Sacramental Living

Around 5 years or so ago, when I was serving as a youth pastor, I used to throw around a personal motto or mantra: lex orandi, lex credendi.  The Latin means “the rule of prayer, is the rule of belief.”  My paraphrase became: “the way you worship is the way you live.”

Worship used to be all-encompassing.  Not that I always worshiped, but I certainly did my best to direct all attention to the One who is greater.  That’s what I taught (and hopefully) modeled for my teens.  That in actions, thoughts, and words, God would be recognized and we would be humble.

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During the past year I’ve spent in exile, I’ve dreamed of what will be when …

…when we are in different surroundings, or

…when we get back on our feet, or

…when I start (and hopefully complete) my PhD work, or

…when, when, when

Each time that sense of longing for a different future arises, the Spirit has a way of directing me back to the present.  And I’m blessed to remember (again) that God’s goodness is not out there somewhere, but right here, right now.

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Health insurance. Seriously! Since I resigned from the typical pastorate, I needed health insurance for my family. So I took the job.

Okay, that may have been a big motivator for any job, but here I am serving as a manager for a shelter and transitional program for the homeless and working poor. I could be employed doing something that has nothing to do with my life mission. Instead, here I am. And I love it. Why?

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