Yesterday I mentioned some of the ingredients in my “summer stew.”  As always, a good bit of reading and reflection.  My routines will keep me in good contact with the people around me, too, which is vital for me.  All of these ingredients matter.

Here’s another strip from the classic Peanuts strips run by the folks at gocomics.com:

“How come?” is another version of the question “why?” which most of us ask quite often.  I think one of my whys for this summer is for something a step beyond simple renewal.  Don’t get me wrong: rest and renewal are vital for the daily life of faith.  But I also enter this summer with the realization that many of the ways that I’ve gone about doing things have gotten old, stale, predictable.  It’s not necessarily about “doing things that work.”  It’s not something utilitarian that I am hoping for.  I am hopeful that the Holy Spirit can open up new ways for me to interact with those around me.  And now is the time to feel and pray those things out.  I think of it as a triad:

Make Space —> Make Petitions —> Make Changes

I think the three things are self-explanatory.  “Making space” is a version of Jesus’s parable of the cleaned-out soul.  “Make changes,” though, is the way of making sure the cleaned-out soul doesn’t end up worse than before.  “Making petitions” is there to remind myself to turn my attention in the direction of faith and the Forerunner of that faith.  I think writing here (along with journaling) will be a good way to help “make” that space.  And reading about the classic adventures of Chuck and Linus, of Peppermint Patty and Marcie, helps a great deal, too.