Exploring the Intersections of Faith and Life

Archive for July, 2011

Unsettled Opportunities

Have you ever held up a deck of playing cards and asked a friend to identify the cards as you quickly held them up one at a time?  Doesn’t seem that hard, does it?  Try it, not with a regular deck, but a doctored deck, where the normally red hearts are black, and the black diamonds are red.  Every time I try it, I tell myself that I know the deck is doctored – of course I can correctly identify what I see!  And every time I try it, I am humbled, because no matter what I tell myself, my brain sees the hearts as red, and the diamonds as black.  (more…)

Hospitality

What does it mean to be hospitable to God?

Anne Winchell Silver, in her book Trustworthy Connections : Interpersonal Issues in Spiritual Direction, quotes author Margaret Guenther, saying: what happens when we offer hospitality?  We invite someone into a space that offers safety and shelter and put our own needs aside, as everything is focused on the comfort and refreshment of the guest.”

When I invite someone over to my home, hospitality is one of my main goals.  I want my guest to feel completely at ease and at home, and not have any worries about anything – even about spilling something on the floor.   If my guest is not at ease, then our conversation won’t be at ease, and we will miss out on the richness of a relationship that comes from the freedom to relax, be yourself, and fully engage with the other person. Read On …