Coming back from vacation I feel like I have recharged my batteries. Even the snow that still blankets the ground here in NW Ohio and the coming new storm promising 4-6 inches more of the white stuff on Wednesday hasn’t depressed me – yet. The practice of intentionally taking a vacation and scheduling a retreat lifts my spirit. I sure did enjoy the warmth and the sun of Florida. We visited with family, walked a beach every morning, reconnected with friends and collected new ideas at the Florida Christian Writers Conference. Ever come back from a vacation more tired than when you left? I have but not this time. I think the secret was a balance of rest and movement. We had fun hectic days and slow relaxing walks. I fed on new knowledge and fresh ideas. I stayed open and took the time to savor God’s wonders of the white sand, the crashing waves and dolphins dancing in the Gulf. The Florida colors exploded in my mind that had been dulled by white cold winter. I awoke from … [Read more...]
Quench Our Thirst Quote
If we wish to quench our thirst, we must lay aside books which explain thirst and take a drink. Jean Pierre de Caussade … [Read more...]
Finally It’s March – I’m Listening for Spring!
Most of the country has experienced a tough winter. I am so ready for spring. Spring is my favorite time of year – a season of awakening, new life and green, green, green. Spring is a transition time, sometimes a volatile changing season, often reflecting the ongoing transformation of our souls. I find hope in spring and like to listen to its lessons. Listening to Spring is a poem by Macrina Wiederkehr and seemed appropriate one to ponder today: How quietly the earth breathes forth new life. How eagerly the sun bleeds forth the spring. I am listening. I am listening to seeds breaking open, to roots growing strong beneath the ground, to green shoots rising up from winter wombs. I am listening to thorns blossoming, to barren branches laughing out new growth, to wildflowers dancing through the meadows. I am listening to the forest filling up with song. I am listening to the earth filling up with life. I am listening to trees filling up with leaves. I am listening … [Read more...]
Lenten Fasting
Lent begins this week and many people decide to fast from something during these 40 days before Easter. We hear our friends give up chocolate or ice cream or meat on Fridays during this time, forgetting the practice of fasting isn’t done by itself but accompanies giving and prayer too. Self-denial, though can leads to a greater sense of wholeness. Fasting has a long history both in the Old and New Testaments. In Old Testament times, fasting was observed to express grief. Fasting from something isn’t always food. One year I gave up sarcasm, which proved much difficult that I ever realized. Some people will fast from media or spending so much time on blogs or emails. Others try to give up gossip. Interesting to ponder what we are addicted to or what distracts us from God and give that up or at least reduced it during Lent. Martin Luther once said, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.” A newer trend is not necessarily to fast FROM … [Read more...]
Prayer – God’s Delight – Quote of the Week
The baby was staring intently at other people, and as soon as he recognized a human face, no matter whose it was, he would respond with absolute delight. I realized that this is how God looks at us, staring into our face in order to be delighted. I suspect that only God, and well-loved infants, can see this way. Even when we try to run away from our troubles, as Jacob did, God will find us, and bless us, even when we feel most alone, unsure if we'll survive the night. God will find a way to let us know that [God] is with us in this place, wherever we are, however far we think we've run. Amen. Kathleen Norris … [Read more...]
10 Quotes about the Heart for February
I started this month of February with love quotes to ponder. Let's draw towards the end of this month by pondering the heart. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. Ralph Waldo Emerson Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God. Martin Luther All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are all more alike than we are unalike. Maya Angelou There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus. Blaise Pascal Thou hast created us for Thyself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in Thee. St. Augustine Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart ... Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. Carl Jung The worst prison would be a closed heart. Pope John Paul II Gratitude is the heart's memory. French Proverb A joyful … [Read more...]
Who You Are – Quote of the Week
Your problem is, you don’t know who you are. Let me tell you who you are. You are a ray of God’s own light. You say you seek God, but a ray of light doesn’t seek the sun; it’s coming from the sun. You are a branch on the vine of God. A branch doesn’t seek the vine; it’s already part of the vine. A wave doesn’t look for the ocean; it’s already full of ocean. Martin Laird … [Read more...]
Flunking Sainthood – Book Review
Author Jane Riess has recently published a book by the delightful title of Flunking Sainthood. She tells the story of her year long experience, trying various spiritual practices like fasting, honoring the Sabbath and generosity. What I loved about this book is she honestly shares not her success, but her failure with every single practice she tried. It was refreshing to read her reactions, knowing I would be flunking sainthood right along with her. “What emerges is a vulnerable story of the quest for perfection and the reality of failure, which turns out to be a valuable spiritual practice in and of itself.” Even her subtitle is refreshing and freeing: “A year of breaking the Sabbath, forgetting to pray and still loving my neighbor.” I love her conclusion: “In a culture that stresses perfection, I’ve often heard the maxim that ‘good is the enemy of perfect’, in other words, when people of faith aim for anything short of godliness we miss the mark. I’ve learned the … [Read more...]