The Chrysalis

I had a dream some time ago. A chrysalis (cocoon), hanging on a dewy branch, was just beginning to crack open. I could see a wing breaking through the semi-transparent wall.

I dreamed of that image all night long. When I awoke, I heard an inner voice say “This is the state of My Church.” Take it for what you will; that was the encounter.

The Church is in a chrysalis of its own making, a self-made womb/tomb, because something instinctive in us is calling us to transform. We have to. We don’t know why completely. We just simply have to change. We bumble over each other in the process; but we must do the deed.

We see movement through the translucent shell of our making; just enough to remind us that there is life outside, and on the other side, of this excruciating, inside-out metamorphosis. The chrysalis is ours to make, by intuition. The regeneration going on inside us is encoded deep within, and is pushing us to do the work — or rather, join it.

The view from the sky will look much different from the lowly branch. We will fly with color and grace, where now we lump along. And then… another chrysalis for another generation to transform will have to be created.

We have to keep our eyes on who we are becoming in all this, and glance back at who we’ve been and who we are today. Someone is guiding this process.

I’ve really enjoyed some of the post interaction under the “Church As We Know It” post. Check it out today if you can, and add to it.

I’m doing some songwriting with another guy that is fueled by much of what is happening on the blog. This is a good season.

>Note: My son just read this post over my shoulder. He thought it said, “The Church is in a crisis.” I said, “You’re right. Let’s talk about crisis to process, to crisis to process, to crisis to process.” He said, “Whatever.” He’s 9.

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Sheltering Mercy: Prayers Inspired by the Psalms

Sheltering Mercy, along with its companion volume, Endless Grace, helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

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