Quest Ministries: A Psalm

Saturday, March 5, 2011

A Psalm

Of Stan when he was at Toah Nippi: March 1, 2011.

I longed for the light of a single candle,
__to center on your presence, O Lord.

Why? To put life’s strands in order:
__Contemplation, Devotion
__Profession
__Family
__Church

It was difficult to focus;
__so I sat before the fireplace asking for the light of your glory.
My prayers were answered when Jeff stepped forward.
I was able to be attentive to you
__through the majesty of a flame, the light of a thousand candles.

But what about those strands?
__John asked how I experience God.
____“Through Beauty!”
____“Then pursue Beauty all the days of your life!”

This morning, in solitude and silence, I saw a measure of Beauty in Isaiah 53:4-5.
__The words Surely, Yet and But pointed the way.

O Lord, I am able to gaze upon Your Beauty as I am attentive to you.
__Solitude and Silence turn to Contemplation.
____Contemplation creates a space to behold your Beauty.
______It’s saying, “Yes!” to you—the One making a tapestry of life's strands.

2 comments:

Bob - Mind on FireMarch 6, 2011 at 11:09 AM
Sweet. I can taste and see. Thank you Stan.
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AnonymousMarch 6, 2011 at 10:08 PM
ThiS Psalm is very meaningful & inspiring. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Dad & Mother
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PROFILE

Contact Information:

Experience:

For over forty years Stan has developed people and organizations through preaching, teaching, organizing, writing, motivating, and listening. He especially enjoys interacting with people in one-to-one and group settings.

Stan has a Master of Divinity from Gordon-Conwell. In 2012, he completed a certificate program in spiritual direction from Selah (http://leadershiptransformations.org/selah.htm).

Stan also loves to help people navigate life’s challenges by discussing popular stories. Fiction written by C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Charles Dickens, Victor Hugo, and a host of others help us understand how God’s Story interacts with our own.

Specialty Skills:

Organizing people, events, and projects

Analyzing challenges, and proposing and implementing solutions

Creative writing

Conversant with computer software and the Internet

Video-conferencing via Skype and other software

Accomplishments:

Stan led an organization that was on the brink of disbanding. Through his leadership it became a more vibrant cohesive group, optimistic about its future. He led its members in group activities. He also worked with its leaders to evaluate and update the organization's purpose, financial health, and organizational structure. As a result, the group became healthier, larger, and more outward focused and welcoming.

He led a group in a ten-week discussion of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. The majority of the participants read 100 pages per week to prepare for their sessions. He met with the group for two hours each week to discuss the contents, truths, and applications of this beautiful piece of literature.

For several years Stan led a multi-week training course for an organization. The purpose of the training was to help members understand and communicate the organization's core values with potential members. He recruited people to be part of the training, taught them how to clearly express the principles, and provided the means for them to be in touch with potential members. Leaders emerged from this training program, confident in their ability to communicate.