"Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good;
God's steadfast love endures forever."
Psalm 136
This is such a wonderful Psalm as our lives may be transitioning from summer to school. Whatever newness and uncertainty awaits us as the new school year begins (or any new phase of our lives, actually) we know that God's steadfast love will see us through. We can handle anything! God only wants good for us and God, ultimately, is the only One who knows what's good for us. Yesterday, the employees of Boise Public Schools met at CenturyLink arena to kick off the new school year. I remembered last year, how new and uncomfortable I felt, not knowing a soul amid the thousands. Yesterday was a whole different story! I feel so gifted to be working at Hawthorne and trusted with such an important task of helping these kids on their life journey. God is indeed soooo good! Today, as we go about our (possibly transitional) Friday, let's join the Psalmist and give thanks to the Lord; for God's steadfast love endures forever! Love, heidi
Friday, August 16, 2019
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
Know that you don't know...
"'Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?' (Jesus) called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said to them, 'Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.'"
Matthew 18:1-5
Pray-As-You-Go asked the question, "What does it mean to be humble like a child?" Good one, right? I've been reflecting on how I felt I knew less and less the further along I worked in my blind rehab career. One would think the opposite would be true, really. As you work and do the job, wouldn't you feel more confident? I actually felt less confident and less sure of myself (which is one reason I chose to retire a bit early). I felt my skills were antiquated, thus, lacking, and others were able to pick up the new stuff (like the technology) and do it so much better. I knew what I didn't know. And it was humbling, to say the least. I think humility is realizing that you really don't know...you come to know that you don't know, if that makes sense. God helps us realize that and guides us, not toward knowing exactly, but being OK with not knowing. Thanks be to God, I can be OK not knowing stuff...lots of stuff. Recognizing I don't know opens me up to new learning, which I have been called to do a lot since moving to Boise and settling into a bunch of newness. Not knowing is totally OK--it keeps us humble. So today, as we go about our mid-August Tuesday, let's release some of the pressure we may feel to know it all. We can't, and it is a gift from God to enter into things with the openness and humility of a child. Love, heidi
Matthew 18:1-5
Pray-As-You-Go asked the question, "What does it mean to be humble like a child?" Good one, right? I've been reflecting on how I felt I knew less and less the further along I worked in my blind rehab career. One would think the opposite would be true, really. As you work and do the job, wouldn't you feel more confident? I actually felt less confident and less sure of myself (which is one reason I chose to retire a bit early). I felt my skills were antiquated, thus, lacking, and others were able to pick up the new stuff (like the technology) and do it so much better. I knew what I didn't know. And it was humbling, to say the least. I think humility is realizing that you really don't know...you come to know that you don't know, if that makes sense. God helps us realize that and guides us, not toward knowing exactly, but being OK with not knowing. Thanks be to God, I can be OK not knowing stuff...lots of stuff. Recognizing I don't know opens me up to new learning, which I have been called to do a lot since moving to Boise and settling into a bunch of newness. Not knowing is totally OK--it keeps us humble. So today, as we go about our mid-August Tuesday, let's release some of the pressure we may feel to know it all. We can't, and it is a gift from God to enter into things with the openness and humility of a child. Love, heidi
Monday, August 12, 2019
Treasures in travels...
"For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be."
Luke 12:34
Well, I've spent the last nearly two weeks traveling. I went hither and yon (where is that, exactly?) celebrating the treasures of my heart--friends and family within driving or flying distance. And, now that it's all over, I can honestly say--people are my treasure. Wait! ALL people? It seems like I got impatient with the people in line in front of me at airport security...so maybe not those people...but other people! The people I traveled to see. And, maybe not the people in front of me in line at Subway who ordered each little vegetable separately on one or another specific side of their sandwich while I was in a hurry to hit the highway! Maybe not those people either. But, shouldn't ALL people be a treasure to me? Each person, no matter how irritating or frustrating, is a child of God, just as my "destination" people are! There was a homeless woman on the streets of Boulder, pushing a cart and ranting and raving at anyone who looked at her. Yes, she is a daughter of God. And she is a treasure. It's easier for me to picture daughter Jeni Rose as my main treasure in Boulder, though. But the homeless woman is God's treasure to God, just as JRose is a treasure to me. It will take me a long time to process all the gifts of my travels, but I intend to do so--to unpack all the travel souvenirs I picked up along the way and see God's gift in each one. For they are the treasures of my heart. Love, heidi
Luke 12:34
Well, I've spent the last nearly two weeks traveling. I went hither and yon (where is that, exactly?) celebrating the treasures of my heart--friends and family within driving or flying distance. And, now that it's all over, I can honestly say--people are my treasure. Wait! ALL people? It seems like I got impatient with the people in line in front of me at airport security...so maybe not those people...but other people! The people I traveled to see. And, maybe not the people in front of me in line at Subway who ordered each little vegetable separately on one or another specific side of their sandwich while I was in a hurry to hit the highway! Maybe not those people either. But, shouldn't ALL people be a treasure to me? Each person, no matter how irritating or frustrating, is a child of God, just as my "destination" people are! There was a homeless woman on the streets of Boulder, pushing a cart and ranting and raving at anyone who looked at her. Yes, she is a daughter of God. And she is a treasure. It's easier for me to picture daughter Jeni Rose as my main treasure in Boulder, though. But the homeless woman is God's treasure to God, just as JRose is a treasure to me. It will take me a long time to process all the gifts of my travels, but I intend to do so--to unpack all the travel souvenirs I picked up along the way and see God's gift in each one. For they are the treasures of my heart. Love, heidi
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
A meeting tent...
"The tent, which was called the meeting tent, Moses used to pitch at some distance away, outside the camp. Anyone who wished to consult the Lord would go to this meeting tent outside the camp."
Exodus 33:7
I think my treehouse is my "meeting tent." No, I KNOW it is my meeting tent! It has become a sacred space I share with the squirrels and birds and the gorgeous tree. God is so present to me there that we can carry on conversations, just as God did with Moses in the meeting tent Moses pitched outside camp. I am affirmed in my thinking when friends visit, take a seat in the treehouse and just melt into the peace of it all. There is definitely an "Ahhh" factor when sinking into my zero-gravity rocking chair! So, a question for you: Where is your meeting tent? Do you have a sacred space in your home where you can go and meet God? Where you can reliably find God, there watching for you? Maybe it's outside? Near water? In the mountains? When I can't be out in the treehouse I have a prayer chair that is surrounded by little spiritual treasures; pictures, medals, my singing bowl, a rosary from Jerusalem that Jeni Rose sent me. This space is sacred for me too. If you don't have a meeting tent, I urge you to fashion one. God is everywhere, certainly, but sometimes it's lovely to have a special space set aside for you and God to hang out. Love, heidi
Exodus 33:7
I think my treehouse is my "meeting tent." No, I KNOW it is my meeting tent! It has become a sacred space I share with the squirrels and birds and the gorgeous tree. God is so present to me there that we can carry on conversations, just as God did with Moses in the meeting tent Moses pitched outside camp. I am affirmed in my thinking when friends visit, take a seat in the treehouse and just melt into the peace of it all. There is definitely an "Ahhh" factor when sinking into my zero-gravity rocking chair! So, a question for you: Where is your meeting tent? Do you have a sacred space in your home where you can go and meet God? Where you can reliably find God, there watching for you? Maybe it's outside? Near water? In the mountains? When I can't be out in the treehouse I have a prayer chair that is surrounded by little spiritual treasures; pictures, medals, my singing bowl, a rosary from Jerusalem that Jeni Rose sent me. This space is sacred for me too. If you don't have a meeting tent, I urge you to fashion one. God is everywhere, certainly, but sometimes it's lovely to have a special space set aside for you and God to hang out. Love, heidi
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
God provides...
"The Lord spoke to Moses and said, 'I have heard the grumbling of the children of Israel. Tell them: In the evening twilight you shall eat quail, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread, so that you may know that I, the Lord, am your God.'"
Exodus 16:11-12
As I was listening to this reading on Pray-As-You-Go this morning, I watched the new squirrels in the new squirrel nest in my tree. The nest is really big and when I think of all the stuff the squirrels had to schelp up the tree in their little mouths, I marveled. I also saw a parallel between God providing for the Israelites in the desert and God providing for the squirrels in Idaho, America. God had provided all the building materials that went into this nest, as well as the instinct and wherewithal of the squirrels to get the job done. I have a feeling that God cares as deeply for the squirrels in my tree as anything God has created. God loves what God creates; it's as simple as that. Going back to yesterday's post on lamenting, the Israelites were major lamenters as they wandered around the desert. They lamented, perhaps rightly so, about everything. They even lamented, wistfully thinking about the lives they left behind in slavery in Egypt! But how did God respond to their laments? God heard them and fulfilled their needs, providing food for them. Later, they even lamented about "this wretched food," but that's a lament for another day. Today, another toasty one in Boise, let's watch for all the signs of God caring for God's own creation...including us, God's beloved. Love, heidi
Exodus 16:11-12
As I was listening to this reading on Pray-As-You-Go this morning, I watched the new squirrels in the new squirrel nest in my tree. The nest is really big and when I think of all the stuff the squirrels had to schelp up the tree in their little mouths, I marveled. I also saw a parallel between God providing for the Israelites in the desert and God providing for the squirrels in Idaho, America. God had provided all the building materials that went into this nest, as well as the instinct and wherewithal of the squirrels to get the job done. I have a feeling that God cares as deeply for the squirrels in my tree as anything God has created. God loves what God creates; it's as simple as that. Going back to yesterday's post on lamenting, the Israelites were major lamenters as they wandered around the desert. They lamented, perhaps rightly so, about everything. They even lamented, wistfully thinking about the lives they left behind in slavery in Egypt! But how did God respond to their laments? God heard them and fulfilled their needs, providing food for them. Later, they even lamented about "this wretched food," but that's a lament for another day. Today, another toasty one in Boise, let's watch for all the signs of God caring for God's own creation...including us, God's beloved. Love, heidi
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Lamenting...
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; God's mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."
Lamentations 3:22-23
I was blessed to spend this past weekend up in the Sawtooth mountains at a women's retreat. It was a lovely combination of learning, quiet time, prayer, and recalling the times in our lives when we have lamented. How do we deal with the times of lament we all face? Life can be so difficult and it's inevitable that we will struggle with the storms of life. One thing I learned is that we can feel free to cry out to God, honestly and heartily. That's relationship, and God wants to be in relationship with us. It's true that God's love and mercy are always waiting for us. I also believe that when we're hurting, God hurts with us. God, certainly, hasn't caused the pain and sorrow in our lives, but God suffers with us. Read Matthew's account of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46) and see that Jesus lamented too. There's no way we can escape lament-worthy events in our lives, but there is hope in the steadfast love of God. As long as we cling to that, there is a new dawn on the horizon. Today, let's pray especially for those who are experiencing lamentful times in their lives. Can we be a comforting presence for them? Can we lift them up to God? I am again reminded of my lady on the bus last week, who got such disturbing news while en route somewhere. Prayers for all who are struggling this day. Love, heidi
Lamentations 3:22-23
I was blessed to spend this past weekend up in the Sawtooth mountains at a women's retreat. It was a lovely combination of learning, quiet time, prayer, and recalling the times in our lives when we have lamented. How do we deal with the times of lament we all face? Life can be so difficult and it's inevitable that we will struggle with the storms of life. One thing I learned is that we can feel free to cry out to God, honestly and heartily. That's relationship, and God wants to be in relationship with us. It's true that God's love and mercy are always waiting for us. I also believe that when we're hurting, God hurts with us. God, certainly, hasn't caused the pain and sorrow in our lives, but God suffers with us. Read Matthew's account of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46) and see that Jesus lamented too. There's no way we can escape lament-worthy events in our lives, but there is hope in the steadfast love of God. As long as we cling to that, there is a new dawn on the horizon. Today, let's pray especially for those who are experiencing lamentful times in their lives. Can we be a comforting presence for them? Can we lift them up to God? I am again reminded of my lady on the bus last week, who got such disturbing news while en route somewhere. Prayers for all who are struggling this day. Love, heidi
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