Reflections on the 23rd Psalm While it is only Tuesday morning, it is never too early in the week to experience soothing words from the 23rd Psalm. "He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside still waters, he restores my soul." As spring unfolds, it would be really nice to go over to the park, spread out a blanket and lie down surrounded by green grass and observe the budding of new life around us. It would be equally nice to go over to the park and walk next to the stream, listening to the waters gently flowing and making just enough noise to relax our anxious souls. We long for our souls to be restored, don't we? The author seems to sey, "God leads me to the places he does and I know my needed renewal will be provided. Yes, God enables me to recapture my energy and move ahead." There are still many more hours this week. Listen closely and you will find your gentle shepherd is framing ways for you to discover wonderful treasures within your soul. --Ben Keckler 05.15.12

Reflections on Psalm 23 Those who work with sheep tell us that sheep are easily frightened. They tell us that sheep can get lost easily, leaving them vulnerable to attack. Sheep need a lot of guidance, they need to be watched and protected and encouraged. The 23rd Psalm starts with the writer confessing the need of the soul. Another way of beginning this Psalm might sound like this: “Knowing that I possess many of the qualities that sheep possess, I am glad that God is present to be my caregiver, my shepherd.” Imagine a shepherd and his flock of sheep in the barren, rocky and dry countryside of Biblical times. It wouldn’t take long for grasslands to disappear with a flock of sheep. The life of a shepherd was a life of constant movement, searching for a place where grass and water could nurture his animals. The writer must have felt like he needed some help getting nutrition but proclaims with confidence in his great shepherd, “I shall not want.” As we begin a new week of care giving at Hendricks Regional I encourage you to stay in touch with the caregiver who holds you in the palm of his hand. May your wants and needs be supplied. May you be blessed with the ability to care for others just as your caregiver provides for you. --Ben Keckler 05.14.12

Daily Devotion - Monday, April 30

Rhythms in the Life Journey “You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it….” A songwriter announces his/her belief in the Creator’s springtime goodness --Psalm 65:9 This week I’d like for us to spend some devotional time with some prayers and thoughts about the life journey. Children are born, children complete a school year, youth graduate from high school and college, weddings are celebrated, and death visits us. These rhythms come to us because Holy Presence visits us and our lives are enriched. So come with me friends on a journey through some of the rhythms we experience. Come and meditate. Today a prayer for a baptism or blessing of a child as written by The Rev. Mark Belletini: We bless this child with the elements of our common being, With earth, air, fire and water. With earth, which is as solid as your given frame, my child, we bless you. Take care of yourself as a body; be good to yourself, for you are a good gift. With air, which is as fluctuating as your given passion my child, we bless you. You will know sorrow and joy, rage and contentment, resentment and ecstasy. Feel your passions my child, they are good gifts. With fire, which is as illuminating as your given intelligence, my child, we bless you. Reason with care, test the world, and think with care, for your mind is a good gift. With water, which is as clear as your spirit my child, we bless you. Grow in conscience, be rooted in good stories, and grow spiritually, for spirit too is a good gift. Bless you, my child. --Ben Keckler 04.30.12

Daily Devotions - Wednesday, April 25

Seasons of Life “But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, to tell of all God’s works.” --Psalm 73: 28 How do you describe the story of your life? A variety of images are available: a tapestry, a song, a narrative, a poem… Whatever description you use it can be helpful to view or review the story of your life. Within our “life-song” we can find that we are experiencing various seasons all the time. For example, examine the theme of loss. Can you identify a loss? If so, what season is it. Or examine the theme of relationships (either human or divine). What season are you experiencing in relationships that are significant to you? The Psalmist today is probably at a spring or summertime experience. There is energy in this verse, a vibrant feeling in the tone of the words. What is going on in your life-song? Are you listening to your life? Maybe nature’s springtime offers you an ideal time to reflect upon the goodness of the day. “And time remembered is grief forgotten And frosts are slain and flowers begotten, And in the green underwood and cover Blossom by blossom the spring begins." --Algernon Charles Swinburne --Ben Keckler 04.25.12

Daily Devotion - Tuesday, April 24

Hope “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Spirit that has been given to us.” --From a Letter to believers in Rome What happens when difficult news comes our way? How do we respond? It seems fair to say that life is not as easy as we would like, that challenges are more the standard, that pain is more frequent than we desire. When these times come our way, try spending some moments in quiet reflection, allowing hope to infuse the uncomfortable feelings that are growing in our souls. A number of helpful observations have been preserved over the years about hope. Obviously the quote from Scripture is a good one. Maybe some of these could be helpful as well: “If you do not hope, you will not find what lies beyond your hopes.” --Clement of Alexandria “Hope is the physician of every misery.” --An Irish Proverb “There never was night that had no morn.” --Dinah Maria Mulock Craik “My heart leaps when I behold a rainbow in the sky.” --William Wordsworth “We must never despair; our situation has been compromised before, and it has changed for the better; so I trust it will again.” --George Washington --Ben Keckler 04.24.12