Monday, October 10, 2011

Reflections on a Weekend
This week our devotions focus on the significance of taking time for continued development of spiritual awareness.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God.” ---A song from an ancient seeker

Monday: Taking the time

This weekend was spent with family and friends. It was a get-away weekend to give thanks for the life of my mother-in-law. She left this side of life late last month. The trip took us into one of the truly beautiful areas of our land, Lancaster County, PA. The beauty of fall colors painting the mountainsides amid towering evergreens provided an excellent setting for reflection. My wife stayed in East for an extended time with her sister. It seems like I grow in my spiritual awareness when I take opportunities to reflect on seasonal changes in the rhythms of nature.

This “away from the routine” time allowed me to do some “soul work”. The question I am dealing with as I return to the workplace is this:

How can I better balance the demands of daily routine
so that every minute feels like a dance with the Divine?

As I begin my reflections, I realize that this question is not just a personal one for me. The past ten years spent listening to the heart songs of others here at Hendricks Regional Health assures me that the question is a worthy one for each of us. I invite you to join me in the process. I look forward to this week at Hendricks Regional Health. I pray that you will have a good week.

A Prayer: Holy God, distract me from my busy-ness so that I can fully appreciate your presence. Amen.

--Ben Keckler
10.10.11

Daily Devotions - Monday, August 11

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

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.

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

Ben Keckler
08.11.08