I am a slow receptor in the worlds of social media and rapid technological evolution. But today with my 40th blog post, I am ready to allow that I have been given new dimensions in my journey of Spirit with my participation in these modes of connection and communication. Writing this blog, receiving responses, interacting with others have all challenged, deepened and refined my experience of the Holy and sharpened my longing to continue the pilgrimage. I am profoundly grateful... Read more
The figure of a pilgrim has always been intriguing to me since I heard a pastor frame the spiritual experience as pilgrimage rather than arrival. Drawing from the book of Hebrews, he asked the gathered listeners to set out on their future life with God as a pilgrimage, which is always moving forward toward the Holy, always full of surprise, always accompanied by the Spirit. ... Read more
Here in the United States, we hear a great deal of talk about independence and freedom this weekend, the 4th of July. I find myself wondering if independence is a quality of Spirit. Recognizing that what we celebrate as a nation is an historical political autonomy, I ponder how the “spirit of independence” oozes into our personal ways of seeing the world, our relationships and even our lives with the Holy. I cherish the idea of freedom: political, personal and... Read more
I grew up with a Bible-quoting mother. Much of the wisdom and framework for our lives was constructed out of the handy verses that supported her principles on the spot. So much of the Scripture that I know, both Hebrew and Christian, was learned by hearing it–in the King James version, the 400th anniversary of which is being celebrated this year. Even though I use other versions for study and teaching, many of the phrases from the KJV that were... Read more
In the Church calendar we are now in Ordinary Time, a long swath of weeks where there are no festivals and major celebrations, at least in most Protestant traditions. So it is time to attend to what Kathleen Norris calls “the quotidian mysteries,” the way we meet and serve the Holy in small, daily encounters. Ordinary time encompasses the summer months, which for many who are calibrated to the academic year, are more spacious, leaving room for exploring, savoring, pondering,... Read more
Come, Holy Spirit! Come fill our hearts: with your love, peace, reassurance. Come fill our minds: with your wisdom, perspective, creative spark. Come fill our bodies: with your healing, energy and grace. Come, Holy Spirit! Go, Holy Spirit! Go as Breath: to those choked with fear, to those paralyzed with doubt, to those who are breath-less altogether. Go as Fire: to those cold of heart, to those in cluttered confines, to those shivering in bleakness. Go as Freedom: to those... Read more
Spiritual practices are plentiful. In a wired age we have more choices of methods than we can comprehend, master or even use. The plenitude and variety are a joy to behold, because clearly each one of us is unique and shaped by the location in which we were nurtured and in which we live out our calls to do acts of justice and mercy in the name of Christ. I have been reading two books on spiritual practice this past... Read more
I had an early exposure to idols, really enormous ones in a land far, far away where my parents were missionaries. These images were formidable, and people thronged to see them, to light candles and incense in front of them, repeat words of petition and panic. The instruction to me as a child by my Christian family was that I did not need to be afraid because these idols had no power, despite their appearance, prominence and following. Yet crowds... Read more
This past week seemed vacant, with few dates in my Day-Runner (Luddite that I continue to be!), just lots of hurrying up and waiting. I was called for jury duty downtown. It is formidable enough to take on-line orientation, to get through rush hour traffic, to find the correct courthouse, to go through security without setting off the alarm, to present the right documents. Then, when all those things are done, you are asked to “take a break” for the... Read more
This past week, as so many weeks, have been full of headline frenzy: the killing of Osama bin Laden , floods in the South, the change in the Constitution of my own denomination. Loud proclamations and spins careen around the networks and blogospheres. In my own groups of contemplatives, we were asked to pray with the Beatitude: “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake;” to have integrity , we needed to get ourselves up to speed on the... Read more
A Musing Amma
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