Episode Six: The Byte-Larry
In this byte, Larry talks about invitation and how often, just showing up is the miracle. Hear how his showing up has changed his life in many ways-for the better. You might not realize it, but the Universe is inviting you to participate in co-creation-not only in your own life, but in the greater world surrounding us.
Transcript
And he said a lot of us feel that we're refugees.
And that we're just like,
I'm like,
Oh my God,
That's what I've been the last two years.
I've been like this refugee.
I don't fit in.
I mean,
My theology,
Everything,
His seminary just changed me.
And I don't fit in where I used to,
But I haven't found where I'm supposed to be.
And so it's like,
I'm this refugee.
And that was like the perfect description for the last couple of years.
So.
["The Great War"] It all just kind of happened.
I had moved to Houston,
And I had a new job that was really stressful.
And so I just started like on Saturday mornings,
I would go to this golf course.
It was like a mile loop.
And I just started running it.
And then one day a coworker,
I ran into a coworker out there,
And she was like,
Oh,
You're a runner.
I'm like,
No,
I run a mile on Saturdays.
That's what I do.
And she's like,
Oh,
I belong to this club.
They're really nice people.
I think you really enjoy them.
You should come out and run with us sometime.
So I did.
She never told me that it was a marathon training club.
So I ended up signing up for the Houston Half Marathon.
They were all training for the marathon.
And on Saturdays,
We would meet to run.
And I just had so much fun like running with them.
I mean,
The conversation,
The miles would just go by that I would,
I was basically,
Even though I was only planning to run the half,
I basically trained for the full.
And like two weeks before the race,
They were like,
You've trained for the full.
You should just switch and do the full.
And me naively,
I'm like,
Sure,
Why not?
I'll do that.
I'm having so much fun.
You guys are nice.
Mile 21,
I was cursing them.
I was like,
I hate you all.
I'm never talking to you again.
I'm never running again.
I just wanna get this done.
And then at the finish line,
They put like this foil blanket around me and someone else put a medal over my neck and somebody had water for me and a banana.
And I was like,
Oh my God,
This is the greatest thing ever.
When do I sign up?
And I did two more that same year.
So it all just kinda,
I have a very addictive personality also.
So it can be very dangerous.
So yeah.
And I was just thinking about you being a child and not being picked for the sports teams and then to have this whole experience with running and where I see the God moment in that is that you ran into your coworker at that park.
Oh,
Uh-huh,
Yeah.
Because she opened everything up for you.
Yeah.
And through this,
It completely redefined who you are in your physical body.
Exactly,
Yeah.
I know my family,
They're all like,
Who are you?
What's going on?
And I went up to them.
When I was exploring the Federation of Christian Ministry,
On their website,
There was a letter from the president and he said,
A lot of us feel that we're refugees and that we're just like,
I'm like,
Oh my God,
That's what I've been the last two years.
I've been like this refugee.
I don't fit in.
I mean,
My theology,
Everything,
His seminary just changed me and I don't fit in where I used to,
But I haven't found where I'm supposed to be.
And so it's like,
I'm this refugee and that was like the perfect description for the last couple of years,
So.
Well,
I'm much more drawn to Eastern traditions just because I love their connection to Earth and connection to others.
And I don't feel that my experience with Christianity hasn't been the same.
It's been very,
A separation,
The whole original sin.
And now I think of like original blessing.
And I often wonder,
It's like,
What would this world be like if rather than we're told you're bad and you're going to hell,
Unless you do this,
And instead that there's this God that loves you so much,
Just as you are.
And it's kind of,
I mean,
The more that I think about it too,
It's like with the Christian God,
It's like,
Wait a minute,
Do you hate me or do you love me?
Because I get these two different mixed messages and it's a little confusing for me.
And that to me,
That God just doesn't work for me or I don't want to serve that kind of God anymore.
That's just not,
That's not who I am.
So there's also that sense God now and another,
With the Eastern traditions,
It's more that God is inside each of us rather than outside or up there.
And that to me is just a very,
A much more powerful place to be knowing that.
And also that realizing that when you're in the presence of another person,
You're in the presence of God.
And that is just,
I don't know that the tradition that I grew up with taught me any of those things.
I remember when,
I don't know if you took New Testament with Eric Smith,
But there was,
We were reading,
One of the readings one day in the textbook and it talked about how this person was divinely born and was a healer and resurrected.
And oh,
By the way,
His name was Apollonius.
And I was like,
What the fuck?
Excuse me,
But there was somebody else who was like,
After the deconstruction process,
I just,
I can't do that.
I can't do that anymore.
And as much as I have loved watching our cohort,
Like watching them on Sunday mornings,
The Christian services,
There's something inside that I just get a little,
I don't know,
My skin starts to crawl a little.
And I mean,
I'm really excited for them and I'm excited for the congregations because I know that they're going to be doing amazing and wonderful things,
But that's not who I am.
And I'm still in that refugee,
Immigrant,
Migrant,
Trying to figure all that out,
But I know what I'm not.
There's also this really great quote from James Baldwin.
He's writing about when he left the church,
People I felt ought to love the Lord because they loved him and not because they were afraid of going to hell.
And I think that that's what the church does.
It just,
There's so much fear that it just creates.
And I don't think that that's what God's about.
One of the things I think is,
I feel that that message of fear that you're going to go to hell is supposed to galvanize you into leading a more pure life,
A life that is more moral,
Where you are acting right in society.
But to me,
God is about invitation.
Spirit is about invitation.
And part of the peril of our modern society,
You can call it magic,
You can call it energy,
You can call it quantum processes or whatever,
But that part of that invitation,
People are so,
They're too busy these days.
They're so hooked up to their technology.
They are so distracted that how would you ever see or hear the invitation in the first place?
Now,
If that spirit wants your attention,
That spirit will bitch slap you as long as it takes to get your attention.
But God is all about the invitation and you have free will whether or not to accept that invitation.
I think,
So every time you meet a new person and you were saying that God is inside everybody,
Which I believe as well,
Every time you meet someone new,
There's another invitation to get to know God.
Oh,
Exactly,
I love that.
I love another facet of God.
Yes,
Yes.
It's a way of moving through the world with I think a little more grace,
A little more awareness and maybe compassion too.
The idea of the invitation shows more generosity of spirit on God's part.
It's not fire and brimstone.
If you don't show up,
You're gonna die.
It's more like,
Here's a really nice invitation on beautiful,
Expensive paper if you wanna show up.
And I think that's one of the interesting things about your life,
Right?
The theme is showing up and you show up.
It is,
It's all about showing up.
It's all about showing up.
It's all about showing up.
You've shown up over and over and over and because of showing up,
Because of hearing those invitations,
You,
Your life has been transformed.
Exactly,
It's so true.
And I think that's so beautiful.
It is beautiful,
Thank you.
Yeah,
Thank you for reminding me.
I read something recently too about how people often want God to intervene,
But God wants somebody to collaborate.
I think that's really beautiful because that makes you an agent in whatever's happening.
You're not just passively receiving or passively watching.
You have skin in the game.
You gotta show up and do whatever needs to happen.
This has been episode six of Bite Sized Blessings,
The podcast all about the magic and spirit that surrounds us,
If only we open our eyes to it.
And whether you choose to listen to our Bite Sized offerings for that five minutes of freedom in your day,
Or the one that's most important to you,
We'll be sure to share that with you.
And if you're interested in our podcast,
We'll be sure to share that with you.
And if you're interested in our podcast,
Freedom in Your Day,
Or the longer interviews,
We're grateful you're here.
I'd like to thank Larry Watchhorn for sharing his story today.
As well as the creators of the music used Sasha End,
Rafael Crux,
Winnie the Moog,
Alexander Nacarrata,
And Kevin McCloud.
For complete attribution,
Please see the Bite Sized Blessings at bite-sized blessings.
Com and remember that's bite spelled B-Y-T-E.
On the website you can find links to other episodes as well as to books,
Music,
And change makers I think you should know.
Thank you for listening and here's my one request.
Be like Larry,
Accept the invitations,
And then show up.
You you you you
