Monday, January 23, 2017

Dear God,

There is no story greater than yours, O Lord.  I long to write my story in yours.  I want my life to tell your story.

Each day when we awaken, when we pray, when we go about our life loving, serving, and helping we write our story in you.  But when we lift up ourselves as though we are the central figure in our story, we miss the greatest story ever told.  Our own story will soon fade but your story will be written day after day and become more beautiful day after day.

When I read my daily devotions, Good News for Modern Man, The Broken Way, and Then Sings My Soul, I read your story.  I read the story of those so close to you.  I see how your story is woven through theirs.  Then their story becomes my story as I receive their inspiration and am challenged to rise up, to become more, and to rewrite my own story in you.

Bless you,
dear God,
for your story
of faith.
Thank you
for all those
whose stories
are written
in you.
Thank you
for the
great story
that changes lives,
gives hope,
and shapes history.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Dear God,

My body is beginning to respond positively to the tests and medication changes.  I feel my whole insides gravitating toward healing.  It has been weeks since I begin to decline.  To finally feel the first change lifting me up is a miracle-in the making.

How often have I had to drop backward into your arms?  How many times have I had to trust wholly in your care?  It seems as though the answer always had two essential elements:  surrender and trust.
I had to let go, to release, and to take your outstretched hand.  When I have been able, I have discovered hope in the process.  Why does it take me so long to do it?

Thank you,
O Lord,
for your
healing hand.
Thank you
for your
compassionate love
that calls me
to you.
Thank you
for the blessing
of hope.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, January 21, 2017

Dear God,

The first thing, the very first thing to do is to meet with you first thing in the morning, before the laundry and the dishes, the news and weather report, and social media and breakfast.  If we do all these things first, we miss the sweetness of first morning love, faith, and hope. 

So often I want to put the laundry in the washer before I sit down with you.  I want to put away the dishes, clean up the living room, and make my bed.  But why?  Why wouldn't I be like Mary who went straight to you and sat down at your feet? 

So often I forfeit the golden silence, the brush of a new day, and meeting my Lord as a Lover whom I have not seen in so long.  But when I run to you first, when I allow my longings to find you waiting, and I give to you my first thoughts, my devotion, and my love, well, there is no morning like this.  I drink in the wonder of the brand new day.  I eat from the table of sacred offering.  I breathe in the air of heaven.  I find joy like no other and gratitude spills from me like a fountain.

Heavenly Father,
Good God of Grace,
thank you
for the blessing
of first morning.
Thank you
for making
my way
to you.
Thank you
for grace
when I choose
someone else
or something else first.
Forgive me;
show me
your way.

Love, Andrea

Friday, January 20, 2017

Dear God,

Peace.  What we need is peace.  What I need is peace.

The television, social media, and many national and international leaders are not providing us peace.  They give us more and more cause to join the frenzy of angry people.

Where does our peace come from?  It does not come from outside; it comes from inside, that, soft tender spot where our maker birthed us.  Only there can we drink in peace, can we eat from the table of peace, can we breathe in peace.  Only there.  Only there.

You are
our peacemaker,
Lord;
you make us
sacred places
where we
can meet peace.
In every situation
in life,
you give us opportunity
for peace,
the sweet peace
of heaven.
Draw us near
to peace,
O Lord,
where we
may eat,
drink, and rest
in peace.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Dear God,

My nativity scene still sits on the coffee table-turned altar.  Several years ago I carried the olive wood crèche in my backpack all the way from Bethlehem.  Each year I set it up the first days of Advent.  The shepherd and sheep graze nearby but the wise kings are afar off.  Mary and Joseph are a ways away as well.  But on Christmas morning Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus take their place of honor in the stable just below the star.  On or about Epiphany, January 6 I bring the kings up and place them close by.  All during the season including winter it rests before me and I draw strength not only from the story but the reality of faith.

Several mornings I just sat down on the couch and gazed at the carved wood.  Somehow the power of the story, the characters, and gleaming candle spreading its light touch and inspire me.  I draw in the hidden pieces of the story, all those lines never written yet lived there in that first primitive stable.  I think of Mary laying on the hay, cold, shivering, and yet warmed by the thought of birthing this very special baby for you.  I think of Joseph, still bewildered by this unfolding drama.  When the shepherds appear shouting stories of strange stars and angels singing and the kings in their full regalia kneel down and offer gifts of great value, I imagine the wonderment that filled that animal shed.

During these days of surgery recovery and complications, I find strength, comfort, and hope at the altar.

Blessed Lord,
a crèche
is never
just a crèche.
It is
the retelling
of the
wondrous story
of faith.
I continue
to receive
the gifts
of Christmas
late into January
because faith
is a
fresh new gift
every morning.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Dear God,

Sometimes just the sound of a loving voice will ease the chaos in our lives.  That one voice that can bring hope, comfort, and mercy.  On Wednesday mornings when our covenant group of four gather by conference call, their voices sound awfully much like yours.

So often, O Lord, we look for big answers to our pleas for help.  We expect the miracle, the great change, or the impossible.  Most of the time we are disappointed, angry, or disillusioned.  We dismiss faith, hope, and belief as nothing more than a charlatan's flimsy promise. However, when we open ourselves for the still small voice, we connect with the master of the universe and find peace amidst the chaos.

Speak to us,
O Lord;
speak to us.
Your word
can calm
the restless,
weary soul.
Your word
can bring clarity.
Your word
can bring hope.
Prepare us
to meet you daily,
I pray.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Dear God,

When life begins to spin out of control, we look for you, O Lord.  We search for refuge, for peace, and comfort.  Whether it is our own life or one who is close to us, we seek your face, your voice, or your touch.

In this strange world where some have so much and so many have so little, we look for what we need to get through each day.  We grab at anything that will bring relief.  Sometimes the smallest thing will bring respite to us.

As we attempt to live out of faith, we cling to you, dear Father.  We look all over for signs of your living presence.  When that one thing catches our eye, we breathe in, take hold, and rest in you.

Give us signs,
dear God;
make your way plain.
Give us eyes
of faith
to help us
see you.
We yearn
to be close
especially when
we feel lost,
lonely, or afraid.
We need you,
Great Comforter;
we need you.

Love, Andrea

Monday, January 16, 2017

Dear God,

What is hope?  Is it a feeling of something will happen if I hang on to where I am?  Is it a promise that my situation will change and provide me what I am looking for? Is it a dream for something in the future?  Hope, however we see it, will die if not somehow tied to something larger than ourselves, our dream, or our wants and desires.

Hope is something more fragile, more intimate, than all these.  Hope is trust, a gentle hold onto a holy presence in the present moment.  It doesn't guarantee anything in the future, only what is right now.  Yet, what is beautiful is that this present moment will roll into the future of the next moment, the next hour, and the next day. 

Hope gets tested when life becomes rough.  When we find ourselves on stormy seas, we look for hope, the great change we think will take place.  So often we are disappointed or left bereft.  But we forget who holds hope, who provides the thread, the lifeline.  Anything less than God will not secure us in our distress.

Holy God,
show us
the way
to hope.
Show us
how to trust.
Lead us
to you.
Make our way clear,
we pray.
Let hope
be a lifeline
to you.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Dear God,

How does one describe hope unless they have known despair?  How can the raw emotion of hopelessness tell its story without saying, "I once was lost..."

Hope is sweet like nothing else really.  It seemingly comes out of nowhere, just suddenly appearing before us.  Life springs forth like a tiny bud that pushes its way up through the long-winter snow. Conquering the harsh elements, the world looks different.  Hope's friends can be found, peace, joy, and courage.  The stale, dead air of hopelessness gives way to fresh spirit air.

You are hope, dear Lord, you are hope.

In the hills
and valleys
of life,
sometimes we
lose our way.
We let
the storms
toss and
turn us.
We get upended
and can't find
our way home.
Thank you
for hope
that makes
the way clear.

Love, Andra

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Dear God,

When a hand reaches out and connects, the bond itself can help pull us up and out of the mire.  We feel like two rather than one.  Two have more strength than one.  Two can sing a song.  Two can climb mountains.  Two can find the rise together and meet hope.

This medical crisis has caused me to feel like only one, one sinking ship that no one notices when it slips under the water.  I have fallen into the deep because I did not have the energy to continue to bob on top of the water until help came.  But today that hand reached down and pulled me up. When my internist said, "I will do whatever we need to do to make you better," he began ordering tests and suddenly life began to return to my weary, worn body.

Sometimes it only takes one to make us feel like two.  Sometimes we just need to find that one voice that will sing with us.  Sometimes we just need to remember God, you, my Lord, are deeper than the deep.

Thank you,
Blessed Lord,
for pulling me up.
Thank you
for saving me.
Thank you
for the set
of prints
where you
carried me.

Love, Andrea

Friday, January 13, 2017

Dear God,

Sometimes we just have to come running to you.  We just have to let the dike crack and bread.  We just have to let the truth out so the compassion can come in.

I am sick.  I am weak.  My surgery went well but the rest of me is not well.  My new knee is great but many of my blood levels reveal way too many highs and lows, a couple way out of range.  I feel terrible.  I was walking without any aid and doing well but now I have to grab for them because I am too weak to do otherwise.  And every time I reach out for assistance, I know I am also stretching out to grasp onto you.

For nearly a month I was on my own with a doctor who could only say, "Normal, normal, that's all normal."  Even though I try to convey my decline, like the loss of 17 lbs. in a month it was like the birdie in the clock that pops out and chirps, "Normal, normal, that's all normal."  As I continued on the slide downward, I began to believe, "The surgery went well but the patient died." 

I feel vulnerable, like my life is ebbing away and nobody in the medical community cares.  I can hardly pray, too tired, too weak, too foggy.  And I fall off to sleep again for the umpteenth time.

But then a call comes, my own physician, and then I find myself at the altar of your heart and I begin to eat from the table, the holy table of eternal life, the bread, the wine, the juice, the crackers.  When I eat, it is not only the physical food but the essence of spirit food given me by a holy hand.

Hope, true hope
comes from you.
We may
labor hard;
we may
journey long
but the table
of the Lord
is always set
for the weak,
the weary,
the hungry,
the lost.
Thanks be
to God.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Dear God,

Every morning joy meets me as I sit with composers of the past.  Their trials and subsequent amazing hymns speak to me of faith, trust, and courage.  To dwell with them, their complexities, and their extraordinary gifts is a gift from on high.  As I listen to their story, I celebrate their faith and devotion to you, Wondrous God.

Sometimes we dwell when I sit in the light but other times, I enter their story from the back side, the dark side, the lonely side, the confused side.  Each and every time I discover you there and joy wells up within me.

I don't know how such things happen, I just know they do.  I also know they connect us together in beautiful ways.  I celebrate their faith and in some strange way, their music causes a greater celebration because we are able to join a much larger celebration and I am grateful to be drawn in.

God of grace,
thank you
for the
mysterious gifts
you bring
to us.
Thank you
for linking
the past,
present and future
together.
Thank you
for making faith
wide and deep.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Dear God,

I have had difficulty moving back into my prayer life.  With surgery and complications, my fatigue has laid me low.  Without a doctor taking steps to find out what is plaguing me, I have become more and more weary, without energy to do most anything.  Today I just cried.

Although I have trouble praying, I do have the sense that you are with me.  My years of praying, worshipping, retreating, and so much more, I have stored up faith for just such occasion.  How grateful I am.

When I was able to pray this morning, an insight came to me.  When we say amen, the prayer does not end.  The active end of the prayer moves on.  In the trial I am facing this is indeed good news.

Holy Father,
thank you
for the assurances
and promises
you give.
Thank you
for your kindness
and your
loving compassion.
When we
are down,
you remind us
of promised gifts.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Dear God,

With complications from knee surgery, some days things look skewed, strange, and confusing.  I look for you but feel myself falling into discouragement.  From there I see the world from the underside rather than on top of things.  I feel far away, exhausted, and alone.  I can't quite rise up to you.  I feel badly because I am not quite sure where I am.

I still read my morning devotions and sing a song of faith.  When I read the lyrics of beloved hymns, I gravitate to them because I know the words are words of faith and I grab hold trying to keep myself steady. I know you are in the songs and the book I am reading and so I try to move forward trusting in you.

One thing I know when we wander in the darkness we are soon to find the light, if only a tiny spark.  It is where I am know searching for the light and the hope.

Bless you,
O Lord,
for remembering me.
Thank you
for your
compassionate care.
Thank you
you for
remaining close by.

Love, Andrea

Monday, January 9, 2017

Dear God,

There are times when we feel vulnerable, out of sorts, and afraid.  There may be a reason for it, physically, psychologically, or spiritually.  During those times we wonder, doubt, feel sad and sometimes fearful, and confused.  However bad we may feel, we know all we need do is look up.

You come to us in our troubles.  You sit with us.  You whisper your love, comfort, and hope to us.  You remind us once again, "Do not be afraid."  When we stay with you, trust you to care for us, you rebuild our strength, our courage, and our hope.  As we trust you more and more, our "enemies" begin to dissolve, returning us to our original state.  This process of transformation increases our faith and produces gratitude.

Heavenly Father,
thank you
for the
blessed gifts
of faith.
Thank you
for tending
to our needs.
Thank you
for loving us
through our
hard times.
I love you.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, January 8, 2017

Dear God,

We pray; we see.  We wait; we give.  We work; we pray.  Whenever your church wants to grow, there is a lot of trusting.  We trust you to give us a vision.  We trust you to lead us.  We trust you to help us give.  We trust you as we pray.  We trust you to help us build.  Finally, we trust you to consecrate your church.

This morning we went to a consecration service which was years in the making.  The congregation trusted you to help them all along the way.  They wanted most of all to follow your lead.  They took risks and kept moving forward.  Today we all celebrated.

You continually ask us to trust you in the church, in our home, in our relationships, in our future, and every other way.  Trusting you is the greatest leap we take in faith. 

Heavenly Father,
lead us
to your will.
Help us
follow you.
Make your way plain
that we
may faithfully
fulfill your desire
for our lives.
Build up
our trust
that we
may walk
side by side
with you.
We give you thanks.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Dear God,

Every morning you invite us to the side of the Hope of the World.  You know hope is essential to every day living.  You know hope will help us rise in the morning.  Hope will cause us to move forward.  Hope will delight our soul.  Hope will help us face stormy seas.  Hope will bless us as we consider your will for our lives.

Hope, is there any better gift? We can immerse ourselves in hope and find strength and peace, courage even.  Hope can solidify our faith and make us ready to take steps into our future set out for us.  Hope can shatter doubts and fears.  Hope can lead us to you.

Blessed God,
thank you
for the gift
of hope.
Thank you
for the joy
that comes
with it.
Thank you
for giving us
a chance
at the future.

Love, Andrea

Friday, January 6, 2017

Dear God,

Epiphany, January 6, the journey of the wise ones to Bethlehem.  I love the story.  I love the search, the trust in the star, and the long ride to a manger.  What a contrast, wise, rich kings and a cold, dirty shanty.

Every year I sit with the story.  I think about these men, smitten with a precious newborn, who knelt down before him, sat in awe, and gave his family gifts for this young child whose future was bright with promise, yet, with a shadow of a cross.

The story urges me to answer the daunting question:  How far would I go to find the messiah, the savior, the redeemer?  Would I respond to the invitation?  Would I look up, find the star, and follow? 

Loving God,
you invite us all,
you reach out
to all
of us.
You call
to us
to draw near.
You know
the thrill,
the value,
and the meaning
of meeting
the Christ.
Make us ready,
willing, and desirous,
to make
the journey
at once.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, January 5, 2017

Dear God,

What do composers see or hear when they pen great hymns that have inspired for centuries?  As I continue to read Then Sings My Soul, I rise up in faith realizing how faith can inspire other people to faith.

Out of their own sense of holy faith, composers write from their gut.  They put pen to paper when they sense your holy presence touching them at their core.  They write about your almighty power, yet tender care.  They write what they know and experience in life.  Their hymns are not outdated.  They still speak about God, creator, helper, comforter, teacher, and friend.

Each day when I read one more story and sing one more song, I am so glad to know you and to know their God for they are one and the same.

Blessed God,
thank you
for the gifts
of faith
and music.
Thank you
for lyrics
that speak powerfully
to the
human soul.
Thank you
for inspiration
that captures
our attention
and grows
our faith.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Dear God,

Together we listen for your voice.  We empty our souls making holy space for you.  We follow your leading and are amazed at the way you direct us.

Every Wednesday is covenant group.  A conference call for 4, all pastors, all seekers, all lovers of you, Wondrous God.  We love to gather together; however, meeting you is our highest joy.

After silence, devotion, and prayer, one shares and all of us wait, listen.  We are not quick to speak.  We want the leading of your spirit to move us, to challenge us, and to nudge us into creative thinking, divine listening, and discovering new truths.  We want to meet you in the intersections of our lives.  As we follow and wait, we are always blessed.

Holy God,
thank you
for divine silence,
for your
spoken word,
and for
your challenge
that increases
our faith,
strengthens our resolve,
and moves us
into the future
with hope.
Thank you
for being
very present
every Wednesday morning.
We are blessed,
so very blessed.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday,January 3, 2017

Dear God,

Truly open hearts, minds, and souls can hear the voice of God.  As we recognize the need and desire to open ourselves to God, wonderful, marvelous things can happen.  Doors open to hope, creativity, and joy.

As I continue my Advent/Christmas devotions, I am finding myself in the middle of people's lives who lived long ago.  Like Isaac Watts, a composer of more than 600 hymns, I read about his life, his reasons for writing, and his inspiration to pen hymns that speak to the deep parts of the soul.  As I reflect upon one of his songs, read the lyrics, and sing the soprano line, I realize I know the same God as he.  Suddenly, I too am inspired in faith.  My heart swells with more love for you.  My well of gratitude overflows.  I see how your work can still touch souls hundreds of years later. 

How I
thank you
for speaking
to me today.
Thank you
for open hearts
who sought
after you
and found you.
Thank you
for their witness
that still
blesses us.

Love, Andrea

Monday, January 2, 2017

Dear God,

Who can turn out the light of the living Lord?  No one, no matter how much we try to snuff out the light, it is not possible.  This is the great promise of Christ who is the light of the world.

Each evening when night falls, I think of the darkness that seeks sometimes to overtake us.  Yet, each morning without exception, the light breaks through the darkness.  It shines, radiates on the earth.  The light gives us a measure of hope and assurance that we are a people of light, although often our attitudes toward one another and our behaviors do not display our radiance.  However, because Christ is light and we are people of faith, God's light shines within us.

When I think about the chaos and conflict in our world, I realize more and more, I do not want to act as a person of the night.  I want to shine light, its warmth, its hope, its beauty, and its peace.  Even my own tiny bit of light can touch another soul for good.  I want to act as a person of the light.  I want to help.  I want to emanate light and love to those who may or may not know the light and feel its power and love. I want all peoples of the earth to feel the light and love of the Lord.

Bless you,
Holy Father,
for your gift
of light.
Thank you
for the heat
of your love.
Thank you
for joy
that emanates
from the light.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, January 1, 2017

Dear God,

How good it is to start fresh with you, to let go of the past, and to consider the future with all the resources you give us to lead us into newness of life.  Prayer, meditation, divine silence, music of the soul, and a longing to walk close can direct our path and inspire us to reconsider our commitment to you. 

First, we begin with love.  Your love is greater than human love.  You give it to every child of the planet.  When we start with love, recognizing it as your greatest gift to us, we have time to drink it in, to breathe it into the whole of our being, and to bask in unconditional love.  Once we are full of your love we have courage to begin anew.  Secondly, we follow love with silence.  Why?  Because it is a gift we give back, a time of quiet, listening, and opening ourselves to you.  There you have our attention and an opportunity to speak to us.  In our quietude, we have the privilege of hearing your voice.  Your message may be one of reiterated love or affirmation or hope or challenge.  Thirdly, we step inside your message.  If it be hope, we have the chance to let hope into our body, mind, and soul.  With hope we acknowledge other gifts that will help us pursue the future with determination and thanksgiving. Fourth, we take steps forward and along the way we pick up strength, joy, and increase our courage.  Finally, having come full circle, we step back into love with gratitude.  Gratitude helps us see the vast wealth of what we have been given.

Today is a new day to begin but then so is tomorrow and the next day and the next.

Almighty God,
thank you
for love
that never ends.
Thank you
for all
your wondrous
and beautiful gifts.
Thank you
for your kindness
that helps
us see
the future,
our future ahead.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, December 31, 2016

Dear God,

Although I am not one to stay up late and bring in the new year, I do consider the past year and the new year coming.  Mostly I do it by faith.  Has faith played a major role in my life this last year?  Will I commit myself more and more to you in the new year?

I don't look at success as one of my measures for reflecting upon a year lived.  I do not check my account balances, my material accumulations, my travels, my work, or my canning efforts.  I ask myself the more difficult questions.  Did I love much?  Did I reach out?  Did I forgive?  Did I trust?  Did I walk in faith?  My overall score is probably a C.  I need work in my soul.

Heavenly Father,
full of grace,
thank you
for the blessing
of faith.
Thank you
for helping me
see the truth
of myself.
Please help me
in the
new year
to be reborn.

Love, Andrea

Friday, December 30, 2016

Dear God,

On this cold wintry day I am reminded of Ecclesiastes 3.  "There is a time and season for all things under heaven."  This passage, one of my favorites, gives great balance to my life.  "There is a time to be born and a time to die; a time for mourning and a time for dancing."  Although I am homebound and everything seems to be the same for me, I know the season is changing and me with it.

As I feel the cold air sweep in when the front door opens, I know the season of winter has come, another of my favorites.  I know you know it is good for change to come, to welcome us into new opportunities for faith.  I know there is much that needs to change within us; we need transforming.

As I remain in a "silent" place of recovery, I reflect upon the fact that you are a never-changing God whose love and compassion welcome us every morning.  As all things seem to change around us, we can give ourselves anew to you for the transforming work of faith.

Holy God,
thank you
for changing times.
Thank you
for this season
of transformation.
Thank you
for love
that never ends
even though
the environment
where love grows
is ever-changing.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Dear God,

All was quiet as I rose from my bed this morning.  I rolled down the hallway on my walker, got a drink of water, and returned to the living room.  I slid over to the chair by the Christmas tree and felt the plug in on the rug, and I took it and plugged it in.  As I stepped around the altar holding the nativity scene, I simply asked the question, "Where are you, O Lord?"  Suddenly, I looked down and there on the lower branch a beautiful, round sparkling white bulb circled in silver glitter began to gently rock back and forth.  Nothing else was moving.  I got it.  The breath of your spirit was blowing upon the lovely ornament to speak a word of assurance to me.

Sometimes it is the little things that impact our lives.  When we look too far off with great expectations, we lose the opportunity to discover the small things that touch our soul.  This morning that bulb returned a bit of peace to me and I was grateful.

You are
the source
of all
good things, Lord.
You want
to stay close
to us.
You want
to touch
our lives
and inspire us.
You want us
to trust you
in all things.
When I
felt doubt
this morning,
I simply
asked my question
and you
answered me.
Thank you.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Dear God,

One of the wonders of Christmas is the strong remembrance of loved ones who died so long ago yet live on Christmas morning in my heart, mind, and soul.  I remember my grandmother whose home was a tabernacle of Christ's love.  I remember her Christmas lights, those old fashioned bubbling oil lights, her delicious homemade dishes and desserts, and her love of your son and family members.  To be in her presence was to be in the presence of all that is holy.

As Harold or I read the Christmas story on Christmas morning and pray before we open gifts, I think of Grandma and how she read the same old, wonderful story.  I think of cousins who joined us on the farm Christmas Eve and how we all gathered to enjoy Christmas Eve services in the tiny town of Atlanta, Indiana.  So many memories of faith flood my soul.

Each year as I make new memories with my children and grandchildren, I think of how one generation is connected to the next and how we all sit together to hear the same story one more time.

Loving God,
thank you
for the witness
of faith
that continues
to spread
its wonder
over the
next generation.
Thank you
for circling us together.
Thank you
for the
divine mystery
that reveals itself anew
every year.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, December 27, 2016

Dear God,

While I recovered from knee surgery, I leaned on the inspiration that came all during Advent.  The song of faith reached my ears every day.  The hope of Christmas lived and abided within me.  The light of joy wrapped me like a newborn in swaddling clothes.  Who could ask for a greater gift?

Although Advent was filled with pain prior to the surgery, nonetheless, you kept my eye open for Advent surprises.  You spoke your word through countless means and that word kept me close, real close.  You filled me up so when I was recovering, I could still live the Advent life and give praise for all its gifts.  You did this, Lord, you.

Blessed God,
how happy
I am
to feed
on your inspiration.
Thank you
for reminding me
nothing can
hinder us
from experiencing
the joy
you create
for us.
Thank you
for holy time
before, during
and after Christmas.

Love, Andrea

Monday, December 26, 2016

Dear God,

Christmas is never over December 26.  It continues bringing it own kind of joy.

I still revel over the gift given me for Christmas.  A cow, a living pregnant cow that will be given to a very poor farmer in Kenya.  What joy a small village will experience when this mother cow gives birth and produces milk for hungry children.

The afterglow of Christmas reminds me just how your spirit fills us all year long.  We do not have to wait for a special day to make that happen.  You welcome us into the new day with hope, light, and comfort.  You tuck us into bed each night with the promise of your sustaining presence.  Your light shines bright and no matter the condition or situation, it warms our heart and feeds our soul.

On this day after, I am joyous that it is not the day after your love was expressed.  It is yet another day of Christmas.

Holy God,
thank you
for the blessing
of your
wondrous presence.
Thank you
for your
kind compassion.
Thank you
for hope
that leads us
into each
new day.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, December 25, 2016

Dearest God,

Christmas morning is holy, a silent, sacred display of heavenly presence.  It is a favorite morning when I rise in darkness to find the light.  I am never disappointed.

This morning still fighting fever and pain from surgery, I rolled my walker into the living room and sat before the quiet, dark nativity scene.  This was the morning I had longed for.  I took the matches and struck one.  Then I lifted the white votive candle and lighted it, placing it just outside the crèche.  I took Jesus from his dark place and put him front and center in the manger.  I pulled Mary and Jesus closer.  I took the lambs and the shepherds and placed them nearby.  The kings I left still afar off.  I scooted back onto the couch and watched as the light dance cast beautiful shadows drawing all the figures into the scene of amazing wonder and grace.

Holy Father,
thank you
for the beauty
of Advent
and Christmas.
Thank you
for the
divine mystery
that unfolds
each Advent
and Christmas season.
I am
incredibly blessed
to share
in the joy
of your
holy moment.

Love always, Andrea