Saved

Sometimes I think we are holding that word – saved – too tightly in our fists. Maybe we do that for some form of security we seek, for fear we will lose something otherwise, or maybe to keep it under … Continue reading

233 – Water – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Two things came together Sunday that have me thinking about water this week. First, last Sunday was the celebrated as the “Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.” Many in church listened to the Scriptural accounts of Jesus’ baptism and … Continue reading

198 – Start – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

A very short quotation from Mother Teresa today, “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.” Nothing needs to be added.  

163 – Listening – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Last week I came across these words from Dietrich Bonhoeffer that I saved several years ago, “The first service one owes to others in the community involves listening to them. Many people seek a sympathetic ear and do not find … Continue reading

143 – The Workaday World – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Some time back I mentioned the practice of keeping a “Saints Calendar.”   Yesterday, April 9, is marked on my calendar for Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  On April 9, 1945, he was executed by the Nazis for taking part in efforts to end Hitler’s control of … Continue reading

99 – Action and Contemplation – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

I recently saw an article at the Alban Institute website by Bruce G. Epperly entitled “Finding the Right Blend of Action and Contemplation in Ministry.” https://alban.org/archive/finding-the-right-blend-of-action-and-contemplation-in-ministry/ In the article he counsels against the tendency of many of us to emphasize … Continue reading

94 – Lent & Easter – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Many weeks ago ( #21, #22, and #23 ) I mentioned what Dallas Willard calls the spiritual disciples of abstinence and engagement.  He sees both as necessary for the Christian life and likens it to “outbreathing” and “inbreathing.”  I wonder … Continue reading

48 – Service – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

In The Spirit of the Disciplines. Dallas Willard writes, “In service we engage our goods and strengths in the active promotion of the good of others and the causes of God in our world….  Not every act that may be … Continue reading

46 – Service – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

Adele Ahlberg Calhoun may help us to see how service can take us beyond superficial activity, “… many of us look right through others and never see them let alone care about what they need.  When we are preoccupied with … Continue reading

45 – Service – Intention on the Spiritual Journey

We want to continue today our thinking about service as a spiritual discipline. A couple of weeks ago I had occasion to look at the website of the Rescue Mission in Roanoke, Virginia ( http://rescuemission.net ), and was amazed at … Continue reading