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One Day at a Time (strung together they make up a lifetime)
If you're scratching your head thinking you're technologically challenged or wondering if you've confused your days, rest assured neither are true. OK, they might be true, but that would be independent of the fact that I am just now posting this blog at 10:00 p.m.
Needing to wrap up a plumbing project this morning, I skipped right over my devotional time and jumped into the "orders of the day." Finishing just in time for lunch, I ate, showered and headed into the office where I was determined to take time to read, pray and blog.
Once in the office, I was faced with the reality that I'd not taken time to 'clear the deck' the day before. My office was a testimony to my very full Sunday, caused to be 'overfull' by my plumbing project. I always have trouble being centered in a cluttered room. So, I set about putting things in order, which soon led me to checking email....at six o'clock I grabbed my 40-Day's and ran to get something to eat before coming back for Nikki's choir's concert.
The irony of reading about weakness and liability was not lost on me, as I grabbed a cup of coffee and raced back to church with plans to write my blog (being still and taking time to pray will just have to wait.) You've already figured out, I didn't write at 6:30 or shortly thereafter.
I don't share all this as an excuse, but to be humbly honest about the fact that some days, my best intentions end up providing another layer of asphalt with which to pave. Don't misunderstand, I don't believe self-flagellation is required for falling short in a spiritual discipline. Instead, my failings (large or small) are reminders that the spiritual life is a long journey; one that is best to attend to daily, and best to be measured in years or even decades.
I've met people who despite their words to the contrary want their religious leaders to be perfect or at least well above the 'rest of us.' It's not uncommon for me to hear, "I know I shouldn't put my pastor on a pedestal, but..." That's when I try to gently remind that 'pedestals' are those little stands where idols are kept, and idols will always disappoint us.
Spiritual leaders are not immune from divorce, addiction, depression and burnout. It can and does happen with tragic results for families and congregations. "I know it can happen to anyone. I know they're only human, but I just expect my pastor, priest, rabbi..."
When I've been able to explore these expectations with people, I've discovered that the underlying concern for some people goes something like: "but if it can happen to you, then what does that mean for me?"
It means what all of us already know. We are all 'in the soup together' - all of us striving faithfully toward wholeness in God, none of us immune from becoming the one that causes others to stand back and say, "there but for the grace of God..."
Today, my choices only led to a very late time of solitude and devotion. Tomorrow, will be different. My choices could lead to better or worse consequences. "Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much..." but the inverse is equally true, those who bend on small things, will in time bend on much larger ones.
It's good to be human, God even said so. By God's grace, I get to start over again tomorrow, and so do you. May we each be found faithful in small things.
A 40 day journey with Parker Palmer (& Pastor Kelly)
Oh the places you'll go
40 Days with Parker Palmer
Just so you don't get confused, I am not Parker Palmer. In fact, I've never officially met Parker Palmer. I did attend one of his lectures once. Parker is a Quaker, an educator, a writer and a social reformer. Aside from the several weekly and monthly writing "assigments," I am not like Parker in any of those ways, but several of his books have helped me through some wilderness periods of my life in the past couple of years. When someone brought me this book, (the same someone who suggested this blog,) I knew it was destiny.
Lent has never been the "feel good" season of the church. On Ash Wednesday, we're reminded of our mortality, as we're marked with ashes for our penitential journey. Depending on the which gospel we're reading, on the first Sunday, we always watch Jesus get "driven" or "led" into the widlerness to be tempted. Unlike Christmas and Easter, the church will never have to worry about the retailers taking this season over. It's not easy to sell simplicity, solitude and self-reflection, unless you're talking about self-help books.
As wilderness journey's go, Lent can be a pretty lonely one. That's just how it is with self-reflection. Still, as we step into this stark spiritual wilderness to face God, it might be meaningful to know there are others wandering around in the wilderness too.
I hope your journey is blessed by this blog, the comments shared by other travelers and by the reflections of Parker Palmer.
Lent has never been the "feel good" season of the church. On Ash Wednesday, we're reminded of our mortality, as we're marked with ashes for our penitential journey. Depending on the which gospel we're reading, on the first Sunday, we always watch Jesus get "driven" or "led" into the widlerness to be tempted. Unlike Christmas and Easter, the church will never have to worry about the retailers taking this season over. It's not easy to sell simplicity, solitude and self-reflection, unless you're talking about self-help books.
As wilderness journey's go, Lent can be a pretty lonely one. That's just how it is with self-reflection. Still, as we step into this stark spiritual wilderness to face God, it might be meaningful to know there are others wandering around in the wilderness too.
I hope your journey is blessed by this blog, the comments shared by other travelers and by the reflections of Parker Palmer.
About Me
- Kelly Dahlman-Oeth
- Kirkland, Washington
- I don't know when it happened. It was so subtle, I didn't even notice it, but sometime in the last three or four years, I became one of "them." You know who I'm talking about -"those people" who say things like: "they call that music?" "we never would have been able to wear that," and "What's blogging?" I'm proud to announce, that's all history now. A few thougthful thirty somethings at church dragged me onto facebook, where I immediately became addicted to status updates. Two weeks ago, a wise 50 something person, suggested that "maybe someone should do a blog during Lent," and here I am. At 43 years old, I'm married to the smartest woman I ever met (I still can't figure out how I tricked her into marrying me.) Our four children keep us laughing (and doing laundry.) I'm also part of this great church in Kirkland. The people here keep teaching me how to be a better Christian, which is helpful, since I have to preach to them almost every Sunday.
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