Lent begins this week. Are you ready? Is your heart prepared for Lent? I used to jump in at the last minute in my preparation for this solemn time of year pondering the time before Easter we call Lent. To be honest, often it would be two weeks into the season before I would think – “Wow, Easter seems early this year? Am I ready?” Of course, getting ready meant buying spring outfits for the kids and new shoes. Maybe decorating with rabbits and coloring Easter eggs. Ham for the big meal? Sunrise or regular services that morning? Don’t tell anyone, but often I would want to just skip the sad readings in my devotionals, the dreary February weather skies and hop right into green spring in Ohio. But now I prepare my heart for Lent differently. Perhaps because I am older and closer to death myself. Maybe the truth we call God’s love is finally sinking to my dry soul. I am more intentional about my Lenten practices now and dare I say, look forward to spending in-depth time … [Read more...]

The Church Calendar The church I attend follows the church year calendar or the liturgical year. This way of looking at the seasons is a bit different from the January through December block we normally use. What is the Liturgical Year? The church year calendar forms around the events in Jesus’ life. Then we too can center our lives, our worship, our spiritual formation around the lessons learned from walking and talking with Him. I love seeing the colors in worship change with each season of the liturgical year. Purple, white, green, black, red, pink, gold and others decorate the pulpit and altar creating a reflective atmosphere and setting the stage for pondering our God. Happy New Year begins not on January 1st, but on the first Sunday of Advent – the four Sundays before Christmas. Seeing the flow of time through the readings and observances from the Bible creates a powerful environment for worship. The seasons moved from Advent, through Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, … [Read more...]

Tending the Holy Thursdays –The Spiritual Practice of Reflection –The Yearly Examen In December, we have explored the spiritual practice of reflection and how that tends the holy within us. You can read the other December posts on Thursdays and how we used reflection on a daily, weekly, monthly and quarterly basis. Today, being the last day of the year, is very appropriate to ponder the spiritual practice of reflection using the yearly Examen. Remember the spiritual practice of reflection gives meaning to our lives, helps us see God’s presence in the details, grounds us with landmarks on our journey and enables us to let go of what holds us back in life. It’s like hitting the pause button at regular intervals. The Spiritual Practice of Reflection I heard from my doctor this week by email of all things, reminding me it is time for my annual physical checkup. Then I felt the nudge from my heavenly Physician that it was time to examine the past 12 months before I stepped into the … [Read more...]

Questions to Ponder at Year End This time of year I sit with questions to ponder as one year ends. I ask my soul. I talk with God. I reread and write in my journal. I allow space in my time and my heart to wonder. To listen. To savor and reflect. To allow whispers of possibilities to bubble up. “The key to wisdom is knowing all the right questions.” – John Simone Here are some of the questions I am pondering at year end: What is my why? Why is the deepest core meaning God is inviting me to live into? Why does the word “Joy” (or any word that appears to you for next year) attract me so and how I can live in that word in 2016? How will God stretch me in 2016? And how will I react to his invitation? What do I want to look back upon in one year with a sense of accomplishment and joy? What do I want to learn/see/discover and explore in 2016? What words are calling me to write? If I were to die in the next year, what would be my legacy? How do I want to spend the … [Read more...]