman I married many years ago - when I see her - is not the person that others will see.

I met my wife when we were both 19 years old. We’ve been married now for over thirty years and if you meet my wife, the woman you will see is not at all the woman that I see.

What I see is an amalgam of my wife at 19 and every year in between. What I see is a sweetheart, a lover, a woman becoming a mother in the throes of childbirth, a playful partner with a coquettish smile and a sparkle in her eye that slays me every time, a mother bathing her children, a beautiful women - her face caressed by soft candle light - across the table from me in a romantic little Paris restaurant.

I see a strong, fearless, soaking wet woman perched on the heaving bow pulpit of our sailboat reaching out precariously for a mooring buoy as we make anchorage in the midst of a storm. I see a woman going under sedation for surgery and coming out of it on the other end. I see a woman shedding tears of grief and anguish at the loss of a loved one, or of melancholy at the end of a sentimental movie or of joy upon the realization that God has indeed moved in her life in a very personal way.

I see her blushing, laughing, frowning. I see her brow furrowed and lips pursed the way they do when I watch her so absorbed reading a book.

Oh, there is so much more that “I” see that you or anyone will never see. And I see it all together every time I see my wife.

Many years ago it struck me that the mirrors in our home have captured the reflections of our lives and the images of this woman I love along the way. Perhaps somewhere and in some dimension, those reflections still exist. For me they are recorded, embellished by sentiment, in my memory. That day I beckoned my wife to come join me in front of a mirror to look at ourselves and “reflect”. And so a little tradition started.
For close family members who are getting married I prepare a unique wedding token. It is a simple framing of a mirror beside a poem I was inspired to write titled, “Wedding Reflections”

Wedding Reflections

A bond today, commitments made and holy vows exchanged,
a young and hopeful image cast … sincere and unafraid.

This steadfast argent portal will record with object truth,
the passing days and life’s extremes … and temptor’s sly reproofs.

But through it all you won’t despair; for in your love abounds,
a certain bliss that overcomes the fallen-ness that surrounds.

With every year and trial the overcoming strengthens,
as Master molds you bonded ones whom lovingly He chastens.

What life, what pact, was ever good that was not ever tested?
So let no blemish quench you that ever is reflected.

As decades pass, life rushes on, and as you steer your courses,
the rocks and shoals will take their tolls upon your scant resources.

Be mindful that this portal sees the subtle changes shape,
that day by day you won’t perceive but will appreciate.

So come before this mirror from time to time and see,
The gentle way His guiding hand has made your marriage be.

Reflect.
All the best!

Bill

An Octopus' Garden

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” ~ John Lennon ~

You know the lyrics -

“I'd like to be, under the sea
in an octopus' garden in the shade.
He'd let us in, knows where we've been
in his octupus' garden, in the shade.
We would be warm, below the storm,
in our little hideaway beneath the waves.
Resting our head, on the sea bed,
in an octopus' garden near a cave …”(Excerpted from The Beetle’s – "Octopus’ Garden")

Don’t those lyrics deliver a soothing pulse of security and symbiosis? How about this finale;

“… How it would be, until you try to flee,
his eight arms firmly grasping you to stay!”



Entanglement strategies can be very effective for enterprise success. Like the quotation above – “a dream you dream together …” can be reality to the extent that you are involved in more than arms-length transactional business with your business partners everywhere along the supply chain.

Why not embed some unique and beneficial elements of your business into the workings of your suppliers and customers that will make your relationship more securely interdependent and influential as a whole? It’s the whole concept of virtual organizations coming to life. Data-sharing, packaging and labeling standards and electronic funds transferring all facilitate seamless business transactions and lower the costs of business. They entangle while providing commercial benefit in both directions. Customers so entangled are hard pressed to jump out of a relationship on a passing quality glitch, late shipment or spot price opportunity. Rebates, pull-through marketing that effects downstream brand recognition and customer loyalty incentives are forms of marketing and financial entanglement as well. They are all investments in a relationship for sustainable growth. They also ensure a “win-win” relationship bias that mitigates the second guessing that goes on in arms length relations that distract the participants from focusing on the value- added operations that they individually contribute and do best.

I once worked for a manufacturer that had achieved ISO9000 certification. With that certification we had developed valuable expert knowledge of that process and we leveraged it as an entanglement strategy by offering free seminars on the certification process to our customers. We did the same with other systems and methods talents we had acquired in the course of improving our own infrastructure. The same could be done with just about any generally recognized business system, practice, tool or compliance protocol that you may have mastered for your own purposes.

Maybe you have a particular expertise in Lean practices or the use of social media in marketing. Package it and offer knowledge transfer to your customers as a value-added service - send your managers out as trainers. A valuable by-product of such strategies is that your managers become better administrators when they begin to train others.

But beware; entanglement is no replacement for true value.

In life every relationship gets tested for authenticity. Sometimes a relationship that looked good on the surface begins to manifest signs of a bad sort of entanglement. There are times when disentanglement is in order when unhealthy, suffocating or distracting influences divert energy away from honest, free, profitable and worthy ventures. There is practical application of a biblical principal found in the Second Book of Timothy in Chapter 2 where it is written, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” So, use entanglement strategies for genuine relationship building and beware of the potential for its unscrupulous use on you.

"The biggest break in my career was getting into the Beatles in 1962. The second biggest break since then is getting out of them." ~ George Harrison ~
All the Best!
Bill

The Beginning of Wisdom

Dare I touch this topic?

Someone once said, “Wisdom is passion without emotion” . A speaker used that quote in the context of a speech about aging and maturity. I liked the quote when I first heard it but it began to work on me. The elements are appealing; wisdom, passion and emotion. To string those three words together in one related context is masterful. But is the sentence accurate? And so a pause and some meditation on Wisdom must follow …

Rolling that quotation around in my head, the word “emotion” became the sticking point. How can one have passion without some measure of emotion? Too much emotion can be bad, but emotion is fundamental to who we are as human beings. Emotion is central to the human condition. And isn’t there “good” emotion? I confuse passion with emotion. So, let’s go to the definitions to sort things out; Emotion = 1. A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling: the emotions of joy, sorrow, reverence, hate, and love. 2. A state of mental agitation or disturbance. 3. The part of the consciousness that involves feeling; sensibility. I suppose that “emotion” is summed up for me as being my personal reaction to things based on my world view, values and perspective relative to me.

Okay, now “passion”. Passion = 1. The state of being acted upon or affected by something external, especially something alien to one's nature or one's customary behavior. Honestly, that's not exactly what I expected it to mean. I'm glad I looked it up. Passion, as defined, is not "of" me. I thought it was something, part of me, mine, that rose up and inspired me. And I guess that's true, but now I realize, by the definition, that my passions affect me and act upon me from something "other than" me. I don't affect them. This begs the question; Where do they originate? For the moment, I'll just accept that they exist as I begin to realize that to understand my passions, whatever they are and where ever they are from, and to live in and by them will require an other-centeredness and other-consciousness.

So, the greater the maturity the lesser the emotion … the point of the quotation ... and the greater my giving of myself to my passions. Passion and emotion may be mixed but wisdom may suffer. The beginning of true wisdom is where emotion is restrained, disciplined and even set aside. It dawns on me that true passion points toward purpose and so passion, purpose and wisdom are related. Will I then be wisest when I give myself to my passions toward a purpose?


Wisdom is a broad topic of discussion. It might be broken into themes such as; The Beginning of Wisdom, The Path Toward Wisdom, The Pursuit of Wisdom, The Attainment of Wisdom, The Refining of Wisdom, Wisdom through Discernment and The End of Wisdom. All worthy themes for in-depth discussion.

I invite readers to share and comment on what Wisdom is to them and offer a favorite quotation on the subject.

To “prime the pump” I’ve searched out a few quotations on what I would call the “beginning” of Wisdom from a sampling of varied sources and of varying world views. Here they are;

"Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.“ ~ Thomas Jefferson

“The doorstep to the temple of wisdom is a knowledge of our own ignorance.” ~ Charles Spurgeon

“In wisdom gathered over time I have found that every experience is a form of exploration.” ~ Ansel Adams

“Wisdom comes only when you stop looking for it and start living the life the Creator intended for you.” ~ American Indian Proverb

“The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.” ~ Isaac Asimov

“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.” ~ Bertrand Russell

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.“ ~ Confucius

“Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences.” ~ Norman Cousins

“Information can yield knowledge. But knowledge does not become wisdom until it is humbled before God.” ~ Anon.

“Gossip ends at a wise person’s ears.” ~ Anon.

The Serenity Prayer; “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace; Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it; Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will; That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him Forever in the next. Amen." ~ Reinhold Niebuhr

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." ~ Proverbs 3:5-6

There are myriad papers, volumes, quotations and commentary on the topic of wisdom. Most everyone has something to share on the topic. Could it be a central component of the three questions every person has; Why am I here? What’s my purpose? Where do I go from here - what's next? Could wisdom be central to the mystery of existence? Are passion, purpose and wisdom central to the mystery of existance?

Wisdom, contemplation and meditation seem to go hand in hand. One of my favorite verses in the Bible suggests deliberate and regular meditation on a string of descriptives and identifiers for elements of a life experience marked by an appreciation for and practice of wisdom. Following an encouragement to be gentle, calm and to prayerfully seek and expectantly await a peace that surpasses all understanding, the Apostle Paul suggests in Philippians 4:8 that, in the meanwhile; “ … whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

The Bible speaks about a “worldly” wisdom versus a “spiritual” or “other worldly” wisdom. Boiled down, that struggle of “wisdoms” pits a fare-sighted view (eternal) against a shorter-sighted view (one lifetime, existential orientation).

Several words or concepts seem to be sub-components of wisdom; patience, experience, discernment, sense of responsibility, application of knowledge and truth. Perhaps these can be called the “ways” of wisdom.

Wisdom has a way of proving itself … over time. It is usually in retrospect that we appreciate the results of wisdom in action, probably because of its longer-view motives and orientation. Wisdom also seems to have a selfless or other-centered element to it. The application of wisdom does not always immediately reward the applicant and rarely does it do so directly. A greater benefit somehow results that benefits the applicant in ways he or she may not foresee. Adherence to the “ways” of wisdom is a way of conducting oneself and approaching the circumstances of life in a measured fashion in response to each turn and challenge. In many ways wisdom is appreciated from an appropriate distance - like a work of art. Too close and it loses its beauty due to lack of perspective and appreciation of scope. Too far and the impact of the wisdom is diffused.

Back to that selfless element of wisdom; the ability to take ones-self out of the equation as it were in order to see the circumstances more clearly, more objectively, on a broader plane. Maybe that’s the beginning of wisdom that Jefferson talks about when he refers to honesty. A selflessly honest approach would indeed indicate a measure of maturity. Is it then fair to say that true wisdom then is not relative but, rather, absolute, defined outside of ourselves?

It is said that it is in our losses and defeats that the elements of wisdom are discovered and tested; the courage to get up and keep going, perseverance, focus on the greater good, patience, grace and humility. This is also character. Wisdom reflects character.

We have now drifted toward the philosophical, so let’s briefly ponder the meaning of philosophy;
1. Love and pursuit of wisdom by intellectual means and moral self-discipline.
2. Investigation of the nature, causes, or principles of reality, knowledge, or values, based on logical reasoning rather than empirical methods.
3. A system of thought based on or involving such inquiry.
4. The critical analysis of fundamental assumptions or beliefs.
5. The disciplines presented in university curriculums of science and the liberal arts, except medicine, law, and theology.
6. The discipline comprising logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, and epistemology (knowledge science).
7. A set of ideas or beliefs relating to a particular field or activity; an underlying theory. A system of values by which one lives.

Here’s what I think; wisdom reflects one's character and is the conclusion of successful philosophy in action relative to a standard or truth outside of ones-self. A failed philosophy will lack wisdom in its practice. And who is the judge of wisdom? Relatively speaking, every person … and absolutely speaking, no person.

My view; A life of wisdom is an other-centered existance lived in the string of moments that constitute a life, drawing from the experiences of the past, considering with anticipation the future, actively engaged, drawing on passion, fearlessly exercising measured aggressiveness responsibly and with a sense of accountably and a heart and mind together bound and grounded on a future beyond this existance.

I know this has been a deep one. Thanks for coming out on the limb. I appreciate any comments to enrich this "beginning".

All the best!

Bill

The Fruit And The Root

“Storms make the oak grow deeper roots.” ~ George Herbert
Prolific fruit is indicative of equally prolific roots. If one could see a top-to-bottom cross sectional view of a mature oak tree, one would see a vast root network that somewhat mirrors the grandeur of the trees above-ground trunk, limbs and branches. Depending on the soil type and presence of ledge and rock, one would see deep roots and many shallower spreading roots. Rocks would be avoided, engulfed or split as the roots grew. The robustness and scope of the root network would also indicate unseen environmental and circumstantial factors that would have impacted the trees need to draw deeper and wider in the face of above-ground hardship and adversity.

Perhaps the most majestic and oldest of tress on our planet are the great Redwoods or Giant Sequoias of the Pacific Northwest. These mammoth trees tower nearly three hundred feet or more and boast trunks thirty feet in diameter. They are covered with bark three feet thick. You’ve probably seen pictures of redwoods with carved tunnels through which an automobile is driving. If you have ever stood beside one of these trees it is a humbling experience and one that conjures images of “Jurassic Park”. By ring counting, some of the trees are estimated to be 3,500+ growing seasons old.

Interestingly, despite their potent attributes as individual trees, Redwoods only exist in groves. You won’t find a Redwood growing or standing alone. Because of the geological strata where they flourish, Redwoods have relatively shallow root structures. To compensate, they spread their roots far and wide. They also do something else quite extraordinary; they intertwine root systems with those of neighboring Redwoods. This root networking provides stability for all who are interconnected. One tree can attribute its ability to stand to the support of its neighbors.

Redwoods also depend on frequent forest fires to promote their growth. The periodic fires clear the forest floor for seeds to grow and the heat from the fires is required to open the conifers from which the seeds come. If regular fires do not occur, dead wood, organic matter and other flammable growth can be allowed to accumulate in excess such that when a fire does come – it can be harmful. Nonetheless, the 3 foot bark insulates the trees from most fires. Regular “refining” fire is healthy.

So let’s get this straight. Redwoods congregate in groups, require regular refining fire in order to grow and rely on vast intertwined root networks for stability – roots that are safe from the fires and thick skins to resist scorching. Sounds like the design for a church.

God’s garden has a similar root structure that employs two dynamics; His provision and our interconnectedness. When I first became a Christian I was struck with the idea that I was part of a living organism called the Body of Christ and that we were the Church. Some were the eyes, some the feet, some the hands and hair. If one member was injured the rest felt the pain. I was connected and “felt”. This was different. This was special. My body a temple, part of a body, also a temple and each of us “…living stones that God has assembled into His spiritual temple" (1 Peter 2:5).

Fundamental to our relationship and connectedness with God and each other called for His purpose is that at the source is the root and at the other end is the fruit. Grafted into His body and life we, as grafted-in branches, are initially closely oriented toward the sustaining trunk and main limbs wherein we have been grafted. It is close to the trunk that we are discipled and nourished with the equipping teachings and encouragement of our brothers and sisters – our mentors and those called to be our teachers. This equipping may take years and is a function of our complete surrender to a new source and flow of resource that is not of ourselves. The foundations of our faith are formed there in the shade and, in season, the effectiveness of our preparation results in an irresistible budding of growth as our branch stirs into action and a life of active, fruitful service that pushes outward to the extremities and toward the light.

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” ~ Aristotle
All the best! Bill