Psalms (R & R Reflections #4)

Again, the tyranny of the urgent has displaced me from my journaling.

Not lacking, though, are the ways I continue to feed off of my Summer Benedictine Experience.

The Psalms, for example, continue to be a most important part and center of my prayer life. It’s a center grounded in Benedict’s Rule and the daily rhythm of Benedictine devotion.

“But, why the Psalms? Why should this mixed bag of emotions – some very base and ungodly… Why, should these form a nucleus for our prayer life? Maybe they could dance at the periphery, but why these prayers at the center of our devotional life?” (Benedictines, you see, will engage all 150 Psalms in the course of a week. Some Coptic communities in Egypt engage all 150 every day!) The question of why the Psalms are given such primacy was a real question before us during my Summer Experience.

While I have only begun to really dance with the Psalms (and, even then, it’s an erratic dance), I can nonetheless affirm their value and importance…

1) On a general level, there’s the way that the Psalms turn my mind toward a God who is over all creation… and a creation that contains a radical mix of beauty and corruption. (Especially is this needful, when so many of our prayers are about “me” and “my” little world.)

2) And then there’s the mix of Psalms and the breadth of emotions and realities they represent:

• “Cursing” Psalms which help me identify with the poor and oppressed (and even have me asking myself, “Am I a part of the oppression?”… or, more precisely, “In what ways am I a part of the oppression?”)

• Psalms of Confession, Lament and Contrition help me to bow before the Eternal and acknowledge that it’s not about me and that God’s holiness demands that I not get overly nonchalant or complacent in His presence.

• Psalms extolling Zion and Jerusalem make me homesick for the “New Jerusalem” to come.

• Psalms of Deliverance have me affirming the “spiritual warfare” embedded in this earthy existence… even as they have me affirming my total dependence on God and Grace for “victory.”

• Psalms of “Coronation” invite me to enthrone God as Lord of life and living.

Father Richard Rohr has a book entitled, Everything Belongs. It’s an affirmation of the contemplative spirit: that all things in life, when given enough attention, “preach.” It’s a title that conveys much of my feelings and reverence for the Psalms. “Everything belongs”: the praise and confession, the curse and the praise,… God accepts all our prayer-feelings… and all these feelings can point us to God and His life.

“Why the Psalms at the center of devotion?” In light of my own experience, the question or questions that emerge are: “Why not the Psalms?” and “What else, if not the Psalms?”

"Stop, Look, and Listen!" (R&R Reflection #3)

Among the things that came easiest to me during my "Benedictine Experience" (in spite of what a lot of folks thought when they heard about it) was taking and keeping a vow of silence.

Part of it’s ease comes from my being an introvert. Yes, I know, it’s hard for many to believe. “You get up there every Sunday and preach!,” they’ll tell – something, I guess, that puts me up there with dancing with a lamp shade on my head. My understanding of introversion and extroversion is informed, though, not by what I do in public but by how I “recharge” when I am done. Extroverts, I was taught in seminary, recharge their drained batteries by being with people… while introverts recharge their batteries by being alone. At the end of a long, hard week, you see, I find myself enjoying silence and solitude.

Used to be I felt guilty about this: I mean, a pastor should just want to be with people, shouldn’t he (or she)? Then, I remembered that Jesus often found a lonely place apart. It’s helped me to accept the way I am wired.

Of course, opposites attract. Kathy, you see, in an extrovert. Not so surprisingly, we can go to the same family reunion and Kathy can say “boy, when can we do that again!” while I am sighing under my breath, “I sure am glad we got that over with!” It’s something I have to be mindful of as Friday approaches. What’s good for the goose is not necessary what the gander needs!

Anyway, back to the vow of silence…

Yes, in some ways it came naturally to this introvert. In still other ways, it was refreshing – freeing me to look and listen to “life”… and helping me to form thoughts that really might be sharing. I’m mindful of Henri Nouwen, analyzing the downside of what he calls “our wordy world”:

"There was a time not too long ago without radios and televisions, stop signs, yield signs, merge signs, bumper stickers, and the ever-present announcements indicating price increases or special sales. There was a time without the advertisements which now cover whole cities with words. Recently I was driving through Los Angeles, and suddenly I had the strange sensation of driving through a huge dictionary. Wherever I looked there were words trying to take my eyes from the road. They said, ‘Use me, take me, buy me, drink me, smell me, touch me, kiss me, sleep with me.’ In such a world who can maintain respect for words?" (The Way of the Heart)

I’m mindful, as well, of what Dad used to say: “God’s given us two eyes, two ears, and one mouth… maybe it’s His way of saying we ought to look and listen twice as much as we talk!”

Of course, the “vow” does not eliminate all talk. There was “spiritual direction” and time for “sacred readings” during mealtime and points at which we could ask questions as we engage topics related to “Benedictine Spirituality.” Far from being a call to complete silence, then, the “vow” was a commitment to meaningful words.

And, as I moved forward (even until today), I find myself wanting to talk less… and listen and look better.

St. Benedict and his followers remind us that there’s plenty of wisdom in the old words at the railroad crossing – wisdom that goes well beyond our physical being, wisdom that penetrates to our best as spiritual and social beings: “Stop, look, and listen!”

The Gospel According to Chocolat

In our current "Power of Holy Habits" sermon series (on the "Means of Grace" as "Means of Intimacy with God"), I struggled for a handle which would help us to get in touch with the spirit (or Spirit?) of Holy Communion. There was a handout with all sort of heady guides and instructions, but now, as we approached the table, I wanted our hearts engaged.

Of course, my heart and mind were drawn to the movies -- my "art" of choice. First to mind was "Babbett's Feast," a beautiful and powerful foriegn film about a woman who cashes it all in to spread a feast in the midst of a community of religious legalists. The meal is liberating for all!

Subtitles a burden... and other things hard to condense into a timely video, my mind turned to a kindred (and more recent... and more managable) film in Chocolat:

It's the story of a fresh wind blowing in a stagnant village.

It's the story of a new spirit coming to a villaged seeped and trapped in legalism -- a spirit who seeks their freedom.

In the face of defiance, this liberator throws a feast -- eating with sinners and seeking their release from captivity.

And, on the other side? There's dancing and rejoicing and hugging and reconciliation.

I took liberty to make the legalist scenes and characters black and white, I admitted to the 11 o'clock crowd. It was my way of making a point about legalistic existence. Don't know if I tampered too much or not. However, if you'll allow me that freedom, I'd ask you to ride with the "poetry": namely, the Gospel at the heart of Holy Communion seeks to free us from our black and white existence... and release us in to a full color existence!

I hope you enjoy this montage video as much as I enjoy my attempts at being an artist through video media...

"Bowing to Icons???!!!!" (R & R Reflections, 2)

In my last post, I shared my appreciation for the bows we brought to God and each other in our prayers throughout the day – with our “bows to God” being especially focused toward the icon at the front of the oratory (or worship center). Understanding the nature and symbolism of icons (especially from, say, a Greek Orthodox background) helped me tremendously to see and appreciate what, exactly, we were bowing to in the icon above.

• John the Baptist (standing to the right): understood as the last “Old Testament” figure, with words of the prophet on his lips and expectations of the Messiah (foretold and foreshadowed in the Old) in his heart

• Mary (standing to the left): the first person to accept Christ into her life and, therefore, the first of Christian believers

• Note that both John and Mary face Christ – conveying and emphasizing that is in Christ that the Old and New meet.

• The enthroned Christ (a throne, not so surprisingly, like Emperor Constantine’s arched throne) rests his feet on footstool – its corners reflecting the four corners of the universe… Jesus is Lord of all. (Note how Christ, even when seated, is as big as John and Mary. Clearly, he’s not only central but bigger than them both!)

• Note the significance of colors and the message of colors in the icon. Blue is the color of divinity, red humanity, gold and white the glory and the light of God. The white areas or lines on the flesh and clothing represent the transfigured light of Christ. Accordingly: Christ is part and emerges out of the glory and light of God, Christ is divine and puts on humanity, Mary (representing all of us) is human and takes on divinity,…

• In Christ’s halo are the Greek letters which comprise the word “ego” or “I am.” That it is in the circle of the halo speaks of repetition. Reminiscent of God’s words to Moses: Christ is the eternal “I am”: “I am what I am” and “I will be what I will be.”
  

• Christ holds the Bible, the Word open with his left hand. Not so surprisingly, the text is from John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” His right hand is held up in blessing. Hard to see in the icon above (but clear in the inset from another icon) are two fingers held up (conveying the two natures of Christ, human and divine) and the other three fingers coming together (signifying the trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).

It was clear to me… and it should be clear, I believe, to the open-minded and open-hearted among us and around us: that our bowing in front of the icon on our way into the worship was not any king of idolatry but a real gesture of reverence for the Lord of all Creation (to which the icon points, to which the icon is a window). In much the same way, when I put my cross necklace on in the morning, I do not see my kissing it as a worship of the metal or even the cross as much as a way of kissing Christ.

The story was told, in fact, during our time apart of a woman who could not understand why her father would kiss a bedside picture of her departed mother each night before he went to sleep. Upon hearing and unpacking some of the meanings of the icon and the real grounds for bowing, it became clear: the old man was not kissing a picture as much as he was kissing his beloved goodnight.

My Jesus, my Saviour

Lord there is none like You

All of my days, I want to praise

The wonders of Your mighty love

My comfort, my shelter

Tower of refuge and strength

Let every breath, all that I am

Never cease to worship You

Shout to the Lord

All the earth let us sing

Power and majesty

Praise to the King

Mountains bow down

And the seas will roar

At the sound of Your name

I sing for joy

At the work of Your hands

Forever I’ll love You

Forever I’ll stand

Nothing compares to the promise

I have in You

"Take a Bow!" (Reflections from R & R, 1)

Returning from a most meaningful time of rest and re-creation – perhaps the most meaningful I have had in recent memory. There was time for personal retreat and renewal – participating for the better part of a week in a “Benedictine Experience” in Dallas. There was real time to work and sweat – with downtime to read and pray – here around the house as we set up home. (I’d say we are 95% of the way done: cars are in the garage, only a half dozen boxes sitting in a closet [where they can stay], ceiling fans hung,… Really, only some pictures to hang!) And, then, there was participation in a “Day of Wellness” for clergy at Methodist Hospital. Yes, there could have been a few more day trips sprinkled in – and seeing friends out and around. Still, though, it was most meaningful time of “Sabbath.”

So meaningful, in fact, that I thought I’d take a few postings to process… and to share reflections and insights and gleanings from this time apart.

I begin with (and probably have the most to share from) the “Benedictine Experience” in Dallas at the end of June. It’s designed as an opportunity for the those so interested (lay and clergy… across denominational lines) to get a taste of living the life and prayer rhythm of a monastic lifestyle -- with lectures sprinkled in on Benedictine Spirituality (i.e., Spirituality and Theology and Devotional Rhythm emanating from the ancient Rule of St. Benedict). It’s long been an interest of mine. (See previous posts.) Truly, it was a refreshing experience that opened my mind and heart to alternative ways of prayer and devotion and living.

A quite simple and innocent gesture is among the first things I’d elevate and reflect upon: coming into the Oratory (i.e., the worship center) and bowing – bowing to an icon reflective of the Christ in our midst… and, before taking our seats, bowing to others in the room. No, we were not bowing to the icon but bowing to the Lord and Savior it conveyed – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit behind it. And the bow we made to one another? It was simply a way, with our bodies, of affirming the sacredness of the others in the room – the reality that Christ is in our neighbor.

I know that we Protestants can misunderstand and misjudge our Catholic brothers and sisters as they employ their holy water and genuflections and do their signs of the cross. (I am relieved that our misunderstandings and especially our judgments are not as pronounced as they used to be!) Refreshing for me, though, was the way that my body was a part of my spirit in the Worship and Devotion: bowing had me truly feeling that I was in the presence of the Holy – truly in the presence of a Lord and King who was more than worthy of a bow. And bowing to my neighbor had me truly feeling a more profound sense of the sacredness and worth of the other. In a way, the bowing of morning, noon, evening and night prayer times had me “bowing” throughout the day – well beyond the worship center. I found myself walking with a much more contrite heart throughout the “sanctuary” of the day and our retreat facilities.

So, take a bow! Trace a sign of the cross over mind and heart and soul! Let your fingers touch the sacred and mysterious waters of life and baptism! And, amidst it all, ask your self if it does not find – in this cooperation, this convergence of body and action and soul and creed – a certain heightening of devotion and reverence in your deeper spirit and soul!

We bow down,

We cast our crowns

At the feet of Jesus.

The greatness of

His mercy and love...

at the feet of Jesus

And we cry holy, holy, holy,

Holy, holy, holy…

is the Lamb.

"You Say You Want a Resolution..."

Annual Conference is over…

Real joy in my heart as I return to Strawbridge!

Among the things Conference does is give me a chance to review the year past and renew commitments for the coming months: commitments in ministry, commitments with family in mind, personal commitments,…

It may not be totally safe to share in this kind of forum. Still, in a Wesleyan kind of way, I need some accountability partners. And so, I share…

• I want and need to rekindle my devotional life… Things are stale and I earnestly seek freshness in my daily time with Him… in a rhythm that has Him woven throughout my day!

• I want and need to rekindle my life as a father and a husband… It’s not that things are terrible, but, like my devotional life, I know there’s greater freshness and joy and meaningful intimacy to be found and claimed.

• I want and need to settle down in my work here at church… Oh, not kick back and loaf. But, recognize that there’s enough on the platter. That, as much as we need to do anything new right now, we need to engage the programs and needs (and new initiatives) at hand… and find time to enjoy each other throughout it all!

• I want and need to take better care of my physical being… I drink too much coffee and coke. I do not exercise like I should. I am careless in my eating and snacking. I am 30+ pounds overweight (with a whole wardrobe hanging there, unused in my closet)!!!! All in all, it has my short of breath too easily… and sweating like a pig!

• I want and need to be a better friend and brother and uncle… I want to reach out to folks better and be there for them and learn more deeply what it is to love – love with His love!

• I want and need humility. I want to harness that “want” in me which seeks attention. I don’t always have to talk. I don’t always have to go for the joke or the laugh to draw attention to myself. I need to learn the art of silence… and really listening to the other – including the Other which is God!

And amidst it all, I want and need you, out there – friends, family, brothers and sisters in the Faith… I need and want you all to pray for me… and even hold my feet to the fire. I need your encouragement. I need you to question me – when, say, I reach for that second cup of coke. I need you to know that I want to be better – better for myself, better for you, better for God. I need and want you to be patient with me… and accept me when I fail.

I need and want balance in this walk… and I need and want Companions on these tight rope journeys called life and Christianity!

Joy Journal

In my 13 years of post-high school schooling, two papers particularly stand out in my memory. Both achieved marks of “D.” Both were tremendously helpful as learning devices.

The first paper (not a real focus here) was in Freshman English at A & M. Perhaps its biggest lesson was emotional or spiritual: a certain humbling of the boy who thought he knew it all. Yes, I learned to write (or, at least, advance in writing) that first semester of college English!

The second paper (more of a focus here) taught me a lesson about and the meaning of being “critical.” A “critical review” of a book in Christian History book at seminary had me tearing the book apart for all its weaknesses… and the flaws I saw. Isn’t that the nature of being critical after all?! You know, like criticism?!

Problem is, I soon learned (with “D” in hand), that “critical” (at least in “critical review”) implies a balanced effort to analyze weaknesses, yes, but also to affirm strengths!

It’s a lesson that has had meaning throughout the years – even unto today: the importance of seeing not just the “original sin” in the world but also the “original goodness,” as well!

It’s the basis of encouraging staff around the church to keep a joy journal – a daily catalog of all that is good and right and “worthy of praise” in our lives and world… a counterbalance to all the stresses and negatives that can come our way (because we do live in a fallen world).

Admittedly, I waver and wane on this discipline (as I do with most of my spiritual disciplines). In the wake of the last blog, though ( a blog which I continue to struggle with… but, for whatever reasons, do not want to erase),… In the wake of the last blog, I feel inclined to count my blessings. (It’s got to be a great concept! I mean, it’s not only a great hymn but there’s Bing singing about it in “White Christmas!”)

And so, just to get the ball rolling on this Monday morning and this new week, I take a minute or two to recall my blessings and joys in life…

1. a loving wife and companion
2. healthy children who are going through the normal throes of trying to figure out who they are
3. the means and the place in which to finally get a home
4. my health (though I need help here!)
5. a very loving congregation… and a committed core of church leaders
6. a “livable forest” which, in so many ways… at so many turns, has me feeling God’s presence
7. a call and a reason and a vision and a purpose in life
8. good (and meaningful) books and movies
9. a very loving extended family… I know that they’ll always be there for me!
10. a string of very dear friends which span the years and the communities in which we’ve lived – friends as dear and as close as family
11. a devoted companion in Toby (the wonder dog)!

Yes, it’s only a start. But, it’s enough to get me on the right path!

For it’s true: if you’re going to “make the grade” in life and living, you’ve got to learn the art of looking at both sides!

"Contra Church-Hopping"... or "Church Membership and Community as a Means of Grace (i.e., a Means of Transformation)"

I'm sorry I haven't maintain this blog too well of late. Over a month since my last post!

It's not for lack of things to write... and feelings to engage. In fact, it's the strength of feelings that has held me back -- making me wonder if I really want to put myself out there. Will folks be able to take it... and accept that I can have such feelings?

Still, I seek transparency. I seek to be a "disciple out of control." And that, plus the acknowledgement that this blog has limited circulation, has me willing to journal here, now.

At the heart of my feelings (that is, at the heart of my heart) is a strong sense of sadness about and disappointment in Church members who have packed up (and here, I must say, it spans the years... and is not just a Strawbridge thing!) and left. And, more specifically, it's their stated reasons for leaving.

It's not that leaving a Church is unforgivable... or that there might not be reasons for so leaving and connecting with another fellowship. (I suggested such in a letter to the congregation in December -- announcing an adjustment in our Sunday morning schedule: "ponder just what are the Biblical grounds for separating one’s self from a community or congregation… [Tolerated immorality {especially among shepherds/leaders}: yes, that just cause! The preaching or teaching of heresies: yes, that’s just cause!] Without wanting to put a false guilt trip on anyone(which would be spiritually abusive), I feel that the question needs to be raised nonetheless: “would/will your reason(s) for leaving the congregation on the basis of an adjusted Sunday morning schedule stand up in the presence of Jesus and eternity?”) Yes, very legitimate reasons exist for leaving one community and joining another! And, yes, very legitimate reasons exist for staying with a community -- even when they don't do things your way!

My frustration, as I've already shared, is with the stated reasons for leaving which I have heard from too many across time... and the reasons I still hear for leaving community. (Please, be advised: these lines cut across my years in ministry. Anyone reading this should be warned against assigning any of these lines to a given place, time, or person!)

• "11:00 is the Traditional Worship hour in America!" (where traditional here means "traditional" worship)

• "I can't get up at 8:30!" (understandable from many elderly souls... the problem with this line was that it came from a soul who was able to go on a 2-week overseas tour [shortly after saying this] -- a tour that had a rigorous morning schedule for those 14 days!)

• "the youth make too much noise in their classes and disturb us... and don't dress up for church... and don't seem to respect my ways or the things I think they should!" (sounds like something Jesus sure would have spit out of his mouth!)

• "I never thought it would mean this!" (the words of one soul who told me, "something needs to happen and we'll support you and the church no matter what"... and then left when the "no matter what" demanded adjustments on their part)

• "if the men of this church start cutting the yard, I'm out of here" or, another time, "if we start charging for donuts, I'm out of here!" (lines I heard at one church when we were considering some of the things we might do to balance the budget... again, donuts and a manicured lawn: the kind of things Jesus died for!)

I guess you can hear that I'm battling some strong feelings here. I surely want to avoid self-righteousness and attending judgmentalism. Still, with these acknowledgements and their attending prayers, I remain very frustrated and disturbed! I find it extremely hard to embrace these excuses in the light of Jesus and the Cross and the Gospel. Here, I affirm that the importance of Christian community is not that it conforms to us (and our tastes) but that it is a vehicle through which Christ works to conform us to Him. (And, as there's more to conform to, perhaps there's the potential for greater Christ-likeness!)

Truly, I am saddened that people leave the church. And, even sadder for the [empty] reasons they can articulate for leaving a local congregation. But, then, maybe here's hope and consolation (and here I must watch out again, lest I deceive myself): that when some leave a church/congregation for the wrong reasons, there's greater hope for the Church (capital C). For when there's less people consumed with donuts and the churchyard and worship times and attire and having it their way, there's more room for Christ and a singular focus on Him and His way!

Dear God, for all these attitudes -- theirs... and mine:

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy!

Easter Concert, Part One: Maundy Thursday, The Basin and the Towel

In the spirit of Christmas' concert, a few of my favorites for this most sacred time of the year -- beginning with Michael Card's poignant reflection on humility and footwashing:

The Decline and Fall of Christianity in America

I really try to keep an open mind... and ponder all sides of an issue. (For that reason, I watch FoxNews and CNN.) It's my theology of tension at work: believing that both sides belong... and stand, together, equally, to contribute to a full understanding of reality. (Of course, that's not to ignore the way both sides can delude and distort!)

Watching "Fox and Friends" this morning had me hearing their rantings about Newsweek's newest issue -- cover-storied with an article on the decline of Christianity in America. (Come on, Newseek, adding "Fall" in the title was a bit sensationalist!)

I have no doubt that the "Foxes" had part of the truth about this "decline" being related to perceptions and biases of the Media.

But, the Media is only part of the problem in my mind. (Talk about bias!! Our Friends at Fox even wanted to suggest that the timing of the article was an afront to American Christianity -- ignoring the fact that Newsweek has traditionally cover-storied articles on faith and religion this time of year, every year!)

Truth is, as I see it, that blaming the Media is a diversion. It's blaming one's poor health on the doctor who, even though he might have poor bedside manners and really doesn't care about you, nonetheless reports truth about your condition.

Truth is (as I see and feel it), Christians have no one else to blame for a poor diagnosis of their condition than themselves. For too long, we've accepted lower standards... and a compromised witness. (What was it that Chesterton said about Christianity? Something like "Christianity has not been tried and found wanting as much as it has been found difficult and hardly tried!) In my mind, we've pretty well given reason for Americans to write us off! I can hear outsiders saying, with cause: "what's the real difference between Christians and non-Christians? what difference does the Church really make?" And finding no real solid or convincing answers to their questions, they go elsewhere for meaning and healing.

To be sure, elements in the Media have given us a bad rap. But, then, we've done a lot to deserve and justify it. The remedy to the "decline and fall" of Christianity in America, you see, is in our becoming a lot less American in our faith and practice... and a lot more, genuinely Christian!

Especially as we enter this Holy Week, let us fix our eyes on the life of Christ... and what we need to let go of (and take hold of). Then, having addressed the "plank" in our eye, we'll be in a much better position to judge how much of the problem is the Media... and we'll be in a much better position to change their minds and hearts!

All Ye Who Are Weary, Come Home!

Sarah Brooke (daughter at A&M... reminder: Katie is the oldest and don't forget Michael!!) is coming home this Friday... Spring Break... WOOHOO!!!!

A post, then, in honor of homecomings and reunions -- with an excerpt from the grad video I made for her (almost a year ago??!!!)...

Ready to have you home, Brookie... and have all the family together!!!

Love you,

"Fadder"

the "brookie dookie" show, conclusion @ Yahoo! Video

I Heard It Through the Grapevine

So much converges to make Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s poem, “Above All, Trust in the Slow Work of God,” relevant and meaningful to where I am (and where we are) in this season of transformation. (Not only is there our focus on becoming Emotionally Healthy and spiritually mature, but there's Spring and Lenten Scriptures/images [including Jesus' Passover focus in John’s Gospel on vines and branches and our Vinedresser God]…

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown,
something new.
Yet, it is the law of all progress that is made
by passing through some stages of instability
and that may take a very long time.

And so I think it is with you.
Your ideas mature gradually. Let them grow.
Let them shape themselves without undue haste.
Do not try to force them on
as though you could be today what time
-- that is to say, grace --
and circumstances
acting on your own good will
will make you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new Spirit
gradually forming in you will be.

Give our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.
Above all, trust in the slow work of God,
our loving vine-dresser.

Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer as a "Cross Walk"

Engaging my “Protestant Rosary” (see previous post)… and praying the Lord’s Prayer as I get to the central cross in my lanyard of beads and knots has invited me to see the Prayer itself as a walk through the crucifix…






“Our Father, who art in Heaven,
Hallowed (honored and blessed and regarded as Holy) be your Name (and character)…

[here, my finger traces the head of Christ – recalling Heaven and Christ’s coming from the Father]




“Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done on Earth (or “in Earth”… something we all are)

[here, my finger makes its way to Christ’s feet – as His feet touched ground and brought the Father’s will to earth, even so, I am asking that God’s will touch ground in and through me]



as in Heaven”…

[my finger makes its way back up to the head and Heaven]












“Give us this day, our daily bread/manna” (or “the bread we need for today”)…

[here, my finger makes its way up to the one hand of Christ… as I ask for Him to “give,” I imagine his hand open to me and gifting]






“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against
us” (or “Forgive us
our [past] sins as we walk as those living
and forgiving under
the Reign of
Your Grace”)…

[here, my finger traces the heart of Christ – the source of His love and mercy and Grace and forgiveness]

“And lead us not into [future] temptation, but deliver us from Evil and the Evil One…”

[here, my finger traces his other hand… as I ask him to “lead” me/us, I imagine taking His hand outstretched hand so that he can guide me/us into my/our future]





“For thine is the Kingdom, Power and Glory forever. Amen.”

[over time, I have found my finger retracing its “walk” through the cross: for thine is the Kingdom (head), the Power (on “earth”), and the Glory (from hand to hand)]

In these ways, the Lord’s prayer is a cross of sorts… or a “cross walk” in which we are about a certain “sign of the cross” as we pray it…

Don’t know if you saw it or not (above), as well: that the Prayer is also a walk through space and time: bridging Heaven (God/Father) to Earth (us humans)… and spanning present, past and future.

Whether any of this “works” for you or not is not nearly my concern as my hope that you are about some regular engagement of this perfect prayer from our Lord… and finding the ways it lives in you… and you live in it..

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

A Protestant Rosary

I wear a cross around my neck. Its fosters God-consciousness and Christ-sensitivity through my day. Over time, I’ve embedded a few knots and few beads in the lanyard—the cord upon which the cross hangs. In formal and not so formal times, the knots and beads guide me in prayer—a makeshift rosary.

Knots on the cord call me to pray my version of the “Hail Mary”—composed a few years ago when I really did take the rosary and its mysteries on in my prayer life. (Protestant as I am, though, I was not quite comfortable with the "Hail Mary" and some of the theology upon which it hangs. “Why pray to Mary when you can go straight to the Son and the Father and the Spirit?” ran my thinking.) And so, I came up with my own prayer for “counting the beads”—a “Prayer to the Blessed Trinity”:

Blessed and Mysterious Trinity—
Father, Son and Holy Spirit—
Source of all Goodness, Life and Truth,

Worthy art Thou and Thou alone
to receive all honor, glory and power.

Create in me a clean heart
and renew a right Spirit within me,
now and at the hour of my death. Amen.

Beads in the lanyard call me to pray a prayer of healing which I formulated a few years ago at a Heal­ing and Wholeness Conference:

Lord Jesus Christ,
enter into _______,

a precious child [or creation] of yours
and heal that which is broken

in me [or him or her or it]. Amen.

Sometimes I pray the prayer with me in mind. Some­times I pray it with any number of specific individuals in mind... Sometimes I am mindful of Kathy and each of my children... or my brothers and sister... Sometimes I pray it with Strawbridge in mind or the Church in general. Sometimes I pray it with all creation in mind and heart. Broken and fallen are we all—physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually. All of us are in need of His restoring and redeeming touch.

When I get to the cross (i.e., knots and beads are equally and symmetrically arranged around the cen­tral cross), I stop to savor the Lord’s Prayer. I pause with each line and envision that petition. (Another post in the days ahead will convey my experience of that prayer as a walk "around the cross"... More to come!) Sometimes I say “Our Father” and sometimes I personalize it, saying “My Father in Heaven...”

But ours is more than brokenness -- something which invites me to engage the beads on the "other side" of the cross... with another prayer for those I prayed for on the "front side" of the cross:

Lord Jesus Christ,

enter into __________,

a precious child [or creation] of yours

and strengthen all that is good, right, and true

in him/her/it. Amen.

Working my way through the knots and beads is not the fullness of my prayer life. Sometimes I do allow it to make its way into morning or evening prayer time. Mostly, though, I find it becoming a part of the hours in between: stuck at a traffic light or in traffic, knots and beads take me home; waiting for a meeting, knots and beads remind me of who I am and whose I am;...

Sometimes I make it through the rounds once, sometimes a couple of times, sometimes half way. Ever there is the need to make the process meaning­ful—forbidding that it simply become a mechanical and mindless/heartless rifling through the circuit.

No, I don’t have to take it off from around my neck as I pray: the knots and beads can be felt through my shirt as my fingers trace their way through my “Protestant Rosary.”

Am I suggesting that you need to take up this dis­cipline? Of course not! But I do want to nag you with the question: “what are you doing to make prayer and Christ a meaningful and regular part of the rhythm of your day?” For me, tracing the knots and the beads is one way of keeping Christ before me... and keeping me before Christ.

Forgive the repetition, Friends, but I am con­vinced it is true: as breathing to the physical body, so prayer to our spiritual vitality. For the Christian, prayer is not one part of life among many. Prayer is life!

With You, in the Quest for a Daily Rhythm in Prayer and Spiritual Breathing!

Putting Ken to Bed...

Guess I need to get beyond the afterglow of Ken Medema... and move on. (Though, I admit, I'm on a crusade to have him return to Strawbridge... Maybe the Fall?)

One last story, though, before I move on... Kind of a "good night" story... you know, for "putting Ken to bed"...

Among the most remarkable things one experiences at a Ken Medema concert is his asking for stories from the audience... and then taking what he hears and composing a rich and meaningful composition and song. (Very much the same thing he did with my sermon in the previous post.)

Found the attached audio line from a time when Ken was at the Pacific School of Religion and set it to a picture in the following video. Yes, not much of a video. But, then, Ken's gift is not so much what he conveys for our physical sight as much as what he paints for our mental, emotional and spiritual vision...

Ken Medema, Tell Me a Story: "Millie" @ Yahoo! Video

Yes, Good Night, Ken... at least for now... at least in this blog...

And, thanks, Ken... thanks for the ways you wake me up!

Preaching with Ken Medema

A dream realized: not just getting to meet Ken Medema, but having him engage one of my messages in song.

For those who don't know Ken, his is the amazing gift (among many) of hearing a message and then being able to compose (on the spot) a musical response -- kind of the Wayne Brady thing (from "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" fame). But, in Medema's case, there's an amazing instrumental composition... and very profound spirituality and theology.

And so, mine was the joy of not only getting to meet Ken (someone I have admired from a distance for over 20 years now) but also getting to collaborate with him.

First, there's the video that preceded the message...

What is Real? @ Yahoo! Video

And then, there's my sermon and his response (which begins around the 28:00 mark)... Truly, as several kidded me, Ken's "second sermon" was, by far, the best!

Preaching with Ken Medema @ Yahoo! Video