Verse of the day
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
– Proverbs 3:27
Voice of the day
Those who follow Jesus should love our neighbors to such a degree that we are willing to accept the consequences that come from struggling for shalom and true justice in the public square.
– Drew G. I. Hart, Who Will Be a Witness: Igniting Activism for God’s Justice, Love, and Deliverance (2020)
Prayer of the day Fire our lives with audacity and hope to risk all for God’s mission, for love cannot wait.
– Sr. Roxanne Schares
Denise and I have been on an exhausting journey which began on July 25th with a phone call that my Dad had fallen and was in the ER in Austin, Minnesota. From that moment on, there have been so many twists and turns in the journey with my dad, with her dad, and now we are on our way to Mobile for the funeral of Denise’s former mother-in-law. You might say that we have been doing a lot of processing during the long hours in the car making multiple trips between Minnesota and Alabama.
While Denise was in Alabama with her dad in the hospital, I had stayed behind with Pixie to encourage my dad with rehab. One day while he was in physical therapy I wandered around the facility and ended up in one of the enclosed quads where the three goats lived. I found an amusing sense of peace sitting with the goats and having them stare at me. It seemed as though they were inviting me to simply be still in the presence of God’s wondrous creation. On another occasion one of the goats made me smile when I caught him on top of its little igloo shelter!
For me, peace has always been found in the quiet places and spaces. In those places of solitude I find rest, refreshment, hope, and encouragement on this journey called life. John Greenleaf Whittier wrote the following stanza in his poem “The Brewing of Soma” which was the inspiration for the hymn “Dear Lord and Father of Mankind.”
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
Now, as we prepare for the next leg of our journey through the Valley of the Shadows, we are listening to the music of our dear friend, Rev. Simon de Voil (https://simondevoil.com). Simon’s music always invites us into a place of solitude and peace where the Spirit indeed comforts and speaks. With Simon playing and singing I feel myself being drawn closer to the sheer and beautiful silence offered by God.
These words of Thomas Merton speak to where I find myself right now as I seek that quiet presence and peace this evening. Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it. (On Christian Contemplation, p. 36) Dear reader, may we find that peace in the present moment as we walk this journey of life together.
“Psychological, and hence political, impact is gained by demonstrating qualities that inspire others and move them to act personally too. For this reason, among several others, secrecy (and the fear that drives it) is counterproductive if strategic impact is your intention.”—Robert J. Burrowes
To say that the last six weeks has been exhausting for Denise, my dear wife and partner in life, love, and ministry, and for me would be a massive understatement. So far we have traveled separately and together over 7,000 miles with at least another 3,000 miles to go before we are both home in Carrollton for more than twenty hours. Caring for both of our Dads as they go through significant health concerns has involved a lot of road time and bedside time. Then to lose Denise’s former mother-in-law and a dear friend to both of us this week hit us hard.
As one who lives with depression, it is a lot to take in and some days I find myself wandering through the Valley of the Shadows. I wonder, how much more we can handle. About the time I am sinking, a lifeline is thrown out for me to catch and hang onto. That is where dear friends show up and offer us a bit of respite and loving care.
Hope rises out of the darkness of my depression and I am so very thankful for that. As John 1:5 says—The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
As we continue this journey we are so grateful for the love, support, and prayers of Carrollton Presbyterian Church where I am blessed to be their pastor. We are so thankful for the continued love from friends all around this country and world.
These words from Thomas Merton speak to that gift we have been given by so many. Hope then is a gift. Like life, it is a gift from God, total, unexpected, incomprehensible, undeserved. It springs out of nothingness, completely free. But to meet it, we have to descend into nothingness. (The New Man)
As Denise and I continue to walk this journey together, we both lift this humble prayer—Dona Nobis Pacem, Grant Us Peace ❤️
The limits we place on the world, our Church, our loved ones, and even ourselves pale in comparison to what Jesus is leading us to on his mission.
— Read on www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/becoming-radically-open
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long day of traveling
It has also been a time for reflection
There is so much going on in our lives, Lord
It honestly is overwhelming at times
Yet even in the midst of the Valley of the Shadows
You are with us
The wonder and encouragement of friends and their music
The blessing of journeying with my sweetheart
You sustain us with your love
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“Question: What do we need to do to save the world?
Thich Nhat Hanh’s answer: What we most need to do is to hear within us the sounds of the Earth crying.”
—Found in Coming Back to Life, Joanna Macy
Verse of the day
Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
– Romans 12:10
Voice of the day
If we surrendered / to earth’s intelligence / we could rise up rooted, like trees.
– Rainer Maria Rilke, “How Surely Gravity’s Law”
Prayer of the day Look with compassion on the whole human family; take away the arrogance and hatred which infect our hearts.
– The Book of Common Prayer
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a long day, Lord
Physically and emotionally exhausting
I am so thankful for my precious Denise and her partnership in life, love, and ministry
I honestly don’t know how I would make through these difficult times without her
As we prepare for sleep
As we prepare for a long day’s drive tomorrow
As we continue to walk through the Valley of the Shadows with family
We lean on you, dear Lord
Guide us
Encourage us
Give us strength
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“One is called to live nonviolently, even if the change one works for seems impossible. It may or may not be possible to turn the world around through nonviolent revolution. But one thing favors such an attempt: the total inability of violence to change anything for the better.”—Daniel Berrigan
