Do small things matter to God?We live in a world where everything is supersized and maximum strength. We see airbrushed models as real. We ask what went wrong when someone gets a silver medal in the Olympics instead of gold or a student earns a B+ instead of an A. So often I feel I am not enough. My gifts are too small and insignificant to make any difference. My failure to live up to my expectations and the internal voices telling me what I “should” be doing block me from growing closer to God and from following His will. I focus more on what I lack instead of focusing on who God is. I really needed to hear the gospel lesson this week.I listened to familiar story read on Sunday morning. Jesus gave thanks for the young boy’s small gift of five loaves and two fish and then the entire crowd had more than enough to eat.More than enough. It started with an unnamed, small boy, barely noticeably in the huge crowd. The scripture isn’t even clear if he voluntarily offered his lunch or if the … [Read more...]
A Prayer for Those Reading This Blog Today – Lectio Divina
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3: 14-21Lord I know this passage well. You have heard me pray these words over specific people. I add their names in place of the you’s and your’s. I have recited its words naming my … [Read more...]
Sing Your Song – Quote for the Week
"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best." – Henry Van Dyke … [Read more...]
What Matters Most – Book Review
“God does not come to us offering rules; God comes offering relationship.”What Matters Most: How We Got the Point but Missed the Person is a new book by Leonard Sweet. The quote above is a good summary of the message of this book: We spent more time debating the “right theology” and creating the“right rules”, than building a relationship with God and with others.I liked this book as Sweet offered new slants to the familiar story of Abraham and I appreciate his method of studying the root of words such as belief, faith, hear and obey to gain insight into their meanings. I enjoy reading a book that offers some “meat” to ponder and innovative viewpoints with stories and words that have grown familiar. This book would be a great book for discussion in a small group. Questions are available in the back of the book and there is a web site with bonus material to add to a group’s conversation.Sweet reminds us that God’s greatest desire in to love us so we can love God and others. God’s … [Read more...]
Celebrating 600!
Do you know how old Noah was when the flood began?600Do you know how many new blogs are published every minute?600Do you know which birthday for Joan of Arc we are celebrating this year?600Do you know how many years ago the University of St Andrew in Scotland began?600Do you have any idea how many blog posts I have written here since the beginning?600Fun trivia today to celebrate this 600th post.I feel blessed: Blessed by God to have the opportunity to write for Him and blessed by all of you who read these humble words each time. I am so very grateful. Thank you for reading this blog!!The most popular posts the past three years based on one the number of times people looked at that page are the ones about prayer, inspirational quotes, and hymn stories. Prayer is so essential to our growing closer to God and so many of us hunger for hope and encouragement we find in quotes and music.Since prayer, hymns, and quotes are key themes here, I thought I would share the words of one of my … [Read more...]
Come Away with Me – Lectio Divina
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6: 31bI read your invitation this week, Lord - Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.Thank you for asking me but with regrets, I am rather busy right now. I have things to accomplish.People seeking my help.And I do want some time for me, you know.Maybe I can squeeze You in a little next week...Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.I reread your statement. I don’t see the RSVP. You mean this isn’t an optional request? Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.You gently change my heart, stop my frenzied fretfulness, and refocus my energy to You. I let go of my all important to-do list, drop my agenda, and slowly ease into Your heart.I see Your hand open, welcoming me into Your presence. I reach for You to join You.I come by myself - leaving behind my close associates of busyness, worries, fears, and habits. I shed my backpack of dreams, desires, and … [Read more...]
Am I a Rock or a Dancer? – Quote – Henri Nouwen
“I once saw a stonecutter remove great pieces from a huge rock on which he was working. In my imagination I thought, That rock must be hurting terribly. Why does this man wound the rock so much? But as I looked longer, I saw the figure of a graceful dancer emerge gradually from the stone.“I have spent a good deal of my life building a stone wall of protection around my heart. Now when I actually hear the truth about my hardness of heart, it seems as though one of the stones is being taken out of my protective wall. This wounds me and makes me frightened and angry. It’s a big struggle. But I’m trying to be more aware of and less fearful in the process...“In spiritual formation, you may think about your life as a strong rock wall, resisting anyone and anything that tries to change it. Resentment makes us blind to God’s carving hand, but gratitude helps us recognize the process - that slowly but surely we are being formed into a beautiful work of art; that we are being prepared to be a … [Read more...]
Praying for Rain
Drought - yes it is a record year for hot, hot temps and dry, dry weather. I found this graph from the Weather Channel that summed up our desperate need for rain very well.The National Climatic Data Center reports that the 2012 drought disaster is now the largest in over 50 years, and among the ten largest of the past century. Only the extraordinary droughts of the 1930s and 1950s have covered more land area than the current drought. 55 percent of the contiguous United States was under moderate to extreme drought in June. I live in northwest Ohio. When you look at this map, yes my tiny neck of the woods is maroon colored - one of the worst hit areas. We are classified as extreme drought. And I know many of you are also suffering this summer. This severe weather will affect us all no matter where we live with higher costs such as in food. This could be one of the top ten most expensive weather disasters in the United States.(NOTE: I began writing this a post a few days ago and woke … [Read more...]