Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Dear God,

When I open myself and really listen for your voice, I am amazed at what you bring.  This morning as I awakened you brought to me "used up things."  I knew what you meant.  Used things get thrown out when they lose their usefulness.

Sometimes, O Lord, we feel used up, like when we've given all we have and there is nothing useful left in us. I have felt that way.  In those moments I looked at my life and thought:  "I have nothing left to give."  Not only that I felt like there was nothing I had that anyone would want.  I felt I had no value.

I learned along the way that there is no better time to meet you than at moments when I am at my lowest.  My uselessness takes me to your feet.  Washed up, worn out, and lifeless I lay there.  With nothing to distract me, I hear your voice plain as day.  "Beloved, you are mine."  At that intersection of time new life begins to stir in my soul and I am reminded that with you there is always potential for a new beginning.  Used up things find new usefulness when in the hands of their creator.

Keep me quiet
so I
may always
listen for
your voice.
Teach me
life lessons
that draw me
back to you
every time.
Coddle me
in your arms
so I
may draw
in more love
to share
with others,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Dearest God,

Be our moral guide; show us the way to a good life of faith, integrity, honesty, love, and compassion.  Lead us heavenward as we seek to live out your will.

All around us and even in us, we see the ways we are corrupt.  We forget whose we are and oftentimes we fall prey to the world's standard of moral good.  We ignore our troubled brothers and sisters.  We do whatever we want to get ahead.  We fail to be model citizens.  How can we ever expect the world to be a better place if we do not do our part to make it better?

O Lord, I worry about what my grandchildren and all the world's children are exposed to.  Although I believe in freedom to express one's self, I still believe there is a line, a morally good line we should not cross because crossing it means we promote a life different than the one you would have us live.  Help us rise to the highest levels of life so our eyes, hearts, minds, and souls will remember to look up and bow down.

Good and Gracious God,
show us
the way
to wholeness
and holiness.
Make us
your own
in every way,
dear God,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 25, 2013

Dear God,

Yesterday morning as I drove on the winding bypass, I noticed the sun rising behind the trees.  As shadows flickered I thought of how shadow and light often come together.  As I looked to the light I realized how easy it is to get focused on the shadow and miss the light altogether.  Too many times I get caught up in staring into the darkness instead of searching for the light.  I miss you every time.

Minutes later as I walked out of a store, nothing detracted me from looking into the light.  It was a fireball rising above the horizon.  I smiled thinking how beautiful the light really is.  I am glad I didn't miss it this time.

Let your
light shine,
O God;
keep it bright,
I pray.
Forgive me
when I
focus on
the darkness
and away
from you.
Remind me
how good
the light is.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Dear God,

"Trust and obey for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."  The lyrics of the hymn, Trust and Obey called to me at church today.  Trust, oh yes, trust, what good is faith without trust?  And what good is trust without obedience?  If I trust with all my heart but do not obey your will for my life, what good is my faith at all?

As each year passes and I add another 365 days to my life, the more I realize that trust and obedience are two of the most essential parts of Christian faith.  I may rebel at obedience but only to the extent of my own resistance, reluctance to follow.  I know in my heart of hearts that you always have a greater plan and purpose than my own.  I know your love extents to the entire human populous.  I know when you are thinking of me, you are thinking of every creature on the planet.  You would not ask me to injure another in order to feed my own soul.  Your care is for all; therefore, I can trust your design for my life.  I can obediently move forward singing your song for the whole world.

Gracious God,
thank you
for your
constant reminders
to trust
and obey.
Teach me
to be faithful
so you
may renew me
again and again.
No act
of faith
is left unnoticed.
You warm
our hearts
and flood
our souls
with your
love, joy,
and peace.
I am blessed.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Dear God,

What an ecstatic joy to fully realize your love for all of us, even me!  That realization alone inspires me to love you right back.  Who could love me as much?  Who could know what I need better or care more than you?  Who else would want to challenge me to rise up to a deeper, fuller life more than you?  No one, not one.  No one is even a close second.  In fact, we would have to start a different category of love and begin there.

I woke up this morning thinking about your love and that led me to consider the depth of your grace.  Grace, that unconditional mercy that has no bottom to its deep well.  Your compassionate mercy leads you to love us so much.  What do you get out of the love of a simple human being?

Show us
the way
to your kind
of love,
Merciful God.
Teach us
your way
of loving
so every human
on the planet
will not
only know
but experience
your extraordinary
kind of love.

Gratefully yours, Andrea

Friday, February 22, 2013

Dear God,

Why does courage elude us?  What happens inside causing us to fear so much that we lose our ability to act courageously?

Do we forget faith is the power out of which we live?  Do we relent giving way to fear because we do not think we are able?  Do we give up because we do not believe faith has any power?

How often did I give in to fear?  How many times did I collapse under the weight of fear?  Way too many times I let fear get the best of me.  I forfeited opportunities to ride on the wing of courage to rise to higher levels of joy and strength.  I simply gave up.

But you did not release me from a small faith.  You told me to take my mustard seed-size faith and to leap tall buildings.  You told me to trust you, to take your hand, and to follow you.  "Fear not," you told me, "fear not because I am with you."  When I did trust you, when I did close my eyes and blindly followed, and when I took the first step toward courage, what I found waiting for me was so awesome, so beautiful that I could not help but go the distance.  What I discovered was not so much what was at the end but rather the incredible journey with you.

Thank you,
Gracious God,
for your
extreme kindness
and generous spirit.
Make me
a courageous woman
who follows you
every time.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Dear God,

In the midst of daily life, how do we keep our minds fixed on you?  How do we function from the center of faith and love?

How quickly we can move from soaring on spiritual highs to falling, falling, falling to spiritual lows through disappointment, hurt, pride, and confusion.  While we do not forget your compassionate mercy, we do suffer from temporary memory loss.

The conclusion I draw is everything that happens in life can be a catalyst for a new round of faith.  We can take what occurs and let it teach us a valuable lesson.  We can dig deeper in our wells of living water.  When the water appears low, we simply go further down knowing full well more water will appear.  We can allow our trust in you to grow.  We can rise up to offer another what we are lacking as a way to discover the truth that sets us free.  The truth is Christ who reminds us how we were fashioned in love by your own hands.  That alone can set us upright.

Show us
the way,
O Lord;
remind us
we are yours.
Teach us
lessons of
faith, humility,
kindness, and love,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Dear God,

Doing hard things is always challenging but when we do them for you our burden is made easier.  Obstacles seem to remove themselves when you are there to push them aside.  Somehow we find more energy to do the task because we recognize we are not alone.

How many times have you asked me to pray for someone who injured my soul for one reason or another, family members in squabbles?  How many times have you asked me to forgive others, even myself?  How many times have you asked me to take the first step toward resolution, reconciliation, and restoration?  So many times.

At first your request seems unreasonable.  It seems you have not understood my plight.  Without delay you ask me again and I begin to squawk trying to explain the injustice.  But then you ask me a third time and I realize it is not you who is unreasonable but I myself.

Again and again you show me a better way.  When finally I relent usually in disappointment in myself, I find your caring hand upon my shoulder.  Only then as we work together to tackle the problem do I realize how easy life is when I trust in you.

Your compassion
overwhelms me,
Lord;
for I
am a
stubborn,
recalcitrant child.
I focus first
upon my
own want
and I
am blinded
to the issues
of others.
I forget
your loving power
and ability
to see
beyond my
human capabilities.
Teach me,
humble me,
make me ready
for the
next lesson,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Dear God,

Can utter trust in you really bring joy in every situation?  As we release our worry, our burden, or our concern in your hands, does joy come automatically?

I am reading about gratitude, giving thanks in all situations, focusing on what is rather than what is not.  And if it is true that what is is always a living presence with us, then focusing on your 24/7 care can surely bring relief and joy.

I think back on times when I realized I could not carry a pain any longer, when the weight was so heavy and I was so burdened that I collapsed under it.  When I finally surrendered confessing my lack of faith, my belief in God who is not powerful to change things, and my need to control events, I remember the warmth of mercy that filled me.  Sweet mercy.  Release.  And it is true joy flooded my soul.

Why do
I forget
sometimes, Lord?
Why do
I live
as though
there is
no God?
Why do
I try
to usurp
your power?
Forgive me,
I pray.
Thank you
for joy
that comes
with release.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 18, 2013

Dear God,

I learned a valuable lesson in church this morning.  We do not all sing the same notes but we all sing the same song.

I confess there have been times when I could see life only from one perspective.  I wondered why a person did not respond to life circumstances the way I did.  It seemed so clear to me.  I still ask the same question but I know there are many ways to interpret events.  Silly me.

Today I sat in the second row in the choir loft which put me right in front of the tenors.  As we stood to sing hymns I was enriched by the sound of the tenor notes.  The harmonies and melodies were so beautiful. I realized I couldn't always hear them from the front row where we sopranos and altos sing. I loved being sandwiched between differing note singers.

As I listened to the morning message, I reveled in the beauty of the melodies and harmonies of life.  If we all sang the same note, how sterile, dull, and predictable the world would be.  While at times singing the same note is a wondrous thing, the fact there are so many more notes to be sung at the same time leaves me dizzy with possibilities and because I love to sing, I celebrate your goodness.

Please forgive
my narrowness
of mind,
O God.
Please teach me
the value
of human life's
many diversities.
Help me
be grateful
for many notes
and one song,
yours.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Dear God,

I am wondrously amazed at the way you work in human life.  Things hidden in the human heart, the soul's center, are revealed when you do your mysterious work.  You want to clear the remnants of hurt, disappointment, and confusion in every heart and mind.  You can make anything happen when the heart is open to you.

For weeks I wanted to clear up a matter, do some mending work, and repair very special relationships.  I knew what I needed to do.  I just didn't know about the timing, the way to do it, and how to accomplish the task.  But you did.  Today you opened the door and simply asked me if I was ready.  I really didn't have to do anything but say yes.  Everything was worked out by someone else who didn't even know what I wanted, or needed to do.

At first it was awkward.  I was hesitant, not sure I had the right words but then the dam of living water broke open and the words came, the glorious words, your words and they didn't all come to me.  They also came from my wise, insightful granddaughter.  We talked on and on, words of wisdom pouring out.  Most of the time I listened and watched as I took a lesson from my grandchild who helped heal me and herself.

The longer I live, the more I trust and walk in your light, the greater is my faith.  At times my faith is shallow. The first sign of light burns my tiny roots. When I forget to water my seedlings of faith, I grow dry and lifeless.  Death threatens me.  But when I make my way to the fountain of life, oh my, such good sweetwater comes.  Yes, one word "sweetwater."

You know us better
than we
know ourselves,
O God;
you know
what we need
and when
we need it.
You know
what it
will take
to mend
our hearts
and your grace
goes to work.
How grateful
I am
to you,
God of miracles
and sweetwater.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Dear God,

I called my friend who had just been taken home after a critical bout in the hospital.  Her cancer had returned.  She had gone through a second set of treatments.  She developed an abscess.  She was rushed to the hospital.  She had surgery.  Her kidneys started failing.  She was nauseated and couldn't eat.  She said the day before she was so close to calling me because she was in a very deep, dark, and scary place.  I told her that must have been why I had prayed for her so many times during the day.  You had called me to prayer.

While she spoke you brought a vision to me.  I saw myself in a deep, dark, and despairing place like a very deep well, so deep that when I looked up I could only see more darkness.  I remember barely having enough space to lift my shoulders to breathe.  I was lonely, tired, and afraid.  I prayed to you.  After all these years I still remember the sudden shift and the crack in the floor of the well, the one that let in the light even deeper than my darkness.

I shared that vision with my friend.  "God's light is deeper than your darkness, my friend."  She breathed in and I could tell the words were like living water for a parched and weary soul.  "You called at the perfect time."  She told me.  Perfect timing, how could I know it was perfect timing?  I didn't but you did.

I recalled once again how good you are to help us in our dark places. We may lose sight of you through fear, doubt, and blindness but you never lose sight of us.  You come, you draw close, you whisper love and all else seems small by comparison.  "Faith is the bridge between us."  You told me this morning even before I crawled out of bed and faith will always lead us home to you.

Good and Gracious God,
we are
but teeny specks
in a
great cosmos;
yet,
you still care
for us.
You minister
to us
bringing hope,
comfort, and peace.
There are
not enough ways
to praise you,
to give thanks.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 15, 2013

Dearest God,

So much to learn and so little time to learn it.  So much more to know about your will, your ways, your spirit, your grace, and your mystery.  I don't want to waste a single day in ignorance.

Years ago when I had cancer my children and a friend  urged me to do a little Christmas shopping.  I know they just wanted to get me out before my surgery.  But when I mingled with thousands of shoppers in the hallways of a large mall, I was repulsed while shopping.  "What are we doing with our lives?"  I asked myself. "Do we really want to spend time this way?  Do we want to fill our days with a 'mess of pottage?'"

I felt stricken by a need to live differently, to relish life as gift, and to contribute something meaningful to the world.  I wanted to carry a new attitude and live life more fully doing what mattered.  You remember how that become one of the historic moments in my own life.

How easily we can slip back into meaningless activities!  It's not that they are bad; it's just that they are meaningless.  Trying to fill a day to avoid boredom is no way to live.  Living without considering the author of life is an abomination.  The only full, thoughtful life is one lived intentionally being mindful of the small things you call blessing and giving thanks.  It's a way to revel in the walk of faith recognizing you in all things, even in the bad that moves us more desperately to your side.  How I long to make every moment count, to leave an imprint of goodness in some tiny way, and to live as if every moment counts because it does.

Thank you,
Creative God,
for recreating us
by teaching us
life lessons.
Refashion us
in your image
so that
we sparkle
with life
and thanksgiving.
Allow us
to make
a difference
where we are
rather than expecting
the world
to give us
what we
don't need.
Make us aware
of you.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 14, 2013

My dearest God,

How can I become closer to you?  How do I permanently place my hand in yours and feel the tug when you speed up or slow down?  How will I know if you want me to pause where I am to consider life, its challenges, and faith and its wondrous nudges?  How can I put myself in line with you?

Yesterday I began the day at the monastery, in quiet at first, and then in liturgy and worship.  I felt the familiar tug on my heart, a beautiful thing really where I experience the same yearning as the psalmist who said , "As the deer pants for living water so do I long for you, O Lord."  I know the feeling and the wanting.  Although I know I am so blessed, I still desire a closer walk with you.

In my covenant group I shared the ways in which your spirit  moved me in the last few weeks.  At first, I was resistant.  How do you trust those unsuspecting places where you have been hurt?  Yet, I felt your push to move forward, to acknowledge my own brokenness and my failure to trust you wholly, taking matters in my own pitiful hands, and at last to confess my desire to be led by you.  I felt your sweet mercy as I recognized grace at work.

Finally, last night at the Ash Wednesday service, I took upon me the sign of the cross, the dust of my own humanity and I dared to sing with the choir, "Forgive our sins, O Lord.  Restore us, we pray."  Once again I felt drawn into your mystery of God-with-us.  I felt chilled and warmed at the same time recognizing the breath of your spirit.

As I climbed into bed, the pile of covers tucked 'round me, I began to read one of my Lenten commitments, the first chapter of Luke.  How strange to be in a time of Lenten dying, yet simultaneously reading the story of preparation for birth.  But then dying and living are part and parcel of each other, isn't that so?  How can we ever press forward in faith without allowing the death of our stubborn ways?  How can we meet new life unless we leave something of the old behind?

Closing my eyes, waiting for warmth to come in my stone-cold bedroom, I murmured my thanksgivings.

Praise to you,
God of my faith.
Receive my devotion
as an act
of penitence
and renewal.
Take the stuff
of my insides
and remake me
this Lenten season,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Dear God,

Ash Wednesday, a time of reckoning.  Today I cannot fool myself into thinking I am sort of a god to be admired, appreciated, and affirmed.  On this day I have to acknowledge my own humanity.  I truly am dust and to dust I shall return.

Today I begin anew the journey toward the cross where my humanity will intersect with your divinity.  I will confess my dependence upon you and your wondrous gift of grace that allows me once again the privilege of joining you on the road of faith, not because I am worthy but because I long to be near you.  During these forty days if I remain on the pilgrimage I will discover my own flaws and imperfections.  I will recognize my sin and my inability to save myself.  I will learn where my resistance is greatest and how your love will shine on my darkness.  I will meet the truth in myself.

Perhaps on this day I will be the closest I am all year because I will witness my need for you more readily.

Thank you,
O God,
for the invitation
to an
honest conversation
about faith.
Lead the way,
guide me,
and show me
the way
to the cross
so I
may view
the great gift
of your mercy.
Teach me
the lesson
of humility,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Dear God,

How, O Lord, do we come under the umbrella of your perfect will?  How do we begin and end each day following your will for our lives?

More often than not I am aware of your living presence.  I pray before I rise from my bed.  I often thank you during the day and I pray when I climb back into bed. I recognize you in nature, human acts of kindness, and in love so freely shared.  I know life is a gift, the air we breathe is a blessing, and love is a prized commodity from heaven.  I strive to walk closely with you; yet, I don't know your perfect will for me.

When I become obsessed with doing perfectly, I fail, grow frustrated, and find I become more rigid, demanding, and judgmental.  I often lose my way and become forgetful about faith, unconditional love, and hope.  My peace slips away.

And so I return to square one beginning the day with prayer, writing you, and trying to live in love.  What more can I do to please you?

Precious God and Savior,
lead me
to your
perfect will.
Show me
the way
to your joy.
May I
forever sing
your praise.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 11, 2013

Dear God,

Yesterday it didn't take long at church to scan the horizon for a divine sighting.  It was in my favorite hymn, Great is thy Faithfulness that I found you.  The line..."Morning by morning, new mercies I see" reached deeply into my soul as I thought of every moment with you as a new mercy.

How can we possibly miss signs and sounds of your living presence?  Are we blind, deaf?  Lazy, perhaps, or do we just not want to admit you are the great reality in the cosmos and not we ourselves.  What do we gain by dismissing daily blessings?

As I closed my eyes singing from memory I recalled your faithfulness again and again and again.  Still do.

Most Gracious God,
thank you
for rising up
in our consciousness
and allowing us
to see
and hear
the wonders
of eternity.
How blessed
we are.

Love always, Andrea

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Dearest God,

Do you meet us in our dreams?  Do you come to us at night speaking words of encouragement, challenge, and grace?

Last night was fitful with dreams, strange dreams.  As I began to awaken, I asked if my dreams had meaning and value, if you were attempting to get my attention not only during the day but also at night.  I wondered if I had listened.

So often you have come to me in visions and dreams.  Although I do not fully understand how such things happen, I know when I have sorted through the various images and trusted you in them, amazing events have taken place.  I have experienced healings, miracles, major shifts in relationships, and insights that led to important decisions and turning points in the life of my church, my family, and my marriage.  Each time you came to me I felt a tremendous wave of compassionate love. How could I not trust you?

As I consider the scenes in last night's dreams, I reflect upon faith and how it calls us to always look upward for direction, guidance, and help and I am glad.

Speak, Great God,
and I
will listen.
Show me
your will
for my life.
Teach me
to attend
to your
daily messages
so I
may become
an effective witness
to your
gracious love.
Thank you
for every
attentive moment.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, February 9, 2013

Dear God,

Today is brand new.  The sun hasn't even risen yet.  The possibilities for today are infinite.  I am grateful I am aware.

I don't want to slip into today without thought, appreciation, and hope.  I don't want to slide through this day without reflecting upon the gift today is.  I don't want to take this day for granted.

I want to engage this day knowing what a blessing it already is.  I know I am breathing free air.  I know you have already extended your hand.  I know I am loved.

Thank you, Lord,
for making
me aware
of invisible gifts.
Thank you
for equipping me
to walk
with you.
Now, Gracious God,
help me walk
with my neighbor
in gratitude,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 8, 2013

Dear God,

This morning as I watched the darkness slowly give way to the light revealing a beautiful landscape, I thought about how prayer works the same way. When a heart is troubled, the scene is completely hidden or murky at best.  As we pray waiting and watching, your spirit begins to move and we are enabled to see ever so slightly.  As we trust more and more taking steps of faith, the picture begins to clear and finally we are able to see completely.

Such views have the power to teach us lessons of faith.  You take an ordinary occurrence (what's ordinary about you), the night giving way to the day and you design it to be an extraordinary moment of insight.  You remind us that faith is a living reality not just a set of dry, lifeless beliefs.  You show us how every day is filled with extraordinary moments no matter the situation or condition.  You invite us to join you in an extraordinary life simply by walking with you daily.  Thank you for allowing me to join you early this morning.

Almighty God,
thank you,
thank you,
thank you.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dear God,

Your loving power can transform any life, any situation.  When I reflect upon changed lives, I remember you at the center of the alteration.  I recall the joy that filled the soul and spilled over.

On this 38th birthday of my youngest daughter I give thanks considering all the shifts you have made in her life.  So many chapters come to mind as I think about her struggles and her willingness and desire to overcome them.  I look at her faith and praise you for the way you took hold of her and she reached right back.  She has imparted faith to her children who see you as a loving power who helps, guides, forgives, challenges, and stretches.  What gifts have come because she trusts you.

Jill is one among many who have been touched by your love.  Just tonight as my husband and I sat near one another watching some television show (I will never be a fan of tv) I looked over at him, took his hand, smiled, and then remembered your goodness toward us at difficult pivotal moments in our lives.  You were the power that reshaped us when we sorely needed it.

As I look back I see several faces of those transformed by you, O Lord, and I give thanks.

Merciful God,
your spirit
touches us deeply.
Such love
we cannot know
any other way.
Thank you
for your compassion,
comfort, and
unconditional love.

Yours forever, Andrea

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Dear God,

"Forgive us, Lord"... we sang tonight at choir rehearsal..."restore us, we pray".  A choral plea for forgiveness and restoration, aren't those two things what you do best?

Anyone who has been forgiven knows the priceless nature of the gift.  Anyone who has been restored knows the power of your grace-filled love.  There is nothing better.

I would be nothing more than a puddle, a muddy one at that without your forgiveness and restorative power. I would be huddled in a corner, sucking my thumb, afraid, broken, crushed, and paralyzed.  I would be mired in my sin and wasting my life.  I would be of no value to anyone.

Yet, every time you have refashioned me, I have risen up rejoicing and praising you.  My bones down to my soul know the joy of a life made new.  I have felt your hand upon my life.  I remember the transformation, how I was plunged into your life-giving waters, how I drank as if completely dry.  I remember how your breath replaced the stale air I was breathing.  I recall you speaking a new language into me, one with words like hope, joy, courage, strength, wisdom, compassion, mercy, and gratitude.  I bring to mind the days, weeks, and months following your touching inspiration.  I moved forward taking steps into the future, allowing you to lead me down unfamiliar paths.  And always, I smiled knowing well whose hand was upon my back.

Indeed, my God, forgive us and restore us once again as a whole people.

All Powerful and All Loving God,
thank you
for divine power
that remakes us.
Teach us
to walk
like a
forgiven people,
we pray.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

earest God,

Thank you for gray days.  Thank you for the quiet that comes with gray days.  Thank you for the lack of glare in a gray day.  Thank you for its own kind of beauty.

How often have you spoken to me on a gray day?  How often have you given me rest on a gray day?  How many times have you given me opportunity to drink in the splendor of a gray day?  So many, many times.

Although I believe every day is a gift, a glorious gift of life, a gray day is one of my favorites.  I guess it is because I take it for what it is.  I try to see its own uniqueness.  I allow my body, mind, and soul to enjoy what a gray day brings.  Perhaps it is on a gray day that I see you the most.

Holy God,
thank you
for the gifts
of a
gray day.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 4, 2013

Dear God,

I am convinced that courage is wrought from faith.  Where else could it come from? 

How many times have I observed an individual whose lives were in ruin take a step in courage?  How many times have I witnessed their power as the power of faith?  How many times have I seen strength rise up out of a hopeless, powerless person?  Many times.  I have heard them tell their stories of faith as the transforming power inside themselves.

So often, Lord, fear charges in to rob us of the divine power you give us.  Its sweaty tentacles wrap themselves around us squeezing the life right out of us.  Paralysis sets in and we are literally like stone, lifeless, cold, and immovable.  Only when we feel a surge of faith sparking within can the chains be broken.

I can only imagine that faith emerges out of love, your love for us and our love for you.  That kind of relational love can indeed move mountains of fear.  You make that happen again and again.

As I consider the countless times you allowed your love to move me to faith which led me to courage, I marvel.  My gratitude wells up and I can hardly take it all in.  I am profoundly thankful.

God of power and love,
thank you
for your gift
of love.
Thank you
for the bond
we share.
Thank you
for filling me
with joy
and thanksgiving.
Thank you
for you.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Dear God,

Our church choir processed into the sanctuary singing the song, "Come, we that love the Lord, and let our joys be known; join in a song with sweet accord, join in a song with sweet accord and thus surround the throne, and thus surround the throne."  My heart was full as I looked up and saw the picture of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.  I remembered being there, taking pictures, praying for the peace of Jerusalem for all the people not just for some, and experiencing profound moments of faith.  Indeed my steps toward the altar as part of the choir this morning were all part of my own pilgrimage of faith to your heavenly throne.

I realize more and more how faith is a living movement not a set of dry beliefs.  I recognize how the living part of faith is what makes life work.  Why believe in a God who is idle, lifeless, and inaccessible?  Why claim faith as part of our identity if we do not align ourselves with a lively God whose love is real, whose truth is always better than our little lies, and whose grace gives us second chances of restoring ourselves and renewing the face of the earth where we are?  Why bother to pray if we do not take steps of faith every day, if we do not participate in a community of faith of believers, not perfect, yet attempting to live out a relationship with a living God, and if we do not act in faith in making decisions, caring for others, and enriching the world around us?  Why believe in God if God is not a living reality?

As we prayed the Lord's Prayer, we reiterated our relationship to you and your relationship to us.  We asked you to forgive us acknowledging our need to forgive our neighbor as well.  We prayed for a change in our lives as we asked you to deliver us from evil, however that manifests itself in our daily lives.  We asked for your kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven.  Our words were pleas for action on your part and our own as we live together blessing one another.  We prayed to a living God believing we were one together.

Holy God,
thank you
for your
living presence.
Forgive us
when we act
as if
you are a
dead God.
Teach us
the way
of faith.
Make us alive
as well
as you
ask us
to make real
your presence
in the world.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Dearest God,

We sat on the couch, the three of us.  Rylan, five, Lucy, seven, and I looked at the nativity scene on the coffee table.  It was time to wrap it up and put it away until next Advent season.  But I felt the need to spend just a bit more time with it.

First, we took out the animals and held them in our hands.  "What was important about the animals?"  I asked my grandchildren.  Lucy raised her hand.  "The donkey carried Mary!"  She explained.  We went through all the animals even to the lambs and decided that there bleating baa was like a song that put baby Jesus to sleep.

Next, we held the shepherds.  We said we were glad they heard the angels sing and they came running to the stable.  Rylan reminded us the shepherds did a good job taking care of the sheep.

Then we held the wise men.  Rylan was thrilled to hold the wise man with the gold.  Lucy told us it was important they brought gifts to Jesus to buy food.

Next Rylan held Joseph and told us Joseph was important because he helped take care of Jesus and even changed his diapers.  Lucy lovingly held Mary and said she fed Jesus and took care of him too.  When they held Jesus, they told me he was love.

The last thing we talked about was the stable and the star.  The stable was important because it was a safe, dry place for Jesus and the star was important because it shined for everybody to see.

And then we prayed together giving thanks for all of it.

Wondrous God,
thank you
for being a
February God
as well
as a
December God.
Thank you
for the nativity
that still speaks
weeks after Christmas.
Thank you
for grandchildren
who get
the story.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 1, 2013

Dear God,

My Douglas fir Christmas tree stands bare in my living room.  Stripped of all its lights, beads, and baubles, it is still beautiful and it still points me to you.

I wait as long as I can to put away my Christmas decorations.  I love the season and all it brings.  I love the scenery, the sounds, the giving, the hope, the worship, the music, the laughter of children, and the mystery of Christmas Eve.  I love the manger but more than that, the one whose birth we celebrate.

I decided to trim off the branches of the tree and to cut the center into small logs so I could burn it in the fireplace.  I want to smell the sweet scent of pine burning as a reminder of what is good and merciful, and joyous, and grace-filled.  I want to breathe in the air of redemption allowing new birth to happen inside me.  I want to give thanks for your many gifts not just those that appear around the tree on Christmas Day but the ones that come every day of the year.

Let the scent
of your
sweet spirit
rise up
within me,
O Lord;
let me
sing your praise.
Forgive me
when I act
as if
Christmas is over.
Refresh my memory
so I
will live joyously
every day.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Dearest God,

Recently after sharing with a couple of devout nuns, one of the sisters said to me, "It was such a privilege having you share with us."  "Oh my goodness," I fumbled, embarrassed that they spoke so highly of me.  I waved goodbye as they left the dining room.  I had spent two days thanking them for their spirit and ministry and how it had touched so many lives across the years.

Later in the day as I reflected upon our time together, I realized it was a privilege for them to be with me and for me to be with them because what we saw in one another, what we gave to one another was Christ.  As we offered faith, stories of your work in our midst, of miracles and visions and healings and hope discovered, we were in reality offering your son to each other.  We lifted you up and so as we spoke it was as if Jesus himself was speaking to the other two of us.

It is strange, mystical even, when talk turns to faith and faith turns to you.  How many times have I been in conversation when suddenly we found ourselves speaking about your living spirit?

As I think back to earlier years in my life, I recall persons whose devotion to you spoke profoundly to me.  I wanted to spend time with them because they offered more than an ordinary usual kind of conversation.  In them I saw something more, something beautiful, something bigger than they themselves.  I usually did not know it at the time but I did sense a spark of the divine.

As I live and move and have my own being, it is my prayer that I will spend much more time listening for his voice and far less time listening to my own.

Great God,
thank you
for wondrous times,
awesome moments
with your son.
Thank you
for your
kindly ways
and amazing spirit.
Thank you
for living faith
and renewed opportunity
to draw close
to the author
of our faith.
Thank you
for love
that truly
is eternal.

Love, Andrea

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