My wife got a worm farm in order to harvest their poop — all of which feels odd on many levels. But there they are, the little wormies.
14 Miles
I walked 14 miles this afternoon at a large park near Swanton, Ohio. It was twice as far as I have walked before. Body is tired now. I picked up an order of beans from Señorita’s for dinner. Still eating soft foods. During the walk I remembered Philippians 3:13-14, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” The key thing in walking a long way is to keep moving forward.
Posted in Health, Nature, Walking
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My Purpose
I went to an oral surgery office today, where they have pictures of boats in the waiting room. They removed three of my wisdom teeth, the fourth having been taken out 30 years ago. My dentist urged me to do this years ago, but I was afraid of what it would cost and what the experience would be like. If I had known I could be unconscious for the procedure, and that it would cost far less than I feared, I’d have had it done sooner. They gave me a discount on the cost, and drugs are a great invention.
I took this week off. I am thinking about my purpose today. On a visit recently a parishioner asked what their purpose was at this point in their life. I was sitting in the balcony at church yesterday wondering what my purpose is in church. I used to know, but not anymore. I have learned a new Greek word: έταιρος. It means companion. I love visiting my parishioners because I can be a spiritual companion for them. This is a piece of my purpose now. I sense there is more, too, but the trail bends behind the trees and I can’t see that far ahead.
Posted in Daily Life, Health, Ministry
9 Comments
Shopping As Hell
Ann Althouse on how shopping at Target, a large retail store, is like being in Hell.
But I do understand the feelings of dissociation that can envelope you in a store, especially a large store with long aisles full of colorfully packaged products and lots of slow-moving customers pushing their carts. It can make you think of what Hell might be like, perhaps because of a nagging sense that acquiring material goods is sinful, perhaps because you’re vaguely conscious that the minutes remaining in your life are ever fewer and yet here you are expending them shambling around in a windowless box.
I don’t mind Target, or even Wal-Mart, but the giant hardware store Lowe’s always scares me. I’d rather shop in a small hardware store–far less intimidating.
Eeyore Watch
I turned 50 on Monday, and my wife gave me an Eeyore watch as a gift. Since my father named me Christopher Robin, I have long loved the stories of the 100 Acre Wood, and the character I resonate with most, other than my namesake, is Eeyore. Now I can wear Eeyore on my wrist.
A good day today. Staff meeting this morning, visiting parishioners in early afternoon, and now helping at a blood drive.
Secret, Divine Action
Just as a sleeping child can be in her mother’s arms and not consciously be aware of the mother’s loving presence, so God’s presence and love are realities that are not limited to our conscious awareness. Simply intending to sincerely place ourselves in the divine presence can have beneficial effects spiritually; the unseen action of the Word and Spirit can benefit our souls apart from noticeable emotion. As Jesus taught in the parable of the growing seed, God can cause the seed of the Word to grow and become fruitful even when we are sleeping, totally unaware of the secret, divine action.
John Jefferson Davis
Meditation and Communion with God: Contemplating Scripture in an Age of Distraction (p. 127)
