"Whenever God gives a person the grace and courage to strive for this blessing with all her heart and soul, he is bestowing the greatest mercy. God does not deny himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little, he increases her courage, ensuring that she will reach her goal." Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 24-28:
Monday 1
Tuesday 1
Wednesday 1
Thursday 1
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Friday, January 28, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Nothing Can Separate Us From God’s Love
“Fear distorts knowledge of the self. What we should really be afraid of is obsessing over ourselves and never getting free of ourselves! And so I say, my friends, let us set our eyes on Christ, our good, and on his saints.” Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (1577)
It never ceases to amaze me how every week Teresa writes something that connects to my everyday life. This week I’m finding encouragement in her idea to stop thinking about myself and my fears and to think instead about Christ and his saints.
One of my favorite saints is the apostle Paul who was once Saul of Tarsus, the Jewish leader who threatened and tortured followers of Jesus until one day brilliant light surrounded him on the road to Damascus and he heard the risen Christ ask, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” Saul rose from the ground after that experience—blinded but alive—and become an apostle of Christ.
On January 25 the church community remembers the conversation of the apostle Paul. In our Lutheran hymnal there is a prayer for the occasion which begins: “Lord God, through the preaching of your apostle Paul, you established one Church from among the nations.” Paul traveled far and wide to share the Gospel after his conversion, and I appreciate the letters he wrote to people before and after his journeys. Paul’s letter to the Romans is particularly appealing to me, especially the way he holds up the power of God’s love: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Teresa is wise to remind us that we should not let fear get the best of us. Instead, we need to focus on Christ, on Paul and on all the saints, living every single day of our lives in the certainty that nothing—earthquakes, illness, plane accidents, nor anything else we fear—nothing can separate us from God’s love.
It never ceases to amaze me how every week Teresa writes something that connects to my everyday life. This week I’m finding encouragement in her idea to stop thinking about myself and my fears and to think instead about Christ and his saints.
One of my favorite saints is the apostle Paul who was once Saul of Tarsus, the Jewish leader who threatened and tortured followers of Jesus until one day brilliant light surrounded him on the road to Damascus and he heard the risen Christ ask, “Saul, Saul! Why do you persecute me?” Saul rose from the ground after that experience—blinded but alive—and become an apostle of Christ.
On January 25 the church community remembers the conversation of the apostle Paul. In our Lutheran hymnal there is a prayer for the occasion which begins: “Lord God, through the preaching of your apostle Paul, you established one Church from among the nations.” Paul traveled far and wide to share the Gospel after his conversion, and I appreciate the letters he wrote to people before and after his journeys. Paul’s letter to the Romans is particularly appealing to me, especially the way he holds up the power of God’s love: “For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Teresa is wise to remind us that we should not let fear get the best of us. Instead, we need to focus on Christ, on Paul and on all the saints, living every single day of our lives in the certainty that nothing—earthquakes, illness, plane accidents, nor anything else we fear—nothing can separate us from God’s love.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday Prayer Report 47
"Whenever God gives a person the grace and courage to strive for this blessing with all her heart and soul, he is bestowing the greatest mercy. God does not deny himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little, he increases her courage, ensuring that she will reach her goal." Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 17-21:
Monday 1
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 0
Thursday 0
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 17-21:
Monday 1
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 0
Thursday 0
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
This Holy Courage
“It seems to me that if we were to truly accept our own powerlessness, we would be both truly humble and truly brave. May the Beloved, being who he is, grant us this holy courage.” Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (1577)
Earlier today I was with someone I’ve loved for more than twenty-five years. We were sharing our deepest selves, and there was some crying going on between us over past mistakes and missed opportunities. In The Interior Castle, Teresa writes, “It seems to me that if we were to truly accept our own powerlessness, we would be both truly humble and truly brave. May the Beloved, being who he is, grant us this holy courage.” My dear one and I experienced such courage today as we sat together with tears in our eyes, feeling the full weight of our many limitations in this life while at the same time resting in the healing mercy and love of God. What a blessing!
Earlier today I was with someone I’ve loved for more than twenty-five years. We were sharing our deepest selves, and there was some crying going on between us over past mistakes and missed opportunities. In The Interior Castle, Teresa writes, “It seems to me that if we were to truly accept our own powerlessness, we would be both truly humble and truly brave. May the Beloved, being who he is, grant us this holy courage.” My dear one and I experienced such courage today as we sat together with tears in our eyes, feeling the full weight of our many limitations in this life while at the same time resting in the healing mercy and love of God. What a blessing!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Friday Prayer Report 46
"Whenever God gives a person the grace and courage to strive for this blessing with all her heart and soul, he is bestowing the greatest mercy. God does not deny himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little, he increases her courage, ensuring that she will reach her goal." Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 10-14:
Monday 1
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 0
Thursday 1
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 10-14:
Monday 1
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 0
Thursday 1
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Haiti Remembrance—Love of Your Neighbor
“Oh, friends! I can clearly see how important love of your neighbor is to some of you, and how others of you just don’t seem to care. If only you could understand how vital this virtue is to all of us, you wouldn’t engage in any other study.” Teresa of Avila, The Interior Castle (1577)
Yesterday was the first anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and my church held an all-day vigil in remembrance.
Part of the vigil included ringing bells for 35 seconds at 3:53 p.m. to remember the 300,000 lives lost in Haiti that day. Ben Larson, the son of our pastors, was killed in the earthquake and our congregation mourns his death in a very real way. Besides Ben and all the others who died in the earthquake, yesterday we also were remembering the survivors who included Ben’s wife, Renee, and his dear cousin Jon who were in the church building with Ben at the time of the earthquake and who lived to witness its terrible devastation. As the bells rang in our church, I realized how long 35 seconds is and thought hard about how life was changed—utterly and completely changed—for millions of people between 3:52 and 3:54 that Tuesday afternoon.
In The Interior Castle, Teresa writes wisdom from which we can all benefit: “Oh, friends! I can clearly see how important love of your neighbor is to some of you, and how others of you just don’t seem to care. If only you could understand how vital this virtue is to all of us, you wouldn’t engage in any other study.” Because Ben died in Haiti with the poorest of the poor, he has been united with his neighbors in a very tangible way and our congregation has found the world made smaller by this connection. Love of neighbor—close by and far away—was evident yesterday at our church; and the hands holding the bells, the hands lighting the vigil candles, the hands holding the hymnals were all involved in making the kingdom come on earth.
Yesterday was the first anniversary of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and my church held an all-day vigil in remembrance.
Part of the vigil included ringing bells for 35 seconds at 3:53 p.m. to remember the 300,000 lives lost in Haiti that day. Ben Larson, the son of our pastors, was killed in the earthquake and our congregation mourns his death in a very real way. Besides Ben and all the others who died in the earthquake, yesterday we also were remembering the survivors who included Ben’s wife, Renee, and his dear cousin Jon who were in the church building with Ben at the time of the earthquake and who lived to witness its terrible devastation. As the bells rang in our church, I realized how long 35 seconds is and thought hard about how life was changed—utterly and completely changed—for millions of people between 3:52 and 3:54 that Tuesday afternoon.
In The Interior Castle, Teresa writes wisdom from which we can all benefit: “Oh, friends! I can clearly see how important love of your neighbor is to some of you, and how others of you just don’t seem to care. If only you could understand how vital this virtue is to all of us, you wouldn’t engage in any other study.” Because Ben died in Haiti with the poorest of the poor, he has been united with his neighbors in a very tangible way and our congregation has found the world made smaller by this connection. Love of neighbor—close by and far away—was evident yesterday at our church; and the hands holding the bells, the hands lighting the vigil candles, the hands holding the hymnals were all involved in making the kingdom come on earth.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Friday Prayer Report 45
"Whenever God gives a person the grace and courage to strive for this blessing with all her heart and soul, he is bestowing the greatest mercy. God does not deny himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little, he increases her courage, ensuring that she will reach her goal." Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 3-7:
Monday 1
Tuesday 1
Wednesday 1
Thursday 1
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of January 3-7:
Monday 1
Tuesday 1
Wednesday 1
Thursday 1
Friday 1
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A Single Moment of Grace
“A single moment of grace is more than enough to pay the soul back for all the trials she could ever endure in this life.” Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
On Monday morning at about 9:00 a.m. in Room 8251 on the neurological unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, I was in the presence of the Holy One—it was definitely what Teresa calls “a single moment of grace”—and I am filled with thankfulness because of it.
Shortly after my daughter Rebecca got home after working the 3:00-11:00 p.m. shift at Bethany Crisis Shelter on Sunday night, she woke me up to say that she’d received an email from her best friend, Linnea Johnson, who wrote to say her dad, Don, had been admitted to St. Mary’s that night because he was suffering from a temporary memory loss that doctors diagnosed as most likely “transient global amnesia.”
I got up to check my email then and found more information from Don’s wife, Chris, explaining the situation. On Sunday morning after church, Don and Chris stopped by for a short visit to drink coffee and eat caramel rolls; however, later in the day, Don’s recollection of church and being at our house was hazy at best. She became concerned and took Don to the emergency room in the early evening. He was to be in the hospital overnight for more brain tests and observation on Monday. “Prayers appreciated,” Chris wrote, so I sent an email back, prayed hard for them all and then—knowing that God does not slumber—crawled back into bed and eventually went to sleep.
By Monday morning at 8:30, I was at the hospital to check on Don and Chris. Our friend Dave Rogotzke was already there, and the three were in the middle of a good conversation. Don was looking and feeling good. Soon after I arrived, Don’s family practice doctor came for an informal check-in, and then a short time after the doctor left the Holy One showed up. Dave was talking when it happened, and I’m not sure how to explain it. There was just a change in the room—“a single moment of grace”—something noticeable to all. The Spirit of God quietly entered the room, joining us very peacefully and blessing the conversation with love, laughter and tenderness. Soon Dave and I were on our way, but before we left the room, the four of us held hands, circling Don in the bed, and said a prayer together.
By 4:15 p.m. on Monday, Don was home. All the tests were normal and indicated the initial diagnosis was correct. “Transient global amnesia” is a rare medical condition, something the doctors call “idiopathic,” which is another way to say “we see this, but we cannot explain it.”
The doctors cannot explain what happened to Don on Sunday morning any better than I can explain what happened to Don, Chris, Dave and me on Monday morning. Life is full of wonder and mystery—many things are beyond our knowing, never to be explained. In the midst of all the uncertainty, we can rely this: God loves us and is always with us; God never sleeps and spends lots of time in hospital rooms. And for that, especially today, I am truly thankful.
On Monday morning at about 9:00 a.m. in Room 8251 on the neurological unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Duluth, I was in the presence of the Holy One—it was definitely what Teresa calls “a single moment of grace”—and I am filled with thankfulness because of it.
Shortly after my daughter Rebecca got home after working the 3:00-11:00 p.m. shift at Bethany Crisis Shelter on Sunday night, she woke me up to say that she’d received an email from her best friend, Linnea Johnson, who wrote to say her dad, Don, had been admitted to St. Mary’s that night because he was suffering from a temporary memory loss that doctors diagnosed as most likely “transient global amnesia.”
I got up to check my email then and found more information from Don’s wife, Chris, explaining the situation. On Sunday morning after church, Don and Chris stopped by for a short visit to drink coffee and eat caramel rolls; however, later in the day, Don’s recollection of church and being at our house was hazy at best. She became concerned and took Don to the emergency room in the early evening. He was to be in the hospital overnight for more brain tests and observation on Monday. “Prayers appreciated,” Chris wrote, so I sent an email back, prayed hard for them all and then—knowing that God does not slumber—crawled back into bed and eventually went to sleep.
By Monday morning at 8:30, I was at the hospital to check on Don and Chris. Our friend Dave Rogotzke was already there, and the three were in the middle of a good conversation. Don was looking and feeling good. Soon after I arrived, Don’s family practice doctor came for an informal check-in, and then a short time after the doctor left the Holy One showed up. Dave was talking when it happened, and I’m not sure how to explain it. There was just a change in the room—“a single moment of grace”—something noticeable to all. The Spirit of God quietly entered the room, joining us very peacefully and blessing the conversation with love, laughter and tenderness. Soon Dave and I were on our way, but before we left the room, the four of us held hands, circling Don in the bed, and said a prayer together.
By 4:15 p.m. on Monday, Don was home. All the tests were normal and indicated the initial diagnosis was correct. “Transient global amnesia” is a rare medical condition, something the doctors call “idiopathic,” which is another way to say “we see this, but we cannot explain it.”
The doctors cannot explain what happened to Don on Sunday morning any better than I can explain what happened to Don, Chris, Dave and me on Monday morning. Life is full of wonder and mystery—many things are beyond our knowing, never to be explained. In the midst of all the uncertainty, we can rely this: God loves us and is always with us; God never sleeps and spends lots of time in hospital rooms. And for that, especially today, I am truly thankful.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Friday Prayer Report 44
"Whenever God gives a person the grace and courage to strive for this blessing with all her heart and soul, he is bestowing the greatest mercy. God does not deny himself to anyone who perseveres. Little by little, he increases her courage, ensuring that she will reach her goal." Teresa of Avila, The Book of My Life (1562)
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of December 27-31:
Monday 0
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 1
Thursday 1
Friday 0
Grace and courage to you and to me!
Here is my "little by little" Friday prayer report for the week of December 27-31:
Monday 0
Tuesday 0
Wednesday 1
Thursday 1
Friday 0
Grace and courage to you and to me!
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