For the last three days, I’ve been trying to find the time to get this post up. Between work, school, and keeping up with yard work, I’ve barely had two minutes. Until now.
A few days ago, I posted on the Ignatian principle of Finding God In All Things. Over the last several years, I’ve been able to successfully integrate this spiritual concept into my daily living. Well, most days…
Over the last two days, I’ve finally gotten back to talking daily walks in my neighborhood. Because of the winter we’ve had, it’s literally been months since I’ve been able to get out. I realized the first morning how much I’ve missed it.
Even though, throughout the winder, I continued to exercise either at the gym or in front of my t.v. watching an exercise video, nothing beats getting out in nature.
There’s a boy in my class who has started using the phrase, “I’ve got this” for just about everything I ask my class to do.
Maybe it’s self motivation, or it just might be seventh grade bravado, but a few nights ago he raised his hand to read a wordy and difficult Scripture passage. He did great, and I could see he was happy with himself when he finished. He got it.
Over the past several days, I’ve been getting myself ready for my upcoming retreat. It’s all a bit overwhelming, with lots to do and lots to think about.
What are we going to do? What am I going to say?
A reoccurring challenge found in St. Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises kept coming up in my mind as I prepared my talks. I was thinking about what it might mean to those who will be listening to me, but I was also thinking about what it means to me. Since it keeps coming up in my head, I guess that means I needs I need to take a pause and pray about it.
St. Ignatius asks three simple questions:
What have I done for Christ? What am I doing for Christ? What ought I do for Christ?
Something for us all to think about in the week ahead.
Last Sunday night, I was glued to my t.v. screen, a rare occurrence for me.
Nik Wallenda was walking a tightrope across the Little Colorado River Gorge. Maybe you saw it too.
![sunsetget]](https://i0.wp.com/makingallthingsnew.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sunsetget-300x225.jpg?resize=300%2C225)
I had the chance to visit the Getty Museum today and it was a wonderful, albeit short visit.
Before we checked out an exhibit on the art of Florence at the dawn of the Renaissance, my family and I had a bite to eat at the museum cafe. As we sat there on the marble patio, sipping wine and eating our sandwiches, my mom made a comment about it being a quintessential California day. She was so right.
I was talking with a group of college students tonight, and the theme was the power of prayer.
I shared with them a personal experience of years of prayer for a particular intention, but those prayers seemed to go unanswered. I prayed. My family prayed. My friends prayed. Nothing seemed to happen. We got discouraged. Some stopped praying. I gave up more than once.
So, how has your holiday weekend been? As we mark the end of the potential summer vacations, I hope you’ve had the chance to relax a bit.
I’ve used my time to catch up on some yard work and a bit of housecleaning. As the rains have come and gone, I’ve had to alternate between being in the yard and being inside, but so far, quite a bit is being accomplished on both fronts.
Last night, I started reading a new book entitled Linchpin, written by Seth Godin. It’s been sitting around unread for quite some time, and it was unearthed in the housecleaning. It’s ironic that I should crack this book open on a long weekend which, according to the US Department of Labor, is “dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers”. Why the irony?
There’s a popular Christian song that’s getting a lot of airtime right now. By Toby Mac, the title is “Get Back Up” and, although it’s not what I would call easy listening, it’s very catchy and I think most people would like it. The YouTube video is below for anyone who wants a look. But the beat of the song is not important. It’s the lyrics of the refrain that resonated with me, and I’m hoping it will be the same for you.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been working hard on a paper for my spirituality class.
The paper is on St. Bonaventure’s understanding of grace, as presented in his document called the Breviloquium. The challenge of the paper is how to help people in 2012 understand the thought of this Medieval writer, and make his beautiful understanding of grace come alive for them.