Whenever I’m at my lowest, my most frustrated; when I feel close to defeat or despair, God gives me a gift. I’ve come to count on it. This particular day was no different. Losing the struggle to bring some clarification in my mind and my words to the theme of an article entitled “Embracing our [...]
1st Corinthians 12: 12-27 “Who would like to lead us in some Christmas carols?” John, our pastor, stood up front with the microphone, trying to marshal everyone’s attention. It was Christmas Eve, and excitement filled the air. “Joel’s a really good singer,” Amy called out. Joel grinned and walked toward the front of the church. [...]
In morning prayer today, my friends and I centered our lectio time on Psalm 25:1-10. The verses that shimmered for me were from the beginning of verse 5: “Ease me down the path of your truth. Feed me your word” (The Voice). I sank into silence to be met by images of being fed. I [...]
A dream image from years ago fills my mind’s eye as I sit in Lectio with this verse from Psalm 34: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.” (v. 7) In the dream, a group of friends and I are gathered on lawn chairs in a horse-shoe shaped [...]
This morning, during Lectio Divina, I find myself in a wrestling match. The verses are from Genesis—the story of Jacob wrestling with an angel on the fork of the Jabbok as he prepares to return to his homeland—to the brother he had cheated out of their father’s blessing many years before. To give you the [...]
As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me continually, “Where is your God?” I carry Bible [...]
After Wally leaves for work, I bring my Bible, journal, and tea into the garden. A light mist hovers over the fields across the road, and I am surprised to see tender green shoots of corn forming rows where yesterday there was nothing but dirt. All around me, Dame’s Rocket thrusts purple and white spires [...]
A deep stillness descended over the woods as I walked, its peacefulness gradually permeating my spirit. My black lab, Poco, ran on ahead, nose to the ground, snuffling in the unexpected February snow. A loud crackling and crashing in the underbrush to the right of the path broke the silence. I stopped. Leashing the dog, [...]
“Conversion happens in the spaces between events.” Macrina Wiederkehr How I love spending time in the Word with Sister Macrina! Today, using her book Abide: Keeping Vigil with the Word of God, I meditate on the conversion story of the apostle Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, as written in Acts 9. Saul, a [...]
“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” [...]