Piloting Faith: A radical invitation...
A Word for the Day...
Being in the Galapagos Islands for the past 10 days had one unanticipated benefit: I unplugged. I never watched the news. I never turned on a television to hear the latest in our eternally depressing political dramas. I didn't have enough cell reception to regularly check the websites I normally visit to stay up to date on what is happening in the world.
Instead, I went through each day aware of life immediately around me. I heard the birds singing. I saw the spider inching across my ceiling (yikes!). I watched sea lions play in the water. I felt the breeze on my face. With each passing day, I felt myself come back to life.
On the trip, Brian McLaren offered a reflection where he talked about Matthew 6. In that passage, Jesus says that if we want to know what God's realm is like, we just need to look at the birds of the air and the fish in the sea. Most people worry about what they will eat and what they will wear. But that is a big and costly distraction. If you pay attention to the world beyond yourself, you will see that all of creation is cared for. In other words, when we want to see God most clearly, we should come back into connection with the larger web of life.
Having received the gift of stepping out of our manic world into an ecology that healed me in ways I didn't even know I needed, I now wish that for each of you.
As you start this day, listen for the birds. Look for the flowers. Feel the breeze (or freezing snow) on your face. Reconnect with the Web of Life that waits to nurture you to healing and wholeness. Then you will know God.
- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight
Prayer for the Week
Loving God,
Grant me a life of grand adventure, one where I feel the rush of accomplishment, face the fears of failure, meet wonderful mentors along the way, and discover strength in myself I never dreamed possible. I want to live a brave and beautiful life, one guided and inspired by You, so that in the end I might hear your blessing, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant.’
Amen.
