I am gonna begin this post with a declarative statement. Any time I am asked what I believe, or what religion I adhere to, I tell folks that I am a Christian by choice. By that, I mean I believe in the Holy Trinity – the Holy Spirit, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and God the Father. I am a Christian because I believe in the Way, not because I was raised in a Baptist church. Christianity is a personal relationship with that Holy Trinity – in fact, it is a unique experience for each of us if we make room for it in our lives. However, none of us are completely 100% right on the subject. One of the benefits of my later life college experience, and having religion as one of my majors, is that it allowed me to study all the world’s religions in depth, without fear of what they taught. I was able to mold my Christian faith into a stronger, unique world view. What I found is that we are all seeking the same thing – redemption. I was surprised – shocked actually – to find that most world religions agree on more than they disagree on. The core beliefs on issues such as ethics were stunningly similar. So, please open your mind for a minute and let’s take a deeper look. First, begin with the idea that none of us are 100% correct as Paul Thorn sings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFRM4oJwLdc
Lori McKenna is one of the most talented and awesome songwriters alive today. Tim McGraw recorded one of her songs, and made a beautiful video based on many of the world religions practiced today. He even recorded it in Spanish (for those who might be interested), and did an excellent job singing in Spanish… It ain’t easy, I assure you… The song is “Humble and Kind” and I am sure most of you have seen/heard it already.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awzNHuGqoMc
By now, if you have followed this blog, you know about my love for trees. I suppose the genesis of my thoughts on trees’ importance comes from the book of Genesis in the Bible. There were two trees in the Garden of Eden – probably many more – but two are mentioned by name: the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. From the beginning, we had a 50/50 chance of getting it right – and we still messed up.
Lori’s new album is titled “The Tree”. If you don’t own it, please buy it. You can thank me later. The title song spoke loudly to me yesterday while cutting grass. I probably replayed it twenty times or so. The lyrics reminded me of a few things I wrote earlier in life. Here is the song, and three things I wrote – if you will permit me to show them to you. I know it will be long – I am sorry about that, but I hope it ain’t a complete waste of time for you…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuAH54RUSaA
I wrote this around 2004. Normally, capital letters and punctuation don’t matter in what i write. In this piece, they carry great importance. Also, my use of “tree” as a description of myself is obviously a metaphor – a method of showing an “against the grain” philosophy.
me
i never thought my mind might see:
Simplicity.
that sort of soul subdued to be:
Unique.
my humble heart in silence learns:
Submission;
and now i’m free…
Mortal cannot understand:
denying the requests
to take one sided tests
The Child grows into Man.
i am a tree;
which lives apart, fulfilling heart,
while always being judged:
whether right or wrong i am,
i just dont give a damn…
because i’m me.
Oak trees are one of my favorite trees – for numerous reasons.
Acorn
Patient Acorn waits for birth
Learning laws of Gravity
Passed down from Mother Earth
To his father, the oak tree.
Lost, he leaves his home in air
Life learned while in the ground
Almost swallowed by despair
In the lonely life he found.
So he hides among the leaves
His identity concealed
Through patience Time retrieves
And returns the Truth revealed.
A small oak tree is growing
Right beside that old oak tree
Its image, my mind knowing
Shows how life’s supposed to be.
Here comes the “Truth” revealed at the proper “Time”.
“Change”
Watching leaves die in the fall
Resurrects love in my mind
With bright colors changing all
Or am i colorblind?
The reds of my emotion
As they fade to shades of black
Watch a golden heart’s devotion
Try to fill with love the lack
Of energy so wasted
On commitment to someone
Sweetness of life once tasted
Life itself becomes no fun.
When marriage, like the leaf
Slowly dyes from green to brown
Cut ties that bind cause grief
To the leaves who’ve fallen down…
But each leaf still has a calling
And a chance to rearrange
Things learned while it was falling
And a choice to choose to change
Into soil and grow a tree
Find its Way to Common Ground
So that other leaves may see
In the dirt… New seeds are found……
Now I know that my writing falls far short of Lori’s songwriting. I added it to show, hopefully, that our spiritual walk can be understood better by observing nature and how she operates. Many of the insights God has given me come from nature… Emerson and Thoreau opened my eyes to that possibility. I fear that we are losing our awe of God. “Awe” is a much better term than “fear” when discussing how we should revere God. My wonder and awe of God has reached a point that I run out of proper words to describe it. Our God is a mighty God indeed. I hope the next generation will reach a better understanding of how God, through mother nature, operates on our planet, than my generation has. “I hope you never lose your sense of wonder.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw
Lee Ann sang it at Maya Angelou’s funeral. That is good enough for me.