Where is God?

“God is in the kitchen, sitting quietly over a cup of coffee. God is on the street corner, waiting for the light to change. God is at the bar, watching the game on TV. God is in the beauty shop, listening to the latest stories. There is no place where we are that God is not.” —Steven Charleston, Daily Facebook email.

I sometimes share with spiritual friends this short writing by Bishop Steven Charleston from his daily Facebook page, when they cannot seem to find any answers to the question, “So, where do you see God working in your life?” I suggest an exercise at the end of the day of writing down places they have been, people they have met and would like to remember, and any feelings or thoughts about the presence of God during their day. It is important to write it down if possible. Writing takes things out of our body and mind and into our tangible world. Some think it is silly and never do it. Others find it helpful to begin to see and feel a connection they think they have lost that is always there right beside them, all day … and night.

The church at which I serve is on a corner with a stop light. Recently our family minister, Luke, started putting a short “stop light prayer” on our church’s electronic sign by the stop light. We weekly hear of people whose day changes when they stop just for a second to connect to our God who is always there. Briefly stopping what we are doing and becoming aware of creation around us is our first step out of ourselves and into the life of knowing and feeling the perpetual presence of God.

Joanna. joannaseibert.com

Wounds

“The reality is that every human being is broken and vulnerable. How strange that we should ordinarily feel compelled to hide our wounds when we are all wounded!” —M. Scott Peck in The Different Drum (Touchstone, 1998).

Our experience tells us that when we share our wounds we become less vulnerable. We no longer must pretend we are something that we are not, which takes up a huge amount of energy. We now can employ all that energy just to be ourselves, to become the person God created us to be. We become more human. In turn, others begin to share their wounds because they recognize us as a safe place—another human being who may have just an inkling of what pain is all about.

Letting others know we are human and have pain and make mistakes is also a path into the divine within ourselves and others. This is the path we all are seeking. There is a wide, gaping entrance to this path that opens through our wounds, into the Christ, the Holy, the Spirit within each other.

This is the path from Good Friday to Resurrection. We especially remember this on Christ the King Sunday on our liturgical calendar.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Book Signing Today at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church after each morning services

Vulnerable

“The only choice we have as we mature is how to inhabit our vulnerability ... ” —David Whyte.

Vulnerability. Poet David Whyte gives us one word to take with us today. Vulnerability, however, does not live alone, but resides in a word community.

Intimacy. Another word that lives with vulnerability. We allow someone whom we trust to see and hear our inner thoughts and concerns, our highs and lows.

Humility is also a close family member of this word community. We don’t think of ourselves as any better than someone else.

Humanness whispers in the ear of vulnerability. We are to take off our mask of “perfection.” We are to admit our mistakes to others promptly and to learn from them.

Forgiveness must also be a beloved companion of

vulnerability. We are to ask for forgiveness when we have wronged others, and be ready to forgive ourselves for our own mistakes.

Vulnerability, intimacy, humility, humanness, forgiveness are five construction workers in a family business that are crucial for the building of our own Habitat for Humanity.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Book Sale and Signing at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church

Between 8 and 10:30 services and after 10:30 service

November 24th

We will be studying A Spiritual Rx for Advent, Christmas and Epiphany during the forum at 9:15 am during Sundays in December

A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany

The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter

Both are $18. All Money from book sales goes to Camp Mitchell