Dear Friends,
This past week I came across two quotes that touched me:
“Whenever I meet a Buddhist leader, I meet a holy person. Whenever I meet a Christian leader, I meet a manager.” – O Guiness, quoting a Japanese business person.
“I wake early and sit in bed with a cup of tea and think. Not about anything in particular, it is my way of untangling the chaos in my head and establishing a sense of peace and order for the day ahead. I do this every day for half an hour, and then I meditate for twenty minutes. It’s a routine I’ve got into since I was ill. I don’t know how or why it works. I just know that it does.! – atheist author Sally Brampton.
The first quote reminds me of the deepest and most important call upon our lives. First and foremost we are called to be a holy people. Long before we are called to be effective and efficient we are called to be a people with pure hearts. Holy, not as in prudish but as in truth-full.
The second quote reminds me that we all (atheists included!) need daily habits of silent reflection, meditation – what I would call daily devotions or prayer. The difference to the quote above is that we are invited to be deliberate about what we think about. We are invited to reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus and how they connect with our lives and world. We too may not understand how, or why it works but “I just know that it does”. If Sally Brampton can take 50min a day in “daily devotions” I feel challenged to do the same. How about you? Alan
Sunday, 26 April 2009
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