Csquared Thoughts

God alone is changeless

Let nothing upset you, nothing frighten you. Everything is changing; God alone is changeless. Patience attains the goal. Who has God lacks nothing; God alone fills all her needs. —St. Teresa of Avila quoted by Bishop Marc Andrus on Facebook

A Spiritual Journey

And the world cannot be discovered by a journey of miles, no matter how long, but only by a spiritual journey, a journey of one inch, very arduous and humbling and joyful, by which we arrive at the ground at our feet, and learn to be at home. —Wendell Berry, The Collected Poems of Wendell Berry, 1957-1982, courtesy of inward/outward

dissolving separations

On Facebook a while back from Spirituality & Practice:

A vow at the end of this week on the spiritual practice of connections: I vow to do all I can today to dissolve separations between people and to establish closer connections. What's your first step?

Wow. Tough!

tolerance (and lack thereof)

For our stay at Jenner two weeks ago, we selected the Pelican Suite. We chose it because it was a bit less expensive than the Rosewater Suite, which we really enjoyed before, and because you didn't have to lug your stuff down the stairs as you do at the Rosewater. We also loved the big bay windows when we were at the Pelican Suite on an earlier trip. And it's a couple of hundred years closer to the village than Rosewater, which I was hoping would afford me internet access. It didn't, but that turned out to be just as well.

The only downside is that the suite is above two other rooms. The Pelican has a deck, as do the two rooms below. And of course from the Pelican you can see people hanging out on the deck below. I'm big on privacy on trips like this, but I took a gamble that mid-week mid-September we'd have the place to ourselves.

I gambled and lost. There was one couple there the first night, and another couple the second two nights. Both had in common that they smoked. Big annoyance to me, just in principle even if I can't smell the smoke. The second couple spent a lot of time on their deck drinking beer, switching later to red wine, and smoking. Camels, no less. And the guy was often shirtless or in a sleeveless muscle shirt. All too red-necky for me. Except the red wine part.

Terry, who doesn't regularly practice any religion, was fine with it all and friendly to both couples. I, on the other hand, an observant Lutheran-Episcopalian, was miffed and annoyed at not having my way and not having my privacy. And in fact, when we were out on our deck the second couple even asked us if their music was too loud. It wasn't. I couldn't even hear it, given my allergies and stuffed-up ears. When Terry was hearing it, she mentioned that it reflected our own tastes: Fleetwood Mac.

The point? God is always there to remind me about tolerance and acceptance, whether I like it or not. D*mn it!

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur began yesterday at sundown.

I've always respected this Jewish holiday. A time for reflection and fasting, and a time when God clears your slate in the Book of Life.

I've considered myself part of the Christian tradition for the past several years, and I've long ago given up the thought that I could stray so far from my roots so as to convert to Judaism or become a Buddhist. There was a time when I didn't feel that way, but long about 1996 I realized that I needed to be true to my roots, even if I migrated to a liturgical tradition I didn't grow up in.

Still, I love modern Judaism's perspective that one has a direct relationship with God, and that one must deal with God personally and directly. And Yom Kippur is one of those "thin places" where that relationship becomes even more immediate. The Yom Kippur service supports this. I find the Kol Nidre to be one of the most profound and powerful works of sacred music I know.

To a deep and meaningful Yom Kippur.

walking through life

In memory of Bettelu who loved the walk (thru life). —on a bench next to a walking/jogging/bicycling trail at Mission Bay Park in San Diego

I have no idea who Bettelu was, but I bet she would have been a fun person to know.

not of this world?

The other day I pulled into a parking space at my local Mexican restaurant for lunch. Next to me was a big, new SUV with a window decal that said "Not of this world." I did question why if the owner was not of this world they would spend so much money on a big, new SUV. Perhaps if they're not of this world, it doesn't bother them that the planet has a limited supply of oil. But that's not my point here.

The story continues: After lunch I pulled into a parking space at the grocery store. I got out of my car and noticed the very same decal on the car next to mine (this one a small, modest, foreign car).

Bizarre, seeing the same decal twice in succession on cars parked next to mine. Especially since at the same time I had been listening to the audio book version of Brian McLaren's book A Generous Orthodoxy, which focuses on living the teachings of Jesus in this world.

slow down

Slow Down— there is more to life than increasing its speed. —Mohandas Gandhi

courtesy of Tahoe Mom

The Road Taken

If you've seen A Chorus Line, you know the scene where the dancer is describing her parents' rocky marriage. When she is born, her father shows up at the hospital and says, "I thought this was going to help, but I guess it's not."

I spent many years in Religious Science before moving to liturgical worship. Over time I because less and less enthused with that approach. I was not ready to leave, however. At the time I was also a big fan of Matthew Fox. His institute began offering an M.A. program. I thought getting a degree might rekindle my enthusiasm.

I got the application, completed it, got all my references, got my sealed college transcript, packed everything up, and never put it in the mail. "I thought this was going to help, but I guess it's not." I came across the packet several months ago when cleaning out a shelf.

It was shortly after that that I started exploring liturgical worship.

And that has made all the difference.

stop wasting time

Everything will resolve itself through love. Stop wasting time running after the perfect community. Live your life fully in your community today. Stop seeing the flaws — and thank God there are some! Look rather at your own defects and know that you are forgiven and can, in your turn, forgive others and today enter into the conversion of love, and remember, pray always. —Jean Vanier, inward/outward