Of Goalies and Sermons: the mystery and challenge of presence…

This weekend was filled with events that have left me pondering that “being fully present” is actually a lot harder than it appears. I’ve heard it said that “showing up” is 80% of the battle with any endeavor, but soccer, hockey, and preaching, have all shown me that showing up requires more than just showing up.

Our local Sounders played soccer on Saturday, but “played” would be too polite of a term.  They were physically present, but their performance was stunk the stadium up so bad that the team apologized and offered a refund to season ticket holders who renew next year.  They were there, but they just weren’t there.

And then there’s preaching.  I felt like I hit a home run yesterday morning at 9AM.  It felt a little bit less at 11.  Then I was taking a ‘short nap’ in the afternoon, and woke up too late, slept too long.  The evening teaching felt forced, tired, uninspired.  Same notes as the morning, and I was certainly there, just like the goalie was there Friday night and Sunday night – but different was enormous.

Perhaps this means that the disciplines of rest and recovery are as vital as the disciplines of performance.  We shoot people, and we shoot ourselves, for not bringing our “A” game all the time.  Maybe we need to start examining how we spend our down time. Endless activities, and a full serving of “Glee”, “Modern Family” and “SNL” might not be the best way to fill our tanks.  We might need a little silence, a little solitude, and little time in creation, not to mention some healthy food.

I welcome your thoughts…