Take Me Out to the Ballgame
“Teach me your way, O Lord. Lead me on a level path.”
--A song from an ancient seeker
Tuesday: Where is the ballgame?
By the time you read this devotion the World Series could be history. The Rangers or the Cardinals may have completed a sweep of their opponent. I do know that October 25 (tonight) is a scheduled travel day and I know that tomorrow’s home team is scheduled to be the Cardinals. (Go CARDS!)
In some ways the question “where is the ballgame?” can be reframed as we think about “Voices Shared,” the theme for Pastoral Care Week 2011.
Healing of self is tough work and I believe “inner healing” is where the true ballgame is! It requires diligent work. Sharing a personal story of pain with listeners who use a variety of lenses to examine the story is where we need to focus.
I believe there is a time and purpose for everything. Sometimes we need to examine medical questions, sometimes we need to examine psychological questions, sometimes we need to examine spiritual questions, and sometimes we need to have a multi-disciplinary approach to healing.
As you sit back and let the commentators take you out to the World Series ballgame (wherever it is), allow your spirit to do some work as you contemplate some of the healings that can happen in our global village. The healing begins when we decide to play hardball with ourselves.
Have a very good day.
A Prayer: Holy God, take me to the ballgames I need to play. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
10.25.11
Showing posts with label Inner healing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Inner healing. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Daily Devotion - Friday, August 19
Prayers for Healing
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
I found this prayer by Belleruth Naparstek; I think it 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.
A prayer: Holy One, bring me what I need for this time in my life. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.19.11
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
I found this prayer by Belleruth Naparstek; I think it 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.
A prayer: Holy One, bring me what I need for this time in my life. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.19.11
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Daily Devotion - Thursday, August 18
Prayers for Healing
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
Today, May Sarton offers some words of wisdom worthy of your thought and meditation. While we yearn for happy, peaceful times, May’s prayer reminds us that compassionate souls emerge out of painful experiences.
“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 or come face to face with your own pain, may your life and the lives of others be strengthened by the significance of your time together.
A prayer: Holy One, teach me to be present with others in their pain. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.18.11
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
Today, May Sarton offers some words of wisdom worthy of your thought and meditation. While we yearn for happy, peaceful times, May’s prayer reminds us that compassionate souls emerge out of painful experiences.
“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 or come face to face with your own pain, may your life and the lives of others be strengthened by the significance of your time together.
A prayer: Holy One, teach me to be present with others in their pain. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.18.11
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, August 16
Prayers for Healing
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62: 8
Today, a blessing 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.
A prayer: God, tighten your grip on me and mine on you. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.16.11
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62: 8
Today, a blessing 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.
A prayer: God, tighten your grip on me and mine on you. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.16.11
Monday, August 15, 2011
Daily Devotion - Monday, August 15
Prayers for Healing
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
This week I want to share with you several prayers for healing. Today’s centering prayer is from Persia and focuses on inner (spiritual) healing.
“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.
A prayer: God, be in all that I do. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.15.11
“Trust in God at all times, O people;
pour out your heart before him;
God is a refuge for us.”
--A call to faith, Psalm 62:8
This week I want to share with you several prayers for healing. Today’s centering prayer is from Persia and focuses on inner (spiritual) healing.
“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.
A prayer: God, be in all that I do. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
08.15.11
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