Some A, B, C's of Life
A few years ago the Chaplaincy Department at the hospital where I work received a wonderful poster entitled "Dare To". The author is Meiji Stewart and I think these words are helpful as we prepare for Labor Day Weekend.
Ask for what you want.
Believe in yourself.
Change your mind.
Do what you love.
Enjoy each and every day.
Follow your heart's desire.
Give more than you receive.
Have a sense of humor.
Insist on being yourself.
Join in more.
Kiss and make up.
Love and be loved.
Make new friends.
Nurture your spirit.
Overcome adversity.
Play more.
Question conformity.
Reach for the stars.
Speak your truth.
Take personal responsibility.
Understand more, judge less.
Volunteer your time.
Walk through fear.
X-perience the moment.
Yearn for grace.
Be Zany!
Ben Keckler
08.29.08
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Daily Devotions - Thursday, August 28
Some Sage Advice
Having returned from a meaningful journey with the people of Rwanda, I find myself drawn to this poem by Max Ehrmann who penned these words in 1927.
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in
silence. As far as possible, without
surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and
listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit. If you
compare yourself with others, you may
become vain or bitter; for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as you
plans. Keep interested in your own career,
however humble; it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution
in your business affairs, for the world is full
of trickery. But let this not blind you to what
virtue there is; many persons strive for high
ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign
affection. Neither be cynical about love; for
in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in
sudden misfortune. But do not distress
yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears
are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle
with yourself. You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars; you have
a right to be here. And whether or not it is
clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever
you conceive God to be. And whatever your
labors and aspirations, in the noisy
confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken
dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Strive to be happy.
Ben Keckler
08.28.08
Having returned from a meaningful journey with the people of Rwanda, I find myself drawn to this poem by Max Ehrmann who penned these words in 1927.
DESIDERATA
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in
silence. As far as possible, without
surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and
listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
they are vexations to the spirit. If you
compare yourself with others, you may
become vain or bitter; for always there will be
greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as you
plans. Keep interested in your own career,
however humble; it is a real possession in the
changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution
in your business affairs, for the world is full
of trickery. But let this not blind you to what
virtue there is; many persons strive for high
ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign
affection. Neither be cynical about love; for
in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in
sudden misfortune. But do not distress
yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears
are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle
with yourself. You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars; you have
a right to be here. And whether or not it is
clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God, whatever
you conceive God to be. And whatever your
labors and aspirations, in the noisy
confusion of life, keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken
dreams, it is still a beautiful world.
Be careful. Strive to be happy.
Ben Keckler
08.28.08
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, August 27
Ah Yes! What a Blessed Place
Wow! I made it. The power doesn’t need a converter. The space feels so “at home”. The smiles, so good to feel. The hospital where I work, what a blessed place.
Today you may be struggling with stuff in your life. I understand that. I hope you will take time to be thankful for the struggles you are having to deal with. As a citizen in a global village, all of which is supervised by the Creator of the Universe, I want to assure you that you are most blessed—even with the stuff you encounter as your struggle.
I’d suggest you take time and breathe, take time and give thanks, take time and search for a perspective that can help you see that, no matter what the struggle, you are a person privileged to live, to work and to experience LIFE in this blessed place.
Ben Keckler
08.27.08
Wow! I made it. The power doesn’t need a converter. The space feels so “at home”. The smiles, so good to feel. The hospital where I work, what a blessed place.
Today you may be struggling with stuff in your life. I understand that. I hope you will take time to be thankful for the struggles you are having to deal with. As a citizen in a global village, all of which is supervised by the Creator of the Universe, I want to assure you that you are most blessed—even with the stuff you encounter as your struggle.
I’d suggest you take time and breathe, take time and give thanks, take time and search for a perspective that can help you see that, no matter what the struggle, you are a person privileged to live, to work and to experience LIFE in this blessed place.
Ben Keckler
08.27.08
Daily Devotions - Tuesday, August 26
Back Home Again in Indiana
Later today I’ll arrive home from the Rwandan experience. I am certain that I’ll find more and more reasons why this tremendous opportunity came my way. I am certain that I will tell the stories I’ve learned as a part of a Mental Health and Social Services Delegation from the United States.
One thing I do know: Citizens of America really have little idea just how wonderful a cultural climate we enjoy. Another thing I do know: The world’s inhabitants (75% of them having far less than we have available to us) are comfortable in their comfort zones, needing so little of what we think of as essential.
In my non-employment hours I will be struggling with this theme: “A World Where Sharing By All Means Scarcity For None.” I think I will take some quiet time these next days and discover what is next as I enjoy being back home again in Indiana.
Ben Keckler
08.26.08
Later today I’ll arrive home from the Rwandan experience. I am certain that I’ll find more and more reasons why this tremendous opportunity came my way. I am certain that I will tell the stories I’ve learned as a part of a Mental Health and Social Services Delegation from the United States.
One thing I do know: Citizens of America really have little idea just how wonderful a cultural climate we enjoy. Another thing I do know: The world’s inhabitants (75% of them having far less than we have available to us) are comfortable in their comfort zones, needing so little of what we think of as essential.
In my non-employment hours I will be struggling with this theme: “A World Where Sharing By All Means Scarcity For None.” I think I will take some quiet time these next days and discover what is next as I enjoy being back home again in Indiana.
Ben Keckler
08.26.08
Daily Devotions - Monday, August 25
Where From Here?
If the plan has worked, I should be back in the United States when you read this devotional. I will be spending my Monday trying to physically recover from a long plane trip and to emotionally process all the experiences that have come my way during a grueling ten day ambassadorship.
I won’t be boarding my plane for Indianapolis until Tuesday. I know I’ll be looking forward to that and I’m hoping that I’ll be ready to be back to work on Wednesday of this week.
Right now I’ll start my week reintegrating myself to a culture that I have come to know as home. I trust that your week will be filled with good things.
Ben Keckler
08.25.08
If the plan has worked, I should be back in the United States when you read this devotional. I will be spending my Monday trying to physically recover from a long plane trip and to emotionally process all the experiences that have come my way during a grueling ten day ambassadorship.
I won’t be boarding my plane for Indianapolis until Tuesday. I know I’ll be looking forward to that and I’m hoping that I’ll be ready to be back to work on Wednesday of this week.
Right now I’ll start my week reintegrating myself to a culture that I have come to know as home. I trust that your week will be filled with good things.
Ben Keckler
08.25.08
Daily Devotions - Friday, August 22
Spending Time with the Marginalized
Today will be very special and I think rather difficult. We are going to spend time with a small community of Rwandan folk known as the Batwa. They have always been hunters and gatherers who lived in the forests of this equatorial country. The country of Rwanda faces enormous population challenges and so the Batwa have seen their home, the forests, dramatically reduced. Hopefully we will have some time to visit a pottery project and maybe we will have a time for picking up some gifts to bring home.
The afternoon will find us learning about how the marginalized receive medical treatment from traditional healers who run their “clinics”. Our tour leader has written, “You can judge for yourself how their skills and experience might fit in modern systems of healthcare.”
By the time this day is ended I imagine I will be longing for the creature comforts of home and looking forward to spending a weekend in my backyard. Oh yes—it is Friday! Enjoy your weekend!
Ben Keckler
08.22.08
Today will be very special and I think rather difficult. We are going to spend time with a small community of Rwandan folk known as the Batwa. They have always been hunters and gatherers who lived in the forests of this equatorial country. The country of Rwanda faces enormous population challenges and so the Batwa have seen their home, the forests, dramatically reduced. Hopefully we will have some time to visit a pottery project and maybe we will have a time for picking up some gifts to bring home.
The afternoon will find us learning about how the marginalized receive medical treatment from traditional healers who run their “clinics”. Our tour leader has written, “You can judge for yourself how their skills and experience might fit in modern systems of healthcare.”
By the time this day is ended I imagine I will be longing for the creature comforts of home and looking forward to spending a weekend in my backyard. Oh yes—it is Friday! Enjoy your weekend!
Ben Keckler
08.22.08
Daily Devotions - Thursday, August 21
Bringing Health in Difficult Situations
Greetings from Gisenyi, Rwanda today. Today’s agenda is going to have some mountain top experiences and some deep, dark valley experiences as well. The plan for today starts us out in the valley — we are going to spend time with woman who works with the street children of Rwanda, administrating a technical school with lower functioning children. We will be baptized into an understanding of the poorest of the poor and the difficulties encountered trying to help children who watched their loved ones be dismembered and murdered.
The afternoon will take us to a National Park for our first true experience with the natural beauty of Rwanda. Hopefully we will get glimpses of a chain of volcanoes that are on the Rwanda-Uganda-Congo border and maybe we will sight a mountain gorilla, an experience some of our group will more fully enjoy following the educational component of our mission.
I wish you well today!
Ben Keckler
08.21.08
Greetings from Gisenyi, Rwanda today. Today’s agenda is going to have some mountain top experiences and some deep, dark valley experiences as well. The plan for today starts us out in the valley — we are going to spend time with woman who works with the street children of Rwanda, administrating a technical school with lower functioning children. We will be baptized into an understanding of the poorest of the poor and the difficulties encountered trying to help children who watched their loved ones be dismembered and murdered.
The afternoon will take us to a National Park for our first true experience with the natural beauty of Rwanda. Hopefully we will get glimpses of a chain of volcanoes that are on the Rwanda-Uganda-Congo border and maybe we will sight a mountain gorilla, an experience some of our group will more fully enjoy following the educational component of our mission.
I wish you well today!
Ben Keckler
08.21.08
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, August 20
A Little Bit of Country Today
Hello friends! Today we are going to begin seeing the countryside of Rwanda, attempting to understand the post-genocide challenges and extreme poverty of persons living outside of the urban areas. We are visiting a rural health center where we will, I believe, be overwhelmed with the needs for public health interventions.
Our destination is a place known as the Millennium Village, a partnership developed by the United Nations Development Program, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, 10 different African governments, private donors and the Millennium Promise. The area we are visiting is learning to create an ecologically healthy agricultural setting for people to earn a living and reshape their lives. The model is being used globally as a successful intervention.
While we are away from the city of Kigali, we will also visit a rural health center and learn the challenges related to public health in the small communities that dot the countryside. Should be a challenging day! May you sense Holy Presence around you today!
Ben Keckler
08.20.08
Hello friends! Today we are going to begin seeing the countryside of Rwanda, attempting to understand the post-genocide challenges and extreme poverty of persons living outside of the urban areas. We are visiting a rural health center where we will, I believe, be overwhelmed with the needs for public health interventions.
Our destination is a place known as the Millennium Village, a partnership developed by the United Nations Development Program, Columbia University’s Earth Institute, 10 different African governments, private donors and the Millennium Promise. The area we are visiting is learning to create an ecologically healthy agricultural setting for people to earn a living and reshape their lives. The model is being used globally as a successful intervention.
While we are away from the city of Kigali, we will also visit a rural health center and learn the challenges related to public health in the small communities that dot the countryside. Should be a challenging day! May you sense Holy Presence around you today!
Ben Keckler
08.20.08
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Daily Devotions - Tuesday, August 19
Time to Get Serious
It’s the fifth day of this ambassadorship. Today we are going to really feel the impact of genocide (as if we haven’t already)! We are going to visit a four acre Memorial Center where about a quarter of a million people are buried in mass graves.
Our tour director has coupled this visit with an emphasis on reconciliation. We will spend time with the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission exploring how to strike a balance between “justice and healing, vengeance and forgiveness.”
This afternoon we will focus on Mental Health issues as we visit Handicap International, a major arm of the mental health/psychological support system that is being put in place to strengthen orphaned children.
I am really looking forward to our dinner time tonight as we will have an extended time to reflect on the painful realities encountered on our visits. I hope you have another meaningful day in all you do.
Ben Keckler
08.19.08
It’s the fifth day of this ambassadorship. Today we are going to really feel the impact of genocide (as if we haven’t already)! We are going to visit a four acre Memorial Center where about a quarter of a million people are buried in mass graves.
Our tour director has coupled this visit with an emphasis on reconciliation. We will spend time with the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission exploring how to strike a balance between “justice and healing, vengeance and forgiveness.”
This afternoon we will focus on Mental Health issues as we visit Handicap International, a major arm of the mental health/psychological support system that is being put in place to strengthen orphaned children.
I am really looking forward to our dinner time tonight as we will have an extended time to reflect on the painful realities encountered on our visits. I hope you have another meaningful day in all you do.
Ben Keckler
08.19.08
Monday, August 18, 2008
Daily Devotions - Monday, August 18
Health Care After Genocide
One of the issues we face in America relates to health care. There are a number of ways to approach this issue. Personally, I believe we need to be creating a world where sharing by all means scarcity for none. Let me tell you what I’ll be experiencing in Rwanda today.
We will visit the Kigali Health Institute today, an educational institution established in 1996 because health care was basically non-existent following the genocide. Many times in the health care field we can feel overwhelmed as we extend ourselves to a handful of patients under our care. Try to wrap your mind around this figure: “After the genocide the doctor-patient ratio was 1:55,705 and the nurse-patient ratio was 1:6,365.” Related fields of care like radiology, physical therapy, lab technicians and so many more “were completely non-existent.”
We will also visit a home for orphaned children administered by a 77 year old woman from the United States who, along with volunteers, provides a boarding school, a small health facility and a place of refuge for children.
I pray that you will have a good week. While many things today will be quite depressing, I am certain my trip is helping me to be a better world citizen. Peace, friends.
Ben Keckler
08.18.08
One of the issues we face in America relates to health care. There are a number of ways to approach this issue. Personally, I believe we need to be creating a world where sharing by all means scarcity for none. Let me tell you what I’ll be experiencing in Rwanda today.
We will visit the Kigali Health Institute today, an educational institution established in 1996 because health care was basically non-existent following the genocide. Many times in the health care field we can feel overwhelmed as we extend ourselves to a handful of patients under our care. Try to wrap your mind around this figure: “After the genocide the doctor-patient ratio was 1:55,705 and the nurse-patient ratio was 1:6,365.” Related fields of care like radiology, physical therapy, lab technicians and so many more “were completely non-existent.”
We will also visit a home for orphaned children administered by a 77 year old woman from the United States who, along with volunteers, provides a boarding school, a small health facility and a place of refuge for children.
I pray that you will have a good week. While many things today will be quite depressing, I am certain my trip is helping me to be a better world citizen. Peace, friends.
Ben Keckler
08.18.08
Friday, August 15, 2008
Daily Devotions - Friday, August 15
Up, Up and Away
By the time you are reading this devotion I will have met my traveling family for the next ten days. Many of the folks are from the Western and Southwestern United States. Some are from the Midwest and one is from the Virgin Islands. I’ll know a few names by now and we will have engaged in some get-acquainted dialogue.
Mid-morning will find me boarding an Ethiopia Airlines flight that will take us to Addis Ababa with a scheduled arrival time on Saturday morning for breakfast. This will be the longest flight I’ve experienced.
Upon arrival in Rwanda we will do the currency exchange and enjoy lunch at our hotel. We will tour various sites in Kigali, the capital, including the hotel depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, the Kandt Museum and a stop at Camp Kigali where the genocide commenced.
Sunday will include an English worship service (maybe), a visit to the Village of Hope-- a shelter for marginalized women who have experienced gender-based violence, and a visit to a Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Have a good weekend.
Ben Keckler
08.15.08
By the time you are reading this devotion I will have met my traveling family for the next ten days. Many of the folks are from the Western and Southwestern United States. Some are from the Midwest and one is from the Virgin Islands. I’ll know a few names by now and we will have engaged in some get-acquainted dialogue.
Mid-morning will find me boarding an Ethiopia Airlines flight that will take us to Addis Ababa with a scheduled arrival time on Saturday morning for breakfast. This will be the longest flight I’ve experienced.
Upon arrival in Rwanda we will do the currency exchange and enjoy lunch at our hotel. We will tour various sites in Kigali, the capital, including the hotel depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda, the Kandt Museum and a stop at Camp Kigali where the genocide commenced.
Sunday will include an English worship service (maybe), a visit to the Village of Hope-- a shelter for marginalized women who have experienced gender-based violence, and a visit to a Neuro-Psychiatric Hospital.
Have a good weekend.
Ben Keckler
08.15.08
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Daily Devotions - Thursday, August 14
Continuing Preparations
The Tutsi and the Hutu tribes comprise the majority of the Rwandan population. The slaughter of 1994 was carried out by the Hutu tribe and was directed at both the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Why travel to such a country?
Rwanda is an emerging nation, a nation emerging from ashes. I find myself attracted to spend time with people who are piecing together a country that found Hutu fathers killing their own children because some of the children resembled their Tutsi wives. The country is one of the safest in all of Africa. That helps! The opportunities to learn about grace, healing and hope emerging from anger, brokenness and tragedy should be immense.
One of the books I’ve read in preparation for my trip is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I’d encourage you to read it. And, a great article about Rwanda (“Seeds of Change in Rwanda”) was published in TIME magazine on September 26, 2007.
In just a few hours I’ll board my plane. We’ll start learning from my daily itinerary. For now, why don’t we all just take a few moments and pray that this global village may grow to be a more peaceful place. Have a good day.
Ben Keckler
08.14.08
The Tutsi and the Hutu tribes comprise the majority of the Rwandan population. The slaughter of 1994 was carried out by the Hutu tribe and was directed at both the Tutsis and the moderate Hutus. Why travel to such a country?
Rwanda is an emerging nation, a nation emerging from ashes. I find myself attracted to spend time with people who are piecing together a country that found Hutu fathers killing their own children because some of the children resembled their Tutsi wives. The country is one of the safest in all of Africa. That helps! The opportunities to learn about grace, healing and hope emerging from anger, brokenness and tragedy should be immense.
One of the books I’ve read in preparation for my trip is Left to Tell by Immaculee Ilibagiza. I’d encourage you to read it. And, a great article about Rwanda (“Seeds of Change in Rwanda”) was published in TIME magazine on September 26, 2007.
In just a few hours I’ll board my plane. We’ll start learning from my daily itinerary. For now, why don’t we all just take a few moments and pray that this global village may grow to be a more peaceful place. Have a good day.
Ben Keckler
08.14.08
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, August 13
Beginning Preparations
It has been challenging trying to simply stay open to every learning experience that will come my way as I journey to Rwanda. I’ve done a fair share of reading and study in preparation. I’ve had to complete a lot of paperwork and pay attention to medical details. I’ve felt quite overwhelmed by this Rwandan opportunity. I am grateful.
Today I am flying to Washington, D.C. and will meet my traveling family in less than 48 hours. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to fathom some numbers.
• Land Mass: Indiana has 4 times the land mass that Rwanda has; that means if you would draw lines from East to West across our state, roughly 30 miles North of Indianapolis and 30 miles South of Indianapolis you would an idea about the size of Rwanda.
• Population: Rwanda is home to 8 million people; the entire state of Indiana is home to a little over 6 million people.
• The Genocide: 937,000 people were killed in 100 days in 1994. That is about the equivalent of everyone in Indianapolis and in Hendricks County being killed in 100 days.
• Orphans: Rwanda is home to about 1 million orphans or 12.5% of the population.
I am overwhelmed as I make my preparations to learn, to grow and to discover. I invite you to spend some time today with these numbers. I really do appreciate my surroundings and I hope you do too!
Ben Keckler
08.13.08
It has been challenging trying to simply stay open to every learning experience that will come my way as I journey to Rwanda. I’ve done a fair share of reading and study in preparation. I’ve had to complete a lot of paperwork and pay attention to medical details. I’ve felt quite overwhelmed by this Rwandan opportunity. I am grateful.
Today I am flying to Washington, D.C. and will meet my traveling family in less than 48 hours. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to fathom some numbers.
• Land Mass: Indiana has 4 times the land mass that Rwanda has; that means if you would draw lines from East to West across our state, roughly 30 miles North of Indianapolis and 30 miles South of Indianapolis you would an idea about the size of Rwanda.
• Population: Rwanda is home to 8 million people; the entire state of Indiana is home to a little over 6 million people.
• The Genocide: 937,000 people were killed in 100 days in 1994. That is about the equivalent of everyone in Indianapolis and in Hendricks County being killed in 100 days.
• Orphans: Rwanda is home to about 1 million orphans or 12.5% of the population.
I am overwhelmed as I make my preparations to learn, to grow and to discover. I invite you to spend some time today with these numbers. I really do appreciate my surroundings and I hope you do too!
Ben Keckler
08.13.08
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Daily Devotions - Tuesday, August 12
Preparing for a Journey
In January, 2008 I was invited by Dr. Thomas Barrett (clinical associate professor of the University of Denver’s International Disaster Psychology Program and Senior Mental Health Consultant of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the World Health Organization) to travel with 23 other professionals to Rwanda, Africa. I was accepted into the program and will travel as an ambassador, honored to be in this special study program.
Our delegation will seek to gain information about how Rwanda has tried to address recovery issues related to the 1994 genocide where 937,000 people were killed in 100 days. We will be examining programs that are addressing the needs of more than a million orphaned children, children orphaned as a result of the genocide and HIV/AIDS. We will share our insights about traumatic grief and begin discussions of how we might be able to assist in the recovery process.
During these next two weeks I invite you to journey with me. Today after work I will be packing and taking care of those last minute details. I hope you will journey with me over these next two weeks.
Ben Keckler
08.12.08
In January, 2008 I was invited by Dr. Thomas Barrett (clinical associate professor of the University of Denver’s International Disaster Psychology Program and Senior Mental Health Consultant of Mental Health and Substance Abuse for the World Health Organization) to travel with 23 other professionals to Rwanda, Africa. I was accepted into the program and will travel as an ambassador, honored to be in this special study program.
Our delegation will seek to gain information about how Rwanda has tried to address recovery issues related to the 1994 genocide where 937,000 people were killed in 100 days. We will be examining programs that are addressing the needs of more than a million orphaned children, children orphaned as a result of the genocide and HIV/AIDS. We will share our insights about traumatic grief and begin discussions of how we might be able to assist in the recovery process.
During these next two weeks I invite you to journey with me. Today after work I will be packing and taking care of those last minute details. I hope you will journey with me over these next two weeks.
Ben Keckler
08.12.08
Daily Devotions - Monday, August 11
Slow Down to Feel
“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.”
--An ancient song, Psalm 25: 6
A primary aspect of our spiritual development is learning to recognize the mercy and grace that surrounds us.
It is tempting to overlook the above verse, to get to the devotion, to read the devotion, to finish the task and get on with the busy-ness (or is that busi-ness). One of the cultural illnesses that can hinder our spiritual development is our addiction to staying busy. The opposite illness – idleness – can also hinder our spiritual development.
Learning to identify our “addictions” and to access “grace” is probably the most important thing we can do. Continued practice of this identification and access process can help us unleash personal potentials. Gerald May writes, “I’ve learned that all people are addicts, and that addictions to alcohol and other drugs are simply more obvious and tragic addictions. To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace.” (p. 11, Addiction and Grace)
In your busy-ness this week, slow down enough to feel the steadfast love of God surrounding you.
A prayer: God, I’m looking forward to a week of basking in your grace. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.11.08
“Be mindful of your mercy, O Lord,
and of your steadfast love,
for they have been from of old.”
--An ancient song, Psalm 25: 6
A primary aspect of our spiritual development is learning to recognize the mercy and grace that surrounds us.
It is tempting to overlook the above verse, to get to the devotion, to read the devotion, to finish the task and get on with the busy-ness (or is that busi-ness). One of the cultural illnesses that can hinder our spiritual development is our addiction to staying busy. The opposite illness – idleness – can also hinder our spiritual development.
Learning to identify our “addictions” and to access “grace” is probably the most important thing we can do. Continued practice of this identification and access process can help us unleash personal potentials. Gerald May writes, “I’ve learned that all people are addicts, and that addictions to alcohol and other drugs are simply more obvious and tragic addictions. To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace.” (p. 11, Addiction and Grace)
In your busy-ness this week, slow down enough to feel the steadfast love of God surrounding you.
A prayer: God, I’m looking forward to a week of basking in your grace. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.11.08
Friday, August 8, 2008
Daily Devotions - Friday, August 8
Present Tense Living, Part 5
Today is the final day of the work week for many of us. In some fields such as health care and public safety, we take time to remember the rhythm of work is 24—7—365!!!! Many of us will spend the weekend renewing ourselves, but others will be working. It is important that we do everything that needs to be done today. It is equally important to remember with thanksgiving those who will work this weekend — those who care for patients and families and those who protect us.
The Cheyenne Indians had a proverb: “When you lose the rhythm of the drumbeat of God, you are lost from the peace and rhythm of life.” Listen to the drumbeat today, all weekend long, and always!
Ben Keckler
08.08.08
Today is the final day of the work week for many of us. In some fields such as health care and public safety, we take time to remember the rhythm of work is 24—7—365!!!! Many of us will spend the weekend renewing ourselves, but others will be working. It is important that we do everything that needs to be done today. It is equally important to remember with thanksgiving those who will work this weekend — those who care for patients and families and those who protect us.
The Cheyenne Indians had a proverb: “When you lose the rhythm of the drumbeat of God, you are lost from the peace and rhythm of life.” Listen to the drumbeat today, all weekend long, and always!
Ben Keckler
08.08.08
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Daily Devotions - Thursday, August 7
Present Tense Living, Part 4
Today’s devotion comes from a Frederick Buechner sermon, preached at the 200th anniversary celebration of the Congregational church in Rupert, Vermont. His concluding remarks:
“There is plenty of work to be done down here, God knows.
To struggle each day to walk the paths of righteousness is no pushover,
And struggle we must because just as we are fed like sheep in green pastures, we must also feed God’s sheep.
We must help bear each other’s burdens.
We must pray for each other.
We must nourish each other, weep with each other, rejoice with each other.
Sometimes we must just learn to let each other alone.
In short, we must love each other. We must never forget that.”
We are on the “down-side” of this week. Still today, in this present tense moment, there is much that we can, should and must do. May you be empowered for work right now!
Ben Keckler
08.07.08
Today’s devotion comes from a Frederick Buechner sermon, preached at the 200th anniversary celebration of the Congregational church in Rupert, Vermont. His concluding remarks:
“There is plenty of work to be done down here, God knows.
To struggle each day to walk the paths of righteousness is no pushover,
And struggle we must because just as we are fed like sheep in green pastures, we must also feed God’s sheep.
We must help bear each other’s burdens.
We must pray for each other.
We must nourish each other, weep with each other, rejoice with each other.
Sometimes we must just learn to let each other alone.
In short, we must love each other. We must never forget that.”
We are on the “down-side” of this week. Still today, in this present tense moment, there is much that we can, should and must do. May you be empowered for work right now!
Ben Keckler
08.07.08
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Daily Devotions - Wednesday, August 6
Present Tense Living, Part 3
Living in the present can be pretty intense! Hostilities seem to be exploding, literally. Our society is filled with people who can eloquently argue the political reasons for supporting every faction in every angry and violent region of our world. The Lenape tribe shares the following wisdom writing for the leaders of this world and for all inhabitants of it. It reads:
"We are minded to live at Peace: If we intend at anytime to make War upon you, we will let you know of it, and the Reasons why we make War with you; and if you make us satisfaction for the Injury done us, for which the War is intended, then we will not make War on you. And if you intend at any time to make War on us, we would have you let us know of it, and the Reasons for which you make War on us, and then if we do not make satisfaction for the Injury done unto you, then you make War on us, otherwise you ought not to do it."
Long and prayerful meditation on this bit of wisdom is in order this week. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in the sight of the Holy One, the Creator of the universe.
A prayer for today: God of today, be near your world in these tense days.
Ben Keckler
08.06.08
Living in the present can be pretty intense! Hostilities seem to be exploding, literally. Our society is filled with people who can eloquently argue the political reasons for supporting every faction in every angry and violent region of our world. The Lenape tribe shares the following wisdom writing for the leaders of this world and for all inhabitants of it. It reads:
"We are minded to live at Peace: If we intend at anytime to make War upon you, we will let you know of it, and the Reasons why we make War with you; and if you make us satisfaction for the Injury done us, for which the War is intended, then we will not make War on you. And if you intend at any time to make War on us, we would have you let us know of it, and the Reasons for which you make War on us, and then if we do not make satisfaction for the Injury done unto you, then you make War on us, otherwise you ought not to do it."
Long and prayerful meditation on this bit of wisdom is in order this week. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in the sight of the Holy One, the Creator of the universe.
A prayer for today: God of today, be near your world in these tense days.
Ben Keckler
08.06.08
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Daily Devotions - Tuesday, August 5
Present Tense Living, Part 2
Erasing the “ought to have” and the “if only” aspects of our lives is important. One writer puts it this way, “but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind me, I strain forward to what lies ahead of me.” The advice given is universal, crossing all religious boundaries. To forget what is behind is the best way to face today.
Henri Nouwen writes, “SO many things have happened in our lives about which we feel uneasy, regretful, angry, confused or ambivalent. And all these feelings are often colored by guilt. Guilt that says: ‘You ought to have done…..’ or ‘You ought to have said…..’” The result is that we cannot be fully present in the moment because we are holding on to past feelings that obscure our living in the moment.
The same is true of our “if only” moments. When we are wondering things like “What if the stock market plunges even more?” we are contemplating things beyond our control. We can end up missing the beauty that surrounds us.
Each of us has this moment, this day to be present and attentive to our inner voice, our work, each other. Be alert friends, the One who is, is present right now.
A prayer: God, help me to discover you right here, right now! Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.05.08
Erasing the “ought to have” and the “if only” aspects of our lives is important. One writer puts it this way, “but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind me, I strain forward to what lies ahead of me.” The advice given is universal, crossing all religious boundaries. To forget what is behind is the best way to face today.
Henri Nouwen writes, “SO many things have happened in our lives about which we feel uneasy, regretful, angry, confused or ambivalent. And all these feelings are often colored by guilt. Guilt that says: ‘You ought to have done…..’ or ‘You ought to have said…..’” The result is that we cannot be fully present in the moment because we are holding on to past feelings that obscure our living in the moment.
The same is true of our “if only” moments. When we are wondering things like “What if the stock market plunges even more?” we are contemplating things beyond our control. We can end up missing the beauty that surrounds us.
Each of us has this moment, this day to be present and attentive to our inner voice, our work, each other. Be alert friends, the One who is, is present right now.
A prayer: God, help me to discover you right here, right now! Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.05.08
Monday, August 4, 2008
Daily Devotions - Monday, August 4
Present Tense Living
One of the challenges we might encounter is living each day to the fullest. It is a struggle because we can easily be distracted—looking back and reflecting on our could have/should have opportunities or looking forward and hoping about our “I wish”/“I want” desires.
The ancient hymn writer exclaimed, “This is the day that our God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Today is a new day and each hour, in fact each minute is a new beginning. It is a time to make things new. As you experience the gift of life today, try to hear that inner voice that is saying to each of us: “I have a gift for you and can’t wait for you to see it!”
As we choose to listen to that inner voice, we can discover that the past is gone and we will never change it. As we keep listening to that voice, we will find ourselves opening more and more to discover the new life hidden in the moment, waiting eagerly to be born.
Enjoy THIS DAY!
A prayer: God of today, keep me attentive to each moment of this day. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.04.08
One of the challenges we might encounter is living each day to the fullest. It is a struggle because we can easily be distracted—looking back and reflecting on our could have/should have opportunities or looking forward and hoping about our “I wish”/“I want” desires.
The ancient hymn writer exclaimed, “This is the day that our God has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Today is a new day and each hour, in fact each minute is a new beginning. It is a time to make things new. As you experience the gift of life today, try to hear that inner voice that is saying to each of us: “I have a gift for you and can’t wait for you to see it!”
As we choose to listen to that inner voice, we can discover that the past is gone and we will never change it. As we keep listening to that voice, we will find ourselves opening more and more to discover the new life hidden in the moment, waiting eagerly to be born.
Enjoy THIS DAY!
A prayer: God of today, keep me attentive to each moment of this day. Amen.
Ben Keckler
08.04.08
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