Sometimes--well, maybe always--we just have to take it on faith that God knows what He's doing.

Symptoms of chronic stress are feelings of fragmentation and of chasing after time - of not being able to be present. What we are looking for is a settled, joyful state of being, and we need to give this state space. The Archbishop once told me that people often think he needs time to pray and reflect because he is a religious leader. He said those who must live in the marketplace - business people, professionals and workers - need it even more.

I eat out alone a lot.

I'm not trying to be efficient; I'm trying to be present.

He moved through life with measured steps, never hurried, though always surrounded by demands and crowds.

God has yet to bless anyone except where they actually are, and if we faithlessly discard situation after situation, moment after moment, as not being "right",we will simply have no place to receive his kingdom into our life.

Time and again I hear how important the darker environment is to those at our vintage-faith worship gathering. Attenders feel they can freely pray in a corner by themselves without feeling that everyone is staring at them.

Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to more easily assess the situation and see the options.

If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in human life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrel's heart beat, and we should die of that roar which is the other side of silence.

Let's face it, stillness is not exactly easy to come by in today's culture. We are far more likely to be restless, anxious, fearful, fretful, and busy. But God's invitation is to be still—and to find again, in the calm pause, the assurance that He is, in fact, God. His plans are undeterred, and with or without us, He is going to receive glory from all peoples on the face of the earth.

Worship puts God in focus. When the Almighty is in view, our giant's power over our thinking begins to flicker and fade.

This is a powerful, powerful, powerful way to live. Sure, this mind-set doesn't preclude doing our best to right wrongs, seek justice, and find cures. But in the process of taking action, we must understand that God is in charge.