Joy Moments

There are these brief moments of joy
that happen
every day
and I want to remember them
before I rush on

So I'm starting a list
on a white card
in my pocket
where I write down the moments
before I forget

Then in the evening
when darkness comes
I take out my card
and lift it up
into the light

Cease Your Striving

I am coming to the conclusion that there is a certain psychological wear and tear which happens to every person as we pursue our dreams, plans and passions.

We are constantly pursuing things.
Or people.
Or accomplishments.
Or recognition.

Most of us have the eyes of our hearts fixed on some object that we are pursuing.

The Bible calls this 'striving' and it means running after things. Even good things. We are striving when we are running after whatever it is we are currently running after.

The purpose of Sabbath is to rest. To cease striving and let God care for you. It is a chance to rest from the constant pull of our passions, from the constant effort of our hearts to reach our desired goal and to receive care. This not only recharges our hearts but it also helps bring the objects of our desires into proper view again. By setting these goals aside for a time we remember that those goals exist inside of the larger context of God's love. They are passing passions that will someday be engulfed by the magnificence of God.

A Question for 2008

"How can I grow deeper in love with God this year?"

Jesus' command to love God first among all other things in this world is a compelling call to create our lives with Him at the center. This is an active decision of the will to reach for God first in every situation and to value Him above all the other beauties that call out to our hearts. This first effort, reaching for God in every situation, may seem simple enough. But the second effort, valuing Him above all else, is much harder. Many things, people and ideas compete for our attentions and affections. Many treasures sparkle and shine, calling us to value them and adore their beauty. But only one treasure, God Himself, is most brilliant. So how do you live this out? How do we cherish Him daily, returning God moment by moment to the rightful place in our hearts as most beautiful and lovely?

That's the big question.

A Communion Throught

Our modern, materialist view of life has taken much of the sacred out of our view of the physical world. For example, desanctification of the material world has resulted in us seeing the Communion bread as 'only bread' and the Communion wine as 'just some juice'. These traditional elements cease to be the miraculous evidences of God's healing work and have become instead merely a dry crust and a token drink. But if God does indeed invest every molecule of this world with vibrant, powerful presence then why could a piece of bread not become the body of God? And what prevents a glass of wine from transforming into the living blood of Jesus?

If God can transform us by His presence, He can tranform the world too.

Podcast Meditations

Thanks to Jesuit Media Initiatives for their creative and gentle Podcast called Pray As You Go. This daily 10 minutes of prayer brings soothing music and piquant scripture together for a quiet moment of reflection in the middle of your busy day. I often wonder what people are listening to inside of their "ipod bubbles". Perhaps they are meditating on Christ.