From Ward

I’ve been thinking about our spiritual work particularly since our January retreat. There seems to be a kind of shift going on amongst us. A movement into the depths is the way it feels. I know it means letting go of pet beliefs and even "orthodox" ones sometimes. This is often expressed, however, by uneasiness or discontent. This reminds me of what Jesus said about us becoming “as little children” in order to enter into the Kingdom of God. I suspect this is also what Meister Eckhart means when he emphatically teaches that IF we are to come to an experiential knowledge of God, then we also have to come to a place of “unknowing.” How does one do this? How do we go back when we’ve come so far? How do we become “little” again? How do we “unlearn” when we’ve spent so much of our lives seeking intellectually, believing rationally, and holding tightly to our so called “truths”? It feels to me that this is what is being experienced by many of us. We just don’t know things the way we once did. We are no longer clinging so tightly to our belief systems and entrenched positions. There’s a loosening of sorts; a release from the moorings of security. We’re launching out into deeper, unknown waters. And we’re also feeling the cost of that . . . “coming to an unknowing” place.

Dear friends, I write to draw your attention to a Speaking of Faith program on Abraham Joshua Heschel that was re-broadcast today (Sun., Dec. 6). I heard it for the first time and found it both provocative and helpful. You can listen online at http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/2009/heschel/. Blessings to you,

Jean

More on David

Please hold David and Emily in your hearts -- he sent us the following message a few weeks ago.
Since that time they have moved and are settling into their new life. He will probably begin treatments in a few weeks. David said I could post this. His e-mail is tycoedd@yahoo.com.

As most of you know already, last month I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After a biopsy, CT scan, and bone scan I met with my urologist, a really fine specialist at Cayuga Medical Center, yesterday. The diagnosis is that I have a pervasive and aggressive presence of cancer that is limited to the prostate gland. On a scale of 0-10 the level of cancer in my prostate is 8. The CT scan and bone scan did not reveal the presence of cancer anywhere else in my body or skeletal structure. So that is good news.

My urologist said my options for treatment, based on this diagnosis, are: (1) removal of the entire prostate by surgery (with the possibility of radiation treatment following the surgery) or (2) a combination of radiation and hormone treatment. He recommends a second opinion, both from another pathologist and urologist.

Needless to say, this is not what Emily and I wanted to hear as we prepare for our move to Weaverville, NC (near Asheville in western NC) on November 14th. However, I have found a highly recommended urologist in Asheville and all my records and data from the tests are being forwarded to him. I will see him for his evaluation on November 23rd. Based on his recommendations and my Ithaca urologist’s opinion, Emily and I will discern the best treatment to pursue. Delaying the treatment until the second opinion in NC does not appear to be a danger. In the meantime we are learning as much as we can about the various treatment options and possible side-effects. Both options are common treatments with high levels of curative results. I have talked with people who have friends or spouses who have had successful treatment for this type of prostate cancer. So the outlook is good, even though there will be discomfort along the way. I have no pain, so that is not an issue for the present. I’m packing, hiking, writing, and enjoying life with Emily, as always. In the midst of all this I got a bad case of the flu, but that is past and my energy is returning. I am so grateful for Emily’s presence in my life!!

We will keep you posted as we continue on this new adventure. We are busy packing and looking forward to our new home and friends in NC. Not all of this will be easy, but I am blessed with Emily’s support and love, along with your companionship in prayer, energy, and thoughts. Even within its limitations, life is great and I feel blessed.

Christian Contemplative Prayer

Matthew records Jesus’ primary teaching on prayer as “Enter into a private place to pray, shut the door, and then commune there with your Father privately, and your Father, the Hidden One, who observes you secretly will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

This is the essence of Christian contemplative prayer, the prayer of the heart. And it is to this vision of prayer that the House of Prayer is committed. There is no other reason for us to exist, than to teach this one crucial path – the Way to God found in the inner recesses of each human breast. It is this discovery, that God, rather than being found apart from us, is waiting in our own inner recesses, where communion with God restores each human being to right relationships, not only with God but with all Creation, with whom we are all connected in a hidden unity. The Gospel of Philip makes this passage even clearer: “’My Father dwells in secret, so go into the hidden chamber and shut the door and commune there with the One who is in this hidden place within you.’ The Father is there in your innermost being, and there is no other place transcendent to this, which is the Fullness beyond all ‘place’.”