Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Church is not a museum for saints but a hospital for sinners.

~ Morton Kelsey

... or maybe a "distribution center for grace." We are not the manufactures of grace. God does that... without any outsourcing. Our job description is to share the love and grace that God so freely gives to us. Our calling is to pass it on.

So this day welcome the Blessing that you may be a blessing!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

God is perfect so we don't have to be.

Beware the deception of perfection. To seek excellence and set attainable goals is a good thing, but to set non-attainable goals and try to be above any criticism is a trap. We are always going to be imperfect.

We need to accept our own and other's imperfections. We worship a God of grace who loves us even in our imperfections.

So be accepting of yourself and others, knowing that only God is perfect.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes … and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

We are not good at waiting. We get impatient and angry when we have to wait. Yet Scripture often tells us to "Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!" (Psalm 27:14). 

Advent begins this Sunday and is a time to wait, not as an exercise in just biding time, but as a something more creative, a way to let go our our agendas and allow God's way to work in us. The great example of Advent is Mary, who said to the jarring news that she would have a child, "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." (Luke 1:38).

May your prayer this Advent be Mary's: "Let it be with me according to your word."

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity.  It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.  

~ Melody Beattie

May you have a Thanksgiving full of gratitude, grace and goodness!

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year - and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God.  ~ Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

A lot of people tell me that Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday because it is simple (less commercial than Christmas) and more direct. And indeed it speaks of the basics of life -- seasons, harvest, good food and loved ones. So let these days be a time to pause and sense the deeper connections in these basics. May your Thanksgiving be filled with gratitude for all you are blest with and thanks for the Giver of all good things!

Monday, November 19, 2007

Thanksgiving Day comes, by statute, once a year; to the honest man it comes as frequently as the heart of gratitude will allow.  

~ Edward Sandford Martin

Thanksgiving is not only a national holiday, it is also a vital spiritual practice that can imbue all our days with a heart of gratitude. So on this week that marks this wonderful feast to give thanks, let's also welcome the daily gift of feeling blessed with all that God so generously gives!

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Question: What is the chief end of man?

Answer: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever.

~ The Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly

The more we sense God in our lives the less we will ever want to be away from that Presence again. To know Grace that welcomes us again and again, to experience ourselves secure in God's grace and to enjoy that closeness is indeed "the chief end" of our lives. Today, welcome your "chief aim" to celebrate Grace and enjoy peace that will never end. Glory to God in the highest!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

O Lord, you awaken us to delight in your praise;

You made us for yourself,

And our heart is restless, until it finds rest in you.

~ St. Augustine

... restless until we rest in God. There are many things in our lives that promise us rest and happiness. We often believe that achievement, work, money or success will complete us. And while those things have their place in our lives they are simply not enough for us. They are not up to the task of being the center of our lives. We were created for more. The heart of our faith tradition is the truth that rest is found uniquely in the One who invites home to grace.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.

~ Alfred Painter

To say thank you, to find ways to give thanks, opens us up to an awareness of all our blessings. It allows us to complete the circle of giving by giving back and returning thanks. It's etiquette based in the deep truth of how gifted we are and our need to celebrate that fact. So today live "thank you" by counting your blessings and returning thanks.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one."

~ Mother Teresa 

We don't have to do it all! To set a goal that is impossible is a sure way to loose heart and feel we have failed. Rather than taking on all the problems of the world, instead of thinking we have to do it all, we can simply attend to the things we can do something about with the gifts that God gives us. So don't overburden yourself with things beyond your control, just reach out to the ones you can feed today.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Grace is something you can never get but can only be given. There's no way to earn it or deserve it or bring it about any more than you can deserve the taste of raspberries and cream or earn good looks or bring about your own birth. 

A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. 

~ Fredrick Buechner (for Angela)

The unmistakable center of Christianity is grace. Our lives are to dwell safely in the fact that nothing can separate us from the grace of God. This safety is what salvation is all about. We do not have to do anything to earn it. It is a free gift of God. All we are called to do is welcome it and allow it to work in us. So today be mindful of Grace and allow it to work in and through you.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

The most terrible poverty is loneliness and the feeling of being unloved.

~ Mother Teresa

The kind of poverty that is closest to us in suburban settings is spiritual poverty. We know were our next meal is coming from. We have clothes on our back and a roof over our head. We have all we need. But are we driven by our wants to neglect our relationship with God and others? We can have it all, but if we do not know the grace of feeling connected to God and others we are poor indeed. So today, remember what really matters to you and find your most valuable riches in relationships.

Monday, November 5, 2007

There's no danger of developing eyestrain from looking on the bright side.

Optimism has very few drawbacks! Most of us would be well served by looking on the bright side. In fact, practicing a sense of hope and optimism is an important spiritual practice. 

There are times and days when this is not easy for us, but that's were faith can come to our aid. Perhaps we cannot see the bright side but we can trust that God is a work in our world to bless us and bring us grace. So today, make the effort to be a positive force in the world.