God, Your presence underneath the noise of the demands of daily life fills my heart with peace. Your Word cleanses negative emotions that I don't know how to stop on my own. Your grace works in my inner room of silent prayer, taking away jealousies, hatreds, vanities, pride, and prejudices that hinder consciously chosen love. Thank you for your healing grace. Amen Peter Traben Haas, Centering Prayers: A One-Year Daily Companion for Going Deeper into the Love of God … [Read more...]
Reflections from a Monastery
How long can you live with silence? During the last full week of February my wife and I traveled to Arizona for a few days of sun—and rain!—hikes in the mountains, and a family visit. The week was capped by two days in a remote monastery in southeastern Arizona, surrounded by sweeping desert and mountain views. Santa Rita Abbey is home to a community of Cistercian Catholic Sisters. (Learn more at http://www.santaritaabbey.org/our-community/ .) The only public sound in their life together … [Read more...]
Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips
Summer is short in our part of the world but for me one of the joys of the season is climbing and hiking our local mountain ranges. Over the years I’ve summited all five of Washington’s volcanoes but another long-time goal I’ve had is to hike from Snoqualmie Pass to Stevens Pass. Weeks ago, finally, that goal was realized. This route is only a small portion of the 2600-mile border-to-border Pacific Crest Trail. Also known as Washington Section J, this spectacular 71-mile stretch gains a … [Read more...]
Busyness
Søren Kierkegaard, 19th-century Danish philosopher and theologian, would not be impressed with our busyness today. “Of all ridiculous things the most ridiculous seems to me to be busy—to be a man who is brisk about his food and his work . . . What, I wonder, do these busy folks get done?” Stephen Evans, Baylor University philosopher, says Kierkegaard saw busyness as a distraction from the really important questions of life, such as who we are and what life is for (Quartz, April 16). … [Read more...]
Saved to Save
3 Lent C—2/28/16 Isaiah 55:1-9; Psalm 63:1-8; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; Luke 13:1-9 Pr. Scott Kramer Three weeks ago yesterday, on February 6th, at 4:00 in the morning, my wife and I were awakened by windows rattling and the building shaking. I looked at her and she said, “Earthquake”, and…we both fell back asleep! Maybe not the safest response to an earthquake (!) but the next morning we heard news that she was right. It was an earthquake—the same one you read about in the news--on the … [Read more...]
Everyday Salvation
During the forty days of Lent we ponder in a more intentional way our stories of salvation. "Being saved," we remember, is not merely some religious or other-worldly drama. Following Jesus means celebrating God's power where it shows up unexpectedly in the ordinary and everyday. Here's a sweet story of salvation from today's paper. … [Read more...]
Who Am I?
Rachel Dolezal is the latest to make headlines by raising important questions about human identity. Whereas Caitlyn Jenner’s much-publicized transition challenges traditional notions of sexual identity, Dolezal, who recently resigned as head of the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, challenges common assumptions about race. Like Jenner, Dolezal places less stock in biology than in the dictates of her heart. Dolezal’s DNA may settle the matter of her European ancestry but her primary emotional … [Read more...]
Rush to Judgment
Caitlyn Jenner made headlines this past week and reaction, both supportive and not-so-much, was swift. Not surprisingly, Rush Limbaugh was among those who immediately weighed in against Jenner’s identity (“mental illness”) and publicity surrounding her (“everything the media wants to do in terms of turning the culture upside down.”) In the name of “morality” Limbaugh and his allies are quick to judge Caitlyn Jenner. Here’s a sampler of Christian teaching on judgment: • Do not judge by … [Read more...]
“Down Under” Reflections for Lent: Laughing Buddha, Suffering Christ
"Down Under" Reflections for Lent: Laughing Buddha, Suffering Christ Having returned from a recent trip to visit family in Australia, Pr. Scott offers reflections on highlights of the experience in light of the season of Lent. The eye of Christ The last thing I want when traveling to a tropical area in the middle of winter is to spend a lot of time indoors. In Australia, we spent the great bulk of our time outdoors. We did, however, want to visit at least one local museum so we … [Read more...]
“Down Under” Reflections for Lent: Down Under Water
Having returned from a recent trip to visit family in Australia, Pr. Scott offers reflections on highlights of the experience in light of the season of Lent. One of my “bucket list” goals over the years has been to see the Great Barrier Reef. It’s being affected by climate change so the voices of some observers have taken on a see-it-before-it’s-gone urgency. While in the northern coastal city of Cairns my wife and I took a day trip to a nearby island. There we escaped the summer … [Read more...]
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