The View from the West Mesa

As I am here in a warm and dry house, listening to the sounds of kids and grandkids somewhere downstairs, and enjoying the aroma of cooking food, I am reminded that we are blessed with family first, and then sufficient wealth and situation to enjoy this day with each other. We often take these times and these opportunities for granted - as another year, another day, another meal like those that have gone before and for which we plan for next year. And so it goes. It is too easy to move from day to day and year to year. And yet we know the years don't just move into later years. This year, our extended family and many of our friends will mark this day with remembered loss - with empty space in hearts and homes where loved ones were just last year - maybe even just last month. I would attempt to list those we will be without but I would undoubtedly miss one or two who wouldn't come to mind. And that is the point of this day - to not forget the lives, the loves, the blessings we h...

One hundred and one years ago, the ceasefire which would eventually lead to the treaty to end World War I, went into effect. When I was a boy, we went to church with a World War I veteran. Mr. Melton was old, had occluded eyes, but moved around pretty well for an ancient. He would tell us the story of that day, November 11, 1918, when, just before 11:00 am, the soldier next to him was shot in the head. There are recordings on the ‘net that reveal an eerie silence when the guns fell silent – at least for a time. In some sectors, the guns fired until nightfall. Eventually, the treaty of Versailles would be signed and its effect ultimately would be to bring a young German corporal to the fore of Europe’s politics and result in the Second World War.    Today has gone through a number of incarnations. Originally intended to mark the ceasefire following World War I, the day in America was called Armistice Day to celebrate both the great horror we had survived but also an o...

It is in some tough times sufficient to be obedient. But to be obedient isn't the point even though we can find examples and stories of people being and being lauded for their obedience. Rather than obedience for obedience's sake, the idea is faithfulness. Faithfulness we can imagine as a prolonged - even life long orientation or alignment. Faithfulness then arises from one's own values, one's own appreciation for life and goodness. The primary objective then is to join with Go d, to first accept and then to nurture his life, his values, and his desires as your own. As we begin, obedience in the moment is necessary as we grapple with accepting a new orientation toward virtue and letting go or realigning our practices of defensiveness, of distancing, of being superior. This change can be hard - it is hard - for us. Often it can seem that unquestioning obedience is the point and this can frustrate and dissuade us from our pursuit of virtue. But underlying this ...