So, here it is, the beginning of another week and according to my schedule it's time to write my blog. Lucky me! Actually I like very much writing my blog and sharing it with whoever chooses to read it. But today, well today, I'm just not feeling it. You know what I mean, right? Stuff happens! The stuff of life. The stuff that we usually don't tell anyone about because we want to give an always, ever-present appearance and impression that everything is fabulous and wonderful! And the reality is, you lost your job, the kids aren't minding, the car broke down, the rent is passed due, your spouse isn't speaking to you, and....well you get the picture. I mean, take your pick of any of the things I just listed, or add your own. We've all been there, right?
I know, it's times like these that others will tell us we're suppose to count our blessings, or get up and get going, or volunteer down at the food bank, or of course, pray. People will tell you, "Get off your pitty potty! Man up (or woman up as the case may be), it could be worse! Think about all those poor people in India!" It's usually about this time I have come to my mind several obscenities which I would like to say but usually don't 'cause after all I'm a spiritual person. : )
But the fact is, sometimes I just don't care!
There, I said it! And the last few days that's exactly how I have been feeling. I don't care! You've been there. So, what's my answer to getting out of the doldrums? Beats me, and I don't care!
I'm not going to count my blessings. I'm well aware of my blessings. I'm not going down to the food bank, and I'm not going to get up and get going. I'm not going to pray......well, actually I have prayed but it hasn't made any difference, but that's okay. My God isn't a genie or a vending machine so I don't expect him to jump just because I'm having a bad day.
Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm not going to do anything really! Sorry if that disappoints you but it's the truth. I'm going to hold on tight, stew in my own juices, and be as kind as I can be in the process. And I know, because I've live long enough and experienced enough of life, that this will pass, and my disposition will improve and I'll be able to say once again with some level of authenticity, "ALL IS RIGHT IN THE WORLD!"
In the mean time, I'd appreciate it if you would please keep your distance. I like you and I really don't want to fire any obscenities in your direction. After all, I am a spiritual person. : )
Peace for real,
Dennis
Monday, January 28, 2013
Monday, January 21, 2013
"That's Okay, Sir....God Bless You!"
So, even though I'm not a huge or generous giver of money to people with cardboard signs standing by the roadsides around my city, I do find my heart going out to them whenever I see them, which is often. I wonder, what is their story? How did they get to this point? Where is their family? Where do they sleep at night? And, what keeps them going? I find myself wanting to and planning to stop and speak with these men and women to get answers to my questions with the hope of perhaps helping in some way more than I do.
Recently, as I was driving through the Home Depot parking lot in my neighborhood there was a person with a sign standing at the end of the parking lot which is not uncommon. Sometimes it's a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes a family with a child or children. As I drove up next to this man I rolled down my window. He was probably in his 60's, wearing old and wrinkled clothes and a beat up baseball cap. His face was weather-beaten, his hair thin and receding, and I saw only two yellow teeth left in his mouth. I gave him some money.
It wasn't a lot of money, not because I'm stingy, but because currently I am unemployed and I need to be frugal with my limited finances. And yet, even though unemployed I have a comfortable home which I own, two cars which are paid off, plenty of food, cable, internet, a loving family, etc. and so I say to myself regularly, "Surely Dennis, you can do something."
So I rolled down my window and gave him some money and I said to him as our eyes met, "Sorry, it isn't much." That's when I saw his two yellow teeth because he smiled at me and said kindly, "That's okay sir. Thank you very much. God bless you." I smiled back, nodded and drove off.
Each time I help, I find myself wanting to do more. It's not so much from a sense of guilt as it is a growing realization that he is my brother. He is my neighbor. He is me.
Peace for real,
Dennis
Recently, as I was driving through the Home Depot parking lot in my neighborhood there was a person with a sign standing at the end of the parking lot which is not uncommon. Sometimes it's a man, sometimes a woman, sometimes a family with a child or children. As I drove up next to this man I rolled down my window. He was probably in his 60's, wearing old and wrinkled clothes and a beat up baseball cap. His face was weather-beaten, his hair thin and receding, and I saw only two yellow teeth left in his mouth. I gave him some money.
It wasn't a lot of money, not because I'm stingy, but because currently I am unemployed and I need to be frugal with my limited finances. And yet, even though unemployed I have a comfortable home which I own, two cars which are paid off, plenty of food, cable, internet, a loving family, etc. and so I say to myself regularly, "Surely Dennis, you can do something."
So I rolled down my window and gave him some money and I said to him as our eyes met, "Sorry, it isn't much." That's when I saw his two yellow teeth because he smiled at me and said kindly, "That's okay sir. Thank you very much. God bless you." I smiled back, nodded and drove off.
Each time I help, I find myself wanting to do more. It's not so much from a sense of guilt as it is a growing realization that he is my brother. He is my neighbor. He is me.
Peace for real,
Dennis
Monday, January 14, 2013
I Miss the Stars!
No, I am not referring to Hollywood or professional sports celebrities. I am referring to the glorious, majestic heavens! When was the last time you witnessed first hand on a clear night, away from the smog, air pollution, and city lights, the stupendous glory of the heavens? Do you remember?
It's been a while for me. And I miss it.
I remember so well as a child living in a rural community in a dimly lit neighborhood parking myself at night on our front porch, or positing myself face up on the grass and gazing with innocent wonder at the beauty of the night sky. I didn't know what it meant. I don't think I really cared what it meant. All I know is it would give me a sense of awe at the bigness up there.
But then the busyness of life took over. School, sports, chores, more school, parties, college, career, upward mobility, making money, marriage, children, paying bills, more work, meetings, living in city after city of noise and lights, etc. etc. etc.! And somewhere along the way, too early on, I stopped looking up.
I do remember one occasion when visiting Hawaii for a church convention on the island of Maui looking up. It was a quiet evening. Stillness was all around. We were returning to our rented townhouse from an evening church service and I was walking from the car towards the residence and, as if drawn by something or someone, I looked up. And what I witnessed was nothing short of dazzling!
Cluster upon cluster, upon cluster of stars against the blackness of the night sky. Everywhere. The stars were everywhere, all around. I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by what I saw. I've never experience anything like it, not before, not since. It was as if I could touch them. Touch the stars.
Every time now that I think about that occasion, that mystical experience, those few moments, I think of the passage in sacred scripture,
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"
The unspeakable beauty and splendor of God's Universe. Why did he ever choose to bother with us? I'm convinced it's because this same God of creation who made the stars desires to share his whole Divine Trinitarian Love with us! And I long to return the grace and favor!
Yes, I miss the stars.
And so, I think soon I'm going to pack up my little family, leave the city and venture out into the woods or mountains - somewhere away from this sound and light show, and once again, look up into the darkness of the night sky and worship the God of the stars, the God of the heavens, who is both transcendent (above the heavens) and yet intimately present to us all.
Peace for real,
Dennis
It's been a while for me. And I miss it.
I remember so well as a child living in a rural community in a dimly lit neighborhood parking myself at night on our front porch, or positing myself face up on the grass and gazing with innocent wonder at the beauty of the night sky. I didn't know what it meant. I don't think I really cared what it meant. All I know is it would give me a sense of awe at the bigness up there.
But then the busyness of life took over. School, sports, chores, more school, parties, college, career, upward mobility, making money, marriage, children, paying bills, more work, meetings, living in city after city of noise and lights, etc. etc. etc.! And somewhere along the way, too early on, I stopped looking up.
I do remember one occasion when visiting Hawaii for a church convention on the island of Maui looking up. It was a quiet evening. Stillness was all around. We were returning to our rented townhouse from an evening church service and I was walking from the car towards the residence and, as if drawn by something or someone, I looked up. And what I witnessed was nothing short of dazzling!
Cluster upon cluster, upon cluster of stars against the blackness of the night sky. Everywhere. The stars were everywhere, all around. I couldn't move. I was mesmerized by what I saw. I've never experience anything like it, not before, not since. It was as if I could touch them. Touch the stars.
Every time now that I think about that occasion, that mystical experience, those few moments, I think of the passage in sacred scripture,
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?"
The unspeakable beauty and splendor of God's Universe. Why did he ever choose to bother with us? I'm convinced it's because this same God of creation who made the stars desires to share his whole Divine Trinitarian Love with us! And I long to return the grace and favor!
Yes, I miss the stars.
And so, I think soon I'm going to pack up my little family, leave the city and venture out into the woods or mountains - somewhere away from this sound and light show, and once again, look up into the darkness of the night sky and worship the God of the stars, the God of the heavens, who is both transcendent (above the heavens) and yet intimately present to us all.
Peace for real,
Dennis
Friday, January 11, 2013
A Parable on Charity and Social Justice
"Once upon a time there was a town that was built just beyond the bend of a large river. One day some of the children from the town were playing beside the river when they noticed three bodies floating in the water. They ran for help and the townsfolk quickly pulled the bodies out of the river.
"One body was dead so they buried it. One was alive, but quite ill, so they put that person into the hospital. The third turned out to be a healthy child, who they then placed with a family who cared for it and who took it to school.
"From that day on, every day a number of bodies came floating down the river, every day, the good people of the town would pull them out and tend to them - taking the sick to the hospital, placing the children with families, and burying those who were dead.
"This went on for years; each day brought a quota of bodies, and the townsfolk not only came to expect a number of bodies each day but also worked at developing more elaborate systems for picking them out of the river and tending to them. Some of the townsfolk became quite generous in tending to these bodies and a few extraordinary ones even gave up their jobs so that they could tend to this concern full-time. And the town itself felt a certain healthy pride in its generosity.
"However, during all those years and despite all that generosity and effort, nobody thought to go up the river, beyond the bend that hid from their sight what was above them, and find out why, daily, those bodies came floating down the river."
I think the point of this parable is pretty clear: it is to point out the difference between private charity and social justice.
Private charity responds to the homeless, hurt, wounded and hopeless among us, but doesn't try to get to the causes and reasons for why they are there. Social justice on the other hand tries to travel up the river and change the causes and reasons that created the homeless, hurt, wounded and helpless.
The God of compassion asks only one thing of us, that we "act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8).
As we begin this new year of 2013 may we as believers in the God of compassion be committed to and actively involved in both private charity and social justice.
Peace for real,
Dennis
"One body was dead so they buried it. One was alive, but quite ill, so they put that person into the hospital. The third turned out to be a healthy child, who they then placed with a family who cared for it and who took it to school.
"From that day on, every day a number of bodies came floating down the river, every day, the good people of the town would pull them out and tend to them - taking the sick to the hospital, placing the children with families, and burying those who were dead.
"This went on for years; each day brought a quota of bodies, and the townsfolk not only came to expect a number of bodies each day but also worked at developing more elaborate systems for picking them out of the river and tending to them. Some of the townsfolk became quite generous in tending to these bodies and a few extraordinary ones even gave up their jobs so that they could tend to this concern full-time. And the town itself felt a certain healthy pride in its generosity.
"However, during all those years and despite all that generosity and effort, nobody thought to go up the river, beyond the bend that hid from their sight what was above them, and find out why, daily, those bodies came floating down the river."
I think the point of this parable is pretty clear: it is to point out the difference between private charity and social justice.
Private charity responds to the homeless, hurt, wounded and hopeless among us, but doesn't try to get to the causes and reasons for why they are there. Social justice on the other hand tries to travel up the river and change the causes and reasons that created the homeless, hurt, wounded and helpless.
The God of compassion asks only one thing of us, that we "act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God" (Micah 6:8).
As we begin this new year of 2013 may we as believers in the God of compassion be committed to and actively involved in both private charity and social justice.
Peace for real,
Dennis
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