Is Silence a Friend?

I recently made a trip to attend a Christian retreat for men in Brownwood, TX.  Men attended from both the states of Texas and New Mexico.  The drive is about 170 miles each way.  When I left the house to begin my drive I turned on the radio to listen to music or sports talk.  The stations did all right until a reached a certain mileage from the metroplex.  Once the stations were no longer clear I began to search for new local stations.  I remember at one time that when I pressed the "seek" button on the radio it never stopped.  No stations were available.  I simply turned off the radio.

It was interesting to note how my mind focus shifted from listening to music or words to that of what scenery was in front of me or paying closer attention to the thoughts in my mind.  I needed to be open to the silence on the road.  When all other sounds are quieted I am always amazed at the increased noise of thoughts inside my own head.


We sing a hymn at our church entitled, "Come and Find the Quiet Center."  It is a hymn about prayer.  There is one line in the song that simply states, "Silence is a friend that claims us."  Is silence a friend?  Silence is a balance of making room for God and paying attending to the noise of our soul.  Growth can come when we allow silence to enter regularly in our life.  It is important to reflect, pray, discern in the silence.  Silence and wrestling with the thoughts that consume our minds is not necessarily easy, but can be fruitful to our growth and connection to God and others.  Silence enables us to step out of the pace of daily life that often time seems faster than we can keep up with each day.

Scripture says it powerfully and concise, "Be still and know that I am God."  I am thankful for the silent spaces of our communal worship.  I am thankful for the silent moments I create for myself each week.  In a world filled with noise and activity, our soul truly needs the friendship of silence from time to time.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Chris Wilson

Uncovering What Already Existed

I have recently returned to the church from the gift of a sabbatical.  A family began visiting the church during the time I was away.  Upon my return I went over with staff the new faces that are now a part of the church life.  I was able to have a nice face-to-face conversation with a woman who has been attending for a short while.  I shared I was grateful to meet her and had heard she was already becoming involved in the various ministries of the church.  Her response to me was, "I have been a part of the Disciples of Christ church my whole life, I just did not know it until I came here."

Life is much like this woman's response.  We sometimes do not know the right fit until it is experienced.  The church has been expressed in so many ways since the church began following Jesus' time on earth.  There are so many denominations and ways of proclaiming the Christian faith.  We can walk into a lot of churches and enjoy them or not feel comfortable in them.  When we find the right place for ourselves we seem to know it pretty quickly.  We seem to instinctively know when we have found our Christian home: relationships click, worship feeds you, ministry opportunities excite you, and your soul feels joy.

The other part of the equation of uncovering part of ourselves is being open to new things.  Discovering our potential with experiences that feel like home only come with a spirit of exploration and openness.  Home can be something comfortable and known, yet home can be something yet to be encountered.  A willing spirit on our behalf helps strengthen our identity as well as our connection to the Holy. 

I give thanks for those moments when I uncover an experience or encounter that evidently was already part of my being but it just had not been ignited before.

Thanks be to God for those moments of celebration and growth.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson

Defining the Thin Places of Our Lives

This blog, "Glimpses of the Holy", will be about me sharing moments, experiences, observations, and reflections in which the presence of God is sensed in profound and common ways.  Marcus Borg calls moments in which the divine and human touch as "thin places."  I hope to capture and share a variety of ways in which we can see God in the many "thin" encounters of our lives.

I believe that God's presence is much closer than we might often think or consider.  God, many times, is right under our nose and we fail to see or sense it.  It can be seen in the majesty of a sunset, the smile of child, or in the observation of a simple act of kindness one person shows to another.

God is all around us.
God is all around.
God is all.
God is...

May we all have eyes, ears, heart, and mind to gain a greater sense of God's presence in our life.

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson