[Please read Part 1 first.] 2. Living in a Desert A hospital is parallel universe. Even as a member of staff it is possible to be admitted by the front doors and have an extended stay, being able to wash, have a haircut, buy food, enjoy café society, eat, and even sleep there – as … Continue reading Evanescence (II)
After walking Evening Prayer
I feel mild anxiety coming on. The day is ending. Night is approaching. All our labours are ceased. It is a little death. We are thrown into the darkness where there is nothing to be done. We exist in a vast emptiness. Our existence is no longer justified by our productivity. We are more readily … Continue reading After walking Evening Prayer
The Kingdom
When you say Yes to the Kingdom things once felt indispensable slip by. One by one (hardly noticeable at first) you see them slip away… All that you held on to, possessed, claimed, somehow disappears, melts into another horizon whilst you are busy with the new. You do not notice, until, in panic, you feel … Continue reading The Kingdom
Prayer of St Manchan
My wish, O Son of the Living God, ancient eternal King, is for a secret hut as my dwelling in the wilderness. Grey shallow water at its side; a clear pool for the cleansing of sins by the grace of the Holy Spirit. A lovely wood close by, around it at every side, to foster … Continue reading Prayer of St Manchan
Addiction and Grace
After twenty years of listening to the yearnings of people's hearts, I am convinced that all human beings have an inborn desire for God. Whether we are consciously religious or not, this desire is our deepest longing and out most precious treasure. It gives us meaning. Some of us have repressed this desire, burying it … Continue reading Addiction and Grace
Morning Prayer: Psalm 25
How much I don't want to pray! I have been so far from myself. I am trying to work out why I don't want to pray, but really I just need to go to the next level of coming home. … There is a depth in me, I feel it deep in my belly, to … Continue reading Morning Prayer: Psalm 25
Evanescence (I)
To keep death before one's eyes daily. Rule of St Benedict, Chapter IV 1. The Hospital is a Desert As I have written here before, I was a hospital chaplain for about 8 years. It was difficult work and I struggled, but I count this time as a blessing. I encountered God on many occasions. … Continue reading Evanescence (I)
Desk-clearing
When engaging in contemplative prayer à la Keating or Main, or when meditating, the direction given is to eschew thoughts. Thinking happens. You cannot avoid, stop or squash it. Notice thoughts as they arise and let them go. It's ok, it's normal, it's what the mind does, it is easy to get hooked, but don't … Continue reading Desk-clearing
How to find your inner wisdom
What's the one thing? After 24 years of coaching individuals and groups from nearly every walk of life, I can say with confidence that the people who do really well over time are often not the smartest, or most well-read. They can be introvert or extrovert; seemingly self-assured or apparently neurotic and insecure. What they … Continue reading How to find your inner wisdom
R.T.F.Q.
The last thing [Howard Thurman] said before I left was probably the single most important bit of advice I ever got about being a man. "Sam," he said, "there are two questions a man must ask himself: The first is 'Where am I going?' and the second is 'Who will go with me?' If you … Continue reading R.T.F.Q.