Lent: Prayer

Creating space for prayer is at the root of today's video from SSJE.  As Br. Geoffrey points out, when our lives get busy and hectic, often, it's prayer that gets the short end of the stick - we take away time usually set aside for praying, for meditation, for taking care of the body God provided to us, to fit in time for more busy-ness.  How important is your relationship with God?  And if, like many people, you put God at the head of the line in order of importance for your relationships - then shouldn't you make time with God a priority?

So today's task - find a definite space for time with God in your daily schedule.  And put that time into the schedule in pen.  Any additional time you spend with God is great, but make sure that your scheduled time has a prominent space in your schedule.

Lent: Spiritual Practices

There's a sermon (by Br. Tristam) that goes with today's video (by Br. Keith) - two separate pieces of input on developing spiritual rules and practices to help us grow into the people we feel God wants us to be.  Both are well worth listening to, and might answer some questions you have about developing a Rule of Life.

The question today asks what spiritual practice will help you grow.  It's asking you to choose one to put into practice now.  How do you choose?

As Br. Tristam says, first, you need a goal - what do you want to achieve?  Then you can ask the question about which practice will lead you further down the path to that goal.  The church has plenty of resources for you, but one rather comprehensive site for such practices can be found at Credo.  Take a look at the categories they have there, and see what appeals to you, what will help you in the path you've set.

Lent: Rule of Life

The Brothers from St. John the Evangelist are allowing the calendar to catch up with their postings, so today, we're sharing this video from the first portion, or pre-Lent thoughts about the Rule of Life.

We gave you a lot to think about and do yesterday, so today's only question is, how would a Rule of Life be helpful to you now?  Listen to Br. Curtis, and think about that.  It may affect how you look at what we're trying to achieve this Lent.

Lent: Cultivation

In today's video from SSJE, we are reminded that reflection can be a very good tool in the cultivation of your life.  Using our dictionary.com site again, to cultivate means:

1.  to prepare and work on (land) in order to raise crops; till.
2.  to use a cultivator on.
3.  to promote or improve the growth of (a plant, crop, etc.) by labor and attention.
4.  to produce by culture:
5.  to develop or improve by education or training; train; refine:
6.  to promote the growth or development of (an art, science, etc.); foster.
7.  to devote oneself to (an art, science, etc.).

The seeds that God has planted within us (I wonder if that's in the DNA...), that make us unique, provide us with the opportunity to pursue anything we set our minds to.  So today's task is going to be a lot of reflection, and then some contemplation and prayer:

Reflect on:
Twenty years ago, where were you?
What did you do with your time?
What did you learn about?
What did you dream of doing?
What sort of goals did you have?

And 10 years ago?
Did you pursue any of the dreams?  How?
If not, what did you do instead?

And 5 years ago?
What have you accomplished?
Are you where you thought you'd be?
How did you get where you were?

Contemplation and Prayer
Write down the answers to the questions.

From the Book of Common Prayer:  O God, by whom the meek are guided in judgment, and light riseth up in darkness for the godly: Grant us, in all our doubts and uncertainties, the grace to ask what thou wouldest have us to do, that the Spirit of wisdom may save us from all false choices, and that in thy light we may see light, and in thy straight path may not stumble; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What seeds planted by God long ago have sprouted?
What have you accomplished in those areas?
What else would you like to accomplish?
Have you felt drawn further down the same path?  Are you pursuing that?  Why or why not?
Have you felt drawn in a different direction?  (Perhaps there's a different area of the garden to tend.)
Are you doing anything to further the growth of those seeds?
Have you been praying about it?

Goals
Write down two areas you'd like to see grow.

Under each area, write down small, definitive steps towards achieving those goals.  Begin each one with prayer.

Give yourself a schedule to accomplish the smaller tasks or steps.  Remember to include in the schedule regular times to repeat this process, evaluate what you've achieved, and if a smaller task needs to be further broken down to see progress.

Decide who you're going to share your decision with, or how you're going to keep yourself accountable for pursuing these goals.  God is a perfect accountability partner, if you're willing to listen.

Feel free to share here.

Lent: God's Time

Patience, the boon of parents everywhere, is the subject of today's video from SSJE.  God's time is rarely our time - we think that things should happen within our scope of understanding, not quite understanding that God's timing is perfect.  As Br. Luke expounds, what he's expecting in a month, God may be granting in ten years - so, knowing that God's timing is perfect, our responsibility then is to change our expectations.

There's actually a "joke" that fits perfectly with this theme.  But it leads back to the parable about the man who gave each of his servants a number of talents, and what they did with them.  Looking at talents in the modern meaning (rather than the coin), what talents has God planted in you?  And what have you done with them?  How will you answer when God calls you forward?

God has provided you with the seeds, and as yesterday's message indicated, we have to be the best soil possible for those seeds to grow.  In His time, he will come to see the harvest and the fruit you bear, all the while nurturing you, providing you water and sunshine.  

So today, make a list of your blessings - the seeds God planted in you or gave you at Baptism.  And then on another column, list what you have done to develop those seeds.  Does it have to be written down?  No, but seeing it in black and white sets your responsibility directly before your eyes, where you can't ignore it, or perhaps set it aside for another day.  We're here to become part of the beautiful garden of humanity - where are you in your growth cycle?

Lent: Growth

Getting more into the concept of seeds and how they're planted, today's video talks about the process of growth over which we really have no control, but God does.  The best that we can do is provide the best soil possible for that seed to grow.

In this very cute animation about the Parable of the Sower, where we see the different types of ground on which seeds can be planted.

We know that God's Word are the seeds, but what we need to figure out is how to make the soil of our hearts the best atmosphere in which they can grow.  Letting our hearts be hardened like stone from our experiences will likely make it very difficult for God's Word to take root.  Being sandy and unfirm will ensure that God's Word takes shallow root and the growth is rapid, but dies quickly.  Having vices which can overpower God's Word in our hearts is like choking it with weeds.

But if our body is the Temple for God's Word, then we take care of it; we nurture it, and give it light, room to grow, prayers, and God's plan for us will grow to be what God intends for us.  Even if it may not be what we have in mind for ourselves to start with.

So what sort of "rules" might you think of for being a good Temple, for being good soil?

Lent: Awareness and Intention

Today's video reminds me of a wonderful young man by the name of Luke Nothaft.  Yesterday, Luke's family celebrated the fourth anniversary of his second birthday at home with God.  The way they celebrated was to ask his friends and family to celebrate with them this way:  "Luke loved a lot of things. He loved them in the full-throated, unimpeachable way of someone drunk with the possibilities of life. So, we'd like to ask you to do one act of love this week. One act that puts others or the world above yourself."

When Luke was born, he had a couple of organs outside his body.  Between all the surgeries and hospitalizations, the doctors told Luke's parents he only had a 3% chance to live at all, and would likely never see 5.  Then they decided, he'd never live to get to high school, let alone be able to comprehend enough for school.  God, however, had different plans, and Luke lived until he was 16, and like most of his family, spoke both English and Spanish.  He made a huge difference in people's lives during the short time he was here, affecting family and community alike.  As his sister pointed out today when she and her family set out to feed the homeless, Luke never met a stranger - just a friend he didn't know the name of yet.  Luke's goal was to be a film-maker just like his big brother.  You can actually see some of the videos he and his family did on YouTube.

Luke epitomized what Br. Mark talks about in today's video - the awareness of the love of God in others, and intentionally displaying the love of God to others.  To continue the garden analogy the Brothers of SSJE have been using, this is the food you're choosing to feed your plants, or your life, and the fruit you're choosing to produce.  What sort of things do you want to surround yourself with?  And what kind of things will you be giving back?