drenched in words unspoken… by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

drench yourself in words unspoken
live your life with arms wide open
today is where your book begins
the rest is still unwritten
~ from "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield ~

So often I find myself drowning in thoughts of what I should have said or done… or what my life could have been if only I…  How different that is from the mood in Natasha Bedingfield’s song, Unwritten, where the listener is drawn into the unwritten-ness of today, the unwritten-ness of me.

staring at the blank page before you
open up the dirty window
let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find

It’s an intriguing idea, the thought of living my life as if it’s a book that I’m writing, using words that no one else would write, not letting anyone else define me.  To be always stepping forward with aniticipation, seeing all I encounter with new, eager eyes… Yep.  I’d like to live that way. Sometimes I even manage to do it.

reaching for something in the distance
so close you can almost taste it…
live your life with arms wide open…
feel the rain on your skin


I’m thinking of this amazing person named Lydia who seems to have lived with her arms and her eyes open wide. She shows up in the Bible in The Acts of the Apostles, which is Luke’s post-Easter sequel to his book about Jesus. Take a moment, if you will, to put yourself into this story: Acts 16:9-15.

Lydia and company meet at the river to pray. Here come these strange sailor-dudes (obviously not from here), but the prayer group continues on, making room for the newcomers. The strangers soon become friends as they pray and as they listen. Lydia’s not stuck in any ruts of how worship should be and who should be present. She receives the presence-of-Jesus that the strangers have brought. She’s ready to jump into the newness and splash around. Her trusting joy is contagious, and soon everyone is in the river, trying out the baptized freshness, writing new pages in their own stories.


Lydia’s not the only one who’s got an open, unwritten book. Paul and his crew have been wandering out on the windy sea, struggling with which way to head. They’ve got an out-of-this-world-story-of-life bubbling inside, and they’re willing to scrap the old rule book if that’s the way the spirit leads. They join the riverbank prayer meeting, chatting away (with women! highly unusual!), swapping stories (with Greeks! yikes!), introducing the Risen Jesus with abandon. As Lydia received their gift, so do they receive hers. Her hospitality, that is. First they say no thanks. But she insists on teaching them a thing or two: You’re not the only one who’s got some spirit to give!


This spirit of freely-flowing receiving-and-giving continues on in many faith communities, who are opening up new windows to let the sunshine—and the world—in. Check out this one, which just happens to be named St. Lydia.


Please consider this by the way riverbank to be a place where you can be freely writing your own story. Leave a comment and come back to see the comments of others. If you have questions about baptism, about becoming baptized or renewing your baptism, please leave me a note, and I’ll give you a call.


Do take a splash around Natasha’s delightful video Unwritten. And the lyrics are worth some prayerful reflection as well. I would love to know what phrase or image catches your attention! We’ll be diving deeper into all this on Thursday, May 6, 7pm EST, on http://www.skype.com/. Look for "bythewaycommunity".  All are welcome.  No exceptions.


Flowing Spirit, open my eyes to see the unwritten possibilities of today. Drench me in your refreshing rain of new life. Challenge me to revisit my own closed-off notions that keep me from you. Move deeply in me and through me, so I’ll be offering hospitality Lydia-style to all in my reach. In your name I pray… amen.