God grant you the light in Christmas, which is faith; the warmth of Christmas, which is love; the radiance of Christmas, which is purity; the righteousness of Christmas, which is justice; the belief in Christmas, which is truth; the all of Christmas, which is Christ. Wilda English From my house and heart to yours: Merry Christmas! … [Read more...]
Share Four Somethings
Share Four Somethings is a regular blog post where I feature bits of wisdom in four categories. I love this practice as it collects moments for reflection and growth. These “somethings” become markers in our spiritual journey. With so much pivoting and uncertainty in our lives right now, being grounded in a simple practice like this guides my way. Sometimes simple is best, right? I listened to my heart and to God and narrowed down my four categories and to see what they will teach me this year. Each one reminds me to pay attention to these qualities in my life as gifts from God. While earlier in the year I struggled with the whimsical category, this month that one was the easiest. God certainly surprises us! All the time! Something Wise A Franciscan Benediction May God bless us with discomfort At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships So that we may live from deep within our hearts. May God bless us with anger At injustice, … [Read more...]
Hark, the Glad Sound Hymn Story
“Hark, The Glad Sound” was the first hymn we sang this year during our church’s midweek Advent Service. I noticed it also is the first hymn listed in our hymnal in the Advent section. I knew this song but didn’t know much about its author and enjoying learning the hymn stories behind our church music. Its words present wisdom and insight for our Advent time too. Philip Doddridge wrote this hymn in 1735. Do you know anything about him? I didn’t and was surprised to learn he composed more than 400 hymns in all, Most of his music wasn’t published but was created for and intended for his congregation, generally to accompany his sermons. His congregation didn’t use hymnals, but instead had someone sing the hymn line by line from the pulpit with the congregation repeating each line in turn. I was also amazed on how old Hark the Glad Sound was - created almost 300 years ago. Doddridge was born in London, June 26, 1702. He was the youngest of 20 children and at birth … [Read more...]
Advent Prayer
This Advent prayer was written by one of my Lamplighters, mentors, and guides - Henri Nouwen. The words shape my morning prayers in this season. May this prayer bless you too. Lord Jesus, Master of both the light and the darkness, send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas. We who have so much to do and seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day, We who are anxious over many things look forward to your coming among us. We who are blessed in so many ways long for the complete joy of your kingdom. We whose hearts are heavy seek the joy of your presence. We are your people, walking in darkness, yet seeking the light. To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!' Amen. What advent prayer lights your way right now? PS: Advent is a great time to pause, listen to God, and draw closer to the Creator and Gifter of all things. Many people chose to read a special Advent book during this season, and I will humbly … [Read more...]
A Thanksgiving Blessing
I have used this blessing for our Thanksgiving meal and on retreats. Rereading its words this past week reminded me of God’s goodness, grace, and lavished unconditional love. I am grateful for all of you, for life, and God’s amazing gifts. May these words by Joyce Rupp from her wonderful book, Out of the Ordinary, bless you and yours also. May an abundance of gratitude burst forth as you reflect upon what you have received. May thanksgiving overflow in your heart, and often be proclaimed in your prayer. May you gather around the table of your heart the ardent faithfulness, kindness, and goodness of each person who is true to you. May the harvest of your good actions bring forth plentiful fruit each day. May you discover a cache of hidden wisdom among the people and events that have brought you distress and sorrow. May your basket of blessings surprise you with its rich diversity of gifts and its opportunities for growth. May all … [Read more...]
Everything is a Gift
“Everything is a gift—one hundred percent pure gift. The reason any of us woke up this morning had very little to do with us and everything to do with God. All twenty-four hours today are total gift. And so, the only real prayer is to say “Thank you!” and to keep saying it. When our prayer is constantly “Thank you,” and we know we deserve nothing, and that everything is a gift, we stop counting. Only when we stop counting and figuring out what we deserve, will we move from the world of merit into the wonderful world of grace. And in the world of grace, everything is free.” These words were written by Richard Rohr in one of his weekly newsletters. What a great reminder and wisdom worth embracing into our lives. Everything is a gift. We are fast approaching the present-giving season. Advent begins November 28 and our church’s Advent theme this year is the Gifts of Advent. We are sharing scripture, messages, and prayer about the gifts of hope, patience, silence and speech, and … [Read more...]
Brown – Spiritual Lessons from Color
Brown – not my favorite color. In fact, I am not sure how much I pay attention to this hue. Brown? It’s okay. Neutral. More of a background. Not exciting. The trees this fall in Ohio blazed with reds, oranges, yellows. And the colors lasted much longer than usual – energizing me with God’s paints. But last week I noticed the chopped, harvested cornfields, surrounded by skeletons of bare trees against a dull gray cloudy sky. Ugh. Brown. Paying attention to what not only brings joy to our hearts but also what jars our spirit is a key spiritual practice for us. Lord, you want me to “see” that ugly boring brown? Are you teaching me something from this ordinary, uninspiring color? I pulled the car over onto a side road and studied that scene. Discovering Beauty with a Closer Look My favorite color is blue. I also lean towards greens. Splashes of yellow brighten my mood and red fires my spirit. But brown? I had to stop and look closely to find its … [Read more...]
Second Guessing
Second guessing – I get caught in this mood quite a bit. Do you find yourself second guessing your decisions, motives, and actions? Me too. When I pay attention to my thoughts, I confess I fall into this trap more often than I realize. Then I listened to a directee in spiritual direction last week who also got stuck and weighed down with overthinking. We second guess ourselves. We second guess God. I decided to do some reading and research about this human behavior and seek God’s guidance in managing this habit. Second guessing can be a beneficial but also if it dominates our thoughts and stirs our anxiety can lead to procrastination, indecisiveness, and lack of peace and joy. What is Second Guessing Second guessing can be defined as overanalyzing our decisions after they are made. We wonder if we have made the best choice or not. This is a normal human reaction but we don’t have to allow it to ruin our day or run our lives. Doubts and … [Read more...]