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Making Meaning (Longest-Night Reflection)

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One of the beautiful features of our complex brains is that they help us find meaning. We are meaning-making creatures. The meaning making emerges through us in so many ways: in our story telling, through our artwork, and the way we communicate.  We can look at an oak tree and say, “I know a friend who is strong like that oak tree.” No one will wonder if your friend is made of wood, or flesh… At night, I look up at the stars and know them to be angels around God’s heavenly throne. When I mentioned that in my sermon this morning, no one stopped on the way out to ask if I didn’t understand that stars are scattered millions of lightyears apart and are formed of gasses burning so hot the fusion immits radiation and light, and their gravity holds them in the tension of galaxies... Angels. Messengers of God. Stars are singing angels. Last week on my Advent retreat, we walked, or really, stumbled around a hill country ranch littered with rocks and cactus. It was a moonless night with no f...
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Followers of the Way

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Gazing across the archeological site that was once Corinth (as in, St. Pauls' letter to the Corinthians... ) and seeing where St. Paul had been bound and on trial for spreading the Good News of God to the Followers of the Way, I gained a new appreciation for the history of what we call today Christianity. I'm not an expert in church history, but I've studied it along my journey. Some lament the divisions amongst our churches, and there is certainly plenty to lament about our history and some of the reasons we are divided. While there are "divisions" I also appreciate the variety of expressions of church made possible by the separation into denominations, even the new denomination creatively called "Nondenominational."  My working understanding of the Holy Spirit is that she speaks through the diversity of people and cultures, and we come closer to understanding God's guidance the more voices we are able to hear. In this age of the Emerging Church (th...
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Happiness is an Inside Job

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One of my favorite living spiritual writers is fond of the expression, "Happiness is an inside job." Pondering that shines a light on the disquietude so many people express as they focus on, "what is wrong with the world." Richard Rohr points out to his listeners and readers that if we are looking "out there" for the world to make us happy, we will never be satisfied. Instead, happiness is something that comes from within when we choose to allow the love of Christ fill our hearts and respond accordingly.  When we are children, we look to our parents for direction, including the joy of this season. We might accept their love in the form of tangible gifts under the tree and delicious meals. People often feel an edge of disappointment as we come of age and the "magic" of Christmas fades. Sometimes the joy returns when we discover the more fulfilling action of giving gifts to others. That may come from wrapping gifts for  family members, even our own...
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I was a stranger and you welcomed me

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As we enjoy our less crowded streets and enjoy our fall festivals from the Wooden Boat Festival to the Turkey Trot and all those Santa visits, I find myself once again grateful to live in this community where as my son is learning, "You can't go two blocks without seeing someone you know." I mostly enjoy that reality of our small familiar community. I enjoy seeing faces I recognize on the beach, in the grocery store, at a concert at the Gaff, or on the porch of our church. On the other had there are times when I don't want social interaction; I value solitude from time to time to feed my soul.  Another shadow side of our living in our smaller community is we sometimes miss welcoming the newcomer. I include myself in that sin of omission and think about folks I saw as strangers whom I failed to connect with to make a friend. Being here in my 14th year, I think it's partially a survival instinct that kicks in; I tend to put on my "tourist blinders" when I...
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When you know too much

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Sometimes experts complain about knowing too much about their field of expertise when it becomes a burden. I've heard preachers complain that they have trouble listening to a sermon without analyzing how they might have done it differently. When medical professionals hear conversations among friends or family, they can't help but come up with a diagnosis and wonder about a treatment plan. It can become overwhelming.  The sort of "knowing too much" I'm referring to here, though, is a little different, but can also be overwhelming. Imagine, if you will, living on this island near Texas many years ago, and waiting for a weekly paper to arrive to find out some news from the rest of the world. Can we imagine further back? What if you learned a big weather event had happened only when you and your tribe traveled to trade with a neighboring tribe after a few days' journey on foot. We can only try to imagine what that might have been like because today we have this co...
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How do you pray?

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If you are like me, you love to commune with God in nature. I can't actually remember hearing anyone say, "I really can't connect with God in nature." I remember the first time I heard a church-person affirm that connection with God in nature. I was at Camp Allen, the summer camp I attended as a kid, and one of the priests said that I and my heart leapt with joy to hear that from someone with authority. The Celtic Christian tradition is full of this sort of awareness and teaching. There are little prayers offered that include the majesty and intricacy of God's good creation. Some of the monks used to set out on the sea, allowing it to carry them on to new unknown places to proclaim the gospel.  A friend was talking about the practice of praying morning, noon, and night recently, and referred to that prayer practice as having a Trinitarian Shape. I tend to have a regular morning prayer time, and night prayers under the stars are often my deepest, soulful conversati...
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Are you stuck?

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"In what part of your life are you stuck?" That was a favorite question from my therapist upon his first visit with new patients. I visited him for the first time in my first year of ordained ministry when I was struggling to find inspiration; I felt stuck. A mentor recommended that I learn to take care of my mental and spiritual health, and that led to a whole journey that included my one-on-one time with Dr. James Hollis, a regular a facilitated clergy support group, and participation in retreats; each component helped me get unstuck and I still draw on the wisdom I learned across all parts of my life.  Regarding his "stuck" question, Dr. Hollis's confided to me, "Not has someone replied, 'what do you mean?'" Instead they quickly got to work unpacking the "stuck" area of life. At most stages in life, as we navigate worldly demands and familial responsibilities we put some part of who we are on hold. Those untended parts of ourselves...
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