I stumbled across a wonderful idea for Wednesday's. I subscribe to a few other blogs which I read on a regular basis. One of my favorite blogs pointed me to the Cultural Watercooler today. It's a fascinating site, and hopefully in the days ahead, I'll start contributing to it too.
In the meantime, feel free to check out the cooler today. It's a living discussion about favorite books.
Jump to the Watercooler Wednesday blog here!
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
Throughout this journey I've spent approximately 15 years in mainstream broadcasting, and 15 years in pulpit ministry. Before heading into full-time time ministry finding quiet time for God was always a hard thing to do. I found myself challenged by Pastors who would say things like "It's easy to find time for God. Just set the time aside in your day. If you have to, put it in your Daytimer." The words sound easy, but follow through is often difficult.
When I went into full time ministry, finding time was of course somewhat easier. After all, now I was a paid professional to spend time with God. Suddenly it was much easier to linger a while longer at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, my Bible and a devotional book. From time to time I even found myself proclaiming what were always well-intentioned words of encouragement about "fitting time for God into the Daytimer." But, once again, that's always easier said than done.
A few years ago I found God re-adjusting my journey some as He put me back into the wonderful world of broadcasting. Once again, I was suddenly faced with the issue of finding time for God. Just how in the world could I fit Him into my Daytimer with everything else that was now pulling on my time. Of course these days I find myself not quite as rigid in the process of finding time for God. Brother Lawrence practiced the presence of God at all times. But even while saying that, sometimes it seems like a cop-out and an excuse for not finding some time to read a devotional book.
Through the years as I've found myself back in the workforce and trying to find God at work, I've tried a number of things. But you know what I've discovered, it doesn't have to be brain surgery. There are a number of devotional books with short daily readings available these days. Some of those books I've actually collected along the way. For many years some have even sat and simply collected dust on my bookshelves. At least they look good I would often say to myself. But now it's time to take them off the shelf, dust them off, and actually use them.
As I've mentioned before on this blog, I'm reading a collection of Thomas Merton devotionals at home. Well, sitting on my desk at work I have another collection of devotionals, this one is by W.E. Sangster. He was an old Methodist preacher from England, filled with incredible insight. The daily readings are short, and suddenly it's a little easier to pause, at least for a couple minutes, at some point during the busy day, to think on God, at least for a few moments.
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
I once gave an assignment to a congregation - Go home and try to get quiet before God for 10 minutes. Find Him in the silence. Stop the noise of your mind working on the shopping list. Stop the thoughts of what's for dinner. Stop the noise of the radio in the background. And, if you have to, turn off the computer and stop the hum that drones on and on. Have you ever tried to do that? Just get quiet before God? While it sounds like an easy assignment, when you actually try to do it, you discover just how hard it is to get quiet.
We live in a noise filled world. Whether it's the hum of appliances, the sound of a TV, music from a sound system, or just random traffic noise, it's hard to get totally quiet before God. Toss on top of the noise just listed, there's the noise of competing opinions, the noise of politics, the noise of sports, and even the noise of life. But, to truly discover who we are, we must dare to get quiet so we can hear who we're not.
We find ourselves at the beginning of another Lenten season. This is a season to reflect on the sacrifice of the Cross. In less than 40 days now it will be Easter time. Easter comes early this year, and I do believe many will forget about it, simply because the noise of the world will take our minds off the fact that Easter is in March.
How are you spending your time in preparation for reflection on the ultimate sacrifice known to humans. The sacrifice of another, giving up His life, so that we might have life.
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
I was reading another entry in my A Year with Thomas Merton book today entitled "Bearing Witness to the Resurrection." It's a great entry where Merton talks about where he finds happiness, and where he is most happy. In this particular entry Merton said he is "happier than he's ever been" while singing in the choir. He goes on to say he can hardly "hold himself in place, expecting every moment to be his last."
Merton also points out that when he's at his toolshed hermitage he is "always happy and at peace, no matter what happens. For here, there is no need for anyone but God."
Then suddenly out of no-where, the entry ends with the sentence - "A fly buzzes on the windowpane!" Did this fly suddenly pull him out of the things and thoughts of God, directly back into what many call the real world?
This got me wondering just how often we find ourselves distracted from the peace of God through daily, and many times the mundane, things of life. A fly buzzing on the windowpane suddenly becomes our excuse for the moment to stop thinking on the things of God.
What is buzzing on your windowpane today taking your attention away from God? Is it a worthy distraction? Or is it best to ignore it, so you can continue pondering the things of God.
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
Thomas Merton, as I've mentioned before on this blog, is probably one of my favorite spiritual authors. Merton recognized the dichotomy of writing, and actually being a writer. Many people know how to write, but few really write. There really is a difference between theory and actual practice. It's like the newspaper editor in the Samuel L. Jackson movie Resurrecting The Champ tells the young sportswriter trying to find his voice. "I see a lot of words, but I don't see a lot of writing."
A book containing excerpts from Merton's thoughts on the vocation of writing was recently released entitled Echoing Silence. What an amazing thought. One wants to write, in order to encourage others along whatever journey they may find themselves on. Whether it's a journey of joy, adventure, science fiction, or whatever, the writer writes, so one can be entertained, learn something, or be encouraged. However, at the same time the writer often finds himself in the midst of an echoing silence. Just how do the words flow into thoughts, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and yes, even books.
It's funny, I find myself in the midst of such an echoing silence these days. While it's exciting to write and create, it's at the same time somewhat scary to think I'm hanging my thoughts out there for all to see. Will people like what they read? Will they understand what they read? Will it even make sense?
However, it really is all about the journey we find ourselves on individually. For some, reading helps them along the journey. For others, writing helps them along the journey. Whatever the case may be, in the end, we can find encouragement in knowing that the Alpha and the Omega really does know what's going on. In the end, He is the Author of Life and He truly is in our corner, even in the midst of what might seem like echoing silence, to run the race which is marked out for us so that we might hear those wonderful words of -- Well done My faithful servant. Come, enter into your rest.
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
In my early days of ministry I worked closely with a funeral home in the little town where we were appointed as Pastors. Those early days of ministry taught me much about life, and death, and what really matters most when the chips are down. It's amazing how we can find ourselves caught up in the midst of our very hectic lives, until something happens, and then we find ourselves utterly speechless. We're speechless either because of tragedy, or even sudden joy and shock of any given situation. But, whatever the case may be, we find silence. While working with people at the funeral home I was often reminded of the words of Henri Nouwen, especially when I found myself wondering what I could do for those who were grieving. Nouwen said it's at those moments in time we discover what he calls the ministry of presence. It's not about talking, it's not about busyness. It's simply about being there, in the presence of others, who find themselves in the midst of silence.
I've been pondering silence lately as we find ourselves in a place where our kids are growing up. Many evenings I find myself sitting in my easy chair reading a book or watching some TV with my puppy dog Samson by my side. The silence at times can be deafening, but it's also reminding me of the importance of silence. It's like the old song says, "Silence is Golden."
I believe it's in the silence we find ourselves most vulnerable, and dare I say it, most moldable as well. Left alone with our thoughts, we find ourselves wondering about the events of the past, and pondering the events of the future. But then, somewhere in that silence, we suddenly find a sense of peace as well.
Some people are afraid of the silence. But I'm wondering if it's in the times of silence, when we truly begin to hear that still small voice of God, and then we find ourselves in a better position to learn at the Master's feet. Stepping aside from the chaos of the day, to sit at the Master's feet.
A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus
