Day #5 Today We Celebrate!
Sabbath is the only commandment we brag about breaking. (Author unknown.) Today is the first Sunday of Lent. Lent is traditionally considered 40 days long, even though the time between Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday is actually 47. This is because Sundays are not considered to be part of Lent. Sundays are always considered feast ...
Day #4 Honest to God
“What you’re after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.” (Psm. 51:6) We are just a little way into Lent. I am surprised how quickly my resolve to live differently dissolves into my old and familiar patterns of living. Humph. I thought I was stronger, more capable than ...
Day 3 A Well-Time Help
Hebrews 4:16:, “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” (NLT) In 2009, Apple debuted its slogan, "There's an app for that" in TV ads to show off the multitude of apps ...
Day #2 – The Land of the Speaking
“They are not just idle words (dâbâr ) for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deut. 32:47) I grew up mainly near Seattle where the landscape is green and lush (it is as wet there as they say it is). Our ministry began there ...
ASH WEDNESDAY
Today begins the forty-day journey of Lent. It is marked in days but lived in grace. Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the 40-day Lenten season leading up to Easter. If you are like me, I did not grow up observing the liturgical Church calendar. However, my spiritual journey has helped me ...
Always, We Begin Again
Always, We Begin Again I love this wonderful and poignant phrase that comes from the writings of 6th-century monk, St. Benedict. Especially at the start of a new year, we are reminded that we are presented with countless opportunities for new beginnings. Losing weight, getting out of debt, exercising, reading more books, learning something new, ...
Practices That Keep Us Sane – Part 2
A few years ago I heard a surprising definition of the word, “circumstances”. Circumstances means “standing around”. Hmmmm. Interesting. The more I thought about it, the more I understood its meaning. Circumstances are those things that are standing so close to us they block our view of God. They crowd in until all you can ...
Practices that Keep Us Sane in a VUCA World
No doubt our lives are on edge. Just look at the empty grocery shelves. Managers at Costco have to separate people fighting over water. Unwanted, and especially unexpected, change grabs the accompanying fear of the unknown. We panic. We become paralyzed. We tuck in. We grab whatever makes us feel safe and secure. There are ...
Pay Attention to Your Stirrings
According to the traditional church calendar, today is known as Epiphany. Epiphany marks the end of the Christmas season. I love Epiphany. Epiphany comes on the heels of the New Year and offers the same invitations to something new. Epiphany celebrates the pilgrimage of the Wise Men to seek, and subsequently find, the Christ child. ...
Can We Be Real?
We are just a little ways into Lent. I am surprised how quickly my resolve to live differently dissolves into my old and familiar patterns of living. Humph. I thought I was stronger, more capable than that. This is what makes Lent so valuable. Lent is a time of looking honestly at our lives; a ...
Gail Johnsen 