Listening
“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
--From the 1st book of Samuel (3:9)
One skill that is always in need of greater development is the skill of listening. It is very easy to fill the silence of an encounter with “our agenda”. It is also very easy to hear what is said without feeling what the heartsong of the other person really is. Listening calls us to give time and space to the person who is sharing with us. Listening is allowing yourself to give full attentiveness to that which is beyond you.
A prayer for today: Slow me down and grant me the gift of full attentiveness to others. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.07.11
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Daily Devotion - Monday, June 6
Discovery or Rediscovery?
“Unless you change and become like children,
you will never understand the kingdom of God.”
--Jesus as recorded by Matthew
Trying to find God can be a major challenge. Trying to believe in divine presence and power can be most difficult, especially when the wounds of life are so strong and overpowering. Going back to those formative years when a complex world didn’t seem so intimidating can help. Macrina Wiederkehr (A Tree Full of Angels, page 63) shares her thoughts with us now:
“What pains me most these days is my inability
to reach back into my years and touch the child I was.
“And yet, loving, living, stirring deep within my soul,
that child lives on.
“There are days when my adult ways turn tasteless in my mouth
and the child of long ago starts pressing on my soul.
“On days like that, I long to touch that child again
and let her take me by the hand and lead me down a path
that has a heart and show me all the things
that I’ve stopped seeing because I’ve grown too tall.”
--Ben Keckler
06.06.11
“Unless you change and become like children,
you will never understand the kingdom of God.”
--Jesus as recorded by Matthew
Trying to find God can be a major challenge. Trying to believe in divine presence and power can be most difficult, especially when the wounds of life are so strong and overpowering. Going back to those formative years when a complex world didn’t seem so intimidating can help. Macrina Wiederkehr (A Tree Full of Angels, page 63) shares her thoughts with us now:
“What pains me most these days is my inability
to reach back into my years and touch the child I was.
“And yet, loving, living, stirring deep within my soul,
that child lives on.
“There are days when my adult ways turn tasteless in my mouth
and the child of long ago starts pressing on my soul.
“On days like that, I long to touch that child again
and let her take me by the hand and lead me down a path
that has a heart and show me all the things
that I’ve stopped seeing because I’ve grown too tall.”
--Ben Keckler
06.06.11
Friday, June 3, 2011
Daily Devotion - Friday, June 3
A Simple Model for Living
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to declare God’s steadfast love in the morning
and God’s faithfulness by night.”
--From the Psalter (92:1)
308 years ago, John Wesley was born. Wesley is known as the English founder of Methodism, which has grown to be a most influential part of the Christian religion. Here is his simple model for great living:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
To all the people you can.
As long as ever, you can.”
Have a good weekend.
A prayer for today: God be with me in all that I do. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.03.11
“It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to declare God’s steadfast love in the morning
and God’s faithfulness by night.”
--From the Psalter (92:1)
308 years ago, John Wesley was born. Wesley is known as the English founder of Methodism, which has grown to be a most influential part of the Christian religion. Here is his simple model for great living:
“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
To all the people you can.
As long as ever, you can.”
Have a good weekend.
A prayer for today: God be with me in all that I do. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.03.11
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Daily Devotion - Thursday, June 2
Discovery or Rediscovery?
“Unless you change and become like children,
you will never understand the kingdom of God.”
--From Matthew’s gospel (18:3)
It’s Tuesday and I think it would be good to spend a couple of minutes with Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. Today, another excerpt from Tuesday’s With Morrie. Meditate on these words that a dying Morrie Schwartz shares with us through Mitch:
“Mitch, it’s funny,” Morrie said. I’m an independent person,
so my inclination was to fight being dependent on others.
I felt a little ashamed; because our culture tells us
we should be ashamed if we are dependent.
Forget what culture says…
We all yearn in some way to return to those days
when we were completely taken care of – unconditional love,
unconditional attention. Most of us didn’t get enough.”
Discovering the dependent part of our lives is important. Naming it, claiming it and allowing the “child within” to be loved and nurtured is a good thing. When we are “at home” with dependency, when we can enjoy it, then we can find ourselves nearer to the kingdom of God.
A prayer for today: In my quest for independence, help me to claim my total dependence on you, O God. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.02.11
“Unless you change and become like children,
you will never understand the kingdom of God.”
--From Matthew’s gospel (18:3)
It’s Tuesday and I think it would be good to spend a couple of minutes with Morrie Schwartz and Mitch Albom. Today, another excerpt from Tuesday’s With Morrie. Meditate on these words that a dying Morrie Schwartz shares with us through Mitch:
“Mitch, it’s funny,” Morrie said. I’m an independent person,
so my inclination was to fight being dependent on others.
I felt a little ashamed; because our culture tells us
we should be ashamed if we are dependent.
Forget what culture says…
We all yearn in some way to return to those days
when we were completely taken care of – unconditional love,
unconditional attention. Most of us didn’t get enough.”
Discovering the dependent part of our lives is important. Naming it, claiming it and allowing the “child within” to be loved and nurtured is a good thing. When we are “at home” with dependency, when we can enjoy it, then we can find ourselves nearer to the kingdom of God.
A prayer for today: In my quest for independence, help me to claim my total dependence on you, O God. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.02.11
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, June 1
More Than a Simple Sentence
“Truly I tell you, just as you cared for one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
--Jesus, as recorded by Matthew
The act of care giving is happening all over the world today. There are thousands and thousands of people who are performing acts of kindness in all sorts of institutions. Here at the hospital we talk a lot about performing our tasks with compassion. We work hard to treat people better. About 200 years ago a philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, shared the following observation.
“The way you see people is the way you treat them
and the way you treat them is what they become.”
Initially, this may seem like a simple sentence. I encourage you to meditate on it today. I believe Goethe’s words are more than a simple sentence.
--Ben Keckler
06.01.11
“Truly I tell you, just as you cared for one of the least of these
who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
--Jesus, as recorded by Matthew
The act of care giving is happening all over the world today. There are thousands and thousands of people who are performing acts of kindness in all sorts of institutions. Here at the hospital we talk a lot about performing our tasks with compassion. We work hard to treat people better. About 200 years ago a philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, shared the following observation.
“The way you see people is the way you treat them
and the way you treat them is what they become.”
Initially, this may seem like a simple sentence. I encourage you to meditate on it today. I believe Goethe’s words are more than a simple sentence.
--Ben Keckler
06.01.11
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