God, Getting Lost, and A Hint of Irony...

Nancy and I have just returned from a relaxing time at Bald Head Island (I know -- very appropriate considering my hairlessness) North Carolina. The return drive took a bit longer than it should as we traveled home via bookstore visits and workshop presentation in Wilmington, NC and then Johnstown, PA -- not exactly a direct route from Southport to Indianapolis.

The trip from Johnstown took longer than it needed because I got lost. Completely turned around. Just after doing a reading from Sacred Compass. The reading went well, the audience seemed engaged, and then, after chit cat and signing some books, it was off in the car. Nancy read the Mapquest directions and I followed those well read directions. Well, I thought I did. I must have done something wrong because I couldn't find the road that we were looking for -- and thought we were on. After a mile or so, I pulled out our road atlas (having declared Mapquest worthless) map and looked -- as long as I continued south on the road we were on, we'd run into the road we were looking for.

So south we continued -- right into the heart of downtown Johnstown and "Thunder in the Valley," a huge annual motorcycle event. ("Thunder" explained why I couldn't get a motel room in Johnstown -- here I'd thought it was all the Friends General Conference Quakers taking them up! Which didn't fit with my mental image of FGCers being frugal types.)

Everywhere I looked was a motorcycle, motorcycler, vendor, streets not being where they were supposed to be, and no Route 219 heading toward the interstate. Time was a passin' -- and I was frustrated. Instead of being ahead of schedule and almost to Sommerset, we were still in Johnstown and home was 7 hours and 43 minutes (according to Mapquest -- which I was cursing at this point) away.

Finally, Nancy spotted a sign that said "To 219" and up the ramp we went. It didn't make any sense -- why would we go north to find the road going south? And why were none of the roads where they were supposed to be? Finally, 10 miles later, came an exit for Route 219 -- 1/2 a block from where I originally turned on to the road the led to 219. How can that be, I wondered? As I merged into the swiftly moving 219 traffic, I glanced up at the mirror and noticed the compass embedded in it by thoughtful Toyota engineers. I was, and had been since we got on the road that said "To 219", going south. My mistake earlier was that, when I made the first turn in Johnstown, instead of heading south (like I thought I was), I turned north -- and had been moving away from my destination the entire time. That's why MapQuest and the road atlas were worthless -- I was reading them "upside down." All I needed to do to get going right was to look up at the compass. I would have seen clearly that I was going north, not south, and turned around.

This all reminded me, after I calmed down and quit feeling quite like an idiot, that it is precisely when I think -- no, not think, rather am CERTAIN!!!! -- that I'm going the right direction that I need most to check my compass. And in this case, I'm not talking about the Toyota one. I'm thinking about my sacred compass; the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. I may have checked the maps, the weather, the road conditions, and my own sense of direction -- but that may not be enough.

The car's compass was there. I just needed to consult it. When I did what the maps told me began to make sense and 7 hours and 52 minutes later (we made up some lost time) we arrived safely back at Ploughshares Farm. I checked the compass when we turned north into our long driveway, though, just to make sure!

-- Brent

All The News

For the purpose of being alone and still before God, you might want to make a regular, non-negotiable place in your schedule. Maybe that’s early in the morning. It wouldn’t be for me. I hate getting up. But Nancy loves it. At home, when possible, she practices garden silence – sweet communion with God’s growing things. Rufus Jones said, “We find Him when we enjoy beauty.” Here's a reading on that subject from Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality.

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Download this episode: http://www.brentbill.com/02AlltheNews.mp3

Enjoy--
Brent

The Newly Discovered History of Amish Rock and Roll

Not too long ago, my friend Carrie Newcomer and I were on tour together (well, actually, we appeared at one place together). While together, we put our heads together and discovered that we had both been working on the same research project -- the heretofore little known phenomenon of Amish rock and roll.

Now many people know Carrie as an outstanding singer/songwriter and me as a passable writer. But they don't know that we both PhD's in music ethnology from the Berlin Conservatory of Music (online, distance learning division) located in Berlin, North Dakota. And we have a special interest in historic peace church music (Quaker -- very, very, very quiet with few lyrics, for example).

The Amish are, of course, are loosely affiliated with the historic peace churches. And so we began looking into their music -- especially the music of the youth. What we found astounded us. That is that the Amish have had an amazing influence on American Rock and Roll.

Most of us know the Amish as a rather closed (to put it mildly) sect of pious buggy-driving believers and eschew electricity. They live in a strict society, under tight control of their family and close-knit community. But then there's "rumspringa." When they turn 16, Amish teenagers are allowed the freedom to explore the customs of the outside "English" world before deciding whether to join the Amish church for life or leave the community altogether.

During this period, many of their youth have formed clandestine rock and roll bands and have rocked forth with a wide range of songs. Many of these songs were discovered by "the English," given slightly different lyrical phrasing, and been recorded by rock and roll stars as diverse as "The Beach Boys," "The Doors," The Rolling Stones," and more.

While the reader may find that hard to believe, Carrie and I (prior to publishing our findings in a scholarly journal) are herewith listing some of our findings -- and inviting others to contribute songs they may have discovered in their listening.

"Amish Girls"

Well Mennonite girls are hip

I really dig those caps they wear

And der English girls with no caps at all

They knock me out with that short hair.

I wish they all could be Amish

I wish they all could be Amish

I wish they all could be Amish girls.

Music & Lyrics by Brian Yoder and Karl Bontrager

"Born to be Mild"

Get your buggy runnin'

Head out on the two lane

Lookin' for some rumspringa

And not dressin' up so plain

Born to be mild

Born to be mild

Music & Lyrics by Mars Miller

"Raise my Barn"

Come on baby, raise my barn

Come on baby, raise my barn

Try to get the haymow higher!

Music & Lyrics by Jim Graber, Robbie Yoder, John Miller, and Ray Bontrager

"Stotzfus Action"

I can't get no Stoltzfus action

I can't get no Stotlzfus action

'cause i try and i try and i try and i try

I can't get no, i can't get no

Music & Lyrics by Mick Stoltzfus and Keith Stoltzfus

Those are our samples. Please send your suggestions to us c/o this blog or our website http://www.secrethistoryofamishrockandrollsongscoveredbybignamerocstars.com/

--Brent

PS Check out the Amish Outlaws (that's where the picture came from)

The High Price of High Octane

Well, it had to happen, I suppose. I paid over $4 per gallon for gasoline whilst doing book tour stuff in Chicago last week. Thank heavens I drive a hybrid. But the high price of fuel really hit me recently when my little Jewish brother, Rabbi Aaron, and I spent an afternoon at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was a practice day for the (then) upcoming Indianapolis 500 ("The 92nd running of the greatest spectacle in racing"). Aaron and I wandered through "Gasoline Alley" -- the home of the racing teams' garages. We saw lots of drivers and cars and enjoyed the general hoop-la surrounding the event. We turned a corner to go back to the Rubicon Racing suite (yes, we were guests of somebody -- we're both too stingy to drop real money for tickets, pit passes, etc) for another round of hot dogs and sodas when I saw true evidence of the high price of fuel. There sat one of the shiny round gas tanks of the racing league and plastered firmly upon it (you have to look close) was a sticker with a picture of an Indianapolis State Police trooper and the warning " Don't Pump and Run!"

Well, that certainly explains why some of the pit stops took so long at this year's race -- Dixon, Andretti, Patrick, et al had to swipe their cards and sign the receipts!

--Brent

The Holy Ordinary

God is the God of the daily – and the daily reveals the deity. We best perceive this in times of holy hushes. Spiritual silence urges us to see God in a mustard seed and leaven and autumn leaves and smiling faces. It leads us into a new way of seeing – a way of seeing the invisible hand of God in all that we have been blessed with. Rufus Jones said, “We find Him when we enjoy beauty.” Here's a reading on that subject from Holy Silence: The Gift of Quaker Spirituality.

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Enjoy--
Brent

Purple State of Mind -- A Must See

Today I watched a film that every person (especially Christians) in America should watch -- "Purple State of Mind." The synopsis says, "Welcome to a conversation between two old friends. Welcome to a real conversation about the things that divide and unite all of us: our memories, our identities, our beliefs, our choices.

"Craig Detweiler and John Marks have known each other for twenty-five years. When they roomed together as sophomores at Davidson College, they were devout Christians. It was Craig's first year in the faith, John's last. After college, they parted ways, and when they met again, years later, they never talked about what happened... until now...

"Their conversation starts as a bull session between pals and becomes a story about how people make friends, and how they lose them; how people change, how they grow, and how they deal with the big stuff: death, sex, the meaning of life, God. The conversation between Craig and John captures in all its intimacy and difficulty a one on one reckoning between two people who want to understand each other but won't compromise their beliefs.

"At a time when the country is ever more divided over questions of faith and doubt, welcome to a new way of talking... welcome to a new territory of the heart. Welcome to a Purple State of Mind."

As we Quakers might say, "This film speaks my mind." Indeed, I know it speaks to my condition -- and I wouldn't be surprised if it spoke to yours, too.

--Brent

Also look for Craig's fine new book A Purple State of Mind: Finding Middle Ground in a Divided Culture.

Readin', Writin' and Faith

I just returned from a two-day event at the Alban Institute. titled "Secular and Sacred Story: Finding Connections that Enrich Transformation and Ministry." Participating in the event were folks such as C. Michael Curtis (fiction editor of the Atlantic Monthly), Barbara Nicolosi (founder of ActOne), Heidi Christensen (National Cathedral’s Cathedral College), and Craig Detweiler(filmmaker of "Purple State of Mind") and others. It was a time of ideas and discussion of the power of story, especially as it intersects with congregational life.

I mostly listened (something which faithful reader will find hard to believe), but was asked to lead the "Writers' Fishbowl" -- a time of dialogue about writing as a person of faith. I had (if I do say so myself) some really great questions. They were so good that we only got to two of dozen or I had prepared before time was up. Which made me think -- perhaps others who see their writing as an act of ministry might like to think about them. And share their answers. So ... here they are.

1. Leland Rykins, of Calvin College, wrote that about “Reading and writing as a means of grace” – adding once wrote that, “A means of grace, as I use the phrase, is anything in our lives by which God makes his truth and beauty known to us, and correspondingly anything in our lives by which God's presence becomes a reality to us.”
a. Is it the role of writer to make God’s truth and beauty known to the reader?

2. I heard somebody (and I wish I could remember who… but I’m old) say that Gospel is a uniquely Christian form and so gives some support to the idea of novel as distinctively Christian in origin.
i. Characterization (Mark 1:6)
ii. Scene setting (John 3:1-2)
iii. Dialogue (Matthew 19:16-22)
iv. Shows, doesn’t just tell (Luke 22:39-44)
v. Lack of wasteful adjectives (Mark 1:43) (“strong used just 4 times in all of Mark)
vi. Tension & release cycles (Luke 8:22-26)
vii. Builds towards climax
viii. Resolution (Luke 24:50-53)
ix. Also has primary, secondary & tertiary characters
b. Have you ever thought of the art you’re creating as a sort of Gospel – a telling of good news? If so, in what ways do think of it that way? Likewise, if not, why not?

3. “If I understand the Gospel, it tells us that we are to spread the Good News to all four corners of the world, not limiting the giving of light to people who have already seen the light. If my stories are incomprehensible to Jews or Muslims or Taoists, then I have failed as a Christian writer. ….” Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water
a. Do you think this sort of comprehensibility is also important for writers of other faiths such as Michael Chabon, Dara Horn, Salman Rushdie,etc?
b. Is there any such thing as a Christian screenwriter or Jewish novelist? Or are we merely writers who are informed by a particular faith tradition?
c. What is the role of the audience in creation of art?
d. Does the idea of an audience – say, congregations or adult faith groups – ever enter in to your creative process?
e. How does the audience influence your idea about where a character/scene/idea is working?

4. “Creation is surpassingly wonderful, and God is greater than anyone can possibly imagine. I write about the things I do because I can’t help it. I think flowers bloom to the glory of God. I write stories to the glory of God, to celebrate the privilege and miracle of being alive.” Mary Ward Brown, novelist.
a. So why do you write?
b. What do you wish a congregation using your creation for whatever purpose would know about you?
c. What do you wish a congregation using your creation for whatever purpose would know about the piece they’re using?

5. “At its best, art transfigures the world around us for a brief time, strives to let the radiance of truth, goodness, and beauty flash out for an instant. Art wakes us up, trains our perceptions, and reminds us that when we try to build rigid structures around presence we inevitably lose what we attempt to keep. The purpose of art is not to strand us in an alternate world, but to return us to the realm of the ordinary, only with new eyes. After the light had dimmed and the cloud had dispersed, the disciples found Jesus alone. Seeing their bewilderment, he must have had compassion on them. He must also have known that, though the disciples were temporarily blinded by the light, an image had been imprinted on their hearts that would never be erased.” Gregory Wolfe, Image, #27
a. So how do you see art, in this case story, film, etc as transfiguring the world?
b. What are ways you could see this “awakening” as Wolfe calls it, work in congregational settings?

What sayest ... um, er, writest... thou?

--Brent

And the Winner is...

Faithful reader (whoever you are) will remember that a few weeks ago I instituted a blog contest. I did it to help get the word out about my new book, Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment. I offered to answer 5-10 questions sent in by bloggers for a virtual interview. My good wife Nancy was to be the judge. The winner would win a signed copy of the book and a gourmet assortment of goodies from The Best Chocolate in Town (my favorite chocolate place!). Family of Brent Bill, employees of Brent Bill, Brent Bill's cats and dog were ineligible to participate in the contest (though Princess, the nicest, dumbest Great Pyrenees who ever lived tried to). The contest was prohibited where void. Side effects include dizziness, neuralgia, and innuendo.

Blogging their way into the contest were C. Wess Daniels at Gathering in Light, Liz Wine at Lovin' Life Liz, Shawna Roberts at Mystics, Poets, Fools, Robin Mohr at What Canst Thou Say, and Liz Op at the Good Raised Up. I hope you'll check them out -- and buy and/or read the book.

And now ... drum roll, please ... the winner -- Liz Wine of Lovin' Life Liz. I pressed Nancy for the reason and she just said, "I liked it best" and then went out to plant herbs.

So, congratulations, Liz -- a book and chocolates are on their way to you.

Thanks to all the bloggers -- and readers!

-- Brent

Do We Know Where?

I've been thinking a lot lately about compasses and GPS (hmmm, wonder why?). This morning, navigating rush hour traffic on the way to work, I was struck by another difference between the two and why a compass is the best metaphor for our quest for God and spiritual discernment (besides my hanging my whole book on that metaphor!).

The main thing, it seems to me, is that GPS implies at least beginning with a fairly specific idea of where the end destination is. It's not like hopping in a cab, like in the old movies, and telling the system, "just drive." You enter where you are (specifically) and where you'd like to end up (specifically). I can't just enter "Brent's Farm" for example -- it needs a full address. Even with newer systems that allow you find stores, eateries, and the such, you have to add specifics -- city at least and the type of store -- food, book, etc.

What would we put in for God? Is God locatable in that sense? I don't think so.

That's why the compass fits better. We may not always know where God is ... or where we are ... but the compass unfailing points the way to God, our spiritual true north. The Holy Spirit, our ever present companion on our life's pilgrimage, shows the way. Who knows what we'll find along the way -- joyful, sad, helpful, scary. It's an adventure in spirituality -- not safe, but ultimately satisfying as we learn to rely on the tool God has planted in our soul.

--Brent

Sacred Compass -- Leadings Fit Our Teachability

Christ, our Inner Teacher, knows our teachability. The Spirit works with us where we are and within our own capacities for growth.Yes, God might stretch us. We will probably feel such spiritual stretching most when we’re lead in a way that others are not. But as the Psalmist says, “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go.” You. In your way. God will not teach anyone else in your way; everyone is taught differently. Here's a reading on that subject from Sacred Compass.

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Enjoy--
Brent

A Sabbath for Silence

The last few weeks have been busier – and noisier – than usual. I’ve been (and will be) out promoting the release of Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment. That’s included leading workshops, doing interviews, recording podcasts, and doing book-signings and readings. Lots of words. All in addition to the “normal” flow of words out of my mouth as a congregational consultant, supervisor of a dozen staff members, attendee and convener of countless meetings, and my natural chatty personality. Way too many words. It’s time for some silence. So that’s what I’m going to do this morning. Take a Sabbath of silence. Shut-up. Turn the word tap off for a while. I need to re-center amid the hectic pace that goes through July. I need to quiet down and hear the voice of God – and maybe even reorient my soul a bit. Check what words I’m really going to need to say – and those which I need to lay aside.

Silence – not words – leads us aright. “I have never repented of silence,” said St. Arsenius. I know I have often mourned words that passed my lips. Often, in silence, I remember words I wish I could take back. I’ve said many things that I know, when I am silent, were not reflections of Jesus, but sprang from my need to best someone verbally or overwhelm them with my intellect. Spiritual silence reminds me that I need to be still and learn from the One who placed ego aside – even though it led to a cross. In the holy silence we come to know the living Word, as the gospel writer of John calls Jesus. This life and light of humankind still shines in the darkness. In the silence we come to the Living Word of God directly – the Word that writer of Hebrews tell us “… is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Silence takes us to a place in our souls where we stand naked in spirit before God – as guilty, then forgiven, and finally blameless. All our secrets are laid bare to God’s eyes and our own. God then gives us the power to see ourselves as we truly are. In the silence I often have to face the fact that I am not nearly so nice a guy as I usually think I am. I see when I’ve been mean spirited or apathetic. I remember the times I shot nasty looks at people who jumped in front of me at the grocery store checkout.

Silence doesn’t leave me there, though. In holy silence God begins giving me the power to live my faith. In silence I see God’s work in me being slowly realized. Any time any of us come into God’s presence we leave ready to live out the gospel with as much light as we have been given. If we take time – and not just a quick hit of silence – to be still.

-- Brent

Sacred Compass -- Seeing the Signs On the Way

Following our sacred compass is like hunting for a house down a country lane—we get the general direction, but need to learn to look for the signs. “Take heed of the promptings of Truth and Love, for those are the leadings of God,” urged the first Quaker, George Fox. Leadings is the word that Friends use to describe direction or guidance coming from the Spirit of God. Divine direction, God’s guidance, spiritual opportunity, and revelation are intimately tied into following the sacred compass. Here's a reading from chapter three of Sacred Compass.

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Enjoy--
Brent

Sacred Compass: Our Lives Speak Through Our Bodies

We don’t often think of our bodies as carriers of spiritual truth, but an essential part of learning to let our lives speak is listening to what our bodies say about the situations life presents and the directions we feel led to go. Here's a reading from chapter two of Sacred Compass.

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Enjoy--
Brent

Down on the Farm -- A Bit about our Place

I handed Nancy the Sunday paper this morning and she opened it to the "Homes" section as she always does -- and there we were. Ploughshares was this week's featured home. We had been interviewed (and photographed) a while back for a feature in our county magazine and the article made it's way to the "big city" paper as this Sunday's feature as part of their eco/Earth Day emphasis. I thought I'd link to it because folks often ask about our place (after reading about it my books or on my blog) and John Hughey (the reporter) did a nice job presenting it. And the pictures are great. I told Nancy, when I saw it, that the place looked so good I thought I'd like to move there. ;-)

At any rate, if you're interested in eco-friendly homes, wildlife restoration, and such, you might find this article to your liking.

And here's just a bit more information about our efforts. We started erecting the home on April 1, 2004. We planted the first part of the prairie (9 acres) in spring 2006, along with 4 acres of trees (all native Indiana hardwoods, nut trees, and fruit trees). We'll plant another 17 acres of prairie and native Indiana hardwoods next spring. We have all sorts of wildlife now -- rabbits, deer, raccoons (who sit on the back deck and eat our cats' food --becoming the masked bandits they look like), coyotes, wood ducks, heron, and nesting bald eagles.

Who'd a thunk a city boy like me would have ever ended up here? Or that praire grass and trees and tractors and chain saws would be such a part of my life. I guess the only one is God -- who works in mysterious ways indeed!

Sunday blessings!

-- Brent

Atonement

I've been thinking a lot about atonement lately. That probably has something to do with a book and a movie I've experienced this week. The book is Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brook. It's a novel about the plague coming to an English village in the 1660s. Not to give too much away (in case you want to enjoy it yourself), but the idea of atonement runs throughout the book and is especially strongest in one scene toward the end when one of the main characters goes on a rant about how a person can ask for and receive forgiveness, but still needs to atone for sin.

The movie was "Atonement," based on Ian McEwan's excellent novel. It's a really fine flick, filled with nuance. It's not as good as the McEwan's novel, but then that would be an impossible task, I think. Once again, as the title none to subtly suggests, atonement is the theme. The ending is wonderful though -- and completely unexpected.

So, atonement. Which one dictionary defines as "reparation for an offense or injury." As I watched the film and read the book, I kept coming up with the question, can we offer reparation for an offense or injury? I mean really? Can we ever make it right? Certainly courts try to set ideas of what reparations ought to be in civil suits and the Bible (and other scriptures) set other standards ("an eye for an eye," etc.). Still none of them really seem to work -- they never bring about what we really want most -- restoration of that which was lost, be it a relationship, a loved one, or an eye.

When I was a younger know-it-all (as opposed to being an older know-a-little-bit), atonement seemed like a pretty good idea. A person ought to make up for his or her offenses or injuries or sins. That was only right. Except I think it was only wrong. It led me to rely too much on my efforts and not enough reliance on God's grace. The fact is that I have too many offenses, injuries, and sins to atone for. And, as I age and reflect on my life, I come up with even more -- things from my past that haunt me like Hamlet's ghost.

It seems to me then that, should I ever be in the place of having been offended, injured, or sinned against, that I need to be graceful. I need to extend my grace, my forgiveness if you will, to those who have sinned against me. I need to let go of the idea of needing them to atone. And hopefully, as I live in a spirit of a contrite heart and soul and ask forgiveness, much needed, undeserved grace will be extended to me.

--Brent

Sacred Compass: The Holy Discovery

Here's a bit from the introduction of Sacred Compass.

Enjoy--
Brent

Sacred Compass Blogger Contest -- First Interviews

The blogger contest for Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment is off and running. The first three to post their interviews are C. Wess Daniels at Gathering in Light, Liz Wine at Lovin' Life Liz, and Shawna Roberts at Mystics, Poets, Fools. I hope you'll give them a visit.

Another person had interview questions but doesn't blog any longer. So I asked her if it would okay to post her questions and my answers on my blog. She said okay, First, though a little background. The interviewer is Jo Morgan of Joywise Heart-to-Heart. Jo lives in Madison, WI and she and her husband and I all went to high school together. Jo and I met in art class at Columbus, Ohio West High School -- under the tutelage of Mr. Robert McLinn. So we're long-time friends, even though Jo looks as even better as she did in high school (as does her husband Rick) and I look ... well, you know how I look. So here goes.

What drew you to this particular topic? Were there specific experiences?
The idea of knowing God’s will for my life, to use the language we used when I was growing up, has always been important to me. From high school days onward I’d buy and/or read books on spiritual discernment. Most of them, while helpful in some ways, were more of the 1-2-3 steps to God’s plan for your life. My life never quite seemed to fit into that 1-2-3 pattern – especially when it came to the challenging times of life or the times when I thought I’d followed God’s direction and seemed to end up in the wrong place. So I began questioning and learning and realized that life is a pilgrimage to God and that all of our experiences are used by God to make us the people we are – and that is good. So I wanted to share those thoughts with others – especially other “strivers” like me who want to do good, seem to often fail, and then beat ourselves up about missing some direction.

How do you personally receive or discern Divine Direction?
There are lots of ways I sense Divine Direction at work in my life. Most are in what Quakers call nudgings – a gentle nudge in the soul to do something worthy. It can be something simple – helping someone whose groceries have tumbled out of his torn grocery sack – or something large – to go work with AIDs orphans in Africa. We all get these nudgings – the important thing is learning to pay attention to them. There are other ways, too, reading wise books, listening to wise people, paying attention in love to the world around me, and much more.

Can you describe a time when the direction was almost as clear as your GPS directions?

One of the clearest times of direction was the time Nancy and I stood in the checkout line at the local grocery store, our cart well loaded. Our three sons lived at home at the time and so food disappeared quickly. Standing in front of us was a member of our Friends meeting, who also had three sons. Her cart held a few essentials. A single mother, she was between jobs and doing her best to get by. I felt a prompting inside me. By almost any standards, you are rich, the voice said. What should you do? Then I remembered Jesus’ words, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.” I looked at Nancy, she nodded, and I tapped our friend on the shoulder. “Nancy and I would like to buy your groceries, if you’ll allow us,” I said so only she could hear. A look of relief filled her eyes and she nodded yes. As we three left the grocery, she said “Thanks. I have a lead on a job and this will really help tide us over until it comes through.” That was the last thing ever said about this incident between us. That, for me, was a time when Divine direction was a clear as GPS.

What do you believe prevents us from "discerning" God's guidance more easily?

Oh, I think all sorts of things get in our way – our busy-ness, our rushing around, the buzz in our minds of thoughts coming and going and going and coming. Probably the biggest obstacle to discernment is the noise of living, especially when we fail to recognize how it is distracting us from the needs of our souls. When we take time to nurture our spirits, we find discernment much easier.

What recommendations do you give the reader for tapping in more directly to God's Positioning System?
God’s Positioning System! I love that. Well, to tap in more directly, if we’re going to think of GPS, we have to first turn it on, then we have to consult it. GPS doesn’t do any good if it’s just in the car or on our cellphone. It has to be turned on and ready to go – and we have to use it. So, ways of turning it on, I think, include taking time for nurturing the spirit – prayer, quietness, reading, music, art, walking. These things vary person to person. Then ask – “Am I hearing/sensing correctly? Is this the way to go?” And trust the answers your soul receives – especially when the answers lead toward things that bring life and love and light.

Thanks, Jo, for sending in the questions! And for those of you who are bloggers, it's not too late to do the virtual interview.

--Brent

Sacred Compass Blogger Contest

My new book, Sacred Compass: The Way of Spiritual Discernment, (published by Paraclete Press) is just now hitting bookstores. It's premise is that a compass makes a good metaphor for our spiritual lives and the work of discerning God’s will for them. God doesn’t speak as clearly and as obviously as Mapquest or GoogleMaps or GPS. Maybe that’s because we don’t navigate the life of faith via anything remotely resembling GPS. Instead, the divine compass points us the mind and love of God. Our sacred compass operates in our souls and calls us to life with God. As we move toward Divine guidance, we joyfully behold the face of a loving God gazing back at us.

To help get the word out about the message of this book (which Richard J. Foster of Celebration of Discipline calls "one of the finest books on discernment and divine guidance that I have seen in a very long time."), I'm sponsoring a contest. It's an open call to any blogger to send me 5-10 questions about Sacred Compass. I will answer each one individually -- a sort of virtual interview. The virtual interview judged best by an independent, non-biased judge (my wife Nancy who has never read a blog until now but knows good questions when she sees them) will win a signed copy of the book and a gourmet assortment of goodies from The Best Chocolate in Town (my favorite chocolate place!).

A picture of the book jacket, blurbs by others, and photos of me are available for the asking. Questions for the virtual interview will be accepted through April 19th and the virtual interview must be posted by May 1 on the blogger's blog (is that redundant?). Entries will be judged by May 11 (my birthday!) and the winner announced to great acclaim on May 12. Send interview questions (along w/ a link to your blog) to brentbil@sbcglobal.net Visit http://www.brentbill.com/ for information about me.

Let the contest begin!

-- Brent

Family of Brent Bill, employees of Brent Bill, Brent Bill's cats and dog are ineligible to participate in the contest. Prohibited where void. Side effects include dizziness, neuralgia, and innuendo.

MLK, Racism, and America Today

Today’s the anniversary of Martin Luther King , Jr’s assassination. King said, "History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.Not the number of people who support the evil versus those who oppose, but especially note the number of those who choose to remain silent.”

As John Mellencamps sings,

"Oh, but ain't that America, for you and me

Ain't that America, we're somethin' to see,

Baby,ain't that America

The home of the free

Little pink houses for you and me"

Well, maybe little pink houses for you and me... but evidently not everybody here in this land where most of us are immigrants or descendants of immigrants and we killed and kicked the only true Americans off the land.

What must Jesus think?
-- Brent

Convergent Friends -- Discussion and Dinner

Convergent Friends: Reclaiming the Power of Primitive Quakerism in a Postmodern World.

"The winds of the Spirit are blowing across all the branches of Friends - blowing us in the same direction. Linguistically, "convergent" alludes to an affinity for both Conservative Friends and the Emergent Church. Convergent Friends are seeking a deeper understanding of our Quaker heritage and a more authentic life in the kingdom of God on Earth, radically inclusive of all who seek to live this life. It is a coming together of many strands of Quakerism, including, but not limited to, Friends from the politically liberal end of the evangelical branch, the Christian end of the unprogrammed branch, and the more outgoing end of the conservative branch. Metaphorically, convergent Friends are moving closer together towards a radical understanding of the Kingdom of God embodied in our postmodern culture."

That's from a presentation by Robin Mohr (a member of San Francisco Monthly Meeting and blogger at "What Canst Thou Say?" http://robinmsf.blogspot.com/ ) and Shawna Roberts (a member of Stillwater Monthly Meeting and blogger at “Mystics, Poets and Fools” http://mysticspoetsandfools.blogspot.com/ ) . If talking about the ideas expressed in the paragraph above (and more) feels like something you're led to to do, you're invited to join us this coming Sunday afternoon at Ploughshares Farm for worship and discussion about the Convergent Friends Movement. We'll begin around 4 and have times of worship, discussion, and eating. Robin Mohr is leading the event and Nancy and I are hosting at the farm. Ploughshares is located at 6960 E. Hendricks County Rd, Mooresville, IN 46158. Googlemaps and Mapquest both accurately (surprisingly enough) portray how to get there. Just look for the "Welcome to Ploughshares Farm" sign at the end of our driveway (house numbers are few and far between -- as are the houses).

Anybody who is interested in this vital topic is welcome and encouraged to attend. RSVP at brentbil@sbcglobal.net

-- Brent