This weekend I got thinking about rhythm in my life..

Maybe it was the bicycle ride in the cold weather that did it; pumping those pedals up and down.. up and down.. round and round we go..

I realized that in that rhythm there was also movement. I was making progress toward Blockbuster, looking for an obscure video that they apparently had hidden somewhere.

It seems like we all forge our own rhythms; and those rhythms give us a sense that all is well in the world.

For example, in my family Saturday morning is pancakes and a family brunch. We rarely have a breakfast on this morning, and we almost always sit down together for a meal. It's more reliable than almost any other meal in the week.

It could be that I make great pancakes. Ok.. I KNOW I make great pancakes. But it's more than great pancakes that brings us together.

It's a commitment to being a family; to knowing one another; to sharing a relaxed meal and catching up on events of the past week that we may not have had time to share.

It strikes me that we have some rhythms that are individual, and some that are communal.

Over time rhythms can shift. I have a hard time changing beats, but there is real value in making those shifts.

Changing the usual rhythms also shifts perspective. When we step outside the normal routine, we see things in a new light.

Initially we may only notice our discomfort and pine for the old ways. I'm loathe to think about leaving our Saturday brunch behind, for example. But there may come a time when we have to make that shift.

Two years ago we abandoned a rhythm that had given shape to our lives for all our married years.. 16 of them. We quit attending a Sunday service.

Whew.. that was a confusing time. We didn't know if we were coming or going, up or down, black or white, wrong or right. We just knew we needed a change.

Eventually our questions birthed some answers, and those answers birthed new questions. We looked at our faith in a new way, and we looked at the church from a new place. We even began to read the bible in new ways.

At the same time, we became aware that we were upheld by older and more foundation rhythms.. internal rhythms of prayer and reflection, community and dialogue. We became aware of rhythms so deep they were like unheard music.. music older than time itself. We became aware of being upheld in the hands of Love.

Eventually we find a center that anchors our soul, and we can relax and let new cadences emerge. It becomes an exciting process of discovery and of wonder.

Meantime, we enjoy the pancakes and the sharing around our Saturday brunch.