Weekend Reflection: Bending Low

"Humility is the only posture that can receive the wondrous grace gifts of God--God who humbled Himself and came to the feed trough and waits to be seen in light off doorknobs and the curve of vases and the mound of laundry."
--excerpt from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp



Take time to delight in the extraordinary ordinary this weekend. Get lost in the curve of a mug handle, the way dust sparkles in sunlight, and in the patterns and colors of nature all around. Bend low to take in the magnificence of shadows gracefully swaying and the glorious crunch of leaves beneath your feet. As we bend low our spirits soar.

Weekend Reflection: Expectations

"Instead of filling with expectations, the joy-filled expect nothing--and are filled. This breath! This oak tree! This daisy! This work! This sky! These people! This place! This day! Surprise!"

--excerpt from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Vosamp



Do you ever go about your day living it according to your expectations? Perhaps you have a running list of to-dos, or are looking forward to a certain plan at a specific time? Or maybe you're not even aware of the specific expectations you might have but somehow find yourself living in a type of "auto-pilot." Either way at day's end you are left feeling let down if things didn't go the way you expected.



But to live a life free of expectation is to truly live. If we cast aside our expectations and, instead, live moment by moment, savoring all that the day has to offer, then we become more aware of the hidden gifts that lie within. Living life without expectation is to make yourself alert to the joy of just being. No let-downs, no disappointments, but simply seeing and savoring everything around you. Imagine how much happier each day could be if we only let it happen without comparing the events of the day to our expectations. But to just allow ourselves to be filled by the simple delights that come. This weekend I encourage you to let go of your expectations and see where a day of just being will lead.

Remembering: A Way to Give Thanks

"Remembering is an act of Thanksgiving, a way of thanksgiving, this turn of the heart over time's shoulder to see all the long way His arms have carried."
--excerpt from One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp


Have you ever thought that looking back on the past--on all the ways God has helped you in good times and in bad--is a way of giving thanks? When we pause to remember how God has carried us through the seasons of our lives, our hearts naturally swell with gratitude for His grace. Thinking of past pains and about the healing that has since occurred is a way to keep God close to our hearts. In remembering, we are made aware of how much we need Him and how He is always in control.


And we can also give thanks by remembering the good times--the times of laughter and joy. Since all good things come from God, then our most cherished memories--the ones we hold closest to our hearts--are like little gifts from heaven. Gifts given out of pure love from above. Calling these things to mind helps us learn more about the heart of God.


So take some time to remember this weekend. Think of the ways the Lord has helped you weather life's storms. And think of the happy times, too. Remember long the days gone by of sunshine, family and good times with friends. And in the remembering you are giving thanks to the Creator of all things, The One who teaches us how to love, by sharing His grace with us day by day.

Weekend Reflection: De-clutter Your Soul

"We brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that." 1Tim. 6:7-8

There is a lot of...stuff in the world. And stuff is by no means inherently bad, but it can have a strong pull on our minds, our hearts and our desires. Stuff can be a distraction from the richer things in life-the things that money can't buy. Things like hugs, prayer, giving, laughter, love. These are the truest riches of all in life. Connections with others and with God cannot be bought. And all of those pretties out there in the world do not bring joy, real lasting soul-stirring joy. Scripture reminds us that whatever stuff we have, we cannot take it with us when our time here is done.


And while the Lord wants us all to delight in the beauty of the earth and in all of the ways people create things of innovation and beauty, there is a definite balance to people's relationships with material goods. There's a point where stuff can clutter your mind and cloud what really matters.


So I encourage you to take some time to de-clutter your relationship with stuff this weekend, and I will do the same. Get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Take a moment to call and old friend that you haven't spoken to in a while. Read something soul-enriching, something that brings you closer to God. Do something kind and unexpected for somebody you love or even a complete stranger. Spend some time splurging on the greater riches, the ones that come for free.

Weekend Reflection: Ordinary Days

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Ordinary Days

Helen Fahrbach

Not all gifts are tied
with festive ribbons,
some arrive on
ordinary days.

A small surprise
of gull's pure flight
can wing a benefit
to the common hour.

As school days resume and we settle into new schedules, we find ourselves in the throws of the ordinary days. The days that don't stand out, the days where things are often predictable and perhaps even a little hum-drum. But even the ordinary days contain gifts. We learn something new, a friend surprises us in some small yet significant way and our spirits are lifted. Take time to find the pleasure in the ordinary days, for each one contains hidden gems so long as we are on the look-out for them.

Weekend Reflection: I Thank You God

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

-e.e. cummings


This is one of my absolute favorite poems of all time (and, incidentally one of my favorite poets as well!). In all we do over the weekend, take a moment to give thanks to God for this most amazing day. Take time to really notice the "leaping greenly spirits of trees and a true blue dream of sky". There is a feast for our senses all around us if only we are willing to walk with the "ears of {our} ears awake and the eyes of {our} eyes opened."


I want to share with you a gorgeous musical setting of this poem, by a very talented composer Gwyneth Walker. (It makes me cry every time I listen to it!) Music just has a way of stirring my soul and making words come alive to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Weekend Reflection: Transforming the Ordinary

An Ordinary Task

Like a handmaiden devoted
to her duties I begin my task,
mindful of every moment.

Hands comforted in steaming suds
I grasp the slender stem of wineglass,
dinner plates, cups and saucers.

Each dish is laved, rinsed, and dried,
my kitchen counter like an altar
covered with holy vessels.

--Helen Fahrbach



This weekend as we go about our daily tasks, the mundane necessary things, let us try to do so with minds fully present and hearts light. To be able to see a bit of heaven present in the perfectly ordinary is a special type of sight--dirty dishes vessels of daily bread, messed counter alter of abundance. Any task done well, even simple things such as washing the dishes, is pleasing to the Lord. We spend a lot of our time occupied by the tasks of daily living. So let us seek to cultivate that special sight so that we may transform the perfectly ordinary into something extraordinary.

Weekend Reflection: On Eternity

"To see a World in a grain of sand, And a Heaven in a wild flower: Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand, And Eternity in an hour."

--William Blake

May we all pause to appreciate the beauty in His broad hand of creation all around us, and to ponder the meaning of that in our lives. May we take ourselves out of that place of worry, of hustle and bustle that pulls us from His purpose. Let us withdraw from pettiness to reflect on the wonder of sand and wildflowers. Soak in all of the beauty and wonder, and cast your thoughts heavenward this weekend.

Weekend Reflection: Palm Sunday

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"The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,

while others cut branches from the trees
and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following
kept crying out and saying:
'Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!'"
-Matt. 21:8-9



On this day, Palm Sunday, I pray that you are filled with the spirit of the Lord.
Wishing you a day filled with His Light as we begin Holy week,
the most sacred week of the liturgical year.
As we turn our eyes toward the Easter Resurrection,
may your soul be lifted and your heart touched by
His love, mercy and grace.

Weekend Reflection: Hope

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Hope is the thing with feathers--
That perches in the soul--
And sings the tune without the words--
And never stops-- at all--

And sweetest--in the gale--is heard--
And sore must be the storm--
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm--

I've heard it in the chillest land--
And on the strangest Sea--
Yet, never in extremity,
It asked a crumb--of me.

-Emily Dickinson




Whatever storm life brings, hope sings on asking nothing in return. Hope's sweet melody gives us courage and strength, emboldening us to go forth in the face of great difficulty. It is the ultimate grace, available to anyone willing to embrace it.

Dare to hope.

A Lenten Reflection

" What holds a life together is simply the truth, faith that the eyes and the heart are turned towards truth, and that God accepts such a life without condition, looking on the will rather than merely the deed. God asks not for heroes but for lovers; not moral athletes but men and women aware of their need for acceptance, ready to find their selfhood in the longing for communion with an eternal "other."

--Rowan Williams



Something to think about this Lent, as we strive to improve and free ourselves from the chains of sin. It's comforting to focus on truth-seeking and communion with God over that of "moral achievement."