We Interrupt this Blog for an Important Announcement. . .Life interrupted my routine this week.Life interfered with all my plans.Life stopped me in my tracts to behold a wondrous phenomenon.As Albert Einstein once said:“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”Miracle, yes indeed. I experienced a miracle this week.Actually two of them.On Sunday my daughter, Katie, gave birth to two little boys. Korbin arrived at 8:15 am, weighing in just a little below five pounds. His brother, Kastin, may have been born second, but won in the weight division topping a little over the five-pound mark.All are healthy and the boys are adorable.My heart overflows with thanksgiving and praise of our Creator for these blessings. Thank you, dear Lord. Thank you to the Giver of Life for new life.Yes, life engulfed me this week and love exploded.And sometime a miracle from God comes in pairs. … [Read more...]
What’s Next, Papa? – Lectio Divina
This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life.It's adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike "What's next, Papa?" God's Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what's coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we're certainly going to go through the good times with him! Romans 8:15-17 The MessageImage by Crystl via Flickr"What's next, Papa?" What a prayer, Lord.I lift this up as my prayer today."What's next, Papa?" I relish in the spirit of living expectantly of Your blessings and presence.I turn my focus from only on what is wrong to fixing my eyes on You, my father."What's next, Papa?" You fill me with hope and giddy anticipation.I lay on Your altar, my fears, worries, and doubts, so I can run empty-handed to embrace the life … [Read more...]
Always Go to the Funeral– Quote of the Week
“This I believe” is a series and book by NPR where individuals, famous and not so famous, share essays. The following is a quote from one of my favorites:Image via WikipediaAlways Go to the Funeral – Deirdre Sullivan“Sounds simple – when someone dies, get in your car and go to calling hours or the funeral. That, I can do. But I think a personal philosophy of going to funeral means much more.‘Always go the funeral’ means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don’t feel like it…I’m talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy…In my humdrum life, the daily battle hasn’t been good versus evil. It’s hardly so epic. Most days, my battle is doing good versus doing nothing.” … [Read more...]
God’s Palette
I am so grateful for God’s creation. Some days God’s palette of color overwhelms me.After all, He could have made the world black and white.Or said,“Let’s keep it simple and only use primary colors.”I love the springtime pastels and the fall hues set ablazed. But one of my favorite times of year is when God turns Ohio golden.The ripen fields of wheat snuggle against a deep green of early corn.Then the Artist scatters swatches of orange as the Tiger Lilies spring up wildly in the ditches. These colors grace us with a glimpse of heaven.I bet God takes delight as we discover and enjoy His palette.Do you have any idea how many colors there are in the world He created?Scientists estimate we can see about 1000 levels of light-dark, 100 levels of red-green, and 100 levels of yellow-blue for a single viewing condition in a laboratory. This means that the total number of colors we can see is about 1000 x 100 x 100 = 10,000,000 (10 million). But that is within a laboratory. Color is affected by … [Read more...]
Praying to be Silly
Image via WikipediaDo you pray to be silly? Sounds odd, doesn't it? But this is my prayer this week. I love words. I enjoy learning their histories, their hidden meanings, their stories.I learned new things about the word “SILLY” this week.In my view, my perspective, silly means shallow, impractical, childish, and harebrained. Not quite the desirable characteristic to pray for, though being more childlike is Biblical.But words evolve in their meanings over time.Silly used to be the opposite of what it means now.The word derives from the old English word seely, meaning happy, blissful, lucky, or blessed. From there it came to mean innocent, or deserving of compassion, only later mutating this sense of naive childishness. The related German selig retains its original meaning ‘happy, blessed’.So I am praying to be silly:Lord help me to be silly in its old definition. Sprinkle me with joyous laughter and Godly giggles.Thank you for pure moments that lighten my day.Give me childlike eyes to … [Read more...]
By the Sea with Jesus – Lectio Divina
“That same day, Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.” Matthew 13:1Image via WikipediaSat beside the seaLord I can just imagine You rising early in the day when the morning mist was still kissing the earth.You walked to one of Your greatest creations – the majestic sea - and just sat by the water.Soon people would demand Your time, Your energy, You.I think You must have embraced these Sabbath moments.Watching the waves rhythmically meet the sand.Breathing in the fresh air and hearing the birds sing praises to Your father.A brief respite.Time with Your Dad.I too need to remember to pause and spend time with Papa.To intentionally sit by the sea with You.To pause and inhale Your spirit.To let the rhythms of the day sooth my soul.To be with You by the sea.To just be with You. … [Read more...]
Ruler of my Heart – Quote of the Week – Joyce Rupp
Image via WikipediaRuler of my HeartTame the wildness in meThat wants to leap awayAnd do my own thingWithout regard for others.Enliven the wildness in meThat gets overly complacentWith a too predictable life.Rule over my flip-flop heart.Do whatever it takesTo join the best in me with you.Joyce RuppFrom her new book: Fragments of Your Ancient Name … [Read more...]
Online Spiritual Direction
Image via WikipediaI have been a spiritual director since 2006 and have offered spiritual direction, both individually and in a group.Spiritual direction is the process of accompanying people on a spiritual journey. Spiritual direction emphasizes growing closer to God.Spiritual direction, sometimes referred to as spiritual guidance or spiritual friendship, is an on-going relationship in which one person (the directee), desirous of being attentive to his or her spiritual life, meets with another person (the director) on a regular basis (approximately once a month), specifically for the purpose of becoming more attuned to God's Presence in order to respond more fully to that Presence in all of life.Spiritual direction has been part of the Christian tradition for centuries. The latest issue Presence, the journal for spiritual directors published by Spiritual Directors International, has an article about a new venue for this practice. Online.Image by Sean MacEntee via Flickr“E-spiritual … [Read more...]