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As my colleagues have gone on vacation this month, I’m looking ahead to preaching the remaining four Sunday’s in August. I’m so pleased that as I began to prepare I found that the lectionary takes us to the Gospel of John. It’s not the particular content which will begin this Sunday in John’s 6th chapter that makes my heart pitter-patter, rather,  how John approaches Jesus on every page of his Gospel.  John, like me, sees the mystery, the unknown and the unknowable in this man Jesus.

John believes that our human understanding will only take us so far and lest God meet us, we will remain clueless. The way past the sleepiness of our comprehension for John is this man Jesus. And one of the first things John would have us know about Jesus is that He is no mere man at all… but God Incarnate. Jesus is unlike anyone who came before Him and there will not be another after  Him.

It’s not our human reasoning that will bring us to these things, no matter the score we earned on the Facebook IQ test, or the number of years we’ve spent in higher education. The understanding we need is not in our mind at all but in our Spirit. And we know that it is “deep that calls to deep” and Spirit that speaks to Spirit.  There is no other way in John’s writing, than to allow Christ to reveal to us who He really is.

These thoughts came tumbling into place as I read my texts from John and realized his writing is somewhat like a Rorschach test. It’s what we perceive from his writing that’s the indication of whether we are approaching it from our head or our heart; if we’re being led by self or Spirit, if Jesus is not only for us the subject but the author as well.

I commend to you a slow and reflective reading of John’s Gospel. Take the time with each passage to ALLOW IT TO READ YOU. Consider the words and phrases. Form a perception and then ask God to interpret your perception e.g. “why does this passage speak to me in this way at this time?”

May the mystery which is John’s Gospel mix with God’s Spirit within you in healing ways. Blessings & Joy, THE CELTIC MONK

As I’ve proceeded along the path that is opening before me (which I trust is Holy Spirit led) I find myself doing things I never dreamed of doing or frankly never cared too much about.  One of those is writing Articles of Incorporation to become recognized as a ministry organization in the state of Florida.  The Articles include:

*  A Purpose Statement in less than 240 characters (including spaces)
*  A short description of who you are, what you intend to do and who       you’re  
   intending to do it with
*  A Dissolution Statement that explains where all your worldly goods will go when
   the organization as an entity ceases to exist
*  and a $87.50 filing fee.

The more I thought about the Articles of Incoporation for Peace River Spirituality Center, Inc. the more they reminded me of The Rule of St. Benedict or really any Rule of Life that someone has taken the time to write.  What is a Rule other than a document explaining our understanding of our purpose…a plan for what we’ll do and who we’ll do it with and what we hope (or expect) to happen when we cease to exist.  That’s as far as I can stretch the metaphor — I don’t know what to make of the filing fee 🙂

I led an educational event several years ago, where as the last project we made a first attempt at writing a Spiritual Rule of Life.  Our particular interest was to document for ourselves what we would commit to be & do as we chose to live faithfully before God.

Through the process of founding Peace River Spirituality Center I’ve re-written my Rule of Life. It includes a flow around which I’ll structure my time and attention each day.  It is, in a very real sense, my spiritual Articles of Incorporation that give my life in God purpose and direction at this moment, and attest to my hope in final things.  I’m finding the cost (or the filing fee) is humility.  Making promises to a holy and perfect God is quite humbling.

Let me encourage you to write a spiritual rule of life either for the first time, or to re-write yours if you can no longer remember it.  If you need some help getting started, email me.  I’ll be glad to walk with you.  Blessings and Joy,  THE CELTIC MONK

Earlier tonight on Book TV C-SPAN 2, I heard Stephen Baker, a writer from Business Week talk about his recent book THE NUMERATI.  http://www.thenumerati.net/ It’s about the unknown multitudes who gather data on people — all kinds of data — and use it to make generalizations about the population, predict trends, and sell their findings in the form of research. Listening to him could almost make you never, ever, ever fill out another survey or questionnaire of any kind. Little pieces of information standing on their own, without a context can be misleading.

My dad was fond of saying that a lot of folks “had just enough information to make them dangerous.” I didn’t understand what he meant for a long time. And I don’t know exactly when it was that I understood how true that oft repeated saying of his really was. Thinking we know more than we really do can make us act in foolish or reckless ways.

Actually, I think  little bit of knowledge, besides being able to lead us to false conclusions, can also act as an innoculation against greater knowledge. If I know just a little bit about theatre or opera I can hold my own in conversation at a party and not appear to be uninformed; but no one would want me to write a review for the Times.  Or if I know a little bit about major league baseball, I can enter a room where the game is on tv and make a few appropriate comments about the team, or the season, or the inning and likely no one would know how little I really know.

In baseball, or opera, or theatre, unless we’re trying to influence people our little bit of knowledge is likely neither fair nor foul… such knowledge has no lasting significance. In the light of eternity (sorry baseball, opera and theatre fans) our knowledge or lack thereof doesn’t make a hill of beans of difference.

But I was reminded this week of the importance of being humble  and careful as we share our  little bit of knowledge about the character of God–or what we portray as speaking on God’s behalf. 

My goal in mentioning this is not to squelch religious dialogue, but to send us more than ever before into the pursuit of the knowledge of the Holy so that when we share its more than… misleading little pieces of information taken out of context… rather that we  might truly be “prepared to give an answer for the hope that is in us.”  

We learn these ‘answers‘ in Scripture, in silence, in community, in seeking.  The answers never stop coming if we continue our pursuit.  What we learn doesn’t make great party conversation (often it can stop party conversation dead in its tracks)!   But seek to find more answers anyway.

Its not likely that the Google,Yahoo and Facebook numerati are going to collect bits of information about our knowledge of God anytime soon.  But we know that there is One who is the real Author of Numerati who does care and Who desires to teach us more each day.      Blessings and Joy, THE CELTIC MONK

The first three times over the past seven days, we didn’t tune-in to watch the countdown; we just went outside at the appointed time. It wasn’t until we’d spent several minutes getting chewed-up by mosquitos that we realized it didn’t launch. Tonight we tuned in to CNN and waited until it was 30-seconds-and-counting to go outside.  Imagine our surprise when for the first time all week there were too many clouds in SW Florida to have a clear view of the NE sky, the direction of the take-off. One each previous night, while the sky had looked clear here, there were storms at Satellite Beach and they had to scrub the launch.

Isn’t that quite the metaphor for some of our dreams and expectations of things that are to be or things that are to come.  Sometimes they do not come to pass because there’s a problem somewhere else, with something else or someone else.  But sometimes our dreams and expectations fail to come to fruition because something much closer to home is blocking the way.

I’m wondering in particular tonight if I dutifully prepare for, wait, anticipate and follow-through on the dreams that the Spirit sprinkles so generously into my life like so many innumerable stars. Do I wait for and anticipate God’s speaking into my life, as I did for the chance(s) to see the shuttle this week.  Do I make a mental note, call to remind others to join me, listen for updates, schedule my day so that I have the time to grasp the way the Spirit would lead me each day?  Do have a clear view from the vantage of my mind and heart to recognize when something in my life is really a launching of Holy Spirit?

Too often I fear, I meet the occurrences of the Holy Spirit’s launching of God’s intention for my life un-purposefully.  And though I’m compelled to I watch for a sound-free sign in the sky of man’s conquering of space; I often fail to listen for the whisper of a Holy God as He tries to conquer my will and show me a path here on earth.

Tonight before I sleep, I’m going to take some time to wonder with God about the Spirit launches that have occurred in my life recently.  Surely some of them I’ve let go right by, barely noticing the vapor trail. Others I’ve seen as a flash in the night sky and was amused for a while, but easily turned away.  And yet by God’s grace, for a few of them anyway I’ve jumped on board and allowed God’s Spirit to lead me to places I’d never been before. Tonight I’m thankful for Spirit launches — and those who taught me to look for them — and a God who provides them.  Blessings and joy — THE CELTIC MONK

Yesterday we joined the throngs to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. If you’ve read the book there are no surprises…just waiting for the last movie. But I’m getting ahead of myself.

In this sequel we learn how the villian planned to assure his own immortality. He beleived that if you killed someone, a part of your soul own broke off, and hiding it gave you access to eternity. There are seven pieces of Voldemort’s soul for Harry and friends to find. It’s the wisdom figure “Dumbledore” who sees through the flawed logic. [I can’t tell you how it would ruin the last movie.] For now, think with me about the reverse Christology of this diabolical belief of killing another for personal eternal reward. 

In the Gospel we learn that it’s in the One who died for us, that we find eternal life; that it’s in an act of self-giving and not life taking by which eternity is won. And that it’s in our daily acts of ‘dying to self’ that we partake of that One life.  In the Gospel we come to know that it’s belief in the One who lives forever that is our assurance of being with and partaking in God’s eternal glory. Further we find it’s in acts of light… not hiding in darkness, wherein eternity is glimpsed. How relieved and at peace we can be knowing the stuff eternity is made of is Light and life giving, rather than dark and life-taking.

These Gospel truths translate into our experiences everyday.  Each day we can remember that we we’re so fearfully and wonderfully made that God’s Son gave Himself for us; we need not seek to harm anyone to get ahead. Each day we can build our own faith and the faith of those around us by choosing to participate in acts of goodness and live without fear.  Each day we have the opportunity to let the yet unredeemed thoughts, actions and attitudes in us pass away–so that we continue to become a more refined Image of the Living God.

Though Harry Potter and friends have the final sequel to collect the seven pieces of the soul of “the one who ought not be named” we have each day to reach down into the very depths of our souls bringing forth loving-kindness, mercy, justice and righteousness to share with a world that seems hopelessly lost in its darkness.  I’m glad I know that the real stuff of eternity is holy & light. And oh yes, I think Dumbledore knows it too. Blessings and joy,  The Celtic Monk.

Early this past spring, I attended a three day workshop offered by the Committee on Ministry of Peace River Presbytery.  Most of it was expected and helpful. Yet on the last day the presenter, from the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center, began to talk about Systems Theory and Spirituality for the church leader. I wondered if I was dreaming.

During the course of the day, he used the teachings of Fr. John Main to instruct us in meditation techniques for anxious pastors of anxious congregations.  At one point we all gathered to spend half an hour meditating together in the sanctuary. 

Not being new to meditation I thought to myself:”wow, this is great,a workshop with a built-in relaxation time!”  But when we returned to our most uncomfortable meeting room to de-brief our experience… I realized that this time of group meditation was profoundly different than when I set aside time to meditate alone.  I listened as one participant spoke about sounds I never heard.  Another commented on the movement within the room.  Another recounted hearing an airplane overhead. I sat quietly in amazement, because although my hearing is good… I heard none of it.  Often while meditating alone at home or in the chapel I hear those things too.  But that day, in that space, with those people, immersed in prayer… I realized I’d been aware of none of it.  I attribute the phenomena to the Scripture “when two or more are gather in my name… there I am in the midst of them.”  I felt totally enfolded in the presence of God’s Spirit.

That experience has sent me on a 6-month journey researching and reading about meditation and in particular its Christian tradition and practice.  I wondered why its a ‘suspect’ practice in some mainline denominations, openly practiced in others and anathema in others.  I’ve read Main and Freeman, Merton and Foster. I’ve continued in a daily discipline of meditation and offered it as I could as part of many of my classes and retreats. 

But I’m convinced and maybe its becoming a conviction, that meditation like worship is to be practiced in community.  That this most intimate of times with God, is meant to be lived out with others in the Body of Christ.  That a collective of hearts and souls and minds together seeking God’s face is a more palpably fruitful experience than solitary meditation.

So I’m gathering a group, inviting any who will come, to a weekly time of meditation. We’ll learn a little, meditate a little, close with a “compline-esque” time of prayer.  I read recently about a woman who decided to begin an AA group in her rural town.  She went to the assigned place once a week and sat alone for almost a year.  Then one other person came… then another.  May I have the gifts of such persistence and courage.  Blessings and joy,  The Celtic Monk

Do you remember those mad rushes to church as a child?  Awakened out of a sound peaceful sleep by an anxious  parent.  Cold cereal so that your stomach doesn’t growl during the silence.  Clothes to put on that were a little too stiff, a little too clean, a little too much like they belonged to someone else.  Shoes that hurt your feet, because you never wore them often enough to break them in. Hurry, we’re going to be late!

I wondered during worship this morning (yes I was day-dreaming) when the awful “had to go to church because my parents made me go” turned into “I can’t possibly miss, because I have an ache that needs worship salve, a spiritual void inside that needs to be filled.”  When did my body and soul first feel hungry if a Sabbath passed and I did not gather with my sisters and brothers in faith?  When was it that on vacation, I began by Thursday looking for a little church to worship with on Sunday?

Preaching almost every week came close to ruining me as a worshiper.  Attending other churches on those few Sunday’s a year I had off,  I was always rating the service : Music “B”  – Liturgist “C”  – Sermon “B-” – Continuity of theme “C” –  Prayers “C-”   When I first noticed that it was difficult for me to worship I chocked it up to being an occupational hazard.  Like a medical doctor second guessing a diagnosis.  But then I noticed it was that few and far between were the times when I experienced worship as I led worship.  Worship was work.  Sure there was that occasional hymn that lifted my eyes toward heaven… the testimony that came about an answered prayer that touched me deeply…  Could being  a worship leader really lead to a dullness of spirit or was it just me?  It’s not the same for all ministers.  I had a colleague who was fond of saying “there was a good spirit in the place this morning.”  I always wondered how he had the time to notice. 

My answer was to cram my worship drought (and Sabbath drought) into a week or two a year visiting the Abbey of Gethsemane (Holy Cross Monastery and St. Malo) where the monks kept the Rule of St. Benedict and the Divine Hours.   During my week, I’d worship through the “hours” with the community at least as many as I could.  So let’s do the math… 5 days at the monastery… worship 7 times a day in a community… that comes to 35 worship experiences.  If I visit two monasteries a year… 70 worship experiences. That’s as far as my math skills will take me.

I’m excited about the possibilities for Sabbath’s future.  I’m penitent about scoring my colleagues…even if it hasn’t stopped completely-the first step is admitting I was wrong.   I’m dreaming about time to prepare personally and unhurriedly to meet God in corporate worship.   I’m  hoping I will experience what I taught my Confirmation classes… that the only audience member in worship is God, that I and the other worshipers are the actors in this play of worship, and the pastor and choir are simply directors trying to coach our heartfelt worship [thanks Kierkegaard].

Sabbath’s Future promise to be different from Sabbath’s Past.  But isn’t that a good thing.  My need for Sabbath is growing and that’s a good thing too.  Blessings and joy.  The Celtic Monk