Hand Washing as Prayer
How kinesthetic is this act of hand washing? Of soap and water sudsing, hands a-rubbing, fingers folding, interlocking, palms compressing and releasing, slipping one past the other, slick even slippery, signaling finally that it’s time to rinse. What if, instead of counting obediently 1,2,3… instead of singing happy birthday mindlessly… we prayed intentionally? The Lord’s […]
Lead ME not into temptation
The Lord taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” ~ Matthew 6:13. It’s the oddest of requests really. Why in the world would God ever lead us INTO temptation? Do we really need to request that God not? Yet, I have been feeling a bit tempted lately. For me this […]
The temptation to look is hard to resist
For some reason, this feels especially true today … Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in Heaven. Give us, this day, Our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Lead us […]
Do you hear what I hear?
What do you hear when you listen?
Forgive us all, Lord
“Forgive us our trespasses” we say in prayer. Why not “forgive me my trespasses”? Why am I asking forgiveness for all those other people? Like Congress. Or convicted felons Or embezzlers Or child abusers Oh my goodness. I must ask God to forgive us all, even those I don’t feel “deserve” forgiveness. Lump us all in there […]
How heavy is my daily bread?
I love bread. Especially, the apple scrapple from the Great Harvest Bakery. The chewy goodness of baked white bread (whole wheat doesn’t do it for me) mixed with apple and cinnamon. I eat it in great chunks on the way home from the store. Handfuls ripped right off the loaf, crumbs falling all over the […]
Debts or Trespasses?
Do we forgive our debtors or those who trespass against us? I have wondered this from a young age, probably stemming from the moment of mortification when I said “trespasses” and EVERYONE else in the sanctuary said “debts.” Who knew that people memorized a 2000 year old prayer differently? I mean, there are quote marks. […]
Trespassers will be forgiven
When I google “trespassers will be,” I get these hits: Trespassers will be … They mean to say, this is private property. We don’t want you here. Gone are the days when cutting through your neighbor’s yard to get to your friend’s house is okay. We know not to trespass; there will be consequences. I […]
Stillness is a Stretch for Some of us
Here we go, readying for another Christmas season. It’s exciting. It’s fun. It can be exhausting. But it’s worth it. I just plan to keep the whole thing in proportion this year. Maybe look at it as an endurance event and try to keep my pace even the whole way. The challenge for me is […]
