Hennepin’s theme for Lent this year is "The Stones Cry Out". For weeks before Lent, I had been collecting prayers,poems,writings,and songs with references to stones and rocks. I’ve found in the past that when I begin a project like this, one with a particular theme, that before I know it that theme begins to show up wherever I am, in the most odd and astounding places. For weeks now, the word stone has been showing up in television commercials, on a label my eyes fell on in the grocery store, in the newspaper, you name it.Not only have I found writings about stones, but other people are dropping them off in my mailbox, on my desk.  Certainly those words were always there…..I’m just more "awake" to them now. It is within my intention to be ready and waiting for words about stones to appear.

So I began to wonder……what if I began to set other words or messages with such an intention? What if I began to look for "peace" or "hope" or "kindness" or "joy""? Would that intention draw those words, and in turn those messages, to me?

We have so many negative or manipulative messages that come at us each day. Our culture is designed around messages that sell us on the latest thing that will bring happiness and success, that will bring us rewards of all kinds. Most of these messages are only partially true, some downright lies.

Gandhi said "You must be the peace you want to see in the world." A true statement….difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible, but true. Maybe if we go looking for peace or hope or kindness or joy, we will not only find the words. Maybe we will become the peace, or the hope, or the kindness, or the joy, that the world needs.

I think it is worth a look.

This weekend spring began to arrive. The snow, melting under the heat of the Sun, created water flowing down sloping streets, made puddles on sidewalks so big you had to walk on the boulevard, dodging mud that oozed  through the crusty snow. The sound of running water-so different from the silence of snow falling-was everywhere. The scent of soil and green permeated the air. Did you smell it?

People came out of their houses, loaded children in strollers or wagons, put dogs on leashes and took to the streets. You could sense the change,potential…..hope all around. As people walked there was a lightness of being in their steps……even the dogs seemed to be smiling. They arrived back home muddy, wet, shoes and paws full of promise.

March….Lent….Spring…..these are the in-between times. All that is beautiful and full of Creation comes out of chaos and messiness, we know this from the Genesis story, from the Easter story, from the turning of the seasons, from giving birth and living our lives.  Out of chaos, pain,fear,confusion, faith, doubt, death, comes rebirth, new life,resurrection. Paying attention in March to the melting, the re-freezing, the dirt,the sloshing and tracking, helps us arrive at Easter and Spring awake with gratitude for the fullness of the journey.

Today I am going to dig out the red, rubber gardening shoes I purchased on clearance in August. I have a feeling I’m going to need them. Today I want to be present to the melting, the mud and the messiness. "To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven."

This past week I have been reading about peace. Our congregation’s theme for the coming week is "The Stones Cry Out for Peace" and I have been helping to prepare worship and classes on the practice of peace. In so many ways it is very difficult to get your mind around…this thing called peace. And yet it rests at the base of what humans have longed for since they began to walk upright. Peace among families, peace among tribes, peace among nations,peace within the churches,  peace within our own hearts.

Pema Chodron, the American Buddhist nun whose face carries beautiful,deep laugh lines that surround her dancing eyes says this: "If we want there to be peace in the world, we have to be brave enough to soften what is rigid in our hearts, to find the soft spot and stay with it. We have to have that kind of courage and take that kind of responsibility. That is the true practice of peace."

As Jesus was preparing his followers for the time he would no longer be with them he said:"Peace I leave with you;my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid."

We live in a world that urges us toward fear, war and revenge. From the daily newspapers to the nightly newscast, the messages of fear and despair can paralyze. And yet the voice of the Holy calls throughout the ages offering messages of peace, with a longing deeper than our own.  Our very lives and those of our children and children’s children depend upon our heeding this call.

Soft hearts, courage, responsibility,compassion,justice,love,faith,hope……these are what make for peace. Across faith traditions, across no faith tradition, across national and political lines,across ethnic and economic boundaries, in our schools, our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities…..the call is deafening. The very stones are crying out!

Peace begins not with treaties signed but with hearts changed. Let us take a deep breath…..and commit to peace in our hearts, in our thoughts, in relationships, in prayer, in daily practice…..for the hope of the world.

Have a lovely weekend…..and don’t forget to spring ahead.

Last night I was a part of a Mindfulness workshop. One of the exercises involved two raisins, craisins actually, which I was thankful for since I’m not fond of raisins but love craisins. I know……weird. The exercise asked that we take one raisin and look at it, study it, then spend time smelling it. After we had considered its scent, we were invited to put the raisin in our mouths, just on the tip of our tongues, and study how it felt, how the juices flowed from it. Then we let the raisin roll around in our mouths, the ridges of the dried raisin, still jagged and rough, slowly became saturated and the juices that lived inside the tiny morsel began to become more pronounced, flavor poured forth into my mouth. Finally, we could chew. It was an amazing experience of taste, touch, smell, sight, even hearing as our teeth and jaws seemed to create such a sound for so small an object.

This practice of mindful eating runs so counter to my normal experience of my meals. I often fill the space of my mealtime with reading, listening to the radio, even driving!  Sometimes I’ve eaten and can’t even remember doing it. Do you ever have that experience?

We followed the first raisin with another, repeating the practice. Eating two raisins took more than 10 minutes!

This practice of mindfulness offered me many things…..a sense of being present in the moment….gratitude for delicious flavors…..the blessing of silence…..and most of all a feeling of satisfaction. Two raisins, eaten with intention, had satisfied my hungry stomach.

Today I want to taste with intention and give thanks with a joyful heart. Join me?

One of my favorite places in the world is Koinonia, our church’s retreat center near Annandale. I have spent rich, rewarding and very fun times there with people of all ages. There is so much I love about Koinonia…the beauty of the woods, Lake Sylvia, the quiet of the chapel, the labyrinth in the upper field…and the coffee cups. Some time ago the staff asked for donations of coffee cups that people no longer wanted at home. Hanging on the wall behind the coffee pots are hooks with a wide array of cups…some plain, some with logos of churches, another that says"I Love Teachers" displaying a bright,red apple, another created for the Olson family reunion 2001, countless others received as thank you gifts from donations to various organizations.

I love watching people choose their coffee cup. First, they stand and take them all in. Some choose by color, others by shape. Some even take a cup down, hold it in both hands, maybe even lift it toward their mouth to check out the "feel" of drinking from this cup. When given the opportunity, I always choose a pottery cup, one that is made of earth tones….brown,gold,green…..one heavy and not glossy. My coffee cup has to feel firm in my hands, hold the heat of the coffee so I can warm my hands, and in turn my body as I drink.

Joyce Rupp, an author who has inspired me over the years, uses the simplicity of the coffee cup as a metaphor for our inner spiritual journey. She uses the coffee cup to design prayer practices that we can  use in our everyday lives. She writes:Whatever the coffee cup holds has to eventually be emptied out so that something more can be put into it. I have learned that I cannot always expect my life to be full. There has to be some emptying, some pouring out, if I am to make room for the new. The spiritual journey is like that-a constant process of emptying and filling, of giving and receiving, of accepting and letting go.

Lent can be an  "emptying out time". Lent can be a time to choose your coffee cup with intention and allow it to be a vessel to be filled and emptied, filled and emptied, as a practice of prayer, to hold your life, to warm you from the inside out, to make room for something new. I offer this practice to you.

Blessings on your choosing, blessings on the cup you choose, blessings on its fullness and emptying,blessings on the journey.

I admitted in January that I am a daily reader of my horoscope. This daily dose can offer me "lucky" numbers, tips on romance and parenting, things to avoid saying, advice on work,night life, money….you name it. It is always interesting to see what the stars hold. But every now and then there are words that stop me in my tracks. Saturday’s horoscope provided just such words.

"Keep a list of empowering beliefs you’d like to adopt, and take it out and look at it whenever you have a spare moment." Wow! What would those be? What list of empowering beliefs do I want to adopt? I’ve been walking around thinking about it ever since. I can think of lots of things I’d like to do, change,stop, or even add to my daily life. But the implication of "empowering beliefs" is that carrying them around, looking at them whenever I have a spare moment, would actually create change within me.

Here are some that came to me. From a favorite song – "You are God’s Work of Art"….an empowering belief. "Nothing can separate me from God’s love"….an empowering belief. "Walk humbly with God"….an empowering belief. "Love much, laugh often"…an empowering belief. "Kindness and gentleness in all things."….an empowering belief. What I found is that my list could go on and on. I found I had many more empowering beliefs than those that could drag me down. Perhaps it is time to claim them.

What are the empowering beliefs that would make a difference in your day, your life? Gemini’s are known as "twins", having multiple ways of seeing the world, being in the world. I invite you to share my horoscope today-be a Gemini- and make that list, take it out and look at it whenever you have a spare moment, and see what happens within.

"Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, it there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."    Philippians 4:8

At 6:00 p.m. Saturday night my husband and I got in the car and headed to the High Bridge connecting St. Paul with West St. Paul. It is a route I travel several times a day but this trip was different…we were in pursuit of the Moon. The Total Eclipse of the Moon to be exact. Many times as I make this trip, I am often privy to the incredible sight of the Moon as it shines over the Mississippi River, appearing so close you could reach up and touch the pearl, white globe that has guided our night since the beginning of Creation.

I am not sure what we expected. But we soon realized we were part of a pilgrimage. We saw cars pulling over along the frontage street that marks the bluffs, occupants with their faces reaching forward toward the windshield, looking skyward. We saw others walking along the sidewalk, stopping every now and then to crane their necks around the condos and houses that line the street, waiting for the first glimpse of the Moon and our shadow upon it. Still others walked to the middle of the bridge, where we joined them. Standing. Watching. Waiting.

The Moon at first seemed to be merely the sight of a quarter moon. But as we stood there, the cold wind whipping around our bodies, we began to see the full roundness and the shadow of the Earth that fell upon it. People stood quietly watching as more and more of its glow began to appear. Over the evening our Earth shadow came to be less and less until the full Moon appeared, bright, bold and beautiful as it reflected off the mounds of new snow.

As I stood there I had the overwhelming sense, no, more than a sense, a deep knowing, of the magnitude of this Universe of which we are all a part. I felt my insignificance, how small I am in the really big picture. But I also had the full  knowledge of how important we humans are….for it is we-the human ones-who have the intelligence, the sense of presence,the language, to stop and pay homage to such a magnificent display of Creation and Creator. It is an awesome responsibility. May I never take it for granted.

Early Sunday morning as I drove to church, I was blessed by the fullness of the Moon as it made its way out of view in the West. I offered a prayer of gratitude for its beauty, its loyalty, its brilliance.

Many years ago I remember sitting near the radio listening intently to A Prairie Home Companion. Garrison Keillor’s soft, soothing voice told of his childhood days in Lake Woebegone  and their yearly assignment of their "storm home". Their storm home was the place the children who lived in the country would go if the weather became too dangerous to go home. It was a beautiful story of the home each of us longs for not only during storms but every day. The light was on in the window in anticipation of our arrival. As the door was opened, we are welcomed in with joy. The fire is glowing warmly in the fireplace, delicious aromas float in the air….a promise of all our favorite comfort foods. After dinner, a bed stacked high with cozy warm blankets is waiting and we are tucked in with love, a good story and a prayer.

I thought of this story yesterday as the snow was flying, the wind was blowing and travel became more and more treacherous. Of course, Garrison’s storm home is a fantasy created in his magnificent imagination. But it represents for each of us that iconic vision of home….that place where we will be safe, fed, warm, sheltered….but most of all welcomed unconditionally. It is an ideal for the majority of the world. We know that each day children are not welcomed into places of safety, adults are not well fed or held in loving care, and more people than we can imagine go to bed hungry and without anyone to tuck them in.

But that fact doesn’t keep us from hoping,praying, longing for a storm home for all those people….and ourselves. These prayers of compassion, followed by action of some kind can and do make a difference,I believe, perhaps not in the larger system but in individual lives. Each time we make a donation, take food to the emergency food shelf, volunteer at a shelter we create a form of storm home for someone.

In a few weeks we will hear once again the story of the Prodigal Son. This story, I believe, holds so much of our faith story and our spiritual struggle. It holds the anticipation of personal freedom, a call to responsible living, our self-centeredness, our desire for adventure, the ability to get it right and at the same time oh-so-wrong. It tells of our selfishness and our creativity, our connection and desire to want to be "loved best". We could spend a whole year on this story and still be mining God’s wisdom.

But above all this story tells us that no matter what, no matter where, no matter how, no matter why, The Holy One is always present…..with the light on, the meal prepared, arms outstretched, welcoming us with joy and unconditional love to our storm home. "Will you, God, really live with people on earth? Why, the heavens and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have built…Listen to the cry and the prayer I make to you today, day and night let your eyes watch over this house, over this place of which you have said:My name shall be there."(1 Kings 8:27-29)

Have a warm and safe weekend….and remember to leave the light on. Someone may be coming home.

I am blessed to be sitting  in my home this morning watching the snow come down outside my window. I am blessed that I really didn’t need to leave the house and drive through traffic to get to the office, that I have the ability of "telecommuting", doing work on-line, by phone. I recognize this blessedness and offer traveling mercies to all you who must go out as you make your way about the roads.

I have stacked all around me new books just purchased yesterday, books of poetry and prayers, one of which is by J. Philip Newell entitled Celtic Treasure. It is a collection of scripture and prayers to create a pattern of devotion in daily life. Each day begins with lighting a candle, naming the Spirit’s presence, silence, scripture, silence, prayers, blessing the day and extinguishing the candle. Simple. A wonderful rhythm to embrace.

One of my favorite places is Clare’s Well, a retreat farm near Annandale run by Franciscan sisters. I have retreated there a few times and always am enriched by the quiet hospitality, fabulous food,morning and evening prayer and the gentle rhythm that exists in their daily lives. I have always longed for that simple rhythm of those who live in religious community, their prayer life, and their intention to practicing the Presence of God. The sisters also live very close to the Earth, gardening, farming, and watching for how the Holy moves across their little piece of the prairie.

Perhaps today is a day to embrace that kind of rhythm. Today could be a good day to light a candle, name and claim the Spirit’s presence, have silence and prayer and watch how the Holy is moving outside our windows. This snow which may seem like such a bother is actually sorely needed for the Earth to bear spring fruit and the fullness of summer flowers. So, I offer gratitude to the One who has created and is creating with these words from Celtic Treasure: In the rising of the sun and its setting, in the whiteness of the moon and its seasons, in the infinity of space and its shining stars, you are God and we bless you. May we know the harmony of heaven in the relationships of earth and may we know the expanse of its mystery within us.

Blessings on your day…stay warm….stay safe.

"What I want is to leap out of this personality…..And then sit apart from that leaping-I’ve lived too long where I can be reached."                Rumi, Sufi mystic, 1207-1273

I was laboring under the assumption that the ability to "be reached" is really an experience of 21st century humans. Then I read these words of Rumi who lived in a time before cellphones, computers, blackberries, email…..all the ways we can now be instantly and constantly reached. Of course all of these allow us to do important work with an efficiency we never imagined. They allow us to connect with family and friends in places and at times that before would have been impossible. All this is good.

But there are also those times when we need to disconnect….to pull away…to find silence, solitude and rest. We have fewer and fewer models for such practice in our daily life. Yet one of the gifts of observing the seasons of the church year-Advent,Epiphany,Lent,Pentecost,Ordinary Time-is that the season of Lent asks us to do just that…..pull away and go to a place of introspection. These 40 days before Easter invite us to echo Jesus’ walk in the wilderness..to go where we can’t be reached.

Realistically there is much of the time when this is impossible. But it is important, I believe, to have a least a few minutes if not longer of every day where we can "leap out of our personality" and not be reached. It is so easy for me to say I’ll do this when I get all the work done. But I have learned that that time never arrives. There will always be work to do. There are always more things on my list to be accomplished than time.

In Jesus’ time in the wilderness, in his healing, in his caring for the sick and the poor, he obeyed a deeper rhythm. We will hear these  scripture stories over the next few weeks. In the midst of important work, he would take time to pull away, to pray, and to not be reached. One translation of the word for "pray" is "to come to rest". Jesus rhythm of work and living can be a model for us in these days of the season of Lent.

In Wayne Muller’s book Sabbath, another book I return to often, he writes: "God does not want us to be exhausted. God wants us to be happy." So if it is permission you are seeking, here goes. Take 15 minutes today. Turn off your computer, your cellphone, close the door and "come to rest." If it was good enough for Jesus, it certainly should be good enough for us. Who knows? It could become your daily practice.