Lord, teach me. . . .

Behold! I am making all things new. --Revelation 21 May the New Year be filled with every good blessing from God. God’s perfect grace and peace to you and yours as you pray. Monday  In Canada, today is Boxing Day, a day to give small gifts to postal carriers and other public servants. (Hint, hint.) Matthew 25:35-36 Tuesday  Is your church pledge up-to-date? The church (and other charitable organizations) depends on your pledged giving to meet our financial promises. Acts 20:28 Wednesday  Need help keeping a commitment? Share your intentions with a friend and ask them to keep you accountable. 2 John (the whole letter) Thursday  Was there something you didn’t get for Christmas that you really need? Someone else may need it, too. Buy two; donate one. 2 Corinthians 8:7 Friday  Animals have it harder in the winter. Consider feeding the birds or squirrels. If you have stray cats in yo...

This week, pause. Open your heart and your eyes to the wondrous beauty and mystery and magic of the Christmas miracle and the true Gift of the season. Wander and ponder through “ Sharon’s Christmas Prayer ,” by John Shea. Merry Christmas! Monday  “She was sure of the facts, and recited them with slow solemnity, convinced every word was revelation.” Isaiah 9:6-7 Tuesday  “She said they were so poor they only had peanut butter and jelly to eat, and they went a long way from home without getting lost.” Luke 2:1-4 Wednesday  “The lady rode a donkey, the man walked, and the baby was inside the lady. They had to stay in a stable with an ox and an ass ( hee hee ).” Matthew 5:3-10 Thursday  “But the Three Rich Men found them because a star lited the roof.” Matthew 2:1-12 Friday  “Shepherds came and you could pet the sheep but not feed them.” Luke 2:8-12 Saturday  “Then the baby w...

When we talk about communities, we seldom discuss the margins. But for every person nestled comfortably in the bosom of a community, there is someone else on the outskirts, feeling ambivalent. Ambiguous. Excluded. Unwilling or unable to come more fully into the fold. –Adam Mansbach My husband and I are part of a group with common goals, and presumably a similar commitment to reaching those goals. We meet once a week to share successes and less-than-successful weeks. Usually, we come away invigorated, affirmed and ready to go. But last week was different. Last week, at one point, the group leader made a statement. (I’m paraphrasing here, to protect the folks involved.) If you don’t do exactly this, then you don’t belong in this group. Immediately, my mind left the meeting and I wondered how often we, as the church, say similar things without thinking about it. Baptized (or not) as an infant? Not in our church! Don’t believe the world was created in seven days...

Will you remember the famous men Who had to fall to rise again They picked themselves up Dust themselves off And start'd all over again. --Dorothy Fields Have you ever had one of those days when you lift your eyes to the sky, raise your arms and ask What did I do to deserve this ? Honestly, sometimes it just seems as if the universe, or karma, or something , is ganging up on us, doesn’t it? About two weeks ago, we had a fire at Church in the Circle. It didn’t seem to be much of a fire. Not really. But what we didn’t count on was the way the smoke would funnel out of the classroom and make its way into the sanctuary, dragging its dirty tail behind it and rendering the space unusable for the weeks ahead. Or the way the weight of the water in the carpet would wait almost a week before letting go, bringing down ceiling tiles in the education wing below and possibly sending our children out on a wilderness journey while repairs happen. And meanwhile . . . it...

In the end, only three things matter: how much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you. –the Buddha Author John Ortberg writes about playing Monopoly with his grandmother as a child. The game could be going along smoothly; he might even be winning. But then a sudden turn of events would find him on the losing end, and the game would be over. And no matter how many properties he had acquired, no matter how much money he had in his bank, at the end of the game, the tiny racecar and the Scottie dog and all the rainbow-colored properties would go back in the box. Everything he had worked toward counted for nothing. But the times spent playing with his grandmother forged indelible memories and helped him learn what really matters in the world. Of course, the game isn’t Monopoly ; it’s Life . And at the end of the game, everything winds up—in a box. A box about six feet long and a couple of feet wide. And everything we have ac...

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. – Melody Beattie I am not a fan of clichés—at all. But as we approach Thanksgiving Day in the States, I find my life, at times, becoming a living cliché. Even in the midst of so much “stuff,” my heart is (mostly) at peace. I seem to have developed . . . an attitude of gratitude . What better time of year to remember that joy is always, always an inside job? We can allow the world to make us miserable by convincing us we aren’t good enough, we don’t earn enough, etc., or we can pause, look around and listen to the still small voice within: the voice that whispers, You are mine. You are beautiful-- and you are enough, just the way you are. It’s true of me, and it’s true of you, as well. Pause right now. Nothing you are doing is so im...

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and with a calm spirit.  Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever,  even if your whole world seems upset.  –St. Francis de Sales This week, I invite you to simply sit in a quiet space with words of hope and promise, and to remember, as Julian of Norwich knew, that all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well . It has been a long, difficult season. Advent and the coming of the Christ is just around the corner. Peace and comfort to your spirit. Monday   “Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me.” Matthew 11:28-30 Tuesday  “Is this not the kind of fast I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?” Isaiah 58:6-9 Wednesday  “Blessed are you wh...

We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground. –Brennan Manning Anyone else besides me exhausted by this election season? I mean, it’s been long and drawn-out beyond what a normal human being can tolerate. Even with the lovely diversion of a matchless World Series matchup, this season has been interminably long. And the ugliness and meanness exhibited seems, at times, to be record-setting in its own right. Looking for Divine fingerprints on the whole mess can become a full-time challenge. But remember this: God is good. All the time. Even when it feels as though things are spinning out of control, God’s goodness remains visible to those whose eyes desire to see. God’s goodness is there, clearly on display in the volunteer who reads to a child during their lunch period. God’s love is in each can or box of food...