Taking a Moment

We have all received the advice to slow down, relax, and enjoy the summer months. I hope you will follow that advice. Remember, our God rested on the Sabbath!

For me, one of the activities that actually picks up in the summer is reading. I read a lot, but even more so in the summer. It is one of the ways I slow down, relax and enjoy. On my list are some religious books - on Jesuit Spirituality,  some articles about and by John Wesley, a collection of Old Testament sermons by  Fleming Rutledge - some history books, and a few novels.

As I read, I will often catch a glimpse of the holy. It can happen to me whether I am reading a beach novel or slogging through some heavy theology. Like a vision, the holy moment will take my emotions in a different direction. Perhaps, it is a twist or unexpected part of the story, or even a phrase that is structured in certain way. Regardless of how the sentence or paragraph or page or story is read, I receive it in a profound way.

This is, I believe, a moment of prayer, a holy instance, a divine presence. God wants to communicate with us. He desires to reassure us, to heal us, to draw us closer to Him. We have all experienced that in reading and hearing the word of God, individually and corporately. Sometimes, for me, it takes place in the still, silent voice of reading other things as well. Where does God "speak" or "visit" you? When does God take your breath away? What are you doing or not doing when such moments occur? How can this summer be a chance for you to spend time with the Lord in such ways that you slow down, relax and enjoy?

Finally, and here is the challenge for me. I am now trying to discipline myself to put the book down when I have such "Aha" moments. The next chapter will need to wait!

Blessings, Mike