… watching for the brushstrokes of God
“We had a joke in South Africa in the 80s. ‘There are two possible solutions to our crisis here. One is miraculous, and one is realistic. One solution is that God will send down angels and sort us all out. That’s the realistic solution. The miraculous one is that we will sit down and talk with our enemies.’” ~ Rev. Charles Villa-Vicencio
How do you live believing in miraculous solutions?
What inner work would it require to call the world to presence rather than productivity?
“Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here…
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.” ~ David Wagoner
Where are you?
If we do not regularly quit work for one day a week, we take ourselves far too seriously. The moral sweat pouring off our brows blinds our eyes to the action of God in and around us. ~ Eugene Peterson
What is your quitting rhythm?
The needs of the world … the inner life. We ourselves lean now too far one way, now too far the other. The rope is straight, reliable, direct, a simple, single, narrow way: the path to life. Our struggle is to learn the balance: to walk it quietly, trustingly, simply. … The depth of our prayer and the depth of our sensitivity to and love for the world: simplicity lies in their congruence. The process of tottering into congruence is the process by which we become simple.” ~ Elaine Prevallet, Reflections on Simplicity
How do you move towards simplicity?
“Enable us to carry out from this place peace and strength that here we gain. Because we have talked with You here, may we be able to work more patiently for Your kingdom, bringing light upon the problems that perplex the world, dispelling the night of doubt and fear with Your sheltering love.” ~ from Meditations of the Heart
How do you carry peace?
With the Eyes of the Heart 