Ivars' Voice

2011-12-22T22:53:00.000-06:00

Sunday School program at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church

Mounds View, Minnesota

December 21, 2011

St. Lucia pageant

2011-12-15T21:24:00.001-06:00

St. Lucia pageant at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church

Mounds View, Minnesota

December 14, 2011

W.W.J.D.

2011-11-19T12:14:00.001-06:00

What does this question mean today? Read one discussion here.

Mysticism

2011-11-13T19:07:00.001-06:00

Mystical moments are experiences of enlargement and connectedness or union. Suddenly you’re bigger. You don’t feel a need to condemn, exclude, divide or separate. Unfortunately, most of us were sent on private paths of perfection which none of us could achieve.

The path of union is different than the path of perfection. Perfection gives the impression that by effort or more knowing I can achieve wholeness separate from God, from anyone else, or from connection to the whole. It appeals to our individualism and our ego. It’s amazing how much of Christian history sent us on a self-defeating course toward private perfection.

As a result, many people just give up—even many clergy and religious—when they see it isn’t working. They end up practical agnostics or practical atheists. They keep up the form, keep up the words, continue going to church, but there is no longer the inner desire and expectation that is possible with the path of union. It’s not mysticism that defeats the soul; it’s moralism that does.

~ Fr. Richard Rohr

Choose Life

2011-11-06T09:24:00.001-06:00

All religions in their own way talk about “dying before you die”! They are all indeed saying that something has to die. We all know this, but often religions have chosen the wrong thing to kill, which has given us a very negative image. In almost all of history it was always the “other,” the heretic, the sinner, the foreigner that had to die.
In most ancient cultures it was the virgin daughters and eldest sons that had to be “sacrificed”; in Biblical times it was an animal, as we see in the Jewish temple. By the Christian Middle Ages, it was our desires, our intellect, our bodies, and our will that had to die; which made many people think that God had created something wrong in us. Religion then became purity/separation codes instead of transformational systems.
Jesus did say very clearly that we had to “lose our self to find our self” in several different settings. For much of Christian history this was interpreted as the body self that had to die, and for some miraculous reason this was supposed to make the spiritual self arise! It did not work, and it allowed us to avoid the real problem. What really has to die is our false self created by our own mind, ego, and culture. It is a pretense, a bogus identity, a passing fad, a psychological construct that gets in the way of who we are and always were—in God. This is the objective and metaphysical True Self.
It seems we all live with a tragic case of mistaken identity. Christianity’s most important job is to tell you that you indeed and already have a True Self, “hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3-4).
~ Fr. Richard Rohr

green leaves

2011-10-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

Those who trust in their riches will wither,

but the righteous will flourish like green leaves.

Proverbs 11:28

fall upward

2011-09-23T22:36:00.002-05:00

How to survive & grow spiritually.

Are we worshiping or following Jesus?

2011-08-27T13:50:00.002-05:00

It seems to me that it is a minority that gets the true and full gospel. We just keep worshiping Jesus and arguing over the right way to do it. The amazing thing is that Jesus never once says “worship me!” He says, “follow me” (e.g., Matthew 4:19).

Christianity is a lifestyle—a way of being in the world that is simple, non-violent, shared, and loving. However, we made it into a clever “religion,” in order to avoid the lifestyle itself. One could be warlike, greedy, racist, selfish, and vain, and still believe that Jesus is their “personal Lord and Savior.” The world has no time for such silliness anymore. The suffering on Earth is too great.

~ Fr. Richard Rohr

Steve Jobs

2011-08-26T22:20:00.003-05:00

The resignation of Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple has drawn a lot of publicity. Some of his quotes are very relevant to those of us interested in photography and spirituality. Below are some of my favorites.

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things. And the reason they were able to do that was that they’ve had more experiences or they have thought more about their experiences than other people.

“Unfortunately, that’s too rare a commodity. A lot of people in our industry haven’t had very diverse experiences. So they don’t have enough dots to connect, and they end up with very linear solutions without a broad perspective on the problem. The broader one’s understanding of the human experience, the better design we will have. [Wired, February 1996]"

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” [Stanford commencement speech, June 2005]

Freedom

2011-07-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

Secular freedom is having to do what you want to do.

Religious freedom is wanting to do what you have to do.

Fr. Richard Rohr

Silence

2011-07-01T15:21:00.001-05:00

In the very near future I hope to return to Blue Cloud Abbey for a personal retreat. One of the reasons for my retreat is to reestablish silence in my life. The Abbey's Abbot discusses the importance of silence in his monthly message here. To check out life at the Abbey, take a look at these photos.

Pentecost Sunday

2011-06-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

Cross of Glory Lutheran Church

Mounds View, MN

763-784-2528

path to wisdom

2011-06-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

Remember that you are nothing, and remember that you are everything — bought as precious by Christ. And if you’re everything, so are others; you are to love them, embrace them. You will find yourself in them, and you will find them in you. Love is the path to wisdom. When you are nothing, you have nothing and need nothing and you are free to live in love.

Father Zeno, St. Macarius Monastery via Chris Erdman

God alone is enough

2011-05-31T14:27:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day service at St. Anthony Park Lutheran, St. Paul, MN

2011-05-08T18:35:00.000-05:00

fear

2011-04-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop.

~ Usman B. Asif

Thanks @LightStalking

Royal Wedding

2011-04-29T15:11:00.002-05:00

The following is the excellent message given by Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, at the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton.

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day! It is good that people in every continent are able to share in these celebrations because this is, as every wedding day should be, a day of hope.

In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.

William and Catherine, you have chosen to be married in the sight of a generous God who so loved the world that he gave himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ.

And in the Spirit of this generous God, husband and wife are to give themselves to each another.

A spiritual life grows as love finds its centre beyond ourselves. Faithful and committed relationships offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life in which we discover this; the more we give of self, the richer we become in soul; the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and our spiritual beauty is more fully revealed. In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life.

It is of course very hard to wean ourselves away from self-centredness. And people can dream of doing such a thing but the hope should be fulfilled it is necessary a solemn decision that, whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.

You have both made your decision today – “I will” – and by making this new relationship, you have aligned yourselves with what we believe is the way in which life is spiritually evolving, and which will lead to a creative future for the human race.

We stand looking forward to a century which is full of promise and full of peril. Human beings are confronting the question of how to use wisely a power that has been given to us through the discoveries of the last century. We shall not be converted to the promise of the future by more knowledge, but rather by an increase of loving wisdom and reverence, for life, for the earth and for one another.

Marriage should transform, as husband and wife make one another their work of art. It is possible to transform as long as we do not harbour ambitions to reform our partner. There must be no coercion if the Spirit is to flow; each must give the other space and freedom. Chaucer, the London poet, sums it up in a pithy phrase:

“Whan maistrie [mastery] comth, the God of Love anon, Beteth his wynges, and farewell, he is gon.”

As the reality of God has faded from so many lives in the West, there has been a corresponding inflation of expectations that personal relations alone will supply meaning and happiness in life. This is to load our partner with too great a burden. We are all incomplete: we all need the love which is secure, rather than oppressive, we need mutual forgiveness, to thrive.

As we move towards our partner in love, following the example of Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit is quickened within us and can increasingly fill our lives with light. This leads to a family life which offers the best conditions in which the next generation can practise and exchange those gifts which can overcome fear and division and incubate the coming world of the Spirit, whose fruits are love and joy and peace.

I pray that all of us present and the many millions watching this ceremony and sharing in your joy today, will do everything in our power to support and uphold you in your new life. And I pray that God will bless you in the way of life that you have chosen, that way which is expressed in the prayer that you have composed together in preparation for this day:

God our Father, we thank you for our families; for the love that we share and for the joy of our marriage.

In the busyness of each day keep our eyes fixed on what is real and important in life and help us to be generous with our time and love and energy.

Strengthened by our union help us to serve and comfort those who suffer. We ask this in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Bethel Lutheran Church, Hudson, Wisconsin

2011-04-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

Christ is risen!

2011-04-24T08:17:00.000-05:00

For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this: unless I believe, I will not understand. ~ Anselm of Canterbury

Christ Church (Episcopal), Lead, SD

2011-04-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

one way to organize your day

2011-03-15T19:41:00.000-05:00

This is how Benjamin Franklin did it.

guide for living

2011-03-14T14:50:00.002-05:00

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God.

Who you gonna serve?

2011-03-13T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord

But you're gonna have to serve somebody.

~ Bob Dylan

our purpose

2011-02-24T15:46:00.000-06:00

And is our purpose not the same on this earth,

To love and follow His direction?

~ Bob Dylan

Blessed and Holy Christmas Joy

2010-12-24T13:55:00.000-06:00

What better way to experience Christmas than at a Sunday School Christmas program? These are children from Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Mounds View, Minnesota

St. Lucia at Cross of Glory, Mounds View, MN

2010-12-16T20:36:00.001-06:00

Hubble Space Telescope Advent Calendar

2010-12-01T15:05:00.000-06:00

here

1st Sunday of Advent

2010-11-28T20:36:00.000-06:00

Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, Mounds View, Minnesota

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:04:00.001-06:00

Hallelujah

2010-11-21T15:04:00.000-06:00

Life is short!

2010-11-17T16:28:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite photographers is David duChemin. I have learned a lot from his blog, web site, books, and seminars. David's blog post yesterday prompted me to take an immediate and serious look at where I am going with my photography. You may have other goals in your life. Do not put them off.

Read the post here. And then take action!

grass & wind

2010-11-04T18:37:00.000-05:00

wild raspberries

2010-10-28T20:34:00.001-05:00

prayer

2010-10-24T19:04:00.000-05:00

It was a blessing to worship this morning at Cross of Glory Lutheran Church in Mounds View, Minnesota. The guest preacher was Rev. Wendell Frerichs, Professor Emeritus of Old Testament at Luther Seminary in St. Paul. His theme, following the Gospel text from Luke 18:9-14, was prayer. Central to his message was the following prayer by Charles Whiston, which Pastor Frerichs uses in his daily devotions. We would do well to follow his example:

Christ's claim:

I am your Lord Jesus Christ.

I was the agent of my Father in creating you.

I died on the cross and rose from the dead for you.

Therefore, you do not belong to yourself.

You belong to me.

Will you give yourself to me for today?

My response:

O Lord Christ, in obedience to your claim on me,

I surrender myself to you anew today,

all that I am, all that I have,

to be wholly and unconditionally yours for your using of me.

Take me away from myself and my preoccupation with myself.

Use me up as you will,

when you will, where you will,

with whom you will.

Amen.

2010-10-19T21:47:00.002-05:00

prayer

2010-10-18T07:31:00.001-05:00

   If you want to set out in search of God without knowing how to go about it, learn to pray: force yourself simply to pray every day. You can pray anywhere, anytime. There's no need at all to be in a chapel or church. You can pray while working: work doesn't put a stop to prayer, nor prayer to work. If you feel in need of help, you can ask advice of a priest or pastor.
     Try to talk directly to God. Speak to him; tell him everything, spontaneously, directly, just as it comes. He is the Father of us all. Whatever our religion might be, we have all been created by him and are his children. We can trust him, love him, believe in him, work for him. When we pray, our problems are resolved to the degree that it is good for us.
     Without prayer I could not fulfill the work it is mine to do, not even for half an hour. I draw my strength from God by prayer.

-- Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997)

Cross of Glory Lutheran Church, Mounds View, Minnesota

2010-10-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

fall evening

2010-10-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

ferns

2010-10-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

dew

2010-10-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

2010-10-02T23:02:00.000-05:00

Oblate retreat at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-10-01T21:56:00.001-05:00

My recent stay at Blue Cloud Abbey concluded with a retreat for Oblates of St. Benedict affiliated with the Abbey.

Abbot Denis welcomes the Oblates

Oblate Director Br. Benet instructing us

Oblates renewing their vows

Abbot Denis

more sun

2010-09-30T21:26:00.001-05:00

sun

2010-09-28T22:54:00.000-05:00

Joseph's installation as a novice at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-09-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

2010-09-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

prayer for today

2010-09-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

"Oh Lord, make my words tender and sweet,
cause I may have to eat 'em."

well-being vs. distress

2010-09-05T18:21:00.000-05:00

The mingling of both well-being and distress in us is so astonishing that we can hardly tell what state we are in. But the fact is, that is a part of being whole. We stand in this mingling all of our life.

-- Julian of Norwich

Emerging Christianity

2010-09-04T14:30:00.000-05:00

What do you think it is?

One answer.

2010-08-18T17:56:00.000-05:00

iPhone photo

Morning Psalm

2010-08-16T07:49:00.000-05:00

This morning I had to contemplate my own mortality as I read the following from Psalm 90:

Before the mountains were born

or the earth or the world brought forth,

you are God, without beginning or end.

You turn us back into dust

and say: "Go back, children of the earth."

To your eyes a thousand years

are like yesterday, come and gone,

no more than a watch in the night.

You sweep us away like a dream,

like grass which springs up in the morning.

In the morning it springs up and flowers;

by evening it withers and fades.

Grail translation

Evening is nigh for each of us. How will we spend it?

St. Genevieve's Church, Centerville, MN

2010-07-31T17:48:00.000-05:00

2010-07-30T17:32:00.000-05:00

2010-07-25T10:50:00.000-05:00

Those who dance appear insane

to those who can't hear the music.

-- Rev. Bosco Peters

modern church designs

2010-07-25T10:44:00.000-05:00

HERE

2010-07-24T21:50:00.002-05:00

trust

2010-07-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

The people I distrust most are those who want to improve our lives but have only one course of action.

-- Frank Herbert

via @Descartes1 on Twitter

2010-07-21T20:37:00.002-05:00

dew on grass

2010-07-20T22:02:00.000-05:00

"Who has begotten the drops of dew?"

-- Job 38:28

2010-07-18T21:11:00.000-05:00

iPhone photo

bursting rose bud

2010-07-16T21:49:00.000-05:00

iPhone photo

hope

2010-07-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

God's love

2010-07-15T14:21:00.000-05:00

God cares, for some wonderful reason, despite all of our smallness and silliness. Divine love does not depend on our doing nice or right things. Divine love is not determined by the worthiness of the object of love but by the Subject, who is always and only Love. God does not love us if we change, as we almost all think; but God loves us so that we can change.

-- Fr. Richard Rohr

desire for knowledge

2010-07-09T22:22:00.000-05:00

Control any excessive desire for knowledge;

you will find it a great distraction and very deceiving.

The knowledgeable like to be recognized and spoken of as wise.

Much of what may be known is of little value to the soul.

To search for anything other than what serves our salvation is indeed very unwise.

-- Thomas à Kempis

the perfect church service

2010-07-07T21:42:00.000-05:00

The perfect church service would be one we were almost unaware of; our attention would have been on God.

-- C. S. Lewis

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T15:39:00.000-05:00

iPhone photo

2010-06-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

“Follow me”

2010-06-28T01:40:00.001-05:00

The Savior preceded us on the path of poverty. All the possessions of heaven and earth belonged to him. They presented for him no danger; he could make use of them while keeping his heart completely free. But he knew that it is almost impossible for a human being to have possessions without subjecting ourselves to them and becoming a slave. That is why he gave up everything and so showed us by his example even more than by his words that only the one who possesses nothing possesses everything. His birth in a stable and his flight to Egypt already showed that the Son of the Man had nowhere to rest his head. Whoever wants to follow him must know that we have here below no permanent dwelling. The more deeply we become aware of it, the more ardently we shall aim towards our future dwelling, and we shall exult in the thought that we will find our home in heaven.
-- Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross [Edith Stein] (1891-1942)

In what ways do I trust in God’s guidance?

2010-06-27T13:29:00.000-05:00

Do you know that you are never absolutely sure you’re right when you’re living in faith? That’s exactly why it’s called “faith!” I wonder where this modern demand for certitude came from, which has produced fundamentalism?

At the crucial moments in your life’s decision making, you are always trusting in God’s guidance and mercy and not in your own perfect understanding.

You’re always “falling into the hands of the living God,” as Hebrews 10:31 says, letting God’s knowing suffice and God’s arms save. Although, it does say in the same verse that it is a “scary” or “awesome” thing to do.

-- Fr. Richard Rohr

2010-06-18T22:10:00.000-05:00

Obama is not a brown-skinned, anti-war socialist who gives away free healthcare.

You're thinking of Jesus.

-- Jerrie Hurd, Episcopal Bishop of Arizona

Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley MN

2010-06-11T10:17:00.000-05:00

Wood Duck & ducklings

2010-06-06T19:31:00.002-05:00

2010-06-02T17:42:00.002-05:00

iPhone photo

2010-05-31T22:48:00.002-05:00

Memorial Day

2010-05-31T05:14:00.001-05:00

Fallen Warriors

What ghosts walk these hallowed hills,
Where once the cry of battle reigned?
Who are these smoky misty forms that
By their blood this ground was stained?

Their cry of pain floats on the wind.
Echoing from the ridge,
Calling for aid and comfort, but alas,
The spans too wide to bridge.

Only God can help these souls who have
Fallen at the line,
Build no monument to these men, this
Ground shall be their shrine.

Let angels hover above the trees and
Guard these men of yore,
Kiss their cheeks and soothe their brow,
For death shall be no more.

-- James Richardson

(thanks to Scott Bourne)

morning sun

2010-05-30T16:27:00.000-05:00

iPhone photo

the Christian of the future

2010-05-29T22:02:00.000-05:00

The devout Christian of the future will either be a ‘mystic’... or s/he will cease to be anything at all.

- Karl Rahner

American Robin

2010-05-25T21:49:00.000-05:00

Baptism at Beaver Lake Lutheran, Maplewood, MN

2010-05-23T17:47:00.000-05:00

Reformation Sunday

fountain at Springbrook Nature Center, Fridley, MN

2010-05-22T14:02:00.001-05:00

iPhone photos

leaves

2010-05-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

2010-05-17T22:26:00.002-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey birch tree

2010-05-16T22:53:00.000-05:00

This concludes our series of Abbey photos from last month's visit at Blue Cloud Abbey. However, we will continue posting pictures of birds and landscape of eastern South Dakota and western Minnesota on our bird blog.

more from Blue Cloud Abbey orchard

2010-05-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey orchard at sunset

2010-05-13T22:13:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey: pond #3

2010-05-12T17:23:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey: pond #2

2010-05-11T22:27:00.000-05:00

sunrise at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-05-10T15:52:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey sunset

2010-05-09T12:35:00.000-05:00

road by Blue Cloud Abbey in the evening

2010-05-08T18:13:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey bell tower at sunset

2010-05-07T19:17:00.000-05:00

evening at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-05-05T20:27:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey: pond #1

2010-05-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

creek through Blue Cloud Abbey camp ground

2010-05-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

more from Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-04-30T21:38:00.000-05:00

1 week at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-04-29T22:44:00.000-05:00

Earlier this month I spent a week at Blue Cloud Abbey. Photos pertaining to the Abbey will be posted on this blog. Bird, nature, and other pictures will be posted on my bird & photography blog.

sunset at the Abbey

hostas in the early morning sun

2010-04-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

statue at Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-04-24T22:00:00.002-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey

2010-04-22T22:25:00.000-05:00

Blue Cloud Abbey

April 14, 2010

2010-04-11T20:40:00.002-05:00

After I had finished photographing the monks' sculptures, I noticed a lovely painting on the wall facing the sculptures. Of course, I had to photograph it. The local artist is JoAn Melchild.

I met JoAn via email in 2008. She asked my permission to use a Great Blue Heron photograph I had taken following a very strong windstorm at the Big Stone Lake Wildlife Refuge, just south of Ortonville, MN. First, my photo of the bedraggled Heron.

Next is JoAn's depiction.

I prefer JoAn's. It emphasizes the characteristics of the Heron and stones while eliminating unnecessary details.