Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, christian spirituality, Christianity, Evangelicalism, God, I will give you rest, Jesus, Poems, Poetry, Religion, Rest, spiritual formation, spirituality
Heard the quiet wisdom whispering:
“I will give you rest.”
You are going to give me rest?
Well, what do I have to do to get it?
How much does it cost?
Will I have to use my PTO?
How long will it take?
Is there a book I could purchase on the subject?
The other day I had a really peaceful nap. Is that what you’re referring to?
I get pretty relaxed when I go to the beach!
But I’m on my way home and I’ve just got time for a quick drive through
Or a drive by
Whatever’s fastest
Just want to get it done.
Okay I’ll be serious
Gotta make this happen
Booked a weekend retreat at the trendy northwoods spa.
Now that felt good! For a while…
Came home and life clenched its fists with a one-two punch to the gut
Email box: full.
Voicemails: 11.
Even missed my sister’s birthday.
Heard the quiet wisdom whispering “cultivation-
Plant it here, plant it there and water it some.”
So I stopped. I took a breath.
I planted it.
Gave it a drink, some light and some time.
That’s all a flower would ask for, and it’s really all that it needs.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, Forgiveness, God, Mysticism, Reconciliation, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
An incredible Easter story, Mary Johnson shares of the experience of losing her son to murder and what it has meant forgive the man who took her son’s life.
“I have claimed him as my spiritual son,” she said. “It’s not pardoning what he did, and it’s not reconciliation. It’s true forgiveness.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Evangelicalism, Mysticism, prayer, Prayer of Saint Patrick, Saint Patrick's Breastplate, spirituality
“The Prayer of Saint Patrick”
I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.
I arise today
Through God’s strength to pilot me;
God’s might to uphold me,
God’s wisdom to guide me,
God’s eye to look before me,
God’s ear to hear me,
God’s word to speak for me,
God’s hand to guard me,
God’s way to lie before me,
God’s shield to protect me,
God’s hosts to save me
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.
Christ shield me today
Against wounding
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.
I arise today
Through the mighty strength
Of the Lord of creation
Thanks to lightparty.com for archiving this poem.
Filed under: John O'Donohue, Uncategorized | Tags: Anam Cara, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Facebook, Facebook in Real Life, Facebook in Reality, God, John O'Donohue, spirituality
Last November, I spontaneously and abruptly deleted my Facebook account. I had become quite obsessed, checking the news feed and looking for recent comments several times a day. At times, I even noticed that I would pull myself out of real live human conversations to see what was going on in my cyberworld. So with the click of a button, I vanished.
In some ways, I think it became my second life. It was this place where I was in almost total control of the image that I was projecting to the world. I only needed to post the pictures of myself that were exciting, adventurous, and flattering. And my status updates were usually spiritual/intellectual (“Ben is reading his latest crush Dorothy Day”), for bragging (“Ben is off to San Francisco for a week!”), or for shock (“Ben is protesting the RNC”). I could take my time with my commenting and make myself seem insightful and wise. I wouldn’t comment too often though, since I didn’t want people to think I was on Facebook all the time. I had a “real” life of course. But did I?
In his book, Anam Cara, John O’Donohue says that technology and media “pretend to provide a world that is internetted, but in reality, all they deliver is a simulated world of shadows. Accordingly, they make the human world more anonymous and lonely (17).” Hopefully you can understand that I’m not against technology, media, or even Facebook. But last November I was driven to ask myself some tough questions: why do I need to check my Facebook so often? Am I lonely? Is it okay to be lonely? Why would I be lonely? All of these questions turned out to be incredibly spiritually formative, and I think I’ve learned a lot about myself in the past few months… things that I would have totally missed had I been checking for comments on my most recently posted photographs.
Nevertheless, I’m considering a return to cyberworld, via Facebook. There are certain people with whom I can only communicate with through this account. Its also a great way to share photos with family and friends who live far away. At least that’s what I’m telling myself. So here are some guidelines for “online networking websites”: be brief, be present, be intentional, don’t spy, don’t try to be a celebrity or guru, be sure to make the real life with real people the priority. I’m hoping it will simply be the means to relational connection, rather than the end all. We’ll see how it works.
Now for some laughs, check out this hilarious video highlighting some of the ironies and snafus of Facebook:
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplation, contemplative prayer, Evangelicalism, Mysticism, prayer, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
Friends of JS,
My apologies for the unannounced and somewhat extended blogging hiatus. It was time for an internet sabbatical (everyone needs one of those once in a while, right?). Alas, I now exist in cyberspace once again.
In the meantime, I’ve cleaned things up a bit and added some new links on the sidebar. Check ‘em out!
Current Events:
Spiritual Formation:
CAC- Center for Action and Contemplation
I’ve also got two months worth of poems that I’ll start posting in the coming days. Looking forward to a new year of blogging!
Peace,
Ben
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, Christ of the Celts, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, Gospel, J. Philip Newell, Jesus, Mysticism, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality, Theology
I do not believe the gospel, which literally means “good news,” is given to tell us that we have failed or been false. That is not news, and it is not good. We already know that much about ourselves. We know we have been false, even to those whom we most love in our lives and would most want to be true to… Rather, the Gospel is given to tell us what we do not know or what we have forgotten, and that is who we are, sons and daughters of the One from whom all things come. It is when we begin to remember who we are, and who all people truly are, that we will begin to remember also what we should be doing and how we should be relating to one another as individuals and as nations and as an entire earth community.
J. Philip Newell, Christ of the Celts (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass) 8.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, J. Philip Newell, Jesus, Mysticism, spiritual formation, spirituality, Theology
In my latest read, Christ of the Celts, J. Philip Newell challenges the church’s doctrine of original sin, saying that “it teaches that what is deepest in us is opposed to God rather than of God… it is a doctrine that disempowers us”. Rather than seeing man as inherently sinful or fallen, Newell presumes the inherently divine, viewing the created man as an extension of God. He further invokes the 4th Century Celt, Pelagius from Whales who opposed the doctrine of original sin because it would “distance Christ from what is at the core of our being (p 19)”.
Newell argues that “Christ comes to restore us to our depths” and remind us of our true identity as divine creation– not condemn us for being sinful. I appreciate his point of view and also think that the implications for his view of self vs. sin cultivate space for a much more intimate and authentic relationship with God. In many ways, many of us Evangelicals have a very shame based faith as a result of our understanding of sin. This is what drives people to an immense amount of guilt, pain, and countless recommitments to Christ at the latest Billy Graham Crusade.
Newell goes on to say that the “doctrine of original sin was a convenient truth for the builders of [the Roman] empire. They could continue to conquer the world and subdue peoples. And now they could do it with a divine calling… It was to be a religion of dependency.” (p 20)
Filed under: My poetry, Uncategorized | Tags: Beauty, Celtic Christianity, Celtic Mysticism, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, Christianity, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, Jesus, justice, love, Mysticism, Peace, Poetry, Religion, spirituality
Poet of poets, magical prose
The rocks they heard you
The trees bear witness
The birds teach the song to their young
And the sun comes up and the sun goes down
The moon swings and arcs
Your words they live for eternity
Up with the dew and down with the rain
Through the seasons
The trunk of a tree, the face of the stone, the beginning of a page
Listen, listen, do you hear?
Walk in the woods
Pay attention to the wind
Working through the old whispery pines
Enter their quiet and understand
Without knowing for they are constantly changing
But the message stays the same:
Peace, Justice, Love, Beauty
Amen
*I wrote this poem for a poetry party over at Abbey of the Arts. I thought it was a good fit for Journey Something as well. I snapped the photo at Jay Cooke State Park near Carlton, MN.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, Christianity, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, Jesus, Mysticism, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
I’m still searching high and low for blogs that emphasize Christian Spirituality. If you’ve come across any recently, please let me know. In the meantime, check these out:
Happy Blogging!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, Jesus, Mysticism, Poetry, prayer, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
Nowhere left for exploration
It’s all been done before
Pike, Boone, Lewis and Clark, ha!
Mapquest, Google Earth, GPS
You’ll never get lost again
See it before you’re there
The Rockies have died
The Appalachians devoured
The Great Plains fertilized to hell
The desert made into a city
Is this Wild no more?
Is there nowhere left to explore?
Hush, hush quiet now, don’t say a word
Can you see, can you hear?
Put away your fancy technology
Your GPS is useless here
Let the old Abbas and Ammas be our guides
Let the silence lead you
May the Saints they watch over you
To the ancient pathways
And terrain undiscovered
The universe is whispering
And the further you go
The less you know
Just you try and map my soul
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Faith, God, Jesus, Mysticism, prayer, Religion, Spiritual Direction, spiritual formation, spirituality
Spiritual listening is not listening to words, to arguments, to pros and cons, to positions and opinions. It involves listening to the delicate intersection of the human heart, with its desires and dreams, and the vast and silent mystery that is God.
Wright, Weavings: A Journal of the Christian Spiritual Life, May/June 1994.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, christian spirituality, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelism, God, Jesus, Mysticism, prayer, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality, Theology
Last month during our class session at Christos, one of the facilitators taught us The Jesus Prayer. I’ve been trying to use this form of prayer as often as possible lately. Interestingly enough, I’ve especially found that while walking and hiking, it naturally comes to me– almost like a song that I can’t get out of my head. So far, it has kept me company and reminded me of God’s presence during simple tasks. The most common form of the prayer is “Jesus Christ, have mercy on me,” but for whatever reason, I usually rehearse the following: “Jesus Christ, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
In his book, Thirsty for God, Bradley Holt tells us that “the idea of The Jesus Prayer is to pray constantly” and that “this requires a kind of attention to God that becomes habitual while one goes about the tasks of daily life.” The prayer seems to be an ancient gateway to God and most pray it in rhythm with one’s breathing or heartbeat (Holt, 53).
I’m rather embarrassed to have only been exposed to this discipline through my parent’s recent conversion to Eastern Orthodoxy (where the Jesus Prayer is ingrained into their faith) and even more recently at Christos. Ha! Christians have only been practicing this prayer for hundreds of years (it’s a shallow Evangelical faith we have at times, eh?). Either way, I’m excited to become more and more familiar with the prayer and hopefully let it become a natural habit in my own life.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, Celtic Spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Emergent Church, Evangelicalism, God, Jesus, John O'Donohue, Mysticism, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
In January of this year, Krista Tippett interviewed the late John O’Donohue on her radio program, Speaking of Faith. The Gaelic mystic, poet, and philosopher provides some inspiring commentary on beauty, the soul, and Celtic Christianity. I highly recommend listening to the show which aired in February here. Below is a brief excerpt:
Paraphrasing Meister Eckart: ”There is a place in you where you have never been wounded, where there is still a sureness in you, where there is a seamlessness in you, and where there is a confidence and tranquility in you… and I think the intention of prayer and spirituality and love is now and again to visit that inner kind of sanctuary.”
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Celtic Christianity, christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Emergent Church, Evangelicalism, God, Jesus, Mysticism, Religion, Shane Claiborne, spiritual disciplines, spirituality
I came across this trailer at Anamchara and wanted to pass it on as well:
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Emergent Church, Evangelicalism, God, Jesus, Jesus Are You Real?, Mason Jennings, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
The video is a little shotty, but it’s such a great song I had to share it.
“Jesus Are You Real” by Mason Jennings off his album, Boneclouds.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, God, Jesus, Mysticism, Religion, spiritual formation, spirituality
Be sure to listen to Steve Wiens’ latest sermon, “The Way of Forgiveness”. Steve invokes the words of Jean Vanier who says that “an enemy is someone who stands in the way of our freedom, our dignity, and our capacity to grow and love, someone we avoid, or with whom we refuse to communicate.” He challenges us to move “toward our enemies as God moved toward us”. Steve helps us define what it really means to forgive, challenges us to identify our enemies, and choose “the way of forgiveness”.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, contemplative prayer, Discipleship, DNC, Emergent Church, Evangelicalism, God, Jesus, Mysticism, Politics, Religion, RNC, spiritual formation, spirituality
Yesterday I went to Saint Paul for the Iraq War Protest outside the Republican National Convention. This was very much a spiritual discipline for me. As I walked the labyrinth which led from the State Capital to the Excel Energy Center and back, I reflected on a few different things.
This was a time for action. A time to stand in solidarity with those being oppressed by war. As we marched along our permitted route, we came upon riot police, clubs drawn, blocking unpermitted streets. At one point, we had riot police on two sides, blocking any exit. I felt claustrophobic and even a sense of panic in the presence of these powerful, weapon toting police. My thoughts then turned to the people of Baghdad and other parts of Iraq where people live with life-threatening danger every day. Not fear from the danger of tear gas or clubs, but fear of bombings, home raids, and all of the other horrors that accompany war. In most ways, I am so disconnected from their suffering. My tax dollars are funding the war, and most days I forget that it is even happening. Slowly, methodically, I kept my feet moving towards the RNC.
This was also a time to be God’s presence on earth. I wore a white t-shirt which read “CHRISTIANS FOR PEACE” on the front and “‘LOVE YOUR ENEMIES…’ (-JESUS, MATTHEW 5:44)” on the back. As I quietly walked past the Republican war supporters outside the convention, many people were yelling back and forth. The Republicans held signs that said, “Victory Over Terrorism, Let the Troops Win”. I wonder how many of them, especially those who are Christians reconcile the teachings of Jesus with the war in Iraq. I passed the Excel Energy Center and began the march back the capital.
The was a time for personal reflection. I asked myself what I was doing to promote peace in my own life and the lives of those around me? What more could I do to connect myself to the victims of war and the movement to end the occupation? 
This was a time to pray. Praying gives me hope. Not Obama rhetoric “hope for change”, but hope in a living God whose Kingdom will come. As I marched, I imagined this kingdom of harmony, peace, and justice here on earth. And I felt hope that the mustard seed of faith in me that begs for mercy, asks forgiveness, and channels the love of Jesus will prevail over warplanes, tanks, and submarines. Most of the time, it seems that only a miracle of God could possibly bring an end to this war.
We returned to the state capital, and the crowd dispersed. We went back to our homes to eat, sleep, and rest for the work ahead– of bringing about this imaginary Kingdom.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, Mysticism, spiritual formation, spirituality
I’m having a hard time finding good blogs related to Spiritual Formation, Christian Spirituality and/or Christian Mysticism. If you know of any, please let me know!
Peace.
Filed under: My poetry, Poetry, spiritual formation | Tags: christian spirituality, Christianity, My poetry, Mysticism, Poetry, spiritual formation, spirituality, wordle
I found a cool thing called Wordle at Monastic Musings. You can enter a bunch of text and it creates a sort of art piece out of it. I used the text from yesterday’s poem Soul Work, tweaked it a bit, and here’s what happened.
Filed under: Journal, simplicity | Tags: Christianity, Consumerism, spirituality
I was wondering if anyone was asking themselves why a blog meant for spirituality would concern itself so much with the subject of consumerism. After some thought and discussion with a few friends, the reason seems obvious.
There is a massive void when it comes to the meeting of spiritual needs in the people of our society. Most feel worthless, lack purpose, cultivate shame, and experience little if any authentic love in their lives. I believe that this is a spiritual problem because the work of God in a person is the foundation for finding real worth, purpose, grace, and love. When this Presence is absent, a person will try anything to fill the void. Until the Spirit brings healing to people, one by one, we will suffer from rampant consumerism.
We all know that the first step in kicking an addiction is acknowledging the problem. I think each of us can pick our consumeristic poison. Whether it is buying clothes, cars, music, home decor, gasoline, magazines, macs, or lawn supplies. For me, REI tends to be my biggest trap. In buying outdoor equipment I fool myself into thinking I’ll get outside more (something that actually does feed me spiritually). Just recently I even bought a brand new $300 tent that has already sat in my basement for over a month… without being used. What’s your product/drug of choice?
Consuming is an intoxicating way of life for me and most of us in the US. We’ve been using since birth and totally blind to the destructive habit that threatens to poison us from the inside out. We are spiritually strangling ourselves and physically holding the world around us hostage with our greed and selfishness (have you heard that world hunger could end with the amount of money that people in the US spend on ice cream in one year?).
In conclusion, I am feeling the need to give some deep spiritual answer, possibly with some biblical text or theological argument. In reality however I think that this issue is way too complex for a simple nugget of encouragement. Today, fighting consumerism in The United States of America simply begins with me; acknowledging my addiction and changing my habits, realizing my needs and inviting the Spirit to bring wholeness.
