“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ (Matthew 25:14-21, ESV) Lord you are the giver of all gifts. Please take away … [Read more...]
Advent Approaches – Quote of the Week
“The house lights go off and the footlights come on. Even the chattiest stop chattering as they wait in darkness for the curtain to rise. In the orchestra pit, the violin bows are poised. The conductor has raised his baton. In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is far off in the deeps of it somewhere a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the sound of the silence itself. You hold your breath to listen. You walk up the steps to the front door. The empty windows at either side of it tell you nothing, or almost nothing. For a second you catch a whiff of some fragrance that reminds you of a place you’ve never been and a time you have no words for. You are aware of the beating of your heart…The extraordinary thing that is about to happen is matched only by the extraordinary moment just before it happens. Advent is the name of that moment.” — Frederick Buechner, Whistling in the Dark … [Read more...]
Faith Shift – Book Review
If we are really honest, we all face doubts about our faith at times. How our churches help us recognize, embrace, think through and learn from our uncertainties can make all the difference. When we journey with one another through the haziness of being unsure, often we all become stronger. I read Kathy Escobar’s new book, Faith Shift – Finding Your Way Forward When Everything You Believe is Coming Apart – with a great deal of interest. She deals with this topic – when we go through dark times of questions, hesitation and doubts – from both personal experience and from involvement in guiding others. And Kathy provides light for this difficult passage in a tender, nurturing way. It is often when we stay with our questions, that our roots grow deeper. When we cover up our doubts with platitudes, trying harder or denying that we are experiencing disbelief, we stagnant. This is not a self-help book to find God again in your life. It is a guidebook for transition times as your … [Read more...]
Spiritual Jet Lag
We have been traveling out of the country the last 12 days and man, does it feel good to be home. I will be writing about our amazing adventure to the Holy Lands a little bit later as I really need some time to process prayerfully everything I saw and experienced there. We had some wonderful worship moments on our journey yet the long 14 hours airplane ride home and the time differences really jarred my body and soul. I am tired, out of sorts and feel almost drugged with foggy thinking. I missed my regular morning devotions with God. I missed my family and longed to hear my kids’ voices and get those priceless hugs from grandkids. I missed the comfort of my own snuggling bed. One of the best things to do for physical jet lag is to rest and to drink more water. The same is true for spiritual jet lag – just rest in God’s arms, spend time with Him and drink in his wisdom and love. Benjamin Button said this about coming home: “It’s a funny thing about comin’ home. … [Read more...]
God in Everything – Quote of the Week – Thomas Merton
To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything God has given us and God has given us everything. Thomas Merton … [Read more...]
Today Let’s Just BE
Shh, let’s just be today. Forget that to-do list. Sit quietly in your chair. Take a few deep breaths and be. Do you realize we check our cell phones an average of 110 times a day? According to Computer World, in the United States we average 16 minutes every hour on social media. Distractions bombard us continuously. Distractions – phone, internet, and pestering to do’s deter us from giving our full attention to the One who most deserves our devotion. I hunger for stillness and quiet and just to be. Perhaps that is why I love to start my morning in contemplative prayer. Usually I ramble off my concerns and a few wants to the Lord, then I just rest in his arms. Heaven doesn’t open up and I don’t see angels ascending and descending – just being in his presence. I don’t hear God’s mighty voice or lean in for his gentle whisper, We just enjoy each other’s company. No agenda. No items to discuss. Just being together. But I fail often. My mind wanders … [Read more...]
Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room – Getting Our Hearts Ready for Advent.
November 30 is the first Sunday of Advent. How will you prepare your heart for this special season this year? The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus, which means “coming” or “visit.” Advent is the four weeks before Christmas when we look with hope and anticipation for the coming Christ Child. This time of year can be hectic, full of family drama, and preoccupations with both comforting and/or sad memories. Yet many of us want to take some time to ponder the true reason for the season and spend time with God. Advent is a wonderful opportunity to be open to prayer to shape our spirit this season. "Advent, like its cousin Lent, is a season for prayer and reformation of our hearts. Since it comes at winter time, fire is a fitting sign to help us celebrate Advent.If Christ is to come more fully into our lives this Christmas, if God is to become really incarnate for us, then fire will have to be present in our prayer. Our worship and devotion will have to stoke the … [Read more...]
God Will Find Us – Quote of the Week
I happen to believe that “if you are looking for God, God will find you.” Ignatius of Loyola or Mother Teresa would have likewise believed that even as we are looking, and even when we mostly feel lost, God is somehow finding us, whether or not it feels that way to us. Ignatius believed (as I do) that when we set ourselves toward some worthy purpose that transcends our meager strength, we tap into a source of meaning, strength, peace, and courage that is beyond us. We come to realize, in a graced moment, that we are called to some great purpose, that we cannot do it on our own, but that we don’t have to do it on our own. That’s why Ignatius urges, in one after another of his Spiritual Exercises, that we speak to Jesus “in the way one friend speaks to another.” —Excerpted from Heroic Leadership by Chris Lowney … [Read more...]