ContemplativeJourney

Happy Leap Day! It's the time that comes along only once every 4 years...an extra day on the calendar. For all of us who are perpetually running behind, this extra day will surely come in handy! Except for this reminder: " Don't be fooled by the calendar. There are only as many days in the year as you make use of. " -Charles Richards I couldn't quite decide which of today's scripture readings would fit the occasion of Leap Day, but I think perhaps Psalm 49 and 119 are our best material, when we're given an extra day in the year to work with... Psalm 49 talks about death, which might seem morose, but it isn't really...it's more about the practical reality of death...for all of us...the rich, the poor, the powerful, and the needy. In this way, we are absolutely, all of us: equal. During Whitney Houston's memorial service, Pastor TD Jakes offered a 2 1/2 minute homily on the subject of death...and here is the punchline: Death does not win. Even wh

Once upon a time, there was a teenager named Joseph. Joseph had lots of brothers, and as it turned out, the father loved Joseph best. This happens in families...a parent has a favorite child, and the siblings always know. In the story of Joseph, as told in the biblical book of Genesis, we also find out that Joseph had a pretty good idea that Dad loved him best , and was a very confident young man. A dreamer... maybe even cocky. One day the dad sent Joseph out into the fields to check on his brothers and report back. At the time, Joseph was just 17 years old...barely old enough to grow a good beard. As Joseph walked along, his brothers saw him from a distance, and here's what they said amongst themselves: "Here comes that dreamer! Come now, let's kill him and throw into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we'll see what comes of his dreams." Nice, huh? In the end, one of Joseph's oldest brothers talks the sibling mob out of

Imagine for a moment, that you are in this photo...without benefit of a car, or a cell phone...no tent...no granola bars and bottled water. Just you. And the vast expanse of dry wilderness. It would be terrifying, at least for me. I often joke that my idea of camping is a Holiday Inn. My preference for lodging runs along the lines of Marriott and Hilton. I picked up a book this week that was written by Eugene Peterson. If you read much in the world of Christian or Evangelical theology, Peterson is fairly well known. He is the author of the popular contemporary translation of the Bible, known as The Message. The title of the book I'm reading is Eat This Book , A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading. In Peterson's book, he talks about the difference between reading the Bible for the sake of gaining information, and reading the Bible in order to be formed as followers of Christ. There is a big difference between these two, and I think it's a topic worthy of our consi

Have you ever thought of your Bible as an attic? I hadn't either, until today. I heard a sermon this morning, and a phrase stuck out for me..."What do you know?" And I started thinking about that question...what do I really know? I mean, what am I certain of? If you strip everything away, and leave only what you are sure is true, what is left? In today's scripture readings for the Daily Office (taken from The Book of Common Prayer, published by the Episcopal Church)...there was a passage from Ezekial. Yes, Ezekial. You remember it, don't you? I'm sure it tops your list of favorite books from the Bible, right? Perhaps not... But you will find it there...in the attic of scripture...buried under other dusty books like Amos, Habbakuk, and Zephaniah. There are treasures hidden there, for those who take a few moments to dig around. Remember that time you cleaned out your attic...a closet...maybe just a drawer...? And in the process, you discovered treasures you h

Have you ever had a mountain top experience? Most of us have, in one way or another. Mountain top experiences can be of the spiritual kind...church camp springs to mind... Or, falling in love...getting a fantastic job...winning a sports championship...all would qualify, I think. Lent began this week. If you are not familiar with Lent, it's a 40-day period of reflection that precedes our celebration of Easter Sunday in the Christian faith. Growing up in the Southern Baptist tradition, I knew virtually nothing about Lent. I remember hearing friends from other churches talk about "giving up chocolate for Lent", or things like that. I thought it was weird. I really didn't get it at all. In recent years, I've worshipped in churches that practice Lent...if I'm honest, the idea of giving up chocolate...or coffee...or Facebook...doesn't connect with me. Maybe as I mature spiritually, I'll have better muscles for "giving up" something for 40 days. Th

I saw a quote today that was so powerful, I felt compelled to blog about it! It must be something special, because I notice that I haven't posted anything since July of last year... "Gratitude turns whatever we have into enough." I'm reminded of stories told of people in third world countries...people who sometimes live in shacks, or worse...have no plumbing or running water, scarce amounts of food, and only the clothes on their back to wear... And yet...and YET...these folks are repeatedly described as happy, content, anxious to share what little resources they possess. We who live in America, most of us...I would argue ALL of us who might read this blog, have so much wealth...way beyond plenty to meet our needs as well as our wants. But is it enough for us? When you wake up each morning, are you overwhelmed with the sheer wonder of how blessed you are? Do you have a roof over your head? Family and friends to love you? Food and drink to satisfy your needs? Clothes