AND SHE PONDERED: Encountering God in Everyday Life
Joy, Hope, Strength, and Ponderings!
“Always look for the good in the Gospels. They are Good News.” That was the message my first preaching professor had for us. But how does one find good in the cross and in the Friday that he died?
How does one find good in any tragedy, unfair trials, senseless deaths?
The answer we are given is the power of Life and Love that turn us beyond ourselves to the Creator who works in us to bring new life and new ways of living to all.
Please join me in my ponderings and prayers:
This Disciple whom Jesus loved, this Disciple who is going to betray Jesus, who are these people?
I had a professor in college who suggested that we are meant to place our names in their places. We are the one Jesus loved. We are the one to betray Jesus. We are the ones Jesus gave bread to eat and the cup to drink to remember Love poured out for our forgiveness and to restore us as we were created to be. We are made new. We are an Easter people. We are these people.
Throwing it all in or at least praying to have that kind of love and faith. Please join me:
I invite you to accentuate the positive, offer forgiveness, believe in transformation, to see the best in others, to open yourself to Love that will not let you go.
My morning prayer today:
That story of the woman heading to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee, then seeing the pile of clothes she needs to take upstairs, so she stops to do that, but then she sees that the bathtub needs cleaning, so she stops to do that, and then she realizes that she needs a cup of coffee so she stops to do that, but on the way she discovers something else that needs to be done until it’s noon and she still hasn’t had her morning coffee. That woman and I have a lot in common. And sometimes what gets left out is the time of drawing close to the Holy One, of really paying attention to our relationship.
When I let distractions get in the way of living in The Love, I also tend to let that get in the way of loving others. The outside may look shiny, but the inside has smudges and crud built up.
On Monday of Holy Week in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus goes into the Temple and creates havoc because other things have gotten in the way of welcoming and helping people to draw close to their Source.
Today we are invited to get rid of own distractions and draw into prayer. May it be so.
Palm Sunday brings many questions with it. As Jesus entering into Jerusalem in a parade that was very similar to a Roman victory parade begs the question of what type of ruler he would choose to be, we are asked of what type of ruler will we follow and seek to be like.
One of power, control, taking what we want or One of love, acceptance, helping others to be all that they can be?
Communion invites us to unite with the way of life we choose. Please join me as we share the Bread of Life and Cup of Mercy together.
When Rev. Dr. Alvin Jackson was the Pastor of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church in Memphis, I heard him talk about lollipops- different colors, different flavors on the outside, but all the same on the inside.
Each of us have our uniqueness and we have the common birthright of Divine Love. We are Lollipop Kids! When we can’t get past our judgments or negative thoughts, we have an option to pray, asking to be healed of our negative perceptions, rather than projecting blame or judgment on others.
I invite you to join with me in prayer:
Jimmy Buffett has a song called “I Love the Now”. It is a reminder that life happens right here in the now. It can be fun to anticipate things but it can also be discouraging if those things don’t turn out as we planned. It can be beneficial to look at our past to appreciate the memories and to see where we have come from but it can also make us stuck if we can’t let go of it.
To live in the now is to see the beauty in the midst of the unexpected, of plans being thrown out the window, and rejoicing in the little serendipities that happen along the way. It is taking whatever we have and making it a gift of art, choosing to see the positive, and creating hope.
A positive attitude requires practice and prayer for me. I give thanks for all the artists and spiritual guides and for each of you who encourage me in my journey. Invite you to join with me:
While basketball tournament brackets may have been crumpled and tossed, I am thankful that Jesus invited, welcomed, accepted the unexpected, the rejected, the dejected.
I am reminded again that we are to do the same as Jesus.
Our 21 chromosome boy creates many opportunities for me to grow, to learn new ways of communication, and to remember some I already knew but haven’t used in quite a while. Sometimes I am more focused on my lack of abilities rather than on the One who Provides.
My pondering today leads me to prayer to be cleansed to see the Possibility, to be open to the Love, to be made new and filled with Faith.
I invite you to join me in this time of Home Communion:
AND SHE PONDERED: Encountering God in Everyday Life