While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. And she gave birth to her firstborn, a Son. She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn...Luke 2:6-7 While they were there, the time came for her Child to be born. What a nice, sterile way to describe the sweat, tears, relentless pain and full …
Fear Not- Part 1
Those beloved by God in scripture seldom live a life according to the script. They are sent into exile. They are thrust into the center of attention. They are asked to run around naked in the town square or lay down on their side for over a year while eating food cooked over dung. People chosen and favored by God face unimaginable loss, hardship, and discomfort.
The Path Ahead
Control itself is an illusion. We live in a world that is not determined by our sensibilities. Throughout the course of our life, the only predictable element is the capriciousness of life. We will lose people we love. Plans will not come to form in the ways we imagined. We will have exuberant, overwhelming surprises of joy, and other times of unimaginable loss.
The Waiting
Imagine Mary, living a life beyond her plans. Pregnant, in a life that is different than she could have possibly pictured. Travelling, great with child, uncomfortable, scared, lonely. In a strange land and strange circumstances. Getting ready to deliver a dream and a hope and a child that will change the world forever. Owning that truth, yet unable to even begin to picture what that means.
Being Good. and other impossibilities.
I have noticed, in scripture, that God works in unconventional ways. God uses those who are deeply flawed. The Holy Spirit manifests itself in ways that don't toe the line of proper behavior.
Mise en Place
This is true for the story of Advent. It is a story with the same ingredients. A journey, a sacrifice, an injection of hope, a golden thread of redemption, woven together into the narrative that shapes our very relationship with creation, with the Creator. The difference between our stories and this story is the Storyteller. This is not just a story. This is THE story. One that has the potential to transform our lives and hearts, if we give permission.
There is no Them.
Y'all. I have a confession to make. I have been reading the comments sections. I mean, not actually, that would be horrible. But. I've been reading Facebook. And Twitter. And, it turns out the vitriol and name calling once reserved for deep in dark corners of the comments thread has seeped out into the open. …
Tomato pie
Tomato pie is summer on a plate. A recipe made from sunshine and lazy mornings, it's the perfect dinner/lunch/breakfast/midnight snack.
Tell Me What’s Next
The tulip leaves are yellowing. Beginning to fall onto the sidewalk. An unexpected crunch under my feet. A harbinger of change. A reminder, even in the verdant closeness of the July air,that September willcome. That life, as close and as small and as circular as it is nowIt too, will change. When it all seems …
Marvel
Here’s the thing. We are living in historic times. When your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren ask what it was like during the pandemic of 2020, you will be able to say that you helped make 100,000 masks free of charge for anyone who needed them. Have we as a group really taken a step back and …
JoyPlusGrace 