when anxious thoughts take up space

 a racing heart. shallow breathing. too many thoughts. thoughts spiraling into negativity. losing hope. 

Can you relate at times? 

Here's a Prayer for the Anxious of Heart.May it speak peace to your heart today. 

O Lord, 

you who tell us to be anxious for nothing,

I confess that I am anxious for many things this day,

especially for the things that I fear will hurt or disappoint me 

beyond anything I could bear;

speak your word of peace in my mind, I pray,

of safety to my heart,

and of comfort to my body, 

so that I may know the truth, even now, 

that I am in the care of Another;

I pray this in the name of the One

who daily bears my burdens. 

Amen. 

from Prayers for the Pilgrimage: a book of collects for all of life

by W. David O. Taylor

I'm Blessed

Today I just happened upon a Kindle sale on a book I've been wanting for so long, but never wanted to pay full price for.  Some may say it was a coincidence that I checked a seldom-used app and came upon a post about this sale. I'd say it was providence. 

To Bless The Space Between Us speaks of the importance and means of blessing others. Who wouldn't want to give and receive words of hope, light,  and healing as they journey through life? 

In the light and reverence of blessing, a person or situation becomes illuminated in a completely new way. In a dead wall, a new window opens, in dense darkness a path starts to glimmer, and into a broken heart healing falls like morning dew. It is so ironic that so often we continue to live like paupers though our inheritance of spirit is so vast. The quiet eternal that dwells in our souls is silent and subtle; in the activity of blessing it emerges to embrace and nurture us. Let us begin to learn how to bless another. Whenever you give a blessing, a blessing returns to enfold you. 

                                                                John O'Donohue 

Praying Proverbs

May those who lead our country, lead with humility

For it leads to wisdom

May honesty direct them, and guide them in their decisions

May their godliness rescue from trouble

May all the people desire good for all

May the godly succeed

 for then the whole city celebrates!

May the upright prevail

 for they are good for a city and will make it prosper. 

May our leaders be trustworthy, keeping confidences, having wise advisors

May our leaders gain respect because of their trustworthiness and kindness

May our leaders bring life to our cities, because of their integrity

Because of the godly, our children will go free! 

May our leaders be generous, giving freely

For if they refresh others, they themselves will be refreshed  

May they trust in God and goodness, and not in wealth

May their good deeds become a tree of life, flourishing like leaves in spring. 

Photo by Dmytro Tolokonov on Unsplash

Does it feel to you that things are really going crazy in our world right now?  How far it seems the state of our country is from these words, based on Proverbs 11. But that just reminds us how important it is to pray and to always remember who holds this world in His hands.

I lift my eyes to the hills, from where my help comes from. My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.  Psalm 121:1-2

~gone but not forgotten~

Imagine you're driving down the highway midday, in your own city. You look in your rear view mirror and notice 3 black cars approaching you from behind. All have tinted windows. One passes you, then pulls in ahead of you. The second car pulls up besides you and keeps pace with you. The last is on your bumper.  Suddenly they all slow down, the car beside you forcing you to pull to the side of the road. You stop. At least 6 men in black clothes jump out of the cars and approach you, signalling you to exit your vehicle. You're aggressively pulled out of your vehicle and are pushed into another one. Someone yanks the license plate off of your car and throws it to the side of the road. He gets into your car. All four cars pull away from the curb and take off. 

This was three years ago and you've never been heard from again. Your car has never been found. Your wife and children wonder if they will ever find out what happened to you and if you're still alive.

Imagine you're a pastor in Indonesia. This could be your story.

This is a true story. This pastor is still missing and no one in authority cares to investigate.

Millions of people around the world who have stories similar or worse than this. Their "crime" is that they love God and share His love with others, meeting together to encourage each other. They are kidnapped, accused of crimes they didn't commit, are imprisoned unlawfully, and often starved, beaten, and even killed.

Today is International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. I'm thankful our pastor takes time each year for our church to pray for those who are persecuted around the world.  We are all ONE BODY and when one part hurts, we all hurt.

Want to know more? Voice of the Martyrs will inform you of what's going on and how you can help.

"Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." Hebrews 13:3

Good for the Soul

What better way to spend an hour or two on a beautiful Sunday afternoon than out in nature? 

To leave the city, even if it's only for an hour or two. 

To feel the crunch of the leaves and twigs as I hike up the winding path up to the top. 

To reach the top of Gibraltar Rock, getting a bird's eye view of this beautiful lake and surrounding hills.

To be reminded of the gift of life -- to feel my heart pumping and hear my heavy breathing. 

 To stop and watch for signs of life. 

To be alone -- no other humans around except for me and the one I love.  

To watch my little dog romp about and be such a trooper, even though his little legs have to work double time to climb this winding path. 

To say thanks, God, for the beauty you have created for us to enjoy and for the healing touch of your creation. 

Book Review: The Christian Book of Mystical Verse

My early church experience was quite conservative and traditional, which included singing hymns, reciting the Apostles' Creed,  and singing the Doxology at the end of every Sunday church service. Looking back, I am so thankful for this part of my faith walk, which I now see as very rich and grounding. It gave me an anchor that I still hold onto, even though  I consider myself nondenominational now (read: I don't really fit in any box!) It seems the older I get, however,  the more I value liturgy and prayers written by others. Although they can easily become 'just words', they also can be very meaningful, encouraging, and inspiring.

Which is why  The Christian Book of Mystical Verse  piqued my interest. It's a collection of Poems, Hymns, and Prayers for devotional reading, compiled by A.W. Tozer, author of several classic devotionals This book has a very attractive cover, as well, which initially drew me to it.

First published in 1963, this was book written for the purpose of private devotion. What exactly does Tozer mean by 'mystic'? He refers to the "evangelical mystic who has been brought by the gospel into intimate fellowship with the Godhead. His theology is no less and no more than is taught in the Christian scriptures. He walks the high road of truth where walked of old prophets and apostles, and where down the centuries walked martyrs, reformers, Puritans, evangelists, and missionaries of the cross... He is quietly, deeply, and sometimes almost ecstatically aware of the Presence of God in his own nature and in the world around him".

The hymns and poems, (most of which I am unfamiliar with)  "... cover almost the full spectrum of religious feeling... The mood runs from near despair to near ecstacy.." I think we can all relate to varied emotions and struggles in our faith walk, as do these writers.

Some of the authors contained in this collection include: Isaac Watts, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Christina Rossetti, Charles Wesley, William Faber, Jeanne Marie de la Motte-Guyon, and Bernard of Clairvaux.

For those who value old hymns and poets from the past, this will be a welcome addition to your library. You will be sure to find a few treasures in this book.

Thanks to Moody Publishers for this free book in exchange for an honest review.

When Life is a Roller Coaster

Life might be a highway, but it's definitely not a straight stretch of ribbon! It's sometimes more like a roller coaster moving through the dark--sometimes slow, sometimes fast, sometimes high, sometimes low -  don't you think?

One day you wake up with a big smile on your face. Life. Is. Good.

Little, simple things bring you joy.

You received the news you had been waiting for.

You feel good. You have purpose.

All is well in your little world.

In fact, you feel on top of the world.

God is good! you say.

Then you hear that bit of disappointing or confusing news.

Or you read something tragic and scary in your news feed or in your local newspaper.

Or you wonder if your life is making a difference, because it sure doesn't feel like it.

Or your physical health isn't optimum, and productivity is a thing of the past.

Is God still good? you wonder

Or you just seem to be coming up against the same struggles and nothing ever seems to change, even though you have hope and faith.

And you start thinking about the future. Tomorrow and the hundreds upon hundreds of tomorrows which may follow and what they are going to look like. How uncontrollable the future really is.

You read more about horrible events in the world with no quick solutions in sight.

And you worry.

Is God still good? you ponder

Then you receive a hopeful word.

You have the most encouraging time with friends.

Their prayers are being answered!
Your prayers are being answered!

Changes are happening.

And the sun is shining again.

And all seems well with the world.

Isn't God good! you say

And then your heart breaks for your friend, who just shared something hard with you.

And there are no easy fixes.

It's complicated.

Tragedy strikes.

And  personal dreams shatter.

Is God still good? you ask yourself

And there aren't any wise little sayings or pithy quotes that are going to really make a difference.

All you can do is trust, wait and learn to see in the dark.

And believe,

simply (but often not easily)

believe

that

God is always good.

Oh, Lord, I do believe. Help my unbelief. 

The Easy and Comfortable Life

It's at this time of the year that I can feel my stress levels start to inch up just a little, in anticipation of all the commitments coming up in the next few months. The sweet slower paced summer days will soon be over, monthly meetings reconvene, work gets into full gear again, church activities increase, ministry commitments begin, decisions on community classes of interest need to be made.. well, I'm sure you can add to this list.

It feels like the easy, comfortable life is over and REAL life begins again. And I'm not anticipating it, but rather dreading it just a little, to be honest.

This short video reminded me that the 'easy, comfortable' life is really not the goal and if I make it that, I will always be striving towards it and become dissatisfied with the everyday challenges and commitments that make up my one, precious, unique life. Do I really want everyday to be a day without something to stretch and grow me? Do I want to live in my own little selfish bubble where comfort and ease is king?

I was reminded that these challenges and commitments ahead of me, if I keep my attitude in check, are what can make for a fulfilling, passionate life.

It's in the giving that we receive.

My prayer is that I will remember this as I begin to plan and implement my goals and schedule this next season.

What did you think of this little video?

Simply Open

"Lord, open me to release, that I may receive, become, and do..."

Are you looking for a simple, but transformative prayer that can be used everyday to help you become more aware of how God is working in your life? Author Greg Paul shows you how in Simply Open by introducing an intentional exercise of opening yourself up to God through a prayer that can be used no matter where you are or what you are doing.

Paul explains that a contemplative path is open to us even in the busyness of our everyday lives. As much as we might like to go on a quiet spiritual retreat to help us focus and hear from God, he says it can be done using our senses in our everyday life. "This path is so simple that you can integrate it into the most complex schedule and pick it up again immediately if you forget about it for weeks at a time."

The only thing required is a desire to become open to God, ourselves, and others. Actually, this prayer is really seven specific prayers focused on the five senses, the mind, and the heart. Each chapter of this book is focused on one aspect. What I love about this book is that this spiritual practice encourages us to reach out to others, it's not just inward focused. Greg Paul, who is a pastor of a church which reaches out to inner city homeless people in Toronto, adeptly illustrates that we can experience God's love through all of our senses and as we do, we move towards loving others in practical ways. This theme is woven throughout the book.

 In order to actually use what's been presented in this book, I would suggest writing the prayers on notecards and have them easily accessible, until it becomes more familiar. If you are not usually one for praying prewritten prayers, you may feel a bit awkward at first. But it may surprise you how freeing it is to read a simple prayer that states exactly what your heart's desire is.

If you are looking for a new way to become more aware of how God is speaking to you in your everyday life,you might appreciate this book. It's worth reading through quickly, then going through it slowly to really help internalize it.

Thanks to BookLookBloggers who sent me this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Looking Ahead

Have you considered a 'One Word' for the year? The one I've decided upon, which seems to have chosen me, because I'm not really a big fan of it, is...

I was trying to think of words meaning the opposite of procrastinate, and I settled on this one. Maybe not exactly the opposite, but it seems to have grabbed me. 

Not long after this decision, my eyes landed on my little old desktop calendar/notepad of quotes I have near my computer and this what it said: Procrastination is a form of self-abuse. Whoa, that's a little harsh, isn't it? But maybe a confirmation. Anyway, so I've decided to stick with MOVE.  As in, don't just think about it... MOVE! proceed, advance, etc, How that plays out this year and if it will make a difference, we shall see. It can't hurt to focus on a word that brings positive change, right? 

I hoped to find a Bible verse I could settle on with the word 'move' in it, which would encourage me and this is the one that came to mind --Matthew 17:20. 

That's always been a somewhat perplexing verse to me, so hopefully this year it will become clearer. What does it mean to have faith the size of a mustard seed? I've got a few mountains that need to be moved. How about you?

What else should I have done?

Maybe it's as simple as Help! Thanks! and Wow! (Thanks, Anne Lamott )  Prayer, that is.

I tend to think it is usually that simple.

As I was cleaning up a few poetry resources today, I came upon an old little poetry book I had picked up from a used book sale several years back. It fell open to this poem, which I will share with you.. because I like it!

"The proper way for a man to pray,"

Said Deacon Lemuel Keyes,

"And the only proper attitude

Is down upon his knees."

"No, I should say the way to pray,"

Said Rev. Doctor Wise, 

"Is standing straight with outstretched arms

And rapt and upturned eyes."

"Oh, no; no, no," said Elder Slow,

"Such posture is too proud: 

A man should pray with eyes fast closed

And head contritely bowed."

"It seems to me his hands should be

Austerely clasped in front,

With both thumbs pointing toward the ground,"

Said Rev. Doctor Blunt. 

"Las' year I fell in Hodgkin's well

Head first," said Cyrus Brown,

"With both my heels a-stickin' up,

My head a-pinting down;

"An' I made a prayer right then an' there—

Best prayer I ever said, 

The prayingest prayer I ever prayed,

A-standing on my head."

by Sam Walter Foss


And while I'm at it, here's one I just love...

I don't know what a prayer is

I do know how to pay attention,

how to fall down into the grass

how to kneel down in the grass

how to be idle and blessed

how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day, 

Tell me, what else should I have done? 

by Mary Oliver