Men's Retreat

I felt really bad missing our PLC Men's Retreat at Spirit in the Desert this past weekend.  We had a great speaker sparking our thoughts about God, men, boys, and fatherhood.  This is a subject near and dear to my heart as we imagine the passing on of faith and values to the next generation.

Unfortunately, I had already made a commitment (and didn't sync my calendars) to ride as a 'marshal' for the 100 mile Tour de Cure for Diabetes.  It is an annual ride I commit to doing in honor of my sister-in-law who suffers with diabetes.  It's a great cause, and this year we  had a record amount of money donated here in Phoenix... Nearly $500,000!  It felt good to be part of such an event.

Nonetheless, I felt bad that I could not be two places at once... and it made me think about the priorities of my life.   Living fast doesn't give us much time to reflect upon priorities, which in turn leads toward shallow living.  Living fast frequently means that external influences as compared to internal values have far more impact upon the direction of our lives.

I believe that all of us exist with the idea that we want our lives to count.  We want to make a difference.  We want to leave the world a better place.  Too often those ideals are swamped by the demands of getting through the week ahead.  The concept of sabbath was intended to give us a moment to rest so we might go deeper, think longer term, and reconnect with meaning and purpose in life.   Sabbath is an essential part of our stewardship of soul, community, and our world.

Just recently I heard a report that 12 of the 13 warmest recorded years for this planet have occurred since the year 2000.  We know that global warming is real; that droughts, storms, and flooding are a real result of human interaction with our environment.  Yet, the new twist on that old saying is, we all complain about the weather, but we are unwilling to do anything to change it.  We know that a positive change for the future of our world will require a change in our behavior today.

Our psyche and soul are under the same sort of stress as our environment.  The storms are bigger, the droughts are hotter, and we are flooded by our fears.  We complain, but again we do little to change it.    Perhaps the first thing we will want to do is to create the space for sabbath in our lives.  This small change might result in a 'sea change' for our lives.

Creating sabbath moments each day simply requires a bit of intentionality and a willingness to shift the focus from me to 'thee.'  It might mean expanding our vision by attempting to see the world and my part in it through the eyes of God.   It means a moment to reflect upon the bigger, greater purpose of life and our partnership in this grand adventure.

Maybe this is something we can commit to trying for the remainder of Lent.  Taking 10 minutes each day to get out of ourselves so as to enter into the imagination of God.

Peace,
Pal