Your Pastoral Coach

There's Such Peace in the Vastness of Nature

This past week I was in Estes Park, Colorado, high up in the mountains, in a ranch, taking a class on Change Management. The class was fantastic and they worked us day and night. The setting was spectacular. We were surrounded by high mountains, full of pine trees, and a creek went through the property. For pretty much every awaken hour I was doing something with the class or preparing assignments. When the class ended on Thursday afternoon I immediately changed and went for a 5 mile exercise walk.

I walked in a state park that for some reason was empty. I never saw or heard a human being, a car, a plane, or a radio during the entire walk. No matter where I looked, I could only see nature, nothing man-made. In that silence, I could hear and feel God. God was speaking through the gurgling of the creek on my left, through the sounds of the aspen trees, or the songs of stellar jays or chickadees. I could feel such joy, love, an clarity. In the distance I could see the snow capped mountains of the continental divide. We are so fortunate that our Creator has made such a beautiful and bountiful planet for us. How lovely that when we take the time to bask in its beauty, he strolls alongside, talking, sharing, and laughing with us.

Technorati Tags: Gratitude, Spirituality

Gospel Reflection for Sunday April 30, 2006

A Scripture reflection for the readings of Sunday 30, 2006, third Sunday of Easter. One of the most beautiful things about our faith is the personal relationship we have with our God. Like in today's psalm, this personal relationship often turns into a conversation of supplication when we are in tight spots, when we are depressed, without money, without love, or without hope. "When I call, answer me, O my just God, you who relieve me when I am in distress; have pity on me, and hear my prayer! Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful one; the LORD will hear me when I call upon him." (psalm 4). We pray with complete faith that God hears us and will answer our prayers. But our prayers are not always answered..., right? Or are they answered in a way that we don't understand? Does God hear our "wants" and answers "our needs?" Jesus taught us how to pray through the Lords Prayer and through many other times. "May it not be my will, but your will be done" How many times do we include this in our prayers?

I'm sure that if I was Jesus I would have prayed for a complete clarity of my mission from the beginning, I would have prayed for disciples who understood my message from day 1, I would have prayed for acceptance in my own land of Galilee so I would not have to go away to places where people actually believed in my message. I probably would have prayed for love, a wife, and children. I would have prayed for acceptance by the authorities of "the way", the path, I was preaching. If not acceptance, at least tolerance. I would have asked the Lord for "a peaceful night and a perfect end" without suffering. I would have prayed for my little group of followers to live peacefully in community and for me to eventually die peacefully in my sleep.

All of these prayers would have been quite normal, if God granted them would we know who Jesus was? Would we know about his message? Would we know that he died and resurrected on the third day? As we pray, let us always pray that not our will be done, but our Father's will. Let's ask that we may do all that we can, and be all that we can be, to make the kingdom of God a reality here on earth. Let's pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit give us the wisdom and knowledge to ask in alignment to God's plan, and to recognize the answers, answers we receive on a daily basis. "O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine upon us! You put gladness into my heart." Psalm 4)

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Gospel reflection for Sunday April 23, 2006

A Gospel reflection for the readings for Sunday, April 23, 2006, Second Sunday of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday. "Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” Let this sink in for a minute. Our Lord Jesus, standing in our midst, and praying that we are at peace. How beautiful. We seek many things in life: abundance, independence, health, love..., but I think peace and happiness are such universal goals. We crave peace. We seek peace in many ways and places, but only God's peace sustains us. How do we get to experience this peace?

The most effective way is by living a life of service that is inspired by or motivated by our love for Christ. When we use our talents for others without expecting anything back, when we serve out of love, we receive peace. In a way, we don't have an option. Jesus asked us to. "Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”" Another way to live in peace is to live a life of surrender and acceptance. By this I don't mean having a fatalistic view of life, but one that sees the hand of God in everything we do and experience. Life is full of blessings and opportunities that help us love and grow. We just need to see it like this and prayer contributes to the state of mind where we can see God in all that surrounds us.

Finally, belief in God's wonderful and enduring love and mercy fills us with peace. As much as we try, we often fall. We sin toward God and our neighbors. We all have moments where pride and self-interest overcome our best intentions. How peaceful to know that God will still be there for us with His overflowing love and mercy. As this Sunday's psalm praises, "Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting. Let those who fear the LORD say, “His mercy endures forever.”"

We can be at peace when we do all of this, and we can do all of this because we have His Holy Spirit within us to strengthen us and guide us with wisdom. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit."" We are continually nourished by the Holy Breath. In Greek, ruach stands for both breath and spirit. In a sense, every breath we take during a day can be a nourishing and invigorating prayer, as we constantly receive the Holy Spirit. Help others and the world live in peace, and you will be at peace. Peace be with you!

Technorati Tags: Gospel Reflection, Scripture Reflection

Feedback Is a Gift

"I have feedback for you..." I told one of my employees today. Her eyes opened wide, she quickly became nervous, she braced for the worst...

We are always interacting with people, and sometimes people's behaviors negatively impact us. Some behave in mean, heartless, arrogant, and condescending ways. Some lye, cheat, and manipulate. Some avoid decisions, responsibility, or personal hygiene. Others over criticize, over control, or over analyze. All of us reading this, of course, are perfect. It's others... The reality is that as much as others negatively impact us, we impact them as well. The important thing is to get the courage to talk about it, to express what we are feeling, and to do it early on. Otherwise, things accumulate, baggage develops, and we assume intent that never existed. Having these feedback conversations are never easy.

The best way to do this is to use the BICA method. Share with the other person what behavior is negatively impacting you or others. It's important to give feedback on a person's Behavior, and not on a person or a person's intention. Then describe the Impact such behavior has on you. How it makes you feel. Then share what could be a Consequence that could occur if such behavior continues. For example, losing trust, avoiding speaking up, avoiding getting together, etc. Finally, share what an Alternate behavior in a similar situation might look like.

I have used this technique many times. It allows us to express and give feedback, while protecting the dignity and respect of the other person. By its very nature it helps us avoid calling names and assuming intent. I did have the feedback with my employee. I gave specific examples of times when she exhibited the behavior I was talking about. She was frustrated about her lack of awareness, but walked out with her sense of dignity and something to improve on. This also helps us validate that we are all different, but all created in the image of God.

Technorati Tags: Leadership

Gospel Reflection for Sunday, April 16

Scripture reflection for readings of Sunday, April 16, 2006, Easter Sunday. Jesus, although God, humbled Himself and became human. As one of us, He experienced the freshness of morning dew, the melody of birds, and the beauty of a rainbow. He experienced the guidance and nurturing of His parents, the love and friendship of many, and the joyous sense fulfillment while teaching the truth and healing the sick.

He also experienced sadness, anger, and frustration. He experienced the effects of greed, hunger for power, and religious blindness. He experienced temptation, pain, and physical suffering greater than most of us would ever experience. All for love. If that is all that happened it would still have been fantastic. How amazing that God would experience life alongside us. But He went further. He defeated the forces of evil, the chains of death and resurrected. He died for our sins and rose giving glory to God. He is both, sitting at the right hand of the Father, giving us hope for an eternal life, and within our heart, guiding us to the Father. He is RISEN! Alleluia!

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Spring Cleaning Within and Without

I'm definitely a Summer person and Spring fills me with joy as Summer approaches. The birds are singing, the grass is green for once, and the flowers are opening up. What a great time of the year. I'm glad we celebrate Easter during Spring. It' so appropriate. For the first time in many years I took Holy Week off and did not travel, which is my norm. I stayed home with some of the kids. I have been doing a lot of Spring cleaning.

Fixing things in the computers, replacing old and underused furniture in the home office, and going through old stacks to keep only what's needed. The most daunting task has been to clean the 3-car garage. I'm half-way there. The last time I did a major cleaning was two years ago. I have thrown away countless of useless things: empty seed packets, boxes, gloves missing their partners, cans with dried-up paint, etc. AND THE DIRT! It's amazing how much dirt accumulates in corners and behind furniture when we don't move things around. I have also found very useful things that were buried underneath the rubble.

As I worked on the "without" I was thinking and praying about the "within," our soul. Lent is like Spring cleaning for the soul. A time to examine our conscience and confess our sins, a time to offer sacrifices and reflect on the passion and upcoming resurrection of Christ. Without this time of reflection and cleaning, not only would we continue to accumulate useless and dirty things inside, we will fail to see the useful and beautiful things that can add value to the world. Well, back out to the garage to finish in time for Church tonight...

Technorati Tags: Spirituality

Please pray for John and Lucille

Please pray for John and Lucille from Catholiclove.com They are expecting a child and Lucille's due date is today, April 11th. May God bless this birth and may all be healthy!

A Gospel Reflection for Sunday April 9, 2006

Scriptural reflection for the readings of Sunday April 9, 2006, Palm Sunday. The image of Jesus praying at the Garden of Gethsemane has always had a profound impact on me. Jesus' Divine nature showed in the manner in which he went through his passion: with such humility, peacefulness, and forgiveness. His Divine nature obviously showed during His resurrection. Yet, these hours at the Garden were so human. I can relate to him. I typically thought of His situation at Gethsemane as Him fearing the physical pain that He was about to experience. His words, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will” made me think that if at all possible He did not preferred to go through the pain that was coming.

Yet, His choice of words at the beginning were interesting, "My soul is sorrowful even to death." He didn't say that He was afraid, but deeply sorrowed. Sorrow is a deep feeling of distress caused by loss, disappointment, or other misfortune suffered by oneself or others. I wonder what gave Him sorrow. Was it the fact that Judas was going to betray Him for money? Was it that most of the apostles, beginning with Peter, were going to temporarily abandon him in fear? Maybe it was caused by the fact the disciples were still not getting what His mission was all about. Could he anticipate that so many people were going to be lying about His actions and cheering His agony, despite the fact that He spread love and healing? "My soul is sorrowful even to death."

I have had several Gethsemane moments. They mostly had to do with loved ones betraying my love or treating me or others without respect or dignity. They hurt deep in my heart. I'm not sure how well I did in the past. I pray that if things like these happen to me in the future I may also fall on my knees and say, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but not what I will but what you will.” Amen

Technorati Tags: Gospel Reflection, Scripture Reflection

Who is Making a Difference in Your Life?

I received this in an e-mail from a friend. It was entitled Charles Schultz Philosophy.

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip.

You don't have to actually answer the questions.
Just read straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winner for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:
1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life
are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money,
or the most awards.
They are the ones that care.

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today.

It's already tomorrow in Australia." (Charles Schultz)

Technorati Tags: Gratitude

Gospel reflection for Sunday, April 2, 2006

A Scriptural reflection for Sunday, April 2, 2006, 5th Sunday of Lent. I always find this reading from Jeremiah captivating and inspiring. Through Jeremiah's Divine inspiration God tells His people that the old covenant is ending and a new one, much different than the last, is coming. This new covenant, of course was fulfilled when at the last supper Jesus said "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant” (Lk 22:20). The previous covenant was external to the people and was strictly enforced by God when people walked away from it, despite God so livingly "taking them by the hand" when he escorted them out of Egypt.

God says that He will put the new covenant within us. If we just listen, we will know right from wrong, we will know that we have a greater purpose, we will know that we live to love God and one another. Which leads me to the next aspect of this new covenant, "and I will write it upon their hearts...." It is in our hearts, not in our heads. This new covenant is all about love. It is about agape, about an intimate and loyal relationship with God. We are His. "...and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Doesn't this just make your hairs stand-up? The creator of the universe is telling us that He will be there for us, and that we are His, His people. How can we have a bad day after reading this? How can anything get us down? We have His loving covenant and His loving Spirit within us, in our hearts, from where a fountain of Divine love flows, like living waters...

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