“Contemplative prayer is listening prayer. It is attentiveness. Sometimes when our children talk with us, we wish that they would just listen to us.

That’s what contemplative prayer is. It’s being all ears to what the Father has to say to us. It’s very simple. We are becoming attentive to God. God is interested in us and what we have to say. We learn to become interested in what God has to say to us.”

Richard Foster

In any healthy relationship, there is two way conversation. For many years, my relationship with God revolved around me doing all the talking. It never occurred to me to listen! Now, 90% of my intentional time with God is spent listening. I hear much more and feel the need to talk much less.

Try spending at least half of your time with God today, listening. You may be amazed at what you hear.

Grace and peace,
Deb

shhhhhh

"But the LORD is in his holy Temple.
Let all the earth be silent before him.”

Hab 2:20 NLT


Silence. What a rare commodity. I am more and more convinced that living a life of intimacy with Jesus is near impossible without the commitment to spending time in silence.

Without it, we can do his work, we can talk about him, we can study him. But to hear his voice, we must learn to be still…to listen…to be silent. Unfortunately, we settle for work, talk and study. Somehow it seems easier.

If silence is new to you, begin with one minute a day. Just sit…no noise, no outward distractions. Just sit. That’s all.

Shhhhhhh,
Deb

Heaven is all around us...we only need to look.

Grace and peace,
Deb

sit

“If we begin to worship and come to God, again and again by meditating, by reading, by prayer, and by obedience, little by little God becomes known to us through experience. We enter into familiarity with God, and by tasting how sweet the Lord is we pass into . . loving God, not for our own sake, but for Himself.”

Saint Bernard of Clairvaux

When is the last time you “experienced” God? When is the last time you felt His love for you? When is the last time you sensed Him speaking to you?

If you haven’t experienced God this way, consider spending some time in silence, every day. Begin with several minutes and add time as it seems right. Let your only request during that time be “God… I want to meet with you here, in this moment”…and sit.

Even if you ‘feel’ nothing, know that He is answering that simple prayer and that your spirit is being refreshed by Him.

Grace and peace,
Deb

love

“God doesn’t want me to try to become more loving. He wants me to absorb his love so that it flows out from me. Only love is capable of genuine transformation. Willpower is inadequate. Thomas Merton reminds us that the root of Christian love is not the will to love but the faith to believe that one is deeply loved by God. Embarking on the journey of Christian spiritual transformation is enrolling in the divine school of love. Our primary assignment in this school is not so much study and practice as it is letting ourselves be deeply loved by our Lord.”

David Benner

How are you doing at letting yourself be deeply loved by God?

Grace and peace,
Deb

questions

“To be a Christian does not mean knowing all the answers; to be a Christian means being willing to live into the part of the self where the question is born.”

Wendy M. Wright

There was a time in my life when I felt as if I needed to have all the answers…in case a friend…or worse yet, someone who was searching out the faith, asked me about something. What would it say if I didn’t have the answer they were looking for? Would it reflect badly on God?

I have come to a place in my life where I am much more comfortable living in the questions. I love the God of mystery and He holds all the answers. What I can do is to be with others as they learn to live the questions.

Grace and peace,
Deb

presence

“God is always present – we’re the ones who show up.”

Rob Bell

Have you ever thought about the way we pray when we get toether? We ask God, “Please be present with us.” We are asking for something that already is. He is always present with us. Would not a truer prayer be…God, please help us to be present!”? We are the ones who live, most times, without awareness of how God is present.

May you, today, have a new awareness of God’s presence in your life.

May you see Him in all that you do, in everyone that you talk to, in everything you read, see or hear.

And, may you rest in the knowledge that He is always closer to you than your breath.

Grace and peace,
Deb

now what?

now what?

how did this happen?

we have been left.
left alone.

he told us…at least he tried to…
that he would be going.

but we didn’t want to believe it.

and, certainly not like this.

crucified?

dead?

gone.

now what?

broken hearts,
broken dreams,
broken lives,
broken promises.

now what?

Grace and peace,
Deb

for you

The Crucifixion

You were one with the Father.
Then the Father turned his back on you.
You felt forsaken,
hanging there between heaven's thunder
and the dank spittle of earth.

For that moment you belonged nowhere.
You were love, cut off from love;
truth nailed down by lies.
You must have wanted to explode, to disintegrate,
to disappear into a void.
But that was forbidden.
And that was the test.

Your blood burst through your skin
and ran down like sweat.
Your sweat ran cold
and drained into your heart.
The universe caught hold of your pain.
The sun went blind with grief.
The earth shivered in shock.
History was torn in two.

I stood at a distance,
my collar turned up,
like a murderer witnessing
a wrongful arrest.

Steve Turner

Take some time today to reflect on the cross....

Grace and peace,
Deb

faith

As you move into the next couple of days and reflect on what Jesus was facing, what He went through and how He went to the cross for you and for I, what the meaning of 'fatih' is, the following piece may be meaningful. It is written from a Jewish perspective and speaks of incredible faith in God, despite unbelievable hardship.

From Down to Earth Spirituality, written by Jessel Takover, and later found in the ruins of a Jewish ghetto in Warsaw:

“I believe in you, God of Israel, even if you have tried your best to dissuade me to believe in you. I would like to say to you that at this moment, more ever than in any other previous period of our eternal struggle for survival, we, the tortured, the humiliated, burned alive, burnt alive, insulted, mocked… that we have a right to know until when will you allow this to continue?

I die in peace but not appeased, embittered but not cynical, a believer but not pleading, a man who loves God but does not say Amen to everything…all this will do you no good. You have done everything to destroy my faith, yet I am dying precisely as I have lived saying, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, One Lord. Into your hands I commit my spirit.”

Grace and peace,
Deb

may it be

“Blessed woman, who believed what God said, believed every word would come true.”

Luke 1:45 the message

Words for Mary, words for me.
May it be as You have said.
May it be as You will.
May I be attentive to Your hand
and it’s movement in my life.
And…may I move in rhythm with you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

feeding time

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied, "The one you feed."

Which one do you feed???


Grace and peace,
Deb

heart song

“A friend is one who knows my heart’s song and sings it back to me when I have forgotten it.”

Unknown

I count my friends to be gifts from God. It is amazing to me that there people in this world who do not have any obligation to be with me. They actually choose to have me in their life. And, they take the time to remind me why. They speak truth into my life. They encourage, challenge and love me.

I can only hope that I brings as much to their lives as they bring to mine.

Thank you to all those women who speak into my life….who sing my heart song back to me when I have forgotten it.

Love,
Deb

sabbath

No post today...enjoy the sabbath...

mystery

respond

The Most High calls to us and waits for us to respond. He desires to quench our deepest thirst, to satisfy our deepest hunger, and to fill us with His power and presence as we dwell in the secret place of the Most High.

Cynthia Heald

Anything I feel a desire to do in my relationship with God is initiated by Him. He calls me, woos me and waits for me to respond. He is wants to meet my needs ~ quench my thirst and satisfy my hunger…for Him.

May you respond to His leading…
may you sense His presence.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

God to enfold me,
God to surround me,
God in my speaking,
God in my thinking.

God in my sleeping,
God in my waking,
God in my watching,
God in my hoping.

God in my life,
God in my lips,
God in my hands,
God in my heart.

God in my sufficing,
God in my slumber
God in mine ever living soul,
God in mine eternity.

Celtic Prayer

walk the walk

“One of the best ways to reach our culture is to live compelling lives.”

Gary Thomas

The people we come in contact with aren’t in need of our words, our take on what is wrong with culture and what is right with God. They are in need of seeing us as people who live what we believe. They need to see integrity. They need to sense our love and compassion. They need to know we care…not just about them coming to know God and changing, but that we care about them right where they are. They need to see something in us that draws them to Christ. I am convinced that will not come because of our ‘preaching’ at them but because they see us living lives that defy explanation. They see us living in peace when our circumstances may look chaotic. They see us slowing down when life is frantic. They see us living authentically, not pretending that a life with God is always easy.

May you live in integrity today.

May you live in a place of compassion and love.

May you reflect Christ to those around you in a compelling way.

May you ‘walk the walk’.

Grace and peace,
Deb

love

“If you want to find out who people are, don’t are them what they do but what they love.”

Augustine

I was part a conversation recently where people discuss how they feel about being asked ‘what they do.’ The responses ranged from seeing it as an easy way to start a conversation to feeling it was a way to ‘categorized’ someone based on their employment. Personally, I have experienced both.

I love this quote because I think it speaks to the rarity of each of us being able to do, for money, what we love. Sometimes, that is the case. I am one who is so blessed. I have the privilege of doing what I love and getting paid for it.

But, many of us work, to earn the money, to do what we love. Our job doesn’t define us…it is a means to an end. And then there are those who do not get paid at all but are doing what they were designed to do. I am thinking of a beautiful, college educated, talented young woman who has made the decision to stay at home and care for her child. She is fully capable of earning an income in any number of ways but her heart’s desire is to build into the life that has been entrusted to her. It is heartbreaking that she feels the need to justify why she has made this choice. If you ask her what she does, she may say, “Nothing. I’m a stay-at-home mom.” If you ask her what she loves, she’ll say “Being a mom.”

Consider asking someone today, what they love. It will give you a much deeper glimpse into their life than asking them what they do.

Grace and peace,
Deb

beloved

I just returned from leading a retreat. 27 women spent the weekend pondering God’s love for them. It was an enlightening time. They recognized how He has been pursuing and desiring an intimate relationship with them.

Helping to move them into the space of receiving His love was the following piece by Lynne Hybels, called “Let Me Love You”:

Come away, God says. Yes you, come away and sit with me. Come and let me give you the gift of my presence. I want to share the stillness of this moment with you. I want to whisper words of kindness to you. I want to pour my infinitely rich and deep love into your very soul.

So come, let me love you. Let me love that part of you that believes you are valuable only while you are serving others. You are valuable for just who you are. You don’t have to keep running. You don’t have to prove your worth through frantic activity. Let me love that part of you that is weary and needs to rest. Listen, listen as I tell you to drop your burdens right now, and rest like a child in the presence of a loving Father.

So come. Sit with me. Let me love you.

May you rest in His love today….

Grace and peace,
Deb

journey (posted early as I am on retreat)

“Are you tired of knowing an awful lot about God but precious little of God?”

Gary Thomas

My relationship with God needs to be in more than my head. I can know about God without knowing Him. One of my desires over the past several years has been to move what I know from my head…to my heart. I have fallen in love with God, and feel loved by Him.

They say that the 18 inches from the head to heart can be a very long distance. But there is no more important journey.


May you begin to experience His love in a new way.

May you have passion in your relationship with Him.

If you recognize if you are living your life with God from your head and not your heart, may you make the 18 inch journey.


Grace and peace,
Deb

relax

“Tend well the grace of the moment, do your best, and leave the rest up to God.”

Elizabeth Seton


This quote helps me to remember that there is only so much that depends on me. All I am asked to do is be attentive to what God is doing, move into that as He asks and rest in His work.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

“You may think that you will be full of determination to resist outward trials if God will only grant you inward favours. His Majesty knows what is suitable for us; it is not for us to advise Him what to give us, for he can rightly reply that we know not what we ask. All that the beginner in prayer has to do – and you must not forget this, for it is very important – to labour and be resolute and prepare himself will all possible diligence to bring his will into conformity with the will of God.”

Teresa of Avila


I have been a ‘prayer’ for over 30 years and I feel I am still a beginner. For the first 25 years of my praying life, I told God how I wanted it to be or thought it should be. I shudder now when I think of how arrogant I was, presuming I knew how things should happen. Then, about five years ago, I had a shift in my prayers. I felt called to just be ‘with’ God during my prayer time and try to listen to what He wanted. I wanted to learn to trust Him and rest into what ever He had for my life and for the lives of those I love.

I hope I am always a ‘beginner’, wanting what God wants more than what I want.

Grace and peace,
Deb

interval

“There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.”

George Santayana

Life can be hard. It certainly doesn’t always go the way we want it to. There are disappointments, hurts, frustrations. But, there is also joy, hope and love. Which will you choose to dwell on? What will you focus on as you move through your day?

Enjoy the interval.

Grace and peace,
Deb

“First I invite the reader
to the groans of prayer
through Christ crucified . .
so that he not believe
that reading is sufficient without unction,
speculation without devotion,
investigation without wonder,
observation without joy,
work without piety,
knowledge without love,
understanding without humility.”

Bonaventure

Let your relationship with Christ continue to move from your head to your heart.

Grace and peace,
Deb

the dance

“I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.

Luke 1:47

This is part of Mary’s response to finding out she would bear the Christ. Here is how God spoke to me through it:


In rhythm. He is my partner. He leads. Our dance tells a story.

Sometimes the dance is fast and full of passion ~ fun and free.

Sometimes the dance is slow and intentional ~ flowing.

Sometimes it is a lullaby where I rest in God’s arms and He carries me.

Sometimes he sits back as I dance for joy before Him.

Sometimes someone else is invited.



You are invited to a dance….an intimate dance with God. Accept, relax and let Him lead you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

exposure

“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 confrontation 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

It is comforting to think that God loves us, dark sides and all. I don’t think I would have always said that. There was a time when I tried to hide my dark side from God, as if that were even possible. Now, I know that healing does truly come only when I allow God to gently show me what I need to know, acknowledge the truth about myself and allow Him to change me.

May you allow Him to shine His light on the dark areas of your heart and may you sense healing taking place.

Grace and peace,
Deb