Atlanta and Me

Atlanta is famous for its horrible traffic, and yesterday's traffic was horrible, just as we expected.  The worst part was some side streets which had cars parked on either side of the street, a 2 way street, which barely left room for one car to drive through.  Yikes!

Happily, we made it through and got to the hotel in Midtown Atlanta.  The car is parked in a garage, and we will not be moving it until we leave.  Last night, we walked down to South City Kitchen for dinner--what amazingly good food, drinks, and service!

As we walked back, I looked at the huge skyscrapers and thought about my connection to this city.  My earliest memories are of Atlanta and theatre.  In 1972 or so, we came to Atlanta to see Godspell, a life changing event even when I was 7--that play shaped my theology and that trip to Atlanta made me see big cities as thrilling, not scary.  In 1978, when I was 13, we came to Atlanta to see A Chorus Line and to shop for some Scandinavian furniture to go with what my mom and dad had bought when they were stationed overseas in France in the 60's.

We lived in Montgomery, Alabama, and when we would drive to see my grandparents in South Carolina, Atlanta was an unmissable landmark with buildings bigger than any in any other Southern city, a statement no longer true.  Later, in my undergraduate years, I would go to Atlanta or drive through Atlanta periodically.  I loved Atlanta and my Georgia Tech friends so much that I thought about going to grad school in Atlanta.  But instead, I went to the University of South Carolina, a choice I don't regret.

I remember coming to Atlanta in 1997 to see an exhibit at the High Museum, the first time I ever saw Pre-Raphaelite paintings, the real ones, not pictures of them in books--amazing.  I left and bought my first set of paints and brushes from Pearl, a local-ish art supply place (only later did I realize it was a chain when I moved to South Florida).

My fondest memories are of Charis Books, a feminist bookstore that is still in business, a happy surprise.  But I will not be going there today--the wedding week-end logistics don't allow for many other activities, but that's O.K.  It's good to see relatives we don't get to see often, and good to have a happy occasion to bring us together.  I am aware that in future years, it will be more likely to be a funeral that draws us near.

But let me not think about that today.  Let me marvel in this city, which 1980's Kristin would not recognize.  That girl could make her way through the city in her 1974 Monte Carlo without breaking a sweat.  I remind myself that she was younger and more foolhardy, and the city wasn't as crowded then as it is now.  Let me enjoy this time out of time, an experience that has always been quintessential Atlanta for me.

Wednesday Night Soup and Worship

We are a bit past the midway point of Lent.  I find myself thinking of my Wednesday experience from this past week when I was visiting my mom and dad in Williamsburg.

We started the evening with a soup supper at my parents' church, one of my church homes away from home.  We had a choice of three soups (corn chowder, vegetable with beef, and chili) and cornbread and sourdough bread.  I love these kinds of soup suppers, and I was glad to be able to be part.

We were there for soup supper because the church does a Lenten Wednesday evening program.  It was meditative and quiet.  We ended with the option to light a small candle from the Paschal candle and put it in the cross-shaped sandbox on a table in front of the Paschal candle.  I wanted to record it, because I liked how it looked.  Is it worth the extra effort to make a sandbox in a specific shape, instead of a big bowl of sand?  Perhaps.  It was lined with 2 layers of heavy plastic, not to protect the wood frame from the flame, but to keep the sand contained.

I didn't take any pictures because I didn't bring my phone to the church.  There wouldn't have been a good way to take pictures, and I wouldn't have wanted to destroy the meditative mood by taking pictures.

On the way home, we stopped at a soft serve ice cream place, the kind that has a small building with a walk-up window and some picnic tables in the parking lot.  It was wonderful to eat ice cream after church and enjoy the freakishly warm weather.

How Are You Different? Have You Changed? Questions to Assess Spiritual Progress

Many of us approach spiritual practices with an eye to doing them better and better.  We think we will master the technique.  There are all sorts of dangers to this approach of course--chief among them, that when we think we aren't mastering them, we may give up.

Take meditation, for example.  I used to try to empty my mind, and I would declare, "I'm no good at this."  But even the process of trying gave me a window into the way my brain spends its time.

I am now good at seeing various thoughts spiral and saying, "Hmm, my mood just took a dip because of what that person said to me.  Let me process this."

Once I thought that if I got really good at this process, there would come a day when my mood wouldn't dip at all.  My spiritual director at the time said that the goal of the process is to become more aware, that I wouldn't ever reach a time when others had no power to affect me.

At first, I was disappointed, but I've come to see the comfort in her words.

So, as we assess spiritual practices, perhaps we shouldn't ask ourselves questions about our mastery of the practice.  Maybe better questions are "Have you changed since starting this practice?  How are you different?"

Twenty Years of Phyllis Tickle's "The Divine Hours"

As I've been making my way through the first week of Advent devotional time, it occurred to me that I've now been using Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours for 20 years.  Back in 2005, having returned from my second trip to Mepkin Abbey, I wanted a prayer manual that was more like I experienced at Mepkin.  I'm not sure how I found The Divine Hours, but it's probably because some of the theological writers I admired were using it, or maybe I read other work of Tickle's and thought The Divine Hours was worth the price.

And I do mean price, as in the cost of the book:  a 3 volume set, each volume $35 before the Amazon discount.  But it's been worth it.

I have been most constant in my use of the books in the mornings.  It's hard for me to remember to return to the practice through the day, but when I do, I notice a difference.  I'm not sure why that difference isn't enough to make me do it consistently.

In late March of 2020, I started using the books as I did an online morning devotional for my church, which I've written about in other blog posts (most notably here at the 7 month mark and here at the 5 year mark).

I was not blogging back in 2005 when I first started using the books, but I remember loving the variety of readings, something that I didn't have in other books that were much briefer devotionals.  Other devotionals had one or two verses, if that.  I also loved the feeling of participating in an ancient ritual.

There have been times when the physical structure of the books weighed on me--literally, in some ways.  The books are fairly big, especially if one is travelling by plane and wants to bring other books too.  And the print is tiny.  But the physical book is reliable, unlike online sites.

I think back to 2005, when I envisioned a new life of some sort:  maybe a different teaching job (always I've been dreaming of a small, liberal arts college) or maybe a different degree (an MFA or an MDiv).  But I felt trapped in place and would only go on to feel increasingly trapped.

I'm grateful to be in this part of my life for many reasons, but not feeling trapped anymore is one of the reasons that makes me feel most grateful.  And I'm grateful to books like The Divine Hours that have been with me along the way.

Spiritual Direction Book Launch

On Friday, October 24, I finished teaching at Spartanburg Methodist College and headed down to Columbia, SC.  I was intrigued by a book launch, and the stars aligned so that I could attend.  One of my grad school friends came with me; she and I are not only grad school friends, but also writers and creative people who have been fascinated by book launches.

That said, we weren't sure what to expect.  Melanie Dobson, the head of the Spiritual Direction Certificate program at Southern Seminary (LTSS), wrote the book, so it made sense that the book launch would be at Washington United Methodist Church downtown.  The event took place in the smaller chapel, a beautiful choice.

I knew very little about the book, but I knew I would buy it regardless.  I like to support writers generally, but I especially like to support writers I know.  I knew that my book purchase would also support All Good Books, an independent bookstore in 5 Points.  I was happy that they were there and set up early; we arrived early too, so we bought our books and settled in.

The book launch was great.  Melanie Dobson spoke a bit about how she approached both the book writing and spiritual direction.  Then we watched group spiritual direction happen.  Three members of her spiritual direction group were present and they came forward.  We watched a shorter version of what they do when they are together in their regular, private meetings.

There was an opening prayer, and then the directee spoke for five minutes.  There was a moment of silence to see what bubbled to the service.  Then each of the women spoke to the directee for three minutes each about what they thought God might be saying.  Then there was closing prayer.

Then came an interesting twist:  we did a bit of spiritual direction too.  We broke into smaller groups, 3-5 people who happened to be sitting near us.  One person volunteered to be the directee, and the rest of us gave insight.  It was slightly shorter, and slightly less personal, since we didn't know each other.  But it was deeply satisfying nonetheless.

Afterward, there was an actual meal in the fellowship hall.  I was expecting refreshments, but something more along the lines of cheese and crackers.  The meal was salad and soup and bread--but a much more extensive selection than I'm used to seeing:  4 soups, several breads, several crackers, and 3 types of salad greens with about 20 bowls of various salad toppings to choose from.  We also had dessert!  I regret that I took no pictures--it was really impressive.

The book signing was leisurely, which gave us time to meet others and to have more personalized attention from Melanie Dobson.  I did feel bad for her--it seemed like it might be exhausting, but I realize it could also be gratifying.

As the evening progressed, I found myself thinking about whether or not I wanted to do more with spiritual direction.  I earned the certificate and promptly moved on to being an MDiv student.  I'm just recording this whisper, because I want to remember it.

If ever I do decide to do more in the field, the book is an amazing resource, with lots of great ideas for how to do spiritual direction--it's the best resource I've seen on the subject.

Quilt Camp Begins

Usually, Lutheridge offers Quilt Camp twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring.  After the Spring Quilt Camp, where so many people were distressed that the Fall 2025 Quilt Camp was already full, leadership decided to offer a late summer addition and see if there was interest.

Of course, it's hard to know which stretch of time would be best.  We couldn't offer Quilt Camp when summer sleep-away camp was still happening.  This year, August also held a 75th Anniversary week-end for Lutheridge and the Asheville Quilt Show.  So this four day stretch heading into Labor Day week-end was the only option.

I waited until the last minute to sign up.  I'll be teaching today and tomorrow, and I didn't want to claim a table if it meant that someone else couldn't attend.  But we didn't have the full registration that we expected, so I went ahead and claimed my space.

Quilt Camp started at 3 yesterday afternoon, and I spent the first hour sorting through my various collections, trying to remember what I was thinking when I organized my material back in the spring.  At first I felt despair and an urge to just throw it all in the trash.  Part of my despair was remembering how I had a plan in the spring, and the summer wiped out my ability to do much of anything beyond CPE and my weekly preaching.

Happily, I can often pinpoint the source of my despair and move beyond it.  As I sorted through fabric, my mind delighted at the memory of these fabrics and how I came to have them and the friends who have been part of the process.  I sat and sewed a few seams and settled into a rhythm.

I didn't take any pictures, but that's O.K.  I still have time.  But even better, I have a few days of my own table, a few days where I can leave everything spread out with the knowledge that I'm not in anyone's way.  I can sort and organize and sew and reconnect with friends.  

I can reconnect with myself and with the One who made me--one of the biggest gifts of Quilt Camp!

Online Worship and Being Present

My mom is recovering from a bout of pneumonia that landed her in the hospital; she's still not strong enough to go to church.  Happily, the local Lutheran church streams their service, so yesterday at 9:45, Mom, Dad, and I gathered around the computer.  The church provides a bulletin, and the bulletin has all the music, so we were able to sing and participate that way.

As with most online worship that I've experienced, it still didn't offer much in the way of interactive activities.  But then again, much onground worship can be the same.  I heard more voices singing around me in the study yesterday than I often do when I'm singing in a congregation--we're just too spread out.

Later in the day, we had a knock at the door--someone from church delivering the altar flowers to Mom.  They are beautiful:

 

Even later in the day, I rearranged the remaining bouquets from last week:  fading roses and the other flowers that anchor bouquets and last forever.  

To be fair, the roses have outlasted their usual time.

We have had non-floral forms of good wishes, like lots and lots of get well cards.  There have been get well wishes in the form of baked goods:  a blueberry pie, a square of gingerbread, and some sort of oatmeal bar frosted with peanut butter.  

My favorite is what my uncle, my mom's brother, has been doing.  Every morning, he sends her a text with a link to a hymn or a song, and often a cheerful/cheering up message.  One morning it was "Zippity Do Da," with a text that wished her plenty of sunshine heading her way.  One morning, it was "Beautiful Savior."  Both my mom and my uncle have been involved with church music their whole lives, so it's interesting to see the daily choices, interesting to think about this music that has formed them.

This week has been full of good reminders that there are many ways to be present to those who need us.  The important task is to be present.

The Feast Day of Saint James

 Today we celebrate the life of James, one of the 12 disciples, the first to be martyred (Acts 12:1 tells us by Herod's sword). He's known as James the Greater (to distinguish him from James the Lesser, James the son of Alphaeus). He's the brother of John. He was one of the first to join Jesus, and Jesus chose him to go up the mountain to witness the Transfiguration. He is the patron saint of veterinarians and pharmacists, among others.

Lately, I've heard more about St. James, as more people become aware of the pilgrimage that involves walking to his shrine in Santiago de Campostela in Spain from a variety of starting points. Walkers who cover 100 km or cyclists who cover 200 km get a compostela, a certificate, and a blessing.

St. James is associated with scallops, and if you look at a map, you'll see that the pilgrims arriving from a variety of beginning points to the same end point does look like a scallop shell. There are now travel agencies that will help pilgrims, but I've been told that it's not hard to set up one's own journey. There are all sorts of lodgings along the way, all sorts of support.

In 2023, I finally saw the Martin Sheen/Emilio Estevez movie, The Way, which features this pilgrim's path. I'd love to actually walk part of it, but it seems increasingly unlikely. But life has taught me never to say never. If I could go on the Santiago or Iona, I'd probably choose Iona, but who says I would have to choose.

I'm not the only one who finds the idea intriguing. In 1985, only 690 pilgrims made it to the end point, the Cathedral of Santiago de Campostela; last year 179,919 pilgrims completed the journey. The most hardcore pilgrims walk barefoot. I would not be one of those pilgrims.

A few years ago, one of my good church friends figured out how to walk part of the Santiago de Campostela, how to make sure her pets and children were taken care of for 2 weeks, and off she went with her husband. I found her journey so inspiring. She kept a blog while walking and has continued to keep writing posts in her "regular" life.

Let us remember that we're all on a variety of pilgrimages, even if we're not leaving the house. Let us remember that God is with us.

Wearing Masks, Wearing Other People's Faces

 This week, during an education time, we used May Sarton's poem, "Now I Become Myself," as a tool for self-discovery.  I'll post the whole poem below, but we focused on the first stanza:

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,

We asked ourselves what masks we're wearing and how we are wearing other people's faces.  It led to such interesting conversation, I wanted to preserve the idea here.  I think it would work well for writing classes and in retreat settings.

I have a vision of doing some mask making, along with writing.  It wouldn't have to be complicated mask making--I've done fun things in the past with paper plates.  It might help people think about the concept in a different way and reach different levels.

Now I Am Become Myself

          by May Sarton

Now I become myself. It's taken
Time, many years and places;
I have been dissolved and shaken,
Worn other people's faces,
Run madly, as if Time were there,
Terribly old, crying a warning,
"Hurry, you will be dead before—"
(What? Before you reach the morning?
Or the end of the poem is clear?
Or love safe in the walled city?)

Now to stand still, to be here,
Feel my own weight and density!

The black shadow on the paper
Is my hand; the shadow of a word
As thought shapes the shaper
Falls heavy on the page, is heard.

All fuses now, falls into place
From wish to action, word to silence,
My work, my love, my time, my face
Gathered into one intense
Gesture of growing like a plant.

As slowly as the ripening fruit
Fertile, detached, and always spent,
Falls but does not exhaust the root,
So all the poem is, can give,
Grows in me to become the song,
Made so and rooted by love.

Now there is time and Time is young.

O, in this single hour I live
All of myself and do not move.
I, the pursued, who madly ran,
Stand still, stand still, and stop the sun!

Walking Humbly

 My sister got me this Michael Podesta print for a graduation gift:

I love this Bible verse, and I loved it before it became so popular.  I first heard it at a worship service at a gathering of Lutheran college students, back in the days when we called campus ministry Lutheran Student Movement (LSM).  My college boyfriend loved it along with me, and we used it as one of our wedding verses.

I put the print on our fireplace mantel, where it sits beside the TV, the extra lightbulbs, and the fresh batteries.  It seems like some sort of visual poem.  Or maybe it just speaks to a lack of storage solutions.

The longer view also presents a visual poem, or maybe just a visual record.  I am struck by the Podesta print on the middle shelf, the print that I got as a graduation present--graduation from undergraduate school, back in 1987.  The quote is by Emerson:  "Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

I haven't been in full trail blazing mode since then, but I have been on less-traveled paths, and I feel mostly fortunate.

The First Day of CPE

I am happy to report that the first day of CPE went well.  I had no trouble getting to the hospital--no rush hour traffic when I left at 7:10 yesterday morning.  As I drove down the Blue Ridge Parkway, I reflected on the beauty of all of my commutes across the mountains in all directions.

I met all the folks who will be a major part of my life this summer:  the chaplains, the chaplain residents, the educators, my cohort.  They all seem friendly.  We are a diverse group in terms of Christian belief and backgrounds and education.

After a day of training, I am so impressed with how the spiritual life of patients is protected/provided for within the VA hospital system.  I look forward to seeing how the theories we discussed yesterday play out in the wards we will serve.

My summer cohort, the interns of the group, will only serve the Med/Surg ward, since we are only here for the summer.  Residents who sign on for a year rotate through all the wards of the hospital, which sounds more grueling but also intriguing.

We spent time yesterday talking about the theories that undergird the spiritual care we'll be offering.  They are all familiar to me:  liberation theology and family systems theory and the liberatory education ideas of Paulo Friere.  We talked about ways to talk to patients that will encourage them to process what they're experiencing in the hospital, ways that are familiar from my spiritual direction certificate program.

It will be a different summer, to be sure.  It's been a long time since I spent 40+ hours a week in the same place doing the same type of work day after day.  When I woke up with an aching back and torso in general, I thought about how long it's been since I spent 8 hours sitting at a desk like I did yesterday.  Happily the whole summer will not be sitting at a desk, but it will be more sitting than I've been used to in the past few years.

Let me resolve to do micro-walks and stretching whenever I have a break, no matter how short.  Let me remember that small efforts are as important as large ones.

I got home last night, had a great conversation with my spouse about the day, and then not much later, went to bed.  It was only 7:30, to be sure, but it was rainy, and I was exhausted and happy that I'm able to go right to bed. 

Now to get ready for what today brings, by getting a walk in, by having my sturdy breakfast of porridge, by thinking about my clothes.  And then, onward, across the mountain, back to the hospital for the second day of CPE.

The Hour Before CPE Begins

Today I begin Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), a part of the training of everyone who hopes to be a ordained into ELCA Word and Sacrament ministry.  Think of it as an internship program for chaplains; some people do their training in prisons, but the vast majority of CPE training is done in hospitals.  I will do my training at the Asheville VA hospital, which is much less of a commute than other parts of my life.

I don't have much information about what we'll be doing or what our schedule will be.  I hope to get more details today when orientation begins.  I don't know who will be doing the training.  I don't have any information on fellow CPE students, although I assume there are some, because there were three other e-mail addresses on the e-mail that came last night giving us first day instructions.

I've packed a bag with notetaking supplies and paper for possible downtimes.  I wanted to take a book, something that didn't weigh much, so I chose a book of poems.  I decided to go with one I've already read and loved, Jeannine Hall Gailey's Field Guide to the End of the World, which weighs less and takes up less space in the bag than her more recent Flare, Corona.  I have some colored pens and a few pieces of better paper for sketching.

I packed a lunch, my usual garbanzo beans and barley with feta cheese, but I'll keep it in the car.  I'll take some cash, in case everyone eats lunch in a cafeteria.  I packed carrots to eat on the way home.

I will wear a skirt with my favorite top.  I wish I knew whether or not the buildings will be cold or stuffy.  I'll wear my closed toe sandals that are meant to evoke the shoes of Mediterranean fishermen; they are comfortable, if I need to be on my feet, and I could run in them if I had to.

I've eaten a good breakfast:  oatmeal with ground flax seed, walnuts, and dried cranberries.  It will hold me all day if it has to.

Now let me shower and finish getting ready.  Orientation starts at 8, and I'm giving myself extra time for traffic, but hoping that I'll get there early (hence the need for a book).  Let me remember that even though I don't have much information about what to expect, I have a lifetime of experience that will serve me well.  Let me strive for an open heart so that I can learn even more about myself and the world around me.  Let me be of use to these veterans who have given so much.

A Friend's Ordination

 Today one of my closest retreat friends will be ordained.  The ceremony will happen right here at Lutheridge.  As I have helped her get set up for the service, I've tried to remember if I've ever gone to an ordination service.

I've seen so many pictures of ordinations that I feel like I must have been to one, but as I've reflected, I have realized that I haven't.  I've known lots and lots of seminarians who graduated to become pastors, but I never went to their graduations or their ordinations.  Hmm.

My friend has been planning this ordination worship service for months, which has been interesting to hear about.  She went from thinking about mostly camp songs, but she's shifted to more traditional songs that can be played on the piano.  One reason is practical:  a lack of a guitarist, which would be necessary for camp songs.  But also, she's realized how much the other music has impacted her, perhaps more than camp songs.

She created a special quilt which will be part of the kneeling bench.  She's having the service at the Faith Center, not the chapel, because more of her own faith formation has happened there, and she doesn't have a personal connection to the chapel.  The banners hung for the Create in Me retreat still hang there, although they'll be taken down after this ordination.

I am looking forward to a well-designed worship service.  I am also looking forward to seeing friends who will gather for this celebration, even as I know I will wake up tomorrow wishing that we had had more time to reconnect.

Most of all, I am feeling fortunate that I can be a witness to this ordination.  In past years, I wouldn't have had enough vacation time to get up here for an ordination service on a June Saturday.  I'm glad that my life is different now.

Confirmation Class by Old-Fashioned U.S. Mail

I've been approaching Confirmation in a variety of ways.  The most traditional way has been the Sunday School format.  Decades ago, when I did Confirmation as a student, we had regular Sunday School class and then we met again for afternoon Confirmation class, followed by evening youth group.  Those days are not these days.

Even if the families were willing to return to church, we don't have that many youth for activities.  But I'm not living in the area, so even if the families were willing, I can't do it. I need to be back at my house in the NC mountains so that I can go to my teaching job in Spartanburg on Monday mornings.

I've also been hesitant to do a lot of Confirmation because I thought a new pastor might be coming soon, and I didn't want to overstep.  But now it's become clear that a new pastor isn't coming soon, so when we finished our study of the sacraments, I decided to move into a discussion of the creeds.  In the fall, if I'm still Synod Appointed Minister, we'll explore the 10 Commandments and then do a bit of Bible study in the spring.

I wasn't at church on May 11 because I was out of town for graduation.  But I wanted to give my students an assignment.  I decided to have the students mail them to me--a bonus, that I get mail, but also, they had additional incentive to do it.  

For our May 4 class, I gave them three sheets of paper and a stamped envelope addressed to me.  On one sheet of paper, I had them write God, on the second Jesus, and on the third, Holy Spirit.  I told them that the assignment was to draw or write or collage what they thought of when they heard these words and thought about these aspects of our Triune God.

I wasn't sure what to expect.  Would they even mail the envelopes to me?  I'm happy to report that they did.

I'm not going to post pictures because I said I wouldn't share their pictures.  But they are delightful, and they make me think that children in our churches are understanding far more than we might give them credit for.  And I want to remember that I, too, might be a more effective Confirmation teacher than I give myself credit for.

Gone Fishing: Spiritual Formation in the Every Day

Yesterday I had a phone conversation with the church council president of the church in Bristol, TN where I am the Synod Appointed Minister.  At the end of the pleasant conversation, we were trying to figure out when we would see each other in person:  I am at church this Sunday but not next, and he is not in church this Sunday but will be next.

He said, "I'm going fishing.  I probably shouldn't tell you this, but that's where I'll be."

I said, "That actually fits in really well with where we are in the lectionary.  In this Sunday's Gospel, Peter has gone back to fishing, and that's where he sees Jesus again."

The church council president said, "I'll be thinking about that as I fish."

I was tempted to say, "My work here is done."  But I wasn't sure how it would come across over a phone line.  In person, I could have made it work.

I'm delighted, of course, when people come to church and find nourishment.  But faith formation can take place in so many ways, ways we might not expect.

I love the idea of taking an activity that doesn't seem sacred and finding the connections to Jesus and to the Gospel and to church history and to our ancestors.  Let me be alert for other opportunities.

 

Epiphany Stars, Water Words

I saw this picture that a friend of mine, Diane Roth, posted of water words surrounding a baptismal font:

You may have seen many of us doing star words last week, as a way to celebrate Epiphany, and as a way to have a word to take with us through the year:

What to do with these words?  We could meditate on what God might be saying to us, or we could see where the word appears in our reading.  We could consider the opposite of the word.  We could just flip the star over and enjoy a blank side.

I like the idea of water words for the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, which will be this Sunday.  It's good to remember that even if we missed Epiphany, it's not too late to have this kind of experience.

Setting Spiritual Intentions for 2025

As you set your New Year's goals and intentions, as you make resolutions, do you also set some religious/spiritual goals, intentions, and resolutions?  And then do you track what you're doing?

I am conflicted over the whole process of making goals and tracking.  On the one hand, I know that the research and the life experience of many of us tells us that making specific goals and keeping track can keep us more focused/disciplined than if we didn't do such a thing.

On the other hand, we can use the process as a way of beating ourselves up, feeling like we're never good enough, and this mental process can lead us further away from the disciplines that could bring us closer to God.  We need less of that, not more.

So here are some ideas that I'm thinking about; perhaps you'll want to join me in these aspirations.

Prayer

--Praying more often throughout the day:  I do a good job of spending some time in prayer each morning.  I use Phyllis Tickle's The Divine Hours, and I use my church's Facebook site to lead a devotional time.   But I rarely do the other prayers.  I like using the prayer manual because I don't have to be able to articulate my own prayers.

--Writing down my prayers:  I've often thought it would be great to write down my prayers, to have a record.

--Having a prayer partner:  It's the spiritual equivalent of having an accountability partner, someone who helps us show up.

Experiencing Something New

Maybe we want to try a new spiritual discipline.  Maybe we want to go on retreat.  Maybe we want to worship with a new community.  

Or maybe the something new would involve taking something away and seeing what comes to fill the space or how long we could maintain the emptiness.

Charity and Social Justice

I can always do more in this area, and sadly, I don't anticipate the need to do more going away anytime soon.  I'd encourage us to look for ways to share our joys.  If we love to quilt, we can make quilts for a charity group or we can teach children to quilt.

Share Our Joys

The idea of sharing our joys feels like something that deserves its own category.  I have been a bit appalled by how many people are sharing their anger on social media.  Let's share our joys!

Can God Change? A Theologian Changes His Mind

Yesterday, I came across this interview between Richard Hays and Peter Wehner in The New York Times.  Richard Hays is a theologian who published a book arguing against gay marriage and arguing even against gay and lesbian marriage.  That was back in 1996, and now, he has changed his mind; now he has published a new book, The Widening of God’s Mercy (what a great title and a great concept).

In the interview, Hays resists saying that God can change.  He's not saying that it's not possible, but he always circles back to the necessity of realizing that we can't possibly know.  Peter Wehner points out that if God can change, if the way we interpret scripture can change, that there's a great risk of only picking out passages that support whatever line of thought we're having at a particular time; Wehner asks Hays about his earlier beliefs and what Hays would say to his earlier self.  Hays says, "Yeah, but the shape of the whole biblical story gives us a pattern, a pattern of grace that is played out again and again, where we see God’s mercy broadening in ways that were unforeseen in earlier experience of the people of God."

Hays points out that there are plenty of scriptural ideas that we are willing to say are of their time and not relevant to ours, like Paul's ideas about slavery.  Why shouldn't sexual behaviors be seen similarly?

He also points out that there are practices described, like Jews and Gentiles eating together, that would have been incredibly shocking at the time, but now we don't even register them as an issue at all.

The interview circles back to whether or not God can change.  The idea of a God who changes is a dealbreaker for some Christians, but Hays is open to the idea, and can show places in the Bible text as evidence of God changing.  There's actually a whole theology that explores this, process theology, but Hays doesn't really mention it.

Hays is facing a reoccurrence of cancer which led him to write this book.  He also talks about the practice that he and his wife have, one they adopted with the first diagnosis, of reading a Psalm every night after dinner.

It's a long interview, but well worth a read.  I'm happy that a major newspaper gave the space to it.

The Feast Day of Saint Luke

On October 18, we celebrate the life of St. Luke, an evangelist and a doctor, or perhaps a healer would be a more accurate way of thinking about the ancient approach to medical care.  But St. Luke was so much more: he’s also the patron saint of artists, students, and butchers. He’s given credit as one of the founders of iconography. And of course, he was a writer--both of one of the Gospels and the book of Acts. As we think about the life of St. Luke, let us use his life as a guide for how we can bring ourselves back to health and wholeness.

The feast day of St. Luke offers us a reason to evaluate our own health—why wait until the more traditional time of the new year like the start of a new year? Using St. Luke as our inspiration, let’s think about the ways we can promote health of all kinds.

Do we need to schedule some check-ups? October is perhaps most famous for breast cancer awareness month, but there are other doctors that many of us should see on a regular basis. For example, if you get a lot of sun exposure, or if you live in southern states, you should get a baseline check up from your dermatologist. If we've put off medical care, this feast day is a good opportunity to think about how to get that health care safely.  

We could think about what vaccines and booster shots we need.  We might think about flu shots and Covid boosters, but I also encourage us to get a shingles vaccine the first moment we're eligible.  There are hepatitis vaccines that will protect our livers from this disease which is so easily transmissible. 

Many of us don’t need to visit a doctor to find out what we can do to promote better health for ourselves. We can eat more fruits and vegetables. We can drink less alcohol. We can get more sleep. We can exercise and stretch more.

Maybe we need to look to our mental or spiritual health. If so, Luke can show us the way again.

Luke is famous as the writer of the Gospel of Luke and Acts, but it’s important to realize that he likely didn’t see himself as writing straight history. He was maintaining a record of amazing events that showed evidence of God’s salvation.

It’s far too easy to ignore evidence of God’s presence in the world. We get bogged down in our own disappointments and our deeper depressions. But we could follow the example of Luke and write down events that we see in our own lives and the life of our churches that remind us of God’s grace. Even if it’s a practice as simple as a gratitude journal where each day we write down several things for which we’re grateful, we can write our way back to right thinking.

As we think about St. Luke, we can look for ways to deepen our spiritual health. In popular imagination, Luke gets credit for creating the first icon of the Virgin Mary. Maybe it’s time for us to try something new.

We could experiment with the visual arts to see how they could enrich our spiritual health. We might choose something historical and traditional, like iconography. Or we might decide that we want to experiment with something that requires less concentration and training. Maybe we want to create a collage of images that remind us of God’s abundance. Maybe we want to meditate on images, like icons, like photographs, that call us to healthy living.

St. Luke knew that there are many paths to health of all sorts. Now, on his feast day, let us resolve to spend the coming year following his example and restoring our lives to a place of better health.

Different Approaches to Storytelling

I've spent the last several mornings watching the videos for my seminary class on Biblical Storytelling.  Some of the material reminded me of some of the activities that my Florida church did when we had more children and experimented with interactive services.  It wouldn't take much to adapt these techniques for any church or group.

We had a few puppets which we often used, often with costumes, but just as often not paying attention to what the puppet wore:

I don't know that I ever met a child who wasn't rivetted by a puppet.

But even if your church doesn't have puppets, which can be expensive to buy, or doesn't want to make puppets, you could have fun acting out the story.  We had a box of costumes/old clothes, but this picture shows that even if you don't have such a box, you can make do with whatever you have on hand--like paper towels:

In my Biblical storytelling class, we'll need to be able to get 75% word accuracy without consulting the text, but we certainly didn't do that in my Florida church.  The cool thing about approaching the Biblical text as skit is that one person can read, while the others act.  And no rehearsing is necessary.

This class has made me think about the Intro to Lit class that I'll be teaching next term.  It's been tough to get the students to come to class having read the text.  I'm going to ponder whether or not some of these techniques could be adapted to the college classroom.  Stay tuned!