Mtr Taylor Devine

Dear Friend,

My husband and I have been talking about what kinds of things lead to our lived experience of God, what helps us stay grounded, what stuck from our childhood examples of faith, and why. We keep coming back to gratitude and humility, the two things that help us to turn our attention to God in our morning and evening prayers, and keep us from being the center of a big, complicated world (most of the time). It’s not like we’re sitting down having devotional time with each other—though I know that works for some! The reality of our spiritual conversations are 2-4 seconds before our daughter wants to join in, or the phone rings, or the dog needs to be let out.

Our best times for talking are on walks or hikes, which seems to have been the same for Jesus and his disciples. “They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them; they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid.” James and John, two brothers, are close enough to ask a favor—can we sit with you when you come into your kingdom? These brothers are rather brave, they would have to be to follow Jesus so closely—but they also seem to be caught up in the rewards we understand in this life—a seat close to the action! Jesus sets everyone back on course while they continue on their walk:

“You know that those who are supposed to rule the gentile peoples dominate them, and that their great men wield power over them. But it is not so among you; rather, whoever among you wishes to be great will be your servant,..for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve and to give his soul as the price of liberation for many.”*

When you hope to grow your soul** in humility and gratitude, if you (like Charlie and me and the disciples) need to do so, what practices can help? Walking or movement prayer, cultivating a friendship for the journey, acts of service and generosity: the simple and grand tasks of being a Christian seem to be the ones that grow a soul, that make a life that points toward Jesus. May we walk in ways of love and service, and experience grace when we stumble.

In Christ,

—Taylor

You can find the Daily Office reading from the Gospel of Mark using this link.

*David Bentley Hart’s translation of the New Testament, 2017, p. 87.

**A phrase credited to Grace Lee Boggs.