lent

c'est fini (it is finished)

2011-04-02T00:01:00.000-07:00

It is a great feeling to check something off your to-do list. No matter how small or large the thing is, there is something freeing when you can check it off. You are done. You can move on to whatever is next or maybe even rest a bit before resuming your work towards whatever goal you have set for yourself. Just as much as it is good to check things off, it is good to have things on that list. To have goals and things you hope to accomplish is a driving and inspiring thing if you let it be. It can also be something oppressive if you let it be that as well. It is partly about accomplishment and achievement, but it should never fully be about those things, it needs to also just be what is or it can take you over. A great question to ask each day is not just what do I want or need to do today, but "what can I finish today?" It is hard to understand sometimes when they give our finishers medals at a race and what you really wanted was to win. Once you finish something big though you begin to realize that finishing is more of an accomplishment than we sometimes let on and by golly it should be recognized. Jesus last words were, "it is finished" and we can never underestimate what power those words can have for us as we finish what is before us.

Second Opinions

2011-04-01T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we just need a second opinion. Another perspective, a fresh eyed point of view. Maybe the first opinion isn't what we wanted to hear, but maybe it really is just that we want more input. We want to know that our decision is based on the best information. We want to have the most well thought out plan. We want to have done everything we can so that we will have no regrets. We want a second and maybe even a third opinion sometimes and even then we may decide that our own is the only one that matters and we need to go with it in the face of those other opinions. It comes down to finding your resolve or discovering your confidence. What do you need to do? What is important to know? What's next? Gathering the information is about getting ready to move on or confront what you are faced with. You can do it without anyone else's opinion, and maybe that's the real point because it needs to be your decision what ever it is no matter whose opinion you have on it or what it even is. Your opinion is the most important to you and for you and you have to own it. Life is full of choices. Do what you have to, but never forget they are your choices.

What to do when inspiration isn't there

2011-03-31T00:01:00.000-07:00

Still reading? Some days we can't seem to find that thing to inspire us. We want to be inspired but we draw a blank. The thing is we need to give ourselves permission to simply exist some days and be inspired tomorrow. It may be that in not trying we will find something deeper than we imagined. Give your self permission to just be.

Dessert

2011-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

There is a saying, "Life's short, eat dessert first." The thing is, no matter how long life is, we need to enjoy what we can. It's not about gorging ourselves on sweets and dessert, but it is about living fully and not waiting for the good things until some unknown time in the future. We wait. It's like having the ice cream come with your meal, only by the time you have finished everything else the ice cream has melted. It doesn't matter how long or short life is, eat the dessert. Maybe it's the vacation or the trip you have always wanted to take. Maybe it's something simpler like the restaurant you have always want to try, the mountain you have always wanted to climb, the book you have always wanted to read, whatever. It's not like some guilty pleasure, it is the thing that is right there wanting to be enjoyed, we just have to take a bite. Lent is a great time to think about what we have been putting off and find a way to make it real. Lots of people give up dessert for lent, but it is not about giving up something you have worked for, that form of devotion is about overcoming your desire. This is about living fully so we don't say I wish I had...This is a about living.

Clutter

2011-03-29T00:02:00.000-07:00

I am not sure I know anyone that doesn't have at least some clutter. Those whose house may be nearly clutter free still have that metaphoric clutter in our lives. Those things we hold onto that we don't need those things we even sometimes trip over as we are moving about because we just didn't take the time to get rid of them or put them in the right place. Lent, being a spring season is a great time for clutter clearing. It is a great time to get our lives in order. Easier to say than to do, but the rewards can be immeasurable. It is not about throwing everything out, it's about at least thinking, "why do I need this?" and "where does this fit?" You might also be amazed at how the physical clutter clearing can be freeing to the emotional and spiritual clutter clearing. Our parts cannot be considered individually if we are to remain whole. The physical space we occupy is often crucial for it's effect on the space inside us, which creates room for the depth we desire. This season of Lent and at all times we need to seek the places where the clutter is clear and we find space to dig. We need to clear things away sometimes or at least go to a clear place so that we can see what's underneath as we mine the soul.

Our best efforts

2011-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

In the midst of our best intentions, our most sincere devotions, interruptions happen that are beyond our control and we have to respond. We can ignore them, we can try to put them off, but sometimes they just can't be set aside, we have to instead set everything else aside so that we can do what is before us. It is about prioritizing and doing our best to play with the hand that we are dealt in the best way we can for the best possible outcome. In the shuffle things get lost, appointments get missed or changed, thing have to be put in a holding pattern in a hierarchy of needs. We have to acknowledge that if we don't deal with one things we may not be able to deal with the other and that achieve that desired result there is an order to things. Then again that order is never quite as clear as we might want. It may be that even though one thing is more important, while we are waiting for it to happen we should try to take care of two other things. It all sounds confusing, but maybe that's part of the point. We use lots of metaphors. Juggling(sometimes we have too many balls up in the air), balancing, piling on a plate, eggs in a basket...you pick we all have a situation that fits that description, maybe even more than on simultaneously. We want to be perfect and do everything right, but sometimes we mess up. Devotion is about a different kind of perfection. It is about the perfection that comes from doing our best and trying to be our best even when it is hard or seems impossible. It is about doing our best even when no answer seems perfect, the perfection is found in the effort and intention. Perfection is the hope and the eventuality that comes when we persevere.

natural habitats

2011-03-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Woodland park zoo in Seattle is known (at least by zoo people) for having some of the best natural habitats for it's animals. This sometimes means that you can't see the animals when you want because they have trees and caves and things to hide in, but it's good for the animals. Other zoos may be much bigger and have many more animals, but they have them just in fences with grass or dirt and no attempt is made at recreating the habitat of the animal. As we delve into the wilderness of Lent it is an interesting thing to think about our own natural habitats. Just as the wilderness looks different to each person, the place that you feel most natural, most you, most comfortable, most right, is yours and yours alone. People get described as "outdoorzie" or "country folks" or "city people" or "suburbanites" or whatever other label you might put on them for where they choose to live, how they have always lived, how they seem like they should live and those descriptions mean something for how people see you, but your own self description is what matters a lot to those who know you or are trying to. This is not about your sense of a place as "home" it is about doing what is right and feeling right about where you are and who you are. It is about being in the place you know you are supposed to be so that you can be who you are supposed to be. It's is about comfort and giving yourself a chance to thrive. It is about not letting someone else put you in their box. Where do you feel most comfortable? What is your natural habitat?

Making Time

2011-03-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

When something is important we need to be willing to drop whatever we are doing to attend to it with everything we've got. It is so easy to be distracted. It is so easy to glance at that text or email popping up on our smart phone or to take that call that will only last a moment (or ten). It is easy to be busy, it is much harder to make time and to really let that happen. It's not about responding to the interruptions in life, though that may be part of it, it's about setting aside what obligations you might have and focusing, prioritizing, engaging. There are many things we should make time for. Play and being silly. Adventure. Prayer. Exercise. Sleep. Study. Friends. Vocation (perhaps the difference between saying, "vocation" verses "work" is that your vocation may not be your work and even if it is when your vocation if right it may not feel like work to you). We should make time for all those things, but aside from those we need to make time when things matter, not put them off or give up on them because they are inconvenient. We all have moments in life that simply to to be given over to. We have times that we need to set aside all else and be in that moment. We all need to make time and give ourselves permission to say yes and in saying that to say no to something else.

Lending a Hand

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

There is little that is more inspiring than to watch someone just spontaneously help someone else. Watching a man on the bus jump out of his seat to help a young mom with her baby so she could put her stroller against the wall or the bus driver carrying bags for another woman can fill your heart with hope and move you to respond when you too see a need. Even just hearing about service that other people you know can make you want to lend a hand too. Lent is a great time to move yourself from wanting to do some service, to actually doing some service. It is a great time to lend a hand. Maybe it’s just helping someone to their car with groceries or giving an arm to lean on when someone is unsteady. Maybe it’s doing someone in your family’s chores for them. It could be lots of things big or small, but lending a hand is never insignificant. You never know who you might inspire or how you might inspire yourself.

Cleansing Refreshing Renewal

2011-03-22T00:01:00.001-07:00

How do you renew? It’s a question of what you do to release the tension you are carrying and invigorate you soul. Is it a run in the rain, which cleanses deep into your very spirit as the surface of the world around you is washed clean as well? Is it the sweat of vigorous exercise, which we give into as we learn that the harder we work, the better we feel and the more we put in, the more we get out. We can be refreshed and renewed by a variety of things as we let the world inspire us. Maybe we meditate, maybe we read, maybe we go on retreat, maybe we vegetate in front of the TV, maybe it's a night with friends, maybe it's playing with our kids, maybe it's just letting ourselves laugh and laugh, maybe it's prayer and life. There are plenty of maybe's and there is a lot to be said for devotion and what an act of devotion can do for the soul if we let ourselves be intentional about how we relate to that intention. God offers us a constant chance for renewal if we are willing to take it. How will you be renewed? How will you let God work on you?

Finding what you need

2011-03-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

Have you ever gone to the store to find something you think you need only to discover that they don't have it, but there is something else that would do what you wanted even better only they don't have that in stock either? Five hundred thousand items and they don't have the one you need or even the one that's close enough. It has taken you long enough to even go to the store so this circumstance may set off a relentless pursuit of that thing. It begs the question, "how do we find what we need?" Maybe the better question though is, "how do we know what we need?" In the world of big box chains and bulk stores we get lots of lots of things, but that doesn't make any of them what we need. In the world of the internet there is very little which is out of reach, but even this does not help us in knowing what it is we really need. Need comes the feeling of emptiness or incompleteness when something is not there. It is the hunger for more that is so much stronger than even the greatest desire. Tom Cruise's line in Jerry Maguire may seem cheesy, but "you complete me," is a pretty good statement of understanding need. It may not be quite as dramatic, but it is a feeling of must. Someone else's need to do something may be hard to understand, but you just have to let yourself think of those things you need and allow that understanding to take over. They are not always easy to explain, but we know them when they find us and they consume us (hopefully in a good way). What do you need? What is missing? Lent is a time to find what you need.

less is more

2011-03-21T02:13:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we try so hard to do more when what is needed is to simplify and just "let it be." Lent is about discovering our less which is more and letting it be. Where do we need less so that there can be so much more? It's not just about giving something up, it's about letting enough be enough and deciding what is really important. Simplifying is a gift in nearly every aspect of life. When you have done enough, or said enough you need to give yourself permission to move on to whatever is next. Enough can be enough, less can be more and simple can be genius. Lent invites us to do less so that we can do more.

Get up and go

2011-03-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we need to just get up and go. Planning can achieve great things, but it can also get us caught up in finding reasons why we can’t do something instead of just doing it and proving that we can. There is a saying that it is easier to ask forgiveness than permission and perhaps the same is true for our selves, but sometimes the forgiveness ends up being for not taking the chance rather than for the results of taking it. Faith is ultimately about believing strongly enough to take that chance. It means being willing to listen to God in your life and simply get up and go like Abraham towards the Promised Land. We need to trust more in inspiration and let it take us places; we might even need to just trust that the details will take care of themselves. Faith is about saying yes. You might have to risk something, but you risk something also when you don’t say yes. If you take it further it could be about doing the things you always wanted to or thought you should or maybe saying what you have always felt you needed to but never had the courage to. Nike used to have the slogan, “Just do it;” that’s a faith thing too. The question you have to ask is, “where is God telling me to get up and go?” If you can answer that questions, what are you waiting for?

When you really don't feel like it

2011-03-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

Devotion is devotion because you do something even when you would rather do something else. If it was always the easiest or funnest thing to do everyone would do it. The things is when you follow through and live your devotion the rewards will outweigh the challenges. It's like exercise only for the soul. There are days when you would much rather watch TV or read a book and some of those days maybe you even should, but getting up and getting moving in whatever way you choose from going on a run to yoga or just a walk will always pay dividends. On the days when we spend all day sitting at a desk we are more tired because we haven't done anything and those can be the hardest days to motivate ourselves. Devotion is going on that run even when you are sore and tired and having the faith that in the end you'll feel better for it. When it comes to faith maybe it's praying when you are mad at God or remaining faithful and finding hope even in the face of personal tragedy. In Lent it might mean sticking with your fast even when everyone else around you is eating their fill. Just as we believe in the long term rewards we need to give ourselves over to how it can lift us even in the short term right now moments. Devotion means letting God be your priority not just when it's convenient, but all the time.

Does it matter?

2011-03-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

It is a fair question to ask, "does God really care if I give something up for Lent?" "Does my devotion matter to God?" You can take these questions further, "Does God care if I go to church?" "If God already knows my thoughts, why do I need to pray?" While those are all fair questions, the answer comes down to a more fundamental question of, "Does God need us?" If God is just the one who set things in motion, then no, but if God is as we say a part of everything then we are also a part of God and what we do does matter to God. What we do also matters to God because it should matter to us. Giving something up for Lent is meant to help you, not help God, but it helps God too because it helps you grow closer to God through understanding devotion more and being made more thankful for the things you have. God created us to be in community, so sharing our faith in community is a part of how we encounter God and church is on way of doing that. Prayers have been answered because they were shared in community and the act of praying can be a release that in itself is also an answer to prayer. God knows our thoughts and desires because God wants to know them and the way we lift them does matter. We can ask the same questions about so many things. Does anything I do really matter? If I write these blogs everyday faithfully and no one reads them will it have mattered that I wrote them? I may never know if they mattered to anyone else, but the practice of writing them is a part of my own lenten devotion so they matter to me and that has to be enough. When you help someone, but there is still so much more to do that it seems impossible for it to get done, that does not mean your help did not or does not matter. If you make things important, they matter. You are important to God, important enough to have been created in God's own image. You matter to God.

Reaching Out and Reaching In

2011-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

If devotion is about establishing a deeper connection with God, then it should also be about establishing a deeper connection with each other. As much as Lent is a time of personal devotion, for solitary silence and for individual reflection, it is also about relationship. It is about how we relate to God and everything, everyone around us. Spending time in isolation can be great for contemplation and spiritual practice, but lunch with a friend or checking in with a covenant support group can be just as good for the soul. Reaching out and reaching in are not opposites, but rather two sides of the same coin. A forty minute conversation with a good friend can be as lifting to your spirits as the same amount of time spent in prayer. The point is that we need to make time for both. We need to reach out and be intentional about our relationships, to call up that friend, find the time to share a meal, give of ourselves so that the people who matter to us know it. We also need to reach in, to take a walk, to find our moments of retreat each day and in all of it we need to seek God. Lent is a time for deep connection.

Awake

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

How do you wake up? Do you need a gradual transition or can you simply hop out of bed ready for action? Do you need you morning caffeine as we wake ourselves before our bodies are really ready? What does it take to get us going? It is one thing to be upright and going through the motions, but it is something more and entirely different to be truly awake. To be aware of what is around us and able to grasp what needs to be done. Lent is like a Spring awakening as things that were dormant stir and come to life. The real question for us is not about what gets us out of bed, but what do we need in our lives to make us feel truly alive. What are the parts of our selves that have fallen asleep and need invigoration? As we delve deeper we seek what makes us go and what might move us into our full selves, aware, awake and alive.

The Hands on Museum

2011-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we treat the church, Scripture and even faith itself like museum pieces. They are things to be looked at, studied and protected, but not so much touched or used for anything other than being admired and contemplated. Even for the most faithful, we just put that faith under thicker glass. It is not about fear of change or about guarding the things we think are important, this is more about how we choose to interact with our faith. Do we immerse our selves in it, or do we kind of walk in it, a part of it, but also a sort of observer of it? We are in the museum at least, but faith, church, Scripture, they are meant to be hands on; not just looked at and thought about. Maybe that’s what Jesus meant when he said that we must be like children. Children’s museums are hands on. The whole point is that you not only can touch everything, it’s what’s expected. You are supposed to get in there and get dirty. Throw your own paint around, not just look at what others have done. You are supposed to build and use your imagination and let it take you somewhere. Lent is a chance to get hands on. It’s a chance to immerse our selves and spread some faith around and be a part of it no just an observer of it. Children are way often way deeper than we give them credit for so let’s be inspired by them as we go deep ourselves and get hands on with our faith.

The din of frogs

2011-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

The frogs are awake and it’s like they are telling us it’s time for us to wake up too. It doesn’t really matter whether it’s in the day or the night because you can’t see them anyway, but in the quiet of the night the song of the frogs is overwhelming. They are awake now after hibernating for the winter and as they once again herald the Spring, their deep hum speaks to us. In the wintertime we can find ourselves hibernating too just like the frogs. We may not be asleep, but we burry ourselves in work or school or whatever else and we sometimes feel stuck as if life itself is waiting for the next season to come. Lent can be a great waking up time. As we look in and deep we are also meant to become more aware of the life around us. There is a difference between being self-absorbed and being self reflective and aware and Lent is about that deep awareness. Maybe we aren’t always ready to just wake up, but in Lent we will discover what we need so that we can. As the frogs wake and lift in unison their song, a cacophony arises that calls us out of whatever funk we may be in. It’s time to wake up. May we all become more aware in not just the physical sense, but in all the ways in which we experience the divine. It's time to come out of our hibernation.

Disasters

2011-03-13T00:01:00.001-08:00

When disasters strike sometimes it’s easiest to simply blame God. Innocent lives are lost and even more good people have so much taken from them. We wonder why a God of love would do such a thing or if God does not do it, why would God allow such a thing. Here we are trying to get closer to God, trying to show our devotion to God and then for so many it feels like God has abandoned us. It can be hard as people of faith to process and we want to be able to explain because we know that God does indeed love us but we see people hurting, we ourselves are hurting. The beautiful redemption comes when, if we look for even a moment in the aftermath for God, the power of God’s love brings people together and inspires people to help each other in ways they never imagined. People help each other; neighbors become neighbors instead of just people who live near each other. Instead of wondering where God is, because God is more obvious than ever in the loving response of the people who serve God, we wonder why it sometime takes a tragedy to remind us how God calls us to be. Not just in Lent, but always God must be our response to whatever happens in the world. God lives and loves through those who love and allow themselves to be inspired by God. God is love.

Celebrating

2011-03-12T00:01:00.000-08:00

Often Lent is seen as a somber time of reflection. It is a time when we are focused inward and going deep into our selves and our faith. In many churches there are no flowers and no hallelujahs and things just seem more serious right now. The thing is, there are still birthdays and weddings and births and other things to celebrate no matter how inward and contemplative we may be. It begs the question, "how do we celebrate in the midst of our reflective devotion?" Maybe for most we will just celebrate the same way we normally would, but is that how we should celebrate? As we delve into things and focus more deeply, shouldn't we also celebrate more intentionally? Reflection is not by definition somber and deep does not mean without joy. In the midst of whatever we have to celebrate I hope that we don't just do things the way we always do. We need to celebrate more deeply, more joyfully and more thankfully as we reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. There are plenty of reasons to be thoughtful about what's going on in our lives and thanksgiving is one that we often gloss over. There are things to celebrate. How will we celebrate and connect to the things, the people, the events that are worth celebrating? Devotion and celebration can not be mutually exclusive. Lent is a time for celebration too.

Responding to whatever is thrown at us

2011-03-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

In the midst of stormy days (both the literal and the metaphoric kind) sometimes we have to seek shelter, and other times we need to just lean into the wind and refuse to let it take us from our course. The trick is knowing when to choose. Sometimes it's our mood which tells us what to do. We are feeling surly so we are ready to challenge whatever storm may come our way. Sometimes we are just tired and we need to take shelter and be okay with the fact that we just need to let this one pass us by. In the movie, "Singin' in the Rain" Don Lockwood heads into the downpour in love and filled with hope and he not only faces the rain and the wind, he hands his umbrella to someone else and bursts into song. Besides being a great scene and a good song perhaps it also carries with it some inspiration. Just think how it would be if in the midst of life's wet and windy days, we threw caution to the...well, the wind and just let whatever joy we can find take hold of us in such a way that we can transcend the often oppressive dreariness of those gray and rain filled days. What if in our worst moment, when our whole self is chilled and damp to the core, we could just throw off our coat and dance? That dance might be a metaphor, but it might be literal too if we lean in and refuse to let the storm blow us around. As we go through Lent we will have days when we just need to take shelter and let things blow over, but sometimes we need to step outside our comfort zone and say, "Come on with the rain."

Wearing your faith

2011-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

If you go to a service on Ash Wednesday you come away hopefully feeling reflective and maybe as if you have given something up, freed yourself from some burden, but you also come away with a dark cross smudged on your forehead for all to see. I watched some people go directly into the bathroom at the end of the service to wash it off, but most of the others just left it there and went to where ever they needed to go. At many churches they have services at lunch time so instead of just going home and washing it off before bed, the people at those services have the opportunity to wear their faith all day. After our evening service, on TV, a famous basketball coach was doing commentary with the cross clearly marked right there in the center of his forehead. Other TV personalities also showed their faith with that cross where you just can't miss it. It would have been easy to wipe it away, but they didn't. There is an expression, "to wear your emotions on your sleeve," and this is along those same lines. The cross will wash off, no matter how hard you try to keep it, but the question of Lent is, "how will you wear your faith?" It shouldn't just be a dark smudge on one night a year, it needs to be an everyday way of living. What does your faith look like? Can others see it or do you hide it? It is not about wearing some kind of faith uniform, though maybe that could be part of it, it is about finding your authentic self and acknowledging that if you want authentic faith too, it will show in who you are.

One more thing...I mean one less thing

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

Ash Wednesday each year signifies the official beginning to Lent. We usher in a time of deeper devotions and give ourselves over to be renewed. Admittedly some years it feels like, "I've already got enough going on this year, and now I am supposed to give something up and try to be more focused on God." The answer to which is, "Yeah, you are. That's exactly the point." We are busy, maybe even overwhelmed by what we have on our plate and it feels like one more thing, anything, might just be too much to handle. That's the gift of lenten devotion; it's not about adding one more thing to your plate, it's about letting go of something, or at the very least allowing your plate to feel a little lighter by letting go of the inward focus a full plate often forces on us and turning that focus to God and a bigger smaller picture. It is the dichotomy of less being more and of seeing more helping us understand that what seems so big just isn't. It is not about diminishing the importance of the things which impact us, it is again the opposite, it is about seeing through everything and discovering what is really important. As we begin may we take on letting go, see big smaller, and focus on what matters.

The Whole Story

2010-04-04T00:13:00.000-07:00

There is no such thing as a short story. For every story there exists some kind of background story, a past, and for every story there is also a future, a what comes next. The story of even the most isolated of events would not exist if it were not for all that has come before it to make it possible. The story of a life begins long before that life comes into being and the story of a death lives on after through legacy after legacy. In some sense all stories start at the beginning. That seems obvious, but the true beginning is the same beginning for all stories because the true beginning is God and then the void into which God thrust creation which began all of our stories. To understand a story we have to try to understand all the things that took us to the point at which we started to follow it and once the story is told we can't help but imagine what could come next and all the possibilities. Many great minds have sought the meaning of life, but you can never find it even for your own life unless you at least try to understand how you got to your beginning. It's not even that you have to make sense of it all, but you have to acknowledge that there is more to the story.

The Easter story began at creation and continues today and everything that happened along the way influenced how things came to pass. More importantly though it is that story which influences everything since. It is that story which brings us to our story and even if you struggle with it, no matter how you interpret it, even if you don't believe in it, it is so powerful that it has impacted all other stories. It is the story of love so strong it stops at nothing to show us, to make us feel loved and the story of a love that continues to live resurrected in us, through us, for us, it is a love that can not be denied and we, all of us, Christian and non-Christian live in that love because it is God's love.

Anticipation

2010-04-03T00:41:00.000-07:00

Waiting is something we do a lot of and every time we wait we think more about waiting and about what we are waiting for. Sometimes we are waiting for something without really knowing what that something might be, but other times within our waiting is the weight of our anticipation because we know what's coming and whatever "it" is our waiting time is clouded over by our feelings about "it." Hopefully we are excited about the things to come (which doesn't make waiting all that much easier, but at least we wait in hope which is much better than waiting in dread). Perhaps some kind of preparation helps us pass the time or we just find a way to be busy so we don't think about it too much, but there can be a great energy around our anticipation that can actually carry us through difficult times because we know something good is coming which will diminish and overshadow any difficulties we may have had along the way or while we were waiting. It is an interesting thing however to wait for the same thing every year, and it can be a challenge to find a way each time to be excited, to let our anticipation boil over into joy for a moment that we have already had each year since we could remember. The only way it works is if we can know in our hearts that what we wait for has something new for us each year; even if it comes in the same packaging. We need to be reminded of even the incredible things year after year, and each time we are they can teach us something new because we see them and experience them with a whole years worth of new experiences behind us. It's not so much that we can choose whether we are excited about something or not, but we can choose to be receptive and even to anticipate something glorious. If we believe it will be amazing, there is a much greater chance that it will.

Learning Love

2010-04-02T04:41:00.000-07:00

The story of "Good Friday" is a lesson in love and ultimately the entire story of Jesus the Christ is a story about what unconditional really means. The lesson is about our willingness to give everything, our possessions, our sleep (every parent truly understands this one), our time, our energy and even our very life. It's when after a long and intense day you are awakened at three o'clock in the morning by a small voice saying, "daddy, I can't sleep," and you aren't upset or annoyed, you just get up, you snuggle, you sing, you read a story, you do what is needed and even at 3am at least a part of you appreciates the moment. It's the willingness to put your reputation at the very least and even your life if it comes down to it on the line to do what is good and what is right and to endure the criticism or whatever hardships come from it knowing in your heart that you simply have to put yourself out there, you have to give what there is to give when you believe in something and when the message just needs to be heard. It's visible in the person who after hearing a sad story about why a person can't afford bus fare simply hands them the fare as they get off the bus. It's the person who sees a man with no shirt and takes their own off their back and gives it to him. It's not about comparing one act of love to another in some sort of hierarchy, it's about learning the loving response to every situation. It's not about being selfless, it's about loving so much that you have no other response, that for you to respond any other way would feel wrong. We learn love, we feel love, we experience love and in the end it comes down to how we live love.

The Lull

2010-04-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

There are moments, days, or for some weeks and even years when in the midst of everything going on we enter a lull. Days and weeks can get so filled with busyness, but often somewhere amidst the chaos there exists a lull. It's not a break per say, but rather a time that seems to exist almost separately; removed from everything else. Perhaps it's the calm before the storm because on either side of it is that busyness again, but it's more than that too because it has its own sort of activity that fills it with the things that the busyness doesn't allow for. In some respects we might even say that the lull is where the things we've been meaning to do get done. There is a heaviness too, a weight of expectations that it won't last or sometimes a desire that it will pass so you can jump in to what's next, or maybe both at the same time. That's the thing about a lull, you're never quite sure whether to be thankful for it, or annoyed by it because it might get you out of the rhythm or the routine that you have built around yourself. It's not that the lull is a waiting time, because there is always something that needs to be done, but it's infused with an atmosphere of calm as if while you're in it your cares are less (whether they are or they aren't doesn't matter in the lull). There is a certain amount of deception in the lull as though we have been "lulled" into something, but on the other hand, maybe the true deception is in the busyness and it's only in the lull that things become clear because we find a way or are led into a way of not worrying so much. You always know what's coming, but it's nice to have even a moment where you just aren't worried about it. We don't create them, they seem to just happen on their own, but if we respect them for what they are, they have a lot to offer.

A power you can't explain

2010-03-31T00:03:00.000-07:00

Whether you believe in an earthly absolution(more technically a heavenly absolution through an earthly confessor) or a purely heavenly one, there is something powerful about forgiveness as an element in communal worship. To kneel and be prayed for with the laying on of hands, if you give yourself to it, touches you in a way that helps you understand why God is often described in terms of "mystery," because you really can't describe it. Other services where you nail your confession to a cross or any number of other similar acts of symbolically unburdening ourselves can be equally as moving. Services of healing can change lives through a similar kind of release and the power of prayer has been well documented as having a positive (some might say miraculous) effect on healing. In some ways we can rationalize these things as deeply personal and therefore, their effect comes from the sharing of ourselves is such a way that we feel we are no longer having to deal with our struggles alone. That however does not diminish the power of those feelings. The thing is, these kinds of experiences, that feeling of a power you can't explain, are not limited to the personal/confessional. I have been to services held in languages which I can't even remotely understand where I was touched to my core and compelled to join in, to sing, to pray, to dance, and to commune, all when it would have been acceptable and even understandable to just observe. It all comes down a willingness to experience that power, though it is sometimes so strong it even gets to the unwilling and they can be even more inspired than those that are seeking it. If you don't want to participate, you aren't really giving God the chance to touch you, but if you are willing and you don't feel anything, either keep trying and you will. God wants to reach us.

Thunderstorms

2010-03-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

In the Denver area all summer long you can practically set your clock to the afternoon thunderstorms. They only last for a half hour to an hour, but they come with their clocklike efficiency as a wave of brief intensity letting loose everything they've got in that short time and then they move on. There is something incredible in the power of a thunder clap that can shake the windows and vibrate through your very being and a rain so intense it can soak you to your very core in moments. It is no wonder that in many ancient cultures the force of the thunder and the raw energy of the lightening are closely associated with God. There is something cleansing, as if the whole of creation is being scoured clean, and at the same time something ferociously violent in the disruption of a thunderstorm that stirs up the calm. The challenge is to see God in both the calm and the storm. In the storm we see the fervor of God, in that vigorous cleansing and in the shaking up, the stirring of the complacent calm waking us up and getting our attention. But God is also the harbinger of the calm bringing peace amidst chaos with the same pervasive intensity as the hail and the wind moving in us and around us and through us. That God is both, equally and somehow at the same time, and that both are good is part of the magnificent mystery which is faith. in all things we experience God's acute desire to interact with creation, it's just easier to notice sometimes in the poser of the storm.

A God workout

2010-03-29T02:40:00.000-07:00

It was perhaps some kind of a Freudian slip that occurred while talking about a daily workout that was good, but it begs the question: what would a "God workout" look like and how do we measure whether we are getting in better shape or not? There are obvious components like prayer, study of scripture, maybe some hymn or praise singing (Augustine of Hippo said that, "when you sing you pray twice") and then of course there are various meditative practices. So what goes into a good prayer session? There are so many different ways of praying that is has to come down to how you feel when you're done. Have you released your burdens? Have you shared your thanks, confessed your sins, dedicated your self? I suppose it's the same with any workout; if you feel good about it, it was a good workout. In terms of study and meditation both are about intention. A workout may be about practicing a skill or learning a new one so we get better at something which helps us get closer to some tangible goal. When we study it's about learning too; it's about gaining knowledge that helps us grow closer to God through our greater understanding. When we meditate it's about growing closer to God as well. We seek to remove distractions, which can act as barriers, so we can hear god better and maybe even understand ourselves better as we relate to God by looking inwardly. Practice has the same purpose; that something will become so natural that you no longer have to think about it and you can do it even amidst distractions. So what is a "God workout?" Like any workout, it's personal even though it can be helpful when done in community and with an instructor. It's about doing whatever for you helps you get closer to God. Have a good, I mean God workout.

Cutting Teeth

2010-03-28T01:52:00.000-07:00

For an almost six month old cutting her first tooth is painful and you can't explain it to her so it's got to be confusing as well. There's lots of crying and everyone has some kind of remedy or something to try to help, but the reality is it's an unavoidable process that everyone goes through and no one remembers. As an idiom people talk about "cutting teeth" as part of the learning process; it's where we begin, where we get our start. Sometimes when we are learning something new, it's not always fun, it might even be a little painful, but once we figure it out we accept those things as simply what had to be done and often we even manage to forget the hard stuff. It's actually a good lesson to hold on to when we are struggling with something new. if we always remembered how hard things can be or if we dwell on the discomfort we feel until we figure things out, we may never want to try anything new again. If instead we recognize the fact that we've had hard times before, we have struggled before, but we got through them it was worth it and those things aren't such a big deal any more. It's probably also good to that we don't forget the part about everyone having a suggestion about how to deal with things (some of which help, some of which don't) and that in the end no matter what we did to get through it, we got through it and all those suggestions came from folks who meant well. Maybe the point is that if we are afraid of or if we never cut our teeth, we'll never really learn anything.

Guarantees

2010-03-27T06:22:00.000-07:00

What are we ever really guaranteed? There is a common saying that, "change is the only true constant," and we understand that things do change, so where do we get our sense of permanence. In terms of budgeting and some other things we talk about entitlements, but those can't or at least in many cases shouldn't be something that is just a given in perpetuity. Even though we understand this there is often shock when something we had always thought was guaranteed goes away. We struggle with our own sense of what we are entitled to, but what we need to understand is that we aren't really entitled to anything. It's not so much that we have to earn everything, but one of the greatest lessons we can learn is the humility that comes when we understand that everything we have comes from God. Sometimes when a guarantee or something we feel entitled to is taken away it can be the best thing for us because we get a chance to prove God right and to live up to the trust and belief that God has in us. We have been given free will and personal responsibility and it's when we stop taking things for granted that we have the chance to truly thrive. The only guarantee is God's love.

Giving up

2010-03-26T00:14:00.000-07:00

The other day I was walking through town with a big pink box of pastries from Bob's Bakery and I ended up in a random conversation with a stranger about how great they are. The person I talked to told me about how they used have them at staff meetings, but now that they don't work there anymore they don't have them. What struck me is that, for one Bob's is still open and was less than a quarter mile from where we were talking so they could certainly still have the pastries whenever they wanted, but more importantly it brought up the issue of how when our routine changes we sometimes give up on things that we don't have to. It's like somehow we make one change and that means we have to cut ourselves off from the things associated with the way things were. It's one thing to move away from a place you love and it's even pretty common to miss a restaurant since our memories are often tied to our senses of taste and smell, but we stop doing things even when we could be doing them. At one church seventeen small groups were started around a single program that lasted for 40 days. When the program ended some of the groups ended too, but other groups decided that they liked getting together so they either asked for another program that they could go through together or they simply decided that they would keep meeting for community, fellowship and maybe even accountability.

Sometimes we act as though we are victims of change simply because we choose not to adapt or in some cases we give up and decide it was because of change instead of owning that we still have the choice to do it or not. That is not to say that there aren't some things which we give up in order to change, but there are also things we blame on change because it is convenient. If something is important enough we shouldn't give up on it, we just may need to approach it differently to make it possible and in the process we may discover that it wasn't as important as we thought or we may learn what is important and be able to continue that in other ways. We choose.

Ockham's Razor

2010-03-25T05:24:00.000-07:00

The simplest solution is most often the best solution. That's how the theory usually gets phrased, but the reality is that Ockham's Razor is about cutting through all the superfluous things and getting to what's actually there, what's actually important. It's about not making things harder than they have to be. The difficultly is that we have gotten really good at making things difficult. We have so much information and we have such an ingrained understanding of how one thing affects many things that we can manage to create complications out of even the simplest things. It's not about having too many choices, though that can be a factor, it's that we worry about too many things that we really can't control and we let those things cover up and overwhelm the things that we can. What William of Ockham was trying to say is that things don't have to be as complicated as we make them. As Thoreau said, "simplify, simplify, simplify."

Taking time for conversation

2010-03-24T01:43:00.000-07:00

Most of the time we seem to be in such a hurry that we can only have conversations that are scheduled. We set times for phone calls, meetings, coffee and we pack things so tightly that when we run into someone by chance all we give ourselves time for is a quick "hello" and then we have to get going to the next thing even when the schedule only really exists in our mind. Sometimes it really is just our plan for how we expect things to go and in it we don't make room for interruptions or chance conversations. We never know what we have missed because we have already moved on to the next thing and we don't really have time to consider it, but every once in a while we give ourselves permission to break from schedule and really engage with someone we hadn't planned to talk to. Those conversations can offer the most real and authentic moments for us because we don't have time to think ahead about what to talk about, what to say, what they might ask. It doesn't always work like that, but if we give ourselves "permission to speak freely" we may end up having a great conversation with someone we don't ever think to plan a conversation with. The reality is we only half consciously schedule our time like that, but that's exactly how we end up missing opportunities for connection. A chance meeting can either be just that or it can be an excuse to engage in the dying art of a good conversation.

Satisfaction

2010-03-23T00:42:00.000-07:00

There is no feeling like the satisfaction of checking things off your mental to-do list. Procrastination however often seems to be the rule rather than the exception. Why do today what you don't have to do until next week? Sometimes it's really just something we don't want to do (like mow the lawn, patch the hole in the wall, write that paper), or it may just be something so far down our priority list that it just doesn't ever seem to make it to the top (we want to do it, just not badly enough to actually do it). There are other times when we are just having a hard time accepting that something needs to be done because doing it means we have acknowledge a reality that we are struggling with. That may sound a little cryptic, but the point is that there are times that we don't do things because we don't really want to move on into a new phase. The funny thing is that once we get something done there is almost always some sense of satisfaction and we often wonder why we didn't do it before. There is a lot to be said for just diving in and getting things done. That may even be the greatest allure of the tangible hands on project where you can actually see the results. When you build something you can touch it, you can test it and you know when you are done. Not everything is like that, not everything is so quantifiable. In many cases our satisfaction must come from knowing that we did our best regardless of actual results. On the days we feel like we just can't seem to get anything done, the best cure is to search for even the most simple thing on our to do list and get that one things done because even that small accomplishment can make a day better for having done something. In the end our level of satisfaction with everything from our day to a certain task to our life comes down to our own feelings regardless of anything else. If we feel it has been a success than it has and the same is very nearly true for failure as well. If you can do something good, you should and once you do that's the closest we come to an assurance of satisfaction. I suppose the question is, "what have I been putting off?" and, "What can I get done today?" It's good to get things done.

The rallying speech

2010-03-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

"Once more into the breach dear friends, once more" Henry V III.I

"And the last thing he said to me -- 'Rock," he said - 'sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper..." Knute Rockne

"We also come here today to affirm that we will no longer sit idly by in agonizing deprivation and wait on others to provide our freedom. We will be sadly mistaken if we think freedom is some lavish dish that the federal government and the white man will pass out on a silver platter while the Negro merely furnishes the appetite. Freedom is never voluntarily granted by the oppressor. It must be demanded by the oppressed."-Martin Luther King Jr.

These are just a few classic examples and whether fictionalized or true there is something about these special speeches. We have heard them, watched them, read them, maybe even experienced them; these moments of motivational magic. Something happens when the passion and fervor of one person comes out in a way that inspires miracles, that inspires the impossible to happen as ordinary people do extraordinary things (or perhaps just people who think they are ordinary realize the extraordinary that is in all of us). The thing is, these are the exception, they stand out not just because of what they inspire, but because of the rare individuals who deliver them and the rare occasions of their occurrence. So where do we turn for our everyday motivations? What wakes us up each day and brings out our potential? Maybe it's our kids who see us as heros and we want to live up to their image of us. Maybe it's our parents, our families, our friends, and hopefully our faith which makes us want to work harder, be better. It's something to be aware of; what motivates us? Where do our passions come from and how do we let them effect us and inspire us? How open are we to everyday inspirations? or are we just waiting for that one big thing that one special moment? Are we seeking inspiration or are we just waiting for it to come to us? If we are open to it, every moment has something to offer. Life is full of simple things in between the big things, but the truly extraordinary happens when even the simple things can ignite our passions. If we wait for the famous speech we run the risk of being bored with life and we may even loose our ability to be inspired. What those speeches do is remind us to live fully the potential of what exists inside us every day. It's time to wake up and be moved by every moment.

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-21T00:04:00.000-07:00

There is a natural inclination to become more active when spring comes. It's not just humans, it's all of nature. Hibernating insects and animals wake up and start to come alive again. Birds begin their migration seeking a place to make a new nest and hatch their eggs. Flowers sprout and grow and it's as if the earth dusts itself off and invites us to come out and enjoy. There is a ritual to it all and for many of us we too dust things off, clean out the clutter that has accumulated during winter and fall and come alive out of the hibernation that can set in in the gray winter doldrums. Perhaps we need to apply the same method to our lives as we do to our homes and our yards. As receive the energy of spring we should take the opportunity to clear out the clutter in our lives, to reorganize and decide what we can let go of as we spring into new things. It' a good time to ask ourselves, "what am I holding onto that I shouldn't?" both in terms of the accumulated stuff in our closets and the baggage we hold onto in our lives. Maybe it's someone we need to forgive, maybe it's a loss or a sadness we need to let go of, maybe it's a habit we need to quit, what ever it is, it's like there is this magical impetus in spring to start fresh. Spring is a time to clear out some of the old things that are gathering dust and to begin a new adventure, start a new habit, seek new experiences, to be renewed. Spring is a time to live.

Living our priorities

2010-03-20T00:40:00.000-07:00

There is a common admonition that you should, "put your money where your mouth is." We might adjust that a little though to say, "put your self where your priorities are." Whether it is our money, our energy, our time, or whatever it is of ourselves that we can give, at some point we have to decide where to put it. Do we put our resources behind or towards the things that matter most to us, or do we do what we think we have to do and then whatever we have left we put it towards those priorities? It's easy to argue that there are essentials because there are (food/water, clothing, shelter), but there are decisions about how gourmet, fancy, big those things need to be, and sometimes we create lists of essentials so long that everything is "essential." When we focus on our time more than our money how much of it do we really spend on the things that we want to do or the things we think are important? Sometimes we get so stuck in what we have always done we don't know how to stop even if our priorities have shifted. It becomes a question not just of how important things are to us, how much of a priority they are, but it comes down to how willing we are to live them. How willing are we to give up other things so we can focus our resources on those things we say we are about? Living our priorities is about having a mission statement, a personal creed to live by. it's about going for your goals and letting them guide you. It's about living intentionally so that our outward actions match our inward prerogative.

Escape to the Corner Cafe

2010-03-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

It's kind of nice to go to a place where they know you. The person behind the counter may not know your name, but they know what you order and, despite all the people coming in and out, when that happens it somehow becomes your place too. It is the same feeling of when the person at the bank asks you where your adorable (her word not my embellishment) child is that you usually bring with you, you know that that has become your bank. The allure of the corner cafe goes even beyond familiarity though, it is this place where you can sit in comfy chairs around a red shag carpet listening to interesting music surrounded by interesting people (all people are interesting if you are willing to take an interest) using the free wifi and drinking (or not if you are fasting) your favorite drink. In some cafe's you enter into this tranquil bubble that really is as Howard Schultz founder of Starbucks says, "a home away from home." It is a place where you can be both known and anonymous at the same time. Conversations come easily, creativity seems to just be in the atmosphere and you begin to understand why so many people find their way here, get their work done here, escape here. Maybe that's the real heart of it too, that it is a place to escape to, and we all need that. We all need a place to be that isn't work and isn't home and where we can just pop into for a few minutes or a few hours and just be. Some people go to the mall and just walk around, or they push their infant daughter around a hardware store for hours without a project in mind, but with the unpretentious thought of simply enjoying the place filled with it's possibilities both practical and impractical that can combine both creativity and simple hands on labor in perfect symmetry (that might be stretching it a bit, but you get the point). It's all a matter of perspective and any place can be that place for you. The corner cafe is intentional about it, they want to be that place for you, but any place can be if you think of it that way. For some people it's not even a place, but a person they call who provides that place that for as long as you are talking the chaos of life seems to dissipate and you can just sit back and not worry about things for a time. There are other escapes too, like cabins in the woods, but there is something significant to having a place that in the midst of a crazy day or a crazy week, we can go catch our breath even if it's just for a moment. We all need to find that place for ourselves as we dive into and out of the hustle bustle of everyday life. We escape within life not away from it, but we do need that escape.

Rethinking a legacy

2010-03-18T05:34:00.000-07:00

Whether it's something we plan for or even think about, there is something deep in all of us that is conscious of the legacy we will leave behind. For some people it's the thing we can put our plaque on, the book we wrote, the movement we led, the program we started, the award we endow, whatever it might be that will carry on in our name or because of some impact we had on it. For the teacher it is perhaps the students who will go on to do great things, maybe even teach themselves that provide the legacy.

As i began a process of going through my grandfather's things I came across binder upon binder of his workshop guides, the organizational leadership manuals that contain the concise wisdom of a natural born leader who has honed the craft and passed it on to thousands young and old. My first thought was of preserving those yellowed sheets of printed material; my grandfather's legacy. i began to read through them; trainings on how to be a leader, how to deal with conflict, how to plan a meeting, how to inspire, how to... i didn't want them to be lost, but after a short time going through them I realized that they can't be. I realized that those dusty binders weren't my grandfather's legacy at all because instead of putting them on a shelf, for most of his life he had put them into practice. Everything in those pages reminded me of the lessons he passed on to me, to his children, his grandchildren and to the many others he influenced over the years and we don't need those pages anymore because we are his legacy. The question now becomes, what will we pass on? How will we make sure that what we have learned, absorbed, discovered is not lost? How will we decide the things that are worth passing on? Do we want to be the kind of person who is loved and mourned when we move on or is it enough for us to know that we have done what we could? I think the greatest lesson I found in that stack of wisdom is that no amount of learning, of talent, or of experience is really worth anything if all it does is sit on a shelf. Our legacy exists in what we say, in what we do and in the example we become. What kind of legacy will you be?

Jargon

2010-03-17T00:43:00.000-07:00

Parousia, eschatology, Theotokos, Christotokos, consubstantiation, transubstantiation, chancel, prevenient, doxology, benediction, narthex, eucharist, liturgical, trinitarian, ecumenical, dogma, doctrine, Paraclete, soteriology, apostolic, sacrament, sanctification, unction...the list goes on and on and we use these words which have so much meaning and over which churches have split as if they were commonly understood, but they simply aren't and probably can't be. How much understanding is lost because we use words that aren't understood, or on the other side of things, because we were too afraid to ask what they meant because we thought we might be the only one who didn't know. These are great words and important concepts, they are the essence of a faith wrapped up in jargon and they should not be watered down, but there is no way for us to understand each other or for others to understand us unless we find ways to speak the same language.

Many of the difficulties, the conflicts and the disagreements in the world exist because of a failure to understand each other and a failure to explain so that we can be understood. Just because we may both be native speakers doesn't mean we speak the same language. Just because I feel I have said something clearly doesn't mean I should assume that you understood or that you heard me say what I thought I said. Jargon is not bad, in fact it is necessary and useful, but it should be a tool for communication instead of a barrier to understanding. We all have to be aware of the language we use, not so we can dumb things down or even change our way of speaking, but so that we can be aware of the things that might need more explanation and so that we won't be afraid to ask questions (because we know that we have been misunderstood before and we don't want to misunderstand). We desire to communicate, to share, to explain, but we need to create an environment where it's okay to ask, "what is a paraclete?" We each have our jargon and the more aware we are that it is "our" jargon the better chance we have of truly understanding each other.

*So as not to assume that you know all those words here are some simple (maybe overly so) definitions:

Parousia-the second coming

eschatology-study of the last or of the end times

theotokos-mother of God

Christotokos-mother of Christ

consubstantiation- to exist alongside (it has to do with Eucharist and whether the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ)

Transubstantiation-to exist within (see above)

Chancel-the space around the altar

Prevenient-that which comes before

Doxology-an expression of praise for God's glory

Benediction-good words

Narthex-the lobby

Eucharist-another word for communion (grateful grace)

Liturgical-the prescribed rites of public worship

Trinitarian-belief in the one God in three persons

Ecumenical-world wide-usually pertains to the movement working towards Christian unity

Dogma-established tenets/doctrines

Doctrine-established teachings

Paraclete-the Holy Spirit-the advocate

Soteriology-study of salvation

Apostolic-passed down from the original apostles

Sacrament-sacred acts

Sanctification-to be made holy

unction-religious fervor

(again these are really simple definitions so if you want more just ask)

The silver lining and lemonade out of lemons

2010-03-16T00:45:00.000-07:00

Hard moments, difficult transitions, loss, for whatever reason these things have more power to bring families and friends together than just about any celebration (other than perhaps a wedding). Rallying around one another in tough times is a blessing for sure, a gift amidst whatever difficulty or tragedy has occurred. The silver lining is an opportunity for family to be reminded of what families are for. There is time for commiseration and for dealing with whatever it is that needs to be done and for supporting each other in whatever ways seem to make sense. The lemonade comes when the family is reminded how good it is to be together. When the thoughts of how they used to get together become thoughts of, "we need to get together more often instead of just when something (good or bad) happens." When the difficult transition becomes an excuse for a double birthday party complete with banana cream pie and a sharing of joyful stories blend in with the concern, that’s when families are at their best. Not every family is the same, time and distance and whatever else can come between us, but we all need that community that can help us find our silver lining and make that lemonade and bring the pie when we are struggling. Whether that comes from friends or your faith community or your family it’s something to be thankful for and, “we need to get together more often instead of just when we’re expected to.”

Adapting on the go

2010-03-15T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sometimes circumstances force us to adapt. We show up expecting one thing and we end up doing something different. We come up with a plan, but then we are confronted with one seemingly insignificant change and we find ourselves having to change everything. Sometimes it's that every once in a while moment when an opportunity arrises and we know we just have to rearrange things to make it possible. No matter how well we might plan there is always some eventuality that can alter our course. We never know what event or what small change may force a big change and whatever it might be or whatever might come up that necessitates our need to adapt, we are forced to decide whether to go with the flow, make a drastic change, take a stand on principle, or stubbornly refuse to do anything different. Perhaps the same cam be said of every day and the choices we make. The questions we ask ourselves are: When it's the things around us that are changing how will we adapt? How willing are we to adjust, to change, to do things differently? What is it about change that scares us the most? When it (change) happens are we willing to give it a chance? Are reality is that we are constantly adapting and how we deal with it says a lot about us. If things always ran their predictable course, life would be pretty boring. We adapt, we grow, we live.

The wrong side of the bed

2010-03-14T00:41:00.000-08:00

No matter how hard we try to start the day well or how determined we are to have a good day, sometimes things just don't go the way we hope and instead we find ourselves just looking forward to tomorrow (or like Alexander, thinking about moving to Australia).* We try to make the best of things and we find ourselves especially thankful for the things that are good (like biscuits and gravy). Perhaps that's the best lesson from a not so great day, we learn to appreciate the little joys that much more. Some days we have plans that fall apart, but at least on those we can usually identify why. Other days just aren't great despite the efforts of others and of course sometimes because of those efforts. A cranky child, a lost phone, a chore you didn't plan on doing, a disappointment, somedays just seem harder and often longer.

So what do we do? We laugh, we smile, we shrug, we remind ourselves of the sage wisdom of Little Orphan Annie, "the sun'll come out tomorrow" and we give ourselves permission to have dessert (whether it's our birthday or not). That can be the other gift of a not so great day, we give ourselves permission to do something for ourselves because sometimes it takes that bad day to realize we deserve it. We have dessert, we let some things go and make time for a little extra "me" time. We watch some TV, we read a book, we go for an extra long run, we make time for that extra something we need to do so we can redeem the day, we find a way to make things not so bad and maybe we even realize they aren't. On the other hand maybe we just move to Australia.

*for anyone who hasn't read it Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst is a classic

The ways we care

2010-03-13T00:21:00.000-08:00

When we love someone, the lengths to which we will go show it seem to know no bounds. We will sacrifice sleep, time, money, self and more to be there for each other, to be with each other, to care for each other. Unconditional love lives in the hospital room as a sister waits by her siblings side knowing that the feeling is mutual and never really even considering that there is an alternative to being right where she is. It lives in the hearts of the parent and grandparent who can only smile at the way their child assigns seats for dinner and just has to wear their Christmas pajamas to the restaurant (in March). Families rally around their patriarch or matriarch to honor the legacy of all the care they have shown and to return in whatever small measure we can the love that has been passed down, taught, and lived in every lesson, every tender moment and every hard time weathered together. It's amazing how natural our expressions of love can be when they come from a life rooted in the loving care we ourselves have experienced. Love truly does grow and spread as a lesson taught and passed from generation to generation in every act of care and kind consideration. How we show our care is a legacy and making sure that others know that they are loved is the greatest gift we have offer, unconditionally. Love.

Seeing the Whole Picture

2010-03-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

It is perhaps impossible for anyone but God to ever have the whole picture, but we always owe it to ourselves to have as much of it as we can. The ability to be able to see another's perspective is crucial to any kind of peace or unity that we hope to have in this world and in our own lives. From our first moment of comprehension we begin to form opinions. From our parent's, our friends, our faith communities, our teachers, the media, everywhere, we are inundated with ideas and opinions and from these we form our "world view." The problem comes when we refuse to acknowledge that not everyone has the same view or maybe we acknowledge it, but just dismiss that which is different as being wrong or unimportant. That is the extreme, but it can happen when we let it. It happens when we close our minds and stop asking questions. It happens when we accept one version without bothering to even see if there is another. It is not about agreeing with everything, it's about understanding even those things which we don't agree with. When a decision is made that we don't like, we can protest, we can strike, we can subvert, we can mope about feeling upset, or we can seek to understand it so that even if we don't agree with it we can make progress towards accepting it or even changing it. Things like strikes represent on the one hand a break down in communication and on the other they represent the peoples ability to stand up and be heard when whoever is in charge refuses to see anything from a perspective other than their own and the hope that minds can be changed or that people will live up to what they say they will do.

We have to constantly challenge ourselves to keep an open mind and we have to listen to the voices of those we disagree with. We should ask ourselves "where have I closed my mind?" and "where have I failed to listen?" It's about having more than just an open mind, it's about intentionally seeking to understand as many perspectives as you can. How open is your mind?

A Life of Learning

2010-03-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

The pursuit of knowledge often leads us to new discoveries, new ways of thinking opening up new worlds to explore. Everyday we are presented with new invitations to explore life more deeply, to experience, to observe, to study, to learn from everything around us. In books we receive the knowledge and wisdom of others and while it might not always be as clear to us as it seems to them or their discoveries might not mean the same things to us, every book, every person, every experience has something to add to our journey and our pursuit of greater knowledge. In a hundred pages of reading there may only be one thought, one sentence, one word that grabs us, but that one thing can reveal new paths for our learning and our imaginations to follow into millions of possibilities. In the midst of this life of learning we need to keep our minds open understanding that the greatest knowledge is in knowing that you don't know everything therefore maintaining that constant thirst for discovery. If our intention is always to learn then each moment has something good to offer even when it doesn't feel that way. Everyday we must ask ourselves the question, "what have I learned?" If we are not learning, we are not living.

Facing a challenge head on

2010-03-10T00:04:00.000-08:00

When being chased the most natural thing to do is to run or try to hide. So when you are already running and a large dog decides to come after you, your first instinct is often to run faster. Sometimes this works and you manage to leave whatever territory the dog thinks you have trespassed on, but sometimes instead of running faster, you have to turn around, stop and challenge the dog right back. In life it's the same way. We all have pressures, fears, expectations, responsibilities and all kinds of things which can feel like they are trying to chase us down. For much of the time we just keep moving trying to stay ahead of things or perhaps we find ourselves avoiding them and hoping that they will just go away. Other times though we need to just turn and face things head on. It's about asserting yourself and showing (whether true or not) that you are not afraid (this is true of both the situation with the dog and with life). Ultimately it comes down to taking control of your life and refusing to be chased. It is good for us to think about the things which are pushing us, whatever they are, and then to face them and make our own choice as to where we will go. We need to seek our own path instead of the one we are being pushed down or at least we need to understand what's pushing us. We may still be running, but at least we can be running towards something instead of running away.

In Search of Blue Sky

2010-03-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

When you live in a place where it rains a lot, you get used to gray days. Waking up to below freezing temperatures and even a few snow flakes drifting down to earth should not come as a surprise even on the cusp of Spring (and after a series of warm sunny days). It can be hard on people from sunnier climates, but we all either find a way to adapt or we end up staying inside a lot. Sometimes though we refuse to accept the gray and we find ourselves in search of blue sky. Even if we can't find it, we head to places like the park and the zoo in defiance of the clouds and the cold and there are always others there sharing our defiance (we may even be rewarded with blue sky when we get there). In life we get used to things going the way they go. We can get stuck in the doldrums or in times that are not bad, maybe even pretty good, but which can also feel like they are missing something. It's when things seem to just be moving along devoid of excitement, that we need to defy our own "normal" and set our sights on the blue skies which we know are out there somewhere. Sometimes we have to create our own blue skies by living as though the sun is always out and not being afraid to get rained (or snowed) on. At our best we will find a way to bring color to the gray, we will offer warmth in the cold, and we will dance in the rain (we may even sing in it as well). We adapt and we defy the things which threaten to hold us back or bring us down. We deserve to live every moment to the fullest and we are the ones who decide whether we do or not.

Mowing the lawn

2010-03-08T00:50:00.000-08:00

There is something to be said for the seemingly mundane tasks. Maybe it's mowing the lawn, or maybe it's doing laundry, ironing, washing dishes, whatever the task, for a lot of people there seems to be one that acts as a release, a way of setting aside all their cares and worries just for a brief time by doing something they don't really have to think about. The reality of these types of activities is that they can actually be a way of focusing more freely on something. I should probably add that one of the finest people I know washes dishes for a living. It's a bit like meditation where you can loose yourself and find yourself at the same time as your mind focuses on a single thing and you find a way to let go of distracting thoughts. Life is so full of pressures and choices and things that pull us every which way and sometimes we need these things we don't have to think about in order to sort through the things we do. It may seem strange, but our "chores" can actually be a blessing (just imagine if we discovered that as kids). When we do things that force us to use our hands more than our minds it can help us realize how connected the mind body and soul really are and that we have to find ways to exercise all of them in order for each of them to thrive.

Roles we play

2010-03-07T07:38:00.000-08:00

"All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts..."

We all have roles we play at different points in our lives. We do the things we are asked to do, things we volunteer for, things we do because they are simply thrust upon us and we must. Even in a day, in an instance we may play many parts to many people and it's often important to keep these things in mind as we understand our relationship to those around us. There is a temptation sometimes to think that we can not be ourselves always because of our roles, but the real heart of the matter is how to be yourself in every role. In a journey of self examination it can't be about acting a role, it has to be about putting yourself in a role. You are you and you are the only you there is so be that and do it well. When an actor studies a role many of them try to avoid seeing anyone else that has ever played that role, because the temptation may be to imitate at least to an extent how that other person played it and the great actors know that to do it well it must be yours completely not your version of how someone else did it. The same is true for us. It is not that we won't have picked things up from people we have seen, but the joy of our uniqueness is that we put our own spin on things and in that we leave our mark.

Temptations

2010-03-06T02:17:00.000-08:00

Temptation hits us most when we are struggling to do what we set out to do. When things are easy, resisting temptation is also easy, but temptation often comes to give us an easier way when things are hard, but that way is usually one that also renders worthless what we are trying to achieve. When you are fasting you accept that you will still encounter food and drink and even that you will likely be with others who are not fasting and who will eat around you. That can be struggle enough, which is part of what makes fasting and denial of self such a powerful devotional exercise, but then when you are offered food over and over again (even by someone with good intentions) it can be hard to not just give in. Ultimately it is the struggle with these and other temptations which will teach us the most and how we respond to temptation will define how we live our lives. To never be tempted may seem like a saintly thing, but in reality to be constantly tempted, but to resist shows far greater devotion. It is like with many of the seemingly "negative" emotions; it is not the emotion or the feeling that is negative, it is what we do with it, how we respond that can have negative consequences. Fear, anger and certainly temptation have a lot to teach us. We should always be aware of our temptations, but we should also be aware not of the strength it takes to resist it (which may be great), but of the strength we receive when we do resist it. There is something to be said for avoiding temptation, but there is also something to be said for confronting it.

The Gray Dawn

2010-03-05T06:58:00.000-08:00

There is a promise in every dawn as the sun kisses the sky each morning; a promise of inspiration, of possibilities and opportunities. As the light begins to grow and the world becomes illuminated, the life giving rays of the sun proclaim a new day. Even on the cloudiest of days the darkness cannot hold back the glow, the warmth that wakes the world. The roosters crow calls out, "wake up, look to the light and don't waste a moment of this gift God has given us." In a life where change is often the only true constant we can count on the consistency of God in the rising of the sun. From that first moment of illumination we are invited to start fresh let the day be whatever we choose to make it. In the half light of the dawn it's as if a choice is being made between darkness and light and God said, "let there be light." When we wake up we need to make that same proclamation on our own dawn, "let there be light," let us grasp the newness of each day and be filled with the transplendent glory of promising possibilities.

A great way to wake up

2010-03-04T01:29:00.000-08:00

We all wake up at different times and to do different things, but no matter how or why we all know the feeling that some mornings (or evenings for the graveyard shift folks) start better than others. Waking up to a smiling almost three year old saying, "Wake up daddy! Come play with me." is pretty good even if it comes a little earlier than you would like. A little playing, making breakfast and then a rousing dance session to some "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" soul/gospel music while holding your two daughters is more than good. Follow all that up with a brisk run and it's a pretty nice way to start the day...for me. Most people have a routine when they wake up, but that doesn't make it good. We all deserve days where we can just wake up and say, "today is going to be a great day." We all need days with that little something special that gets us going in a positive way, something that makes us smile to start things right and set a tone for the rest of our day. They say that, "breakfast is the most important meal of the day," well it seems like how we wake up and get ourselves going is the most important part of the day. Every morning we should do something that invigorates us. Maybe that's a run or some other exercise, maybe it's prayer, maybe it's cooking or eating certain things, maybe it's listening to music or watching a certain show, maybe its a long shower, but whatever it is, it's important that we give those things to ourselves because they really do make a difference for our whole day.

Catching up and slowing down

2010-03-03T01:26:00.000-08:00

We all have times when we feel like we are a bit behind, whether it's because of an absence or some unexpected thing which came up or simply because there is just so much to do. We can end up feeling in a rush all the time just trying to catch up, to get on top of things again so we can catch our breath. The stacks of emails to return, the house work, yard work, home work, work work that needs to get done can weigh us down until we finally get that day to catch up or until we realize instead that we need to just take that breath, slow down and let some things go. This second response could be the one we need to find whether we are really behind or not. Life can move so fast at times that we never really pause long enough to enjoy it. We need to give ourselves permission to walk instead of run (or drive as the case may be) and maybe even to stop along the way in the name of a good conversation or to check in with those we care about and never seem to have the time to talk to. Slowing down can be good for the soul. You never know what you might catch on to when you stop trying to catch up.

7 foot tall dead weeds

2010-03-02T01:44:00.000-08:00

We all have things that we know we should really get rid of or take care of, but sometimes we manage to ignore them and shove them off to the side for a really long time. Sometimes they take care of themselves or they harmlessly gather dust without really bothering anything, but other times they pile up and the next thing we know we have seven foot tall brown and dead but somehow still growing weeds in our yard. The metaphor of weeding out the bad things is a very strong Biblical one, but the idea of taking care of that thing which we keep putting off can be even more poignant for our everyday lives. It could be the phone call we have been meaning to make, the letter we have been meaning to send (okay email probably), or maybe it's that person we have been meaning to visit. On the hand, it could be an opportunity we have always wanted to take or place we have always wanted to go; whatever it is for you, it's that thing we have been meaning to do, but haven't. In many cases it's not really about the time it takes, it's about needing that strong enough motivation to just do what we have been putting off. Sometimes we need to just have it put right in front of us and maybe all we need is a little push. The thing is, if we never take care of those weeds they may just keep growing until they take over, or we may just never know what might grow in their place if they weren't there. Sometimes we can push a metaphor too far, but the point is that in the depth of our devotional self reflection we need to be able to acknowledge the things we have put off and decide how important it is to deal with them so that we can move forward on our journey.

Teach them well

2010-03-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

Whiney Houston sang,

"I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be"

Every day we have an opportunity to pass something on to the generations which will follow us. Some days that means putting on your soccer shoes and going out to kick a ball around with a three year-old, but every day it means setting an example of how to live. It means teaching our children how to be honest, how to give of ourselves, how to serve others, how to have hope, how to work hard, how to follow our dreams, how to love and how to have faith. Mark Twain said, "to be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler-and less trouble." We have all been taught good and we have a duty to be constantly aware of how we pass it on. The example we set is the foundation on which the future rests. As we think about our own lives let us be ever mindful of what they will teach others (not just the children) and of what legacy we will leave behind.

Making the best of every day

2010-02-28T00:45:00.000-08:00

Some days we start out with a plan (or at least we come up with one early on) and then we set about trying make it happen. Some days that plan works out great and we get to do everything we wanted and all our expectations for the day get met. Other days, we get started late, the people we hoped to do something with are busy, the place we wanted to go is closed, the internet isn't working so we can't look things up and on top of all that it's raining. At that point we have a choice to make. We can pack it in and decide to simply rest up for another day and reinstitute the plan at another time on a different day, or we can take the next exit and discover something fun to do. It's not that either choice is a bad one, but sometimes we can let the little set backs, the little disappointments ruin our day or force us to give up on something that we really wanted. The lessons we learn from our disappointments and the way we get through our daily stumbling blocks can make all the difference in the world. The plans we make are where we start, but ultimately the more important thing is that we get something, we find enjoyment, we learn something, we achieve something (even if none of those things is what we set out to do). There are possibilities waiting for us every day and in every situation and we choose what we get out of them.

Temporary Worlds

2010-02-27T04:31:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we find ourselves in situations where the normal rules we tend to live by just don't apply. We are thrust together with others for a short time and barriers are broken down. In the span of a few hours sitting next to someone on a plane you can share details about your life that you rarely share with anyone or you can end up talking about things you never even thought about and applying them to your life. On a train you could find yourself having a late night dinner with two strangers while you share your life stories over desert. Inside the bubble of travel your normal inhibitions don't exist, the guards you put up so that no one will know you too well aren't so strong. Perhaps it's because you think you will never see the people again, or maybe it's just an effect of forced close proximity, but whatever it is you may even find yourself being more you, more the person you would be without all the pressures of your everyday life than you ever feel free to be at other times. Wouldn't it be nice if we could find a way to be that person everyday. Just think if everyone were willing to share themselves and to trust each other. If everyone could be who they really are or who they want to be without worrying about the role they are supposed to play we might have more happy people.

Lent is a time for self reflection. Perhaps in your reflection you will discover a part of yourself that you wish you could share with others more and maybe just maybe you can tap into that person you are while chatting on the plane and remove whatever it is that keeps you from sharing yourself. Lent is a time to be true to yourself and to others, so maybe we can think of it as a temporary world like the one we travel in (it is often described as a journey after all), but this time the journey doesn't really end and we may find that we don't want it too.

A Diamond in the Rough

2010-02-26T03:54:00.000-08:00

Spending hours looking through new and used bookstores for nothing in particular other than a title or an author that catches our eye is tedious for some, maybe even most, but is a day well spent for the bibliophile. We live in a world where people seem to be becoming increasingly impatient. We want what we want and we want it now or at least fast. The idea of searching for a needle in a haystack, or really searching for anything (other than online) is becoming a lost art that people are getting paid to do for others who feel they simply don't have the time for it. The thing is, in our impatience we may miss the chance to be inspired. In our hurry to get what we think we want or to the place where we think we need to go, we may miss the diamond in the rough, the book amidst the stacks of dusty volumes, the opportunity to try something new or even the chance to meet someone who might just change our life. Sometimes we need to just slow down and be okay with seeking something without knowing exactly what it is that we are seeking. Sometimes we need to not worry so much about the things we want, but instead open our eyes to what is around us, aware that inspiration can strike at any moment. Sometimes we have to be patient for God.

Leaps of Faith

2010-02-25T04:31:00.000-08:00

In the winter Olympics it seems like almost every sport is about who is willing to push the envelope just a little bit further or who will do something that has never been done before. Lent is a time where we push a little harder to go a little deeper too. We may even find ourselves doing something new that we’ve never done, like joining a Bible Study, being the lay reader for worship, fasting, reading a daily devotional, praying more and any number of other things that maybe we have, but maybe we haven’t ever done before. Imagine being the person who first skied down a hill and said, “I bet if we made a ramp we could jump like fifty feet up in the air, do three or four flips while spinning then land and ski the rest of the way down the hill.” Talk about a leap of faith. For most of the jump you can’t even see the ground so you just have to trust that your rotations will be correct and you will land on your feet instead of your head. It may seem a little crazy, but the thing is, we are asked to make similar leaps of faith sometimes too. There are times in everyone’s life and certainly in everyone’s faith when we have to trust God even when it’s scary and we can’t seem to see the landing. God invites us into the mystery of something new and of exploring faith in ways that push us and inspire us. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “do we trust God?” and if we do, “what leap of faith are we willing to take?” In this Lenten season how will you push yourself to do more, grow more? How will you live your faith?

Certiorari

2010-02-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

In order to get your case heard in the Supreme Court you need the court to send a "Writ of Certiorari" to the lower court from which you are appealing. Most of us learn this term at some point in school, but rarely do we think about it or really even learn what it means. Certiorari means, "to be more fully informed" and in the case of the court they are saying, "we want to know more about what's going on." You might say that through every act of worship, every prayer, every moment in which we find ourselves actively seeking God, we are sending our own "writ of Certiorari" to God. By our devotion we say to God, "we want to know you better," "we want to know about your plans for us," "we want to understand more about you," and we learn to point ourselves in the direction of God. No matter where we are on our journey of faith, from the new believer just starting to sort things out the wise veteran who has seen much of life already, we all desire to know more, to be more fully informed. If we seek God in all things we will begin to see God in all things.

The Must Be Dones

2010-02-23T01:03:00.000-08:00

Sometimes in the midst of the busy time filling chores of everyday life a call comes and a decision must be made; do I go or do I finish this chore? Someone needs money or food, someone needs a ride, someone needs your presence, someone wants to borrow something, you can fill in your own scenario. You might say it's a bit like the story of Mary and Martha when Mary decides to ignore the chores and sit at Jesus feet and Martha decides that those things "must be done." The way Jesus answers is to say in effect, "how often will you let the things you think "must be done" get in the way of the moments that might change your life? It's a matter of priorities. If someone needs your help, even for something you think is small, especially for something you think is small but may be big to them; would you drop what you are doing and help? How willing are we to drop the "must be dones"? When someone drops their groceries do you help them pick them up or do you keep going because you don't have time and "someone else will help them." you never know when some small thing you do in the midst of your busyness could make someone's day, change someone's life; maybe even your own.

Accountable Expectations

2010-02-22T02:09:00.000-08:00

It is not always easy to meet the expectations that we put on ourselves and it can be just as hard to meet the ones that others have for us, especially when we are not even sure of what those expectations are. There are all kinds of reasons for why and things that can get in the way, but there will likely be a time when we feel we have let ourselves or someone else down. The thing is we can't let that get us down, but instead need to let our expectations and those of others motivate us. We should always have high expectations and it doesn't do us any good to fear that we won't live up to them. We strive to do our best and ultimately that is the only measure of our accountability; did we do our best? The most important thing to remember is that God believes in us. In the end we must live every moment as fully as we can trusting that God is with us and if we do that we can never really fail.

Lenten worship

2010-02-21T00:11:00.000-08:00

There are more "extra" worship services in Lent than in the entire rest of the Christian calendar and yet the emphasis is more than ever on the everyday. Certainly our spiritual growth is always to be seen as an everyday, every moment, focus, but something about Lent pushes us to even greater awareness. We live into our daily devotion with the hope that worship serves as a way to enhance our personal spiritual life through the integral experience of communal prayer, fellowship and praise. As we worship each week we are reminded of both the personal and a communal challenges God gives us in scripture and those challenges are balances with the unparalleled support and accountability that come from being part of a church family. Worship is an opportunity to express our love for God. Our prayer must be that in our weekly worship we can be inspired to delve deeper into our own self awareness as we seek God in every moment.

Devotional fun

2010-02-20T00:31:00.000-08:00

Often times we think that in order to show our devotion to God we have to suffer or be serious in our contemplation. There is something valid in what our suffering teaches us and much to be gained in serious contemplation, but our celebrations can be just as important a part of our devotional life as well and in fact there should be joy in abundance when it comes to our relationship with God and how we grow closer to our creator. A child's birthday party in the midst of Lent can remind us to play and to be more aware of God's whimsy in creation. The point is that we must be aware of the myriad ways in which God is revealed to us and through which we come to know God. In the laughter of a child, the smile of a friend, the thrill of a new experience which reminds us of the creativity that exists in life lived fully; in each of these and more we find joy and in every joy we find God. There is plenty of room for both fun and seriousness when it comes to God and to really know God and each other we need both.

On Fire for God

2010-02-19T01:33:00.000-08:00

I met a man the other day who described himself as "on fire for God." He takes a bus forty miles each way twice a week to attend church and Bible study. On his first day visiting the church they gave him a Bible and a DVD and invited him on a journey to discover his own faith. He was born into a family with a Catholic father and a Christian Scientist mother and was raise in the Catholic church for a while then stopped going while still a child. As an adult he has rediscovered God in a way that is inspiring him to devotion and he is genuinely excited about church. Perhaps Lent can offer us a chance to rediscover God as well in fresh and new ways so that we too can be excited about our faith. We need to be willing to go on this journey and to seek God again. As a church we need to be inviting each other to delve deeper. As individuals we all should be "on fire for God." Our Lenten worship and whatever form our devotion takes whether it be a fast, a giving up of something or a dedication to service, we must find a way to let it fan those flames in our heart as we experience the grace of God by living our faith. Wherever you are at in your faith I pray that this Lent can invigorate the fire in your soul which burns for God.

For yourself

2010-02-18T00:01:00.000-08:00

Lenten devotion must be for yourself. There is always this thing of what to give up; will you fast?will you do without? Or perhaps you will consider not what to give up, but what to do that is new and good, but no matter what it is, it must be yours. Sometimes there is the temptation to show off. You want to impress people by what you have or what you have done. You want to tell everyone of the hardship you are willing to endure as you seek to prove your devotion in a competition for God's love; which you have somehow decided is limited and must be competed for. As Isaiah 58:5 says, "Do you think that a 'fast day' is about showing off your humility? To put on a pious face and parade around solemnly in black? Do you call that fasting, a fast day that God would like?"

Whatever you choose to do (or not do) let it be for you. Let it teach you something or don't bother because you will have missed the point.

Ash Wednesday

2010-02-17T13:05:00.000-08:00

Today we begin again what we started long ago. We enter into this time of fasting, renewing and deepening our dedication to God as we delve into our faith in conscious contemplation of our lives and our relationship to the Creator. It is a time for self reflection and the hope is that we come through as a truer version of ourselves. The challenge for today is simply to begin; whatever that looks like for you. You may walk, run, jump, or even crawl into this time, but no matter what, it starts with a thought and a desire to grow closer with God and with yourself. Perhaps you will attend a service and receive the imposition of the ashes or perhaps you have already begun by feasting on Fat Tuesday in order to fast today. For some it may not feel like Lent has started until Sunday, but however it begins for you let it begin.