Exercise

I have never been one to enjoy exercise much. Now I love a nice long nature walk, but I like to mosey along stopping, looking, squatting, seeing, hearing, smelling. Walks like that don't get your heart rate up. But they do get your heart – up. Walks like this feed my soul. To me there is nothing better than sitting beside a shallow stream full of beautiful rocks - each one beckoning me to choose it.  And I do my best to choose each one at least for a moment.

This past weekend Geoff and I went to see the movie "Lucy". It was a spiritual experience for me. I realize this is not going to be the case for everyone who goes to see this movie. There's a lot of violence and definitely some evil involved in the story. But the moments my spirit came alive were the moments where Lucy begins to develop into the whole complete person she was created to be from the beginning of time as she begins to use every part of her mind. I couldn't shake the feeling that this is what heaven will be like. Maybe not exactly as they describe it but on some levels I believe they captured some slice of heaven. 

It was weird. I walked out of that theater and the sky was bluer, the clouds were fluffier, the grass was greener, everything felt charged with anticipation. Expectation no longer held preconceived resentment. Expectation became hope. I want to see this movie again. There's some depth of truth held in its reels, truth I want to explore further like a long nature walk or a sit down by a stream. I may even want to own it. Then I can fast-forward through the evil parts - unlike real life. Hmmm...What if heaven is life fast forwarded past all the evil parts.  Nah. It's way truer than that. 

So what does all this have to do with exercise?  Well, exercise is "something done or performed as a means of practice or training; a putting into action, use, operation, or effect".  Maybe I'm being called to practice or put heaven into action or effect. That sounds cool!!

Going to Heaven

I spent the last 3 days surrounded by amazing awesomeness at a conference hosted by our TSSM school featuring Graham Cooke and Christa Black. Google them.  Get to know them.  God is using them along with lots of us, you included, to change the world.

And it continues.  Today I had an epiphany as I told a friend the story of one 5 minute extraordinary experience that occurred over this last 3 days.  Christa spoke to us on Tuesday afternoon about purified imagination and toward the end of her talk she had her amazing "studhubs", Lucas, come up and lead us through a very cool experience of "going to heaven".  There were 3 prompts.  1) Picture Jesus.  2) Receive what He's handing you.  3) Ask Him to see your garden.  This is what happened:

I immediately saw Jesus standing before me as a Shepherd - long white robe, long hair, beard, holding a staff.  No brainer.  As He approached He again handed me a scepter.  I say again because He has handed me this same scepter at other times during Soaking.  (I think He's trying to get me to "get it".  I need to sit with that awhile.)  When I asked Him if I could see my garden He instantly became a gardener, dressed in bib overalls and a red plaid shirt (which He just revealed to me as I journaled that He dressed in red because He knows it's my favorite color...sweet!)  As He led me away He put his finger to His lips and said, "Shhh, it's a secret".  (Another reference to how well He knows me - my favorite story is The Secret Garden.  Again, sweet!)  As we were walking along an ivy covered wall we came upon an old wooden gate.  Jesus reached in his overall pocket, pulled out a big skeleton key, placed it in the enormous keyhole, glanced over at me with a wink and began to slowly open the gate.  He swung it aside and grandly gestured for me to enter.

At once I was astounded.

Here I was in my garden.  I was surrounded by brilliant color.  Each flower was a letter of the alphabet.  Leaning in to look closer I realized the leaves were paintbrushes and crayons and markers and pastels and colored pencils.  I turned to Him and asked, "What the heck is all this?"  And I remembered.  He told me once that I would paint pictures with words.  And today I know.  This is where I will write.  Here in my garden with Jesus tending nearby probably whistling my new favorite song, "The King Is Here".  And I am amazed at His extreme goodness.