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

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

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

sabbath

No post today ~ enjoy your sabbath

love

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

Augustine

I was part of a conversation recently where people discussed 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

journey

“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

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

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 your 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

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

being 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

the chicken or the egg?

“We are not sinners because we commit sinful acts ~ we commit sinful acts because we are sinners.”

Richard Foster

Makes you stop and think doesn’t it? I Deb, am not a sinner because I commit sinful acts….I commit sinful acts because I am a sinner. What came first – the chicken or the egg? In this case, I think it’s the chicken.
This isn’t the way to was supposed to be. We were meant to live in perfect communion with God but it all got kinda messed up in the Garden. Yeah…remember that little incident? Had something to do with a woman, an apple and a snake. Never a good combination. Actually, it represents the very acts that I engage in that would signify me being a card carrying member of the sinner club….wanting my own way. Wanting to be in charge. Not truly believing that God knows best, that He loves me, that I can fully trust Him. Yep…those are the times when know I am a sister of Eve. Listening to the whispers of the enemy in my ear and picking the apple. I know isn’t what God has for me but thinking it will fill the hole left by the fall. But, it doesn’t. The only thing that fills it is Him.

Am I a sinner? Oh yeah. Will I continue to commit sinful acts? Oh yeah. Does He love me in spite of that? Oh yeah. Thank you, Jesus.

May you acknowledge your ‘sinner’ status but not let it define you. May you allow God to speak His love into your empty spaces. May you remember that although you are a sister of Eve or a brother of Adam, more importantly, you are a child of God.

Grace and peace,
Deb

waiting in the dark

“We require darkness for birth and growth, the seed in the ground, the seed in the womb, the seed in our souls. In the dark lie possibilities for intimacy, for rest, for healing. Although we may find journeying in the dark fearsome or confusing, it teaches us to rely on senses other than sight.”

Jan Richardson

I know you, like me, have experienced those times…times when you cannot see the next step, you cannot see God’s hand. You feel spiritually and emotionally blind, stumbling along wondering when the light will return. But, in the dark, life remains. Hidden, unknown, undefined….but it is still there.

I am in the last days…or maybe hours of waiting. I am waiting for my next grandchild to be born. According to a due date, he should be here today. He has been developing, growing, ‘becoming’ in the dark. I cannot see him but I can feel him. it is delightful to me to place my hands on my daughter’s belly and feel his movements. In many ways, he is a mystery to me. I already love him. But, soon I will know him face to face and then I can love him in a more tangible way. I wait with expectancy.

This is how I am with the things of God. So much is hidden to me. I cannot see it. But I know He is there. I know He is working. Even though I can’t see it I know it. If I quiet myself, I can sense Him whispering to me hints of what is to come. I love Him now, but it will be very different some day as find myself in His presence without the veil.

Trust, that even though you can’t see what God is doing, that nevertheless, He is there. He is moving. He is interested and engaged. Just because you can’t see Him doesn’t mean He isn’t there. Just like my daughter’s baby boy, God will reveal Himself when it is the right time, not necessarily when I think he should. There will be a time you will see Him face to face, but for now, you must trust that He is there, right behind the veil.

Grace and peace,
Deb

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy the sabbath

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

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

being 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, on a beautiful cruise, I found things to complain about. I even talked to my husband, on the way to California, about wanting to not complain while on this lovely vacation his mom was providing for us. Because I was paying attention, I noticed at how easy and automatic complaining was to me. 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, last year, for ten days completing a program we were both a part of. One of our other classmates was taken the hospital in the middle of the night during the program requiring surgery. Marsha wrote this beautiful poem her. Thank you, Marsha, for sharing your gift with all of us. And Carolyn, I am so gld you've had a full recovery.br />
Grace and peace,
Deb

wait

"With or without your hard word, God is always moving in your life. Wait on the Holy, wait and receive the gifts that come."

Gunilla Norris

So much of my life has been me working to be what I think God wants me to be. And a lot of that work has felt like going one step forward, and two steps back. I have come to realize that although I certainly have my part, the work that needs to done in me is not work I can do. It can only be done by Him. My part is to be open and surrendered, waiting and watching for what He may be doing.

May you 'wait' today for the beautiful work that only He can do...notice how He might be moving, what He might be saying to you about this mysterious, miraculous work.

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

sabbath

no post today ~ enjoy your sabbath