Daily Devotion - Friday, August 28

Theme for the Week: “Not So Common Prayers”
Friday Fantasy: The Need for Renewal

Good morning God,
It has been a demanding week. I feel like maybe you will understand if I sound a bit demanding in my prayers today. The grief demands of the week have been great. The sadness of children and adults traveling through grief has been great. I feel totally drained.

I know the experiences and the disciplines of the past week have marred me and scarred me. I know they have and continue to mold me into the person I am and will become. Thank you.

But, right now, I confess that I am looking forward to renewal this weekend. Some quiet time in my own backyard, some time with my flowers, with the birds, with a refreshing beverage is what I treasure right now. Yes, I want some inner refurbishment so that my redecorated heart can dance with joy and gladness as I relax and prepare for another week of caring for your people.

Thanks for hearing, listening and responding with grace. Amen.
Have a good weekend.

--Ben Keckler
08.28.09

Daily Devotion - Thursday, August 27

Theme for the Week: “Not So Common Prayers”
Thursday Theology: The Meaning of Life

Good morning God,
It is good to believe that you know more about me than I know about myself. Today I am feeling like I don’t practice being sensitive to your voice; like I don’t take enough time to see the connection between this moment and the vast continuum of time; like I’m so caught up in my stuff that I may be missing You in the midst of life’s rhythmic pace.

Yet, there is reason why I am numb and uncertain — that’s right you already know about it, don’t you.

God, I’m not sure that I can be what I feel you nudging me to be and to become. Help me to seek you and to find you in the moment, in each and every moment. Help my words and my deeds to be in concert with the spirit that is beyond my petty desires.

It isn’t that I want to or need to do anything great to find meaning in my life, God. It is just that I’m still trying to find balance in my journey toward your realm. I’ll be still now — that is probably all you wanted me to do when I began this prayer. In your name, I pray. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.27.09

Daily Devotion - Wednesday, August 26

Theme for the Week: “Not So Common Prayers”
Wednesday Wonderings: Problems

Good morning God,
I’ve got problems. In case you didn’t know that I knew that, I thought I’d talk about them with you.

• I’m having trouble understanding others (or is it me I’m having trouble with?)
• I’m angry and so I get irritable too readily (you’re not surprised?)
• I’m anxious about the future (or is it that I’m kicking myself about regrets from the past that might resurface?)
• I’m hiding behind artificiality too often (or is it an insecurity that my feelings really aren’t important?)
• I’m trying to believe (or is it that I really don’t trust your ability to understand my humanity?)

Nothing-new here?
I know.

Help me to remember that you know my problems and to be aware of your grace that is already taking care of my stuff.

--Ben Keckler
08.26.09

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 25

Theme for the Week: “Not So Common Prayers”
Tuesday Troubles: Life Goes On

Good morning God,
Wow! Summer is almost gone and I feel like it just began.

● How come life is such a wild chase toward something which really is nothing more than what I left?
● What did I do with the last 11 weeks that we call June, July and August? I feel more empty than I do full and refreshed.
● How come just about every weekend for the next three months already has stuff penciled in?
● Is it OK to just say “No” and take time off to relax?

Wait. I just asked you a yes or no question and heard you tell me YES! You told me that life will go on and all will be well. Relax, you say? Relax.

--Ben Keckler
08.25.09

Daily Devotion - Monday, August 24

Theme for the Week: “Not So Common Prayers”
Monday Musings: Values

Good morning God,
I’m back from a refreshing weekend and I had some quality time with the world you’ve made. Thank you. My senses are alive! And now I’m back at work, graced by air conditioning and so many other products of human technology. Problems will arise and people will need individual attention. Help me to honor the value of the earth and the value of spending time with people in need from my small region of your vast world.

Guide me through my struggles this week:
Can I learn how to use my possessions and be less used by them?
Can I embrace creation’s beauty?
Can I be less enamored with my own creations?
Can I slow down?
Can I surrender my greed; realizing generosity will not deplete me?
Can I live more simply so that others can simply live?

Teach me awareness, O God.

Ben Keckler
08.24.09

Daily Devotion - Friday, August 21

Friday Work and Weekend Fun?

This week we have used prayers from the book, Prayers for Healing, edited by Maggie Oman a few years ago. The book offers blessings, poems and meditations from people of various faith traditions. We finish this week with a prayer by Belleruth Naparstek which prepares us for the possibilities of the weekend ahead:

“Just give me this:
A rinsing out, a cleansing free of all my smaller strivings
So I can be the class act God intended,
True to my purpose, all my energy aligned behind my deepest intention.

And just this:
A quieting down, a clearing away of internal ruckus,
So I can hear the huge stillness in my heart
And feel how I pulse with all creation, part and parcel of Your great singing ocean.

And this, too:
A willingness to notice and forgive the myriad times I fall short,
Forgetting who I really am, what I really belong to.

So I can start over, fresh and clean like sweet sheets billowing in the summer sun,
My heart pierced with gratitude.”

May your day and your weekend give you opportunity for refreshment.

Prayer: Holy One, bring me what I need for this time in my life. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.21.09

Daily Devotion - Thursday, August 20

A Tidbit for Thursday

We continue with prayers from the Summer Section of the book Prayers for Healing. Edited by Maggie Oman, the books offers blessings, poems and meditations from people of various faith traditions. Today, May Sarton offers some words of wisdom worthy of your thought and meditation:

“Pain is the great teacher.
I woke before dawn with this thought
Joy and happiness are what we take and do not question.
They are beyond question, maybe. A matter of being.
But, pain forces us to think, and to make connections, to sort out what is what, to discover what has been happening to cause it.
And, curiously enough, pain draws us to other human beings in a significant way, whereas joy or happiness to some extent, isolates.”

Today, as you encounter others in their pain, may your life and their lives be strengthened by the significance of your time together.

Prayer: Holy One, teach me to be present with others in their pain. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.20.09

Daily Devotion - Wednesday, August 19

Wednesday Wisdom

Prayers for Healing, a book of blessings, poems and meditations from people of various faith traditions, was edited a few years ago by Maggie Oman. This week we are receiving prayers/meditations from the Summer Section of the book. Today, we think globally and meditate on this prayer written a quarter of a century ago for the Week of Prayer for World Peace:

“We pray for the power to be gentle; the strength to be forgiving; the patience to be understanding; and the endurance to accept the consequences to holding to what we believe to be right.
May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. We pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from violence,
a new world where fear shall no longer lead men to commit injustice, nor selfishness make them bring suffering to others.
Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we were created.”

As the Sacred writings state, “Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.19.09

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 18

Thoughts for Tuesday

A few years ago, Maggie Oman was inspired to serve as the editor for a book entitled Prayers for Healing. The book offers blessings, poems and meditations from people of various faith traditions. It is grouped by seasons of the year and this week we are receiving prayers from the Summer Section of the book. Today’s blessing is from the Pueblo tribe:

“Hold on to what is good, even if it is a handful of earth;
Hold on to what you believe, even if it is a tree that stands by itself;
Hold on to what you must do, even if it is a long way from here;
Hold on to life, even if it is easier to let go;
Hold on to my hand, even if I have gone away from you.”

May your soul be inspired to hold on for this moment… and forever.

Prayer: God, tighten your grip on me and mine on you. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.18.09

Daily Devotion - Monday, August 17

On Your Mark, Get Set, Start Your Week

A few years ago, Maggie Oman was inspired to serve as the editor for a book entitled Prayers for Healing. The book offers 365 blessings, poems and meditations from people of various faith traditions. It is grouped by seasons of the year. This week we receive prayers from the Summer Section of the book. Today a prayer from Persia:

“All that we ought to have thought and have not thought,
All that we ought to have said, and have not said,
All that we ought to have done, and have not done;

“All that we ought not to have thought, and yet have thought,
All that we ought not to have spoken, and yet have spoken,
All that we ought not to have done, and yet have done;

“For thoughts, words and works, pray we, O God, for forgiveness.”

May your week be blessed with the thoughts, the words and the deeds that come from souls forgiven and empowered to do that which needs to be done.

Prayer: God, be in all that I do. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.17.09

Daily Devotion - Friday, August 14

Amazing Grace

“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

This week we have spent with the above verse and thinking about mercy and grace. It is just about time to close the work week and enjoy the renewal that comes from the rhythm of the weekend. The following is a favorite hymn of millions and your mind deserves to hear it throughout the day. Here are the words; the melody will come to your mind as you read:

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wreck like me
I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.

‘Tis grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.

A merciful God accepts you at the very point where you are in your pilgrimage. Why not be still enough to at least experience the embrace of steadfast love. Have a blessed day and a wonderful weekend.

Prayer: God, be with me in my tension moments today. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.14.09

Daily Devotion - Thursday, August 13

Being Still Enough

“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

This week we are looking at a primary aspect of spiritual development – the recognition of mercy and grace. We are using the above verse from scripture for starting the meditations.

Working in the health care field can be particularly stressful. In fact many of us (myself included) tend to be rather attached to the high tension/high demand role of caregiving. Within many of us (myself included) we recognize the spirit working in and through us. One difficulty we can face is the cultivation of good spiritual disciplines which, if not used, can lead to the feeling of being “spent”. Spiritual development happens best when spending time in quiet, receptive openness and meditation.

Gerald May writes, “Even mild addiction to stress becomes rapidly evident for many modern spiritual pilgrims. The mind can generate wondrous excuses to do something instead of just being open and present. … we might rather avoid the self-knowledge that comes to us in quiet. Now, increasing numbers of us are discovering that we would rather not experience the discomfort of being peaceful.” (P.89, Addiction and Grace)

A merciful God accepts you at the very point where you are in your pilgrimage. Why not be still enough to at least experience the embrace of steadfast love. AND THEN, get back to – whatever!

Prayer: God, slow me down, allow me to experience a couple of moments of quiet. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.13.09

Daily Devotion - Wednesday, August 12

Letting Go!

“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 spiritual development is recognizing mercy and grace. This week we are spending time meditating on the above verse.

Yesterday we talked about holding on to unhealthy thought patterns, thereby limiting our accessing of the grace that is available to us. Let me tell a little story that I call “Cottage Cheese.”

At age 15 my parents (probably mom more than dad) decided I was going to “try” cottage cheese. I was certain I didn’t like it and put up my best defense. I lost. On my first bite I “won” by losing not only the cottage cheese, but also everything else in my digestive system. The experience was memorable.

Eleven years later as pastor of a new church start in Lima, Ohio I sat in the living room of a new member. She was a retired school teacher, gifted musician and gracious hostess. She invited me to stay for lunch, telling me she had already prepared a light lunch. I said, “That will be fine; I eat about anything.” Lunch that day was cottage cheese on a pineapple ring with crackers on the side.

I ate. I enjoyed. I still eat cottage cheese and enjoy. Letting go of unhealthy patterns is healthy!

--Ben Keckler
08.12.09

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 11

Stinkin’ Thinkin’

“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

This week we are spending time meditating on the above verse. Recognizing mercy and grace is a primary aspect of spiritual development.

Have you ever heard the little phrase “stinkin’ thinkin’”? Whether or not we acknowledge it, we all possess it. All of us have learned or developed some unhealthy patterns in our lives that we remain attached to. We participate in them freely without realizing that we are doing so because it is a learned behavior. Sometimes when we get stuck in the pattern or behavior, we can view it as something that is unhealthy. Obvious examples of this are alcoholics, drug addicts, or people with pathological behaviors. But equally true examples can be things like specific intolerances or phobias. (Don’t get defensive - just allow yourself to absorb this possibility!)

The one type of thinkin’ that appears healthy to me, especially when I am faced with my own “stinkin’ thinkin’” is: I am accepted by the Holy One. I am embraced with a steadfast love – even if/when my thinkin’ is stinkin’!

Prayer: God, thanks for your embrace, even when my thinkin’ isn’t quite right. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.11.09

Daily Devotion - Monday, August 10

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

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We are back from a wonderful, wonderful vacation to the Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park. The scenery was beautiful, the weather gorgeous, and the company of others terrific. It was a great time to relax and enjoy life. I have been renewed. It is now time to get back in the saddle again - and yes, we did go horseback riding!
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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.

Prayer: God, I’m looking forward to a week of basking in your grace. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
08.10.09