Relax

You are exactly where you need to be.

You are not missing out, falling behind, doing it wrong,
not trying hard enough.

You are doing more than enough.

Whatever opinions you have about it,
however imperfect
This is yours.

Where you are right now.
Sitting here surfing the internet even.
Is perfect.

--anonymous

God loves you the way you are, not as you should be. You'll never be as you should be.

--Brennan Manning

Unity

"How good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity."
Psalm 133:1

Last fall, some guys from All Saints ran the rapids on the Upper Gulley River in West Virginia. As we approached the first class 5 rapid of the day "Insignificant", our guide reminded us to listen to her commands and stay in sync with one another. She warned us that if we fell out, we were to swim to river left.

As we entered the rapids, Eric fell out. Soon after Keith, then me, and then Eric Hershberger. Four men were tossed out of the boat early leaving the raft down by half to get through the rapid safely. As I surfaced after plunging into the chilly water, I could see the boat just ahead of me and I paddled with the current to get to the back of the boat. The guide did her level best to get us back in the boat, but we all had to run the class 5 on our own. Needless to say, it was one of the most harrowing adventures I've had in my life. It wasn't fun. Memorable? Yes. Fun? No. I was glad to be back in the boat once we got through the rapids.

A bit shaken by the experience while sitting in the boat, I realized that we still had four more class fives to run the rest of the day. It wasn't going to be easy, and I determined then and there to stay in the boat. It's safer and a lot more fun in the boat with the other guys!

In these days when All Saints is transitioning through pastoral changes it's important we remain unified around our Savior. We're all in the same boat. We have some rapids on the horizon and have encountered a few already. But, if we remain focused on moving through the rapids together we'll be better off in the end. We need to keep our ear tuned to our guide, Jesus, as he navigates these changes for us. And, we must not toss anyone out of the boat. If someone does get tossed out involuntarily, we need to focus our energies in getting them back in. There are risks in this transition. No doubt. But, together, we'll make it through to calmer waters.

Remember, we're in this together. Let's pray for one another.

Thanks for reading.

Mike

All saints all the time

Joy or sadness, war or peace, love or hate, purity or impurity, charity or greed, all are tremendous realities which are the hinges of our interior life. Everyday things, relationships with other people, daily work, love of our family--all these may breed saints.

Jesus at Nazareth taught us to live every hour of the day as saints. Every hour of the day is useful and may lead to divine inspiration, the will of the Father, the prayer of contemplation--holiness. Every hour of the day is holy. What matters is to live it as Jesus taught us.

And for this one does not have to shut oneself in a monastery or fix strange and inhumane regimes for one's life. It is enough to accept the realities of life. Work is one of these realities; motherhood, the rearing of children, family life with all its obligations are others.

--From Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto

Crickets

Laughter is a gift from God