Sunday, June 28, 2015

Dear God,

You remind us a soft heart is better than a hard one.  A soft heart is porous, allowing the flow of life to come in and out.  A soft heart is a welcoming heart, a warm heart, a tender heart, a forgiving heart.  A soft heart picks up on subtle changes.  A soft heart hears your voice every time.

A hard heart is like a rock.  It sinks and falls to the depths.  It is lifeless without voice or ability.  It ignores the Master's call and feels nothing when the Master approaches.  A hard heart accepts nothing, gives nothing.  A hard heart is dead.

Your creating hands create only soft hearts.  When a soft heart is wounded, you mend it restoring it to its original softness.  You will mercy into our hearts, especially ones who give and give and give.  You put joy into a soft heart allowing it to expand when a moment of joy comes.  A soft heart can grow and grow.  A soft heart is a happy, contented heart because it feels the Creator's hands upon it.

Loving God,
thank you
for soft hearts.
Thank you
for your work
on hard hearts,
replacing them
with soft ones.
Thank you
for mercy
that allows
love to enter.

Always, Andrea

Saturday, June 27, 2015

Dear God,

When good things evaporate right before our eyes, we assume the worst.  Not so, my young granddaughter convinced me.

Early this morning my granddaughter Stella and I traveled to the beach to listen to contemplative music and to respond to it through sacred dance and art.  I had danced and was journaling and coloring in my journal when Stella finished her art work in the sand.  She invited me to look at her creation because the tide was rising and would soon wash it away.  After I had admired the beauty she had created, I mentioned the tide.  She smiled and said, "I thought about that and knew it would be washed away but it's okay because it is just God taking it into him."

What wisdom!

Wise God,
you give
your message
to young children
to teach
us lessons
in life.
When our beliefs
and practices diminish
our understanding
of the world,
you often
send children
to expand
our minds.
Thank you
for teaching me
this morning
through wise Stella.

Love, Andrea

Friday, June 26, 2015

Dear God,

What is the color of your glory, Lord? 

In the early evening as I danced once again at the ocean, the sun shining behind me, I felt only love.  Where once I was embarrassed, self conscious, and nervous to display my affection for you publicly, today I was feeling only love for you, gratitude for your blessings, and joy for faith that awakens and stirs in me every new morning.  All day long my heart fills with you bringing joy into my soul.

What a privilege to dance with you and for you!  What is the color of your glory, Lord?  May my dance be a color for you?

Thanks for
the dance!
Thanks for
the joy!
Thanks for
the love!

Always, Andrea

Thursday, June 25, 2015

Dear God,

I came to sing your praise, to let my spirit soar, and to dance with you, my Creator.  My 10-year-old granddaughter Stella wanted to join me at the music's edge.  The ocean waves rose and fell at my feet.  I listened for your spirit as the instrumental tape played.  The sun's rays touched the water as the CD tape Sunshine played. 

I felt your presence immediately.  I smiled, anxious to join you in the dance and so I did, my hands rising up and falling into the posture of prayer.  I stood letting my hands become open vessels, palms up offering myself to you.  With Stella nearby waiting to find her own spirit within, I began the dance, moving, bowing, turning, twirling, breathing in every ounce of beauty from the rocky coastline to the endless horizon to the invisible sacred all about me.  What joy filled me.  I danced until the spirit music quieted.  I stood and lifted my palms once again bringing glory to your name and blessing to your living presence. 

As I stepped back to the chair and removed my sacred dance clothing, I gazed upon Stella drawing in the sand.  As the music continued to play, I watched her until she stopped.  When she came over to me, she simply said, "Grandma, I found my spirit within.  I didn't do the dance but the spirit moved my feet to draw.  I looked down on the sand and viewed an amazing work of art, smooth and fluid lines, some culminating in beautifully drawn hearts.  A cross in bold lines was drawn top center.

In the next few minutes Stella relayed her experience to me.  "I have never felt this way before.  I felt the spirit.  It was God.  The lines, she showed me, are God."  I took hold of her, pressing her next to my heart.  I let the tears of joy form in my eyes as the joy in my heart spilled over.

Glorious God,
thank you
for your
living spirit.
Thank you
for including us
in creation's story.
Thank you
for Stella
and her
open-heart spirit.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

Dear God,

Hope.  There is nothing like it.  Hope is perhaps the best gift you have ever given us.  Hope, to dare believe in possibility.

"It will happen," my 10-year-old granddaughter said.  "It will happen."  Speaking about a sad condition in our family, she is believing change will occur, transformation will unfold, and reunion will take place. Intuitively she believes hope buoys faith filling the soul with peace and joy.

So often we lose hope, Lord.  We forget you are god of the hopeless.  We forget hope is a deep dimension of faith.  We forget hope is a way of life instilling in the pilgrim a peace that no one can take away.  When we hope, our countenance is altered.  We lift our heads and our hearts.  We look straight ahead releasing the past to itself.  We live in attainableness believing in the probability that revision, modification, and reconstruction will come.  Hope, the life of faith.

Gracious God,
you teach us
life is
never stagnant.
You show us
the evolution
of hope,
faith, and peace.
We thank you.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Dear God,

Why do we lie?  Why do we stretch the truth?  Why do we fail to tell the whole story?

Sometimes we forget who we are, Lord.  In the middle of a story we change bits and pieces to read the way we want them.  We shift facts, add or subtract, to build up the truth as we want it known.  As we attempt to persuade others to believe our version of the truth, we literally change ourselves into someone else.  We step away from the unique creature you made us to be.

As a society we are perplexed by shifting versions of the truth.  In our work to convince others, we remold ourselves and others into less than the created wonder we were designed to be.  We dismiss, degrade, and diminish ourselves seeding doubt and fear.  We forgo the power and strength of integrity, honesty, and purity.  We grab hold of air, polluted by liars and cheats.  We walk away from the goodness of eternity offering us the best of everything.

As we walk each day in the light, we gain a truer perspective of who we are but more importantly whose we are.  We can reach for every good gift and use them for the greater good, building up a people, a nation, and a world that is not only beautiful but also the one made in your image.

Holy God,
cleanse us
of all unrighteousness.
Rid us
of all
dark blots.
Return our innocence,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Monday, June 22, 2015

Dear God,

You call us to contemplation.  As we gather at your feet in sacred silence, we find the quiet of eternity.  You ask us to spill out our worries and anxieties because you want us clear, free of debris and clutter that often keeps us at arm's length.  You promise us peace and comfort in the silent moments.

In sacred silence you offer us the dance of life.  You invite us to shake off anything that holds us back from your constant love.  You reach out your hand and invite us to step forward.  You ask us only to take the first step.  As we step into your arms, you move us with the gentle breeze of your living spirit.  The longer we take with you, the more in step we find ourselves, circling, twirling, moving freely back and forth, side to side, ever widening the circle of life.  As we dance, we breathe in the joy only heaven can provide.  You fill us up until we spill over with your love, giving us more than we need so we can share it with those around us.

As I listen to the instrumental music of Tim Janis, I find myself in your arms dancing, singing, laughing, weeping, deeply breathing in your eternal love.  Where else would I want to be?

Ever-creating God,
thank you
for making us
in your image
so we
can enjoy
the dance
of life together.
Thank you
for the joy
of knowing you
and being loved
by you.
Thank you
for contemplation,
a door
to eternity.

Love always, Andrea

Sunday, June 21, 2015

Dear God,

Feeling rusty and not sure of himself, my husband worked for a month on a sermon he was to give.  One of the toughest subjects to preach on when he felt so low, he was called very early this morning to preach not only at one church but two churches, an Episcopalian and a United Methodist.  Our friend the priest was ill and unable to lead the service so Harold was asked to lead and preach the service.  Right after he hung up we prayed together asking for your help.

As the morning unfolded at Church on the Cape, I watched with great interest as Harold stepped around the corner having just arrived from the first service at St. Ann's.  He sat down by the pulpit and began to pray.  I prayed too for courage, stamina, and spiritual power.  During the service we made eye contact and I could tell he was a bit weary and still not quite up to the task.  But then he stood to read the scripture and his countenance changed.  Your power came upon him as he stood straight and tall.  I could see his confidence return as he relied totally on you.  I watched as he began to tell your story.  Even though his mouth grew dry, he continued on as a friend brought him water.  Throughout the whole sermon, I whispered the words of African American churches when they call their pastor to "come up higher".  I knew he had found his voice so he could speak your word.

Whenever we feel low and think we can't do something, all we have to do is call upon your name, turn our face to you, and pray for the strength of heaven.  You never fail us particularly when our confidence is gone, when our spirit is low, and when our energy is weak.  You are God and although we fail you often you never fail us.

Thank you, Father,
for your
Holy Spirit power.
Thank you
for the miracle
of faith.
Thank you
for mercy
that shows
its face
when we call out
your name.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, June 20, 2015

Dear God,

It's the quiet times with you that make for the best part of the day.  Quieting one's self into sacred silence allows for a marvelous movement of your spirit.

When our mind is directed toward you and we focus on you in silence, you bring to life the spirit of your living presence.  While I can't really define it or adequately describe it, it is the most beautiful thing in the cosmos.  There is an internal and external glow, a radiating warmth, a welling up of peace even if life is chaotic, an easing up of the mind, and an explosive release of joy.  There is a feeling of oneness, truly a oneness with you.

When I quiet my own soul in anticipation of meeting you in the intersections of time and space, I realize once again how valuable is our relationship with you, supreme guide and creator.  The knowledge of that alone fills us with your greatest blessing...unconditional love.

Holy God,
father of creation,
thank you
for quiet moments
with you.
Thank you
for gentle messages
that soothe
and calm
but also challenge
and nudge.
Thank you
for lessons learned
in prized moments
with you.

Love, Andrea

Friday, June 19, 2015

Dear God,

How deep is hate?  How deep does resentment and bitterness have to go before hate forms?  Is there no way to end hate?

It seems hatred is well seeded in our world.  It takes almost nothing for people to entertain hatred.  Worse yet are the alarming numbers who are acting upon their hatred to do heinous crimes.  What will it take to destroy hatred down to its cellular level?

I am ashamed to say I have hated before.  I allowed myself to grow more and more resentful until bitterness took over and finally hatred claimed my heart.  But then you know that, don't you God?
You were my saving grace.  You worked on me until the light broke into my darkness and the light won out because love wins out every time.

Love is always deeper than hate.  It stirs within us attempting to feed us spiritual nutrients so we can rid ourselves of the tentacles of hate that seek to damage and destroy.  When you win our hearts and love invades, we are changed.  The seeds of hatred do not fall on faulty soil, instead they fall and wither because the light is too bright, too warm, too good.

As I ponder love and pray for the whole world, I can only believe we make a difference somewhere.

Hold us close,
O God;
warm our hearts,
clear our vision,
and rid us
of all obstacles
to love.
Make us ready
for you
and for
our world
who needs love
so desperately.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Dearest God,

You come to us in an infinite number of ways.  When we recognize you, our hearts are warmed, our spirit is brightened, and our souls are inspired.

This morning you came in my granddaughter Stella's smile.  Eleven years old, with silky red hair, bright, intuitive, and with a heart of silver, bronze, and gold together, her smile radiates light all around her.  This morning when she came downstairs and walked into the kitchen her hair splayed in every direction, my purple robe dragging on the floor, and sleepy eyes not sure they were really ready to be open, she smiled.  In my mind I thought this sweet girl could change the world with her smile.  I got out of my chair and went over to her giving her kisses on her forehead and a giant squeeze. 

So often you appear out of nowhere to bless us.  You allow us to see you and feel the joy only you can give.  You touch us in our insides letting us know you are present.  You remind us to be on watch every day so we can connect for a moment, a minute, an hour, a day.  Your blessing changes us so we can spread the blessing to others.

You are God;
there is none
like you.
You reach out
and bless
like no one else can.
Help us always
to be
on alert
anticipating your presence.
As you
bless us,
help us
bless you.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Dearest God,

So often you come to us through music.  You pass through the hard exterior of our soul and begin playing songs for the soul.  Instruments and voice enter through and cause our insides to awaken, stir, and tremble.  You bring heat to the cold places and cool refreshing relief to the hot.  You bring calm to the chaotic and peace to the hopeless.  You breathe new life into us.

This afternoon I participated in an aqua strength and conditioning class.  The music there was fast and feverish.  I felt pretty exhausted as I stepped out of the pool and dressed into my yoga apparel.  When I stepped inside the classroom and began to unfold my yoga mat, the sound of a single flute called to my weary innards.  During the next hour I stretched and pulled, bringing relief to my tired, worn out muscles.  But more than that the quiet sound of meditation brought me back speaking to every part of me.  I welcomed it, bringing you in close.  For the whole hour I sensed your wondrous presence doing your work of healing.

Wondrous God,
Healer of the Soul,
thank you
for your
mercy work.
Thank you
for your kindness.
Thank you
for the music
of the soul.

Love always, Andrea

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Dear God,

I finally got the pansies and lettuce planted in my vegetable garden.  But they were so weak, falling to the side and so very droopy.  I watered them twice and left them to settle and take hold.

In the spiritual life when we are transplanted, when we are taken from our "home" and rerooted somewhere else, it can be difficult.  We feel lifeless, uncomfortable, and unfamiliar.  We need spiritual and emotional nutrients and living water to revive and renew us.  You, O Lord, know our needs before we do and you come to our rescue with just what we need to bring us back to life.

So often we forget the spiritual resources you provide.  We forget you have the answer to our dilemma.  We forget the well that exists to quench our thirst is nearby.  And so we fail to come to you.  But you never fail to come to us. 

Thank you
for visits
from on high.
Thank you
for generosity
that goes
way beyond anything
we can give
to one another.
Thank you
for remembering us,
for reviving,
renewing, and restoring us.

Love always, Andrea

Monday, June 15, 2015

Dear God,

It rained all day, dark clouds hanging low.  Although it looked dreary, I watched as the grass turned green and the flowers perked up.  What appeared gray and dismal was really sweet to the thirsty.

We have really needed rain.  It has been weeks without any real precipitation.  From all appearances the rain did its work blessing all it touched.

Sometimes we too are dry, parched from a life without living water.  We are thirsty but we forget to drink from your well.  We fail to drink that which will give us life.  We walk around lifeless, hunched over, perplexed, frustrated, and empty.  We forget how close your pool, your fountain really is.  But when we remember, when we lean down, pick up the ladle, and drink, what refreshment comes to our soul.  We come to life.  We feel alive.  Like the psalmist you restore our soul.

When we know something is sooooo good, why don't we drink?

Heavenly Father,
forgive us
for staying dry.
Forgive us
for failing
to drink.
Forgive us
of not turning
to you.
Restore us,
O Lord,
for you
are the
only one
who can.

Love always, Andrea

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Dearest God,

Music, salve to the human soul.  Yes, there is a pattern in my writing.  I admit it.  Every Sunday I meet music at worship and I run to tell you all about it.  Each note has its own unique quality, each sound its own wave.  The melodies, harmonies, the coming together of instrument and voice, it just does something to me.  This morning the music was extraordinary and the way we sang it superb!

What is it about music that so touches every nerve in the human mind, body, and soul?  What is it about music that lifts, rocks, and carries us?  I watch our organist play the organ and direct our choir.  As a choir member I see her eyes and through her eyes I see her soul and there I see faith rising.  As I observe the congregation singing heartily, I see faith increasing.  As I sing, hum, or tap my feet to the sound, I feel faith transforming my insides.  If I go with sadness or confusion, music moves me to gladness and clarity.  If I arrive with too much on my mind, music releases me from carrying all the stuff .  If I step inside the sanctuary with loss and grief, music comforts and points me to you.

Music, the gift of your living spirit, thank you.

Wondrous God,
thank you
for displays
of your glory.
Thank you
for opening us
to your
living presence.
Thank you
for worship
and the opportunity
to sing,
tap,
hum,
dance,
and rise.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Dear God,

You know we will deny you, don't you?  You know when the rubber hits the road and tensions run high, we will say no and run.

This morning when I read the passage from the book of John about your prediction that Peter would deny you, I pondered the ways you know I will deny you.  Would my denial be so bold in front of others?  I thought.  How do I deny?  Suddenly, sadly I was flooded with the many ways I deny you.  When I am harsh with others, when I fill myself with fear, when I choose darkness over light, when I turn away from truth, when I fail to love, when I elect not to forgive, when I hold onto resentment...the list went on and on.  Yes, you know we will deny you.

I swiftly reminded myself how important it is to stay conscious of our attitudes and behaviors.  At any moment, in any situation, we can turn and run away from you and why on earth would we want to do so?

When we judge Peter, Jesus' disciple, we judge our self.  We are just as guilty and prone to denial.  We do it in public and in private all the time.  We don't stop ourselves and think about what we are doing. 

Listening to the insight and realizing my own complicity, I breathed a prayer, "O God, forgive me a sinner."

Holy Father,
like Peter,
my heart anguishes
when I fail
to turn
to you,
when I deny,
and run away.
Forgive me, Lord;
give me
another chance,
I pray.
My feet of clay crumble often.
I want
to always run
to you first,
not last.
Teach me
once again,
the art
of trust
and faith.

Love, Andrea

Friday, June 12, 2015

Dear God,

It is the simple joys of every day life that speak profoundly of your grace and care.  When I awaken in the morning I feel a sense of your abiding presence just by the fact that I woke up to a new day.  I feel the warmth in my bed and cool fresh Maine air spilling through the bedroom windows.  I remember to pray and am grateful you keep me in bed until I pray for the world.  When I climb out of bed and stand on the old hardwood floors, I am grateful to be standing in a nearly 200-year-old home I love.  When I descend the creaky stairs and walk into the kitchen, I am grateful for medicine in the cupboard that keeps me alive and relatively well.  With food in frig, clean water in the spigot, and nature displaying herself outside my windows, I breathe in the air of your living presence and breathe out prayers of thanksgiving.

All day long whether at my home, on the road, running errands, reading a book, working in the garden, fixing a meal, sitting in silence, or watching the sun set, I experience the wonder of each day and the little joys that bless all day long.

How could I ever forget you, Lord?

Blessings to you,
Creator God.
Thank you
for every joy
you place
in our souls.
Thank you
for the wonders
of nature
and all
the creative juices
that paint
the day.
Thank you
for grace
that manifests itself
every day.

Love always, Andrea

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Dear God,

I watched as the scene unfolded...a pair of beautiful finches eating from the flower garden.  Tugging at the seeds of a delicate purple flower (I don't know the name), they were so animated and playful.  I gazed until they finally flew away.

So often, O Lord, we miss the beauty that is right outside our window.  Although we may look out, we may not see.  We are blind because our minds are full.  We are distracted by life's many issues.  We fail to see the extravagance of your wondrous creation.  We forget your finest work may be just around the corner or outside the window.

Today I was grateful for the pause, the opportunity to observe your wonders, and for the exquisite beauty of your world right outside my window.

Wondrous God,
thank you
for the
natural environment
where your handiwork
is so evident.
Thank you
for color,
texture, and sound.
Thank you
for your
divine creatures.

Love always, Andrea

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Dear God,

Miracles, how can we ever forget them?  I'm living mine today with my daughter who was estranged from me for 13 years...13 very long years.  One day she returned.  This week she brought her husband and two of her children to visit us in Maine.  What joy my heart felt!  All a miracle, a real miracle.

Sometimes we see you as a small little worker bee designed to give us what we want when we ask for it.  We fail to take you seriously realizing one tiny movement and the oxygen could be sucked out of the air.  When we resist you believing we are more powerful and better trusted, we forget how we were made of the earth.  We forget your amazing grace.  We forget your blessings.  Above all, we forget your love that is far greater, deeper, and longer than any the world can possibly possess.  We forget you.

But today, as I watch my daughter laugh and tease and smile, I know first hand the wonders of your miracles and I am grateful, so very, very grateful.

Holy God,
all powerful
and full
of love,
thank you
so much
for your
miraculous power.
Thank you
for reconciliation.
Thank you
for grace
that never ends.

Love always, Andrea

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Dear God,

How will we ever find peace in our world?  When will we stop killing one another?  When will we begin caring for our neighbor?

What is it inside us that refuses to bless our neighbor?  Why do we create thought patterns that makes our neighbor an enemy?  Does evil lurk within each of us?

What must we do to bring harmony, O God?

So many questions,
Father,
so many questions.
I pray
our spirits
will be healed,
mended at fences.
Change us;
transform us
with your power
from on high.

Love, Andrea

Monday, June 8, 2015

Dear God,

Long ago we were estranged from one another.  We could not find a common road.  We traveled our own paths never straying close to one another.  Sorrow, grief, resentment, anger, and frustration were our constant companions.  One day thirteen years later it was finally over.  Sorrow and grief gave way to hope, peace, and joy.  There were many reasons to be separate from one another, none of them any good.  The reasons for being together seemed many more, all of them positive and life-giving.

Tomorrow my daughter and her family will arrive to spend several days with us.  Who would have thought it possible?  We will dine together, pray together, laugh together, travel together, and play together.  All this is made possible by you, my Lord, by you.

My joy
is full
when I think
of your work
of our behalf.
We could not find
our way back
on our own.
You did it,
Lord,
you did it
and my heart
is full
of thanksgiving.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Dear God,

I have always said when I die I want to have gratitude on my lips.  I want to remember and give thanks.

As I sat down in my pew today and we started to sing, I started to smile.  I realized one of my great blessings is the church.  Why?  For many reasons.  When we come together on Sunday mornings we come to sing.  We are no longer many voices but one.  We add our voices to those around us.  We lift up the word, the melody and harmony, even the dissonance that somehow conveys who we are together.  As we sing we feel the power of your love and mercy.  We drink in the joy you have for those whose desire is to love.

When we walked out the door following worship, I was full, so very full of you.

Holy God,
thank you
for the gifts
of your spirit.
Thank you
for joy
that never ends
when we
make ourselves
part of you.
Thank you
for joy
that is
never ending.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Dear God,

I love to step outside in the early morning to greet you.  I love the sea salt air that awaits me.  I love the countless images of the sacred that are just outside my back door.  What I did not love was what unknowingly lurked out in the woods.

I was feeling better from being sick for nearly two weeks so I decided to rise early to work on my spiritual garden in the woods.  I was digging a hole for flowers when I heard a terrible racket.  The birds were screaming, howling, and screeching.  I rose from the ground and looked up into the sky but there were no birds that I could see.  It was so troubling because it sounded like something was being killed.  Suddenly the noise started moving forward in my direction and that's when I saw it.  A large cat was lumbering through our woods.  I dropped the shovel and started running for the house.  When I climbed the steps up to the porch and looked back, I heard the noise move to my neighbor's yard and then quickly across the field and the sound faded.  My heart was still pounding when I got inside the house.  Finally, I called the police and they referred me to the game warden who told me the animal was a wild bobcat.

As the morning wore on and I finally carefully moved back into the woods, I realized all things belong to you even bobcats looking for food for their young.  When I was convinced the cat was not searching for human food, I could rally and give thanks.

Creator God,
help me see
the good
in all things.
Teach me
to trust you
every day.
Thank you
for springtime surprises.

Love, Andrea

Friday, June 5, 2015

Dear God,

You bring so much beauty to the earth in springtime!  When the grass suddenly turns green, trees begin to bud, and flowers rise to unfold their colorful petals, who is not stopped in their tracks to pause, breathe in, and smile?

One of your most wondrous gifts is the surprises of daily life.  When a bird lands on the windowsill and pauses for just a moment to sing, it is an awesome surprise.  When a newborn wraps her tiny hand around a mother's finger for the first time, it is a humbling, wondrous surprise.  When a sun peeks its head just above the early-morning horizon and shoots out rays of magnificent pink, orange, and red, it is enough to make us gasp at the amazing surprise. 

Each day is full of surprises because you are the God of surprises.  As they come to us, we are blessed knowing the greatest surprise of all is the wonder of you.

God of Surprises,
thank you
for blessing us.
Thank you
for the
countless many ways
you reach out
to us.
Thank you
for connecting us
with you.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Dear God,

My sister and I have known one another for sixty seven years, sixty seven.  We know the ins and outs of our lives.  Early in our life we started calling each other Pal.  I don't know why; I guess it was just a term of endearment.  Every phone call begins with, "Hi, Pal."

You give us family, biological, adopted, or otherwise.  You bring people into our lives.  You weave them into us and we are blessed.

My sister and her husband are visiting from Tennessee.  They have come for a week.  Although I have been sick the whole time, it has warmed my heart to be with them.  It seems when I feel far away from those I love, you bring someone to me.  It may be a physical visit or a memory one but either way you remind me I am connected to family.  You renew my sense of connection and invite me to dwell in the presence especially designed as a gesture of your love.

As I count my daily blessings acknowledging all things come from you, I remember and give thanks for my sister.

Holy Father,
thank you
for family.
Thank you
for connecting us
to yourself.
Thank you
for my sister Debi.

Love, Andy

Wednesday, June 3, 2015

Dear God,

When we place our hand in yours and follow, you show us life in ways we could never see it on our own.  The haze, curtains, and blocks fall away at the sound of your voice and you show us sights and scenes of faith, incredible views from the heights.

I remember the bible story of the blind man and how you placed spittle in his eyes.  He could see but in a fog.  Once again you touched him and his sight returned.  Like the song he cried out, "I once was blind but now I see."

Your revelation to us can cause us to change direction, to surrender, to pause for reflection, to cancel a decision, or to forge ahead with courage.  As you show us the vision, we realize there is more to the story and you help us to make vital path corrections.  You invite us to take a new road where you teach us valuable lessons.  Seeing life from your view always provides more...when we are open to see.

Holy Father,
thank you
for invitations
to the heights.
Thank you
for splendid views.
Thank you
for reminding us
there is
always more
with you.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Dear God,

I love the signs of new life.  Sitting at my kitchen window I watch as tiny sparrows tear at branches on the Japanese Willow tree and then carry their find to the beautiful bird house that stands tall in the flower garden my neighbor and I created.  I listen as one sings to the other and then flies home.  How beautiful to observe mom and dad working together to create a home for their baby birds.

The season of spring reminds us to prepare for our own rebirth.  It challenges us to make a fresh new home for you.  As we clear and clean the debris from our own souls, we too make space for the divine.  We have opportunity to rid ourselves of clutter created by busyness, too much stuff, and obstacles we have built.  As we toss winter blues for spring's sunshine, it is like making ourselves ready once again to meet our own creator.

Thank you
for the joy
of new beginnings.
Thank you
for sacred space
that calls
for renewal.
Thank you
for hope
for rebirth.

Love, Andrea

Monday, June 1, 2015

Dear God,

No one can take your place!  No one is a substitute for your love, your power, and your mercy!  As we seek to find sustenance to carry us along life's journey, we may look long and hard in every direction but unless we come to you, we will never find everything we need to fulfill a meaningful life.

Sustenance...food for body and soul.  My, how we need living food and drink for the journey.  Not just any food and drink, we need spiritual food and living water that we can take in and allow it to revitalize us, renew us, and rev us up for the journey of a lifetime.  After all, isn't that what you have offered us, a life of faith, vision, hope, adventure, insight, discernment, wisdom, and joy?  Why not eat and drink from your pantry?

Thank you,
for food
that energizes
and drink
that puddles
offering us
a fountain
of living water
any time.
Thank you
for a
bright future
with you.
Thank you
for love
that makes it all happen.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, May 31, 2015

Dear God,

Sundays are a natural high.  As we gather with the faith community, we welcome one another not only to your house but to you.  We greet one another with fledgling faith, knowing we meet you.  We hear your song and we join in, lifting higher and higher.

So when we fail to reach your door, we miss the joy awaiting us.  Such was this morning when I was just too sick to go.  All morning I rested yet I remembered, just as the Israelites remembered your tender mercies when they felt alone and abandoned.  I remembered worship.  I pictured the hymn sing, the faithful singing with full voices.  I smiled recalling to mind some of the songs we sang last Sunday.  I drank in the memories allowing them to fill my soul with you.

As I continued to rest in bed trying to recoup my energy, I felt the strength of your body of believers, praying, lifting up their prayers on our behalf.  I felt the power of your word as I read a story of your healing.  I felt your mercy heavy in the air as I remembered your compassion.  Before long as the church was departing from one another, I realized I too was high on you.

Loving Father,
thank you
for reaching out
to us
even when
we fail
to get
to your door.
Thank you
for your church
and their
tender love.
Thank you
for the power
of memory
that can lift us high.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Dear God,

One of the ways you have taught us to get close to you is by being close to others.  As we reach out and touch, we connect to you.  No searching, you are with us and we are with you.

Who does not want a close connection with you, Holy God?  Who does not want to take hold of the divine hand always extended?  Who does not want to be warmed by the greatest love ever offered?  Sometimes we forget just how close you are.

As I deal with a bacterial infection that has drained me of energy and given me a deep, deep cough and all the side benefits of illness, I am aware how weak I can be.  I realize how quickly the human body can sink low.  I remember once again how your strength is our strength but only because we are connected to you.  As we hold tight to you like a child holds the hand of her mother, we renew ourselves and rest easy.

Our brother or sister is always close by.  As we tend to their needs, as we make our offerings to others, you come to our side and we acknowledge one more time the way to you is through others.

Remind us daily
to reach out,
to extend ourselves
to others.
Show us
the way
to you,
dear Lord.

Love, Andrea

Friday, May 29, 2015

Dear God,

In my daily search for you, I stumbled upon a beach read, a simple novel set on Egret Island.  As I read, the author penned the way an egret carries light upon her back.  I paused in my reading realizing that light pointed me to your light.

The light is perhaps my most sacred spiritual symbol.  I am always intrigued by the way light shines out of darkness.  Because it is your light that radiates, I am drawn to its inherent mystery.  Your light warms, heals, hopes, deepens, sharpens, strengthens, guides, helps, and so much more.

As the story led me to you, you asked the question, "How do you carry the light?"  As a contributor to human life, indeed how do I carry the light?  It's a fair question.  If you give us light, you expect us to shine it.  We are not meant to hoard the light or put it under a bushel as the bible tells us rather we are to radiate the light of your son.  We are to shine for the whole world to see.  We are designed to give warmth, hope, guidance, help, and love because, after all, love is what permeates light into the world and is what shines when light is revealed.

Great Light of the World,
shine, shine, shine.
Help our light
to radiate
your light.
Heal us,
O Lord,
heal our world
with your light,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Dear God,

Five days of fighting flu and cold symptoms, I finally went to the doctor and fell into bed.  I realized I simply couldn't go on.  As I stopped everything else and focused on my body, I found I just could not make me well without help.  I began to do what the doctor told me to do...rest, take medicine, drink plenty of water, rest, take medicine, drink plenty of water, and so on.

I realize how slow we are at times to reach out and ask for help.  We think we can do it on our own.  We believe we don't need anyone else.  Yet, life circumstances can stop us in our tracks and catch us when we drop.

So often, O Lord, we operate the same way in our spiritual lives.  We are arrogant to believe we know the way, the right way, the best way, or at least the better way.  We take that side road and once we get to the dead end, we stop and drop.  Only then do we consult with you about where to go next.

We forget you, Father.  We forget to take the sacred road laid out before us.  We forget the jeweled pictures we will see on the road to eternity. We forget to take your hand and travel to sights and scenery we cannot see anywhere else.  Forgive us.

Great Physician,
thank you
for leading us
your way.
Thank you
for gifts
along the way.
Thank you
for catching us
when we drop.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Dear God,

Although we had a history-breaking snowfall record of more than 100 inches last winter, we are in a season of drought.  The ground is brown in places, flowers are limp, and everything is thirsty.  How can it be?

Somewhere in the human mind we have the idea that each day is to be normal, like 72 degrees.  We judge our day by the way it is off the mark.  If the temperature rises, we complain of the heat, humidity, and the crankiness it can bring with it.  If the temperature drops, we shiver and growl about it being cold and maybe dreary.  We have an expectation that everything should be "normal."

If life is really about the journey and not the destination, then taking the ride of a lifetime in its ups and downs will afford us a spectacular view.  As I consider the twists and turns of the spirit life, I realize the ups and downs give us incredible opportunities to grow, see life anew, and take risks to do things we have never done before.  We are enabled to see life from the underside, the upside, the side  view, the climbing view, and even going-around-the-curve view and it is true, life looks different from differing angles.  Whenever I am going around the curve, I know to hang on to you a little tighter.  When I am going upward, I get to let go altogether leaving my hands available to celebrate and praise you.  When I am going down, I squeeze real close.  In each moment no matter which direction life takes us, you teach us valuable life lessons because life is anything but normal.

Holy God,
giver of life,
thank you
for off-the-mark living.
Thank you
for the seat
right next
to you.
Thank you
for the view
wherever we are
because it
always gives us
a quick picture
of you.

Love, Andrea