extravagant love

A jar of perfume
poured out over Jesus
and a question is born;
What is the point of such extravagant?

Why this waste?
I don’t know,
I honestly don’t know.
But if this shocks you so
get ready
for you’ll see more
more than costly perfume poured out.

You’ll see lives poured out
given freely
used up
spilled out
wasted
for no reason at all.

Extravagance unlimited!
Lives poured out
handed over
lost
thrown away
for Jesus!

What is the point of such extravagance?
Why such waste?
Beautiful questions
with no answers.

And how sad if no one
has ever asked us;
Why such extravagance?

Macrina Wiederkehr

veil of grace

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

C. S. Lewis

Is this how you look at life? Do you see everything in the light of Christ? Imagine how different things would look if they were covered with grace.

There was a person who hurt me during my childhood. As I looked back on that, I realized I had a choice. I could see what they did as deliberate and personal…or…I could choose to see them as broken and hurt themselves, and that they acted out of their brokenness. Does it excuse hurtful behavior? No…but it may help the one who is hurt to recognize that, short of God’s grace, none of us have the ability to love deeply.

Consider looking at everything and everyone today through the veil of God’s grace.

Grace and peace,
Deb

content

“Be content with what you have, rejoice in the way things are. When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”

~Lao Tzu

I am caught between two worlds. I’ve had the privilege of traveling overseas. I’ve been to 18 countries. And the majority of my travel has not been pleasure but missions….so I’ve seen some of the poorest areas in the world. I know that most of the world does not live the way we do. People live in small, cramped quarters. They lack clean water and adequate food….little to no medical attention, etc. I’ve seen places where people have put cardboard and corrugated metal together to make a room for their families.

I see it and it impacts me. I say that I will simplify when I get home, changing my way of living. Now, over the years, I have made changes. I’ve made decisions to simplify my life and try to live with less. But, even with those changes, I am still a product of my culture. It doesn’t seem to take long before I am sucked back into ‘wanting more’. Dissatisfaction settles in and I am filled with discontent.

I am still working through this dilemma. I am glad that my eyes are open and that I struggle between these two ‘realities. I can only pray that God will continue to speak to me about how He wants me to use what He has given me and share with others. I thank Him for the way He gently reminds me that I am being a ‘brat’, wanting what I want when most of the world doesn’t even have what they need.

God….never let me forget what I’ve seen, what I’ve experienced and keep my heart tender towards the world. Help me to be content with what I have, to rejoice in the way things are.

Grace and peace,
Deb

resident alien

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce . . .But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare . . . For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

Jeremiah 29:4-5, 7, 11

We were not made for this world, as it is. Remember the Garden? That distance memory of perfection and intimate relationship with God? I don’t either! Only hearing about it, and only having the experience of living in the world after the fall, my mind cannot even conceive of what it was like.

But, these verses from Jeremiah tell the people of Israel, who live in exiles, to live . . . really live. They are told to build houses and plant gardens. But not only are they told to settle down and build lives, they are told to pray for the culture they are living in.

I rarely pray for my community. Unfortunately, I more often than not, look around and feel frustration with those who do not see themselves as aliens here. Prayer just isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. But, it should be.

Lord, remind me to lift those up to you that live around me, those who do not recognize the reality of who you are. Help me reflect Jesus to them. Help me to be someone who draws people to you and not away from you. Help me to recognize myself as an ‘alien resident’ who brings hope and love instead of judgment.


Grace and Peace,
Deb

birthright

“No man sells his birthright on the spot. He who sells his birthright sells it many times in his heart before he takes it openly as that to the market. He belittles it, and despises it, and cheapens it, at any rate to himself long before he sells it so cheaply to another. Everybody knew that Esau’s birthright was for sale, if anybody cared to bid for it. Isaac knew, Rebekah knew and Jacob knew; and Jacob had long been eyeing his brother for a fit opportunity.”

Alexander Whyte

Last week, I was reading the story of Esau and came across this quote. After reading it, I recalled the times in the past when I have walked away from the way God would want me to walk. As I think about those times, I realize that I walked away in my heart and mind long before I did in my actions.

If you remember this story out of Genesis 25-27, you will know that Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew . . . to meet his immediate desire for food. One author suggests that the stew was not the cause of Esau’s sensuality; it revealed it. His idol was his stomach and meeting that need superseded everything else.

This reminds me to pay attention to those things in my life I make into an idol…where do I get my satisfaction or my longings met? What motivates or drives me? If the answers are anything but God then I am in danger of ‘selling my birthright’. . . that is, trading meeting an immediate need for resting in God and knowing that only He can truly satisfy.

What drives you? What might your idol(s) be? I invite you to pay attention as it happens gradually. In your heart and in your mind, you begin to yield to it before you ever act on it. Take it to God and hold it before Him. Ask Him to open your heart to allow Him to be enough.

May you feel His presence.

May you sense His love.

May you rest only in Him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

sabbath

No post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

content

“Wherever I am, at home, in a hotel, in a train, plane or airport, I would not feel irritated, restless, and desirous of being somewhere else or doing something else. I would know that here and now is what counts and is important because it is God himself who wants me at this time and in this place.”

Henri Nouwen

What a wonderful way to look at life. Can you imagine stopping in the middle of whatever is happening and remembering that God in the midst of it…that you can rest in that fact? I think this speaks to Paul’s comments in Philippians about ‘being content in all circumstances’.

How well do you do this? For me, unfortunately, it depends on the day. For example, while away this past week, the facility, where I stayed, served food that was less than desirable. For the most part, I dealt with it but one night, they had ‘chocolate mousse’ on the menu. But, it was no where to be found. I must have mentioned that silly mousse about five times during the week. Not exactly the shining example of ‘contentedness.’

But, like you, I am on a journey. I can only hope that because of God’s work in my heart and my willingness to surrender myself to him, I will continue to grow in being content, no matter my circumstances.

May you, also, grow in dependence on him and be able to see him in every circumstance in which you find yourself.

Grace and peace,
Deb

God

In the quiet
In the stillness
In this world
We find God
God finds us
The One who is the Word
The One who was there at creation
The One who is God with us
A quiet word
A still creation?
God in this moment?
Mystery

Marsha Lowe

This poem was written by a friend of mine. We were together for the past ten days completing a program we are both a part of. One of our other classmates was taken the hospital in the middle of the night on Tuesday requiring surgery. Marsha wrote this beautiful poem for our friend. Thank you, Marsha, for sharing your gift with all of us. And Carolyn....best wishes for a complete recovery.

Grace and peace,
Deb

self disclosure

“Many avoid the path of self-knowledge because they are afraid of being swallowed up in their own abysses. But Christians have confidence that Christ has lived through all the abysses of human life and that he goes with us when we dare to engage in sincere confrontations with ourselves. Because God loves us unconditionally – along with our dark sides – we don’t need to dodge ourselves. In the light of this love the pain of self-knowledge can be at the same time the beginning of our healing.”

Richard Rohr

There are areas of my heart I am afraid to explore. There is a darkness there that I think I have only scratched the surface of. Not that I am a thief or murderer, but it all too easy for me to think that because I would not dream of stealing your car I do not have a dark side to my heart. Sometimes I know my motives are impure. Sometimes I know that my attitude stinks. Sometimes I know that I covet or am being envious. But so many times those things are out of kilter under the surface and I don’t recognize it.

I need to trust God enough to know that he loves me no matter what is hidden in my heart. And, in order to continue to grow closer to him, I need to know my own heart, to see it more clearly. I am beginning to allow God to show me what he needs to show me…to show me what he knows I am able to deal with. Because unless I am willing to do some self-examination, I will not know the depth of my depravity…nor the depth of his love.

Grace and peace,
Deb

intimate prayer

“Prayer is like love. Words pour at first. Then we are more silent and can communicate in monosyllables. In difficulties, a gesture is enough, a word or nothing at all ~ love is enough. Thus the time comes when words are superfluous…The soul converses with God with a single loving glance . . . ”

Carlo Carretto

Continuing our conversation on prayer from yesterday, I love this quote. I think it speaks of a deep, intimate relationship with God, one in which words are not always necessary, in fact, are rarely necessary. We, because we dwell close to the heart of God and are listening for His voice, do not need many words to express how we feel. The silence may say all we need as our spirit interacts with the Holy Spirit.

Today, consider just being with God in silence for your prayer time. Lift the time up to him and just ‘be’.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer task

“How can we possibly expect anyone to find real nurture, comfort and consolation from a prayer life that taxes the mind beyond its limits and adds one more exhausting activity to the many already scheduled ones?”

Henri Nouwen

Is this how prayer feels to you? I know it did for me. I would go through my exhaustive list and then realize I had forgotten to pray for someone who had asked me to pray for them. I felt as though I couldn’t keep them all straight. It made prayer seem more like another task rather then spending some incredible time with God.

I wanted my prayer time with him to be what he wanted it to be, not what I had been taught it should look like. So, I simply asked God how he wanted me to be with him. And, over time, he taught me. Prayer became much less a task to be accomplished and much more a time of loving and being loved by God.

Consider asking God how he wants you, as an individual, to be with him. We are each uniquely designed and each reflect something different about him. Consider discovering what your unique relationship with God really looks like.

Grace and peace,
Deb

the word

“The Word of Scripture should never stop sounding in your ears and working in you all day long, just like the words of someone you love. And just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept them as they are said to you, accept the Word of Scripture and ponder it in your heart, as Mary did. That is all . . . Do not ask ‘How shall I pass this on?’ but ‘What does it say to me?’ Then ponder this word long in your heart until it has gone right into you and taken possession of you.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Scripture is given to us so we can learn about God. But, it is also given to us so we can recognize his voice and his movements in our lives. It is given to us so we can know him.

When you read the Word, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal what God might want to say to you. Allow it to speak to you, personally. And then listen…ponder what you hear God saying and respond.

Grace and peace,
Deb

outside the box

Show me your way, O Lord
teach me your path
guide me in your truth
and instruct me,
for you are God, my salvation
for you I yearn all the day.

From the 25th Psalm

So many times, we think we know how to become closer to God. We’ve been taught ‘how to do it’ by more mature believers, we do what our parents did, or we’ve been taught by a church. We follow the formula and hope for it to lead us closer to God. But I don’t think it works that way. I think God does the initiating. I think God does the teaching. All we need to do is quiet ourselves, listen to him and allow him to teach us. He made us all individuals and it stands to reason that a ‘one size fits all’ relationship isn’t how God works.

May you listen to God and allow him to show you how he wants you to be with him….even if it is “outside of the box”.

Grace and peace,
Deb

be

“When our response has been played out in all of its fury, angst, or exuberance, we come to a place of rest in God. Here there are no expectations, demands, no need to know, no desire but to be in the Divine Presence, receptive to what God desires to do with us.”

Marjorie Thompson

Is this where you find yourself? Are you able to just ‘be’ with God or are you still striving to earn His approval or love? Have you abandoned yourself to Him or are you still trying to make Him do what you want Him to do?

May you rest in Him today. May you know that He loves you completely and that whatever He has for you in your life is so much better than anything you could plan for yourself. May you stop expecting, demanding, needing the whole plan to be laid out in front of you and just . . be.

Grace and peace,
Deb

expression

“The fact is there is nothing that we are doing that God could not raise up a stone in the field to do for him. The realization of this puts us in our true place. Though, lest we get too knocked down by such a realization of our insignificance, let me hasten to add that there is one thing that we alone can give God . . . and that is our personal love. No one else can give God our personal love. This is our great significance.”

M. Basil Pennington

What a beautiful truth and what an incredible privilege. We can give God our personal love. And as amazing as that is, what is even more amazing is that . . . we can receive His.

May you express your love for Him today and may you, in turn, bask in His love for you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

desire

“The reason we are not able to see God is the faintness of our desire”.

Meister Eckhart

I need to be awake. What I mean is that I don’t want to sleepwalk through life. I don’t want to move from one day into another day without being aware of God and where He is moving. To see Him I need to quiet myself and be intentional.

What is your desire like for God? Is having an intimate relationship with Him the most important thing to you?

Grace and peace,
Deb

experiencing God

I want to invite you to have an experience with God. For the past several years, Living Word has constructed a labyrinth. It is a created sacred space that allows one to have a different experience of God, with God. This year’s theme is “The Sacred Journey”.

It is beautiful and very meaningful. I encourage you to spend some time taking it in….and allowing God to speak to you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

life

We see the signs
but cannot always
divine their meanings.
You call us to move forward
not always knowing
whether what we grasp
in our hands
will prove to be
a seed of hope
or a thorn in our flesh.
Train our fingers,
that what brings life
we may with persistence hold,
and that which wastes
our souls
we may with grace release.

Jan Richardson

outside the box

Show me your way, O Lord
teach me your path
guide me in your truth
and instruct me,
for you are God, my salvation
for you I yearn all the day.

From the 25th Psalm

So many times, we think we know how to become closer to God. We’ve been taught ‘how to do it’ by more mature believers, we do what our parents did, or we’ve been taught by a church. We follow the formula and hope for it to lead us closer to God. But I don’t think it works that way. I think God does the initiating. I think God does the teaching. All we need to do is quiet ourselves, listen to him and allow him to teach us. He made us all individuals and it stands to reason that a ‘one size fits all’ relationship isn’t how God works.

May you listen to God and allow him to show you how he wants you to be with him….even if it is “outside of the box”.

Grace and peace,
Deb

rest

When you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.

Psalm 4

I used to go to bed at night and pray. I would mentally go through my list of people to pray for and somewhere in the middle of that list, fall asleep. I thought it was a wonderful way to drift off.

Now, I am silent. I review my day and look for the places where I was able to see God. Then I rest in God’s presence and do not speak. I want my last thought before I go to sleep to be only of God. Not of what I might want from Him but just ‘of Him’.

Consider, tonight, spending a few moments looking for where God revealed himself to you throughout your day. Then, just rest and allow your last conscious thought to be of Him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

relationships

"You can’t make someone love you, all you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to the person to realize your worth."

Unknown

Not much is more painful than to love someone who doesn’t return that love, to want to be in relationship with someone who doesn’t want the same thing.

I have a friend who is going through a tough time right now. She loves her child but there doesn’t seem to be any interest in a relationship on his part. What this young man doesn’t know is that his mom is an incredible woman. She is warm and gifted. She is generous and giving. She is nurturing and compassionate. He doesn’t see that there would be so many benefits to having her in his life.

God is using this painful situation to show her how she may need to redefine the word “family”. She is seeing that there are people in her life who want to be there. She is seeing that she has a lot to give others and she is beginning to give back what she has received. She is learning to depend on God for her sense of worth and dignity.

I am sad for her son. He is missing out on having a relationship with his mom. My prayer for him is that he realizes what he is missing before too much time has gone by.

Bottom line ~ relationships can bring immense joy or incredible pain into our lives. This side of heaven, they will continue to be a struggle. But, when we find our worth in God, although it may still be painful, we can rise above it.

Grace and peace,
Deb

transfigured

“As you begin spending time each day looking into the face of Jesus, beholding Him, and listening to His voice, you will find that your life will be transfigured from the inside out.”

Nancy Leigh DeMoss

For years, I tried to change those ‘character’ defects that plagued me. I knew what I should be doing. I would work really hard to change the behavior and I was able to do…for maybe two weeks.

As I’ve spent time just sitting with Jesus, I’ve surrendered my life and my behaviors to him. I’ve given up control of trying to change myself. I’ve turned that over to God. As I’ve done that, I’ve begun to see changes. A situation will come up and I’ll respond in a way that makes me step back and say “Did I just say that?”, or “Did I just do that?” I notice small changes that I am no longer trying to make; they are just happening.

I see these changes as transformation that is happening from the inside out. Sitting in God’s presence is allowing Him the time and the space to change my heart. And…it is his work, not mine. I cannot take any credit for it. And it seems like the most naturally thing in the world.

Consider carving out some time for God today…time to just ‘be’ with him. Surrender your heart to him, your struggles, your behaviors, your everything. And step back and wait for incredible changes to take place as you live out of a transfigured heart.

Grace and peace,
Deb

transparency

“With regard to God, people often say, “There’s no need to tell him how I feel or what I desire because he already knows.” What is in question is not God’s knowledge but my trust in him, my willingness to be as transparent as I can be before him.”

William A. Barry

As a woman, I love to hear my husband say, “I love you”, or “If I had to choose all over again, I would choose you.” And, when I ask him why he doesn’t say it more often, he says “You already know it.” Sometimes he thinks that if he says it once or twice, it’s sufficient, or that implied love is the same as expressed love. But…even if I know it, I still like to hear it.

I wonder if that is what it is like for God. Even though he knows everything, he still wants to hear it. Not only how much I love him, but that I also know that I fall short. And I think he not only wants to hear me talk of it in generalities but in specifics. That way, I am ‘speaking’ it. It makes it more real to me. And it shows my trust in him. When I let go of my defensives and stand emotionally naked before God, he knows that I trust his love for me. He knows that I want to be real, to be transparent in front of him. And…I think he loves to hear me speak it.

Today, consider what it is that you are not saying to God. What are you hoping he ‘just knows’ to save yourself the pain of speaking it? Tell him…tell the One who loves you more than any other, the One who already knows, but wants to hear you entrust it to him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

Saint Theresa’s Prayer

May today there be peace within.
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.
It is there for each and every one of us.

Take some time today to sit with this prayer and notice where God may be speaking to you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

creation

The mountains show themselves against the sky
And in the midst of a creation
Which is seen with my eyes
And heard with my ears
And smelled and tasted
And felt...
Words fail, as they should.
So there is nothing to say,
There is nothing to say,
Nothing to say,
Nothing,
But gratitude

Steve Gillman

Take some time today to be aware of the beauty of creation and express your gratitude to God.

Grace and peace,
Deb

nurture

When we have so diligently
welcomed one another
that we have neglected
to provide hospitality
to our own selves
teach us
to be mindful
of the pilgrim
within our own souls
who longs
for a welcoming fire
and for shelter
in the dark.

Jan Richardson


Often, as women, we neglect ourselves. We take care of everyone else. To be able to give to others from a full tank, we need to give to ourselves.

How do you nurture yourself? How do you set time aside to care for your spiritual life? Your emotional life? Your physical life?

I hear women say, “I don’t have the time. I have small children…or teenagers with busy schedules.” No matter what life stage you find yourself in, find time to rest and renew. If you can’t see any way to do it, ask God to show you a way and look for how He might reveal that to you.

Don’t settle….don’t say, “Next month, next year, or, when the kids leave…I’ll take time for myself.”

I encourage you to take just ten minutes today to breath and sit in God’s presence. Nothing to do, nothing to prove…just sit in His presence, basking in His love.

Grace and peace,
Deb