God has ‘being’ in infinite fullness. He, alone, has being. I am drawing my existence from God. I am ontologically plugged into him for my being.
How could God become a baby?
Offering
During Advent, Dive into the Mystery
Everything is Holy Now
Ragged and Torn
The Cross
Seen
The Apple of His Eye
God keeps us as the apple of his eye, right in the center of his vision. Imagine the scene after Jesus had been taken into custody: Peter follows at a distance, sits down with people around a fire in the courtyard. His face glows in the light of the fire. A servant girl recognizes him. She leans closer, looking at him. Peter feels her stare. She makes her accusation: “This man was with him.”
Today
“If you want to see the pear trees, we’d better drive by them today.” My husband is right. The trees are glorious in full bloom against a sunny, winter sky but their glory fades quickly. We’d better go now.
It’s so convenient to push things off until tomorrow. But some things require our attention, today.
The writer of Hebrews gets pretty pointed: Today is the day. If you hear his voice, don’t harden your heart. Open yourself. Tomorrow may be too late.
Invited to Come
Feeling weary but unsure how to come to Jesus? Sometimes our lives hit a bump and we become lost in the swirl of uncertainty or the fog of grief. Sometimes we run ourselves ragged to the point of having absolutely nothing left to give. Feeling weary, exhausted, or like your spiritual life isn’t working the way it used to? Perhaps like me, you feel unsure about how to come to Jesus when the normal ways just don’t engage you as they have. Know that the Lord of heaven and earth is with you.
Joyful, Joyful
One beautiful morning, Henry Van Dyke (1907) was staying with the president of Williams College where he had been invited to preach. Van Dyke was an ordained Presbyterian minister but served most of his career (1899-1922) as a professor of English literature at Princeton University. Many concerns in the news troubled them during those bleak days before World War I. Moved by the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains, joy broke through. Van Dyke was inspired to write.
Creation Calls Us to Worship
A Witness
For the past year, my ten-year-old grandson and I have been zooming for an hour, four days a week. It’s been delightful. We talk about whatever interests us and explore the world via Google maps. This week, besides talking about Minecraft skins and the size of Alaska, we traveled to see where the Japanese snow monkeys live, learned about sea otters’ fur (a million hair follicles per square inch!), and watched teams of Alaska sled dogs run the 1,000 mile Iditarod in thirty degrees below zero temperatures. Yesterday, he asked me how we can know who God is since he is invisible. Great question!
We are His People
The beauty of creation reflects the beauty of her Creator. Our God is supremely beautiful. His beauty delights us and calls forth our gratitude and praise. When we hear creation singing, her choir invites us to take off our shoes and enter into the holy of holies to join in. Creation teaches us who we are and our relationship to the Maker of heaven and earth.
Creation Calls
When we sit along Kauai’s south shore with vacationers from all over the world, gathering night after night to enjoy the beauty of sunset, I know why everyone is there. We love the beauty of the changing sunset colors; we delight to watch the sea turtles come ashore to rest. It’s mesmerizing. Simply gorgeous. For my husband and me, it’s also holy.
Walk with Me and Discover New Ways to Pray
I’ve been on a journey these past two years. I’ve found new ways to pray as I’ve come to understand more about the theology of our Creator, his creation, and how joy, beauty, and light are gifts our Creator God gives to us. I’ll be sharing my journey on my blog. I hope you’ll walk with me and discover new ways to pray.
I’ve come to understand God longs for us to look beyond joy and beauty to see him, our Savior, the Giver of all good gifts.
I have found that when my mind cannot engage with the Bible or come up with words to pray, I can still pray with joy in my heart. I now know how to let joy and beauty lead me to Jesus.
Suggestions if you want to create a personal Book of Worship
A few years ago, I decided I wanted to create my own book that would help me when I wanted to enter into a time of worship. I wanted to copy verses of Scripture, prayers of praise and confession, thoughts from books I was reading, and my personal reflections. This personal Book of Worship became a treasure.
