A Daily Lent

Inner Experience of Oneness Friday of the First Week of Lent – March 6, 2020 To engage the interior work of the spiritual life means that we begin a journey which will be long, slow, and messy. I don’t know any way around that reality. I first made conscious contact with God in the context of a faith tradition which promised – both implicitly and sometimes explicitly – that conversion was a one-time decision that would set you up for a lifetime. The goal was the moment of conversion, and any growth or becoming after that initial experience was a bonus. I quickly realized within my own self that simply responding to an altar call and mouthing some words about giving my life to Jesus did not change all that was sideways in my life. But at that time, I had no idea what to do about it. My best guess was that every time I “sinned,” I lost Jesus and had to go back through the process all over again – I must not have “really meant it” when I gave my life to Jesus all those previous ti...

Change of Heart First Sunday of Lent – March 1, 2020 Contemporary life treats busyness and worry as if they were badges of honor. We are quick to tell others what busy people we are, as if our busyness itself makes us important. The fact that I’m busy somehow contributes to the feeling that I’m indispensable and seems to increase my worthiness in the eyes of others. Culturally we’ve created a cult of busyness and productivity. There are fewer more disdained words in our society than the word “lazy.” The spiritual life does, in fact, speak to simplicity, silence and solitude. Intentional time during which we give our attention to God is vital to our spiritual well-being; however, we do not claim that the only way to live a spiritual life is to let go of all responsibilities and obligations. The notion that anyone could live the spiritual life if all life-duties were removed is simply false. Rather, the spiritual life is about developing a different consciousness in the midst o...