Nuggets of Wisdom: From Our Readers; For Our Readers

From Fr. Kevin Lynch, Franciscan
Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre
Cochrane, Alberta

 You are loved. By whom, how, when and where is each person’s story; however, there is a love beyond all telling in the heart of everything.

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From Christine Paddock
near Rivers, Manitoba
www.christinepaddock.com

This past year has been an incredible journey for me – too much to fit in this short piece! I have learned so much throughout Covid, and I’m definitely not the same person as I was before. I’ve never experienced so much change or so many restrictions, yet somehow the pressure of having so many external things shifting caused me to look inward to the Source of life like never before. In Hebrews 12:26-27 it talks about the “shaking” of heaven and earth, and how only what is unshakeable will remain. This past year has shown me what is unshakable in my life, and what really matters. This is what I know for sure: God is love, and nothing can separate us from that love. Therefore, in spite of restrictions and isolation, we are never alone.

In the midst of Covid, I wrote and released my very first single to capture all of my questions and feelings. Here it is…I hope it will be an inspiration and bring hope to people.

 

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From the Rev’d Dr. John Roddam
Richmond, B.C.
Ministry Website: www.ReleaseMinistries.ca
Personal Website: www.JohnandHollyRoddam.ca

HUMILITY

St. Paul offers practical counsel on being a servant in godly relationships by offering what is known as the “one another” commands. Here are examples that center on humility:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)

… clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. (Colossians 3:12-13)

My parish in Seattle (St. Luke’s Episcopal Church) served an inner-city community in various, creative ways. On Fridays, we hosted a lunch for 150 street people – homeless folk and those on fixed income. All were welcome to this “family meal”! The team hosting the Friday Lunch would pray before the doors were opened to serve our guests. One time the team was shocked when the ministry head, a godly woman, prayed:

“Lord, I don’t like some of the people You’ve called us to serve. Would you love them through me?”

Something changed in me that day! I realized that I did not have the capacity to love people selflessly. I needed the Lord’s strength and power to move through me.  Thus, rather than operating in my own strength, I began to surrender to the Lord, asking Him to work in and through me – a major shift in the way I lived and served others.

The bottom line is that humility brings us to a deeper understanding of our self-centeredness. When I got married, I soon realized how self-serving I was – being used to “getting my own way” while appearing to be a godly servant of others. The sense of being self-centered increased when we had four kids in five years. Learning to serve my wife AND four very dependent little children taught me about my self-occupied focus IN A HURRY! I was left with a choice to serve them or continue in my selfish, self-centered ways. While I have not walked this out perfectly, I have sought to serve my family.

Here is a prayer to the Lord written by author and minister Andrew Murray (1828-1917), seeking a deeper walk with Him – one of deep humility:

Heavenly Father, may Your great goodness be known to me. Take from my heart every kind and form and degree of pride… Awaken in me the deepest depth and truth of that humility which can make me worthy of being but your servant, a vessel through which You can manifest the riches of your wisdom, power, and goodness.*

*from Andrew Murray’s book Humility: The Beauty of Holiness, published in 1895.

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From Teresa Elder Hanlon, MA DMin, Spiritual Companion
Lethbridge, Alberta
www.spiritualdirectorslethbridge.com

Prayerful Dialogue with Wisdom
By Teresa Elder Hanlon

O, Holy Sophia, how do you see me?
As one energized by light and love, open to the new and necessary.
O, Holy Sophia, how do you know me?
As one formed in love and living out the grace of options in Christ.
O, Holy Sophia, how would you have me be?
As one delving into the nature of grace,
grappling with the unknown,
asking the hard questions,
seeing what others do not see,
yet open to the changing time, the next steps.
O, Holy Sophia, is there anything more?
Let your love flow.
Let your heart warm to others.
Let your head rest on my heart.
Be alive in the goodness of all creation
and sing!

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From Jim O’Hara
Saint Louis, Missouri

This is an old Pennsylvania Dutch saying:

“We get old too soon and smart too late.”

Seems true to me.

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From Shelley Spruit
Against the Grain Farms
near Winchester, Ontario

This is a photo of a selection of heritage beans that I grow on my farm. I call it “Beauty in Diversity”; it reminds me that just as in nature, beauty can come in all shapes, sizes, and colours – and the more we embrace these differences, the more we can value their beauty.  Please feel free to review our website to learn more about our work with restoring heritage grains and our efforts to increase agriculture bio-diversity.

www.againstthegrainfarms.ca
“A seed neither fears light nor darkness but uses both to grow.”

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From Charles Grove
Prince George, B.C.

As a volunteer at the St. Vincent de Paul Drop-In Centre in Prince George, I read this quote every day to keep it forefront in my relationships, and to buoy up the love and gratitude I feel.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.”

(This quote is widely attributed to John Watson (1850-1907), who was a minister of the Free Church of Scotland.)

And hanging at the front door of our house is this Chinese proverb, which also serves as a good reminder:

If there is light in the soul,
There is beauty in the person.
If there is beauty in the person,
There will be harmony in the house.
If there is harmony in the house,
There will be order in the nation.
If there is order in the nation,
There will be peace in the world.

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From Anne Ingledew
Edmonton, Alberta

I love the Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change…
Courage to change the things I can,
And Wisdom to know the difference…

I never fully appreciated this message until an experience years ago that truly taught me its power.

My 8-year-old daughter and I were headed to Jamaica where my family still lived. She had recently been diagnosed with dyslexia and was crumbling from schoolwork. The plan was to leave winter behind and spend a month in the warm sunshine homeschooling so she could start mending the broken pieces and rebuild her confidence.

I booked a flight from Edmonton to Miami where we would head on to Kingston, Jamaica.  On the morning of our travels, WestJet phoned to say our flight to Miami was cancelled and we now had to stop in Toronto, then Orlando, find our way to Miami and catch the final flight to Jamaica.  I was floored – a simple plan had become a nightmare. There was no appropriate flight or bus from Orlando to Miami, so I would have to rent a car and drive, a five-hour trip. I had never driven in the States before, but when push came to shove, I had to swallow my fear and do this.

We had been told in Edmonton that WestJet representatives would be at each airport to help us with the details of our journey.  That was not the case; no one was aware of our situation and I had to keep explaining and asking for help.  After much hassle we arrived in Orlando at eleven p.m, found a hotel and fell asleep, exhausted, at midnight. To catch the Miami flight the next morning, we had to leave Orlando at 4 am. My daughter slept in the backseat of the rental while I was relieved to discover that the drive to Miami was straightforward – south on a highway straight to the airport.

But….

There was a detour on the way; we were steered off the highway and slowly through the city. I did not have GPS (just an old-fashioned map that I had studied the night before) so I hoped the cars I was following were leading me correctly. My carefully planned trip was going to take longer than the time I could afford. I was praying the whole time: God, please help us arrive on time, please help the traffic move faster, God, please, please. And then, I felt a wonderful peaceful feeling – I understood this was a situation I could not control at all.  I had done my best in a challenging situation and was controlling the part I could.  But we may or may not arrive on time for our flight and if we didn’t, it was okay, a step at a time, I could handle it.  If we did arrive on time, we would be so very thankful!

As it turned out, we arrived with minutes to spare, leaving the car at the rental parkade and running like heck inside. Horrified to see lots of people lined up in security, I realized once again we may not get on the plane. However, I felt peace for I knew I was not in control.  But God was, and He came through for us. We were the last to board, but – we made it and that was great! We felt such relief and gratitude.

The Serenity Prayer now guides me through life and eases many challenging situations. God’s favourite four-letter word is “Help!” …. and I use it a lot! He is good!

Exodus 31:3 
… and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge …

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From Henriette Smith
Calgary, Alberta

 My “nugget of wisdom” is about how the Covid-19 pandemic has opened my eyes to the illusion that our contemporary society is of itself happiness. People say they can’t wait for life to be normal again. However, the virus makes me realize that there are so many things we do not understand and control. I see it as an opportunity to re-order our priorities in each of our lives and for the wellbeing of our planet.

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From Curt Gesch
Quick, B.C.

Proverbs 1: 8-9 (New Revised Standard Version)

8. Hear, my child, your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teaching;
9. for they are a fair garland for your head,
And pendants for your neck.

I am in the process of reading How to Read the Biblical Book of Proverbs by Calvin Seerveld (Dordt Press, 2020). Dr. Seerveld is the only person whom I’ve ever read that treats Proverbs in a non-atomistic way.

Here’s a sample paragraph:

“You know those headbands joggers wear, or tennis players have around the head, to keep the sweat out of their eyes?  Proverbs 1:9 means to say:  Son, instead of having Adidas written there, to show you’ve got quality sport goods, get the words ‘Dad’s Discipline’ inscribed on it, for when you run around the block or jog through the countryside.  And daughter, instead of that T-shirt with the proverb across the front, “Keep on truckin'” or the advertisement, “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it, Steve’s Music Store,” or the one some wear in Orange City, Iowa, “If you ain’t Dutch, you ain’t much”:  instead, embroider across your T-shirt chest, “Motherly Guidance.”  What in the world for?  [Proverbs] 1:9 says:  Son, if you wear godly discipline hand-me-downs from your father, you look good!  Daughter, if you are dressed in the guiding law of the Lord, sewn by your mother for you, you’ll be beautiful!”

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From Mark Imbach
Calgary, Alta.
Partner in SoulStream,
a contemplative community that offers spiritual direction training,
and courses in contemplative living.
www.soulstream.org

I wrote this piece about grief and how to live with it, and hopefully through it.

Oh, The Pain of It All
By Mark Imbach

All I know is IT HURTS!
And it never goes away.
Oh, they say that time heals,
Really?
Sure the open wound may feel covered up
The scab dry up and fall off
But oh the scar – an eternal reminder.
That’s where the analogy fades.
The weight is felt unending,
My feet hurt
My shoulders ache
My head implodes
How can I ever get beyond it?
There’s no pill to bring instant relief
An hour from now seems impossible
Let alone tomorrow, next week, next month, next …
Normal, what the hell is that now?
Does God care?
Where was she when it hurts?
Ya I know, I’ve asked it too
Are you even real?
Oh how I wanna blame you for the loss
Hey, I’d be happy to blame anyone
Ok, am I to blame?
Why is it necessary to blame at all?
It seems so automatic to point fingers
Come on, truthfully, will that help?
Will that make me feel any better?
Bullshit, that won’t cure anything
Hell, as it turns out I can’t even
Depend on other people
What I’m left with is to
peer inside myself.
Wow! What a wreck!
Yup that’s it
That’s true
What a great start
A heap of broken twisted
Jangled pile of parts of me.
Where’s the torch?
Yup, that’d be quick and easy
Burn it up,
End it all.
Again the nagging question,
How does that solve anything?
Am I really left with my brokenness?
And God, if I can find her.

What have I got to lose?
At least I can try.

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From Cat Charissage
Lethbridge, Alberta
Poet, Visual Artist & Writer
Facilitator of “Story Circles”
Author of Open to Mystery: Poetry and Paintings
www.catcharissage.com

To Know Mystery
By Cat Charissage

To know mystery, dear one,
live the life you long for.
You have more choices than you think. . .

What if you knew that the only thing you have to do
is what you long to do:  what is good, useful, holy —-
to drop into, over and over and over, this blessed mystery?

Yes, it is possible to live creatively and sustainably,
with grace and joy!
What grows the soul, do this,
and what makes dear body thrive, do that.

To nurture an inner life is your political act now.
Defending the depth dimensions,
your wisdom becomes gift.

Listen for the rhythm: in, down, up, poured out.
In, down, up, poured out.
In deep connection, with word, image, dream, and silence
live the life you long for.

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From Scott Christian
Marshall, Virginia

Here is a quote that grounds me during my day. One interesting aspect is how it’s changed over the centuries and in my lifetime. The original quote for the first part is from St. Teresa of Avila, and then Thomas Keating adapted it. Finally, I’ve revised it by adding the second “how” part (which includes the term “hard fun” – a term Stan and Jan Berenstain use to describe farm work in a children’s book!)

“All difficulties in life arise from the monumental illusion that God is distant or absent, so our spiritual journey is the holy work, hard fun of dismantling that illusion.” 

My second favorite bit of daily wisdom is the full Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. It has to be one of the most complete theological Christian prayers written!

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

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From Lister Chen
Burnaby, B.C.

Words of Wisdom

It has been several years since my parents passed away. I was blessed to be with my dad a month before his passing. He was in the Jimmy Pattison Pavilion in Vancouver and I visited him in the late summer before I travelled up north to resume work. At one of my last meetings with him, I asked him for his words of wisdom. He had lived 91 years and I realized he must have a few life lessons to pass on.

“Well, be positive, have a sense of humour, and have faith,” he said with a smile.

“Is that it?” I asked. I had expected more.

“K.I.S.S.” he added. “Keep It Simple, Stupid…or Sweetheart.”

I chuckled and thought, “OK, that worked for him.”

He went into hospice shortly after and died a few weeks later. I regretted not taking time to see him again before his passing. Always take time to see a loved one that is in failing health. It may be the last time you see them this side of eternity. Your work can wait. If you don’t, you will regret it all your life.

My mom did not want a funeral or celebration of life for dad. I said that dad would want one as he was so well known in the community. With the pastor’s persuasion, there was one – and the church was filled to capacity with his beloved Boy Scouts, community school friends, Chinese Tong members, church members, friends, relatives, and neighbors.

My mom lived on for several years after my dad’s passing, but she found it difficult. She moved into a seniors’ home so that she would have some company. She had her little bedroom, and meals were taken in the dining hall. I visited her as often as I could, but it was not easy living so far away in northern B.C. We spoke on the phone or Skyped weekly.

One day the call came. One of my brothers told me she was fading fast and in the hospital. I dropped everything and immediately booked a flight down to Vancouver. I arrived after midnight but was able to talk to her briefly before going back to the family home for a night’s rest. I saw her again the next day. She was well enough to have some breakfast and to give us some instruction.

“Drink up the left-over apple juice. Make sure you give the doctors and nurses a box of chocolates. And make sure you accompany any visitors all the way to the hospital entrance when they leave.”

She was all about avoiding waste, being appreciative, and being considerate to others. She passed away peacefully that afternoon.

She did not want a funeral or celebration of life. We had a quiet service when her ashes were ready to be buried beside my dad’s.

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From Caroline Maloney
Drumheller, Alberta

A Prayer from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881-1955)
Jesuit philosopher, paleontologist and geologist

Above all, trust in the slow work of God.

We are quite naturally impatient in everything
to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way
to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through
some stages of instability —
and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually – let them grow,
let them shape themselves,
without undue haste.

Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances
acting on your own good will)
will make of your tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.

Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.

Moving forward, this prayer from Teilhard de Chardin helps us, during these chaotic, changing times, recognize there is a life-long discipline of spiritual practice and spiritual depth we must undergo to be good evangelists and witnesses of Christ’s love, in the places where we may have influence, and in any of the roles we may find ourselves in, be it pastors, teachers, or leaders. Indeed, there is much to be done and our role as co-creators with God is a demand of our faith in Jesus Christ.

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From Diana Schoenfeld
      Loleta, California

Here are three prayers, with related still-life imagery, that have meant a great deal to me.

I made these photographs with a small old flip-top cell phone in one of my rare efforts to use a “digital” camera. Having used roll and sheet film, printing gelatin silver photographs in my traditional darkroom exclusively since 1971, the digital phenomenon feels strange to me.

But I love my little cell phone camera Prayers!

(Click on images to enlarge)

In Times of Great Sickness and Mortality

O most mighty and merciful God, in this time of grievous sickness, we flee unto thee for succour. Deliver us, we beseech thee, from our peril; give strength and skill to all those who minister to the sick; prosper the means made use of for their cure; and grant that, perceiving how frail and uncertain our life is, we may apply our hearts unto that heavenly wisdom which leadeth to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

For a Sick Person

O Father of mercies and God of all comfort, our only help in time of need; we humbly beseech thee to behold, visit, and relieve thy sick servant for whom our prayers are desired.  Look upon him with the eyes of thy mercy; comfort him with a sense of thy goodness; preserve him from the temptations of the enemy; and give him patience under his affliction. In thy good time, restore him to health, and enable him to lead the residue of his life in thy fear, and to thy glory; and grant that finally he may dwell with thee in life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The Salutation of the Dawn

Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief Course lie all the
Varieties and Realities of your Existence:
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action
The Splendour of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!