April Fools' Day

I thought today would be a good day to return to the blogger universe, it being the first of April.
5 weeks ago my wife gave birth to our third son, a svelt 6 pounder named Elijah Peter. He is a serious chap with a set of vocal chords that Sarah Brightman would covet. Unfortunately, instead of Pucchini or Wagner at the Met, he belts out shrill, glass-shattering, ear-piercing screams. He does not discriminate between day or night. And he also has some serious gas. I've never heard a baby with so much gas. He sounds like four beers and a plate of baked beans and a chili dog after the seventh inning stretch---nasty.
We hope that within the next month he begins to act more like a human being than some small beast in the wild. He tends to cling to his parents much like Koala bears or orangutans do, especially at night to sleep. So I "sleep", and I use that term loosely, on the la-z-boy recliner couch in the family room with Elijah snuggled on my chest/stomach listening to my heart and lungs for comfort. Someday he will not want me around at 1:00 am. Someday he will not need to be held by his dad. So in the meantime, I intend to enjoy what I can of this. I'm no fan of sleep deprivation. I see why it is used for torture or interrogation (as our current government calls it). Sleep loss is akin to over- exercising, under-eating, and excessive drinking. The affects play havoc with your ability to think and feel reasonably. Last night I got into my own bed at 4:00 am and practically wept because of exhaustion. Ah, the memories we're making...

This weekend I am the chaplain/workshop presenter at a spiritual retreat called "Gathering in the East" for youth workers. I am supposed to provide spiritual worship, prayer, a workshop on the via contemplativa, and a workshop on a narrative approach to the use of Scripture. Admittedly, I'm feeling a bit behin the eight ball. Five weeks ago, I sort of got off a moving train, got on another moving train, and am now trying to somehow get back on the other track, while still in motion. I need a Sabbath. Unfortunately my wife won't have one now. She needs rest too. I have some guilt about the event, but it was planned before we were pregnant. And it is good for me to offer my gifts there too.
In planning I picked up Tony Jones' new book "The Sacred Way", in which he explores the history, theology, and practice of Christian spirituality in its various forms. Its a good read. Simple, not exhaustive, and interesting. He tells about his journey into these disciplines and uses the words of the desert fathers to guide his pilgrim path. I can appreciate his quest. I think it is a Christian disciples' journey into the mind of Christ and the very heart of God. Silence, devotional reading of Scripture, prayer, interior reflection, fasting, and giving/serving have been key pieces of the monastic life for centuries. Today, our culture cries out for monastics to lead us into the depth of divine truth, into spiritual union with Jesus. I was always a fan of the medieval mystics.
So I am preparing to lead, to listen, to make space for the holiness of God to dwell among us. I have to remember that much of what is needed is for me to get out of the way and encounter God in the midst.