Share the love!

"But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us."

Romans 5:8

God feels that we are worth dying for. And not some idealized, simonized version of us, but the real us--in our sorry, sinful state. That, really, is quite incredible, isn't it? It urges us to try to understand this unconditional love of God, that doesn't fit into our human brand of justice. In our minds, people should get what they deserve. In God's mind, love is bigger than any sin. The latter is so outrageous it is hard for us to understand. This weekend, we will have a whole extra hour! Let's spend it sitting in the stillness, contemplating this amazing love that God has for us...and wondering how we can share that love with others...love, heidi

No matter what!

"God, to the psalmist, is a God who feels our feelings and commiserates with them, understands them, know how they affect us and stands by while we work through them."

Joan Chittister, "The Psalms"

The beauty of God is that God knows us inside and out and loves us anyway. Somehow, along the way, we get the feeling we need to alter, change and improve ourselves for God and that couldn't be further from the truth! Now, it is true that we may need to improve how we deal with others, and God is eager to help us there! But, God made us and loves us right where we are. God wants us to grow in mercy and love...and Jesus came to show us what that looks like. But, God isn't impatient with us if we aren't exactly there yet. Just like with a young child...you don't get angry because a two-year old can't read. You understand that skill will come in time and is part of the growth and learning process. You love that child, no matter what! Well, God loves us no-matter-what, too! Let's celebrate that this All Saints Day! Love, heidi

The Lord lifts...

"The Lord lifts up all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down."

Psalm 145:14

Lord, we lift up our brothers and sisters who are bowed down due to this terrible storm, Sandy. We know you cry real tears with them, as they sift through what may be left of their lives and belongings. Your compassion for all their suffering is deep. Let us be your hands and feet as we pray and offer our help for their rebuilding. Our brothers and sisters are struggling and their struggle is ours as well. Please be with all who suffer due to this storm and guide our efforts to help them. Amen.

And, as we are guided by the Holy Spirit how we can help our friends in the east, our own St. Vincent de Paul food pantry needs our help, right here in Idaho Falls, Friends. Please help! Love, heidi

Take off the mask!

"Jesus had harsh words for mask-wearers and pretenders. He called them by the word used for an actor who wore a mask in the Greek theater, 'hypocrite.'"

Fr. Ed Hays, "A Pilgrim's Almanac"

This week, while people don masks and hide who they REALLY are, let's ponder the idea of taking our masks off! We all wear masks...masks of competence, when we may not really be competent, masks of holiness when we may not truly act with love in our hearts, masks of devotion to God when we don't actually practice that devotion toward God's people. Jesus was so harsh with the Pharisees and holy people of his day because he could see behind their masks. He could see that the insides of their cups were dirty, but they kept the outside sparkling clean. He could see that their religion was on their sleeves, but not in their hearts. This week of mask-wearing, let's think about what we need to do to remove the masks we hide behind. How can we be more authentic in a world that rewards looking good, but not necessarily acting nice? And we'd better hurry! All Saints Day is coming up! Love, heidi

An amazing God!

"When we pray, we come out of our shelters and not only see our own nakedness but also see that there is no enemy to hide from, only a friend who likes nothing better than to clothe us with a new coat."

Henri Nouwen, "With Open Hands"

I love this! I'm learning (gradually) that prayer is relationship...a purely love relationship. And it's not like my relationship with Santa Claus--draw up a list of wants, once a year, and hope that I am good enough to receive them. It is a love relationship with one party loving more than anyone could ever imagine and the other party gobbling that up like an autumn apple cobbler, a la mode. Daughter Jeni is leaving today for Australia, to spend (their) summer months working the music festival circuit. Oh, I could make a long list of prayer requests...but my prayer today is just this: God, please be with her! The love and peacefulness wells up inside and I am so soothed by it. We love an amazing God! Love, heidi