The Voice of God

I was in a monastery for a retreat, north in the State of New York, shared one of the leaders of the conference. 

It was very cold. 

In the afternoon, I would make my way through layers and layers of snow to a chapel where I would meet with the monk who was my spiritual director during my stay. 

I could not hear the voice of God anymore. 

He showed me a heap of snow nearby the chapel. 

“If this was spring, you would see a river over here, he said. 

It is not frozen. 

It still runs, under those many feet of snow. 

In complete silence, I still hear it. 

It goes the same way with the voice of God…” 

Sleep is a Prayer

The Lord gives sleep to those He loves, were we reminded. (Psalm 127:2). 

I think the Lord also loves the insomniac... 
We retired after this prayer by John of Dalyutha, an 8th c. mountain hermit in the region of modern Iraq:

"If you are tired and worn out
by your labors for your Lord, 
place your head upon His knee and rest awhile.
Recline upon his breast (John.13:23)
breathe in the fragrant spirit of life, 
and allow life to permeate your being.
Rest upon him, for he is a table of refreshment (Ps. 23:5)
that will serve you for the food of the divine Father."
Good night all!

Sweet Trinity

In today’s class at our Conference, led by BJ Woodworth (on the picture) we looked at this famous icon by Andrey Rublev (early 15th c.) representing the divine visitors that surprised Abraham at Mamre in Genesis 18. This icon has also been interpreted as a representation of the Trinity. 

The Son is in the middle, and the Father, on the right (with the green garment) turns his head toward him: he is sending the Son. The Son looks at Holy Spirit, with the gold garment. The Son is sending the Spirit (John 14). 

And the table between them, is the table of God, where we are invited (Ps. 23) to complete the circle. We, the creatures, are invited to the table with our Creator. We are invited to fellowship with God. From creatures, God sends us to become creators and bring his Kingdom into reality. 

Obviously, we had a Trinitarian dessert afterward: three raspberries, three drops of berry sauce, on the square table of a lemon tart. An enjoyable way to delight in Christian theology! 

God is in Florida

"In my heart of hearts God is closer to me than I am to myself." (St Augustin)

We are… in Florida, where Irvin and I will be part of a conference about “Making Room for God”. This is part of our continuous education – two weeks a year. We get to choose where to go – it is also possible to stay home and read the growing pile of theological books discovered and ordered as the year went by.

Those few days will allow a change in our daily routine; take time to dwell in the Scriptures. That will be a pause to attempt and discern the voice of God in our lives… while breathing the salted air of the ocean under the sun.

There are 75 of, Presbyterians pastors from the four corners of the continent for this conference. Being to meet and reconnect is one of the greatest aspects of this kind of gathering. We hope to find here the “substance”, the spiritual food that will sustain us throughout the year.

Pastor B.J Woodworth, one of the leaders of the conference, told us the following story as an introduction. A Rabbi was studying the Genesis book with his students. At each step of the creation, we read the famous words “And it was good”. Except… when humans were created.

Why? asked the Rabbi to his students. The answers were diverse and some very inventive but the Rabbi dismissed them. Eventually, he explained that the word “good” (tov) also means “complete, accomplished”. God did not create humans as completed beings. Each of us is meant to achieve God’s work in ourselves.

That afternoon, Irvin and I walked on the beach that seemed to never end. The wind reminded us that winter was here, but we took great pleasure in feeling the waves so close as the birds, seagulls, cormorants and pelicans dived in to capture fish.

That was, yes, tov. Good. 

Breaking News: Brand New Year Coming Up!

Starting a new year brings up a clean slate: new beginning, new projects. I appreciate this opportunity and the promise of new discoveries. Here is a few things that happened as 2015 was getting to a close. 

I wish you the opportunities of plans that mature and lead to achievement – faster than mine. I wish also for joy and happy moments throughout the year! 

Three Dogs means 12 Paws

I mentioned Denali, our new black puppy girl, in earlier posts. After a time of reluctance (she loved being the only dog of the house) Sitka, our older girl, accepted Denali but we could tell it was not the best match. Denali has such a yearning for play times and games that Sitka, who is 10 year old, cannot fulfill. After 30 seconds of fun, Sitka clearly shows she is done.

When we found out that Debbie, our breeder friend, had a new litter, we intensely looked at the pictures.  Irvin immediately melted when looking at a male pup, chestnut colored with the white spots on his chest that means that he was destined to be a family pet, not a show dog.

I never had a male dog, and I felt out of my comfort zone with this little guy for a while. But it was only fair that Irvin would make the pick, we have had three females so far. He was feeling a little lonely being the only man at home!

And this is how, in August, we brought Kenai home. Sitka was exasperated. ANOTHER dog??? Denali was delighted.

Sitka assessing the new comer. This was the day we brought Kenai home.

Then the pack found its balance. Sitka is the Alpha girl who has the last word if there is conflict. The two pups flatten themselves on the ground if she growls. Denali and Kenai play all the time together, chewing each other ears, in the house or in the yard. There is chaos and lots of movements but we are not complaining. It is all good. 

Coriander and Turmeric

Since remission, I have been reading a lot about cancer. I noticed that from one book to the other, turmeric, the bright yellow spice that gives its color to mustard, was mentioned as a great anti-cancer substance. I started looking for some here.

It took me a while to find it because I was looking for “curcuma”, the French name. Usually, from one language to the other, you can guess the names of the spice, from thym to thyme, romarin for rosemary, coriandre for coriander…. No curcumay or coorcumee – I checked and yes, turmeric it was.

Ok, so when you find turmeric, you need to absorb it with some pepper, it enhances the anti-cancer properties. Problem : curcuma on its own is not that good. Pepper does not help.

So I went to recipes that would use turmeric harmoniously. And entered in my life… Indian cooking. Turmeric is one of the spices used for curries, along with coriander, cumin and Cayenne. Then there is fresh ginger, cilantro… all that is very, very good.

I am trying recipes and this is a delightful exploration to be followed in 2016…