Faith & Life Inspirational Message

As Americans, we enter the Thanksgiving season. Already people are wishing me a “happy Thanksgiving.” I am delighted with that greeting. And I would be delighted if someone next week wishes me a “happy Monday.” But I guess Mondays are supposed to be normal…not so happy, not so awful. I am not sure I do major holidays very well. I am not against them. They celebrate important events in national, religious, and often personal lives. Thanksgiving is an American deal. In Turkey it is just another weekday! As an American, I welcome it. And I hope it is happy. I am confident one of the reasons I am not sure about major holidays is the trickiness of expectations. For example, Thanksgiving is supposed to be “happy.” Christmas is supposed to be “merry” and, of course, we return to the “happy” theme for New Years. Clearly, for too many people there are too many lousy things going on to gear up to be “happy” and “merry.” Holiday expectations are tricky things. The truth is Thanksgiving lasts one

I do not usually read books looking for quotations.  But inevitably a phrase or, even, a whole sentence will jump out at me and I know it is a “keeper.”  Sometimes, I do not even know for sure why it is so important or why it captivated me.  I am convinced that sometimes I am captivated and, then, I have to figure out why that is the case. Just such a thing happened recently as I was reading a book that is being used by a group of which I am a participant.  Parker Palmer’s book, The Active Life , is a good read.  I confess that I like Parker, that he is a friend of mine, and I am biased to like whatever he writes.  But that confession does not mean he cannot say important things and everyone would agree. The phrase that jumped out to capture me comes in a chapter he entitled, “Active Life:” The Shadow Side.”  Thinking about the shadow side does not entice me.  In fact, I find it a bit foreboding.  I don’t have doubts that I have a shadow side.  To be honest, part of me really hopes

It is inevitable if you live longer enough, you learn things you never thought you would learn or even be interested in learning.  That has happened to me with regularity.  If we are lucky, we get to spend much of our time doing things we want to do.  Perhaps this is one definition of freedom.  In this sense I have been quite free.  Other than a couple jobs during college, I have had some freedom in choice of work, where to work and even more.  At least, I know I have been fortunate and am grateful. One of the things I assumed I had little interest in and assumed I did not want to learn about was business.  I respected folks who went into business.  Growing up on a farm meant, in some fashion, we were our own business.  I learned that you had to make more money than you spent or you were in trouble.  I learned the basics and could have been a farmer and made it ok.  But I was called elsewhere. During the process of a great deal of religious studies, studying business would have been th

I recently saw and interesting article headline that enticed me: “Home for a visit, a year after leaving the church.”  The article was penned by Melinda Henneberger, whom I learned, is a writer for a Kansas City newspaper.  I don’t know her.  But I was pulled into reading the article.  She tells about going back to church when she was in town for a meeting.  She comments, “It mostly felt good to be back at home, even though I don't live there anymore.”  I had to remember that she is talking about her visit to her church.  In many ways it was home. I began to realize that she was reflecting on her upbringing as a Catholic.  She describes how meaningful it was and that it was a really home, albeit a spiritual home.  But she has now left home.  She left home because of some of the issues that grip the Catholic Church---but not only the Catholic Church.  It was clear she misses some of her former home.  Going back only reminded her of that.  She is very clear why she has left and that

I have multiple occasions to consider the phenomenon of optimism.  I see many different examples of optimism and, perhaps just as frequently, its opposite, which is pessimism.  I am sure when I was younger, I would have thought that optimism and pessimism were inherent to a situation.  This means that a situation made me optimistic or pessimistic.  I had no real choice; the situation dictated how we were to see it.  That is a clear, firm answer, but now I think it is not the right answer. I had to revise this way of looking at optimism when I realized in the same situation, some people were optimistic and others were pessimistic.  People were responding from different angles to the same situation.  Apparently, there was some choosing of perspective. The more I thought my way into this situation, the clearer I became that this position likely was closer to the way things are.  I am willing to grant that at some age, people may be shaped to see things optimistically or pessimistically. 

For the most part, I do not like the group emails that have information that is cute or supposed to be funny.  Like the old phone calls most of us hated, some emails come and we see who sent it and our response is “Ugh!”  Thankfully, there is the handy delete button!  It is better than WhiteOut! But there are always exceptions.  And I recently received one of those.  It came from a friend whom I trust.  It was nothing more than a compilation of one-liners.  Many of them I knew and some of them I regularly use.  By that I mean something like “penny wise and pound foolish.”  I do not know who originally said that.  And many folks do not even know for sure what it means.  I have always assumed it has to do with British currency. So I briefly scrolled down the list…rather aimlessly looking at some of the one-liners.  My eyes landed on one that riveted my attention.  It said, “Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.”  I do not recall ever hearing that one.  But I like it and wan

It was just a casual conversation.  I was paying attention, but it was not the kind of sharp awareness that focuses the attention to make sure I am ready for important stuff.  That meant I was not alert enough to anticipate the question that came my way.  Indeed, it began innocently.  “Can I ask you a question,” the person asked?  “Sure,” I said naively.  Usually the content matches the context.  But in this case, it did not.  The person asked, “Do you know about OM?”  “A little,” I said.  I did know a little bit about it.  I know it comes out of the Hindu tradition and is also found in Buddhist circles.  The little I know is more than most Americans would know.  But if I were in India, my ignorance would be remarkable!  So I quickly shared a bit of the little that I knew.  I said it was mostly associated with Hinduism.  It is a symbol that points to the Holy.  And that was sufficient to get me through the immediate situation. And I decided I wanted to think some more about it. 

Maybe I am writing this one in self-defense.  I am not sick yet, at least discernably, but I am getting older.  Of course, everyone is getting older.  But most of us know when we have lived many more days than we can possibly yet live.  I am ok with that.  I realize how fortunate I have been and I give thanks for that.  I don’t feel like life has ripped me off.  I know others who have circumstances that could well feel like they have been ripped off. I am thinking about the sick because of the Rule of St. Benedict.  Benedict is the founder of the Benedictine monastic way of life.  He gathered a few disciples around him in sixth century Italy and they committed to trying to live a life as Jesus had lived his life.  Fairly soon, these guys realized they needed some guidelines to help them in their life together.  And so Benedict wrote a few rules (regula in Latin, i.e. regulations).  I am sure he would be surprised to know that his “rules” are still governing the life of Benedictine monk

One of my basic assumptions is all of life is spiritual…or can be.  Of course, simply to say all of life is spiritual is so general as to be meaningless or it is nonsense.  But I do believe it.  Along with this belief, however, I know I have to be more specific.  All of life may be spiritual, but in any moment and at any place I have to be able to locate it---the spiritual.  I have to be able to know it---the spiritual.  And I have to be able to live it---the spiritual. As I know so well and so often have said, it is only spiritual for me if I can locate it, know it, and be able to live it.  And to do this entirely means, first of all, I have to be aware of it---or come to be aware of it.  That is always the beginning for me.  I know how easy it is to live unaware.  In fact, it usually takes no effort at all!  Maybe that is a basic human problem: we tend to go through life being relatively unaware. Of course, we wake up when a crisis hits.  When life gets tough, awareness is easy. 

The title of today’s reflection hit me with a certain amount of horror!  “Whoa,” I thought.  “I never considered disillusionment as a gift.”  Sometimes, I think I should just quit reading.  I should quit hanging out with thoughtful, interesting people.  I should just associate with guys who watch and talk about sports all day long.  That way, my understandings of myself and my life would not have to be challenged.  I would not have to change.  What a relief! But no, I keep reading and interacting with interesting people.  And it happened again.  A group with whom I am involved is currently engaged with Parker Palmer’s book, The Active Life .  I have confessed to liking Palmer.  In fact, I have tried to hire him to teach a couple times.  But good people are hard to entice.  They always have options.  I suppose his book could be summarized as a look at how people who live the active life can also share some of the benefits of the contemplative life.  But it is the contemplative aspec

Recently, I was on my drive home when I spotted a sign in front of a local business.  The sign read: “Counter Help Wanted.”  Initially, I had little reaction.  Of course, in economic terms this is usually good news, but one instance is difficult to use to make sweeping generalizations about the economy. It could be a sign the store has increased business and really does need more help.  That truly is good news---both for the business and for whoever gets employment to help the business.  Or, I reckoned, it might be that a current employee had quit, retired, or perhaps even become sick.  In this case, the “help wanted sign” would simply be a replacement and, therefore, not any economic advancement. So I drove on by the store and was soon reaching my own place of domicile (I like to use words like these with the students; so often they do not know what it means, so I get to help them broaden their vocabulary.  “Oh,” they will exclaim, “it just means you got home!)  So as I was coming

The title for this inspirational piece is an intentional play on the Brian Doyle’s book, Eight Whopping Lies .  I have slowly been working my way through that book.  It is an immensely fascinating, engaging piece of writing.  Each little chapter is only two or three pages long, but Doyle identifies a focus and then develops it.  I have been using this book in a group I lead.  It is not really a book discussion group as much as it is a life discussion group.  Doyle’s book is useful because it offers such interesting themes to prod the group into thoughtful sharing from our lives.  It is one of the best peer discussion experience I have ever shared. Doyle does not immediately tell the reader why he entitles the book the way he does.  We don’t find out this until a later chapter, which enticingly he labels, “Eight Whopping Lies.”  I could not wait to jump into this chapter and see exactly what he wanted to teach me.  I was not disappointed.  Basically the lies are common phrases we hear i

One of the things I am privileged to do is visit a number of different worship communities.  Sometimes I get to attend Catholic Mass and other times it is a much more free form Protestant denomination.  I appreciate the variety of liturgical styles.  The Catholic Mass is quite predictable.  Because of my experience and my work in the history of the Christian Church, I know very well what will happen when I go to Mass.  I like the various readings from the Bible.  I love it that a Psalm will be shared.  Since Quakers don’t do the outward sacraments, it took a while for me to learn to understand and appreciate the eucharist or communion.  Going to a Methodist Church or others like it is also very familiar. That said, I also very much like going back into my familiar Quaker context.  Some Quakers have a worship service that is much like a Methodist or Baptist.  I know we will sing some hymns, hear a sermon and maybe a choir.  I always hope there is some time of silence and, perhaps, other

I was involved in conversation with one of my good friends yesterday.  The topics ranged widely due to frequent interruptions.  But if you are in conversation with good friends, it usually does not matter. Of course, it is nice to have conversations that are focused, intense, and eminently satisfying.  But life often interrupts.  And true friendships survive all interruptions!  “Keep the faith!” The fact that life interrupts is a good thing and, sometimes, a bad thing.  We are all living our lives.  Most of the time, I don’t think about it in these terms.  I move from commitment to commitment.  In my case, commitment often means classes.  I teach one class and, then, move on to the next one.  You all have your movements through the day. We are living our lives.  And that is exactly where spirituality takes place…in the midst of living our lives.  I think people mistakenly assume that spirituality (or religion) is what one does when one takes “time out.”  During the “time out,” one

I am not sure how many people have heard of Greta Thunberg, but all of us should know about her and about her cause.  Because her cause is our cause and the cause of all our kids and yet to be born kids in this world.  Greta is the teen-age young woman from Sweden who is speaking about climate change.  She has received immense press.  Recently she made it to this country and has been traveling around speaking about her cause.  In a dramatic way, she wants to save the world---literally. I am amazed and thrilled to watch her in action.  She is speaking about something that I am convinced is very real and, yet, not popular.  Any of us who have thought for five minutes about climate change has to feel a twinge of guilt.  I know I do.  There seems little scientific doubt that humans have affected the global climate and probably harmed it in significant ways.  As I read the scientific material, it sounds like the ticking global clock is nearing midnight.  Can we make necessary changes to sta

It’s a good day when I run across an idea or a quotation that really speaks to me.  Since I have never had much luck finding four –leaf clovers, I can’t be sure it is like that.  But the analogy works well.  Sometimes, I imagine reading through a book as similar to walking in a field.  Words are everywhere, just like the grass.  And as you are reading on, boom, there it is.  There is the idea or the quotation sticks out just like one of those four-leaf clovers. Irresistibly just as I would bend down to pick the clover, so do I pause and metaphorically “pick up” the idea.  That happened when I was reading some material from Parker Palmer’s book, The Active Life .  I like reading Palmer.  He has written quite a bit over the years and usually it is helpful.  And it is nice that I personally am a friend.  Somehow that always makes it more special.  Parker Palmer writes, “For me, the heart of the spiritual quest is to know ‘the rapture of being alive,’ and…to allow that knowledge to tra

I continue my slow progress through Brian Doyle’s wonderful book, Eight Whopping Lies .  My most recent essay was entitled, “The Viewing.”  I have learned that I don’t really know what Doyle is going to do in an essay.  Clearly, I know what the word, viewing, means.  But I had no idea what I was going to be looking at---viewing.  It turns out, we are heading to the chapel. I appreciate the way Doyle develops a story that usually takes only a couple of pages to establish, embellish and teach me something.  Doyle begins this story in a way that makes me feel like I joined the story in the middle.  “We walked into the chapel at dusk last night, and there she was, in the casket off to the left, with her son standing sentinel.”  It turns out the son is a priest.  Again, we are back into the middle of a Catholic story.  I like this because it helps me understand all my Catholic friends.  Doyle continues to describe in juicy detail all that one views.  He describes how the older men come to v

In a recent article for a national religious periodical Pat Marrin used the phrase, “holy ambiguity of grace.”  I found this charming phrase a new way to think about grace.  I know grace is a big theme in my own spirituality.  I have thought a great deal about grace and have written quite a bit.  I am sure grace comes as good news to most of us.  But Marrin found a novel way to look at grace and I appreciate it. In the classical languages like Greek, I know the word, grace, means literally a gift.  Grace is always a gift.  We are given grace; we don’t earn it.  We cannot talk about deserving grace.  Normally, what we deserve is justice and that typically is not going to be good news.  Justice tells us we have blown it and there will be consequences.  We can’t complain about justice.  When we blow it, there are consequences.  Every parent knows this drill.  A parent would not tell a little kid “no” and not mean it.  And if we tell the kid no and she keeps on doing it, we have to move to

Recently I read a short article that piqued my interest and set me thinking.  The author, Jocelyn Sideco, about whom I know nothing except she is a retreat minister, talked about “thin places.”  I know a little about this concept which arises from Celtic spirituality.  Thin places are those places where heaven and earth meet.  They could be described as an edge, boundary or margin.  When one gets to the edge, you are almost to another place.  Thin places can be issues of space or time.  I share the opening lines of Sideco’s reflections, hoping you also will be intrigued.  She says, “Much happens in the space between.  Where I end and you begin.  Where day ends and night begins.  Where we end and God begins.”  I like the idea of a “space between.”  We all know the space between ourselves.  Even between lovers, there is some small space.  Granted there may be those moments when the two of us feel like one, but these moments always end and we awaken to the realization that the oneness is