Making Room for God

Let us be mindful that God is the Faithful One

who is calling us to a deeper life.

Let us continue to make room for God,

to prepare a space for God

in our hearts and in our lives.

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

 

 

Mercy, Mercy, God

God’s mercy is not about fairness

but about generosity.

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

 

Seeking the Desire of our Hearts

What do you want?

What is at the heart of the matter for you?

What is at the depth of your soul?

What is the desire of your heart?

Are you willing to be changed by this desire?

Are you willing to see and to live

     with a divine perspective of love for one another?

The spiritual quest is stirred by seeking the desire of your heart deep within.

Walk in the journey of these questions this day.

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

The Invitation

Life is a feast of invitations.

We must choose wisely.

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

People Get Ready

A friend of mine recently posted on his Facebook page that 200,00 people will die by the end of the day.  (See Joe Hage).  He ended the statistic with a non-rhetorical question, “Are you still unprepared? Why?”

The question got me thinking, not only about the end of life, but also about the living of life now, fully – this day.  If 200,000 people will die by the end of this day, that means the rest of us will have lived by the end of today. 

Are we still unprepared to live life fully?  Wholeheartedly? This moment?  This day?  Why?

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

The Invitation

Celebration of life is not optional but necessary.

Living a life of love is essential.

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

God and Plantation Mint Tea

In my current work environment, there are free drinks available in the kitchen – anything from pop and juices to coffee and tea.  I usually drink tea at work, and recently I started drinking Plantation Mint Tea from Bigelow.  One day as I was sipping a cup of tea, the brand and aroma of the mint tea took me back to the days in the Novitiate several years ago when I was learning to live my life as a nun.  During that time, I would meet with Rosemary, my novice director – an older sister who had lived the life for many years and came to the conversation with incredible life experiences. 

 Nearly every time we met, usually on a weekly basis, both of us would have a cup of Bigelow’s Plantation Mint Tea, along with 2 packets of Equal.  There seemed to be endless soulful and spirited conversations with Rosemary over many cups of tea.  We would talk, laugh, pray and talk more deeply of the spiritual life.  And oh how we laughed throughout these conversations and moments of solidarity by sipping tea together.  How I savored and treasured those soulful conversations with Rosemary. 

 We became really good friends and stayed connected even when I was no longer living my life as a member of her religious community.  Several years ago, Rosemary died suddenly of a ruptured aneurysm.  As time went on, I stopped drinking Plantation Mint Tea.  Somehow in my new job this year, I drifted toward drinking this brand of tea again.  I smile inwardly whenever I have a cup of tea now, and I go back to those days with Rosemary where we talked about how we see God in the ordinary moments of our lives, and where we pondered the mysteries of the Spirit while trying to live concretely the love of God for others. 

 I still miss Rosemary. I miss those spiritual conversations.  The tea reminds me to continue the search for God in all of life.

 Denise Pyles, M.Div.

Remembering 9/11

Nineteen years ago, I spent this time of year studying Scripture throughout Israel and Palestine. One day, I visited the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial near Jerusalem, and while walking along one of the paths leading to a memorial building there was this quote that has stuck with me ever since:

To remember leads to redemption; to forget leads to exile.

Remember….

I especially remember today, the 8th anniversary of 9/11. I remember waking up on 9/11/01 as I do every morning with the alarm radio going off to NPR news. I remember hearing that the FAA had grounded all aircraft in the US and I thought that this report was rather odd. Maybe I didn’t hear it correctly since I am not a morning person and it takes a little while for me to be fully awake. Yet, I had a strange feeling, a gut feeling that something terrible had happened.

At nearly the same time, I heard one of my community members walking down the hall past my door while on the phone with another sister saying, “They had hit the Pentagon.” I immediately went into the living room to watch TV with the rest of the community, and I stayed glued to the set as I watched in horror the twin towers burn and collapse, the Pentagon on fire, and the crash site in Pennsylvania. I gasped, I screamed, I cried, I prayed. I was overwhelmed by shock and deep sadness.

I stayed in that room for several hours – watching and praying. At one moment, I don’t remember the exact time for time seemed timeless, I called my sister, who is a pilot and former flight attendant, and told her to turn on the TV – she was horrified. Then I called my parents back in Kentucky. I told my Mom and Dad, as I always do each time that I talk with them, that I love them. I needed to hear their voice, especially this day – their voice of love. My Dad, who entered the Navy in World War II right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, said to me that my life will be forever changed because of this day and that the world will be very different for the rest of my life. He spoke this wisdom from his own experience. Most importantly, he and my Mother spoke of love – their love for me, which carried me through the rest of the day, giving me strength and courage.

By early afternoon I was at Church – my place of work at the time. The rest of the day was a day of being – sitting, hugging, listening, watching, telling stories and connecting with others in shared grief, sadness and prayer.

I am not sure about the redemption part of the quote from the Holocaust Memorial. I am not sure that I even know what redemption looks like. What I do know is that remembering and telling our story leads to a deeper connection with others, a greater solidarity in community (maybe that in and of itself is redemptive).

In any case, let us continue to tell our story and to remember. Let us keep telling our story to connect more deeply with others. For our lives are forever changed because of that day eight years ago. We are strangers no more. We all lost a brother and sister, a family member, a community member.

Forgetting is no longer an option.

Remember.…

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

September 11, 2009

The Heart of God’s Longing

 

God longs to make a home in our hearts.

God desires to dwell within the depths of our very being.

In what ways are we listening to God’s longing?

Denise Pyles, M.Div.

Remembering Senator Ted Kennedy – August 26, 2009

On June 16, 1988 I attended the National Anti-Apartheid Action and Lobby Day in Washington, DC. Speakers included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Senator Paul Simon of Illinois and Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts. This was a rally in support of HR 1580 – an Anti-Apartheid Amendment. This bill was passed by the House in September of 1988. Apartheid ended in South Africa in February, 1990. I don’t remember the speeches but I remember being inspired by the speakers, especially Senator Kennedy. He spoke with such a passion for justice and with an energy of hope. He empowered you to believe that change was within our grasp if we only took action together. May we have the courage to act for justice in our world with that similar passionate energy and hope. Rest in peace Senator Kennedy and thank you for your witness of service to others.

 

Denise Pyles, M.Div.