Are you busier than you need to be during the holiday season? Advent is a time of preparation; a time for finding silent places in your day for reflection and contemplation; a time to allow quiet joy to well up from within as one re-connects with the “reason for the season.” We’ll be exploring some of this on Sunday with our focus on John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, in Luke 1.
We’ll also be making available hard copies of a brilliant essay by author David Duncan (who’s coming to Countryside in in April!) called “Strategic Withdrawal,” which he gave us permission to distribute to members and friends of Countryside. I believe I would be breaking the spirit of Mr. Duncan’s generous permission to publish it for the world on this blog, but if you’re not in the Omaha area (and even if you are), I’d heartily recommend purchasing the book it’s found in: My Story as Told by Water: Confessions, Druidic Rants, Reflections, Bird-Watchings, Fish-Stalkings, Visions, Songs and Prayers Refracting Light, from Living Rivers, in the Age of the Industrial Dark (Sierra Club Books, 2002) at your local bookstore or online. It’s a perfect remedy for over-the-top seasonal busyness!
David James Duncan’s essay “Strategic Withdrawal” is an amazing piece to read during this busy season, as Dr. Elnes wisely suggests.
I find myself thinking about it many times a day…these are “mini-spiritual retreats,” readily available…and so nourishing. I look forward to Duncan’s visit to Countryside in April!