A Positively Poetic Priest

"Mom! How do I know when the chicken is done?" "When it sounds done." 9/5/17

Some days the things I most need to pray about, I am way too anxious about to sit still and pray about. Thankfully, I don't always have to sit still in order to pray. One of the great traditions of the Christian faith is prayer walking. Prayer walking is a large genre of different kinds of prayer done while moving. One form of prayer walking is pilgrimage, another walking a labyrinth. While those are two very specific types of walking prayers, there are also examples of less structured prayer walking which can be helpful on a daily basis. One way of prayer walking is by walking around a location which is the site of concern. If you're anxious about a work problem, then you can walk around your office space or work conference room praying about the situation. If you are having problems at home with a family member, walk around their room or the room in which you tend to fight and pray about the relationship. Many times communities do this in an organized way. When social iss...

This past Sunday, the Epistle reading in the Revised Common Lectionary was from the book of Ephesians, Ephesians 6:10-20. Since this passage is paired with the Bread of Life discourse from the gospel of John, the number of times one preaches on it is few and far between. This passage is rather well known for a passage from Ephesians, because it talks about putting on the armor of God. The author of the passage outlines some items of clothing which followers of Jesus should put on in order to fight against the spiritual forces of evil in this world. Belt of Truth Breastplate of Righteousness Shoes of Peace Shield of Faith Helmet of Salvation Sword of the Spirit It sounds lovely. But there are a few things I noticed about this passage this past week. While there are some very good reasons for the pieces of clothing mentioned, I realized that if I drew a diagram of the armor of God, it leaves some portions of my body rather uncovered. It also leaves out a few aspects of the fait...

in error of my enamored plight I wrapped my arms around a tree waited until love came into sight and paid the Devil's cursed fee with jolly glee he brought a rose which smelled of sweetest delight yet still I looked for other beaus hankering for an ungodly fight Satan's lowly curse had me consumed the blackest poison I had subsumed yet still true Love came as a knight and turned my darkness into Light 8/22/17

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 How can we possibly follow Paul's suggestion to pray without ceasing? Typically there are only two things we human beings do without ceasing, our hearts keep pumping blood and our lungs keep breathing air. Early in Christian history followers of Jesus put together this injunction to pray without ceasing with the unceasing nature of breathing and started the tradition of Breath Prayer. Very similar to some eastern breathing prayers and exercises, Breath Prayer focuses on your own breathing. To practice Breath Prayer, choose a quiet spot to sit or kneel comfortably and a phrase to repeat. Many people use the Jesus Prayer while practicing Breath Prayer, although there are many other good phrases or prayers that could be used. A good prayer for Breath Prayer is made up of two parts, one to be said while breathing in, and ...

the blue sky poised to take possession of the sea God separated the great waters the lofty mountains poised towering over the rustic valleys God separated the distant lands the hunting soaring eagle poised high above the community of rabbits God separated and named equally 8/8/17 (This pairs nicely with my reflection for church this week, here .)

"The sea is his for he made it, and his hands have molded the dry land." Psalm 95:5 All the way at the beginning of the Bible, at the very start of Genesis, God lays out how human beings are supposed to be in relationship with the earth. God asks the first human beings to care for creation and to be good stewards of it. We are not simply in charge of everything around us, able to do as we please in our environment. We are to care for it and treat it well, in order that it may flourish and might be passed along to the next generations. In today's society, taking care of the Earth is seen as only something certain kinds of people do. However, taking care of our environments is not simply an environmental issue, but also a justice issue. Many times when the environment is not taken care of, it is in areas that greatly affect and damage the poor and needy, those who are already struggling. Currently St. John's and Grace have two opportunities for you to help in car...

do you ever feel the desire sinking into your fingers itching your very nerves to clean every space in the house sometimes our darkest desires impulses we cannot control feelings we wish to deny aren't the crazy ones but the embarrassing ones to clean out the tub 8/5/17

"God walks everywhere incognito." (C.S. Lewis, Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer) It can be a great comfort to know that God walks among us all the time. Unfortunately, we don't always seem to be able to see God at work in and around us all the time. While there are many practices which help us open our eyes to God in the world, one of the best practices is Christian meditation. Many people feel that meditation is a practice of Eastern or New Age religions and not Christianity. However, Christianity has a long and deep tradition of meditation, especially in monastic traditions. Christian meditation is not simply about emptying the mind, but connecting to the mind of God and being open to God's presence. Practices of meditation range from meditating on a verse of scripture, repeating it in the mind to allow it to settle and for you to see it with new eyes or heart. Or perhaps meditation by looking deeply at an image, an icon or a cross, and letting the imag...

a fast paced stillness biking through the woods nothing between you and breathing with the song of life surrounding a slow steady stillness sitting on the meditation pillow nothing between you and breathing with the rush of life in your veins a very present stillness kneeling in the church to pray nothing between you and breathing with the love of life listening 7/29/17

Studying the whole Bible all at one go is an enormous task. No one can get through all of it in one day or even a couple of days! The most common ways of studying the Bible are following different guides which break up different books or genres of the Holy Scriptures into accessible passages for study. There are hundreds of good commentary and Bible Study books and programs available online and through book stores which focus on different books or topics included in the Scriptures. Many times people join Bible Study groups, like our Wednesday Night Bible Study, in order to be able to have personal guidance and listen to other's perspectives on the chosen passages. Even if you aren't interested in following someone else's guidance through the Bible, there are many good ways of reading and studying the Bible on your own. Four time honored ways of reading the Bible on your own are by following one of the following patterns: Lectio Divina, the Artist method, the Detective me...