Lord, teach me. . . .

We are created to read the book of creation so that we may know the Author of Life. –Ilio Delio, OSF “It’s as plain as the nose on your face.” “Sometimes we can’t see the forest for the trees.” “What do you mean, where are your car keys? They’re right there—in your hand!” There is a little cartoon making the rounds lately, three simple panels that speak volumes. A man is standing at the edge of an idyllic pond and loudly declares, “God, if you are real, show me a sign !” As the sun comes up in glorious beams of yellow and orange, snow-capped mountains appear in the growing daylight. Creatures of many kinds wander through the cartoon. And at the end of the day, as the sun sinks behind the mountains in a palette of purples and pinks, the man speaks again: “Well?!? I’m waiting!” There are many who believe Jesus was not God’s first shot at making his presence known. Many believe it was at the emergence of the diverse and amazing Creation that God first appeared

Nothing in fine print is ever good news. –Andy Rooney Red-letter Love When was the last time you actually read the back of your credit card statement or your electric bill? You know—the part with all the conditions and restrictions, the fine print that makes young eyes grow wide in fear of retribution and late fees. Our lives are filled with fine print, clauses that make a good deal seem not-so-good after all. What you see isn’t always what you get, is it? Fortunately, in our faith lives it’s different. In the Scriptures we read a lot about God’s unconditional love . God loves us, just because. There are no ifs, ands or buts. God thinks of you and God’s heart is warmed. God looks beyond the “fine print” we add to our lives (“If only I were younger . . . thinner . . . had a nicer car . . .") and sees the good work begun in you, a work that continues in big ways and small, our whole lives long. In a nutshell: God loves you. Period. I cannot say this often enough.

You are always a student, never a master. You have to keep moving forward. –Conrad Hall Move it! It can be easy to get comfortable where we are. We gravitate to the familiar: we order our favorite entrée at Applebee’s; we cling to our favorite shirt or shoes like Linus to his blanket. On Sunday morning, we sit in the same pew week after week. (And admit it: you get just a little tweaked if someone else gets there first, don’t you? Me, too.) My church family made a big move several years ago, choosing to follow where Christ led and becoming this fresh, lively family known as Church in the Circle. Now, I wonder: are we getting too comfy again? Jesus seldom stayed in one place very long. From Cana to Capernaum, Jerusalem to Galilee, it seems he was always on the move, from the time he was a young boy escaping a mad King Herod. He didn’t hold “office hours” and wait for the sick, the poor and the broken to come to him to be healed. Rather, he went to where they were. He l

Can anything be sadder than work left unfinished? Yes, work never begun. –Christina Rossetti You know how it is. It’s Saturday morning, time to pick up the house a bit. I start out in the dining room, hoping to find the tabletop again under the week’s accumulation of stuff. There’s a book on the table that belongs in my office, so I head down the hallway to put it in its place. Along the way, I spot a dirty sock in the hallway, so I head to the laundry room. There’s a stack of clean clothes on the dryer. Better put ‘em away, of course. And before I know it, I am standing back in the dining room, holding a book and a dirty sock and wondering what on earth I was going to do. It’s enough to make a grown woman weep. I set out with grand intentions and wind up spinning my wheels. Funny how starting a new year can make us stop and take a look at our lives, seeing loose ends and vowing (again) to tie them up, once and for all. But where to begin? It’s a bit like eating