Gratitude - A Spiritual Practice

As many of you know, gratitude is one of the central themes in my life. I strive to practice it on a daily basis. And when I do it transforms the ways in which I experience the world. It is my firm conviction that we are surrounded by abundance and support and the ongoing presence of God in every moment, and my practice of gratitude doesn't change any of that. What it does change is my awareness of the reality that is always present. It opens me up to perceive and appreciate and be transformed by that reality. 

I first became aware of the power of gratitude when I was looking back through the journal entries I had made during the period immediately before and after my late wife's death. It was the most challenging and painful experience of my life. I was sharing my journal posts with a community of family and friends as a way of processing the experience and staying connected with my support system. What I did not recognize at the time, and only came to appreciate as I revisited my journal posts several years later, was how pervasively the thread of gratitude had been woven through the entire experience. Over and over again, in the midst of those darkest of days, I had managed to find and express some reason to be grateful. It didn't change the outward circumstances. My wife was still dead and I was still filled with grief. But it did change how I experienced those outward circumstances. I remain convinced that, at least in part, it was this gratitude that helped me navigate my journey through grief. 

It should be noted that none of this was by intentional design. I did not make a conscious decision to engage in such a practice. The only way I have ever been able to account for it is to say that is was a gift straight from the heart of God. But once I became aware of its power I began to be intentional about making it an ongoing part of my life. Today it is one of my most important spiritual practices. And, as with most spiritual practices, the more I engage in it the easier it becomes. Sometimes “Thank you, God!” is passing through my thoughts and slipping past my lips almost before I am even aware of it. And it really has transformed how I experience the world and how I live my life. I invite you to give it a try. Set an intention to find one thing (or three things, or a dozen things) every day for which you can be grateful. Write them down, or say them out loud, or simply hold them in your awareness for a moment. Do it for a month and see how it feels. I believe it is an experiment worth trying.

And if you would like to see one of the ways I engage in this practice you can check out my “Daily Gratitudes” Facebook page - www.facebook.com/mydailygratitudes/

- Pastor Roger  

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)

New Year's - a Time for Pondering & Dreaming

It is that time of year again! New Year's! It's a funny sort of time. In one sense it is a bit random and arbitrary. There's nothing particularly meaningful, or magical, or even natural about the changing of the calendar from one year to the next. It's not tied to the solar or lunar seasons. Once upon a time someone somewhere decided that this is the system we would used to mark the passage of time. There have been and continue to be other people who used different systems which result in their “new year” beginning at some other time. And yet, in another sense, it offers us the opportunity to experience something powerful and significant in our lives. It provides us with a reminder to pause and reflect upon our lives and the meaning to be found there. We look back and ponder the experiences which have led us to this moment - some of them joyful, some of them painful, some of them absolutely life-changing. We look ahead and dream of what might be coming in the days and weeks and months which stretch out ahead of us. We allow ourselves to hope and we make plans that might help us to bring those hopes and dreams to fruition. 

We could, of course, engage in this sort of remembering and dreaming at any time along the way. There is nothing that says such things can only occur at the ending of the old year and the beginning of the new year. But in reality it is helpful to have particular occasions to remind us, because otherwise we get busy and we forget. And so, at the beginning of this new year, I invite you to spend a bit of time looking back and looking ahead. What are you grateful for and what do you regret?  What do you want to continue and what would you like to let go of? Where have you experienced God's presence and where might God be calling you to venture in the year ahead? 

For me, I am grateful for the opportunities during this past year to learn and grow and share life with you as your pastor. I am grateful for the privilege of watching you step up and become the church in ways which were both familiar to you and new to you. And I look forward to the year ahead in which I am confident that God will continue to move among us - inviting and inspiring and challenging and empowering us to share God's love and compassion with each other, with our community, and with the world. I do not yet know all of the forms which that will take, and I am certain that together, with God's help, it will be an amazing journey.

Thank you for the privilege of being your Pastor in 2018. I look forward to what comes next.

- Pastor Roger  

(keeping my feet firmly planted in the flow)