Flexible Bible

Flexible Bible

“Mary Cosby used to begin her New Testament class by bending her soft-cover Bible and saying she preferred a Bible that was flexible. Then she would say, ‘The Bible is not a manual for morality, but a mirror for identity.”’—Carol Martin, Bread of Life Church, “A Mirror for Identity” at InwardOutward.org, Church of the Saviour, July 15, 2018.

My first introduction to this more profound and flexible Bible study was with a small group at St. Mark’s in Little Rock in the 1980s, led by Dick Moore in a room above the children’s classrooms, which we called “the upper room.” As we studied the books of the Bible, Dick reminded us that the Bible was a roadmap, not the destination. 

I think of old friends like Carole and Gary Kimmel, who were in our class and now live on the Outer Banks in North Carolina. I remember well Betty and Brady Anderson, who later became Bible translators in Tanzania, Africa. Later, Brady was appointed by President Bill Clinton to become the American Ambassador to that country. They taught me so much. Together, we uncovered new insights from the Bible that had never occurred to us.

As we saw God present in the lives of people in the Bible who were like us—with gifts and faults—we also became more aware of God, the Holy Spirit, at work in our own lives and in the lives of others. We saw that the relationship of the Holy Spirit did not end with first- and second-century Christians; instead, the Spirit continues to lead us today. If we believe only in a strict, literal translation of the Bible, we deny the continued presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives today, which will bring us more good news.

I share with you the Bible I received from Bishop Maze twenty-four years ago, at the time of my ordination. It is also flexible.

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/daily

Nature as a Healer

Nature as Healer

“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike.”—John Muir.

A Forward Day by Day writer today reminds us of this quote from John Muir, one of our country’s most famous naturalists and conservationists. Muir played a pivotal role in establishing the National Park Service and the Sierra Club. In spiritual direction, we ask, “Where do you find meaning or feel closest to God?” The most frequent answer is “outdoors in nature.”

In photosynthesis, trees transform light energy into chemical energy. I believe the trees, the sun, the sky, the ocean, and the mountains also convert some energy inside of us when we are outdoors among them. As a result, we see beauty alive and well, whereas before, we could only see ugliness. We realize that there is something greater than ourselves, something that transcends our own problems. It is there for us. We do not have to pay for it. It is a gift.

My experience is that when I have difficulty sleeping because of physical, mental, or spiritual pain, it helps to go outside or sit by a window and watch the sunrise in the morning, even on a cloudy day. The sunrise, the world outside, can be a constant reminder of a new opening, a new beginning—the dawning of a fresh perspective on things. I am reminded of John McQuiston’s book, Always We Begin Again, a modern version of the Rule of Benedict.

Muir stands out as someone who makes us aware of the marvels of nature, particularly the wilderness, but he also reminds us of our stewardship of this gift.

Consider the experience of viewing nature and the outdoors as one of our most crucial, lifesaving, and life-renewing spiritual practices and remedies—perhaps even more effective than drugs. But nature, like our own soul, also needs care and love.

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

AI, Writers, and Children's Books

AI, Writers, and Mother Bilbee

Guest Writer: Isabel Anders

“Every garden preserves something of the Garden of Eden and can become a living library for important lessons.”—Mother Bilbee.

What does it mean to be creating (in my case, simple rhymes for children’s picture books) in an age when AI is a noisy fellow traveler in that same lane—increasingly taking up space that used to be open only to human artists and writers?

Are we at “that long-prophesied moment when mechanical minds surpass human brains not only quantitatively in processing speed and memory size but also qualitatively in intellectual insight, artistic creativity, and every other distinctively human faculty?” (NY Times, 3/8/2023).

Not yet (and maybe never), most critics agree. AI lacks, above all, perhaps, a personal morality and a history of living. It literally does not have “skin” in the game.

As I strive to express the spirit of Jesus’ Beatitudes in scenarios children themselves might encounter, I’m reminded that language is “layered.” Timely words seem to pour out intuitively from years of interactions with other living, enfleshed beings—who are also trapped (or thriving) in their contemporary situations, as we are. 

How can we as writers bring forward the rich legacy of our own years of learning how to live—not only morally, but also by modeling fundamental spiritual integrity?

How many children today, for instance, have even heard of the Golden Rule: That we are to do unto others as we wish them to do unto us? At the youngest level of readers and listeners, there is a unique opportunity to convey this pictorially, never to exhaust its meaning, but with prayers to instill a taste for goodness at a very young and formative age.

Just as the sun melts butter but hardens clay, some young hearts will respond favorably, and others won’t. And as with any ministry, that is not a reason not to make the attempt—even in today’s highly competitive children’s picture book marketplace.

And so, taking on the challenge, those of us on the Mother Bilbee team are embarking on a modest experiment: asking readers young and old to “join our kindness movement.”

If AI begins to take notice and gather up (“scrape”) my efforts for its own use, I won’t be sorry to see the Word spread, like seed, enhancing the possibility of a wider harvest.

Isabel Anders is the author of several Mother Bilbee Tales (MotherBilbee.com) for children aged three to eight. Sing a Song of Six Birds is available in both eBook and paperback formats on Amazon. This was followed by Mary, Harry, Pete, and Carrie: How Does Your Garden Grow? and Jack Horner’s Christmas Pie. 

“Mother Bilbee Tales is a refreshing, delightful update on some of our modern bedtime lullabies that are enjoyed by both the old and the young. The tales are a rhyme of encouragement, especially when we are learning and, even later in life, deciding the next right thing to do!” —The Rev. Joanna J. Seibert, M.D.

Isabel Anders

Joanna joannaseibert.com