I was knocked to my knees yesterday as I heard the news of my dear Sister Carol‘s sudden passing. Carol has been my spiritual director for nearly 3 years and became (in her words) my “spiritual grandmother.” We loved one another deeply, in the way only Jesus could orchestrate. I feel a bit lost already […]
The Work of the People
A note to my friends, a people called Monroe Free Methodist From where I sit on Sunday mornings I have noticed something shifting among us, something beautiful and essential changing the very nature of who we are as a church. Have you felt it too? No longer is there an invisible line separating the leaders […]
The Invitation of Lent
God of wilderness and water, your Son was baptized and tempted as we are. Guide us through this season, that we may not avoid struggle, but open ourselves to blessing, through the cleansing depths of repentance and the heaven-rending words of the Spirit. Amen. source Explanation of Lent The season of Lent began just a […]
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Homes of Hospitality
I’m going to suggest something crazy: what if God’s call for his people – for us – is to create lives and communities of hospitality? From the time of creation, through the covenant with Abraham, to the sending of the Spirit: all of these pivotal moments in the story of God’s People has had to […]
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Living Disciplined in the Dark
In a brief reading of Psalm 66 it’s easy to get distracted by the overarching theme of praise and we might start to think the spiritual journey is linear: a straight line of praising God. The psalmist declares that all the world ought to be offering constant adoration to God for the great deeds He […]
Stay in the Cloud
The essence of this exercise is nothing else but a simple and direct reaching out to God for himself…not (asking) to be released from pain or for his reward to be increased; in a word (the practitioner) asks for nothing but God himself; so much so that s/he takes no account or regard of […]
My Loving Priority
As part of my grad school coursework, I am instructed to participate in various prayer practices during the week. Last week in my practice of the Jesus prayer, I noticed two important shifts in my thinking and I am thankful for my experience with the Lord. Praying the Jesus Prayer is simple and profound. Lord Jesus […]
The Slow Work of Grace
I know there are plenty of analogies for how Americans have created an “instant gratification” culture. We like fast cars and fast food, microwaves and Netflix without commercials. (Can I get an “Amen?!”) I like all of those things too. But in the past few weeks, I have been continually reminded that our cultural mindset produces a […]
When God Shows Up
Throughout the past seven days, I have experienced the peace of God in a more surprising way than ever before. In the weeks leading up to my Master’s class residency, I was anticipating a serious contention with anxiety. I would be away from my family – including my one year old daughter for the first time – […]
Kirsten Grace – Month 12
Kirsten! You are 1 year old today! Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! This year has gone by faster than any year I have ever experienced, feeling almost impossible that 12 months have passed since you came (rather reluctantly) into our arms. It was a long, hard labor (nearly 28 hours after my water was broken) and […]