He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying. – Nietzsche

Meditation: When I look back at how I got to where I am today, I realize that Nietzsche is right. I progressed in my personal and professional journeys slowly while taking many, many small steps. Sometimes it felt like I was crawling instead of walking. Other times I was quasi catapulted forward. Every year I grew a little. In especially intense years, I advanced a lot. I went from walking to dancing and climbing. Who and where is God in all of this? I imagine God like a parent who is always available in different ways at different times: First like a parent who carefully watches over an infant who learns how to walk. Later as a parent observing a teenager learn how to dance. First she provides safety and encouragement, and later on he provides all the resources needed for the child to become a dancer. God knows that all those little steps will help us grow up and “fly” one day. And even then God will remain available, just in a new way. Maybe God becomes the net catching us when we fall.

Prayer: Guardian God, you are with us on our long journey of becoming. Like a mother, a father, or like an angel, you watch over us. You give us resources that we need to be able to grow. You slow us down when we try to fly too early. You know that in our own time, we will stand, walk, run, even climb and dance- and finally fly. You delight in us every step on the way. No developmental stage is more valuable than another. Thank you for being a “process God” who remains available “no matter what”. And we are grateful. Amen

Then the angel of the LORD returned for a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”  1. King 19:7

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. Maya Angelou

Meditation: Three years ago I decided to leave a job that had gotten me into a place of mere survival. I had held that job for seven years, and there was a lot I had liked about it. However, the system changed and became oppressive. Under abusive and paranoid leadership, I watched myself lose my passion, become easily angry and unable to access my humor and playfulness. I felt anxious and unsupported. After I left, my recovery began. Today, three years later, I am thriving. I am following my passion and have regained my patience and compassion. My playfulness is back, and I feel competent and excited about my work. Life is too precious to just be surviving. Follow your heart!

Prayer: God, we thank you that you want us to thrive. Help us to make changes if we are merely surviving. Thank you for life giving energies like passion, humor, compassion and self-confidence. We pray for all who live in oppressive systems. Help them find a way out. And we are grateful. Amen

Souls who follow their hearts thrive; fools bent on evil despise matters of soul. Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces. Proverbs 13: 19-20

A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men. ―Gloria Steinem

Meditation: One of my daughters has a friend who is a boy. He is actually the tallest and most sportive guy in the whole school. From the moment that other girls and boys realized that they liked each other, my daughter “disappeared”. She was no longer seen for who she was, but suddenly she was defined as if being an extension of the boy. Luckily my daughter has a healthy sense of self identity. She does not like this new dynamic. I told her “I think you are a feminist”. She agreed by saying “Go me”! She knows that she has an identity of her own, and that she does not gain any better or bigger identity through being associated with a boy, even if he is the “star” of the school. Luckily he chose my daughter because of that. She does not just admire him, but they are able to be equals and be friends. “You go girl”!

Prayer: Jesus, you questioned disempowering and oppressive patriarchal and hierarchical norms. You respected women. You allowed women to break out of stereotypes and out of cultural roles. You were way ahead of your time. We are grateful for teenage girls and boys who do not fall into cultural gender stereotypes, but who see each other as equal and who develop partnerships instead of foster unhealthy dependent or dominant relational dynamics. Thank you for your Spirit of equality and of freedom that transcends cultural gender assumptions. Amen

So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

Human rights are not only violated by terrorism, repression or assassination, but also by unfair economic structures that create huge inequalities. Pope Francis

Meditation: Some human rights violations are so horrific and “in your face” that we have a hard time breathing when we learn about them. We feel pain in our soul seeing those images. We also feel connected with people all around the world who are praying for comfort and healing for the victims of terror and who are protesting against violence as we witnessed in Manchester and for it to stop. Other injustices and oppressions are more inconspicuous, hardly noticeable and yet painfully real. We do not necessarily see photos of the hundreds and thousands of victims of the new budget cuts, of unfair immigration law enforcement and of complete eliminations or reductions of social programs all around our country. However, if we pay careful attention, we will feel the pain in our soul. We will also experience a shortness of breath. What can we do? We can stay awake and stay connected. We can keep breathing and carry the pain. We can also wake up the masses in protest, and we can pray so terrorists and our current government will stop their oppressive ways.

Prayer: God of mercy, we pray for the young terror victims in Manchester and for their families. Be comfort and refuge! We also pray for the many undocumented immigrants who currently find themselves in prison cells, locked up randomly by ICE. We pray for persons with pre-existing health conditions who will lose or not be able to afford their health insurance any longer. We pray for all families whose food stamps will be eliminated. We pray for the children who will go hungry this summer as their camp scholarships got cancelled. We pray for those young adults who no longer can afford college or whose student loans have become huge burdens. God, have mercy. We pray that you will put an end to all acts of oppression and to all violations of basic human rights and of basic human needs as committed both by terrorists and by our current government. Amen

Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live. Ezekiel 18: 31-32

The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Meditation: Today my twin girls graduated from Middle school. Some children had an all A average. We were proud that both our girls have A’s and B’s. Yes, education is important and grades are, too. However, the past three years of middle school were mainly about the blossoming “Wisdom of knowing self”. As a therapist, pastor and educator I believe that “the Wisdom of knowing self” is even more important than getting all A’s. My girls have made first discoveries about Wisdom when they learned how they study best, when they articulated important values they hold, when dealing with physical changes, when learning about preferences and dislikes, when learning about managing their feelings and about choosing and having relationships outside of family. A’s are great. But Wisdom is even better.

Prayer: God of Wisdom, you want to strengthen my girls’ mind and help them to think intensely and critically. And at the same time you want to give them Wisdom as it comes to their heart, their character, their ways of relating and their emotional intelligence. Thank you that our girls have tangibly and visibly grown in all these areas. We pray that you protect them and watch over them. May they always strive for Wisdom and not just knowledge. Fill them with Your Wisdom so that they not just know things, but that they better and more fully understand You, themselves and others. And we are grateful. Amen

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom. Though it costs all you have, get understanding. Proverbs 4:6-7

Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. Howard Washington Thurman

Meditation: When I give myself permission to fully take in God’s love and then learn to love myself, I will not shy away from moments that feel like “bliss” moments. Those “bliss” moments that make me feel fully alive look different for each of us. I discovered that exactly what I never thought I wanted to be, ironically turns out to be my bliss: “being a pastor”. Yesterday I had the honor of conducting a funeral service for the father of a dear friend. And today I blessed a 13 year old for her confirmation. When I am allowed to celebrate those sacred moments in people’s lives, I feel like a fish in water, I feel like an eagle soaring, I feel like floating on water… My “bliss” makes me feel fully alive. As I embrace that which I never thought I wanted to be, but that turns out to be in line with who I am, I feel “aligned”, feel “congruent”, feel “alive”…Self-love includes the search and the surprise of finding my “bliss” and allowing to be surprised by joy.

Prayer: God of abundance, you want us to soar like eagles, swim like fish and float easily on top of the water. Show each one of us what that means. We all have different areas of “bliss”. When we love ourselves more fully, we no longer shy away from asking you to bless us by finding our “bliss”, discovering our joy and coming fully alive. God, you are the One that delights in us finding the places where we can most fully be ourselves and come fully alive. And we are grateful. Amen

You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

God is a God of the present. God is always in the moment, be that moment hard or easy, joyful and painful. Henri Nouwen

Meditation: The awareness that God is present with us is the beginning of faith. Faith means “trusting”. When we experience a person we love as emotionally not present with us, we are in pain. God being a “God of the present” means that God is emotionally present with us, and that this presence saves us from the pain we go through when we feel abandoned, neglected, rejected or forgotten. Ever since my girls were little I prayed: “We thank you God for always being with us, no matter what” as part of their bedtime prayer. I wanted them to internalize these words. So when there will be moments in their life when they are or feel abandoned, neglected, rejected or forgotten, they will still feel safe, as they know that “God is present, no matter what”.

Prayer: You are an ever present God. Your love that is always available will keep us save. While you are present, You rejoice over us. You sing a praise song over us. And You always remain in our midst. Present God, You are available to us. Always available. Always ready to listen, always present and always holding our heart, no matter how heavy or light it might be. And we are grateful. Amen

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

 

Today I will do something just for the fun of it. I will find something to do that’s just for me, and I won’t worry about what I should be doing. I will learn how to make myself feel good and enjoy life to the fullest. Melody Beattie

Meditation: Sometimes when our life is full of appointments, tasks, meetings and chores, we start yearning for retirement. I know a friend who for twenty years complaint about his job. All he wanted was to retire. In the end he did. Yet he struggled, as he had not learned to enjoy life. What happened during those twenty years? How can we already build “retirement” into today? How can we have moments every day when we do something “just for the fun of it”? Breaking out of our routine: Taking a moment to watch the sun play with the leaves on the tree in front of our home. Taking a short nap, just because we want to. Drinking a cup of tea and having a little German chocolate without worrying about what we need to do next. Where is your favorite spot to sit, to dream, to become quiet in the middle of your day?

Prayer: God of peace, You come to us in nature, in moments of stillness, in our dreams and in our quiet times. Let us not miss these “retirement” times with You and with ourselves. Help us dismiss voices of guilt and of anxiety. Let us breathe deeply and feel alive. Today, not in twenty years does our retirement start. You invite us to take time out. Today and every day. So when retirement comes, we will be good at enjoying life. Amen

The godly shall flourish like palm trees and grow tall as the cedars of Lebanon. For they are transplanted into the Lord’s own garden and are under his personal care. Even in old age they will still produce fruit and be vital and green. Psalm 92: 12-14

If your love for another person doesn’t include loving yourself then your love is incomplete. Shannon L. Alder

Meditation: Every Sunday I am ending the worship service of the German church here in Atlanta with the words: “And now go forth, love God, love yourself and love and serve the world!” Some attendees might be surprised that I name “love of self” second and not last. Growing up with Pietistic teaching, the love of self was always mentioned last, if at all. And often it had a more utilitarian sound to it: “Preserve yourself so you can be a better servant for God and live long to serve others.” The notion of “loving self” was often associated with the notion of being “selfish, self-absorbed, vain, or greedy”… It took me many years to shed these preconceptions that self-love is basically sinful. When I finally came to fully embrace and love myself (with a change of my theology and a lot of therapy), what a liberation! My love for others has become more genuine, less forced, less moralistic and is no longer an effort to “please” God or others. Genuinely loving myself enables me to truly love others as well. This is a mystery. And so, as pastor when sending my congregation forth, I first name God as the Source of all Love, then I name loving ourselves as the genuine basis for all human love that is then being shared with others and the world.

Prayer: God, Source of all Love, you created us so we would love ourselves the way you love us. You delight in us, so we can delight in ourselves as well. You embrace all of us, so we can learn to embrace all of who we are, too. You forgive us, so we can be gentle with ourselves and learn to forgive ourselves and others. As you send us forth into the world, you first want us to develop a loving relationship with You and also with ourselves. And then all we are and all we do radiates from this place of abounding love. And we are grateful. Amen

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Matthew 22: 37-39

A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes. Charles Spurgeon

Meditation: It is easy to drop the largest non-nuclear bomb on Syria after a gas attack. However, when the government of Syria has become corrupt and oppressive itself and is not being exposed and confronted, no bomb will make a difference. In a similar way, it is easy to get the US popular masses to vote for you if you stir their anger and rage. However, when the heads of government of the US have become corrupt and oppressive, no campaign promise will make a difference. We need to speak truth to power. These days our children receive an invaluable education as they observe our democracy and our legal system stand up against corruption. Our country is standing up for justice. We will defend our democracy and will stop engaging in secret methods of corruption and oppression.

Prayer: God of justice, help us stay alert, informed and involved, even though we are weary. When individuals remain incorruptible and speak out, the truth will prevail. Thank You for all who risk their names, lives and their jobs to bring forth justice and an end to corruption. And we are hopeful. Amen

Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel. Proverbs 20:15