I relearned a lesson a few weeks ago. In fact, two lessons. Sometimes my thick head is so hard God sends me these lessons multiple times – LOL. Anyway, the lessons were to remind me most of my difficulties are really first world problems and get a perspective in life. I am really quite blessed and can handle most things with some space, a couple of deep breaths and a little bit of time. Maybe a good cry too. I know some problems are much worse, but many of our problems are really nuisances – we make them much more. Well, that is what I did last week! The phone rang and as soon as I saw the caller ID and I knew. It was the Florida resort we were staying at this coming May. The one that was hit by two hurricanes last fall but had reopened. We had requested pre-storm a specific unit with its own private hot tub in a secluded area. I specifically made that reservation early to secure that room and was so excited to finally stay in that location. Since we hadn’t heard from them … [Read more...]
What Spiritual Practices are Life Giving to Your Spirit Right Now?
What spiritual practices are giving life to your soul right now? Spiritual practices are not disciplines to be checked off, to complete in order to be “good” or to earn love. I find these sacred rhythms ground me, remind me of the magnificent of God and all the wonders and holiness of God. I remember to pause and give thanks. I ask forgiveness. I bow in reverence. I serve. I love. I draw near and am renewed. I am one with the One. My focus in less on me and more on the More. I am not rigid with a spiritual practices schedule but use the word “regular.” But I do find it helpful at times to pause and take an inventory what is working and maybe what isn’t working in my spiritual life. What am I forgetting? Neglecting? Pushing aside? Or need more of? Is it time to try a new practice? Stretch myself into a new arena? When I paused and honestly reviewed my practices this past week, I found myself “too busy” for longer contemplative prayer – a practice that nourishes my … [Read more...]
I Would Never Have the Courage To Try That!
We just returned from wonderful visit with college friends who live in Austin Texas. You know the type of lifelong friends that though separated by time and distance, once together it is like you were never apart and pick up the conversation where the words left off years before. And the men often become silly boys once again, but the laughter is so worth it. Yes, so much love! Austin living is quite different from our rural northwest Ohio vibe. They live in a downtown condo, close to restaurants and all the action. Their style varies from ours too. Contemporary vs. traditional. Sleek vs well, let’s say, our home is full of lots of stuff… Above their dining room table was a mesmerizing geometric, elegant chandelier -two long intertwining white light bulbs about three feet long, curving in a spiral suspended above our heads. The above photo isn’t theirs but close to what theirs looked like to give you an idea. I was fascinated by its beauty. It WAS really was gorgeous! Then I … [Read more...]
Self-Compassion
What is the kindest thing I could do for myself at this moment? This was the question shared by another spiritual director with me a few weeks ago. I thought this was a wonderful question full of self-compassion, one that made me pause and consider what did I need most at that moment. I was in a funk. Nothing horrible happened. No major disasters. Just a pile up of inconvenient disappointments and frustrations during a long dark winter of self-pity. The news and politics left me hopeless and cranky. Then I felt guilty feeling this way watching others with so many worse problems and deaths and illnesses and me just sitting here whining like a toddler. Poor me…. To be honest, I was even having difficulty praying. Anxiety ruled my quiet time more than peace. So the question was asked, “What is the kindest thing I could do for myself at this moment?” Great question. Tender. Compassionate. A small dose of self-care. After dinner that night I reconsidered the question … [Read more...]
Listen
“Incline your ear and come to me, listen so that you may live”.Isaiah 55: 3a. This is our Northwest Ohio synod’s verse of the year and our theme for this year is “listen.” As people of God, the Bishop is encouraging us to learn the sacred art of listening. Listening to God. Listening to Ourselves. Listening to Others. And Listening to the Community. God’s invitation to listen is a gift that permeates the Scriptures. From the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). To the Psalms, “Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer” (Psalm 61:1). To the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock” (Matthew 7:24). To the words the Exalted Jesus repeats to the seven churches in Revelation, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the … [Read more...]
What’s Saving My Life? Winter Edition
What’s saving my life right now? Have you ever asked yourself this question? I do occasionally and find this question is life-giving, uplifting, refreshing and provides a moment of rest for my spirit. What’s saving my life right now is a question Emily Freeman (A true mentor of mine) asks frequently. She discovered this question in a book by Barbara Brown Taylor (another mentor of mine!) in her book, Leaving Church. Taylor shares the story of being a guest speaker at an event. When she asked for her topic, this was her host’s request: “Tell us what is saving your life right now.” These words invite us to pause, reflect, and savor what is giving us life at this moment. When I relistened to Emily’s podcast and what she was noticing in her life, that question dug deep into my soul. What is saving my life right now? What’s Saving my Life Right Now? Matlock Kathy Bates and the TV show Matlock. Have you watched this yet? A friend – thanks, Dee - mentioned the show to me … [Read more...]
A Simple Lesson
Simple is often the best choice. I stared at the simple paper clip. That is all it took. A simple paper clip. A twist of a wire. The technician on the other end of a live chat helped me tackle a tech problem with my internet router. He suggested we do a reset. “Take a paper clip,” he said, “insert it into the tiny hole for three seconds to reboot the system.” We then proceeded to follow a few easy steps and bingo, my internet was back online and all was well. A simple paper clip. I think too often we make things more complicated than we need to. Where I had been overwhelmed by frustration with technology and near to tears with obstacles and confusion, a simple paper clip saved the day. I smiled at this little gadget and had to look up its history. Paper has been around for centuries being invented by the Chinese and ribbons, melting wax, and later straight pins were used to hold papers together. It wasn’t until the mid 1800s until the paper clip … [Read more...]
One Step into Understanding Courage
Since the word “courage” crashed landed into my heart last fall and declared itself my word of the year for 2025, I have slowly welcomed my new friend into my life. Like any good writer, how do you get to know a word better? Definition and word origin! What does courage mean? Here are several definitions: Wow – huge, mighty, and grand words, aren’t they? I like this simpler one: Courage is the ability to do something difficult even when there's risk. Courageous people do and say what they think is right despite opposition. What about the origin of the word courage? The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means "heart." Brene Brown writes, “In one of its earliest forms, the word courage had a very different definition than it does today. Courage originally meant "To speak one's mind by telling all one's heart. Over time, this definition has changed, and today, courage is more synonymous with being heroic. Heroics is important and we certainly … [Read more...]