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Writings by Rev. Stephanie Rutt I Said to God, "I want to do something beautiful for You." And God Answered... Just do your part. Be a seed planter. Do not fool yourself in thinking you create the tree. God alone creates the tree. And remember, it may not even come to full fruition in your lifetime. Be clear of your intention. Put out a clear signal. It is only then that it may be used to serve the greatest good. Seek to live with equanimity and balance. It is only in such moments that you are truly yourSelf and I may shine through. In moments of despair, try to keep an inner smile. Sit humbly at the feet of your life and be taught. Become the alchemist and blossom because of - not in spite of. Discern My Illusion. Complete love sees not just My beauty but also discerns the illusion of My absence in ignorance, hatred and evil. Transform them within yourself and you can transform them without. Make Me visible in the world. You have been given a body-mind through which to make Me visible in the world. Care for the body and harness the mind and you'll dance in the joy of My spirit. Live in the mystery. Remember you only have the vantage point and wisdom of this lifetime. Dont waste time trying to figure out the big picture or the 'why' of things. Instead, just respond by doing something beautiful for Me.
Why Study the Bhagavad Gita? Bhagavad Gita means Song of God. Its purpose is to bring about an end to sorrow through the realization that we are That which we seek. All of us seek peace, happiness and joy, but within ourselves is not usually the first place we look. Instead, we look outside ourselves, searching from place to place, experience to experience, teacher to teacher for That which we already are. It never occurs to us that what we're looking for is literally as close as our breath — that we already have all we need to be content in any circumstance. In our desperate search, we overlook the place of true joy — our inner sanctuary, where joy resides, not in response to a particular set of circumstances, but simply as a humble response to continued self-acceptance. Here, all is received. Here, the quiet truth whispering softly from the center of our being can be heard. Here, joy is immune to the changing tides of outward circumstance. By turning inward to embrace all, we find what we have so desperately been seeking. It's called freedom. But, we are not aware. So, we search. And, then, something happens. Maybe it's an event that unceremoniously catapults us out of our comfortable existence. An unexpected diagnosis, accident, loss of a job, divorce, death of a loved one. Or maybe it's just waking up from a long period of sleepy boredom that shouts, something's got to change! Like Arjuna, we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, unable or just simply unwilling to meet the challenges ahead. Our rudder is broken and night is falling fast. Desperately, we may continue searching for someone or something outside ourselves to save us. But, this time, nothing satisfies. It's a critical juncture. We can continue the old ways of coping or we can choose a less familiar route called surrender. At first, this surrender route does not appear to be such an attractive option. We fear the loss of control. But this time, as skeptical as we are of the surrender route, we are even more reluctant to repeat the same old patterns. And, so it is with Arjuna. His rationalizations for not rising up to do his duty aren't working. His familiar ways of thinking aren't providing escape from his self-imposed bondage. Overwhelmed and desperate, he chooses surrender and cries out to his Lord for guidance. And, where he thought he would lose himself, he finds himSelf. But, the old ways are not so easily shed. Again and again, Arjuna, and we too, must choose. Over time, we start to trust this new route called surrender, for a joy comes that passes all our old understanding. Slowly, we start to trust the Potter within. We begin to suspect that each experience is just a stroke of the Potter's hand molding us for a higher purpose. We begin to see that surrender makes us free. And, more and more, we start to fall in love. Not with what used to make us happy or even with what we think will make us happy — but with the Potter Himself, for nothing will satisfy now short of the Potter Himself. Loneliness and our sense of separateness fade. We start to see with new eyes as the Potter reveals His face — the face of God — everywhere. There is God bagging our groceries, cashing our check, finding the right size shirt, bringing our food. We start to notice that it doesn't matter what mood folks are in, what they have or haven't done, what they believe or don't believe. All we see is God. And when we hear an ambulance or fire engines or learn about "collateral damage" on the news, our heart aches for the one whose name we don't even know. Because now no one is outside the bounds of our love. No one. Now, we love our neighbor as our self. And, like water to parched lips, this is the only joy that matters. It is all that can truly sustain us through the changing seasons of our life. It is our compass when the storm hits, the rudder breaks and darkness falls. It is what is left when we fear all is lost. It is what brings us to our prayer mat. It is what looks at the enemy and sees our self. It is what can raise the sword of courage to combat hatred without hating. It is what can love the saint and sinner the same. This joy sees what's the same in all of us. And having seen, knows. And knowing, is never the same.
Everyday God You Before only a glimpse of you... just a taste... As I lift my eyes out to the world I ache with wonder... I pray to stay awake to each burst of laughter peering out from behind all things sculpted free in your image... molded firm by your law Humbly... humbly I am rising... strong... in full bloom Alleluia Alleluia Alleluia Rev. Stephanie Rutt, written in 2004
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Following is an excerpt from An Ordinary Life Transformed — Lessons for Everyone from the Bhagavad Gita, published in 2006 by Stephanie Rutt, available locally at Toadstool Bookshops, Barnes and Noble Booksellers and at the Tree of Life Interfaith Fellowship. Also, available from 
