All music for this episode was performed by Dr. Jan Kraybill, and produced by Chad Godfrey.
NOTE: The series that make up the Project Zion Podcast explore the unique spiritual and theological gifts Community of Christ offers for today's world. Although Project Zion Podcast is a Ministry of Community of Christ. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are those speaking and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Community of Christ.
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Katie Langston :
You're listening to an extra shot episode on the Project Zion podcast, a shorter episode that lets you get your Project Zion fix in between our full length episodes. It might be shorter timewise, but hopefully not in content. So regardless of the temperature at which you prefer your caffeine, sit back and enjoy this extra shot.
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Linda Booth:
Welcome my friend to Coffee Connect. My name is Linda Booth and I love stories because I believe our stories show us how we connect with God and with one another. I'm going to talk to you today and tell you a story about breathing. Oftentimes I think we separate our God moments from everyday moments. We usually think of God moments as times when we're praying or studying the scriptures or meditating, worshiping, or even listening to a podcast on spiritual practices because we understand that they are intentional actions when we're trying to connect with God. Often we see God in nature because it's just so darn beautiful and usually these are quiet moments when God's handiwork is obvious. Breathing in the fragrance of a lilac bush or gazing an awe at a mountain range reminds us of the sacredness of creation and we can say with confidence, God is here. It's human. I believe to categorize our God moments as spiritual and Holy and we declare I sent God's spirit when David offered that prayer or I felt God's guidance when I read a particular scripture or I knew that God was near, I could feel God's presence when I looked up at that star filled sky and we can declare these are truly God moments. But what I'm wanting to share with you today is that our moments during the day are filled with routine things that we do in our everyday tasks like driving to work or listening to the radio or paying bills or whatever it is we're doing. And we oftentimes say that those are just mundane or temporal or secular moments. These everyday experiences generally are not associated with encountering God. They're just as normal activities of living and making a living are passing our time. But I believe that God doesn't distinguish between God moments and everyday mundane moments. For God. Every moment is an opportunity to connect with us. God's availability is as common as he we breathed. We don't think much about our breathing, do we? It just happens. We breathe in and we breathe out and we often take our breathing for granted. We're made aware of our breathing. If we have a lung disease or a respiratory illness or we climb several flights of stairs or if we walk at a high altitude mountain trail in the Rockies. I was made acutely aware of my breathing when I was 19 years old and gave birth to our first son Bernie. There was a complication during delivery and the doctors told me later that I probably aspirated, which is a medical term, meaning I vomited and sucked it into my lungs with 104 degree temperature. I was diagnosed with double pneumonia, meaning both of my lungs were full of liquid and were chemically burned by the aspiration. I was in intensive care nearly three weeks. I was too sick to talk. I wasn't aware of my surroundings oftentimes, and I wasn't aware sometimes of my family sitting anxiously beside my bed. At times I felt myself floating on the ceiling looking down at my body and my husband Doug wishing I could tell him that I was okay. I remember the first time the nurse removed my oxygen mask, I gasp for air. She must have seen the panic in my eyes because she quickly put the mask back over my mouth and nose and when she started to remove it again, I was afraid. But before she took off the mask, she looked me in the eye and quietly and calmly said, breathe in deeply and slowly. There's oxygen all around you just waiting for you to breathe it in. And I did what she said. And there was a foundational word in the Hebrew scripture and New Testament is the Greek word pneuma, which means breath or wind or spirit in the beginning as recorded in the second chapter of Genesis, when God finished creating heaven and earth, God breathed into the first human being, the breath of life. And one of my favorite scriptures sometimes called the quiet Pentecost is found in John the 20th chapter, the 19th through 22 verses, and I'm going to read it for you here."When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said, peace be with you. After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoice. When they saw it was the Lord. Jesus said to them, again, peace be with you as the father has sent me, so I send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit." These and other scriptures remind us that just as we take for granted the air we breathe, we also take for granted that the breath of God, the wind of God, the spirit of God is all around us. Just waiting for us to take notice, just waiting for us to breathe it in. Barbara Brown Taylor is one of my favorite authors and in her book, And Alter in the World A Geography of Faith. She observes that people spend hours praying for an experience with God and some even travel long distances to visit a monastery in India or just to find God. However, she writes at the last place people might look for God is right under their feet or in every day moments. Barbara wrote and I quote,"No one longs for what he or she already has and yet the accumulated inside of those wise about spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we're standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior attitude or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are." End quote. So God is already with us. All we need to do is be awake to and aware of God all around us, in the person to us. We all stand on the export, the God Mark every moment of every day. God is all around us, just waiting for us to pay attention. The most ordinary experiences are God moments. If we are awake and aware, the mundane is holy if we recognize the sacramental nature of our living, anything and any action be can become a sacrament when it becomes a visible sign of an inward spiritual connection. So that's it for this coffee connect. Check out the next one that's listed in project Zion. So God bless you, my friends, and enjoy your day. Look for God. God's all around.
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Josh Mangelson:
Thanks for listening to Project Zion Podcast. Subscribe to our podcast on Apple podcast, Stitcher, or whatever podcast streaming service you use. And while you are there, give us a five star rating Project Zion Podcast is sponsored by Latter-day Seeker Ministries of Community of Christ. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are of those speaking and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Latter-day Seeker Ministries or Community of Christ. The music has been graciously provided by Dave Heinze.