Chris Gribble

Be yourself - Everyone else is taken (Oscar Wilde)

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The Art Of Success

January 20, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Last year I wrote these words to express my desire to bridge the gap that is often found when pursuing a vocation.

Joining:
Spirit and action,
soul and work,
heart and calling.

When I hold these words against the idea of success being disruptive like a storm it helps me put “success” in its rightful place. The headiness of feeling successful can forget the storm that is created around it. For example Steve Jobs is often used as an example of success but he was usually surrounded by a storm that disrupted anything else in his path. With people like Jobs we are attracted to the energy but forget the balance that is required to ensure that our spirits remain connected.

I think that for me life has a rhythm of success and stillness. The storm is exciting and hopefully as I get a bit older I will be more prepared for what comes and a allow it to be little less disruptive to myself and those around me. But, I have also come to appreciate the stillness that lies on the other side of the storm. This stillness brings with it the ability to listen and hear in the midst of raucous activity.

Storms are loud, bright and exciting. They bring an energy to the landscape. They also have a destructive shadow. Success is very similar. It can feel like the earth is centred around my activity and what I say is important. For some this can be attractive and exciting but there is also a shadow that belongs to the bright light of success. The shadow of uncertainty cannot be avoided as success is pursued. It must be kept in its rightful place if we are able to attempt anything with any hope of completion.

The antithesis of success is failure that is often born out of uncertainty. It has its own energy that can seek to drag us into despair. Yet without it and the other shadows that are a part of life the hope of transformation is not possible.

Success

Success thundered with a surprising clap,
Its echoes are heard far and wide,
Each clap announcing the storm that is arriving,
Declaring to all the need to get ready,
The smell of the approaching opportunity,
Brings an aroma of dusty failures wetted.

Success is a storm that shatters the calm,
Gusting with its self importance,
Uprooting all that lies before it,
Casting aside anything that is not firmly rooted,
Life is focussed on success and its stormy gusts,
It brings brilliant flashes of opportunity,
Surrounded by the darkness of uncertainty.

Success is followed by reality and its steady rhythm,
After the storm is the quiet sound of gentle rain,
The storm’s path reflected in disrupted life,
But, from the storm new life reaches out,
Emerging into a new day and with it a fresh smell,
That looks forward to the calm of steady progress,
Until the next thunderous clap warns again,
That opportunity is approaching once more.

Filed Under: Going Deeper

A reflection on Psalm 71

January 19, 2016 by Chris Gribble

moon-sea-hd-new-wallpapers-free-nature-images

Why do my haters wish ill on me?
They stay awake at night thinking the worst about me,
I sleep like a baby,
Knowing that God is with me,
All the things that were used to condemn,
Are coming back to stare my dear enemy in the face,
His destructive plotting,
Will be his own ruin.

God has been with me for a long time,
My hater’s words,
Don’t worry me anymore,
Because I know God will come through,
He never has let me down,
Even when the hate words inundated me,
And, I forgot how powerful God is,
God is still my deliverer.

Shame will be defeated by loyalty,
When God reaches out to me,
I will hold my head high,
Vindicated by God’s word to me,
I choose the trusting loving words,
Of a trusting, loving, powerful, faithful God,
Not the word vomit of an unfaithful enemy,
The choice should be obvious,
Please help me to always remember,
The difference between the smell of vomit,
And, the smell of hope.

Words are important,
Words used in a song of praise,
Is the language of Eternity,
Praise, Praise, Praise.
Never ceasing,
Begins in my life now.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 73

January 18, 2016 by Chris Gribble

73

Contempt will receive its own reward,
It draws from a spring of deep pride,
That spews out hate words,
Words that have murderous intent,
They only care for their own life,
With no thought of their destructive ways.
Every day is the opportunity,
For contempt to find new ways to wreak havoc,
The hater’s smile spreads,
When hurt is created,
Each wound inflicted adds to hate’s pleasure.

The hater’s world is surrounded by fear,
Lashing out to bring down others,
ThIs is all they know,
They build a false sense of security,
Luring others into believing lies.

I succumbed to contempt,
I made the hater happy for a long time,
But, then I made the choice,
To listen to God.
My weak spirit – was broken,
God blocked the hater’s words,
The contempt didn’t stop.,
God just allowed me to hear his voice,
He gathered up my broken heart,
And, today I walk with him,
We talk daily about life and hope and love,
Now this is what I talk about myself,
To anyone who cares to listen.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 51

January 17, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Smiling Baby With Blanket
Smiling Baby With Blanket

Why did I stop listening to my God?
Foolishly I fell in love with my own voice,
I believed my own lies,
They quickly piled up till my life crumbled,
Then I became overwhelmed with my faults,
My dear God, thank you for bringing reality.

By myself I could never make it,
Even my desire for truth is flawed,
Confusion is the best word,
To describe the self determined world.

Today Lord my heart turns to you,
Please forgive me,
Give me a fresh spirit,
One that can move forward,
From the wreckage of my mistakes.

Today Lord, I feel your breath of laughter,
Sadnesses piled up are blown away,
My impoverished spirit is restored with hope,
I love the sound of God’s laughter,
Banishing all my past errors,
Sadnesses becoming places of joy,
God transforming my life by forgiving me.

Complete honesty is God’s refuge,
I have found rest with him,
Praise is the only response,
That is enough to let people know,
My God saved my crumbled life.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 11

January 16, 2016 by Chris Gribble

11

My hater surrounded me with a barrage of words,
Day after day he sharpened his tongue,
Ready to unleash the next onslaught,
When I was down they kept coming,
He took delight in my pain,
Playing with me and looking to inflict more damage.

In the midst of this attack,
I let God’s light shine on my life,
He gave me relief from my hater,
My heart was an open book,
God took a good hard look at me,
Then said, “I love you”.

The hater’s violence,
His word vomit,
The arrogance,
His contempt,
The crushing lies,
Will be confronted by God, head on,
He will be humbled,
God’s protection of his children,
Will stop the hate in its tracks,
Hate is no match for Eternity’s love,
The hater will eat his own vomit,
While I am served a banquet by God.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

Waking

January 15, 2016 by Chris Gribble

walking-in-sand

I heard in my waking moments a new sound,
It was a voice that gently called my name,
My forgetting became my recognising,
Of the source from which my life came.

Listening each day to the voice calling me to belong,
Gave me the courage to take my first fearful steps,
To the future promised for me,
I walked along the created path,
Sometimes in silent complete aloneness,
And, sometimes in the centre of laughter shared.

Each step forward taking me back to my birth,
Every day a little closer to home,
The landscape emerging clearer each day,
As I recognise the one to whom I belong.

Home returns to my heart with greater clarity,
The walk brings discovery that home is not a place,
It’s learned in the trust of being known,
That ache felt in every human heart.

The walk is not just my journey,
I share it with some travelling friends,
And the rest of humanity,
Aloneness often accompanied by:
Fear, disappointment, despair and betrayal,
And in the laughter:
Welcoming, love, hope and trust.

All share a knowing glance with me,
The look that belongs to the one who is known,
Friends who share a common loving gaze,
Each companion a treasured part of who I am.

The walk brings gifts collected along the way,
But, the gift that is remembered least,
Is the gift of each uncertain step,
That as each one follows the other,
The steps become a path,
Given to be trod only once and only by me,
The path weaved through my life,
Is mine and belongs to only me.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

Spring’s Beauty

January 14, 2016 by Chris Gribble

spring

Spring’s breath,
I felt it’s first whisper,
This morning,
When growing tired of winter’s voice,
A glimmer of warmth,
Fresh hope emerging,
Of rebirth, new hope,
Its voice at first faint,
But, then with growing strength,
A bud emerges,
Life is born.

Spring’s beauty,
I see it’s fresh bloom,
New life,
Beauty pushing outwards,
Spoken by a creator’s words,
The clear voice,
Calling quietly, but I heard,
Drawing me to,
Loving creation’s sounds, offering,
Life and love,
Rebirth begins.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A lost creation

January 13, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Broken heart

We created a place for givings face,
Where hope and love could be done,
Then it changed,
It seemed like an instant,
But was it always there?
Selflessness turned to selfishness,
Waiting to escape,
It’s ugly face,
Turns hope to fear,
Trust to anxiety,
Faith to despair.

Then creation expressed its displeasure,
At what it thought could be better
The creator’s contribution,
No longer seen,
No longer valued,
No longer wanted.

Rejections face is awful to behold,
Contemptuous of what was given,
It says I am better alone,
I can do it by myself,
I don’t need your help,
Creator,
You’re not important,
You don’t belong,
In the place of your creation.

When love is missed,
When pretence not truth is given,
Words become barbs,
Cruel reminders of what’s lost
They twist the truth
That was intended,
The tapestry of life
Becomes frayed at the edges,
Allowed to continue,
It will slowly unravel,
The intended picture,
No longer visible.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

Eternity’s Breath

January 12, 2016 by Chris Gribble

love_prison-wide

Eternity’s breath whispers life,
It’s gentle rhythm beating,
With the sounds of,
Loves eternal longing,
That beats in all our hearts,
None is forgotten,
All creation is heard,
Restoring loving, kindness,
The voice of love whispers,
Time to turn to me.

Life’s transitions remind us,
With their constant call,
Of what we seek to ignore,
Reminders in the din,
That our heartbeat is eternal,
One day we’ll meet again,
We’re not forgotten,
Each life is eternity,
The voice of love whispers,
You belong to me.

What voice will be heard,
As we yearn to understand,
What is needed,
As we seek to hear again,
The melody of life,
Can play its tune once more,
Creating a new song
That can be heard by all.
The voice of love whispers
You child are heard by me.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 120

January 11, 2016 by Chris Gribble

candle-in-the-dark

In my ignorance,
I surrounded myself with bitter people,
They pretended to be caring,
But, the token gestures,
Quickly turned to selfishness,
Their love was skin deep,
Promises made were too quickly broken.

Bitterness sucked me into its well,
It was black and clammy,
Seeking to help itself by dripping off me,
When I was completely entwined,
Frantic, seeking to find the way out,
A Voice spoke to me,
He made his way clear to me,
Compassion not bitterness,
Peace not hate,
These come from life’s breath,
His Voice rescued me,
Daily I celebrate my rescue.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 133

January 10, 2016 by Chris Gribble

7

I love the sound of community,
Moments of intimacy shared,
Makes my heart sing,
Laughter born from understanding,
Creating the music of eternity,
Praise that expresses joy together,
In the midst is the Voice, smiling,
Laughter’s source wishing well,
On all who hear his call to joy.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 134

January 9, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Untitled-1

My day begins and ends with praise,
I am blessed when I consider my good fortune,
Eternity had made his home in my body,
Creation’s source reaches into my heart,
Truth illumines my life,
Opening my soul’s eyes to love unleashed,
From a heart big enough to miss no one.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 78

January 7, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Cross-Wallpapers-11

This morning it’s time to shutup and listen,
Close my mouth and open my ears,
The truth that has lived within me,
The story that I have been told over and over,
God’s story – His Truth,
Trust in the lesson to be learned,
Loyalty is the forgotten skill.

In the midst of my deepest sadness,
I forgot the lessons of my childhood,
All of my God memories were discarded,
My preference for my will came first,
My petulant selfish demands,
Were a window to my heart’s first love.

But, God held a mirror to my heart,
I was horrified at its ugliness,
All my selfish interests revealed,
My self obsessed life,
With everything that it offered,
Became my darkest prison,
I thought death was the only escape.

Salvation came not through death,
But, through embracing life again,
The God life that comes from remembering,
Shame became my friend,
Because, it showed my true heart,
Humility paved the way to God,
It brought me back to the full life,
That seeks to praise,
That loves wholeheartedly.

That never gives up,
My God of wonders,
My guiding light,
My all knowing companion,
You are my first love,
My heart is in your hands.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

The art of transformation

January 7, 2016 by Chris Gribble

David Whyte’s book, “Consolations” brings a range of new understandings to some common concepts that are often seen negatively. He transforms the deep pain of the human experiences such as despair, discouragement and betrayal into encounters that are deeply transformative. I believe that he is fighting against our world’s urge to rid ourselves of anything that is slightly uncomfortable.

When I was reflecting with my spiritual mentor about my encounter with depression he said to me, “Chris, this is a horrible thing to have to go through. But, while you are in the midst of it don’t lose the gold that this experience contains.”

I know that my fleeting encounter with depression contained some dark moments that I never wish to return to. But, I also realise that I am discovering more and more gold as I emerge from that experience. I find that I am able to visit them and be comfortable with them being a part of my story. They have added a richness to my story that wasn’t there before.

One of my favourite movies is “A Beautiful Mind”, starring Russell Crowe. It’s the story of a genius who is tortured by hallucinations and paranoia. At the end of the movie as the Nobel Prize is accepted, the companions that have tortured the main character throughout the movie are still with him but there is a sense of acceptance portrayed in how they have contributed to make him who is is. As he completes his acceptance speech he gives them a nod of acknowledgement as they leave the room together.

The words from my mentor were not saying that I should stay in the pits of darkness. Instead they were an encouragement to listen to my life and what this experience was saying to me. Denial would rob me of the “gold” that was a part of that period of my life. The transformation is that I am more deeply aware of who I am and much more committed to living out that life.

In world that seeks to find a cure for anything vaguely uncomfortable I wrote the poem Transformation. When I was totally at the end of my rope and in the midst of a sense of total aloneness I discovered some very dear friends that were essential for my own personal transformation. I am sure that I will be deeply uncomfortable many more times in the future but hopefully I will be able to bring my own “consolations” to whatever circumstances that are a part of my story.

Transformation

Despair was the empty echo,
That shattered each daily thought,
My life a desperate search for understanding,
Lived in fear of never being heard.

My soul strung out tautly,
Daily wound tight, stretched to breaking,
As I discovered myself with nothing left,
I visited the place of “No Hope”.

There my friends found me,
They listened to my circular tale,
My words seeking their source,
In the pain and the lonely tears,
There emerged a glimmer of hope.

Discovering disappointment as my companion,
Listening to despair’s words spoken each day,
No longer feared enemies,
Disappointment my trusted mentor,
Despair my compassionate friend,
In them I discovered transformation’s source,
As my voice was heard again.

Filed Under: Going Deeper

A reflection on Psalm 77

January 6, 2016 by Chris Gribble

goodwp.com_17790

Any doubt is completely dispelled,
When I consider the world in which I live,
Its incredible wonders are opened each day,
My life is an exploration of God’s creative genius,
There is nothing that is forgotten.

While I wonder my heart aches for what’s coming,
I live with the questions that come from disappointment,
Loneliness is a constant companion,
In a world that teaches us to shout at each other,
Fear of not being heard is our lament.

My forgetfulness doesn’t limit God,
He remembers to love me daily,
My task is to wonder at how much he loves,
How perfect is His main desire,
Expressed in pure adoration of his children,
Delighting in our daily joy.

Acceptance by perfect love is what I wake to,
My first thought each day,
Is to wonder at my God’s abundance
And, how it will be displayed.

The day is fast approaching,
Where there will be nowhere to hide,
God’s control will be evident,
To those who twist their shame to self praise,
They seek to lead others to empty desire,
Promising the world but delivering nothing.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 80

January 5, 2016 by Chris Gribble

golden-wheat-harvest_00444090

My total dependence on God is clear,
When I come to Him with my needs,
They need a God intervention,
If I am ever to be satisfied,
Transform my poverty to wealth again,
So that I may be a witness to your provision.

God is the one who gives generously,
Out of nothing he formed me,
He gave abundantly; lavished me with gifts,
Then they went with a puff of smoke,
God’s hand controlled all of this,
Even when I was in the blackest depression,
Watching everything be taken from me,
I felt your firm guiding hand on my life,
Bringing me back to your truth.

I am created for your blessing,
God is clearing the path to it,
Unhindered by useless attachment,
God completing the painful separation,
Born from love and restored to abundance.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

A reflection on Psalm 72

January 4, 2016 by Chris Gribble

sunriseI choose life today,
God’s loving protection,
Is my source of joy,
Worries are momentary blips,
In a tapestry of eternal praise,
Love is my eternal reward,
Seen today from hope’s perspective.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

Belonging – companions for the journey.

January 3, 2016 by Chris Gribble

Untitled-1

Each of these friends has a shadow,
Remember, shadow is caused by light,
It is the soul’s gift to another,
Shadow does not exist without life,
Every one of my friends is a witness,
To each shared step,
Each of my friends seeing my true self,
They know my deepest parts,
Knowing shared with our Creator,
Our source to whom we all belong.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

Where does my soul dwell

January 2, 2016 by Chris Gribble

images-2

My soul once more returned,
To its home that promises,
No gain in this world – rather eternal rest,
My soul is found where my inner yearning,
That gaping hole Is filled with love,
As I learn to rediscover all I am meant to be.

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

The true price of loving God

January 1, 2016 by Chris Gribble

images-1

I know Salvation’s price is free
That part is done by you
My Father’s life freely given
Before my life is born
Your plan for me was made
Your desire for perfection
Life’s promised fullness
Is all completely paid

Filed Under: Going Deeper, Quotes

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