Staying Put The idea of staying put sounds like a dull, unsuccessful lifestyle. Doesn’t the world tell us to make progress, keep growing, and be productive? Aren’t we all supposed to set goals and work on them steadily? And as children when we misbehaved, wasn’t being sent to our room to “think about what you have done” part of our punishment? We live in a restless world. Currently we pursue overstimulation, being bombarded by noise, lights, action, instead of a more peaceful, ordinary path. What is the value of putting down roots and staying put? I have been pondering this thought lately with my personal frustration with my local church and the temptation to go “church shopping.” My husband wants to stay put as he says, with much truth, that all churches are composed of humans being that bring the same set of wonderful and irritating traits. And it is not a problem that I disagree with my church’s theology. The issues that frustrate me have to do with the … [Read more...]
What Sustains You?
What Sustains You? The July issue of Sojourners Magazine asks various people the question: What sustains you? What keeps you refreshed for the journey to justice? The answers have been interesting. Richard Rohr writes, “my daily and primary practice is contemplation.” Other answers include centering prayer, prayer of examen, community, saying thank you, Bible reading, and retreats. So far no one has mentioned keeping a journal. Though journal keeping can be a form of prayer, I find it is so much more. A spiritual journal is different from a regular journal. It is a written record of personal reactions to spiritual matters. Many people have discovered that writing down their thoughts and feelings helped them clarify some of the basic questions they were asking about life. "What’s it all about?" "What am I doing here?", "What does God want me to become," "Where does God want me to serve." Journal writing gives us the time to think through and clarify our beliefs. … [Read more...]
The Blessings of Two New Girls
The Blessings of Two New Girls The blessing of two new girls graced our family lately. Our family grew by two girls this past week. Kyla Eve arrived June 5 and I wrote about her in the previous blog posting. But now it is time to welcome Mandy into our family. My son Brian proposed to Mandy in the infield at batting practice of the Chicago White Sox on June 6th. Mandy bravely (and as his mother I do say bravely) accepted. I am thankful to God for Mandy, but she does not know I have prayed for her for many, many years - even before I knew her name. I remember when Brian was a toddler, maybe two or three, nestled in my arms for a nap. That probably was the first prayer. I envisioned another mother someplace with a tiny girl sleeping in her arms – Brian’s future wife – and I lifted her up in prayer. Mothers, recall the excitement and tears of that first day of school? Another moment of prayer for the little girl someplace experiencing her first day of school. T-ball … [Read more...]
God’s Whoosh
God's Whoosh WHOOSH! Did you hear it? That loud whooshing noise last Friday, June 5th? At the exact moment of my new granddaughter’s birth, with her first intake of air, Kyla Eve stole my heart. Love for this new child swiftly gushed into my core and changed me forever. Other grandparents warned me. “You will love being a grandparent.” “There is nothing like it in the whole world.” “You will be amazed. “ I pooh-pawed them, thinking I knew better. After all I am in control. I know what to expect. What a fool I am! Whoosh! Love exploded triggering a chain reaction. Every instinct inside me wants to protect her, love her, and see her daily. Whoosh! God longs to protect us, love us and be with us with His exploding love. Whoosh! My arms ache to hold her, to touch her. Whoosh! God’s arms surround us, even as we tug to pull away. Whoosh! I want the best for her as she grows and anticipate joyous times together. Whoosh! God yearns for our best and showers us with … [Read more...]
A Healthy Prayer Life
What is a Healthy Prayer Life? As an RN I know health is more than the absence of disease. Seeking a healthy lifestyle requires an intentional daily choice to balance health habits in nutrition, exercise, sleep and attitude. Seeking a healthy prayer life is similar to health- choosing intentionally each day to balance a prayer life with a variety of holy habits. Good nutrition relies on more than one food group. A health prayer life tastes a variety of prayers. I used to only repeat prayers my mother taught me and send up millions of requests to God. The last few years I expanded my prayer experience with centering prayer, journaling, and prayers from the Bible and other Christians. My favorite Bible prayer is “I do believe, help my unbelief "(Mark 9:24) and I often just quietly repeat Thomas Aquinas’ simple prayer of “My Lord, My God.” Exercise is vital to good health including prayer life. I can’t just talk about prayer, I actually spend time talking and listening to God. … [Read more...]
Teach Me To Listen Prayer
Teach Me To Listen Prayer I am traveling with my daughter, Valerie, to Stratford Canada this week and seeing six plays. So in lieu of a regular post, here is one of my favorite prayers about teaching me to listen. May you have a blessed week. Teach me to listen, O God, To those nearest me, My family, my friends my co-workers, Help me to be aware that No matter what words I hear, The message is “Accept the person I am. Listen to me.” Teach me to listen, my caring God, To those far from me – The whisper of the hopeless, The plea of the forgotten, The cry of the anguished. Teach me to listen, O God my Mother, To myself. Help me to be less afraid To trust the voice inside – In the deepest part of me Teach me to listen, Holy Spirit, For your voice- In busyness and in boredom, In certainty and in doubt, In noise and in silence. Teach me, Lord, to listen. Amen - adapted from St Ignatius by John Veltri SJ … [Read more...]
The Science of Spirituality
The Science of Spirituality NPR recently ran a week long feature titled “The Science of Spirituality.” The subtopic presented on May 20, 2009 “Prayer may Reshape your Brain and your Reality” was especially intriguing. A neuroscientist Andrew Newberg has been scanning the brains of religious people for more than a decade. He is part of a new field called “neurotheology.” Scientists are finding that the brains of people who spend many hours in prayer and meditation are different. Are we wired for spirituality? Using a SPECT brain scanner, portions of the brain lit up and darken while people pray. The frontal lobe of the brain become more active during prayer and chanting and the parietal lobes grow dim. Newburg has observed this phenomenon with monks, nuns, Buddhists and Sikhs. Of course, this research is just beginning and could mean many things, much of which is speculative at this time, but isn’t it interesting that actual changes in the brain is noted during … [Read more...]
Telling God What To Do
Telling God What To Do Well, I did it! I took over the world, actually the entire universe today. Yep, I am in charge. And if you don’t believe if, you should have heard my prayers this morning. Suddenly I stopped and listen to what I was saying to God. I was telling God what to do. My morning prayers created a deluge of excess words and phrases beginning with do this, fix that and don’t forget to….. I was bossy, demanding, and obnoxious. Why if I were God I would annihilate that human in an instant! “ZAP!! You be gone, Lord-wanna-be!” Thank heaven we have a God of love and grace. God is the creator We are the creature. God is the Father/Mother We are the children God knows We follow God speaks We listen I believe God understands when I spill my wants and needs out to him. He knows the depth of my emotions and the intensity of my desperation when I try to seize control. He is patient beyond words with my childlike behavior and my temper tantrums. And He still loves … [Read more...]