Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#99CC99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="1552c963.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="mailto:wmeades@gmail.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:wmeades@gmail.com"><U><IMG SRC="6799c150.png" border=0 width="156" height="21" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://practicalspirituality.wordpress.c"><U>Practical Spirituality Blog</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="counseling.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pastoral Counseling"><U>Making an Appointment</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="printableform.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forms"><U>Information Form</U></A> </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="map.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Directions to Office"><U>Map to My Office</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="speaking.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Speaking and Teaching"><U>Speaking and Teaching</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="enneagram.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Enneagram"><U>The Enneagram</U></A> <A HREF="enneagram.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Enneagram"><U> </U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="http://www.wfmhc.org/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.wfmhc.org/"><U>Waco Foundation for Mental Health Care</U></A></div> <div> <B>____________________</B></div> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Spirituality"><U>Home</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="aboutme.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Me and My Work"><U>About Me and My Work</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="personalspiritualdevelopment.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal and Spiritual Development"><U>Personal and Spiritual Development</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="helpfularticles.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Helpful Articles"><U>Helpful Articles</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="booksummaries.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Book Summaries"><U>Book Summaries</U></A></div> <div> <A 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BORDER="4" CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="10" WIDTH="753" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#660033" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 331 WIDTH="151"><bR> <div> <A HREF="#announcements" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>Announcements</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#two_favorite_quotes" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>Two Favorite Quotes</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#a_book_that_has_shaped_me_" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>A Book that has shaped me</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#the_eades_essay" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>The Eades Essay</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#a_website_to_explore" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>A Website to Explore</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#recipe_for_chocolate" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U><B>Recipe with Chocolate</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                                                     </B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="25f2c3c0.png" border=0 width="300" height="316" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div>     </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Volume One</div> <div> Number One</div> <bR> <bR> <div> November 1, 2004</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 727 ><NOBR><div> <B> <A NAME="announcements"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A></B><B>Announcements</B></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="530"><div> Two years ago I began teaching a workshop around the country called "Helping People Use Their Religious Beliefs to Heal."   I asked for email addresses with the promise that I would be launching a newsletter... at some point... maybe.</div> <bR> <div> Several weeks ago I finally had to admit to myself that I would never be disciplined enough to gather all my ideas for a book unless I had deadlines.  My need for those deadlines, along with my vague promises to many people that I would offer more on the subject of the psychology of religion, has led to this semi-historic (histrionic?) moment.</div> <bR> <div> The core of the newsletter will be essays that I've been writing over the past few years.  My desire is to reach the following 3 audiences:</div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">regular folks</B></I> who find that their faith and religon have been pushed to the side because spiritual things don't seem very relevant to their lives.</div> <div> <I><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">therapists</B></I> who've never had much formal training in how faith and religion can shape a person, and how to respond to religious dilemmas.</div> <div> <I><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">ministers</B></I> who struggle to find fresh ways to communicate ancient and wise perspectives on how to live a life that matters.</div> <bR> <div> You can do two things for me that will help with this project:</div> <bR> <div> <I><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Forward the link for the newsletter to folks whom you think might benefit. </B></I>(Especially if you know someone in Austrailia... I think it would be really cool to have a subscriber from Australia...)</div> <div> <I><B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Wing0a73007700dc00000000.png" HEIGHT="15" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Send me feedback about what parts of this newsletter work for you, and which parts don't.</B></I>  This could be an insane request.... The current subscriber list has about 1000 people on it, and I suppose I could end up with far more feedback than I'll ever be able to work through.  Just please don't be offended if you send me a note and I don't respond...</div> <div> So, let's see where we can go with this.</div> <bR> <div> Peace,</div> <div> <IMG SRC="2b33f500.png" border=0 width="63" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >  </FONT></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 105 WIDTH="151"><div>  <A NAME="two_favorite_quotes"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Two Favorite Quotes</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="530"><div> <B>We often want one thing and pray for another, not telling the truth even to the gods.   </B>  </div> <div>                                                         -Seneca </div> <bR> <div> <B>Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.</B></div> <div>                                                          -George Carlin</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 159 WIDTH="151"><div>  <A NAME="a_book_that_has_shaped_me_"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>A Book that has shaped me</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2><NOBR><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="5" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="541" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 124 ><NOBR><div>  <iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=practicalspir-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0385483481&fc1=000000&lc1=0000ff&lt1=_blank&IS2=1&bg1=ffffff&f=ifr" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0"></iframe>  </div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="338"><div> <U>The Inner Voice of Love</U> by Henri Nouwen has been a source of great support and reflection for me personally, as well as for many of my clients.  This book describes his journey through a particularly dark period of his life.  Often my clients have quoted lines from this book to help me understand their own thoughts and feelings.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 934 WIDTH="151"><div>  <A NAME="the_eades_essay"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>The Eades Essay</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> <bR> <div> These essays are a compilation of ideas that I've been promising myself to get into book form for years now.  Each edition of the newsletter will feature a single, brief chapter.  The working title for this expedition is</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B> </B></I><I><B>When Faith </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Doesn't Work: </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>Practical Reflections </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>for the Journey.</B></I><I><B>  </B></I></div> <div> (c) Eades, 2004</div> <bR> <div> As new editions of the newsletter are published, archives will be available at <A HREF="id332_newsletter_archives.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Practical Spirituality Newsletter"><U><B>Newsletter Archives</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> You are welcome to copy and distribute if you properly reference this site as the source.</div> <bR> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="530"><div> Introduction to <U>When Faith Doesn't Work: Practical Reflections for the Journey</U></div> <bR> <div>  <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >     A few years ago I landed in a ditch that was far deeper and darker than any ditch I had encountered before.  It is true that I was forced off the road by circumstances over which I had little control.  It is also true that I should have seen the traffic coming.  I suppose I’m fortunate that I made it to mid-life before I ran into a situation I couldn’t bend by sheer force of will, but, when the depression and anxiety hits like a truck, it is hard to be objective about such things.  The result was that I was out of a job.  I was angry, and ashamed, and scared.  My family needed for me to be resilient, and determined, and brave.  I wasn’t.</FONT></div> <bR> <div>      Interestingly, at least to me, was the delayed onset of the worst of my crisis.  For a few months I just hunkered down and took care of the business at hand.  I thought I was doing fairly well.  However, within twenty-four hours of accepting a new position, I began to slide deeper into that ditch.  The depression took hold.  The anxiety emerged.  I could barely get on with my most basic responsibilities.  I’d had many clients in a similar place.  I’d read reams about such things, so I thought I understood what depression and anxiety were like.  I didn’t.</div> <bR> <div>      I still recall quite clearly one of the worst nights.  I’d taken the sleeping meds – maximum dose allowed – but was still lying wide awake in the dark.  As waves of anxiety swept over me I began to pray.  I couldn’t seem to form any sort of conversational prayer, so I began to recall the prayers I’d learned along the way.  I prayed the simple prayers of the mystics.  I prayed the Lord’s Prayer.  I began to offer snippets of childhood prayers recalled from Sunday School.  By the time I got to “Now I lay me down to sleep...” I came to a rather startling conclusion: My faith doesn’t work.</div> <bR> <div>      As I look back on that night, it seems as though everything I had been taught that faith was supposed to do had come to nothing.  God was not there – at least not in the ways I thought God was supposed to be there.</div> <bR> <div>      As is often the case with such hard insights, the anxiety was actually the dark  wrappings of a gift.  As medication, therapy and spiritual direction began to help me regain traction, my curiosity about faith became more pressing.  I knew that I didn’t want to go through this sort of crisis again, and I figured that some kind of deeper or more mature understanding of faith might innoculate me against such a recurrence. (see note below)  I’m sure I haven’t found anything approaching a vaccine, but I have found it helpful to rummage around in the basement of my beliefs about religion, spirituality, and faith. </div> <bR> <div>      These essays are a part of that rummaging.  It is my hope that these reflections will be of some interest and help as you go through the boxes in your basement. </div> <div>      </div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Next edition</B></I></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>What Faith is NOT: Part 1</B></div> <div> The Misperception of Faith as Believing Information</div> <bR> <div> -----------------------------------------</div> <div> note: I actually had a bit of a relapse a little while back during some stressful changes I was working through.  Thanks to what I learned the first time around, this episode was short-lived.</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 89 WIDTH="151"><div>  <A NAME="a_website_to_explore"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>A Website to Explore</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="530"><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="188" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/items/home/item_216.html" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.spiritualityhealth.com/newsh/"><U><B>Spirituality and Health</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <IMG SRC="267f8370.gif" border=0 width="248" height="55" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033 HEIGHT= 517 WIDTH="151"><div>  <A NAME="recipe_for_chocolate"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Arial" ><B>Recipe with Chocolate</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <I><B>because Chocolate IS a spiritual experience</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="#___" TITLE="Volume 1, Number 1, November 1, 2004"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP COLSPAN=2 WIDTH="530"><div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="496" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 52 WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="52" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#660033><NOBR><div> <B>Each edition of this newsletter will feature a </B></div> <div> <B>recipe that includes Chocolate.   </B></div> <div> <I><B>Please send me your favorite chocolate oriented recipe.</B></I></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="40"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="52" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="40" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> When I was a kid, my mom found this recipe on the side panel of the Rice Krispies box. My wife, a great cook herself, has continued the tradition in our family.   The only thing that comes close to the soothing effect of this wonderful concoction is valium.  </div> <bR> <div> Chocolate Scotcheroos</div> <bR> <div> Ingredients:</div> <bR> <div> 1 cup sugar</div> <div> 1 cup light corn syrup</div> <div> 1 cup peanut butter</div> <div> 6 cups Rice Krispies</div> <bR> <div> 1 cup chocolate chips</div> <div> 1 cup butterscotch chips</div> <bR> <div> Instructions:</div> <bR> <div> 1. Combine sugar and syrup in 3-quart pan. Cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add Rice Krispies; stir until well blended. Press mixture into buttered 13x9 inch pan.</div> <bR> <div> 2. Melt all chips together over hot but not boiling water, stirring until well blended. Remove from heat; spread evenly over Rice Krispies mixture. Cool until firm.</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>