For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. Matthew 18: 20
With most churches and places of worship closed due to Covid-19, there are ways and means of still attending some kind of spiritual service, whether online or by telephone. We are to remember that the church is the people not the building. Here is a Church in the Wildwood to lift our spirits even though we aren’t able to accept the invitation at this time. Happy Sunday.
Yesterday, I learned that someone was deeply hurt by cutting remarks of another and remembered a little poem that had come to me several years ago in similar circumstances.
Forgive us oh my Father,
We know not what we do,
For when we’re hurting others
We’re also hurting you.
Happy Sunday.
A friend reminded me of this song and as I listened to it I thought…That’s what Jesus asks of us and how blessed we are if we take Him up on it. Happy Sunday.
There was a man on our planet who lived his life to the full by learning who he was, what his purpose was, and went forward to serve that purpose in the best way possible….loving the afflicted.
He was one of my favorite people in the world. Jean Vanier was one of the kindest, helpful, spiritual people who lived. He died on May 7th at the age of ninety years. One of his famous messages is,”It is good that you exist.” There is a beautiful interview he did on Tapestry with Mary Hynes on CBC in 2005. It was repeated yesterday in his memory and is so worth listening to. Good-bye for now, Jean Vanier; it is good that you existed.
Thomas Kinkade was known as the Painter of Light because of the beautiful hints of light in all of his paintings. Here are a few more of his quotes.
Feed your heart with beauty.
Somewhere out there is a unique place for you to serve, a unique life role for you to fill.
Condition yourself for joy by doing little things you love on a regular basis.
Even the most mundane tasks can be transformed into inspiring sources of joy.
Opening our eyes to beauty really means opening our hearts and imaginations.
Beauty enters your heart to all the senses.
Keep your eyes open for the signs of spiritual reality hiding behind a familiar disguise.
Only you can make your particular contribution to humankind.
We live far more joyfully when we allow ourselves a playful spirit.
Don’t be afraid to go deep, to dig out a spiritual reality that might not be readily discernible at first glance.
More to come.
Some of us don’t always have the energy we need to fulfill the tasks set before us, and some of us become spiritually depleted. Even a weekend doesn’t seem to energize us. Here is a prayer from Norman Vincent Peale which I may have posted before but is always helpful. Happy Saturday.
A Prayer for Energy
Dear Lord, I need more energy and strength. I seem drained and tired and do not seem to possess what it takes to do all that I must do. I know that the wrong kind of thoughts can make one tired. Change my thoughts that they may be in harmony with your power.
Every once in awhile a song comes along that can move us to tears…joyful or otherwise…in my opinion this is one of them. How fitting for this time of Lent. How wonderful to believe. Thank you, Jesus.
Be still, my soul
within the confines
of this space
I call my home;
amid the myriad of
vein and muscle,
sinew, bone…rest.
Awake, my soul,
arise and soar
with wings of love
to claim the home
from whence you came:
the realm of God…
and take me there
when I no longer need
this tent which
bears my name.
Until then all is well;
be still, my soul.
Patricia Ann Boyes
May 12, 2015
On July 5th, I posted “Some Good Advice”. It seemed to be a bit of a flop. Always curious as to the “why” of things, I wondered if a different title and some serious editing would change the results; so here is my first reblog….
The first time I was asked to prepare and present a prayer to our congregation a few years ago, my knees knocked, my voice trembled–no–shook, and my mouth was so dry the words seemed to stick to the roof of it.
Once, I was asked to write a poem and read it aloud to over two hundred and fifty people. The thought terrified me, but it was for our Pastor’s tenth anniversary, and rather than disappoint, I pushed through the same fear and symptoms as the first time.
At some point I came across the following advice taken from different sources, and it eased my speaking burden somewhat. It also appeared to put a new slant on my writing; I found words seemed to come much easier. I’d like to share it with others who may sometimes feel the fear of facing an audience with their own written word.
ON SPEAKING/WRITING–
Polish and elegance can sometimes leave an audience quite cold. Experience and sincerity never fail to move them. We can never bring to anyone else an experience which we have not had ourselves.
We must always be willing to learn about ourselves. The last thing that most of us know is ourselves. It takes humility to know oneself.
Ask God for a calm spirit and the right words to say.
Unlock your inner strength; talk of those things that will make people the better for listening to you (R.W. Trine)
God gave you a message to share…don’t keep it to yourself. (Our Daily Bread) (I think!)
The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. (Isaiah, 50:4)
I am the Lord your God…I have put my words in your mouth…(Isaiah, 51:15,16)
Even as the Lord was preparing you to serve in his church, he was preparing others to be in a position to receive what you have to give them. He has paved the way for your ministry to be effective. In other words, others need what the Holy Spirit prompts you to prepare and give them. (Relying on the Holy Spirit…Charles Stanley, page 90).
Looking back, I can see how all of this advice worked for me in three talks I gave: Not to Worry, The Way I See It, and one about My Precious Life, before it was published.
Was it advice well taken? I think so.
My Precious Life 