The unspoken privilege of being white. CAC’s posting HERE focuses on Richard Rohr’s perspective. This section might strike you the way it did me when thinking about this topic:

I would have never seen my own white privilege if I had not been forced outside of my dominant white culture by travel, by working in the jail, by hearing stories from counselees and, frankly, by making a complete fool of myself in so many social settings—most of which I had the freedom to avoid! 

It’s so easy to stay in our comfort zones, isn’t it? Whether white privilege or some other/additional privilege we enjoy, getting out of the comfort zone (while staying reasonably safe) is an opportunity for growth in spite of the uncomfortable ramifications of increased understanding and the stirring for more action.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS:

• Please read the CAC full posting (linked above and also HERE )
• For those who aren’t already doing so, how can you force yourself outside of your dominant white culture (or other comfort zone privilege) this week?

PRAYER: Creator God, strengthen us for the day ahead. Help us use the examples of Jesus, Ghandi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr. and so many other spiritual guides to move us to an “outside the comfort zone,”  loving experience with neighbors all around the world, no exceptions! Amen.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, June 7, 2020:

• Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 8 
• 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 
• Matthew 28:16-20

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Change. Must. Come.

In his “Pastoral Letter to the Nation,” Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II addresses U.S. societal challenges in the midst of Pentecost. You can watch him share the message HERE and/or read it HERE. If you can find the time, please read  the letter, or – better yet – watch!

We have myriad ways to show Christ’s love here on earth and one of those is by encouraging ourselves and others to live the gospel message in new and mysterious ways, filled with the Spirit.

ACTION: Is there a stranger or friend you will encounter this week who can use a little sharing of God’s love in some random and/or wonderful way?

PRAYER: Creator God, strengthen us for the day ahead. Help us use the examples of Jesus to guide us. Move in us and through us to a better experience with others, and with you, in all we do. Amen.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, June 7, 2020:

• Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 8 
• 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 
• Matthew 28:16-20

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Community. For many of us, the world would be mighty lonely without it.

Yet some never feel welcomed.

Others want to change the community to suit their particular needs.

Creating the Christian community can be hard work. We may feel called to bring in a Zacchaeus-like character. Will our community behave as many did when Jesus dined with Zacchaeus? [Our Daily Bread audio commentary HERE]

ACTION: Who in your midst is a “child of God” who might use a little community with you, whether as part of an existing group or as an invitation to join together for a cup of coffee, a meal, a walk or ???

PRAYER: Creator God, strengthen us for the day ahead. Help us use the examples of Jesus to guide us. Move in us and through us to a better communing with others, and with you, in all we do. Amen.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

P.S. A Zacchaeus posting would seem incomplete without reference to this song by the Singing Sister, Miriam Terese Winter, and the Medical Mission Sisters

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, June 7, 2020:

• Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 8 
• 2 Corinthians 13:11-13 
• Matthew 28:16-20

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

“In years gone by the liturgical mood of Pentecost was one of great pageantry and beauty. The eye was greeted with brilliant red banners and vestments. The sense of smell caught the rising clouds of incense as they purified the holy space of the sanctuary. The ear was delighted with the musical setting of the ninth century hymn, Veni, Creator, Spiritus…” ~ p. 173 in The Rising by Wendy M. Wright

Perhaps this video can provide just a bit of that feeling: Veni, Creator Spiritus-Come Holy Spirit, Creator Blest ? (HERE is the nineteenth-century English language translation)  The music along with paintings, stained glass and other visuals provide many wonderful depictions of the Spirit.

How might you allow the Spirit to invade life more easily? As ideas arise, consider adding them to your “to do list” for this upcoming week…

PRAYER: Almighty God, Today I offer myself completely to you: all my thoughts, all my words, all I do. Make my movements a living prayer; help me unite myself to Jesus Christ in heart, mind and soul. Empower me to feel the Spirit with every breath I take, and act accordingly in answer to the question “what would Jesus have me do in this moment?”  Amen.            ~ [compilation of prayer from The Rising by Wendy M. Wright with additions by Steve Long]

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 31, 2020:

• Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30
• Psalm 104:24-34, 35b 
• 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21  
• John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39

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As we read the Lectionary scripture in preparation for this Sunday, we realize – it’s Pentecost! A good friend recently shared these prospective questions for the CP community to ponder as we enter Pentecost:

• As we consider/begin/continue emerging from this “season of isolation,” what have we learned about community?
• What does the Pentecost story tell us?

If these questions prompt comments you’d be willing to share, please do so by emailing salong_now@ yahoo.com and we will provide them as post-Pentecost material.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 31, 2020:

• Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30
• Psalm 104:24-34, 35b 
• 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21  
• John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

A Devotion for Memorial Day by Fred Bauer provides some historical perspective on the holiday as well as his own personal practice with his mother. Definitely worth the 3-5 minute read!

ACTION: If you feel the urge, consider taking a 5-15 minute stroll through a cemetery you pass along your way today. Pray for those buried there, their sacrifices, their families and the love that they shared. Then, maybe it’s time for a phone call to someone whose memory you’d like to celebrate while he/she is still alive?

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 31, 2020:

• Acts 2:1-21 or Numbers 11:24-30
• Psalm 104:24-34, 35b 
• 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13 or Acts 2:1-21  
• John 20:19-23 or John 7:37-39

Know someone who might like receiving messages like this?**  If so, forward this message to them and they can sign up HERE

Guideposts keeps up the great sharing. THIS LINK will take you to their Moments of Grace e-book containing “17 Hope-Filled Devotions to Help You Through the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Here’s a bit more detail:

“What follows are 17 devotions by Guideposts editors sharing their own journeys in the pandemic and where they have found hope and comfort…and where we hope you might find solace too.”  ~ Moments of Grace, page 2

Readers have lots of options – read it in one sitting; bookmark the webpage and come back to it; download it; print it …  Whatever you do, consider reading it. {smile}

Many of us can relate to the robin analogy in Edward Grinnan’s devotion on page 3. The ending line of his page is a prayer available to each of us: “God of love and protection, abide with me during these difficult times.”

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/22

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 24, 2020:

• Acts 1:6-14 
• Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 
• 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 
• John 17:1-11

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Our CP community continues to be blessed by those sharing materials (in this case, thanks to Chris for sharing Bishop Steven Charleston’s prayer!) A search of Bishop Steven Charleston yields a Facebook page with a bevy of material, including this Shelter in Faith visual done by Susan Scheidegger Janes that speaks volumes.

May we “shelter in faith” effectively this day and all days…  As you continue your day, consider saying aloud this beautiful, empowering prayer from Bishop Steven Charleston:

You are here for a reason that is defined not only by the work you do, but by the life you lead. You are a connecting point for the sacred, a living channel through which streams of grace flow out into the world, the people you meet, and the world you help to create simply by your presence. You are a messenger who lives the message and embodies the meaning of the holy in every choice you make. You are a healer, a source of nurture and wholeness, here for a reason that restores the bridge of hope.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/10

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 24, 2020:

• Acts 1:6-14 
• Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 
• 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 
• John 17:1-11

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The focus on  “A Seven-Day Experiment with Wholeness” concludes with the theme of Silence. Lynn suggests in her article that on  this day we should aspire to be silent longer than we ever have before.

How will you find time for that silence today? Will a walk in nature or time in a chair provide that opportunity? Wherever and however you find silence in this day… cherish it.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/10

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 24, 2020:

• Acts 1:6-14 
• Psalm 68:1-10, 32-35 
• 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 
• John 17:1-11

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It’s not necessarily easy to make it through daily efforts as part of “A Seven-Day Experiment with Wholeness.” Even the best ideas still can take longer to accomplish than desired.

Day 4 is on Thankfulness. My good buddy Lee made it a practice to take a gratitude walk, verbally listing his thankfulness the way Lynne suggests in her article on Day 4. Psalm 103, verse 2 says: “may I never forget the good things God does for me.”

While our written lists of thankfulness will not necessarily fill pages, may our verbal/conscious lists on this day be voluminous.

Enjoy the day, filled with the Spirit!

HUMOR

• Christian Playbook humor links – new updates as of 5/10

PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES:

• For People Critically Ill, or Facing Great Uncertainty – from New Zealand Prayer Book (bottom of first page shown HERE)
• Celtic Daily Prayer
• CP Prayer Page – containing LOADS of possibilities…

Lectionary Texts for Sunday, May 17, 2020:

• Acts 17:22-31
• Psalm 66:8-20
• 1 Peter 3:13-22
• John 14:15-21

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