Friday, February 26, 2021

Dear God,

It is time to return home.  For a month I have worked hard on home improvement projects.  I refinished an Early American table and the stairway going upstairs to the bedrooms.  In a 200-year-old home things can begin to look pretty ratty; at the same time when they are restored, refinished or renewed it is like a miracle happens.  In fact, my guess is they become more beautiful than before.  Why?  Because they have a history, a story to tell.  Their nicks, dents, scratches, cracks and holes give us opportunity to work together, the wood and the woodworker.

The spiritual life is the same, O God.  Over time we too become scarred, scratched up.  We lose our luster and glow.  Sometimes we lose our beauty and goodness too.  Abused, neglected and forgotten people too can fall into disrepair.  But, you, Lord, yes, you, can create a miracle in us as well.  You can take the stuff of which you originally made us and you can do wonders.  You can remake us and give us a story to tell as well, one that shares the work of the Creator and creature.

Thank you,

Holy One,

for the gift

of this truth.

Thank you

for blessing

my journey

and my work.

Thank you

for the 

spiritual and

emotional refreshment

that has come

from your hands.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Dear God,

My heart fills with gratitude overflowing when I witness your grace at work.  When I realize an unexpected gift, an exquisite surprise or a blessing that overwhelms someone, tears fill my eyes because I see the signs of your sacred presence.

Moments ago I watched an audition on America's Got Talent.  Two young teens sang The Prayer.  It was evident before the young people sang that the judges did not expect much if anything; yet, when they opened their mouths and sang the first notes, it was clear you had blessed them with amazing voices.  They received a standing ovation and I could not help but believe you were present there.  And so, I wept with joy singing my praise for the singing couple and for you, Great Gift Giver.

Holy, holy, holy

are you,

Loving Creator.

Thank you

for unexpected gifts.

Forgive us

when we fail

to see potential.

Thank you

for these teens.

May they

follow their dreams

and your gifts.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Dear God,

This morning I read the most wonderful scripture.  It flooded my soul to overflowing with gratitude.  It was St. Paul writing to the people of Ephesus.  

                    "May your roots go down deep into the soil of God's marvelous love.

                    And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should,

                    how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is."

Only someone who has known this kind of love can write about it.  Although I am small, a little bit of nothing really, I know this love.  Several times I have been splashed, sprinkled, rained on, immersed in and flooded with your love.  Although I have done nothing to deserve it, still it has come to me.  And every time I am grateful, so very, very grateful.

As I pondered this reading earlier, I smiled a great big smile just for you, my beloved God, just for you.  Thank you for love that knows no bounds.

Praise to you,

Gracious and Loving God.

Thank you

for the

lovely gifts

of your spirit.

Thank you

for beginning

my day

with the word

made flesh.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Dear God,

There is no god like you!  You use all your created order to speak to your children.  Today it was an Early American table I have been refinishing. 

I sanded a few days, washed down, stained for a couple days, sanded and brushed polyurethane for three days.  This morning I finished the poly.  Once done I crawled under the table, laid on my back and looked underneath to wipe down any poly that may have run and dripped.  While there you spoke.  Funny, but not surprising.

Like renewing a table, the renewal of one's own self is a process.  It is the journey of renewal rather than the finished product.  My table has a beautiful top and sides but the underneath will always reveal its age, defects and varying work.  It is not perfect and no matter how much work I do, it will never be perfect.  The same is true for my own soul.  No matter how much work I do, I will never be perfect.  The journey is not about perfection rather it is a life process of trust, hope, work and transformation.  

Thank you

for today's

life lesson.

Thank you

for my table.

Thank you

for faith

that opens

the door

to insight,

challenge and wisdom.

You are God;

there is

no other.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 22, 2021

Dear God,

Mother Teresa told the sisters of the Missionaries of Charity to be "carriers of God's love."  Love was what they offered best in the slums of Calcutta and subsequent ministries in others nations.

I couldn't read her thoughts, prayers and letters without reflecting upon that question.  Am I a carrier of God's love?  Do I carry your love to all others around me?  Certainly to people I love close to me but as Jesus once said, "Even the poor do that."  Do I embody your love?  Do I carry it and give it away?  Am I full of your love?

What good does it do for you to love us if all we do is hoard that love within ourselves and fail to share it with the world around us?  Isn't that like "building bigger barns to store more?"  I don't want to be a love hoarder; I want your love to be fluid coming in and going out of me.  I want to share your generous, gracious love with everyone.  

Help me

live like you,

Loving God;

help me

fill up

with love,

then let it

spill over

onto others.

So many

need your love

right now.

They are desperate.

Show me

the way.

Give me

your people

to love,

all your people.

Yours, Andrea

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Dear God,

This morning the psalmist's words spoke directly to my heart.  "I wait quietly before God; my hope is in him."  As you know, I have not always been patient.  I have wanted your swift action.  Rarely did I get what I wanted in a timely fashion.

Through the years you have challenged me as you held me close.  "Wait, daughter, and see."  I would hear your voice speaking to me.  What I learned through these many challenges is when we wait, much is happening.  Trust is growing.  Faith is growing.  Hope is growing.  Peace is growing.  Wisdom is growing.  Waiting does not mean a void where nothing is happening.  Oh no, you are working to give us more than we ask.

I remember sweet instances of grace when I waited.  One is being called to create a spiritual path in the woods.  For 13 or so years you whispered little challenges to me, work to be done patiently, reverently.  I took steps but only the steps you offered.  I did not become impatient, not even once.  I followed my spiritual guide, you my Helper.  

Summer after summer, I simply followed your words.  As I worked, labored in your "vineyard," I grew ever closer to you.  I did not need to know the end result or a timeline.  It was simply enough to work with you, to fulfill your desire, to offer my trust, love and loyalty.  I found such peace and joy working with and for you.  It didn't matter if I worked in the dirt hours nearly every day of the week.  I loved it.  I loved what you were doing.  I loved you.

Thank you

for the lesson

of waiting,

of patience,

of listening

and following.

Thank you

for the gifts

that came

when I

quietly waited 

before you.

Thank you

for love

that sprang up

like a 

flowing fountain.

Love always, Andrea

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Dear God,

I remember being terrified to walk alone along the old road to Jericho.  In fact I could not.  I asked the guide to walk beside me, he being on the outside at the edge with no rails or safety barriers.  As we stepped into the town of Jericho, I was disappointed that I could not make the journey alone.

I thought about that long walk many times.  I came to realize I let fear guide my decision.  I did not trust you or myself enough to make the pilgrimage a solo journey.  And so I began to pray that my trust in you would increase helping my fear decrease.

I also recall the same journey two years later.  I prayed you would be my ultimate guide.  I decided to walk it alone letting prayer give me strength and courage.  I prayed the whole three or four hours, giving thanks for every dip in the rugged, narrow path, every sharp turn and uphill and downhill climb.  As I viewed Jericho in the distance I knew I could make it.

That first trip to Jericho was a learning experience.  It was a special time to be stretched and grow.  I allowed my faith to build up and to lead me into new experiences of spiritual and emotional highs as I learned on the second trip just how much trust could enable me to do what I initially thought was impossible.  I discovered trust in you can make most anything possible!

Holy and Mighty God,

thank you

for second chances.

Thank you

for the road

to Jericho.

Thank you

for challenging me.

Thank you

for being enough.

Thank you

for faith

that makes

all the difference.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 19, 2021

Dear God,

The key to the front door is not working well.  In fact, it is so difficult that I am afraid it will break off and I will never get in the door. 

What a spiritual metaphor.  My key is not working to my heart, mind of soul.  And why not?  My inner workings are slipping.  They may be rusted or faulty.  Something has to be done to make me work once again.  For the front door, I have called a locksmith.  Perhaps, I need one too.

Holy God,

I too

need your help.

We need

your help.

There are

a lot

of faulty doors,

hearts, minds

and soul.

We need

a rework.

Please help.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Dear God,

How do we stop acting as if we are kings and queens in terms of privilege, commodities, medical practices, community renewal and justice?  We who are white, have college educations, good jobs, nice homes, good incomes and much of life's niceties, how do we contribute to help all who do not have what we have.

Recent figures explain the inequities of medical and economic health for people of color.  More people of color are being diagnosed with Covid and dying than are their white counterparts.  These persons also face much greater hardship on so many levels.  We cannot allow this to continue.

How do we stop these injustices, O Lord?  How do we level the playing field and provide for all people?  How do we show mercy to all who face suffering?  How, O Lord, how?

Merciful God,

there are

so many injustices

in our world.

Many are suffering

great hardships;

yet, we

go on living

the way

we do

and turn

a blind eye.

This cannot

be right.

Show us

the way,

O God,

show us

the way

to love

our neighbor

as we

love ourselves.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Dear God,

My favorite theme in the bible is transformation.  I love transformation because it is the opportunity for second chances, an opportunity to be remade, reshaped and renewed.  It means things do not have to stay the way they are because there is a chance for change.

Right now I am refinishing an old table, maybe fifty, sixty years old and the stairway leading upstairs which is 200 years old.  Sanding for days is helping to clear the way for refurbishment.  As the old comes off in sandy dust, I think of what it is like to shake the dust off my past. 

I too have a lot of blemishes, flaws and ugly reminders of the "not-so-nice" parts of myself.  I need to rid myself of them, to remove them or at least clean them up so there is space for a do-over.  Now, several days into the project, I realize how long it takes to get rid of the unwanted debris.  This is the hardest part of the job.  It is your hardest part too, isn't it Living God?  Helping me clean up myself for a new look is not easy on your side of things either.

Transformation is not easy but worthwhile.  I want a new start in parts of my life.  I want to replace some darkness with light, some despair with hope and anger with peace.  

As I work on my projects, I discover I am also working on me.

Thank you,

Loving God,

for your

holy work

of cleansing.

Thank you

for reminding me

the stairs

and table

are not

the only things

needing change.

Do what

you will

to clean me up

so I

will be ready

to do

what you

want to do next.

Love, Andrea 

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Dear God,

There is only one way to deal with darkness when it comes.  That is to trust you.  Usually we fight the darkness as if it is a larger enemy than our capacity to deal with it.  We let darkness make us afraid and powerless.  But is this truth?  Is the darkness greater than we?  Perhaps but not with God.  Biblical writers say that Jesus believed the light and the darkness are the same.  Why because with you the darkness is as light.

The darkness can be anything from nighttime to a terror facing us.  Darkness can come when we are anxious or afraid.  Darkness can come if we are confused or frustrated, when something seems out of our control.  How can we combat this darkness?  Trust in God.  Trust in you can give us courage, strength, hope, insight and determination to do what seems impossible.

There are a million examples of trust in the face of fear, biblical, experiential and psychological.  Taken from our own lives, we can reflect upon times when a little trust went a long way to help us.  If we dig deeper into biblical and historical figures, we will discover so many who trusted in their difficulty and found a way to overcome the darkness.  Light is light and always will be.  No darkness can overtake it!

Embolden us

to trust you,

O God.

Show us

the way.

Teach us

to walk

with you

so trust

is not

far off.

Love, Andrea

Monday, February 15, 2021

Dear God,

How do we forgive those who have harmed us both individually and collectively?  How do we let go of feelings of anger and revenge?  How do we live daily life and not be caught back up in the old feelings?

I confess I cannot abide our former president.  I find him despicable, deplorable and disgusting.  I believe he is a narcissistic, self-centered, manipulative liar with no ability for compassion.  There, I have said it, Lord.  How can he be your child too?  How can he be as loved as all the rest of us?  How can he be a beloved child?

I ask those questions even though I know the answers.  He is your child because you made him just as you gave life to all the rest of us.  You created him as you did all others.  If one is your child, then all must be your children.  No one stands outside the circle of your love and acceptance.  Flawed, imperfect as we all are, we are all welcomed by you.

Oh, Lord, I really do want to follow you, to love you and to love all your children.  I want your divine will.  I want to be light just as you are light.  I want to be love as you are love.  Help me, I pray.

O God,

none are worthy

to be called

your children;

yet, all are.

Thank you

all are included.

Teach us tolerance,

acceptance and compassion

but also

make us

justice-seekers,

compassionate lovers

and receptive children. 

Love, Andrea

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Dear God,

In the quiet morning as I sat with my circle of friends (authors of devotional books), I heard a single bird sing.  Throughout the next hour he was the only one to sing.

I was struck by one voice in the silence.  What was his message?  The first thought that popped into my mind was this:  "Spring is coming!"  As a lover of winter, I am dwelling in my favorite season.  I am not ready for spring; yet, I listened with interest to this one bird.  

For some the single voice may mean hope to those who think winter will never end.  It may mean hope to the darkness that winter brings.  It could be a word of inspiration to those who need to see an end to the pandemic, political chaos and uncertainty.  Or perhaps he sang just to sing.

This morning the little creature taught me a spiritual lesson.  Sing to bring light in the darkness.  Sing alone even if no one else will sing with you.  Sing to bring hope.  Sing to offer praise to the Creator.  Sing because singing brings joy.

Thank you

for one

of your

special creatures

who sang

to me

this morning.

Thank you

for unexpected beauty

that seemingly

rose up

out of nothing.

Thank you

for surprises,

lovely surprises.

Yours, Andrea

Saturday, February 13, 2021

Dear God,

In a recent sermon the preacher talked about God's love story.  I thought about it, a love story, hmm, yes, a love story of creation, of the making of humankind, two people made for one another, of our Maker and God's children.  

How do we get to know your love story, Lover of all Creation?  Perhaps it comes through us, maybe we can tell the story.  No, better than that, we can become your love story in the world.  

Do I live that story, your story, your love story?  Does my life give evidence to your love in the world?  Do my words and actions give witness to your love story, O God, because if not, I want them to.  I want to be your love story, not to receive recognition, acknowledgement or credit but rather to be love, to tell the story by my love.  Make it so, please, Lord.

I want

to be

a love story

for you,

Lover of my Soul.

I want

to write

your story

by my living.

I want 

to sing

your story

by my faith.

Help me,

O God,

I pray.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 12, 2021

Dear God, 

After a deep snowfall a few days ago, I started watching footprints appear.  I have no idea who or what traipsed through the snow in my yard and woods but I love seeing evidence of all who felt welcome to come.  I love sharing life with all those who lived here before me, all the wildlife who called it home before I did.

While the scene brings great joy to me, I wonder if I have left tracks of joy wherever I have trod.  Have I made a mark anywhere?  Have I sprinkled joy in the wake of my own journey?  Have I welcomed others to join me?

Sometimes it takes strange tracks to inspire us to think of you.

Blessed are you,

Loving God.

Thank you

for unexpected gifts.

Thank you

for strange visitors

in whose light

I see your light.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 11, 2021

Dear God,

How can we sing praise for our own blessings when many, way too many are without blessing?  Each time I inventory the gifts of your spirit, I feel the sting of those who are without, those who are hungry, jobless, homeless, sick, lost and without hope.

Someone once said that we just have to go on with own life, that they are not our responsibility.  Really, I ask myself, really?  How can that ever be true?  Are these not our sisters and brothers, family?  Are not their wounds ours too?  When they weep, should we not weep as well?

Although some will say, "The poor you will always have with you,"  that was never intended to be a free ticket to do nothing.  We can, we should, we must care for others.  Life is never just about ourselves; it always includes the neighbor, the stranger, the lost, the anxious, and the forgotten.

Make it so,

O Lord,

that we realize

our connection

to all those

who live

on this planet.

We are 

not made

for ourselves

or for

our own.

Remold us

with new faith,

new eyes

to see,

new ears

to hear

with a commitment

to bless,

help, love

give and

serve others.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, January 10, 2021

Dear God,

How do we ever fully know your will?  How can we say unequivocally we know the will of God in a particular situation?  How can we be sure?

A heart that longs to do your will is one that trusts you to speak, to bend perhaps not the situation but us.  One that realizes you do not exist to rubber stamp our wishes, our desire.  One that searches ways to beat in rhythm to your heartbeat rather than expecting you to join ours.

Such longings draw me back to the psalmist who says, "I long for you, O Lord, like a deer pants for water."  I want that deep longing, O God.  I want my heart to beat with yours.  I want to trust you more than I trust my own breath.  I want to be one with you.

But who am I to want my piddly little faith to be deeply connected to yours?  What right do I have?  What can I possibly offer to this "twosome?  Nothing much I know, yet, my heart wants it.

Mold my heart

with your hands,

O God.

Show me

the way.

Hold me close. 

Bend my will

to yours.

Love, Andrea

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Dear God,

We need peace, O Lord; our nation and world need peace.  However, we know peace doesn't come as the absence of conflict but rather as gentle breeze that blows on all the troubled world.  Peace is never just for  one but for all.  How could it be otherwise?

As I sit warmly in my home gazing out on the exquisite scene of a cold, wintry, snowy day, the psalmist whispers, "I fear no evil for thou art with me."  Only as I sit quietly trusting in you for breath, comfort and hope can I resist anxiety and fear that give space for my awareness of your living, loving presence that is with me. I can breathe the words in and out, in and out and know I am not alone.

I want to be a peacemaker, a peace giver.  I confess I keep the argument of political chaos alive as I daily talk about it with others.  My anger and resentment are deep toward our former president although I know by faith your love, power and mercy go deeper yet.  Peace is possible, even probable as I act in faith with trust to allow peace to bubble up within me, spilling out of me to the world around me.  O God, may it be so, may it be so.

Peacemaking God,

how I 

long for you.

How I long

to find

your peace,

your authentic,

true peace,

not as 

the world

gives it

here and there

but in

the wind

of your 

mighty spirit.

I want

to ride

the wind

with you

and help change

our broken world.

Only you 

can make

this possible.

May my

own broken spirit

cleave unto

your mighty spirit

so we

become one spirit,

just one

of peace

for all.

Love always, Andrea

Monday, February 8, 2021

Dearest God,

Tonight you were no where nearer than when I watched the movie, "The Shack."  William Paul Young's depicture of God drew me ever closer to your heart. An inclusive, all loving, listening, compassionate and friendly God once again reminded me how our little ideas of you stymy us from faith, growth and challenge.  

I confess that I wept, sometimes sobbed as I watched this movie I have seen many times before.  I don't know whether my heart was more vulnerable, my mind more open or my soul more ready to see, hear and feel but even as the first scene came into view, tears began to well up within me.  I just let them fall as I listened to you as we watched it together, you and I.

At first I was surprised when my tears began falling.  I know the story line but I wondered why.  My answer came swiftly.  I resonated with Young's kind of God, one who is gentle, kind, attentive, affirming and loving, one who understands before our own understanding and one who gives space for learning, hoping and forgiving. I felt drawn to the movie because I felt drawn to you.  A short way through I realized I wanted to weep, remember my own challenges, deep hurts, sorrows and losses and how you were present through every one.  You held me close.  You let me spout my anger, resentment and bitterness.  You did not judge, just opened the door to something more.  

As the main character journeyed through his own deep sorrow and loss, it seemed I walked with him and all who have experienced the same feelings, hurts and pain.  I discovered again how you are present in our bewilderment, hurt and pain but also in our healing and creation of hope.  One line stood out when the character of God said, "When you are solely focused on your pain, you miss seeing me."  The near opposite is true, when we focus on you, our pain lessens, eases and diminishes.  Our losses are our losses for sure but the way we enter them, deal with them and step away is often determined how much we trust you to help us, how we cling to you for dear life and how we take steps toward healing and mercy.  Our outcomes in great part become part of the fabric of our spiritual and emotional life journey.  We can live to tell our story of your great faithfulness and work in our life.

Even when the movie concluded, I wanted more so I watched the Special Features.  I listened to actors who shared their reaction to the story the first time they read it, how they wept and responded inwardly.  I heard them talk about faith and how the story and the movie was bigger than itself.  There was more at play.  I watched as people shared the same story I knew and lived.  I realized again how pain and sorrow and faith and hope are part of a much, much bigger story and that story is the story of God.

Merciful God,

thank you

for the 

countless ways

you tell

your story.

Thank you

for inviting us

inside your story

to become

the players,

the characters

and the learners.

Thank you

for digging down deep

inside our souls,

meeting us there

where sometimes

we hide,

lost and afraid.

Thank you

for love

deeper than anything

we could

ever conjure alone.

Thank you

for joy

and gratitude

that bubble up

when we

realize again

just how close

you are.

Thank you,

my beloved.

Yours forever, Andrea

Sunday, February 7, 2021

Dear God,

My rock, my refuge and strength.  Biblical writers have used these words to describe you, your action, strength and power.  So much trust oozes out of these words used by a person crying out to you when in trouble.  Although these words are directed to you, they really say a great deal about the person saying them.  Essentially they are saying, "O God, you and you alone are my rock, my refuge and strength.  I trust in you as I face this crisis."  These are words of belief, commitment and trust.   Rarely do we affirm these beliefs when waters are peaceful.

There are so many reasons to declare these words when life is good, when all seems well and when there is nothing at issue to speak to you in anxious fear.  They are words of affirmation, trust and love.  They bless you as we say, pray them, but also they bless us as we offer up our belief in you, in some way declaring our utmost trust in you.  In some respects they are a love song to you, Merciful God.  Who else do we say these words to?

I want to begin each day with those words, Holy Father; I want to awaken each morning and declare to you, "O God, my rock, my refuge and my strength."  Each morning I want to begin my daily song with these words, these beliefs, these vows of trust.  I want to think of you before I think of anything or anyone else.  I want to declare my faith first thing in the morning and let this declaration be the last thing I pray before falling to sleep.  Oh, may it be so!

There is 

no one

to whom

I want

to offer

the depth

of my faith

more than you.

You alone

are my rock,

my refuge

and strength.

You have

proven yourself

over and 

over again.

I want

to never forget

your faithfulness,

never.

Thank you,

Holy and Living God,

thank you.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, February 6, 2021

Dear God,

This morning I could hear Isaiah, the biblical prophet, whisper these words, "Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength."  This message of hope lifted from the pages of the Bible for me.  Why today?  I am not sure except that suddenly I was able to remember times when I indeed waited on you and found not only strength but grace and hope and wisdom and peace and joy.  I also recalled times when I did not wait but followed my own desire and will.  Not the same outcome at all.

Waiting is not just waiting; it is a time to reflect, to gain trust, to breathe in the air of expectancy and hope.  It is a moment when we have opportunity to draw closer to the God of our faith, you, Almighty God.  Waiting is not a negative or a bad thing.  Waiting is making room to clear the air, flushing out bad thoughts, fear, anxiety and foreboding.  It carves out space to drink in living water, eat spiritual food and let the winds of your spirit blow in our souls.  Waiting gives us a new chance at a new life.

Holy God,

your word-made-flesh

opens us

to new opportunities

of faith,

self reflection, 

growth and

newness of life.

Forgive us please

when we

jump ahead

of you.

We miss blessings

that way.

Teach us

the treasure

of waiting.

Thank you.

Love, Andrea

Friday, February 5, 2021

Dear God,

When I sit with my circle of friends each morning, it is like they become living beings.  Right now they are St. Augustine, the psalmist, St. Paul, Mother Teresa, Isaiah, the prophet, Philip Keller and Mark Link. In their writings, each has much to say about faith, doubt, anxiety, hope, trust, courage and so much more.  They have become friends as I listened to their words of insight and wisdom.

I could never have imagined I would read so many devotional books at the same time.  A few pages, a chapter or a single psalm blesses my soul so much.  It is as if everyone has a say on the topic I am thinking about or contemplating.  I am learning from them in addition to being challenged.  Their words are not so many letters on a paper but rather living words made flesh.

You are God;

there is none

like you.

Thank you

for the blessing,

O God.

I pray

someday I too

will have something

of significance

to share.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, February 4, 2021

Dear God,

When we are weak, our trust in you makes us stronger.  When we rely on you in times of trouble, our courage, resolve and strength grows so we can do more than we thought possible.

Oftentimes in my weakness you draw me back to the words of the writer of Philippians when he said, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  I remember flying to France when a storm brewed and the plane was being rocked by rough winds.  I was terrified, really scared.  Those words came to me on a breath and I repeated them softly over and over again until my spirit finally calmed.  I knew that I knew that I knew you had brought me peace.

Merciful God,

thank you

for teaching us

to trust you.

Show us

how to 

trust more.

May we

always trust you

in all things.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Dear God,

This morning I looked out the window and saw tracks on the new snow.  I followed it from front to back.  How beautiful!

That set me to thinking about the marks we as humans leave on the planet.  What mark do we make?  What mark have I made?  In fact, have I made any mark at all?  And if I have, is it a worthy mark, one that made a difference for the good of all?  Or not?

Daily, O God,

you challenge us.

You give us

pause to consider

our lives,

our faith

and our service.

You want,

no, you expect us

to make

a mark 

of faith.

Have I, Lord?

Love always, Andrea

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Dear God,

The wind blew, the snow fell and the temperatures plummeted overnight.  Early this morning when I awakened I knew I would have to dress in many layers, step outside and begin shoveling.  And so I did.

It was quiet except for the wind howling around me.  I was the only one up and out at 6:15 a.m.  Dawn had not yet come.  I prayed while I shoveled.  I gave thanks.  I smiled.  I laughed.  And then I began to sing.

                    "In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,

                    earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;

                    snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,

                    in the bleak midwinter long ago.

                    What can I give him, poor as I am?

                    If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb.

                    If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

                    yet what can I give him, give my heart."

Holy moments with you erupt all the time, O Lord.  We don't have to be in a church building or in a special moment.  Your spirit can invade right where we are, right what we are doing.  I know.  It happened this amazing, cold and snowy wintry morning.

Loving God,

blessings come

when least expected.

Thank you

for breaking 

into my morning

depositing your presence.

I love you.

Always, Andrea

Monday, February 1, 2021

Dear God,

I love sitting in the quiet waiting to hear your voice.  Although sometimes I do not hear you speaking, nonetheless, I love making space just for you.  It is holy and sacred.

For decades I feared silence thinking it was the absence of sound.  I filled the space with music, television or other kinds of racket just so I did not have to live in the silence.  I was afraid of the unknown.  

I was 50 when I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I was suddenly plunged into quiet places where only you resided.  Somehow I knew I alone would have to enter those spaces and you alone would be there waiting.  I had no idea what you would say.  I thought I might die, literally.

One day I sat alone, terrified, troubled, plagued with doubts, fears and worry when you simply invited me to trust you, to fall backward into your arms.  With nowhere else to turn, I mustered up all the trust that I could, closed my eyes and spiritually let myself go.  As you know, that was the defining moment for me; a moment where I would return again and again knowing I was safe, so safe in your arms.

Here in Maine at our old, old house, there is only silence except for the sound of the wind or the branches scratching at the window.  Days are mostly gray, my favorite, because they give me pause and cause to listen, dig deeper and reflect upon you.

Thank you,

Holy One;

thank you

for the gift

of your love

because your love

is the source

of my trust

in you.

You never disappoint.

You are

always present.

You are

the greatest blessing

in my life.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, January 31, 2021

Dear God,

Technology does not have to be perfect on a zoom worship to experience your living, loving presence!  You are with us at all times.  Whether in person or on a computer screen, whether we sing together or not or whether everything is as we hope it will be or not, still you are with us as we worship you with open hearts, minds and souls.

One thing you have taught me during this Covid time is that we can adapt.  We can change.  We can do things differently.  We can worship and sense your presence.  We can grow in our faith.  We can experience your light and grace.  We can be the church whether together or not because you are God and we are your people no matter our situation.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for your

tender care.

Thank you

for ways

to gather

for worship.

Thank you

for your Word

made flesh.

Love, Andrea