I will not be posting this week. The proof for my next book, “Poems, My Faith Journey Through Prayerful Observations” has arrived. That means I need to read it cover to cover and find any corrections, additions, or errors before we submit it for publication and public consumption. It should be available by April 30. Throw in two Zoom meetings, (one of which I have notes to type up), starting a steroid pack and physical therapy – well writing will have to wait this week.
You may have seen the hymn that posted instead of being saved as a draft. Things that make me go “DRATS!” It is a great hymn that I cannot stop singing.
So sing along and praise our risen King and He continues His resurrection life in and through each of us.
I like this sort of scoop, too!
Looks like peanut butter chip, MY UDF FAVORITE!! 🙂
I am always amazed at how a quote can become a jumping off place, a diving board if you will, to other thoughts and truths.
Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don’t claim them. Feel the artistry moving through and be silent. Rumi
One centering exercise this morning asked that I become aware of life around me. For that I usually look out the window at my prayer chair and marvel at the unfolding season. Wasn’t it just snowing as in the opening photo? As Rumi implies, I have absolutely no claim upon those wonders, but I am privileged to observe them. There is an artistry in God’s creation and the tough part is for me to be silent.
Hush my soul. Like a child quieted at its mother’s breast, be still.
{You will see below that because I chose a quote box the program made everything below that to appear in italics. I tried and tried to change it. For this post we will just live with it and I will stop using quote boxes. GRR}
I picked up a booklet at church regarding the Way of the Cross, prayers from Jerusalem. I have not entered the practice of praying the stations of the cross. This first prayer made me be still.
Assist us mercifully with your help, O Lord God of our salvation, that we may enter with joy upon the contemplation of those mighty acts whereby you have given us life and immortality; through Jesus Christ out Lord. Amen.
I kept returning to that prayer through Good Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I picked it up again this morning. Eastertide proclaims and rejoices again and again the powerful works of Lord God Almighty through the resurrection of Jesus our Lord.
This Lent and Easter were the most meaningful I have ever experienced. Maybe it is that I am aging or perhaps I keep turning my conscious over to the presence of Christ with us, in every season? I am glad Eastertide lasts for 50 days. I do not want it to end.
The mowers finally shaved our neighborhood. The grass was so high we were beginning to wonder if we should hire goats to chomp it down. As it is there are huge clumps of cut grass in many yards. Wonder! that just a few weeks ago these yards were brown and scraggly and not showing much hope. Now they are lush and thick and thriving, even though marked with tire tracks throughout.
Being still in prayer I realized I was looking at huge trees in the distance (I am not much for numbers, but I want to say 25-30 feet tall?) My feet are touching the earth and their roots are drinking up the moisture from the same earth, feeding and nurturing the new leaves and flower buds. Tiny me who is shrinking a little more each year and towering trees growing taller than I could ever climb. There is artistry moving through the trees and through me. I am stilled to holy silence.
What has been occurring around you? Have you noted the changes and given pause to the wonder?
On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. 17 The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing 18 as on a day of festival.” Zephaniah 3:16-18 NRSVUE
Look about you. Be renewed in his love. Listen for your God singing over you as on a day of festival! And be silent.
Gratitude places you in the energy field of plentitude. Glow with gratitude and see how awe and joy will make their home in you. Michael Bernard Beckwith
Br. David Steindl-Rast shares this compelling invitation: “Imagine a society in which mutual trust has the leverage that our present social order accords to fear. Imagine a society in which mutual caring has the leverage that our present social order accords to egotism. If we reach the critical mass of grateful people, a surprising reorientation can take place.”
Brother David has amazing insights and goals that boggle my mind. I want to live in the world he imagines. Mutual trust, mutual caring and a critical mass of grateful people! Yes! Let’s do that instead of all the other nonsense politicians and reporters spend time upon.
This is from a meditation sent by Practicing the Way during Holy Week.
“It’s still shocking: Jesus passed through death and, as you read these words, inhabits a body that ate Galilean fish and bears puncture marks from the cross, and yet is utterly different — a “walking, talking piece of new creation,” in the words of BibleProject’s Tim Mackie.
Have you contemplated this idea? Jesus, right now and right there with you, too! Our wonderful Jesus, passed from death into life and per the promise of the Father into us to live and dwell and direct our steps.
Oh such glory to God!
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.” John 14:16-21 NRSVUE
The same, “yet utterly different.”
It is said He walked on earth fifty days before the ascension. As He lives and moves within us I propose that He is still walking the earth. Ponder that. Pray with that idea. Thank the Almighty for this amazing work.
Oh. Brings me to stillness and quiet within. Let all the earth keep silence before Him. Let all the earth declare His mighty works of glory.
If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:11 NRSVUE
Surrender to the Holy Spirit. Let Christ live and move through you. Wait before the Lord in every endeavor. Trust God to work through you as you walk in obedience to the Almighty. Be amazed at the Indwelling Christ. And give thanks.
This was noted on the website by Monasteries of the Heart which features Joan Chittister and the work of the Benedictine Sisters in her community.
April 4: “If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you will look forward, do so prayerfully. But the wisest course would be to be present in the present gratefully,” wrote Maya Angelou, who was born on this date in 1928. Angelou was a prolific author, poet, and journalist, as well as a Civil Rights activist.
Such wisdom from Maya. I have enjoyed reading some of her work. Such a life and what amazing telling of that life. The above is an challenging quote!
Look back forgivingly. Look forward prayerfully. Wisest course is to be present in the present GRATEFULLY.
Maybe it is because I am aging. Perhaps from walking closely with my neighbors who are dying? The gratitude in my heart seems to grow daily. Even when I am caught up in my own physical pain, I am able to be more grateful than in the past. I often recite my prayer below.
I have determined that this day, each time I am drawn up short by pain, I will praise You for I love You better than life - even better than quality of life.
I hope you can turn this time of year into a season full of forgiveness, prayer and gratitude. I believe we could all benefit from that effort!
This appeared in Forward Day by Day devotional. We sent it to our friends in New Mexico. They took us to this church to see the wonder of the staircase. None of us took photos that day as the postcards were spectacular. The photos here are from online.
Luke 2:48b.Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.
There is a legend that Saint Joseph built a staircase here in New Mexico. In Santa Fe, the Sisters of Loretto built their chapel with the blessing of Archbishop Lamy. When it was nearing completion, they realized there was no way to access the choir loft. According to the story, the sisters prayed to Saint Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters, and a stranger appeared. Working only with simple hand tools, this man built a spiral staircase with incredible technical precision and beauty. Carpenters to this day regard the staircase with awe. The man reportedly vanished when the stairway was finished, never accepting his pay.
Did Saint Joseph build the staircase? Many have debated, but as in the case of Joseph’s appearance in the gospels, the details are few. The question of faith also plays a role in the telling of the story. Rather than saying “Saint Joseph built it,” the story relies on the connection between the prayer and the mystery carpenter who arrived. It isn’t certainty but rather faith that has us reach out to God in our need and see God’s action in response.
MOVING FORWARD: Where could you use less certainty and more faith?
“a carpenter appeared with only a hammer and carpenter’s square. He built what is now known as the Miraculous Staircase with simple tools, wooden pegs and a rare wood that is not native to the American Southwest.” https://www.lorettochapel.com/our-story
Isn’t it just lovely?!? I always remember that Jesus was a carpenter, too!
For years I have enjoyed two ginger snaps with my morning coffee. To me it is a delicious way to begin the day! I dip a ginger snap in my coffee and enjoy the flavor on my tongue. I take a sip of coffee. I dip another ginger snap and repeat the process. I usually buy Stauffer’s. They brag about being made with real ginger. I can have a couple as they have no frosting and are not likely to send my glucose soaring.
Recently Bob visited Trader Joe’s market where he picked up a tub of their Triple Ginger Snaps. Theirs are made with crystallized ginger, ginger puree, and ground ginger. Yum! We have enjoyed them before. He was disappointed when we opened them and it looked as if they had been dropped multiple times during shipping from California. I told him my friends say the broken ones have only half the calories. We were both content to eat some broken pieces. Mind you, not all of them were broken!
On a recent morning I made my coffee and got out the cookie tin. I grabbed a ginger snap and dunked it in my coffee. 80% of it disappeared into the coffee! Oh NO!! I had forgotten about the shipping damage. It had not looked broken, but obviously was. I got a tablespoon out of the drawer thinking I could get out the piece. Nope it was gone.
When I got to the bottom of my coffee cup later in the morning I was laughing that I had created Ginger Snap soup!
Do you have a recipe for ginger snap soup as easy as mine? Not likely to serve it to anyone but me!
Dunker Styles
Guess the photo defines me as a gone too far dunker! I am more careful now with these maybe broken, but not showing their cracks ginger snaps!
Years ago I read so many books by this wonderful writer! She created novels and poetry and my she was prolific! She died in 2007 and we still miss her influence and insights.
For Lent, 1966 by Madeleine L’Engle
It is my Lent to break my Lent,
To eat when I would fast,
To know when slender strength is spent,
Take shelter from the blast
When I would run with wind and rain,
To sleep when I would watch.
It is my Lent to smile at pain
But not ignore its touch.
It is my Lent to listen well
When I would be alone,
To talk when I would rather dwell
In silence, turn from none
Who call on me, to try to see
That what is truly meant
Is not my choice. If Christ’s I’d be
It’s thus I’ll keep my Lent.
This poem was published in our church bulletin a week or so ago. Some complicated ideas and some simple. How have you been doing keeping Lent? Some write that it is like a few days after January 1 when they abandon their ideas of New Year resolutions. Have you been enabled to keep a holy Lent? Were you able to stop gossiping? Forego dessert? Do anything that drew you closer to God?
Have you given yourself to Christ in such a way that that you abandon your choices and do what the Spirit shows you to do?
I was privileged to attend the Stephen Ministry regional meeting last weekend. Stephen Ministry is designed by professionals to train lay people to assist in caring for others through the ministry of listening. Stephen ministry materials are used in all 33 correctional facilities in the State of Ohio! “Since 1975, Stephen Ministries has trained more than 70,000 leaders from the United States, Canada and 29 other countries, who in turn have equipped over 600,000 volunteer caregivers. These caregivers have provide emotional and spiritual support to millions of people affected by cancer,divorce, job loss, chronic illness, grief, financial difficulties, and other crises and life challenges.”
This was an all day educational meeting with boxed lunch (delicious) and new people to meet and befriend. I still think the Stephen Ministry logo should be a large listening ear!
There were folks from all over Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Michigan and likely other places I missed. The speakers were from the St. Louis, Missouri headquarters.
The last time I attended something like this I was younger. This time I was wondering if I could stay awake and not get bored during the lectures. I was pleasantly surprised. The sessions were well run and entertaining. They kept the dialogue moving with NO monotone voices. There were breaks to take a stretch, go to the restrooms or get a snack. It was great.
The Agenda for the Day
The news about the new program to help churches combat the mental health crisis was particularly interesting. There certainly is a crisis in this country. Stephen Ministry leaders have noticed and have been planning materials for a couple of years. They are not ready to be released yet, but certainly sound promising.
The materials for “how to care for and relate to those with cancer and their loved ones” especially appealed to me trying to relate to my neighbors who are both ill. The text book “Cancer, Now What” is used in many cancer facilities all around the country. I bought two copies. One for our neighbors and one for me. Hey! No shipping cost when bought at the conference 🙂 The book looks daunting at first with over 300 pages, but there are blank pages, it is done in large print, and the short chapters are ideal for those who are ill or who have “brain fog.” Here is the link if you are interested https://cancernowwhat.org/default.cfm
I took lots of notes as you can see from this page alone.
And then my humor kicked in. They told us to turn to page 12 in our celebration program. At a glance I thought it said something about shoplifting. I was like ??What?? The actual title was Spotlight Shifting. When I told the other 2 Stephen ministers from our church about my reading error, our fearless leader could not stop laughing. I’m nothing if not entertaining!!
Yikes, Molly!
And each time I say to God, “I am trying, Lord.” He replies, “Yes, dear, very trying.”
O God, your ways are holy. Is there any god as mighty as you? You are the God of great wonders! You demonstrate your awesome power among the nations. Psalm 77:13–14 (NLT)
I was not quite awake as I poured my coffee. Remembered there were snow flurries last night when I took the dog out. Flipped on porch light and looked at deck to see how much snow we received? Yikes!! The four inches that remained from the last storm is still there. This was not new snow but shook me up for a brief minute. No, I was not awake before but startled to reality now! Negligible snow in the night .
I do not remember the last time that snow lingered like this in our town. I just saw a forecast that calls for 1-3 inches of new snow tomorrow!
Our God of great wonders has blessed us with unusual weather this winter. I pray you can enjoy it?
We took a ride in the Sunday sunshine and Bob took photos of the snow and shadows. We knew a few older houses in downtown Batavia that would form icicles from the second story to the ground. Indeed, they did!
Our son took a vacation to Hocking Hills in the midst of this winter mayhem. Perhaps you are familiar with Old Man’s Cave?
photo by Jeff Dutina
photo by Jeff Dutina
photo by Jeff Dutina
Beauty from the Lord our God is every place we turn. Praying you will discover treasures in plain sight for yourself today!
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 