Day 4

Could the reading be more timely?

I agree completely that "our souls and the lives of others hang in the balance." Whatever you think the soul is, I know that the more I believe and act on the myth of scarcity, the more my troubled my soul becomes, and the more lives I threaten (including my own.)

How much sleep has been lost, how much worry and anxiety has been caused by the fear that "I won't have enough!" or "What if someone breaks in?" How many alarm systems, how much insurance, how big a portfolio will it take to make us feel "safe."

My hoarding not only compromises the lives of those who must make and provide and live without, but my fears and anxiety also endanger my own life. As a nation, we one of the 'sickest' populations, with two of the greatest causes being stress-related illness and diseases that result from over-consumption. If we don't kill ourselves with worry, we'll eat ourselves to death.

The richest person is satisfied with what she/he has. The poorest will never be satisfied.

God, help me live every day, knowing that more will never be enough.

Day 3

My list of "private problems to trivial too be dignified with public status could go on and on:

• The aches and pains of being me (what one of the saints the church has called the “organ recital”)
• I wish my pants fit a little better.
• My children won't do what I tell them, the first time, every timne.
  

Those that I think may be “common to our time,” are fewer. Even though they are based on what I hear from others in our "community of faith," saying they are "common to our time" I still recognize this still must be understood in the context of "common" to those in my own small circle of the world.

• The “rat race” that is more like running on a hamster wheel – trying to do more, to be more, to have more, To prove my worth by my accomplishments, status or title.
• The desire to feel loved by others that manifests as the never ending need for the approval of others.
• The inability to live in the present, because I am too busy flipping the coins of the past and the future.
  Past, heads - “life was wonderful when… “ flip tails - “I’ll will never forgive him for…”
  Future, heads - “I’ll be able to enjoy my life when…” flip tails - “but what if everything falls apart and…”

Perhaps this Lenten season, we will be for one another, the therapy needed to bring healing to our broken and fragmented selves and our world. By the grace of God, it is my prayer.

Day 2

Such an ironic question as we consider the value of paradox: "Does your community of faith encoruage (or hinder) you in saying yes to life and no to death?"

I'd guess we'd all like to be able to answer this question saying, "yes, all the time!" Such an answer would mean mean that the community of faith is made up of something other than human beings - robots maybe?

Lent asks us to take an honest look and confess the truth. I know that my words and actions do not always encourage others to say 'yes' to life and 'no' to death. "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the heart of God." Still, I strive to listen to the voice of the One who called me to follow. Paradoxically, this same Lord of Life asks me to take up my cross, lay down my life, die to self...

Rather than focus on changes in the community of faith, I wonder what I need to change in my life ("be the change you want to see in the world.") More than anything, my greatest struggle is in controlling the "rudder of the ship." Well trained in the ways of the world, I tend to treat conversation as a competitive sport, where I am tempted to use my words to block, tackle, intercept and sack. "God, help me slow down my mind that I might listen more than I speak."

I am also say "no to life" when I am tempted to let my words wander into other people's lives. A teacher once wrote about the difficutly of "right" or "holy speach." He told about a friend who tried an experiment for a month. His goal was to not say anything about anyone who was not present. By the end of the month, he discovered that most of the time, he really didn't have that much to say.
"God, help me limit my speach to include only those present, and may I only speak life giving words."

Day 1

"Change is the only constant."

Of all the seeming contradictions, this has been one of the most transformational for me. I've come to understand that so much of our pain and suffering is self-inflicted, becuase we refuse to believe or embrace the reality that change is constant.

Churches are great places to observe this. By clinging to the illusion that everything can and should stay the same, people (including me) struggle in their resistance, inviting their own suffering to greater or lesser degree.

Those who've been around the longest are often my greatest teachers. As chairs are rearranged, pews replace chairs, new hymnals arrive, worship schedules change...they sit back quietly and observe. When complaints anc conflict arise they are likely to say something like, "Well, I've been around along time, and I've seen it all before. Chances are, I may get to see it all change again." It's as if they've learned that life is like a great drama, and you don't have to travel far to see it. In fact, if you stay in one place, you'll probably get to see the whole show.

There are closer and more personal ways to study the paradox of constant change. I may not want my joints to ache. I may not want my ability to see things in the distance to decrease. But day by day, I am aging, and while I may be able to do things to improve my health or slow the process, I cannot prevent it from happening even in imperceptible ways.

Given the reality of change, it's incredibly depressing to grasp my youth, my able body and my physical condition. However, if I let go of what was and embrace what is, life is full of new meaning and possibility.

I am only beginning to learn the richness found in paradox. No wonder paradox is so prominent in Jesus' speach: the poor are blessed by thier emptiness, the rich cursed by their possesions; those who seek their life will will lose it, but those who lose their life will gain it; to be great, you must become the least.

Feel free to comment on the blog or share any reflections about the reading, questions, scripture or the journey itself..

For those of you without a book, the links to the left will lead you to todays readings. However, these are only available today, as they will be replaced tomorrow.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry...

Happy Mardis Gras! or Fat Tuesday! or Shrove Tuesday! take your pick.

With Ash Wednesday's message of mortality looming, Shrove Tuesday is prescribed as a day to feast on pancakes, eat up fats, oils and sweets and clear the pantry of any foods that will 'distract' us from our season of simplicity, humilty and repentance.

Don't worry though, you're not required to give up pancakes to follow this blog.

However, you will have to have a gmail account if you'd like to leave a comment. The good news is they're free, easy to set up and you don't ever have to use them for anything. Get yours here: https://www.google.com/accounts/NewAccount?service=mail&continue=http%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2Fe-11-2ce78d3de70a00efcccadf2d0ae4cc-a61c076e10f821d02163ed9e707aa8dbfb03a440&type=2

Less than one week from Ash Wednesday, I'm starting to wonder if I will be able to choose to simplify my daily routine, slow down and attend to matters of the soul. As I think of Shrove Tuesday/Mardis Gras, I realize I may be "stuffing" all the work & preparation into the few days before.

Mind you, I don't recommend it. But if you find youself feeling something similar, I invite you to at least be mindful of it before stepping into the wilderness.

If you've not purchased a copy of the book, 15 copies will be available at church this Sunday, care of our friends at Cokesbury.

Packing for the journey

We're about two weeks away from our departure. On February 25th, we'll step over that invisible line that marks the boundary of Lent. Some will go about their daily routines wihtout any awareness that the landscape has changed. Others will be keenly aware that "we're not in Kansas anymore."

To match the simple surroundings of Lent, you don't need to pack much. If you don't already have one, you may want to purchase a journal. If you have tried journaling and "it's not your thing," don't let that put you off from the journey. It's not required.

The book we'll be reading together mirrors this simplicity. Each day's readings offer an exerpt of Parker Palmer's writings, scripture, questions, some thoughts to reflect and prayers. Depending on your time and interest, you might spend 15 - 60 minutes each day.

Due to the demand, our local Cokesbury store in Kirkland has had to back order more copies. They estimate early to mid March arrival.


Each of us will find our blessings in different ways. For some it may be the book's offerings. For others, it may be the online community. Still others may find it in the practice of a daily discipline.

I look foward to traveling with you.