Contemplative

Hey, my first April post, would you look at that! Did I tell you all that my sister and her husband are going to have a baby? He's due April 26. So, that means 22 days and counting, although he will probably arrive before then because she has gestational diabetes and they'll probably want to get him out sooner than his due date. He should be fine, he's already 6 pounds something ounces. We're very excited for "Howard" to get here. Howard is not his real name, but it's a 9 month joke we've had going. Perhaps that story will emerge in another post.

The real reason I wanted to blog was to discuss contemplation. Tonight, at our church council meeting, we did things slightly differently. Pastor sent us a letter last week asking us to think of ways we see God at work in the world and in our lives, and how sometimes we perceive God as silent in areas we wish he wasn't silent. Well, I had some examples all ready in my mind, but when it came to talk, I just wanted to listen to others. So, I did. No one called me out, so I was content to hear what others had to say. It was very interesting. However, after the meeting, Pastor came up to me and said, "Awful quiet tonight, Trish." And I told him I was tired, which is not a lie because I am really tired, but it wasn't the whole truth either. The other part of the truth is that sometimes I like to be quiet and just listen to the wisdom and insights of others. In fact, a great deal of the time I want to be quiet and listen. Unfortunately, I usually end up talking in these situations while my brain screams, "Shut up and listen! You can't learn if your lips are flapping." But sometimes, I go through periods where I am very successful at just being a spectator. I don't know why I didn't just tell him that. I'm sure he'd understand. Pastor is a very compassionate, understanding man. I don't know. Anyway, I learned tonight some interesting things about why some people do not hear God's voice when they wish they could. I cannot always hear God's voice ("hear" here is not literal, I never actually "hear" the voice of God) and I wanted to understand the situations that cause confusion and lack of "hearing" for other people. I learned because I kept quiet. I usually find that when I get into one of these "shut up and listen" modes, I learn a lot more. I don't usually get my own points across when I'm intent on just listening, but really, how important is that, anyway? I don't know how long this will last, or if perhaps I'm wrong when I get like this, but I can't really help it. When the mood strikes, eh? Anyway, that's enough for tonight. I just wanted to say goodnight, and if you're reading this blog, go wish Mark at Stumbling Toward Divinity a happy birthday today. It'll be fun, I promise. :) See ya.