At the Spring: a BLOG

I'm watching House (Greg House, M.D.) and considering the length of time since my last entry.  A year half gone has included much illness, significant surgeries (including my own and my husband's!) with many friends sick for extended periods.  The blessings of good health rank even higher in our prayers of thanksgiving.  Roger and I are also grateful to have reached a major milestone in a journey we have shared completely.  This same milestone is celebrated by our church family, which makes it all the more special.  No one could have guessed all that would take place these six months, but I have faith that God knew and walked the entire way with us.  This night, I give thanks for a God who called and calls us forward into a future with the assurance of grace and guidance.  By faith, I declare, "I'm willing to go...I'm excited to go...where God leads!"

The day began with an anxious spirit, but also a deep sense of peace.  The cause for anxiety while real, could not overcome the grace flowing among the people in that place.  In other words, God's grace--ever present--quietly took its place, blessing our time together, bringing us a familiar and welcome surprise.  The day also began with an experience of Jesus the Christ sitting in a car, needing to run the engine for warmth on a cold, cold day, but also needing to preserve the gasoline while waiting for a gift:  groceries, hot coffee, good music, a warm meal, and hopefully, the surprise of grace.  (Matthew 25:31-46)  The day began in two very different places, but moved to a close--with grace present, grace experienced, grace given.  From God, in God, through God.  Praise be to God!

We have new and/or returning leadership in the local church; we have the same in our nation.  I like the theme of President Obama's inaugural address:  'hope not fear'.  In the church, of all places, we need to discard fear and live from a place of hope.  May we be courageous and faithful in addressing the challenges ahead; may God bring us into a new and fruitful place.

As the new year begins, I celebrate God's presence.  And, I invite you to visit online often.  I plan to share new experiences, good books, quotes, movies, and little epiphanies all along the journey (some that may connect with you, or maybe not).  But keep coming back!  Blessings to you in the new calendar year.  Continued grace for your Christian year...on February 25, we'll wear ashes and begin the Lenten Season, my favorite time for spiritual renewal and growth.