Many of us watched in shock, sadness, and heartache as Notre Dame burned on April 15. Fixated on the scene, I couldn't imagine the horror, destruction, and grief from this tragedy. The years of worship and the deep identity of a symbol for the French blazing to its ruin. Remembering - The Cross Still Stands But Notre Dame wasn't completely destroyed as we learned the next day. I love this photo, showing the burned wooden beams from the collapsed roof crumbled at the foot of the golden cross. The headline in the secular papers read -The Cross Still Stands. Amen! No matter how our world is abolished around us, our lives in defeat or we are overcome with hopelessness, God remains. Then stories emerged. One report told of a human chain of firefighters and the firefighter chaplain risking their lives to enter the burning cathedral to find and rescue key artifacts and priceless treasures from the engulfed church. The human chain image reminded me of how we are all linked … [Read more...]
Holy Week – What is Holy Tuesday?
What is Holy Tuesday? This week is Holy Week – a major worship-filled week for Christians. What a week to create space in our lives, calendars and time to come humbly and mindfully before God who gave us all – life, love, and grace. We start the week together waving palms, honoring Jesus as King. We eat together on Thursday beholding Jesus as the bread and wine. We cry together in the dark sanctuary on Friday evening, remembering the cruxificion. We rejoice together on Sunday receiving the gift of everlasting life from the One who defeated death forever. As this post goes live, it is Tuesday. What is Holy Tuesday? Holy Tuesday The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that on Monday Jesus cleanses the temple of the money changers, curses the fig tree, and weeps ever Jerusalem. On Tuesday, all four Gospels relate that Jesus finds the fig tree withered and talks about faith. What Does Holy Tuesday Teach Us? As I paused on this way through this sacred time, I … [Read more...]
Discernment – The Next Right Thing
What is Discernment? Discernment, doing the next right thing, is making decisions while discovering and articulating how God is shaping our lives. Discernment is listening to God in faith to live fully in how he created us and called us to do in his work in the world. Discernment isn't easy. Sometimes life is confusing. The signs we see are real. Yet we still get lost in this world. Discernment I shared this road sign a number of years ago that was erected in a nearby city. Imagine you are driving north in traffic. You need to know if you should turn or keep going straight. Quickly what does this sign mean? I wrote on the blog post: "East is still east and west is still west in my county, Here Ohio 15 runs north and south for the last 80 years, but that is not what the sign signifies. In their wisdom of seeing the whole picture, the Ohio Department of Transportation replaced the road sign recently, striving for consistency throughout the state. State Route 15 is … [Read more...]
Monthly Musings – What I Learned in March
March Monthly Musings Some people don't like March. Me? I really enjoy March. March is my birthday month. But more than just that special day in my life, I love watching for the first greening hints of spring – robins, buds on the bushes, and a-just-enough warm breezes to open a window. Yes, we can get nasty weather, even lots of snow in March, but I know it won't last long. March is hope for newness coming. One of my favorite women of spiritual history is Hildegard of Bingen. She wrote about the greening power of life. I think of her in March. What Hildegard's greening means is the life force within everything that is alive, including us. Greening refers to vigor and vitality and is a gift and energy from our Creator God planted in us, our world, and our universe to savor and cultivate. “The soul is a breath of living spirit, that with excellent sensitivity, permeates the entire body to give it life. Just so, the breath of the air makes the earth fruitful. Thus the air is … [Read more...]
Being Aware and Naming our Temptations
In my struggles with my weight, I am trying something new when tempted to indulge in a snack or sweets that are not on my plan for the day. I can just look at chocolate and it mysteriously disappears into my mouth. I become the cookie monster when around snickerdoodles. And don't get me started on peanut butter or ice cream. In the book Atomic Habits – which I highly recommend – I learned about a technique used in Japan called Pointing and Calling. The author James Clear writes, "Over time, the cues that spark our habits become so common that they are essentially invisible; the treats on the kitchen counter, the remote control next to the couch, the phone in our pocket…we must begin the process of behavior change with awareness." Pointing and Calling was developed for the Japanese railroad system. This process once implemented reduced errors by 85 percent and accidents by 30 percent. It raised the level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious one. Here is … [Read more...]
The Gift of Wonder – Book Review
This year I am exploring three WWW's – Wonder, Wisdom, and Whimsey. Imagine my excitement then when I discovered this new book by Christine Sine, The Gift of Wonder – Creative Practices for Delighting God – her words piqued my interest and made my day. The Gift of Wonder is available for preordered now and will be released March 26. Reading what authors give as their dedication often gives the reader a glimpse into their heart – Sine writes "to all who are learning to laugh and dance and play with God." Isn't that fun? In a more serious note, she writes, "We suffer from play deprivation, nature deficit disorder, awe depletion, compassion fatigue, imagination suppression, and more. As a result, I think we suffer from God deprivation too. I am increasingly convinced that rediscovering our inner child is essential for our spiritual health. It has become an important and delightful journey for me and is the central theme of The Gift of Wonder. "Awe and wonder, imagination … [Read more...]
The Words of Whimsey
In January I shared here on Healthy Spirituality my theme for the year for this blog: WWW. WWW stands for wisdom, wonder, and whimsey. I heard these words a few years ago and been thinking of studying them deeper, possibly expanding them into book(s). Why not start that journey with you all here on the blog to see if there is interest, enough "legs" to become book-worthy and to expand my own insight into these themes? Wonder had its first appearance here and today I start down the Whimsey Way. On that initial post I wrote, "Isn't whimsey a fun word? It tickles the tongue and brings smiles to hearts. I tend to be too serious and not take the time for joy and delight found in life. We have a God of joy and delight, One who takes delight in us too and I know I am missing this aspect in my relationship with God. The deep dive into the world of wonder will bring me to gratitude and I think I will find joy there too, but I want to explore how joy is also found in creativity, colors, … [Read more...]
Ash Wednesday and Lenten Fasting
Ash Wednesday begins this week, marking the first day of Lent as we turn our hearts and minds toward Good Friday. Then we can celebrate Jesus's resurrection on Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday On Ash Wednesday, many churches hold a special worship service where the people are blessed with ashes, typically marking their foreheads with the sign of the cross. The blessing typically comes with a reminder that we all come from ashes, and to ashes, we all will return. The marking of the forehead has been a known custom since Pope Gregory the Great in 604. It has been said to have a twofold purpose, one being the ashes were marked for humility and mortality and then also for sorrow and repentance. In the 12th century, the rule developed that the ashes were to be created by burning palm branches from the previous Palm Sunday. Many parishes today invite parishioners to bring such palms to church before Lent begins and have a ritual burning of the palms after Mass. The custom of … [Read more...]