AFTER MORE THAN forty years of praying, I still do not understand prayer. I get up many mornings and go to my place of devotion with no sense that my praying makes any difference. This does not mean that I go there reluctantly or discouraged; it simply means I go there realizing that prayer will always be bigger than me and beyond me. I pray realizing that I am not the one in charge. I also find that the older I get, the more content I am to leave some situations in the realm of mystery and wonder.
- Steve Harper Talking in the Dark: Praying When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
From p. 34 of Talking in the Dark: Praying When Life Doesn’t Make Sense
by Steve Harper.
Copyright © 2007 by Steve Harper.
All Rights Reserved.
. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this book.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Some quick , disconnected rambles... (are there any other kind) during lunch before getting back to church for Park Prayers!
I hope to be done soon with the cough cold sniffle crud yuk that I have had for some time; Beth now has it (again) and Nick is hoping to avoid it because he has the lead part for the school one act play competition..lots of lines to speak and he needs a strong voice. My "book-spiritual connection clergy group "is starting Nouwen's Reaching Out and that meets at 2 today. I actually did my reading. The church year end Table Reports have been sent in!
I have been enjoying facebook and since the cold crud has limited my pastoral contacts the Fb got some attention, as well as some advance worship preparation, and other odd in office, in house jobs. The slower pace was hard so my talk about practicing spiritual discipline of silence and centering prayer is still not easy for me to practice. Thanks for rambling along.
I hope to be done soon with the cough cold sniffle crud yuk that I have had for some time; Beth now has it (again) and Nick is hoping to avoid it because he has the lead part for the school one act play competition..lots of lines to speak and he needs a strong voice. My "book-spiritual connection clergy group "is starting Nouwen's Reaching Out and that meets at 2 today. I actually did my reading. The church year end Table Reports have been sent in!
I have been enjoying facebook and since the cold crud has limited my pastoral contacts the Fb got some attention, as well as some advance worship preparation, and other odd in office, in house jobs. The slower pace was hard so my talk about practicing spiritual discipline of silence and centering prayer is still not easy for me to practice. Thanks for rambling along.
Tex Sample on You Tube
Tex Sample is a preacher/ teacher /writer who catches my attention.
I have passed on some of his stories before but here is a you tube piece that is worth a watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaOrq3Uvkiw
I have passed on some of his stories before but here is a you tube piece that is worth a watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaOrq3Uvkiw
Sunday, January 25, 2009
WE DO NOT GATHER today to look good.
We do not gather today to see our friends.We do not gather today to get all the answers
But we gather at your feet, lean on your lap and listen,Waiting to hear how you dare us to move.
- Ciona Rouse The Africana Worship Book: Year B
From page 146 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B, edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/.
Learn more about or purchase this book.
We do not gather today to see our friends.We do not gather today to get all the answers
But we gather at your feet, lean on your lap and listen,Waiting to hear how you dare us to move.
- Ciona Rouse The Africana Worship Book: Year B
From page 146 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B, edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources.
http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/.
Learn more about or purchase this book.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Centering Prayer Intro
The Spiritual Practice for February is Silence and Centering Prayer can be a way to explore this so
here is a video introducing it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IKpFHfNdnE
here is a video introducing it
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IKpFHfNdnE
Thursday, January 22, 2009
this is a little long but very thought provoking about food and our lifestyles etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YkNkscBEp0&eurl=http://flatandfertile.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YkNkscBEp0&eurl=http://flatandfertile.blogspot.com/&feature=player_embedded
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Inaugural poem
Praise song for the day
By Elizabeth Alexander
Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other,
catching each others' eyes or not,
about to speak or speaking.
All about us is noise.
All about us is noise and bramble,
thorn and din,
each one of our ancestors on our tongues.
Someone is stitching up a hem,
darning a hole in a uniform,
patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere
with a pair of wooden spoons
on an oil drum with cello,
boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words,
words spiny or smooth,
whispered or declaimed;
words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways
that mark the will of someone
and then others who said,
"I need to see
what's on the other side;
I know there's something better
down the road.
We need to find a place
where we are safe.
We walk into that
which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain,
that many
have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead
who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks,
raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce,
built brick by brick
the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean
and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle.
Praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by
"Love thy neighbor as thy self."
Others by "first do no harm",
or "take no more than you need".
What if the mightiest word is love,
love beyond marital, filial, national.
Love that casts a widening pool of light.
Love with no need to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle,
this winter air,
anything can be made,
any sentence begun.
On the brink,
on the brim,
on the cusp –
praise song
for walking forward in that light.
By Elizabeth Alexander
Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other,
catching each others' eyes or not,
about to speak or speaking.
All about us is noise.
All about us is noise and bramble,
thorn and din,
each one of our ancestors on our tongues.
Someone is stitching up a hem,
darning a hole in a uniform,
patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.
Someone is trying to make music somewhere
with a pair of wooden spoons
on an oil drum with cello,
boom box, harmonica, voice.
A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, "Take out your pencils. Begin."
We encounter each other in words,
words spiny or smooth,
whispered or declaimed;
words to consider, reconsider.
We cross dirt roads and highways
that mark the will of someone
and then others who said,
"I need to see
what's on the other side;
I know there's something better
down the road.
We need to find a place
where we are safe.
We walk into that
which we cannot yet see.
Say it plain,
that many
have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead
who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks,
raised the bridges,
picked the cotton and the lettuce,
built brick by brick
the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean
and work inside of.
Praise song for struggle.
Praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring it out at kitchen tables.
Some live by
"Love thy neighbor as thy self."
Others by "first do no harm",
or "take no more than you need".
What if the mightiest word is love,
love beyond marital, filial, national.
Love that casts a widening pool of light.
Love with no need to preempt grievance.
In today's sharp sparkle,
this winter air,
anything can be made,
any sentence begun.
On the brink,
on the brim,
on the cusp –
praise song
for walking forward in that light.
SET ME FREE, O GOD,
from my empire-prisonof human self-importance.
Help me to serve you and your creationwith energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.
- Sam Hamilton-Poore Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation
From p. 45 of Earth Gospel by Sam Hamilton-Poore. Copyright © 2008 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this maagazine.
from my empire-prisonof human self-importance.
Help me to serve you and your creationwith energy, intelligence, imagination, and love.
- Sam Hamilton-Poore Earth Gospel: A Guide to Prayer for God’s Creation
From p. 45 of Earth Gospel by Sam Hamilton-Poore. Copyright © 2008 by the author. Published by Upper Room Books. http://www.upperroom.org/bookstore/. Learn more about or purchase this maagazine.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Rev Lowery's benediction today
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou, who has brought us thus far along the way, thou, who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen....Amen
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.
We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.
He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.
Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.
And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.
With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. Let all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen....Amen
from upper room
SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP rejects the notion of leadership by ego and charisma. It challenges the idea that we know what God wants or what God is doing in the life of our particular community. Instead, it begins with the premise that we do not know what God is doing or thinking or creating. Spiritual leadership invites people into the unknown.
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 50 of Leading a Life with God
by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006
- Daniel Wolpert
Leading a Life with God: The Practice of Spiritual Leadership
From p. 50 of Leading a Life with God
by Daniel Wolpert. Copyright © 2006
Monday, January 19, 2009
Prayer
I am increasingly convinced that the word prayer, which has become a functional and pious thing for all believers to do, is in fact, a descriptor for inner experience. That is why all spiritual teachers mandate prayer so much. They are saying, "Go inside and know for yourself!"...As Jesus graphically puts it, prayer in "going to your private room and shutting the door and [acting] in secret." (Matthew 6:16)"
From Hidden Things: Scripture as Spirituality
by Richard Rohr
From Hidden Things: Scripture as Spirituality
by Richard Rohr
Sunday, January 18, 2009
From the Upper Room Reflections
THERE IS ONE TASK ONLY: the task of love. We are called by God to live this life with love for everyone. All that we do can be an expression of God’s love. However mundane the task, perform it with a generous spirit and grateful heart. The most insignificant task performed with love is tribute to God, and every act of charity or service done for self-gain or with hate — or worse, indifference — is a hollow offering to God.
- Christopher Maricle
The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits
From p. 93 of The Jesus Priorities
by Christopher Maricle.
Copyright © 2007 by the author. All Rights Reserved.
- Christopher Maricle
The Jesus Priorities: 8 Essential Habits
From p. 93 of The Jesus Priorities
by Christopher Maricle.
Copyright © 2007 by the author. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Gaza thoughts
This is a piece that is getting posted often..so I pass it on
Don't forget to add your prayers
Thoughts on Gaza from Adam Hamilton
If you have questions about what is going on in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas, you might want to read Adam Hamilton's latest post:Thoughts on the Gaza Strip - Adam Hamilton at Seeing Gray
Nouwen on prayer
Prayer is the bridge between our conscious and unconscious lives. Often there is a large abyss between our thoughts, words, and actions, and the many images that emerge in our daydreams and night dreams. To pray is to connect these two sides of our lives by going to the place where God dwells. Prayer is "soul work" because our souls are those sacred centers where all is one and where God is with us in the most intimate way.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
Article on Church of the Savior
A good read at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/05/AR2009010503341.html
Does it give you some ideas? Stir your thinking? Does our United Methodist structure accommodate or encourage that kind of ministry thinking? Church of the Savior is the also the source of the inward/ outward link that I highly recommend
Does it give you some ideas? Stir your thinking? Does our United Methodist structure accommodate or encourage that kind of ministry thinking? Church of the Savior is the also the source of the inward/ outward link that I highly recommend
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
today
Today;
finished the sermon notes, visited a care center. Made two trips to the hospital; worked on some church conf materials, emailed the new episcopal priest in town, talked to some church members on the phone, sat at home while the piano got tuned, visited with the organist, and with a church member getting ready for surgery; wrote/mailed three cards; found the blog of a seminary classmate
Saw the tears of a person in the hospital today who has felt guilty about her church absence. When I said that guilt was not the purpose of Christ or the core of our faith, the tears came. I said I did not need to have another prayer with her(but I did) because her tears were the prayer. I have a good day when I get to say something of the Good News.
,oh....and still I am befuddled by twitter. Anybody got some experience with it?
All in all, an easy day
the evening might be harder;
watching the evening news, distress of Gaza, woes and wounds of the world.
I look forward to a baptism this Sunday to go along with the liturgical calendar!
And epiphany still
light shines in the darkness
Rambling on
finished the sermon notes, visited a care center. Made two trips to the hospital; worked on some church conf materials, emailed the new episcopal priest in town, talked to some church members on the phone, sat at home while the piano got tuned, visited with the organist, and with a church member getting ready for surgery; wrote/mailed three cards; found the blog of a seminary classmate
Saw the tears of a person in the hospital today who has felt guilty about her church absence. When I said that guilt was not the purpose of Christ or the core of our faith, the tears came. I said I did not need to have another prayer with her(but I did) because her tears were the prayer. I have a good day when I get to say something of the Good News.
,oh....and still I am befuddled by twitter. Anybody got some experience with it?
All in all, an easy day
the evening might be harder;
watching the evening news, distress of Gaza, woes and wounds of the world.
I look forward to a baptism this Sunday to go along with the liturgical calendar!
And epiphany still
light shines in the darkness
Rambling on
Thursday, January 8, 2009
By John Dear
Religious congregations gather every day for prayer and Scripture reading without taking to heart Jesus’ command to seek justice and make peace. More often than not our churches promote personal piety but not the pursuit of economic justice and social liberation. They do not rock the ship of state. Rarely, in fact, do church officials proclaim good news to the poor or denounce the injustice that kills the poor. Rather, they roll on with the ship of state, a Titanic sailing to its doom.
Source: Jesus the Rebel
from inward/outward
Any one got comments on that..what do you think?
Rory
Religious congregations gather every day for prayer and Scripture reading without taking to heart Jesus’ command to seek justice and make peace. More often than not our churches promote personal piety but not the pursuit of economic justice and social liberation. They do not rock the ship of state. Rarely, in fact, do church officials proclaim good news to the poor or denounce the injustice that kills the poor. Rather, they roll on with the ship of state, a Titanic sailing to its doom.
Source: Jesus the Rebel
from inward/outward
Any one got comments on that..what do you think?
Rory
Monday, January 5, 2009
I keep my blog on the "lite" but a good source for some deeper work on current events is done by Martin Marty with his Sightings
See the link and get the email subsrciption or read it on this page http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/sightings/
See the link and get the email subsrciption or read it on this page http://divinity.uchicago.edu/martycenter/publications/sightings/
Fresh air and prayer
It is -25 F so I will bundle up for my morning walk! -In my walking prayers I will pray for
-the people of Gaza and Israel
-The people of Zimbabwe
-my wife and my children
-other family members
-People who have lost loved ones recently
-Prayer of thanks for the bird watchers and counters who open my eyes to that part of creation..we saw over 20 swans
-many that I know with health concerns
-the continuing financial struggles of the economy
-President elect Obama as he prepares to take leadership
-the upcoming Crow Wing County planning meeting to address poverty
-guidance for Park church in this upcoming year
-thoughts for the next Sunday sermon..with a baptism
- the mindfulness of Christ in my heart and soul; in my words and deeds
and ..and....
Thursday, January 1, 2009
GOD OF TOMORROWS, we thank you for the gift of a new year. Morning by morning new mercies we see. We bring our joy and anticipation. We also bring our still-fresh pain as we remember the ones we lost in the past year. We bring the sting of disappointment as we ponder over the relationships that have been broken in the year past. We bring the burden of sadness as we struggle to recover from losing jobs. And we bring our hope that you will help us. Free us, right now, from being identified only by the events of our life. May the God Event in our life mark our life, so that we might worship you this day in the beauty of your holiness. Amen.
- B. Kevin SmallsThe Africana Worship Book: Year B
From p. 135 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources
From Upper Room Reflections http://www.upperroom.org/daily/
God's Imagination
So much of our energy, time, and money goes into maintaining distance from one another.
Many if not most of the resources of the world are used to defend ourselves against each other, to maintain or increase our power, and to safeguard our own privileged position.
Imagine all that effort being put in the service of peace and reconciliation!
Would there be any poverty?
Would there be crimes and wars?
Just imagine that there was no longer fear among people, no longer any rivalry, hostility, bitterness, or revenge.
Just imagine all the people on this planet holding hands and forming one large circle of love.
We say, "I can't imagine."
But God says, "That's what I imagine, a whole world not only created but also living in my image."
Share your thoughts on this reflection.
These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey. Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!
- B. Kevin SmallsThe Africana Worship Book: Year B
From p. 135 of The Africana Worship Book: Year B edited by Valerie Bridgeman Davis and Safiyah Fosua. Copyright © 2007 by Discipleship Resources
From Upper Room Reflections http://www.upperroom.org/daily/
God's Imagination
So much of our energy, time, and money goes into maintaining distance from one another.
Many if not most of the resources of the world are used to defend ourselves against each other, to maintain or increase our power, and to safeguard our own privileged position.
Imagine all that effort being put in the service of peace and reconciliation!
Would there be any poverty?
Would there be crimes and wars?
Just imagine that there was no longer fear among people, no longer any rivalry, hostility, bitterness, or revenge.
Just imagine all the people on this planet holding hands and forming one large circle of love.
We say, "I can't imagine."
But God says, "That's what I imagine, a whole world not only created but also living in my image."
Share your thoughts on this reflection.
These reflections are taken from Henri J.M. Nouwen's Bread for the Journey. Visit HenriNouwen.org for more inspiration!
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