Have you ever thought about discernment? My car and I talk: I push the Bluetooth phone button. “Ready,” my Chevy Equinox, so eager to please, responds. “Call home.” I direct. “Home?” the mechanical feminine voice asks. “Say yes or no.” I quickly say, “yes.” “Home?” the mechanical feminine voice asks. “Say yes or no.” “Yes!” I repeated rapidly after her second attempt. “Ok, good bye.” After this happened to me several times, I learned my lesson. If I respond with my “yes” too fast after her question, my friendly computer friend doesn’t understand and the communication fails. If I pause before I say “yes,” things go much more smoothly. I explained my little trick with my car to my husband the other day when the universal truth of what I said hit my heart. What good advice for making decisions too. Pause before saying yes or no. Things will go smoother when you don’t go too quickly. Pause before saying yes - a bluetooth or “bluetruth” … [Read more...]
Silence – a Spiritual Practice
Silence? How well do you do with this spiritual practice? I attended a silent retreat for four days this past weekend. Now a few of you who know me more than just through this blog probably think I wouldn’t last or would be expelled. Yes I do talk quite a bit. But I figured out this was my fifth silent retreat! I find this type of spiritual practice to be one of the most effective disciplines for opening my heart and bringing me closer to God. In fact the few years I didn’t attend one for more than 24 months, I missed them. Now I try to get to one annually. We arrived Thursday evening and have a talkative dinner together. After supper we meet as a group, sharing what we think God may be inviting us to experience the next few days. I have learned to let go of my expectations though. Often I will list in my journal questions I would love some insight to during my quiet time with God but then hold them lightly. Sometimes I hear answers; sometimes not. We begin the silence … [Read more...]
St Patrick – Bio, Trivia and a few Blarney Quotes
IrelandWe are all Irish on St Patrick’s Day. This Sunday is for wearing of the green, they say. Thought it would be fun to read a little about St. Patrick and share some trivia/ quotes.Who was St. Patrick?He was born in Britain near the end of the 4th century. March 17 is the believed date of his death in 460. When he was 16, Patrick was taken prisoner by a group of Irish raiders who were attacking his family's estate. They transported him to Ireland where he spent six years in captivity. While in captivity he became a Christian.He escaped and returned to Britain where he had a vision where an angel told him to return to Ireland as a missionary. Fifteen years later, after training then ordination as a priest, he went back to Ireland.Since Patrick knew the Irish traditions and beliefs, he incorporated them into his lessons about Christianity. For example he used the shamrock to explain the Trinity to the people.St Patrick TriviaPatrick couldn't have driven the snakes out of Ireland … [Read more...]
The Miracle of Sight or Seeing What’s Right in Front of Me
Why do I miss seeing what's right in front of me? Why do we always make things so difficult when the answer often is right in front of us? I’m short. I used to be five foot three, but to honest I think I am closer to five foot two now. But even with my height deficiency I was able to help someone last week. I was in the grocery store concentrating on my grocery list, pushing the cart up and down the aisles. I wandered lost in my own thoughts, needs and world. I almost bumped into an elderly lady standing by the boxed potato section, mumbling to herself. I ignored her at first, but she looked me in the eyes and said with exasperation and a deep sigh, “Why do they put everything up so high?” “Can I help you?”I asked. “I can’t reach that box on the top shelf.” Ha! One shorty asking another shorty for help with the top shelf, that’s funny. I looked around to be sure I wasn’t being filmed for some sort of reality humor show. Never in my life before had I … [Read more...]
Finding My Marker’s Mark
I thought I had bugs flying in my kitchen. First I assumed they were tiny gnats, then possibly a large black fly. I don’t like bugs, especially in my house. But when I stopped and looked again, I realized what I was seeing was a sudden burst of floaters in my left eye. mmm, this isn’t good. First thing the next morning I was at the eye doctor who dilated my eye and didn’t like what he saw. They scheduled me for an appointment right away the eye specialist. Yep, I had a tear in my retina that he promptly repaired with the laser. My eye is healing well with only a few gnats and flies spots still floating by. Both doctors peered deep into the back of my eye. With an intense bright light I think they probably could illuminate everything from my tonsils to my toes. I wonder if they saw any of the secrets and dirt hidden in the corners of my heart? “You have a beauty mark on your retina,” Dr. Pesin told me at my two-week recheck. “Nothing to worry about, … [Read more...]
Winter Wonderings
Here are some winter wonderings. February is the longest month of the year. Or least it always seems that way to me in cold wintry Ohio. I once suggested to God that He move February to between July and August, so we would have an extra month of summer sunshine and one less month of dreary chilly mornings. Of course He never did this; perhaps that is why He is God and I am not. (Anyway some of my friends from the Southern Hemisphere probably wouldn’t have liked that either.) Winter is a time of rest of my soul and reflection. During Lent and this frosty time of year I am wondering today about my Month of Writing Letters, my ongoing lessons about my word(s) of the year: STRETCH and ENOUGH, and my attempts at honoring the Sabbath. Handwritten Letters During Winter About a month ago I wrote about The Lost Art of Handwriting Letters and the Month of Letters Challenge. So far I have written and mailed 26 notes to friends, some I see often and some I haven’t even met. What … [Read more...]
The Voice
The Voice - no, not the TV show, the Bible translation.I heard that this version was released about a year ago but hadn’t explored it yet. Then a few weeks one of my favorite Bible reference web pages - Biblegateway - added The Voice to its choices. mmm, maybe it was time to take a look. The Biblegateway blog had an interesting post about thedifferent versions they use when they added The Voice Bible. They also have a full explanation and information about The Voice Bible on this page.The publisher, Thomas Nelson, describes The Voice as: “a faithful dynamic equivalent translation that reads like a story with all the truth and wisdom of God's Word. Through compelling narratives, poetry, and teaching, The Voice invites readers to enter into the whole story of God, enabling them to hear God speaking and to experience His presence in their lives. Through a collaboration of nearly 120 biblical scholars, pastors, writers, musicians, poets, and artists, The Voice recaptures the passion, … [Read more...]
Daring Greatly, Being STRETCHED and Jumping into the Arena
What is daring greatly? I “met” Brene Brown through her TED talks. She speaks on ThePower of Vulnerability here and her talk on Listening to Shame here. Both are worth your time to listen. TED talks are wonderful conversations about life, the world and curiosity. People present in less than 20 minutes a peek into their research, their experiences and/or their learning. Their mission is to spread ideas. I always learn something new when I watch a TED talk. Brene studies and writes about such fascinating topics as shame, vulnerability and courage. She listens deeply to people and the journalist in me loves the questions she asks others to explore. Brene Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston, graduate school of social work. She has written several books: The Gifts of Imperfection and I Thought I was Just Me. My daughter, Valerie gave me her latest book, Daring Greatly, at Christmas. (Thanks Val!) I just finished Daring Greatly. Don’t you love it when a … [Read more...]