Is God the only still point outside our world? If so, inside our world God has a sacred pulse. We call it Love. 

   Newton's first law holds that "a body at rest stays at rest unless a force acts on it." The conversion of words to formula looks like this:

   But no "body" is ever truly "at rest. Within the "still" the sacred pulse of existence beats constantly.

   The "still" photograph is actually moving. The equation above vibrates on the electric page. 

   Thus, we can never be "still." What we can do is engage the sacred pulse of our lives to influence the vibrations of those around us.

   Our place of operations is called "time."  

   In "Burnt Norton" T.S. Eliot offered a syllogism of his own to compliment Newton's. "If all time is eternally present/ All time is unredeemable." 

   A ball lies on the sand. To all appearances, it is still. A person picks it up & hurls it toward the sea. A dog leaps & intercepts the ball. Several "forces" have acted on the ball. We might name the resulting oscillations "Fun."

   A patient lies still but anxiety rages. A caregiver touches the patient's arm. Anxiety calms because the energy playing through the caregiver's hand is Love. We might call the encounter "Healing."

   Skillful & heartfelt playing of Love's instruments shifts the music of lovers. We pronounce it "Beauty." 

   We do not "redeem" time or stop motion. But, we can alter life's vibrations. Amid life's darker drum beats we can lift up the music of love & thus quicken the sacred pulse of God in our world. 

-Erie Chapman

Photograph by Erie