Karen asked me a question about how to find your spiritual focus as we sat in a restaurant in Panajachel, Guatemala, waiting for coffee early one morning a few weeks ago. A group of Haitian tourists ate breakfast in the background. Old Indian women in traditional garb, balancing produce on their heads, hurried to
market along the road outside. In this swirl of activity, concentration was hard. How to get any kind of focus?

"What do I do for devotions when I'm uninspired?" She asked.

"Meditate on Matthew 5-7." I responded.

Whenever you're spiritually becalmed and need fresh guidance, it's good to go back to the Master and his radical first message. It runs so contrary to our natural inclinations. His words are so counterculture and bracing. We need them to center us and reorient us as we swim like salmon against the current.

"You should write a short blog about that" she said.