I am entering my mid-70s. Bob is two years older. We are finding that what his mother told us once is too true. As we age more and more of our friends are falling ill and some die. She said eventually she got to the point where she knew very few people anymore. She was not one to try to make new friends as she proved when it was necessary for her to move into assisted living. She went to a few meals, but basically isolated herself.
There are two we know of who are suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Another one died of same disease in the last five years. One is undergoing cancer treatment for the second time. One died from cancer recently and one a few months ago.
The woman down the street was in a treatment center with Alzheimer’s disease. She passed after a couple years there. The other neighbor lady with Alzheimer’s and heart disease passed about the same time. Another friend died from early onset Alzheimer’s.
One man has heart issues. He also suffers from allergy or asthma? Some sort of breathing difficulty. Now they say he needs back surgery.
Suffering, diseases and death. How can we keep our faith fresh and lively in the midst of all that? One verse says, “My help comes from the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.” Another verse “even to old age and gray hairs you are with me.”
Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4 NIV
There is so much turmoil here that some of us are willing to openly express that we are looking forward to graduation into the arms of God.
Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16 NIV
Revelation says there is no more death there, or suffering or crying.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.”
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:4-5 NRSVUE
Yes, there is great value in accepting aging and the limitations that can arrive with that aging. We are told to keep our faith strong and ready. We are to be sober, vigilant, and aware that our enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking the ones he can devour. I do not want to be one caught in those evil jaws. These admonishments seem to take on more significance the older I get. As I tire more easily it would be easy to just relinquish hold of those precious promises and quit. I pray for strength to fix my eyes upon the author and FINISHER of my faith. I do want Jesus to find faith on the earth when he returns. Even if mine is the only faith to find.
Tough stuff, but we need to cling to the positives and stay as cheerful as possible.
I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? 2 My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 8 The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore. Psalm 121 NRSVUE
Do you part to cling right to the very last breath!
At the end of a very long and lovely liturgy called For One Suffering Anxiety, Every Moment Holy suggested writing this out or memorizing it to use in times of anxiety. I had no idea at the time I would need it on so many days!
So meet me here, O Mighty God. Meet me in the midst of my disquiet. Meet me in the seat of my anxiety, and bid this storm within my soul Be still! Now calm my heart, O Father. Now soothe my mind O Christ. Now breathe your peace, O Spirit, upon me. Release me from my cares, O God, as I release my cares to you. Amen.Every Moment Holy Volume 3, Page 243
There are some days that seem darker than others and it is difficult to imagine that every moment is holy. I know just to be alive is a holy gift.
This publication from Rabbit Room sends out a daily quote from one of the volumes that have been published. Recently it read:
Lord, may I not so much find the right words as allow the right words to find me, not so much compose as allow you to compose me.
And another day they sent out,
Lord, I confess that all these words I love and lay before you were never mine, but always yours; truth itself is never mine but always yours.
I am always blessed when another author expresses my heart so clearly and concisely. Lord, use whatever I write in whatever way you desire. Help me to have the right words. Help me express your hesed, loving kindness, for us. Show me how to collect and compose the messages. Use them as you will. As always, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
To God be the glory forever and ever amen.
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Galatians 1:3-5 NIV
I would not knowingly use what someone else wrote and claim it as my own. My notes below from June 9 may be my writing or that of someone else. Where it says From Lectio I am quoting Lectio 365 Daily Devotional.
25-6-9
From Lectio of same date. “Holy Spirit, reshape the pattern of my life. I offer you my story again today: all that is old, all that is new, all that is broken, all that is whole. Give me a glad and generous heart to receive your word.”
Many decades ago the Father asked me if I am willing to teach even if it is one woman by the well. Yes, Lord all these years later I am still willing even if it only touches one woman or one man.
I have started work on a second book. The title of this one will have to do with relationship with God. I am trying to put my experiences in words. So hard to SAY what can seem so UNSAYBLE!
Relationship is not going through the motions of religion. True relationship is more like a river flowing through the desert of life. A river that offers refreshing water, gently sloping banks to rest upon.
True relationship offers new vistas towards the mundane things of life, giving us new impetus for growth and flourishing. This is a differing sort of thing than religion offers. Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7b). Seek the Presence of the Holy and your eyes will be opened, your heart softened, your ears enabled to hear the voice behind you saying, “Turn to the left or turn to the right.” (Isaiah 30:21) Relationship offers you mother love and father care. Going beyond that to indwelling assurance of an accompanied life. Never alone, always companioned.
Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent John 17:3 NIV
If you are taking a Sabbath rest I pray these ideas give you something to ponder and use as you wait upon the Lord.
Are you familiar with a liturgy? One online sight says, “Liturgies help provide language for hard to articulate thoughts and feelings, and ways to respond accordingly. They are a dynamic form of prayer—acting as a dialogue between you and God, and all those participating. As you read a liturgy the words form you personally and alongside others.”
Douglas Kaine McKelvey has written and collected volumes of liturgies for every occasion imaginable. I first read this portion through the daily quote you can get through the Every Moment Holy app at https://www.everymomentholy.com/
Lord, I confess that all these words I love and lay before you were never mine, but always yours; truth itself is never mine but always yours.
Your truth is in every word and yet always beyond words, and so I ask, when I have finished writing that all I have said or tried to say, may gesture at last beyond itself towards you, that you will bring me and my readers to the brink of language itself, and beyond that brink into the wordless mystery of your true and loving presence. from Liturgy of Labor and Vocation, a Liturgy before Writing, by Malcolm Guite
Malcolm Guite is a living poet, author, professor and Anglican Priest. He has YouTube videos and has written at least seven books. How had I never heard of him before this? He sums up my heart beautifully.
I keep devotionals and liturgy books to help me focus upon my Lord and my King. There are innumerable things in life to distract us from the Kingdom. Any aide that works towards keeping my focus is valuable in the long run.
The EMH books are published through Rabbit Room Press. My first volume of Every Moment Holy was a gift from my friends Dan and Betty Cooksey. I do not own every volume but the selections in this volume drew my heart. This version of Every Moment Holy uses the work of over sixty authors, poets and songwriters and seven artists worked the accompanying prints. The Foreword alone is inspiring!
Rabbit Room Press publishes works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry that embody the mission of the Rabbit Room—cultivating stories that nourish Christ-centered communities for the life of the world. We believe in creating books that are beautiful both inside and out, books not limited to any specific genre or market but which adhere to a basic belief in the value of creative writing and storytelling. A well-written and well-made book can help to shape the world around it, and Rabbit Room Press is dedicated to creating such books and putting them into readers’ hands. When author, singer, and songwriter, Andrew Peterson, visited the Oxford home of C. S. Lewis in 2006, he returned to Nashville with a conviction that community nourishes good and lasting artistic work—and that creative work nourishes community. Soon afterward, the Rabbit Room was born with the mission to create and curate stories, music, and works of art to nourish the life of Christ-centered communities for the life of the world.
If you are looking for fresh and even ancient inspiration in everything from changing diapers, to making coffee, preparing for death or welcoming a new child these collections have you covered. You can even find them used at some book sellers.
The doe enters the yard with her twins, fawns still bearing their white spots. One is curious and inquisitive. The other stays close to mama.
I scan the two yards next to us. The rabbits are not to be seen. I proceed with my meditation and prayer time. I glance up half an hour later. Two lumps of brown in the distance. No, not mole hills. Binoculars reveal my large rabbit friends. So silent, just grazing. They too, listen to the gravel crunching on the roadway. No threat there. Just noise.
These creatures of the quiet draw my heart and mind. Where does that doe hide two long-legged babies? How does she corral that inquisitive one?
Where do those rabbits live when I cannot see them? Is there a clutch of bunnies some place? When will they be old enough to graze? Will I get to view them, also?
Lord, I want to be your woman of the quiet. Help me to sense every signal of Yours as to my activities and terms of stillness. Your call to me from Isaiah 30 is always life giving.
In returning and rest I am saved, in quietness and trust is my strength In the presence of the Lord there is joy forevermore Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord oh my soul.
Are you drawn to the quiet? How do you get there? Do you return to the quiet when things get hectic around you?
Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord Acts 3:19 NIV
I have been cooking every time I step outdoors. Twenty minutes of working in the garden and I am soaked as if God decided to baste me!
Did I show you the rose? Last year the deer kept eating the new shrub almost to the ground. I was not even certain it would survive the winter after that abuse. Yet here it was blooming large and glorious! And oh, the fragrance of an old fashioned tea rose.
“I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses”
This photo was from June 17 and it is a good thing I took a photo, because the next morning it was gone. Deer bit it off. Unbelievable!! None of the subsequent flowers were as large or as fragrant as that first one. So Bob had the idea we protect the shrub with berry netting. I put up the netting and refreshed the bars of Irish Spring soap. They were deterred! Next I noticed Japanese Beetles eating the flowers. I sprayed like crazy and removed any bugs I saw.
A week or 2 later, I noticed there was hole torn in the netting, perhaps by deer teeth?!? Bob and I spent just about 20 minutes the other evening replacing the berry netting around the rose bush.
You can see where the Japanese beetles have eaten leaves. I cut the remaining flowers and brought them indoors. By the time I came in the house every stitch of clothing was soaked. I am not exaggerating!
The same day, earlier in the day, I began cooking. We had visited the Country Market. I went to work making green beans and ham with potatoes. That required more than one boiling pot! My neighbor had commented, “Them’s some good beans!” so of course, I felt compelled to make him some more. Plus the price was down to .99 pound for fresh green beans!
I went on to cook the spaghetti squash. I am a diabetic married to a man who loves spaghetti. Well the sauce isn’t too bad but the carbs in spaghetti are not good for me. Spaghetti squash gives me a nice alternative!
half an empty squash shellspaghetti sauce shreds – enough here for 3 servings
I usually freeze the squash into servings for myself. Having just made fresh pesto sauce I am certain we will be feasting on this soon!
Yes, I have been cooking in more ways than one! Hope you are finding ways to remain cool or at least cool off when you have been basted out of doors!
I have been reading Joan Chittister’s book Wisdom Distilled From the Daily, Living the Rule of St. Benedict Today. In the chapter on humility she writes about both Benedict and Augustine.
Some place between these poles of extreme suppression and extreme selfishness, monastic humility provides a basis for human community and a basis for union with God. To Benedict the process is clearly the work of a lifetime. He calls it “a ladder of humility,” a climb with basic parts, a progression – not a leap- that involves the integration of both body and soul. “Our body and our soul are two sides of the ladder” he teaches. No dualism here just the simple, honest admission that each of us is grounded in something but reaching for God and each of us is attempting to bring the demands of the body and the hope of the soul into parallel, into harmony, into center. Against gravity and despite all the imbalances of our lives. Pulling body and soul together is the problem. It is also the project of life.
The tower and the ladder symbols were favorites with the ancients, but it was left to Augustine to give us that marvelous line: “Do you seek God? Seek within yourself and ascend through yourself.” If we are really seeking God, we have to start in the very core of our own hearts and motives and expectations. We can’t blame the schedule or the finances or the work or the people in our lives for blocking our progress. We have to learn to seek from within ourselves. We have to stop waiting for the world around us to be perfect in order to be happy.”
That is a load to think about! Body and soul. Spirit and seeking. Working with the ladder of humility. I pray this Sunday will start you on a journey of finding more humility in your walk. I hope you can descend within your own heart and discover the power of Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Christ is able to lead and guide us in all of our searching.
All glass. That photo above is made of glass and spaces. I find that difficult to comprehend. The Imagine Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida did not give us an explanation of how they created this.
Looking at the same piece, here you can see the glass fibers. Also notice the tunnel that goes through it. There were eight pieces, block-like that were placed side by side. From the end you could look through the tunnel.
The blue and brown rectangle to the left is another display. I do believe this is art. I just cannot fathom how they created it!
We saw a similar creation at the Cincinnati Art Museum once.
These are Native American symbols. There was a fan gently moving air over the display. The piece was as large as a wall! When the air moved there was a soft tinkling sound. Images with shadows, tube with light and space, all intriguing and beyond my understanding.
How my perspective on life has changed in almost 75 years of living! This I once thought I knew and understood when taken in different perspectives and experiences over time have changed dramatically.
What I do know for certain is that love and compassion are needed every place on earth. We are given the power to live in love through the Holy Spirit who inhabits those who embrace the death and resurrection of Christ. Others have learned love and compassion from other sources and I cannot comment on that. I just know we all need grace, love and compassion, a willingness for others to understand and accept us. God, give us eyes to see like You see, a heart to love like You love us! Unreservedly, grace-filled, unconditional love.
Look again at the images in this post. What do you see this time that you missed at the last glance? Perhaps it time to also look at others in the same way. We think we know people, but many times we miss their essence with our preconceived ideas of who they are. Those same people might be someone lovely we have missed altogether!
We are known intimately by God and loved.
"Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done,
Not because of what I've done, But because of who You are!"
Such wisdom in those words. God help us to live in such a way to bring honor to You.
When I was mourning my mother recently, nothing seemed to comfort me. Then I heard this song rolling through my soul. The first version I heard was done by Willie Nelson. He almost nailed it. It amazes me where comfort can come from!
Then I found what was likely their version from December 1951.
With someone like you, a pal good and true I'd like to leave it all behind and go and find Some place that's known to God alone Just a spot to call our own We'll Find perfect peace, where joys never cease Out there beneath a kindly sky We'll build a sweet little nest somewhere in the west And let the rest of the world go by
As I listened repeatedly to the song, I realized that my sister has a sweet little nest, somewhere out in the west. She spends June into September there! And we have been privileged to stay there a time or two!
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Matthew 5:4 NRSVUE
Treasures in Plain Sight, A Christian Blog 