The Christmas Present of Grace

Do you have a memory from your childhood where you recall a special gift that was underneath the Christmas tree just for you?  If you haven’t had that experience, can you recall a time that brought a warm feeling of being special?  Hold that thought!

As we know from the story of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, He was born of little means.  However, as He lived His life, it became obvious to His community that He was a profound teacher.  He taught many things, often by example – love, acceptance, kindness, gentleness, patience, humility, forgiveness, compassion, tolerance, etc.

When we’re born, we receive a gift of the life that God provided for us.  On earth, however, we get tumbled around a bit and our life takes many unexpected turns.  We often lose our sense of the gift we were born with and become disconnected from our deep, spiritual self, our soul.  We lose hope, we lose faith, we lose our self esteem or we lose our way.

In Genesis 1:26, it states: “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness….’”  This is a hard concept to understand because we think of our physical image.  But, in Matthew 16:25, Jesus said: “For what profit is it to man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?”  On earth, it is easy to forget that we hold within our deepest spiritual self, our soul.  Our soul is where our divinity lies.  Because Jesus displayed human decency, respect and dignity toward all, He acknowledged the importance of honoring each person because each person carries within him or her self that “image” of God – our soul, our being, God’s Light.

On this earth, we are given many chances to show kindness or gentleness or compassion – providing dignity and human decency.  Some consider these traits to be weak – ironically, however, these traits feel good when someone extends them to us.  The story of the New York Police Officer this past week, humbling himself to the homeless man, buying him boots so he wouldn’t go barefoot in the cold, is a perfect example.  There’s a saying: “We never know when we’re in the company of angels” – maybe we’re always in the company of angels!  How many people passed that homeless man, thinking – oh well, just another homeless man in New York.

A gentle act of kindness can show dignity toward another human being.  When we realize the depth of spirituality in each human, it is not so easy to pass them by.  Possibly on this Christmas, you can begin with yourself – honor yourself, take good care of yourself, treat yourself with dignity – realize you are a vessel carrying His Light.  By so doing, you will provide yourself with a special gift, a gift of Grace.  In addition, you can then extend those same traits to others – the dignity that is due to all humans.  Even if there’s not a special gift under the Christmas tree, you will have provided an even better gift by honoring your Light within – a gift of Grace that I hope provides you with that special feeling you experienced as a child.

Wishing you a Blessed Christmas!

The Grace of Acceptance

With the Thanksgiving Holiday approaching, memories naturally come to us of past holiday celebrations, family and friends with whom we’ve celebrated and thoughts of things for which we are most thankful.  As we all know; however, the holidays also bring about memories of loss, life changes, missed opportunities, broken relationships and a feeling that possibly we’re not as far along as we had hoped or that our life just hasn’t turned out as we had planned.  Stirring feelings of emotion that arise during this holiday season may not always be happy ones; however, our feelings provide our life with depth, whether they are happy or sad.

I consider myself very fortunate – as a child our Thanksgiving gathering was typically at my Grandparent’s home.  My brothers and cousins and I recall how my Grandmother always had a little glass of tomato juice on the center of the plate as we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner – a unique gesture that my Grandmother provided that created a lifetime memory.  I know I always looked forward to our gatherings and enjoyed the warmth and laughter of our family members.

This season is also a reminder of how many people are feeling alone or are doing without.  Unfortunately, even though Thanksgiving is a season of gratitude, it can also bring about a feeling of being left out.  Often, people feel “unaccepted” at this time of year if they are not a part of a festive holiday experience.  Our media hypes up everything, which makes it appear that everyone’s table is arrayed with all the festive displays and fancy foods being advertised on the television and in the catalogs pouring into our homes.

These thoughts reminded me of a quote I read a number of years ago, while researching Grace: “The experience of being accepted is the beginning of healing for the feeling of being unacceptable.” (Lewis B. Smedes)   Smedes’ book, Shame and Grace (1993), discusses how everyone experiences feelings of shame at some point in life and how these feelings of shame or “criticism of what they do” can “translate” into “judgment of what they are.”  Here is where the author feels Grace comes in: “Grace is the beginning of our healing because it offers the one thing we need most: to be accepted without regard to whether we are acceptable.”  “Grace stands for gift; it is the gift of being accepted before we become acceptable.”  “…the surest cure for the feeling of being an unacceptable person is the discovery that we are accepted by the grace of One whose acceptance of us matters most.”

In this season of gratitude and thankfulness, perhaps we can find just one person in our path and accept him or her – acknowledge someone’s presence that we might normally pass by, thank the Salvation Army bell-ringer for his or her volunteerism, get to know someone a little better who we see weekly at the grocery store.  We never know what lies behind the faces of people who are “forcing” a smile as they fill our order at the deli counter.  Grace comes into all of our lives and it behooves us to multiply that and offer Grace to someone who needs acceptance, especially at this time of year.

May you and your families and friends enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving!

Even the Tiniest Graces

After receiving some very special input from my last post (see “comments” underneath the last post), it made me think how important it is to recognize even the tiniest Graces that come into our lives.  Very often, these can be common, normal occurrences; but, just think what your life would be like without them.  I will share a couple examples:

When I was a little girl, my Grandmother would often take me shopping with her.  This was a special treat, which typically meant staying overnight at her home, getting up in the morning and having breakfast with her and heading out for a fun day.  My Grandmother never drove, so we took the bus downtown.  I loved shopping with her – plus, we typically stopped for lunch at a little 1950s coffee shop.  I waited patiently for my Grandmother to order coffee because the waitress would bring a tiny bottle of cream—a miniature milk bottle!  My Grandmother would use what she needed and then let me drink the rest from the tiny bottle.  That memory brings me warmth when I think of those days; and now when I see those little bottles in antique stores, I can smile inside for the Grace that was bestowed upon me.

A more recent experience happened here in the White Mountains of Arizona, where we have really beautiful seasons.  One autumn day, I was looking out the window and golden leaves were beginning to drop.  I wondered what it was like being a leaf—is it exciting to make your last expression on the earth and fall from the tree?  Just at the moment I had that thought, a leaf began to fall from a Gambel Oak Tree outside my window—it literally stopped at eye level to me, spun in a circle a few times, then floated to the ground!  I knew my answer immediately!  That little leaf appeared to be animated with joy!

Lastly, this past weekend, I happened to catch Joel Osteen’s program.  He was talking about the “ingredients” that come into our life – both bitter and sweet.  He shared an analogy of what he taught his children when they were little.  They baked chocolate chip cookies as a family one day – but first – he and his wife set out each of the ingredients and had their children taste them.  Of course, their children were not too pleased to taste flour and baking soda.  His lesson was that sometimes God has us taste the bitterness in life so that we eventually realize that that was only one ingredient that added to the richness of our life.  Just as each of those ingredients, when blended and baked, became yummy cookies, so does our life have ingredients of bitterness and sweetness that, when blended, enrich our life.  The importance is for us to have patience to await God’s plan to come to fruition.  So, when those bitter moments come, know there is a bigger plan that is in the works for God’s beauty to come forth once all the ingredients are blended.  Awaiting the fruition of our life gives us cause to be animated with joy for what’s to come!

The Amazing Grace of God's Will

In my last post, I talked about being receptive to God’s Grace.  In the process, I shared my experience of receiving a message of Grace after trying to understand God’s will and our will.  Let’s talk more about God’s will and how “willingness” (also discussed previously), comes into play.

I understand how hard it is to be willing to accept God’s will.  Our humanity, our ego, wants to cling to something solid and familiar here on earth, something that makes us feel secure and comfortable and something to grasp that won’t let go.  However, that “something” will always be short-lived and soon we will be looking for yet another “something” to replace it.  This brings anxiety, stress and disappointment to our life.

Willingness is required in order to believe, to trust, to let go and to live God’s will.  Often we ask: Does that mean I have to give up painting, which I really enjoy – or writing – or gardening?  God gave each of us wonderful skills and He doesn’t expect us to be something that we are not.  When our heart sings because of the work we do or the pastimes we enjoy, that is His creativity coming through us.  Instead of being afraid that God might turn us into something different that we might not enjoy, realize that God always makes things better for us.  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

An easier way to look at this is not to look at “what do I need to give up” but realize that God’s Grace is a never-ending gift that just keeps on giving.  Sometimes we get lost in our life’s journey – a loss of a job, financial hardships, tragedies or a loss of someone close to us.  When we are willing, we realize that God actually is using those difficult times to strengthen us and to bring more depth into our lives, which enriches our lives.  So, instead, it becomes an opportunity to await the newness and the change and the plan that God has for each one of us.  This takes patience.  The Creator of the entire universe is supporting us each day – and is with us on every turn – and we must grow in trust to realize that.  Remember this passage: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Our part in the process is to utilize our will alongside God’s will – it eventually feels like we’re actually working together – what a concept, huh!  In this process, we become so appreciative and grateful for God’s will that we want our will to work together with His.  We relinquish our resistance and receive every moment as a potential to play out God’s will, which is the gift of Grace.

Being Receptive to Grace

A number of years ago, while driving home from a night class, I was having a “chat with God.”  I was trying to understand the difference between His will and ours and how we are to know His will and why we have free will.  Those were all pretty heavy questions.

The next morning, when I came into work, one of my colleagues was reading a passage from a daily inspirational book, which he did every day.  I asked him to share with me what the inspirational passage was for my birthday, which was months prior.  Here is what it said: “God is not willing to do everything and thus take away our free will and the share of glory which belongs to us.” (Machiavelli)  Wow!

That particular daily inspiration went on to talk about the difference between willingness and willfulness.  I’ve kept a copy of that page for all these years, so I’d like to share a portion:

“Willingness is not to be confused with being willful.  Willfulness can return us to our old habits of wanting everything our way and on our own terms.  Willingness prepares us to accept responsibilities.  It gives us courage to change our attitudes.  It rids us of fears of living in an imperfect world.”

I was pretty shocked to receive answers to my questions so quickly.  This is why it’s important to be receptive.  We often totally miss messages of Grace.  These messages come from so many different avenues, too.  We are connected to Spirit all the time; however, it is our willfulness that keeps us from realizing that.  We often get stuck in believing that we know all the answers and what’s best for us.  That’s when we get stuck in our ego.

Isn’t it amazing, with all of God’s ability to impact everything, He is still willing to give us credit for making good choices and good decisions in our life – and He is also willing to stick by us when we make not-so-good choices and decisions.  Amazing Grace!

Messages of Grace

In my last post, I talked about receiving messages of Grace, often when we least expect them!  I'd like to share a couple examples of messages of Grace:

One Saturday, a number of years ago, I drove up to Cave Creek, Arizona, for an art fair.  I expected to see a lot of the same artists from the previous art fair I had attended the week prior.  The day was gorgeous though, so I decided to go.  As I expected, there were a lot of the same artists displaying their work; but as I was about to leave, I realized I had missed a whole row of artists.  I wandered down the aisle and these beautiful sculptures caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.  I was mesmerized!  The artist’s work was so very spiritual and so profound.  The artist, Ernest Caballero, saw that I was interested so he began, what turned out to be, a lengthy conversation.  As we spoke, I knew in my heart he was giving me a strong, spiritual message, yet his words were swirling around my head—I just couldn’t take them all in quickly enough.  The more we spoke of his sculptures, the more his spirituality poured from his soul, both in his words and in his works.  Something most intriguing to me was a plaque with words he had created to express a particular sculpture, entitled The Alchemist:

“Alchemy, once considered merely the medieval science of converting base metals into gold, is now believed by many to represent a series of symbolic processes for inner work and the transmutation of the soul.

One of the aspects of the soul’s journey is the transmutation of suffering and limitation into wisdom and peace.  The sculpture, The Alchemist, is an image that embodies this often painful part of the journey.  Acceptance of our limitation and pain is the key to healing.  This is the process by which the Eternal can enter us and transform agony into ecstasy.”  Ernest Caballero

I came home from the art fair and quickly wrote down some of the things he said—he talked quite a bit about “facing your shadows” – lots to ponder, I thought.

Here is a link to his website, which happens to show The Alchemist on this page:

http://www.ernestcaballerosculpture.com/Ernest_Caballero_Sculpture/About_the_Artist.html

Ernest shared with me that some monks stand on one leg to pray, which gives them a feeling of being solidly rooted into the ground while they pray.  He displayed The Alchemist on a turntable, so that one can see the whole transformation – on one side of the sculpture, the face is saddened and forlorn, as you revolve the turntable, the face is lifted and resilient.

One of his other works, in acrylic, is a very large crucifix, which was commissioned for the Holy Family Parish in Inverness, Illinois.  I visited the church a number of years ago, while visiting my family in the Chicago area – it is an amazing sculpture and well worth seeing.  If you pull up the website, you will notice that “his” crucifix depicts Christ rising from the cross:

http://www.ernestcaballerosculpture.com/Ernest_Caballero_Sculpture/Commissions.html.

Much of what Ernest shared with me was over my head and beyond my reach; however, about a week later, our local PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) station held its annual fund drive.  One night, I tuned in and there was a series by Joseph Campbell airing—The Power of Myth.  Ironically, or maybe fortuitously, what he said helped me to understand what the artist was telling me.  Campbell spoke of a “hero’s journey”—that is, a transformation of consciousness—being transformed by our trials in life.  We become a “hero” because we are willing to face our trials, our shadows.  The spiritual beauty expressed by both Caballero and Campbell was such a gift—once again, Grace.  In future posts, I will speak more about facing our trials and shadows.

Settle into Grace

In our hectic world, it’s often hard to “settle” ourselves in order to become receptive to God’s messages - plus, we don’t always have a place like Canaan in the Desert available to us.  So, I hope this little exercise provides an opportunity to become more relaxed and to trust that there is a much greater power joining us at this very moment—a power that is filled with love, joy and peace, more than we can ever imagine.  This is a gift of Grace.  Thank you for joining me today.  I wish you God’s peace and love always, and in all ways.  Let’s begin...

I’d like to start this journey by first relaxing, taking a few deep, long breaths, and by visualizing a moment in time as described in the following poem.  Get comfortable, shake away all those thoughts of things needing to be done, relax your muscles, relax your mind, relax your brain, just relax your whole body and settle into these words in order to visualize the experience.

                                                     The Forest at Noon

Ever so quietly they sat.

The forest grew still.

The deep blue sky began to spill,

Onto a myriad of growth below.

Mid-day amidst the sleeping rocks,

A nonchalant woodpecker taps at bay;

The sound of the wind does not get in his way,

The smell of the pines attracts him.

Wisps of cobwebs glistened in the sun,

No spiders on their turf;

Slowly dancing grasses on the surf,

Tantalized by the wind.

A sudden sound is heard atop

A tall, wavering pine;

A chirping call—a telling sign,

Claiming his place on earth.

All went silent,

The wind grew shy,

All eyes looked toward the sun;

Always reverent at noon.

Slowly they slipped away

Amidst this daily routine;

Were they ever seen

By the tiny wings fluttering by.

How are you feeling now?  Did this soothe you - or was it too hard to unleash the things needing to be done today?  Try reading it again to make every attempt to be there.

This was a moment in time on October 16, 1999, while hiking with a friend on the Thumb Butte Trail, in Prescott, AZ.  I took this moment—a snapshot of time—and detailed it as best I could.  Obviously, we cannot do this with every moment; but the more we teach ourselves to recognize each moment, the more we will fill our lives with beauty, and Grace will be revealed to us.  Take another look at this snapshot—wonder at the color of the sky—why is it blue?  Is the air that we breathe blue?  Since there was a moment of stillness at noon, do you suppose nature sings the Angelus, too?  Were the little creatures of the forest expecting us?  Or did we go unnoticed?  Did the trees acknowledge us in some way that is not known to humankind?  How long do you suppose the rocks had been sitting there—did they mind our using them for a moment’s retreat?  Do you suppose the birds talked about us—did they warn each other that we were present?  Was the butterfly a messenger?  Or was it there to offer a cool breeze?

Our lives are like an intriguing mosaic, filled with beauty, with intersections of people, places and things carrying messages to us each day—pay attention because they are always there.  These messages come from all around us—people, little children, billboards and postings, from the radio and TV, and from within us, our intuition—that’s a very important one!  These messages are filled with Grace.  Grace bathes us like the sun’s rays.  Grace shines on us like the moon and the twinkling stars.  Grace comes to us in a whisper—or clashes at us like a cymbal!  Sink deeply, now; go to your heart and think—think of the innumerable times when Grace was bestowed upon you.  Recognizing moments of Grace can fill your heart with Gratitude.  These messages of Grace step into our path when we need a hand or a piece of information—new knowledge, a lesson, or even an “aha” moment!  Be blessed with messages of Grace.

Canaan in the Desert – Peaceful Grace

A number of years ago, while on the Internet, a little ad popped up that said: Where do you find serenity in Phoenix?  Phoenix is a massive city filled with a grid of streets and avenues and lots of concrete – not always a place of serenity.  The ad referred me to Canaan in the Desert, a prayer garden run by the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.  I went to visit the site and found it to be a peaceful, quiet place of solitude in the desert.  The path through the prayer garden leads you through shady spots with beautiful statues and little benches to sit and pray.  It is a beautiful experience, especially on Easter morning, and one where you can feel the presence of God.  Some years later, while taking a Women in Religion course at Arizona State University, I was asked to give a talk about a woman or women in religion, so I decided to do some research on Canaan in the Desert.  I’ll share some history, which I think is fascinating:

Many years ago, in Germany, two young women, Klara Schlink and Erika Madauss became friends while in a Bible Studies class.  Eventually, in 1935, Klara earned her Ph.D. in Psychology and Erika went on to do Social Work.  They decided to teach Bible Studies classes to young women in Klara’s parent’s home in Darmstadt.  In September of 1944, during World War II, an air raid nearly demolished Darmstadt; however, Klara’s home was still standing.  Because of this, more young women joined the prayer group.  This was the beginning of what would become the Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary.

In 1947, Klara became Mother of the Sisterhood of Mary (Mother Basilea) and Erika (Mother Matyria) worked by her side.  Their theme was: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)  Their Sisterhood was founded and built upon contrition and repentance.  Their practice involved a beautiful circle of contrition/repentance, forgiveness and love.  As their Sisterhood grew, Mother Basilea found she could no longer “wrap her arms around” this growing organization, so she prayed for God’s guidance.  She learned she needed to “consent to God’s Will.”  Once she did that, she learned: when God takes the lead from you, He then gives you something greater back – Himself.  Mother Basilea felt her calling from God was one of love, peace, and joy, the foundation for forgiveness.

When I visited Canaan in the Desert to learn more about their organization, I was told by Sr. Rebecca, that the Sisters live off the land, grow their own crops, and depend solely on donations.  Visitors are allowed to roam the well-manicured property in solitude.  Sr. Rebecca shared a story with me: there was a gentleman who came to the prayer garden every day for six weeks – his wife dropped him off in the morning and picked him up at night.  After six weeks, the gentleman knocked on the door to thank the Sisters and told them “I think I am now healed.”  He had been a corporate CEO and had lost his way.  When I met with Sister Rebecca, I found she was filled with peace and love and I learned that this is their only site in the United States.

I consider this experience to be a gift of Grace – all the links that came to me to bring me to come to know this spiritual group and the impact they’ve made has enriched my life with Grace.

http://www.canaaninthedesert.com/     http://www.kanaan.org/

Grace at Woodland Lake Park



Woodland Lake Park, Lakeside, Arizona



A few weeks ago, when I was first starting to research blog sites, I decided to go to Woodland Lake Park, where there is a one-mile path around the lake.  My walks there are always spiritually oriented and give me inspiration.  As I began my walk, I realized someone had placed bright-colored envelopes on some of the park benches – each envelope had a number on it and invited a passerby to take a peek.  There were messages inside the envelopes – spiritual messages!  I soon realized there was a prayer walk happening and I was walking “backwards” numerically from the messages, so I turned around and started where the messages began.  It was a great experience – Grace at Woodland Lake Park!

As it turned out, it was a “Girlfriend Get-a-way Prayer Walk” provided by church members in Surprise, Arizona, from Reveal – A Vineyard Community Church.  Each of the messages offered suggestions for utilizing scriptures and/or for how the scriptures support one’s life.  The idea of the prayer walk was to meditate on the specific scripture reading until you received the next scripture reading.  I’ll share some of their chosen scriptures:

Love – Psalm 100:5 – For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Isn’t it typical, when life is going well, we do not often think of God’s presence; more often, when life is at its most difficult, we bring God into our lives – too often to chastise Him for what we believe is a lack of His presence.  Because of His love, His presence and mercy are everlasting, as is His truth.  This Psalm is one of recognition, thanksgiving and gratitude for His love and faithfulness.

Joy – Nehemiah 8:10 – “…Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Isn’t it strange, it’s so hard to realize or to believe that God wants us to have joy in our lives.  We are often our own worst enemies, punishing ourselves and thinking we are undeserving of joy.  I read something yesterday that relates to this:

“Ego: That part of us that continues to worry, lives in doubt, is afraid, judges other people, is afraid to trust, needs proof, believes only when it is convenient, fails to follow up, refuses to practice what it preaches, needs to be rescued, wants to be a victim, beats up on ‘self,’ needs to be right all of the time, and continues to hold on to what does not work.” (Iyanla Vanzant)

Because it is so easy to stay in Ego as a human, we often forget or never learn one of God’s most precious passages: “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matthew 10:39) 

Peace – John 14:27 – “Peace I leave with you.  My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.  Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

This is one of my favorites because I often pray for peace.  On the third anniversary of 911, I held a peace walk at Woodland Lake Park.  I do believe that all the peace we extend each day ripples out to the universe – each of us has a part in this.  In this verse, however, it’s more personal; it’s hard to Let Go and Let God; we are often too fearful and untrusting to not stay in control.  It takes courage!  Recently, on American Idol, Stephen Tyler, told one of the contestants: “Courage is fear that said its prayers.”  You just never know where or when you’re going to get a message – I consider that a touch of Grace.

Patience – 2 Peter 3:9 – The Lord is not slack [slow] concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

Patience – phew!  This is a tough one – all in due time – but that is so very hard to understand.  Waiting often seems like forever as we wait upon a sign from God, with impatience.  He actually gives us a lot of signs but we too often swat them away like a mosquito, like I said in my first blog, or we miss it altogether.  This is where intuition comes in.  When we feel most disconnected, we are not listening to our intuition.  I heard that message many years ago and have tried to remind myself of it.

Kindness – Titus 3:3-5 – For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.  But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior.

I really love the word kindness – I feel it requires humility to be genuinely kind.  One of my favorite words in The Bible is Lovingkindness, which is very often used in Psalms.  I don’t know that there is a more beautiful word.  As humans, we have done so much to disappoint God and yet His lovingkindness still shines through – I guess we’d call that unconditional love today:  How precious is Your lovingkindness, Oh God!  Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.  (Psalm 36:7)

Kindness – Collossians 3:12 – Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

I think this passage creates a nice metaphor, if we remember each day, to clothe ourselves with tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering (patience) and forgiveness, our world would be a much more peaceful and accepting place.

Good – Exodus 18:9 – Then Jethro rejoiced for all the good which the Lord had done for Israel, whom He had delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.

The word good is used in The Bible many, many times – often used in Genesis, when God saw the “good” in all His creations.  Of course, there is the distinction between good and evil; but, I think in the scripture passage above, it’s one to remind us of how many times the Lord has done good for us and has “delivered” us out of many predicaments during our lives, which is another opportunity for gratitude.

Gentleness – Philippians 4:5-7 – Let your gentleness be known to all men.  The Lord is at hand.  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Gentleness – not very easy to find theses days – in our high-tech, fast-paced world, a gentle soul is a gift.  A number of years ago, I ran across a Holy Cross Priest from Notre Dame, who was the person in charge of the André House, a ministry to the homeless and poor populations of Phoenix.  The moment I met him, I knew I was in the presence of the “gentleness” of Jesus – it was an amazing experience.  This was during a time when I worked with persons with a serious mental illness; I learned the most important gift I could offer each person was the gift of gentleness: But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  Against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23)

Faithfulness – Psalm 36:5 – Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Faithfulness – Hebrews 13:5 – Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have.  For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

It takes strong life experiences to truly understand the expanse of God’s love and mercy and His faithfulness toward us.  It is our own faithfulness toward Him that is a very strong and tough lesson to learn.  I will do a separate blog on The Lord’s statement because it is so powerful.

Self Control – Proverbs 25:28 – Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down without walls.

Just my opinion, but we’re way out of control in our society today.  I expressed to the prayer walk women that I was particularly glad they chose and included this passage.  It is so important.  We’ve lost so much human decency, self respect and common courtesy in such a short span of time; I worry how far we’re going to spin this cycle.

So, by way of this blog, I thank the “Girlfriend Get-A-Way Prayer Walk” for taking the steps to come to Pinetop-Lakeside to bring light to our community.  It was a special gift to me.  I’m typically so grateful for the abounding nature that’s ever-present at Woodland Lake Park; this experience offered a special gift of Grace.  I hope the women enjoyed their weekend stay in the cool pines.

National Day of Prayer - 2012

Dearest Lord,

It is with an open heart that we come to You today on this event, the National Day of Prayer.  But, where do we begin?  There is so much conflict in our world today.  We ask ourselves how we might possibly make the tiniest impact on such a long-standing fight in the Middle East.  It is so overwhelming, Lord.  To pray for world peace is a very large order; and, as humans, we feel helpless in the process.

Yet, somehow Lord, You graciously come to us each day—the sun rises and sets, the rains come, the rivers flow and the plants flourish and feed us—and for that, Lord, we are filled with gratitude.  In our efforts to give something in return on this special day, please help us to be that mindful, that individual.  Help us to think beyond ourselves to others’ needs today—even if for just one person.

As we go about our day on this National Day of Prayer, please give us a watchful eye—help us to notice a sad face, a tired gait, an empty heart.  Please help us to know that even the smiling faces have frustrations, financial woes, or worries on their mind.  Please help us today, Lord, to extend our hand to another person—to open a door, say a kind word, express a smiling face or a cheerful hello!  And, as we go through our day, please help us to pray.  For we know, Lord, that prayer works miracles and all of life is a miracle!

Lord, it is through You that we learn peace and love—it is through You that we learn forgiveness.  Please help us to be more compassionate, to extend understanding to those who are most misunderstood.  Please help us to open our hearts and share the love that is inside everyone’s heart.  Please help us to step outside ourselves to ask for Your love and healing to be given to those who have chosen a path of evil and wickedness.

Lord, please show us the way to turn this ship around from a warring world to a peaceful one.  Please help us to realize we are all vulnerable souls, trying to do our best in a hectic, sometimes scary, society.  We, in America, have had our fears peaked recently; other nations suffer from this type of fear daily.  We need to be cognizant of their lives as our fellow human beings.

As Mother Teresa said:  “The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; but, do good anyway!”  Lord, help us to glean from her undying spirit.  Help us to see beyond the angry face, the tattered clothes, the aged stance, or the crippled walk.  Help us to know that there is a beautiful heart in every human—a heart that with the slightest, most gentle, touch, may open and flourish.

Dear Lord, lastly, I ask that You teach us to pray and to love one another.  For every moment of love that we extend, please help that to multiply abundantly toward peace in our world.  Please help us to go to our own hearts to find Your peace.

With gratefulness and thankfulness, I ask Your blessing on humanity, Lord.  Amen.

Recognition of Grace

During the aftermath of 911, I was moved to write.  I found I was writing more poetry and I was also creating prayers, which was something new for me.  This writing brought me to the subject of Grace, so  I began to research the subject.  Grace is an unmerited favor and love of God toward humanity in Christ.  The more I researched, the more I wrote, and the more powerful the subject became.  I reached a point where I wasn't sure if I had the "right" to write about Grace.  Who was I to speak of such a subject.  I literally prayed and prayed that God would tell me if I was doing the right thing - was I being sacrilegious, was I being pompous?  I asked that if this topic was "above and beyond me," that God would let me know.  Within a few days, as I was making my bed one morning, a thought came into my head - it came in the form of a soft, still voice.  You might recognize that when these thoughts come, especially in this form, we often swat them away like a mosquito.  I didn't pay any attention to it.  It instantly came a second time and almost subconciously, I thought, hmmm, that's a good thought.  My next thought was, I should write that down - I'm going through menopause and I'll never remember it!  It then came a third time - each time, while it was a soft, still voice, it came to me more firmly.  By the third time, I wrote it down on a little sticky note and it's been sitting on my computer monitor ever since.  The message was: Our creativity speaks with God's Voice.  I knew this was my answer.  So, I continued to write.  My writing turned into a small manuscript that I've called With Gratitude for Grace.  Since that time, I got away from my writing, however, because I went back to school, moved away, completed my education, changed jobs and have now retired.   I decided I'd like to start a blog in retirement - one that makes us think of God's impact on us each and every day and therefore our impact on humanity.  I believe gratitude comes from recognizing the Grace in our lives, makes us realize how much more Grace comes into our lives than we were ever aware, brings about more gratitude, and, with more gratitude, comes more peace of mind and contentment.