Tuesday, August 31, 2004
What is the Value of a Sabbatical?
What is the Value of a Sabbatical?
I have not done a formal survey on the subject, but I have the following impressions about sabbaticals for clergy.
It would appear to me that most UCC clergy in Connecticut have arrangements for sabbaticals in their agreements. Most seem to be an average of 3 months every 5 to 7 years. My sense is that elsewhere in the country and in other denominations, the regular arrangement for sabbaticals is more the exception than the rule. Most pastors have to work long and hard to be granted a sabbatical, and most do not even bother.
This impression calls me toward an even greater appreciation for the wonderful privilege that has been granted to me this year. This actually, now after 15 years, is the third sabbatical that I have been granted in my ministry here. I had one sabbatical in the 17 previous years of ministry in northern New England.
Of course, academia has a long history of sabbaticals that is part of the ethos of most universities. As chair of the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of Trustees of Bangor Theological Seminary, I regularly approve and receive reports on the sabbatical work of our professors. The seminary, like most colleges, grants a six month sabbatical at full pay or a full year at half pay every seven years. It is not unusual in our small seminary faculty that some professors go longer between sabbaticals than seven years. Most of them take the full year option and they are able, almost always, to obtain grants to make up the other half of the year’s pay. They very often are also able to locate grants to help in their academic research. The work that the professors do during their sabbatical times is almost always academic, often involving travel, particularly to locations important for their research. Many of them write or complete books for publication. They lecture, research and learn new skills. There are programs to help professors to teach better. The seminary, for its part, secures adjunct faculty or uses regular faculty to fill in, and essentially the professor on sabbatical checks out completely for 12 months. I must say that, in reviewing the work that these professors accomplish, I am impressed. They come back to the task renewed, with new ideas, new research, and new status in everyone’s eyes. (We have had two professors publish books in the last year: Marvin Ellison with 2 books on homosexuality, one of which is becoming a best seller in religious books, and Robert Sherman with an outstanding book on the Trinity).
Out of appreciation for the time that I get, which is much less than the academic model, but much more than most people get from their jobs, and out of respect for the church, I have always tried to make the best of my time. The way pastors use their sabbaticals is widely varied. One person wondered if I would be out looking for a new job, “Isn’t that what you do on a sabbatical?” Well, some actually do that, but I just do not feel that a church should pay me while on a job search. Many do significant travel. I envy them their ability to do that. Travel is rather expensive, as we found in England and Wales. Some work on advanced degrees, some improve their golf game. Most find a way to relax and unwind after 5 or more years of a challenging professional life. I usually do a lot of reading and relaxing, some travel, and some special program of professional development. This year the clergy spiritual life program at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation provided an outline for the work that I was doing. I had a number of other projects on which I did what I call “soft research.” This involves visiting other churches, reading in new areas and listening and talking. All of it seemed worthwhile, although I have to admit that the suggestion to keep a weblog turned out to be the best idea to come along. Thanks to Ladd Bethune who suggested the idea and made it possible.
So what is the value of a sabbatical? In my humble research, I have found that few churches place any requirement on the pastor and, I assume, most trust their pastor to make the best use of the time, or to just plain waste the time, as long as they come back refreshed.
Was it worthwhile? That remains to be seen. Given the fact that I was eager to get back into my study at the church before the end of August, I would have to say that I am at least refreshed. Time will tell if there are new ideas and new dedication to the task. I do hope that all of that comes to fruition. For my own professional growth, having the goal of a sabbatical somewhere on the horizon, enables me to keep track of areas of growth potential.
Once again I do want to express my appreciation to the church for granting me this sabbatical. I do not see it as a matter of entitlement, as some might. I appreciate those who stayed behind and made the church function in my absence. Coming into my study today, it did seem that I had been gone for a long time (I could not find a couple of things that I had put away), but in another way it did not seem to be all that long. The staff, the leadership of the church, and I will very quickly be back at the work of the ministry of this church. I am glad to be back. Maybe that, in itself, tells me that the time was of value. I hope there are other aspects of my ministry that seem apparent to you in the months to come.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
I have not done a formal survey on the subject, but I have the following impressions about sabbaticals for clergy.
It would appear to me that most UCC clergy in Connecticut have arrangements for sabbaticals in their agreements. Most seem to be an average of 3 months every 5 to 7 years. My sense is that elsewhere in the country and in other denominations, the regular arrangement for sabbaticals is more the exception than the rule. Most pastors have to work long and hard to be granted a sabbatical, and most do not even bother.
This impression calls me toward an even greater appreciation for the wonderful privilege that has been granted to me this year. This actually, now after 15 years, is the third sabbatical that I have been granted in my ministry here. I had one sabbatical in the 17 previous years of ministry in northern New England.
Of course, academia has a long history of sabbaticals that is part of the ethos of most universities. As chair of the Educational Policy Committee of the Board of Trustees of Bangor Theological Seminary, I regularly approve and receive reports on the sabbatical work of our professors. The seminary, like most colleges, grants a six month sabbatical at full pay or a full year at half pay every seven years. It is not unusual in our small seminary faculty that some professors go longer between sabbaticals than seven years. Most of them take the full year option and they are able, almost always, to obtain grants to make up the other half of the year’s pay. They very often are also able to locate grants to help in their academic research. The work that the professors do during their sabbatical times is almost always academic, often involving travel, particularly to locations important for their research. Many of them write or complete books for publication. They lecture, research and learn new skills. There are programs to help professors to teach better. The seminary, for its part, secures adjunct faculty or uses regular faculty to fill in, and essentially the professor on sabbatical checks out completely for 12 months. I must say that, in reviewing the work that these professors accomplish, I am impressed. They come back to the task renewed, with new ideas, new research, and new status in everyone’s eyes. (We have had two professors publish books in the last year: Marvin Ellison with 2 books on homosexuality, one of which is becoming a best seller in religious books, and Robert Sherman with an outstanding book on the Trinity).
Out of appreciation for the time that I get, which is much less than the academic model, but much more than most people get from their jobs, and out of respect for the church, I have always tried to make the best of my time. The way pastors use their sabbaticals is widely varied. One person wondered if I would be out looking for a new job, “Isn’t that what you do on a sabbatical?” Well, some actually do that, but I just do not feel that a church should pay me while on a job search. Many do significant travel. I envy them their ability to do that. Travel is rather expensive, as we found in England and Wales. Some work on advanced degrees, some improve their golf game. Most find a way to relax and unwind after 5 or more years of a challenging professional life. I usually do a lot of reading and relaxing, some travel, and some special program of professional development. This year the clergy spiritual life program at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation provided an outline for the work that I was doing. I had a number of other projects on which I did what I call “soft research.” This involves visiting other churches, reading in new areas and listening and talking. All of it seemed worthwhile, although I have to admit that the suggestion to keep a weblog turned out to be the best idea to come along. Thanks to Ladd Bethune who suggested the idea and made it possible.
So what is the value of a sabbatical? In my humble research, I have found that few churches place any requirement on the pastor and, I assume, most trust their pastor to make the best use of the time, or to just plain waste the time, as long as they come back refreshed.
Was it worthwhile? That remains to be seen. Given the fact that I was eager to get back into my study at the church before the end of August, I would have to say that I am at least refreshed. Time will tell if there are new ideas and new dedication to the task. I do hope that all of that comes to fruition. For my own professional growth, having the goal of a sabbatical somewhere on the horizon, enables me to keep track of areas of growth potential.
Once again I do want to express my appreciation to the church for granting me this sabbatical. I do not see it as a matter of entitlement, as some might. I appreciate those who stayed behind and made the church function in my absence. Coming into my study today, it did seem that I had been gone for a long time (I could not find a couple of things that I had put away), but in another way it did not seem to be all that long. The staff, the leadership of the church, and I will very quickly be back at the work of the ministry of this church. I am glad to be back. Maybe that, in itself, tells me that the time was of value. I hope there are other aspects of my ministry that seem apparent to you in the months to come.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Monday, August 23, 2004
Sailing: Metaphor or Life?
Sailing: Metaphor or Life?
Those who know me well realize that I often understand life in nautical terms. There are certain experiences common to the sailor that I find similar to life itself. So sailing becomes for me a metaphor for life, as I see and live it.
On the other hand, most sailors feel that sailing is life itself, and they would conclude that the rest of life is, at its best, a metaphor for sailing. For many a sailor the most important hours and days are those spent on the water, not the hours and days sitting at a desk dreaming of sailing.
Kenneth Grahame understood reality when he wrote in Wind in the Willows, “There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats…or with boats…In or out of ‘em, it doesn’t matter.” When a sailor dies I often read John Masefield’s Sea Fever, “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,” and every one who knows the sea, nods and concurs. The sailor would rather die on board heading out to sea than anywhere else.
One might imagine the sailor to be a solitary soul, adrift on the ocean alone, but whether the sailor is alone or part of a crew, the task is one of complete connection, not isolation. The sailor at the helm might seem to be alone in his thoughts, but he or she is actually seeking the greatest harmony possible, in balance with the boat and all of the elements, the wind, the current, the time and the tide. My son, Geoffrey, calls it an intimacy with boat and water. We sail our small boats sitting on the rail, as far up on the gunwale as possible, to add weight and ballast in order to balance the boat and to get one’s face up into the wind. The shifts in direction, the temperature changes, the varying sources of the wind, and its velocity become intuitive gauges to signal changes in the handling of the boat. As time goes on the skipper becomes organically one with the boat and the elements. The old salt may not say a word, while concentrating all attention on the environment.
And of course the sailor is always conscious of the beauty around. Sailing the coast of Maine is the best, but anywhere there is water is beautiful enough to inspire. How can one help but be moved by the rocky coast, the sandy beach, the soaring gull, and the rolling wave? There are porpoises happily arching on the port side, and a seal with his rounded dog head looking around on starboard. There is an osprey calling above ready to plunge for food, and an enormous jelly fish below. Even the fog paints a picture with the right hue for the day. The sailor appreciates the beauty, perhaps without a word. And the sailor would do anything to preserve that land and seascape. The harmony with the elements translates to a respect for the environment and its creatures.
The sailor knows all about faith. He or she depends on constants and on change. The helmsman trusts the boat and the crew. The sailor also knows that God helps those who help themselves. The captain never takes unnecessary risks. When you are out there on the ocean, there is no one on whom you can depend, but yourself. The boat and its physics, however, will always respond to the wind and the waves in a dependable way. The harmony of sailing is a spiritual experience, like the union felt in meditation. The sailor is one with the universe and one with God. So the sailor knows all about faith and trust.
And the sailor knows all about prayer. The Breton fisherman’s prayer goes like this: “O, God Thy Sea Is So Great And My Boat Is So Small.” How can you experience the power of the water and the wind, and sense the beauty of sight, sound, smell and touch when you sail your boat, and not be struck by the awesome providence of God? The sea is great and any boat is small. God is with the sailor.
How I wish every day life were like sailing. Sailing is best when it is in harmony, balancing the helm, the elements, the boat and the crew. Life that copies sailing would be peaceful. There are rules of sea that virtually everyone obeys. Even in sailboat racing, where competition heightens the aggression with which one sails, the rules are intended to be self-patrolled. The sailor who fouls the other takes the penalty usually without anyone asking. The day of racing ends with tea or beer, depending on the fleet, but always with good hearted camaraderie. Harmony and respect of the other are the goals and desire of the sailor.
So when we sail we are either going somewhere while we maximize the tuning of the boat, the crew and the elements to get there in the most efficient way, or we are not going anywhere in particular and just enjoying the esthetic feeling of movement through nature. So often in life I realize that we do not function harmoniously, and there is no efficiency in what we do. And when we could just enjoy the day, we forget to allow ourselves the opportunity to just enjoy the moment, the way we so often do on board a boat. Life should be as good as sailing.
How I wish everyone could understand life as a sailor may. What would the world be like if sailing were life? Cooperation, harmony, appreciation of beauty, love of the universe, could all improve our appreciation of life itself. So then is sailing a metaphor for life, or is it life itself? Whatever it is, it is a satisfying way to spend one’s time.
Those who know me well realize that I often understand life in nautical terms. There are certain experiences common to the sailor that I find similar to life itself. So sailing becomes for me a metaphor for life, as I see and live it.
On the other hand, most sailors feel that sailing is life itself, and they would conclude that the rest of life is, at its best, a metaphor for sailing. For many a sailor the most important hours and days are those spent on the water, not the hours and days sitting at a desk dreaming of sailing.
Kenneth Grahame understood reality when he wrote in Wind in the Willows, “There is nothing – absolutely nothing – half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats…or with boats…In or out of ‘em, it doesn’t matter.” When a sailor dies I often read John Masefield’s Sea Fever, “I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,” and every one who knows the sea, nods and concurs. The sailor would rather die on board heading out to sea than anywhere else.
One might imagine the sailor to be a solitary soul, adrift on the ocean alone, but whether the sailor is alone or part of a crew, the task is one of complete connection, not isolation. The sailor at the helm might seem to be alone in his thoughts, but he or she is actually seeking the greatest harmony possible, in balance with the boat and all of the elements, the wind, the current, the time and the tide. My son, Geoffrey, calls it an intimacy with boat and water. We sail our small boats sitting on the rail, as far up on the gunwale as possible, to add weight and ballast in order to balance the boat and to get one’s face up into the wind. The shifts in direction, the temperature changes, the varying sources of the wind, and its velocity become intuitive gauges to signal changes in the handling of the boat. As time goes on the skipper becomes organically one with the boat and the elements. The old salt may not say a word, while concentrating all attention on the environment.
And of course the sailor is always conscious of the beauty around. Sailing the coast of Maine is the best, but anywhere there is water is beautiful enough to inspire. How can one help but be moved by the rocky coast, the sandy beach, the soaring gull, and the rolling wave? There are porpoises happily arching on the port side, and a seal with his rounded dog head looking around on starboard. There is an osprey calling above ready to plunge for food, and an enormous jelly fish below. Even the fog paints a picture with the right hue for the day. The sailor appreciates the beauty, perhaps without a word. And the sailor would do anything to preserve that land and seascape. The harmony with the elements translates to a respect for the environment and its creatures.
The sailor knows all about faith. He or she depends on constants and on change. The helmsman trusts the boat and the crew. The sailor also knows that God helps those who help themselves. The captain never takes unnecessary risks. When you are out there on the ocean, there is no one on whom you can depend, but yourself. The boat and its physics, however, will always respond to the wind and the waves in a dependable way. The harmony of sailing is a spiritual experience, like the union felt in meditation. The sailor is one with the universe and one with God. So the sailor knows all about faith and trust.
And the sailor knows all about prayer. The Breton fisherman’s prayer goes like this: “O, God Thy Sea Is So Great And My Boat Is So Small.” How can you experience the power of the water and the wind, and sense the beauty of sight, sound, smell and touch when you sail your boat, and not be struck by the awesome providence of God? The sea is great and any boat is small. God is with the sailor.
How I wish every day life were like sailing. Sailing is best when it is in harmony, balancing the helm, the elements, the boat and the crew. Life that copies sailing would be peaceful. There are rules of sea that virtually everyone obeys. Even in sailboat racing, where competition heightens the aggression with which one sails, the rules are intended to be self-patrolled. The sailor who fouls the other takes the penalty usually without anyone asking. The day of racing ends with tea or beer, depending on the fleet, but always with good hearted camaraderie. Harmony and respect of the other are the goals and desire of the sailor.
So when we sail we are either going somewhere while we maximize the tuning of the boat, the crew and the elements to get there in the most efficient way, or we are not going anywhere in particular and just enjoying the esthetic feeling of movement through nature. So often in life I realize that we do not function harmoniously, and there is no efficiency in what we do. And when we could just enjoy the day, we forget to allow ourselves the opportunity to just enjoy the moment, the way we so often do on board a boat. Life should be as good as sailing.
How I wish everyone could understand life as a sailor may. What would the world be like if sailing were life? Cooperation, harmony, appreciation of beauty, love of the universe, could all improve our appreciation of life itself. So then is sailing a metaphor for life, or is it life itself? Whatever it is, it is a satisfying way to spend one’s time.
Ken Brookes
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Sunday, August 22, 2004
Quaker Meeting has begun....
“Quaker Meeting has begun, no more laughter, no more fun,” starts the childhood game. Well, we went to Quaker meeting this morning and we were not at all clear when it began.
We arrived at the local Friends’ Meeting before the posted hour of 9:00 am, and we took our places in the circle at the Northeast Harbor Neighborhood House. A number of people arrived after us, the last of whom took a chair at 9:25.
Meanwhile we sat in silence meditating. Actually no one said anything until 9:45. Some time between 9 and 9:45 I realized that the Quaker meeting had begun. It began for me when I started to meditate. And the meeting itself came alive when I came to the notion that the responsibility for my worship of God at Quaker meeting was my own and not that of anyone else. Most Friends’ meetings have no pastoral leadership, so the responsibility for the spiritual life is up to each individual.
This was my first real exposure to a Friends’ meeting. I had become more interested in the Quaker tradition because of the importance they place on meditation and spiritual discernment. I would not make any significant observation about Quakers based on this one experience. After all, many of the people present at today’s gathering were visitors. Nonetheless, once they started talking I could see how each person was granted the power to be a witness to God moving in their lives and in their spirits.
The few who spoke today quoted scripture or traditional Quaker principles. They spoke well and with sincerity. Later they shared concerns and all introduced themselves. As it happened we knew a number of the people present, so we felt comfortable. I did not reveal my full identity as a pastor of another denomination, but I am sure that would not have made any difference to them.
I respect the ability of these people to sit and meditate in silence. I suspect that after a while one would be able to feel the movement of the spirit in the quiet. The time in silence worked on me, and it made the words that were shared even more important because they were surrounded by silence and not by more words or noise. One of the important observations that one person made was the Quaker principle of “seeing that of God in everyone.” This is a very important lesson for all of us, and I take it to heart.
I missed singing, of course, but we had a delightful time. We decided that we would miss some of the important parts of our usual liturgy, and would be unlikely to want to go to worship there every week, but it was a very nice diversion from the usual. It is heartening to know that there is a group that is so comfortable in the peace that comes from silence in community. If one experienced this kind of worship frequently enough, one would come to the conclusion that Quaker meeting does not begin. It is always in session.
What about the “laughter and fun”? Well, they were not unhappy people. They greeted us warmly and seemed to enjoy one another and the process of coming to know God in their unique way.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
We arrived at the local Friends’ Meeting before the posted hour of 9:00 am, and we took our places in the circle at the Northeast Harbor Neighborhood House. A number of people arrived after us, the last of whom took a chair at 9:25.
Meanwhile we sat in silence meditating. Actually no one said anything until 9:45. Some time between 9 and 9:45 I realized that the Quaker meeting had begun. It began for me when I started to meditate. And the meeting itself came alive when I came to the notion that the responsibility for my worship of God at Quaker meeting was my own and not that of anyone else. Most Friends’ meetings have no pastoral leadership, so the responsibility for the spiritual life is up to each individual.
This was my first real exposure to a Friends’ meeting. I had become more interested in the Quaker tradition because of the importance they place on meditation and spiritual discernment. I would not make any significant observation about Quakers based on this one experience. After all, many of the people present at today’s gathering were visitors. Nonetheless, once they started talking I could see how each person was granted the power to be a witness to God moving in their lives and in their spirits.
The few who spoke today quoted scripture or traditional Quaker principles. They spoke well and with sincerity. Later they shared concerns and all introduced themselves. As it happened we knew a number of the people present, so we felt comfortable. I did not reveal my full identity as a pastor of another denomination, but I am sure that would not have made any difference to them.
I respect the ability of these people to sit and meditate in silence. I suspect that after a while one would be able to feel the movement of the spirit in the quiet. The time in silence worked on me, and it made the words that were shared even more important because they were surrounded by silence and not by more words or noise. One of the important observations that one person made was the Quaker principle of “seeing that of God in everyone.” This is a very important lesson for all of us, and I take it to heart.
I missed singing, of course, but we had a delightful time. We decided that we would miss some of the important parts of our usual liturgy, and would be unlikely to want to go to worship there every week, but it was a very nice diversion from the usual. It is heartening to know that there is a group that is so comfortable in the peace that comes from silence in community. If one experienced this kind of worship frequently enough, one would come to the conclusion that Quaker meeting does not begin. It is always in session.
What about the “laughter and fun”? Well, they were not unhappy people. They greeted us warmly and seemed to enjoy one another and the process of coming to know God in their unique way.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Thursday, August 19, 2004
My Experiece with the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation
Pastors have unusual opportunities to enhance their spiritual lives, privileges of which many lay people would be jealous. Pastors also have unusual stresses on their spiritual lives of which many lay people may lack knowledge. Pastors have the freedom to use some of their time in prayer and spiritual development. Much of our reading, thinking and action has to do with our relationship with God. Each week the pastor wrestles with the Biblical text in order to eke out another sermon, all the while in conversation with God. Lay people who have barely enough time for a water cooler break would be jealous of the opportunities for prayer that pastors have.
On the other hand it is stressful to be professionally religious. You are expected, more than any lay person, to be connected to God. We are just ordinary people who have been called to this profession. We do not necessarily have a more direct link to God, but people expect that we do. Moreover technology and competition has driven the church to be both more efficient and more complicated. The Internet, email, cell phones and communications systems have expanded significantly the availability and speed of our professional lives. Whereas at one time churches could count on members coming to church without a special invitation, now churches are competing with hundreds of other worthy causes for the time of their parishioners. So we have to work harder in order to stay in the same place. Technology and competition have sapped the pastor’s time and attention to the point that it is difficult to maintain a spiritual life. In my first years of ministry I was pastor of 2 small churches and I had time for prayer and reading virtually every morning. Those days are long gone.
Over the years the pressure of work and the way in which I allowed some of my spiritual muscles to atrophy found me in a slow descent into a state of spiritual hunger and need. I was aware that I was not feeling centered in my life. The job was at the center, and not necessarily God. Having the church at the center may look like God is as the center, but there is a difference. Over the years of ministry I felt the tension between my desire to be deeper in the spirit and the realities of my professional life. In recent years as I planned a sabbatical for 2004 I committed myself to placing the enhancement of my spiritual life at the top of the list of my needs and desires.
It was about that time, early in 2003 that I opened a piece of mail from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation promoting a special clergy program, Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership Program. It was to have 2 residencies spread over two summers, significant reading, spiritual direction and peer support. The mailing came as a Godsend. I prayed about it and consulted with some people and signed right up. This program has given me a structure around which to fulfill the plans for my sabbatical.
In summary I have been taken into deeper places in my spiritual life, have been affirmed in the knowledge of God that had always been there, and been blessed with a commitment to a more disciplined prayer life. I had never had an opportunity to be drawn into the depths of meditation and contemplation. The mentoring I have received through this program has been priceless in opening new doors of opportunity for me. I found a deeper expression of God, but this was not entirely a new experience to me. I found that my intuitions about God were confirmed. I had always known God in prayer, in meditation and in my dream work. I have come closer to the very same God I always knew. And further, the responsibility I feel to myself and to my peer group has given me the impetus to have a more constant and regular discipline of prayer.
The enhancement of my spiritual life is important in itself, but it is even more significant in its impact on the life of the congregation that I serve. Of course, the spiritual life of a congregation is not dependent on that of its pastor. I have always known that there are members of my church who are, perhaps, more faith filled than I ever could be. On the other hand the influence of the pastor on the spirit of the congregation would seem to be evident. The pastor gives shape to an understanding of scripture, leads the congregation in prayer and demonstrates the life of the spirit to all who would follow. I have done my best through the years to influence the congregations I serve in a positive manner, and I now feel better prepared to lead by example. Now that I feel considerably more centered in my personal and spiritual life, I should be better equipped to lead for the future.
It would be wrong to assume that the Spirit of God has not been moving in our congregation, for the spirit has always moved since its founding in 1722. There have been other significant movements in recent years that point to the movement of the Spirit. Two years ago we started a book discussion group called a World of Understanding, through which we have explored different cultures, religions and life styles. This has been well received and helped us all become more sensitive to other cultures in a world in which understanding is so very important. This last year we started a program of reading the Bible through the year. Dozens of people have signed up and they seem to be continuing in their reading and Bible study. We expanded the attendance at Bible study significantly. Last year I also started a group that was focused on meditation, called a “lay listening group,” as part of the Shalem program. This meditation group was so well received that I intend to extend an open invitation for others to join. We have an ongoing internet prayer chain that has always fulfilled a very important spiritual and pastoral purpose. It was out of these experiences of spirit and community that it was suggested that I write a weblog during my sabbatical. For the last several months I have contributed regularly to this blog and have received much response from people who appreciate knowing what I am thinking and doing. I do believe that the Spirit has been moving in our congregation in very powerful ways. This is seen in the level of participation and support that the church exhibits, and even more in the way the church members care for one another and for those in need. The church has demonstrated its spirituality inwardly and outwardly. Prayer is very important for our church’s life.
A sabbatical is a special time for prayer and one natural subject of prayer is one’s vocation. This is a likely moment in which to reflect on what I am doing and where I am going. In the last year or two various experiences have caused me to realize that I am much closer to retirement than I am to the beginning of my ministry. The denomination starts inviting us to pre-retirement seminars when we hit 55. That was a rude awakening. Attitudes toward retirement in the last 15 years have swung back and forth. For a number of years it was easy for people to retire before 65 because of the strength of the economy. There are enough retired folk in their late 50’s and early 60’s that people expect that everyone can and wants to do so. I have come to the conclusion that I would just not be inclined to retire early. I have plenty of things to do in retirement, with many hobbies and projects on hold, but, God willing, I expect that there is the possibility of my having many years in retirement. and plenty of time for those projects. Meanwhile, I have the opportunity to serve God and God’s people. Why would I give that up? I enjoy my work and find so much meaning in what I do that I would be disinclined to surrender my vocation.
Fortunately there are opportunities for pastors to continue in some kind of ministry after retirement. So there are other possibilities later on. Right now I am focusing on the years ahead. My goal is to “finish the race strong.” I have a belief that through one’s ministry one should be constantly reinvented. This is particularly true if one is staying in the same place for 10 or more years, as I have done. Part of my motivation for being involved in this program of spiritual renewal was to reinvent my ministry. My prayer is that the direction of my vocation in the years ahead will be a deepening of my own spiritual life and that of the congregation that I serve. My hope is that prayer can support my ministry and the life of the church.
What that means is both knowing and not knowing. What is certain is the uncertainty, that is, I am open to the future and what it means. If the style and content of my ministry change by the leading of the spirit, that is all right with me. What is equally interesting is the unpredictability of my spiritual life. I do not know where I will be taken as I go deeper into God’s life within me. This is not something that one can plan. As I have already found out, the spirit has brought me into new places, and it will continue to do so. So my plans for the future are not really my plans. I will try to be open to God’s leading and see where I am taken.
The greatest challenge is finding the support necessary to stay close to God’s Spirit in the moment and to keep the course for the vision of ministry that God is giving me. Strange as it may seem I believe that one has to look outward as well as inward for the resources necessary. I do intend to remain in spiritual direction, through which I work with an advisor on spiritual issues. Having someone along for the ride helps keep me on track. For the short term the peer group that I had during the Shalem program is continuing with monthly meetings by phone. This group of people understands the challenges that I face spiritually and know the direction I am going, so they have particularly good help for me. I belong to a senior clergy support group but that is not spiritually oriented, although it does meet personal and professional needs. I do hope to include regular personal and directed retreats as a way to keep in touch with God. I read a lot of spiritually oriented literature and that is always a way for me to find the leading of the spirit, for reading is a jumping off place for my meditation. I respond to the thoughts generated by the writer and I ponder their meaning for me.
The spiritual life of my congregation is also a major source of support for me. I know that there are others praying with me, and when I need it, I know that they would pray for me, with all sincerity. The prayerful witness of members of our church is very impressive. If one were inclined to lose faith in the power of prayer, one merely has to talk with the many praying people of our congregation. They would leave you with no doubt about the power that prayer has for their lives. I receive much of the support I need for my spiritual life from the very people I am supposed to be leading. That may be as it should be. Is the pastor supposed to be over and above the congregation, or is the pastor supposed to be with the congregation? As I live with the members of our church through disease, tragedy and disaster I minister God’s love to them, and they minister God’s love to me as well. There is a very interesting way in which accompanying people through the transitions of life and the transformations of their spiritual lives tends to increase one’s own spiritual experience.
In the end, the responsibility for my spiritual life is essentially mine. I cannot depend on others to remind me, to bring me up short, to commend me, to pray for me. It is my responsibility. So I must develop and enhance my disciplines. Undergirding my spiritual life is my physical well being. I have always found that my prayer life is enhanced if I am in good physical condition. Further, while running, walking, hiking, cycling or swimming I have time to pray and think. The rhythmic and personal aspects of these sports are natural to enhance prayer. They are often solitary pursuits.
A daily discipline of prayer is easy enough to do, it would seem, except that the pressure of everyday life significantly distracts from one’s ability to keep the discipline. I find that early in the day is better for me. I am my most alert and attuned to the world in the early morning. I have less spiritual interference coming my way. Conflicts developing from church or staff concerns have not yet arisen, so I have more peaceful space for prayer, psychically and spiritually. I need to keep that time for myself and not let it get taken by the many projects on which I like to get a head start early in the morning. From 5 AM on, I am ready to get going. I need to remember that prayer is the most important project with which I must start each day.
I have a prayer list that I keep updated, actually in my Palm Pilot. Thus I have my prayers of intercession readily available. This enables me to truly be in prayer for those in need. I try to keep track of those whose lives are broken by disease and trouble so that they are in my prayers. I also keep a prayer diary close by when I am praying. Over many years I have kept a prayer diary, in which I have recorded my conversations with God. I have on a few occasions gone back to look at these conversations and I am impressed by the way God has guided me and by the way my faith has evolved. This prayer diary is now in many different notebooks over the years.
I also use reading as a start for my meditation, usually reading in the classic literature on prayer and faith. When praying, I may read only a paragraph or two, and meditate from that material. Similarly, I use lectio divina as a method of meditation, which is slow and deliberate reading of scripture. This works like regular reading, but its connection to the spiritual wisdom of the ages and the Word of God, gives it a power that is above all other reading.
Some of my prayer time is spent opening up to God, in a spirit of petition, my own needs. Often these needs have to do with professional and personal decisions. I always get help from God on these issues, sometimes hearing things that I do not want to hear. At times through my life, the responses from God have been clear and direct, and life-saving. I am grateful for the relationship that I have had with God for many years of my life.
The grand lesson from the Shalem experience has been open minded meditation and contemplation. This is prayer with little or no agenda. It is prayer in which one clears the mind of the confusion and busyness of everyday life. The mind and spirit are set at ease, and the heart is directed to listening to God. Contemplation is a gift of God sometimes experienced through meditation in which one has the benefit of a pure experience of God’s presence. Contemplation can come in other ways, but it is best known through meditation. I am really still meditating with or without contemplation. Just waiting for God is an experience of great peace and healing. At first the thought of a few minutes in silent prayer seemed to be beyond my ability. My mind rushed so much that I was unable to just be in a spirit of receptivity. Now with the experience through the Shalem Institute I am able to go on day long silent retreats with no difficulty. I am more comfortable with the silence.
So some of the support that I need to maintain my discipline comes from the experience that I have had in prayer through the years and in particular through the Shalem Program. I will have to work hard to maintain the discipline, but I believe that it is within reach. I will look beyond myself continually to find support from the community, professional and church, but I know that the most important source of support will come from my own discipline and commitment.
If I were to ask myself, what is the one prayer that I have for myself at this time it would be: I pray that I will have the discipline to keep a regular spiritual life. My most fundamental prayer for my congregation is that it develop with me a deepening of its spiritual life.
Any growth in the spiritual life of our congregation will come first by God’s grace. I have a plan for the enhancement of the corporate prayer life and personal prayer life of the members of our church. I am sure that there will be many new ideas as time passes, but I will endeavor to enhance prayer throughout the church’s life. This will have a significant impact on the way our church meets the future.
As I look back on my sabbatical and the experience through the Shalem Institute, I am grateful for the time and for God’s guidance that pushed me in this direction. It has been very good for me and I believe that it will be good for the congregation that I serve. It is obvious to me now, but it took a long time for me to come to this conclusion, that prayer is the foundation of ministry and of the church. I am learning and relearning some things that were not well formed for me in years past. But all things come in their own time. I am now receptive to the deepening of my spiritual life, so now is the right time. I am thankful for God’s grace.
Ken Brookes
KBrookes@aol.com
copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
On the other hand it is stressful to be professionally religious. You are expected, more than any lay person, to be connected to God. We are just ordinary people who have been called to this profession. We do not necessarily have a more direct link to God, but people expect that we do. Moreover technology and competition has driven the church to be both more efficient and more complicated. The Internet, email, cell phones and communications systems have expanded significantly the availability and speed of our professional lives. Whereas at one time churches could count on members coming to church without a special invitation, now churches are competing with hundreds of other worthy causes for the time of their parishioners. So we have to work harder in order to stay in the same place. Technology and competition have sapped the pastor’s time and attention to the point that it is difficult to maintain a spiritual life. In my first years of ministry I was pastor of 2 small churches and I had time for prayer and reading virtually every morning. Those days are long gone.
Over the years the pressure of work and the way in which I allowed some of my spiritual muscles to atrophy found me in a slow descent into a state of spiritual hunger and need. I was aware that I was not feeling centered in my life. The job was at the center, and not necessarily God. Having the church at the center may look like God is as the center, but there is a difference. Over the years of ministry I felt the tension between my desire to be deeper in the spirit and the realities of my professional life. In recent years as I planned a sabbatical for 2004 I committed myself to placing the enhancement of my spiritual life at the top of the list of my needs and desires.
It was about that time, early in 2003 that I opened a piece of mail from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation promoting a special clergy program, Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership Program. It was to have 2 residencies spread over two summers, significant reading, spiritual direction and peer support. The mailing came as a Godsend. I prayed about it and consulted with some people and signed right up. This program has given me a structure around which to fulfill the plans for my sabbatical.
In summary I have been taken into deeper places in my spiritual life, have been affirmed in the knowledge of God that had always been there, and been blessed with a commitment to a more disciplined prayer life. I had never had an opportunity to be drawn into the depths of meditation and contemplation. The mentoring I have received through this program has been priceless in opening new doors of opportunity for me. I found a deeper expression of God, but this was not entirely a new experience to me. I found that my intuitions about God were confirmed. I had always known God in prayer, in meditation and in my dream work. I have come closer to the very same God I always knew. And further, the responsibility I feel to myself and to my peer group has given me the impetus to have a more constant and regular discipline of prayer.
The enhancement of my spiritual life is important in itself, but it is even more significant in its impact on the life of the congregation that I serve. Of course, the spiritual life of a congregation is not dependent on that of its pastor. I have always known that there are members of my church who are, perhaps, more faith filled than I ever could be. On the other hand the influence of the pastor on the spirit of the congregation would seem to be evident. The pastor gives shape to an understanding of scripture, leads the congregation in prayer and demonstrates the life of the spirit to all who would follow. I have done my best through the years to influence the congregations I serve in a positive manner, and I now feel better prepared to lead by example. Now that I feel considerably more centered in my personal and spiritual life, I should be better equipped to lead for the future.
It would be wrong to assume that the Spirit of God has not been moving in our congregation, for the spirit has always moved since its founding in 1722. There have been other significant movements in recent years that point to the movement of the Spirit. Two years ago we started a book discussion group called a World of Understanding, through which we have explored different cultures, religions and life styles. This has been well received and helped us all become more sensitive to other cultures in a world in which understanding is so very important. This last year we started a program of reading the Bible through the year. Dozens of people have signed up and they seem to be continuing in their reading and Bible study. We expanded the attendance at Bible study significantly. Last year I also started a group that was focused on meditation, called a “lay listening group,” as part of the Shalem program. This meditation group was so well received that I intend to extend an open invitation for others to join. We have an ongoing internet prayer chain that has always fulfilled a very important spiritual and pastoral purpose. It was out of these experiences of spirit and community that it was suggested that I write a weblog during my sabbatical. For the last several months I have contributed regularly to this blog and have received much response from people who appreciate knowing what I am thinking and doing. I do believe that the Spirit has been moving in our congregation in very powerful ways. This is seen in the level of participation and support that the church exhibits, and even more in the way the church members care for one another and for those in need. The church has demonstrated its spirituality inwardly and outwardly. Prayer is very important for our church’s life.
A sabbatical is a special time for prayer and one natural subject of prayer is one’s vocation. This is a likely moment in which to reflect on what I am doing and where I am going. In the last year or two various experiences have caused me to realize that I am much closer to retirement than I am to the beginning of my ministry. The denomination starts inviting us to pre-retirement seminars when we hit 55. That was a rude awakening. Attitudes toward retirement in the last 15 years have swung back and forth. For a number of years it was easy for people to retire before 65 because of the strength of the economy. There are enough retired folk in their late 50’s and early 60’s that people expect that everyone can and wants to do so. I have come to the conclusion that I would just not be inclined to retire early. I have plenty of things to do in retirement, with many hobbies and projects on hold, but, God willing, I expect that there is the possibility of my having many years in retirement. and plenty of time for those projects. Meanwhile, I have the opportunity to serve God and God’s people. Why would I give that up? I enjoy my work and find so much meaning in what I do that I would be disinclined to surrender my vocation.
Fortunately there are opportunities for pastors to continue in some kind of ministry after retirement. So there are other possibilities later on. Right now I am focusing on the years ahead. My goal is to “finish the race strong.” I have a belief that through one’s ministry one should be constantly reinvented. This is particularly true if one is staying in the same place for 10 or more years, as I have done. Part of my motivation for being involved in this program of spiritual renewal was to reinvent my ministry. My prayer is that the direction of my vocation in the years ahead will be a deepening of my own spiritual life and that of the congregation that I serve. My hope is that prayer can support my ministry and the life of the church.
What that means is both knowing and not knowing. What is certain is the uncertainty, that is, I am open to the future and what it means. If the style and content of my ministry change by the leading of the spirit, that is all right with me. What is equally interesting is the unpredictability of my spiritual life. I do not know where I will be taken as I go deeper into God’s life within me. This is not something that one can plan. As I have already found out, the spirit has brought me into new places, and it will continue to do so. So my plans for the future are not really my plans. I will try to be open to God’s leading and see where I am taken.
The greatest challenge is finding the support necessary to stay close to God’s Spirit in the moment and to keep the course for the vision of ministry that God is giving me. Strange as it may seem I believe that one has to look outward as well as inward for the resources necessary. I do intend to remain in spiritual direction, through which I work with an advisor on spiritual issues. Having someone along for the ride helps keep me on track. For the short term the peer group that I had during the Shalem program is continuing with monthly meetings by phone. This group of people understands the challenges that I face spiritually and know the direction I am going, so they have particularly good help for me. I belong to a senior clergy support group but that is not spiritually oriented, although it does meet personal and professional needs. I do hope to include regular personal and directed retreats as a way to keep in touch with God. I read a lot of spiritually oriented literature and that is always a way for me to find the leading of the spirit, for reading is a jumping off place for my meditation. I respond to the thoughts generated by the writer and I ponder their meaning for me.
The spiritual life of my congregation is also a major source of support for me. I know that there are others praying with me, and when I need it, I know that they would pray for me, with all sincerity. The prayerful witness of members of our church is very impressive. If one were inclined to lose faith in the power of prayer, one merely has to talk with the many praying people of our congregation. They would leave you with no doubt about the power that prayer has for their lives. I receive much of the support I need for my spiritual life from the very people I am supposed to be leading. That may be as it should be. Is the pastor supposed to be over and above the congregation, or is the pastor supposed to be with the congregation? As I live with the members of our church through disease, tragedy and disaster I minister God’s love to them, and they minister God’s love to me as well. There is a very interesting way in which accompanying people through the transitions of life and the transformations of their spiritual lives tends to increase one’s own spiritual experience.
In the end, the responsibility for my spiritual life is essentially mine. I cannot depend on others to remind me, to bring me up short, to commend me, to pray for me. It is my responsibility. So I must develop and enhance my disciplines. Undergirding my spiritual life is my physical well being. I have always found that my prayer life is enhanced if I am in good physical condition. Further, while running, walking, hiking, cycling or swimming I have time to pray and think. The rhythmic and personal aspects of these sports are natural to enhance prayer. They are often solitary pursuits.
A daily discipline of prayer is easy enough to do, it would seem, except that the pressure of everyday life significantly distracts from one’s ability to keep the discipline. I find that early in the day is better for me. I am my most alert and attuned to the world in the early morning. I have less spiritual interference coming my way. Conflicts developing from church or staff concerns have not yet arisen, so I have more peaceful space for prayer, psychically and spiritually. I need to keep that time for myself and not let it get taken by the many projects on which I like to get a head start early in the morning. From 5 AM on, I am ready to get going. I need to remember that prayer is the most important project with which I must start each day.
I have a prayer list that I keep updated, actually in my Palm Pilot. Thus I have my prayers of intercession readily available. This enables me to truly be in prayer for those in need. I try to keep track of those whose lives are broken by disease and trouble so that they are in my prayers. I also keep a prayer diary close by when I am praying. Over many years I have kept a prayer diary, in which I have recorded my conversations with God. I have on a few occasions gone back to look at these conversations and I am impressed by the way God has guided me and by the way my faith has evolved. This prayer diary is now in many different notebooks over the years.
I also use reading as a start for my meditation, usually reading in the classic literature on prayer and faith. When praying, I may read only a paragraph or two, and meditate from that material. Similarly, I use lectio divina as a method of meditation, which is slow and deliberate reading of scripture. This works like regular reading, but its connection to the spiritual wisdom of the ages and the Word of God, gives it a power that is above all other reading.
Some of my prayer time is spent opening up to God, in a spirit of petition, my own needs. Often these needs have to do with professional and personal decisions. I always get help from God on these issues, sometimes hearing things that I do not want to hear. At times through my life, the responses from God have been clear and direct, and life-saving. I am grateful for the relationship that I have had with God for many years of my life.
The grand lesson from the Shalem experience has been open minded meditation and contemplation. This is prayer with little or no agenda. It is prayer in which one clears the mind of the confusion and busyness of everyday life. The mind and spirit are set at ease, and the heart is directed to listening to God. Contemplation is a gift of God sometimes experienced through meditation in which one has the benefit of a pure experience of God’s presence. Contemplation can come in other ways, but it is best known through meditation. I am really still meditating with or without contemplation. Just waiting for God is an experience of great peace and healing. At first the thought of a few minutes in silent prayer seemed to be beyond my ability. My mind rushed so much that I was unable to just be in a spirit of receptivity. Now with the experience through the Shalem Institute I am able to go on day long silent retreats with no difficulty. I am more comfortable with the silence.
So some of the support that I need to maintain my discipline comes from the experience that I have had in prayer through the years and in particular through the Shalem Program. I will have to work hard to maintain the discipline, but I believe that it is within reach. I will look beyond myself continually to find support from the community, professional and church, but I know that the most important source of support will come from my own discipline and commitment.
If I were to ask myself, what is the one prayer that I have for myself at this time it would be: I pray that I will have the discipline to keep a regular spiritual life. My most fundamental prayer for my congregation is that it develop with me a deepening of its spiritual life.
Any growth in the spiritual life of our congregation will come first by God’s grace. I have a plan for the enhancement of the corporate prayer life and personal prayer life of the members of our church. I am sure that there will be many new ideas as time passes, but I will endeavor to enhance prayer throughout the church’s life. This will have a significant impact on the way our church meets the future.
As I look back on my sabbatical and the experience through the Shalem Institute, I am grateful for the time and for God’s guidance that pushed me in this direction. It has been very good for me and I believe that it will be good for the congregation that I serve. It is obvious to me now, but it took a long time for me to come to this conclusion, that prayer is the foundation of ministry and of the church. I am learning and relearning some things that were not well formed for me in years past. But all things come in their own time. I am now receptive to the deepening of my spiritual life, so now is the right time. I am thankful for God’s grace.
Ken Brookes
KBrookes@aol.com
copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
July 27 - Day 8 at Shalem - Reentry
July 27 – Day 8 at Shalem – Reentry
When one goes on a spiritual retreat, it takes some time to leave behind one’s everyday life and concerns. When one returns from a retreat, it also takes some time to reenter one’s every day environment. Even though I was returning to more sabbatical time and then vacation, I found a clash of worlds starting with the flight home.
Fortunately I was sufficiently relaxed in spirit that I did not get too upset with having my flights postponed all day and into the night. Travel time extended to 12 and 1/2 hours. To further text my calm spirit I was stopped for speeding a mile from our home in Maine at quarter of 1 in the morning. Fortunately, the police officer, who must have been trying to amuse himself in the dead of the night, just gave me a warning and told me to watch out for deer. Maybe if I had been in a different mood and had not been so “zen,” he would have ticketed me. I was exhausted and glad to get home to my family.
The other aspect of the trip home that unnerved me was the noise. After a week of peace and quiet and of significant heart to heart dialogue, the barrage of people filling all the air around them with chatter on their cell phones really set me on edge. There were an incredible number of people who were either doing business or catching up with family and friends at the expense of the rest of us who wanted to read, meditate or rest.
Another mistake I made was to buy the 9/11 Report in a book store at the airport. For a week I had been exposed to only the minimum of news of the world. I had wondered from time to time if any one inform us of a major world crisis during our quiet time. I guess they would have. The 9/11 Report is probably not a good airport book, since the first part of the book talks about the hijackings and the intentional crashes. It is terrifying to think about the ease with which the terrorists were able to commandeer 4 aircraft on that morning and send three of them into their planned targets, with the fourth plowing into a field in Pennsylvania due to the revolt of courageous passengers. A book like this can make the best of us a little paranoid when flying, but I figured a little plane heading toward Bangor, ME, was unlikely to be a major target.
However, the real challenge of reentry is keeping one’s resolve. My resolve has to do with my own prayer life and the way in which I show my leadership in the church. It is easier to be regular in prayer in a retreat setting, when your meals are prepared for you, and there is no lawn to mow or boats to sail. So the challenge now and when I am back at work is to maintain regular times of prayer and meditation. Then the effort will be to work on my plan to enhance my spiritual leadership and to lead the church in its spiritual life.
Those of us involved in this 2 year program for the deepening of spirituality for clergy are talking about extending the program for another year. We still have some work to do before we receive our certificates of completion. Some of us will continue our peer group discussions beyond our “graduation” and there may be an extended retreat next summer. All of us are trying find ways to keep the spirit going while we are not on retreat.
I suppose this is the challenge for all of us. How do we keep our faith and our prayer life active in the busy, overbooked lives that we lead? How do you do it? If you need help as I do, perhaps we can help each other.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
When one goes on a spiritual retreat, it takes some time to leave behind one’s everyday life and concerns. When one returns from a retreat, it also takes some time to reenter one’s every day environment. Even though I was returning to more sabbatical time and then vacation, I found a clash of worlds starting with the flight home.
Fortunately I was sufficiently relaxed in spirit that I did not get too upset with having my flights postponed all day and into the night. Travel time extended to 12 and 1/2 hours. To further text my calm spirit I was stopped for speeding a mile from our home in Maine at quarter of 1 in the morning. Fortunately, the police officer, who must have been trying to amuse himself in the dead of the night, just gave me a warning and told me to watch out for deer. Maybe if I had been in a different mood and had not been so “zen,” he would have ticketed me. I was exhausted and glad to get home to my family.
The other aspect of the trip home that unnerved me was the noise. After a week of peace and quiet and of significant heart to heart dialogue, the barrage of people filling all the air around them with chatter on their cell phones really set me on edge. There were an incredible number of people who were either doing business or catching up with family and friends at the expense of the rest of us who wanted to read, meditate or rest.
Another mistake I made was to buy the 9/11 Report in a book store at the airport. For a week I had been exposed to only the minimum of news of the world. I had wondered from time to time if any one inform us of a major world crisis during our quiet time. I guess they would have. The 9/11 Report is probably not a good airport book, since the first part of the book talks about the hijackings and the intentional crashes. It is terrifying to think about the ease with which the terrorists were able to commandeer 4 aircraft on that morning and send three of them into their planned targets, with the fourth plowing into a field in Pennsylvania due to the revolt of courageous passengers. A book like this can make the best of us a little paranoid when flying, but I figured a little plane heading toward Bangor, ME, was unlikely to be a major target.
However, the real challenge of reentry is keeping one’s resolve. My resolve has to do with my own prayer life and the way in which I show my leadership in the church. It is easier to be regular in prayer in a retreat setting, when your meals are prepared for you, and there is no lawn to mow or boats to sail. So the challenge now and when I am back at work is to maintain regular times of prayer and meditation. Then the effort will be to work on my plan to enhance my spiritual leadership and to lead the church in its spiritual life.
Those of us involved in this 2 year program for the deepening of spirituality for clergy are talking about extending the program for another year. We still have some work to do before we receive our certificates of completion. Some of us will continue our peer group discussions beyond our “graduation” and there may be an extended retreat next summer. All of us are trying find ways to keep the spirit going while we are not on retreat.
I suppose this is the challenge for all of us. How do we keep our faith and our prayer life active in the busy, overbooked lives that we lead? How do you do it? If you need help as I do, perhaps we can help each other.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
July 26, 2004 Day 7 at Shalem - Prayer and Community
Day 7 at Shalem – Prayer and Community
The focus of prayer at the Shalem Institute is largely on meditation and contemplation, as the foundation of the spiritual life. Through the centuries of Christianity and in the spirit of many religions, waiting on God in quiet and openness has been the way in which God has been encountered. The reason that we spend so much time at the Shalem Institute in meditation is because, strange as it may seem, very little of our Christian preparation, either in church school or seminary, is spent in developing this kind of prayer and approach to God. Much of Western Christianity lost its roots in meditation over recent years.
On the other hand, the Christian church has done a better job at emphasizing the prayers of the community, public prayers and prayers of intercession and petition. In public prayers we try to find words that speak for all of us, and that turn our hearts together toward God in adoration and petition. In prayers of petition we ask God for what we need, and in prayers of intercession we ask God to meet the needs of others. In intercession we pray for healing, for restoration and for peace for the world. These are what I call prayers of the community. They both express the unity of the church and they express our love and bond to others. Whether we are praying in the church, or in the family or for those in need at work, we are praying in such a way that the unity of humanity is enhanced (unless, of course, one is praying for the destruction of another. The request addressed to God that seeks revenge or malice falls outside the realm of Christian prayer, it seems to me.)
Is one kind of prayer more important or better than another? Are those who meditate of a higher spiritual standing than those who pray with lists of concerns and intercessions? Or are the prayers that are offered in church, especially those prepared by the pastors heard better by God, than the simple prayers offered at the table before dinner? Is the contemplative better than the petitioner?
Obviously, I doubt that there is a hierarchy of prayer. The church and the Christian faith need prayers of all sorts. It is our means of communicating with the Divine One, and so we need more and not less prayer. The church should be constantly experimenting and pushing the edges of prayer. That is what we do on retreat and in the quiet of the meditation room. We delve deeper into prayer, calling to God and intently listening.
So the church that wants to be whole must have all sorts of prayer at the same time. A church that is whole would have effective corporate prayer in its liturgy, prayer that calls the church together, orients the church toward God, and expresses the desires and needs of the people before God. A church that is whole would provide support for those who meditate, through meditation groups and space and time for contemplation. Last year as part of the requirements of my program at the Shalem Institute I was expected to start a “lay listening” group, designed to meditate on the presence of God in our lives and in the church. This was essentially a meditation group, which was so compelling for those of us involved, that I want to expand this group to include any who are interested. A church that is whole would bind as many people together as possible, offering before God common intercessions. The internet provides excellent opportunities for prayer groups to keep the community focused on the needs of others. Anyone can participate in our internet prayer chain by emailing me at kbrookes@aol.com. We keep updated lists of those in need on the bulletin board near the office. Perhaps there are other ways in which we can inform the congregation of needs for prayer without breaching needs and rights of confidentiality.
Prayer life is the foundation of the community of the church, and I pray that it will be the true foundation of our church and its community. I hope that many members of our church will start praying now that we can become a praying church. Take some time now during the summer to expand your prayer life.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
The focus of prayer at the Shalem Institute is largely on meditation and contemplation, as the foundation of the spiritual life. Through the centuries of Christianity and in the spirit of many religions, waiting on God in quiet and openness has been the way in which God has been encountered. The reason that we spend so much time at the Shalem Institute in meditation is because, strange as it may seem, very little of our Christian preparation, either in church school or seminary, is spent in developing this kind of prayer and approach to God. Much of Western Christianity lost its roots in meditation over recent years.
On the other hand, the Christian church has done a better job at emphasizing the prayers of the community, public prayers and prayers of intercession and petition. In public prayers we try to find words that speak for all of us, and that turn our hearts together toward God in adoration and petition. In prayers of petition we ask God for what we need, and in prayers of intercession we ask God to meet the needs of others. In intercession we pray for healing, for restoration and for peace for the world. These are what I call prayers of the community. They both express the unity of the church and they express our love and bond to others. Whether we are praying in the church, or in the family or for those in need at work, we are praying in such a way that the unity of humanity is enhanced (unless, of course, one is praying for the destruction of another. The request addressed to God that seeks revenge or malice falls outside the realm of Christian prayer, it seems to me.)
Is one kind of prayer more important or better than another? Are those who meditate of a higher spiritual standing than those who pray with lists of concerns and intercessions? Or are the prayers that are offered in church, especially those prepared by the pastors heard better by God, than the simple prayers offered at the table before dinner? Is the contemplative better than the petitioner?
Obviously, I doubt that there is a hierarchy of prayer. The church and the Christian faith need prayers of all sorts. It is our means of communicating with the Divine One, and so we need more and not less prayer. The church should be constantly experimenting and pushing the edges of prayer. That is what we do on retreat and in the quiet of the meditation room. We delve deeper into prayer, calling to God and intently listening.
So the church that wants to be whole must have all sorts of prayer at the same time. A church that is whole would have effective corporate prayer in its liturgy, prayer that calls the church together, orients the church toward God, and expresses the desires and needs of the people before God. A church that is whole would provide support for those who meditate, through meditation groups and space and time for contemplation. Last year as part of the requirements of my program at the Shalem Institute I was expected to start a “lay listening” group, designed to meditate on the presence of God in our lives and in the church. This was essentially a meditation group, which was so compelling for those of us involved, that I want to expand this group to include any who are interested. A church that is whole would bind as many people together as possible, offering before God common intercessions. The internet provides excellent opportunities for prayer groups to keep the community focused on the needs of others. Anyone can participate in our internet prayer chain by emailing me at kbrookes@aol.com. We keep updated lists of those in need on the bulletin board near the office. Perhaps there are other ways in which we can inform the congregation of needs for prayer without breaching needs and rights of confidentiality.
Prayer life is the foundation of the community of the church, and I pray that it will be the true foundation of our church and its community. I hope that many members of our church will start praying now that we can become a praying church. Take some time now during the summer to expand your prayer life.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Monday, July 26, 2004
July 25, 2004 - Day 6 at Shalem - Silence
July 25, 2004 – Day 6 Shalem – Silence
Andre Louf, a Cistercian monk and teacher on the subject of prayer answers the question “is praying difficult?” by comparing it to learning how to play the lute. When one starts playing the lute there are too many things to think about, how to hold it, how to strike it, how to tune it, etc. But once one learns how to play the lute, it is simple and a joy.
A year ago, when I was scheduled for my first real silent retreat of 36 hours I was overwhelmed by the thought. I just could not understand how I could last without contact and conversation. How would I be able to stay off the internet and the cell phone for that long? Moreover, I had no idea what I would do with myself. If I could not make any noise and conversation, what would I do with my brain?
The learning from that first silent retreat was that I could do it. There is a luxurious sense of lightness of being when you have an expanse of a day and a half without conversation. In the silence I was open to converse with God. I could come back to that engagement when I drifted off to something else. Moreover, I was so relaxed after that time of silence that I never again would fear it.
Since then I have taken a couple of days for silent retreat, and my only regret is that I have not taken more. My intention is to do so in the future.
So today I have taken time to read scripture and reflect on it. I have read some of the great mystics of the centuries and noted the ways in which their experiences inform mine. And I have had the time when I could luxuriate in seeming to do nothing, to meditate and ponder the surroundings. On a long walk in the woods I could appreciate the beauty around me and admire the dozens of young deer who crisscross the paths. Sitting by the pond next to the Bon Secours retreat center I could watch the gold fish and the carp swim by, and the ducks paddling on the surface. I could also listen to the fly nearby. The branches of the trees gently waved in the wind. The butterflies dutifully invaded the butterfly bushes. Others among the retreat group walked quietly by in the depth of their own reflections and reveries. It was a quiet time for my soul.
I went into this day cautious and fearful about some things that I feel that I should do with my life. I knew the right thing to do, but I was not sure that I could do it. I prayed about it. I meditated on the scripture and held up my problems before God. And I spent some time in which I did not focus on my problems at all. But late in the day when I came back to one of the problems, I knew that I was encouraged to the point that I really should try to do the right thing, and I am confident that I can do it now. I started a game plan for the project that I previously had felt was out of my reach, and the ideas just flowed out filling several pages of my notebook.
How did that come about? Was it God giving me the ideas? Was it my relaxed state that gave me the energy to freely develop the plan? Or was it both? Whatever it is, I can sense that I am much more committed to working toward a spiritually healthy church than I may have been in the past.
Is the silent retreat worth the time and effort? Absolutely yes! Is it difficult? Well, it is at first, but once you have had the experience you will know how powerful and encouraging it is. In the silence when our mouths are shut and our minds are in tune with the universe, we can hear God speaking.
Can you hear God now?
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Andre Louf, a Cistercian monk and teacher on the subject of prayer answers the question “is praying difficult?” by comparing it to learning how to play the lute. When one starts playing the lute there are too many things to think about, how to hold it, how to strike it, how to tune it, etc. But once one learns how to play the lute, it is simple and a joy.
A year ago, when I was scheduled for my first real silent retreat of 36 hours I was overwhelmed by the thought. I just could not understand how I could last without contact and conversation. How would I be able to stay off the internet and the cell phone for that long? Moreover, I had no idea what I would do with myself. If I could not make any noise and conversation, what would I do with my brain?
The learning from that first silent retreat was that I could do it. There is a luxurious sense of lightness of being when you have an expanse of a day and a half without conversation. In the silence I was open to converse with God. I could come back to that engagement when I drifted off to something else. Moreover, I was so relaxed after that time of silence that I never again would fear it.
Since then I have taken a couple of days for silent retreat, and my only regret is that I have not taken more. My intention is to do so in the future.
So today I have taken time to read scripture and reflect on it. I have read some of the great mystics of the centuries and noted the ways in which their experiences inform mine. And I have had the time when I could luxuriate in seeming to do nothing, to meditate and ponder the surroundings. On a long walk in the woods I could appreciate the beauty around me and admire the dozens of young deer who crisscross the paths. Sitting by the pond next to the Bon Secours retreat center I could watch the gold fish and the carp swim by, and the ducks paddling on the surface. I could also listen to the fly nearby. The branches of the trees gently waved in the wind. The butterflies dutifully invaded the butterfly bushes. Others among the retreat group walked quietly by in the depth of their own reflections and reveries. It was a quiet time for my soul.
I went into this day cautious and fearful about some things that I feel that I should do with my life. I knew the right thing to do, but I was not sure that I could do it. I prayed about it. I meditated on the scripture and held up my problems before God. And I spent some time in which I did not focus on my problems at all. But late in the day when I came back to one of the problems, I knew that I was encouraged to the point that I really should try to do the right thing, and I am confident that I can do it now. I started a game plan for the project that I previously had felt was out of my reach, and the ideas just flowed out filling several pages of my notebook.
How did that come about? Was it God giving me the ideas? Was it my relaxed state that gave me the energy to freely develop the plan? Or was it both? Whatever it is, I can sense that I am much more committed to working toward a spiritually healthy church than I may have been in the past.
Is the silent retreat worth the time and effort? Absolutely yes! Is it difficult? Well, it is at first, but once you have had the experience you will know how powerful and encouraging it is. In the silence when our mouths are shut and our minds are in tune with the universe, we can hear God speaking.
Can you hear God now?
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Sunday, July 25, 2004
July 24 - Day 5 at Shalem - Spiritual Foundations for a Church
July 24 - Day 5 at Shalem – Spiritual foundations for a Church
The connection between the personal and the professional for the pastor is important. It may also be unusual, it seems to me, for people to have such a close rapport between all of the personal aspects of their lives and their professional conduct. Even, or maybe especially, the pastor’s spiritual life is closely linked to his or her professional life. Further the pastor’s spiritual life is closely connected to the spiritual life of the church he or she serves.
So when pastors go on retreat, it is quite common that the discussion and meditation comes back to the spiritual life of the church. The pastor has the responsibility to feed and nurture that spiritual life. In a nice circular way, of course, the spiritual life of the church figures largely in the spiritual feeding of the pastor. If the church is spiritually mature the pastor is fed by the people who nurture that spiritual life in the congregation, and the pastor is buoyed and encouraged by the health of the parish. By the same token a spiritually needy church can drain and discourage the pastor, just as a spiritually needy pastor can drain and discourage the church.
So just as the circle is a symbol of wholeness, the cycle of feeding and nurturing in which the pastor and the congregation circle one another in a great arc of health and wholeness.
What is the foundation of the spiritual health and well being of a church? Some would argue that the pastor’s prayer life is the spiritual foundation of the local church. If the pastor is the one to nurture the spiritual health of the congregation, then this pastor centered formula makes sense. The pastor should be spending more than enough time in prayer and meditation to be able to feed a parish on a normal week, so that there is enough to spare in a difficult week.
The down side to this formula is, however, that it places far too much weight on the shoulders or the folded hands of the pastor. Can one person really be responsible for the spiritual well being of a church? No one could really imagine that to be true. Indeed, as many members of a church as possible (ideally the whole congregation) need to be engaged in nurturing the spiritual well being of the church. This means that every member of the church who can nbe coaxed to do so should be spending more than enough time to nurture the church through a normal week, so that there is enough left over for the difficult week.
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that one could determine an ideal amount of time that would be adequate for the spiritual support of a church. I cannot imagine that it would be less than a half hour, so let’s just assume that somewhat more than a half hour a day would be more than adequate prayer for a whole congregation to pray in order to support its spiritual well being. Of course, some people would not pray, so you would have to have some people praying more than a half hour. But can you imagine the impact on a church if large numbers of people were praying at least half an hour a day, and what would happen if they understood that part of the usefulness of that prayer is the spiritual sustenance of the church. Do you think that such a church would have any problems? My imagination tells me that many of the challenges to a church would fade away.
A church full of prayers would have little trouble making up its mind about goals and directions. The discernment process would always be in process for a congregation that prays and meditates. A church full of praying people would have plenty of people ready and able to serve. A church that prayed would have the money it needs to follow its faith. A church of prayers would have hope for the future. Church members who pray and feel confident in the spiritual viability of its congregation would bring their friends and relatives to fill and refill the pews. It is an easy formula for church growth.
A church that prays would incorporate prayer into its whole life and not just the private lives of its members. If the whole congregation is praying, then there would be no need to ask the pastors to pray at every meeting. That church would have a whole cadre of people acquainted with dialogue with the Lord. They might even pray over the preacher before the service. They might be willing to pray for one another in worship, even to lay on hands for those particularly in need of prayer. A church that prays would know how important it is to discern the movement of the spirit in its life. A church that prays would know the meaning of pastoral care and radical care for the world.
Well, what is the foundation of the spiritual well being of a church? It is prayer, the pastor’s prayer and meditation as his or her spiritual shield and staff for the journey. Prayer is the implement of salvation in the hands of the whole congregation. It is the very foundation of the church, because prayer is the way in which Jesus, the cornerstone, comes with regularity into the life of any church.
Pray without ceasing.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
The connection between the personal and the professional for the pastor is important. It may also be unusual, it seems to me, for people to have such a close rapport between all of the personal aspects of their lives and their professional conduct. Even, or maybe especially, the pastor’s spiritual life is closely linked to his or her professional life. Further the pastor’s spiritual life is closely connected to the spiritual life of the church he or she serves.
So when pastors go on retreat, it is quite common that the discussion and meditation comes back to the spiritual life of the church. The pastor has the responsibility to feed and nurture that spiritual life. In a nice circular way, of course, the spiritual life of the church figures largely in the spiritual feeding of the pastor. If the church is spiritually mature the pastor is fed by the people who nurture that spiritual life in the congregation, and the pastor is buoyed and encouraged by the health of the parish. By the same token a spiritually needy church can drain and discourage the pastor, just as a spiritually needy pastor can drain and discourage the church.
So just as the circle is a symbol of wholeness, the cycle of feeding and nurturing in which the pastor and the congregation circle one another in a great arc of health and wholeness.
What is the foundation of the spiritual health and well being of a church? Some would argue that the pastor’s prayer life is the spiritual foundation of the local church. If the pastor is the one to nurture the spiritual health of the congregation, then this pastor centered formula makes sense. The pastor should be spending more than enough time in prayer and meditation to be able to feed a parish on a normal week, so that there is enough to spare in a difficult week.
The down side to this formula is, however, that it places far too much weight on the shoulders or the folded hands of the pastor. Can one person really be responsible for the spiritual well being of a church? No one could really imagine that to be true. Indeed, as many members of a church as possible (ideally the whole congregation) need to be engaged in nurturing the spiritual well being of the church. This means that every member of the church who can nbe coaxed to do so should be spending more than enough time to nurture the church through a normal week, so that there is enough left over for the difficult week.
Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that one could determine an ideal amount of time that would be adequate for the spiritual support of a church. I cannot imagine that it would be less than a half hour, so let’s just assume that somewhat more than a half hour a day would be more than adequate prayer for a whole congregation to pray in order to support its spiritual well being. Of course, some people would not pray, so you would have to have some people praying more than a half hour. But can you imagine the impact on a church if large numbers of people were praying at least half an hour a day, and what would happen if they understood that part of the usefulness of that prayer is the spiritual sustenance of the church. Do you think that such a church would have any problems? My imagination tells me that many of the challenges to a church would fade away.
A church full of prayers would have little trouble making up its mind about goals and directions. The discernment process would always be in process for a congregation that prays and meditates. A church full of praying people would have plenty of people ready and able to serve. A church that prayed would have the money it needs to follow its faith. A church of prayers would have hope for the future. Church members who pray and feel confident in the spiritual viability of its congregation would bring their friends and relatives to fill and refill the pews. It is an easy formula for church growth.
A church that prays would incorporate prayer into its whole life and not just the private lives of its members. If the whole congregation is praying, then there would be no need to ask the pastors to pray at every meeting. That church would have a whole cadre of people acquainted with dialogue with the Lord. They might even pray over the preacher before the service. They might be willing to pray for one another in worship, even to lay on hands for those particularly in need of prayer. A church that prays would know how important it is to discern the movement of the spirit in its life. A church that prays would know the meaning of pastoral care and radical care for the world.
Well, what is the foundation of the spiritual well being of a church? It is prayer, the pastor’s prayer and meditation as his or her spiritual shield and staff for the journey. Prayer is the implement of salvation in the hands of the whole congregation. It is the very foundation of the church, because prayer is the way in which Jesus, the cornerstone, comes with regularity into the life of any church.
Pray without ceasing.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
July 23 - Day 4 at Shalem - Prayer and Social Concern
July 23 – Day 4 at Shalem - Prayer and Social Concern
A common and ultimately facile analysis of religious life would assume that there are those in the church who pray and who are concerned about the spiritual life, and then there are other people who are concerned about social justice issues, and who are engaged in the social action ministry of the church. Not only is it assumed that these are 2 separate groups, but it is also thought that they will rarely eve associate with one another.
Among the many benefits of enhancing one’s spiritual life is an increasing wholeness in faith. Prayer and meditation lead to a life in which one is regularly in prayer about the needs of the world. And moments of contemplation into which one may be drawn, if one is open, will lead the prayer into oneness with God and the universe. It is almost impossible for the contemplative to avoid a spiritual connection to those in need in the world and to the groaning of a natural world that is abused by the human species. And once the contemplative is engaged with the needs of the world it is very difficult to feel whole without being personally engaged with healing the world and its people.
For many of us the needs of the world are so overwhelming that we are afraid of being consumed and exhausted by social concern. Prayer and meditation, however, can be the cure for exhaustion and burnout. The Christian brings to the arena of social concern the lightness of being and grace that is God’s to give. When we are deep in prayer in our lives, we cannot help but be engaged with the needs of the world. We are also freed from having to cure the ills of the world on our own. We have the promise of God’s will and power and of the saving grace of the coming of God’s realm on earth.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
A common and ultimately facile analysis of religious life would assume that there are those in the church who pray and who are concerned about the spiritual life, and then there are other people who are concerned about social justice issues, and who are engaged in the social action ministry of the church. Not only is it assumed that these are 2 separate groups, but it is also thought that they will rarely eve associate with one another.
Among the many benefits of enhancing one’s spiritual life is an increasing wholeness in faith. Prayer and meditation lead to a life in which one is regularly in prayer about the needs of the world. And moments of contemplation into which one may be drawn, if one is open, will lead the prayer into oneness with God and the universe. It is almost impossible for the contemplative to avoid a spiritual connection to those in need in the world and to the groaning of a natural world that is abused by the human species. And once the contemplative is engaged with the needs of the world it is very difficult to feel whole without being personally engaged with healing the world and its people.
For many of us the needs of the world are so overwhelming that we are afraid of being consumed and exhausted by social concern. Prayer and meditation, however, can be the cure for exhaustion and burnout. The Christian brings to the arena of social concern the lightness of being and grace that is God’s to give. When we are deep in prayer in our lives, we cannot help but be engaged with the needs of the world. We are also freed from having to cure the ills of the world on our own. We have the promise of God’s will and power and of the saving grace of the coming of God’s realm on earth.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
July 22 - Day 3 at Shalem. Discernment
July 22 – Day 3 at Shalem. Discernment.
It is easy for us to call God our guide as we often do in our liturgy, but it is actually quite difficult for most of us to actually feel that guidance in our every day lives. How do we as individual Christians and as Christian churches know what God wants of us?
Of course we can read the Bible, but many of the decisions and challenges of today’s life are not dealt with in the Bible. Some of the Biblical prescriptions are for a vastly different era and are difficult to apply directly to the age in which we live.
Or we can apply reason. It is certainly true that we should not do stupid and unreasonable things and label them as the will of God. So we apply reason. Or we can ask respected friends, advisors, and family members, but some times their advice is more filled with their prejudice and desire than with God’s will.
Finally and primarily you can pray about the matter. What do you pray for and how do you pray for it? This kind of prayer is what we call discernment. We pray for discernment of God’s will, for discovery of God’s intention for our lives. We desire to draw closer to God’s dream for us.
I suppose that once in a while, and in the simplest of matters, the answer may come quickly, like intuition. It is not only a quick answer that has God’s label on it, but we can feel the confirmation of the message in our hearts. It is very close to the being of God in our souls. If you feel resolved, comforted, and at ease, then it would seem that the decision is congruent with God’s will as God’s will is able to be revealed to your heart at that time.
You are asking, what if your message turns out to be completely wrong in the end? Then you must ask why it was wrong. How do you know it was the wrong message? Is it wrong only because it turned out to be painful or difficult? Sometimes God’s will leads us where we refuse to tread. Or did we skew the message from God to conform to our desire? Did we use God?
Discernment, however, often takes a long time. It might include scripture study and consultation with wise Christian people. And it definitely includes prayer and meditation. It is prayer that asks for God’s guidance and lifts up our concerns before God. Meditation merely listens. Sometimes it listens for hours and days and weeks and months for the answer. When the response comes, it might arrive in a flash of light, in a bolt out of the blue, in a stunning moment of clarity confirming its rightness. That is the gift of God in contemplation. The quiet arrival of truth by meditation is more subtle but is no less true and convincing.
So how does a church discern God’s guidance and direction? How does a church wrestle with a difficult decision, or how does it set its agenda for the future? Group discernment is probably no different from individual discernment. It is only slower and much more complex.
The Quakers excel at corporate discernment. All matters of substance are subject to the discernment of the whole. Each person present at a Quaker meeting is invited to and expected to speak his or her mind. There should be times of silent between the speakers for adequate reflection on what the person said. When there seems to be a meeting of the minds, the clerk of the meeting, the moderator of sorts, states what he or she considers to be the “sense of the meeting.” If there is no objection or modification of the clerk’s statement then the sense of the meeting stands as the statement of the body. If someone disagrees, they may “step aside,” that is they admit that they do not agree with the sense of the meeting, but they do not feel the need to stop the meeting or the process. It is, in a sense, agreeing to disagree. Someone may refuse to step aside and then the meeting must decide if it wants to move ahead anyway. Arriving at a statement of the sense of the meeting may take a long time, and some discussions do take a very long time, as the Quakers seek to discern God’s will for them.
If, for example, a church like ours was deciding whether or not to approve same sex marriage, what would a discernment process look like?
As a foundation one would want to try to establish an ethos in the congregation which would agree that everyone would approach this matter and all matters open to the possibility that their mind could be changed. Everyone needs to come open to the discernment process. Otherwise discernment is impossible. Once the ethos is established, then people should read the Bible and pray for understanding and the movement of the spirit. Then each person, not assuming sides but allowing differences, should be encouraged to speak. There should be times of silence after each speaker. The Spirit should be allowed to move. In the end, someone needs to try to state a sense of the meeting. If there is no sense of the meeting we should pray and meditate and wait until there is general agreement. Time, prayer, meditation, listening, silence and mutual respect are the foundations on which discernment can be built. True discernment might preserve the unity of a church in difficult times.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
It is easy for us to call God our guide as we often do in our liturgy, but it is actually quite difficult for most of us to actually feel that guidance in our every day lives. How do we as individual Christians and as Christian churches know what God wants of us?
Of course we can read the Bible, but many of the decisions and challenges of today’s life are not dealt with in the Bible. Some of the Biblical prescriptions are for a vastly different era and are difficult to apply directly to the age in which we live.
Or we can apply reason. It is certainly true that we should not do stupid and unreasonable things and label them as the will of God. So we apply reason. Or we can ask respected friends, advisors, and family members, but some times their advice is more filled with their prejudice and desire than with God’s will.
Finally and primarily you can pray about the matter. What do you pray for and how do you pray for it? This kind of prayer is what we call discernment. We pray for discernment of God’s will, for discovery of God’s intention for our lives. We desire to draw closer to God’s dream for us.
I suppose that once in a while, and in the simplest of matters, the answer may come quickly, like intuition. It is not only a quick answer that has God’s label on it, but we can feel the confirmation of the message in our hearts. It is very close to the being of God in our souls. If you feel resolved, comforted, and at ease, then it would seem that the decision is congruent with God’s will as God’s will is able to be revealed to your heart at that time.
You are asking, what if your message turns out to be completely wrong in the end? Then you must ask why it was wrong. How do you know it was the wrong message? Is it wrong only because it turned out to be painful or difficult? Sometimes God’s will leads us where we refuse to tread. Or did we skew the message from God to conform to our desire? Did we use God?
Discernment, however, often takes a long time. It might include scripture study and consultation with wise Christian people. And it definitely includes prayer and meditation. It is prayer that asks for God’s guidance and lifts up our concerns before God. Meditation merely listens. Sometimes it listens for hours and days and weeks and months for the answer. When the response comes, it might arrive in a flash of light, in a bolt out of the blue, in a stunning moment of clarity confirming its rightness. That is the gift of God in contemplation. The quiet arrival of truth by meditation is more subtle but is no less true and convincing.
So how does a church discern God’s guidance and direction? How does a church wrestle with a difficult decision, or how does it set its agenda for the future? Group discernment is probably no different from individual discernment. It is only slower and much more complex.
The Quakers excel at corporate discernment. All matters of substance are subject to the discernment of the whole. Each person present at a Quaker meeting is invited to and expected to speak his or her mind. There should be times of silent between the speakers for adequate reflection on what the person said. When there seems to be a meeting of the minds, the clerk of the meeting, the moderator of sorts, states what he or she considers to be the “sense of the meeting.” If there is no objection or modification of the clerk’s statement then the sense of the meeting stands as the statement of the body. If someone disagrees, they may “step aside,” that is they admit that they do not agree with the sense of the meeting, but they do not feel the need to stop the meeting or the process. It is, in a sense, agreeing to disagree. Someone may refuse to step aside and then the meeting must decide if it wants to move ahead anyway. Arriving at a statement of the sense of the meeting may take a long time, and some discussions do take a very long time, as the Quakers seek to discern God’s will for them.
If, for example, a church like ours was deciding whether or not to approve same sex marriage, what would a discernment process look like?
As a foundation one would want to try to establish an ethos in the congregation which would agree that everyone would approach this matter and all matters open to the possibility that their mind could be changed. Everyone needs to come open to the discernment process. Otherwise discernment is impossible. Once the ethos is established, then people should read the Bible and pray for understanding and the movement of the spirit. Then each person, not assuming sides but allowing differences, should be encouraged to speak. There should be times of silence after each speaker. The Spirit should be allowed to move. In the end, someone needs to try to state a sense of the meeting. If there is no sense of the meeting we should pray and meditate and wait until there is general agreement. Time, prayer, meditation, listening, silence and mutual respect are the foundations on which discernment can be built. True discernment might preserve the unity of a church in difficult times.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
July 21, 2004 - Day 2 at Shalem. Prayer Today
July 21, 2004 Day 2 at Shalem. Prayer Today.
The lives that most of us endure are not spiritual, almost by necessity. We are driven by values of acquisition that compel us to buy, to own and to possess the best that our money can buy. And because there is always something better that we cannot buy, we are disturbed by envy and jealousy. The desire for acquisition and the power of envy easily drive out the rather delicate spiritual feelings from within our souls. Envy and jealousy are like bulls in the china shop of our souls.
Further, we cram our days and nights with busyness. There is not a moment of the day, for young and old, that is not full of some occupation or another. Now that many of us have learned to multitask we can double fill some of the hours of the day. Busy and harried days are not spiritual ones.
We let the values of the day and of our era dominate our lives. The times are long past when the great cathedrals of England were built. In that era the church and its ethos dominated the culture. That is not true today, here or in England.
So we have a great deal of difficulty leading the spiritual lives for which we yearn.
There is hope. Many of us actually use the methods of the centuries and of the world religions to enhance the spirituality of our lives.
Many of us meditate. We take time to free our minds and bodies from the compulsions that drive us all day. We stop completely in our tracks, thinking of nothing, perhaps, but being alert to the world around us. Or we meditate on God’s gifts and even more likely on God’s word. In meditation we stop the world, calm our bodies and open our souls to God’s healing and direction. In those times of meditation we might even come upon God in the Spirit. Our contemplation of the divine might be for seconds or minutes, but it will very quickly give us a view into the holy dwelling of God in human existence. Our contemplation of the holy is a divine gift.
So, in meditation and contemplation we may find an antidote to the powerful poisons of our age and we may enhance our spiritual lives. More appropriately, I suppose, we may let God enhance our spiritual lives. Prayer and meditation may be the only cures to the ills of the age.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
The lives that most of us endure are not spiritual, almost by necessity. We are driven by values of acquisition that compel us to buy, to own and to possess the best that our money can buy. And because there is always something better that we cannot buy, we are disturbed by envy and jealousy. The desire for acquisition and the power of envy easily drive out the rather delicate spiritual feelings from within our souls. Envy and jealousy are like bulls in the china shop of our souls.
Further, we cram our days and nights with busyness. There is not a moment of the day, for young and old, that is not full of some occupation or another. Now that many of us have learned to multitask we can double fill some of the hours of the day. Busy and harried days are not spiritual ones.
We let the values of the day and of our era dominate our lives. The times are long past when the great cathedrals of England were built. In that era the church and its ethos dominated the culture. That is not true today, here or in England.
So we have a great deal of difficulty leading the spiritual lives for which we yearn.
There is hope. Many of us actually use the methods of the centuries and of the world religions to enhance the spirituality of our lives.
Many of us meditate. We take time to free our minds and bodies from the compulsions that drive us all day. We stop completely in our tracks, thinking of nothing, perhaps, but being alert to the world around us. Or we meditate on God’s gifts and even more likely on God’s word. In meditation we stop the world, calm our bodies and open our souls to God’s healing and direction. In those times of meditation we might even come upon God in the Spirit. Our contemplation of the divine might be for seconds or minutes, but it will very quickly give us a view into the holy dwelling of God in human existence. Our contemplation of the holy is a divine gift.
So, in meditation and contemplation we may find an antidote to the powerful poisons of our age and we may enhance our spiritual lives. More appropriately, I suppose, we may let God enhance our spiritual lives. Prayer and meditation may be the only cures to the ills of the age.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
July 20, 2004 - Day One at Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. Deepening Spirituality
July 20, 2004 – Day One at Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. Deepening Spirituality.
It is a common contemporary desire to want to deepen one’s spirituality. Why else would I be spending so much time over more than a year, involved in a program entitled: Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership: Going Deeper? Why else would the bookstores have larger and larger spirituality book sections?
It has only been of late that I have been concentrating on the appropriateness of that figure of speech, “going deeper in spiritual life.”
I suppose that it comes originally from the idea of a well. The deeper the well is the cooler and purer is the water that comes from it. I have to say that when I hear about anything that is deep I imagine deep water in the ocean. Deep ocean water is cool, powerful, sustaining and profoundly beautiful. On the other hand, deep water, whether it be in a well or in the ocean, has an element of danger. Flying in and out of Logan airport today, I could see the beauty of the ocean change from the light green of the shallow water to the dark Atlantic Blue of the deep.
In recent months I have become aware of the threatening aspects of deepening spirituality. Deep waters may be the right figure of speech after all.
As one’s spiritual life goes deeper, one lives with more spiritual assurance, which is a great comfort. One also relies more and more on God’s guidance and direction. One would think that to be assuring, but relying on God’s guidance and direction can be very uncomfortable.
It is uncomfortable to rely on God’s guidance of your life particularly if you are used to directing your own life. I have relied for most of my years primarily on my intellect, will and strength to get where I have needed or wanted to be. Relying on one’s own abilities is not entirely a bad thing, but in recent years my habitual way of meeting life and its challenges has started to feel less good. I have wondered if I might find more satisfaction in my life through a different way of meeting and overcoming the challenges of life.
Some of the change in my desire comes from age, and some from wisdom and some from observation of what makes me happy and fulfilled. I have lost my absolute confidence in the intellect. There are some problems in my life to which I have not been able to apply reason successfully. I just don’t know all of the answers. Further, I have had to accept the loud hints that my body has been giving me that my strength may not always be the resource that it has been. And finally, as my heart and mind have started to understand that I am closer to the end of my life than to its beginning, I have a strong desire welling up from within to draw my life closer to God’s will for me.
So I have been wading into deeper waters. I don’t know all the answers and I am looking for new ways to be, to do and to think. I am seeking God’s will, and I am trusting more and more in God. All of this is threatening, in a way. It does feel like I am swimming in very deep water. It is very beautiful and clean, but I do not know all that is in the depths below me. Fortunately I am a good swimmer, physically and spiritually, and I know how to get to shore. I have people in rowboats nearby to give me directions and help if I get exhausted. But I am aware of the difference of swimming and praying in the depths.
I am praying for all whom I love and I pray that there are others among you who are praying for me at this time.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
It is a common contemporary desire to want to deepen one’s spirituality. Why else would I be spending so much time over more than a year, involved in a program entitled: Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership: Going Deeper? Why else would the bookstores have larger and larger spirituality book sections?
It has only been of late that I have been concentrating on the appropriateness of that figure of speech, “going deeper in spiritual life.”
I suppose that it comes originally from the idea of a well. The deeper the well is the cooler and purer is the water that comes from it. I have to say that when I hear about anything that is deep I imagine deep water in the ocean. Deep ocean water is cool, powerful, sustaining and profoundly beautiful. On the other hand, deep water, whether it be in a well or in the ocean, has an element of danger. Flying in and out of Logan airport today, I could see the beauty of the ocean change from the light green of the shallow water to the dark Atlantic Blue of the deep.
In recent months I have become aware of the threatening aspects of deepening spirituality. Deep waters may be the right figure of speech after all.
As one’s spiritual life goes deeper, one lives with more spiritual assurance, which is a great comfort. One also relies more and more on God’s guidance and direction. One would think that to be assuring, but relying on God’s guidance and direction can be very uncomfortable.
It is uncomfortable to rely on God’s guidance of your life particularly if you are used to directing your own life. I have relied for most of my years primarily on my intellect, will and strength to get where I have needed or wanted to be. Relying on one’s own abilities is not entirely a bad thing, but in recent years my habitual way of meeting life and its challenges has started to feel less good. I have wondered if I might find more satisfaction in my life through a different way of meeting and overcoming the challenges of life.
Some of the change in my desire comes from age, and some from wisdom and some from observation of what makes me happy and fulfilled. I have lost my absolute confidence in the intellect. There are some problems in my life to which I have not been able to apply reason successfully. I just don’t know all of the answers. Further, I have had to accept the loud hints that my body has been giving me that my strength may not always be the resource that it has been. And finally, as my heart and mind have started to understand that I am closer to the end of my life than to its beginning, I have a strong desire welling up from within to draw my life closer to God’s will for me.
So I have been wading into deeper waters. I don’t know all the answers and I am looking for new ways to be, to do and to think. I am seeking God’s will, and I am trusting more and more in God. All of this is threatening, in a way. It does feel like I am swimming in very deep water. It is very beautiful and clean, but I do not know all that is in the depths below me. Fortunately I am a good swimmer, physically and spiritually, and I know how to get to shore. I have people in rowboats nearby to give me directions and help if I get exhausted. But I am aware of the difference of swimming and praying in the depths.
I am praying for all whom I love and I pray that there are others among you who are praying for me at this time.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright 2004 Kenneth C. Brookes
Monday, July 19, 2004
Solving the DaVinci Code
Solving the DaVinci Code
I am probably the last person to read the DaVinci Code. It finally surfaced in my book list, conveniently at a time that I needed good air travel reading.
It is a fun book to read, with enough suspense to keep one’s attention through hundreds of pages. The plot and the characters were plain enough that I was spared the confusion I feel when reading some novels.
Nevertheless, I am not certain that I understand all of the “hype” that it received. Why were churches using the book for study groups?
One reviewer had it right, and that was to remind critics in the church that it is just a novel, written to sell books. The more people imply that it is fostering unorthodox theology the more books will be sold.
I will now make a couple of comments about the book and its seemingly heretical theology. If you have not read the book, or are waiting for the movie to come out, perhaps you should skip the rest of this blog.
I guess the contention in the book that is most offensive to people is the claim that Jesus had a relationship with Mary Magdalene that involved both love and sex. People might be willing to accept the love part of the relationship as long as it was the kind of love that does not involve sex. Jesus loved all of his disciples, and you could probably make a case for Jesus loving just about everyone. So the real issue is whether or not Jesus had sex with Mary Magdalene.
This is not a new idea, by the way. Kazansakis in The Last Temptation of Christ implied the same thing. That was actually the only time in my life I ever walked out of a movie. My recollection of my response to the movie was not that I had an overwhelming objection to the possibility of some sort of love relationship with Magdalene. What I objected to was how the sexuality was conceived. It was overdone in an erotic vein, I thought.
The DaVinci Code avoids any depiction of the sexuality of the relationship, except, of course, to claim that there were offspring of the relationship. That mere contention is enough to set some people’s heads spinning.
Of course, there really is nothing in scripture that would confirm that idea, but the writer would respond that of course the church did not allow the truth to be known. Jesus fathering a child would change the concept that many people have of Jesus.
What is the orthodox depiction of Jesus with which the DaVinci Code is in conflict? The basic idea that is being protected is that Jesus is perfect and without sin. Not everyone understands the importance of Jesus’ sinless nature. How else could Jesus be God. If he is part of the godhead, then, assuming we are not ready to call God a sinner, then Jesus must be sinless.
Now even if you accept Jesus’ sinless nature as a significant part of your theological understanding of the faith, I am not entirely willing to accept the implication that the thing that would make Jesus a sinner is sex. I just do not agree that sex should be equated with sin. Some sex is sin. Some phone conversations are sinful, but that does not mean that all phone calls are sinful. Some hockey games are sinful, but does that mean that all hockey games are sinful?
While I am certainly not prepared to rewrite the story of Jesus, I just do not have an extra sensitivity to the contention that Jesus might have been sexually active. One reviewer held that a single man in Jesus’ day would have really been suspect and highly unusual. A man who had no sexual relationship would have been unthinkable. That may be why the Bible does not make a particular case one way or the other on the matter. It may just have been assumed that Jesus had a wife.
Of course, rewriting the story of Jesus would really disrupt the thoughts of many people. It would not make sense to be upset based on the flimsy testimony of this novel. Since I am not convinced that Jesus’ sexuality was really a matter of importance to the early church, I think we do a disservice to scripture by making it more important that it really was.
If you accept the first controversy, that Jesus had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, then the second, that Jesus had offspring, is not that hard to consider.
The other contentions about the Church, Opus Dei, and the Templars, may have enough truth associated with them that they seem to be true altogether. I would not base anything on the claims of this novel. I remember that this is a story.
Well, it is worth reading to know what everyone else is thinking about. Would I worry about not reading it? Hardly. Will any of us have that much action packed into a couple of days of our lives? Unlikely.
Ken Brookes
Kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
I am probably the last person to read the DaVinci Code. It finally surfaced in my book list, conveniently at a time that I needed good air travel reading.
It is a fun book to read, with enough suspense to keep one’s attention through hundreds of pages. The plot and the characters were plain enough that I was spared the confusion I feel when reading some novels.
Nevertheless, I am not certain that I understand all of the “hype” that it received. Why were churches using the book for study groups?
One reviewer had it right, and that was to remind critics in the church that it is just a novel, written to sell books. The more people imply that it is fostering unorthodox theology the more books will be sold.
I will now make a couple of comments about the book and its seemingly heretical theology. If you have not read the book, or are waiting for the movie to come out, perhaps you should skip the rest of this blog.
I guess the contention in the book that is most offensive to people is the claim that Jesus had a relationship with Mary Magdalene that involved both love and sex. People might be willing to accept the love part of the relationship as long as it was the kind of love that does not involve sex. Jesus loved all of his disciples, and you could probably make a case for Jesus loving just about everyone. So the real issue is whether or not Jesus had sex with Mary Magdalene.
This is not a new idea, by the way. Kazansakis in The Last Temptation of Christ implied the same thing. That was actually the only time in my life I ever walked out of a movie. My recollection of my response to the movie was not that I had an overwhelming objection to the possibility of some sort of love relationship with Magdalene. What I objected to was how the sexuality was conceived. It was overdone in an erotic vein, I thought.
The DaVinci Code avoids any depiction of the sexuality of the relationship, except, of course, to claim that there were offspring of the relationship. That mere contention is enough to set some people’s heads spinning.
Of course, there really is nothing in scripture that would confirm that idea, but the writer would respond that of course the church did not allow the truth to be known. Jesus fathering a child would change the concept that many people have of Jesus.
What is the orthodox depiction of Jesus with which the DaVinci Code is in conflict? The basic idea that is being protected is that Jesus is perfect and without sin. Not everyone understands the importance of Jesus’ sinless nature. How else could Jesus be God. If he is part of the godhead, then, assuming we are not ready to call God a sinner, then Jesus must be sinless.
Now even if you accept Jesus’ sinless nature as a significant part of your theological understanding of the faith, I am not entirely willing to accept the implication that the thing that would make Jesus a sinner is sex. I just do not agree that sex should be equated with sin. Some sex is sin. Some phone conversations are sinful, but that does not mean that all phone calls are sinful. Some hockey games are sinful, but does that mean that all hockey games are sinful?
While I am certainly not prepared to rewrite the story of Jesus, I just do not have an extra sensitivity to the contention that Jesus might have been sexually active. One reviewer held that a single man in Jesus’ day would have really been suspect and highly unusual. A man who had no sexual relationship would have been unthinkable. That may be why the Bible does not make a particular case one way or the other on the matter. It may just have been assumed that Jesus had a wife.
Of course, rewriting the story of Jesus would really disrupt the thoughts of many people. It would not make sense to be upset based on the flimsy testimony of this novel. Since I am not convinced that Jesus’ sexuality was really a matter of importance to the early church, I think we do a disservice to scripture by making it more important that it really was.
If you accept the first controversy, that Jesus had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, then the second, that Jesus had offspring, is not that hard to consider.
The other contentions about the Church, Opus Dei, and the Templars, may have enough truth associated with them that they seem to be true altogether. I would not base anything on the claims of this novel. I remember that this is a story.
Well, it is worth reading to know what everyone else is thinking about. Would I worry about not reading it? Hardly. Will any of us have that much action packed into a couple of days of our lives? Unlikely.
Ken Brookes
Kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
Sunday, July 18, 2004
Journeys of All Sorts
Journeys of all sorts
Each trip demands special preparations, and each voyager has his or her particular needs. I happen to be one who packs heavy. I always worry that I will need extra clothes or back up supplies. This can be a problem especially when one relies on low horsepower transportation. When I have taken bicycle trips I have always loaded myself too heavily and I have paid for the extra weight with extra leg strain. I have done the same thing when we have gone backpacking. My boys always get after me for taking too much gear onto the sailboat. One should not weigh down the boat with unnecessary paraphernalia. “But it might rain. It might be cold. And I might need the binoculars, etc.”
One year when we went to France with Ellen’s students we bought the largest suitcases known to humankind because we needed winter sports clothes along with everything else. But I am sure that I could have survived with half the gear that I took. So in an attempt to reduce the impact of our need to provide for all contingencies, we reduced our luggage to England this summer to two small wheeled cases. We survived fine, and I think that even then there were a few things that I took that were unnecessary.
Right now I am preparing for a trip to Maryland, for the second residency in a clergy renewal program through the Shalem Institute for Spirituality. I took far too much last year, carting a percentage of my personal library with me. This year I am not going to wreck my shoulder and add to the stress of my airline by taking too much. One or two small bags should be enough, plus my briefcase with my computer. Traveling without a computer is too light for me. Perhaps some day I could do it, but I am not ready right now. So I am learning and trying to mend my ways.
It struck me a couple of days ago that this journey to Maryland is different in another way. Not only am I traveling with less gear. I am going with less emotional baggage as well. I have less anxiety. I am relaxed about meeting the expectations of the program. I am not worried about meeting someone else’s standards. The landscape is more familiar to me this year. My mental and emotional baggage is much smaller and lighter this year than last.
There is, however, another lightness that I feel. It is in my heart. This year I have grown in my prayer life and in my ability to rely more readily on God for my direction in life. This has not given me more baggage to carry. It has lightened my load, in fact. There is a strange and unusual sensation this year. It seems that I have less to say, rather than more. With my mouth shut, I am more open to hearing God’s direction, and less apt to tell God what to say or think. This is humbling because, in a way, it seems that I know less rather than more. I guess it is not really that I know less, I just am aware how little I know. The more I work at knowing God the more I am aware of God’s grandeur and radical otherness. How can anyone claim to comprehend the nature of God?
Well that is what I am working on this summer, comprehending the nature of God. The journey of the last year or so has been an internal and spiritual journey. It has taken me to new and previously unknown ports. And now I set off on another leg of the trip, with a small compass, a jackknife and a prayer.
The prayer is that I may be open to the leading of the Spirit of God. I look forward to meeting my family and friends at the other end of this leg of the journey, when we can continue on our path through life together.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes 2004
Each trip demands special preparations, and each voyager has his or her particular needs. I happen to be one who packs heavy. I always worry that I will need extra clothes or back up supplies. This can be a problem especially when one relies on low horsepower transportation. When I have taken bicycle trips I have always loaded myself too heavily and I have paid for the extra weight with extra leg strain. I have done the same thing when we have gone backpacking. My boys always get after me for taking too much gear onto the sailboat. One should not weigh down the boat with unnecessary paraphernalia. “But it might rain. It might be cold. And I might need the binoculars, etc.”
One year when we went to France with Ellen’s students we bought the largest suitcases known to humankind because we needed winter sports clothes along with everything else. But I am sure that I could have survived with half the gear that I took. So in an attempt to reduce the impact of our need to provide for all contingencies, we reduced our luggage to England this summer to two small wheeled cases. We survived fine, and I think that even then there were a few things that I took that were unnecessary.
Right now I am preparing for a trip to Maryland, for the second residency in a clergy renewal program through the Shalem Institute for Spirituality. I took far too much last year, carting a percentage of my personal library with me. This year I am not going to wreck my shoulder and add to the stress of my airline by taking too much. One or two small bags should be enough, plus my briefcase with my computer. Traveling without a computer is too light for me. Perhaps some day I could do it, but I am not ready right now. So I am learning and trying to mend my ways.
It struck me a couple of days ago that this journey to Maryland is different in another way. Not only am I traveling with less gear. I am going with less emotional baggage as well. I have less anxiety. I am relaxed about meeting the expectations of the program. I am not worried about meeting someone else’s standards. The landscape is more familiar to me this year. My mental and emotional baggage is much smaller and lighter this year than last.
There is, however, another lightness that I feel. It is in my heart. This year I have grown in my prayer life and in my ability to rely more readily on God for my direction in life. This has not given me more baggage to carry. It has lightened my load, in fact. There is a strange and unusual sensation this year. It seems that I have less to say, rather than more. With my mouth shut, I am more open to hearing God’s direction, and less apt to tell God what to say or think. This is humbling because, in a way, it seems that I know less rather than more. I guess it is not really that I know less, I just am aware how little I know. The more I work at knowing God the more I am aware of God’s grandeur and radical otherness. How can anyone claim to comprehend the nature of God?
Well that is what I am working on this summer, comprehending the nature of God. The journey of the last year or so has been an internal and spiritual journey. It has taken me to new and previously unknown ports. And now I set off on another leg of the trip, with a small compass, a jackknife and a prayer.
The prayer is that I may be open to the leading of the Spirit of God. I look forward to meeting my family and friends at the other end of this leg of the journey, when we can continue on our path through life together.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes 2004
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
The Errors of Our Ways
The Errors of our Ways
I have not read Bill Clinton’s book. Over 800 pages of Bill Clinton is more than I can handle. I saw it for sale in many places in England, by the way. I wonder how well it is selling over there.
However, I have read and seen a number of interviews of Clinton since the book was published. There are hundreds of pages in the book about the politics of his life, but some of us are just interested in Monica Lewinsky. Actually I am not as much interested in the scandal as I am in how someone like Clinton deals with the errors of his ways. I am curious about how people deal with their guilt and shame, because this is one of the most difficult parts of life for many of us. When you have made a major mistake and everyone knows, most people have to deal with a deep need for forgiveness and the healing of their shame. It is a time when the guilty turn to religion, and still find it difficult to acquire the spiritual wholeness that they seek and need.
Clinton is a curious case, it seems to me. I would want him to be highly apologetic and remorseful. He says he did it because he could and he admits that is a great ethical breach. Obviously he is ready to move on, but does that mean that the average American is ready to move on? I don’t suppose most of us think much about what he did any more, but I would still like a heartfelt apology and an admission of guilt and shame. Then I could feel sorry for the man and pray for his forgiveness. I suspect that he already feels exonerated. The problem is mine and for anyone who thinks seriously about ethics in today’s society.
Alan Paton’s Too Late the Phalarope tells another story of the errors of a man’s way. The protagonist in this novel set in South Africa is the most respected young man in the whole region. Everyone thinks that he is the best person imaginable, but the young man knows differently. He is white and attracted in a tragic way to a young black woman, with whom he has a couple of brief encounters. His enemies find out and expose the errors of his ways to all. His family rejects him and he goes to jail, not just for adultery, but adultery with a black woman. This is a crushing blow. He accepts the judgment. Perhaps he will survive on the other end of his imprisonment, but his family is lost. He pays dearly for his sin. His guilt is heavy upon his soul.
As examples of how people handle guilt and shame, these two chracters, Bill Clinton and Pieter are quite different. Paton writes of the holy task of pardoning. It is a human act of grace that is necessary for the fullness of humanity, but it can only be done when there is confession of the sin.
In a sermon this spring I spoke of the difficulty most of us have in owning up to our serious errors. We would rather keep them as secrets. This makes sense, but the unfortunate by product of our unwillingness to admit our errors is that other people think that they are alone in making mistakes. We are all in this same boat together.
Forgiveness is not only a holy task. It is an experience of the divine grace. God can take us at our very worst and put strength back into our legs and let us walk once again.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes 2004
I have not read Bill Clinton’s book. Over 800 pages of Bill Clinton is more than I can handle. I saw it for sale in many places in England, by the way. I wonder how well it is selling over there.
However, I have read and seen a number of interviews of Clinton since the book was published. There are hundreds of pages in the book about the politics of his life, but some of us are just interested in Monica Lewinsky. Actually I am not as much interested in the scandal as I am in how someone like Clinton deals with the errors of his ways. I am curious about how people deal with their guilt and shame, because this is one of the most difficult parts of life for many of us. When you have made a major mistake and everyone knows, most people have to deal with a deep need for forgiveness and the healing of their shame. It is a time when the guilty turn to religion, and still find it difficult to acquire the spiritual wholeness that they seek and need.
Clinton is a curious case, it seems to me. I would want him to be highly apologetic and remorseful. He says he did it because he could and he admits that is a great ethical breach. Obviously he is ready to move on, but does that mean that the average American is ready to move on? I don’t suppose most of us think much about what he did any more, but I would still like a heartfelt apology and an admission of guilt and shame. Then I could feel sorry for the man and pray for his forgiveness. I suspect that he already feels exonerated. The problem is mine and for anyone who thinks seriously about ethics in today’s society.
Alan Paton’s Too Late the Phalarope tells another story of the errors of a man’s way. The protagonist in this novel set in South Africa is the most respected young man in the whole region. Everyone thinks that he is the best person imaginable, but the young man knows differently. He is white and attracted in a tragic way to a young black woman, with whom he has a couple of brief encounters. His enemies find out and expose the errors of his ways to all. His family rejects him and he goes to jail, not just for adultery, but adultery with a black woman. This is a crushing blow. He accepts the judgment. Perhaps he will survive on the other end of his imprisonment, but his family is lost. He pays dearly for his sin. His guilt is heavy upon his soul.
As examples of how people handle guilt and shame, these two chracters, Bill Clinton and Pieter are quite different. Paton writes of the holy task of pardoning. It is a human act of grace that is necessary for the fullness of humanity, but it can only be done when there is confession of the sin.
In a sermon this spring I spoke of the difficulty most of us have in owning up to our serious errors. We would rather keep them as secrets. This makes sense, but the unfortunate by product of our unwillingness to admit our errors is that other people think that they are alone in making mistakes. We are all in this same boat together.
Forgiveness is not only a holy task. It is an experience of the divine grace. God can take us at our very worst and put strength back into our legs and let us walk once again.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright Kenneth C. Brookes 2004
July 2 - The Journey's End!
July 2 – The journey’s end.
The hostel in Jordans has one other distinct advantage. It is close to Heathrow, although you would never know it from the setting.
We had breakfast on our own, packed up and got the car to the rental place before the worst of the commuting traffic had a chance to start. This got us to the airport in plenty of time for the flight home. We both had engaging books so we were set for the airport wait and the flight home. I found a copy of the DaVinci Code in paper back for the trip. We read and napped on the plane, because we knew that this would be an extra long day. We got in a few minutes early into Logan. There was a chance that we could make it to the 1:15 bus out of Logan, rather than the 5:15 bus. However, the lines at customs were a bit slow and then our luggage seemed to be the last off the plane. By the time we got to the bus stop it was too late.
We thought about sitting around Logan airport until 5:15 pm, and then leaving on a bus on the Friday night of the Fourth of July, and we were discouraged by the thought. So we jumped onto the Hertz van, rented a car, and drove back to Bangor to pick up our car. I was a bit tired for the drive, but would do anything to get home to SW Harbor with a little bit of day light. We pulled into the driveway, happy and tired, around 9:00. Geoff, the dogs and the garden all looked fine. There were no problems in our absence.
We were and are grateful for God’s care and for the wonderful way to celebrate our 35th anniversary. And we came back still married!
The question that people ask of travelers is, what is your impression of Britain? Or what did you like the most?
It is difficult to answer, because I do not want to sound unappreciative of my own country and my own fellow citizens. As long as the readers will grant me immunity from prosecution if any of my reflections sound disapproving of Americans, I will share a couple of thoughts that came to my mind. If you are particularly sensitive to implicit criticism of the USA, you might just stop here and enjoy the rest of the day in peace.
Several observations jump right out. First, the British were just plainly much more polite, considerate and gracious than Americans are typically. Only a few cars honked at me, no one shook their fists at me, no one cut me off. When we asked for directions they went out of their way to help, if they could. No one gave us a hard time if we asked a stupid question or didn’t know what we were doing. The one person who spoke to me in what could be an inconsiderate tone, probably had cause. We were rushing to get to a bus back to our car in Oxford, and a man spoke up, “It’s a bloody queue.” Of course, had we known there was a line there and if we had understood the British methodology for queues we would have complied readily. The idea of a queue seems a bit “uptight” to us, but it is a matter of being considerate of others. You take your place in line behind the person who was there before you, and you don’t try to get ahead. Recently at the movie theater in Maine I was tempted to mutter to some line cutters, “It’s a bloody queue.”
Second, it was blatantly obvious that Americans are much fatter than the British. I cannot tell you why, but one just does not see overweight people, whereas in the States they are common. I just don’t know what to say about that, except that it must make people from other countries wonder about the Americans that they see.
Third, I found that the British were much less prone to littering than Americans. There just was not the amount of trash strewn about that one would see in the States.
Fourth, it seemed to me that there are plenty of clean and available rest rooms, which we consider a gracious act of charity.
Traveling abroad these days, one always wonders what people think of Americans. Of course, the British, at least their government, went along with us into Iraq, so we were less apt to be criticized by them. When I discovered that the clerk in the food store was from Afghanistan, I didn’t stay long enough to have a conversation.
I found the churches to be well maintained, although in the mainstream churches, it did not seem that contemporary liturgical trends have made an impact. Of course, we were largely worshiping in very traditional cathedrals. It appeared that the free protestant churches are not particularly strong. Most of the United Reformed Churches were merged with Methodists. Nonetheless, I wonder if the history of faith of all of those churches will always preserve a Christian spirit there. The elite private schools also seem to have a tradition of religious practice as well. Another time I would like to spend more time researching the work of the United Reformed Church.
Britain is really beautiful. The gardens are exquisite and everywhere. Of course, many plants and shrubs will grow there which cannot be grown in New England. I love to see fuchsia, for example, 8 feet high. The countryside is lush and green, with wide expanses of fields and pastures and small forests, It is a great place for Americans, because of the language and the close connection between Britain and the States. Many of the people we met had visited or worked in the US. They had relatives or friends there.
The exchange rate makes it a very expensive place to visit. We tried to help ourselves by staying in youth hostels. This worked well for us. We don’t mind the rustic settings. Another time, now that we know how many miles it is reasonable to drive, we would make more reservations in advance. Some of the hostels we wanted to visit were full. In all I think that renting a car is not too bad. The small cars are efficient and you can be on your own. I would recommend getting the best map possible. Take a navigator. I had a good one.
What was the purpose of all of this? It was to celebrate 35 years of marriage. We thank God for our marriage and for God’s grace. It was God’s grace that brought us together and it has been God’s grace that has kept us together. We are blessed with two wonderful, happy and healthy sons. We thank God for the good jobs that bring meaning to our lives. Right now we are particularly grateful for our second home in Maine, where we live a somewhat different life from that in CT. In Maine we are free to sail, hike and read whenever we want. So we have much for which to be thankful. God is good, and life is good. Thanks be to God.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, 2004, Kenneth C. Brookes
The hostel in Jordans has one other distinct advantage. It is close to Heathrow, although you would never know it from the setting.
We had breakfast on our own, packed up and got the car to the rental place before the worst of the commuting traffic had a chance to start. This got us to the airport in plenty of time for the flight home. We both had engaging books so we were set for the airport wait and the flight home. I found a copy of the DaVinci Code in paper back for the trip. We read and napped on the plane, because we knew that this would be an extra long day. We got in a few minutes early into Logan. There was a chance that we could make it to the 1:15 bus out of Logan, rather than the 5:15 bus. However, the lines at customs were a bit slow and then our luggage seemed to be the last off the plane. By the time we got to the bus stop it was too late.
We thought about sitting around Logan airport until 5:15 pm, and then leaving on a bus on the Friday night of the Fourth of July, and we were discouraged by the thought. So we jumped onto the Hertz van, rented a car, and drove back to Bangor to pick up our car. I was a bit tired for the drive, but would do anything to get home to SW Harbor with a little bit of day light. We pulled into the driveway, happy and tired, around 9:00. Geoff, the dogs and the garden all looked fine. There were no problems in our absence.
We were and are grateful for God’s care and for the wonderful way to celebrate our 35th anniversary. And we came back still married!
The question that people ask of travelers is, what is your impression of Britain? Or what did you like the most?
It is difficult to answer, because I do not want to sound unappreciative of my own country and my own fellow citizens. As long as the readers will grant me immunity from prosecution if any of my reflections sound disapproving of Americans, I will share a couple of thoughts that came to my mind. If you are particularly sensitive to implicit criticism of the USA, you might just stop here and enjoy the rest of the day in peace.
Several observations jump right out. First, the British were just plainly much more polite, considerate and gracious than Americans are typically. Only a few cars honked at me, no one shook their fists at me, no one cut me off. When we asked for directions they went out of their way to help, if they could. No one gave us a hard time if we asked a stupid question or didn’t know what we were doing. The one person who spoke to me in what could be an inconsiderate tone, probably had cause. We were rushing to get to a bus back to our car in Oxford, and a man spoke up, “It’s a bloody queue.” Of course, had we known there was a line there and if we had understood the British methodology for queues we would have complied readily. The idea of a queue seems a bit “uptight” to us, but it is a matter of being considerate of others. You take your place in line behind the person who was there before you, and you don’t try to get ahead. Recently at the movie theater in Maine I was tempted to mutter to some line cutters, “It’s a bloody queue.”
Second, it was blatantly obvious that Americans are much fatter than the British. I cannot tell you why, but one just does not see overweight people, whereas in the States they are common. I just don’t know what to say about that, except that it must make people from other countries wonder about the Americans that they see.
Third, I found that the British were much less prone to littering than Americans. There just was not the amount of trash strewn about that one would see in the States.
Fourth, it seemed to me that there are plenty of clean and available rest rooms, which we consider a gracious act of charity.
Traveling abroad these days, one always wonders what people think of Americans. Of course, the British, at least their government, went along with us into Iraq, so we were less apt to be criticized by them. When I discovered that the clerk in the food store was from Afghanistan, I didn’t stay long enough to have a conversation.
I found the churches to be well maintained, although in the mainstream churches, it did not seem that contemporary liturgical trends have made an impact. Of course, we were largely worshiping in very traditional cathedrals. It appeared that the free protestant churches are not particularly strong. Most of the United Reformed Churches were merged with Methodists. Nonetheless, I wonder if the history of faith of all of those churches will always preserve a Christian spirit there. The elite private schools also seem to have a tradition of religious practice as well. Another time I would like to spend more time researching the work of the United Reformed Church.
Britain is really beautiful. The gardens are exquisite and everywhere. Of course, many plants and shrubs will grow there which cannot be grown in New England. I love to see fuchsia, for example, 8 feet high. The countryside is lush and green, with wide expanses of fields and pastures and small forests, It is a great place for Americans, because of the language and the close connection between Britain and the States. Many of the people we met had visited or worked in the US. They had relatives or friends there.
The exchange rate makes it a very expensive place to visit. We tried to help ourselves by staying in youth hostels. This worked well for us. We don’t mind the rustic settings. Another time, now that we know how many miles it is reasonable to drive, we would make more reservations in advance. Some of the hostels we wanted to visit were full. In all I think that renting a car is not too bad. The small cars are efficient and you can be on your own. I would recommend getting the best map possible. Take a navigator. I had a good one.
What was the purpose of all of this? It was to celebrate 35 years of marriage. We thank God for our marriage and for God’s grace. It was God’s grace that brought us together and it has been God’s grace that has kept us together. We are blessed with two wonderful, happy and healthy sons. We thank God for the good jobs that bring meaning to our lives. Right now we are particularly grateful for our second home in Maine, where we live a somewhat different life from that in CT. In Maine we are free to sail, hike and read whenever we want. So we have much for which to be thankful. God is good, and life is good. Thanks be to God.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, 2004, Kenneth C. Brookes
July 1 - Driving around the countryside.
July 1 – Driving around the countryside.
We learned something about hiking in Britain. When they say that detailed maps are available, get them. We could see the trail on the brochure that was provided to advertise the walk through the Cotswolds, but it proved much more difficult to actually locate the trail. The trail paralleled some of the roads, but there seemed to be no way to get to them. Any way we had the chance to visit some small and beautiful villages as we explored the country side.
Our ultimate goal this day was St. Albans, which has a very beautiful and large cathedral. We had trouble finding a parking place and a very nice woman gave us one of her vouchers allowing us to park in her spot on the street. Parking is at a premium in most of these cities. At the cathedral they were preparing for the installation of a new dean so everything was in top shape. The flower decorator had buckets of flowers, but complained that they made her work with too little. Of course, it is a very large space to decorate. Parts of this cathedral go back to the 12th century. In England there are scores of churches that go back that far. In this cathedral they stop everyone once an hour for a prayer. It was a very nice reminder that this is a place of worship and not a tourist mecca. It did seem to me that most of the cathedrals and abbeys that we visited had an active church life. I don’t know the numbers that they involve. They may not have sufficient membership to justify such a large building. Most of them were currently or recently involved in a capital campaign. They did seem to have enthusiastic volunteers who keep the place going.
St. Albans also has a very extensive ancient Roman settlement and a well known Roman museum. But the story of St. Alban himself is the most inspiring part of the visit. Alban lived in the 3rd century in the Roman city of Verulamium, which is preserved now in part in St. Albans. He was a worshipper of Roman gods, but gave shelter to a Christian priest fleeing persecution. When the Roman authorities came looking for the priest, Alban exchanged clothes with him. The priest was then able to escape. Alban was then arrested and the judge promised to give Alban the punishment due to the priest, if it could be shown that Alban had become a Christian. Alban declared his Christian faith, saying in words still used in St. Albans as a prayer, “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.” He was executed soon thereafter. He became the first Christian martyr in England.
Leaving St. Albans seemed to be straightforward until we were presented with a choice of one of two directions on the major highway, both of which went to London. We took a choice and made the wrong one, but by now we have figured out how to reverse direction.
We started again to locate one of the paths in the countryside, but it threatened to rain and hail again as it had in St. Albans. Then we decided to go right to John Milton’s home which is in the nearby town of Chalfont St. Giles. They were having a funeral in the church in this village so we made a very quick tour. It was just another ancient church, going back to the 12th century. But, there was not a single parking place at the church, which was surrounded by an ancient burying ground. The visit to John Milton’s home was made particularly interesting because the curator gave us a personal tour. He was as enthusiastic as one could be.
Back at the hostel we went for another walk in Jordans, this time finding William Penn’s grave at the Quaker meeting. They tell us that Ozzie Osborne is a neighbor on the other side. I wonder what the Quakers think of him.
There are some characters at the hostel this night. A couple of men are working briefly in the area and stay here as a cheap accommodation. Another guy is a free lance nutritionist who is going around England looking for a new place to live. He condemned just about everything that we eat or drink, except almonds. There was a woman and her 2 daughters from the States who were touring England. They had come to England while one of the daughters sang in a choir on tour.
Now on our last evening in Britain, we are happy, satisfied, and ready to go home.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
We learned something about hiking in Britain. When they say that detailed maps are available, get them. We could see the trail on the brochure that was provided to advertise the walk through the Cotswolds, but it proved much more difficult to actually locate the trail. The trail paralleled some of the roads, but there seemed to be no way to get to them. Any way we had the chance to visit some small and beautiful villages as we explored the country side.
Our ultimate goal this day was St. Albans, which has a very beautiful and large cathedral. We had trouble finding a parking place and a very nice woman gave us one of her vouchers allowing us to park in her spot on the street. Parking is at a premium in most of these cities. At the cathedral they were preparing for the installation of a new dean so everything was in top shape. The flower decorator had buckets of flowers, but complained that they made her work with too little. Of course, it is a very large space to decorate. Parts of this cathedral go back to the 12th century. In England there are scores of churches that go back that far. In this cathedral they stop everyone once an hour for a prayer. It was a very nice reminder that this is a place of worship and not a tourist mecca. It did seem to me that most of the cathedrals and abbeys that we visited had an active church life. I don’t know the numbers that they involve. They may not have sufficient membership to justify such a large building. Most of them were currently or recently involved in a capital campaign. They did seem to have enthusiastic volunteers who keep the place going.
St. Albans also has a very extensive ancient Roman settlement and a well known Roman museum. But the story of St. Alban himself is the most inspiring part of the visit. Alban lived in the 3rd century in the Roman city of Verulamium, which is preserved now in part in St. Albans. He was a worshipper of Roman gods, but gave shelter to a Christian priest fleeing persecution. When the Roman authorities came looking for the priest, Alban exchanged clothes with him. The priest was then able to escape. Alban was then arrested and the judge promised to give Alban the punishment due to the priest, if it could be shown that Alban had become a Christian. Alban declared his Christian faith, saying in words still used in St. Albans as a prayer, “I worship and adore the true and living God, who created all things.” He was executed soon thereafter. He became the first Christian martyr in England.
Leaving St. Albans seemed to be straightforward until we were presented with a choice of one of two directions on the major highway, both of which went to London. We took a choice and made the wrong one, but by now we have figured out how to reverse direction.
We started again to locate one of the paths in the countryside, but it threatened to rain and hail again as it had in St. Albans. Then we decided to go right to John Milton’s home which is in the nearby town of Chalfont St. Giles. They were having a funeral in the church in this village so we made a very quick tour. It was just another ancient church, going back to the 12th century. But, there was not a single parking place at the church, which was surrounded by an ancient burying ground. The visit to John Milton’s home was made particularly interesting because the curator gave us a personal tour. He was as enthusiastic as one could be.
Back at the hostel we went for another walk in Jordans, this time finding William Penn’s grave at the Quaker meeting. They tell us that Ozzie Osborne is a neighbor on the other side. I wonder what the Quakers think of him.
There are some characters at the hostel this night. A couple of men are working briefly in the area and stay here as a cheap accommodation. Another guy is a free lance nutritionist who is going around England looking for a new place to live. He condemned just about everything that we eat or drink, except almonds. There was a woman and her 2 daughters from the States who were touring England. They had come to England while one of the daughters sang in a choir on tour.
Now on our last evening in Britain, we are happy, satisfied, and ready to go home.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
June 30 - Back into England.
June 30 – Back into England
We had an early breakfast and headed out of Cardiff. We had a long day of driving ahead, and thought that there might be commuter traffic. We were heading a little north so we would go around the bay and not need to go back over the bridge by which we came into Wales.
The first stop was Tintern Abbey, made famous by Wordsworth, who composed some lines while meditating above Tintern Abbey. Tintern Abbey was at one time the richest abbey in Wales. All that remains today is a skeleton, but the outline of the abbey and the setting in the Wye River valley make it a beautiful site. The road through the valley is winding and beautiful with a low and thick canopy overhead in a number of places. We were there before the busses and had some peace and quiet on the grounds. We actually bought a few things in a gift shop there.
Ross on Wye was a market town. It had another ancient church and a market building. A wealthy family had built much of the town and gave a garden at the top of a cliff overlooking the valley of the River Wye. There was a canoe trip starting off to go down the river. It reminded me of Maine.
After the pleasant meandering up the River Wye, we had to get back on the main highway. This was a long stretch of driving.
After a while we needed a break and something to eat, so we stopped in North Leach. Northleach is famous for the wool church. We had no clue what a wool church is, so we asked the question. The church there is called the wool church, because it was built by wool money. Most of the buildings in this beautiful town are made of Cotswold stone. It was a proud little town, so we bought Cotswold cheese and Cotswold fruit cake. This was refreshing stop as we headed toward Oxford.
The signs on the approach to Oxford urged us to take the park and ride. We decided to heed the warning and later were glad not to have to worry about the car in the middle of the city. Oxford, in the area near the universities, was full of tourists and students. The colleges were largely closed but we could peek through the gates to see beautiful greens surrounded by university buildings. This is a place of great prestige. It is a beautiful place, and one could see what a privilege it would be to study there.
It was now late in the afternoon, and after some rain on the highway, we were glad to find our final hostel, in Jordans. It is actually quite close to London, but it is really in the country. The town of Jordans was founded by the Quakers, and much of the town is still controlled by them. Next to the hostel was a Quaker meeting house where William Penn is buried. The building is very pretty and simple, after the grand cathedrals we had been visiting. The design of the town is meant to emphasize community and common space.
The barn next to the Quaker meeting house was made from the remains of the Mayflower. This was a curious fact of history. It is now a place to rent for parties. We were interested to see that Steve Osborne, a Scottish pianist whom our son Stephen met in the States, was playing a concert there in a few weeks. There are many public paths through common and private land. One path to the next town, Seer Green, went through a pasture that contained some cows and a bull. We decided to venture through, since it was the best way to get to town. The animals kept their distance, thankfully. Seer Green has a railroad stop, so it was possible to arrive near the hostel by train from London.
The hostel in Jordans is simple and rustic, much more so than the other hostels in which we stayed. It reminded us of the AMC huts in the White Mountains.
The other people staying in the hostel are always part of the entertainment. There was an older New Zealander who arrived on bike. He was out on a trip around Britain on bike for 2 months. I was absolutely in awe of him, for the physical task which he was undertaking and for his courage riding on British roads. There are some 20,000 miles of bike paths in Britain, but many of them are on small country roads. I would be nervous, but he was having a great time.
To top his accomplishment, an older British woman showed up on bicycle, and her bike was not at all as nice as the New Zealander’s. She regularly goes on long bike trips staying in hostels. I was also in awe of her.
There was a family in the hostel who were visiting colleges for their daughter. Mike and Yvonne King live in the far end of Cornwall. Their daughter Sarah had visited Oxford this day and they were going on to Cambridge the next. The trip from Cornwall was a very long one because the roads in that far region are slow and narrow. They told us around the campfire that Cornwall is quite depressed, since the close of the coal mines, and the people remain insular. Mike had just retired from working for the Health system. The stress was too much. Yvonne works for an alcohol rehabilitation institution. We exchanged addresses and invited them to the States.
We stayed up late around the campfire and went to bed very late for us, at 11 pm.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
We had an early breakfast and headed out of Cardiff. We had a long day of driving ahead, and thought that there might be commuter traffic. We were heading a little north so we would go around the bay and not need to go back over the bridge by which we came into Wales.
The first stop was Tintern Abbey, made famous by Wordsworth, who composed some lines while meditating above Tintern Abbey. Tintern Abbey was at one time the richest abbey in Wales. All that remains today is a skeleton, but the outline of the abbey and the setting in the Wye River valley make it a beautiful site. The road through the valley is winding and beautiful with a low and thick canopy overhead in a number of places. We were there before the busses and had some peace and quiet on the grounds. We actually bought a few things in a gift shop there.
Ross on Wye was a market town. It had another ancient church and a market building. A wealthy family had built much of the town and gave a garden at the top of a cliff overlooking the valley of the River Wye. There was a canoe trip starting off to go down the river. It reminded me of Maine.
After the pleasant meandering up the River Wye, we had to get back on the main highway. This was a long stretch of driving.
After a while we needed a break and something to eat, so we stopped in North Leach. Northleach is famous for the wool church. We had no clue what a wool church is, so we asked the question. The church there is called the wool church, because it was built by wool money. Most of the buildings in this beautiful town are made of Cotswold stone. It was a proud little town, so we bought Cotswold cheese and Cotswold fruit cake. This was refreshing stop as we headed toward Oxford.
The signs on the approach to Oxford urged us to take the park and ride. We decided to heed the warning and later were glad not to have to worry about the car in the middle of the city. Oxford, in the area near the universities, was full of tourists and students. The colleges were largely closed but we could peek through the gates to see beautiful greens surrounded by university buildings. This is a place of great prestige. It is a beautiful place, and one could see what a privilege it would be to study there.
It was now late in the afternoon, and after some rain on the highway, we were glad to find our final hostel, in Jordans. It is actually quite close to London, but it is really in the country. The town of Jordans was founded by the Quakers, and much of the town is still controlled by them. Next to the hostel was a Quaker meeting house where William Penn is buried. The building is very pretty and simple, after the grand cathedrals we had been visiting. The design of the town is meant to emphasize community and common space.
The barn next to the Quaker meeting house was made from the remains of the Mayflower. This was a curious fact of history. It is now a place to rent for parties. We were interested to see that Steve Osborne, a Scottish pianist whom our son Stephen met in the States, was playing a concert there in a few weeks. There are many public paths through common and private land. One path to the next town, Seer Green, went through a pasture that contained some cows and a bull. We decided to venture through, since it was the best way to get to town. The animals kept their distance, thankfully. Seer Green has a railroad stop, so it was possible to arrive near the hostel by train from London.
The hostel in Jordans is simple and rustic, much more so than the other hostels in which we stayed. It reminded us of the AMC huts in the White Mountains.
The other people staying in the hostel are always part of the entertainment. There was an older New Zealander who arrived on bike. He was out on a trip around Britain on bike for 2 months. I was absolutely in awe of him, for the physical task which he was undertaking and for his courage riding on British roads. There are some 20,000 miles of bike paths in Britain, but many of them are on small country roads. I would be nervous, but he was having a great time.
To top his accomplishment, an older British woman showed up on bicycle, and her bike was not at all as nice as the New Zealander’s. She regularly goes on long bike trips staying in hostels. I was also in awe of her.
There was a family in the hostel who were visiting colleges for their daughter. Mike and Yvonne King live in the far end of Cornwall. Their daughter Sarah had visited Oxford this day and they were going on to Cambridge the next. The trip from Cornwall was a very long one because the roads in that far region are slow and narrow. They told us around the campfire that Cornwall is quite depressed, since the close of the coal mines, and the people remain insular. Mike had just retired from working for the Health system. The stress was too much. Yvonne works for an alcohol rehabilitation institution. We exchanged addresses and invited them to the States.
We stayed up late around the campfire and went to bed very late for us, at 11 pm.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
Sunday, July 11, 2004
June 29 - Crossing into Wales!
June 29 – Crossing into Wales!
The Bath Hostel has no parking so we had to leave the car on the street. We were all ready to roll down hill and out of town toward Wales. We thought that we might avoid the worst of the commuting traffic. There were a lot of cars heading in the direction of Bristol, but they restricted the far left lane on the outside to cars with 2 or more people, and the right lanes to the trucks and single passenger vehicles. We zoomed right along on our way out of town.
There are two bridges over the Severn River into Wales. We happened to choose the more modern one which was built for the millennium. The design was stunning and the bridge carried us into Wales in grand style. Beside the welcome sign upon entering Wales, all of the signs were written in both English and Welsh. We had no clue how to pronounce the Welsh names, but had fun murdering the language of the local folk, although we never did it in their presence.
We had been warned about the roads in Wales, but those that we drove were very good, and in fact better than most of the English roads. I suspect that the far western and northern sections, further from the population centers, have worse roads than these. We stopped in a small town to gas up for the first time. This was my chance to experience the petrol sticker shock they talk about. I figure it cost me three times what it would cost me at home. The good news is that the little Ford Focus we were driving got very good mileage, so the total cost per mile was not too bad. The mileage would have been even better if we had not driven so many extra miles looking for the right road. I guess it was all part of the fun.
We were heading for Brecon which is sort of the capital of the Beacons and the Black Mountains. The region is largely National Park Land. Much like Acadia National Park, the Welsh park included a number of towns. They also made arrangements for public use by farmers of some of the park lands.
We were hoping to hike Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in the area, but all of the local folk urged us not to. The top was in the midst of some very dark clouds and the wind was whipping. We decided that we did not want to get lost or very wet. Fortunately the Park Visitors Center had some delightful paths on high places through common lands. There were some ancient standing stones in the park and an Iron Age fort at the far end of the walk. As it happened 2 busloads of 83 grade school children and their 2 teachers arrived with us. It was fun to watch the children, some of whom were full of energy and others of whom were tired at the start of the hike. The sheep who were loose in the common land kept their distance from the children.
The ride down the valley had pastures on steep hillsides, which then evolved into forests and reservoirs. It was a gorgeous mountain descent all the way down to the capital city of Wales, Cardiff.
The Youth Hostel directions are notoriously sparse, but for some reason there was no map to get us to the hostel in Cardiff. We could tell that we had completely missed the road and were in entirely the wrong part of town. We circled back right through the middle of the capital city toward our destination. We finally stopped at a gas station. The attendant laughed and immediately said the street we were looking for. He said he often gives directions to the youth hostel. With his help we were able to find the right place. We mentioned our difficulty in finding the location to the staff at the hostel, and they said that they knew it was hard to find, but apparently had done nothing to remedy the situation. Later, in England, we ran into a youth hostel worker who had grown up I Wales who confessed that she had tried to find the Cardiff hostel one time and had completely failed. Fortunately British drivers are much more polite than American drivers. For the first time someone honked at me, and I certainly deserved it. But otherwise they tolerated my erratic driving.
The youth hostel in Cardiff is a bit grimy. It caters less to the hikers and vacationers and more to those who are looking for a cheap place to stay in Cardiff while they work. Cardiff had not been our first choice. In fact it had not been our choice at all, but all of the other hostels in Southern Wales were full. It was good to see how this city worked. The hostel was a mile or more from the center of the city, but we walked rather than drive.
The Cardiff Castle was rebuilt in the 19th century above Roman Walls and around a 12th century Norman keep to an exquisite standard by a very wealthy family, the Butes, who owned most of Southern and Western Wales, including the coal mines. They hired an architect full time who spent years refurbishing and building this castle. Each room had a theme and no expense was spared in its building. The family spent about 6 weeks a year at the castle. The Butes eventually gave the castle and the park behind it to the city of Cardiff. They have a wonderful heritage right in the middle of the city.
We poked around the center of the city and then made our way back toward the hostel. We found a small store where we could buy groceries for the night. The man at the cash register was from Afghanistan. Many of the residents of that neighborhood were from the East, with many from Pakistan, it would seem.
At supper we could hear three young men speaking an unidentifiable language. I finally asked them. As it happened they were speaking Catalan. They were from Spain, and were all college students. A girl had told them that she had come to Cardiff and found a job in a restaurant, so they bought plane tickets and had found a room at the hostel and were looking for jobs. They were having no luck. The college students had gone home for the summer and it is not a tourist destination, so there were not many jobs. Now they were embarrassed to go home without a cent in their pockets. Ellen spoke with them in Spanish, French and English and they compared these languages with Catalan.
Before bed, we explored a park near the hostel, which was one of the most beautiful parks we saw in all of Britain. It had lovely flower beds, a large pond with swans and boats. It was a real delight. But we were tired and fell into bed early.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
The Bath Hostel has no parking so we had to leave the car on the street. We were all ready to roll down hill and out of town toward Wales. We thought that we might avoid the worst of the commuting traffic. There were a lot of cars heading in the direction of Bristol, but they restricted the far left lane on the outside to cars with 2 or more people, and the right lanes to the trucks and single passenger vehicles. We zoomed right along on our way out of town.
There are two bridges over the Severn River into Wales. We happened to choose the more modern one which was built for the millennium. The design was stunning and the bridge carried us into Wales in grand style. Beside the welcome sign upon entering Wales, all of the signs were written in both English and Welsh. We had no clue how to pronounce the Welsh names, but had fun murdering the language of the local folk, although we never did it in their presence.
We had been warned about the roads in Wales, but those that we drove were very good, and in fact better than most of the English roads. I suspect that the far western and northern sections, further from the population centers, have worse roads than these. We stopped in a small town to gas up for the first time. This was my chance to experience the petrol sticker shock they talk about. I figure it cost me three times what it would cost me at home. The good news is that the little Ford Focus we were driving got very good mileage, so the total cost per mile was not too bad. The mileage would have been even better if we had not driven so many extra miles looking for the right road. I guess it was all part of the fun.
We were heading for Brecon which is sort of the capital of the Beacons and the Black Mountains. The region is largely National Park Land. Much like Acadia National Park, the Welsh park included a number of towns. They also made arrangements for public use by farmers of some of the park lands.
We were hoping to hike Pen Y Fan, the highest mountain in the area, but all of the local folk urged us not to. The top was in the midst of some very dark clouds and the wind was whipping. We decided that we did not want to get lost or very wet. Fortunately the Park Visitors Center had some delightful paths on high places through common lands. There were some ancient standing stones in the park and an Iron Age fort at the far end of the walk. As it happened 2 busloads of 83 grade school children and their 2 teachers arrived with us. It was fun to watch the children, some of whom were full of energy and others of whom were tired at the start of the hike. The sheep who were loose in the common land kept their distance from the children.
The ride down the valley had pastures on steep hillsides, which then evolved into forests and reservoirs. It was a gorgeous mountain descent all the way down to the capital city of Wales, Cardiff.
The Youth Hostel directions are notoriously sparse, but for some reason there was no map to get us to the hostel in Cardiff. We could tell that we had completely missed the road and were in entirely the wrong part of town. We circled back right through the middle of the capital city toward our destination. We finally stopped at a gas station. The attendant laughed and immediately said the street we were looking for. He said he often gives directions to the youth hostel. With his help we were able to find the right place. We mentioned our difficulty in finding the location to the staff at the hostel, and they said that they knew it was hard to find, but apparently had done nothing to remedy the situation. Later, in England, we ran into a youth hostel worker who had grown up I Wales who confessed that she had tried to find the Cardiff hostel one time and had completely failed. Fortunately British drivers are much more polite than American drivers. For the first time someone honked at me, and I certainly deserved it. But otherwise they tolerated my erratic driving.
The youth hostel in Cardiff is a bit grimy. It caters less to the hikers and vacationers and more to those who are looking for a cheap place to stay in Cardiff while they work. Cardiff had not been our first choice. In fact it had not been our choice at all, but all of the other hostels in Southern Wales were full. It was good to see how this city worked. The hostel was a mile or more from the center of the city, but we walked rather than drive.
The Cardiff Castle was rebuilt in the 19th century above Roman Walls and around a 12th century Norman keep to an exquisite standard by a very wealthy family, the Butes, who owned most of Southern and Western Wales, including the coal mines. They hired an architect full time who spent years refurbishing and building this castle. Each room had a theme and no expense was spared in its building. The family spent about 6 weeks a year at the castle. The Butes eventually gave the castle and the park behind it to the city of Cardiff. They have a wonderful heritage right in the middle of the city.
We poked around the center of the city and then made our way back toward the hostel. We found a small store where we could buy groceries for the night. The man at the cash register was from Afghanistan. Many of the residents of that neighborhood were from the East, with many from Pakistan, it would seem.
At supper we could hear three young men speaking an unidentifiable language. I finally asked them. As it happened they were speaking Catalan. They were from Spain, and were all college students. A girl had told them that she had come to Cardiff and found a job in a restaurant, so they bought plane tickets and had found a room at the hostel and were looking for jobs. They were having no luck. The college students had gone home for the summer and it is not a tourist destination, so there were not many jobs. Now they were embarrassed to go home without a cent in their pockets. Ellen spoke with them in Spanish, French and English and they compared these languages with Catalan.
Before bed, we explored a park near the hostel, which was one of the most beautiful parks we saw in all of Britain. It had lovely flower beds, a large pond with swans and boats. It was a real delight. But we were tired and fell into bed early.
Ken Brookes
kbrookes@aol.com
Copyright, Kenneth C. Brookes, 2004
