"Discerning of God's will is concerned with recognizing and making choices congruent with who we are in God."
Rose Mary Dougherty, "Discernment--A Path to Spiritual Awakening"
I'm in a discernment place right now, so I picked up this little book from our Spiritual Direction program and re-read the yellow paragraphs (there were many!) One would think that making choices for our lives based on who we are in God would make the decisions easier...but they may not be. When people of God are trying to decide things we tend to think of a right answer or a wrong one. One is God's will, the other isn't. But God isn't really that way, I don't think. God puts a deep desire into our hearts and we tune into that desire. "I want to do that," we say and then try to make the pieces fit. There may not be an wrong way with God, though, for people who are actively trying to choose God's will. Chances are, our choices are two good ones--both life-giving and productive. Both could yield positive fruit for God. So, when the waters are that murky, which to choose? That's when we go with our guts. We go with the one that gives us joy when it crosses our minds. It may not seem to be the most secure or the pieces may not be clearly an easy fit, but the deep down joy may give us our answer. The point is, God will always be with us, guide us, help us do whatever we do, regardless of what we choose. There may not be just one Godly choice and God will gift us to do whatever we choose. Blessings to all veterans, blessings to all who struggle this day, blessings to all who delight in God! Love, heidi
Thursday, November 9, 2017
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
A recipe for today...
"Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer...Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."
Romans 12:11-12, 15
There have been way too many opportunities to weep with those who weep lately. It seems like our times right now are more perilous than ever in recent memory and it hurts our hearts, doesn't it? St. Paul seems to know exactly what we are going through and gives us our marching orders. As followers of Jesus we must accompany those who suffer and suffer with them. Elsewhere in this reading he tells us to be sincere in our love, merciful, generous in giving. We must be hospitable and even bless those who persecute us. It's a formula for what is happening in our world right now and St. Paul is speaking to first century people in Rome. People have suffered always. People will suffer always. We, as Jesus' hands and feet on this planet, must suffer and weep with them--in New York, Las Vegas, Texas, wherever people are suffering. And we know that God is suffering with us all, as well. Today, beyond praying for those who mourn, let's reach out to others. People all around us are hurting in some way or another. They may not even be showing their pain, but if we reach out and are especially kind to all we encounter today, we may help someone who carries pain we may not see. And, above all, we must not lose hope. A tiny flicker of hope can go a long way to helping others endure. Love, heidi
Romans 12:11-12, 15
There have been way too many opportunities to weep with those who weep lately. It seems like our times right now are more perilous than ever in recent memory and it hurts our hearts, doesn't it? St. Paul seems to know exactly what we are going through and gives us our marching orders. As followers of Jesus we must accompany those who suffer and suffer with them. Elsewhere in this reading he tells us to be sincere in our love, merciful, generous in giving. We must be hospitable and even bless those who persecute us. It's a formula for what is happening in our world right now and St. Paul is speaking to first century people in Rome. People have suffered always. People will suffer always. We, as Jesus' hands and feet on this planet, must suffer and weep with them--in New York, Las Vegas, Texas, wherever people are suffering. And we know that God is suffering with us all, as well. Today, beyond praying for those who mourn, let's reach out to others. People all around us are hurting in some way or another. They may not even be showing their pain, but if we reach out and are especially kind to all we encounter today, we may help someone who carries pain we may not see. And, above all, we must not lose hope. A tiny flicker of hope can go a long way to helping others endure. Love, heidi
Friday, November 3, 2017
The law of love is bigger...
"But they kept silent; so Jesus took the man and, after he had healed him, dismissed him. Then he said to them, 'Who among you, if your son or ox falls into a cistern, would not immediately pull him out on the sabbath day?'"
Luke 14:1-6
Pray-As-You-Go asks whose words or actions strike us especially as we read this Gospel? I think it's Jesus' actions, even more than his words. He went against his own religious cultural rules to be compassionate to someone he didn't even know. The laws of the sabbath were in place to give people rest from their daily toil to eke out their living. But, according to Jesus, compassion can overtake the sabbath rule and human beings, even those we may not know, are more important than rules. Jesus' law is the law of love and it must be our law, too, as followers of Jesus. In my own little Silent Sunday Sabbath world, if someone needs me on that day, compassion and love must take over and I must put myself and my day aside. As lovely as that silent time is for me, other people are more sacred and important. The law of love supersedes everything. What does that look like in our own lives? Let's think about it this weekend...Love, heidi
Luke 14:1-6
Pray-As-You-Go asks whose words or actions strike us especially as we read this Gospel? I think it's Jesus' actions, even more than his words. He went against his own religious cultural rules to be compassionate to someone he didn't even know. The laws of the sabbath were in place to give people rest from their daily toil to eke out their living. But, according to Jesus, compassion can overtake the sabbath rule and human beings, even those we may not know, are more important than rules. Jesus' law is the law of love and it must be our law, too, as followers of Jesus. In my own little Silent Sunday Sabbath world, if someone needs me on that day, compassion and love must take over and I must put myself and my day aside. As lovely as that silent time is for me, other people are more sacred and important. The law of love supersedes everything. What does that look like in our own lives? Let's think about it this weekend...Love, heidi
Thursday, November 2, 2017
All Souls, All Saints, Halloween candy...
"Brothers and sisters: Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us."
Romans 5:5
Some days, we may not feel it, though; the reading should go on to say. Some days we just may feel disappointed, in ourselves and others. Our hearts may not feel the Holy Spirit present there and we may find it difficult to love others or ourselves. That's exactly where faith comes in. "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). We may not feel it, but it's there. God's infinite mercy and unconditional love for us are there. We can hang our hat on that. Today is All Souls Day and thinking about our loved ones can feel sad. Yesterday's All Saints Day can make us feel we are coming up short. We may well be, but the Good News is that God loves us even so. And God rejoices in our loved ones, perhaps gone from us, but present with God. And all will be well with all. And, if that doesn't make us happy, Halloween candy is 50% off! Love, heidi
Romans 5:5
Some days, we may not feel it, though; the reading should go on to say. Some days we just may feel disappointed, in ourselves and others. Our hearts may not feel the Holy Spirit present there and we may find it difficult to love others or ourselves. That's exactly where faith comes in. "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1). We may not feel it, but it's there. God's infinite mercy and unconditional love for us are there. We can hang our hat on that. Today is All Souls Day and thinking about our loved ones can feel sad. Yesterday's All Saints Day can make us feel we are coming up short. We may well be, but the Good News is that God loves us even so. And God rejoices in our loved ones, perhaps gone from us, but present with God. And all will be well with all. And, if that doesn't make us happy, Halloween candy is 50% off! Love, heidi
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
What upholds our faith?
"When all around me seems to be falling apart, what upholds my faith and what gives me hope?"
Pray-As-You-Go, 10/31/2017
Yesterday, being a typical Monday, was frustrating. It seems like there are always new reporting requirements coming down from Boise and they seem nit-picking and overly time consuming. As the frustration piled up with those, I drove off to see a new client who recently and completely lost her vision. Despite our fumbling over the language barrier I could tell we were making exciting progress and, as I drove away, something became clear to me. God has placed me right where I belong, doing what I am to be doing. Sensing that upholds my faith and gives me hope, clearly. It doesn't make all the frustrations go away and the reporting stuff was still there at the office when I returned, but the sense of purposefulness in my life and work made it all more tolerable. Things do seem to be difficult all around me. But I cannot place my trust in institutions or government. My faith has to be in God, who has guided me exactly where I can serve God's people, using the gifts God has given me. In between answering the door for Trick-or-Treaters tonight, can we sit with this question and see where God leads us in our answers? It sure is a great question! Love, heidi
Pray-As-You-Go, 10/31/2017
Yesterday, being a typical Monday, was frustrating. It seems like there are always new reporting requirements coming down from Boise and they seem nit-picking and overly time consuming. As the frustration piled up with those, I drove off to see a new client who recently and completely lost her vision. Despite our fumbling over the language barrier I could tell we were making exciting progress and, as I drove away, something became clear to me. God has placed me right where I belong, doing what I am to be doing. Sensing that upholds my faith and gives me hope, clearly. It doesn't make all the frustrations go away and the reporting stuff was still there at the office when I returned, but the sense of purposefulness in my life and work made it all more tolerable. Things do seem to be difficult all around me. But I cannot place my trust in institutions or government. My faith has to be in God, who has guided me exactly where I can serve God's people, using the gifts God has given me. In between answering the door for Trick-or-Treaters tonight, can we sit with this question and see where God leads us in our answers? It sure is a great question! Love, heidi
Monday, October 30, 2017
Rejoice! For the right reasons...
"When (Jesus) said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him."
Luke 13:17
Pray-As-You-Go invites us to pray with this Gospel and consider who we identify with in the story. Are we the bent-over woman, cured by Jesus on the sabbath? Are we the leader of the synagogue, who calls Jesus out for curing on the sabbath (again!) Are we the stunned crowd, who witness a woman, disabled for years, rise up straight and glorify God? Oh, I found myself immediately. I am in the crowd, rejoicing, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm rejoicing, not because the woman is set free by Jesus. I'm rejoicing because the adversaries of Jesus are humiliated. Sad to say, Friends, I like it when the "bad guys" get their comeuppance. But that is the wrong reason to rejoice, certainly. It's highly dualistic for one thing. It separates Us from Them and divides, rather than unifies. Instead of rejoicing with the woman, who had so much reason to rejoice in her healing, I'm pointing a wagging finger at the adversaries. How do I know the guy didn't come around and say, "Nice healing, Jesus. Next time you could just do it on a Tuesday?" I know nothing of him and shouldn't judge him even though he is painted as the unenlightened in the story. The unenlightened are not my adversaries. The enlightened are not my "team." I need to rejoice in healing and unity and live my life accordingly. Love, heidi
Luke 13:17
Pray-As-You-Go invites us to pray with this Gospel and consider who we identify with in the story. Are we the bent-over woman, cured by Jesus on the sabbath? Are we the leader of the synagogue, who calls Jesus out for curing on the sabbath (again!) Are we the stunned crowd, who witness a woman, disabled for years, rise up straight and glorify God? Oh, I found myself immediately. I am in the crowd, rejoicing, but for all the wrong reasons. I'm rejoicing, not because the woman is set free by Jesus. I'm rejoicing because the adversaries of Jesus are humiliated. Sad to say, Friends, I like it when the "bad guys" get their comeuppance. But that is the wrong reason to rejoice, certainly. It's highly dualistic for one thing. It separates Us from Them and divides, rather than unifies. Instead of rejoicing with the woman, who had so much reason to rejoice in her healing, I'm pointing a wagging finger at the adversaries. How do I know the guy didn't come around and say, "Nice healing, Jesus. Next time you could just do it on a Tuesday?" I know nothing of him and shouldn't judge him even though he is painted as the unenlightened in the story. The unenlightened are not my adversaries. The enlightened are not my "team." I need to rejoice in healing and unity and live my life accordingly. Love, heidi
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