Day 40: Celebrate

Siblings reunited :)

My brother came to Boston this weekend to visit me!!  I am so thankful to be able to spend time with family, to worship God this Palm Sunday, and to explore the city on a gorgeous day!

I love you Noah!!!

We made the full circuit: the Fens, Copley Square, Boston Common, Freedom Trail and historic buildings, Quincy Market, the Waterfront, the Museum of Science, and Mike’s Pastries of course!  So fun to show this kid my trekking ground for the last five years, and to dance, laugh, and love!

Day 39: See

One summer I climbed about a dozen mountains in Alaska.  Each climb started off as a gorgeous day, but without fail each time I approached the summit the clouds rolled in.  The result is a summer photo album of peaks surrounded by clouds.  These clouds were incredibly frustrating.  Instead of the sweeping views of valleys and distant mountain ranges, all I got was a blank screen.

I like to see.  And these clouds obstructed my view, keeping me from my mountaintop vista experience.  Of course, I still had a great time on each adventure, and plenty of reasons to hike these peaks again, but the clouds were somewhat of a disappointment.

We can’t always see all that we wish we could.  Different kinds of clouds obstruct our views.  Sometimes these clouds are our making, other times they are out of our control.  Either way they prevent us from accessing the prize that we desire.  What are the clouds in your life?  What can you do to either embrace their presence or clear them away?

Day 38: Meditate

I have been sick over the past two weeks.  And it has been cold, rainy, and dark in Boston.  This does not make for a happy-camper Emily.

“Think sunny thoughts” – The advice given to me by a friend.

“I can’t!  I am grumpy” – Thought the frustrated Emily.

But the reality is these sunny thoughts would probably have a positive impact on how I feel and act, even during the dreary days.

Where we chose to focus our attention is where our conscious will dwell.  There is more than images of sunshine happening psychologically when we think happy thoughts; it influences our whole being, how we think, how we feel, and how we act.

Today, find something positive to meditate on.  Find those “happy thoughts” that allowed the Darling children to fly in Peter Pan.  Because your thoughts are powerful.

If you are struggling, here is a happy thought:

God created you, out of dust God formed you, fearfully and wonderfully God made you.  God loved you into creation, and God walks with you every step of your life.  God knows you, we do not have to be scared to turn our fears and insecurities over to God because God already sees those pieces of us and God loves us anyway, unconditionally.  Jesus says “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Turn your burdens over to Jesus.  And meditate “I am strong.  I am beautiful.  I am a child of God.”

Day 37: Seek

Have you every completed a 1000 piece puzzle?  It is quite an accomplishment….  It requires us to seek 1000 times.  Until every single cardboard cutout is in the right space, interlocking perfectly with every other cardboard cutout around it, and creating an image that is whole.

When we find one piece, there is still another to be found.  We are not done with the journey until every piece is in its place, when we can finally see the whole picture, and step back from our work to admire the whole scene.

I often get stuck looking for one piece, one sky blue cardboard cutout that I “need” to connect two sections together.  But if I am stuck on one piece, I am neglecting the 999 others that will also provide forward progress. 

In life we sometimes get stuck on one piece, and are blinded to the other paths that ultimately reach the same goal.  Take a deep breath.  And try looking at it another way.  You never know what doors God will open in the most unlikely places!

Day 36: Truth

The illustrious quest for Truth with a capital T…

If one thing is certain, it is that the more you know the more you know how little we know. 

This somewhat backwards progress can be frustrating.  Take physics for example.  You have probably all heard about this concept called gravity.  But if you take anything above an introductory physics course, they will tell you that gravity is not some force that attracts massive objects to each other, but rather that gravity is simply curves in space-time (thank you Einstein and the theory of relativity). 

The particle accelerator people over at CERN might disagree with this, as they continue to search for the Higgs Boson.  This boson is thought to be responsible for mass, or the so-called “force” of gravity.  Basically they smash two particles together at ridiculously high speeds to break them apart, and they produce something like the picture below.

You can totally see the Higgs boson in that am I right!?

Ok, rhetorical questions aside.  The point is that the model of particle physics is incomplete.  We have an understanding of the world built upon fundamentals that are still unknown.  The theory of quantum mechanics and the theory of relativity, two of our most conclusive and highly tested and proven theories, are incompatible with each other.  No one knows where gravity fits in.

(I’m not giving a very good name to science here, but trust me; they are doing some really cool things!)

On the more theological side of things, the quest for Truth is just as elusive.  We look for God in every corner of our lives, and we try to define God.  We try to put God in a box that we can understand and know, and label “God.”  But the bottom line is that it just doesn’t work like that.  The more we try to comprehend the creator of the universe, the more we fall back into knowing that God cannot be defined by human means. 

I suppose this is where faith comes in.  This is where we each yearn for a relationship with Jesus, the one who knows God, the one who is God.  The one who is fully human and fully divine.  Who is our intercessor to the Almighty.  The one who walks with us, on our search for Truth.

Day 35: Mercy

Day 34: Forgive

I love the transformative qualities of forgiveness.  When we forgive others, and when we forgive ourselves, it is a new beginning for our lives.  Like a flower emerging from the earth, forgiveness fosters new life where none existed before.

God too forgives us of our sins, to allow for new growth.  Rather than staying buried beneath the burdens, through forgiveness we are given strength to sprout through the dirt into beautiful children of God.

Day 33: Celebrate

Two of my very good friends came to Boston this weekend to visit! 

Sam (left) and Grace (right) were both in Boston,

 and because friends > school…

            I hung out with them!

So thankful for all of the positive people in my life, who remind me that every day is a reason to celebrate!

Day 32: Still

“Be still, and know that I am God.” – Psalm 46: 10

I really like coffee.  Usually I limit myself to just one cup a day.  I see that as a healthy dose of caffeine…  Sometimes though I have an extra cup or two, and on occasion I mix some sweetener into my cup.  When this happens, a curious phenomenon takes place. 

My hands start to shake, just a tiny little amount, but enough to be noticeable.  What frustrates me when this happens is that I cannot make them still.  It is a little scary honestly, the inability to control this movement, and makes me seriously reconsider my morning decisions.

In Psalm 46 we are told to be still.  Amidst all of life’s tribulations and difficulties, we are supposed to stop, to be still, and “know” that God is God.  The knowledge referred to in Psalm 46 however is not simply recognition of God, but rather recognition of God’s relationship to us. 

To be still I must surrender.  I must concede that God is in control, that God is all-powerful and all-loving, and that God will provide in my weakness.  The only way for me to be still is to submit to God, to surrender my need for control over my life, and to trust in God’s love at all times.  I cannot make me still alone.

Day 31: Place

I love Alaska.  I absolutely love it!  I love the mountains and the rivers, the trees and the moose.  I love the people, my friends, and my family.  I love the cold winter nights and bright summer days.  I love campfires and skiing, hiking and the northern lights.  I even love the rainy summers and the butt-cold days in the winter.

I moved to Boston 5 years ago.  Let me tell you… Boston is NOT Alaska.  So much of my life here in no way resembles my life back home.  I am in the city.  Loud noises, people all around, flat landscape and concrete all around me.  I visited my friend in Spartanburg last week and took a picture in front of a wall (below).  Centered on the wall were the words “Love where you live.”

The value of this statement struck a chord with me.  In a sense, I am stuck where I am living, even if it is temporary.  True, I have the options to pick up and move somewhere else, but I have resigned to the fact that Boston will be ‘home’ for my undergraduate years. 

So since Boston is where I am living, and I have decided to live here and stay here for a while, I should now love Boston.  Of course, I do not have to love Boston.  But I figured out pretty quickly that if I did not at least adopt the attitude that I should like Boston, life became very much not fun.

We do not always pick or like the places where we are living.  I noticed that when I compared Boston to Alaska, I often began to miss home and detest living in this northeast city.  Instead of comparing, I needed to redirect my attention to discover what Boston (and the surrounding areas) had to offer, independently of my love for Alaska.

I will always love Alaska.  But I will also try to “Love where I live,” wherever that may be.

Day 30: Light

Light can do some pretty spectacular things.  Because of light we can see.  Light gives us rainbows and sunsets.  Light bends and gives us lots of physics homework problems.

Without light, there is darkness (good work Sherlock).  I am afraid of the dark.  I am afraid of what I cannot see that might be lurking in the quietest corners.  It seems noteworthy to me that the boundary between light and dark is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

We often stop and pause when the sun rises or the sun sets, and splashes of color fill the sky as time passes dark to light, and then light to dark.  It is in these moments of transition that we most often stop and take in the surrounding beauty of creation, before going back to our day and our to-do lists.

There is beauty in change.  Though I may be nervous about where the future is heading, or what the darkness may bring forth, there is beauty in the path to get there.  And after the darkness, after the difficulty of trials and new things, there is beauty once more as we transition back to light, and back to the known and familiar.

Day 29: Believe

Have you ever been in a situation that has completely taken your breath away?  A situation that has caused you to say “I don’t believe it!”

Some things are hard to believe.  Usually, these things are in the extremes.  We don’t have a problem with things that are good, bad, easy, hard, complicated, simple, etc.  It is when something is too good, too bad, too easy, too hard, and the like that our understanding of the situation wavers and we are left exclaiming that we just don’t believe it.

Those were my feelings as I stood on a boat in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Costa Rica.  As I stood, bouncing on the waves, while a humpback whale surfaced less than 15 feet from our boat.  I cannot begin to describe shutter that started in my bones, emanated through my body, and escaped with a gasp at the sight of this massive creature.  Whales are big animals.  And next to that tiny boat bobbing in the ocean, I appreciated for the first time just how BIG they are.

Faith is not easy.  I think one of the reasons we struggle to believe in God is that God is extreme.  God is so big, so powerful, so loving, and so wonderful that we just can’t believe it.  We literally cannot understand, cannot fathom just how BIG God is. 

God is more than we will ever be able to describe.  God is more than we will ever be able to know.  And God is here, with us always, whether or not we believe it.

(The picture doesn't do it justice)

Day 28: Endure

To endure is to persist amid hardship.  This hardship can take lots of different forms.  For me right now, I have a cold and my nose is enduring an endless assault of tissues.

Stay with it.  The storm will pass :)

Day 27: Wilderness

I am so incredibly tempted to post a picture of my backyard for this… but I will resist that temptation.

During Lent, we are especially focused on wilderness.  Through the wilderness Jesus wandered for 40 days… And through these 40 days in 2015 we contemplate our own wilderness and how the trials impact our faith.

As I contemplate the meaning of ‘wilderness,’ rugged terrain comes to mind.  Over grown brambles, forest so thick you can hardly find a way through; or sketchy mountainous crags, with ridges so thin and descents so steep that your heat skips a beat.  Then I remembered the desert.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years.  40 years!  In 40 years I will be 63 years old.  I don’t know about you, but I have a whole bunch of other things on my agenda and life plan than tromping over caked dirt and through cactuses for 40 years.  I mean, I love adventure as much as the next person, but after 23 years of learning and preparing for life I was kinda hoping for something more…. Meaningful? 

There are two impressions this vision of the Israelites in the desert imparts.  The first is living amidst the wilderness.  For the Israelites, life continued.  Just because scorching days and monotonous landscape was all that could be seen behind or ahead, did not mean that all hope was lost.  Though they appealed and lamented to God “You know what, I think I’m done.  Get me out of this mess,” they nevertheless continued.  Though faith waned at times, and camaraderie grew and fell, the Israelites continued to walk, to wander, and to live.  People died, people were born, marriages preformed, and birthdays celebrated.  Today, though our manifestation of wilderness may not be a desert, the reality of life’s continuity through the wilderness is certain.  As people we must recognize this, call on God for help, and continue to wander in our own experience of desert.

Second, though the Israelites wandered, their purpose in life was not any less than it was before for exile.  The chosen people still journeyed to the Promise Land.  Each body, each soul among the masses, still served a role in the fulfillment of deliverance and the recognition of God’s people.  This is difficult; the reflection that God uses people through suffering, but it is a reoccurring theme through the Bible, and through our society today.

As we journey through the wilderness of Lent together, let us remember the Israelites, and remember that we are not alone.

Day 26: Celebrate

Today is Sunday and I am in Atlanta with one of my very best friends on the entire earth!  And that is most definitely a reason to celebrate.

Day 25: Search

I am in Atlanta, Georgia, about to visit Candler School of Theology as a prospective student for this fall.  On this path to follow God it sure feels like I am doing a lot of searching to try to find where God is leading…

This search can feel frustrating at times.  Like God called me to this service, then allusively hid from sight as I flounder to make decisions alone.  So many factors play into this decision to go to seminary, and so many of those factors don’t seem to line up evenly.

The search, the careful deliberation, is part of the process.  It might be the part of the process that I dislike the most, but it is a part no less.  A search indicates an unknown, and an unknown can be scary.  Change is rarely comfortable, mostly because with change we are moving form the familiar to the unfamiliar, from the known to the unknown. 

So as I search, I pray that God will lead me, I talk to others who can guide me, and I reflect inwardly on where my heart yearns.  I know that wherever I go to school I will be fine.  As my mom puts it, “you are at the center of a giant wheel, with spokes radiating in 27 different directions, and all of them lead to bright futures.”

So where to next?  Alas the search continues… But I’ll know on Wednesday :)

Day 24: Practice

“Practice makes perfect!”  That’s the old adage.  I can tell you that it is true too.  After 23 years, I have perfected the chocolate chip cookie.

The perfect chocolate chip cookie comes straight from the oven, warm and gooey, with chocolate oozing over your fingers.  This cookie will have a slightly crunchy crust, just baked long enough to caramelize the sugars and blend the flavors into complete perfection.  This perfectly balanced concoction leaves a salty tingle on your tongue, combining with the buttery smoothness and chocolaty mess of a cookie that leaves your heart happy and your mouth wanting more.

So now that I have your mouths watering and your subconscious working on a new grocery list…

I am going to compare my faith to a chocolate chip cookie.

I will not be so bold as to say this aspect of my life has been perfected, far from it actually.  But I will say that the practice of faith is instrumentally important in the foundation and application of belief. 

I have enjoyed this Lenten photo journey, mostly because it creates a point to focus my thoughts on my faith and relationship with God.  Each day brings a new meditative word, a word to consider, and a word to relate to my faith.  This practice is renewing and restoring devotion to God and my recognition of God’s work in all aspects of life. 

This is what Lent is all about.  It is a season of preparation, of practice.  It makes us ready to accept God’s gift of life in Christ.  It is about shedding the sin that clings so closely, and letting go of the hurt, pain, and shame in our lives as we remember our dependence and commitment to God, and the life giving promises that this relationship brings.

We practice because we are not perfect.  We practice to bring us closer to perfection that is our God.

Day 23: Stop

I would consider myself an environmentally conscious person, though not always an activist.  The truth is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to live a modern life with zero environmental impact.  Even now as I type this, on my electronic computer that will one day end up in a landfill, using electricity that likely came from fossil fuel consumption (or at least produced waste in the process) and sipping my plastic (if reusable) water bottle.  It is pretty clear that while I may consider the environment, my actions do not always match my words.

The environmental movement is not about eliminating all environmental impacts; this is not a reasonable goal.  The environmental movement hopes that if enough people consider their actions within the larger picture of the earth, we as a society can reduce our impact enough for sustainability.  

The waste disposal units in Asheville, NC remind us to stop and consider the environment when making a simple decision to get rid of our trash.  It is easy to consciously divert plastics, glass, aluminum, tin, papers, and other materials out of landfills and into recycling plants for reuse.  Of course this is not always a complete reduction of waste, but it does help to minimize the garbage and stem consumption of new materials.

So take a new step today and recycle!  Stop and take time to consider the glorious creation that God has given us.  As Jesus tells us, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow…” Recognition that the environment is part of this wonder-ful creation that we call home is the first step towards protection and care for our world.  And it requires us to stop.

Day 22: Wise

I had dinner today with a friend who thinks about the world. 

We talked about everything from disparities between the wealthy and poor, the systems in place that keep those disparities, and plans for development and restoring areas of town that results in gentrification and no where for the poor to live. 

We talked about capitalistic societies and free trade, and how government regulations try to keep people from taking advantage of other people, but how unfair business still permeates, outside the government and within. 

We talked about our subconscious prejudices, and the need to feel safe, even though those sentiments result in judgments on other people and reinforces our prejudiced ways; but there is a reason for the fear.

We talked about statistics and metrics used to study social systems, and how we can’t tell if even the studies we run are inherently fair or producing true results.

We talked about the need for conversations between different groups of people, but feelings run so deep and people in their ways that anger and acquisitions fly when dialogue is even attempted.

And even with all of the problems in our world, even with all the problems in the solutions that we try to propose, there is still hope.

Being wise is not about having all the answers.  Being wise is about recognizing the issues, and being bold enough to talk about it.

(And knowing that occasionally it is ok to eat a cupcake before dinner)

Day 21: Knowledge

I spent the day yesterday visiting Duke Divinity School.  The tagline of the school, Knowledge and Faith, represents the focus of the school, and it is evident that both of these aspects are held together as vital parts of ministry.

I’m often asked if I am worried that divinity school will threaten my faith.  The inherent deconstructive nature of studying theology will indeed be a challenge, but I am reminded that divinity school is not the church.  Instead, reconstructive faith communities are essential factors in completing theological education in preparation for ministry.

Am I nervous?  Absolutely.  Am I excited to learn new things, about my faith and scripture?  Absolutely absolutely.  Will my faith change?  Probably.  How?  I cannot be certain.  But I do know that together, knowledge and faith prepare for ministry.  One of these features can not stand on it’s own, both inform and shape the individual in preparing for a life of service to God.

Day 20: Sabbath

Every Sunday we make pancakes.  This tradition is about three years old.  After 8am church, there is nothing better than returning home to make pancakes and then take an afternoon nap.  In the midst of a busy week, this weekend ritual has become my Sabbath.

“The sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the sabbath.” – Mark 2:27

In Mark, Jesus reminds us that God gave us the sabbath, the day of rest, for our benefit.  God recognized the need for rest, and the life-giving practice to put your feet up and take a break.  Counter-culturally, God tells us to take some time apart from the go-go-go and to reconnect to ourselves, our loved ones, and our God.

Day 19: Celebrate

Today I am celebrating the sun!!  I am leaving Boston and snow and cold for a week to visit North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.  I will be touring Duke and Emory, staying and exploring with friends, and most importantly* enjoying the sun!

Praise be to God for the fireball in space that warms our planet and shines brightly on our faces!  Praise be to God for the sun that give us energy for weather, climate patterns, and trees to grow!  Praise be to God for light that radiates into the darkest of spaces, and lifts our spirits after the long winter!  Let’s celebrate, and give thanks to God for the sun; the sun that shines on every single person who walks on this beautiful creation we call home.

Beach anyone? :)

*The sun is not actually the most important, but it is the cause of my celebration today!

Day 18: Speak

I don’t know how to paint.  Well, I do know how, but I am not very good at painting.  For me, painting is not how I speak.  I speak through writing, I speak through words, and sometimes I speak through silence. 

Each of us has a unique way to speak.  Sometimes this voice inside has to be coaxed out a little.  Sometimes other people can’t understand our version of language, and that can be very frustrating.  Sometimes we don’t have the tools to speak and make ourselves heard.

One of the wonderful realities of an omniscient God is that God can speak in every language.  It does not matter where you were born or how you express yourself, God is in tune with your very being, and listening to anything that you have to say or show.

I walked outside one day this summer in Colorado and God had painted on the sky.  The colors spilled and overlapped each other, swirled and mixed together in patterns and in freedom.  And I knew that God was speaking.  Am I listening?

Day 17: Beloved

Deeply loved.  The quest and yearning for true love is embedded deep in our society.  It permeates from all angles: television, magazines, music lyrics, even adds on the T.  Promises to find love, tips for the right decisions, and advertisements for helpful products yell at us that we are not good enough for love as we are, and instead must enhance some component of ourselves to fill the allusive void of love.

What if we promoted a different message?  One that gave thanks for the beautiful body and soul that comprises you.  A message that insisted that in love we are created, and in love we live each day. 

We are God’s children.  Each and every soul that walks the earth is created in the image of God, in the image of love.  Instead of worry and self doubt, live into the promise that God has given us a life of love, just as we are.

I celebrate this acknowledgement.  That God is love, God has given us love, and God brings people into our lives to share that love with us. 

My friend, you are beloved.

*Sorry for the delay in these posts... Traveling and no internet!

Day 16: Follow

This past May I tried to summit Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the lower 48.  When we arrived at Lone Pine, Whitney came into view.  At just over 14,500 feet, this granite structure loomed overhead, and beckoned me in.

I had just read “Mountaineering in the Sierra Nevada.”  Written by Clarence King in 1872, this book tells of the adventures and expeditions of King and his journey through the High Sierras with the geological survey of California.  Parsed amid conversations with his horse, King took me on a wild adventure through the granite peaks, his untamed spirit and comprehensive knowledge of geology touring me through the rugged wilderness.  Before attempting Mt. Whitney, I read the chapter again…

“Up the glacier valley above camp we slowly tramped through a forest of nobel Pinus flexilis, the trunks of bright sienna contrasting richly with deep bronze foliage.  Minor flutings of a medial moraine offered gentle grade and agreeable footing for a mile and more, after which, by degrees, the woods gave way to a wide, open amphitheatre surrounded with cliffs.

I can never enter one of these great hollow mountain chambers without pause.  There is a grandeur and spaciousness which expand and fit the mind for yet larger sensations when you shall stand on the height above.  Velvet of alpine sward edging an icy brooklet by whose margin we sat down, reached to the right and left far enough to spread a narrow foreground, over which we saw a chain of peaks swelling from either side toward our amphitheatre’s head, where, springing splendidly over them all, stood the sharp form of Whitney.”

I desperately wished to be in that moment of discovery.  To be the first.  To venture into the unknown, where none had gone before, and to pave the way for others to follow.

Then I reconsidered.  My experience on this mountain, regardless of how many had gone before, was new to me.  Following another’s footsteps did not detract from the magnificent beauty and power of the range, nor did it hold my wonder and exploration at bay.  I followed, and countless will follow me.  But that does not make mine, or your experiences any less valuable or meaningful.  We garner strength and courage from those who have gone before; insight, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.  We use others’ experiences to inform and plan for our own, and then we must set them aside, and experience life as a unique and personal encounter; with the confidence and comfort of knowing we are not alone, but the excitement and wonder of an experience all our own.

This is what faith is like.  A personal relationship with God, one that is solely and explicitly yours, yet is informed and influenced by a myriad of others who have gone before.  This puts the individual faith journey in a delicate balance of personal exploration and relationship with others, enriching the journey, adding depth and connection while maintaining personal wonder and love.

Day 15: Poor

The poem “The New Colossus,” written by Emma Lazarus, stands ingrained on a bronze plaque inside the Statue of Liberty.  This poem addresses the millions of immigrants that came to the United States, many through Ellis Island in New York.  The Statue of Liberty became a symbol of hope, promise, and freedom for so many people as they ventured to make a new home in the Land of the Free, their first view of America rising over the horizon.  My far distant relatives were on one of those ships that sailed across.  And my guess is yours were too.

Today, immigrants to the United States are seen in a different light.  They come bearing the same burdens as our ancestors, and carrying the same hope in their hearts.  How are we to respond to their endeavor for renewed life?  Are we to give them a second chance just as our relatives were given?

We once welcomed the poor, the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”  Now we are torn between shutting the door in their faces and opening a land of opportunity to them.  Who are we to decide?  Are our hearts too crowded as our lands?  And as Christians, how can we turn away the needy?

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Day 14: Near

I moved to Boston four and a half years ago, from Alaska.  Let me tell you, Alaska is a long way away from Boston.  Living so far from family during this time has been challenging, and more than once I have wished to be magically transported home from Boston, or cried leaving on a plane from Alaska.

With family so far away, I had to find new ways to make home seem near.  I found friends who I could enjoy life with, I reached out to distant relatives in the area who have been so supportive and helpful, and I found a ministry group to sustain my faith and well-being.  And I gave thanks for telephones, skype, and airplanes that made the distance more bearable.

We all go through times when home is a long way away, either physically or emotionally.  When this happens, how do you make home near?

Day 13: Bless

Bless.  This word has a number of uses in our everyday lives.  From “Bless you!” when someone sneezes, to blessings we place on others when sending them off.  We say we are blessed when we have food and shelter, and count our blessings when we are focusing on giving thanks for what we have.

But there is a spiritual component to this word.  Blessings are more than meeting our physical needs.  To be blessed is more than happiness and joy.  My bible defines blessed, as “more than a temporal feeling of happiness, this is a state of well-being in relationship to God.”

In Bible study last night we took a look at the beatitudes.  We were caught by the phrase “poor in spirit,” and talked about how it seemed to be referring to those who recognized their need for relationship with God.  In Matthew 5:3 Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  This seems a little strange.  How can someone who is neglecting his or her relationship with God be blessed, that is, in a state of well-being in relationship with God?  It seems a little paradoxical.

I think that defining ‘blessed’ as a product of a relationship with God is a wonderful way to encapsulate all of the happiness, joy, peace, and comfort that is ascribed to this state of being.  This picture below is from a church in Costa Rica.  I love how as your eyes move from the base of the cross heavenward, the cross seems to disappear into the sky, as if Jesus has already ascended to God, taking us on earth along too.  Jesus is our intercessor to God.  Through Jesus we are able to have relationship with God, by Jesus we are blessed.

Day 12: Celebrate

It’s Sunday! 

Confession: I was really confused why this word Celebrate was being repeated again here, then I noticed that it is repeated SIX times in this Lent photo a day thing.  Then I realized that it is repeated every Sunday.  I thought this strange for awhile… Then I remembered that during Lent, Sundays are the feast days!  They are days to celebrate, a “mini Easter,” and a reminder that through the fasting and purifying of Lent we are moving ever closer in preparing for the celebration of Easter.

Today I am celebrating food!  Not just any food.  This is cheeseburger pie.  This is a recipe that my grandma sent me.

I love food for many reasons, the most important being that it tastes good and you can share it.  This pie has both of those qualities.  My grandma shared this recipe with me, and I shared this particular pie with friends.  If that isn’t reason to celebrate then I don’t know what is!

God gives us so many reasons to celebrate, each and every day.  Through a delicious shared meal we are finding nourishment, but we are also deepening relationships and enjoying the company of another.  Praise the Lord!

Day 11: Powers

I volunteered on Saturday with Youth Enrichment Services (YES).  I am a ski instructor, and had the wonderful opportunity to accompany a busload of girls up to Maine for a day of Sisters on the Slope!  I had four students in my beginner’s class, ranging in age from 11 to 13, and days of experience skiing between 0 and 1. 

My favorite part of YES is seeing the growth in the kids.  I love watching their expressions when learning how to ski, and the confidence they exude when they ski down the bunny hill unattended for the first time.  This emPOWERment is what I love most about YES.

It takes courage to try something new.  And it takes power to stand back up even when you fall again and again.  At 13, learning to ski can seem to be an insurmountable challenge.  Standing back up is no easy task with two slippy sliddy sticks on your feet!  These girls showed me POWER every time they stood back up to try again.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, Jesus is quoted saying “my grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  It is only through weakness that we are given the opening for power to emerge.  We can only stand up because we have already fallen.  Through our weakness, the power of God can shine.

This is one of my most favorite YES co-instructors!