The Music of My Life

Today's guest post is written by Cathy Benson, a good friend and fellow member of First United Methodist Church in Jackson, Tennessee. She speaks of the influence of beloved family members and her early start at playing the church organ at age 12. Who has influenced you along the journey of faith?

If asked to name my favorite hymn, until a couple of years ago I would have said that it is a tie between Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art. Both hymns have a powerful message about God's marvelous gifts to each of us. They also have a long spiritual history in my family.

I grew up in a small rural church. My maternal grandmother led the singing for many years. Her favorite Call to Worship was Holy, Holy, Holy and her all-time favorite hymn was Amazing Grace. My grandfather's favorite was How Great Thou Art.

Our church had an old organ that had been collecting dust; and, since I had a year of piano lessons under my belt at age 12, I was talked into giving it a try. My first Sunday playing the organ was the last Sunday my grandfather was able to attend worship. Of course, the special music for the service was my Papaw's favorite. How Great Thou Art is not an easy song to play. I'm sure that the congregation could see my hands shaking on the keys!

Fast forward 30 years past the loss of my grandparents, and I discovered a new favorite hymn. In the spring of 2007 I lost two special people in my life in the span of 10 days. One death was expected, the other was very unexpected.

I first heard Hymn of Promise (number 707, The United Methodist Hymnal) at the memorial service of a dear elderly lady who had become like another grandmother to me. So touched by the words and melody, I later suggested that it be used at the memorial for a beloved uncle. To simply say that Hymn of Promise was a comfort to me, the family, and all who loved him, would be an understatement. The hymn paints such a glorious picture of everything in God's creation that we can see and touch - but never fathom the "how." The mystery of a beautiful butterfly bursting forth from the cocoon, or how spring calls the flowers forth, opening to the heavens. Each season is a new beginning that brings hope in a future that only God can know. Each separation here on earth renews the promise of a new life, more beautiful than this one, filled with peace, gentleness, and the full abundance of God's love.

Hymn of Promise reminds me that some promises can be trusted. It encourages me to center my faith in Jesus Christ, the Easter-Maker, the Promise-Keeper.

Cathy Benson

Delay in Posting

I apologize for the recent delay in posting. There seems to be something going on with my left eye. I'm headed to the local hospital for an MRI this morning. I hope that everything can be resolved quickly, so that I can get back to writing and you can get back to reading!

Friday Fill In # 115

#115 Here we go!






I hope that you remember how this works from a couple of weeks ago. The host of Friday Fill In selects 5 to 7 questions and posts them on Friday mornings. Sometimes the questions are humorous; sometimes they are provocative; and often they ask that you reveal more about yourself than you had expected!


I'll post my answers here and in the Comment section of FFI. I invite you to post your answers in the Comment sections of both blogs.


1. When I look to the left, I see the church parking lot through my office window.


2. The living room is the room that has the best view in my home.


3. Let it work without a lot of tinkering.


4. Very few things can be done dirt cheap.


5. Protecting wilderness and wild places is a responsibility that all qualified citizens must
share.


6. If you have any flowers, feel free to share some blooms.


7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to washing laundry, tomorrow my plans include seeing friends and Sunday, I want to give thanks.

An Unexpected Haiku Poet

Richard Wright's literary reputation was secured in 1940 with the publication of Native Son. The novel became a bestseller with 250,000 hardcover copies sold within three weeks. It was selected by the Book of the Month Club in March, 1940.

Native Son remains at number 71 on the American Library Association's list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1900-2000. The Modern Library places it at number 20 on its list of the 100 best novels of the 20th century. And Time Magazine included it in the 100 best English language novels from 1923 to 2005.

Many people are surprised when they learn that
the author of such a powerful novel as Native Son also wrote haiku poetry. In fact, Wright, who only took up haiku in the last year or two of his life, wrote over 4,000 haiku!

In the midst of a grueling battle with amoebic dysentery, Wright reviewed his poems and chose his personal favorites for publication, 817 in all. It took 38 years for the collection to be published as HAIKU -- This Other World. Will we have wait another 38 years to see the other 3,200 poems?

Richard Wright had wonderful gifts of description and humor, as these examples will confirm.

Upon a pine tree
A snail slides out of its shell
To witness the spring.

A soft wind at dawn
Lifts one dry leaf and lays it
Upon another.

The dog's violent sneeze
Fails to rouse a single fly
On his mangy back.

As the sun goes down,
a green melon splits open
and juice trickles out.

A butterfly makes
The sunshine even brighter
With fluttering wings.

With a twitching nose
A dog reads a telegram
On a wet tree trunk.

The crow flew so fast
That he left his lovely caw
Behind in the fields.

After seven days,
The corpse in the coffin
Turned on its side.

I almost forgot
To hang up an autumn moon
Over the mountain.

Recommended Web Site #1

Technology and spirituality have a paradoxical relationship. We use technology, for example, in order to be more efficient and productive; but efficiency and productivity are not major concerns of most spiritualities. The desire to achieve control, to be successful, and to maintain security will frustrate any attempt to grow into the image of God through Jesus Christ.

Gerald May has written, "Love cannot be a means to any end. Love does not promise success, power, achievement, health, recovery, satisfaction, peace of mind, fulfillment, or any other prize. Love is an end in itself, a beginning in itself. Love exists only for love." The Awakened Heart

On the other hand, technology can open new avenues for spiritual growth. Some obvious examples - - some people prefer receiving the daily Upper Room devotion as an e-mail. Skillful worship leaders can use an appropriate film clip at the right time to reinforce or clarify a worship theme. There are collections of prayers, concordances and searchable Bibles on line, as well as hymns and sacred music. A computer makes available a breadth and depth of important spiritual resources which most likely would be inaccessible otherwise.

Sacred Space, maintained by Jesuits in Ireland, provides a daily prayer office full of silence, attentiveness to God, and insights into the faithful life. With on-line guidance, the prayer takes about 10 minutes. There is also a printer-friendly version available.


The opening prayer for today, March 12, is a brief one: "Lord, help me to be fully alive to your holy presence. Enfold me in your love. Let my heart become one with yours." The second prayer today is a thanksgiving for freedom.


As you move to the third section you find some thoughts for reflection. Today the question is asked, "Where do I sense hope, encouragement, and growth areas in my life? By looking back over the last few few months, I may be able to see which activities and occasions have produced rich fruit. If I do notice such areas, I will determine to give them both time and space in the future."


The Scripture selection today is Luke 16: 19-31, the story of a very poor Lazarus and a very rich Pharisee. The is an option to click on a page which has interpretative and inspirational material.


The Scripture is followed by an opportunity for intimate comversation with Jesus, "saying whatever is on my mind, what is in my heart, speaking as one friend to another." Each day's prayer ends with "Glory be to the Father . . . ."


What are some of the positives about using an on-line prayer such as Sacred Space?


1. It provides a uniform way of praying daily, while offering different prayers, Scriptures, and reflection questions every day.


2. You can move through the prayer at your own speed and add personal prayer requests as you choose.


3. While there are several ways of choosing daily scriptures, it is helpful to have well-prepared reflection questions to probe or challenge us in different ways.


4. You may be alone in front of a computer, but an average 661 people prayed with Sacred Space each hour during February, 2009.


5. There is a companion site called Living Space which provides commentary on the daily Scripture readings. You can register for a monthly Newsletter of Sacred Space; and, finally, you can send Sacred Space e-cards to persons who need encouragement.

I highly recommend Sacred Space. It should not become a substitute for your established time of prayer and worship, but it can enrich your experience of the presence of God on a daily or an occasional basis.

Six Sentences

" 1001 books you must read before you die." If you buy the book with the list, make it 1002. I have books scattered everywhere: on shelves, in the closet; on the floor, in the attic; at home and at the office. I had plans to read each of them. But an interesting question arises. How much money have I spent accumulating the wrong library?

Quotes for the Day

Read the best books first or you may not have a chance to read them at all.
Henry David Thoreau

For books are more than books; they are life, the very heart and core of ages past, the reason why men have lived and worked and died.
Gene Fowler

Of making books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the body.
Ecclesiastes 12:12

Booking through Thursday

Many blogs are providing "memes," which are technically ideas or behaviors which spread from person to person within a culture. In the blogging world, a meme is a writing prompt - sometimes humorous, sometimes thought-provoking - which originates at one blog and then becomes the basis for posting at other blogs. Last Friday, I used a modified form of the meme "Fill-In Friday."


Today, let's do "Booking through Thursday." The home blog is btt2.wordpress.com You may post your responses in the Comments section there, as I hope you will post them in the same place here.


BBT has only one question this week:


What is the best book you have never read? Because I've been dealing with a difficult to treat neurological condition since August, I'm opting for humor. The best book I've never read is yet to be published. It is George Carlin's Parting Shots: Still Laughing, to be published this spring. Yes, Carlin can be vulgar and raw; but he "has a way with words" unlike any other comedian. Others have shown flashes of his brilliance, but Carlin is FUNNY. Sometimes the thing I need most, even from a book, is a good belly laugh.


I would also add in the 'need to read humor' category e. e. cumming's Complete Poems, 1904-62. Again, cummings had a wonderfully imaginative way with words. Have you discovered serious poetry as a 'serious' source of humor?


Finally, I want to acknowledge my love of haiku by mentioning the four volume set Haiku by R. H. Blyth, originally published in English between 1949 and 1952. Blyth had an excellent understanding of Japanese culture. He spent part of WWII in a Japanese internment camp, and was even invited to tutor the Crown Prince. He recognized the dominant influence of Zen Buddhism in Japanese arts. These combined experiences produced fine translations of Japanese poetry.


Among the first to be influenced by Blyth's work were the Beat Poets in San Francisco and New York. Blyth remains a formative source for American haiku poetry today. I've not read the four volume set, but I plan to do so.

Discipleship Practice #1: Loving-Kindness Meditation

In an earlier post, I identified attention to discipleship practices as a focus of this blog. I will soon have more to say about both "practicing" and "discipleship"; but I want to introduce a fundamental practice today. I expect the blog to move us to new ways of living the gospel , not simply new understandings. And so we begin with a type of prayer practice that is easily accessible and clearly reflects Jesus' teachings, with power to shape us into new people.

"Loving-Kindness Meditation" equips us to love God and our neighbors more fully. It is based on the assurance that "perfect love casts out fear." ( l John 4:18) We cannot inhabit that House of Fear and the House of Love at the same time. (Henri Nouwen) This meditation helps us to choose love for everyone in every circumstance.

"The practice of loving-kindness meditation enjoins an attitude of universal, non-discriminating friendliness and good will toward all beings with no exceptions . . . . It matters not how appealing or unappealing to us another being is; all are to be treated with the same loving attitude." Mary Jo Meadow, Gentling the Heart, pp 25-26.

Practicing the Practice

The substance of the meditation is printed below. I hope that you can highlight and copy that section and print several copies on card stock so that the prayer will always be within reach.

Take a comfortable posture, sitting, standing, walking, or lying down. Start with a few deep breaths, becoming present to God, to yourself, and to the moment. Then seek forgiveness by saying something like this: "I ask forgiveness of all whom I have hurt or harmed in any way. I freely forgive all who have hurt or harmed me in any way. I freely forgive myself and humbly accept forgiveness from God and all whom I have offended."

In praying the blessings, you begin with yourself. I am the being for whom I am the most responsible. If I discount my own need for blessing and healing, I will also discount others. Pray the five blessings for yourself in an unhurried way for as long as you feel necessary. Then move on to the other categories -- my family, my friends, those whom I meet today, the most vulnerable of God's children, and all living beings. You may find yourself naming different specific family and friends each time you meditate. In any case, pray the blessings for others for as long as you feel necessary.

There are five categories of blessings. They are meant to honor Jesus' admonition that we shall "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength," and "you shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Mark 12:29-31)

Here is a Discipleship Practice which can concentrate your attention and calm your spirit. You will be freed from envies, resentments, vengeance, restlessness, and other painful emotions. It will not drag you down in sluggishness, drowsiness, or boredom. And your capacity to love and to be love will be enhanced as you mature as a disciple of Jesus Christ.


Loving-Kindness Meditation

+ May I be safe from hatred and harm within and around me.

+ May I be peaceful in heart and clear in mind.

+ May I be strong and healthy in body.

+ May I attend to life with gentleness.

+ May I come to union with God.


{ ** my family }

{ ** my friends }

{ ** those who I meet today }

{ ** the most vulnerable of God's children }

{ ** all living beings }

Commemoration of John Wesley

Founder of the Methodist Movement, priest of the Church of England, keen scholar, brilliant organizer, social reformer, and tireless preacher, John Wesley died on this date in 1791.

As a fellow of Lincoln College, John and his brother Charles began the "Holy Club," known for its strict devotion and ministries of compassion.

A 1736 missionary trip to Georgia was a dismal failure. Wesley left the colony under the cover of night. However, encouraged by Moravian Peter Bohler, Wesley soon had his famous Aldersgate heart-warming experience of May 24, 1738.

In his many writings, Wesley created a highly original theological synthesis, both Western and Eastern, sacramental and revivalistic, emphasizing the free gift of grace and radical in its demand for personal and social holiness.

This week the United Methodist Publishing House is publishing The Wesley Study Bible. It includes study notes based on the New Revised Standard Version text, life application and inspirational articles, an explanation of core Weslyean themes, and extended references to works by John Wesley. For more information and to order a copy, click here.

O God, who plucked as a brand from the burning your servant John Wesley that he might kindle the flame of love in our hearts and illuminate our minds: Grant us such a warming of our hearts that we, being set afire by holy love, may spread its flame to the uttermost parts of the earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Adapted from FOR ALL THE SAINTS: A Book of Commemorations for United Methodists, edited by C. F. Guthrie, copyright 1995 by The Order of Saint Luke. Used by permission.