life

“It is what it is and it ain’t what it ain’t.”

Brian

I spoke with a friend today and she said she knew someone who used this saying a lot. Pretty straightforward. It is used to state that life happens and many times the only place I have a choice is in how I respond.

It boils down to this….do I trust God? Even when it doesn’t look good, doesn’t feel good, do I trust Him? Do I believe that He knows what is best for molding me into who I was meant to be? I do.

Grace and peace,
Deb

life

“Life is just a chance to grow a soul.”

A.Powell Davies

Life is filled with all kinds of stuff. Wow…I must be in a eloquent mood today! But it is true. There are the wonders of family…a great husband, children who actually want to be in my life, grandchildren who bring a new and unexpected joy to my days….to the gift of friendships, rich and textured, speaking love and encouragement into my life….the meaning of vocation, being free to use my gifts and abilities to usher others into a deeper relationship with our Creator…. the presence of beauty, art, music, color, fabric, nature. I could go on and on.

And then there is the part of life that is filled with pain. The loss of life, relationships, youth, hopes, dreams, health. The visions of the world’s groaning…poverty in India, genocide in Darfur, AIDS in Africa. The brokenness of the Fall lived out in Technicolor. Sometimes, it all keeps me awake at night.

But this is the stuff of life. The good, the bad and the ugly. And it is all part of what makes us who we are. Not so much what we experience but how we respond to it.

May you embrace all of it. May you be awake to all of it. May you love deeply and may you hurt over the things that break the heart of God. May your soul be shaped life…a life entwined with God.

Grace and peace,
Deb

friendship

This past weekend, while I was on retreat, I was surrounded by women I care for. I love spending time with them, learning about what is going on their lives and discussing spiritual things. I can be myself with them…no masks, just me. And they love me, just as I am. They also love me enough to tell me the things I need to hear about myself, like when I am off track, or when I am being critical of others or myself, or when I am not following my inner longings. They, to me, are like Jesus with skin on.

I hope that you have people in your life who are like Jesus, with skin on. I think this is how God wants us to love each other and share in each others lives. I know that my friendship with these women and the other women in my life continues to grow me deeper in my relationship with God. I am so thankful to God for their presence.

Think about who these people might be, in your life, and let them know how they reflect Jesus to you. To all of you who are in my life as reflections of Him….thank you.

Blessings,
Deb

awareness

One thing I want to increase is my awareness of God. I seem to forget that He is always near me, always speaking to me, always loving me. It’s like the verse in James that talks about a man (or woman!) looking in a mirror and then walking away and forgetting what he, or she, looks like. It seems like that sometimes, for me. There are things I know about God and about how He wants to be with me. I can think about it, talk about it, experience it and then within ten minutes, forget it. I don’t forget-forget, but it leaves my awareness.

I had written this in my journal;

“Our striving to be close to God is not so much a journey of finding Him but it is more of a journey of consciousness. He is here and He is in me in all the fullness I could ever imagine but I am not aware of the depth of it…right now I can see only glimpses of it…glimpses of heaven.”


My prayer today is that I would be more and more aware of God’s presence and movements in my life. I love praying a prayer that I know is close to God’s heart.

Consider taking a few moments this day to invite God to allow you to have a deeper consciousness of Him and His presence as He gives you glimpses of heaven.

Blessings,
Deb

There will be no post tomorrow as I will be on retreat....

fresh start

“Is there anyone I can level with? Anyone I dare tell that I am benevolent and malevolent, chaste and randy, compassionate and vindictive, selfless and selfish, that beneath my brave words lives a frightened child, that I dabble in religion and pornography, that I have blackened a friend’s character, betrayed a trust, violated a confidence, that I am tolerant and thoughtful, a bigot and a blowhard, that I hate hard rock?”

Brennen Manning
Ruthless Trust


I think this quote hits home for all of us. I know it does for me. I was reminded of the duality that we struggle with as I had lunch with a friend yesterday. (I know…thoughts resulting from another conversation. Soon, no one will talk to me! So often this is the way God speaks to me, so I think you may see this a lot.) We were talking about how, sometimes, we can hardly believe that God doesn’t just smite us (don’t hear that word everyday, now do ya!), that we both have thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that we know aren’t what God would want of us. But, the amazing thing is that He waits…He waits for us to come around, to acknowledge those things within ourselves, turn back to Him and allow His love to enfold us, once again. He knows that we live and move in a fallen, broken world and that no matter how much we try, we will never be fully whole until we see Him face to face. That means we will never be free of the struggle that Brennan Manning describes but it also means that there is hope and forgiveness found in God’s love.

May today be a fresh start for you. Know that we all struggle with the ‘dark’ stuff in our hearts but also know that God is waiting for you, desiring you to move back toward Him. Allow yourself to experience His love today.

Grace and peace,
Deb

prayer

“Prayer has less to do with getting things than with knowing God. It is more concerned with loving God than with lists of prayer requests. Asking for assistance and knowing God are related, of course, but coming into intimacy with the Holy One is the principal purpose and context of prayer.”

Howard Macy

Is this your experience of prayer? Not a list of requests but intimacy with the Holy One? Consider, today, just sitting with Him, soaking up his love and not asking for a thing.

Grace and peace,
Deb

awareness

I am nearing the year mark of beginning this blog. It has been an incredible journey. I have taken some time to go back and look at some of the earlier entries. I've decided to 'recycle' some of the ones I've liked best. So...in the vein of 'truth in advertising', I wanted to let you know, that, occasionally, there may be an entry you vaguely remember. My prayer is that it may seem new to you or it may read very differently because of where you may be in your journey with God. Enjoy....and...there will definitely be new stuff coming as well!

One of my favorite authors is Ken Gire. He has a way of helping me learn to pay attention to the movements of God in my life. He has written numerous devotional books. The first book I read by him is an excellent book called, Seeing What is Sacred: Becoming More Sensitive to the Everyday Moments of Life, (old title - The Reflective Life) that is written, specifically, to help you become more aware.

I want to share a quote from him:

"He[God] has much to say, not only from the Scriptures but from the circumstances of our everyday lives. However prosaic the pages of our lives may seem at first reading, within the lines or in between the lines God may be speaking. Every book we read, every movie we see, every person we talk with, every song we listen to, every moment in our lives, in fact, should be subjects for reflection and could be ways through which God is speaking."


Consider asking God to help you today...help you pay attention to where/how He may be speaking to you, perhaps speaking in ways you had not considered before. Feel free to share what you noticed.

May you see Him in a different way today,

Deb