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Strangers to Grace
Recently at a funeral, I heard an interesting phrase; "Strangers to Grace" which captured my attention.
As it often does, my mind began to wonder or perhaps ponder,
(which sounds so much more spiritual), what those words meant.
I remembered back to when I was a stranger to grace, not really understanding
or knowing what "Grace" truly was all about. Oh God was out there all ... [Read more...]
On June 15, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower signed the Joint Resolution of Congress (Public Law 396) which added the phrase "One Nation Under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance. Eisenhower stated: "From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly l... [Read more...]
Holy and merciful God, we gather today rejoicing--rejoicing that we are yours and that you have named and claimed each of us as your own. You have called us to be followers of the one whose life upon this earth gave us the example of sacrifice and service. Indeed we are reminded of His presence with us, not only at today's table of Holy communion, but also by the beauty of the springtime which now... [Read more...]
Youth-Led Worship support our youth! Our Easter offering was designated for the Central Conference Pension Initiative, a fund that helps provide retirement benefits for United Methodist Clergy serving in developing nations. The clergy of our congregation presented the church with a challenge of $11,500 toward this cause, and to date we have received approximately $10,500 from the congregation. If ... [Read more...]
New Year’s is a time for reflection on the past and planning for the future. What is on your agenda for 2010? What is on most people’s agendas as we begin a new year?
The top 10 New Year’s resolutions for 2010 are as follows (many of these show up year after year):
Quit Smoking
Stop or reduce alcohol intake
Read more books
Be more organized
Diet or become healthier
... [Read more...]
Last Sunday afternoon I was visiting with my fiancé. It was late afternoon and we were sitting on her porch watching the sun set, looking at the changing hues in the sky and clouds, listening to the squirrels running up and down the trees in search of pecans and watching a few birds come to her feeder for their evening meal. It was very quiet and peaceful with the exception of an occasional car or... [Read more...]
We often find ourselves waiting on God to do something or answer our prayer or give us direction, when in fact, he may be waiting on us. In the Gospels we see Jesus in action, teaching, preaching, healing, working miracles, traveling the countryside demonstrating God’s love in all these areas. What we may not see or realize is that was only part of his ministry. The other part was in being “handed... [Read more...]
So how do we wait? Waiting together with family and friends is better than waiting alone. This is a truth I’ve learned through my new church home over the last several years. It’s not just me and Jesus any more, but rather all of us as a community of faith growing and waiting together.
The first thing Mary does after receiving the news from the angel that she is going to have a child is ... [Read more...]
Waiting is open ended. This makes it difficult for us because we tend to wait for something we wish to have such as another job, another car, another house, the pain to go away or just that the weather will change. We are full of wishes and our waiting can so easily get entangled in those wishes. We want the future to go in a specific direction; we want to be in control. When that doesn’t happen, ... [Read more...]
Ever wonder how "patience", one of the fruits of the Spirit, is developed? Patient living means to live actively in the present and wait there. Impatient people expect the real thing to happen somewhere else, and therefore they want to get away from the present situation and go elsewhere. Living with patience implies the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in th... [Read more...]
We normally think of waiting as very passive and because we are impatient people and waiting is frustrating and difficult. Like children waiting for Christmas morning, we want something to happen and happen now or we will feel pressured to make something happen. Gardening or farming can teach us something here about faith. Once the seeds have been planted there is a length of time in which we must... [Read more...]
When one is out of touch with oneself, one cannot touch others. / Anne Morrow Lindbergh
THE NATURE OF WAITING
In the beginning of Luke’s gospel we are introduced to several godly people who were waiting. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary, Simeon and Anna were all waiting on God’s promise to be fulfilled in their lives. That promise was a seed of faith that had begun to grow and work in their lives a... [Read more...]
There are many references to day and night in scripture. Jesus often refers to the stark contrast as the difference between God kingdom and the worldly kingdoms or the kingdom of darkness. We walk without stumbling in the light but stumble when we walk in darkness. But, when exactly does night become day.
There is a wonderful Hasidic story that illustrates this beautifully.
A rabbi was teaching ... [Read more...]
Where is peace to be found? The answer is surprising, in weakness. Peace is found in our own weakness, in those places of our hearts where we feel most broken, most insecure, most in agony and most afraid. Why? Because in our weakness our familiar ways of controlling and manipulating our world are being stripped away and we are forced to let go from doing much, thinking much, and relying on our se... [Read more...]
A sanctuary is a place that restores, renews and refreshes us.
A sanctuary reminds us of what is really important.
A sanctuary is a place where we pay full attention.
When life derails us, it’s easy to play the victim of whatever the inconvenience. We set aside this moment for some more perfect moment in the future that we have planned for. But when our focus is only on our plans or our expecta... [Read more...]
For the short time I’ve been sending out Thoughts for the Journey, I don’t remember sending out anything humorous. They have been (hopefully) thought provoking regarding spirituality from my readings or personal observations.
Those of you, who know me, know that I have a pretty good sense of humor and today, while reading Nouwen, I found something that made me laugh out loud. It’s taken me half t... [Read more...]
Without wonder we approach life as a self-help project. We employ techniques; we analyze gifts and penalties; we set goals and assess progress. Spiritual formation is reduced to cosmetics.
Without wonder the motivational energies for living well get dominated by anxiety and guilt. Anxiety and guilt restrict; they close us in on ourselves; they isolate us in feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness;... [Read more...]
What do we do when our spiritual journey runs into roadblocks? When waiting makes us anxious and angry? Waiting seems like a dry desert between where we are and where we want to be. We are encouraged to look at waiting from two perspectives: the waiting for God and the waiting of God. Most of us think more about the first perspective, but as we grow in our awareness of God waiting and longing for ... [Read more...]
"Love is not something you have. Love is something that has you. You do not have the wind, the stars and the rain. You don’t possess these things; you surrender to them. And surrender occurs when you are aware of you illusions, when you are aware of your addictions, when you are aware of your desire and fears."
Henri Nouwen
Deceased Catholic clergyman
Finding My Way Home
Our spiritual journey calls us to seek and find this living God of Love in prayer, worship, spiritual reading, spiritual mentoring, compassionate service to the poor, and good friends. Let us claim the truth that we are loved and open our hearts to receive God’s overflowing love poured out for us.
Henri Nouwen
Finding My Way Home | |
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