The One Who Listens
by Rev. Frederick Boyle

************* THE ONE WHO LISTENS To sit more quietly in God’s presence To listen more intently to the words God tries to speak into my heart To allow God to do more for me than I can do for myself ************* SEEKING Seeking the experience of Divine Love more than a revelation of doctrine. Seeking God’s light to bring freedom from unbelief in the darkness of loneliness and despair. Seeking to be the burning bush for each person climbing on the mountain searching for God. ************* RE-PRESENTING CHRIST Resting in God’s peace Restoring the deepest places of the human soul Remembering the family of God Recalling God’s Omnipotence Omnipresence Omniscience Rejoicing in God’s unconditional love ************* WORSHIP Coming to meet my Jesus Letting go of the world For just a brief time To see as God sees Breathe the wind of the Holy Spirit Love as Jesus loves To see a glimpse of heaven A rainbow in the light of the horizon Landing on the bridge between human hearts ************* READING THE WORD Looking into the small places that open the Kingdom of God Slightly seen portals into eternity Overlooked Obscure Pursued by those listening and waiting For God’s revelation Finding assurance in the whispers of the heart Spoken by Ancient of Days To reveal a glimpse of endless time ************* SITTING IN SILENCE Allowing time for the mystery of God to enter our heart Guiding us in ways unseen To places we never would have known Places so profound as to be unspeakable Unimaginable Miraculous Creating events we are seldom able to see until after the fact Because the means of God are often invisible And the results of God are always unmistakable ************* BECAUSE OF GOD A walk of shame can become a journey of light In the presence of God The violence of the world can be transformed - Becoming feathers on the dove of peace The fear of bearing the cross of persecution Can vanish when we look into the eyes of Jesus. And words spoken from a heart devoted to God Can pierce the clamor of darkness With the pointed edge of truth ************* LET ME SING Let me sing a song in your heart, O God, A song to heal the nations, A song to span the ocean between me and Thee Let me sing gently with the wind of your Holy Spirit A song of unity A promise of oneness A passion for ailing souls Let me join in harmony with Jesus; Our voices entwined as one Dancing on the way to the Kingdom of God Sweet tones and turns of divine melody Resonating, inviting, twirling, dipping, whispering Your eternal love In the deafening silence that brings new life. ************* PRAYER SONG Sing gentle praise to lift your heart from the burdens of the world To bring down the light of heaven Whisper the quiet desires of your heart And calm the cacophony of the world in your mind Let the voice of God resound in the depth of your soul ************* A SYMPHONY OF SINGLE VOICES The birds sing their only song It is the same song every day All day So in love with the unique gift God gave to them Content in simplicity Joyous in the choir Each voice heard in the symphony of the trees Miles and miles of melody, harmony, and rhythm entwined as one God given God inspired One song so full of faith with nothing else to do Nowhere else to go Let us sing like the birds, Holy One, Through time and space Our only song with all the voices you have given ************* QUIETING THE INQUISITOR What are you doing? Just listening. Why? Knowing that God will speak. Where? In my heart. When? In the instant I stop thinking. Who are you that God would speak to you? His servant Hungry, thirsty and listening. His child Loved, desired and well fed. ************* THE STRUGGLE TO BE STILL The pressure to do something weighs heavy on the desire to sit quietly at the Master’s feet Where the refreshing breath of the Holy Spirit can fill my inner being with peace. Where the light of God’s love can illuminate the deepest darkness in my soul. The world screams for attention in the expectations of others, Silencing the invitation to be content in God's perfect love. The expectation to achieve set beside the stillness of God Weight and weightlessness side-by-side. Which can the wind of Spirit more easily move? ************* OUT OF EXCUSES “Where have you been? Why have you not come to me? I have been calling you, but you were not listening.” I have nothing of value to say except, “Forgive me, Lord.” “I have longed to see you and to be with you. My Kingdom is not complete without you. My joy does not satisfy while you are away. Love is not whole and unity is not possible While you wander in darkness.” Why do I resist this time with you, my Lord? Why do I run after food that cannot satisfy? What false dream has replaced the promise of your love? ************* OPEN YOUR HEART Open your heart - God will whisper into it with the breath of life. God will help you remove the stones from the wall of fear and doubt. God will restore the joy of living within you. Open your heart - God will paint a rainbow in the center of your life And give you a voice of freedom to bring hope In a world buried beneath hopeless walls, Hopeless fears, hopeless doubts. Open your heart – God will remind you who and whose you truly are. ************* GOD LOVES YOU What are the sweet words you long to hear? That God loves you? Look at the sunshine Feel the gentle rain on your face Taste the fruit and wheat of the earth Smell the flowers of spring See the fresh bloom of leaves Walk in the dense green of forest trees Hold a child What are the sweet words that God longs to hear? Thank you, Lord. ************* ASSURANCES Body of light Flame of faith Smoothly dancing amid the sea of night Gentle Spirit Love’s sweet child Resting in a field in the palm of God’s hand Whispering heart Divine desire Strengthened by unity in prayers of hope And hymns of praise ************* LIFTING HANDS Lifting hands to bless others Lifting hands to be blessed Lifting hands to catch someone falling Lifting hands to be lifted up Lifting hands in hunger Lifting hands in hope Lifting hands in prayer Lifting hands in praise Lifting hands to receive a child Lifting hands to give a child Lifting hands as if a child Bowing down and lifting hands to God ************* SPIRIT OF ... Spirit of power Given to renew, redeem and restore Broken lives Disenchanted dreams Lost souls Spirit of comfort Given to soothe, touch and heal Wounded hearts Ailing bodies Darkened minds Spirit of love Given to warm, bring peace and unite Warring nations Difficult relationships Conflicted people Spirit of God Given to lift, empower and sustain New life New hope New beginnings ************* BASIC EQUATIONS H(n) = V Hunger(need) = Violence and L(s) = P Love(sharing) = Peace In the Kingdom of God L(s) > H(n) Love(sharing) > Hunger(need) ERGO P > V Peace > Violence ************* BEYOND SELF I asked the Lord, "How can I find myself?" The Lord asked me, “What more do you need?" "I have given you neighbors and work to take your focus off of yourself so that you can give my love, comfort, peace, and hope to others.” “What you need,” the Lord said, “is not to find yourself, but less of yourself to find more of me in your neighbor.” ************* GOD'S STEADFAST LOVE ENDURES FOREVER Though the light of the world may grow dim And the power of faith doubted among the people And the idols of gold and works of human hands sought more than God Though cynicism and skepticism have a greater place in the human heart than faith And hatred and violence gain greater support than forgiveness and love And revenge and retaliation are demanded more than mercy is given Though the Body of Christ is cast out to make more room for commerce And God’s Word collects more dust on the shelf than meditation in the heart And the church has been sent to the sidelines of society - struggling to have its voice heard - unable to convince people of the importance of keeping the Sabbath - not able to speak God's Word in the public square Though all of this may be true God will make a way God’s steadfast love endures forever ************* UNCOMFORTABLE Why is it uncomfortable to sit quietly in the presence of God? When God hears our ideas about how He ought to make things right He Sighs When God hears our judgment of Him He Laughs When God hears the pain and suffering of the world He Cries And that makes us uncomfortable. ************* GOD'S LOVE Holy Love – Healing Love – Wholeness Love Holy Light – Love of God A small glimmer outshines the sun Its absence colder than the deepest winter Holy Light – Holy Love Sharing God’s life-giving power in the world Holy Light – Holy Love Seeing greatness in the small and ordinary things of life In people In each other Holy Light – Healing Light – Wholeness Light ************* REASONS TO PRAY for miracles and imagination for things beyond our reason for hope beyond our violent world for the certainty of life after death to give meaning to our struggle for a belief that there is more to the universe than science can measure for an alternative reality that does not result in violence, loneliness and despair ************* AWAY FROM PRAYER When I get away from the discipline of prayer I notice a growing emptiness in the depth of my soul. I begin to feel the despair and loneliness that comes from a distant relationship with God. I miss the peace and freedom I have when I maintain an intimate relationship with the Holy One. A positive side of this wandering from the sweet hours of prayer is that I remember what sadness and loneliness feels like to people who have not found their way yet into the loving arms of God. The gnawing feeling that there must be something more to life. The unexplainable, undeniable and inescapable sadness that invades even moments of joy. Joy unfulfilled because there is not a solid foundation with God to leap high enough to express the utmost of elation. And so I return to prayer asking God, "Will you take my hand, dear Lord? Please walk with me as I return to you in blissful peace And learn to live truly live ************* MEDITATION Breathe peace Gather strength Release the struggle of thought Trust the value of emptiness Simply BE Secure in faith In each moment with its height, depth, length and breadth Content in fullness and joy without end ************* GOD BETWEEN US Because God exists in the space between us, If we are not looking toward each other, we will never see God. Likewise, if we are not looking for God, we will never see each other. ************* THE ARMOR OF PRAYER The armor of prayer shields the flesh from the dangers of hate and the treacherous ground of greed and pride. God’s reflected light in prayer blinds the enemy and with a sword of steel pierces the deepest darkness and defeats the fiercest foe. The armor of prayer does not weigh on the body, but lifts the spirit beyond the gravity of earth to a place where no sin, no pain and no suffering can touch the soul. The wind of the Holy Spirit enters this gift of God’s grace this source of mercy and strength this essential nature of Christ this deepest desire of the soul this communion with God. ************* RESTING IN GOD'S WORD Hold the Word of God in your hand In your mind And, most importantly, in your heart Allow the physical experience of God's Word to wash over your inner self Like a springtime rain Like the colors of the sunset filling the sky Gentle – Awesome – Soft colors of every hue Hold God's Word as you would Jesus Every day tenderly with a profound love in the deepest places of your heart And let it fill your soul ************* READY Clearing the debris of thought and emotion, The clutter of human life, To allow the refreshing Spirit and sweet voice of God to cleanse our soul The hushed whispers of the saints envelop the silence with a divine song Inviting a soft tear of relief to fall from eyes weary of seeing the pain and suffering of the world An unrehearsed sigh passes over our lips Transported and transformed to speak unconditional love In the sanctuary of God ************* INVITATION Enter the place where the deepest desires of your heart receive the power to become reality The place where the shadowy figures of fear and doubt vanish in the light of God’s love The place where God’s hand of peace and restoration will touch your soul To remove all of the scars of the world And transform the doubt and fear that battles faith Into “the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things unseen” ************* COMPASSION FOR GOD Can we imagine what God must feel as we ignore His invitation to abide in His love and peace As we seek to satisfy the needs of our body more than the needs of our soul; As we rely on the power of human hands more than the power of His love? Can we taste God’s tears? Can we feel God’s broken heart? Can we experience God’s loneliness? Can we hear God calling us home? ************* NO OTHER PLACE Being in the familiar place on our knees with God Can bring an enormous transformation in our heart. There is no substitute for the feeling (bended knee in the presence of God). It is the comfortable place of being with our very best friend. ************* A SIMPLE FACT GOD is in this hour of prayer just for YOU. ************* UNREST What is the cause of the desolation that makes us feel so alone? What is the cause of the uneasiness and unrest that prevents us from sitting quietly in the presence of God? Racing minds making plans ruminating on things past worrying about things that may never come Everything for which there is nothing in the present moment to do. The mind withholding the peaceful presence of God. ************* HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS Set priorities Quiet the mind Cleanse the heart Renew the Spirit Breathe deeply the love of God Be at peace Let the soul go free Sing from the center of your being ************* PERSISTANCE As often as the world shouts war whisper peace As often as the world experiences fear remember faith As often the world points out difference see the unity of the Holy Spirit As often as the world expresses hatred re-present Christ’s love ************* SILENCE In silence There is power peace perception In silence There is God ************* LETTING GO A place where the thoughts of mind are loosened by the reality of soul Dancing within the essence of an each that has no other A vision of love and unity that taunts and teases on the brink of consciousness Set free from the anchor of fear and the concern of losing self ************* LOVE WILL NOT BE SILENT Love will not be silent in fear. Love will not be silent in sorrow. Love will not be silent in the pure light of God. ************* SEEING Trying to see the intangible truth of God Amid the tangible illusions of the flesh Is like trying to see pure water in a muddy river. Only by faith is our vision purified. ************* A TIME OF WORSHIP A moment and space in time when the veil between here and hereafter becomes transparent and the distinction between the Divine and human endeavor is obscured by the unification of one with the other. When the thread on which human life depends is stretched and frayed the miraculous and powerful hand of God can intervene to renew faith in visible and knowable ways. And then the distance between we and Thee is removed As we bathe together with the Holy Spirit in the water of baptism, Drinking together from the cup of Christ, And lavishing together in the unconditional love of Almighty God. ************* HELP US, O GOD We yearn for transformation With a hunger and thirst for the fullness of joy that only an experience of God will bring. Help us follow the Spiritual Masters, O God, Agreeing that spiritual discipline is the only way to attain wholeness, peace and love. Help us to not make excuses, O God, for a spiritual laziness that leads to apathy, doubt and despair ************* JESUS IS CALLING Just come. Sit with me for a while. Let me whisper in your ear how much I love you. Let me touch your wounds and place your hand upon my once bleeding side Now made well by the grace and mercy of Almighty God. You do not have to be alone nor afraid. You do not have to be strong and in control. Just come. Let the child within you take my hand. I will show you the way of peace. ************* GOD IS CALLING I love you every moment. In your times of doubt I call to you. In your painful failures I seek to lift you up again. In your bliss and joy I celebrate and dance with you. Seek me in the ecstatic places of your heart Beyond reason In the realm of the profound impossible dream That is actually more real than this world More than everything in this world More, so much more, that I offer you ************* DISCIPLESHIP God has put the heart of another person in your hand. What will you do with it? Will you leave it on the church pew? Will you let it fall onto the floor? God has put the heart of another person in your hand. How will you nurture it with the love you have been given In Christ Jesus ************* A MESSIANIC DREAM A messianic dream of what always is The flower The stream that passes and never ends The birdsong that never changes, yet never remains the same The dried reeds of summer Waiting to be flattened by the winter snow Waiting to be given new life in the spring A messianic dream of each breath Counting for something Fulfilling something Promising something Revealing something new About a messianic dream that always is ************* ANOTHER MESSIANIC DREAM A messianic dream that sees each fiber of life As a living Moving Essential ingredient in the Body of Christ. A messianic dream that sees Nothing existing alone in the universe All things united in the one ultimate purpose of God A messianic dream that begins with what always is An explicit contentment An implicit fulfillment An essential joy of being And ends with nothing more or less than an experience Of the wholeness of God ************* AT DAWN In the morning, the mist begins its journey off of the lake and into the forest Escaping the view of the sun rising above the trees. In the morning, the wispy moisture on top of the lake moves silently Like one community dancing in the dawn. In the morning, translucent clouds disappear from the water into the perfect blue sky While the sun crawls uninterrupted to its lofty throne. ************* WATCHING THE TREES (part 1) Life is easiest watching the trees. Here I can live peacefully with all because all is at peace. Here I can associate with the lowly because there is nothing here that is not lowly and humble. Here I will not be threatened by darkness because here there is only the trees. In the summer, the trees were all pretty much alike. They were alike because they were all green. In the fall, however, they are very different. They are different colors and showing very distinct shapes and characteristics. I am beginning to have preferences for one tree over another that I did not have while they were all green and all alike. Life is easiest watching the trees. ************* WATCHING THE TREES (part 2) Life is easiest watching the trees daydreaming not engaged in human conflict and unrest. Alone with God watching the trees live side-by-side for centuries never quarreling. They are content to be undistinguished in a crowd during one season And then modestly showing their unique colors and character with all of the other trees before going to sleep for the winter. Life is easiest watching the trees swaying in the breeze, each doing the unique dance for which they were created nothing more and nothing less. The trees do “tree-ness” perfectly. That is what is mystical about them. Because perfection is mystical. It is easy to be perfect when watching the trees because that is all that is required. nothing more and nothing less. ************* LESSONS FROM WATCHING THE TREES Life is easier watching the turmoil of the world while living in the blessed assurance of God’s love. Life is easier forgiving those who have harmed us while living in the blessed assurance of God’s love. Life is easier suffering the pains of our bodies while living in the blessed assurance of God’s love. Life is easier when we overcome evil with good while living in the blessed assurance of God’s love. Life is easiest watching the trees doing perfectly what they were created to do (nothing more, and nothing less) while living in the blessed assurance of God’s love. ************* FINI Too many words to say things your heart already knows. Hush then . . . and listen . . . *************