Niagara on the Lake (Ontario, CANADA 2007)
photos taken while traipsing around the Canadian side of Niagara Falls – there’s a beautiful center with LOTS of gorgeous butterflies (LOTS & LOTS!) If you’re ever around there, give them a look-see!
Gorgeous (!) Gorgeous (!) Gorgeous (as a Red Head, i really liked this one!)
Out on a leafish-limb (a kind of)…a rather inspirational balancing act!
grace, peace & Wednesday Butterflies!!!
Virginia : )
We say the Lord’s Prayer so often that sometimes the words barely register, but years ago I started using this prayer as a ‘grid’ from which to pray (seemed like a good idea as Jesus did say ‘In this manner, therefore, pray…” Matthew 6:9) Then, while stuck one weekend without wheels in Dodoma (the middle of rural Tanzania,) I wrote this ‘prayer snapshot’ in my journal…
Our Father, who art in Heaven *** Hallowed be Thy Name…
Your name, O Lord, is greatly to be praised! You are a mighty God, an awesome God. How magnificent is Your name, the Name above ALL names: King of Kings, Lord of Lords, El Shaddai, Almighty All-Powerful God, Heavenly Father… Blessed is the name of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Wonderful, Counselor, Prince of Peace, Rose of Sharon, our Bright Morning Star… Blessed is the name of the Holy Spirit, Holy Comforter, Dew of Light, Flame of Heaven…
Our hearts bow before You, Heavenly Father, in adoration – Holy Redeemer, Savior & Lord…Most Merciful & Compassionate God…
We thank You for Your Faithfulness, Your Forgiveness, Your Mercy and Your Miracles… for Your Heavenly paintbrush in the beauty of creation all around us.
We worship You, O Lord. We praise You. We love You, although our love is often fractured by selfishness and sin. Even as we stray from Your grace, Your love remains faithful; the love of our divine Daddy –“Abba.” We are grateful for Your unfailing love.
Thy Kingdom come *** Thy will be done *** On earth as it is in Heaven…
…Please pour out Your Holy Spirit upon us, so that Your Kingdom may come within us in our hearts and minds and spirits. Let Your light shine through the cracks of these earthen, clay pots to touch the lives of others. Help us reflect the Light from Your Kingdom, where Love and Joy and Mercy reign supreme.
We ask that Your will – not ours – be done. May Your will be done in our lives, in our families, in our churches, in our ministries, in our city, in our country, in our world. Where violence, despair, and apathy prevail – where there is conflict (Sudan, the Congo/DRC, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel/ Palestine, Sri Lanka, Somalia…) – may Your will be done. Where diseases – HIV/AIDS, malaria, cancer – ravage lives, may Your healing love be felt. May Your will be done on this earth, as it is in Heaven…
Please align our desires with Your desires. Transform our hearts and minds with Your wisdom and love so that we may know You better. Let the eyes of our hearts be enlightened to grasp the Hope for which You have called us, the riches of the Saints who have gone before us, and Your incomparably Great Power for us who believe. Empower us, Lord God, to be Your hands and feet of love to those in need here on earth.
Give us this day our daily bread…
Lord, please meet all the needs (spiritual, physical, emotional, mental & financial) of this day. Anoint the work of our hands and affirm us in Your love. Please help us to be content in all situations (especially the challenging ones) with extra doses of Your grace. May You bless our loved ones with Your Love & Mercy – this day.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us…
Forgive us, O Lord, for our sins…for what we have done and what we have failed to do in our thoughts, words and deeds. We are sorry, so sorry, for sinning against You. Your forgiveness comes at a great price: the sacrifice of Your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, His blood running through thorns and nails down the side of the Cross.
Have Mercy, Oh Lord…Have MERCY!!!
Forgive us. Forgive us. Forgive us.
Help us, O Father, to forgive those who have hurt us. Fill us with Your supernatural grace, as You have forgiven us, to forgive others through the power of the Holy Spirit.
And lead us not into temptation *** but deliver us from evil…
Father God, our faith is so fickle when we fall with the darts of the enemy; too often and too easily he preys upon our weaknesses. Strengthen our faith, O God, to withstand temptation. Through the precious blood of Your Son, Jesus Christ, protect us from evil. Please set a watch-guard on the gates of our minds, hearts and spirits to shield us from the lies and deceit of the evil one.
Let Your light blot out the darkness within us. Shine Your Flashlight of Righteousness into the dark corners of our souls. Deliver us, O God, from evil, that we might be Your hands and feet to the hurting of this world, especially those decimated by evil. “But for the grace of God, there go I…” Deliver us, O Lord, so we might bring them into the warmth of Your forgiving arms – even as we place ourselves there.
Fill us with what pleases You — Your love, Your joy, Your peace, Your grace, Your Mercy, Your compassion…but especially Your wisdom, O Lord, to follow Your path and resist evil, as we place our hope in You.
For Thine is *** The Kingdom *** The Power *** and The Glory…
Yours is the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory, O God. Your Kingdom – so mighty, so miraculous, so marvelous – fills us with humble awe as we experience Your presence. Please give us ‘Kingdom eyes’ to see what You’re about around us, within us. Equip us with Your Power, especially when we think we can’t, we’re not & we don’t want to – O Lord, help us know what YOU want, who YOU are, and what YOU can do – even the impossible in us, through us, with us…
…that You may be glorified– always!
Forever and ever, AMEN.
prayers for daily help (a good idea at the Niagara Falls, 2007)
Roses in Ibillin, ISRAEL (1992)
When i lived & worked for 5 yrs in the West Bank & Gaza Strip, the village of Ibillin (located in Israel’s Galilee between Tiberias & Haifa) was my home-away-from home with Abuna Elias Chacour (author of Blood Brothers & more!) at the very inspirational Mar Elias School(s). Zooming up from Bethlehem for visits (like Easter, done in the Melkite tradition with non-stop church for DAYS!) was always a blessing… as was seeing the dreams of Abuna – Reconciliation & Education – come true as Mar Elias made history in the State of Israel (Christian, Muslim, Druze & Jewish faculty & students working & studying together!) … methinks now Abuna has been bumped up the Melkite Leadership Ladder, but my prayers continue to be with him, Mar Elias & the people of Ibillin (along with every day prayers for peace in Israel/Palestine!!!)
This was my 1st ‘Rose in the Rubble’ photo (the rubble background is actually construction materials for the school)… i made a card out of it & then framed a few copies for my family (this is actually a scan of a blown up version given to my parents, as the original was lost somewhere in transit!) When starting this blog, i chose this pic because these Ibillin roses inspire….as the Living Roses there continue to!
Imagine a world without Andrea Bocelli, Tim Tebow or…Beethoven – what a Dull Place (!) No beautiful tenor’s voice melting your heart or talented Football player raising his faith flag on & off the field, or Truly Great Music (Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis, one of the most amazing choral pieces ever, or his 9th Symphony, or his 5th, or Good Grief, any of his music!) But despite potential birth defect challenges, their mothers chose Life…as did mine (thankfully) & yours (obviously.)
Since January 22, 1973 when the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in Roe vs. Wade, however, many mothers & mothers-to-be have not chosen life. Today, thousands Marched for Life in Washington, DC to raise awareness of these little ones who are no more – an estimated 50 million over the past 39 years.
39 very long years for this issue to polarize & desensitize us to the real issues at stake: the human rights of Little Ones who can’t speak for themselves…(yet!) AND Wise Choices, Responsibility, Education, Respect (of all shapes & sizes!)… and Love.
Abortion is such a divisive issue… for some reason it’s been easier for me to stand between soldiers shooting children in a conflict zone than to speak out on this. Kinda weird for an ‘in-your-face hey soldier can’t you see that’s a child you’re shooting?’ gal, but I have friends across the political spectrum & working in the HIV/AIDS arena in Africa (saving lives) many dear colleagues have very differing views.
I respect their views & am so grateful for friendships & amazing work done together, but this issue DOES need a bit of attention: LOTS of Attention & Intention – for the Roe vs. Wade status quo (deaths of babies – little lives beloved of God routinely extinguished @ 1,200 per day) to CHANGE.
Of course, women SHOULD be in charge – if all the world’s nations were led by women imagine what a better place this globe would be! (Overseas in my 20’s I asked the visiting male CEO of our large INGO, ‘we are all about empowering women in our projects, why aren’t there more women National Directors & VPs?’ not shy was I!)
As a University student I thought women should decide…& that there should be more education & prevention available, so women wouldn’t face such a heavy-duty choice of life vs. death inside them. But then a friend & I memorized Psalm 139 & gradually (it took a few years!) those verses moved from recitation of the mind to the inner recesses of my heart…
“…For You created my inmost being, You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You for I am fearfully & wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works; and that my soul knows right well…”
…to a Change of views, views for most part privately held & not the kind of thing to march about. But a few years ago Kathleen, a friend from church, encouraged me to participate in the March for Life…what a wow(!) experience.
We started with a 6:30a.m. church service, then prayed our way on the buses up to D.C. where we joined thousands + thousands of all kinds of folks: young, old, students (elementary – high school – university – grad school,) pastors, priests, nuns (lots of them), short-haired, long-haired guys, from all over the country… there were Baptists church signs next to Knights of Columbus… folks singing, praying (lots of that going on all over)…
All raising voices for the voiceless Little Ones… so dear to the Heart of Jesus, so close to the heart of God, our Creator, the Giver of Life & so close to the Heart of Mary…(oops, tilt go the heads of my non-Catholic friends! But for sure, as the Mother of Jesus, go figure Little Ones are close to her Heart. She also asked Jesus to look after WINE at a wedding feast, so she is always Way Cool in my book!)
Mothers are little-life-generators (ok, so fathers have to help out a wee bit) but how noble to BE a mother (not an easy job with diaper disasters, scraped knees, terrible teens & all that!)… being a Mama is tough, no doubt! Kinda intimidating if you’re young, unmarried & pregnant.
My sister Cindy worked in a Crisis Pregnancy center in a conservative area of NC – many gals from secular backgrounds were open to having their babies if they could figure out ways to support them, whereas girls from conservative Christian homes tended to choose abortion: “our families won’t understand.”
Egads. It’s not just laws that need changing!
Hearts need to change – (as always, mine 1st!) – maybe if we didn’t spend so much time judging, more girls faced with this challenge might actually Choose Life.
I am so grateful to God for my Mama – after delivering my oldest sister, Shere, she almost died 9 hours later during Toxemia convulsions. After 10 days of round-the-clock nurses she survived, but despite these challenges she went on to have 4 more little ones (since I am #4 of 5, glad she & Papa kept going! : )
Thank you, Mama, for your love & Choosing Life (5 times!)
Praying that God will transform hearts on Capitol Hill, in the White House, our State Houses, churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, schools, universities…the hearts of fathers, mothers & mothers-to-be… with love for the unborn, the Little Ones..
Imagine a world without Andrea Bocelli, Tim Tebow or Beethoven…
Imagine a world without me, or YOU!
Grace, peace & LIFE (for the Little Ones!)
Virginia
Thought-provoking quote from Mother Teresa …. “We are talking of love of the child which is where love and peace must begin… I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself.
And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love and we remind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts. Jesus gave even His life to love us. So, the mother who is thinking of abortion, should be helped to love, that is, to give until it hurts her plans, or her free time, to respect the life of her child…. (Mother Teresa, 1994 National Prayer Breakfast address)
Creative Advocacy Strategy : )
It’s a cold-n-rainy kind of day here – perfect weather to curl up with a good movie or go see one. Thought i might start a regularish Friday-Saturday movie round-up of weekly viewings, so here’s a start. (Note: High-volume viewing(s) last week due to Movie Outings & a sniffle/head/tummy bug spent hermited in my room vs. socially engaging germs with the Savvy Saints!)
Joyful Noise (http://joyfulnoisemovie ) Saw this Jump Up & Cheer movie in the theater last weekend: Queen Latifah + Dolly Parton + lots of great Gospel music (!) Set in a small Georgia town weathering hard times, a Gospel Choir has the chance to win a national championship, but must bridge traditional music with what’s hip hopping out there. Family struggles, a love story (Akeelah & The Bee’s Keke Palmer wows!!) lots of hilarity, hope & inspiration. (i am not into country music, but Dolly Parton sings a slow ballad that zaps the heart!) Queen Latifah awesomely awesome (as usual..)
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol Last Sunday wanted my sister to see “The Way” (playing at our local artisty Kimball Theatre); however, an hour early it was sold-out (all these white-haired ladies going in ‘ we bought our tickets online!’) so we went to see the latest Mission Impossible. It’s totally THE BEST OF THE MI BUNCH! Tom Cruise is, well, his normal self (i am not a fan, except he was rather good in Valkyrie) but Simon Pegg lifts things up a few notches – we outright wa-ha-ha-ed our way through the movie (his running monologue in the tense Kremlin scene is beyond hilarious)…while edge of your seat action sequences made the Excitement Factor High. The story? oh, a nuclear end of a few Big Cities scenario if Ethan Hunt & his team (disavowed & having to rely on what they can do without backup) do not succeed. Fun cast, globetrotting plot, wild action… A Blast (literally!)
On A Clear Day (2006) In Glasgow, a 55 yr old shipbuilder finds himself laid off & floundering a bit, so he sets a goal (with help from his 3 buddies) to swim the English Channel to France. Family struggles, friendship, overcoming challenges at all levels. Great cast (Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, Sean McGinley, Billy Boyd..) & great story that inspires in realtime.
The Eagle (2011) Not rated “G” for Grandmother (Woodward rating, altho Mama has seen lots of action-packed sports without blinking!) this movie portrays 2nd century Britian as Roman soldier Marcus Aquila & his slave, Esca, seek to find the golden Eagle of the lost Ninth Legion – on their own, in the remotest parts of wild-n-dangerous Caledonia (Scotland.) Gorgeous cinematography, lots of Battle Scenes (not Braveheart gory, but lots of action!), well acted (ChanningTatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland..) & an inspiring story (endurance, perseverance, friendship…)
Courage (2009) Billed as a ‘family movie’- woah – be prepared, kind of like Robinson Curusoe & Survivor, but with a ferocious Grizzly Bear on the loose. Mama made it through this one fine (altho i did have to check on things in the kitchen a few times!) Set in the Pacific Northwest (beautiful scenery) probably near Vancouver? Jason Priestly plays a writer/husband who takes his wife & daughter out on their boat for a few days. Throw challenging family dynamics into the mix when a storm capsizes the boat … leaving him helpless, his wife & daughter having to get along…(then there’s the terrifying Bear that chases them all over the island… yep, a Family Movie.) Still, a good watch!
Night Train to Munich (1940) Oldie but goodie action adventure set in Prague – Switzerland -England – Berlin – as a British undercover agent (very young & HANDSOME Rex Harrison) helps Czech scientist & his beautiful daughter (Margaret Lockwood) escape from the Nazis. Cliffhanger ending (literally – in skylifts above the Alps!)
That’s probably enough for this cold-rainy day… but we did enjoy watching “Remember the Titans” again on Monday (Papa got the Blu-ray edition for Christmas, so for sure, we had to check it out!) Always uplifting, always inspiring!
grace, peace & movie round-ups
Virginia : )
Today we celebrate the life of an extraordinary man who led a movement of change –who dreamed Americans would become a ‘symphony of brotherhood’ working, praying & struggling together in peaceful equality. We commemorate his efforts and the thousands who rose up with him against injustice to let Freedom ring in this country.
What a life. What a legacy from this man of faith – a preacher from a long line of preachers (his father, grandfather, great-grandfather) – who with his legacy of faith found the courage to stand up against segregated injustice & violent hatred …
… in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, he kept on keeping on …
‘even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream…’
…blazing a path of non-violence & change …
“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred…We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again & again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.”
Pray God that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dreams will continue in this new millennium, that hearts sweltering with the heat of injustice, oppression and hate will be transformed into fountains overflowing with freedom, justice and love.
One of my favorite books, The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. (edited by Clayborne Carson), combines letters, writings, and speeches into a comprehensive portrait of his life. I highly recommend this book for a deeper look into his life that is TRULY inspiring & a valuable resource for anyone interested in Faith, Advocacy, & fighting injustice anywhere.
Although Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy is for all Americans (& the world) regardless of race or creed, as a Pastor he often challenged the Christian Establishment’s status quo. To look the other way or not get involved was not his way – or the way of Jesus Christ.
Read his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” written to the clergy… and see the relevant applications to be made today:
“Was not Jesus an extremist for love: ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.’ …
Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? …
Perhaps the South, the nation, and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
I have friends across the political & faith-based spectrums & geez louise, there’s lots of hate-filled rhetoric going around. If you profess belief in God and in Jesus Christ:
WHAT KIND OF EXTREMIST ARE YOU?
One Tuesday a few Novembers ago, I assigned this Letter as a case study for an Advocacy course at an international Christian University in Hawaii (kinda tough, teaching a course next to sunny beaches & all that : ) – not realizing the next day our country would make history by electing Barack Obama as our President.
That day I was very proud to be an American(!) & grateful to God for the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. – his courageous love in the face of hate, inspired dreams of justice & peace & his tireless efforts to make those dreams reality: mountains of fears & prejudice laid low, valleys of tears & suffering exalted in joy…
As we build a new future today with stones of Hope, may his dreams live on in us!
grace, peace & Creative Extremists (of LOVE!)
Virginia : )
p.s. my friend Gwen wrote an incredibly awesome blog last week on MLK, Jr. – here’s a link to check it out! http://play-grand.com/how-long-is-not-long/
This morning our Terrible Towel slid into hiding after last night’s nail-biting loss to the Denver Broncos in Overtime (ok, a BRIEF overtime.) Whatever(!) – the Season is now over for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
No more watching Troy Polamalu dashing about the field making Big Plays with his Wild Hair streaming all over.
This is Very Sad.
For my international buddies, over the next few weeks America’s Football teams will slug it out in NFL Playoff Games heading toward the Big Game – The Super Bowl (kind of like the World Cup, but for just one country.) Of course, this is American Football – no soccer balls, gallant footwork & elegantly made goals, but lots of tackling, running, grunting, punting & passing an oval-ish ball (using hands) kind of far (if possible.) All to reach an Endzone: that does have a Goalpost, but not with a Net, that is for ‘Field Goal’ kicking points – above the post, not below – but below the ball (thrown or run) must be in the hands of players for Touch Downs… which each team needs to make. As Many As Possible.
I am not a big Football Groupie (when Andrea Bocelli sings, my heart melts), but my Papa brought us up to Really Like the Pittsburgh Steelers …which is not too hard, since they are a Great Team (!)
Especially with players like TROY POLAMALU. (yes, i am a groupie!) He is so very FINE – fiercely ferocious on the field, yet a soft-spoken gentle giant devoted to his faith & family off the field.
Sigh.
Altho we’re reeling a bit from last night’s loss, it was softened somewhat by the Bronco’s quarterback Tim Tebow, since Papa likes him (most Games – not just The Steelers – are watched avidly in the Woodward Home, like, with the walls shaking from surround sound speakers – snap, crunch, grunt, whiz goes the ball. Even with my brother on Football duty & my door closed I can feel the Football Joy : )
In the Off Season, we watch the NFL channel for things like the NFL Hall of Fame inductions. The most memorable (by far) was awhile back when Michael Irwin cried his way through his acceptance speech. This standout tough FOOTBALL PLAYER – in front of his peers & the world – apologized to his wife, to his sons…& shared a message from his Pastor that encouraged him (& continues to encourage me like an Instant Replay!)
“Look Up. Get Up. Never give Up.”
Since Michael Irwin was not a Steeler, I Googled him the next day. He did have quite a bit to apologize for (very, VERY wild off the charts off the field antics while playing for the Dallas Cowboys!)… but you know what? The point of his speech was Football athletics is not the end all-be all. He truly had huge Talent & incredible stats, but he told his sons to emulate the other men on the stage (I still remember his tearfully powerful plea & this was 5 or so years ago!) …
No matter what – “LOOK UP. GET UP. NEVER GIVE UP.”
For Troy Polamalu, Mike Tomlin (we really like him!), Hines Ward, Ben Roethlisberger …all the Pittsburgh Steelers & fans & Tim Tebow (next game on horizon looks Brady-tough) & all of us – This is Good Advice.
(and …there’s always Next Year!) 
grace, peace & Polamalu Blues
Virginia : )
p.s. isn’t the internet a wonderful thing? Here’s a link to watch Michael Irwin’s NFL Hall of Fame Speech from 2007… wow. still so movingly motivational (& now we really like Michael Irwin in his seriously serious glasses analyzing the Games. Cool, very Cool.) NEVER GIVE UP!
http://www.nfl.comPart-one-Michael-Irvin-HOF-speech
These Hall-of-Famers must thank their coaches, High Schools, Colleges, Grannies (very important) & so on … the good bits are a bit far into the video…
‘Tis the season (after The Season) for tireditis and colds. After merrily making Happy over Christmas we succumb to colds and general ‘blahs’ fought so valiantly during the holidays. Add New Year Blues and the onslaught of winter dreariness, and you get an even more serious case of tireditis (so tired it’s hard to move and even harder getting MOTIVATED to move, like, out of bed : )
But there’s a cure, sort of (beyond never-ending chores and duties, oops, opportunities to serve…)
J.R.R. TOLKIEN’s THE LORD OF THE RINGS … (& The Hobbit!)
I have read these books once a year every year since the 8th Grade. Since that was long ago, that means many times. Some years I read them more than once, especially in Africa since reading them seemed to help during ‘tummy troubles,’ of which there were MANY.
Calvin & Hobbes also helped, but laughing kind of hurts when your rear tushi is very sore during long nites of Montezuma’s Revenge. Add major bouts of all-nite nausea (like when all your insides spill outside) and tummy also gets a bit sore.
Combine BOTH, at the SAME TIME, and you have fun times in the overseas life of Virginia (the person, not the state.)
I know, I know – T.M.I.!!!
Back to pleasant holiday reading. I usually start “The Lord of the Rings” before Christmas and finish by New Years (listening to classical Christmas music, kind of sets the mood.) This year started with “The Hobbit” earlier in December, but with the general craziness still winding my way this week through the “Return of the King“: Big Battle ahead while tired out Sam and Frodo make their way to the Mountain of Doom.
Cheating and watching the movies is not the same (since I have the extended version of each one running 4 and 1/2 to 5 hours each, that is a Bit Long.) Although the movies are brilliant (there are a few major deviations from the story, but Peter Jackson gives so much attention to detail, I am a mostly happy groupie of the films), the books are still SO Much Better. So much great story and opportunities to stretch our imagination muscles in Tolkien’s uniquely inspiring world of Middle Earth.
How does this cure tireditis? Well, Frodo & Company have a Tough Time of it. Lots of Doom and Gloom (the overwhelming kind) to face.
Yet they carry on. And on. And on. Not without loss, but they keep on going.
Hobbits are my kind of folks. They like to eat 6 meals a day (when possible), love going to parties and having good times, plus have fierce hearts and stout courage when it matters.
It’s a New Year. Perhaps some new opportunities are lurking on the horizon, but New Year Blues may be drowning your cheer with last year’s monsters digging their tentacles into 2012.
Maybe you don’t have Hobbits, Ents, Elves, Dwarves, Gandalfs, Aragorns, Faramirs, and the Riders of Rohan to help you. But, if you look around, you might find family and friends you’ve missed can help you with your battles.
Maybe you don’t have a Golden Ring (that must be destroyed to Save The World), but maybe there are some things that need casting into the Forever Fire to get a fresh start in the new Year.
Fears gotta go if you’re moving on to a New Thing: CAST THEM INTO THE FIRE!
Poof. (That’s kind of wimpy, you may need a Gollum to push you to let go) : POOF!
watch those fingers….
grace, peace & New Year Tireditis cures
Virginia : )
“…not all who wander are lost…”
It’s that time of year…Christmas music in the air, Joyful folks everywhere…
It doesn’t get better than sitting by a roaring fire with a cup of Christmas tea, listening to the Canadian Tenors singing Christmas carols (unless you can SEE them, they are quite a hunky bunch! : )
Of course, that sitting down thing would be Nice.
As the chief Cook & Bottle Washer at the Woodward home, there are Many Things to Do … sitting down for a few secs is usually needed for catching breath before dashing – not through the snow – but onto the Next Christmas ‘to-DO’ thing…
A dear friend, Ann (who is 80+), sent an email this week declaring ‘Bah Hambug(! ): she was not doing Christmas this year – no cards, no gifts. Then yesterday she popped by for a visit (bearing a gift of the most beautiful Christmas lilies!) Seeing her was such a lift…
Sometimes it’s about the Joy of PRESENCE (vs. presents, altho presents are NICE!) Being present with one another, finding joy in the company of friends, family, sharing the smiles that travel those miles into our hearts.
But the Big Presence is why we’re dashing about – God with us, Emmanuel.
In a Manger… In Bethlehem… and here today, if we open our hearts a bit wider…
What Child Is This who laid to rest on Mary’s lap is sleeping, Whom Angels greet with anthems sweet while shepherds flocks are keeping…This, this is Christ the King… the Babe, the Son of Mary…let loving hearts enthrone Him…
Merry-Almost-Christmas!
Grace, peace & PRESENCE
Virginia : )
“Arise & shine for the Light of the World is come…”
a shepherd on the move in Bethlehem (1995)
I know it’s the last Sunday of Advent & we should be thinking Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, shepherds & the whole Christmas gang (+ Angels + ) but it’s also near the end of the year & those end-of-the-year blues can kinda getcha when you’re tired out. So here’s a reflection about ELIJAH (one of the great Old Testament Heavyweights) & his faith, written a few years ago when this redhead was REALLY tired.
This morning in church I got to thinking about Elijah. Thank You, God, for his faith going up against the prophets of Baal and Your faithfulness when he ran, pell-mell, from Jezebel after that great victory on Mt. Carmel.
Why does Elijah’s example seem so relevant now?
He had faith of immense proportions. Gigantic. Huge. He taunted the 450 prophets of Baal. He not only put wood on the altar of sacrifice, he also immersed it with buckets of water that turned the trench around the altar into a small lake.
He believed. His faith said, ‘God is GOD of miracles that bring glory to God’s name. We will make a water-logged altar, so the people of Israel will know God’s response is not a lucky fluke, but a miracle.’
Then Elijah witnessed Your blazing fire completely consume the sacrifice and evaporate the buckets of water in the trenches. In the throes of Your miraculous response, Elijah wiped out the prophets of Baal. All 450 of them. Victory for God, Hallelujah! Time to now start marching on the palace to root out the evil rulers of the day. He prayed and You delivered a major miracle. Surely all of Elijah’s future challenges will be tackled as efficiently.
Fresh from victory and miracles, Elijah hears Jezebel is on the warpath to get him. Does he remember Your awesome power? Your faithfulness when he stood one against 450? (Relatively daunting odds.)
No. He turns into a cowardly pile of jelly and runs into the desert to hide. From a Public Relations perspective, it was bad timing to run. After such a huge victory for God, he should have filled the Judean airwaves with anti-Jezebel messages and pro-God sound bytes. (The FIRE has come. God wants You: NOW!) Canvassing village to village, he could have roused the troops of faith, strategically riding the miracle momentum into an all-out campaign to replace the vile rulers.
Instead, Elijah runs “in fear for his very life.” Where is his awesome faith now? The faith that believed in Your victorious triumph over evil and Your overwhelming ability to respond, not with just a match-stick flame to lightly toast the sacrifice, but with awesome power to handle water-logged trenches too?
Unfortunately, Elijah’s buckets of water faith suffered a few faith-beats of failure. When he heard Jezebel’s threat to kill him, he didn’t stop to pray, he just ran. (It says something about Jezebel, that she was more frightening than 450 men!)
Yet despite this faith setback, You restored and renewed Elijah.
He was tired. Very, very tired. You let him sleep and provided food.
Then he walked for 40 days and nights with supernatural strength to Mt. Horeb. There, after a bombastic hurricane, earthquake and fire passed by, he heard Your still, small voice.
In the quiet of his heart, he heard Your voice.
What did You say? The record in the first book of Kings (chapters 18-19) is short. Maybe Elijah was too uncomfortable to include the private bits of Your conversations. Maybe they went something like this:
“Elijah, I am with you ALWAYS, in victory and in defeat. When you act with courage, I am with you – strengthening your faith. Know also, that when you’re afraid – when fear grips your very soul, paralyzing your mind – I’m still with you.
I will meet all your needs. I will cover your back, guiding your steps against evil Jezebels pursuing you. I will protect you with the armor of My love and let your spirit soar on the wings of My joy. My peace will permeate the pallor of anxiety clogging your arteries of belief. My grace will handle your faith-beats of failure. My wisdom will help clarify what really matters. I will restore and renew your faith. My angels will look after you.
Believe in Me and in My love for You.
See, you are not alone. There are others faithful to Me, so if you look around, you will get help in this battle against the darkness.
It’s not about you, it’s about Me. God of all consuming Light, I will blaze My fire through the clouds of doubt blocking your sight. Be mine. Open wider the doors of your heart. Break the chains of fear. Let the brilliant Light of My kingdom within you shine out for all to see.
You have seen My miracles outside you, now let my Holy Spirit empower new miracles within you. New mercies are available every morning, just turn on the Heavenly tap. Let Me infuse you with sparkling champagne of the spiritual realm: My steadfast love for you.
Be transformed by My love, for I am here with you always.
When you are weak, I am strong. Don’t be dismayed, open your heart and keep walking the path of faith with Me. Let the light of My love bubble over for all to see.
Those buckets of cold water you’ve poured in the tired out trenches around your heart, let the spark of My love ignite them back into blazing furnaces of faith: ready for transformation, ready for action, ready to be who, where, and what I want you to be.
Go now, be my Hands and Feet to the hurting. Be grace. Be peace. Be salt in this tasteless world. Be Joy. Be Light – brilliant, burning bright – in the darkness.
Be Love. Be ME.”
After Your still, small voice, Elijah went back with his faith renewed to follow Your plan. What a lesson from a great saint about faith, the buckets of water kind. But why is this meaningful 5,000 years (or so) later? Just as Elijah ran in fear, pell-mell, to the desert, I may have knowingly (or unknowingly) done the same thing.
Oh Lord, even after witnessing countless examples (often miraculous) of Your awesome faithfulness, I’ve suffered recent faith-beat failures. The need is too great. The obstacles are too big. I am too tired. My get-up-and-go got up and left. I’m stuck in the snows of doubt with fear-bitten feet, too cold to walk forward into the new.
As Elijah’s buckets of water faith weathered the drought of fear and exhaustion, I want to follow his example now.
Please, Lord God, strengthen my faith. Let the warmth of Your love defrost these fear-bitten feet. Ignite my heart’s desire to be transformed with the Flame of Your Kingdom: come, Holy Spirit, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with Your Fire.
Heavenly Father, fill this clay, earthen pot with the sparkling champagne of the spiritual realm – your steadfast Love for ME and all those around me. Let this heart beat as one with Your love, joy, peace, grace, wisdom, mercy and patience.
May You provide a deep well of courage to move forward, one step at a time, to face whatever challenges may come with renewed faith – Elijah’s buckets-of-water kind!
grace, peace & Advent renewal
Virginia : )
Roses in the Rubble 