"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways" ~ Psalm 91:11

Query for today: 

• Are we alone?
• When we walk do the Angels and Christ also walk with us?  

Maybe it depends on if we ask for that guidance or not?  I was once told by a clairvoyant that when we are children the angels are with us always and take care of us, but when we become adults we must actively ask for their help.  

That'd be prayer. 

I kind of don't like the idea of prayer as a "beseeching for self interest" exercise ... but ... in the context of being accompanied by our angels I think it might be apropos. So I ask for guidance to walk in the light and ask that my angels walk with me and guide me in the ways of righteousness.  By righteousness I mean literally "right standing with God."  This is not IMHO moralizing about what other people are doing, but what I AM DOING.  It is entirely about my relationship with the divine. 

I like the Quaker idea of "do your best with what you have been given."  Not everyone is going to be Moses or MLK and hear the Burning Bush or See the mountain top, but we all have our own capacities.  And I truly believe that "when we ask it is given."  It might not be today or tomorrow, but time unfurls the gifts of the spirit as they ripen. 

We can also ask for help from each other.  As humans progress toward becoming more whole and complete in their own development with the help of the spiritual world they are naturally supportive of others on a developmental path; and this support furthers not just one but both. 

If the divine = love then all of our striving inwardly and outwardly is to arrive at a place in which love is present. Love that is free of ego but love that is also self-aware and aware of others.   

The Christian impulse in our time (from ONE AD onwards.  2000 plus years) is to realize that love is the way and to ask for help in that endeavor.  We are not alone. 

~ Joseph Olejak

Last Tuesday we witnessed a sound rejection of the politics of fear, intimidation and mean spiritedness. We have new Governors in Virginia and NJ as well as a new mayor in NYC. 

Having said that, we need to be vigilant not to become apathetic or self-satisfied that some of the most egregious policies of the past year may be rolled back ... or ... that things are ok.  They are not.  

We must keep in mind that the duality of the right/left and Dem/GOP is just a smokescreen that keeps the goings on behind the curtain (yes, a reference to the Wizard of Oz) hidden from our view.  

The billionaire/oligarch class are still funding every candidate and have their hands in all pies; ready to infect any new and decent initiative with the virus of greed, division and general unworkability.  

--There will be more Mitch McConnell's that block appointments and manipulate parliamentary procedures
--There will be more figures grasping to power even as their mental faculties evaporate. 
--There will be another Democratic Convention that ignores democratic process and crowns a candidate 
--There will be more gerrymandering 
--There will be more supreme court decisions that are clearly out of step with what Americans want. 
--There will be more presidents who ignore our rights and userp power (Bush authorized torture, Obama authorized the first killing of Americans and now we have Trump engaged in murder on the high seas and the use of ICE as his own personal police force) 

WHAT ARE THE QUERIES OF THIS TIME UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES? 

• How can I remain spiritually awake?  
• Am I looking for the movement of spirit in both small and big ways? 
• What are the Quaker values I can map onto any situation? 
• Where can I witness the truth of Chirst's path (A witness of love by any other name) 
  
• In what ways have I given up hope? Become apathetic? Avoided action where action is needed? 
• In the duality of our existence, as we hang between fear and loathing, hope and fear, want and excess -- what is the THIRD WAY?  
• What new forms can we create that highlight, showcase and expand our shared humanity? 

 
~ Joseph OLekak

In the book, Walking In The World As A Friend, Nadine Hoover asks the questions: 

• How do I experience the Living Spirit? 
• How am I tendered by this Inward Grace? 
• Can I notice when I’m rigid and soften in my body, mind, thoughts, feelings, soul, or spirit? 
• How do I let love abide in me, turn to love, and feel loved and loving towards others and nature? 
• What do I need to bring into my life or let go of to feel the sacramental wholeness of life in every moment?

In a conversation I had with my friend, Christopher, this morning he reminded me of the tautology (a statement that is true by necessity or by virtue of its logical form) that when we experience love, give love, receive love and generate love through compassion and empathy that is the living spirit.  

Love is the essence of the Christ impulse (or however you wish to name it).  

John 15:15 states that Jesus no longer calls his followers servants but friends because he has made known to them everything he learned from his Father. This shift signifies a relationship of trust and intimacy.  As Quakers we call ourselves Friends for a reason.  We relate to one another as sharing an experience of the living spirit.  In our own way Spirit moves through us.   And it moves in a particular way ... through the deep respect and love we have for each other as seekers on the path to greater understanding; accepting of our foibles and missteps as well as our moments of insight into the continuing revelation.

As Nadine Hoover put it: "Love is to feel a tender affection for and a sense of the preciousness of another, while free
to take leave without ill judgment or retribution."  What a pleasant counterpoint to our current social situation in which harsh words, anger and violence seem to be the "norm." 

Thoughts of anger, violence, hatred, revenge and the like are like the sharks circling the disabled vessel in Homer's painting, The Gulf Stream.  These are the farthest from love and bring us no closer to the movement of Spirit. 

What is deeply important now is to observe how we act toward not only our beloved ones but also the least of those amongst us and the ones we wish to revile. To maintain decency and equanimity in the face of our own disgust is vital.  It may be our access to love and how the spirit moves within us. 

~ Joseph Olejak

Christ, was prophesied in scripture as a "root out of a dry ground" (Isaiah 53:2)

A few weeks ago in meeting for worship someone mentioned this scripture and I've been thinking about what it means for my life? What was Isaiah pointing to? 

When I am faced with challenges in life I often give it over to a higher power.  I know as a human with plenty of challenges I have limited capacities to solve problems.  I also know that when I sit in quiet worship I can tap into sources of understanding that my "thinking mind" may not have access to. Sometimes called a "peace beyond understanding." My mind is the ground that I'm used to using, but that ground can be dried up with stress, worry, and anxiety. 

And yet, the spirit of Christ is with us.    

Some of the questions I am contemplating this morning are: 

• Can we give over our cares to a higher power? 
• Am I required to white knuckle solo through every challenge? 
• Am I too proud to ask for help? 
• Where did I get the notion that I'm in this existence all alone? 
• Where does the line between burden and asking for some assistance lie? 

We can feel both humbled and deeply supported by the notion that Christ is with us. That spirit infuses so much in our community. It arises at the moment we realize that we are not alone (a root out of dry ground) and when connect with the spirit of Christ (a root that arose out of dry ground)  

I'm okay with being both a supplicant and a supple root.  It's not either / or but and / both.  We can move between these spaces of supporting others and at times asking for what we need.  

Photo credit from Meta AI with human prompts by Joseph Olejak 

~ Joseph Olejak

There are people that you meet that have a powerful effect on the course of your own life.  Bob Elmendorf was one of those people for me.  

As I was cleaning my house today at about 4:30 a bird flew into my home out of the pouring rain.  All the doors and windows were closed.  It stopped trying to fly through the plate glass window and then perched on the TV.  

"How did you get in here?" I said to the bird.  

He just cocked his head to one side as if to say "don't you know?" 

I opened all the doors and windows and out he flew.  

A few minutes later my phone pinged me.  It was a message from Bob's neighbor in Malden Bridge letting me know that he had passed.    

Bob loved to feed the birds and was always letting me know which bird he'd seen and whether the bears had toppled over his feeders.  

The first time Bob interacted with me at the Meeting was to let me know that my committee "assignment" was with OPJ.  Bob had an unconventional way of handling Nominating Committee. 

The truth is that Bob Elmendorf was a force majeure when it came to Outreach, Peace and Justice.  Bob would talk to anyone about anything related to any one of those items; whether it was over a chicken at potluck or a coffee and savory scone at the Old Chatham Cafe & Bakery.  He didn't care a whit about being a "Quiet Quaker."  He'd whip out those little palm cards and invite everyone he  came into contact with.  

He took Outreach seriously.  

When Bob left our meeting for The Eddy it left a great hole not just in the life of the meeting but in OPJ.  I'd been quietly taking over those responsibilities as clerk, but always felt inwardly "how the heck can I fill Bob's shoes?"  

Bob was a hard act to follow.  

When that little bird flew away it was Bob"s way of saying "I'm in the Bardo now, I've passed over. I'm like a bird. I've taken flight from this world and am ready to move on to the next."  

Farewell Bob.  Many loved you; including me.  

~ Joseph Olejak

When Robert Redford was asked about what inspired him he replied "it was the film Treasure of Sierra Madre"  The thing about that film was the themes of greed and power.  He went on to say “I find them appealing, because greed and power make things go. The wheel finally turns on greed and power. They’re the motives that are important to know. All systems that control us, whether political or financial, or simply an industry that controls a town, run on greed and power.”

One can see the truth in that especially on the commercial side of life, but what about the spiritual side?  

Are we just skin bags out for whatever we can get? 

I'd say yes and no.  

There are lots of people who are deeply invested in the material world and have nary an altruistic bone in them.  And that's fine they'll have the kind of life they have ... mostly transactional and devoid of meaning. 

And then there are the people (maybe more than we realize) that are long term thinkers and doers.  They understand that building community and even making a self-sacrifice in the short term is good for everyone (including the sacrificer) in the long term. 

In terms of Quakerism, it is common that Quakers make choices today that might not bear fruit for a generation.  We tend to play the long game and thank God there are people who think beyond the next business cycle. 

If you want to use a monetary or investment analogy, that gift we give of our time and our empathy will pay massive dividends in the end in terms of goodwill and community building. 

And Robert Redford knew it.   He did lots of stuff for goodwill.  The Sundance Film Festival comes to mind.  It created a platform for indie film that did not exist before he created it.  He also donated his time to climate concerns and other political causes.  

America has lost a giant in American film, but his example endures.  

~ Joseph Olejak

In her book, Walking In The World As A Friend, Nadine Hoover poses this question when discussing the role of Quakers as Witness: 

• How am I a terror to the adversaries of God? 
• How do I do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with my God?
  

I've sat with this question for some two weeks now.  At first this query seemed like an odd way to phrase witnessing.  Yes, in my mind, I asked myself "could I be a Quaker terrorist?"  Obviously, I'm not going to be a bomb chucker but I might throw a Molotov Cocktail of a question in someone's direction if they needed a little jolt of conscience.  

And that brings me to a story I'd like to share about a friend whose conscience was piqued by a single question.  A question that changed his life. 

My friend is a 29 year Veteran of the Army.  He served as a jet pilot in many theaters of war, but while serving in Afghanistan he came back from a sortie and during the debriefing a government inspector came up to him and said "was that ethical what you did?"  

"Ethical?" he replies "I'm in the flying business not the ethical business.  If you want ethical I'd go back to Washington and ask them why we're here."

And that little question caught fire in my friend's mind and a year later he was out of the military.  

I imagine that's the kind of "terror" Nadine Hoover was referring to.  The kind of question that puts everything into stark relief. The kind of question that has you start examining the assumptions that you made about life. What's important and what's not. 

So, yes, there is a way to be a Quaker "terrorist."  Don't hold back.  Listen carefully, but also ask the tough questions.  Be a witness.  Be still in the quiet conviction of your values.  

It is important because lots of folks have not challenged their assumptions in a long time.  They may be running on autopilot not realizing that they are about to run out of fuel.  A simple question can bring them down for a safe landing.  

~ Joseph Olejak

“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
~ Mathew 18:3

In Matthew, Jesus states that one must "be as a child" to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.  How is it possible for an adult to do that? For myself, I am so far removed from my childhood I can barely remember what it was like to be four or five. I have one vivid memory of the day I received balance from the god of bicycles and learned to ride my little black and white single speed bike.  Apart from that, it's a blur. 

So, this past Friday I'm working on a little project for a friend to build a deck out of rough cut lumber and I've got just about 3 hours to finish this thing before I have to get home.  Being a goals based person I play little games with myself like saying "in three hours I'll have "x" done."  So off I go pulling out my tools and gathering materials when a little boy comes along.  He's about Four and a half and he's got no qualms about asking questions.  

He pipes up and says "whatcha doin'?  Can I help?" 

"Oh god",  I think to myself.  "I'm never going to get this done today" But he's such an adorable kid I just can't say no and I think to myself "if you really believe what John Woolman said about letting love be the first motion" just make some room for this little guy.  So we start with little things -- how to use a clamp, nailing in balusters, using a stick of wood as a spacer so all the vertical bits look even, and using a level to get the balusters nice and plumb.  We're actually having quite a nice little time and then his cousins show up ... four girls.  And the chorus starts "can I help too?"  "Can I hammer a nail?" "What is that thing (a triangle) for?" 

And, as Kurt Vonnegut said "so it goes"   I'm the pied piper of construction and I've got all these little kids from about two and half to 10 years old working on the deck.  They're picking up wood scraps, running for screws, moving around tools and materials.  The whole vibe is like Santa's workshop.

And then it happens ... how I entered the kingdom of heaven. 

One of the kids is having trouble nailing in a nail.  It bends. She bonks her finger and yet, undeterred, she keeps trying but that darn nail just won't go in.  I'm about to step in and offer a little help when her older sister says "here, let me help you."  She shows her how to hold the hammer and where to stand to get the best swing (this older girls is like a pro after 3 or 4 balusters)  

And I step back.  And watch...  and wait ... 

And then it hits me ... THIS IS IT !!  This is the kingdom of heaven.  

If I had to qualify it here's what I'd say it is?  

It is the kid energy of openness, curiosity, willingness, eagerness, enthusiasm ... to learn, to help, to do, to be in the moment and not be too self-conscious.   Just being in the now. 

Oh ... and BEING A YES TO LIFE !!! 

And my day became perfect.  The railing was completed.  The kids learned something useful.  I learned how to be a child again.   

I entered the kingdom of heaven through these five wonderful kids.  

~ Joseph  olejak

"I am the light of the world" 
~ Jesus, Gospel of John

In our last meeting for worship we had so many good messages.  I'm going to try to share from my own perspective how they landed for me. 

In the last 12 years or so we have witnessed the crap-ification of almost everything. No matter what government officials or business touches they seem to muck it up. I could make  a list but why bother? The deterioration is all around us. 

AND ... I don't want to focus on what is broken.   There is enough brokenness.  What can we imagine that's better?

We can start with the power of NOW!  The French word for now is maintenant.  Etymology tells us that it comes from  manū ("with the hand") and tenēre ("to hold"). Therefore, the literal meaning of maintenant can be understood as "while holding" or "in the act of holding".   Interestingly, the word maintenance comes from a similar root but meaning "upkeep, shelter and protection. "

An inquiry we might consider today is: 

• What can we hold now that will bring a better future?  
• What is there to shelter and protect? 
• What do we focus on?  

My father used to say to me repeatedly as a child "what you think about comes about."   I've always tried to remember that.  If I want more love, I need to think about love and do loving things to bring love into the world.  If I think about brokenness there will be more of that. 

When Jesus said "I am the light of the world" it was in the gospel of John just after the mob was about the stone the woman who was accused of adultery.   "Let he among you who is free of sin cast the first stone"  Such a teacher.  In one brief sentence the lesson of self-reflection, empathy, forgiveness and a world where love can enter.  Can we be as wise as Jesus? 

We can consider the words of Jesus as a gate we pass through vis-a-vis all the people we meet and all the actions we take in the world.  

• Do our thoughts and actions bring more light into the world? 
• Do we, as human beings moving in the world, shine that light so that others may see it? 

Peace and love to all, 

~ Joseph Olejak