“And you, too, youthful reader, will realize the Vision (not the idle wish) of your heart, be it base or beautiful, or a mixture of both, for you will always gravitate toward that which you, secretly, most love. Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your Vision, your Ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration…

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not. “Gifts,” powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart–this you will build your life by, this you will become.”

–From “As a Man Thinketh” by James Allen

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When I first began serving as pastor of Cornerstone, I spent a decent amount of time talking with mentors, professors and pastors who I consider to be exceptional preachers to ask their advice about preaching. Even though as the only pastor of a small church, I have a multitude of tasks and ministries in the church of which I am assigned, preaching, for me, has been at the center of my sense of call. If for no other reason, in our church, the people are young professionals with busy careers and families, all spread out over the county, and preaching, therefore, is one time when I have the attention of the entire congregation for 20-30 minutes to speak into their lives from the Word of God. And as a rookie in the field, I have a long way to go to develop the craft. The advice I received was to have one day a week where I could get away without distraction, to a monastery or some place other than home or office, to be alone all day with the Word of God, for focused study, prayer, and preparation. I haven’t been able to do that fully, but I have been on the lookout for a place. There are no monasteries around here. I looked into Rancho Capistrano and they wanted to charge me an arm and a leg to use their facility.

Today, I am going to Soka University in Aliso Viejo. They have a beautiful campus and the school is virtually empty. Apparently I can have an entire floor in the library (which is open to the public), all to myself. And when I need a break from study to pray, the grounds provide a beautiful setting to walk and pray (I don’t do well kneeling or sitting while I pray, I need to move around or I get distracted). I’m just going to use their library today, and maybe every Wednesday, depending on how it goes, but I do like their mission and values:

Mission

The mission of Soka University of America is to foster a steady stream of global citizens committed to living a contributive life. -Daisaku Ikeda, Founder, SUA

University Mottos

* Be philosophers of a renaissance of life.
* Be world citizens in solidarity for peace.
* Be the pioneers of a global civilization.

University Principles

* Foster leaders of culture in the community.
* Foster leaders of humanism in society.
* Foster leaders of pacifism in the world.
* Foster leaders for the creative coexistence of nature and humanity.

Soka University of America (SUA) is an independent, non-profit, public-benefit, co-educational, comprehensive institution of higher learning. Founded on the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights and the sanctity of life, SUA is open to students of all nationalities and beliefs and is committed to diversity in its academic community.

Well, maybe this will be an answer to seven months of prayer, or maybe it won’t be the answer. The prayer is that I could have one day every week, the same day and in the same place, where I could be completely devoted to study and preparation, without phone, email, or any other distraction. I pray that is the case for today.

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