The Soul Making Room

06/02/2026

RETREAT - DAY 1
God, give me the ability to see good things in unexpected places and talents in unexpected people.

06/02/2026

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.

Morning openings:
Greeting the four directions

I bow to What Is;
with attentiveness I bow.

Greeting the East, I bow to all I receive:
the breath of life, the gift of Creation,
the grace of God, the love of others,
the gift of all whose lives and labors benefit me.
With joy and gratitude I bow.

Greeting the South, I bow to all that is within me:
body, mind and spirit,
my unconscious and my microbiome,
the divine light, steadfast and warm.
With wonder and reverence, I bow.

Greeting the West, I bow to all that flows from me:
my work, my gifts, my talents and energies,
my love and prayers,
peace flowing from me to those I love,
to all who struggle, to the whole world,
peace flowing out from me to the universe.
With love and courage, I bow.

Greeting the North, I bow to my death,
to my limits, my powerlessness,
my not knowing, and to my end.
With humility and good humor, I bow.

Again to the four directions:
To what is Yes: my Yes. I bow.
To what is No: my No. I bow.
That I may discern with wisdom, I bow.
I bow to What Is.

Let this day begin.

Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

05/21/2026

Dearly Beloved,

Grace and Peace to you.

The great listening

There's a great listening going on.
If you listen you can hear it.
Animals hear things we can't, or won't.
The trees guard their silence
to hear the soil, hear the wind,
hear every word, especially the unspoken.
When you're buried earth listens so carefully to you,
to the soft tissues, and everything else.
Orbiting planets aren't just caught in math,
they're listening, sun and earth hearing and responding.
The universe holds its ear to your heart.
And there is a great listening among us, us jabbery people,
to the tales and the songs and the cries and the lies.
The sounds settle down in us
where only our bones can hear, but they do.
Beneath the roar and rattle you can hear this porous world
taking it all in, in the desert, yes, the ocean depths,
and even in the city, even in the deaf.
We can stop our ears with earbuds of noise,
or dismiss the jangle, open ourselves,
and join the great listening.

Deep Blessings,
Pastor Steve

05/17/2026

05/11/2026

"My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121: 2

04/16/2026

May we be forever mindful today, O God, that you are in your dwelling place. Give us full knowledge and awareness of your saving presence, a presence that surrounds us at all times and reveals itself in love, compassion, and truth. Make yourself known to us today so we may dwell in you and you in us. Amen.

04/10/2026

"The exquisite risk," John of the Cross called it, when the soul slips away from the confines of sense and reason for a secret rendezvous with the Beloved in the depths of the night.