VBS

After working hard to get the garden going, I will be turning my attention toward Vacation Bible School next week.  The really great thing is that our theme is RENEW! and we are learning about planting seeds, recycling, reusing, and caring for creation and community.  So, instead of planting seeds in the garden, I will be helping plants seeds of hope in the children.  Should be a great week!

Read Full Post »

Saved – grace

Today is a busy one, not much time for writing, just a little quote and a reminder to enjoy the journey.

Read Full Post »

The view from here

Can you see it?  Between those tall buildings, off in the distance, there is a ferry dock.  And if you stand and watch long enough, you will see the boat, coming and going, taking people and cars and bicycles from one side of the water to the other.  I remember the first time we took the girls on a ferry-boat.  They had been on grampa’s boat in the lake and they could not imagine  how we were going to get our car on a boat.  There are so many things I cannot imagine.  I can’t imagine why people walk away without talking.  I can’t imagine how we will ever be able to live in peace if we can’t stop and listen to one another without rushing in to say what we think.  But at least I can imagine that I don’t have to do this alone.  And that helps me see past the obstacles, to the view that is so lovely, so promising, so hopeful. 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21

Read Full Post »

at the foot of the cross

Sitting in worship these last two days, an image came to me – those women, at the foot of the cross.  I cannot imagine the grief they must have felt, watching Jesus suffer and die such a horrible death.  One of my friends told me that her small group would be watching The Passion on Good Friday.  At the Good Friday service I attended, there was darkness, shadows,  a large wooden cross, quietly carried into the sanctuary.  I know that I need these symbols, these reminders, my own time to stand at the foot of the cross.

At the foot of the cross by Kathryn Scott

At the foot of the cross
Where grace and suffering meet
You have shown me Your love
Through the judgment You received

And You’ve won my heart
Yes You’ve won my heart
Now I can

Trade these ashes in for beauty
And wear forgiveness like a crown
Coming to kiss the feet of mercy
I lay every burden down
At the foot of the cross

At the foot of the cross
Where I am made complete
You have given me life
Through the death You bore for me

I’m laying every burden down
I’m laying every burden down

Read Full Post »

SOLC #18 – I’d rather . . .

be getting ready to spend the day in my sewing room, cutting fabric, stitching blocks, making a mess.  But this morning I will head out a bit early to be at a staff meeting where we will hear the hard, but honest news, that enrollment is down and the budget it tight.  It isn’t just here, it is all around us.  We are heading into a tough budget year at church too.  But I find comfort in the leadership at my school and at my church.  I find hope for my anxiety in being in a community that draws together in these tough times.  I believe that we will be able to keep our eye on the most important things as we figure out how to staff our classrooms and offer programs that will nurture our children and families.  And maybe this weekend I can start that quilt.

Read Full Post »

SOLC #12 – seeking peace

I have been distracted, disconnected, even a bit agitated this week.  Yesterday I joined a circle time in one of the classrooms and listened as the children talked about a song they had just learned, Peace like a river.  The teacher asked, What is peace?  Hands went up all around the circle and children shared their ideas, being nice, not fighting, not yelling.  One little girl waited patiently for her turn and then spoke in a soft voice, “Peace is when it is really quiet and you don’t even need to talk.”

That is the peace I am seeking.

 

 

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace.  Ephesians 4:3

Read Full Post »

28 days of wonder #17

For today, Ash Wednesday,  just a quote that has me wondering about this season of intentionally seeking God, about the longings of my heart that have become barriers on this path.

Longing is a compass that guides us through life. We may never get what we really want, that’s true, but every step along the way will be determined by it.
— Joan D. Chittister in The Psalms: Meditations for Every Day of the Year

Read Full Post »

28 days of wonder #13

It was my turn to take breakfast to the women’s day shelter.   We have a group that brings food on the second Saturday of each month where the women come for a day of rest.  They have breakfast, lunch, and snacks.  They worship together.  It is a time for them to be off the streets, out of the cold and rain.  Today we brought the scarves and hats and made a Happy Valentine’s Day sign.  One woman came up to me with a shy smile and said she had something for the people who brought breakfast.  She gave me 4  little heart covered boxes.  Inside each was a small token.  When I opened mine,  found this little angel.  She is made of clay and one of her hands is broken off.  Before they ate, this same woman was asked to offer prayer and she prayed that angels would protect them.  This little angel is going to have a place on my desk, to remind me of the amazing faith being lived out in our world.  To remember that what I see and hear on TV or even in my church community is only a part of the story.  And to be grateful for each time God finds a way to expand my vision and understanding.

Read Full Post »

28 days of wonder #12

I am reading Tribal Church: ministering to the missing generation , a book about creating church communities that are welcoming across generations, and I have just started a Bible study with a small group that is helping us think about food and community.  And this morning I am wondering what might bring us together, young and old, single and married, right and left.  As I sat in the quiet of the morning, I wondered if a garden might not be a way to restore community. 

I wonder . . .

Read Full Post »

28 days of wonder #10

A friend and I were talking about tough times and conflict and she said, “Whatever happened to weathering the storm?”  I haven’t had many storms in my life.  I know this and try to remember this when I hear others complain or criticize.  But I was also fortunate to have some very wise folks in my life who taught me that we can’t just let this eat at us, that we need to speak up and speak out.  There are a few storms brewing in my life right now and I am trying to stay open to the possibilities, to resist the urge to “convince” others to see things my way, and to make sure that I am leaving space for listening, and wondering how I would respond if the storm was rocking my life boat.

Jesus Calms the Storm  Mark 4:35-41

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”  Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.  He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

Read Full Post »