HelloReader. I hope this love letter finds you awake, aware, and alive to the Light of the world. But if today, the world is serving you brokenness and darkness, may you find in these words a glimmer of the Light the darkness couldn’t extinguish. May you hear the invitation of the Life-Light that calls you to wake up to the Hope that knows no bounds and the Peace that transcends all understanding.

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Poetry Garden Podcast

Connect to Soundcloud and listen to the audible version of this love letter.

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Life-Light blazing through brokenness

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Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out. John 1:4-5 The Message

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This world is sometimes a dark and lonely place. And yet, it is in the dark that the flame blazes brightest. In our darkest hour, we look to the Life [that] was Light to live by. The Life-Light the darkness couldn’t put it out.

Walk with me today as we explore the story of the daughter of Jairus, chronicled by Mark in chapter five. As he brings Jesus to heal his daughter, Jairus is met by messengers. The girl has died, they say. Don’t bother the Master anymore. Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” When he arrives at the home of Jairus, Jesus says, the girl’s not dead, but asleep. The mourners mock Jesus, so he chases away the doubters. And in the stillness, Jesus speaks Peace and calls the girl to rise…

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He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha koum!” (which means “Little girl, I say to you, get up!” ). Mark 5:41 New International Version

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Imagine with me what this girl may have experienced in her encounter with the Life-Light:

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Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. Ephesians 5:14 NIV

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Thrown down, but not broken, Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians chapter 4, and in Ephesians, chapter 5, he spurs us with the words: Wake up sleeper. Rise from the dead. Christ will shine on you.

The Life-Light shines on each of us. Lives in each of us.

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The crushing weight of disappointment and loss can bury us in a deep pit of despair. We fall into darkness, into a bitter winter landscape bereft of peace, of joy, of hope where only doubt remains, feeling as if God is a million miles away. And yet, even if we don’t have the eyes to see, He is as close as the breath of a loved one on our cheek. Indeed, He is as close as the air we breathe.

The hustle and bustle of living, growing, toiling takes its toll. And in some seasons, darkness rules our world. Dark, because we’ve closed our eyes to the Life-Light, to Hope. So we rest. We rest, and we wait.

We wait. And the ripple of Love breathes over our darkness with the invitation, Wake up, sleeper! The Life-Light calls us to rise again. Talitha koum. Rise child. Wake up to the Peace that transcends all understanding.

In the indigo stillness of heart-breaking days, when mind and body and heart have paused, too weary to move forward, the soul remains poised and waiting for the call. Waiting for the promise of Grace in action. Love in motion.

Waiting for the Life-Light to waken us to the Hope that knows no bounds. Light that the darkness couldn’t put out will shine through us and into the dark and lonely places of the world.

The Life-Light shines through each of us. I give you Peace, He promises. Believe! Come away with me and do not be afraid to let your beauty shine through the brokenness, shining into a world sorely in need of Love.

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Poetry Garden

The world serves us brokenness, and yet beauty surrounds us too. In stillness, when all the crazy-kaleidoscope pieces have settled, a beautiful pattern forms. And when we hold the kaleidoscope to the light, its gorgeousness shines. For as long as we hold still, we can relish the beauty. But the world is not made for stillness. So we shake and tumble, toil and fumble, and the broken pieces slip in a jumble until we are able to find stillness again and allow the Life-Light to blaze through our brokenness to reveal the hearty gorgeousness we were created to be.

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Breathing Practice

Belly breathing

Rub your hands together. Warming them, then place them on your belly. As you breathe in, draw your breath in, directing it toward your belly. Feel your belly, soft and movable, expand. Follow the trail of your deep breaths, in through the nose, down the windpipe, and into your belly. Pull your shoulders down, lift your sternum, lift your chin slightly, and open space for your voice.

Imagine, if you can, light filling your abdomen. This area of our body receives all kinds of interesting attention, always trying to make it more presentable. Show some love to this area that does so much for you. Breathing in, feel it expand. Hold your breath (if it’s safe for you) for a few counts, then feel the breath leave your belly, travel up through your body and tumble back out into the world.

So much of our emotion is held in our belly and our chest. We clench. Emotions burn. On the days that leave us feeling lonely and unfulfilled, we try to stuff ourselves with all kinds of things, including some things that aren’t good for us. So today, let’s practice letting go that which weighs us down. Let’s practice making room for the Life-Light to fill our core with the peace that transcends all understanding.

Breathe deep and follow the breath with your mind’s eye, filling your belly—swirling and swishing, moving and lifting the things that weigh you down.

Then let the air whoosh out of your mouth with a shhh sound. Empty, empty, empty until you feel your diaphragm fold up under your lungs in an umbrella shape. Think… letting go, letting go.

Don’t focus on the bits and parts. Just be with this moment. Imagine a dusty swirl of debris escaping and leaving space. Then on your next inhalation, pull in Life-Light to fill the liberated space.

Continue for as long as you have time. Practice many times throughout the day. One minute here, one minute there, chasing away that which no longer serves you and breathing in your Life-Light vitamins.

Remember, this is practice. Don’t worry about perfection. And if at any time, this practice causes you pain or dizziness, stop and take care of yourself. If the practice doesn’t work, adapt it to your needs or leave it. Always do what feels right in your body. Always compassion.

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Bloom to Share

This is the full bloom of the rose I shared in the previous letter I sent your way (the one with only three unfurled petals). I hope you'll forgive me if I quote myself today. I believe this message is so hard to fully appreciate. Let's encourage each other; on a regular basis remind each other until the words sink in and we believe whole-heartedly:

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Worry-wrought nights can sometimes be so oppressive we fall into darkness. We settle into a wintering. A sleep.

And in His perfect timing, the Life-Light will call to us. He will clothe us with dignity and Grace and hold out His hand. Remember the invitation: Wake up, sleeper! Rise from the darkness.

Remember the promise: the Life-Light shines on you. Lives in you. The Life-Light will shine through you, and you will be awake, to the Hope that knows no bounds. Aware of the Joy that does not depend on the circumstances of this world. Alive to the Peace that transcends all understanding. Grace in action. Love in motion

Christ, the Light that the darkness couldn’t put out, will shine through you in a hearty gorgeousness God wants you to share with the world. Wake up sleeper! You are a poem, God’s Love song, to shine into the dark and lonely places of this broken world.

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I’ve woven some words of my favorite Bible passages into this love letter. If you'd like to dig deeper, read: 2 Corinthians 4:8-12 MSG; Hosea 6:3; Revelations 1; John 14:27; Matthew 28:20.

Until next time...