North American Stewardship Conference - Beyond Security

Toronto, June 18 to 20, 2009.

I went to the NASC Conference - Beyond Security, and wrote a poem and then sent it to thank those who gathered people from many denominations in North America to come to Toronto. The reflection below tells how the poem came to be.

The message to the Christian Church is an urgent one.

For that reason, I decided to put it on RevGalsBlogPals as we are all engaged in this and need encouragement to go beyond security. I won't say more...please read on...





Greetings!



About 150 people from North America gathered in Toronto this past weekend to listen, learn, and discuss ways of living our lives and bringing our church's life beyond security. Being grounded in hope is key. Hope engenders trust, which is from love...all of which is from and about our love for the One who first loved us.



The crucial need to live this out is obvious as the world's power grows to consume us as products to be bought and sold. Yes, they buy and sell us when we are unknowing, or cannot see the truth of this type of refined, disguised slavery.



Those who 'see', need to act within the environment we live in....the culture is not one I'd want to see in our history books down the road. In this the poor get poorer and the rich, richer. The arrogance of this delusion and assumption we are not good enough the way we are, with what we already have, and turning a blind eye to the needs of the hungry,refugees, both war refugees and environmental refugees, which out number the former, denies God's love in the world.



I have a sketch, that someone gave me ...of a young boy sitting with his head in his hands, stating clearly, yet in sad-angry assurance, "I know I'm somebody, 'cause God don't make no junk!" Once more, a child speaks the truth about God. Folks, this is what we are about...making sure that everyone can claim this as their own true statement of worth....anytime, anywhere. We dare not assume that everyone knows what real love is, but that is what we are about.



Nor, can we diminish, or limit, God, or lessen this loving Energy that surrounds us with love every moment. God wants us to help the earth's peoples to wake up to each other as created equal and loved the same. We work for God, not the other way round. The tendency to limit God's love to others is our own, God has already made it clear that all creation is 'Good'.

We are born with eternal blessing!



We have forgotten we are created with all we need within us. Our gifts are to be brought out by parents, teachers, and our own seeking. If weare already loved by the One who created us, why are we not living that way? Many are! Too many are caught by the lies that society creates for it's self. Each society creates its own culture of hate, dismissal, demeaning ways of treating each other. God created us different, but equal in value. We are created holy and sacred...every human on earth! Not just the elite, the ones with money, the powerful, the dictators, the war-mongers, or thieves - whom we create by our inequality of human worth.



We all play a part in every crime, every act of violence, and harm,because we ARE society. We pretend to not see, or hear, and then do not act in some way to protect the powerless and to restore balance. But, we claim this is so...that we are people of God, leaders, and that must bear active witness if we are to transform worldy values that cause suffering. Suffering was not part of God's plan, we brought it in and many seem to 'worship' suffering, rather than our God who is all about love, foregivness, and changing this world to a safe place for our children and the whole of humanity across the planet. Safe for breathing, having enough to eat, for education, a living work and wages and for basic human rights....equality. We do not have to be the same,our differences are part of our rich and colourful tapestry.Thus we can step beyond safety...to unknown territory.



So, living beyond our illusions of security is paramount to find keys to freedom of this equality we already own...each one of us. Our man-made Borders keep people in, or out. These could be Laws, dogmas, attitudes,that leave people out, or marginalize them. God did not make barriers around countries, around religions, around humanity. No one is worthyof God's love more than any other and God plays no favourites. No duality in God means a sure trust can be built and that can flow into our agreements between countries and between the persons living in our neighbourhoods, our families, and first in ourselves. We need to own it. It begins inside us, turning our passion into labours of love. They can help us set aside differences that divide and raise up the healthy ways we are living together.



God made us and dwells in us...so, you see God in yourself. If you cannot see God in you, it will be next to impossible to see God in anyone else. 'Love your neighbour as yourself' is that we must love who we are in order to love another. So many have no idea of love for their own bodies and souls...which being one, can be easily used by another.When you love you, you can say, 'no', so much easier to anything, or anyone, that will harm you.



Now the converted are again hearing what you know, so we know that transmitting it to another is done by example, so they experience what our words speak. The word 'water' cannot make you wet, so words without showing it, will not allow the experience you have had to be fruitful.



All who were at the NAS Conference will have heard the same words, but, take it in differently. That's all right, we are not in the same place (level) perhaps, and we are in different areas of Church, as well as different denominations and parts of North America. But, we are loved the same, and need to find our own illusions and let them go, as well as the church's and society's illusions that keep real security offbalance. The Quakers, or Friends, have been telling us for over 350 years about the worthiness of non-violence, in every way a 'keeper' for our lives. Some are finally catching the Spirit's flight in this..praise be. Moving Governments beyond their illusions of being secure by causing fear, the use of weapons, is a hard one.



Beginnings begin with us and since we affect others, it moves outward, that's how the Gospel was spread in the Early Church. I think we need to begin there, as we are slipping, but be wary of using worldly things to bring people inside....no one is outside God's love to begin with, but coming to church is a going out, long before it's a coming in. Knock on the doors of neighbours....leave no one out, for that is Empire to gather the few you want, or need. God is for everyone. Love is the only way to end fear.



Be affirmed where you are and as you move beyond illusive things that hold us down and be assured the love of God surrounds all you are and do for love. The key is love, it opens doors of fear, hate, loneliness, dis-ease, anger, blame, guilt, and moves us beyond towards a fuller understanding of our call to be God in the world. But, it takes time, effort, prayer, support, often dollars, and a passionate love for people and the desire to turn upside right the human condition, and the gifts of Air, Water, Fire and Earth!



The theme speakers told us this in many ways, with words, song, prayer, scripture, dance and laughter. They invited us out, to this holy way of living. The workshop leaders augmented this and showed us their journey, and connected us to our own. They all invited us to move beyond our dogged illusions, and beyond security!



Thank you to all who came, who led, who worked so hard to make this journey worthwhile!
The seeds are planted!



Blessings on your journeys, wherever you may be...
'We are not alone, we live in God's world!
Thanks be to God!'

Beyond Security

Beyond all our thinking of today,
Beyond all our measures of knowing;
Beyond our illusions of safety nets
Is where the Church must be going.

Step into clouds of chaos and dark
Stay till you see clearly; and listen.
Walk beside troubled human hearts,
Let your tears fall into their glisten.

Glimpses from beyond keep rising,
Spirit urges us to be going there.
This road is jagged, rocky, but holy,
Fear not to follow My loving dare.

God calls us to risk, to let go of
Hiding truth, avoidance, our ruts.
The 'Call' is to go out and engage,
Live with those hurting from cuts.

The world belongs to God, not us,
We've altered its healthy course.
Yet, confronting the powerful's greed,
We must humbly use love, not force.

This is no secret Jesus taught,
God's love is planted before birth.
We'll uPside right what's wrong to -
'No hungry, No abused, on Earth!'

Beyond consumerism's greed to own us;
Beyond fear's shutting down knowing;
Beyond Empire's all-seeing, blindness.
Stand together, tall & small, for
Beyond Security - is where we are going!

s.d.t.© June . 2009

'Thank you' for the vital message, varied, and passionately given: in words,

prayer, song, anger, sadness, dis-belief, laughter and dance, to the hearts

and souls gathered to realize and be energized to move, 'Beyond Security' at the

North American Stewardship Conference.