paradox

Richard Rohr says of the spiritual journey –

“The ordinary path is a gradual awakening and an occasional quieting, a passion for and a surrendering to, a caring and a not caring at all. It is both center and circumference, and I am finally not in control of either.”

Everything Belongs

This life with God is a paradox. It seems that in the beginning of the journey we are hungry for knowledge of God. We want to, and for good reason, learn as much as we can about who God is and how we do this thing called the Christian life. We settle into a routine of serving God and can become quite content. Then, there may come a time when our arsenal of answers don’t seem to fit our life circumstances. Something is wrong. We can’t quite put our finger on it. The Spirit is on the move.
This is/was part of my journey. It seems my days are made up of gradual awakenings – times when I feel I am waking up to the reality of God breaking through. Then there are those times of occasional quieting, sometimes planned and sometimes unplanned, as if God, Himself invites me into silence so that we can have an undistracted moment. I find I have more passion for Him than I’ve had at any other time in my life. I also find myself more surrendered to whatever God has for me, looking for the gift in every situation. And I care – more about Him, more about others, more about the world and yet I can hold everything lightly, acknowledging that everything comes from Him.

He is the center and circumference of my life. Each day I realize how little I know about Him and about myself and each day I am more open to learning. I am willing to let my own image of God die and allow Him to re-shape it into whatever I need right now.

How are you with paradox? Can you hold two seemingly opposing views at the same time?

Awakening and quieting?
Passion and surrender?
Caring and not caring?
Knowing that God is the center and circumference but not being in control at all?

Consider how God may be speaking to you through paradox today.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by Acradenia http://www.flickr.com/photos/acradenia/2482193173/

live it

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

Gary Thomas

The people I come in contact with are not in need of my words, my take on what is wrong with culture and what is right with God. They are in need of seeing me as a person who lives what I believe. They need to see integrity. They need to sense love and compassion. They need to know I care…not just about them coming to know God and becoming more like Him, but that I care about them right where they are. They need to see something in me that draws them to Christ.

I am convinced that they will not come to God because of Christians ‘preaching’ at them but because they see us living lives that defy explanation. They need to see us living in peace when our circumstances may look chaotic. They need to see us slowing down when life is frantic. They need to see us living authentically, not pretending that a life with God is always easy.

Today, may you live in integrity.

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

Photo by Jim Linwood

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 God and surrender to His work as I live in love with Him and others.

Grace and peace,
Deb

identity

“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 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. 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 children. She is fully capable of earning an income in any number of ways but her heart’s desire is to build into the little lives that have 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.”


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


Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by Gematrium http://www.flickr.com/photos/gematrium/4574274967/

the longest short jounrey

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

Gary Thomas


I can know about God without knowing God. 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

Photo by Sterlic http://www.flickr.com/photos/sterlic/4299633060/

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 I want it to. There are disappointments, hurts and 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

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. What would it be like to ‘dance’ with God?


he is my partner.

in rhythm,
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 his arms ~ 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

Photo by Tetsumo http://www.flickr.com/photos/tetsumo/4013525916/

sinner

“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

Photo by petervanalien http://www.flickr.com/photos/petervanallen/1232673524/

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! 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

Photo by UAGardener http://www.flickr.com/photos/ugardener/2804869865/

just 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

Photo by Sultry http://www.flickr.com/photos/painterwoman/4795173879/

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

Photo by maapu http://www.flickr.com/photos/maapu/1599288110/

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

Photo by just learn http://www.flickr.com/photos/just_learn/1354152878/

love

…”the Lord does not look so much at the magnitude of anything we do as at the love we do it with…”

St Theresa of Avila

Sound familiar?


“ If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love.”
I Cor 13:1-3

No matter how great our achievements are, no matter how many people we impact, how many books we write, how many awards we win, how much education we have…without love, it all means nothing.

Lord…may I love today.

Photo by Sea of Legs http://www.flickr.com/photos/backwards_dog/171060837/

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

Photo by I Woke Up Today http://www.flickr.com/photos/22036287@N06/4626239826/

trust

“If we lack confidence that life is trustworthy, that a life of live encounters will take us towards wholeness, then we will forever feel the need to manipulate, and goal setting will be one of our major strategies.”

Parker Palmer, The Active Life

This quote struck a chord within me. I can be the master manipulator. And I know how to make it look oh so good. Know what I mean? I actually can make it look like it is for your good. I am not proud of this. I think it is a coping mechanism I picked up while trying to find my way through some challenging times in my early days.

Over the past couple of years, I have begun to find freedom in allowing God to set my agenda. Not always easy, not always comfortable, not always my first inclination. It is not easy for me to give up control. But then I realize I really don’t have all that much control.

This doesn’t mean that I sit in a chair all day long and wait for things to drop into my lap. I do have hopes, dreams and aspirations. What is does mean is that I try not to push into things. I want to look, pay attention and notice what God may be leading me into. I try not to create the outcome I want. I try to be open to whatever God has me. I hold my goals with open hands willing to let go of that which doesn’t fit with God’s plan.

May you trust that God will provide you with a life of awesome encounters that will take you towards wholeness….the wholeness He desires for you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by 96dpi http://www.flickr.com/photos/96dpi/2564208064/

ancient future

“The sons and daughters of modernity are rediscovering the neglected beauty of classical Christian teaching. It s a moment of joy, of beholding anew what has been forgotten, of hugging a lost child. One of the most promising developments among evangelical Protestants is the recent ‘discovery’ of the rich, biblical, spiritual, and theological treasures to be found within the early church.”

Chris Armstrong

At times, I lead a class on how to approach the Scriptures in a transformative way ~ lectio divina. It is an ancient practice that has been a part of monastery life for over 1500 years. But, it is being ‘rediscovered’ in evangelical circles. And, it is to our benefit.

For years, I have approached my Christianity in a rational manner. I had knowledge of Scripture, knowledge of Jesus, knowledge of God’s character. But, when I began, several years ago, to practice a more contemplative spirituality, it is like my spiritual life was awakened from a deep sleep. The Bible now breathes hope into my spirit. Jesus now is someone I have an intimate relationship with rather than someone I have pledged my allegiance to. And I can picture God singing over me because He loves me. My spirit has new life.

We do not need to fear what the ancient church mothers and fathers passed down through the generations. If we can find a place, within our rational faith framework, for the possibility that we do not have it all figured out, and be open to learning some new ways to experience God, we may find ourselves moving closer to the Lord than we ever thought possible .. . not just with our head but with our heart.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by jemasmith http://www.flickr.com/photos/26085795@N02/4104963772/

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

Photo by dturnow

spiritual friends

I could never do this spiritual life alone. I need spiritual friends. What I mean by this is that I need those people who help me see the way. They don’t tell me which way to go but they illuminate the path and make the journey with me. About 8 years ago a friend of mine shared his evolving spiritual journey with me. I was intrigued. Something in my spirit was awakened and the spiritual landscape slowly began to change for me.

It’s like I’m on this glorious trip that God has arranged for me. He has graciously given me people who can help me along the way. They may have traveled this way before me and can help me navigate the way – or even if their journey has been different, they can help me make sense of landmarks I might be encountering. One of my relationships is strictly for this purpose. I know that when I spend time with her, the intention is to see where God is at work in my life. I am also blessed with traveling companions - wonderful friends who I can have spiritual conversations with and do life with. And then, there are those beautiful, surprise, random encounters where God uses the most unlikely person or circumstance to speak in to my life or point me in the right direction.

Who are the guides in your life? Who are those people you intentionally speak with? Who helps you discern the movement of God in your life? Who are the friends that build into you…celebrate the grace you are noticing and support any correction God wants to make in your walk? Who are the people who seem to help you clarify God's leading? Many times, we take these life-giving relationships for granted. Pause today, reflect and be thankful for those who accompany you.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by richardefreeman http://www.flickr.com/photos/freebird710/2878746921/

beauty

“Art can warm even a chilled and sunless soul to an exalted spiritual experience. Through art, we occasionally receive – indistinctly, briefly – revelations the likes of which cannot be achieved by rational thought.

It is like the small mirror of legend, you look into it but instead of yourself, you glimpse for a moment, the Inaccessible, a realm forever beyond reach. And your soul begins to ache.”

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Art can move us beyond what we can see, hear or touch with our normal human senses. It can truly give us a glimpse into beauty which is close to God’s heart.

Delight today in a piece of art and allow it to move you into a place of beauty.

Grace and peace,
Deb

responsibility

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.”


~Author Unknown



Yesterday, I reflected on the way you can let the actions of others impact you in unhealthy ways. Today, I want to spend a few minutes looking at how it hurts you when you don’t take responsibility for your own wrongdoing. How have your actions hurt others? You may have hurt them either intentionally or unintentionally but the result is the same – someone was hurt because of something you did or did not do, said or did not say.

It may seem easier to just brush past it, hoping time will heal all wounds. And yesterday, we looked at the fact that the other person is responsible for their own healing. But when you don’t take responsibility for your own mistakes, you don’t grow. You aren’t living a life of integrity.

I often find myself in a position of helping people work through conflicts. Everyone make mistakes – but not everyone is able to admit them and take responsibility for them. One of the marks of true transformation is not the absence of mistakes but the ability to own them. It is far easier to side step the issue or to place blame, either on the others involved or on the situation than to say ‘I messed up’. It is amazing how healing those few words can be. It’s amazing how they can change the hearts of those we have hurt and even more amazing how they can change us.

Is there anything that you know you need to accept responsibility for? Ask God to reveal to you what He might want you to own and then consider what you might do to rectify it.

Grace and peace,

Deb

Photo by purpleslog http://www.flickr.com/photos/purpleslog/3244332524/

responsibility

"The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny."

~Albert Ellis

I have found myself in conversations over the past several months with individuals who are struggling with feelings of resentment, frustration and anger. These feelings are the remnants of situations where they felt wronged or hurt.
In each conversation there is a valid reason for the feelings they have. They all were wronged in some way, to some degree. So – their desire for closure, for an apology, for some measure of vindication is understandable. But basing their ability to move past the hurt on the expectation that they will receive any of those things is the equivalent of locking themselves in cell.

You do not have control over how others interact with you. You have no control over the some of the circumstances you find yourself in. The only thing you can control is your response. What will you do with your feelings? Why would you choose to hang onto the negativity? Why would you allow someone to have so much negative influence on your life?

You may find yourself questioning the system. Why did it let you down? Why didn’t it work the way it was supposed to? How can you trust it again? Trust people again?

Actually, your lack of trust is not with others…it is with God. You may not trust Him to work towards ultimate justice – so you may feel you need to help Him out with that. You may not trust Him to work something beautiful out of something hurtful or difficult. You may not trust that He may be doing things that you do not know about or understand as He works deeply in each person involved.

If you find yourself today, hurt or anger over an offense, consider offering it to God and allow Him to work out the specifics. Only through taking responsibility for your own life, will you truly grow.

Tomorrow – the other side of the coin.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by DieselDemon http://www.flickr.com/photos/28096801@N05/4332863749/

cloud of witnesses

As you reflect on your relationship with Jesus, who was instrumental in your spiritual life? Perhaps you had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home where God was no stranger. Maybe it was a parent or grandparent who prayed with you and told you that God loved you. Or perhaps it was a friend, within which you noticed something different, something attractive. Or maybe you were like me and it was the guy who took a chance on dating someone who didn’t have a strong relationship with God.

Through their example you realized there was more to this “God” thing. As I think back I can name several people who God used to woo me to Him. I am so grateful to Him for placing them in my life.

I invite you to spend some time today reflecting on who those people were in your life. Who pointed you to the One who loves you more than anyone possibly could? Who shared the truth of who He is? Who stirred the desire in your heart for more?

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by Karindalziel http://www.flickr.com/photos/nirak/644335254/

seed

“Give over your own willing, give over your own running, give over your own desiring to know or be anything and sink down to the seed which God sows in the heart, and let that grow in you and be in you; and you will find by sweet experience that the Lord knows that and loves and owns that, and it will lead it to the inheritance of Life which is its portion.”

Isaac Pennington, Quaker

Sometimes I wonder how long it will take me to get this. How long before I understand that what is being worked in me is of God and not of my doing? Somewhere deep inside I know this to be true but I forget it.

I am grateful for reminders like the quote above. When I am reminded of God’s work, I can surrender to it and stop striving under my own power to make things happen.
May you be reminded today that God has sowed a seed within you that He is bringing to fruition. May you relax into that work and let your efforts be surrendered. May you be amazed at what He will do.

Grace and peace,
Deb

Photo by Clearly Ambiguous http://www.flickr.com/photos/clearlyambiguous/169529980/