Busyness Shield

“An efficiently busy life that keeps us occupied without being harried and keeps our attention entirely on interesting outer things is probably more potentially destructive of spiritual growth than debauchery or alcohol or hard drugs…. On the other hand, a quiet, efficient, and busy life spent continuously in good works can shield us effectively from any plunge into the depth where the Divine can find us.”

–Morton Kelsey in The Other Side of Silence

Martin Kelsey reminds us of two major life styles that society celebrates that can be dangerous to our mind, body, and spirit. Being so busy at home or at work can make us unable to have time for that inner God connection where we learn who God created us to be. On the other hand, when our busyness is so much involved in good works so that we cannot have time to find out if this is really our call, we again may not be doing the work God created us to do. Kelsey points out that these life styles can be as destructive to our bodies, our minds, our souls as alcohol or drugs. Both of these life styles are destructive rather than healthy. They both are addictive. We keep wanting to do more. Instead the God within and above us cries out for our presence, and our bodies and souls and minds cry out. We realize something is missing. We have a moment of clarity. We realize we have filled our God hole with busyness and good works. We start to try to follow a rule of life, stopping during regular times during the day to connect to God. This works for awhile until some project comes our way, and we are back into our addiction. So, what helps? One of the best ways I know is living in community, talking and sharing with others how we are doing, supporting each other in prayer. God calls us to community for our own health.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Book Signing Wordsworth Books

                       Saturday, November 2, 2019  1 to 3 pm

                                 Just in time for the holidays

              A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany

                  The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter

 Both are $18.   Money from sale of the books goes to Camp Mitchel   Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in

                    The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast     

Spiritual Experience

“It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never fully understand its deeper why and how.” —Bill Wilson in As Bill Sees It (Alcoholics Anonymous, 1967), p. 313.

Bill Wilson was not the only one to have a spiritual experience. I daily meet with people who gradually, reluctantly, and sometimes embarrassingly tell me stories about their spiritual experiences. We are still under the influence of the age of enlightenment and reason. We only know what we can explain.

We may fear sharing anything that comes from mystery. For many people, these spiritual experiences occur outside in nature. Suddenly we feel arms holding us up. We sense a presence beside us. Some have the experience in a house of worship. A flickering candle produces what looks like holy smoke. Some grow into awareness at the Eucharist. They leave the rail at peace with what is going on in their lives. Many people remember a religious experience at the birth of a child, or seeing a newborn for the first time.

Birds often can contribute to a transcendent experience. I remember the Sunday after the death of a dear friend, Jane Murray. I saw a wild goose fly closely by the window of our church sanctuary. I had never seen that before and haven’t seen it since. The wild goose is the Celtic symbol for the Holy Spirit.

Candles can often contribute to our enlightenment. I was recently meeting and talking with a friend who saw the reflected light of the burning candle beside us through a window, and the reflection made it appear to be on a tree outside our window. He spoke up, “I see a burning bush!” These are all “burning bush” experiences, and we should take our shoes off when we encounter them.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Book Signing Wordsworth Books

Saturday, November 2, 2019 1 to 3 pm

Just in time for the holidays

A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany

The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter

Both are $18. Money from sale of the books goes to Camp Mitchel Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in

The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast

Precious Present

“God speaks to every individual through what happens to them moment by moment. The events of each moment are stamped with the will of God ... we find all that is necessary in the present moment.”

—Jean Pierre de Caussade in Abandonment to Divine Providence (1921).

We wrote about Spencer Johnson’s famous book about living in the present, The Precious Present (in A Daily Spiritual Rx for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany). C. S. Lewis writes that God speaks to us in the present, not in the past or future. Many mindfulness exercises are about getting into the present moment, living in the present moment, as are many of our spiritual practices such as walking the labyrinth, using the rosary, waiting in silence, and walking meditation.

Anthony de Mello in his book Sadhana teaches us that living in our body and not living out of our head keeps us grounded. Our bodies are what keep us in the present moment by grounding us to the earth. Our mind is always in the future or the past. Spending time in nature connects us to the present. The trees photosynthesize, transform the energy within us to see beauty. Beauty grounds us in the present. Being and playing with children keeps us in the present, for that is where they live.

Joanna. Joannaseibert.com

Book Signing Wordsworth Books

Saturday, November 2, 2019 1 to 3 pm

Just in time for the holidays

A Spiritual Rx for Advent Christmas, and Epiphany

The Sequel to A Spiritual Rx for Lent and Easter

Both are $18. Money from sale of the books goes to Camp Mitchel Camp and Conference Center in Arkansas or Hurricane Relief in

The Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast