Faith & Life Inspirational Message

I try to read a great deal in order to think more broadly.  And I try to read things outside of my ordinary realm of interests in order to have challenges to think differently.  I know that one of the keys to creativity and innovation is to hang out with people different than you are.  We almost never get new ideas hanging out with people who think just like we do.  Since I cannot always have coffee or a meal with different kinds of people, the easiest thing to do is to read something by people like this.  It is amazing how vast the possibilities are.     One such piece I recently looked at was the commencement address at Barnard College by Abby Wambach, famous women’s soccer player who is now retired from the sport.  Of course, I don’t personally know Wambach, but I do know about her.  I watched her play many times.  With just a little effort, you can find out about her.  Born in 1980, Wambach is a two-time Olympic gold medali...

I am spending some time preparing for a series of classes I will offer at a local retreat center.  I like doing these kinds of things because they attract a different kind of person than the normal college student sitting in my classes.  Probably no one who comes to the retreat center will fall into the 18-22-year old age range.  Some will be older than I am!  No doubt, many will be Catholic, since it is a Catholic retreat center.  My goal is simple.  I want to set it up so that the folks who attend join me in a spiritual journey of seeking and finding.     I will use a number of resources to frame the seeking.  I can imagine most people there have some sense of God.  But I also assume that most of us, while we have some sense of who God is, are also open to the “more” that God always turns out to be.  I know I am wary of anyone who tells me that they know who God is.  I am not that sure.  I am confident I know some t...

The title of this inspiration comes from a poem written by Thomas Merton, my favorite monk of the twentieth century.  Merton’s life and spirituality have been important to me as I have reflected on my own life and my own developing spirituality.  In many ways Merton is an old friend for me.  I never met him, although I know five or six people who did know him.  He was a member of a rigorous monastery in the hills of Kentucky, where I have visited numerous times.  He died tragically in 1968.  But he left an incredible legacy through his writings, which still speak to me and to our times.      An example of this relevance is his famous long poem he entitled, Hagia Sophia , written in 1962.  Hagia Sophia uses two Greek words, “Holy Wisdom.”  Sophia is the Greek word for “wisdom” and we note that it is feminine.  The best analogy for Sophia is to see it comparably to the Greek word, Logos, which usually is translated “Word.”...

I like the word, solace.  If I were to use it in a college classroom, I am not sure how many students would know exactly what the word means.  I don’t think this is one of those places where I lament how much the younger generation does not know that I would claim my older generation knew at their age.  I am not sure that is true.  I do know that I learned so much along the way in life.  One great thing that college taught me was how little I knew!  Learning new words and being more articulate was an important learning, but it was one of many.     I know solace means offering comfort to those who are sad or somehow grieved.  Solace also means offering cheer and making folks cheerful.  It comes from the Latin word, solacium , which means to console.  A significant element of the ministry I have done throughout my life has been to offer solace.  I have been with folks in their heartaches---through deaths, misfortunes and o...

The title for this inspirational piece comes from an essay from a former Jesuit, Louis Savary.  The article was shared with me by a friend who knows what I like to read.  The essay describes a new spirituality, which I found to be very interesting.  Much of it was not surprising to me, but it is something I can use in a variety of different things I do.  Savary’s words in the essay are actually an introductory commentary on a new book from him, The New Spiritual Exercises .  If you are Catholic, you might guess since Savary is a former Jesuit, this book is a re-look at the founding Jesuit, Ignatius of Loyola’s famous little book, Spiritual Exercises .  Since this original work appeared some 450 years ago, it is worth updating.     Let me summarize Savary’s perspective, since his thoughts on contemporary spirituality are worth noting.  Savary is concerned above all that contemporary human beings take seriously what science teaches us....

If you saw the title for this inspiration, I can imagine you might have laughed because of the word, fecundity.  Or it is just as easy to imagine, you saw that word and had no idea what it meant.  I know if I used that word in a college classroom, I would be lucky if one person had a clue what fecundity meant.  Fecundity means fruitful or, indeed, very fruitful.  It means there is an abundance of fruit; there is a huge amount of growth.  To be fecund is to be fruitful.  I suppose in the business world, we would talk about very good results.  If we talk about harvest, we would describe the barns as being overflowing.     I ran across this phrase in the opening words of the late monk Thomas Merton’s famous poem, Hagia Sophia.  Hagia Sophia is a pair of Greek words which mean “Holy Wisdom.”  His poem, penned in 1963, some five years before his untimely death, is a tribute to Wisdom.  Sophia (wisdom) is often portrayed as the ...

I consider myself pretty average.  I am average in probably most categories you can imagine.  I don’t have any problem with that.  Most people are average.  That is how you get average!  Of course, average typically is contextual.  I am average when it comes to being an American, white, male, etc.  If you put me in a global context, I am well above average in terms of financial worth, lifestyle, etc.  Being average actually has its perks.     Being average usually means we feel like we are owed as much as we owe.  Let me explain.  If I am average, then there are many above me.  If I am average, I tend to compare myself to those who have more.  Since “they” have more, I don’t owe anything---or maybe someone even owes me.  I think of taxes as an example.  I am not sure I know anyone who does not think they pay their share of taxes---or even more than their share.  When April rolls around, most of us ...

There is an easy tie to the title of this inspirational piece and the theme of God’s love.  The idea came to me as I was reading a delightful little essay by Marion Amberg.  I don’t know Amberg, but I have learned that she lives in Santa Fe and is a freelance journalist.  She writes well and told the story of assisting an old Japanese-American woman for a couple years in what I take was a nursing home setting.  The title of Amberg’s piece was revealing: “God is love, and God’s face was looking at me for two years.”  By sharing some of the story, I share the spiritual insight contained in the story.  It is a good one.     Amberg opens her reflections in a wonderful way to set up the story.  She says, “You never know when love will find you.  I didn't expect a two-year love affair when I accepted a caregiver assignment with Amy, a 92-year-old Japanese lady in a senior living home.  My job was easy: accompany Amy to the dining roo...

I enjoy the way Pope Francis sees things and, especially, how he puts things.  Recently in a talk at St. Peter’s the Pope asked 20 kids to join him on stage.  Apparently, they had been part of their parish pilgrimage when the Pope asked them to join him on stage.  They all were wearing yellow baseballs hats.  The picture was too good!     Part of the papal address was to focus on the worse enemies for young people.  That is an interesting focus.  I am not sure I have even given that much thought.  So I was eager to see what the Pope would have to say.  The first quotation from the article I read offered a zinger.  The Pope said, "It is necessary to ask the heavenly father for the gift of healthy restlessness for today's young people, the ability to not settle for a life without beauty, without color.”  That is a great sentence.  Let’s all ask God for the gift of healthy restlessness.  I wonder what healthy restle...

No one reading this inspirational piece has avoided education.  Without education you could not be reading these words.  It has been so long since I could not read, I cannot even remember those days.  And I don’t even remember the slow process of learning how to read.  I am grateful for all those early educators who must have had immense patience to hang in there with me.      My memory tells me I was an above-average student when I was learning to read.  I was not the brightest one in my reading and English classes.  Girls always seemed smarter than the guys!  I don’t even know when I began using the language of “education” to describe my learning process.  When I was young, the whole educational enterprise was articulated as “going to school.”  At school, I “learned things.”  I was ok with that because there apparently was no choice.      I did not grow up in a house where there was much talk...

On my good days I like to think I am on a spiritual journey.  I feel more comfortable putting it this way, rather than saying I am spiritual.  Simply to say I am spiritual seems arrogant to me.  I would say that I know some people whom I consider to be spiritual.  I look at their lives and actions and it is a no-brainer.  I even know a couple folks who can be seen as spiritual masters.  I feel like I am on the other end.  Some days I feel engaged on the journey.  Other days I am not sure I have even begun. Two elements are necessary for a consistent spiritual journey.  They are simple elements, but are necessary.  The first element is commitment.  Commitment includes the initial “yes” to a relationship with God.  And then it is locking in that “yes” in a daily living out of the relationship.  This is where the second element comes into the picture.  That element is discipline.  Discipline is the means by which ...

I was reading a favorite periodical when I spotted the headline with a word that I don’t think I had ever seen.  The headline read: “The ‘Precariat:’ stressed out, insecure, alienated and angry.”  I’m not sure I had ever seen “precariat.”  I could guess what it meant.  The opening line of the article assured me I knew its meaning.     “Inequality.  Class fragmentation.  Social and economic exclusion.”  Those words paint an unfortunate picture.  And that’s just the point.  The author of the article, Vinnie Rotondaro, is writing about the world’s large and growing group of people living precarious lives right above the poverty line.  This clearly does not include me; I have been very fortunate.  But that only means that I need to know about this sad phenomenon and see it for the spiritual issue it is, alongside being an economic and political issue.     The author makes use of much of the scholarly wo...

Recently I have been privileged to work on a project that focuses on hands.  When I first was asked to do this work, I thought, “How hard could that be?”  As with things that seem so deceptively simple, it was not so simple!  I will spare you the details of the work.  It was not inherently spiritual.  But it did provoke some interesting and, I think, spiritual considerations for me personally.  These I will share.     If you have two hands---which most people have---you probably are like me in the sense that I don’t pay too much attention to my hands.  Since I have had hands all my life, they seem to be there as a given.  They are a normal, natural part of the human anatomy.  I know they allow me to do a myriad of things.  And many of the things I can do are actually pretty astonishing.  But I must say, I think most of the time I am not aware of my hands.     My hands are simply there---doing things...

Recently I have had a couple occasions of reunion.  They both brought some joy to my life and I truly appreciated the opportunities.  In my mind, reunions are a good thing.  They have positive connotations.  I can’t imagine saying that we are going to a reunion and we hope to have a really bad time!  So for me, a reunion is always a good deal.     I know there are family reunions.  Some families do reunions on a regular basis.  That would not be true of my family.  Family reunions are rather rare in my tribe.  I am not sure of all the reasons, but that is the way it is.  There are class reunions in schools and colleges.  There are other kinds of reunions in clubs and other organizations.  Again, I am assuming these reunions also are meant to be fun and to bring some joy.     There are formal reunions, such as the family reunion that is planned months in advance.  Everybody is invited to a ...

Recently I was with a wonderful group of people who were thinking about servant leadership.  It is a concept that has rich meaning to me.  As I thought about it, I realized that I have probably been trying to be a leader since elementary school days.  I don’t know that I started out to be a servant leader, but that idea came to be part of my leadership style fairly early in my career.     Part of what attracts me to the idea of being a servant leader is my own personality.  As I think about it, I have always preferred being part of a group and helping a group along.  I certainly have played the role of the lone ranger, but that is not as much fun for me as leading a group.  I also think my own Quaker tradition values encourage a kind of servant leadership model.  Quakers have always felt like the group is more important than any single individual.  I agree with this and have tried to support the group’s progress and success. ...

I was sitting at home one recent evening.  I had no special plans, except to write my usual spiritual reflection piece.  I like doing them in the evening, since that gives me a whole day to be aware, pay attention, and to see what comes my way.  I know one of the reasons I still like writing these things is it encourages me to live with a level of awareness that I am not sure I would do if I weren’t somehow responsible for writing something.  It is a wonderful discipline. Out of the silence, my phone rang.  The nice thing about cell phones is there are almost no junk phone calls as I recall in the good old days of the landline.  If the phone rings, it almost is always for me.  Someone is connecting.  A very familiar voice greeted me.  That was nice.  But it provoked me to think. At least in my world, no one calls without some intentionality.  That means there is a reason for virtually every phone call I get.  Even if someon...

Spending some time recently with a friend brought some new, interesting ideas for me to ponder.  Some of what I want to share here is not original to me.  The basic idea, in fact, he handed to me.  Maybe he got the idea from someone, but it was not novel for me.  The conversation came out of a conversation about the miracles of Jesus.  For a long time, I have been intrigued by miracles. I know many people swear by miracles.  Jesus performed miracles and folks believe that the miracle occurred just as the New Testament recorded it.  Other folks take a more liberal view.  They do not actually think Jesus fed five thousand people with five loaves and two fish.  They are confident the story of turning water into wine is embellished to make a good story.  And then, there are many contemporary people who think all talk about miracles is so much hogwash---literally and metaphorically nonsense. I certainly do not take everything in the New T...

Sometimes in working with some daily devotional material, I am brought up short on some assumptions.  As I have noted in the past, I follow the lectionary---daily readings---from the Benedictine monastic tradition.  I like doing daily what I know Benedictine monks and nuns around the world are doing.  As I follow that, I know every time they worship, some portion of their time is taken up by reading a selection from the Psalms.  Reading this Psalms in this way has filled in a gap in my growing up as a Quaker.  We weren’t against the Psalms, but we did not use them very much.     In the reading from today for the first morning prayer, the Psalm selection was from Psalm 24.  I know I have read this Psalm multiple times before.  I know that I have even written on some of the verses in this Psalm.  Maybe I have thought before about the initial verse of the Psalm, but I don’t remember it hitting me like it did this time.  It makes m...