Tuesday on Friday
“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust;
I am not afraid; what can flesh do to me?” --Psalm 56:1
It is Friday and my soul is feeling that it might be a good day to revisit the book Tuesdays with Morrie. From time to time excerpts from Morrie’s life and the words of Sacred Scripture have served as a means for deepening my journey inward. Today we find Morrie in the final stages of ALS. His interviewer, Mitch Albom, listens as his dying professor spends some time on “the ultimate questions, the ones that won’t go away.”
“That’s the thing, you see. Once you get your fingers
on the important questions, you can’t turn away from them.”
Mitch asks, ‘And which are the important questions?’
The professor continues, ‘As I see it, they have to do with love, responsibility, spirituality, awareness. And if I were healthy today,
those would still be my issues. They should have been all along.’”
Take time with the ultimate values both in your work and in your relationships. As we each do this, deep praise will rise up from within our souls. Enjoy your weekend and spend time formulating your important questions in the areas that Morrie suggested.
A prayer: God of my life and all life, guide me as I struggle to reflect the important questions throughout the weekend.
--Ben Keckler
04.29.11
Showing posts with label Tuesdays with Morrie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tuesdays with Morrie. Show all posts
Friday, April 29, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Daily Devotion - Friday, March 4
Tuesday on Friday
“Teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.”
--An old hymn of Israel
One book that can be a helpful devotional book is Tuesdays with Morrie. I’ve referred to this book several times in the past and want to again today. Morrie, as you may recall, is a retired college professor who is dying from ALS. His former student, hearing of Morrie’s illness, decides to take some of his Tuesdays flying from Detroit to Boston just to learn more from Morrie. For today, Morrie’s thoughts about our emotions:
“If you hold back on the emotions—if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them—you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief. You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. By throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is, what love is, what grief is.”
He then shares this powerful observation:
“I know you think this is just about dying
but it’s like I keep telling you:
When you learn how to die,
you learn how to live.”
This seems to be the message of today’s verse from the Psalms. May your day and your weekend be filled with wonderful (difficult) encounters with the emotions of your soul.
A prayer for today: O God, give me courage to face the emotions of my soul.
--Ben Keckler
03.04.11
“Teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.”
--An old hymn of Israel
One book that can be a helpful devotional book is Tuesdays with Morrie. I’ve referred to this book several times in the past and want to again today. Morrie, as you may recall, is a retired college professor who is dying from ALS. His former student, hearing of Morrie’s illness, decides to take some of his Tuesdays flying from Detroit to Boston just to learn more from Morrie. For today, Morrie’s thoughts about our emotions:
“If you hold back on the emotions—if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them—you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief. You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. By throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is, what love is, what grief is.”
He then shares this powerful observation:
“I know you think this is just about dying
but it’s like I keep telling you:
When you learn how to die,
you learn how to live.”
This seems to be the message of today’s verse from the Psalms. May your day and your weekend be filled with wonderful (difficult) encounters with the emotions of your soul.
A prayer for today: O God, give me courage to face the emotions of my soul.
--Ben Keckler
03.04.11
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Daily Devotion - Tuesday, June 1
Tuesday Smiles with Morrie
Many of us are familiar with the story of Job. It’s a story of the wealthiest person of the East losing everything. It’s a faith story and worthy of reading.
From time to time I use the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, for these devotions. This book is the story of a college professor, Morrie Schwartz, and the last weeks of his life. Mitch Albom was one of the professor’s students who, upon hearing that his beloved teacher was dying, decided he wanted to spend time with his professor and learn some additional lessons about life. This little snippet shows that Morrie didn’t lose his spark and enthusiasm even as he journeyed toward his eternal rest.
Okay, question, I say to Morrie. His bony fingers hold his glasses across his chest, which rises and falls with each labored breath.
“What is the question?” he says.
Remember the Book of Job?
“From the Bible?”
Right, Job is a good man, but God makes him suffer. To test his faith.
“I remember.”
Takes away everything he has, his house, his money, his family…
“His health.”
Makes him sick.
“To test his faith.”
Right, I say. To test his faith. So, I’m wondering…
“What are you wondering?”
What you think about that?
Morrie coughs violently. His hands quiver as he drops them by his side.
“I think,” he says, smiling, “God overdid it.” (Pages 150-151)
May you find enough spark and enthusiasm for today. Thanks, Morrie, for the insight!
--Ben Keckler
06.01.10
Many of us are familiar with the story of Job. It’s a story of the wealthiest person of the East losing everything. It’s a faith story and worthy of reading.
From time to time I use the book, Tuesdays with Morrie, for these devotions. This book is the story of a college professor, Morrie Schwartz, and the last weeks of his life. Mitch Albom was one of the professor’s students who, upon hearing that his beloved teacher was dying, decided he wanted to spend time with his professor and learn some additional lessons about life. This little snippet shows that Morrie didn’t lose his spark and enthusiasm even as he journeyed toward his eternal rest.
Okay, question, I say to Morrie. His bony fingers hold his glasses across his chest, which rises and falls with each labored breath.
“What is the question?” he says.
Remember the Book of Job?
“From the Bible?”
Right, Job is a good man, but God makes him suffer. To test his faith.
“I remember.”
Takes away everything he has, his house, his money, his family…
“His health.”
Makes him sick.
“To test his faith.”
Right, I say. To test his faith. So, I’m wondering…
“What are you wondering?”
What you think about that?
Morrie coughs violently. His hands quiver as he drops them by his side.
“I think,” he says, smiling, “God overdid it.” (Pages 150-151)
May you find enough spark and enthusiasm for today. Thanks, Morrie, for the insight!
--Ben Keckler
06.01.10
Friday, March 12, 2010
Daily Devotion - Friday, March 12
Tuesday on Friday
“Teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.”
--An old hymn of Israel
As you probably know, I write a lot of devotions. I repeat this one from time to time because I believe it contains one of the most important, if not the most important, lessons we can learn as we journey through this life. Meditate on this one, friends.
One book that can be a helpful devotional book is Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie, as you may know, is a retired college professor who is dying from ALS. His former student, hearing of Morrie’s illness, decides to take some of his Tuesdays flying from Detroit to Boston just to learn some more from Morrie. For today, Morrie’s thoughts about our emotions:
“If you hold back on the emotions—if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them—you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief. You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. By throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is, what love is, what grief is.”
He then shares this powerful observation:
“I know you think this is just about dying
but it’s like I keep telling you: When you learn how to die,
you learn how to live.”
This seems to be the message of today’s verse from the Psalms. May your day and your weekend be filled with wonderful (difficult) encounters with the emotions of your soul.
Prayer for today: O God, give me courage to face the emotions of my soul.
--Ben Keckler
03.12.10
“Teach us to count our days
that we may gain a wise heart.”
--An old hymn of Israel
As you probably know, I write a lot of devotions. I repeat this one from time to time because I believe it contains one of the most important, if not the most important, lessons we can learn as we journey through this life. Meditate on this one, friends.
One book that can be a helpful devotional book is Tuesdays with Morrie. Morrie, as you may know, is a retired college professor who is dying from ALS. His former student, hearing of Morrie’s illness, decides to take some of his Tuesdays flying from Detroit to Boston just to learn some more from Morrie. For today, Morrie’s thoughts about our emotions:
“If you hold back on the emotions—if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them—you can never get to being detached, you’re too busy being afraid. You’re afraid of the pain, you’re afraid of the grief. You’re afraid of the vulnerability that loving entails. By throwing yourself into these emotions, by allowing yourself to dive in, all the way, over your head even, you experience them fully and completely. You know what pain is, what love is, what grief is.”
He then shares this powerful observation:
“I know you think this is just about dying
but it’s like I keep telling you: When you learn how to die,
you learn how to live.”
This seems to be the message of today’s verse from the Psalms. May your day and your weekend be filled with wonderful (difficult) encounters with the emotions of your soul.
Prayer for today: O God, give me courage to face the emotions of my soul.
--Ben Keckler
03.12.10
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