BSA Troop 514 Scouts enjoyed a sunny, chilly day marching in the parade in La Grande. After the parade they went over to the local Safeway and collected food for agencies that help those in need.
Troop 514 Veterans’ Day
The King of Glory
“Drink deeply of life: the love, hope, sorrow, and pain of it all. Ponder the miracle of your being and the web of all living things. Your passion, your gifts, your dreams, and your love are not to be squandered. The King of Glory is knocking on your door. Open your heart; it is time to invite Him in.”
Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty;
the Lord, invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
10 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
he is the King of glory.
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
8 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty;
the Lord, invincible in battle.
9 Open up, ancient gates!
Open up, ancient doors,
and let the King of glory enter.
10 Who is the King of glory?
The Lord of Heaven’s Armies—
he is the King of glory.
Psalm 24:7-10
Being exceptional in the ordinary
“It is ingrained in us that we have to do exceptional things for God—but we do not. We have to be exceptional in the ordinary things of life, ad holy on the ordinary streets, among ordinary people—and this is not learned in five minutes.” Oswald Chambers
Morgan Lake fall
Morgan Lake, in the hills above La Grande OR, is a wonderful place anytime of year. Fall colors are always jubilant. Meg and I were fortunate to be walking there with our dogs just as these paddle boarders were within the golden cottonwood reflections on Morgan Lake.
Prayer echoes on forever
“There is no end to prayer. It echoes on forever in your soul. Long after the visible demonstration has been made and forgotten, the prayer that produced it continues to work for your spiritual advancement. The creative power of a ‘God thought’ is unlimited and eternal.” Emmett Fox
A prayer for unity
“Love unites all, whether created or uncreated. The heart of God, the heart of all creation, and our own hearts become one in love. That’s what all the great mystics have been trying to tell us through the ages. Benedict, Francis, Hildegard of Bingen, Hadewijch of Brabant, Meister Eckhart, Teresa of Avila, John of the Cross, Dag Hammarskjöld, Thomas Merton, and many others, all in their own ways and their own languages, have witnessed to the unifying power of the divine love. All of them, however, spoke with a knowledge that came to them not through intellectual arguments but through contemplative prayer. The Spirit of Jesus allowed them to see the heart of God, the heart of the universe, and their own hearts as one. It is in the heart of God that we can come to the full realization of the unity of all that is, created and uncreated.” Henri Nouwen
Boy Scout Troop 514 rock climbing
Troop 514 recently took its annual September backpacking, camping, rock climbing weekend. Eleven Scouts enjoyed their time camping at Hoffer Lake above Anthony Lake and then rock climbing higher up. We have been doing this event since the early eighties.
We set up our tents in the rain. When the clouds cleared in the evening, we enjoyed a spectacular sunset that reflected in Hoffer Lake.
Prayer never ends
“Prayer is the sum of our relationship with God. We are what we pray. The degree of our faith is the degree of our prayer. The strength of our hope is the strength of our prayer. The warmth our charity is the warmth of our prayer. No more nor less. Our prayer has had a beginning because we have had a beginning. But it will have no end. It will accompany us into eternity and will be completed in our contemplation of God, when we are joined in the harmony of heaven and are filled with the flood of God’s delights. The story of our earthly-heavenly life is the story of our prayer.” Carlo Carretto.
Taking time for God
“Practice an extended period of private prayer, reflection, and meditation, pondering, percolating—whatever you want to call it. But do something everyday on a regular basis to engage in a conscious dialogue with your inner self and God. If every waking moment is filled with input and stimulation, your soul’s voice is being drowned out. You’ll eventually b begin to experience spiritual numbness, a blasé feeling…
Not making time to pay attention to your soul each day is like driving around with God in the back seat of the car, but with the music turned up so loud you can’t hear a word He is saying.” Joe Paprocki
God is Love
Beloved, God is love. 1 John 4:7
“Notice that John doesn’t just say God shows love. He says God is love.This is a huge distinction. The love of God is God. That means it’s not sentimental. It is incredibly powerful. It is ruthlessly determined. It’s determined to give itself away at any cost. And one problem we will have with the God who really is, is that He will invite us to do the same, whether we accomplish it is this lifetime, or in eternity with Him” Fr. Thomas Keating
