Reflections
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What do want me to do for you?
“What do you want me to do for you?” This is a question that Jesus asked the blind Bartimaeus. Not surprisingly he answered, “Master, I want to see.” It’s a question that runs through my mind at Strong Life, a rescue mission for homeless people. “What do you want me to do for you?” I volunteer as a case manager on Wednesdays. I thought this was a good way to use my skills and felt the Lord calling me to serve marginalized populations. After a couple of weeks, I realized that ‘case manager’ also means I drive the bus. I make a trip to the Salvation Army shelter…
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A mystical message from a pop song of the 70’s
It was a year of sadness. But it was also a year when Mary spoke to me in a most unlikely way – through a pop song of the 1970’s. First the sadness. I felt stuck in my old job. I had been a general manager for a division of a large steel company for twenty years. During most of that time, I enjoyed the challenges of managing a cyclical business and found plenty of new ideas to pursue to make things better. Then I hit a point where I felt nothing – no drive, no initiative, and nothing to look forward to. The commute was almost painful as I settled…
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What makes God the best listener?
“That’s how God listens to us.” Fr. Robert Presuttie said this during the half-day retreat at Divine Mercy University. The curious statement caught my attention. The retreat was tucked away in a five-day spiritual direction residency devoted to practicing listening skills. Each day the students would practice role-playing different scenarios that a spiritual director might encounter. They weren’t doing spiritual direction but practicing the foundational skill that makes for a good spiritual director: Deep listening. As an adjunct faculty member, I facilitated the role-plays, offered suggestions, and evaluated the students’ use of these skills. These skills included silence, presence, affirmation, empathy, and images. The goal for the students was to deepen…
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I made a difference for that one
“I am numb after this week.” This was the ominous text I received from my wife last Friday evening. I was miles away at Divine Mercy University helping with their spiritual direction residency. I felt guilty and torn that I was hearing her anguish via text. Why the numbness? She works at the Department of Social Services in Hickory, NC. She answers the phone, gathers intake information, and redirects the call to someone with the right expertise. Because of the wreckage from Hurricane Helene, many of the offices to the West had no phone, internet, or power. Desperate people were calling any office they could to receive food assistance and other necessities. …
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The Lord Spoke to Job in a Storm
My heart reaches out to the people in Western North Carolina. The devastation is unlike anything I’ve seen. I feel a deep emotional connection to the places that Helene has destroyed. Even The Flowering Bridge of Lake Lure I wrote about in June (The Best Way to Cross to the Other Side) is gone. It was one of the most cherished trips I made this year.
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Living in the Now
One day, the honeybees appeared in great numbers on plumes rising above the pompous grass by my mailbox. They found a treasure trove of pollen from the late summer blooms and celebrated maybe their last hurrah before settling in for the winter. I was fortunate enough to capture a photo of one bee as it was readying itself to dive into the plumes and gather more pollen. From the heavy pollen sacks on its hind legs, the bee had already had a good day. The photo captures a moment, one laden with beauty and significance. The bee has a single-minded focus, aligning itself with a new plume. There is a…
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A lesson from the resurrection lily on the spiritual life
Dotting gardens and landscapes around Western North Carolina are resurrection lilies. They are so named because the leaves appear lush and green in February, resembling daffodils. Unlike daffodils and many other bulbs, the leaves of the resurrection lily die without blooming. It is not until September that a solitary shoot will emerge out of the barren ground and produce a spectacular bloom. Hence the name, ‘resurrection lily’. There are parallels between the life cycle of the resurrection lily and the cycle of consolations and desolations common in the spiritual life. The springtime comes. The leaves perk up filled with hope and promise after a long winter. But there is no…
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An ordinary dream demands a new interpretation
“What’s it like?” That’s a question Michele McCreary, a long-time acquaintance, asked me in a dream. She was talking to someone I used to work with before I retired. When our eyes met, she asked, “What’s it like?” I thought she was asking about my retirement, as many people had recently. I told her a few things I’m doing (including starting this non-profit, Font of Mercy). She walked away puzzled and disappointed. I was confused about her reaction. She was normally a joyful, encouraging presence. I write down the few dreams I remember in my journal to try to discover a deeper significance. When I did, I realized she wasn’t…
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“What happened to the sun?” asked the two year old
Last week, I was at Emerald Isle with my family. In addition to my delight in being with my children and grandchildren and their spouses and partners, I received a neat lesson on the spiritual life. I was holding one of my grandsons, J.B., who is two and a half. On the first evening, I pointed to the horizon and said, “Look, the sun is setting.” We gazed off the balcony, from which we had a view of the sunset, the sunrise, and the ocean in between. As he saw the sun disappear, there was some separation anxiety. When he said, “Good night, Sun,” it felt ominous, like a…
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Three reasons God places a stranger in your path
Occasionally, I experience what I call a ‘random ministerial encounter’. I think we’ve all had them. It’s when God places someone in your path, and you realize it’s not a coincidence (as nothing with God ever is). After these encounters, I wonder, “Why did God place this person in my path?” I’ve come up with three possibilities: (1) God wanted me to assist this person in some way, (2) God wanted me to learn some valuable lesson from this other person, or (3) God wanted an observer to learn something from the encounter. I had one such encounter in the check-out line at the Food Lion. I was behind…
