Wilderness and Wonder:
A Holy Week Practice of Paying Attention

There is something about the Lenten desert that I've been thinking about differently this year. We often speak of the wilderness as a place of testing, of deprivation, of spiritual struggle. And it is all of those things. But the wilderness is also where you see things you might miss anywhere else.

When there are no distractions—no noise, no busyness, no screens—what remains? In the silence and simplicity of the desert, the ancients found not just their own emptiness, but the fullness of God. Elijah heard God not in the earthquake or the fire, but in the still, small voice. The wilderness teaches us to listen differently.

A Lenten theme that has stayed with me for many years comes from 2019: Cultivating and Letting Go. I was drawn to it because it felt different from the usual Lenten emphasis on either giving something up or taking something on.

Cultivate (verb): to prepare and use for the raising of crops; to foster growth; to improve by labor, care, or study; to refine; to further; to encourage.

On The Road to: Empathy

People ask how we can dial down the conflict we see every day, and honestly, the answer is simpler than we might think. It all starts with a powerful, old-fashioned idea: empathy. Let's consider how putting ourselves in someone else's shoes can change everything.

How do you feel about New Year’s resolutions? Everyone seems to have an opinion, either for or against. I’m ambivalent, which means I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions—but if something good comes along, I’ll consider it.

I heard a good one recently: move your body more this year than last year. It’s a perpetual resolution and a good goal to have, especially as I get older.

In a recent blog post, author and entrepreneur Seth Godin wrote:

Every year, on the first weekend of the year, it’s probably worth replacing the dried spices in your pantry. The best, freshest spices still taste like the spice that’s on the label, but they taste more like themselves…

On The Road to: Peace

What does Peace look and feel like to you? Do you have a favorite picture representing Peace? Do we understand Peace? Not referencing geopolitical peace, but rather a personal peace as Philippians 4:7 states, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  At Christmas time as we observe the birth of Christ, let’s challenge ourselves and ask, “What is Peace from the inner/personal perspective?” 

Last weekend, our wonderful church offered a beautiful presentation of Amahl and the Night Visitors to the community. I wasn’t familiar with the story, and my heart was warmed by the goodness and depth of its message. As stage manager, I sat through the rehearsals and watched the show grow from a tentative “stumble-through”—where actors first navigated the stage and each other—into a final dress rehearsal where everything clicked.

The Road to: Unity

How does an orchestra relate to Christian love? The familiar hymn, "We are One in the Spirit, We are One in the Lord," reminds us of a core Christian truth: "They’ll know we are Christians by our love." But, we often may disagree with one another.  How can we disagree better? Consider and pray about this meditation. 

I am an organized person! I’ve never met a mess I didn’t like. Even my computer has a robust filing system, so I can usually find what I need fairly quickly and easily. Over time, I’ve learned what works for me.

I’m a visual person: if I can see something, I won’t forget that I need to attend to it. For me, sticky notes—both the ones on my desk and the ones on my computer screen—really are the best thing since sliced bread.

The hiccup in my system is the things I come across that don’t have an immediate use but I want to save for later. Sermon ideas, quotes, stories… they’re like buying presents ahead of an occasion and then completely forgetting about them, only to stumble across the gift months later in the “perfect” hiding place.

This compassion meditation is like that. I may have shared it somewhere before, though I can’t remember. When I came across it again while looking for something else, I figured it must be the Holy Spirit putting it in front of me—a nudge, a sign that this is a moment for compassion.

The Road to Decisions:

Decisions shape every day of our lives. From small choices like what to wear to big ones like how to vote or how to respond to a crisis, we constantly decide. Every decision contributes to who we become. Looking back, the choices we made—big and small—map the trajectory of our lives. Decisions reveal our character in action and, over time, solidify our identity.

October 4 marked the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the humble friar who saw God’s love woven through every part of creation. 

His life reads like a paradox: a man who owned nothing yet felt he possessed everything, who preached to birds and befriended wolves, and whose gentle rebellion against materialism gave birth to one of the Church's most influential religious orders. 

You may have heard the quote “Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” It’s often attributed to Francis, but there’s no evidence he actually said these words. Francis was a preacher, and it was important to him that words and actions matched, admonishing his fellow brothers to “preach by their deeds.”

Whether you know him from garden statues or half-remembered stories, the real Francis was far more radical, more tender, and more challenging than legend often suggests.

Author Jon Sweeney engages students in an imaginative practice to help them embody St. Francis’ example.

The Road to: A Reboot

The very disturbing news of Charlie Kirk’s assassination caused this month’s intended posting to be scrapped.  A lot of prayer and personal reflection led to a reboot. It’s more personal than usual. 

As a Christian, I have to admit I didn't know who Charlie Kirk was. This has made me wrestle with some tough questions.  As a citizen and military veteran who has been in a combat theater, I now see Charlie Kirk as a champion for free speech.  Read on and join the wrestling.  What’s the role of prayer?  What is our role going forward?

If you’ve read this prayer blog, you may have noticed my appreciation for Richard Rohr. His words and perspectives challenge me and invite me to rethink my assumptions. His daily emails follow a weekly theme. The theme that inspired the thoughts below was on the desert mothers and fathers—early Christians who renounced the comforts of society to pursue a life of self-discipline, prayer, and solitude in the wilderness.

The early desert mothers and fathers saw prayer differently. They spoke of apatheia—a deep peace, a settledness of heart that comes when we stop trying to manage God and instead let God meet us. They called it “the prayer of quiet,” echoing Jesus’ words about going into our “inner room” (Matthew 6:6).

The Road to: Misdirection or Truth?

Since our summer sermon series has focused on “Wisdom of the Ages,” it seems appropriate to ask ourselves, “What should we do to be wise in light of what we hear/observe/read? Are we being influenced by God, by others, by intentional misdirection?” People, organizations, and other groups often try to influence us with opinions, not facts. Where do you find the Truth?

We may not read often from the biblical book of Proverbs, but wisdom for a better life is something that is commonly sought after. Have you ever walked through the self-help section of a bookstore? Shelf after shelf of books offering wisdom on what we can do to make our lives a little bit better.

The Bible isn’t a self-help book, but Jesus was definitely a sage… a wisdom teacher. Jesus shared his wisdom with people through his lifestyle. He takes his disciples with him, and they watch the rhythm of his life – prayer and solitude giving way to teaching and service. He invites us to do the same

The road to: Wisdom (revisited)

In keeping with our summer sermon series, "Wisdom of the Ages," we delve into another crucial component of wisdom: judgment and how we arrive at sound decisions. These two powerful stories are worth considering.

This has been an unusual year. Due to a health issue, I’ve had more “downtime” than at almost any other time in my life, perhaps since childhood. I didn’t feel great, and if I did too much, I felt even worse, so it was in my best interest to be still and quiet. For someone with a full life, a fulfilling career, and an active family, this was a significant change of pace.

Still and quiet isn’t my usual speed on any given day, so I had to find something to do… enter jigsaw puzzles. We did puzzles as a family growing up, but I don’t usually have much time for them now. But my parents do, so they stocked me up. I’ve lost count of how many jigsaw puzzles I’ve done this year.

What does the word home evoke for you—an image, a feeling? Many would describe home as a place of security, comfort, and belonging, yet that’s not always the reality. Home can be a sanctuary, a refuge, or even a burden. For some, it’s where the heart is; for others, it’s a place they long to escape. Perhaps home is truly where you find it—so what are you seeking?

On the Road to: Dayenu

Do you know what the word Dayenu means? How about a new prayer practice, one borrowed from our Jewish friends. It’s all about being grateful for our many blessings. And, interestingly, it follows on from our post last month, “enough.”

The Road To: Abundance or Scarcity

We’ve all heard the old cliche about the glass being half-full or half-empty when describing how someone judges things.  The “between” idea in looking at Abundance and Scarcity is similar, but often more complex.  Let’s consider what is “in-between.”

The Road to: In Between

What does it mean to be, “Between” or “In Between?”  Our CPC Lenten devotional theme this year, developed by A Sanctified Art, is “Everything In Between: Meeting God in the midst of extremes.” We all experience extremes, don’t we?  For example, weather extremes, or behavioral extremes, or extreme opinions, or ………. whatever.  Perhaps we can agree that extremes divide, create tension, anxiety and sometimes hatred. So, what’s it like being “in between” extremes? Where does God fit in?  Where do your devotions take you?