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:<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=IFRM4oJwLdc<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=awzNHuGqoMc<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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…<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OuAH54RUSaA<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n me<\/strong> Mortal cannot understand: i am a tree;<\/p>\n which lives apart, fulfilling heart, because i’m me.<\/p>\n Oak trees are one of my favorite trees – for numerous reasons.<\/p>\n Acorn<\/strong><\/p>\n Patient Acorn waits for birth Lost, he leaves his home in air So he hides among the leaves A small oak tree is growing Here comes the “Truth” revealed at the proper “Time”.<\/p>\n “Change”<\/strong><\/p>\n Watching leaves die in the fall The reds of my emotion When marriage, like the leaf But each leaf still has a calling 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.”<\/p>\n https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RV-Z1YwaOiw<\/a><\/p>\n Lee Ann sang it at Maya Angelou’s funeral. That is good enough for me.<\/p>\n
\ni never thought my mind might see:
\nSimplicity.
\nthat sort of soul subdued to be:
\nUnique.
\nmy humble heart in silence learns:
\nSubmission;
\nand now i’m free…<\/p>\n
\ndenying the requests
\nto take one sided tests
\nThe Child grows into Man.<\/p>\n
\nwhile always being judged:
\nwhether right or wrong i am,
\ni just dont give a damn…<\/p>\n
\nLearning laws of Gravity
\nPassed down from Mother Earth
\nTo his father, the oak tree.<\/p>\n
\nLife learned while in the ground
\nAlmost swallowed by despair
\nIn the lonely life he found.<\/p>\n
\nHis identity concealed
\nThrough patience Time retrieves
\nAnd returns the Truth revealed.<\/p>\n
\nRight beside that old oak tree
\nIts image, my mind knowing
\nShows how life’s supposed to be.<\/p>\n
\nResurrects love in my mind
\nWith bright colors changing all
\nOr am i colorblind?<\/p>\n
\nAs they fade to shades of black
\nWatch a golden heart’s devotion
\nTry to fill with love the lack
\nOf energy so wasted
\nOn commitment to someone
\nSweetness of life once tasted
\nLife itself becomes no fun.<\/p>\n
\nSlowly dyes from green to brown
\nCut ties that bind cause grief
\nTo the leaves who’ve fallen down…<\/p>\n
\nAnd a chance to rearrange
\nThings learned while it was falling
\nAnd a choice to choose to change
\nInto soil and grow a tree
\nFind its Way to Common Ground
\nSo that other leaves may see
\nIn the dirt… New seeds are found……<\/p>\n