InSpiritry

For everything there is a season,
And a time for every purpose under heaven.
 Ecclesiastes 3:1

 It is time for another changing of the season here in Texas. This weekend, the trees are lofting their colorful leaves onto each breath of breeze.  This is the time of year that always gives me pause for reflection. Spring has its sense of urgency. Summer is full of activity. Even Winter brings holiday festivities. But Autumn? As Nature’s growth slows and we gather with family for Thanksgiving, Autumn seems to be the time of slowing down, of thinking things over and of assessing our lives and loves. (more…)

Jazz is the sound of God laughing.” Colleen Shadox

With a week of drenching rain finally over and an autumn chill in the sunny air, I decided to open all the windows this morning to celebrate the changing seasons. At my laptop, as I write this post, a gentle wind is dancing through the turning leaves and rustling the limbs. It is just enough to set singing our several sets of windchimes. Each one is tuned to a different pitch, and we have hung them in various spots around our yard. The result is that, on days like today, the air carries a veritable symphony of music: round-toned moans, cheerful harmonies, bright staccatos. Listening with my eyes closed for a minute, I feel moved to tears then to laughter then to peace.

A believer in prayer and worship as a constant condition, I realize that if the sound of my windchimes stirs my spirit, I am hearing sacred music! That idea sets me thinking about the many kinds of sacred sounds in the world we experience as holy, and every culture has its own beautiful traditions. (more…)

He was a Mahatma (Great Soul) and India’s Bapu (Father of the Nation).

October 2 is the birthday of Mohandras Gandhi, political leader, spiritual advisor, social activist and wise elder. Educated and of means, but having experienced the sting of racism while in South Africa, the domination of India by Britain and the brutal violence between Hindus and Muslims, Gandhi turned his life to what he called non-cooperation - just saying “no” to injustice. A student of Jesus’s teaching as well as other world religions, he practiced kindness and forgiveness in a sacred endeavor towards the Greater Good. Because of his leadership, people around the world were inspired. In tribute to Gandhi, the date of his birth was designated several years ago as the annual International Day of Non-violence. (more…)

“Better than a thousand hollow words

is one word that brings peace.”

Buddha

Monday marks the 2009 United Nations International Day of Peace. Observed each year on September 21st, the International Day of Peace is a global call for ceasefire and non-violence. In many places, it will the first time in months that a pause in fighting will allow humanitarian aid to get to people without food or medical care. In other safer locations, people committed to non-violence will gather to celebrate and learn about peacemaking. This year’s theme is WMD: We Must Disarm, a reminder that the letters ”WMD” can be transformed from their poisonous connotation to a message of hope!

Here in Texas on Sunday, September 20, the eve of the International Day of Peace, I will be participating in a brand new event called the Art of Peace Festival. (more…)

You Lie!    

Representative Joe Wilson to President Obama

I have been thinking a lot the past few days about free speech. I have also been reeling from our abuse of it.

In 2007, long before the current controversies over the economy recovery and healthcare reform, a friend of mine, Donna Bowling, co-authored an insightful book called, Reclaiming Civility in the Public Square - 101 Rules that Work. While I have often recommended it to those I know in leadership, I must admit that in the past two weeks I have been tempted to send it out en masse. (more…)

       “Value your relationships.”  Barbara Bush

Lately, I have been thinking about relationships and the strength they bring to our lives.

With that on my mind, this week I read an insightful article  about “the power of many” in an investment newsletter. As evidence of how personal relationships empower us in the midst of these unsettled economic times, the article noted an interesting custom I read about several years ago in Dan Buettner’s eye-opening book, The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest .

The custom comes from the island of Okinawa, where for years people have formed social cooperatives called moai. Essentially, moai are informal groups formed by people who want to count on and cooperate with each other. (more…)

“Every so often, I take it out and read it again.” A friend talking about her favorite book

With summer here, the topic of books to take on vacation came up this week. Headed to the beach with a bag of books, a friend of mine was lamenting that, with her busy schedule, she didn’t usually have time to reread her favorite books – young adult novels that make her remember what she loved about childhood in a small town.

Books have a way of doing that – opening up places in our hearts and minds we have kept dormant. (more…)