Lisa Zahn

During the twice daily 20-minute "Quiet Sit" at ARC retreat center something always comes to me and I use it as my meditation mantra. This weekend it was the doxology suddenly popping into my head: Be present at our table, Lord. Be here and everywhere adored. These mercies bless and grant that we May strengthened for Thy service be. And then arose a conflict in my head between the Norwegian ending versus the Swedish: May feast in Paradise with Thee. While breathing in love, breathing out love, remaining calm, I decided that both endings are good. As long as one doesn't think Paradise is only the place you go after you die. We are here for both service and abundance. My fallback meditation focus to "breathe in love, breathe out love" was particularly fitting for the space and the people this time. The group of 18 retreatants from a St. Paul church had a scare Saturday evening when a woman from the group went missing. She went for a walk around...

As today is the last day of 2012, I'm looking back on the year with more than my usual reflection.  I'm actually a bit sad to see this year go.  It's been a year of tremendous growth for me, of following some dreams, and of beginning to heal some things that have long been locked up inside me for too long. Early this year I wrote that the word "Compassion" would be my word for the year.  It was a word that kept coming up in my mind as we began 2012, and indeed as I reflect it has been a most fitting word for this year. I began the year feeling compassion for my hard-working husband George and my teen-aged children, which I wrote about here . We have all felt much compassion throughout 2012, I imagine.  Compassion for those who suffered in storms like Hurricane Sandy.  Compassion for the victims and survivors of some of the terrible shootings the United States has seen this year--Durango, Portland and of course Newtown, Connecticut--to name just a few and t...

Yes, I broke up with Facebook, at least for the month of December then perhaps we'll re-evaluate.  You see, Facebook has become like a boyfriend I love but who's really not good for me.  We have fun together, the thrills are there, but ultimately toxic crap keeps coming up in our relationship.  Besides that, I've been addicted to "him" and he's been taking up way too much of my time and life energy.  I don't need that any more. The stars and planets seem to be aligned for it, in fact, because despite my past addiction, it's been absolutely easy to do this.  No tears and no illicit liaisons "for old times' sake" in this break-up. The last time I had an Advent that felt this freeing was in 1993.  I spent the fall semester in Washington, D.C., studying through a theological consortium and living at the Luther House of Studies (now the Lutheran Center for Theology and Public Life ).  My Seminary had a program for this so it was an easy ...