Singing Along the Journey

Calling

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More

Tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright…

Let me repeat that statement one more time:  tradition anchors us, but change is our birthright. This sentence danced through my brain recently while I was doing my daily trudge on the elliptical trainer (you know, the 40 minute walk that goes no where fast?).   It is the summary that occurs to me after a lengthy discussion I was having with a friend, in response to his exclamation following my excitement about a Lenten study group at my church at the Stations of the Cross: "I don't know why Protestants are always trying to be so Catholic!"  I know a lot of people raised as Catholic, but now practicing Protestant. I…
Read More

Authority, credentials, and the road less travelled…

Well, the Lenten season is, for me, off to a whizz-bang start.  Two Ash Wednesday services, five days of my personal spiritual discipline, a conversation with my spiritual director and one with my pastor (and let's not forget the total change in my relationship to all the water on the planet) and yes, my view of the world and my place in it is totally up-ended. I have a new, weird kind of clarity, and I realize that, when faced with that famous fork in the road, I have been looking right when I should have been looking left-- although not totally.  It has been more like I've been looking right,…
Read More

Public vs. private, again…

As the basis of my personal Lenten practice, I am using a book called Lent with Evelyn Underhill, edited by G. P. Mellick Belshaw.   For those of you who don't know who Evelyn Underhill is, she was prolific writer on the topics of mysticism, spiritual thought and practice, and worship; and a practicing spiritual director of the early 20th century.  Her early major work,  Mysticism (1911) remains the basic text on the topic; but her writings are numerous.  The Lenten devotional has been created from the whole corpus of her work. I can remember reading her book Mysticism during my undergraduate work in Medieval studies:  I too, shared her interest…
Read More

Groupies…

This morning, as I began to work my way through the introductory readings assigned for my course about the Epistles, I came to a sudden realization -- I have an obsession with the Apostle Paul.  Odd choice considering who I am, and an obsession that has been until now completely in the buried regions of my subconscious, but an obsession none the less.  And after reading my first assignment, the article by Robert Wright, "One World Under God", from The Atlantic (April 2009), I understand. Paul and I have a lot in common.  No, I've not gone off the rails -- Paul and I have a lot in common.  Well, maybe the…
Read More

Primary sources…

I realize that I'm a little late, but I finally feel like 2011 is getting into gear.  Most of the clean out jobs were completed by our self-made due date of January 1, but the task of putting into place the changes and new activities that are needed for the next year, well, that usually takes me a while longer.  And so, now the decisions are made: the decision made between two forks in the road; the application submitted; the choice made between Italian or German classes; committee-work restarted; research begun for the new blog I will launch in March (more on that some other time); and well into gathering…
Read More

Now I see me, now I don’t…

As I sit at my desk this first Monday morning of 2011, I have before me a number of project files -- many of which have a due date of January 10, 2011.   And I need to decide which one to tackle first.   The good thing about mornings is that usually, I can multi-task.  For example, right now I am listening to a wonderful recording of Johann Adolph Hasse's Salve Regina in A-Dur, with an ear to whether or not I want to add it to my repertoire this year (and I think the answer is yes).  At the same time, I am staring at a folder for the incorporation…
Read More

Sing Alleluia…

I will begin by admitting that, at this moment, I do not really feel like singing Alleluia (okay, perhaps I feel like it more than I did a few days ago when I began this post).  And I will also admit that, the Alleluia sung in our service at Calvary is generally not my favorite portion of the service -- it is generally very hard to sing and somewhat uncomfortable vocally.  This is not news to those I sing with -- if they've heard me say it once, they've heard it hundreds of times. But, having read the book I was working on (Joan Chittister's The Liturgical Year) through the current…
Read More

Dear God…

I have made reference to my years at a Unity School of Religious Science congregation before.  There was, as with any human institution, both good and bad about those years, but probably my fondest memories are about the New Year's Eve services. Yes, that is correct -- New Year's Eve services. The long-standing New Year's eve tradition in Unity, dating back to the days of the founders (Charles and Myrtle Fillmore) was called the burning bowl service.  Obviously, Unity was not an organization with a set liturgy, however, some traditions did survive long-term.  The format and the setting were adapted and changed by each community, but the essence was simple:  take…
Read More

The real closet cleaning…

There is closet cleaning, and there is closet cleaning.  Yes, time spent getting rid of books and clothes and unused kitchen items, this is standard for me at this time of year.  But boy was I surprised when God called upon me most unexpectedly to do some real closet cleaning--getting the cobwebs out of my intentions. Let me explain. You see, I was having a nice day out.  I've been concerned that lately, well, I haven't really been much fun.  Any time [caption id="attachment_570" align="alignright" width="207" caption="Julia Margaret Cameron's "The Sunflowers""][/caption] someone suggests something to do for, well, just for fun, I say no.  No to going to a movie. …
Read More

And on to the New Year…

My tradition for the week between Christmas and New Year's is a long-standing one...I use this time to clear out the dregs of the year that is passing away and to make space for the new and wonderful opportunities and experiences of the upcoming fresh, clean calendar year.  This ritual usually takes the form of closet cleaning, book-shelf weeding, paper-filing, project-finishing, etc. -- you get the general idea.  All activities designed to eliminate whatever is holding me back from my highest potential and to make room for my good to spring forth. So I will continue this ritual because it has always worked for me:  it focuses my mind, it…
Read More