Roadblocks

We know about feeling thwarted, don't we? Thwarted is an Old English word that sounds a bit like what it means....stopped, stymied, frustrated. Twharted-ness can be as simple as not getting into the restaurant you'd planned on, or as startling as a job falling apart, as sad as a dream disappearing. As small as the bridge being up and a big as a rejection in love.

Our writer, Henri Nouwen asks us on Day 7 of  Advent to consider if we are thwarting God's access to our attention, access to our hearts. He points to big things like anger and greed as roadblocks that keep us from getting near to God. We can easily see how an obsessive anger or a consuming greed might well deafen us to the calls of better angels.

But Henri suggests that we thrwart God's access to our hearts in many smaller ways, through the distractions and absorptions of our days, small things that cummulatively leave little time and space for God to break into our hearts and heads. I can sure think of a few of my own, and I  suspect you know what yours are, as well.

One healthy thing that seems to happen when we let God come near...many of our own feelings of being thwarted seem to get put in their place, and routes ahead appear.

Today, I plan to take down a roadblock or two. Join me?

The Blessing of Community

How very blessed we are to belong to the wonderful community of St. Alban's! There is so much joy here, so much genuine affection for one another, so much willingness to share not only our good times, but also our times of difficulty and sadness.

The next time you come into the Parish Hall be sure to stop and look at the "moving picture show" that is on display on the table in the entryway.  What a good time we are having together in these pictures!  We are worshiping together, enjoying delicious food together, talking to each other, working together, and always it seems, laughing together.  We truly enjoy being in each other's company.  This is so wonderful and, I think, quite rare.  It is not always thus in church communities, or in any kind of community.

 It take work to achieve what we have here.  It takes individuals who are anxious to welcome any and all who cross our threshold.  It takes people who are willing to share their stories and to listen to others' stories.  It takes patience and forbearance and compassion.  It takes hearts that can rejoice in each other and in God's love which, to my eye anyway, abounds here at St. Alban's. Thanks be to God for that extravagant love!

And thanks to Marjorie and Stacy for that exhilarating picture show!

Advent peace to you all,

Audrey

Diet for the Soul

It is dangerous to drive past Whole Foods on your commute.  It means that I frequently find myself stopping there after a long day of work for a fast, ready-made dinner from their salad/soup/hot bar.  I tell myself that while I may be busting my budget doing so, at least it’s healthy/organic/local etc.  Like lots of folks, I’m trying to make healthier more conscious choices about what I eat.  And when you shop at the Whole Foods, you find yourself surrounded by folks who think it’s really important to pay attention to what you put into your body.

What if we took the same care with what we put into our minds?  And our souls?  It was 1992 when Nouwen wrote this excerpt mentioning the “garbage” of advertisements, tv, and radio.  I mean, we’re talking pre-reality tv days.  I wonder what Nouwen would say about our media consumption today?  I’ll admit to watching reality tv myself (HGTV design shows anyone?), but I’ll also admit that I feel much more rested, refreshed, and renewed if I spend that time with a good book or, better yet, saying a portion of the daily office (and you can helpfully find it all put together for you here!).  Today’s reading reminds me that how I feel is all about the care I take and the choices I make about what to put into my mind and soul.

First things first

Day 4's four offerings all point me toward one question...In all the freedom I've been given, what is the first thing I best do?  There may be many days in our weeks when we don't feel particularly free to make chocies beacuse the school bus is coming, the memo is due, the appointment is scheduled. But I am reminded by today's readings that if I can just take a grounding moment, a centering moment and a deep breath, some clarity comes about my proper first thing in the midst of all the second and third and fourth things. Nouwen wants us to find a first moment for a prayer of thanks for the truth that we are loved by God.

OK, so here goes...I've taken my breath and that moment of thanks first thing in this day. And what do I now discover? That I have another moment to give thanks for other things, that, as I tie my shoes, I can offer a prayer for a new baby in the parish, that I can take a moment and truly listen to an idea of my partner or a sibling on the phone, that I can ask God for some particular help...somehow making a first moment for a prayer of thanks for God's love actually leads me into other prayers and  into the inevitable second and third and fourth things of the day. In a short prayer of thanks we are graced to first ground all our realties in our grateful relationship with God.

 First things first.    Have a great day!  Tim+ 

Tuesday, December 4, 2012 The 3rd day of Advent

The readings for today really hit home, I can tell you!  Quiet and solitude don't come very easily for me; I always feel as if I should be doing something. My mind goes in so many different directions at once these days...who is left on my Christmas list?  Can I possibly avoid the Mall this week?  What in heaven's name will I have for dinner?  Allowing ourselves some solitude amid the frenzy of this time of year is difficult, there is no getting around it.  But that is what this lovely season of Advent asks of us - to be still, to be quiet, to cherish some "alone time" to listen to what God may be whispering to us.

"Lord, grant [us] a taste for solitude."  Not a bad little prayer!  Can we make it our own?

With love and peace to you all,

Audrey

Day 2 of Advent

“Don’t plan too precisely, however; leave room for God’s input.”

This sentence from today’s “Advent Action” jumped out and bopped me on the nose.  I’ve always been someone who likes to have plans; I like to know how an activity, or a day, or a week are going to progress.  I want to know what’s coming next.  For a long time I thought it was just a personality quirk, but the truth is that it’s a real spiritual challenge.  And when we think about having to plan not only our own calendars, but also coordinate the calendars of our children, our spouses, our significant others, our pets (when is doggy daycare?)...it actually feels like we don’t have any choice but to be precise planners.  And perhaps that’s the first step in leaving room for God’s input -  remembering that we do, in fact, have choices about how we spend our time.  Sometimes God’s input isn’t about the outcome, it’s about the existence of the choice itself.  Peace to you, -Kelly

Day 1 of Advent

Greetings, friends,
 On this first day of Advent, Henri Nouwen encourgaes us to watch for the small signs of God's action in our lives.One extra thought I'd like to offer to our readings for today...let's use both our memories of things past AND our imaginiations of thing to come to see those small things. What small grace do you recall? What small gift do you imagine tomorrow might hold?  Blessings,
 Tim+