O God, you have declared me perfect in your eyes; you have always cared for me in my distress; now hear me as I call again. Have mercy on me. Hear my prayer.2 The Lord God asks, “Sons of men, will you forever turn my glory into shame by worshiping these silly idols, when every claim that’s…
Category: A Faith in Process
Notes from the Journey
The Right Time
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven . . . Ecclesiastes 3:1 King James Version (KJV) If you are like me, you thought of the 1965 song by the Byrds. It is one of the few instances in popular music where Biblical text is used –…
Sweet Pea the Bulldog
Poor Sweet Pea. He’d had a rough life. Apparently he’d been dropped on his head: the large ceramic figure’s face had been shattered and badly reglued. So his owners, collectors of all things bulldog, took him to The Repair Shop (Netflix). (I am broken, too. Some days I think I’m too damaged to be bothered…
No?
“Zoey! No! NO!” My voice was deep, loud, and sharp with urgency. Immediately I had everyone’s attention. Jenna turned to see what was going on. Hunter ran to watch the “good” cat get in trouble. And Zoey looked at me with surprised interest, before going back to biting the lights on the Christmas tree. Again,…
Psalm 1
The Psalms are a collection of songs written over 5 centuries. They figure prominently in Jewish worship: Jesus Himself sang them (“When they had sung a hymn… Matthew 26:30). During the Middle Ages, with literacy rare and books painstakingly hand-copied, the Psalms (Psalter) were the only scripture available to lay people. At that time, Benedictine…
Resolution? Reflection!
The New Year has always been a time to plan the future. Most of us are accustomed to making New Year’s Resolutions: eat healthier, exercise more, save money, read more, get organized, etc. Maybe first, though, it would be helpful to reflect back, recalling what went right for us in 2019, what sparked joy. I…
Wesley’s Covenant Prayer
Methodist Churches often observe the Covenant Service during New Year’s Eve, on New Year’s Day itself, or on the first Sunday of the New Year, in order to renew commitment to Christ at the start of the year. ********** “I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, rank me…
Learning Patience
From an email I sent on November 14, 2019: “I woke up this morning to quarrel with God. I’ve been doing that a lot lately. I find myself demanding my health back so I can continue to do all the things I want to do. I hate feeling like I’m letting people down. I hate…
New Year’s Day
“Drop the last year into the silent limbo of the past. Let it go, for it was imperfect, and thank God that it can go.” – Brooks Atkinson ”For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” –…
December 31
After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the…