Ezekiel 37:11 “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” You can read Ezekiel 37:1-14 here. Reading about the valley of dry bones feels close to home. As we have passed the year anniversary of being at home in quarantine, many of us may feel that we areContinue reading “In the Valley of Dry Bones”
Category Archives: Devotions
Lent 2021
Do You Want to Be Made Well? That question hits me differently this year, in the midst of a pandemic, when I am concerned with the health of my family, friends, and neighbors I have not even met. We all want this quarantine way of life to be over, yet we also have pandemic fatigue.Continue reading “Lent 2021”
Sundays
For the second time in my ministry, I am appointed to family leave. The first time was when my older daughter was one. As she grew and became more aware and fun, I struggled with the competing roles of mother and pastor, not unlike many working parents. It hurt when I picked her up fromContinue reading “Sundays”
Pastor Mother
As I leave the school office to walk to my younger daughter’s classroom, I wonder who else I will get to see. This school, the closest elementary to my church, is filled with “my” kids. Not just the two I birthed, but many more from my congregation. The hallway is crowded, and I see Eleanor. Continue reading “Pastor Mother”
You are Good
You are good. The goodness of God is inside you, and the Holy Spirit prompts you to act out of that goodness. The fruit of the Spirit outlined in Galatians 5: 22-23 is “love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” The Greek word ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) means intrinsic goodness, theContinue reading “You are Good”
Cast all your anxiety on God
1 Peter 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on God because God cares for you. Are you anxious? I know many of you are anxious about schools opening or not. Many of you are waiting to hear how you will be needed to care for family members based on school decisions. Some of you are anxious awaitingContinue reading “Cast all your anxiety on God”
Rest for the Weary: A sermon
We keep hearing that we are in unprecedented times. Our lives have totally changed in the last few months. We have watched horrific murders and arson, and we have also seen our communities join together in love and care. We have seen people who refuse to wear masks, and also the way so many ofContinue reading “Rest for the Weary: A sermon”
Iona Worship
The words of the liturgy and music speak to my heart. I long to return to Iona. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000kfwv
Hefted
Before we left for our Celtic pilgrimage, Rev. Mike Miller warned us that we might feel “hefted” to Iona. Hefting is a common practice among shepherds, where sheep are allowed to graze without fences. The ewes teach their lambs where to graze, and therefore feel a sense of belonging to a certain area. As predicted,Continue reading “Hefted”
The Next Right Thing.
The movie “Frozen” was a hit at our house. I loved that it centered on sister love rather than romantic love. “Frozen 2” was also a hit. I commend to you the song “The Next Right Thing” that Anna sings about her sister Elsa. I keep thinking of the lyrics these last few weeks: JustContinue reading “The Next Right Thing.”
