Breadcrumbs

I am starting a new blog today and it occurred to me last night that a good name for this is breadcrumbs. I think that is a good name for the blog in total-don't know about this one I'm writing. Breadcrumbs because I am following a trail left by the Holy Spirit. There a little nuggets that I find on the journey that guide me, sustain me, and let me know I'm on the right path. I thought of this arising out of the Hansel and Gretel fairy tail, but it's also a phrase used in web design to the same end.

As we journey together and follow the breadcrumbs I hope we can enjoy the journey. I'm not sure where it will take us or who we will meet along the way, but I know it will be a great experience.

David

Living in a wild, wild world

What was once so big has become so small.  Not all that long ago travel around the world was prohibitively expensive.  Communication was undependable, relatively expensive and long distance calls just did not happen.  These limitations to some extent defined our world and our awareness.  Concerns were parochial and the world seemed more manageable, but that is no longer the case.

The world we live in today is small.  We regularly communicate with people across the country as if they were across the street.  The internet gives us a window on the world that is open to every corner and technology allows us to see happenings in outer space with equal ease.  These advances in know-how make it possible for us to easily make and maintain relationships in ways that would have been impossible a mere generation ago.

There are some down sides to these advances.  We are bombarded by concerns from all over the globe.  Instantaneous sights and sounds assault our senses, and assault is fitting when the news media present us with the most gut-wrenching, heart-rending information.  Just think about the recent Superstorm Sandy or the massacre at Sandyhook-news that tugs at our heart strings.  Mexican drug lords, Grecian economic worries, Syria's civil unrest and Kenyan election irregularities are our daily fare.  I would argue that, in many ways, we aren't equipped to cope with this barrage of information.

 This is the wild, wild world we live in and it is virtually impossible to protect ourselves from this sensory attack.  What we need to do is have a greater level of internal awareness.  This awareness can keep us grounded and in touch with those things in our lives that really matter.  In fact, the world situation requires that we consciously devote more time and exert the effort to slow our thoughts and quiet our mind.  This effort is the way to keep our sanity in the midst of this halcyon existence.  

As we seek that center and the calm that's available, we find the still small voice that is always speaking to us.  It is in the calm that we find the voice of God which grounds us in our individual existence while leaving us able to consider those other concerns that demand our attention.  As wild as our lives get, the peace that passes understanding is close at hand.