Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Dear God,

This morning I come to you with great longing!  I come asking for healing for my granddaughter.  Deep darkness has come again to steal her peace, dreams and hope.  Despair has crept in once again.

Make healing come, O God, please make healing come.  This child has incredible gifts.  She is extremely bright, articulate, compassionate, a friend to all and filled with love for everyone.  She will use every gift to help others but first, she must be freed of such suffering pain.

There are some things only you can do, Compassionate God.  Some things are beyond our ability to help.  Please, I pray, for healing and hope.

You are God;

there is none

like you.

Nor is

there anyone

who loves more

than you.

Please, O God,

please heal

this precious one.

Yours, Andrea

Monday, November 27, 2023

Dear God,

Prayer is all about love!  When we pray, we are loving the connection we make with you and the people and things we pray for.  Our hearts swell, our minds listen to our heart and our soul links to all whom we pray for.  As we pray, we are one with you, Lover of All.

More often than not, we think our prayer is just words in the air or words on a page; we do not pause to really consider what prayer really is.  We pray because we love.  When we pray for the world, we are extending our love to all.  When we pray even for our "so-called" enemies, we are really loving them.  Prayer honestly can't be anything else.  What propels us to pray for strangers?  Love.  What persuades us to pray for those enemies?  Love.  What causes us to pray for neighbors, co-workers and people we meet in the store?  Love.

And so, O God, as I pray just now I am loving you because I know my excuse to pray came from you.

Thank you,

Loving God,

for prayer

and its existence

in the world.

When many pray

at once,

love is

at work.

Help us all

to pray

for all

all the time.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Dear God,

For 36 days I have been immersed in Ezekiel scripture readings.  With all the woes, condemnation and violence, all I wanted to get to was the valley of dry bones.  Today I read the 37th chapter.  The miraculous story of the bones coming back together with flesh and spirit not only uplifts but hails your miracle work and extraordinary love!

In some ways our nation right now is like a valley of dry bones that has not yet come together.  And why should you do it?  Our practices, beliefs and behaviors have all called for death, death of our compassion, death of our understanding and death of our love for neighbor.  We have estranged ourselves from all the gifts of your spirit.  We have chosen our own way.  We have shoved away those we do not like.  We have hurt, injured so many by our words and ways.  Will our dead bones ever return to one another?

We are broken,

O God,

we have

tossed aside

your goodness

and mercy

and particularly

your will.

Forgive us,

I pray.

We are

not worthy

of any grace;

yet, we

are desperate

for change

and conversion.

Help us,

Loving Father,

help us please.

Yours, Andrea

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Dear God,

Thank you for negotiators who work hard to help people gain consensus. Thank you for their hard work!

Thank you for the success of such negotiations who just yesterday won release of prisoners in Israel and Palestine.  Families are rejoicing in their reunions!  Thank you for their joy!

Bless all those

who know

the art

of compromise.

Bless all those

who work

to help others

in distress.

Bless all those

who take criticism

from many

because of 

their work.

Keep them safe

from harm,

O God.

Love, Andrea

 

Friday, November 24, 2023

Dear God,

No one loves like you!  No one reaches out to us like you!  No one forgives like you!  You are the only reliable, consistent, unconditional lover in all the cosmos!

When we awaken to breathe clean air, see exquisite beauty in nature and are able to crawl out of bed into the new day, our quick response needs to be one of gratitude.  Even before we ask for anything else, we are already blessed by our creator!

When division and conflict are all around us, all we need do is close our eyes and breathe to remember you are with us, not far off.  Even while tending to someone else's needs, you are tending to ours.  We need not beg or plead for you are with us.  

Forgive us,

O God,

when we

forget you.

Help us

recall your mercy,

love and grace.

Remind us

of your

living presence

with us 24/7

every day.

Teach us how

to receive

your love

so we can

give it back

in gratitude.

Thank you.

Yours, Andrea

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Dear God,

You filled my soul with gratitude on this Thanksgiving Day!  I awoke remembering your grace in many of my life events.  I shared with my husband your goodness and mercy.

Later standing in my daughter's kitchen with all 16 of us sharing what we were grateful for, I thought of how your hand was upon each one as I thought of a variety of their life stories.  Some have overcome attempts at suicide, deep depression, great loss, gender identity crisis and lost hope.  Yet, we stood there, one by one sharing; together we lifted up our prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

By day's end as night fell and I crawled into bed, a wide smile stretched across my whole face as one last time I breathed my prayers of gratitude and joy.

Loving God,

your mercy

is wide

and deep.

I am

so grateful

for all

you do.

Thank you

for the

countless blessings

of today!

Yours, Andrea

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Dear God,

Today I thank you for every monastery who opened their doors to me. The Sisters of Carmel, St. Joseph and St. Benedict literally have transformed my life through the last 35 years.  Their faith, love, inclusion, witness and compassion have shown me your face, dear God.  I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without them!

Who could ever have imagined Catholic monasteries, both female and male, would give entrance to a United Methodist minister in need of mercy, spiritual growth and prayer?  Yet, they did and have given me so many gifts that my well is overflowing with gratitude and joy.

On this thanksgiving eve, I remember them all with much love in my heart!

Thank you

for open doors,

open hearts

and open acceptance,

Gracious God.

Thank you

for my

dear Catholic

sisters and brothers.

Thank you

for opening

my heart,

mind and spirit

to your

abiding spirit.

Yours forever, Andrea

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Dear God,

There is an intimacy in prayer unlike any other!  As we turn our hearts to you, we let down the veil, open the door and step inside your divine heart because your heart is always open to us.  We can be obstinate, resistant and downright mean but still you welcome us.  Why, except for love.

It is hard to be intimate, O God, because it requires deep trust.  In this chaotic world, who can we really trust?  Whose word is truth, real truth?  Why would we open ourselves to anything or anyone we cannot trust?

But you, you, O God, you can always be trusted not because you give us everything we ask but because your love exists for all time.  It is not wishy washy or conditional.  It is a love like no other.  When we cannot find love anywhere else, your love invites us into the world's greatest love affair and there love leads to an intimacy and trust that can always be counted upon.

Open our hearts

to you,

Merciful God.

As we utter

our prayers,

we find you waiting.

Thank you,

Holy One,

for loving us

like no one else.

Yours, Andrea

Monday, November 20, 2023

Dear God,

The crisp, cold air, cloudy sky and bare trees are calling to the inner depths of our souls.  They are inviting us to a deep place as the season soon changes into winter.  It is a time for pondering, reflecting and giving thanks.  It is not a time for grumpy exchanges!

Winter is a rich season for spiritual growth.  It is a time for resting in the spirit of goodness, hope, joy and peace.  With no distractions in front of us, we can simply breathe in the wonder of creation and all its many gifts.

As I listen to the quiet in the early morning hours, I find myself content and peace-filled.

Holy God,

thank you

for the

season transition

that always

calls us

to transformation.

Thank you

for nudging us

to newness

of life.

Even in

the dark

of winter,

the light

shines bright.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Dear God,

How can we make our hearts burn for your will in our lives?  When we are faced with a doubt, fear or even a question, what hinders us from seeking your desire for our souls?  

Life is all about choices and decisions.  Although we may be capable of deciding what to do in a given situation, asking for your better will is always a good idea.

I confess that I fail to seek your better way.  I want to follow you more than anything; however, my human nature gets in my way because it is expeditious.  Help me, help us, I pray.

Loving God,

thank you

for your mercy

that always

meets us

at the door

of our troubles.

Thank you

for being present

in our doubting.

Lead us

to seek you

before all

other things.

Yours, Andrea

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Dear God,

What is prayer but union with you.  We are not like two stars trying to find one another.  In prayer we are united, connected to one another.  We find that sacred space where we dwell in love and hope and even peace.  It is not words that connect us but hearts and souls.

Often, we think prayer is simply humans saying words hoping they somehow will be heard and answered.  But prayer is so much more.  When we read about your son praying, "Our father..." we know there is something so much more than our voice uttering pleading words.  Something mysterious, mystical opens us to dwell in space so holy only you can be there with us.

When we pray, Lord, we are desperate to link up with you.  When we pray we are effectively saying, I have reached the end of who I am, I need to touch something, someone greater than I.  We acknowledge our own limitations and ask for more.  Although we may never fully know it or recognize it, we never fail to come together as one.

Holy, holy, holy

are you,

God of All.

Thank you

for allowing us

to connect

with you.

Thank you

for every 

sacred connection.

Yours, Andrea

Friday, November 17, 2023

Dear God,

You remind us of your miracle work.  You invite us to consider our blessings.  You breathe new life in us.

Tonight I attended my granddaughter's high school basketball game.  A fantastic, scrappy player, I looked forward to seeing her play one of her last games.  What I did not expect was to receive a flower during the introduction of the starting five players.  Because they were honoring cancer survivors, she ran off the floor, up the stairs and gave me a beautiful red rose and a warm hug.

Twenty-six years, it has been 26 years since I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  With two kinds of cancer, I underwent a radical mastectomy.  I was declared cancer free on December 26, 1997.

What a journey that was!  Visions, guidance, peace, joy and deep faith all came to me during that very scary time.  I would not trade your wondrous gifts for a return of my breast because it was such a life-transforming time!  And it was all because of you, Amazing, Compassionate God!

Thank you

for the reminder

of your

healing work

in my life.

Thank you

for not only

eradicating cancer

in my body

but also

changing my

emotional and

spiritual life.

You are God;

there is absolutely

no god

like you!

Yours, Andrea

Thursday, November 16, 2023

Dear God,

You give each of us a song to sing, one that is unique to us.  When we sing our song daily, we add to the one great song in the universe.  No matter what kind of voice we have, it blends in beautifully with all others.

However, often when life becomes difficult, we slow down our song or worse, we fail to sing.  We think we have nothing to sing about.  But it is precisely when we seemingly have nothing to sing about that our song is all the more important because when we sing, we find faith, hope and peace.  In singing we add to others who are finding it hard to sing as well.

Our song is a song of faith; it is one that gives evidence of our love and trust in you.  It is one we can sing at anytime, anywhere and in any situation.  Through our song you hear our sorrow and pain.  In turn you sing back to us building up within us resources like courage, strength and hope.  When we sing, we connect with you in ways beyond our comprehension.  Knowing this, there is never a reason to stop!

Keep a song

in our heart,

O God.

Reveal it

through our lips.

Connect us

to you

and all

around the world.

Yours forever, Andrea

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Dear God,

It only takes one converted heart and soul to change a whole family, a community or a world.  One voice who surrenders to love can lead a revolution of love.  My, oh my how much our world needs love!

During the pandemic while we were isolated at home, there were those whose hearts were pure and giving.  They sang beautiful songs on balconies, set stuffed animals in windows for children to see in a birthday parade and others sent meals to first responders and others who were losing hope.  In one of the darkest times, love spread like wildfire.

We now seemingly face unprecedented dark times, O God.  We need love and we need it now.  Transform us in every way.  Help us see our enemy as our neighbor, the stranger as family, the other as our friend.  Then guide us to spread love once again to all, to every person on the planet.

Help us

be love

to all

around us.

Convert us,

change us,

transform us

in your likeness,

Gracious God,

then show us

how to love

in every 

way possible.

Make us

a way

to love

one another.

Yours, Andrea

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Dear God,

Teach us to be light for one another.  When we are walking in darkness, we do not know how to find the light.  But then all of a sudden, someone will reveal the light to us through their witness and example.  Love always shines light.  Kindness always shines light.  Mercy always shines light.  Only through others will we see the light and feel its warmth, hope and peace.

So many people have been light bearers to me throughout the years.  I remember how the Sisters of Carmel displayed the light when they forgave an intruder who broke into the monastery and assaulted two of the sisters, hospitalizing both of them.  When we stood in a circle and they offered words of forgiveness, their light shone so brightly!  It was hard to stay in the darkness of hatred and bitterness when their light was showing through.  

When we bear the light, your light, O Holy one, we brighten the world one tiny corner at a time.  Many tiny lights can become like one great floodlight.

Thank you

for every 

light bearer,

O God.

Thank you

for their light

and their love

in radiating

the greatest light

in the world.

Shine your light

through us,

Compassionate God,

so we

can illuminate hope

in all

the world.

Love, Andrea

Monday, November 13, 2023

Dear God,

One of my greatest joys is meeting you in the early morning.  To awake before the sun, to come into my study, sit in my favorite chair, look out on the starry night sky and listen for your voice is the best part of my day.  There are no distractions, only quiet beauty.  When the saints of yesterday and today join me in devotion, my heart overflows with peace, hope and joy.

All this is because of you, Holy God.  The scenes of loveliness all around me come from your hand.  The quiet is you.  The saints' message is all you.  My hope is you.

Thank you

for the blessing,

O God.

This prized time

set aside

by you

enriches me deeply.

Thank you

for loving me

and inviting me in.

Yours forever, Andrea

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Dear God,

What a mystical experience it is to look around the room during worship, see the people, and recall to mind their life struggles and their triumph over loss, despair and pain.  To witness people praying, taking communion and listening to your word and know how faith has developed from difficult times is like a miracle in the making!  Even now I wonder how they could be so faithful in such grief!  Yet, I know how you build faith in wide open, vast spaces of hopeless situations.  Your love is at work, your mercy holding steady and your compassion heals, helps and grows new roots and shoots of faith, hope, peace and joy.

No one but you can do this, no one!

Dear God,

thank you

for the blessing

of observation.

Thank you

for faith,

transformation and hope.

Thank you

for healing,

growth and

new life!

Yours, Andrea

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Dear God,

In the St. Ignatian exercises, we are invited to recall all who have helped us along our faith journey.  As I sat in my favorite old chair in the study, a parade of people filled my mind.  My eighth grade Sunday School teacher Freida led the way.  Grandma Hughes, always a faith-filled model, was right beside her.  Then there were the Carmelites, the Sisters of St. Joseph and the Benedictines and all the sisters at the monasteries where I stayed on my Lilly Clergy Renewal leave.  My covenant group, my retreat friends and even strangers along the way who pointed me to you were all present together.  

What a sweet assignment to think and reflect and give thanks for those who touched my life, who inspired, helped and guided me, who served as messengers from heaven.  So many, so very many people extended a hand, a heart and a prayer for me.  How blessed to remember and express my gratitude!

Thank you,

Blessed God,

for the gift

of St. Ignatius.

Thank you

for all

the special people

in my life!

Thank you

for all

who bring me

to faith!!!

Yours, Andrea

Friday, November 10, 2023

Dear God,

Do you ever weary of me talking about your creation?  I simply cannot help it.

Just this morning I walked into the dark study and saw the amazing night sky filled with stars.  I simply sat down in my chair and gazed upon your wondrous beauty.  It was like sitting, watching a miracle unfold.  There is hardly anything more beautiful!

Surprise, surprise, surprise,

that is what

you offer

day after day

after day.

Who could 

not be mesmerized

by it all?

Thank you

for the

incredible beauty

this morning,

my Lord.

Yours always, Andrea

Thursday, November 9, 2023

Dear God,

Why is it easier to see the light in the darkness than in the light?  When light is always around us, it is hard to see your light specifically to our particular darkness.  We can wander around and be blind to what is being shone to us.

Why is that, Lord?  Why do we make things so difficult?  We want so much to follow you, to listen for your voice and to do your will but we allow our darkness to blind us to your truth-telling light.  We cannot make our way without you.

Holy God,

you are

the way,

the truth

and the life.

Holy are you.

Make your

light shine,

I pray.

Love, Andrea

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Dear God,

It is true, darkness can turn to light, despair can turn to hope and sorrow can turn to joy.  I might not have believed that at 5:00 a.m. this morning but I certainly did at 8:00 a.m.  A moment of faith can change things!

This morning I was blue, upset by yesterday's events.  I read my devotions and felt the tug of both consolation and challenge.  I felt your urge to rise up, to trust and to lean on you.  About that time my covenant friends called and we held our weekly faith-filled conference call.  During that call something happened, a true spiritual moment when my whole spirit was lifted up out of the depths and into the gracious Light of the day.  It was truly a joyous moment when we all burst into laughter over something shared and we realized it had been a long, long time since we had laughed.  That laughter, well, it was holy, really holy laughter that buoyed us all up from our personal darknesses in which we have resided with national and international news keeping us all down.  But this morning your spirit broke through the hidden wall and we all broke forth into the light.

Holy, holy, holy

are you,

Sweet Lord of Heaven.

Thank you

for the

holy events

of today.

How glorious

to know 

you are

so close

and anxious

to help

all of us.

Bless you

for blessing us!

Yours, Andrea

Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Dear God,

Oh, to be like a tree with uplifted branches reaching toward the heavenlies!  Every day when I pause to consider and reflect upon your love in the world, I realize there are secrets to be realized, challenges to be discovered and mercy to be embraced!  The large, tall pin oak tree outside my study window has the most beautiful, exquisite limbs reaching upward.  They often invite me to join them in lifting up my own arms in praise.

I am constantly amazed at the way nature speaks to the human heart, mind and soul.  It is not just a scene of incredible beauty in Autumn, it is a living reminder of your blessed presence in the world and just outside my own window.  Truly, it is like a daily call to contemplative reflection and praise.  And so I do!

Praise to you,

God Almighty.

Thank you

for your

gentle call

to remember you

and celebrate

the gifts

of your spirit.

Thank you too

for yet 

another sign

of your

living, love presence.

Yours, Andrea

Monday, November 6, 2023

Dearest God,

When late Autumn arrives with darker days, bare trees and cold temperatures, we can fall into a slump, depression or despair.  It is vitally important we look for the gifts of the season.

I discovered one just this morning.  Upon awakening, I walked to the window and peeked out into the dark.  Because all the leaves had fallen from the trees, I was able to see the lustrous, iridescent, pearl-like stars in the black sky, something hidden all spring and summer.  I just stood with my nose smudged on the windowpane looking higher and higher to see the majestic sky.  While they glimmered, I smiled and gave you thanks.

What a beautiful gift it is to find your gifts spread out before us.  We don't even have to look hard to find them.  As we anticipate gifts in the darkness, when we discover them, all the radiant they will be.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for the beauty

of this season.

Thank you

for the

special gift

this morning.

I am

always wowed

by your grace.

Love, Andrea

Sunday, November 5, 2023

Dear God,

Can I just sit by you all day?  I want to see what you see.  I want to hear what you hear.  I want to feel what you feel.  Then when I am devastated, pained and exhausted, I want to change myself.  

Holy God,

in my

teeny-weeny world,

I get

self-absorbed

with my 

own troubles,

wants and sorrows.

I forget 

just how big

the world's 

troubles are.

Please forgive me.

Make me real

and new

once again,

I pray.

Love, Andrea

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Dear God,

Help us fall at your feet to find that which you have defined as truth.  We want only your truth not the truth made up of lies, manipulation and half-truths.  In today's world we question what real truth is.

Where is our moral compass, dear God?  We used to fiddle with truth but confession returned us to our moral center.  In today's world without a moral compass, who are we but liars, fudgers and manipulators?  How did we get so far from you?

More than anything we need you back in our lives not to just feed our wants and desires but to listen for your voice, your word and your will, not some version of our own.  We need your direction, correction and challenge.  With your truth we learn the truth of ourselves.  We cannot run from ourselves and our lies any longer because we want your truth more than our own.  Please make it so, dear God, for the sake of us all.

Thank you,

dear God,

for not

leaving us.

For sure

we are

not worthy

of you.

We are failures.

With your presence

transform us,

please will you.

Love, Andrea

Friday, November 3, 2023

Dear God,

Where do we place our hope, O Lord?  Is it in success, friendships or wealth?  By this belief, hope will go up or down based on what we hope for.  But this hope is shallow, fraught with problems.  It is human made and ultimately will be discovered not to be hope at all.

Hope is deep.  It comes from a divine well, ever-flowing.  Hope is based on trust, not in something but in someone.  This hope buoys us up in good times and bad.  It keeps us breathing.  It gives us courage and strength and even power.  With this hope we know that which we desperately want or need is never as great as the hope we hold because we know that we know that we know hope connects us to you.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for hope

that keeps us alive.

Thank you

for being 

with us

both today

and always.

We are blessed

not just

with hope

but with you.

Love, Andrea

Thursday, November 2, 2023

Dear God,

Temperatures are dropping below freezing.  Frost sparkles on the ground.  The feel of winter has returned.  How glorious!

Seasonal changes remind us of your holy, sacred rhythm, O God.  When one season shifts to the next, we are reminded that your hand is on all creation.  We cannot do anything to change it except to recall who it is that holds the power of creation in hand.  You cause us to consider the earth and how she listens to your voice and follows your will.  You invite us to the same.

Thank you,

Holy God,

for the gift

of creation

and all

her wondrous mysteries.

Thank you

for the

shifting seasons

that cry out

your name.

Thank you

for the invitation

to follow

the sacred rhythm

you have set

for our lives.

Praise to you,

Lord of All.

Yours, Andrea

Wednesday, November 1, 2023

Dear God,

We do not need you to shout to us in order for us to know your living presence.  The still, small voice can quickly woo us to your side.

At times we want a huge display of divine power or a miracle on a grand scale to get our attention.  However, it is in the small, sometimes almost insignificant ways where we can feel the greatest experience of your nearness.  Those small times, small ways can transform our faith, trust and hope.

I see that in a mind changed, a behavior altered and a hope renewed.  All around us are people whose lives are difficult or in shambles.  The decision not to take one's own life is a sign of your presence among us.  If we can celebrate with those who give witness to your presence, our faith can grow by leaps and bounds.  Our desire to praise can increase joy in all those around us.  Your peace can come.

Holy God,

increase our awareness

of your

sacred presence.

Teach us

to know

how and where

to look.

Grow our trust

in you,

we pray.

Love, Andrea