Are you afraid of thedark? When I was little once I crawled into bed, I never wanted to get out because I thought the alligators lurking under mattress would chomp on my legs. I wonder if a big brother told me that or if that story rose from my imagination.Fall is a time in the northern hemisphere when darkness takes over as the days get shorter and shadows rule more of our days than sunlight. Who knows what creatures lie in shadowy wait to devour us? So it is little surprise that over the centuries, autumn traditions emerged seeking protection for this spooky time of year.I noticed in our church bulletin last week a reference to this coming Saturday, September 29, being Michaelmas.I don’t think I ever heard of this commemoration before and had fun learning more about it. This feast day of the archangel Michael is seeped deep in history, tradition and folklore. I was fascinated to read some of the stories behind this little known Christian holiday. Here is a bit of what I … [Read more...]

Let’s have some creative fun today!Ever play the game with the telephone books? (I wonder how much longer we will have telephone books? Are they a thing of the past? oops, I digress....) I guess you could also play this with a dictionary.You open the telephone book and look at the two words printed at the top of the page. Our minds will attempt to make connections. Our eyes try to find patterns. Read them together for a sometimes-humorous connection. These are actual finds from my phone book that sits on my desk:Bowling BurglarCellular ChurchesCremation DentistsFertilizer FloristsWhen we go looking for just the right book, the same phenomenon occurs. Book lovers often have neck strain - not from reading or writing but from standing in front of bookcases - at home, at the library or in the bookstores - staring at book spines. We tilt our head to the right reading the titles. Awkward, isn’t it?After a time of reading all those titles with a slanted head, the words begin to merge and … [Read more...]

Rut or Rest? - RevisitedI mentioned on the last post my confusion whether I was in a rut or in a time of rest. I pondered how to best discern, to hear God in this foggy wandering of my soul.If I have learned anything in my walk with Christ is the fundamental ingredients of discernment boil down to:  ·      Prayer - quiet listening to/for God.·      Bible - slowly reading His word, taking it into my heart.·      Community - being vulnerable to share my searching with others and with the Spirit’s help, learn from others.·     Trust - putting my faith in all of the above that the process will eventually become clear.Since I posted last I have:·      Journaled and prayed and spent much quiet time with God·      Revisited and slowly savored some of my favorite Bible passages (see below for the one that really spoke to me)·      Heard loud and clear from emails and comments left on this blog one consistent and very powerful message:RUT OR REST:  GOD IS WITH YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE!(Care … [Read more...]