You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father. “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you. “But remember the root command: Love one another. John 15: 15-17 Wow, Lord, to be chosen by you to be a friend. I am humbled and to be honest a little ill at ease. I should feel loved and joy, but find deep inside me a wariness – What does this mean? But you are always clear and honest. You tell us what you are thinking and planning. What am I to do as your friend? You gently respond - Love one another. Simple truth. Difficult truth. Love is the fruit I am to bring forth into the world. Everything I do, … [Read more...]
Naming Your Inner Critic
I’m not good enough. I’m not smart enough. I’ll never make it. I’m not worthy. What’s wrong with me? Too often I allow my insecurities and imperfections to get the best of me and this can greatly affect any chances of achieving the dreams and desires God has for me in this life. On Wednesday I listened to an interview with the author Julie Cameron. She talked about ideas in her classic book, The Artist’s Way. I was fascinated with her friend, Nigel. This what she said: I have an inner critic, a sensor, whom I call Nigel. Nigel in my imagination is a gay interior decorator, who is British. Nothing I ever do is good enough for Nigel. I think all of us have our Nigels and sometimes people come to me and they want me to eradicate their censor. The censor never goes away, unfortunately. But we can learn how to work with it. Julia Cameron I never considered giving my negative thoughts a name before. Reminded me of something I learned last spring when I heard the expression … [Read more...]
The Ancient Path – Book Review
When planning and dreaming about our future, we can learn lessons from those who lived before us. This is the crux of the new book by John Michael Talbot titled “The Ancient Path – Old Lessons from the Church Fathers from a New Life Today.” This book describes Talbot’s journey in establishing the monastic community, the Brothers and Sisters of Charity. He writes about his life and how the early church fathers taught him how to live. What I liked about the book: I love seeing how the author dug deeply into our church history to find and then apply lessons to his life from those early wise leaders. As I read the book I recognized some names, discovered new ones and always learned more about the early church. Talbot’s determined drive to explore intensely and intentionally the wisdom from the past for patterns to live in our world today inspired me – why can’t we apply their insight to our lives too? Quote I liked: “There is a theme that runs through the writings of the … [Read more...]
I Am the Vine
Springtime Gardening
My backyard bursts with new growth. Tiny seedlings emerge through the dark earth with green eagerness and daily surprising transformations. Spring is a time of awakening. One section near the fence is covered with a multitude of small sprouts extending their teeny arms upward. It reminds me of baby birds all stretching their heads up, screaming feed me, feed me. As a gardener I see a problem in this area – I need to thin out these new growths for a healthier batch of flowers later in the summer. The dandelions are also quite healthy in my garden. With deep roots and bright yellow faces, they are the first to bloom. They taunt me: “Ha, see we are back again. No use trying to get rid of us. We will return to take over your precious garden bed!” Then there is the issue of “What is growing there anyway?” Is it a weed or will it be something I planted that I forgot? Do I let it grow and later regret not digging it out now? Or will it surprise me later? Decisions requiring answers … [Read more...]
Silent Listening
I love words so spending multiple days at a silent retreat draws me out of my comfort zone. But I have learned to value my annual silent retreats as deepening experience and nourishment to my soul. What are some of the benefits of entering into a grand silence to hear the whispers of God? Silent is a wonderful, yet challenging word. Mother Teresa said, “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” Use the word silent as an anagram. An anagram rearranges or unscrambles the letters of one word to create a new word. The result is: SILENT = LISTEN. Like an anagram, silent listening rearranges, unscrambles, reorganizes and reorders my spirit: Silent listening rearranges my thoughts, providing clarity and a new sense of direction and meaning. Silent listening … [Read more...]
The Good Shepherd
Treasures from the Spiritual Director International Conference – April 2015
Spiritual Directors International hosts a once a year conference. I was blessed to be able to attend this year for the event held in Louisville Kentucky. This year was extra special as the group was celebrating their 25th anniversary and the 100th anniversary of Thomas Merton’s birth. I felt like a treasure hunter for three days, seeking and finding wonderful gifts. Like a find banquet where I could feast. A soothing spa for my soul. Here are just a few of my notes: I walked a few blocks from the hotel to the busy intersection where Thomas Merton experienced his “epiphany” in 1958. “In Louisville, at the corner of Fourth and Walnut (now called Muhammad Ali) in the center of the shopping district, I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people that they were mine and I theirs, that we could not be aliens to one another even though we were total strangers… There is no way to telling people that they are all walking around shining like the … [Read more...]