Holiness

Holiness is not perfection according to human criteria; it is not reserved for a small number of exceptional persons. It is for everyone; it is the Lord who brings us to holiness, when we are willing to collaborate in the salvation of the world for the glory of God, despite our sin and our sometimes rebellious temperament.

Pope John Paul II, on the beatification of Father Damien of Molokai

Context for Spirituality

Spirituality is not developed in a vacuum. All of our lives are intertwined and closely tied up with one another. God does not create us to live in isolation. He created us incomplete, so we would need one another, so we could help one another, so we could reach out and touch one another’s lives. Holiness is growth in godliness, and God is not self-centred. He is a giving God, always sharing the immensity of His infinite goodness with His creatures. Though he works with each of us personally, moulding in us His own inner life, He channels through ourselves and others what we all need for our survival and our growth, so we become the woof and warp of life’s tapestry. The real work of our spiritual life lies essentially in what subconsciously takes place beneath the surface of our daily life as God uses events and circumstances as well as people to alter our thought patterns, clarify our vision, reset the direction of our life, and realign our personality to harmonise with Jesus’ own inner life.
Once we become aware of the complex way God works in our lives, it becomes clear why it is critical for us to be attuned to God’s presence and sensitive to His voice. While it is impossible for us to perpetually aware of His presence because our lives are so harried, we can still snatch brief moments of quiet time each day to listen to Him and become attuned to His unheard voice within us. It is at times like this, though not only at times like this, that we become aware of new insights into ourselves, our understanding of God, and the marvellous way He works throughout His creation.

Excerpt taken from Never Alone, by Joseph F. Girzone

The Look of Jesus

In the Gospel according to Luke we read:
But Peter said, "Man, I don't know what you're talking about!" At that moment, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter…and Peter went outside and wept.
I related well with the Lord. I would converse with him, thank him, ask for help.
But I always had this uneasy feeling that he wanted me to look at him… And I would not. I would talk, but look away when I sensed he was looking at me. I was afraid I should find an accusation in his eyes of some unrepented sin. Or a demand: something he wanted from me.
One day I summoned up courage and looked! There was no accusation. No demand. The eyes just said, “I love you.”
And, like Peter, I went outside and wept.

From Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

Finding our bearings

“When God would make His name known to mankind, He could find no better word than ‘I AM’… Everyone and everything else measures from that fixed point. “I am that I am,” says God, “I change not.” As the sailor locates his position on the sea by ‘shooting’ the sun, so we may get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when and only when we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position. Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives accordingly. We insist upon trying to modify Him and bring Him nearer to our own image.”

- A. W. Tozer, in The Pursuit of God, Christian Publications, 1948

The Value of Expertise

An apartment building maintenance man was rousted out of bed one cold night because one of the tenants needed more heat.
The man went to the apartment, sized up the situation, took out a rubber-headed mallet, and with one WHACK started the heat flowing again through the radiator.
"How much do I owe you?" the tenant asked. "$25," was the reply. "What? $25 for one whack of your mallet?" "No," said the maintenance man. "The whack only cost fifty cents. Knowing WHERE to whack cost $24.50."

From the Mouths of Babes ...

When the 10-year-olds in Mrs. Imogene Frost's class at the Brookside, N.J. Community Sunday School expressed their views of "What's wrong with grownups?" they came up with these complaints:
1. Grownups make promises, then they forget all about them, or else they say it wasn't really a promise, just a maybe.
2. Grownups don't do the things they're always telling the children to do--like pick up their things, or be neat, or always tell the truth.
3. Grownups never really listen to what children have to say. They always decide ahead of time what they're going to answer.
4. Grownups make mistakes, but they won't admit them. They always pretend that they weren't mistakes at all--or that somebody else made them.
5. Grownups interrupt children all the time and think nothing of it. If a child interrupts a grownup, he gets a scolding or something worse.
6. Grownups never understand how much children want a certain thing--a certain color or shape or size. If it's something they don't admire--even if the children have spent their own money for it--they always say, "I can't imagine what you want with that old thing!"
7. Sometimes grownups punish children unfairly. It isn't right if you've done just some little thing wrong and grownups take away something that means an awful lot to you. Other times you can do something really bad and they say they're going to punish you, but they don't. You never know, and you ought to know.
8. Grownups are always talking about what they did and what they knew when they were 10 years old--but they never try to think what it's like to be 10 years old right now.

Computer Sales Jargon

New: Different colour from previous design.
All new: Parts not interchangeable with previous design.
Foolproof operation: No provision for adjustments.
Advanced design: The advertising agency doesn't understand it.
Here at last!: Rush job; nobody knew it was coming.
Years of development: We finally got one that works.
Unprecedented performance: Nothing we ever had before worked this way.
Microprocessor controlled: Does things we can't explain.
For those who are computer literate, find the true meaning of the computer acronyms while for those who feel that computer acronyms are GREEK to them, here is the translation ...
PCMCIA People Can't Memorize Computer Industry Acronyms
ISDN It Still Does Nothing
APPLE Arrogance Produces Profit-Losing Entity
SCSI System Can't See It
DOS Defective Operating System
BASIC Bill's Attempt to Seize Industry Control
IBM I Blame Microsoft
DEC Do Expect Cuts
CD-ROM Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months
OS/2 Obsolete Soon, Too.
WWW World Wide Wait
MACINTOSH Most Applications Crash; If Not, The Operating System Hangs
PENTIUM Produces Erroneous Numbers Through Incorrect Understanding of Mathematics
COBOL Completely Obsolete Business Oriented Language
AMIGA A Merely Insignificant Game Addiction
LISP Lots of Infuriating & Silly Parenthesis
MIPS Meaningless Indication of Processor Speed
WINDOWS Will Install Needless Data On Whole System
GIRO Garbage In Rubbish Out
MICROSOFT Most Intelligent Customers Realize Our Software Only Fools Teenagers
RISC Reduced Into Silly Code

Children Learn What They Live

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Psalm 23: Antithesis

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done.
For my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Adoring God

We - or at least I - shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. At best, our faith and reason will tell us that He is adorable, but we shall not have found Him so, not have ‘tasted and seen’. Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are 'patches of Godlight' in the woods of experience.

- C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer

Reflection on The Lord's Prayer

I cannot say OUR if my religion has no room for others and their need.
I cannot say FATHER if I do not demonstrate this relationship in my living.
I cannot say WHO ART IN HEAVEN if all my interest and pursuits are in earthly things.
I cannot say HALLOWED BE THY NAME if I, who is called by His name, am not holy.
I cannot say THY KINGDOM COME if I am unwilling to give up my own sovereignty and accept the righteous reign of God.
I cannot say THY WILL BE DONE if I am unwilling or resentful of having it in my life.
I cannot say ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN unless I am truly ready to give myself to His service here and now.
I cannot say GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD without expending honest effort for it or by ignoring the genuine needs of my fellow men.
I cannot say FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES AS WE FORGIVE THOSE WHO TRESPASS AGAINST US if I continue to harbor a grudge against anyone.
I cannot say LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION If I deliberately choose to remain in a situation where I am to be tempted.
I cannot say DELIVER US FROM EVIL if I am not prepared to fight in the spiritual realm with the weapon of prayer.
I cannot say THINE IS THE KINGDOM if I do not give the King the disciplined obedience of a loyal subject.
I cannot say THINE IS THE POWER if I fear what my neighbors and friends may say or do.
I cannot say THINE IS THE GLORY if I am seeking my glory first.
I cannot say FOREVER if I am too anxious about other affairs.
I cannot say AMEN unless I honestly say, "Cost what it may, this is my prayer."
AMEN.

Anyone Could Do That!!

In the Moscow Circus a beautiful woman lion tamer would have a fierce lion come to her meekly, put his paws around her, and nuzzle her with affection. The crowd thundered its approval. All except an Armenian who declared, “What’s so great about that? Anybody can do that.” The ringmaster challenged him, “Would you like to try it?” The Armenian’s reply came back: “Yes, but first get that lion out of there.”

Who was that?

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about this, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

The Economic Rationalist Mindset...

The story is told of a Consultant who, sent to assess an orchestra's performance of Schubert's Unfinished Symphony, wrote this report:
1. For considerable periods, the 4 oboe players had nothing to do. The number should be reduced, and their work spread over the whole orchestra, thus eliminating these peaks of inactivity.
2. All 12 violins were playing identical notes. This seems an unnecessary duplication, and the staff of this section should be drastically cut. If a large volume of sound is really required, this could be obtained through an electronic amplifier.
3. Much effort was expended in the playing of demi-semi-quavers. This seems an unnecessary refinement and it is recommended that all these notes should be rounded up to the nearest semi-quaver. If this were done, it would be possible to use trainees and low grade operators.
4. No useful purpose is served by repeating with horns the passage that has already been handled by the strings. If all the redundant passages were eliminated, the concert could be reduced from 2 hours to 20 minutes.
5. If Schubert had attended to these matters, he probably would have finished this Symphony.

Prints from Negatives

Writing about the spiritual life is like making prints from negatives … Often it is the dark forest that makes us speak about the open field. Frequently prison makes us think about freedom, hunger helps us to appreciate food, and war gives us words for peace. Not seldom are our visions of the future born out of the sufferings of the present and our hope for others born out of our own despair. Only few “happy endings” make us happy, but often someone’s careful and honest articulation of the ambiguities, uncertainties, and painful conditions of life give us new hope. The paradox is indeed that new life is born out of the pains of the old.

Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out

Preferred Reading

G. K. Chesterton and several other literary figures were asked one evening what book they would prefer to have with them if stranded on a desert isle. One writer said without hesitation: “The complete works of Shakespeare.” Another said, “I’d choose the Bible.” They turned to Chesterton. “How about you?” And Chesterton replied, “I would choose Thomas’s Guide to Practical ShipBuilding.”

Prayer in Trouble

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things.
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy.
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men.
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.
I was give life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for-
but got everything I had hoped for.
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all people, most richly blessed.

- an Unknown Confederate Soldier

Let There Be Peace - A Modern Parable

A wise old gentleman retired and purchased a modest home near a junior high school. He spent the first few weeks of his retirement in peace and contentment.
Then a new school year began. The very next afternoon three young boys, full of youthful, after-school enthusiasm, came down his street, beating merrily on every trash can they encountered. The crashing percussion continued day after day, until finally the wise old man decided it was time to take some action.
The next afternoon, he walked out to meet the young percussionists as they banged their way down the street. Stopping them, he said, “You kids are a lot of fun. I like to see you express your exuberance like that. Used to do the same thing when I was your age. Will you do me a favor? I'll give you each a dollar if you'll promise to come around every day and do your thing."
The kids were elated and continued to do a bang-up job on the trashcans. After a few days, the old-timer greeted the kids again, but this time he had a sad smile on his face.
"This recession's really putting a big dent in my income," he told them. “From now on, I'll only be able to pay you 50 cents to beat on the cans."
The noisemakers were obviously displeased, but they did accept his offer and continued their afternoon ruckus.
A few days later, the wily retiree approached them again as they drummed their way down the street. “Look," he said, “I haven't received my Social Security check yet, so I'm not going to be able to give you more than 25 cents. Will that be okay?"
"A lousy quarter?" the drum leader exclaimed. “If you think we're going to waste our time, beating these cans around for a quarter, you're nuts! No way, mister. We quit!"
And the old man enjoyed peace and serenity for the rest of his days.

Help from Experience

Two hunters flew deep into the remote backwoods of Canada to hunt elk. They bagged six elk. The pilot told them the plane could carry only four of the elk out. “But the plane that carried us out last year was exactly like this one,” the hunters protested. “The horsepower was the same, the weather was similar, and we had six elk then.” Hearing this, the pilot reluctantly agreed to try. They loaded up and took off, but sure enough, there was insufficient power to climb out of the valley with all that weight, and they crashed. As they stumbled from the wreckage, one hunter asked the other hunter if he knew where they were. “Well, I’m not sure,” replied the second, “but I think we are about two miles from where we crashed last year.”

The Job

Enter the first applicant.
“You understand that this is a simple test we are giving you before we offer you the job you have applied for?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what is two plus two?”
“Four.”
Enter the second applicant.
“Are you ready for the test?”
“Yes.”
“Well, what is two plus two?”
“Whatever the boss says it is.”
The second applicant got the job.

Which comes first: orthodoxy, or truth?

from Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

Pastor Quits Sports

Twelve reasons why Local Clergyman Stopped Attending Athletic Contests
1. Every time I went, they asked me for money.
2. The people with whom I sat didn’t seem very friendly.
3. The seats were too hard and not very comfortable.
4. The coach never came to call on me.
5. The referee made a decision with which I could not agree.
6. I was sitting with some hypocrites who only came to see what others were wearing.
7. Some games went into overtime and I was late getting home.
8. The band played some numbers that I had never heard before.
9. The games are scheduled when I want to do other things.
10. My parents took me to too many games when I was growing up.
11. Since I read a book on sports, I feel that I know more than the coaches anyhow.
12. I don’t want to take my children, because I want them to choose for themselves what sport they like the best.
With apologies for those who use the same excuses for not going to church.

The Smaller Beatitudes

Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves: they will have no end of fun.
Blessed are those who can tell a mountain from a molehill: they will be saved a lot of bother.
Blessed are those who know how to relax without looking for excuses: they are on the way to becoming wise.
Blessed are those who know when to be quiet and listen: they will lean a lot of new things.
Blessed are those who think before acting and pray before thinking: they will avoid many blunders.
Happy are you when you can take small things seriously and face serious things calmly: you will go far in life.
Happy are you if you can appreciate a smile and forget a frown: you will walk on the sunny side of the street.
Happy are you if you can be kind in understanding the attitudes of others, even when the signs are unfavourable: you may be taken for a fool, but this is the price of charity.
Happy are you if you know how to hold your tongue and smile, even when the people interrupt and contradict you or tread on your toes: the gospel has begun to seep into your heart.
Above all
Blessed are you when you recognise the Lord in all whom you meet: the light of truth shines in your life and you have found true wisdom.

The callenges of silence

A nun joined a convent which had a rule of silence; she was permitted to say only two words a year. The first year she came to Mother Superior and said "Bed hard". Mother Superior thanked her and promised to get her a softer mattress. The second year the nun came to the Mother Superior and said, "Food cold". Again Mother Superior thanked her and said she would look into the matter. The third year the nun came to the Mother Superior and said "I'm leaving". Mother Superior said, "I'm not surprised. All you've done since you've arrived is complain, complain, complain."

Some thoughts on prayer:

• Mrs Billy Graham told an audience of women once, “God hasn’t always answered my prayers … if he had, I would’ve married the wrong man several times.”
• At the end of a hard week at the office, our spirits were raised when one of the staff sighed thankfully, “I’ve prayed all week for Friday to come and today my prayers were finally answered.”
• A sign in an American High School toilet read: “NOTICE! In the event of an atomic attack, the federal ruling against prayer in this school will be temporarily suspended.
• A rabbi said to a precocious six-year-old boy: “So your mother says your prayers for you each night. Very commendable. What does she say?” The little boy replied, “Thank God, he’s in bed!”
• It’s easy to get mixed up when you are four years old and in church. This particular four-year-old prayer: “And forgive us our trash-baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

Kids' Perspectvies

Here are some letters kids wrote to their ministers:
Dear minister: I know that God loves everybody, but he never met my sister.
Dear minister: I would like to bring my dog to church on Sunday. She is only a mutt, but she is a good Christian.
Dear minister: I like to read the Bible, but I would read it more if they put it on TV.
Dear minister: Please say a prayer for the President, even if he is a Republican.
Dear minister: I would like to go to heaven someday because I know my big brother won’t be there.
Dear minister: I’m sorry I can’t leave more money in the plate on Sunday, but my father didn’t give me a raise in my allowance. Could you give a sermon about a raise in my allowance? It would help the church get more money.

After the Flood

After God had made the animals He asked them to go forth and multiply, and then to re-assemble in 12 months time to see how they were getting on. 12 months later the Mr and Mrs of the species paraded with their off-spring. Mr & Mrs Lion and their pride - God said “Well done”. Mr & Mrs Horse with their small herd were next - God was pleased with the results. Next came Mr & Mrs Rabbit with their multitude of offspring and God was more than impressed! Next came two snakes slithering by and God said “Hang on a minute,... why is their only two of you, when I asked you to go and multiply?”
“Oh, sorry God, but we’re only adders!!”

All the Mod-Cons!?

A missionary deep in the jungle came across a witch doctor who was pounding his drum furiously. ”What’s the matter?” asked the missionary with some trepidation. “We have no water,” replied the witch doctor. “Oh, I see,” said the missionary. “You’re praying for rain!” “No, I’m not” replied the witch doctor, “I’m sending for the plumber.”

The Holiness of Everyday Tasks

If all life is truly sacred, God, then help me to see the holiness of the everyday tasks of my life: cleaning house and laughing with friends and eating good food and sleeping through the night. Amen.

from Richard Foster, Prayers from the Heart

Taking Risks

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach for another is to risk involvement.
To expose your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To believe is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The people in life who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing, are nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live.
Chained by their attitudes, they are slaves;
they have forfeited their freedom.
Only a person who risks is free.

John Wesley's Covenant Prayer

Precious Lord, let me be Your servant, under Your command.
I will no longer be my own.
I give myself up to Your will in all things.
Make of me what You will. Rank me with whom You will.
I put myself fully in Your hands.
Put me to doing...or put me to suffering.
Let me be employed for You... or laid aside for You
Exalted for You... or brought low for You.
Let me be full...or let me be empty.
Let me have all things... or let me have nothing.
I freely and heartily yield all things to Your pleasure and disposal.
And now - O glorious and blessed God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - You are mine... and I am Yours. So be it! Let this covenant, which I make here on Earth today, be ratified in Heaven. In Christ's Name, I pray - Amen.

Psalm 23: Antithesis

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done.
For my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Excuses...

Times were difficult during the war years. As we sorted through my Grandmother’s personal effects, we found a piece of paper which included the following snippets, purporting to be word-for-word extracts from letters received by the Department of Pensions.

• This is my eighth child. What are you going to do about it?
• I cannot get sick pay. I have six children. Can you tell me why that is so?
• I want the Congratulation money on the death of my husband.
• Dear Sir, I am forwarding my Marriage Certificate and my two children, one of which you will see is a mistake.
• You have changed my little girl into a boy; will it make any difference?
• In accordance with instructions, I have given birth to twins. They are enclosed here at the foot of this paper.

A Psalm to reflect on

Our God is not looking for a genius;
He does not require great talents.
He is not charmed by our panic ridden activity
He simply asks for our faith and our obedience.
It was when I turned from self seeking to
embrace His will for my life that I discovered
serenity and security.
...God grant that all who search for life’s meaning may
discover such in a relationship of love and trust in Him
They shall then know His greatness and proclaim
His praises.
As for me, foolish and sinful though I am,
I know that God will never cease to love me.

(Excerpts taken from Psalms Now)

Wheat From Egyptian Tombs

A handful of wheat, five thousand years old, was found in the tomb of one of the kings of ancient Egypt. Someone planted the grains and, to everyone’s amazement, they came to life.
An enlightened person’s words are like seeds of life and energy. They can remain in the form of seeds for centuries until they are sown in the fertile soil of a receptive heart.
I used to think the words of scripture were dead and dry. But it was my heart that was barren and dead, so how could anything take root there?

from Anthony de Mello, Song of the Bird

A Prayer for Sight

I see people, Lord, but they’re all a blur of activity ... a little like trees walking about. Go here! Go there! Do this! Do that! It’s like we are all in a frantic scramble of climb and push and shove.
I’d really like to know each person as a unique individual, Lord, not just as a consumer or competitor. But how? Too many people enter my day for me to pay attention to them all.
If I cannot truly ‘see’ everyone, Lord, may I at least see someone. Help me to see that solitary individual ... and for the rest — forgive, O Lord, forgive.
Amen.

from Richard Foster, Prayers from the Heart

Set Free

There once was a man named George Thomas, a pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit.
Several eyebrows were raised and, as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...
"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked, ' What you got there son? ' "
"Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked.
"Take 'em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. I'm gonna tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm gonna have a real good time."
"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?"
"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."
The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"
"Huh?? Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing - they ain't even pretty!"
"How much?" the pastor asked again. The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?" The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone.
The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.
Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story......
One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!"
"What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked.
Satan replied, "Oh, I'm gonna have fun! I'm gonna teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm gonna teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really gonna have fun!"
"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly.
"How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked.
"Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you!! You don't want those people!!"
"How much?" He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your tears, and all your blood."
Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.
The pastor picked up the cage, opened the door and walked from the pulpit.

The Seven "UPS"

1. Wake Up!!
Decide to have a good day.
Psalms 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
2. Dress Up!!
......put on a smile.
James 5:13 Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.
3. Shut Up!!
Say nice things and learn to listen.
Prov. 12:25 An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.
Proverbs 13:3 He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin.
4. Stand Up!!...
....Act on what you believe in.
Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
5. Look Up!!
....To the Lord.
Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
6. Reach Up!!
....For something higher.
Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
7. Lift Up!!
....Your Prayers.
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

The Soldier’s Prayer

I asked for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey...
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things...
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise...
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God...
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things...
I got nothing that I asked for — but everything that I had hoped for...
Almost despite myself, my prayers were answered.

Sin

One of the disconcerting – and delightful – teachings of the Master was: God is closer to sinners than to saints.
This is how he explained it: God in heaven holds each person by a string. When you sin you cut the string. Then God ties it up again, making a knot – and thereby bringing you a little closer to him. Again and again your sins cut the string – and with each further knot God keeps drawing you closer and closer.

from Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

Run through the Rain

She had been shopping with her mum. She must have been six years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the shop. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the havens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in. "Mum, let's run through the rain," she said. "What?" Mum asked. "Let's run through the rain!" She repeated. "No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit," Mum replied.
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mum, let's run through the rain." "We'll get soaked if we do," Mum said. "No, we won't, Mum. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mum's arm. "This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?" "Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, 'If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!'"
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mum paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.
"Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If God let's us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing," Mum said. Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day! To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
Hope you still take the time to run through the rain!

Perspectives on Life

Will Rogers, who died in a plane crash with Wylie Post in 1935, was probably one of the greatest political sages. Enjoy the following:
1. Never slap a man who's chewing tobacco.
2. Never kick a cow chip on a hot day.
3. There are 2 theories to arguing with a woman... neither works.
4. Never miss a good chance to shut up.
5. Always drink upstream from the herd.
6. If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.
7. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put it back in your pocket.
8. There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.
9. Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.
10. If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there.
11. Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' it back.
12. After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good he started roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him. The moral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.

Irrelevance

All the questions at the public meeting that day were about life beyond the grave. The Master only laughed and did not give a single answer. To his disciples who demanded to know the reason for his evasiveness he later said, “Have you observed that it is those who do not know what to do with this life who want another that will last forever?
“But is there life after death or is there not?” persisted a disciple.
“Is there life before death? – that is the question!” said the Master enigmatically.

from Anthony de Mello, S.J., Prayer of the Frog

River Water for Sale

The Master's sermon consisted of one enigmatic sentence.
With a wry smile he said, "All I do is sit on the river bank selling water".
I was so busy buying the water that I failed to see the river.

from Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

Hope Makes a Difference

Hope looks for the good in people instead of harping on the worst in them.
Hope opens doors where despair closes them.
Hope discovers what can be done instead of grumbling about what cannot be done.
Hope draws its power from a deep trust in God and the basic goodness of mankind.
Hope ‘lights a candle’ ‘instead of cursing the darkness’.
Hope regards problems, large or small, as opportunities.
Hope cherishes no illusions, nor does it yield to cynicism.

The Wise Woman's Stone

A wise woman who was traveling in the mountains found a precious stone in a stream. The next day she met another traveler who was hungry, and the wise woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked the woman to give it to him. She did so without hesitation.
The traveler left rejoicing in his good fortune. He knew the stone was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later, he came back to return the stone to the wise woman. "I've been thinking," he said, "I know how valuable this stone is, but I gave it back in the hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within you that enabled you to give me this stone".

Prayers for Peace (9)

Lord, make me an instrument of Your Peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light; and
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226)

Prayers for Peace (8)

Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations,
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most Gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."

Muslim Prayer for Peace

Prayers for Peace (7)

We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world:
that understanding triumph over ignorance,
that generosity triumph over indifference,
that trust triumph over contempt, and
that truth triumph over falsehood.

Zoroastrian Prayer for Peace

Prayers for Peace (6)

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending
one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
fearful wilderness--
the children, the aged, the unprotected--
be guarded by beneficent celestials

Buddhist Prayer for Peace

Prayers for Peace (5)

God of peace;
God of shalom;
God of salaam:
Save us from intoxication with war.
Turn down the media's frenzy and
unquestioning assumption that war will come.
Pull all peoples back from unstable international policy.
Deliver the nations from going out of control as the solution to conflict.
Bring us to sobriety of spirit.
Turn our hearts to peacemaking.
Give wisdom and light to our leaders, that they may choose the way to peace. Amen.

Prayers for Peace (4)

Almighty God and Creator,
You are the Father of all people on the earth.
Guide, I pray all the nations and their leaders
in the ways of justice and peace.
Protect us from the evils of injustice,
prejudice, exploitation, conflict and war.
Help us to put away mistrust, bitterness and hatred.
Teach us to cease the storing and using of implements of war.
Lead us to find justice, peace and freedom.
Unite us in the making and creating of the tools of peace
against ignorance, poverty, disease and oppression.
Grant that we may grow in harmony and friendship as brothers and sisters created in Your image, to Your honor and praise.
Amen.

Prayers for Peace (3)

May all beings be filled with joy and peace.
May all beings everywhere,
The strong and the weak,
The great and the small,
The mean and the powerful,
The short and the long,
the subtle and the gross:
May all beings everywhere,
Seen and unseen,
Dwelling far off or nearby,
Being or waiting to become:
May all be filled with lasting joy.
Let no one deceive another,
Let no one anywhere despise another,
Let no one out of anger or resentment
Wish suffering on anyone at all.
Just as a mother with her own life
Protects her child, her only child, from harm,
So within yourself let grow
A boundless love for all creatures.
Let your love flow outward through the universe,
To its height, its depth, its broad extent,
A limitless love, without hatred or enmity.
Then as you stand or walk,
Sit or lie down,
As long as you are awake,
Strive for this with a one-pointed mind;
Your life will bring heaven to earth.

Sutta Nipata

Prayers for Peace (2)

O Lord, grant us to love Thee;
grant that we may love those that love Thee;
grant that we may do the deeds that win Thy love.
Make the love of Thee be dearer to us than ourselves,
than our families, than wealth, and even than cool water.

Mohammed 570-632

Prayers for Peace (1)

If there is to be peace in the world
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities
There must be peace between neighbours.
If there is to be peace between neighbours
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home
There must be peace in the heart.

Lao-Tse 6th Century Chinese philosopher

Everything Your Heart Desires

One night in a dream, a man noticed a new shop in the High Street. He went in and saw an angel behind the counter. Nervously, he asked what the shop sold. “Everything your heart desires,” the angel said. “Then I want peace on earth,” cried the man. “An end to sorrow, famine and disease.”
“Just one moment,” said the angel, “You haven’t quite understood. We don’t sell fruit here... only seeds.”

Prayer in Time of Distress

Sweet Jesus, hold me to your breast
as a mother guards her infant.

Gentle Jesus, cradle me
as a father soothes a night-terrored child.

Beloved Jesus, stretch out your hand to me,
as once you reached to Peter.

Sweet Deliverer, gentle Refuge, beloved Lord,
preserve me from danger, harm, and evil.

by Kerry Elizabeth Thompson

How Long, O Lord?

(an adaptation of the Thirteenth Psalm)
How long - how long O Lord how long?
Is it forever you forget?
How long - how long O Lord how long?
With sorrow is my heart beset.
O hear my prayer; consider, Lord,
My eyes grow dim with darkling death.
And those that trouble me, O Lord,
Rejoice to hear my failing breath.
But in your love and mercy, Lord,
My heart finds harborage and peace;
And in your healing grace, O Lord,
My praise and faith shall never cease.
My soul shall sing and praise my Lord
Rejoicing, raise her voice above;
For, many blessings on me You have poured,
And lit my lonely life with love.

From the Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

I sometimes feel appalled at the thought of the sum total of human misery all over the world at the present moment: the millions parted, fretting, wasting in unprofitable days - quite apart from torture, pain, death, bereavement, injustice. If anguish were visible, almost the whole of this benighted planet would be enveloped in a dense dark vapor, shrouded from the amazed vision of the heavens! And the products of it all will be mainly evil - historically considered. But the historic version is, of course, not the only one. All things and all deeds have a value in themselves, apart from their "causes" and "effects." No man can estimate what is really happening sub specie aeternitatis. All we do know, and that to a large extent by direct experience, is that evil labors with vast power and perpetual success - in vain: preparing always the soil for unexpected good to sprout in.

A Prayer for Peace Today

(I wrote this prayer early in 2003)
Lord, hold all troops, and civilians, in your loving hand, regardless of race or creed.
Protect the weak and innocent.
Bring justice with love and love with justice.
May compassion and grace rule over might and power.
God of all nations, let YOUR kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven....
Bless Saddam Hussein, George W Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard. Build a Coalition of those willing for peace, justice and freedom for all humanity.
Disarm all those who are committed to imposing their will on others.
May Your will and grace be the only source of freedom.
In the name of that Middle Eastern Preacher I pray...
Amen.

Back In My Day...

In my day, we didn't have any rocks. We had to go down to the creek and wash our clothes by beating them with our heads.
In my day, we didn't have hand-held calculators. We had to do addition on our fingers. To subtract, we had to have some fingers amputated.
In my day, we didn't have water. We had to smash together our own hydrogen and oxygen atoms.
Kids today think the world revolves around them. In my day, the sun revolved around the world, and the world was perched on the back of a giant tortoise.
In my day, we didn't have virtual reality. If a one-eyed razorback barbarian warrior was chasing you with an axe, you just had to hope you could outrun him.

Action, intent, outcome...

It's the action, not the fruit of the action that's important.
You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power,
may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit.
But that does not mean you stop doing the right thing.
You may never know what results come from your action.
But if you do nothing, there will be no results. - Mahatma Gandhi

What is True Love?

The late Father James Keller, founder of The Christophers, put it this way:
Love delights in giving attention rather than attracting it.
Love finds the element of good and builds on it.
Love does not magnify defects.
Love is a flame that warms but never burns.
Love knows how to disagree without becoming disagreeable.
Love rejoices at the success of others instead of being envious.

The War Prayer

O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle - be thou near them! . . . O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead: help us to drown the thunder of the guns with the shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief. . . . For our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with their tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it in the spirit of love of Him who is the Source of Love, and who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all who are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen

(written by Mark Twain)

Who spoke?

They came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a communist; They came for the socialists, and I did not speak up because I was not a socialist; They came for the union leaders, and I did not speak up because I wasn't a union leader; They came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak up for me.

- Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) -

The God of Many Names

Eternal God, we see that our understanding of you has been shaped and chiseled by the stories of many people. Indeed you are known to us by many names:
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, you remind us that you are part of the human story, and have connected yourself with us in unique and surprising ways.
You have allowed yourself to be shaped by our journey, connecting yourself with the lives of Moses, Elijah, and the prophets.
And you have surprised us through your interaction with and ownership of the life of Rahab the prostitute, the broken marriage of Hosea, and the deep grief of Ruth and Naomi.
In succeeding generations you have touched and inhabited many lives, always adding to the story of our understanding, challenging us to accept you in the new and the old.
We confess that we find it hard to connect with their stories: you seem much more distant from us: the immediacy and intimacy of their relationship with you does not echo in our own experience.
Help us to find comfort and hope from the past, rather than a prescription. You surprised Moses at the burning bush; Elijah in the whisper of a wind, Jonah inside a great fish, even Job in his deep turmoil.
Grant us a present and future understanding and expectation: grounded in the knowledge that you met others in their present and futures.
Liberate us from prescription.
Encourage us to open exploration.
That we might meet you afresh tonight.
Etch your name on our gathering, in our hearts we pray, and into our week.
Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

The Call to Non-violence

Through violence you may murder a murderer, but you can't murder murder. Through violence you may murder a liar, but you can't establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can't murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.

- Dr Martin Luther King

The Path to Peace

We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody, that is far superior to the dischords of war. Somehow, we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race, which no one can win, to a positive contest to harness humanity's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a peace race. If we have a will - and determination - to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment
- Dr Martin Luther King -

The Lesson

Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain and gathering them around him, he taught them saying,
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the meek...
Blessed are they who mourn...
Blessed are the merciful...
Blessed are they who thirst for justice...
Blessed are you when persecuted...
Blessed are you when you suffer...
Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is great in heaven...
Then Simon Peter said, 'Do we have to write this down?'
And Andrew said, 'Are we supposed to know this?'
And James said, 'Will we have a test on it?'
And Philip said, 'What if we don't know it?'
And Bartholomew said, 'Do we have to turn this in?'
And John said, 'The other disciples didn't have to learn this.'
And Matthew said, 'When do we get out of here?'
And Judas said, 'What does this have to do with real life?'
Then one of the Pharisees present asked to see Jesus' lesson plans and inquired of Jesus his terminal objectives in the cognitive domain.
And Jesus wept...

Knowledge and Enlightenment

The poet Kabir says:
What good is it if the scholar pores over words and points of this and that but his chest is not soaked dark with love?
What good is it if the ascetic clothes himself with saffron robes but is colourless within?
What good is it if you scrub your ethical behavior till it shines, but there is no music inside?
Disciple: What’s the difference between knowledge and enlightenment?
Master: When you have knowledge, you use a torch to show the way. When you are enlightened you become a torch.

from Anthony de Mello, The Prayer of the Frog

Effective Prayer

Mrs. Friedman, the third grade Hebrew teacher, needed some supplies from a supply cabinet that was seldom used and was secured with a lock. She didn't know the combination, and called Rabbi Weinstein to give it a try.
Rabbi Weinstein placed his fingers on the lock's dial and raised his eyes heavenward for a moment. Then he confidently spun the dial and opened the lock.
Seeing how impressed Mrs. Friedman was with this demonstration of faith, he smiled and confided, "The numbers are written on the ceiling."

Light in the darkness

We can and must believe not so much that the mysterious light of God can 'convert' the ones who are mostly responsible for the world's peace, but at least that they may, in spite of their obstinacy and their prejudices, be guarded against fatal error. - Thomas Merton

OOPS!

Astronomers were excited this week at having isolated a brief sound which occurred immediately before the Big Bang. Apparently, that sound was "Uh oh."

Diet Logic

Here is the final word on nutrition and health. It's a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting medical studies. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than do the British or Americans. The French eat a lot of fat and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Japanese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and also suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the British or Americans.
Conclusion: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

Patriotism

In the days ahead we must not consider it unpatriotic to raise certain basic questions about our national character. We must begin to ask, 'Why are there forty million poor people in a nation overflowing with such unbelievable affluence? Why has our nation placed itself in the position of being God's military agent on earth...? Why have we substituted the arrogant undertaking of policing the whole world for the high task of putting our own house in order?'

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr -

Life from Negatives

Writing about the spiritual life is like making prints from negatives ... Often it is the dark forest that makes us speak about the open field. Frequently prison makes us think about freedom, hunger helps us to appreciate food, and war gives us words for peace. Not seldom are our visions of the future born out of the sufferings of the present and our hope for others born out of our own despair. Only few “happy endings” make us happy, but often someone’s careful and honest articulation of the ambiguities, uncertainties, and painful conditions of life give us new hope. The paradox is indeed that new life is born out of the pains of the old.

Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out

Friendly Obstacles

For every hill I've had to climb
For every stone that bruised my feet
For all the blood and sweat and grime
For blinding storms and burning heat
My heart sings but a grateful song....
These were the things that made me strong.

For all the heartaches and the tears
For all the anguish and the pain
For gloomy days and fruitless years
And for the hopes that lived in vain
I do give thanks for now I know
These were the things that helped me grow!

'Tis not the softer things of life
Which stimulate man's will to strive
But bleak adversity and strife
Do most to keep man's will alive
O'er rose-strewn paths the weaklings creep
But brave hearts dare to climb the steep.

- Author Unknown

True Happiness

Realise that true happiness lies within you. Waste no time and effort searching for peace and contentment and joy in the world outside. Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.
- Og Mandino -

Thankfulness

Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will deserve to receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest, and simple graces as especial favours. If you remember the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem small or mean, for nothing can be valueless that is given by the most high God.".
- Thomas à Kempis, 1380-1471 -

Psalm 23: Antithesis

The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to deep depression.
It hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activity's sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done.
For my "ideal" is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines.
My in-basket overflows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.

Some Delivery!

The minister had travelled from Birmingham to London to attend to the details of a new liturgical banner that was being made for his church. On his arrival he discovered that he had lost the piece of paper with the details on, so he sent his wife a telegram asking her to send details by return. When the answer arrived at the Post Office the Postmistress almost fainted when she read:
"UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN. EIGHT FEET LONG. THREE FEET WIDE. ASSORTED COLOURS."

Rise Up

God help us
To rise up from our struggle.
Like a tree rises up from the soil.
Our roots reaching down into our trouble,
Our rich, dark dirt of existence.
Finding nourishment deeply
And holding us firmly.
Always connected.
Growing upwards and into the sun.
Amen.

from Leunig, The Prayer Tree

Searching...

A neighbour found Nasruddin on his hands and knees.
“What are you searching for, friend?”
“My key.”
Both men got on their knees to search.
After a while, the neighbour asked,
“Where did you lose them?”
“At home.”
“Good Lord! Why are you searching here?”
“Because it’s brighter here.”
Search for God where you lost Him.

from Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

Evening Prayer

Now that dusk is near -
with parrots in the gum trees
lessening their chatter,
with the distant roar of cars
fading to a mere murmur -
may I hear
the voice of the One
who walks in the garden
in the cool of the evening
and, in hearing that voice,
find a little of the Eden-peace
which some day will be perfected.
This I pray
in the name of Him
who was once mistaken for a gardener

- Bruce Prewer, "God of the evening"

Spiritual Disciplines at Work?!

A nun joined a convent which had a rule of silence; she was permitted to say only two words a year. The first year she came to Mother Superior and said "Bed hard". Mother Superior thanked her and promised to get her a softer mattress. The second year the nun came to the Mother Superior and said, "Food cold". Again Mother Superior thanked her and said she would look into the matter. The third year the nun came to the Mother Superior and said "I'm leaving". Mother Superior said, "I'm not surprised. All you've done since you've arrived is complain, complain, complain."

Saints

Once someone approached a disciple of the Muslim mystic Bahaudin Naqshband and said, “Tell me why your Master conceals his miracles. I have personally collected data that shows beyond doubt that he has been present in more than one place at a time; that he healed people by the power of his prayers but tells them it was the work of nature; that he helped people in their troubles and then attributes it to their good luck. Why does he do this?”
“I know exactly what you are talking about,” said the disciple, “for I have observed these things myself. And I think I can give you the answer to your question. First, the Master recoils from being the centre of attention. And secondly, he is convinced that once people develop an interest in the miraculous, they have no desire to learn anything of true spiritual value.”

from Anthony de Mello, Prayer of the Frog.

Who Am I?

Who am I? They often tell me
I stepped from my cell’s confinement
Calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
Like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I used to speak to my warders
Freely and friendly and clearly,
As though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me
I bore the days of misfortune
Equally, smilingly, proudly,
Like one accustomed to win.
Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I myself know of myself?
Restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
Struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
Yearning for colors, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
Thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
Tossing in expectation of great events,
Powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
Weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
Faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
And before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
Fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, 0 God, I am Thine!

by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
March 4,1946

Thoughts and Destiny

Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviour.
Keep your behaviour positive, because your behaviour becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

-Gandhi

Ultimate Truths

There is something about us Australians that prefers to communicate in silences rather than words. Perhaps we are defeated by it all, tongue-tied in the presence of ultimate things. Perhaps we feel safer with the great things left unsaid, meaning them only in the silence: we, the inarticulate, offering our homage to the ineffable. Ultimate truths are not to be captured in any expression. They are not the exclusive possession of anyone; nor are they merely to be taken on anyone's authority. For someone to really know these things is to keep a decent reserve, to hold what is sacred in silence.

- Tony Kelly, A New Imagining

Dreams

"When will I be enlightened?"
"When you see," the Master said
"See what?"
"Trees and Flowers and moon and stars."
"But I see these every day"
"No. What you see is paper trees, paper flowers, paper moons and paper stars. For you live, not in reality, but in your words and thoughts."
"And for good measure", he added gently, "you life a paper life, alas, and will die a paper death"

from Anthony de Mello, One Minute Wisdom

Altering Perception

In the 1960s people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.

Feed the Wolf

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life: "A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.
"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.
"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"
The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

The Wars We Make

The following poem was written by Nicholas Peters just after the outbreak of World War II in 1939. Peters, who lived for some years at Grande Pointe, Manitoba, Canada, had emigrated from Russia in 1925 as a boy of 10 and had seen firsthand the horrors of revolution and war in his native country. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and trained as a flying officer. He died on the night of March 7-8, 1945, after his aircraft was hit by enemy fire. The poem is from a collection of Peters' work titled "Another Morn."

THE WARS WE MAKE
I gaze into the world with sorrowing eyes
And see the wide-abounding fruits of hate.
We fight, we say, for peace, and find
The wars we make
To be a spring of hate and source of future wars.

Is there no peace for man?
No hope that this accursed flow
Of blood may cease?
Is this our destiny: to kill and maim
For peace?
Or is this 'peace' we strive to gain
A thin unholy masquerade
Which, when our pride, our greed, our gain is
touched too far,
Is shed, and stands uncovered what we are?

Show me your light, O God
That I may fight for peace with peace
And not with war;
To prove my love with love,
And hate no more!

At The Movies

A man lay sprawled across three entire seats in the posh theater. When the usher came by and noticed this, he whispered to the man, "Sorry, sir, but you're only allowed one seat." The man groaned but didn't budge. The usher became impatient. "Sir, if you don't get up from there I'm going to have to call the manager."
Again, the man just groaned, which infuriated the usher who turned and marched briskly back up the aisle in search of his manager. In a few moments, both the usher and the manager returned and stood over the man. Together the two of them tried repeatedly to move him, but with no success. Finally, they summoned the police. The cop surveyed the situation briefly then asked, "All right buddy, what's your name?"
"Sam," the man moaned. "Where ya from, Sam?"
With pain in his voice, Sam replied, "The balcony."

The Difference

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't have time to pray.
Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task;
I wondered.
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I wanted to see joy and beauty,
But the day toiled on grey and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me.
But He said, "You didn't seek".
I tried to come into God's presence;
I used all my keys in the lock.
God gently chided,
"My child, you didn't knock."
I woke up early this morning,
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
Author Unknown

How Life Has Changed!

The year is 1902, just over one hundred years ago - here are some U.S. statistics for that year:
The average life expectancy in the U.S. was forty-seven (47).
Only 14% of the homes in the US had a bathtub; Only 8% of the homes had a telephone.
A three minute call from Denver to New York City cost eleven dollars.
There were only 8,000 cars in the US and only 144 miles of paved roads. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. With a mere 1.4 million residents, California was only the 21st most populous state in the Union.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.
The average wage in the US was 22 cents an hour. The average US worker made between $200 and $400 per year. A competent accountant could expect to earn $2,000 per year - a dentist $2,500 per year - a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year - and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95% of all births in the US took place at home.
Ninety percent of all U.S. physicians had no college education. Instead, they attended medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press and by the government as "substandard."
Sugar cost 4 cents a pound; eggs were 14 cents a dozen; coffee cost 15 cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
The American flag had 45 stars: Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Hawaii and Alaska hadn't been admitted to the Union yet. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada was 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented.
There was no Mother's Day (or Father's Day).
One in ten U.S. adults couldn't read or write. Only 6% of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at corner drugstores. According to one pharmacist, "Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and the bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health."
Eighteen percent of households in the US had at least one full-time servant or domestic.
There were only about 230 reported murders in the entire US.
What a difference a century makes!

Ten Commandments For Handling God's Ideas

1. I will never vote "no" to any idea because it’s impossible.
2. I will never block a helpful thought because it entails problems, or wait to begin until I find solutions.
3. I will never oppose a possibility because I've never done it and can't imagine how it could be done.
4. I will never obstruct a plan because it runs a risk of failure.
5. I will never cooperate in defeating a potentially good idea because no-one else has ever succeeded in perfecting it.
6. I will never squelch a creative idea because I can see something wrong with it.
7. I will never declare any constructive concept to be impossible because I lack the time, money, brains, energy, talent, or skill to exploit it.
8. I will never discard a plan or project just because it's imperfect.
9. I will never resist a proposal because I don't think of it, won't get credit for it, won't personally benefit from it, or may not live to see and enjoy it.
10. I will never quit because I've reached the end of the rope; I will tie a knot and hang on. (Anon)

Abraham Lincoln's Road to the White House:

Failed in business in 1831.
Defeated for Legislature in 1832.
Second failure in business in 1833.
Suffered nervous breakdown in 1836.
Defeated for speaker in 1838.
Defeated for Elector in 1840.
Defeated for Congress in 1843.
Defeated for Congress in 1848.
Defeated for Senate in 1855.
Defeated for Vice President in 1856.
Defeated for Senate in 1858.
Elected President in 1860.
LESSON: Never Give Up!

True Spirituality

The Master was asked, "What is true spirituality?"
He said, "Spirituality is that which succeeds in bringing one to inner transformation."
"But if I apply the traditional methods handed down by the Masters, is that not spirituality?"
"It is not spirituality if it does not perform its function for you. A blanket is no longer a blanket if it does not keep you warm."
"So spirituality does change?"
"People change and needs change. So what was spirituality once is spirituality no more. What generally goes under the name of spirituality is merely the record of past methods."
Don't cut the person to fit the coat.

from Anthony de Mello, The Song of the Bird

Ignatius of Loyola...

The sixteenth century mystic, Ignatius of Loyola, said that at the time of his conversion he had no one to turn to for guidance, so the Lord himself taught him the way a schoolmaster teaches a child. He once declared that even if all the scriptures were destroyed, he would hold on to what they revealed because of what the Lord had taught him personally.
Christian:
I have, unfortunately, had a surfeit of people to guide me. They badgered me with their persistent teachings till I could barely hear you through the din. I never thought I could have you for my teacher, for they said, "We are all the teachers you have; he who listens to us, listens to Him."
But I am wrong to blame them or deplore their presence in my life. It is I who am to blame. For I lacked the firmness to silence them; the courage to find out for myself; the patience to wait for your appointed time; and the trust that someday. somewhere, you would break your silence and reveal yourself to me.

from Anthony de Mello The Song of the Bird, pp 196-197

Inverted?

Man walks the moon but his soul remains riveted to earth. Once upon a time it was the opposite.
- Elie Wiesel -