The Skill of 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.
Prayer: Slow me down and grant me the gift of full attentiveness to others. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.30.09
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Daily Devoition - Monday, June 29
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.”
--from Matthew’s gospel (26:40)
A new work week is with us. We will be in contact with people in a variety of ways – over the phone, by letter or email, face-to-face. We will have passing words or in-depth conversations. At my place of employment, we stress the importance of compassion in our daily dealings.
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 much more than a simple sentence.
Prayer: God be in my every word and deed. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.29.09
“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.”
--from Matthew’s gospel (26:40)
A new work week is with us. We will be in contact with people in a variety of ways – over the phone, by letter or email, face-to-face. We will have passing words or in-depth conversations. At my place of employment, we stress the importance of compassion in our daily dealings.
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 much more than a simple sentence.
Prayer: God be in my every word and deed. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.29.09
Friday, June 26, 2009
Daily Devotion - Friday, June 26
Prayer from Mother Teresa
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink
and find great satisfaction in their work.
This too, I see, is from the hand of God
for without him who can find enjoyment.”
--A wisdom saying Ecclesiastes
Chapter 2:24, 25
One of the daily prayers that Mother Teresa used as she delivered her care to children in India seems most appropriate for whatever work we may do.
Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day
in the person of your sick, and, while nursing them,
minister unto you.
Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of
the irritable, the exacting and the unreasonable,
may I be still long enough to recognize you in them….
Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity
of my vocation and its many responsibilities.
Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to
coldness, unkindness or impatience….
Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and forevermore. Amen.
Have a good Friday and may your weekend be filled with divine grace notes that refresh and restore your soul
--Ben Keckler
06.26.09
“A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink
and find great satisfaction in their work.
This too, I see, is from the hand of God
for without him who can find enjoyment.”
--A wisdom saying Ecclesiastes
Chapter 2:24, 25
One of the daily prayers that Mother Teresa used as she delivered her care to children in India seems most appropriate for whatever work we may do.
Dearest Lord, may I see you today and every day
in the person of your sick, and, while nursing them,
minister unto you.
Though you hide yourself behind the unattractive disguise of
the irritable, the exacting and the unreasonable,
may I be still long enough to recognize you in them….
Sweetest Lord, make me appreciative of the dignity
of my vocation and its many responsibilities.
Never permit me to disgrace it by giving way to
coldness, unkindness or impatience….
Lord, increase my faith, bless my efforts and work, now and forevermore. Amen.
Have a good Friday and may your weekend be filled with divine grace notes that refresh and restore your soul
--Ben Keckler
06.26.09
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Daily Devotion - Thursday, June 25
Works of Love and Peace
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.”
--A wisdom saying from the Proverbs
Chapter 3:3
One day Mother Teresa was writing a letter to her fellow laborers in Calcutta, the Missionaries of Charity and their Co-Workers. Her goal was to inspire the workers as they performed their acts of mercy with people in need. She quoted from one of Cardinal Newman’s prayers and added her own thoughts. Pray with me today:
“Help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go—
let me preach thee without preaching, not by words but by example—
by the catching force;
let the sympathetic influence of what I do
be evidence of the full love my heart feels to thee.” (Newman)
She then continued saying, “Our works of love are nothing but works of peace. Let us do them with greater love and efficiency—each in her or his daily work both in your home and with your neighbor. Listen to the cry: I was hungry – not only for food, but for peace that comes from a pure heart; I was thirsty – not for water, but for peace that satiates the passionate thirst of passion for war; I was naked – not for clothes, but for that beautiful dignity of people for their bodies; I was homeless – not for a shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves.”
A prayer: God, may I act with mercy today. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.25.09
“Let love and faithfulness never leave you;
bind them around your neck,
write them on the tablet of your heart.”
--A wisdom saying from the Proverbs
Chapter 3:3
One day Mother Teresa was writing a letter to her fellow laborers in Calcutta, the Missionaries of Charity and their Co-Workers. Her goal was to inspire the workers as they performed their acts of mercy with people in need. She quoted from one of Cardinal Newman’s prayers and added her own thoughts. Pray with me today:
“Help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go—
let me preach thee without preaching, not by words but by example—
by the catching force;
let the sympathetic influence of what I do
be evidence of the full love my heart feels to thee.” (Newman)
She then continued saying, “Our works of love are nothing but works of peace. Let us do them with greater love and efficiency—each in her or his daily work both in your home and with your neighbor. Listen to the cry: I was hungry – not only for food, but for peace that comes from a pure heart; I was thirsty – not for water, but for peace that satiates the passionate thirst of passion for war; I was naked – not for clothes, but for that beautiful dignity of people for their bodies; I was homeless – not for a shelter made of bricks, but for a heart that understands, that covers, that loves.”
A prayer: God, may I act with mercy today. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.25.09
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Daily Devotion - Wednesday, June 24
New Voices
“May God be gracious to us and bless us,
may the face of the Lord shine upon us
and all the ends of the earth will honor our God.”
--From a Psalm of God’s people,
Chapter 67, selected verses
God’s grace comes to us in a variety of ways. As new opportunities come our way, we gain new understanding about the awesome nature of God’s holy presence among us. Recently I’ve been listening to a new voice. From this new voice I am finding, enjoying, and learning more about the graciousness of God.
This voice is a new associate at the hospital. When we have a new person on staff, in our organization or in our neighborhood, it is important for us to welcome and integrate them into our community. As the new people with their hopes, dreams and goals blend with the “seasoned” group or neighborhood, we all discover God gracing us and blessing us in refreshing ways.
Have you noticed the face of the Lord shining on you recently?
Prayer: Gracious God, help us to be ever aware of new voices in our lives. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.24.09
“May God be gracious to us and bless us,
may the face of the Lord shine upon us
and all the ends of the earth will honor our God.”
--From a Psalm of God’s people,
Chapter 67, selected verses
God’s grace comes to us in a variety of ways. As new opportunities come our way, we gain new understanding about the awesome nature of God’s holy presence among us. Recently I’ve been listening to a new voice. From this new voice I am finding, enjoying, and learning more about the graciousness of God.
This voice is a new associate at the hospital. When we have a new person on staff, in our organization or in our neighborhood, it is important for us to welcome and integrate them into our community. As the new people with their hopes, dreams and goals blend with the “seasoned” group or neighborhood, we all discover God gracing us and blessing us in refreshing ways.
Have you noticed the face of the Lord shining on you recently?
Prayer: Gracious God, help us to be ever aware of new voices in our lives. Amen.
--Ben Keckler
06.24.09
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