By Rainer Maria Rilke
The leaves fall, fall as if from far away,
like withered things from gardens deep in sky;
they fall with gestures of renunciation.
And through the night the heavy earth falls too,
down from the stars, into the loneliness.
And we all fall. This hand must fall.
Look everywhere: it is the lot of all.
Yet there is one who holds us as we fall
eternally in his hands’ tenderness.
Source: Rilke: Selected Poems, translated by C.F. MacIntyre
copied from inward/outward
Friday, October 30, 2009
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Late autumn, pointing to winter is a reminder that our life seasons too, will need a time of withdrawing, slowing, hibernating, resting, going inward. It too has its wisdom. Leaves must fall. Growth must become sabbatical.
So the Upper Room reflection today is fittng as I think of shorter daylights;
WHEN WE ENTER INTO … SILENCE, we are seeking — and eventually we encounter — something profound: the freedom of God. The silence of prayer separates us from our projects and our need to be in control of every aspect of our lives, and when we allow this to occur, we are free to let God do with us as God desires.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 18 of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved
So the Upper Room reflection today is fittng as I think of shorter daylights;
WHEN WE ENTER INTO … SILENCE, we are seeking — and eventually we encounter — something profound: the freedom of God. The silence of prayer separates us from our projects and our need to be in control of every aspect of our lives, and when we allow this to occur, we are free to let God do with us as God desires.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 18 of Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006 by the author. All Rights Reserved
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
The copy of the day
from inward/outward:
By Jean Vanier
Mission is revealing to others their fundamental beauty, value and importance in the universe, their capacity to love, to grow and to do beautiful things and to meet God. Mission is transmitting to people a new inner freedom and hope; it is unlocking the doors of their being so that new energies can flow; it is taking away from their shoulders the terrible yoke of fear and guilt. To give life to people is to reveal to them that they are loved just as they are by God, with the mixture of good and evil, light and darkness that is in them: that the stone in front of their tomb in which all the dirt of their lives has been hidden, can be rolled away. They are forgiven; they can live in freedom.
Source: Community and Growth
By Jean Vanier
Mission is revealing to others their fundamental beauty, value and importance in the universe, their capacity to love, to grow and to do beautiful things and to meet God. Mission is transmitting to people a new inner freedom and hope; it is unlocking the doors of their being so that new energies can flow; it is taking away from their shoulders the terrible yoke of fear and guilt. To give life to people is to reveal to them that they are loved just as they are by God, with the mixture of good and evil, light and darkness that is in them: that the stone in front of their tomb in which all the dirt of their lives has been hidden, can be rolled away. They are forgiven; they can live in freedom.
Source: Community and Growth
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
By Thomas Merton
One’s solitude belongs to the world and to God. Are these just words? Solitude has its own special work: a deepening of awareness that the world needs. A struggle against alienation. True solitude is deeply aware of the world’s needs. It does not hold the world at arm’s length.
Source: Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
One’s solitude belongs to the world and to God. Are these just words? Solitude has its own special work: a deepening of awareness that the world needs. A struggle against alienation. True solitude is deeply aware of the world’s needs. It does not hold the world at arm’s length.
Source: Conjectures of a Guilty Bystander
Monday, October 26, 2009
Mystery
O MYSTERY, hidden in the stars, rooted in the trees, deeper than our knowing.
O Mystery, pulsing through our veins and every mountain stream.
O Mystery, bringing us to our knees in worship, filling our eyes with tears, breaking our hearts with the sorrow of the earth.
O Mystery, ablaze in sunsets, and shining like the moon.
O Mystery, calling forth a reverence for that which you have created.
O Mystery, God beyond our names and greater than our certainty or our doubts.
O Mystery, how wonderful you are, and holy is this day and this ground upon which we stand.
- Larry James Peacock
Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer
From p. 149 of Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer by Larry James Peacock. Copyright © 2003 by the author. All Rights Reserved
From Upper Room Daily Reflections
O Mystery, pulsing through our veins and every mountain stream.
O Mystery, bringing us to our knees in worship, filling our eyes with tears, breaking our hearts with the sorrow of the earth.
O Mystery, ablaze in sunsets, and shining like the moon.
O Mystery, calling forth a reverence for that which you have created.
O Mystery, God beyond our names and greater than our certainty or our doubts.
O Mystery, how wonderful you are, and holy is this day and this ground upon which we stand.
- Larry James Peacock
Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer
From p. 149 of Openings: A Daybook of Saints, Psalms, and Prayer by Larry James Peacock. Copyright © 2003 by the author. All Rights Reserved
From Upper Room Daily Reflections
Friday, October 23, 2009
Just a little lunch time ramble
The Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey site made these two postings on the church. Good food for thought. I realize how secluded I get in the church life where I live with this language, its stories, and forget that others might not share this insider knowledge. I am thinking of a confirmation student this week who said he wanted to know more about the Bible and said that when he hears the scriptures being read on Sunday morning, he has no idea of what is being said. He probably speaks a lot of truth and I (and the church) need to get out more, or at least see how we are (or are not) coming across.
I don't want to just be "of" the church. I want to see Jesus in the church and beyond the church. I might need to get Biblical and see Jesus in
the hungry, the outcast. the sick, the prisoner...(the Matthew 25 Christ). I might have to get out of the church to see and be that church.
Church, Not of It
Often we hear the remark that we have live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church. Being of the Church means being so preoccupied by and involved in the many ecclesial affairs and clerical "ins and outs" that we are no longer focused on Jesus. The Church then blinds us from what we came to see and deafens us to what we came to hear. Still, it is in the Church that Christ dwells, invites us to his table, and speaks to us words of eternal love.
Being in the Church without being of it is a great spiritual challenge.
The Church, God's People
As Jesus was one human person among many, the Church is one organization among many. And just as there may have been people with more attractive appearances than Jesus, there may be many organizations that are a lot better run than the Church. But Jesus is the Christ appearing among us to reveal God's love, and the Church is his people called together to make his presence visible in today's world.
Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met him many years ago? Are we able to recognize him today in his body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we will see the glory of God.
.....
The Henri Nouwen Bread for the Journey site made these two postings on the church. Good food for thought. I realize how secluded I get in the church life where I live with this language, its stories, and forget that others might not share this insider knowledge. I am thinking of a confirmation student this week who said he wanted to know more about the Bible and said that when he hears the scriptures being read on Sunday morning, he has no idea of what is being said. He probably speaks a lot of truth and I (and the church) need to get out more, or at least see how we are (or are not) coming across.
I don't want to just be "of" the church. I want to see Jesus in the church and beyond the church. I might need to get Biblical and see Jesus in
the hungry, the outcast. the sick, the prisoner...(the Matthew 25 Christ). I might have to get out of the church to see and be that church.
Church, Not of It
Often we hear the remark that we have live in the world without being of the world. But it may be more difficult to be in the Church without being of the Church. Being of the Church means being so preoccupied by and involved in the many ecclesial affairs and clerical "ins and outs" that we are no longer focused on Jesus. The Church then blinds us from what we came to see and deafens us to what we came to hear. Still, it is in the Church that Christ dwells, invites us to his table, and speaks to us words of eternal love.
Being in the Church without being of it is a great spiritual challenge.
The Church, God's People
As Jesus was one human person among many, the Church is one organization among many. And just as there may have been people with more attractive appearances than Jesus, there may be many organizations that are a lot better run than the Church. But Jesus is the Christ appearing among us to reveal God's love, and the Church is his people called together to make his presence visible in today's world.
Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met him many years ago? Are we able to recognize him today in his body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we will see the glory of God.
.....
Sunday, October 18, 2009
MY PRAYER IS SIMPLE:
May we choose love, Lord.
May we choose love when faced with retaliation,
love when tempted by deception,
love when addressing poverty,
love when speaking to our neighbors,
love when lured by bad choices,
love when electing leaders.
In all the things we do,
in all the words we say,
and in all the places we go,
may we always choose love.
Amen.
- Ciona D. Rouse
Like Breath and Water: Praying with Africa
From p. 61 of Like Breath and Water: Praying with Africa by Ciona D. Rouse. Copyright © 2009 by Pray with Africa
May we choose love, Lord.
May we choose love when faced with retaliation,
love when tempted by deception,
love when addressing poverty,
love when speaking to our neighbors,
love when lured by bad choices,
love when electing leaders.
In all the things we do,
in all the words we say,
and in all the places we go,
may we always choose love.
Amen.
- Ciona D. Rouse
Like Breath and Water: Praying with Africa
From p. 61 of Like Breath and Water: Praying with Africa by Ciona D. Rouse. Copyright © 2009 by Pray with Africa
Friday, October 16, 2009
Patient Trust
The inward/outward entry for today is this:
By Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually–let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
Source: unknown
By Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually–let them grow,
Let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit gradually forming within you will be.
Give our Lord the benefit of believing that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.
Source: unknown
Thursday, October 15, 2009
From Ty's blog..a must read
This is a copy and paste from Tys blog BrainerdtoBombay about the "slum tour" she and my wife, Beth, were on a few weeks ago. Read it with pictures at http://brainerdtobombay.blogspot.com/
but in case you don't do that..here is the story.
Slumdog Millionaire Part Two
Dharavi Slum
Population: estimated at 1 million but no one knows for sure
Income Generated:U.S. profit from Dharavi income is $650 million dollars per year
Toilets: one per 1,400 bladders and bowels
Water Supply: inadequate, polluted, and rationed
Electricity: sporadic and limited to a light bulb or two hanging from the ceiling
Economy: Recycling. MANY U.S. companies ship their garbage to be recycled at Dharavi. Cardboard boxes are collected from the U.S., shipped to India, damaged sections or sections with labels are cut off (by hand), the boxes are re-constructed, and shipped back to the same companies that used them in the first place. Used water bottles and other plastic containers are shipped here from the U.S., melted down into pellets, and then shipped back to the U.S. to be formed into bottles again. Many of those will be filled up again with fresh, filtered water that is denied to slum dwellers in Dharavi.
OSHA Standards: There are no unions, nor are there rules and regulations regarding labor laws. The average worker earns between $40 and $60 dollars per month in the "factories" of Dharavi. There are an estimated 15,000 of these single room factories in Dharavi that are no bigger than my master bedroom back home. We toured several of them, and we only saw one piece of equipment that actually plugged in. In India, people are cheaper than machines. These recycling operations would shock you. A man walks barefoot on a hot tin roof, in a bed of plastic pellets and shavings in order to "sift" them to dry out. If it rains, he gets a dock in pay for letting the pellets get wet. If it's 115F he's still expected to work. He will work six days a week, nine hours a day, on that hot tin roof. I see him working on Sunday.
The U.S. companies that drive this operation violate U.S. strict government standards so this man and everyone around him breathes in toxic fumes. I climb the roof next to him, stare down on thousands of hit tin roofs, and breathe in the toxic fumes. "How can this be okay?" I ask Salim, our guide. He looks down from the rooftop, pointing, "See those police officers? Down there? They are here not to protect you and keep peace like in the states. They are here to accept the bribes from the factory managers. They keep a portion of the bribe and the rest goes to the state inspectors. Because we do actually have some laws against polluting the air here in Mumbai."
Geography/History: The islands of Dharavi go back to the 18th century. It was a mangrove swamp, primarily inhabited by fisherman from Koli. The swamp areas eventually filled out, and the islands became one very muddy and low lying land mass. Soon the island city meshed into its neighbor Bombay. Then the fishing dried up with the swamp, and migrants started pouring in and establishing their trade. There were and still are potters from Gujarat, tanners from the Arab world, tailors from Uttar Pardesh, and many others transplants looking for a big city to sell their wares in. Dharavi is culturally rich and colorful. It's dubbed, "The Heart of the City", because it is heart shaped, lying between two main train lines. The property now is worth a TON of money, because it is located near the Bandra Kurla Coplex (Mumbai's new financial district). Hindis, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians live together here peacefully. The newest wave of migrants are flood victims from Bihar.
The Tour: My friend Beth Swenson and I arranged a tour of Dharavi through Reality Tours (http://www.realitytoursandtravel.com/). It costs about 8 dollars for a three hour tour. We were hesitant about meeting our guide in a crowded railway station a bridge away from the slum. But Salim, our guide, found us easily. Beth is blond and I have freckles. We kinda stood out amongst the others. Okay, kinda sorta stuck out. Big time.
Salim, a handsome young man in his late 20's, was wearing tight jeans and a black cotton shirt. His smile melted into my heart immediately. He was passionate about sharing the story of Dharavi as we walked and he talked. Every few minutes his cell phone would ring or he'd get a text message. His girlfriend, he explained. She can only call on Sundays so he excused himself many times to chat with her. He shared with us that she is Muslim, from a caste well above his. He is Hindu, living in a neigboring slum. She wears the burka and they see each other ten minutes per week while waiting in a line somewhere.
They are hopelessly in love. Truly hopelessly because soon her marriage will be arranged to someone else and Salim will not be able to prevent it. His only hope is to somehow find a job soon, so that he can save enough rupees to buy a house that COULD convince her parents that he can support her. That is his plan. He said that his girlfriend will need to give up nice clothes and going out with her friends once they marry because they won't have the money. She says none of that matters if they are together. He says to us, "I never say anything out loud that I don't truly believe will happen. And I say today to you that I will find a way to marry her." I want to believe him just like I want to believe that there's a viable and timely solution to all this poverty and suffering in Dharavi.
Salim dreams of children, of becoming a teacher, and of living in a "love marriage" with this girl who has never shown her face to him in public. He can speak six languages and taught himself to speak English by watching American movies with the volume turned up and by reading Sidney Sheldon novels. "TyAnne, how do you mean 'what the hell???' and what word means 'heck'!?!?" I laugh and explain. Beth finds our conversation especially fascinating as we've been talking about literacy all week at school. She's in India as our consultant.
We walk and talk shop. Once he finds out we are teachers he has lots of questions. Salim is worried his accent is too thick and that we can't understand everything he says. We understand. His accent is practically non-existent. Beth asks, "How did you learn to speak so clearly?" He replies, "I practiced speaking English aloud in a big mirror. I listened to myself talk over and over, trying to sound like the movie stars in America." Salim is a teacher and a learner. In the states he would have no doubt been able to attend college and get his girl.
These are employees at Reality Tours (Beth and I are on the far right.)
We continue to walk through the slum, seeing things that shock you to the core. But everyone is happy to see us, waving, shaking our hands. Offering us food. Beth declines while I try it all ... tamarind candy, freshly baked pastries, and Indian sweets. The children shout out, "What is your name! My name is _______! Happy to meet you!!!" They are precious.
My mirrored sunglasses go up and down from my eyes to my above my forehead. I love these sunglasses. Not because they are prescription so I can see clearer. I love them because the coward that I am lets me wear them when I start to tear up. I don't want these precious lovely children to see my pity, my sadness, my pain. I cry because in Dharavi, in the midst of all this poverty, people are working hard, laughing, smiling, and making the best of a situation that I would find unfathomable. I cry because I got to stay in school and study, pursue a good paying job, and marry my boyfriend. I cry because tonight I will sleep, freshly showered, in a three bedroom three bathroom flat that has five air conditioners up and running 24/7 while a family of six will share one bed in Dharavi. If they are lucky.
The experience is exhausting. We are hot, tired, and sore from all the precarious walking over steps, climbing up and down rusty ladders, stepping over bricks, and dodging debris in the narrow alleyways that they call streets. We need water. (I gave mine away to some thirsty children prior to our tour - there is no begging in Dharavi). Beth has to get back to plan for tomorrow's training. So we shake hands, gingerly hug Salim, and head back to Bandra.
There isn't a "happily ever after" Bollywood ending for Salim, or for the million slum dwellers.
but in case you don't do that..here is the story.
Slumdog Millionaire Part Two
Dharavi Slum
Population: estimated at 1 million but no one knows for sure
Income Generated:U.S. profit from Dharavi income is $650 million dollars per year
Toilets: one per 1,400 bladders and bowels
Water Supply: inadequate, polluted, and rationed
Electricity: sporadic and limited to a light bulb or two hanging from the ceiling
Economy: Recycling. MANY U.S. companies ship their garbage to be recycled at Dharavi. Cardboard boxes are collected from the U.S., shipped to India, damaged sections or sections with labels are cut off (by hand), the boxes are re-constructed, and shipped back to the same companies that used them in the first place. Used water bottles and other plastic containers are shipped here from the U.S., melted down into pellets, and then shipped back to the U.S. to be formed into bottles again. Many of those will be filled up again with fresh, filtered water that is denied to slum dwellers in Dharavi.
OSHA Standards: There are no unions, nor are there rules and regulations regarding labor laws. The average worker earns between $40 and $60 dollars per month in the "factories" of Dharavi. There are an estimated 15,000 of these single room factories in Dharavi that are no bigger than my master bedroom back home. We toured several of them, and we only saw one piece of equipment that actually plugged in. In India, people are cheaper than machines. These recycling operations would shock you. A man walks barefoot on a hot tin roof, in a bed of plastic pellets and shavings in order to "sift" them to dry out. If it rains, he gets a dock in pay for letting the pellets get wet. If it's 115F he's still expected to work. He will work six days a week, nine hours a day, on that hot tin roof. I see him working on Sunday.
The U.S. companies that drive this operation violate U.S. strict government standards so this man and everyone around him breathes in toxic fumes. I climb the roof next to him, stare down on thousands of hit tin roofs, and breathe in the toxic fumes. "How can this be okay?" I ask Salim, our guide. He looks down from the rooftop, pointing, "See those police officers? Down there? They are here not to protect you and keep peace like in the states. They are here to accept the bribes from the factory managers. They keep a portion of the bribe and the rest goes to the state inspectors. Because we do actually have some laws against polluting the air here in Mumbai."
Geography/History: The islands of Dharavi go back to the 18th century. It was a mangrove swamp, primarily inhabited by fisherman from Koli. The swamp areas eventually filled out, and the islands became one very muddy and low lying land mass. Soon the island city meshed into its neighbor Bombay. Then the fishing dried up with the swamp, and migrants started pouring in and establishing their trade. There were and still are potters from Gujarat, tanners from the Arab world, tailors from Uttar Pardesh, and many others transplants looking for a big city to sell their wares in. Dharavi is culturally rich and colorful. It's dubbed, "The Heart of the City", because it is heart shaped, lying between two main train lines. The property now is worth a TON of money, because it is located near the Bandra Kurla Coplex (Mumbai's new financial district). Hindis, Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians live together here peacefully. The newest wave of migrants are flood victims from Bihar.
The Tour: My friend Beth Swenson and I arranged a tour of Dharavi through Reality Tours (http://www.realitytoursandtravel.com/). It costs about 8 dollars for a three hour tour. We were hesitant about meeting our guide in a crowded railway station a bridge away from the slum. But Salim, our guide, found us easily. Beth is blond and I have freckles. We kinda stood out amongst the others. Okay, kinda sorta stuck out. Big time.
Salim, a handsome young man in his late 20's, was wearing tight jeans and a black cotton shirt. His smile melted into my heart immediately. He was passionate about sharing the story of Dharavi as we walked and he talked. Every few minutes his cell phone would ring or he'd get a text message. His girlfriend, he explained. She can only call on Sundays so he excused himself many times to chat with her. He shared with us that she is Muslim, from a caste well above his. He is Hindu, living in a neigboring slum. She wears the burka and they see each other ten minutes per week while waiting in a line somewhere.
They are hopelessly in love. Truly hopelessly because soon her marriage will be arranged to someone else and Salim will not be able to prevent it. His only hope is to somehow find a job soon, so that he can save enough rupees to buy a house that COULD convince her parents that he can support her. That is his plan. He said that his girlfriend will need to give up nice clothes and going out with her friends once they marry because they won't have the money. She says none of that matters if they are together. He says to us, "I never say anything out loud that I don't truly believe will happen. And I say today to you that I will find a way to marry her." I want to believe him just like I want to believe that there's a viable and timely solution to all this poverty and suffering in Dharavi.
Salim dreams of children, of becoming a teacher, and of living in a "love marriage" with this girl who has never shown her face to him in public. He can speak six languages and taught himself to speak English by watching American movies with the volume turned up and by reading Sidney Sheldon novels. "TyAnne, how do you mean 'what the hell???' and what word means 'heck'!?!?" I laugh and explain. Beth finds our conversation especially fascinating as we've been talking about literacy all week at school. She's in India as our consultant.
We walk and talk shop. Once he finds out we are teachers he has lots of questions. Salim is worried his accent is too thick and that we can't understand everything he says. We understand. His accent is practically non-existent. Beth asks, "How did you learn to speak so clearly?" He replies, "I practiced speaking English aloud in a big mirror. I listened to myself talk over and over, trying to sound like the movie stars in America." Salim is a teacher and a learner. In the states he would have no doubt been able to attend college and get his girl.
These are employees at Reality Tours (Beth and I are on the far right.)
We continue to walk through the slum, seeing things that shock you to the core. But everyone is happy to see us, waving, shaking our hands. Offering us food. Beth declines while I try it all ... tamarind candy, freshly baked pastries, and Indian sweets. The children shout out, "What is your name! My name is _______! Happy to meet you!!!" They are precious.
My mirrored sunglasses go up and down from my eyes to my above my forehead. I love these sunglasses. Not because they are prescription so I can see clearer. I love them because the coward that I am lets me wear them when I start to tear up. I don't want these precious lovely children to see my pity, my sadness, my pain. I cry because in Dharavi, in the midst of all this poverty, people are working hard, laughing, smiling, and making the best of a situation that I would find unfathomable. I cry because I got to stay in school and study, pursue a good paying job, and marry my boyfriend. I cry because tonight I will sleep, freshly showered, in a three bedroom three bathroom flat that has five air conditioners up and running 24/7 while a family of six will share one bed in Dharavi. If they are lucky.
The experience is exhausting. We are hot, tired, and sore from all the precarious walking over steps, climbing up and down rusty ladders, stepping over bricks, and dodging debris in the narrow alleyways that they call streets. We need water. (I gave mine away to some thirsty children prior to our tour - there is no begging in Dharavi). Beth has to get back to plan for tomorrow's training. So we shake hands, gingerly hug Salim, and head back to Bandra.
There isn't a "happily ever after" Bollywood ending for Salim, or for the million slum dwellers.
Fear of the Lord
Spirituality and Practice posted this today:
The original Pali word for a Buddhist monk or renunciant, bhikkhu, means "fear seer," one who can tolerate his own terror.
— Mark Epstein in Going on Being
Wouldn't it be interesting to read that along with the Bible verses about the fear of the Lord...(and I don't think that re-translating it as "awe" is a big enough response.)
This is fear ..of change..of being loved in mystery..of being beyond my ego self..of being ...not in control...of incomprehensibity..of transformation that is not of my own doing...facing those fears...fear of God.
could that be the beginnging of wisdom..as I face my fear?
The original Pali word for a Buddhist monk or renunciant, bhikkhu, means "fear seer," one who can tolerate his own terror.
— Mark Epstein in Going on Being
Wouldn't it be interesting to read that along with the Bible verses about the fear of the Lord...(and I don't think that re-translating it as "awe" is a big enough response.)
This is fear ..of change..of being loved in mystery..of being beyond my ego self..of being ...not in control...of incomprehensibity..of transformation that is not of my own doing...facing those fears...fear of God.
could that be the beginnging of wisdom..as I face my fear?
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Only when enough adults practice and teach children love and respect at home, in schools, religious congregations, and in our political and civic life will racial, gender, and religious intolerance and hate crimes subside in America and the world.
- Marian Wright Edelman, from her book Lanterns
From Sojourners Verse and Voice
- Marian Wright Edelman, from her book Lanterns
From Sojourners Verse and Voice
Sunday, October 11, 2009
God is
WHEN I HAVE LOST MY WAY, God is.
When I am found again, God is.
When all around me is chaos, God is.
When all around me is peace, God is.
When I face tragedy, God is.
When I face triumph, God is.
Thank you, God. Amen.
- Beth A. Richardson
The Uncluttered Heart: Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas
From p. 56 of The Uncluttered Heart: Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas by Beth A. Richardson. Copyright © 2009 by Upper Room Books
When I am found again, God is.
When all around me is chaos, God is.
When all around me is peace, God is.
When I face tragedy, God is.
When I face triumph, God is.
Thank you, God. Amen.
- Beth A. Richardson
The Uncluttered Heart: Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas
From p. 56 of The Uncluttered Heart: Making Room for God During Advent and Christmas by Beth A. Richardson. Copyright © 2009 by Upper Room Books
Friday, October 9, 2009
church libraries
Follow my link to check out Dan Dick's blog entry on church libraries. What do you think? Or go to:
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/ounited-methodist-liburies/#more-2206
http://doroteos2.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/ounited-methodist-liburies/#more-2206
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Picasso:
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
“Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children.”
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Image of God
Todays Sojourners quote:
To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.
- Thomas Merton,
from A Book of Hours
To say that I am made in the image of God is to say that love is the reason for my existence, for God is love. Love is my true identity. Selflessness is my true self. Love is my true character. Love is my name.
- Thomas Merton,
from A Book of Hours
Monday, October 5, 2009
just another ramble
It was a good miscellaneous day; one of those mixed days off where I enjoyed a second cup of coffee at home, took care of some phone calls and note taking in preparation for a funeral tomorrow, stopped in at the UMW meeting to recruit (beg) for some help with a district event we are hosting; rounded up some plant stands for the new refugee plants I brought back from Thief River, even though I had decided to go mostly plant less for the winter . Sara had adopted the plants I was getting rid of. One of the plants I got from my mother is a large bushy parsley plant. I am trying to acquire a taste for it but its hot happening yet! My other miscellaneous deeds were a bit of laundry, yard work, bank errands, more salt for the water softener, and a failed effort to get a better cordless drill on sale. The one I wanted was sold out. Last Monday before taking Nick back to Perpich, I hastily hung up a new over’the stove- microwave oven. But it was crooked and my cordless drill was no longer up to the job. ( I will be recruiting some more skilled help to re hang the microwave.) I got a few other house and office projects done and had a nice phone call with Sara and email with Jason. Will try to call Nick yet tonight.
Had a blue jay tossing a lot of seeds out of the feeder today and the squirrels are packing up the acorns that are numerous on the driveway. Geese were honking away in the skies. I saw an eagle while driving back from Thief River on Saturday. They are not uncommon around here in Brainerd but I have not seen one in awhile.
That’s the ramble of the day!
Had a blue jay tossing a lot of seeds out of the feeder today and the squirrels are packing up the acorns that are numerous on the driveway. Geese were honking away in the skies. I saw an eagle while driving back from Thief River on Saturday. They are not uncommon around here in Brainerd but I have not seen one in awhile.
That’s the ramble of the day!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
World Communion
EUCHARIST AS A GIFT of God’s presence can convey many levels and nuances of meaning. Eucharist is surely a sign of light shining in the darkness, of Presence, and of Christ given “for you.” It reminds us of the church universal and the church triumphant, of inclusion in the family of God, of blessing and brokenness, of divine grace given during a time when the forces of darkness and fear were closing in.
- Tilda Norberg
Gathered Together: Creating Personal Liturgies for Healing and Transformation
From p. 58 of Gathered Together: Creating Personal Liturgies for Healing and Transformation by Tilda Norberg. Copyright © 2007 by the author
AND CROP walk today also!
- Tilda Norberg
Gathered Together: Creating Personal Liturgies for Healing and Transformation
From p. 58 of Gathered Together: Creating Personal Liturgies for Healing and Transformation by Tilda Norberg. Copyright © 2007 by the author
AND CROP walk today also!
Friday, October 2, 2009
Two quotes to ponder and practice
The human mind makes foolish divisions in what love sees as one.
— Anthony de Mello in The Heart of Enlightenment
LET ME describe what it means to be truly present. Being present involves letting go of our constant preoccupations, immersing ourselves in the here and now, and giving ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever is at hand. … It’s about becoming more aware, alert, awake to the fullness of the immediate moment. If we are with another person, it means engaging with him or her with all of our heart, our mind, our soul, and our strength.
Such wholehearted attention requires patience, time, and disciplined effort. And it is one of the greatest gifts that we can give to those around us, especially our suffering neighbor.
- Trevor Hudson
A Mile in My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion
From pp. 30-31 of A Mile in My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion by Trevor Hudson. Copyright © 2005 by the author.
— Anthony de Mello in The Heart of Enlightenment
LET ME describe what it means to be truly present. Being present involves letting go of our constant preoccupations, immersing ourselves in the here and now, and giving ourselves wholeheartedly to whatever is at hand. … It’s about becoming more aware, alert, awake to the fullness of the immediate moment. If we are with another person, it means engaging with him or her with all of our heart, our mind, our soul, and our strength.
Such wholehearted attention requires patience, time, and disciplined effort. And it is one of the greatest gifts that we can give to those around us, especially our suffering neighbor.
- Trevor Hudson
A Mile in My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion
From pp. 30-31 of A Mile in My Shoes: Cultivating Compassion by Trevor Hudson. Copyright © 2005 by the author.
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