I cannot remember a time in my life when I did not sense the presence of God or God’s love. I’ve never known myself to be anything other than a person of faith. Perhaps that’s what they mean when they say that human beings are hardwired for God. There was never much God talk other than dinner and bedtime prayers during my childhood. For years, I assumed that the formulaic dinner prayer was offered in a foreign tongue – Dutch or German. I was surprised to learn at age 9 or 10 that my father was speaking English faster than the Starship Enterprise at Warp Speed. Worried about the efficacy of all those prayer, I asked my mother, if I can’t understand dad’s prayer, how could God understand it?

The formula bedtime prayer was spooky and unsettling, coming as it did at the height of the Cold War with ICBM missiles aimed in every direction. And there were the weekly "duck and cover drills" and the hushed adult talk about the Soviet’s dropping atomic bombs on America. I still grimace at the thought of the nightly prayer, "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep, and if I should die before I wake, my soul to take. Amen."

With a spitfire dinner prayer and a hellish parting thought before dreamland, it took me decades to develop practices of prayer, contemplation, and meditation. When our family began participating in church, prayer became doctrinal. I had to memorize the Lord’s Prayer and I learned two styles of prayers, both of which were predicated on unworthiness. The "thank you God" prayer had a benign undercurrent of undeserving. The second prayer form introduced guilt-endlessly-in-search-of-salvation into my spiritual life.

Such forms of childhood prayer generally do not forge a deep life of the Spirit or lead to an ongoing intimate conversation and relationship with God. They are often passed along as time-tested, once-and-for-all ways of expressing faith. The prayers did not complement a young person’s movement toward freedom, independence, and individuation, nor did they speak to the tsunami-like social issues and hormonal changes of maturing into adulthood.

At any stage of life, our spiritual hardwiring can be overwhelmed or subverted by life’s increasing complexity, demands, busyness, and by the challenge of opposing values. The counterpoint is a longing, the hardwiring fires, calling us to reclaim the quiet center, to experience the peace that gives meaning and purpose to life, and to regain control of our destinies.

Rather than give in to the things that overwhelm and subvert, there are simple practices we can begin trying today. The heart of every discipline contains two truths: first, we pay attention to Spirit because every moment of life and every relationship contain the essence of God. And, second, we were created by God to be content and at peace within ourselves. Here then are four steps that should help you imbue every moment with God, and guide you toward serenity and contentment. Just do one step at a time, in any order, and start as soon as possible.

• Transforming daily activities into sacred living. For example: food preparation is a divine work. This was one of the great lessons and blessings of my sabbatical as I started regularly preparing meals. At the kitchen counter, take several deep and gentle breaths, ask God to bless those you serve, give thanks for food, and invite Christ to your table. The meal may be as humble as hot dogs and fries or as splendid as Babette’s feast – the food does not matter, it is what’s in your soul that truly nourishes. The inspirational 17th century French monk, Brother Lawrence, who scrubbed dishes and pots as his work in the monastery, wrote, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen while several people are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament." There is one caveat, those who receive food prepared and served with such love will give voice to their bounteous gratitude.

The daily activity of teaching and disciplining children is a sacred ritual. The way we relate to our children helps them to know they are beloved and enables them to be responsible and capable of deep faith. The holiness of child rearing resides somewhere between authoritarianism and passivity. What difference will you make and new skill will you teach when you take acting-out children aside, ask them to breathe gently and quietly with you, and then say, let’s pray about what just happened and see what God wants us to learn. Don’t laugh it off until you have tried it a few times, even with a kid who has an over-supply of abundant energy. If nothing else you will channel constructive energy rather than frustration or anger, and you’ll bring God into daily life.

• Another step: Breathing kindness. You’ve seen me do this with the kids in the time of discovery, and it works well for adults. We live with lots of daily stress. Breathing in a certain way is a kindness you give your physical heart and your racing mind. Sit quietly for a moment, then consciously breathe in God and exhale worry, fear, and stress – breathe in God, breathe out your burdens until you sense only God in every breath. Do this several times. Then, when you sense God in your breathing, do it several more times saying to yourself, "my life is a precious gift." Stress and the burdens of daily life rob us of the truth that our lives are indeed precious.

• Another step: We create our realities. Roger Walsh tells the story of woman sitting by the side of the road at the entrance to her town. A traveler stops and asks about the kind of people who live in her town. But she asks, "What are the people like in your town?" He tells her that they lie, cheat and are untrustworthy. She told him that he would find only the same in this town. Soon, another traveler came to her and asked the same question and she asked the same question she put to the first traveler. The visitor told the woman that in his town, people were friendly, caring, honest, and hard working. The woman told him that the people of this town were just the same.

Walsh concludes, "As this story illustrates, our personalities and expectations determine the quality of our relationships and how we see people. As the eye of the soul begins to recognize the sacred in all things, it also awakens to the sacred in all people. Where before we saw strangers or competitors, enemies or friends, we now begin to recognize…children of God." This is one of the most demanding and challenging of human spiritual disciplines, but it is also the one that has the power to transform every encounter – at work, play, on the road, or in the living room -- into a sacred meeting, laced with God’s presence, love, grace, and peace.

• Finally, be a contemplative mystic! Give yourself 3-5 minutes once or twice a day. Begin by breathing gently and quietly. As your breathing relaxes recite your favorite name for God over and over again: Abba, Lord, God, Jesus, Father, Holy One Mother. Just let the sacred name permeate your mind and fill your heart. You could also recite one of the Jesus prayers like, "Come Lord Jesus." Recite the name or phrase slowly, affectionately, syllable-by-syllable, sense the vibrations of each name or word. The stirring you feel in your heart is God entering your soul.

Give these kind and generous gifts to your spirit. Make them part of your day. And yes, there will be occasions when you do not live up to the high calling of a discipline, but grace, love, and peace will pick you up, dust you off, and put you back on the path. If these practices work for you, talk to me, and we will share 4 more. You do know, don’t you, that God wants to be at the heart of your life. Will you grant God’s desire?

Before you begin, read a quietly reflect on the texts:

Ephesians 5:15-20: "So be very careful about the lives you live, be intelligent not senseless. This may be a time of evil but your lives should redeem it. Do not be thoughtless but discern what is the will of the Lord. Do not drug yourselves with wine, but rather be filled with the Spirit. Sing the words and tunes of the psalms and hymns when you are together, and go on singing and chanting to the Lord in your hearts, so that everywhere and always you are giving thanks to God who is your loving parent, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"Mindful" by Mary Oliver (from, Why I Wake Early)

Every day the fear fearful, the dreadful

I see or I hear the very extravagant --

something but of the ordinary,

that more or less the common, the very drab,

kills me the daily presentations.

with delight, Oh, good scholar

that leaves me I say to myself,

like a needle how can you help

in the haystack but grow wise

of light. with such teachings

It is what I was born for as these --

Over and over the untrimmable light

in joy, of the world,

and acclamation. the ocean’s shine,

Nor am I talking the prayers that are made

about the exceptional, out of grass?

Here then are four steps that should help you imbue every moment with God, and guide you to peace and contentment. Just do one step at a time, in any order, and start as soon as possible.

• Transforming daily activities into sacred living. For example: food preparation is a divine work. At the kitchen counter, take several deep and gentle breaths, ask God to bless those you serve, give thanks for food, and invite Christ to your table. The meal may be as humble as hot dogs and fries or as splendid as Babette’s feast – the food does not matter, it is what’s in your soul that truly nourishes. The 17th century French monk, Brother Lawrence, who scrubbed dishes and pots, wrote, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer, and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen while several people are at the same time calling for different things, I possess God in great tranquility as if I were upon my knees at the blessed sacrament."

Driving a car in Marin County is anything but peaceful, calming, and holy. It need not be so if you drive as if it is a sacred work. Leave a few minutes early, before you turn on the ignition and after you turn the cell phone off breathe deeply and gently, and then ask God to make you mindful, attentive, and courteous.

Make a difference with acting-out children: take them aside, ask them to breathe gently and quietly with you, and then say, let’s pray about what just happened and see what God wants us to learn. Minimally, you will channel constructive energy rather than frustration or anger, and you’ll bring God into daily life.

• Breathing kindness. We live with lots of daily stress. Breathing in a certain way is a kindness you give your physical heart and your racing mind. Sit quietly for a moment, then consciously breathe in God and exhale worry, fear, and stress – breathe in God, breathe out your burdens. Do this several times. Then do it several more times saying to yourself, "my life is a precious gift."

•We create our realities. Roger Walsh tells the story of woman sitting by the side of the road at the entrance to her town. A traveler stops and asks about the kind of people who live in her town. But she asks, "What are the people like in your town?" He tells her that they lie, cheat and are untrustworthy. She told him that he would find only the same in this town. Soon, another traveler came to her and asked the same question and she asked the question she put to the first traveler. The visitor told the woman that in his town, people were friendly, caring, honest, and hard working. The woman told him that the people of this town were just the same.

Walsh concludes, "As this story illustrates, our personalities and expectations determine the quality of our relationships and how we see people. As the eye of the soul begins to recognize the sacred in all things, it also awakens to the sacred in all people. Where before we saw strangers or competitors, enemies or friends, we now begin to recognize…children of God."

• Be a contemplative mystic! Give yourself 3-5 minutes once or twice a day to simply sit breathing gently and quietly. As your breathing relaxes recite your favorite name for God over and over again: abba, Lord, God, Jesus, Father, Mother. Just let the sacred name permeate your mind and fill your heart. You could also recite one of the Jesus prayers like, "Come Lord Jesus." Recite the name or phrase slowly, affectionately, syllable-by-syllable, sense the vibrations of each name or word. The stirring you feel in your heart is God entering your soul.

Give these kind and generous gifts to your spirit. Make them part of your day. And yes, there will be occasions when you do not live up to your highest calling, but grace, love, and peace will pick you up, dust you off, and put you back on the path. If these practices work for you, talk to me, and we will share 4 more.

Believe that God wants to be at the heart of your life. Will you grant God’s desire?