The Serenity Prayer - Leftovers

Sunday we merged two of my favorite spiritual tools - the twelfth chapter of Second Corinthians and the renowned Serenity Prayer. The pair intersected at the great theme of acceptance; Paul wrestling with an intractable pain he referred to as a thorn in the flesh and the Serenity Prayer's appeal for the calmness of soul to accept those things we can not change.

The original version of the Serenity Prayer, popularized by the recovery movement, has been attributed to the twentieth century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr and began circulating widely by the late 1930s. At some point an anonymous author added a section leaving the full version:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever and ever in the next.

That, my friends, is worthy of frequent usage.

My prayer for you today is that your life will be filled with serenity, courage and wisdom. And may we all truly rest in the hand of the One Who holds the universe and Who will finally make all things well.

Peace to you,

Stan

Generosity - Sunday Leftovers

June 28th's theme was drawn from Second Corinthians, chapters eight and nine in which Paul appealed to the Christians at Corinth to be generous in a collection for their hurting brothers and sisters in Jerusalem. I could, and many have, fill a lot of pages with commentary on this incredible text. Instead, allow me to share my single, favorite verse from these highly insightful chapters.

As Paul concluded his appeal he obviously recognized the possibility that the Corinthians could feel a pressure to give that, by his estimation, would not be in anyone's best interest. So in verse seven of the ninth chapter he said, "I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over, and make up your own mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving." (The Message)

I love the language and spirit of that verse. Giving is, and should be, a deeply personal thing. While we must never judge another person's giving, or lack thereof, we CAN learn a lot about ourselves by where, how and why we give of the substance of our lives. If you don't like some of the ways you feel or the patterns you see in relation to giving/generosity my best advice is to ask God for better perspective - His perspective. Inner transformation, as opposed to guilt, manipulation or glory-seeking, is the only healthy impetus for the truly generous life.

Let me leave you with the Dorothy Day quote I referenced Sunday: "Give only if you have something you must give. Give only if you are someone for whom giving is its own reward."

To the generous life,
Stan

Grace Maximized - Sunday Leftovers

I actually made it to the end of my sermon notes which is a bit of a rarity for me but I suppose that's a good thing. The only downside is it cuts into potential Leftover's content. So, in the absence of remnants, I'm left to consider what parts of the lesson I would like to have a do-over on and what I've thought of after-the-fact that I wish I would have thought of last week while preparing the sermon.

The gist of the message was the age-old theme of learning to live in the moment; to seize the day; to recognize the only place life is actually lived is in the present. At the present, I am sitting in a midnight showing of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, with Stan Jr and I am multi-tasking which might not be the most effective way of fulfilling the aforementioned goal.

So... I will cease and desist and get back to, what promises to be, a rip-roaring conclusion to this movie. And my best "leftover" advice is - avoid multi-tasking if you can and don't miss the gift of every moment.

Stan