Refugees From Spiritual Drought Next week I will be on a trip to find refuge from spiritual drought. I plan to drive north through the dry and thirsty state of California to New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur. The person in this photo came to the area where I will be driving as a drought refugee 86 years ago. People from parts of the country where dry and windy weather removed the topsoil came to California seeking refuge. They wanted lives... Read more
Discovering Light in the Dark We sit in the dark, unable to sleep, early in the morning or late at night, listening to sacred stillness. Even during the longest days of summer, we close our eyes and are surrounded by the darkness. Listening, we begin discovering light in the dark. Around us the world is asleep. Darkness makes us nervous. We may not be afraid of monsters under the bed, the way we were when we were children. Still, we... Read more
Practical Theologians For many of us the idea of practical theology seems like an oxymoron. What would practical theologians do? There are few things we can imagine which might be less practical than theology. We tend to see theology as philosophical, conceptual, and more intellectual than we have time to consider. For us, practical things are nuts and bolts, ideas we can apply and put into practice in our everyday lives. In fact, practical theologians are all about how those... Read more
When Do We Worship? Many of us do not think we spend much time paying attention to worship these days. We are busy getting things done, talking to people, living our lives. There is barely enough time for us to think at all, much less think about worshipping. Those of us who do think about it may see it as part of our job. We probably spend more time thinking about it than actually doing it. If we ever do... Read more
When Our Fear Shapes Us It is a challenge for many of us to be fearless. When we look closely we realize our fear shapes us. A few years ago I decided to give up fear. I belong to a church which divides each year into liturgical seasons, and one year I decided I would give up fear for Lent. Giving up fear is not about never being afraid of anything. There are some things which are healthy for us to... Read more
Exploring the Depths of Stillness Many of us tend to overlook the depths of stillness. We get distracted and swept away by the shiny objects and loud noises floating on the surface. The actions we wish we had never taken or the pain we hope to avoid capture our attention. Some of us have a past filled with deep pools of regret or missed opportunities. Our future might appear to be full of fears or fantasies waiting to lure us and seize... Read more
Paying Unfocused Attention Focus is one of my strengths. Concentrating is not usually difficult for me. It is more of a challenge for me to pay unfocused attention. The ability to focus and concentrate can give people serious benefits. Paying attention helped me do well in school and practice law. My concentration skills helped me remember facts and deal with witnesses. We often rely on our abilities to pay attention as we analyze and think our way through questions. Focusing... Read more
Is This Summer a Turning Point For Us? There are times when our lives seem to stretch back into the past and forward into the future. Some of us cannot remember the decisions which brought us to this present moment. At other times it feels like our lives have spun on a specific experience which has transformed us from heading in one direction and sent us speeding in another. Our lives have revolved on a turning point. We may be... Read more
The Power of Our Metaphors Our metaphors help us decide how we want to live our lives. Most of us do not choose our metaphors with much intention. We experience the world in ways shaped by the places and cultures in which we live as well as our families and their histories. Choosing either how we experience the world around us or our own places in it is rare for us. Many of us are not particularly aware of the... Read more
When Stillness Hides Its Face From Us How do we respond when stillness hides its face from us? The games we play as children often describe our expectations and understanding later in life. I remember playing unforgettable marathon games of hide and seek. You have not really learned the lessons of hiding and seeking until you play at night in a church with the lights off. Hide and seek taught me about when to hide and how to seek. Some of... Read more
Strategic Monk
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