"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing." - Matthew 13:22
Dear Friends in Christ -
Obviously, I haven't figured out what "enough" is in my own life. I say "obviously" because I've neglected writing here for some time - and I really enjoy doing this! My schedule overfloweth. Many of the good things I want to do I don't get around to - and I spend more time than I would like to admit on things that seem important (or praiseworthy) but that, in the long haul, don't prove to be worth that much. Sigh.
Enough. What is enough? How much money is "enough" money? How much time is "enough" time? How much effort is "enough" effort? And how are we to know?
Today's Gospel lesson points out what happens to the Word when the cares of the world and the lure of money get to us: the Word gets choked out. And when the Word gets choked out - out-yelled in the daily shouting match for our attention, forced to take a backseat to other "crucial" things in our agenda - we yield nothing. Nothing of significant value, at least.
I have a friend I really admire. She does important work: she's a peacemaker who's job is to bring warring, wounded parties together to try to work out peace and reconciliation agreements. She's been working overtime lately, with more and more work coming her way. Recently, I asked her: "How do you know when you've done enough?" She said, "I ask myself the question, 'Was I kind to people each person who crossed my path today?'" If the answer is yes, then she believes she's done well, she's done enough.
Another friend of mine shared with me the prayer she's been praying lately: it's a prayer asking for guidance to "enough." I'm praying it these days, and I invite you to join me.
Whether it's "enough" time or money or grace we need, this prayer draws us to Jesus, the source of all we need . . . (It's from a book entitled, "Enough")
"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen."
Faithfully in Him,
Janet+
Thursday, October 27, 2011
The "Enough" Prayer
"As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing." - Matthew 13:22
Dear Friends in Christ -
Obviously, I haven't figured out what "enough" is in my own life. I say "obviously" because I've neglected writing here for some time - and I really enjoy doing this! My schedule overfloweth. Many of the good things I want to do I don't get around to - and I spend more time than I would like to admit on things that seem important (or praiseworthy) but that, in the long haul, don't prove to be worth that much. Sigh.
Enough. What is enough? How much money is "enough" money? How much time is "enough" time? How much effort is "enough" effort? And how are we to know?
Today's Gospel lesson points out what happens to the Word when the cares of the world and the lure of money get to us: the Word gets choked out. And when the Word gets choked out - out-yelled in the daily shouting match for our attention, forced to take a backseat to other "crucial" things in our agenda - we yield nothing. Nothing of significant value, at least.
I have a friend I really admire. She does important work: she's a peacemaker who's job is to bring warring, wounded parties together to try to work out peace and reconciliation agreements. She's been working overtime lately, with more and more work coming her way. Recently, I asked her: "How do you know when you've done enough?" She said, "I ask myself the question, 'Was I kind to people each person who crossed my path today?'" If the answer is yes, then she believes she's done well, she's done enough.
Another friend of mine shared with me the prayer she's been praying lately: it's a prayer asking for guidance to "enough." I'm praying it these days, and I invite you to join me.
Whether it's "enough" time or money or grace we need, this prayer draws us to Jesus, the source of all we need . . .
"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen."
Faithfully in Him,
Janet+
Dear Friends in Christ -
Obviously, I haven't figured out what "enough" is in my own life. I say "obviously" because I've neglected writing here for some time - and I really enjoy doing this! My schedule overfloweth. Many of the good things I want to do I don't get around to - and I spend more time than I would like to admit on things that seem important (or praiseworthy) but that, in the long haul, don't prove to be worth that much. Sigh.
Enough. What is enough? How much money is "enough" money? How much time is "enough" time? How much effort is "enough" effort? And how are we to know?
Today's Gospel lesson points out what happens to the Word when the cares of the world and the lure of money get to us: the Word gets choked out. And when the Word gets choked out - out-yelled in the daily shouting match for our attention, forced to take a backseat to other "crucial" things in our agenda - we yield nothing. Nothing of significant value, at least.
I have a friend I really admire. She does important work: she's a peacemaker who's job is to bring warring, wounded parties together to try to work out peace and reconciliation agreements. She's been working overtime lately, with more and more work coming her way. Recently, I asked her: "How do you know when you've done enough?" She said, "I ask myself the question, 'Was I kind to people each person who crossed my path today?'" If the answer is yes, then she believes she's done well, she's done enough.
Another friend of mine shared with me the prayer she's been praying lately: it's a prayer asking for guidance to "enough." I'm praying it these days, and I invite you to join me.
Whether it's "enough" time or money or grace we need, this prayer draws us to Jesus, the source of all we need . . .
"Lord, help me to be grateful for what I have, to remember that I don't need most of what I want, and that joy is found in simplicity and generosity. Amen."
Faithfully in Him,
Janet+
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sooty Ash Wednesday
Dear Friends in Christ -
It's one of the messiest days of the year, this day when we put black ash on our foreheads. For those of us who were at the early service this morning, the ashes flake down all day on our noses and are smeared by our fingers as we brush hair back from our foreheads during the day.
These ashes are sacramental: "outward and visible signs of inward and invisible grace." Wearing these ashes is like wearing a post-it note on our foreheads saying, "it's a mess in here!"
For us New Englanders who are never ones to wear our emotions on our sleeves or air our dirty laundry in public, the act of wearing such a public statement around on our foreheads all day feels like a stretch. First, it tells people we're a Christian, something we don't usually talk about in the grocery store or at work. Second, it confronts us with realities we don't like to think about, much less talk about: we're flawed, we make mistakes, we're mortal, and time's running out to deal with the mistakes we've made. Sigh. That's pretty heavy stuff for a sunny mid-winter Wednesday.
So what to do? Strains of a song I heard in church a few months ago waft through my internal sound system in reply: "Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus, and live . . . Fly to Jesus. Fly to Jesus. Fly to Jesus, and live."
The truth is, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross doesn't amount to a hill of beans, doesn't transform us a bit, if we don't let him take our sins with us and give us, in exchange, his Live and health and peace.
Ash Wednesday is a messy day. The whole process of opening up our hearts and exchanging what we've got (sin and pain and grief) for what Jesus has got (Life and health and peace) involves opening up the locked up, battoned down, dusty corners of our hearts and sorting through some smelly, unsightly things that we've sometimes tried to keep out of the light of day for some time. But Jesus' promise to us is that he'll take whatever we can dig up, and he'll take it away "as far as the East is from the West."
There's a reason that the sooty, messy ashes are pressed onto our foreheads in the sign of a cross. It's a reminder: Jesus takes whatever nasty, dark stuff we show up with on this day of repentance and covers them with his blood, shed on the cross. The cross is a sign of His victory over death, which - because of His love for us - he has made our victory, too.
On this holy day, may you know the power of this prayer and blessing:
Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind, through Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - be upon you and remain with you, now and forever. Amen.
Faithfully,
Janet+
It's one of the messiest days of the year, this day when we put black ash on our foreheads. For those of us who were at the early service this morning, the ashes flake down all day on our noses and are smeared by our fingers as we brush hair back from our foreheads during the day.
These ashes are sacramental: "outward and visible signs of inward and invisible grace." Wearing these ashes is like wearing a post-it note on our foreheads saying, "it's a mess in here!"
For us New Englanders who are never ones to wear our emotions on our sleeves or air our dirty laundry in public, the act of wearing such a public statement around on our foreheads all day feels like a stretch. First, it tells people we're a Christian, something we don't usually talk about in the grocery store or at work. Second, it confronts us with realities we don't like to think about, much less talk about: we're flawed, we make mistakes, we're mortal, and time's running out to deal with the mistakes we've made. Sigh. That's pretty heavy stuff for a sunny mid-winter Wednesday.
So what to do? Strains of a song I heard in church a few months ago waft through my internal sound system in reply: "Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus. Come to Jesus, and live . . . Fly to Jesus. Fly to Jesus. Fly to Jesus, and live."
The truth is, Jesus' sacrifice on the cross doesn't amount to a hill of beans, doesn't transform us a bit, if we don't let him take our sins with us and give us, in exchange, his Live and health and peace.
Ash Wednesday is a messy day. The whole process of opening up our hearts and exchanging what we've got (sin and pain and grief) for what Jesus has got (Life and health and peace) involves opening up the locked up, battoned down, dusty corners of our hearts and sorting through some smelly, unsightly things that we've sometimes tried to keep out of the light of day for some time. But Jesus' promise to us is that he'll take whatever we can dig up, and he'll take it away "as far as the East is from the West."
There's a reason that the sooty, messy ashes are pressed onto our foreheads in the sign of a cross. It's a reminder: Jesus takes whatever nasty, dark stuff we show up with on this day of repentance and covers them with his blood, shed on the cross. The cross is a sign of His victory over death, which - because of His love for us - he has made our victory, too.
On this holy day, may you know the power of this prayer and blessing:
Grant, most merciful Lord, to your faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve you with a quiet mind, through Christ our Lord; and the blessing of God Almighty - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - be upon you and remain with you, now and forever. Amen.
Faithfully,
Janet+
Thursday, October 23, 2008
AMAZING GROUP, GREAT CONVERSATION
Dear Friends in Christ -
I spent yesterday (Wed.) evening with a most amazing group of people: over 50 Confirmands, sponsors and adults from St. Paul's.
For three consecutive weeks (last week, this week, next week), we're talking about things that we can do as Christians to get closer to God. Traditionally, these good spiritual habits have been called "spiritual disciplines," a label which makes them sound really boring, like homework one would want to avoid! What these good spiritual habits really are is LIFELINES that God throws out to us as we bob along in the stormy seas of life.
The habit we talked about last night was SOLITUDE - getting quiet and still to make space to listen to God.
I was really saddened (though not surprised!) to hear from the Confirmands that it's their perception that their parents basically NEVER get any solitude, any quiet time. Sadder still is that I bet their perception is pretty accurate.
I came away from the discussion feeling challenged to new adventures, to:
1. Say no a little more often, so that I'm getting more solitude.
2. Model for my kids what it looks like to "be still," so they know how to do it.
I'm NOT talking here about adding these things to my list of "TO DO"s, I'm just going to open myself to the ideas and listen for God's voice prompting me about when and how to follow through.
The Confirmands and adults at last night's session were brave: they told the truth. Our lives don't have much stillness in them. Do you believe that God can help you/me/us out with that?
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
I spent yesterday (Wed.) evening with a most amazing group of people: over 50 Confirmands, sponsors and adults from St. Paul's.
For three consecutive weeks (last week, this week, next week), we're talking about things that we can do as Christians to get closer to God. Traditionally, these good spiritual habits have been called "spiritual disciplines," a label which makes them sound really boring, like homework one would want to avoid! What these good spiritual habits really are is LIFELINES that God throws out to us as we bob along in the stormy seas of life.
The habit we talked about last night was SOLITUDE - getting quiet and still to make space to listen to God.
I was really saddened (though not surprised!) to hear from the Confirmands that it's their perception that their parents basically NEVER get any solitude, any quiet time. Sadder still is that I bet their perception is pretty accurate.
I came away from the discussion feeling challenged to new adventures, to:
1. Say no a little more often, so that I'm getting more solitude.
2. Model for my kids what it looks like to "be still," so they know how to do it.
I'm NOT talking here about adding these things to my list of "TO DO"s, I'm just going to open myself to the ideas and listen for God's voice prompting me about when and how to follow through.
The Confirmands and adults at last night's session were brave: they told the truth. Our lives don't have much stillness in them. Do you believe that God can help you/me/us out with that?
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
THANK YOU
Dear Friends in Christ -
Ed and I are so grateful to all of you for giving us time away this past weekend to celebrate our anniversary. The responsibilities of the work we do (and love!) and the responsibilities of having kids make it hard to find time to get away. But it's essential for the well-being of our marriage and our souls! We played and prayed and rested and renewed. My soul breathed a huge sigh - and then started receiving fresh strength for the next leg of the journey.
We are especially grateful to the friends who loaned us their home on Nantucket - and to my parents, who lovingly "sat on" our kids - and to Dave Nash for dropping everything on Sunday afternoon to fix the phones in our house so that we could talk to our kids (little Ben had shut them off on accident!!). I also have to say how thankful I am for Deacon Dee's presence and work; with her leading worship here, I could completely relax and know that things would great here at St. Paul's.
It was good to be away, but it's good to be home, too. Now, it's onward and upward!
With appreciation and affection,
Janet+
Ed and I are so grateful to all of you for giving us time away this past weekend to celebrate our anniversary. The responsibilities of the work we do (and love!) and the responsibilities of having kids make it hard to find time to get away. But it's essential for the well-being of our marriage and our souls! We played and prayed and rested and renewed. My soul breathed a huge sigh - and then started receiving fresh strength for the next leg of the journey.
We are especially grateful to the friends who loaned us their home on Nantucket - and to my parents, who lovingly "sat on" our kids - and to Dave Nash for dropping everything on Sunday afternoon to fix the phones in our house so that we could talk to our kids (little Ben had shut them off on accident!!). I also have to say how thankful I am for Deacon Dee's presence and work; with her leading worship here, I could completely relax and know that things would great here at St. Paul's.
It was good to be away, but it's good to be home, too. Now, it's onward and upward!
With appreciation and affection,
Janet+
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
A loving word of encouragement . . .
. . . from St. Teresa of Avila on this, her feast day:
Christ has no body but yours.
No hands, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right . . ." - Galatians 6:9a
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Christ has no body but yours.
No hands, no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes with which he looks compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
"So let us not grow weary in doing what is right . . ." - Galatians 6:9a
Faithfully yours,
Janet+
Monday, October 13, 2008
Antidote for Anxiety
Dear Friends in Christ -
Following is an excerpt of the outline from my sermon yesterday. May it nourish and encourage you throughout the coming week.
Faithfully,
Janet+
SCRIPTURES FOR THE DAY: Philippians 4:4-9 and Matthew 22:1-14
Joy is the serious business of heaven – C. S. Lewis
How to we put on this wedding robe of JOY that God is asking us to put on? The apostle Paul gives us specific instruction, in the reading we have today from his letter to the church in Phillipi.
Four steps to finding and keeping joy in our lives. Not a Pollyanna perspective, but grounding in the reality of God’s kingdom.
REJOICE
In anything and everything? Yes. In anything and everything. No matter what our troubles are, Paul speaks to us here. This is a man who knew what it was to suffer - he was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, you name it. And it is this man who bears witness to us that we can be unafraid and gentle because the God of the universe is near to us, is on our side.
PRAY
Tempted to worry? Talk to God. Tell him what you’re scared of. Tell him what you need. As you do this, God’s peace becomes yours – in ways you don’t expect, couldn’t anticipate, might not even understand.
THINK ON THESE THINGS
Choose to focus on the good, the beautiful, things that are pleasing. This isn’t a “nice” idea, anesthesia for what’s going on all around us, it’s connection with the deepest realities.
And, as it turns out, this is also sound financial advice. Suze Orman, the financial guru who shows up on Oprah and on the morning talk shows was giving advice this past week on dealing with the financial crisis on the stock market. Her advice was this: turn off the TV. Stop looking at the little line going down down down. Watching that stuff only gives you agita. Go for a walk, she said, take some deep breaths. Enjoy the beauty around you. Sounds a lot like the wisdom we’re hearing straight from Scripture, doesn’t it?
REJOICE. PRAY. THINK ON THESE THINGS.
And finally KEEP ON DOING.
Don’t let worry or depression become an excuse to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head. Do what God has put in front of you, what God is calling you to do each day. Do it even if it’s difficult. Remember the Dolly Parton song . . . “I stumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition . . .” One step leads to another, leads to another. Just take the next step.
As you REJOICE, PRAY, THINK on these things, and KEEP ON DOING, the God of peace will be with you. That's God's promise.
Even in the midst of difficult, tumultuous times, as we do these things, we will know God's peace. Amen.
Following is an excerpt of the outline from my sermon yesterday. May it nourish and encourage you throughout the coming week.
Faithfully,
Janet+
SCRIPTURES FOR THE DAY: Philippians 4:4-9 and Matthew 22:1-14
Joy is the serious business of heaven – C. S. Lewis
How to we put on this wedding robe of JOY that God is asking us to put on? The apostle Paul gives us specific instruction, in the reading we have today from his letter to the church in Phillipi.
Four steps to finding and keeping joy in our lives. Not a Pollyanna perspective, but grounding in the reality of God’s kingdom.
REJOICE
In anything and everything? Yes. In anything and everything. No matter what our troubles are, Paul speaks to us here. This is a man who knew what it was to suffer - he was beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, you name it. And it is this man who bears witness to us that we can be unafraid and gentle because the God of the universe is near to us, is on our side.
PRAY
Tempted to worry? Talk to God. Tell him what you’re scared of. Tell him what you need. As you do this, God’s peace becomes yours – in ways you don’t expect, couldn’t anticipate, might not even understand.
THINK ON THESE THINGS
Choose to focus on the good, the beautiful, things that are pleasing. This isn’t a “nice” idea, anesthesia for what’s going on all around us, it’s connection with the deepest realities.
And, as it turns out, this is also sound financial advice. Suze Orman, the financial guru who shows up on Oprah and on the morning talk shows was giving advice this past week on dealing with the financial crisis on the stock market. Her advice was this: turn off the TV. Stop looking at the little line going down down down. Watching that stuff only gives you agita. Go for a walk, she said, take some deep breaths. Enjoy the beauty around you. Sounds a lot like the wisdom we’re hearing straight from Scripture, doesn’t it?
REJOICE. PRAY. THINK ON THESE THINGS.
And finally KEEP ON DOING.
Don’t let worry or depression become an excuse to stay in bed and pull the covers up over your head. Do what God has put in front of you, what God is calling you to do each day. Do it even if it’s difficult. Remember the Dolly Parton song . . . “I stumble out of bed and I stumble to the kitchen, pour myself a cup of ambition . . .” One step leads to another, leads to another. Just take the next step.
As you REJOICE, PRAY, THINK on these things, and KEEP ON DOING, the God of peace will be with you. That's God's promise.
Even in the midst of difficult, tumultuous times, as we do these things, we will know God's peace. Amen.
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