It is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles...what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles...In everything do to others as you would have them do to you.
~ Jesus
Most of what we think, say, and do in life goes unnoticed. Sorry, but it's true. Many of us are not even aware of our own thoughts, words, and actions much less those of others, or theirs of ours. Someone once said, "We wouldn't worry so much about what people think of us if we only knew how seldom they do."
So, why should we even care? Here are two good reasons:
#1 - Because what we think determines what we say and do, even when we are unaware of what we are thinking. Our brains are constantly at work, even when we are sleeping. Much of this work is unconscious and automatic to keep our bodies functioning. However, neuroscience has shown us that even those brain functions are altered by the conscious thoughts. What we think really does matter. We literally become and are our thoughts.
#2 - Because we never know which thought, word, or action of ours will affect someone else. We rarely know when someone is paying attention, or not. How many times have we thought we were paying attention to someone but realized our thoughts were a million miles away? How often does an unexpected smile, kind word, or pleasant tone from someone catch us by surprise and stay with us? So why not pay more attention to what we are projecting into other people's lives.
You can probably think of many more reasons as to why we should care about our thoughts, words, and actions. But now the question is, how do we do this?
Take a look back at the first words of this blog - Most of what we think, say, and do in life goes unnoticed. We can change this by simply paying more attention to what we are thinking, and in turn saying and doing. When we are mindful of our inner lives our outer lives begin to reflect that awareness.
Even if no one else notices, we do. And that should be enough, because we spend more time with ourselves that with anyone else.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Blank Pages
One of the most frightening and exhilarating things to a writer is a blank page. Sometimes it glares back at you, telling you the "idea" bank account is empty. Other times it invites you into the abundance of imagination, potential and possibility. Either way, the page sits empty awaiting the pen or keystroke that makes it no longer blank. Then we're off and writing!
Each and everyday we live is also a blank page. "What! Is he crazy?" I can hear you now, because I also hear myself. "You should see my schedule today. Empty? Hardly! If only I had the luxury of and day with nothing on my calendar."
This may be true, and probably is. However, just because we have things on our schedule doesn't mean we have no control on how are present in those spaces of time during the day. We can determine our attitude toward the people with whom we meet and the items on our agenda. Then if we look closely at each day's schedule we also discover blank spaces between our meetings, phone calls, and emailing. Are we compelled to fill these spaces or satisfied to leave them empty and open to imagination and possibility?
Then again, we could look at the day ahead and say, "Chuck it! I'm going for a hike, or reading a book, or taking in a museum, or..., or...
Regardless of how we fill the day ahead, we will fill it by the choices we make. The content of each and every day is really up to us.
So, wherever you are in your day, filled or not, look for the blank pages and know that you hold the pen or keyboard that will fill them. Then you're off and living.
Each and everyday we live is also a blank page. "What! Is he crazy?" I can hear you now, because I also hear myself. "You should see my schedule today. Empty? Hardly! If only I had the luxury of and day with nothing on my calendar."
This may be true, and probably is. However, just because we have things on our schedule doesn't mean we have no control on how are present in those spaces of time during the day. We can determine our attitude toward the people with whom we meet and the items on our agenda. Then if we look closely at each day's schedule we also discover blank spaces between our meetings, phone calls, and emailing. Are we compelled to fill these spaces or satisfied to leave them empty and open to imagination and possibility?
Then again, we could look at the day ahead and say, "Chuck it! I'm going for a hike, or reading a book, or taking in a museum, or..., or...
Regardless of how we fill the day ahead, we will fill it by the choices we make. The content of each and every day is really up to us.
So, wherever you are in your day, filled or not, look for the blank pages and know that you hold the pen or keyboard that will fill them. Then you're off and living.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Swimming
"Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch."
~Jesus, Luke 5
Many years ago I was a lifeguard at a public swimming pool and one of the sidelines of that job was also teaching swimming lessons, mostly to young children, for the public recreation department.
We always started out in the shallow end of the pool were we learned to be comfortable in the water and under the water. Then came the basics of breathing, floating, treading, kicking and finally arm strokes. Once we had the basics in hand we worked on distance. Our first major goal was swimming across the pool without stopping.
When students were able to swim across the pool they could go into the deep end of the pool. This is where things got interesting. There was usually one or more students who were afraid of going in the deep end, even though they could swim perfectly well across the pool, and sometimes back as well.
My response to them always began with, "You can swim. And when you're swimming it doesn't matter how deep the water is." With most students it only took a few minutes in the deep water to realize this. Before long they were gleefully jumping from the diving board, which of course was usually their ultimate goal.
Like those children in the swimming pool, when we trust our capacity to acquire new knowledge and learn new skills, and then trust what we already know, this is usually enough for us to take the next step. Before long we're "swimming." And when we're swimming it doesn't matter how deep the water is. Then comes the fun of jumping from the diving board!
So, it is time to get out of the shallow end and into deeper water?
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Applied Knowlege
"Knowledge isn't power until it is applied."
~ Dale Carnegie, from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
"...be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."
~ James 1:22
"‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."
~ Jesus, Matthew 7:24
If it is true that the fundamental teachings of all major world religions are some form of love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and peace, and that most people in the world are familiar with these teachings and say they "believe" in them, then why is there so much hatred, selfishness, cruelty, condemnation, and violence in the world?
Dale Carnegie, quoted above, also says, "...if you would never read anything more basic or more profound than such hackneyed proverbs as ‘Don’t cross your bridges until you come to them’ and ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk.’...—instead of snorting at them—...we would lead almost perfect lives."
Truth be told, most people already know what we need to know to lead peaceful, meaningful lives if we would only put that knowledge into practice. As author Robert Fulghum says, "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten."
We know "loving our neighbor as we love ourselves" and "loving ourselves as God loves us" makes life better, but how many of us actually do it?
How many of us "religious types" are actually practicing the compassion, kindness, forgiveness and peace taught by our respective religious traditions?
Just like the old song says, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin in me." Sounds to me like a pretty good place to start. Actually it's the only place to start.
More quotes by Dale Carnegie
~ Dale Carnegie, from How to Stop Worrying and Start Living
"...be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."
~ James 1:22
"‘Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock."
~ Jesus, Matthew 7:24
If it is true that the fundamental teachings of all major world religions are some form of love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and peace, and that most people in the world are familiar with these teachings and say they "believe" in them, then why is there so much hatred, selfishness, cruelty, condemnation, and violence in the world?
Dale Carnegie, quoted above, also says, "...if you would never read anything more basic or more profound than such hackneyed proverbs as ‘Don’t cross your bridges until you come to them’ and ‘Don’t cry over spilt milk.’...—instead of snorting at them—...we would lead almost perfect lives."
Truth be told, most people already know what we need to know to lead peaceful, meaningful lives if we would only put that knowledge into practice. As author Robert Fulghum says, "All I Really Need to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten."
We know "loving our neighbor as we love ourselves" and "loving ourselves as God loves us" makes life better, but how many of us actually do it?
How many of us "religious types" are actually practicing the compassion, kindness, forgiveness and peace taught by our respective religious traditions?
Just like the old song says, "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin in me." Sounds to me like a pretty good place to start. Actually it's the only place to start.
More quotes by Dale Carnegie
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Seasons
"For everything there is a season..."
~The Preacher of Ecclesiastes
Today is the first day of Fall. I know the official first day of Fall is the Autumn Equinox on or about September 21. But it just isn't Fall to me until October gets here. The name even sounds like cooler temperatures, turning leaves, later sunrises and clear blue skies. Another unmistakable sign of Fall for me is the first hint of red in the small maple tree just outside our front door. Soon it will glow like a burning bush in the early morning sun.
Seasons are creation's way of reminding us that change is not the exception but the norm throughout all of creation. We live with an illusion that there is constancy in our lives when in actuality the opposite is true. Quantum physics tells us that everything is, at some level, always in motion. The Seasons are a constant never-ending cycle of decay and regeneration.
So are our lives. Like the leaves of trees, the cells in our bodies fall away and then regenerate. The experiences of our lives quickly fade into yesterdays while tomorrows quickly become today. Every moment quickly becomes the next.
The Preacher of Ecclesiastes, quoted above, also famously says, "There is nothing new under the sun" indicating that there is a "sameness" to the cycles of Creation. But, what if the the constancy of Creation is it's ever changing nature? The more things remain the same the more they change, but change they will.
The wisdom for us in all of this is the more we know and accept change in our lives, the more likely we are to actually affect the changes, or at least our attitudes toward the changes.
One more bit of wisdom from The Preacher: "I know that there is nothing better for [us] than to be happy and enjoy [our]selves as long as [we] live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all [our] toil."
Have a great Fall Season!
~The Preacher of Ecclesiastes
Today is the first day of Fall. I know the official first day of Fall is the Autumn Equinox on or about September 21. But it just isn't Fall to me until October gets here. The name even sounds like cooler temperatures, turning leaves, later sunrises and clear blue skies. Another unmistakable sign of Fall for me is the first hint of red in the small maple tree just outside our front door. Soon it will glow like a burning bush in the early morning sun.
Seasons are creation's way of reminding us that change is not the exception but the norm throughout all of creation. We live with an illusion that there is constancy in our lives when in actuality the opposite is true. Quantum physics tells us that everything is, at some level, always in motion. The Seasons are a constant never-ending cycle of decay and regeneration.
So are our lives. Like the leaves of trees, the cells in our bodies fall away and then regenerate. The experiences of our lives quickly fade into yesterdays while tomorrows quickly become today. Every moment quickly becomes the next.
The Preacher of Ecclesiastes, quoted above, also famously says, "There is nothing new under the sun" indicating that there is a "sameness" to the cycles of Creation. But, what if the the constancy of Creation is it's ever changing nature? The more things remain the same the more they change, but change they will.
The wisdom for us in all of this is the more we know and accept change in our lives, the more likely we are to actually affect the changes, or at least our attitudes toward the changes.
One more bit of wisdom from The Preacher: "I know that there is nothing better for [us] than to be happy and enjoy [our]selves as long as [we] live; moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all [our] toil."
Have a great Fall Season!
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Dreaming
“The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn; the bird waits in the egg; and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities.”
~James Allen, from As A Man Thinketh
"The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field…"
~Jesus, Matthew 13:24
I invite you to participate in a little exercise today. As you go through your day notice all of the things you encounter through your senses and imagine who was the first to ever dream it. Who was the first ever to envision a fork, a coffee mug, a piano, a concrete sidewalk? - You get the idea. I think you'll be surprised at how many fulfilled dreams surround us!
All the things we know as reality were once ideas, visions, dreams of someone. This includes not only the positive that grows from thoughts of joy, peace, abundance, and generosity, but the negative things in the world the grow from thoughts of anger, fear, scarcity or greed.
Having done this for a while, then begin to notice your own thoughts and dreams. What kind of seeds are you planting? What are you bringing into reality in your life and our world?
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Conspiracy
"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."
~ Melchizedek to Santiago in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, "
The news around our house this week is the arrival of a new dog. After nearly a year of "letting go" of our beloved family dog of 15 years, Baloo, we decided it was time. Dog people can go only so long without a dog.
My wife Peg has recently been surfing the Washington Animal Rescue League website and last Friday night announced she had found a promising prospect that had just been posted, a five year old, black lab, retriever, chow mix. So the next afternoon we call the WARL to see if they still had the dog. They said someone had shown some interest and was thinking on it but had not put in an application, so off to the WARL we went.
We arrived only to discover that in the time between our call and getting there someone, probably those interested people, had put in an application on him. The dog had been "pink carded" and moved to the non-public area. Peg, convinced the attendant to let us at least see the dog.
As soon as we saw him our hearts jumped, but then quickly dropped. He was just what we had been looking for but not available. So we trudged off to look at the other dogs to no avail.
On our way out we stopped at the desk and Peg asked if we could leave our name just in case the application were to fail. She gave our name and the lady said, "You're the ones who called before coming, aren't you?"
"That was us."
"When you called I put a pink card on him for you just in case. The application on the dog is yours."
And as they say, "The rest is history!"
It all sounds and feels like conspiracy to me!
~ Melchizedek to Santiago in Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist, "
The news around our house this week is the arrival of a new dog. After nearly a year of "letting go" of our beloved family dog of 15 years, Baloo, we decided it was time. Dog people can go only so long without a dog.
My wife Peg has recently been surfing the Washington Animal Rescue League website and last Friday night announced she had found a promising prospect that had just been posted, a five year old, black lab, retriever, chow mix. So the next afternoon we call the WARL to see if they still had the dog. They said someone had shown some interest and was thinking on it but had not put in an application, so off to the WARL we went.
We arrived only to discover that in the time between our call and getting there someone, probably those interested people, had put in an application on him. The dog had been "pink carded" and moved to the non-public area. Peg, convinced the attendant to let us at least see the dog.
As soon as we saw him our hearts jumped, but then quickly dropped. He was just what we had been looking for but not available. So we trudged off to look at the other dogs to no avail.
On our way out we stopped at the desk and Peg asked if we could leave our name just in case the application were to fail. She gave our name and the lady said, "You're the ones who called before coming, aren't you?"
"That was us."
"When you called I put a pink card on him for you just in case. The application on the dog is yours."
And as they say, "The rest is history!"
It all sounds and feels like conspiracy to me!
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Just Another Day
Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
~ Jesus
Slipping into stockings, stepping into shoes
Dipping in the pocket of her raincoat
It's just another day
~ Paul McCartney
Today is also just another day as are each and every day. It lies before us empty. Even though our schedules my be routine, busy or relaxed, and our plans elaborate or vague, the day ahead is still yet to be played out. Much of how it unfolds depends on our expectations. Things will occur beyond our control, yet we do control how we react to what happens outside our influence.
Most religious and spiritual traditions and practices teach that constantly dwelling on the past or continually dreaming of the future are discouraged because we can't change either. What we do have is the present moment and a choice as to how we live it. What we do have is today. But it's not just another day, it's the only one we have. It invites us and awaits what we have to offer.
Every morning, I find myself a different person. I’m always a mystery to myself. If I knew in the first hours of the morning, what I’m going to do, what is going to happen, what attitude or decision should I take? I think my life would be deadly boring because, well, what makes life interesting is the unknown. It is the risks that we take every single moment of a single day.
~ Paulo Coelho
Thursday, September 4, 2014
A Plight of Toil and Pleasure
A questioning expression I've heard more than once in recent days is "Wasn't it just Memorial Day?" Holidays and vacations are over, schools from pre-K's to universities are back in session, and businesses and organizations are already looking toward Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I'm thinking how appropriate it is that the week after Labor Day on which we celebrate work and working that we literally go back to work in many ways.
One day last week when I was still on vacation and taking a long walk I found myself waiting at a crosswalk along with a man on a bicycle. We exchanged greetings and he volunteered that he was headed to work. He said, "I sure wish I had the day off." Then he quickly added, "But I sure am thankful I have a job."
The "preacher" in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes tells us I know that there is nothing better for [people] than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;moreover, it is God’s gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil. (Eccl 3:12-13)
So, this week or next when we find ourselves whimsically daydreaming of lazy summer days of rest and recreation and we are suddenly brought back to the "same old stuff" the "toil" of our workplace, or job searching, it is good for us to remember that God's gift to us is for us to "...eat and drink and take pleasure in all [our] toil."
This is how we, along with the man on the bicycle, can say, "I sure wish I was still at the beach, or the mountains, or wherever on vacation. But I sure am thankful I have a job!"
Ours is a plight of toil and pleasure to "...be happy and enjoy [ourselves] as long as [we] live."
Wednesday, August 27, 2014
Worship Attendance?
For four out of the last five Sundays I haven't been in church. And, with one more week of vacation in process, I don't plan to be there this Sunday either. Strangly enough my absence from church services has me thinking a lot about the difference between "worship" and "church."
The four Sundays I've been away from church were spent in order: hiking with pastor colleagues in the Rocky Mountains, sitting with my wife on a seashore beach, hiking with long-time friends in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and driving alone along the highway listening to favorite music. On each of these days I experienced extended moments recognizing and experiencing God's Eternal Presence in awe of nature and in gratitude and thanks for colleagues, friends, and family. I spent time in informal prayer through thoughts, music and conversation with others and with myself. I saw sunrises, sunsets, mountains, oceans, and night skies that drew me into the sheer wonder of life and death. I shared ideas, laughter and tears with people for whom I care and love. Even though I wasn't "in church" I worshipped.
I must also admit that on each of these Sunday mornings I thought about not only the little congregation at Capitol Hill Presbyterian where I'm pastor but also the thousands upon thousands of places where people were gathered "in church." They came together with not only like minded people for whom they care and love but also with people with whom they disagree and who sometimes irritate and frustrate them. They came together to intentionally worship through closely held and long standing traditions of liturgy and symbol. The came to church to worship.
Please don't take any of this as encouragement for abandoning participation and attendance in a community of faith. Quite the contrary. Regularly gathering together, even with those whom we disagree, in culturally comfortable yet challenging communities of faith to honor and practice time tested traditions of worship has been and continues to be a staple of human existence. To paraphrase Jesus, when two or more are gathered and God gets mentioned, they are "in church."
However, worship can occur wherever we are, alone or together. But even when we are alone, our worship immediately draws us into the interdependence and interconnectedness of Creation. Learning to recognize and appreciate this opens our spirits to the One Eternal Presence that permeates and binds all of Creation, anywhere and everywhere - even in church.
Worship attends us. It happens.
We attend church. It's intentional.
We need both!
The four Sundays I've been away from church were spent in order: hiking with pastor colleagues in the Rocky Mountains, sitting with my wife on a seashore beach, hiking with long-time friends in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and driving alone along the highway listening to favorite music. On each of these days I experienced extended moments recognizing and experiencing God's Eternal Presence in awe of nature and in gratitude and thanks for colleagues, friends, and family. I spent time in informal prayer through thoughts, music and conversation with others and with myself. I saw sunrises, sunsets, mountains, oceans, and night skies that drew me into the sheer wonder of life and death. I shared ideas, laughter and tears with people for whom I care and love. Even though I wasn't "in church" I worshipped.
I must also admit that on each of these Sunday mornings I thought about not only the little congregation at Capitol Hill Presbyterian where I'm pastor but also the thousands upon thousands of places where people were gathered "in church." They came together with not only like minded people for whom they care and love but also with people with whom they disagree and who sometimes irritate and frustrate them. They came together to intentionally worship through closely held and long standing traditions of liturgy and symbol. The came to church to worship.
Please don't take any of this as encouragement for abandoning participation and attendance in a community of faith. Quite the contrary. Regularly gathering together, even with those whom we disagree, in culturally comfortable yet challenging communities of faith to honor and practice time tested traditions of worship has been and continues to be a staple of human existence. To paraphrase Jesus, when two or more are gathered and God gets mentioned, they are "in church."
However, worship can occur wherever we are, alone or together. But even when we are alone, our worship immediately draws us into the interdependence and interconnectedness of Creation. Learning to recognize and appreciate this opens our spirits to the One Eternal Presence that permeates and binds all of Creation, anywhere and everywhere - even in church.
Worship attends us. It happens.
We attend church. It's intentional.
We need both!
Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Grateful for Good Friends!
This week I'm on my 18th annual S3 (Study, Sabbath, Service) Retreat with 3 colleagues and friends, Skip Dunford, Bill Owens and Jeff Sockwell. The four of us met in the summer of 1989 at Greek School as we began studying at Columbia Theological Seminary. Graduating together in 1992 we moved to different parts of the country to begin serving as pastors. A few years after that, we decided to get together for a week of lectionary study in Montreat, NC, and as the saying goes, "the rest is history." After 25 years the bonds of friendship are as strong as ever. It's good to be with good friends! We're having a great week of stimulating conversations, golf, hiking, and spending a few hours in service at a local food program.
So, having shared this, and in lieu of my regular offering, I offer for your reflection a daily email I have received for the past few years called "Daily Gratitude" by Wes Hopper. Here is today's message of "Daily Gratitude."
"I love the smell of the
Universe in the morning!"
Neil deGrasse Tyson
I think it's great that Tyson's quote is
capable of expressing the joy, beauty and
optimism that it does. Can't you just
feel the excitement of a new day in what
he says?
I like it even better because of its history.
Tyson has taken a deeply negative and
nihilistic quote and turned it into poetic
beauty!
The original quote was from the 1979
Vietnam war film, "Apocalypse Now"
and was actually said by Robert Duvall
as "I love the smell of napalm in the
morning."
The point of the movie was that the
prolonged and inhuman violence of war
left people teetering on the edge of
insanity. Or over it.
Most of us have a choice very day - do
we face the day with the optimism of
Tyson, or something more like the
pessimism of Duvall's character?
The difference is in what we focus on,
because what we focus on is what grows
in our life.
Do we greet the day with joy, do we see
beauty and opportunity, do we know
the Universe is there to help us, are we
glad to be alive?
If so, then we too can love the smell of
the Universe in the morning!
Take a deep breath!
So, having shared this, and in lieu of my regular offering, I offer for your reflection a daily email I have received for the past few years called "Daily Gratitude" by Wes Hopper. Here is today's message of "Daily Gratitude."
"I love the smell of the
Universe in the morning!"
Neil deGrasse Tyson
I think it's great that Tyson's quote is
capable of expressing the joy, beauty and
optimism that it does. Can't you just
feel the excitement of a new day in what
he says?
I like it even better because of its history.
Tyson has taken a deeply negative and
nihilistic quote and turned it into poetic
beauty!
The original quote was from the 1979
Vietnam war film, "Apocalypse Now"
and was actually said by Robert Duvall
as "I love the smell of napalm in the
morning."
The point of the movie was that the
prolonged and inhuman violence of war
left people teetering on the edge of
insanity. Or over it.
Most of us have a choice very day - do
we face the day with the optimism of
Tyson, or something more like the
pessimism of Duvall's character?
The difference is in what we focus on,
because what we focus on is what grows
in our life.
Do we greet the day with joy, do we see
beauty and opportunity, do we know
the Universe is there to help us, are we
glad to be alive?
If so, then we too can love the smell of
the Universe in the morning!
Take a deep breath!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
Vacation Vignettes - Stop. Look. Listen.
"Be still and know that I am God!"
~Psalm 46
"Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; 12and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence."
~1 Kings 19
Stop
This morning while walking along a DC sidewalk I came upon two women, one pushing a baby carriage and the other walking a dog on a leash (both quite common in our neighborhood.) The uncommon thing was that the dog decided it was time for a rest, stopped and simply lay down right in the middle of the sidewalk. The whole party took a break in the shade until the dog was ready to go again. Dogs have a lot to teach us "always on the go" humans.
Look
A couple of weeks ago while hiking down a mountain trail, having just seen some amazingly breath-taking vistas of snow capped mountains reflected in alpine lakes, I met a couple who had just visited a beautiful waterfall which is a popular lower elevation destination. When I said good afternoon, they pointed up the trail and asked me, "Is there anything worth seeing up there?" It occurred to me that often times what is "worth seeing" may take a little more effort, or it could also be just around the next turn, and even right in front of us.
Listen
Earlier this week we were on a public beach enjoying the sand, sun, and surf. The sounds of the beach were familiar, and pleasant: children laughed (and sometimes cried) as they played in the water's edge, there were snippets of conversation as people walked past our chairs, also the occasional drone of small aircraft that towed the next advertisement banner. Seagulls announced to their friends the most current feeding location, and of course there was the ever-present, hypnotic rhythm of breaking waves that somehow blended the entire cacophony into a spell-binding, semblance of silence. Then, permeating it all was the identifiable, amplified bass beat of unidentifiable music. The spell was broken. I wonder now if perhaps my "sounds of silence" were as annoying to them as their music was to me, and how easily we are distracted from hearing the world around us.
"Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear? And do you not remember? ... ‘Do you not yet understand?"
~Jesus - Mark 8
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Meanderings on a Golf Course
I'm taking a few days vacation and today I was grateful to be with some close friends at a practice round of the PGA Championship Tournament in Louisville, KY.
I had never attended a professional, much less major, golf tournament before today. Here are a few of my initial thoughts.
1- Logistics! I was amazed at the planning, organization, imagination and implementation that turns a golf course into a venue that moves, feeds, entertains and otherwise meets the needs of thousands of people while the golfers move casually from hole to hole getting to know the course and preparing for the actual tournament.
2- All of this reminds me that we take for granted so many of the logistics in our modern world that are behind the services, products, and institutions that make our lives comfortable. Take a minute and express gratitude for all of the people, systems and logistics that provide food, clothing, water, transportation, government, and education (the list is long) for us.
3 - Next, as I watched the golfers, many of whom I've seen on TV and read about on sports pages for years, I was reminded that they, just like other professional such as doctors, nurses, firefighters, teachers, and salespeople (again the list is long) are dedicated, practice their skills, take pride in their work, sometimes make mistakes, and above all have fun and enjoy what they do, taking time between holes to sign autographs and pose for photos.
4 - Finally I am reminded of the sometimes incomprehensible disparity in our world. As thousands of people like me and my friends, not to mention the millions watching on TV this weekend, watch and enjoy a sporting event, people on other parts of our planet are experiencing unimaginable violence, pain, heartbreak, and death as conflicts and wars rage in their homelands.
Just a few observations and reflections while hanging around a golf course today.
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Check out my other website - Anonymous Religion.
Follow this link for a parable about light in our lives.
Wednesday, July 30, 2014
Musings on Kierkegaard
This week I am participating in a Pastor/Theologian Retreat with 10 other minsters and a seminary professor. We are spending part of our days hiking and conversing along the trails in Rocky Mountain National Park and another part in more formal conversations around several pre-assigned books. One of the authors we are discussing is the 18th century Danish philosopher/theologian Soren Kierkegaard. We have been reminded of how influential Kierkegaard is on our modern western understanding of the world even to the point of coining phrases and ideas that are now common place. Here is a partial list: "Leap of faith." The "Masked man." We are "people not numbers." "Subjectivity is truth." "What labels me negates me." "Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced." "Life must be understood backward, but lived forward."
Below are a couple of my favorite Kierkegaard parables for you to ponder:
"A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it's a joke."
Below are a couple of my favorite Kierkegaard parables for you to ponder:
"A fire broke out backstage in a theatre. The clown came out to warn the public; they thought it was a joke and applauded. He repeated it; the acclaim was even greater. I think that's just how the world will come to an end: to general applause from wits who believe it's a joke."
----------------------------
"There was a little town of Ducks. Every Sunday the ducks waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddle into the sanctuary and squat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddles in and takes it place, then the duck minister comes forward and opens the duck Bible (Ducks, like all other creatures on earth, seem to have their own special version of the Scriptures.) He reads to them: “Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles. No walls can confine you! No fences can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds!” All the ducks shouted “Amen!” And they all waddled home."
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Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Theodicy
Sometimes I am asked if I really do believe in One Eternal Presence of God that encompasses all of Creation, then how do I understand and experience the fear, hatred, and violence in our world? I must confess that in recent days I've asked myself the same question. Sometimes I do feel like the agnostic fleas below.
Very little seems to make sense when innocent people are shot out of the sky, communities and families bombarded and destroyed, children seek safety only to be met by military troops, and a man is murdered on a city sidewalk by those who are supposed to protect.
The truth is there are no logical, reasonable answers to the age old questions of theodicy, or the problem of why a good God would allow evil. Every religious tradition seems to have its particular perspective and teachings some of which include elaborate mythologies of cosmic, spiritual battles between good and evil forces, with the good always winning out in the end. But these mythologies and theologies seem to always fall just short of a truly satisfying resolution.
Another truth is that regardless of our ideological or theological explanations of evil; fearful, hateful, and violent acts still persist, and as a result we experience suffering. Humanity has a knack for causing ourselves and the natural world pain. It is true that when we harm another we equally, if not more so, harm ourselves.
When I get caught in this paradox of good and evil I am reminded of how the teachings of the world's religions continually call us back to a simplicity of living in love that Jesus says is "Loving God with our whole lives, and loving each other as we love ourselves." To me this means recognizing that God "Is" eternally present throughout all of Creation, in every person I meet, every flower I see, every molecule of water I drink, and every breath of air I take.
Does this make pain and suffering go away? Of course not, but it does allow an ember of hope to glow within the most seemly hopeless situations. It reminds me that the worst things in life often contain the seed of the next good thing. It also reminds me that when we fail to recognize the God in each and every fellow human being and the entire created order we open the door to fear, hate and violence.
So, perhaps in the end the ultimate question of theodicy is not really a God problem but a people problem. And the answers lie within our own actions.
Love God (God is everywhere).
Love neighbor (Everyone is our neighbor).
Do unto others as I would have them do unto me (We are all in this together).
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Very little seems to make sense when innocent people are shot out of the sky, communities and families bombarded and destroyed, children seek safety only to be met by military troops, and a man is murdered on a city sidewalk by those who are supposed to protect.
The truth is there are no logical, reasonable answers to the age old questions of theodicy, or the problem of why a good God would allow evil. Every religious tradition seems to have its particular perspective and teachings some of which include elaborate mythologies of cosmic, spiritual battles between good and evil forces, with the good always winning out in the end. But these mythologies and theologies seem to always fall just short of a truly satisfying resolution.
Another truth is that regardless of our ideological or theological explanations of evil; fearful, hateful, and violent acts still persist, and as a result we experience suffering. Humanity has a knack for causing ourselves and the natural world pain. It is true that when we harm another we equally, if not more so, harm ourselves.
When I get caught in this paradox of good and evil I am reminded of how the teachings of the world's religions continually call us back to a simplicity of living in love that Jesus says is "Loving God with our whole lives, and loving each other as we love ourselves." To me this means recognizing that God "Is" eternally present throughout all of Creation, in every person I meet, every flower I see, every molecule of water I drink, and every breath of air I take.
Does this make pain and suffering go away? Of course not, but it does allow an ember of hope to glow within the most seemly hopeless situations. It reminds me that the worst things in life often contain the seed of the next good thing. It also reminds me that when we fail to recognize the God in each and every fellow human being and the entire created order we open the door to fear, hate and violence.
So, perhaps in the end the ultimate question of theodicy is not really a God problem but a people problem. And the answers lie within our own actions.
Love God (God is everywhere).
Love neighbor (Everyone is our neighbor).
Do unto others as I would have them do unto me (We are all in this together).
An Invitation to Participate in a Ramadan Iftar
tomorrow evening, July 24, 2014.
Important Reminder! Just one week left.
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Stone In My Shoe
Today very soon into my morning walk I noticed a stone in my shoe. At first I thought, "it's not that big and will probably work its way somewhere into my shoe so I don't even notice it." So I walked on listening to a podcast in my earbuds. Unfortunately, the stone stayed right in the middle of my shoe and with every step I took it became larger and larger, but I kept walking. That's when I noticed I had not heard the last five minutes of the podcast because I was thinking about the stone in my shoe. In my imagination the stone had become a boulder, much like this one:
I finally interrupted my pace, paused the podcast, sat down and unlaced my walking shoe to find this:
How often do we do this very thing with events in our lives? How often do we make a "mountain out of a mole hill" or a boulder out of a tiny pebble? How often does a small irritation become a major problem because we didn't address the small irritation in the first place? I think if we are honest with ourselves the answer to all of these is "Too often!"
It just so happened that when I went back in the podcast to hear what I had missed while contemplating my "boulder" I heard this quote from author Tony Robbins to which I add my own words in red, "Five years from now, if you remember at all, you’re gonna laugh or smile at whatever’s stressing you out now, so why wait?!?”
So, what's stressing you now? Is it a boulder or a tiny pebble? What will it look like in five years?
My guess is that it's probably a tiny pebble worth at least a big smile, if not a chuckle! So, why wait?
Important Reminder! Just two weeks left.
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
"Faith?"
When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They said to him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ Then he touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith let it be done to you.’ And their eyes were opened.
~ The Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 9
I've been thinking about faith recently and exactly what does it mean to be a person of faith.
As best I can determine the word "faith" (pistis in New Testament Greek) appears in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke 24 times. In every instance Jesus observes and acknowledges faith as an active agent in others that leads to seemingly impossible results, usually healing and wholeness, or what we would refer to as a miracle. Jesus commends people for their faith and also scolds some for lack of it.
In every instance faith is something profound within the person that leads to action. Jesus never refers to faith as adherence to doctrine, ritual, or custom, nor does he define it. Jesus leaves the definition of faith to be determined by the results of its presence or absence.
Once when Jesus disciples had some problems with an exorcism this little exchange took place:
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’
~ Matthew chapter 17.
All of this seems to prompt the questions, is there evidence of faith in our world and our lives, our "communities of faith", or "faith based communities" ?
Are there stories of healing and wholeness? Are mountains being moved into seas? Are we or not "people of faith?"
If I were on trial for being a "person of faith" according to Jesus criteria would there be enough evidence to convict me?
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
~ The Gospel According to Matthew, chapter 9
I've been thinking about faith recently and exactly what does it mean to be a person of faith.
As best I can determine the word "faith" (pistis in New Testament Greek) appears in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke 24 times. In every instance Jesus observes and acknowledges faith as an active agent in others that leads to seemingly impossible results, usually healing and wholeness, or what we would refer to as a miracle. Jesus commends people for their faith and also scolds some for lack of it.
In every instance faith is something profound within the person that leads to action. Jesus never refers to faith as adherence to doctrine, ritual, or custom, nor does he define it. Jesus leaves the definition of faith to be determined by the results of its presence or absence.
Once when Jesus disciples had some problems with an exorcism this little exchange took place:
Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ He said to them, ‘Because of your little faith. For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.’
~ Matthew chapter 17.
All of this seems to prompt the questions, is there evidence of faith in our world and our lives, our "communities of faith", or "faith based communities" ?
Are there stories of healing and wholeness? Are mountains being moved into seas? Are we or not "people of faith?"
If I were on trial for being a "person of faith" according to Jesus criteria would there be enough evidence to convict me?
Important Reminder!
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
July is migration month for One Eternal Presence
If you haven't already subscribed as outlined below please do so now.
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Love and Compassion
"Love your neighbor as yourself."
~ Jesus (and countless others)
For the past six months or so in Saturday Morning Mindfulness that meets at our church we have been spending a portion of our time exploring love and compassion in our lives.
The exercise we do is pretty simple and straight forward. While in a mindful awareness (simply sitting relaxed, still and silent) we remember a time when we felt unconditional love and acceptance in our lives. This could be a long standing relationship with another person, the devotion from a pet, a fleeting encounter experienced in a smile or eye contact with a stranger, or even a moment in nature when we felt connected and accepted for who we are. In the exercise we call this remembered feeling our "benefactor."
After identifying our benefactor, whoever or whatever that may be, we imagine ourselves bathed in the light of our benefactor, and then that light resting and glowing deep within us. We relax in that feeling of total, unconditional love and acceptance of who we are.
The next steps of the exercise invite us to share this light of unconditional love with others as we imagine and envision the light of love within us going out to someone else with no strings attached. We imagine the same unconditional love and acceptance that rests and glows deep within us as also resting and glowing in others.
We do this first with someone close to us with whom we already have a loving relationship. This is the easy part. Then we identify a neutral relationship in our lives, perhaps a person we see regularly on the sidewalk, in a frequently used business, at the gym, or in our place of worship, and we extend our light of love to them. Finally comes the difficult part which is to extend our light of love to someone with whom we have an adversarial relationship, someone who has harmed or hurt us, someone who we truly dislike. In all cases we project the unconditional love and acceptance of our benefactor to others without the expectation of anything in return.
Finally we return to the light of love and acceptance within us and rest in it for a moment before ending the exercise.
I invite you to find a few minutes today or sometime soon and try this simple mindful practice of experiencing love and practicing compassion in your life. The more you do it, the more you will begin to recognize and feel the love within you, as well as the countless opportunities to share that love with others, even people you don't know, and especially people with whom you are in conflict.
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
~ Jesus (and countless others)
For the past six months or so in Saturday Morning Mindfulness that meets at our church we have been spending a portion of our time exploring love and compassion in our lives.
The exercise we do is pretty simple and straight forward. While in a mindful awareness (simply sitting relaxed, still and silent) we remember a time when we felt unconditional love and acceptance in our lives. This could be a long standing relationship with another person, the devotion from a pet, a fleeting encounter experienced in a smile or eye contact with a stranger, or even a moment in nature when we felt connected and accepted for who we are. In the exercise we call this remembered feeling our "benefactor."
After identifying our benefactor, whoever or whatever that may be, we imagine ourselves bathed in the light of our benefactor, and then that light resting and glowing deep within us. We relax in that feeling of total, unconditional love and acceptance of who we are.
The next steps of the exercise invite us to share this light of unconditional love with others as we imagine and envision the light of love within us going out to someone else with no strings attached. We imagine the same unconditional love and acceptance that rests and glows deep within us as also resting and glowing in others.
We do this first with someone close to us with whom we already have a loving relationship. This is the easy part. Then we identify a neutral relationship in our lives, perhaps a person we see regularly on the sidewalk, in a frequently used business, at the gym, or in our place of worship, and we extend our light of love to them. Finally comes the difficult part which is to extend our light of love to someone with whom we have an adversarial relationship, someone who has harmed or hurt us, someone who we truly dislike. In all cases we project the unconditional love and acceptance of our benefactor to others without the expectation of anything in return.
Finally we return to the light of love and acceptance within us and rest in it for a moment before ending the exercise.
I invite you to find a few minutes today or sometime soon and try this simple mindful practice of experiencing love and practicing compassion in your life. The more you do it, the more you will begin to recognize and feel the love within you, as well as the countless opportunities to share that love with others, even people you don't know, and especially people with whom you are in conflict.
Important Reminder!
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Good Choices
“Everything can be taken
from a [person] but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s
attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
~ Victor Frankel, "Man's Search for Meaning"
"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
~ The Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:8
~ Victor Frankel, "Man's Search for Meaning"
"...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."
~ The Apostle Paul, Philippians 4:8
Regardless of the circumstances in our lives, we can always choose how we respond to whatever our situation may be. The statements above come from two men who experienced unimaginable pain and persecution in their lives yet chose to respond in positive ways.
Victor Frankel survived the horrors of loosing his entire family and nearly his own life in the Nazi genocide of World War II. He became a neurologist, psychiatrist, author, and founder of the psychiatric school of Logotherapy.
The Apostle Paul endured persecution, imprisonment, and beatings while spreading the teaching of Jesus and organizing the early followers of Jesus into communities of faith that would eventually become Christianity.
These are both dramatic, nearly larger than life, examples of choosing to respond in positive ways. However, our lives are filled with nearly constant choices within all the circumstances of our lives. We never know when a small choice will, in retrospect, become a large one, so why not try as Paul says to choose to find the good in all situations.
This is not always easy to do, however the first step is realizing we have choice and the ability to respond. We can't change the reality of a situation but we can always choose our response to it. As Frankel says, the one thing that can't be taken away from us is our innermost response-ability.
As I use to say to our children when they were teenagers (and sometimes still do), but now mostly say to myself, "Make good choices."
I don't always make true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, or excellence choice, but when I do, the world looks a whole lot better.
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Important Reminder!
One Eternal Presence will be using a new email delivery system beginning in August. If you wish to remain on the emailing list you must take a minute to subscribe. Please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Migration
I've been on vacation for a couple of weeks and one of the things I allowed some rest was One Eternal Presence. I considered re-posting previous blogs just to keep the space occupied but decided instead to give you a rest as well. I hope you've missed it. For me, this little break has prompted me to reflect on how it all began and where it is going.
Three years ago on June 15, 2011, I posted the first entry to a blog I had created in order to reflect on and share my experiences while on a three month sabbatical. I called the blog "One Eternal Presence" which was the guiding theme of my sabbatical. Shortly after returning from sabbatical I began sharing at this same website weekly thoughts, reflections, and messages with members and friends of our congregation. Others began to subscribe and soon I was emailing these weekly messages to over 180 people. 135 post later here we are.
The email delivery system I use tells me that approximately 40% of you regularly read (or at least open) the email. I'm also told that this is a pretty good percentage for a blog. I truly appreciate each of you who regularly reads the blog, and especially those of you who offer occasional comments and insights. I get regular feedback that my musings are meaningful to you.
So with all of this in mind, I'm making a few changes to One Eternal Presence, mostly in how and to whom it is sent. Beginning in August I will use a different delivery system which will require each of you to actively subscribe to One Eternal Presence. Until then you will receive it as usual. After August 1 only those who have subscribed through the new delivery system will receive it. I'll be reminding you during June and throughout July, giving us plenty of time to migrate. Then in August we start out with a fresh mailing list of those who have intentionally subscribed for the sole purpose of receiving One Eternal Presence.
The content of One Eternal Presence will pretty much continue to be my personal musings in conversation with ideas and wisdom from other sources, as well as your comments.
So, let's get started. If you wish to remain on the One Eternal Presence emailing list please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Again, thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Three years ago on June 15, 2011, I posted the first entry to a blog I had created in order to reflect on and share my experiences while on a three month sabbatical. I called the blog "One Eternal Presence" which was the guiding theme of my sabbatical. Shortly after returning from sabbatical I began sharing at this same website weekly thoughts, reflections, and messages with members and friends of our congregation. Others began to subscribe and soon I was emailing these weekly messages to over 180 people. 135 post later here we are.
The email delivery system I use tells me that approximately 40% of you regularly read (or at least open) the email. I'm also told that this is a pretty good percentage for a blog. I truly appreciate each of you who regularly reads the blog, and especially those of you who offer occasional comments and insights. I get regular feedback that my musings are meaningful to you.
So with all of this in mind, I'm making a few changes to One Eternal Presence, mostly in how and to whom it is sent. Beginning in August I will use a different delivery system which will require each of you to actively subscribe to One Eternal Presence. Until then you will receive it as usual. After August 1 only those who have subscribed through the new delivery system will receive it. I'll be reminding you during June and throughout July, giving us plenty of time to migrate. Then in August we start out with a fresh mailing list of those who have intentionally subscribed for the sole purpose of receiving One Eternal Presence.
The content of One Eternal Presence will pretty much continue to be my personal musings in conversation with ideas and wisdom from other sources, as well as your comments.
So, let's get started. If you wish to remain on the One Eternal Presence emailing list please follow the link and complete the simple process which will include a verification email to activate your subscription. SUBSCRIBE HERE
FYI - there is no need to unsubscribe to the present service as that will take place automatically on August 1 if you do not subscribe to the new service. Actually unsubscribing now will prevent you from receiving it through July.
If you have any questions please let me know.
Again, thanks to each of you and I look forward to many more weeks and years of sharing with you.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
The Past Is Not Dead!
A couple of days ago on Memorial Day I posted a photo on Facebook in memory of my father. The photo was taken in the early days of World War II at Camp Rucker, Alabama one of the places Daddy trained before going to the South Pacific.
Then, only a few minutes after posting the photo I went outside our house here in DC and look what I found:
And some people don't believe in resurrection, reincarnation, and incarnation! It's just like William Faulkner said, "The past is not dead, It's not even past."
Then, only a few minutes after posting the photo I went outside our house here in DC and look what I found:
And some people don't believe in resurrection, reincarnation, and incarnation! It's just like William Faulkner said, "The past is not dead, It's not even past."
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Two Metaphors for God
Today I simply offer for our consideration a quote from Rabbi Lawrence Kushner as heard on the current "On Being with Krista Tippett."
There are two ways to understand our relationship with God. I'm going to say right up front that they are both just metaphors, relax. Just metaphors. The first one, picture a big circle and the big circle represents God. And then picture below it a very tiny little circle. And that represents you in the world. And because the big circle is above the little circle, it's naturally hierarchical, and therefore it’s generically masculine and welcome to Western religion. All of Western religions have this thing, “God’s up there and we are down here, and we talk to God and God tells us what to do, blah, blah, blah.”There was a cartoon recently in the New Yorker, it shows two angels ended the guy talking without a beard. And one says to the other, “I just can't take him seriously without the beard anymore.”
…Now I'm going to give you another metaphor. Just another metaphor…Same big circle that represents God but the only difference is is that the little circle that represents you and me is inside the big circle. And that is a more Eastern — it strikes us as a more Eastern model, but.. it's widely available in Western religious tradition as well. And the goal in that model is not to pray to God or have God tell you what to do, but to realize that you have been all along, contrary to all of your illusions, a dimension of the divine, and in moments of heightened spiritual awareness, the boundary line, which is the little circle defining you inside the big circle, momentarily is erased. Momentarily is blurred and it's no longer clear where you end and God begins.
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Internal Wifi
Now that warmer weather seems to have finally arrived in our area, we have "opened" the backyard for the season. Since we'll be spending more time outside I've been trying to extend our wifi so we have a stronger signal in the backyard. So I purchased a router extender and have gone through the connection and setup.
One of the challenges in fine tuning this extender is finding just the right spot where it receives a strong enough signal from the original router and is still positioned to boost the signal into the backyard. This has proven to be less direct than is apparent because of corners, thick walls, and old brick chimneys. However with enough persistence I did find a place where the little green light shines on the extender and my wireless device has a five bar signal.
All of this tuning and positioning has me thinking about the way we tune and position ourselves in relation to the circumstances of our lives. Whether we are aware of it or not, our lives are receivers and transmitters of information, emotions, moods, attitudes, and general dispositions.
The difference between us and a wifi router is that we have the opportunity by our positioning and tuning to actually influence what we receive and transmit. Just because someone around us is always negative and critical doesn't mean we have to emit the same. We have the ability to adjust and filter our environment and then project it from our own perspective. Sometimes we even have the option of physically positioning ourselves to stay away from negativity and harmful criticism. We also have the ability to mindfully choose times, places, and relationships in our lives that create and nurture positive attitudes.
In the end, we can be either unaware of our internal wifi and simply pass on what we receive, or we can intentionally change, nurture, and as Jesus says, be "the light of the world." Gandhi puts it this way, "Be the change we hope to see in the world." It's all a matter of positioning and fine tuning. That's when we experience those moments when the little green light of our lives tells us we are connected with the world around us.
One of the challenges in fine tuning this extender is finding just the right spot where it receives a strong enough signal from the original router and is still positioned to boost the signal into the backyard. This has proven to be less direct than is apparent because of corners, thick walls, and old brick chimneys. However with enough persistence I did find a place where the little green light shines on the extender and my wireless device has a five bar signal.
All of this tuning and positioning has me thinking about the way we tune and position ourselves in relation to the circumstances of our lives. Whether we are aware of it or not, our lives are receivers and transmitters of information, emotions, moods, attitudes, and general dispositions.
The difference between us and a wifi router is that we have the opportunity by our positioning and tuning to actually influence what we receive and transmit. Just because someone around us is always negative and critical doesn't mean we have to emit the same. We have the ability to adjust and filter our environment and then project it from our own perspective. Sometimes we even have the option of physically positioning ourselves to stay away from negativity and harmful criticism. We also have the ability to mindfully choose times, places, and relationships in our lives that create and nurture positive attitudes.
In the end, we can be either unaware of our internal wifi and simply pass on what we receive, or we can intentionally change, nurture, and as Jesus says, be "the light of the world." Gandhi puts it this way, "Be the change we hope to see in the world." It's all a matter of positioning and fine tuning. That's when we experience those moments when the little green light of our lives tells us we are connected with the world around us.
Wednesday, May 7, 2014
All the Time in the World
"A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone;
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun."
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun."
~ Isaac Watts, "Our God, Our Help in Ages Past", "Psalm 90"
"Were you to live three thousand years, or even thirty thousand, remember that the sole life which a man can lose is that which he is living at the moment; and furthermore, that he can have no other life except the one he loses... This means that the longest life and the shortest amount to the same thing. For the passing minute is every man’s equal possession, but what has once gone by is not ours.”
~ Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
From the first day over ten years ago that I've lived in Washington, DC, I discovered and have often been reminded of a personal axiom about living here, "It always takes longer than I think it will."
Whether it's a "quick" trip to the grocery store, a metro ride across town, or driving anywhere in metropolitan area (especially on a Friday afternoon!), I always try to give myself more time than I think it will take to go or do whatever it is I'm doing or wherever I'm going to.
Conversely, the two quotations above remind us that life as we know and experience it is shorter than we think it is. Much shorter! In fact it is as short as the present moment. The same moment is also longer than we think, encompassing eternity itself.
Time is one, if not perhaps the greatest, of life's illusions. We think we have all the time in the world, when in fact we don't. And then once coming to this realization we realize that "all the time in the world" is contained in and as fleeting as the present moment.
Marcus Aurelius also says, “Take it that you have died today, and your life’s story is ended; and henceforward regard what future time may be given you as an uncovenanted surplus, and live it out in harmony with nature.”
Jesus puts it this way, "those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life will find it." He also said, "Don't worry about tomorrow..." Today is all we have.
So, in taking all of this to heart, here's a little exercise I'm borrowing from Brian Johnson's Philosopher's Note on Marcus Aurelius. Imagine that the next breath you take is your last. You; along with all your troubles, cares, and heartaches; and yes, successes, joys, and happiness too; are gone. No more. Finished.
Now, celebrate and grieve your life.
Then, take another breath. It's a whole new life waiting to be lived. But, it only last as long as the next breath.
And the next one, and the next one, and............
Now, celebrate and grieve your life.
Then, take another breath. It's a whole new life waiting to be lived. But, it only last as long as the next breath.
And the next one, and the next one, and............
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