We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders.
ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU
During the communion prayers we sometimes pray, “Jesus taught us that the liberation of the whole world will not be in the brutality of violence. Rather, it will be in showing kindness to our neighbor, in standing up against injustice, in returning hate with love, in transforming one heart at a time. It will be in the simple but holy task of dining together, sharing bread and wine, truly seeing one another as beloved by you.”
One of our favorite lines in the Communion service is when the priest declares. “This is God’s table, not ours. All are welcome.”
Oh Father, we have such a long way to go to bring you delight. Purify our hearts we pray that we might not sin against you. Open our eyes to see our fellow humans as made in your likeness. Help us to esteem others as better than ourselves. (Philippians 2:3)
We have also been learning a song by Michael Stillwater that goes, “One by one everyone comes to remember, we’re healing the world one heart at a time.”
This is a German speaking group. We also sing it in rounds at church. I found myself singing it one day last week and had to stop to remember where I had heard it!!
May your eyes be opened and your heart know that there are no outsiders. Just humans walking each other home.
Lectio 365 wrote this quote from Nouwen on his feast day:
The love that often leaves us doubtful, frustrated, angry, and resentful is the second love, that is to say, the affirmation, affection, sympathy, encouragement, and support we receive from our parents, teachers, spouses, and friends. We all know how limited, broken, and very fragile that love is… The radical good news is that the second love is only a broken reflection of the first love and that the first love is offered to us by a God in whom there are no shadows… The knowledge of Jesus’ heart is a knowledge of the heart. And when we live in the world with that knowledge, we cannot do other than bring healing, reconciliation, new life, and hope wherever we go. https://lectio365.24-7prayer.com/share/devotionals/2026-09-21/morning?locale=en
It has at times been difficult to offer the love God gives us to those around us. We knew for more than six months that both Chuck and Ginny had fatal diseases. We made an effort to take them meals, visit them when hospitalized, send texts, cut flower arrangements, anything we could think of to cheer them. It was not always easy to extend our hands and hearts to them, but we felt the Lord was asking us to do it. So we did, even when our own hearts were reluctant.
Now Chuck is dead. Ginny is dead. Our local restaurant keeps this sticker on the counter for anyone who wishes to take it home. It has been on our kitchen counter for many months urging us into obedience to God. John Wesley is reported as having said,
“Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.”
Our time for doing good for Chuck and Ginny is over. He sent us a basket of African violets and philodendron vines just before he died. He had no idea that Bob had recently told me he would like to have another African violet! It is such a gift of love. The card on the flowers reads: “Thank you guys for your compassion, prayers, and most of all for your love. We love you, Chuck and Ginny” I see the flowers and miss them both.
The house across the street where they lived is empty now. The sons have all gone home to prepare for another funeral or celebration of life, this time for Chuck. I keep getting startled when I realize there is no one there.
Icon of Henri Nouwen by Kelly Lattimore
I hope our efforts reflected what Henri Nouwen wrote. This is not to brag to you, but to show that we never really know what the outcome of our loving, our extending the hands of Jesus to another … we never quite know what the impact will be upon the other person. All we can do is try to follow the example Jesus gives us and obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. May the God and Father of us all be pleased. (Ephesians 4:6)
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:15-17 NIV
We made a little short trip to get us out of town, break up the routine and see the area of Holmes County, northern Ohio where many Amish dwell.
Found the pattern for this quilt that my Grandgirl has been wanting to make. They called it a rag quilt. It was made with strips of flannel that have the raw edges exposed. It was so soft I almost bought this one. But it was only a lap size and I would want a big one!
I bought some flannel for a new pillow cover for myself. At another fabric shop I bought a piece of fabric to cover the sofa since that beagle sheds so mightily.
We saw so many motorized bicycles! Even the grannies were riding them! And many, many houses with solar panels. It seems that Amish and Mennonite families are now allowed to own solar panels as long as they are not connected to the electric grid.
Photo by rm dutina
On our last trip we asked a young Mennonite lady where she charged her bike. She said many employers are nice enough to let them charge the bikes at work. Now with so many solar panels I guess most of them charge at home.
One of the hardest things we had finding was a cup of coffee to go! We missed our afternoon rest for several days in a row, so coffee kept us from getting too grumpy. Once you are out of the metropolis, it is hard to find Starbucks, Dunkin’ or the other chains. When we found this coffee shop that served good coffee and lunch we were especially blessed as they had this delicious dessert. I chose the mantra “Eat dessert first!’ while we waited for our lunch to be served. My friend, Dana, mentioned that she needed a slice of that. The next day since we were on our way home, Bob drove back to get coffee and a slice for her!
Yes that was fudge-like between the layers!!
Forget the soggy Oreo on top. Just give me the chocolate!
We stayed at the Inn at Honey Run. It was a new one to us. Upscale, set in the woods, very quiet. We would have liked a fridge and microwave to make tea and heat our leftovers. Evidently they are remodeling the rooms and those amenities are coming. Guess we are spoiled. First world problems…
Such a sharp contrast between our lives and the simplicity there. Seeing this photo I can still hear the clip/clop of the horses’ hooves.
On our way home we visited my favorite cheese shop, Pearl Valley Cheese. Oh man, I will never tire of that award winning Colby! Before we left we took orders from friends for Smoked Gouda, Smoked Horseradish, Hot Pepper. We decided to try their Swiss cheese with almond spread. Guess we should have bought one neighbor a bucket full! Shared ours with her and she went wild.
Lucky with S’Mores
While we were away Lucky got to have a sleepover with S’Mores and Noodle at Lizzie and Drew’s house. She slept for several days after that! Someone mentioned she is looking out the window as if to ask us “Where did you go?”
A quote from the series “The Hammond Family Farm,” “He knew that teenagers thought everything that happened today meant that was how things would be forever. Boone knew far better than that.”
That is so like our thinking. Even in my 70s I often think like a teenager, grasping things as if they will be this way forever. Good and bad things. I forget things change, whether I like it or not.
Then there is this:
In 2018 I journaled the following. “Change is inevitable. Come to expect it.” If only I had that tattooed on my hand, I could see it daily and perhaps remember that when I am strolling in my comfort zone, that too is subject to change. Perhaps the seasons changing so dramatically are our reminder from God that nothing remains the same except God.”
Life is full of mystery. The mystery is our invitation to let go and to embrace uncertainty with the fullness of our being. This is how hope becomes our bearing. It’s how it becomes our compass in uncertain times. Joe Primo
“Hope becomes our bearing and our compass”
“Joe Primo is the CEO of Grateful Living. He is a passionate speaker and community-builder whose accomplishments made him a leading voice on resilience and adversity. Gratefulness for life, he believes, is foundational to discovering meaning and the only response that is big enough and appropriate for the plot twists, delights, surprises, and devastation we encounter along the way.” https://grateful.org/joe-primo/
I have come to regard Joe with high praise. He was a Hospice Chaplain for many years. That gives a person a unique insight on the best ways to LIVE. The bold text above summarizes his embrace regarding the importance of gratefulness. Please read it one more time slowly.
The purple quote above says let go and embrace uncertainty with the fullness of our being. I am not there yet! Indeed, I have not arrived. Yes, Lord, I need hope for my compass.
“Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.“ Emily Dickinson
Right after I noted this Dickinson quote for the blog it showed up in a TV show. Just like God to send me a reminder. “Let go and to embrace uncertaintywith the fullness of our being.”
Are you willing to try it this week? And the week after that? And the week after that? I am praying that the next time you see a feather you will remember Emily and Joe, see the hope that perches in your soul, embrace uncertainty with the fullness of your being.
Peace is an invitation in daily life to breathe deep, right here, in the uncertainty. MORGAN HARPER NICHOLS
Peace. Hope. Uncertainty. They are our companions. “We Can Complain Because Rose Bushes Have Thorns, or Rejoice Because Thorn Bushes Have Roses.” No one is certain who created this sentiment, but many encourage us to be grateful for life and embrace the changes that come our way, uncertain though that way may be.
Bob Dylan is quoted as having said, “There is nothing so stable as change.”
Last spring our contemporary worship band made a point of learning this song. We sang it this week as our offertory hymn, noting the death of Dolly Parton. The song was written by Zach Williams. In an interview he stated that he just kept hearing Dolly Parton singing it with him. He eventually contacted her. After hearing the song, reading the lyrics she said yes she would be glad to record it with him.
According to Williams, Parton was looking for more faith-based projects when his team reached out regarding the song.
“We all knew it was a big ask and we were shooting for the moon to try to get her on the song,” Williams explained. “We originally heard that 90% of the stuff that comes her way, she turns down just because she has so many people asking to do songs with her.”
Williams recounted Parton telling him, the day she received the song, that she didn’t even make it through the first chorus, before she knew it was a special song and a “God-send.”
I am delighted we have a new beginning every morning. I remember nursing my son and wondering when the first hour of each day occurred. You have to understand that he nursed every three hours around the clock. I had been taught that we should give the Lord the first hour of every day. In my exhaustion, I told the Lord I would gladly give Him the first hour if he would just tell me when my day ended and began!
Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.
PAULO COELHO
Pay attention to this miracle. This day. Right here.
So let me ask you something. When you pray do you listen for an answer? If you do not hear an answer right then, do you keep on listening? Do you persist in answering?
I have found that sometimes the answer comes over hours, sometimes over days, even weeks. We have been pondering what to do about our planned vacation to the beach in North Carolina scheduled for September with our now adult granddaughter. This was planned and reserved before the foot surgery occurred. So now the question is, “Will I be able to walk on the beach and look for seashells?” That is one of my favorite things to do.
So I have been praying for wisdom regarding the decision should we cancel the trip or not? The miracle? I feel as if I have been getting answers to the prayer. Many times the answer comes in the form of a question. That is so like my Jesus!
If I cannot or should not walk on the beach could I be content? Content to be at the ocean? Hear the ocean? Feel the thunder of the waves resounding in the air?
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.”
25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3: 22-25 ESV
New answers every morning. New strength each day. Perhaps a new ability to embrace any limitation I may have come mid-September. Help us decide, Lord.
Starts tonight …NOOOOOO. We have a news channel that says this every day about their broadcast. I suppose they are saying they want us to be prepared, but it is not a good saying to me. “Your tomorrow starts tonight.” We do not even stay up late enough to hear their broadcast.
Guess that news channel never heard that one days trouble is enough for that day.
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34 AMP
Can you. Stop for a moment. View your situation through the lens of maybe? Maybe this is for the good. Perhaps this is going some place you had not imagined. Maybe you do not have all the facts. Could be you only understand in part?
Stop. Pause. Breathe.
Maybe is a powerful word. May – I am able. I am free to do.
Maybe shows uncertainty and also possibility.
Too often our minds decide a situation and close upon one conclusion like a steel trap.
There are many places we make major decisions in life and also the myriad decisions we make every day. Places where we can and ought to insert the word maybe.
It may be that I have misinterpreted something. This sort of thought dethrones the ego who wants to be God and by doing so invites the wisdom of the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our heart to new insights, possibilities we might not have thought about.
Maybe this will give you food for thought. May Be.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12 NIV
And God said, “Gotcha, Molly!” Indeed my attention was fully clasped upon that verse.
Yep, I have at times been less that patient in my afflictions. Not always joyful in hope. Trying to be faithful in prayer, but even there I often fall so short.
And where was I convicted? While watching a movie on the channel Great American Family. During recovery, I spend most afternoons watching a movie and trying to do a few rounds of crochet. This particular channel is showing Christmas movies and at commercial breaks they show a Scripture verse.
So there I was with foot elevated, coughing and being convicted that maybe I could live Romans 12:12 a bit better.
Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; persevere in prayer. Romans 12:12 NRSVUE
Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. Romans 12:12 NLT
Rejoice, be joyful – can you do that even when forced to stillness, Molly?
Patient in affliction, in trouble – healing is going to take almost every single day of this summer season. And then I will need to learn to walk with this new equipment in my toe, or as my friend Dan said, my own “hardware store” in my toe.
Persevere, keep on, be faithful in prayer – yes, those needs, Molly. There is the one across the street still battling cancer and now a widower. The church as we try to reach the hurting with the Good News and comfort of Jesus. There is Pete’s family as they prepare his house for the market and decide what to do with his belongings. The one who suffers from Parkinson’s. The two widows down the street. The other with the awful struggle with antisynthetase syndrome. She who is practically bedridden with back pain and a variety of other ailments. The needs for prayer are always there, Molly. Will you be faithful as the Holy Spirit leads you to pray?
Lord, forgive me I pray for falling short of this call from Paul. Help me to bring joy to your heart. Help me to hear you singing over me. Please do not stop encouraging me to do better as your child and daughter of the King of Kings. Amen.
