Traveling Light . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

Living with purpose is a beautiful thing. Some of us do it every day. Some of us feel that sense of meaningful purpose just once in a while… or not at all. One of the things we can do to cultivate that sense of purpose is to “travel light”. Don’t get bogged down with so much stuff. Pay attention to all you’re “carrying” that might be distracting you or weighing you down.

Max Lucado’s book, Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear, has much food for thought on this topic. He starts out with a comedic description of his own boy-scoutish tendency to “be prepared” for everything and therefore leave nothing behind. Then he gets us thinking…

"I don’t know how to travel without granola bars, sodas, and rain gear. I don’t know how to travel without flashlights and a generator and a global tracking system. I don’t know how to travel without an ice chest of wieners. What if I stumble upon a backyard barbecue? To bring nothing to the party would be rude…

…I need to learn to travel light. You’re wondering why I can’t. "Loosen up!" you’re thinking. "You can’t enjoy a journey carrying so much stuff. Why don’t you just drop all that luggage?"

Funny you should ask. I’d like to inquire the same of you. Haven’t you been known to pick up a few bags?

Odds are, you did this morning. Somewhere between the first step on the floor and the last step out the door, you grabbed some luggage. You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don’t remember doing so? That’s because you did it without thinking. Don’t remember seeing a baggage terminal? That’s because the carousel is not the one in the airport; it’s the one in the mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they’re made of burdens.

The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear. Pretty soon you’re pulling more stuff than a skycap. No wonder you’re so tired at the end of the day. Lugging baggage is exhausting."
-excerpt from Traveling Light, by Max Lucado

Take a moment to consider what kind of extra stuff you carry… and how you might benefit from letting some of it go. Then check out this reading from the Bible, where Luke gives us an account of how Jesus sent off a whole slew of folks on an important mission: Luke 10:1-9

I don’t know about you, but I would love to be a part of such an intensely focused mission… where the most important thing you have in your pocket is peace. And healing. And some awesome news to share! Travel light, Jesus directs, so you can be focused on the oh-so-vital job I’ve given you. Focused and free.

But let’s face it. Letting go of stuff – whether it’s material stuff or emotional stuff — is so so hard. It’s so hard for me to let go of the little things I’ve collected that bring back treasured memories. Each time I let go is like a little death. And as hard as it is to let go of the positive things, it can be even tougher to let go of the negative stuff that clings on.

…I was hauling those souvenirs of misery
And with each step taken my back was breakin’…

Sara Groves’ and Joel Hansen’s duet, Traveling Light, grabbed my attention with those words “souvenirs of misery”. Why in the world would one carry stuff that reminds you of awfulness? See where this song takes you in answering that question: video  lyrics .

There’s lots of wisdom in Jesus’ choice to send out his crew in teams. Loning it doesn’t work. We can begin to drop the unnecessary baggage when we’ve got team support to do it, when there are other travelers walking beside us to keep our spirits lifted. And when that team spirit bubbles up from the love God gives us in Jesus… and not just our own desire to “improve ourselves”… then that love can ripple out from us to affect others on the journey.

Healing Spirit of Jesus, bubble within us that desire to be out there in your world, filled with purpose, loving your people. Help us to let go of all that weighs us down. When that feels like death to let go, walk beside us to show us the new life you would have us find. We can’t do it without you and the people you give us to team with. Lead us on! In your holy name we pray… amen.

Continue the conversation by leaving your comments below and/or by joining the btw community Thursday (July 1), 7pmEST, for our audio skype conversation. If you’re new to skype, set up your identity at http://www.skype.com/, then look for “bythewaycommunity”. All are welcome! Come as you are.

Live, Love, Learn, Leave a Legacy by Heidi Jakoby

What is the fire that burns in your heart? Are you following your passion or has life gotten very comfortable? Recently I have found my life getting very comfortable, I do not seem to feel the same passion for goals as I once did. When I was in High School my goal was to graduate, then to get into college, then graduate from college, get married, get another degree, have children, get a good job . These were all passionate goals for me. Not all of them were achieved but I felt like I was living life to the fulliest in the pursuit of these goals. Now I have a great home, a wonderful husband, we are comfortable and I don’t seem to have a clear passion or as Steven Covey puts it in his book First Things First  I cannot identify “The fire within”. Do you know what your “fire within” is and how to pursue it.

George Bernard Shaw wrote:

This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.

How I long to feel this way to find my passion again and to live life like Shaw describes. I love the image of life as a torch not as a flame, that are lives are meant to burn brightly and boldly and we are to leave a legacy that we can hand to the next generation. Shaw speaks clearly that we are all connected and that when all members of the community are living fully we (the community) become a force of nature. How amazing this is. Was there a time when you were a part of a group that had a symitry of gifts and together the group achieved greater things than you could have imagined in the beginning? Is this something you want to be a part of again? How do you move toward that passion , that fire?

When Jesus goes out and recruits disciples he is clear that they are being asked to focus on the most important thing, "First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!...No procrastination. No backward looks. You can't put God's kingdom off till tomorrow. Seize the day." How do you seize the day and fully live it? Let’s read the whole story Luke 9:51-62

In this story Jesus also makes it clear that the journey will neither be comfortable or easy. Is that a part of not pursuing your “fire within”. When I was growing up my parents always said they wanted my life to be easier than theirs. I am not sure how helpful that is to me today. I am comfortable but I am having a hard time finding my “fire within”. Sometimes I think that it is adversity or difficulties that help you to find your passion and to think about your legacy. In Covey’s book First things First he says, “The key to the fire within is our spiritual need to leave a legacy. It transforms other needs into capacities for contribution. Food, money, health, education, and love become resources to reach out and help fill the unmet needs of others.” Do you agree? How has this worked in your life?

Take a couple of minutes to think about the legacy you want to leave, Nichole Nordeman’s video touched my heart and got me thinking about my legacy. The pictures of the people and the legacies they are leaving are very inspiring. What will be your legacy? (video, lyrics)

Finally if you want to just take a deep breath, relax and spend 2 and a half minutes viewing this video from Franklin Covey: Leave a Legacy

Please share your thoughts and comments here and join us on Skype for a discussion just call "bythewaycommunity". We will be on Skype from 7-8pm EST, 6-7pm CT 4-5pm PCT. Hope to talk with you soon. Hope your day is filled with joy!

naming the demons, reclaiming the God-in-you . . . by Kari Henkelmann Keyl

They tried to make her go to rehab, and she said… no, no, no. Singer Amy Winehouse became famous as the Grammy Award winner who won’t go, go, go, with her song of resistance, Rehab (lyrics video), in 2006. She has been in and out of rehab since then, reportedly finding some health, but it hasn’t been easy. 

Some of us can relate to the terrible journey of the substance addict who’s trying to get clean… or trying not to get clean… or doing both at the same time. And some of us have never been addicted to drugs. But we can hardly claim to be better than the struggling addicts. We’ve got addictions of our own.

Whether your addiction is – to caffeine or nicotine, to over-exercising or taking ibuprofin, to eating or not eating, to too much screen time or to being connected to your friends 24/7, to blaming others or cutting yourself down — addiction can be one hell of a ride. And jumping off that ride can be as scary as staying on it.

There are these habits and obsessions we get into that help us cope… for a while anyway. But when we see that they’re just band-aids, keeping us from getting the real help/change we need, then it’s time to take them off the “coping mechanisms” list and name them for what they really are.

Naming addictive habits can be powerful. We can name them “destructive” or “hurtful to myself and others” or “what I’ve centered my life around” or “what I truly love and worship even though it doesn’t love me back”. Naming the demons that have attached themselves to us can be the beginning of re-claiming our own lives, of taking them back.

While you’re contemplating your own need to name and re-claim, check out this simple but poignant poem  written by someone who’s using poetry as part of her healing journey.

“You've taken from me God's image of me. I'm letting you go, and I want to be free,” says the determined Poet to her Addiction.

A number of writers have chronicled how Jesus continued to see God’s image in people despite the scary demons that had overtaken them. Here is one such person, in Part One of an incredible story: Luke 8:26-31

It seems to me that this person’s demons may well have been supernatural creatures of some sort. But they also could have been related to misunderstood diseases like epilepsy, mental illness, or alcoholism. Whatever is the reason for this man’s ostracizing symptoms, the reality is that he has fully taken on the demon-possessed label that his community slapped him with. He needs a new name. But there is resistance. “What business do you have messing with me, Jesus?!” he cries. This is the way life is with me. Leave me alone! If you take away my demons, who will I be? How will I cope then? No, no, no!

Here’s the rest of the story Luke 8:31-39. Jesus separates the demons from the person. So powerful is this demon-force that it drives the herd of pigs crazy. And the whole thing makes the townsfolk crazy, too. They could handle the crazy man by shackling him. But this Jesus was too powerful to be messed with. Too much change, too fast. They’re more scared of the healthy man than they were the wild one!

But the man who’s been freed has a new life beyond fear. He wants to hop into the boat with Jesus, but Jesus has bigger plans. He can see the gifts in this person. He gives him a new name: truth-telling God-connector. Go and tell everyone how God reached out to you! I know you can! 

Try to imagine what might happen if you named one of the demons you struggle with… asked Jesus to help you face up to it… shared your story with someone who would walk with you through the painful changes… learned more about your relationship with God than you ever thought possible… felt the new freedom... and began telling others about what God has done...

Who knows?

Healer Jesus, you have named me as your beloved child. Walk with me as I face up to the habits and attitudes I have that take me away from you. Open my eyes to notice those who need me, those who need you. Help me see the gifts in myself that you see… that I might be a God-connector in the world.


If you’d like to come and engage with others on the stuff I’ve brought up here, please come and join the audio skype conversation on Thursday, June 17, 7pm EST or Monday, June 21, 8:30pmEST. New to skype? All you need is a microphone (most laptops have them built in). Just go to http://www.skype.com/, download the program, set up your identity, and then look for “by the way community”. All are welcome!

Can you see what I see? By Heidi Jakoby

I don’t know if you wear glasses but I got my first pair just 4 years ago. Have you ever picked up someone else’s glasses and tried to see through them? Sometimes things are clearer and sometimes it is worse. Sometimes we may be accused of looking through “rose colored glasses”. What are your lenses? How do you look at the world and are you able to image how others’ see? Empathize with their point of view?

Have you boldly gone where others were not willing to go? Have you ever been at a meeting where you were just stirring to state the obvious and felt you could not because it was not your “place”, “your turn” or maybe you were not confident enough? Or are you a person who has gone into places and spoke what was needed to be said even though you might not have been invited to speak? Well this is a little of what happens in the story from Luke7:36-50  . Jesus is invited to dinner and his host does not greet him with the usual water to clean his feet and the kiss on his face, but a women who was not invited had no reason for being there boldly went in and washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, dried them with her hair, put perfume on them and then kissed them. Who in this story showed more hospitality? The host who fed Jesus and treated him quite lavishly or the women? With whom do you identify?

My nephew just got back form Uganda where he traveled with Engineers Withought Boarders to help a village with their water. I want to share a quote from his blog (to see more about his trip and the team from Tufts University who went click here  )

“Along the way to the village we were greeted by children yelling “mizungu” as we passed in the car, which means white person. For some of the people of Shilongo we are the first white people they have seen, and for everyone else we are still a very rare occurrence and people always stare at us.”

I wonder what the children were thinking on this day. There are some wonderful pictures filled with smiles.

As children of God how do we view the world, listen to the song Through the Eyes of a Child and reflect on how children see the world and how you view your world differently as a child. (lyrics/ video )

In the final part of the story Jesus talks about thankfulness. How thankful are you? How do you show your thankfulness to others? What do you think about the comparison of sinfulness between the women and the Pharisee?

I look forward to hearing your comments and thoughts. We will be skyping Thursday June 10, 7PM EST and Monday June14, 8:30pm EST, 7:30 CT, 5:30 PCT.

If you have not skyped before you just need a microphone, often build in to your computer, set up an account at www.skype.com and then call “bythewaycommunity” anytime during the hour we are online.

Hope to talk to you soon.

Compassion Reaction by Heidi Jakoby

How often do we hear the word compassion today? Can you use it in a sentence? Can you define it in your current context? When I hear it I think of Compassion International or the commercials of all the children in need. So I started exploring the word compassion because of the reading from Luke this week, Luke 7:11-17 . In this story Jesus shows compassion for the widow who just lost her son and because of this feeling of compassion he acted, so I became curious about the word.

Compassion is the keen awareness of the interdependence of all things. --Thomas Merton

I found this great post by Rev. Frank Schaefer and I wanted to share a short piece (his entire post)
“I got really excited about this story [Luke 7:11-17] when I took my Greek bible out and looked up the actual word used to describe Jesus “compassion.” It is the word splagchnon. It’s not so much the sound of this word that excited me. That would be sad. But rather, the meaning of the term which, according to the dictionary is: one’s innermost self or feelings, heart, affection, love and …here it is: the word for entrails is related to the word compassion, perhaps best rendered in the English with “the pit of the stomach.

Have you ever experienced this sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach or your “entrails” when you heard really shocking news, perhaps about the illness or death of a loved one? Well that’s the feeling Jesus experienced. Wow, he did not even know this woman, really. Just saw her for the first time and yet….he feels for her loss like she was his own family member.”

I am familiar with the “gut reaction” or the “visceral response” but I never thought of these as a compassion response. Clearly I have not had a full understanding of the power of compassion. I know that when I went to New Orleans last summer I was listening to my cab driver’s story of Hurricane Katrina and I could feel his story in my stomach and throughout my being. This happened a few more times as I heard individual stories. I took action, by sharing their stories with others and praying for them. It is amazing how your whole body can react and how that energy can transform you from being still to taking action. When have you felt that compassion reaction? How did you take action? Have you felt compassion for those affected by the BP oil spill? Or compassion for your friend who lost their job? Who did you feel compassion for today?

How do I begin to develop my sense of Compassion? I went searching on the internet for an answer to this question and came across this article A Guide to Cultivating Compassion in Your Life, With 7 Practices by Leo Babauta.


"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.” - Dalai Lama

I love this quote, and check out the definition of compassion from Wikipedia:

"Compassion is an emotion that is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate or reduce the suffering of another; to show special kindness to those who suffer. Compassion essentially arises through empathy, and is often characterized through actions, wherein a person acting with compassion will seek to aid those they feel compassionate for.

Compassionate acts are generally considered those which take into account the suffering of others and attempt to alleviate that suffering as if it were one’s own. In this sense, the various forms of the Golden Rule are clearly based on the concept of compassion.

Compassion differs from other forms of helpful or humane behavior in that its focus is primarily on the alleviation of suffering.

Shared suffering, keen interdependence, we are all connected and then more we share our life with others the more opportunities we have to feel compassion and happiness."

What do you think? I also want to share a link to “There is always a Song by Compassion Art”  (lyrics, video)
I hope you take the time to comment and please consider joining the conversation Thursday June 3rd at 7PM EST and or Monday June 7th at 8:30pm EST for a live audio discussion on Skype.com just set up an account make sure your microphone and speakers work and call into “bythewaycommunity”. Talk to you soon!

I could not resist one final quote:

The whole purpose of religion is to facilitate love and compassion, patience, tolerance, humility, forgiveness. --H.H. the Dalai Lama