Christ is at work in our lives.

Jesus tells a story from Mark 4 about the farmer who sowed some seed and went to sleep.  And while he was sleeping the crops grew.  He didn't have to stand over them and say start growing. The farmer didn't force the seeds to grow, as if he could.  The story reminds me that God is at work in our lives.   There is a difference between trying to live for Jesus and allowing Jesus to live through us.  Jesus doesn't just ask us to do his will.  He offers to come in and possess us so that he can enable us to do what we could never do ourselves.  Our job is to get out of the way and let Christ do his wonderful work.

Hmm, knowing that Christ is at work in me, you'd think I'd learn to sleep more often, worry less and embrace what Christ is doing.  

Prayer:  Lord, I give my life, I give my all to You,  to be a willing vessel, to use me through and through. You are the Potter,  I am the clay.  Mold me and make me, have Thine own way.  

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.  No, I worked harder than all of them - yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."  
1 Corinthians 15:10

"... for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose." Philippians 2:13

Time with Jesus

Time with me cannot be rushed.  When you are in a hurry, your mind flitters back and forth between Me and the tasks ahead of you.  Push back the demands pressing in on you; create a safe space around you, a haven in which you can rest with Me.  I also desire this time of focused attention, and I use it to bless you, strengthening and equipping you for the day ahead.  Thus, spending time with Me is a wise investment. 

Bring Me the sacrifice of your precious time.  This creates sacred space around you - space permeated with My presence and My peace. 

Jesus Calling

by Sarah Young

May 30 devotion p.157

Fr. Anthony

Each day we had a morning and afternoon seminar with one of the monks.  In one of our seminars I met Fr. Anthony.  At the age of 86, he is the oldest monk in residence.  He became a monk in 1948.  As a monk he has visited the poor with Dorothy Day,  prayed with Mother Teresa of Calcutta, and discussed theology with Thomas Merton.   It is hard to imagine that someone like  Fr. Anthony has maintained the same daily schedule of prayer and contemplation for 66 years. 

To live the holistic manner envisioned by founder of this order St. Benedict is to live knowing that "God does not demand the unusual, spectacular, the heroic," but rather "that I do the most ordinary, often dreary and humdrum things that face me each day with a loving openness that will allow them to become my own immediate way to God."  This is the monastic way, yet it can also be the way for us.  Benedictine spirituality is grounded in the idea that God's presence is everywhere, and that it is our job to seek it out even in the most ordinary, mundane of life. Indeed, we can learn to see God's graces in our life, even in the midst of the daily grind.  We just need to look, God is there.  

A swimmer plunges into the water stripped of his garments to find a pearl; a monk stripped of everything goes through his life to discover in himself the pearl- Jesus Christ; and when he finds him, he seeks no longer for anything existing beside him.  (Issac of Turin)

O God, source of love, bright light out of darkness, order out of chaos, from death creating life. Open our eyes to see, our minds to know, that we may be transformed in Christ, the risen Christ. 

Rule of St Benedict at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit

The Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, GA is a monastic community dedicated to the worship and contemplation of God under the Rule of St. Benedict.  The world into which St. Benedict was born was a troubled, torn apart, world.  Much like our world in the twentieth century there was great unrest and and uncertainty. It knew little safety or of security, and the church was almost as troubled as the secular world.   The fall of Rome in A.D. 410, seventy years before the birth of St. Benedict, had been a traumatic shock to the entire civilized world.  St. Benedict found the way to live in order in a time of dis-order was to live in God's order.  Benedict left the chaos and social disorder of his time by living in seclusion in a desert region south of Rome.  Benedict gained the reputation of being a holy man.  Eventually others sought him out wishing to join him.  Benedict then established 12 monasteries with about 12 monks each and established a new monastic Rule, a simple set of guidelines for a community life based around a balance of prayer, work, and study of God's word.  The Benedictine monk makes 3 vows.  He promises stability, obedience, and conversion of life.

Through the vow of stability, the monk promises to stay put in one place for life, and to find God in that place and with those same people.  

What is it then to be stable?  It seems to me that it may be described in the following terms:  You will find stability at the moment when you discover that God is everywhere, that you do not need to seek Him elsewhere, that He is here, and if you do not find Him here it is useless to go and search for Him elsewhere because it is not Him that is absent from us, it is we who are absent from Him... It is important to recognize that it is useless to seek God somewhere else.  If you cannot find Him here you will not find Him anywhere else.  This is important because it is only at that moment that you recognize this that you can truly find the fullness of the Kingdom of God in all its richness within you; that God is present in every situation and every place, that you will be able to say: 'So then I shall stay where I am'. -Anthony Bloom. 

The vow of obedience comes out of the call to listen.  The very first word of the Rule is "listen".  From the start the disciple's goal is to hear keenly and sensitively that Word of God.  To listen closely, with every fiber of our being, at every moment of the day, is one of the most difficult things to accomplish, yet it is essential if we mean to find the God whom we are seeking.  If we stop listening we are likely to pass God by without even noticing Him.  Now it is in our obedience which proves that we have been listening.  Obedience is derived from the Latin oboedire, which shares its roots with audire, to hear.  So to obey really means to hear and then act upon what we have heard.  We are not truly attentive unless we are prepared to act on what we hear.

The third vow of the Benedictine is conversion of life. This is more than the simple Christian ideal of being converted or “getting saved.” It certainly includes repentance and conversion in the traditional sense, but it is more than that. Not only is one to be converted, but he is to be dedicated to continual conversion during the whole of his life. His must become a life of constant conversion. A monk was once asked, What do you do there in the monastery?  He replied:  We fall and get up, fall and get up, fall and get up again.  Conversion means picking ourself up from our brokenness and lack of obedience and start again the pattern of obedience.  For conversion of life to be real, he must have a mindset that is always expecting transformation. Indeed, the Benedictine seeks not only to have his whole life transformed by the grace of God, but he also desires all of life to be conformed to the image of Christ.  

This Lord has Himself given us the time and space necessary to learn and put into practice the service of love that He continues to teach us.  In this school of His let us hope that following faithfully His instructions nothing distasteful nor burdensome will be demanded of us, but if it has to be so in order to overcome our egoism and lead us into the depths of true love, let us not become disheartened, nor frightened and so ignore the narrow path in spite of its tight entrance-that path which leads directly to the fullness of life.  (The Prologue, Rule of St Benedict)

Your way of acting should be different from the world's way:  the love of Christ must come before all else. (Rule of St Benedict 4 ) 

Monastery of the Holy Spirit

This week I begin the 4th leg of my sabbatical journey - time with the Trappist Monks at the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. This will be a time of prayer and reflection. Outside of worship and conferences with the various brothers, strict silence is observed. This is even true at all our meals.  The atmosphere of silence is to create a space to better listen to the voice of God speaking.

 The daily schedule is as follows:

4:00 am morning vigils

7:00 am prayer and communion

12:15 pm midday Prayer

5:20 pm. vespers

7:30 pm compline -prayers to end the day

At the end of this week I will either come back a little more enriched in prayer or grouchy due to lack of sleep.  I'm praying for the former.  

Being Kind to All

The below story has been making its round on the internet.  

During my second month of college, our professor 

gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read

 the last one:


"What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

  Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the 

cleaning woman several times. She was tall,

 dark-haired and in her 50's, but how would I know her name?



 I handed in my paper, leaving the last question

 blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if 

the last question would count toward our quiz grade.



"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers,

 you will meet many people. All are significant. They

 deserve your attention and care, even if all you do 

is smile and say "hello."



  I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her

 name
 was Dorothy. 

Not sure if this story is true or not, but the lesson has great truth to it.   One year during seminary I worked part-time at Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in NYC. During the summer I went to full time, working the weekends as a youth pastor and the week days as one of their janitors.  It was a great experience.  I found that during the week when I had my janitor uniform on, people that did not know me, would often walk right past me with little or no acknowledgment.  On the weekend when I was one of the pastors my interactions were very different.   The above story reminds us all of the powerful ministry of being kind to all.  Whatever else we may do or may not do - we should certainly train ourselves to be kind to all people.  It may not be an easy lesson to learn, for its secret is forgetting ourselves and thinking of others- and this does not always come easily.  But it can be learned.  To begin with, there must be a gentle heart - to inspire the gentle life.  We must love people - if we do not , no training will ever make us kind.  But if the heart is full of the love of Christ, the disposition will be loving, and we can teach the lips to speak ever gracious words, and the hands to do always the things of kindness. 

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless. - Mother Teresa

Zechariah 7:9-10 ESV

"Thus says the Lord of hosts, Render true judgment, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart."

Colossians 3:12

"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved- clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience."

Jim Ewing's ordination anniversary

August 9, 2009 Jim Ewing was ordained as Minister of Word and Sacrament in our sanctuary at Community Presbyterian Church.   Tomorrow celebrates his 5th year of serving Christ as an ordained minister.  If you see him in the upcoming days thank him for his years of service.  We are fortunate to have him serving Christ with us here at CPC.

Good thing he was called to be a fisher of men because based on this picture he has not caught any fish.

Matthew 4:19  And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men".

Preached at home church

Today I preached at my home church in Northern Illinois. The bells from the steeple of this church have sounded almost every Sunday since the mid 1800's. A group of pioneers organized this faith community in 1850.  The building was constructed in 1870 at a cost of $3944.  In 1875 a shed with 23 stalls was built at the rear of the building to protect waiting horses. Members could rent a stall for $1.00 a year.  In 1915 a statute of a civil war soldier was erected on the corner of the church's lot by citizens of the township. The statute was to honor 71 men of the community who met at the church to go off and fight in the war. 15 of these men lost their life in battle. 

 

 Like many rural churches of today, the membership is declining. I believe I preached to a crowd of 38 with half that group being extended family. Even though their numbers are dwindling they are still strong in their devotion to God and service to the community.  This church played a significant role in nurturing me through my childhood and then supporting me in my call to ministry.

For me a wonderful testimony of this church is that it has never had a lock on its door. The church is open to anyone at anytime.  It has been like that since it's beginning. 

The church lock on the front doors is just a latch. 

Green acres is the place to be

Dad and Mom are happy to have this person lend an extra hand on the farm. I have got a farm girl as a daughter.

God's goodness is all around us

As Anne Lamott writes, " We're here to know God, to love and serve God, and to be blown away by the beauty and miracle of nature."  I was sure blown away by God's creation as found at GNP.  Now off to the farm in Illinois to have a few days with my family.

 

Last trail

Last day, last trail, and we encounter not one but two grizzly bears. You probably can't tell their sizes from these pictures. The pictures were taken from a distance but I wasn't getting closer. One bear had to be at least 800 pounds. An enormous animal to see. Fortunately they were a good 50 yards away and more interested in eating berries than us. Wow, what a way to end our stay at Glacier National Park. 

Today's Hike

Today, Christina and I hiked back to a glacier lake.  The far end the lake was still covered with icebergs.  Christina wanted to test the water to see how cold it really was.  It did not take her long to decide it was cold.

A New Hiking Partner

A new hiking partner has joined me today.  My daughter Christina arrived last night to spend some time getting her father in shape on the trail.  Trying to keep up with a fit 19 year old has made me pick up my pace on the trail.  On her first day here she had the experience of meeting, from a safe distance of course, one of the local residence.  I was going to show her where some of the mountain goats hang out but we postponed that trail due to temperatures being at the top of the mountain 38 degrees with winds 25-35 mph.  It was 48 degrees on the lower part where we were hiking.  Refreshing.

Meeting the man who wrote the Bible

Today I had the wonderful occasion and privilege to meet the man who wrote the Bible.  Well, he actually did not write the Bible.  He wrote The Message where he translated the Bible into contemporary language.  Today, I had the pleasure of meeting Eugene Peterson.  He has a wonderful lake house not far from where I am staying. Knowing I was going to be in the area, I contacted him to see if we could get together.  He graciously agreed.  Eugene is a humble man who has a warm and contagious smile. He and his wife Jan have the gift of hospitality that make you feel right at home. We talked about family, this Montana community in which Eugene grew up and the church.  Eugene was a founding pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland where he served for 29 years. After the parish he became Professor of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia until 2006.  He is the author of over 30 books.  Eugene is rich in wisdom.  There is some much I can learn by being with a person like him.  Right before this sabbatical I read his newest book, The Pastor: A Memoir.  As the publisher states, "In an age of emphasis on church growth, Peterson was “the contemplative pastor.” As the calling of minister morphed into the job of CEO, whose main task is to “run the church,” he renounced that role and sought to maintain the pastor’s singular vocation as one who gives attention to what God is doing and witnesses to that through face to face relationships in a local faith community. While the church ran to and fro, chasing the shifting winds of “relevance,” Eugene Peterson kept walking the old paths of worship, prayer, and conversation". Below are a few quotes from his book.

• A congregation is composed of people, who, upon entering a church, leave behind what people on the street name or call them. A church can never be reduced to a place where goods and services are exchanged.  It must never be a place where a person is labeled.  It can never be a place where gossip is perpetuated.  Before anything else, it is a place where a person is named and greeted, whether implicitly or explicitly, in Jesus's name.

• The minute the church and pastors start saying what do people want and then giving it to them, we betray our calling.  We're called to have people follow Jesus.  We're called to have people learn how to forgive their enemies.

• There's nobody who doesn't have problems with the church, because there's sin in the church. But there's no other place to be a Christian except the church.

• I think pastors are the worst listeners.  We're so used to speaking, teaching, giving answers. We must learn to be quiet, quit being so verbal, learn to pay attention to what's going on, and listen.

• If you don't take a Sabbath, something is wrong.  You're doing too much, you're being to much in charge.  You've got to quit, one day a week, and just watch what God is doing when you're not doing anything. 

A Devotion: Letting Go into God

More from devotional time with Richard Rohr. Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation Letting Go Letting Go into God Tuesday, July 22, 2014

To Western or comfortable people, surrender and letting go sounds like losing. But it’s actually accessing a deeper, broader sense of the self, which is already whole, already content, already filled with abundant life. This is the part of you that has always loved God and said “Yes” to God. It’s the part of you that is Love, and all we have to do is let go and fall into it. It’s already there. Once you move your identity to that level of deep inner contentment and compassion, you realize that you’re drawing upon a Life that is larger than your own, and from a deeper Abundance. Once you learn to do that, why would you ever again settle for some scarcity model for life? But sadly, we continually do just that. The scarcity model is the way we’re trained to think: “I am not enough. This is not enough. I do not have enough.” So we try to attain more and more, and climb higher and higher. Thomas Merton said we may spend our whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to discover that when we get to the top our ladder is leaning against the wrong wall. Wow! A daily practice of contemplative prayer can help you fall into the Big Truth that we all share, the Big Truth that is God, that is Grace itself, where you are overwhelmed by more than enoughness! The spiritual journey is about living more and more in that abundant place where you don’t have to wrap yourself around your hurts, your defeats, your failures; but you can get practiced in letting go and saying “That’s not me. I don’t need that. I’ve met a better self, a truer self.”

A Devotion: Letting Go

I subscribe to a daily devotional by Richard Rohr.  Below is the meditation that I read today.  I hope it speaks to you as it did to me.

Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation Letting Go The Spirituality of Subtraction Sunday, July 20, 2014

Meister Eckhart said, “The spiritual life has much more to do with subtraction than it does with addition.” All great spirituality is about letting go. But we have grown up with a capitalist worldview, and it has blinded our spiritual seeing. We tend to think at almost every level that more is better, even though, as E. F. Schumacher said years ago, “less is more.” There is an alternative worldview. There is a worldview in which all of us can succeed. It isn’t a win/lose capitalist worldview where only a few win and most lose. It’s a win/win worldview—if we’re willing to let go and if we’re willing to recognize that this, right here, right now, is enough. This is all I need. But that can only be true if we move to the level of being and away from the levels of doing and acquiring. True religion is always pointing us toward being. At that level we experience enoughness, abundance, more than enoughness. If we’ve never been introduced to that world, we will of course try to satisfy ourselves with possessions, accomplishments, important initials after our names, fancy cars, beautiful homes—none of which are bad in themselves. They’re only unable to satisfy; and that’s exactly why we need more and more of them. As the Twelve-Steppers say, “We need more and more of what does not work.” If it worked, we would not need more of it!

Polebridge

I have often wondered where the "middle of nowhere" was.  Today I found out.  I drove to the north western part of the park, to a community called Polebridge.   Polebridge is definitely off-the-grid. With no electricity, power comes from generators and solar panels.  Lights are most often propane, wood-stoves provides heat and pit toilets are your source of plumbing.  Although it is only 29 miles to Polebridge from the main part of the park, it takes two hours to drive.  Hugh potholes and washboards are commonplace; space wide enough for two vehicles to pass are rare. You're definitely off the beaten path on this bumpy trek where speeds top out at 20 mph.   This little town hasn't changed much in 100 years, boasting one bar, the Northern Lights Saloon and the Mercantile.  The red-planked Mercantile was built in 1914 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  The interior looks much like it did in the early 1900's.   In addition to a place that will supply you with chain saw oil, rope, power steering fluid, spam and other necessities, the Mercantile has become knowns for it bakery goods that come fresh from the oven.  Sorry Daniel Plan, I had to break down and buy a freshly made huckleberry bear claw.  While the smell of cookies and pastries fills the small room, an old-fashioned cash register clangs up sales.

The saloon next to the mercantile.  Remember to bring your six-shooter.  

Sign outside of the Saloon.  Glad I ordered the trout.

Today's Hike

Today's hike made me nervous.  Not because we were hiking the rim of a mountain wall 7,280 feet above the valley below. Nor was it because we at times were on narrow pathways winding around sheer cliff face.  I was nervous because I was on one narrow passage with Marsae behind me when she asked, "Remind me again how much life insurance you have?"

A special guest

Today I had the pleasure of having a special guest accompany me on the trail.   I'm not referring to these guys.

or these guys.

I'm referring to this gal.  It is nice to have my bride join me on the trail.  She flew in late last night and will be joining me for a few days.  Now she can be the snowplow.  Just kidding! For those that do not know what I am talking about read the July 10th entry regarding Bear Country.  GNP is fantastic but has gotten even better with Marsae here.  

Local RV Park

I went by this local RV park today and had to chuckle a little to myself.  As I saw all the RV's parked bumper to bumper I image someone back at their house saying, "hey dear, I'm tired of all the traffic and congestion, let's get an RV, go to Glacier National Park where we can get away from it all."

Contemplating the beauty of the earth.

Creation, if we look closely reflects something of the goodness and glory of God.  As Rachel Carson declares, "Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserve of strength that will endure as long as life lasts".

When you take in the vast storehouse of natural beauty in the forest, trees, high hills, and mountaintops, what is Creation saying to you about our Creator?  What is our Creator saying to you through Creation?

The mountains have stood firm through the ages.  What are the rocks in your life that help you to stand firm?

Streams can refresh and nourish.  Where do you find refreshment and nourishment for your journey?

Psalm 18:2New Living Translation

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;

    my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.

He is my shield, the power that saves me,

    and my place of safety.

******

John 7:38 English Standard Version

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’

Today's Hike -Snow

Wanting to cool off a bit I decided to play in the snow.  Who would think you could make snow angels in the middle of July.  Some mountain goats also thought this was a pretty cool place to hang out.

Today's Hike-Waterfall

 

 




This morning I decided to explore a few of the area waterfalls.  It is amazing to experience the force and power of water as it roars off these falls.  Contemporary Christian Singer Chris Tomlin was struck by the power of water and relates it to God's power that washes over us.  He wrote a song currently on the radio called "Waterfall".  Listen to Chris explain the story behind his song.

Below are the lyrics to "Waterfall".

O God, my God I seek You

I wanna move when You move

You’re more than I could long for

I thirst for You

You’re an ocean to my soul

To my soul

Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall

Running wild and free

You hear my heart when I call, when I call

Deep calls to deep

Your love is like a waterfall, waterfall

Raining down on me

Waterfall, waterfall

O God my God, I seek You

In this dry and desert land

You lead me to streams of mercy once again

You’re an ocean to my soul

To my soul

It’s coming like a flood

I’m dancing in the rain

Everything I’ve done is covered in rivers of grace

Amazing

It’s coming like a flood

I’m dancing in the rain

I lift up my hands

Your love never changes
Amazing