The Soul of Christianity by Huston Smith is like talking with a friend on the journey to authentic Christian faith and practice. To quote from the book cover:

“In this elegant and passionate treatise, the dean of world religions defends the essentials of Christianity, the worlds largest religion. Bestselling author Huston Smith stakes out a path between that of culturally rigid, intolerant evangelical and fundamentalist Christianity and the nontranscendent, liberal Christianity. He presents a convincing argument for a vital alternative that is a deeper more authentic faith, a faith that guided the Church for its first thousand years.”

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Matt Stone contributed a comment a few weeks ago about meditation. I’m new to this whole blogging adventure so it took me a while to figure out that clicking on his name took me to this marvelous website. I recommend it to you: Matt Stone

From his website, I discovered another one that has Christian classics on-line: Christian Classics Ethereal Library I know that the internet sometimes provides more information than we can handle but I, for one, am quite thankful for it. As with anything else, it can be used for good or ill.

The one thing that stands out to me in these troublesome times is that secrets are much harder to keep. With the information traveling between all countries and time zones, it seems to me that the truth eventually rises to the surface, if one is patient and diligent in seeking that truth.
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The following prayer of St. Basil speaks from a place of such deep presence and awareness of the Holy. I read it each day and find something transformative in it. In these dark times of both earthly disasters and national disgrace, I often find I do not know how to pray. What can I say? I am ashamed not just of my own insensitivites and insecurities, but I am ashamed of the actions of our government done in the name of Christ and the expectation of God’s blessing. My own beloved country, using chemical weapons, on men, women and children….using torture and denying it…I am deeply embarassed for us all. In the midst of this, two lines from this prayer help me: grant us to pass through the night of the whole present life and this reminder that this time too shall pass: For Thou are the true Light that enlightenest and sactifiest all, and all creation doth hymn Thee unto the ages of ages. Doth hymn Thee May we hymn thee, ture Light and may we worship in truth as well as in spirit.
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I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do greater things;
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need for God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for,
But everything I had hoped for.
Almost, despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all men, truly blessed.
(Author Unknown)

It was my first visit to yet another health care professional. If I counted up the miles, money and minutes spent trying to pull out of this strangle hold of the weird symptoms call Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) , I.d probably be depressed. But I.m not. I.m actually pretty happy most of the time.
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About six months ago, my husband was out of work. We decided to make a game out of living on the edge of poverty. We collected cans and bottles from the side of roads, recycle bins and garbage containers. Our goal was to collect enough in deposit returns to pay for groceries. We did this for three months and were able to collect about $60 a month and buy enough groceries for the month at Aldi’s. It was fun for about three weeks.

After that, our relative wealth became a little clearer to us. Gas prices went sky high about the time my spouse got a new job. I kept collecting cans out of curiosity and habit. I discovered as the gas prices rose, the availability of discarded cans and bottles disappeared. There were letters to the editor in our local paper about others collecting these discards to afford gas to get to work. I decided they needed it more than us.
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Smith climbs to the top of Mt Sinai to get close enough to talk to God. Looking up, he asks the Lord what does a million years mean to you?
“The Lord replies, “A minute “Smith asks, “And what does a million dollars
mean to you ? “The Lord replies,” A penny . “Smith asks ,” Can I
have a penny? The Lord replies,” In a minute .”

.In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being through him and without him not one thing came into being …and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father.s only son, full of grace and truth. John 1:1,3a, 14)

.Swisch-dub, swisch-dub, swisch-dub. the beautiful sound of my baby’s heartbeat resounded in the little cubicle as the Doppler instrument broadcast the miracle of love deep within my body. I longed for each of my children. Many women long for a lifetime and never get to hear this sound. It had taken eighteen months to get pregnant and I sang the song of Hannah, sure that I was infertile, begging God to give me a child. Tears were in my eyes as I listened to that beautiful sound. I can still hear it and it.s been over two decades!
Did you know that everything in our bodies makes a sound? Sonograms of various body parts create pictures of these sounds. When an organ is dis-eased, it makes sounds that are not in harmony with the rest of the organ. These sounds help physicians diagnose the presence of disease if not the cause. Actually, everything in the universe emits a sound.
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Disturbing times we are in. No doubt about that. Parts of the earth have been washed into our oceans on several continents in the past year. Natural disasters which Pat Robertson calls acts of God have decimated the poorest men, women and children on our planet. Riots in the suburbs of Paris, suicide bombings in the midst of weddings in Jordan, another school shooting. These horrors bring out the worst and the best in our human nature.

I had a doctor’s appointment today for an infection in my eyes. I also have a chronic health problem that I deal with daily, in part through the use of self-hypnosis and in part by listening to what my body is trying to tell me. So, as my eyes have caused me pain, I’ve been asking myself – what is it that I don’t want to see? I think I know the answer – I do not want to see the fear. Nor do I want to see the power of evil.
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My grandmother taught me to love to walk. She lived next door to us and we walked everywhere together when I was a child. My favorite walk with her was to a restaurant that served “black cows” (now known as Rootbeer floats). Although I loved this treat, it was the journey that I most enjoyed. Walking along, we’d talk of many things and laugh at some. Occassionally, I’d find a penny on the ground and would eagerly pocket this treasure. On each penny was a reminder, Grandma said, a reminder that said “In God We Trust.” Grandma has been gone for many decades now but I still think of her on my daily walks. Most everyday I find at least one penny.
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