I was talking with a colleague about prayer yesterday and she mentioned Psalm 69 to me. I looked it up in my favorite Psalm version, Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness by Nan C. Merrill. There is much to ponder in this Psalm.
It's not a short one. It goes from the bottom of page 127 to almost the bottom of page 131.
As I read and reflect on the words, there are phrases throughout that speak to me. I have written them as they are in their sections. As there are no verses in this version, I will compare to a different version to get the verses.
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O Beloved, create within me a clean heart! Let me live simply, sharing what I have with those in need, that the abundance of your creation might be reflected! Let me speak out of the Silence, that through the words given, others will learn of You!
Let me see with the heart's eye; let me hear through the heart's ear. Give me the sensitivity to hear your Word, and the courage to speak it.
Let heaven and earth praise the Creator, the seas and all that dwell therein. For in the Most High lies our salvation, the healing of the nations; And we, the people of the Eternal One, are invited, we are called, to co-creation, to co-operation; thus will future generations inherit the planet renewed,
and those who live the way of Love shall dwell with Love forever. Amen. (verses 34-36)
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It's not always easy to "match" the verses, because there is a difference with this version. I was able to "match" the last section.
Yet, the Psalm is still a prayer. A deep prayer. A prayer for change, healing, wholeness. The passages that have stood out to me this time are worth reflection and pondering.
Looking at what caught my attention, I see the word "heart" repeated several times, as well as "Love". I think I will ponder Psalm 69 a little while longer.
On Monday morning we had another "Simple Presence" in our Spiritual Direction program, via ZOOM. This one was a 20 minute sit after hearing Psalm 126 from Nan Merrill's Psalms for Praying.
I haven't been in a group for Centering Prayer since I haven't been with the Friday group at Grace Episcopal and it was good to be in a group again. Being in a group online is different than being in person in that with everyone on mute, one doesn't hear the breathing of one another. However, I had neighborhood dogs, my own dog scratching on the door to get in, my own gulping/sips of coffee (yes, I drink coffee during silence) and other noises that I could hear-- even with my headphones on. That's all a part of silence though. Silence is never fully silent, on the exterior or the interior. One learns to let sounds and thoughts go and flow. It's part of the process.
As I listened to the Psalm reading, there were a couple of words and phrases that caught my attention:
laughter
joy
gladness
restore us to wholeness, O healer
shouts of joy
As I sat in the silence, one of the phrases I often use in Centering Prayer came to mind "Peace, be still". Another thing that came to mind was the song that has the lyrics: "trading my sorrows... for the joy of the Lord".
Here's one version of the song:
Here are the lyrics:
I'm trading my sorrow I'm trading my shame I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord
I'm trading my sickness I'm trading my pain I'm laying them down for the joy of the Lord
[Chorus:] And we say yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Yes Lord yes Lord yes yes Lord Amen
I'm pressed but not crushed persecuted not abandoned Struck down but not destroyed I'm blessed beyond the curse for his promise will endure And his joy's gonna be my strength
Though the sorrow may last for the night His joy comes with the morning
Now, for Psalm 126. Here is the Psalm. As you read over the Psalm, I invite you to read it at least twice. Read it slowly. Allow it to read you. What words or phrases stand out to you? Hold those in prayer.
I also invite you to set a timer for 5, 10, 15, or even 20 minutes of silence. Allow some time to listen, to be, to rest in the silence.
If you're not familiar with Centering Prayer, here is a link you can check out for more information from Contemplative Outreach: Centering Prayer.
If something sparks your attention from the Psalm or the song and you'd like to comment, please do. I enjoy conversation.
As I close this post and reflect on some of the many things that bring me laughter, joy, and gladness, I decided to share a few of those with you in picture form:
Family-- my son Charlie, our dog Cliff, and my husband Riley.
Water-- the ocean, waterfalls, and lakes (and really any body of water).
Spending time in the hammock.
Hiking.
Bike riding.
Praying a labyrinth.
Coffee. (No photo.)
These things, among others, restore me to wholeness.
Like many things, our first residency was not a residency, but rather a zoom introduction. We will have other monthly opportunities to build community these next three months with hopes we will be able to meet in person in the Spring.
We began our time together with Simple Presence, a short reading and three minutes of silence. CeCe Balboni, our cohort leader for this session, led us. She read a portion of Psalm 132 from Nan Merrill's Psalm Prayers, one of our required books.
As we listened to the reading, these words and phrases stood out to me:
healing
wholeness
peace
be not afraid
And then the thought came to mind, "And so it begins...". What a great way to begin this journey.
The reading and the silence reminded me of how we always began our FUMSDRL board meetings. There was some form of centering, be it native american flute or a reading, and always some silence.
Silence allows us to center, to clear away any clutter, to become present.
I was grateful for the beginning tonight.
And then we spent time in introductions, getting to know the leaders and each of the participants.
It's not how we expected to begin our time together. In fact, even the leadership has changed some, as Jane Vennard retired earlier. It's all good.
When we are able to be open handed to receive that which comes to us loosely, without holding on tightly, we are more able to go with the flow of things. It's not always easy. Even without tons of expectations, there is still some disappointment. Yet, it's still good. It's still an adventure. It's still a journey.
One can still learn and grow and be transformed in the process.
Though I don't know fully what's ahead of me or where this journey will take me, I do know that I am looking forward to it.
I look forward to the readings, the relationships, the challenges, the growth. Even tonight we had some technological challenges. That has happened during the pandemic with other things. It's all good.
The first major assignment is an eight hour day of silence and solitude and a two page reflection paper on that experience.
Woo hoo! Packing my hammock and hiking poles as I write. Not literally. Just mentally. Let's see.... I can drive somewhere, hike in to a waterfall, hang out a while, and hike back out. That's one option. It has been a long while since I have done a full 8 hours of silence and solitude, so I might need to start working my way back up to it.
One thing I miss right now is being able to talk to my spiritual director about this. Due to the pandemic, we haven't met in a while, only texted. I will text her this week.
Here is the portion of Psalm 132 that was shared tonight:
Those who follow the way of Love
with calm and faith-filled
intent,
Know that all is working toward
healing and wholeness.
And may the healing power of Love
lift you from the limitations
of fear and ignorance
into the arms of freedom.
May the peace of the Spirit bless
you, and
lead you on life’s journey.
Be not afraid of the Silence, for
Wisdom’s Voice is heard there!
I invite you to click above on the "Psalms for Praying" link to read the entire Psalm. I posted what stood out to me in the above section. There is more in the entire Psalm that resonates with me. It might with you too.
In closing, these two lines seems like a proper benediction in these days:
"May the healing power of Love lift you from the limitations of fear and ignorance into the arms of freedom. May the peace of the Spirit bless you, and lead you on life's journey."
This past week's message was "No Condemnation" from Romans 8:1-11. Early in the week I started hearing "no condemnation" messages and messages of grace to me and in general. As you will read/hear in the sermon, there is a big message of grace and no condemnation that I share that was applicable to my life last week as we had the celebration of life and burial for Janice.
Below is the written message from Sunday, the YouTube link and the SoundCloud link. There is so much more that I could say and share, yet it isn't coming out at this time.
1So now there isn’t any
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has set you free from the law of sin and death.3 God has
done what was impossible for the Law, since it was weak because of selfishness.
God condemned sin in the body by sending his own Son to deal with sin in the
same body as humans, who are controlled by sin.4 He did
this so that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us. Now
the way we live is based on the Spirit, not based on selfishness.5 People
whose lives are based on selfishness think about selfish things, but people
whose lives are based on the Spirit think about things that are related to the
Spirit.6 The attitude that comes from selfishness leads
to death, but the attitude that comes from the Spirit leads to life and peace.7 So the
attitude that comes from selfishness is hostile to God. It doesn’t submit to
God’s Law, because it can’t.8 People who are self-centered aren’t able to
please God.
9 But you aren’t
self-centered. Instead you are in the Spirit, if in fact God’s Spirit lives in
you. If anyone doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t belong to him.10 If Christ is in you, the Spirit is your life
because of God’s righteousness, but the body is dead because of sin.11 If the
Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who
raised Christ from the dead will give life to your human bodies also, through
his Spirit that lives in you.
Those words have been echoing in my mind all
week. You have probably heard me say
this before, but every sermon during this pandemic has found a way to be a part
of me, to live through me, whether before I preach them, during, after, or all
of the above.
This week, I’ve been hearing the words “no
condemnation” in a variety of settings, some spoken to me and at others times
just thinking about situations. I’ll
share some with you so you too can start thinking about all the times in which
there is no condemnation.
*Not being able to give my all this week. NO CONDEMNATION.
*Someone wearing a mask. NO CONDEMNATION.
*Someone not wearing a mask. NO CONDEMNATION.
*Anyone expressing a differing idea. NO CONDEMNATION.
*Anyone experiencing grief. NO CONDEMNATION. (especially grateful for
this one.)
Get the idea?
What about you? What situations
have gone through your life in which you have thought or said to someone else
OR wish it was said to you? NO
CONDEMNATION.
I will give you two more short ones:
Riding my bicycle the other day, one came to
mind. I thought how much I really still
miss riding a motorcycle, how the “M” is still on my license, how I have one
picked out. What a perfect opportunity
for “NO CONDEMNATION”. Though I realize
all the pushback is really not condemnation, but rather concern. I thought I
would try.
A more serious one now.
We tend to be more loving, forgiving, and gracious
to others. However, when it comes to
ourselves, we hold onto things that would otherwise have been let go for
others. Why is it so difficult for us to
say these words for ourselves? NO
CONDEMNATION.
I invite you to say it with me this morning. You can say it outloud where you are or you
can type it or both. Ready? NO CONDEMNATION.
How did that feel?
How does it feel to know there is truly no condemnation?
When we read today’s passage, some of what we see in
it are these things: we see that there is no condemnation because of Christ. That
because of Christ we are set free from sin and death. That with the attitude of the Spirit we will have
life and peace.
All these things are possible because of grace. Grace manifested in love, forgiveness,
humility, and many other things.
Grace.
What does that look like? What does that feel like?
Allow me to share a personal story.
I have experienced ‘no condemnation’ and this grace
at several life-changing times in my life.
They have become spiritual markers, if you will.
The story I want to share with you this morning, is
the one that is closest to me right now.
Years ago I received a call from someone. They asked me if I still wanted
reconciliation. If I did, meet them at
Panera for lunch. I did want reconciliation
with this person. This was huge. We got together and what she offered was pure
grace and no condemnation. She offered a
beginning from that moment forward. No
past. It was a gift of grace that led to Ooltewah Owl football games, trips to
Maryville, TN to visit someone together, a trip to a funeral in Toccoa, a trip
to Chicago for a wedding, visits at the RV campsite, shared Thanksgivings,
Christmases, and more. You see, this
person was Riley’s first wife Janice.
She had every reason to never accept me, forgive me, to extend me
grace. She easily could have kept “condemnation”
on her heart, mind, and soul. But, she
didn’t. Because of the grace in her, the
love of Christ in her, she followed up on a request I had made and through God’s
grace, there was NO CONDEMNATION.
That is what it looks like. Healing.
Wholeness. Forgiveness. Restored relationship.
What does it feel like? Freedom.
Pure freedom. From that first day
of learning we were going to be moving forward, there was freedom.
Because of God’s grace, this story of “no
condemnation” may sound odd to some.
That’s okay. When I needed backup
for certain situations, she was there for me and I was there for her. I know that God healed our relationship for
the good of us, the good of our families, and for the glory of God.
I am eternally grateful for Janice and her
willingness to extend God’s grace to me because she knew grace in her life.
This and other situations in my life have
allowed me to extend grace extensively to others, offering “no condemnation”.
What about you? How will you receive the gift of grace and “no
condemnation” and pass it along to others?
The
Grace of God by Nathan Good
She
makes herself look strong outside
When she’s falling apart within
She picks herself up and carries on
After falling down again
Can’t admit it’s all uphill
Trying to carry it alone
Life holds no pleasures now
All she can do is moan
She’s gonna need the grace of God
To carry her through
The grace of God
To hold her too
She can try, she can stumble
God only wants the humble
But His love can carry her through
By the grace of God
He had it all made for him
But he lost it to his pride
He could have had the world my friend
But now he wishes he’d died
He struggles along uphill
Trying to carry it all alone
Life
holds no pleasures now
All he can do is groan
He’s gonna need the grace of God
To carry him through
The grace of God
To hold him too
He can try, he can stumble
God only wants the humble
But His love can carry him through
By the grace of God
We all go through this from time to time
We’d rather struggle along
Feeding our pride
Than admit that we’re wrong
Accept why Jesus died
We're gonna need the grace of God
To carry us through
The grace of God
To hold us too
We can try, we can stumble
God only wants the humble
But His love can carry us through
By the grace of God
May there be life, peace, and freedom as
we remember that there is NO CONDEMNATION because of the grace and love of
Christ Jesus.
As I neared the high school for the football game last night, a song on Family Life Radio came on that was new to me, "Bleed the Same" by Mandisa. The lyrics caught my attention. I looked it up after it was finished, sitting in my car. It came out last May (2017).
I find it hard to believe that here we are in 2017 struggling so hard to love one another in this world. I thought we had worked through those things when I was a kid back in the 70s, yet it seems things have remained the same or worsened.
I believe that love continues to be the answer. As we open up hospitable space to listen to one another, to get to know one another, to carry one another's burdens, we will recognize that we bleed the same.
In last week's sermon, I spoke about us coming to the table together, literally. I spoke about us making space for those who aren't there so that we can have the conversations. We need to have the conversations with those who are already at the table too.
In order to move ahead, love and compassion need to come to the forefront. One of the things that got written into my sermon was this: "As we listen, we learn. As we learn, we connect. As we connect, we can more faithfully be the body of Christ God is calling us to be in showing love to others." ("Looking Ahead", October 8, 2017)
[Intro: Mandisa] We all bleed the same We're more beautiful when we come together We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We're divided
[Verse 1: tobyMac] Woke up today Another headline Another innocent life is taken In the name of hatred So hard to take (hey!) And if we think that it's all good Then we're mistaken 'Cause my heart is breaking (Tell em' Dis)
[Pre-Chorus 1: tobyMac & Mandisa] Are you left? Are you right? Pointing fingers, taking sides When are we gonna realize?
[Chorus 1: Mandisa] We all bleed the same We're more beautiful when we come together We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We're divided If we're gonna fight Let's fight for each other If we're gonna shout Let love be the cry We all bleed the same So tell me why, tell me why We're divided
Here is the song:
Seeking to take action steps that stop the violence, the needless deaths, and despair. May love and compassion for others pave the way to wholeness, healing, reconciliation, life, and hope.
Today is our District Day of Service. Folks around the Chattanooga area will be going to Camp Lookout, the Bethlehem Center, the Tri-State Food Pantry at Sand Mountain, the Free Store, Hosanna House, Cloudland Canyon State Park and campgrounds, among many others to make blankets, clean, play bingo with residents, make cleaning kits, etc. It is also the UMW (United Methodist Women) retreat day. They will meet in the morning and do service projects in the afternoon.
It is a beautiful day to get out and work together in community for the good of others.
It is always a blessing to serve with others. Working with community in community allows us to get to know one another, to work together, to build fellowship.
In these days we need to seek out opportunities to work with others, to get to know them, to fellowship, to serve together. In doing these things, we will find that we have much more in common than we may have thought and by working side by side we can bring wholeness and healing into the brokenness.
Today I preached at Fort Oglethorpe UMC. We had an unexpected death last weekend and the service was this past week. The music leader took a break last week and this week as it was her brother who passed. Because I had worked ahead, I hadn't revisited the Scriptures or title for the week until the first of the week. It was appropriate for the week. But not just for the recent death in this family and in this congregation. Looking around the worship space today, there were at least 3 other families who have experienced deaths in their families since my appointment. There have been deaths in our other two churches too. There is brokenness in lives. If not due to the death of a loved one, then for other reasons. There is a need for wholeness and healing in all lives. Today's message, "Love, Peace, and the Holy Spirit" speaks to that wholeness and healing that Christ spoke about to the disciples.
As with any sermon I post, what is written below is not always what is said verbatim in a service. Things are added or omitted, but it gives you a general idea of the message.
"Cry Out to Jesus" by Third Day (This was the Special Music played prior to the sermon. It was an added blessing to the service that had brought healing to others as they had watched it during the week.)
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"Love, Peace, and the Holy Spirit"
May 1st, 2016 (Easter 6)
John 14: 23-29(NRSV)
Fort Oglethorpe UMC
John
14: 23-29(NRSV)
23 Jesus answered him,
“Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will
come to them and make our home with them.24 Whoever does not love me
does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the
Father who sent me.
25 “I have said these things
to you while I am still with you.26 But the Advocate,the Holy Spirit, whom the
Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all
that I have said to you.27 Peace I leave with you;
my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let
your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.28 You heard me say to you,
‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice
that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.29 And now I have told you
this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.
Today is the 6th Sunday of Easter. "Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen indeed!"
We come together this morning to worship the Lord of
Lord and King of Kings in the midst of life—continued grief and continued
celebrations. We join together in
community to hold one another up, to encourage one another, to pray for one another
as each of us has different concerns, burdens, struggles, joys, and
celebrations.
Today’s passage brings us a message of hope in
spirit and in truth that we are not alone.
Let’s begin in verse 23. It is a tad odd that the lectionary passage
chooses to start with a verse that states: “Jesus answered him” and without
looking back, we don’t know who asked or what the question is. The context for the passage is that Jesus is
in the upper room, sharing his final discourse with the disciples. Here is verse 22: “Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you
will reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Knowing the question
helps us better understand the answer … or does it? Jesus has a way of not always answering the
exact question answered. Jesus answers
here in verses 23-24: “Those who
love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to
them and make our home with them.24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that
you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me.” The answer doesn’t directly answer Judas’
question about revealing himself to the disciples, but talks about those who
will love Jesus, how they will respond, and how the Father will respond to
them. Jesus also clarifies that the word
heard is from the Father, reminding the disciples of Jesus’ relationship with
God. To simplify these 2 verses, we love
God and Jesus by keeping the words of Jesus which are of God. Remember when Jesus put it very simply for
the disciples to remember how to show love in context of what is the greatest
commandment?
Matthew 22:36-40 --“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the
greatest?”37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your
God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’38 This is the greatest and first commandment.39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.’40 On these two commandments hang all the law and
the prophets.”
Love. Jesus taught about love in word and deed.
The
next things Jesus teaches here is about the Holy Spirit and peace.
Verses
25-26—“I have said these
things to you while I am still with you.26 But the
Advocate,the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind
you of all that I have said to you.”
Jesus
is trying to prepare them for his departure in this final discourse. He is sharing everything that he can with
them while he is still with them. But he
wants them to know that when he is gone, the Holy Spirit will be with
them. Here, the term “Advocate” is
used. Other terms are: counselor, guide,
helper, companion, comforter, encourager.
The Father will send the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ name to be with the
disciples to remind them what Jesus taught and to continue to teach them.
The
Holy Spirit is a gift from God sent to minister in all these ways. How have you experienced the Holy Spirit in
your life? Have you experienced the Holy Spirit as Advocate? Counselor? Guide?
Helper? Companion? Comforter? Encourager?
Earlier
in this final discourse, in John 14:17, Jesus told the disciples that they will
know the Holy Spirit: “You
know him, because he abides with you, and he will be inyou.”
How amazing is it that
we are not left alone, but have access to the Holy Spirit who abides with us
and in us?
Jesus
uses the teaching of the Holy Spirit to lead into that of peace.
Verse
27—“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them
be afraid.”
Though there are many
powerful teachings in this passage, for me, this is the take away verse for
today, the central verse. Notice the
bulletin cover.
Jesus is telling the
disciples that he offers them peace. Not
as the world gives, but peace. It is a
peace that often defies understanding and flows deeper than our
circumstances. For me, it is the type of
peace that one has when your brother has been in a race car accident and is in
a coma for several months and you don’t know what is going to happen. It truly is the peace
that passeth understanding. Even though
I have heard this saying, I didn’t know its origin, so I looked it up:
Philippians 4:7 (KJV)—“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,
shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Other versions use “transcends”
or “surpasses” instead of “passeth”.
How
many have known this peace in difficult situations? How many sitting here today can testify to
that peace even in the midst of Jim’s untimely death? This peace helps us through the difficult
times and helps us heal in the broken and wounded areas.
Jesus
continues his teaching in this passage in verses 28-29: “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to
you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because
the Father is greater than I.29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it
does occur, you may believe.”
Jesus has tried several
times to let them know he would be leaving them. It hasn’t been easily understood. Even though they walked with Jesus, learned
first-hand from Jesus, lived with Jesus, they didn’t always understand
him. In fact, they often misunderstood
him. I continue to be grateful for
Jesus’ grace in working with the disciples because I know that the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit will work graciously with me as well.
When Jesus tells them
that they would “rejoice” knowing that he is leaving, he isn’t telling them not
to grieve. He is setting up the bigger
picture for what his purpose was and is.
He realized that because of the relationship he had with them, his
leaving would be difficult. The Easter joy of resurrection and being with the
Father does not negate grief of losing the relationship. Jesus knew that grief when he wept at the
grave for a friend. There is a way to
experience both joy and grief in loss of a loved one.
What Jesus offers the
disciples (and us) in today’s passage is love, peace, and the Holy Spirit. What Jesus is reminding them and us is that
we can be made whole. Today, we
celebrate Holy Communion, a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and love for
us. It is a time of remembrance, but not
one of grief. It is a time of
celebration as we recognize that we are made whole in Christ and whole as the
body of Christ.
Okay, so Florida is not really "strange". :) But, it is "unfamiliar". Driving back and forth from the place I stay in Oviedo to the campus location in Orlando should not be too difficult, especially with printed maps and a Garmin GPS that doesn't like the way I drive. :)
However, sometimes, even when we think we know where we're heading, we can get turned around, confused, and lose our bearings.
This can happen to me when I'm tired, not focusing, when I get distracted. What happens when I get off the intended path? I tend to be okay at first, until I don't find my way back immediately. Then I get concerned, pre-occupied with getting back to where I was. There isn't much peace in moments like this.
It can take just one lapse of judgment to miss the correct turn. And that can send us on a frenzied journey to get back to the path toward our destination.
I'm talking about getting from my class back to where I was staying. It was the second night of the week and I should have had the journey down by then. But, where I should have turned right, I went straight. Part of the problem for that was that I wasn't in the correct lane to turn right. Another issue was that the surroundings "didn't look right to me". But, how could they really "look right" when I was so new to them and they to me? As I went straight and the road narrowed, I knew I had gone wrong. I turned into the shopping plaza. I got all turned around and couldn't figure out which was the right way. My map wasn't too helpful because I was fatigueed and it was for a particular journey. My GPS kept telling me to make U-Turns, even after I had just done a U-Turn, so that wasn't very helpful.
After "exploring" for about 20 minutes in traffic, I finally figured out how to get back on track toward my destination. I was able to calm back down, to ask for forgiveness for my frustration and a few slipped choice words.
This situation was just journeying from one physical location to another, and having to deal with traffic.
Are you familiar with those emergency broadcast system tests for televsion that are shown every now and then to prepare folks for when there is an emergency? "This is a test, this is just a test of the 'how will you handle getting off track'". Well, I didn't handle it so well. Oops.
What about in other areas of life? We know where we're heading (or we think we do), but then something happens. Maybe we drop the ball on a part of the journey (like my not applying at the appropriate time for my Certificate and having to wait a semester for it) or something happens to us that gets us off the path toward our destination?
How do we respond? How do you typically respond?
How we respond usually reveals our trust level, our faith level, our peace level. There may still be some questions, some uncertainty, some angst. But, if we can let it go fairly quickly, then that is better. We may not end up back in the exact place where we got off the path, but we can get back on the path. All is not lost simply because we get off track.
There are many aspects to our journey as well. There are many journeys on our journey.
This seminary journey that I'm on.... I don't know where it leads. Sometimes I have a glimpse or an idea. Mostly, I'm just learning to live in the moment and make the most of where I am and what I'm doing. I hope to be faithful to do my part along the way, to stay on the path that I've been called to follow by Christ, and to not take too many of my own routes along the way.
The seminary journey is part of the overall journey. I hope to be living my life by giving it away. I hope that I'm learning from my Creator, my Teacher each day to live, love, and serve likewise.
Ultimately, I desire to be part of bringing wholeness into people's lives and that is accomplished through love. God is love.
May I be able to extend God's love to others in such a way that they recognize and receive this powerful gift that is offered to all and that I have recognized and received.
Blessings on your journey! Make the most of any "off-track" experiences!
I was paging through the Weavings on-line articles and found this one. Every word in the title caught my attention--"Diving Deep for Wisdom: Spiritual Discernment". I knew I had to read it.
As I read it, I thought I'd share it. Maybe someone else might get something from it as well.
There is quite a bit that resonates within me in this article. I found myself liking the job description she outlined in the third paragraph: personal spiritual direction, retreats, workshops on prayer and the spiritual life, creating resource material..... I found myself thinking: 'sounds great to me!'
She mentions some authors I'm not familiar with (Danny Morris and Charles Olson) as well as a means of listening that I am familiar with and have practiced once (Quaker Clearness Committee).
A quote that caught my attention: "Without trust there is no openness and without openness people are unable to see things from a different angle."
The author recognizes that discernment is something that never goes away, it is something that we will always need. In fact, she refers to discernment as a total way of life (about 3/4 into the article). She says: "Discernment, as an issue, refused to go away, but it now seemed to have more to do with a total way of life than with a few minutes of silence in a meeting. And that total way of life calls for a deepened spirituality."
Enjoy the article!
May your journey continue to include listening, discernment, and diving deeper!
