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Tidings of Comfort and Joy L


By Paulette Glauser, parishioner at St. Mark’s, City Heights


ately it seems our world is filled with difficulties and challenges. Economic


conditions have created a world that many of us don’t recognize any more. All the things we believed to be true about our lives and our community have changed. It can be frightening and challenging, and hardly anyone has been left untouched. So it seems to me what we need now is a good measure of comfort, and a lot of joy.


When we think about giving, we consider how to make our gifts and how the money will be used. One common concern is whether or not our gift will make a difference. Is it enough to matter? I have often heard someone say that they don’t make much effort because it will not change anything, when nothing could be further from the truth. Every small gift counts; every gift of time, money and talent will make a difference to someone, somewhere. An example of this kind of giving comes to us from Mother Theresa, who spent her life feeding the most indigent of Calcutta. She was asked how she could keep going out into the streets, day after day knowing that she would never change the poverty she battled. She responded that God expects us to do what we can do right now; it is just that simple. Certainly Mother Theresa provided comfort and joy to the poorest residents of Calcutta, but she also lived in a state of her own joy and grace while providing for others. The act of giving itself was enough for her; it should be enough for us.


I have heard it said that giving is a basic human need. I think that is accurate, as the joy we receive from our gifts to others changes us and connects us to the world. In the Bible, Jesus tells us that it is our father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and in turn it is our good pleasure to spread our own gifts into his


TEN WAYS Continued from page 5


yourself a normal pleasure for a stated time opens a space in the mind for other things. It can also reveal what controls you.


• Read something different. The Bible and other spiritual literature are obvious good choices, but how you read is as important as what you read. Read quietly and slowly; never mind when or whether you will complete the book. Stop when a sentence or phrase strikes you and spend some time with it. Let it percolate through your mind. Poetry and works of fiction can also be good sabbath reading, but obviously not all poetry and not all works of fiction.


• Exercise. Many modern people sit at desks or behind a wheel all day, then in front of a television or computer in the evening. The body was not meant to be treated like that, and the soul suffers as well when the body is abused. Exercise can clear both body and soul of refuse and clutter. Your regimen need not be strict, but it should be regular. In addition to walking to and from work five times a week (a round trip of five miles), I lift weights and do stretching exercises for about twenty minutes each evening. And I sleep so much


better than I did before I exercised every day!


• Keep a journal. This won’t be for everyone; some people hate writing. But jotting down your thoughts (daily for some people) can bring balance into your life and clarity to your sense of self and where God is nudging you. A journal is not for publication and is rarely shared with anyone else. Scripture verses, hymn texts, items in the news, comments made by friends and family—all these can be springboards for insights gained in journaling.


• Reclaim Sunday. Sunday is no longer a day of rest for many people. Nowadays, school activities, shopping, social events, church, and (for more and more people) work compete for time on Sunday, much like the other six days of the week. Block out a time—if not Sunday, then some other day or part of a day—for rest and recreation (re-creation). And stick to it; don’t compromise it.


• Say no. One reason so many people are stressed out is that they always do what other people want them to do—boss, spouse, children, parents, colleagues, friends, rector—so that no time is left for self. Some


people, it is true, need to say yes more often, but many need to say no more often. Your saying no will not cause the earth to stop rotating on its axis.


• Be quiet. This is perhaps hardest of all for many people. Not only do our televisions and radios fill the air with noise from morning to night, but our internal voices, that jumble of frivolous thoughts, cares, feelings, goals, fantasies, virtues, rivalries, and ambitions, echo through our souls as well, even while we sleep. These voices most of all need to be stilled. There is outer silence and inner silence. The former encourages the latter but does not guarantee it. Many of the suggestions above can help create silence, and there are several specific ways of praying that open the soul to silence.


Are you stressed? Is your life out of balance? Perhaps today is the day to begin to change that. X


Reprinted from Forward Movement with permission. Pamphlets of this article available by phone: 800-543-1813 or forwardmovement.org.


kingdom in continuing cycles of beauty and grace.


In this holiday season I urge you to consider the gifts you give in new ways. Think of the requests you receive as opportunities, as ways to contribute and connect to our church, our diocese, our ministries and our community. And more than that, I hope you allow yourself to feel the pure joy of giving and the comfort that comes from knowing that all gifts of all sizes make a difference, especially yours. X


Ways to Give E


xplore a variety of ways to give, and make a valuable difference to


a child or a family in need through the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego.


Donate Online You can make a donation on our secure, convenient web site. Simply visit edsd. org and click “Give Now,” to make a difference in the lives of others this Christmas season.


Mail a Check Your check made out to: “EDSD,” should be mailed to: EDSD, 2728 Sixth Avenue, San Diego, CA 92103. Attn: Development.


Give Stock Contact Canon Howard F. Smith for details: canonsmith@edsd.org, 619-481- 5451.


Donate your Vehicle Donate your car or truck. Call 877-820- 4483 or visit: edsd.org/VehicleDonation.


Thank you for your generosity, which transforms lives throughout our diocese. Together we can make a difference. X


2011 Diocesan Convention


February 11-12, 2011 W


hat is God up to? In our lives,


in our congregations, in our diocese, in the world around us?


Our faith assures us that God is up to something. Come to our 2011 Diocesan Convention at First United Methodist Church in Mission Valley and consider these questions and their implications. Together we will explore how we are we invited to participate as individuals, and as a community of faith, in God’s ever-unfolding mission.


Convention will begin on Friday, February 11 with our first learning opportunities at 9:30 a.m. Exhibits will open at 9:00 a.m.


As in recent years, the focus will be working through the business Diocesan Convention is canonically required to do, including approving a diocesan budget, dealing with legislation and electing deputies to General Convention.


Our Friday night gala dinner will feature a session with noted historian, author, teacher and speaker, Diana Butler Bass, a slideshow of photos from around the diocese and the presentation of our Servant Ministry Awards. New last year, these awards recognize one individual in each congregation for his or her outstanding service.


All are welcome to take part in the collective worship featuring a diocesan-wide choir, listening to our keynote speaker and participating in our learning opportunities. Gallery seating for visitors is available during the business session. Please visit the diocesan web site: edsd.org/Convention. X


Convention keynote speaker Diana Butler Bass.


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