“You are who you were when you were ten,” my friend Diane said to me the other day. That statement fascinated and haunted me. Is it true?I think God wires us certain ways when we are created. We can learn outside and beyond those initial markings, but these often are our strengths and core passions.Who were you at age 8, 9 or 10? Thinking back I realized I was a writer and imaginative explorer. My fourth grade teacher called me a poet and gave me a special book of poetry at the end of the school year. I remember summers playing in a make believe sailboat exploring deserted islands – in reality the boat was a smaller tree with great limbs to climb through and the island, the empty lot behind my house.Now I don’t think we are locked into who we were at age ten, but if we take the time reflect on who we were as a child before all the adult masks were donned and the world told us who to be, we may discover our true selves – who God meant us to be. What do you think?Every life is a fairy … [Read more...]
God Bless You!
Ah-Choo! And we all say "God bless you" or if you grew up in a household with a German background like I did, we immediately respond, “Gesundheit!”Ever wonder why we do this? Ancient writings as old as 77 AD mention this practice. People believed your heart stopped when you sneezed or your soul was temporarily expelled from your body. If one was quickly blessed, the devil would not have time to snatch your soul before it returned. The custom grew more in the sixth century when plague broke out. They thought if you sneezed in the morning you would be dead by night.“Gesundheit" comes from Germany, and it literally means "health." The idea is that a sneeze typically precedes illness.In Holland if you sneeze three times, tomorrow will be sunny. Others believe that a sneeze before breakfast is a sign that you will hear exciting news before the end of the day.Another belief is that people used to see sneezing as a sign that God would answer your prayers or an omen of good fortune or good … [Read more...]
Living in a Post Trust Society
What does it mean as a Christian to live in a world where more faith is placed in skepticism and the loudest volume given to sarcasm?I recently read a blog, Living Spirituality, where the phrase “post trust society” was used. Dr. Gregory J. Laughery writes, “One of the salient features of the twenty-first century is that we are living in a post-trust culture. As I have recently mentioned, this means that our ability to trust institutions, governments, politicians, economics, and churches is coming to an end.”We no longer trust. We blame, make fun, or spew angry accusations on our political and church relationships. Twitter makes it easy to launch rumors that build unease and how simple it is to forward that sarcastic email than to send it to the trash. The thought of a post trust society raises fear in my heart. Will this lead to more violence, anarchy, and threats to security? The whole situation makes me once again aware of how little I really do control in life.I am guilty of all … [Read more...]
Dancing with The Star
“Who do you think will win?“My wife is addicted to that show.”“My daughter is pulling for that guy who plays for the Bengals.”Snippets of conversation I overheard this weekend, all concerning the television show Dancing with the Stars.Then I read this quote: “God is the lead dancer and the soul is the partner completely attuned to the rhythm and patterns set by the partner. She does not lead, but neither does she hang limp like a sack of potatoes.” Thomas Merton, quoted in Listening to the Music of the Spirit: The Art of Discernment, by David Lonsdale.Now that is the Star I want to dance with every moment of my life. My deepest desire of my heart is for God to be my lead dancer.Reminded me of the story I bet many of you are familiar with:“When I meditated on the word Guidance, I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word. I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing. When two people try to lead, nothing feels right. The movement doesn't flow with the music, and … [Read more...]
PLAN B – Spiritual Lessons when Life is Not Fair
What can we learn from life’s Plan B’s? Plan B is a new direction we take or are forced to take when what we originally planned/hoped/dreamed for fell apart. Often we are not happy when we first enter this new place – we are angry, disappointed, and hurt. I recently read new book by Pete Wilson, called Plan B (see review below of the book that I received as part of Booksneeze book reviews). This book inspired me to think about the Plan B’s in my life and the lessons I learned.Every life overflows with Plan B’s (and probably C’s. D’s and XYZ’s too). The honest truth is that we are not really in control no matter what we chose to think.I planned to have my dad walk me down the aisle – he died when I was 16.I envisioned my mom holding my babies – she died ten months before I conceived.I thought I would earn my Masters degree before the age of 30 – I did achieve that dream, but not until my 40s.Bill and I thought we would live our entire lives in a midsize college town - yet God planted … [Read more...]
CATHERINE OF SIENA – LESSONS TO REMEMBER
Each year on April 29, many churches remember or commemorate Catherine of Siena. Commemorate means recognizing and learning from the lives of exemplary Christians throughout church history. Until a few years ago I never heard of this fascinating lady, Catherine of Siena, and she has much to share with us today. Catherine of Siena lived during the chaos and violence of the fourteenth century, a time of the Black Death, famine, and numerous civil wars. Catherine was the 25th of the 26 children of a northern Italy wool dyer and was born in 1347 at Siena, Italy. Catherine claimed to have had her first vision of Christ when she was aged five or six. He smiled at her and blessed her. At age seven she vowed chastity, but that was not unusual among little girls at the time, and they were not supposed to keep the vow once they reached puberty. A girl was regarded as marriageable at twelve, which implied that she took an interest in wearing make-up and bleaching and curling her hair. Catherine … [Read more...]
Internal Non-Violence – Discovering My Violent Heart
I didn’t beat my children. I don’t own a gun. I’ve never even been arrested. But an article I read recently made me realize I have a violent heart. The thought made me uncomfortable. As a spiritual director I have learned to be aware of the movements within my spirit and this concept of having a violent heart resonated deep within me. What was God teaching me?Marie Beha wrote “Formation for Nonviolence” in the spring 2003 issue of Human Development. She asked the question in the formation of non-violence where do we start? Her answer is in the recognition that what goes on inside of us contributes to the culture of violence surrounding us.Reminds me of the song lyrics: Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.Beha writes, “Violence isn’t always noisy….How I respond to others, even to myself, reveals who and how I am. My morning might begin in violence as I smash the button of my ringing alarm clock, resentful of its shrill summons from still needed sleep. Getting into … [Read more...]
Savoring the Small Sacred Spaces
I almost missed it.Driving to a meeting last Tuesday evening, I glanced down at my dashboard. The odometer read:99999.As the next mile sped along, I keep watching for the exact moment the numbers switched to:100000.As luck would have it, there was a safe place to pull over and snap this photo of this silly moment.But is it so silly?A small unimportant moment opened my heart to the Important. I paused for one brief minute and thanked God for having a reliable car. For times He kept me safe in the near misses and times I didn’t realize how He protected me. I was grateful for the too many times to count that the car turned over and started its engine – some thing I take for granted. For its heat in winter and the air conditioning in sweltering summers. For the moments of pure pleasure of singing along with the music at the top of my lungs. I thought of the headlights to guide me home in the dark. And felt grateful for the hands that built this car and changes its oil. Pausing to savor … [Read more...]