It’s that time of year again, when we are challenged to make new beginnings in a “new” year. I could write for pages on the illusion/delusion of time measurement, probably without making any kind of meaningful impact. Suffice it to say that there’ only this moment; everything else is a memory or a hope, existing only in our heads. At least, I think that’s true!
With that said, our measuring devices assure us that another calendar is in the trash or has automatically changed both month and year to January, 2023. It’s a tradition in many of our lives to make New Year Resolutions.
Some people make seemingly superficial resolutions: to lose weight, exercise more, eat right, sleep more; but for some of us, these are hardly superficial: to do these things can significantly alter the destructive course of our life trajectory. Doing them can actually save us from early death.
Others make more intellectual choices: read a certain number of books, sign up for a class, take up a new hobby that requires learning a new skill. Again, these interests and improvements can change the quality of our lives.
What about spiritual adjustments? Because of my profession as well as my personal inclinations and interests, this is an area that gets my focus each year: meditate more, study scripture, find new ways of prayer (usually new to me, not to history, like the Jesus Prayer), journal regularly: all good things to do to deepen one’s inner life.
One of my mentors said that all of life is your spiritual life, quoting Thomas Merton’s “the spiritual life is, first of all, a life.” So, diet, education, learning skills, exercise, as well as the obvious spiritual practices, all go to improving our spirituality.
So, I’ll sit down and make a list of 10 – 15 things to work on this year. 2022 was my best year for the really good stuff: daily prayer, meditation, writing, praying the Psalms; not so good with weight loss, exercise, or getting a handle on any new skills. I did read a small pile of books, though!
Happy resolving!
About jamiebrame
Greetings, fellow earthlings. I'm the retired Program Director at Christmount, the national retreat, camp, and conference center of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), in Black Mountain, NC. From September 2019 through October, 2020, I served Timberlake Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Lynchburg, VA, as interim minister. After taking more than a year off, First Christian Church (DoC), Wilson, NC, offered me the position of Interim Minister, beginning May 10, 2022.
Originally from Eden, NC, I graduated from John Motley Morehead High School, earned a BA in Religion and Philosophy at Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), and eked out a Master of Divinity from the Divinity School at Duke University. I served, in various positions, churches (part time and full time) in North Carolina and Georgia, and have lived in Black Mountain, NC, since 1989. I married Renae in 1992 (she refers to these years as "looooooooooong" years.
I've spent the past 50 years or so trying to practice Christian contemplative prayer with some touches of Zen meditation to help the journey along. Married to a wife who is much holier than I am, I am fortunate to learn from her daily about how to do this thing called spirituality. Being an ordained minister doesn't make me holy (but occasionally, as you'll read, a little sanctimonious, so forgive me in advance!); but I hope that I put my education to good use.
I'd love to be considered a spiritual teacher, but I know myself too well to claim that. While I do a bit of teaching, I think the best teaching we do is when we remain silent (the old desert abba said something like, "if you won't learn from my silence, you won't learn from my talking"). But silence shouldn't turn into quietism, and we do have to speak out and act for justice and fairness and equality for all.
I frequently ask myself the question, "Does it matter?" about the major - and minor - issues of the day. What I think matters: love for God, equality, fairness, loving our neighbor, feeding hungry people, housing homeless ones, clothing naked ones, and especially caring for children; basically, caring for those who have some trouble caring for themselves. AND our relationship with God.
What doesn't matter: what you think of me. I'm not very Christ-like. You won't hear me talking about all the things I do for others, or all the things I do for God - I was taught that It's not about me, and using good works to get attention for myself isn't what Christian faith is about - look up "narcissism" on Google. I'm not sure Jesus thinks it matters much that I am like him or not, but I do. The old story from the rabbis is probably apropo: when I am hauled up before God at the end of time, God isn't going to ask me why I wasn't more like someone else: I will be asked why I wasn't more like me. The rabbis tell the story better.
I'm still a work in progress, as Renae will attest to.
Finally, I just hope that something you read here will make you think. Use what you can, ignore the rest. Go read some of the desert saints. Read the classics. Take care of people, never point to yourself, and don't follow me: I'm just hoping to be one more signpost to God.
And as one friend reminded me the week before I left Christmount, "It matters."
Oh, and my favorite color is probably blue, and I love cats, and I love my wife's music. I don't like beets.
Does It Matter 