Faith & Life Inspirational Message

I enjoy reading for one purpose and finding something that fits another purpose.  That happened recently when I was doing some work for an upcoming presentation I have to do.  I was reading a book about resilience.  Resilience is an important theme in our current world.  Resilience is always an issue when an individual or group experiences a tragedy or some other unfortunate occasion.  The question is whether the person or group will bounce back or whether the unfortunate situation will do them in for good?  The resilient person or team bounces back or recovers.     The book I was reading is by two physicians, Steven M. Southwick and Dennis S. Charney.  The book title is descriptive: Resilience: The Science of Mastering Life’s Greatest Challenges .  My two co-authors of our recent book include some material from Southwick’s book, so I was double-checking some information.      Instead of sharing a good deal of in...

As a result of some preparation for a speaking engagement I did, I worked with the idea of mission.  Most organizations have some kind of mission statement.  Even sports teams have mission statements.  I am not sure everyone is clear about the purpose of a mission statement.  And I also pretty sure most people in an organization have no clue what the mission statement says, which means they are not directly working to fulfill that mission.  Part of my argument in the presentation was to encourage everyone in the room, who theoretically were leaders, to make sure folks in their organization knew, believed in and worked for their mission.      It sounds simple, but it happens less than you might think.  For example, you might consider how many organizations you are part of.  Each one likely has a mission statement.  If I think of myself, I am part of a university, a church, etc.  I am sure each has a mission statement, but I...

The thing that amazes me the most in this discipline of writing some spiritual reflection is where I get the ideas.  Sometimes I have to struggle to get an idea, but with some perseverance, I can get one.  More often than not, something happens and, boom, the idea pops into my head.  Such was the idea for this entry.  The idea came immediately, but the title came only with some reflection. Oddly enough, the idea came when a car turned the corner in front of me.  I was out for a walk in the wonderful Metropark that is close to my campus.  It is a tree-lined, fairly wide path that goes for miles.  Where I join it, it passes a couple lakes.  There is some traffic on the adjoining road, but for the runners, walkers and bikers, the cars are a secondary distraction.  Most of us are enjoying the beauty of nature. As I approached the corner where the Metropark leads me back to the street, I heard a car coming, so I stopped.  Quickly this whi...

I have a newer friend whom I am growing to appreciate.  By newer, I mean that I met him within the last couple years, so the relationship is young.  On top of that, Glenn lives in Australia!  So far, I have never visited Australia, so that means we have not met on his turf.  I met him a couple years ago at a conference.  We both had written papers and were paired to present in a session of the conference.  We took a liking to each other and a budding relationship began. Glenn is an Anglican priest.  Much of his ministry is done as a chaplain in an Anglican school in Australia.  Essentially, he is working with high school students.  When I met him, I could understand why he was involved in this ministry.  Even though he must be in his 50s, he has a boyish look and certainly spirit.   It was easy to imagine him being the ringleader for a bunch of guys doing things that pushed the boundary of fun and acceptability.  I rec...

I am just back from another monastic visit.  Let me clarify.  I am a Benedict oblate, which basically means I am a lay Benedictine monk.  That sounds much more committed and serious than it probably is.  To be an oblate means I affiliate myself with a local Benedictine monastery and do my best to live as spiritually as I can.  Most of the time, I would confess that I am not doing my best.  I am still too influenced by the culture around me.  I still have desires that really don’t align with a fully mature faith.  In a word I am far from perfect.     I appreciate my local Benedictine monastery and the brothers in it.  They allow me to come as I can and participate in whatever ways I am able.  I find my visits there to be humbling and inspiring.  I don’t ever feel judged.  They encourage me in my own spiritual journey.  I know I am not pretending to be a monk.  I simply am associating with them because th...

Recently I have become aware again of something I probably have known for a long time.  Perhaps I have even known it my whole lifetime!  It is not a dramatic knowing, but it is healthy and can be healing.  What more can we ask?  Put simply, I became aware again of what I would call the simple soulfulness of quiet and aloneness.  I can put more fancy spiritual terminology to this, but the simplicity is sufficient for now. I like to be engaged in my work.  I like being with people.  I know my life still borders on the too-busy end of the spectrum.  Even though I am getting older, I wonder whether I am any wiser?  I know more than I execute.  Ignorance often is not the problem.  I know enough to grow spiritually, but frequently my stupidity blunts the process.  So I find myself in the same place year after year.  It is not a disaster, but there is a mountain yet to climb.  I still like the metaphor of mountain when thi...

Sometimes I think I have this thing for monks and nuns!  I realize with all that’s going on in our world, that statement could get me in trouble!  Minimally, it sounds fishy.  But I mean it.  I am not sure exactly when it was that I met my first monk or nun.  I know it was not growing up through high school.  We barely had any Catholics in the rural area that I called home.  So it would be college time, at least. There is not doubt my religious world expanded significantly in my college days.  I went to college in the south, so suddenly there were many Baptists in my life!  I also began to make friends with Episcopalians, Catholics and all their cousins who could teach this Quaker boy a thing or two about liturgy.  I made friends with Jews and knowingly made friends with Muslims.  My world was getting much bigger. But I don’t remember meeting a monk or a nun.  However, I do remember reading about monks and, in fact, began r...