Bridges, Paths, and Waters

In my new book I take a look at the value and meaning in nature and how it draws us in - closer to God.  There is a transforming relationship between nature and our heart.  When we stand in front of a mighty scene or glorious vista we are drawn into our heart and find there an expansiveness that opens us to the Presence of the Divine.  Simple happenings that are all around us, like the opening of a small wildflower, can transport our souls into rapt awe and wonder.  Making regular visits to the wild can keep us grounded in the truth that we are infinitesimal in the grand scheme of things, and yet somehow we are just a little lower than the angels.

The book is divided into 15 retreat sessions that begin with a poem, move into a discussion, and then close with a series of journaling exercises that are at the root of the path of spiritual direction and formation.

To order it, click the link at the image below.

Ciao!

TJM+

When Our Checkbooks are Empty

A devotional I did for the CCCA  (Christian Camp and Conference Association)




In this recession it is good to remember that the kingdom’s currency is a different currency. (Check out Isaiah 55:1–2.) God calls us to a currency of compassion, mercy, forgiveness, grace and peace. Just when you feel at wit’s end about how to make ends meet in your department and in your finances, it is good to remember that the stuff most important to our Lord has nothing to do with cash, checks or credit cards. God is the ruler of the universe and all that is. Everything is His. He has no use for our offerings. What He
longs for, what He craves beyond all things is the one true currency that we have actual control over. He wants our hearts. This understanding of true currency requires a major adjustment of our interior beliefs. We have to be vulnerable enough to see that what happens to us on the outside does not need to affect our interior desires and hopes. We can still have love, hope, kindness, goodness and gentleness even when our checking accounts are empty. Dietrich Bonhoeffer said in his book The Cost of Discipleship, “Earthly possessions dazzle our eyes and delude us into thinking that they can
provide security and freedom from anxiety. Yet all the time they are the very source of anxiety.”

*—Contributed by Tom Johnson-Medland, foodservice manager at Pocono Plateau Camp and Retreat Center (Cresco, Pa.)