Does December seem noisy for you this year? More Christmas clamor than usual? I am hearing tons of holiday preparation holler over the internet and piles of buy-buy-buy in my mailbox, television and radio. Why do we have to go crazy, getting bigger and bigger, and expanding more more more? Isn’t this supposed to be a peaceful preparation time for Christmas? My inbox tings with another post about Advent. I don’t know if you noticed but many wonderful bloggers are writing about Advent this year. Great ideas. Seems like every one has something to say about Advent. Some with wonderful visuals and videos. Others with new music. Many with profound thoughts. All with the goal of opening my heart for this wonderful time of the year. I want to consume them all. Explore all of them.  Yes, I end up being distracted and not tuning in my inner spirit to listen to God but only outwardly to what others are saying. But like that overstuffed feeling you get after the Thanksgiving feast – I am too … [Read more...]

This is a series of reflections following my trip to the Holy Lands this fall. What a profound and life-changing experience to walk where Jesus lived. Visiting Israel opened my eyes and refreshed my heart on so many levels – historically, politically, biblically and spiritually.  Unexpected surprises filled the trip to the Holy Lands. I am discovering more of them now that I am at home – eagerly looking at photos, summarizing notes in my journal, talking with God about that sacred land. Ever noticed how we humans love to mark special places? We want to honor, remember locations of significance. We may erect simple cairns – a pile of rocks - to note this is a space where someone encountered God or we build huge cathedrals – often on top of older churches on top of other historical sites on top of a once simple location full of God’s presence. Since home I am realizing the places in the Holy Lands that have lingered most in my heart haven’t been the grand manmade churches, … [Read more...]

This is a series of reflections following my trip to the Holy Lands this fall. What a profound and life-changing experience to walk where Jesus lived. Visiting Israel opened my eyes and refreshed my heart on so many levels – historically, politically, biblically and spiritually. The hotels we stayed in in Israel exposed me to some new practices. One had a Shabbat elevator - from sundown on Friday until the sun sets on Saturday, many observant Jews refrain from certain activities, including pushing elevator buttons. So in some buildings, elevators are programmed to stop automatically on every floor during the Sabbath. That way, observant Jews can hop right in and eventually, get where they are going. But the practice I saw the most and really liked was the mezuzahs affixed to every room’s doorway in each hotel. The mezuzah is mounted on doorways in Israel. I had heard of this practice, but never before had seen them on every entrance in the hotels. To be honest at first I … [Read more...]