Are We Missing Christmas This Year? It is easy to feel lost and believe we are missing Christmas altogether. This year in particular, the days get mixed together and we forget whether it is Tuesday or Thursday. We begin to feel this year has already been longer than twelve months. Missing Christmas would not surprise us. What does Christmas mean to us? We cannot anticipate and prepare for Christmas when we are not sure what it means. Many of us get... Read more
Napping Our Way Through Advent Advent is unique, and has particular lessons for us, each year. This year in particular, I believe, calls for napping our way through Advent. In my liturgical church, the first season of each liturgical year is Advent. It is a season of anticipation and preparation. Advent is about taking time to find the sacred in the everyday. One of the challenges of Advent each year is finding the time to start the year well by anticipating... Read more
The Darkest Days of Our Dark Year Where I live, the next two weeks are the darkest days of the year. Though our days are often sunny and bright, the next couple of weeks have our longest nights of the year. This has been a dark year for many of us, filled with loss and pain, fear and frustration. We are trying to protect ourselves as we stay at home, cover our faces, keep our distance. The year has already... Read more
Spiritual Practice of Reading Building a healthy spiritual practice of reading is about more than loving to read. I have loved to read since I learned how to do it. Reading teaches me about the magic and power of words. One of my wife’s greatest fears is needing to wait somewhere with nothing to read. It is ironic how our developing contemplative life strengthens our love for words and reading. A growing appreciation for contemplation and stillness complements how we... Read more
Stillness on a December Morning There were times this year when we were not sure we would make it to another December morning. This year has threatened to overwhelm us. We have pushed through, over, and around obstacles this year. Some of us have survived the loss of people we love. Many of us have persisted in the face of losing dreams we worked hard to try to fulfill. We may have lost jobs we sacrificed to get or friendships... Read more
Beginning Advent in an Unusual Year This weekend we are beginning Advent in an unusual year. Each year shares things with other years, and each year is unique. Every season of Advent begins a new liturgical year. The first season in the liturgical year is Advent. It is a season of preparation and anticipation for Christmas. Advent focuses on recognizing what is sacred in everyday life and it sets the tone for the rest of the year. We use everyday... Read more
Settling Into Restful Stillness This year is a unique opportunity for us. We do not need to spend this week anxious about all the tension and expectations which come with family gatherings. Rather than worrying about all the traditions and regrets from past Thanksgivings, we can settle into restful stillness. We do not need to concern ourselves with cooking the perfect turkey or stuffing, or preparing an unforgettable side dish. There is no reason to be nervous about the complexities... Read more
Requiem for a Quarter Million People Our country has lost the contributions of a quarter million people to the coronavirus. The loss we are experiencing is neither primarily a political problem nor an economic one. Obviously, losing that many people will send ripples through our politics and disrupt the economy. We are inundated every day with arguments about what we need and do not need to do and how we can recover. I have my own opinions about wearing masks,... Read more
The Power of Positive Waiting We do not appreciate waiting. Life is more fun when things happen right away. We like to go fast. It can be a challenge for us to find the value of being patient. Waiting feeds our fears and insecurities. What if it never ends and we cannot get the result for which we wait? Is there anything more we can do to make sure what we want arrives sooner? One of the things I like... Read more
Waking Up on a November Morning Waking up on a November morning is particularly challenging for me. Our days are growing darker and cooler. We have changed to standard time and squandered all the daylight we supposedly saved over the summer. The sun is no longer shining in the corners of our windows to beckon us into a new day. The year is drawing to a close and we have only a few more weeks to go. Waking up on... Read more
Strategic Monk
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