This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to spend time in the National Gallery of Art. Harry and I had been there briefly some months before but we hadn’t had ample time to fully contemplate the beauty of some of the grand masterpieces housed there. We were both hoping to have a more spiritual experience… Continue reading The Chalice
Month: March 2011
the inspiration of others
There are moments in our lives when God uses people to inspire us and till up some of the hard soil in order to prepare us for the new growth that he is bringing about. I will never forget attending a recent homecoming event at Eastern Mennonite University and hearing the recipient of the Distinguished… Continue reading the inspiration of others
more thoughts on the gift of time
One of the reasons I feel we misunderstand and misuse our time is because we do not view it as a gift. We generally move from day to day with the assumption that there will be another. The consequences? We move from activity to activity, meeting to meeting, shopping spree to movie night, barely able… Continue reading more thoughts on the gift of time
Some thoughts on the gift of time
It is always intriguing to me when the various streams from which I am reading all come together in one congruent message. For the past several weeks, I have been reading about the gift of time… each new day… how we receive it… how we perceive it. It began as I was reading Eat, Pray and Love… the author reminisces about… Continue reading Some thoughts on the gift of time
making it through the storm
As Harry preached this past Sunday on Jesus walking on the water, I was deeply moved as I realized that recently I had been weathering my own storm… it is hard to know where these storms originate and why. Sometimes they arrive as quickly and as unexpectedly as they subside… like a squall on a… Continue reading making it through the storm
The spirituality of place…
During his ministry on earth, Jesus would often steal away from the crowds to reconnect with God. I am keenly aware that if Jesus needed this in his ministry, it is a good idea for me also. But it is not just because Jesus did it. I am aware that I can quickly get caught… Continue reading The spirituality of place…
Practicing the Sabbath… yielding for God’s provision
Practicing the Sabbath continues to be a life-giving practice for Harry and I. Admittedly, we have had to make some adjustments along the way. For several weeks now, we needed to change the day of the week due to previously scheduled events on Saturdays. So, we decided to make our Sabbath during this time from… Continue reading Practicing the Sabbath… yielding for God’s provision
The spirituality of words…
The creative work of expressing my spiritual insights and longings into words has become a meaningful spiritual practice for me over the past several years. It began with a prayer journal that I sporadically kept written in pen and pencil. It then evolved into something more freeing and creative, poetry. It seems that I feel more free… Continue reading The spirituality of words…
Should blogging be added to the list of classic spiritual disciplines?
Recently, I have heard the comment that perhaps blogging takes away from the pastoral role… that maybe if the pastor spent less time typing away at the computer, they would have more time to… You can imagine all the things one could say to finish the sentence. For me, as a pastor, blogging has become… Continue reading Should blogging be added to the list of classic spiritual disciplines?
What does it mean to be playful?
As I continue my practice of prayer, Jesus continues to invite me to play. Recently as I prayed through Psalm 23, I noticed that in my time of centering prayer, Jesus was with me in the green grass by the still waters. It was a beautiful place. Instantly I saw that we were moving around… Continue reading What does it mean to be playful?