A powerful reflection from Jake!
…We forget who we are from time to time. We distort love whenever we offer it as a carrot or threaten to withhold it like a stick. We debase love when we use it like a currency to be earned for right thinking or for right acting…
— Read on jakeowensby.com/2019/09/13/what-does-your-love-look-like/
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A day of appointments and reflection
A wonderful evening of music and fellowship with dear friends
Final preparations are completed
Tomorrow we walk with another family
Through the Valley of the Shadows
As I prepare for sleep
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…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A long day of traveling and training
Healing the Silent Wounds
Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Postvention
A heavy subject indeed
Bringing back memories of past experiences
Then to once again be walking
Walking through the Valley of the Shadows
One who struggled with depression
The darkness overwhelmed her
For our community and her family
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
May she find peace in your arms of mercy and love
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
“We all have our own rhythms and cycles, sometimes life is full and vibrant and alive. Sometimes we are running around like crazy to avoid feeling something beneath the surface. Sometimes we crash and become ill and need to tend to our bodies. Sometimes we welcome in times of rest and feel at ease in a place of being.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Dreaming of the Sea – A Women’s Discernment Journey through the Story of the Selkie: An Online, Self-Study Retreat
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A good day of ministry
Worship and Communion in our Outdoor Chapel
Observing the Season of Peace
Shalom, Shalom… perfect Peace
Also a wonderful evening of music
Fellowship with dear friends
Thank you Lord, for these many blessings
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…
“Anyone can live like a monk in their daily life, even if they are far from a monastery, are married, or have children. Being a monk in the world means cultivating a commitment to slowness, spaciousness, and attentiveness to the sacred dimension of each object and activity.”
— Christine Valters Paintner, PhD, Desert Mothers and Fathers: Early Christian Wisdom Sayings Annotated and Explained
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
We are home now from our journey
Fellowship, laughter, family, and love
Yet I am still haunted
Haunted by the images from our past
When so-called christians saw biblical rationale
Rationale to own another human being
The stain on our nation is large
The tears and the cries are still heard
From prisons and workhouses
To chain gangs and slave labor
As I prepare for sleep
I cannot shake these images or sounds
Lord, may I never forget
Lord, may I never stop speaking out
Speaking out against all forms of injustice
To you, I lift this humble prayer
A prayer for those who see no light
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
Grant to them true and everlasting peace and freedom
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
An emotionally powerful day today
Examining with Head and Heart the horrors of our history
The graphic intensity of humanity’s inhumanity towards one another
It was a lot to absorb
The stories will tear your heart out
As a nation we must mourn
As white people with privilege
We must confess our complicity
My heart is uneasy tonight
As it should be
Lord, heal shattered hearts and lives
Help us to Do Justice, Love Mercy/Kindness, and Walk Humbly with You
Help us to make the words of Dr King our calling
True Peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.
Dona Nobis Pacem et in Terra
Grant Us Peace on Earth
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
A wonderful last day with new friends
A long day of travel on back roads
A sobering experience as we entered Selma
To be at the beginning place of a historic march
You could feel the history
You could feel the tension still in the air
You could hear the voices of the protestors
Fifty-four years later
The journey must continue
As Dr King said on the steps of the Capitol in Montgomery
The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.
May we continue the fight against racism today
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…
The sun has set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
It has been a wonderful time of reflection
It has been a wonderful time of prayer
It has been a tune to enjoy your presence
Thank you, Lord for this time
Thank you, Lord for this opportunity
For all of your gifts, I thank you
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…
