I've been away from this blog for too long now, and I have to accept the reality that I won't ever get to that promised third part of "Evolution and original sin"... I got too busy and there seems to be no end to that. In a nutshell, that third part would have been about the parallels between the idea that there is a brokenness inherent in the ways we live life, and the notion that we treat the earth as something to exploit. I leave that thought for you to explore...
In the meantime, I led worship again at our beloved little UCC community, and I took over webmastership of our site, so now I post my sermons on there, rather than here on the blog. Check out my most recent sermon here and have a look at the posts that I sprinkle the site with irregularly.
I also attended an "Academy for Leaders" retreat run by the Center for Courage and Renewal, who base their work on the Quaker tradition. That was sort of my treat after finishing my PhD and reorienting myself. Part of what we did over there was deep listening to one another. And I realized that there is an affinity between listening to others and listening to the Eternal Silence we call God in prayer and meditation. That insight sparked a poem.
Listening
A new realm, brimming with sparks, with stars
Encircling our beings in the deep.
Us, but moving dots on lesser days
Now joining the Eternal.
Have you experienced listening as a sacred exercise? Maybe as you found yourself attending to God's voice in the silence, or as someone shared their deepest selves with you? You are invited to relate your experience below--I'm listening.
