I have failed to meet my commitment to submit a new blog entry once each week.  This is not something I have enforced rigidly but I aim for consistency; 8 or 9 days may pass between entries but always on average I have posted weekly.

Not sure what is going on here, but I simply haven’t had anything to say.  There are multiple reasons for this, I suspect.  My friend Michael Ellis and I were talking this week about how difficult it is to engage in any kind of meaningful dialogue these days.  So much of anything of substance gets swept into this atmosphere of polarization.  We stop listening.  We stop being heard.  The constant debating, arguing and blaming makes my head hurt.  It makes my heart hurt.

I am told that some of the words I use are “political,” that I should choose politically neutral language (lest I not be heard).  The funny thing is, I don’t think of myself as political nor do I relish arguing – but, in this environment, none of us is exempt, it seems.

This is a time of discernment, of being open once again to what God is calling me to do.  Last week I was able to take some time off, to head north to see dear friends ordained and to visit some very creative ministries.  I was able to attend a morning meditation group at the Episcopal Cathedral in Boston.  Most of those present were homeless or recently housed folks, who worship on Sundays at Ecclesia – the outdoor church on Boston Common.  A very petite woman opened our time of silence with this simple prayer:

God, thank you for waking us up.
Waiting for you is very important.
Never forget that.
Amen.

For me this time of wordlessness is a time of waiting.  I am grateful for those who are willing to share themselves, to simply be companions on the journey.  God is at work doing a new thing.  I want to stay awake, to pay attention.  To listen and to be open to whatever that may be.

(Cropped photo of cross taken at Diocese of Florida offices).