I forget to laugh some days. Laughter is a healthy habit to practice, not only for the physical and emotional benefits, but also for social and spiritual reasons. What a gift laughter is. Think how laughter helps you: it reduces stress, recharges your focus, often gives you a much needed break, renews the spirit to find that courage to face a tough situation, connects people on a deep level, and I have read that it stimulates creativity. I believe the joy found in laughter comes from God. For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17 April 1st can be a fun day. Now, I don’t like practical jokes but starting this day from now on, I want to build more laughter into my life. We so easily allow ourselves to carry burdens, hurts and childhood baggage – why not drop one of those unnecessary weights and pick up a … [Read more...]
Living as Children of the Light – Lectio Divina
For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light— Ephesians 5:8 Live as children of light. Once I was blind but now I see. I see you Lord and I believe. I used to live, alone and afraid, in the darkness of my sin. But you never left me, you held my hand, you watched over me. You stayed when I closed my eyes in fear, lust, and even selfishness. You bring the light into my shadow existence and brought me home. Home where you shine eternally. Where we dance together in the cascading beams of your love. Home where darkness never comes. Where we play, laugh and gaze lovingly within your radiance. Shine on, Lord Jesus. Your glorious glow lights my way Illuminate my heart so I can live as a child of the Light. … [Read more...]
To Be – Quote of the Week – Evelyn Underhill
We mostly spend life conjugating three verbs: to Want, to Have and to Do. Craving, clutching and fussing, on the material, political, social, emotional, intellectual, even on the religious plane, we are kept in perpetual unrest: forgetting that none of these verbs have any ultimate significance, except so far as they are transcended by and included in, the fundamental verb, to Be: and that Being, not wanting, having and doing, is the essence of the spiritual life. Evelyn Underhill … [Read more...]
Why Do You Go to Church?
The Barna group recently released some new findings including how people answered this question: Why do you go to church? When asked if they attended church that week, only four in ten Americans answered yes. Americans not attending any type of church function at all in the last six months continue to increase especially among the Millennials. Barna reports: “Overall church attendance has dipped from 43% in 2004 to 36% today. But beyond a dip in attendance numbers, the nature of churchgoing is changing. Regular attenders used to be people who went to church three or more weekends each month—or even several times a week. Now people who show up once every four to six weeks consider themselves regular churchgoers.” I thought the reasons why people attend church were fascinating. To be closer to God was the answer for 43% with 38% saying they needed to learn more about God. Sadly the group also discovered that growing closer to God rarely happens. “Fewer than two out … [Read more...]
Finding Peace in Poetry – Robert Frost – Miles to Go Before I Sleep
I was a lonely kid in fourth grade. I hid in my imagination and escape to distant planets in the small tree next to the house. Those branches evolved into my space ship taking me on many adventures. Those escapades seeped into my writing assignments for school that year. I don’t remember my fourth grade teacher’s name. I really should try to find it, but I will always remember her kindness. I think she may have been the first teacher to nurture the writer in me. On the last day of school as everyone was scurrying out the door for summer vacation, she asked me to stay a minute. She explained she was moving out of state but how much she enjoyed reading my writing and how she hoped I would continue to develop that talent. Then she gave me a book. A book of Robert Frost poems. I still own that small black volume of poetry, a treasure from my past and a symbol of someone who believed in me. I love much of Frost’s poetry. One of my favorites and one of many people’s favorites … [Read more...]
Thirsty for Gushing Water – Lectio Divina
Jesus said to her,” Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” John 4: 13-14 Lord, you amaze me. You approached the Samaritan woman – unheard of in your time – to asked her for her water. You knew what would happen. You knew her better than she knew herself. You knew her sin. Yet you still came to her in her place and time and spoke to her in a way she understood. You spoke about water to a thirsty person. I know you approach me too in my place of need. You come to me without me first asking. You are already here. You know exactly what will be happening next in my journey. You know me better than I know myself. You know my sin. Yet you still come to me here, in this place and in the perfect time when my heart will soften and I will hear your words with the ears of my … [Read more...]
Quote of the Week – Francis Bacon
It’s not what we eat but what we digest that makes us strong; not what we gain but what we save that makes us rich; not what we read but what we remember that makes us learned; and not what we profess but what we practice that gives us integrity. Francis Bacon (1561 -1626) … [Read more...]
The Presence of the Lord – The Spiritual Practice of Silent Retreats
The song “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place” walked with me this past weekend as I practice one of my favorite spiritual practices – going on a silent retreat. Its words and music continue to surround me even today. The spiritual practice of intentionally taking a retreat – a time away from ordinary noisy days and spending time with God – takes me deeper in my love and experience of God than almost any other practice. I entered this time away with no expectations. In the past I brought questions to lay before God, issues I needed guidance or healing or even just a hunger to be with Him. This time was different. Several months ago my spiritual director asked me why I strived so much and had I ever considered just allowing things like creativity or guidance to “bubble” up. “Bubble up” became my mantra for this retreat. Now this was difficult for this plan everything and keep in control of every detail girl. Remember one of my favorite poems about God and the … [Read more...]