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December 03, 2010
Let all the earth keep silence...
Susie White
Have you ever flown at night? Whenever I have an opportunity to fly at night, I always try to get a window seat. As I gaze out the window of the plane, there is nothing but black and quiet...the later at night the flight, the better...It is as if no one is on the plane with me, and I am the only person alive in the world. I find that I love the quiet...the stillness...the sense of infinity that comes in a black night sky...I always sense the presence of God in the vast expanse, and no words are ever necessary.
In contemplative practice, we are encouraged to sit...in complete silence and stillness. The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk said this:
The Lord is in his holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before him.
We Americans don't do silence particularly well, I'm afraid. We are talking and texting, and ever multi-tasking...and even during one of the holiest seasons of the year, it is especially difficult to stop moving...to stop our planning and preparing...to cease our shopping and our baking and our candle-stick making...
I have an idea..a spiritual practice for us to try during Advent. Let's decide right now...today, that before the season has ended, we will, each one of us...take time, a few short minutes, and intentionally sit quietly in the dark. Plan the time...set it aside...bring a candle...just one candle...sit still, in silence...and then light the candle.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.
In the quiet...tune your heart to anticipate his coming.
Posted December 03, 2010
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December 02, 2010
Drawn out of Deep Waters
Susie White
There is something both invigorating and daunting about the idea of writing a blog in response to daily scripture readings. I've said this before, but it bears repeating...when you commit to writing a response without knowing what the scripture will say on any given day, it is a risky and vulnerable venture!
I wanted very much to feel "led" to write a response to the reading from the Gospel of Luke, or to a reading in Hebrews, or 1 Thessalonians...but I found myself drawn to this passage in Psalm 18, and it is my sincere hope that what I share will be an encouragement to someone who needs to hear these words today...
He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support. He brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me.
This passage paints a poetic and vivid image of my personal experiences of loss over this past summer. I hesitate to share, because it is so deeply personal, and perhaps not worthy of the festive nature of the Advent season...and yet I feel compelled by the thought that someone...somewhere...will read this blog, and be comforted by the story, and by the promise of God's care in the midst of painful times.
During the span of just a few short weeks this summer, I lost the relationship that was my most cherished treasure, and my Mother passed away after a long illness and series of hospitalizations. I was, in every way I know how to describe or say, drowning in very deep waters of sadness. As I read the psalmist's poem today, I immediately and instinctively knew the names of my enemies, the foes who were too strong for me in the day of my disaster...they were hurt and despair and fear...they were hopelessness and anger and unbelief. They were, all of them, too strong for me.
And yet, I can say with the psalmist, He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me...
In his love, God rescued me and brought me to a spacious place. As the words of an old hymn say, "sometimes a light surprises!" He did this because he delights in me...not because I've done something to earn it or deserve it...but just because he loves, and I am the object of his love.
Life is full of twists and turns...of joy and sorrow...of pain and ecstasy, and unexpected loss. And through it all, the great God of the universe reaches down to us...as it says in the Gospel of John, he became flesh and came to live with us. He reaches for me, and he reaches for you.
Perhaps today you need him to reach for you...to take hold of you and draw you out of deep waters...I do not know your foes...the enemies that are too strong for you...but I know the God who reaches down. If you are in deep waters today, know that his arm is not too short to save...he can bring you to a spacious place, and he will...he will because he loves you, and because he delights in you too.
Posted December 02, 2010
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December 01, 2010
Living in the Now and in the Not Yet
Susie White
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given,and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. -Isaiah 9:6
Prince of Peace...one of my favorite titles for Jesus. Even hearing the word "peace" makes me feel better...calmer...more settled on the inside. In Hebrew, the word for peace, "shalom," doesn't necessarily mean the absence of conflict. Again and again, as I read about the word and its meaning, I was struck by a recurring theme: wholeness.
To be whole is to be well, to be complete and undivided in heart and soul, as well as in our health and relationships. Wholeness bespeaks a condition where we lack nothing, having the quality of being finished. When we use the greeting, "Peace to you," these are the ideas that we convey to one another. I wish for you health, and that your heart, mind and soul be whole and complete.
We live in a fractured world, and many of us today are living fractured lives...lives that feel unfinished, broken, and incomplete. And yet, in this Advent season, the Prince of Peace comes to us and offers his wholeness. With him present in our broken world, we can say with the hymn writer, "It is well with my soul." Do you feel it now? This wellness, this sense of peace and wholeness? I do on some days, and then on other days it seems a distant dream...a wish that lies just beyond my grasp.
This is the nature of living in the now, and in the not yet. As we've said before, we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace at his birth...we anticipate his coming into our lives in the here and now, and we look forward to his coming again in glory. We are, in a very real sense, caught betwixt and between...in the mystery of what is, and what is not yet. Jesus himself spoke often of the Kingdom of God...and said it was both here now, and coming in the future.
The kingdom process reminds me of the planting of a seed. We plant a seed in the ground, water it...and wait. Somehow, in a process that we cannot fully see or understand, the seed becomes plant...it grows tall and strong, and eventually bears fruit. Likewise, God has come among us...a seed planted in our world, and planted in our hearts. It is the seed of peace that grows within us today...we cannot comprehend how it works...we cannot dissect the mystery of faith, but we anticipate the tree of life it will become, whose fruit in us is peace.
Peace to you this day.
Posted December 01, 2010
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November 30, 2010
Who's your Daddy?
Susie White
Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
- Psalm 100:3
If you happen to be from a faith tradition that differs from Christianity, or perhaps you come from a tradition of having no particular faith at all, you might not enjoy today's blog...though I hope that at minimum, you might find it interesting.
While reading today's scripture lessons, I found that I wanted to write about several different ideas...my decision to write about sheep was partly influenced by the spiritual lessons, and partly because I found the subject-matter entertaining! I hope you'll be likewise entertained.
I did a bit of internet research on the subject of sheep, and wanted to share some helpful insights with you, in the unlikely event that you find yourself raising sheep at some point in your future...
"Why Raising Sheep is Fun"
1. Your lamb will recognize you and know its feeding time when she sees you.
2. Walking a lamb every day after school can be relaxing.
3. Keeping yourself dry while washing a lamb is impossible.
4. Wet sheep smell like wet wool.
This is "must know" information, so be sure to keep it handy for future reference!
On a spiritual note, sheep have much to teach us, and it is not by accident that the scripture is full of verses that describe us as "the sheep of his pasture."
Sheep, like humans, are often fearful and easily panicked. Among livestock animals, sheep require the most care and protection. They are vulnerable to fear, and to frustration. Sheep are also vulnerable to mob psychology, and it takes very little to spur them into a stampede. Like us, sheep can be perversely stubborn, insisting upon going their own way, even when it means doing harm to themselves.
It's possible, I suppose, that you are reading this list, thinking, "I don't relate to any of those characteristics...", and if that's true, I say "Bravo for you!" I relate to pretty much everything on the list, and then some. Sheep are also creatures of habit, and prone to getting into a "rut." They are easily "cast" (flipped over on their back), and unable to right themselves without help from the shepherd.
The good news, for us, and for the sheep, is that sheep always recognize the voice of their shepherd, and the shepherd is always the most calming influence on a sheep. God calls us "his sheep"...and he says it often. Jesus described himself as the shepherd.
This Advent...listen for the shepherd's voice. You'll recognize him when he speaks to you.
Posted November 30, 2010
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November 29, 2010
Unwrapping an extraordinary gift!
Susie White
Grace and peace to you.
So begins the apostle Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica (also known as First Thessalonians). I won't bore you with the history of Thessalonica, except to mention that it was a wealthy city with a large population, and the church in that city was under heavy persecution at the time Paul wrote his letter to them. I suppose if Paul was writing letters today, they would be emails, or blogs, but during those first 50-75 years after Jesus' death and resurrection, Paul would send letters to groups of people who were gathering together (oftentimes in someone's home), and the letters would be read aloud in the group.
Imagine this scene: a group of people who are gathered together in someone's home, quite possibly in fear of their lives, and Paul's letter begins with this simple phrase:
Grace and peace to you.
It seems to me that this simple phrase has enormous power, and in these words lie an extraordinary gift, for anyone who wishes to receive it. Let's unwrap it together, and perhaps you'll find it a gift to you. When I looked up the words grace and peace, I was greatly encouraged by what I found.
Grace can mean many things, but this first definition captured my attention:
Grace - elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion or action
Have you ever loved someone? I mean, deeply loved someone? There is a mystery about love, because it transforms both the lover and the loved. It is often said that a person who is considered "unattractive" by societal norms, immediately becomes attractive when another person loves them. I've experienced this before - I have seen single men, and women, who would be considered only moderately attractive, suddenly become handsome or beautiful, after having fallen in love, and having become the object of another's affection.
What is the message on this first day after the beginning of the Advent season? We are loved by God, and because we are loved by God, we are, each of us, endowed with an elegance and beauty of form that cannot be explained in human terms. This is the gift of Advent...that you are deeply loved, and whether you've realized it yet or not, this love has the power to make you extraordinary, and beautiful, and elegant. And in this abiding love, no matter what else is going on in your life tonight, you can find peace.
Posted November 29, 2010
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November 29, 2010
First Sunday of Advent
Susie White
Today is the first Sunday of Advent. In honor of the season, I need to begin with a confession: With the rarest of exceptions, I haven't darkened the door of a church since late June of this year. To avoid boring you with the details of my year, allow me to simply say that it has been a time of great loss, grieving, questioning, and healing. Even though I haven't been in church, I have had a desire to blog through the season of Advent for several weeks now, and am embracing the next several weeks as a time of new beginnings for me...I am, I suppose, celebrating the new year a little bit early this year.
Perhaps you too have been through a difficult year, or perhaps you're in the midst of a difficult time as you read this blog...whatever the case, I hope you will find comfort in these writings, and more importantly, comfort in this special season of anticipation and hope.
I grew up in a non-liturgical Christian community, and have no memory of even hearing the word "Advent" until I was 14 years old. I was a precocious teenager, full of my own smarts, and lacking in respect for the wisdom of others...I still recall my first thought when I asked someone, "What is Advent?", and received an explanation... "That's weird," I said to myself. Ah...to be 14 again, and smarter than everyone else! Maybe you grew up in a church that taught about Advent, or maybe you didn't grow up in the church at all...whatever the case, I believe the season has valuable lessons to teach all of us.
The word 'advent' means coming, and in the Christian tradition, we use the term to refer to our celebration of the coming of Jesus at Christmas, and to our anticipation of his coming again in glory. I returned to church this morning, and the pastor talked about our eager anticipation of Jesus' coming. I couldn't help but think about the fact that most of us, especially children, spend a lot of time and energy anticipating the coming of Santa Claus, and not so much on the coming of Jesus. I also thought about the feeling that I believe is so common to many of us, in the space of time after we open our gifts and eat our big Christmas dinner... "Is that all there is?" Even as a teenager and young adult, I was painfully aware of the sense of disappointment that immediately follows after the gift-giving and reverie...Christmas afternoon and evening, for me, have always been a big let down, and I feel fairly certain that I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Please don't get me wrong! I love Christmas, and I love Santa Claus too! I love the lights and the sparkle and the magic...the gifts and the music and the special Christmas food! But I also recognize that there can be a sad kind of emptiness in this joyful holiday season. Christmas without the abiding love of Christ doesn't have much "staying power." If we're to make our way through this Advent season with a joy that remains, I believe we need to learn how to eagerly anticipate the coming of Jesus, and not just Santa Claus. As I travel my journey of grief and healing this Christmas, I'm praying for a heart that is open to His coming...and my prayer for you is that your heart will be open too.
Posted November 29, 2010
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July 27, 2010
Slow Down
Joseph Stabile
Well it is July and it is a fairly cool July for the Dallas area. It is a good time to have a vacation and let the world slow down. Suzanne and I took a week to get away for a while and went to South Padre Island. Each morning we would drive onto the beach and set up our chairs and sit and watch the waves roll in, take a little stroll and cool off in the water. And each morning I would hear the words from the old Simon and Garfunkle song "slow down you're moving to fast."
Yes, I am and yes things are moving too fast. We have moved into an age of information and technology where things just move too quickly. I have an Iphone and so I am never away from instant communication. I can receive calls, texts, emails and current stock reports (not that I need them), weather and the latest and most up-to-date new flashes.
There are some days when I just long for the time when we survived without answering machines, caller ID or call waiting. I think of hand writing a letter to my parents and waiting with anticipation for their reply. The closest thing to texting was writing a note to someone in class and trying to sneak it past the teacher. And of course, the weather was what you got when you walked outside unless you had a trusted weatherman like Harold Taft to turn to.
In the past month both through personal experience and the experience of watching what is happening in the news I have come to believe even stronger the wisdom of my mentor, Fr. Rohr, that "opinions are under-developed thinking"; everyone has one and many, many believe they have the right to share theirs whether it is the truth or not.
All of that leads me to another reflection from my mentor, "Information is not Knowledge and Knowledge is not Wisdom." Recently I have added to that saying because not everything that passes for information is even the truth. And because of our current technological ability it is possible to distribute erroneous information or misinformed opinions very quickly and very broadly to the detriment of others.
What moral responsibility do we have to think before we speak, write or act? What moral responsibility do we have to share truth in word and deed? And is it even my place to share my thoughts or opinions? Good questions whether we are communicating or receiving communication from others. If we would know the answers to these questions we will first have to "slow down we're moving too fast."
The last morning of our time away as Suzanne and I sat on the balcony of our Condo overlooking the Bay a beautiful rainbow appeared in the sky; a rainbow, from Genesis a sign of God's presence and promise. I think I got the lesson there!
Posted July 27, 2010
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May 26, 2010
The Wind Blew
Joseph Stabile
If you have ever been in the Texas panhandle you know that the wind blows mightily most of the time. As a priest I knew of one of my brother priests who was walking to the local hospital only to be blown into the "bar ditch" by a strong March wind. Tornadoes are fierce this time of the year as well. So it might be difficult to distinguish between the natural forces of the earth and the working of the Holy Spirit.
In June of 1984 it was on a Pentecost Sunday that happened to coincide with the tenth anniversary of my ordination that I experienced the "wind of the Holy Spirit" blow through my life and I have never been the same since. While participating in a Service of Healing at the Amarillo Convention Center, the Holy Spirit began to work on me and in me and through me as people came forward to be prayed with for healing. It was the first time that I had experienced people singing in "tongues" and the first time that I had seen persons "rested in the Spirit". The Holy Spirit took over my life and my hands that day and we began a journey together that continues even to this writing.
This promised "Friend" as Eugene Peterson calls him in the Message, or "Advocate" or "Paraclete" as the Spirit is so often referred to in scripture is Real and is in charge of the Church. The Father has accomplished the work of creation and continues to allow us to participate in the ongoing creation of the earth. Jesus the Lord has done a mighty work of Redemption and called us into the Body of Christ as beloved sons and daughters of the Father. And now the ongoing work of God is being accomplished in the activity of the Spirit which we have all received. Do you really believe that the Spirit will remind us of all that Jesus did? Do you really believe that the Spirit will enable us to do what Jesus did? Do you really trust that the Spirit dwells within you? Do you have personal evidence of the Spirit's presence?
If ever I doubted the presence of the Holy Spirit, all that was changed on that day in 1984. I learned of the power and prompting and challenge of the Spirit. I learned that as Peterson translated it: "You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I'll do it." (John 14:13) The key is that we act and speak along the lines of who Jesus really is and what Jesus really did.
Pentecost was indeed the birthday of the Church. Each and every activity of the Holy Spirit is a celebration of that day and of the immense love of God for his children. The truth is, we are never alone and we never have to do this journey without the support of our gracious loving God. Come, Holy Spirit!
Posted May 26, 2010
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April 01, 2010
Silence in the Desert
Suzanne and I recently returned from leading two "silent directed retreats" at Casa de la Rosa
Retreat Center in Marfa, Texas. This extraordinary place is also called "The Threshold" and
that is very apt for it is a sacred place of liminal space; a threshold when you are not in the old
place and not yet in the new. It is a place to leave behind the anxieties and demands of our
everyday world and "be" in the presence of the Holy One, who holds us in love, extends to us
mercy and grants us peace everlasting.
Like the prophet Elijah of old I went there expecting to hear God speak in new ways to my heart.
Just like Elijah I looked for Him in the powerful dust storm that obscurred our view, but He wasn't
in the dust. Then I looked again for Him to move in the mighty (70 mph) wind that blew across the
desert, still He was quiet. When the rain blew through and the mountains were left covered in
snow, I thought surely God was there, but still He hid.
Just then the bell rang, the one that called us to the Chapel for prayer four times each day and
like Elijah, I recognized His Presence in the sound of the bell. I remembered all of those years in
my past, when the "vox Dei", voice of God, called me to prayer and silence through the sound of
the bell and I knew that I was at home. Home once again in the loving arms of a most merciful and
faithful Father; home again sitting at the table with my selfless and obedient Brother Jesus; home
again wrapped in the embrace of the Spirit.
In the silence there was peace! And God spoke!
Posted April 01, 2010
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January 02, 2010
Happy New Year from Joe
Happy New Year from Suzanne and myself! It is our wish that this New Year will bring many blessings into your life and a much closer walk with our loving and merciful God.
From the earliest days of LTM we have used January 1st to mark new beginnings for our own lives and for the work of the ministry that God has entrusted to our care. In this year of 2010 we will be celebrating 25 years of ministry through Life in the Trinity. Our official anniversary date is in December but we are excited about all that we are offering this year in programming and all of the possibilities for growth and transformation that we will share through this twenty-fifth year.
May God our Father hold each of you ever so close in His arms of love; may Jesus our brother walk every day and in every circumstance beside you; and may the Holy Spirit fill you with peace always! Posted January 02, 2010
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