What We Need to Do the Job We say it is a poor craftsperson who blames their tools. We may get upset with a stubborn nail or lug nut, or when a pen goes dry. I admit there have been times when I considered throwing my printer through a window. We get frustrated when things we rely on to do our work refuse to do what we expect them to do. It can be a challenge for us to admit we need help from things and... Read more
It is easy for us to assume spiritual life is about deep, cosmic, overarching truths. Some of us are intimidated by how we understand spiritual life. It all seems too much to grasp, too amorphous for us to think about seriously. Other people see spiritual life as an essential element of a balanced approach to all of life. They may not understand everything, but they hold onto certain key truths. There are people who refuse to acknowledge spiritual life even exists... Read more
Light Shining in the Darkness People walking in deep darkness have seen a great light. The light shines in great darkness and the darkness cannot overcome it. We understand spiritual life in ways personal to each of us. Some of us see spiritual life as fresh air filling our lungs and giving us new life. Other people find spiritual life by holding specific beliefs or behaving in certain ways. We may experience spiritual life in warm feelings or insightful thinking. For me, spiritual life is... Read more
Finding Our Rhythms One of the things I like most about my life is believing every day is different. I appreciate and celebrate the promise and potential of each day. When I get tired or discouraged I take comfort in knowing everything can change tomorrow. The creativity and variety of each day takes place within the rhythm of our lives. My rhythm allows for a good deal of flexibility. Other people have their days tightly wrapped in more intricate patterns. Some of... Read more
Following Our Sacred Path There is something about a Sacred path which draws us into following it. We want to find out where it will lead us. No one really wants to get distracted, hopelessly lost in the bushes or stuck in the mud. The path we want to follow is clear, well marked, and easy to follow. We are drawn to a path where there are clear signs, maybe even with its own website or app. We would love to be able to ask... Read more
What Makes This Week So Holy? It is not that the next eight days will be measurably more holy than the last eight days. I am a member of a liturgical church. We divide each year into liturgical seasons like winter, spring, summer, and fall. The final week of the liturgical season of Lent, which some churches call Holy Week, is this week. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which is not on the same day every year. It is a season... Read more
Monastic Patience We live in a time when patience is understood to be a weakness and not a strength. Our culture tells us waiting for something is oppressive and unfair. Why do we need to wait? Is someone cutting in front of us? Why are they receiving preferential treatment when we are not? Our society does not value waiting and patience. The ways we work, treat our families, eat, and drive demonstrate we do not value patience. We do not enjoy waiting, and... Read more
Does Spiritual Life Do Us Any Good? I know people who believe spiritual life is the answer to all our problems. They are convinced our physical, financial, political lives reflect spiritual truths. When we have medical problems with our bodies they result from our spiritual lives. If we lose money or are unemployed it is because of what we believe. Public policies and political conflicts are tips of spiritual icebergs. They believe spiritual life is the only thing which really matters, the... Read more
Sacred Laughing Quite a few of the people I know assume spiritual life means we sit up straight and are still. They are used to spending spiritual time, in public and in private, quietly. The idea seems to be to blend in and do what everyone else is doing. The practice of spiritual, even Sacred, laughing confuses them. It may be a challenge to think about spiritual life as sparking laughter. We are used to thinking about spiritual people as fairly serious.... Read more
Choosing Our Next Step There are times when choosing our next step seems beyond us. We do not know where to turn, in which direction to walk. There are days when we are too tired, or too discouraged, or too frustrated to choose. We do not want to continue walking. We want to sit down and stop. When we are tired, discouraged, or confused we often look for leaders to inspire us. We want to talk with someone who will understand... Read more
Strategic Monk
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