“Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps,

fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling his command! Mountains and all hills,

fruit trees and all cedars! Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds!

Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth! Young men and women alike, old and young together! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his glory is above earth and heaven.”- Psalm 148: 7-13

 

Last week, I attended the mid-career Credo conference at Ferncliff Conference Center right outside of Little Rock, Arkansas (pictured above). Credo is a weeklong conference sponsored by our denomination that helps ministers reflect, renew, and discern God’s call for us. Pastors and other staff from the denomination attend this conference from all over the country. I give thanks for a wonderful week at Credo where I had a lot of time for personal reflection and prayer. I also was able to learn and engage with a supportive group of ministers.

 

I will share a few things I learned.

 

Credo taught me to always look for God’s presence in the peacefulness of creation. I already do this, of course. But it’s great to be encouraged to look to creation again. Ferncliff is in the “mountains” of Arkansas. We would not call them mountains here, but they are called mountains there! Even though the mountains are much shorter, I learned to appreciate the beauty of where I was and listen for God. I found such peace hiking through the lush forests, so green and full of life. I noticed the tall trees and how they swayed so gracefully in the wind. I heard the birds chirp above me as they jumped from branch to branch. I listened to the stream as the water rushed by. I not only hiked around. I also sat in a swing next to the lake and read Thomas Merton’s No Man is an Island.  I recommend this book to anyone wanting to deepen their spiritual life and connect deeper with God. Merton reminded me that we don’t look and spend time in creation and see it as an end unto itself. We’re not called to worship creation. We look and spend time in creation because creation points to our creator. Creation points us to God. And creation reminds us that God is in all things, which means that God is in all people. If God created it, God is there. Creation, Thomas Merton, and being in community with other pastors helped to center me last week, as I was reminded who I am.

 

Credo also taught me the importance of presence. It’s so important to pause, be present, and give thanks for the blessings of each day because this changes how we think about our lives and how we look at the world. Slowing down last week not only centered me but helped me to focus on each day as a blessing. It also gave me a chance to focus on God’s presence in my life and in all things, including our church. Throughout the week in conversations with other pastors, I was reminded that I am so blessed to be the pastor at Church of the Hills. I give thanks for our congregation and all the good work we do to share God’s love. 

 

Lastly, Credo taught me that God’s love is meant to be shared. This is another thing I knew, but it’s good to have that reminder. There’s a reason I don’t go to retreats like this and stay there. There’s a reason I don’t wander into creation and never come back. God’s love that is within us all is not meant to be kept to ourselves. It’s not for us alone. We are connected to each other by God’s love in Jesus Christ. And we’re called to be this love and share this love in all we do. I keep turning back to a Thomas Merton quote I read last week in No Man is an Island. He said, “accept life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others.”*

 

I look forward to sharing more in the coming weeks as I gather my thoughts. I’m thankful for the time I had at Credo, but it’s good to be back. I look forward to seeing you Sunday.

 

May the love of God be with you,



Pastor Richard

 

*Merton, Thomas. No Man is an Island. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 1955.