Category: Trust - Vibrant Lives

Prayer of Peace..

7/31/2018

Each week at our Thursday evening service we close with the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Neibuhr. Most everyone has heard or even memorized the first part of the prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.” This well-known prayer encourages us to accept our limitations and ask for God’s peace and wisdom in understanding those limitations. For all of the years I have repeated those words I had no idea there was more to that wonderful prayer.

Stillness...

12/5/2017

The trees soar high above,
I sit in the abundant colors of their canopy
as their leaves sashay through the air
and alight on the ground below.
The earth erupts with colors of red, gold and brown.
The ambiance of this hidden space is still and secret.
But wait..
The songbirds chirp and flit about through the treetops.
The light of the sun bursts through the branches spreading warmth
unto the leftover morning dew.
The gentle ripple of water filters its way through the bed of leaves, rocks and grass.
The living water soothes the restlessness of my spirit.
I sit in the midst of God’s glory.
The birds sing without worry,
The trees and plants bloom without questioning how.
The sun illuminates their color and hugs the earth in a loving embrace.
In this gentle place, God speaks,
“Therefore I tell you do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or about your body, what you will wear.”
Again Stillness…
I absorb the words and yet the worry overtakes me..
But God, I say, there are bills, taxes,.. What if there isn’t enough abundance?
Again stillness..
God speaks into my worrisome spirit, “Worry is not from me. Just as the birds sing, flowers bloom and sun shines, you have been equipped with power, strength and the courage of my promise. Your needs are known. TRUST ME! "Do not be afraid, it is my desire to give you everything.”
Again stillness…
Breathing in God’s beauty and resting in the promise,
letting go of worry…

Luke 12: 22, 32

And Then Came Irma...

9/12/2017

So this week has truly been a hurricane event as we in Florida welcome an unwanted guest by the name of Irma. Already on Monday, a week prior to the actual storm, the gas stations were lined with cars waiting their turn; containers of all sizes of water flew off the grocery store shelves; plywood started showing up on the windows in the neighborhood and last but certainly not least, people fled the area for safer locations to wait out the storm. Whew! So many people evacuated that gas stations couldn’t keep up with the demand so the hunt for gas was on. Hotels were booked all the way to Nashville by midweek. Traffic was a nightmare all week long as people tried to escape. The governor closed the entire school system on Thursday. My church closed on Wednesday night to allow for the staff to take care of their plans for evacuation. As I said before, it has been an eventful week!

Peace Be Still...

5/30/2017

Something special happens inside of me when I stand in the ocean’s swirling waters and gaze into the endless horizon. Often, the calm warmth of the blue water calms me as it laps gently at my feet. Sometimes the waves crash into the beach with determination and power and it reaches deep inside of me mirroring the inner turmoil that longs to crash to the surface. In the turbulent waters, when life’s problems build up and threaten to overcome my spirit, it is in these dancing waters, I hear the words of Jesus, “Peace! Be still!” (Mk. 4:39).

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions...

4/4/2017

This week I met with a couple of 14-year-old confirmation students and we discussed how they made decisions. After a couple of seconds and blank stares one student answered me in a very adult manner. She explained that she studied both sides of the argument and made her decisions based on what would be in her best interest. I told her that she sounded very adult for her age, however she told me that her parents wanted her to practice on her decision-making skills because she had not made good decisions in the past. She is fourteen! How many bad choices could she have made in her short life? All I can say is good for her and her parents for working together on how to think about her choices but also the consequences of them.

Rivers of Babylon...

2/14/2017

Last week, I read through Psalm 137 and it reminded me of the 70’s song “By the Rivers of Babylon” written and sung by the group, Melodians. Now I am not trying to date myself, however, I thought everyone would remember that pop song but alas, not so much. The song opens with the lyrics; “By the rivers of Babylon—there we sat down and there we wept--when we remembered Zion.” The Reggae style of music is catchy and tends to stick with me all day long. To be honest, I know the words are taken directly from the Bible, but I have not really paid attention to the whole story behind the song. The lyrics of the song stop short of giving us the full measure of the despair and anger of the people of Israel as they were taken into captivity by the super powerful Babylonians. The words describe a lost nation, who were filled with a longing for the past and who saw no hope for the future.

Lion's Heart...

2/7/2017

In the movie, “Lion,” a 5-year-old little boy, Saroo, gets separated from his brother and ends up lost. He boards a train, thinking he would find his brother, Guddu, however the ride will take him thousands of miles from his brother and his home. The story of Saroo takes us on a journey from an obscure village in the hills of India through Calcutta to his new homeland of Australia where he lived with his adopted parents. Eventually, memories of his childhood come back to him, which sets him on another kind journey to retrace his travels to find his birth mother. With their encouragement of his adoptive parents, he searches and finds his “mum” and in that moment, he understood that he had finally found his real “home.” He knew that his adoptive parents loved him and yet he was missing something very tangible, his heart’s home. He had been lost for 25 years.

Spirit of Gratitude...

11/22/2016

This week we celebrate being grateful. Thursday is the actual Thanksgiving Day, which commemorates how the pilgrims gave thanks for surviving a harsh winter and a bountiful harvest. Sometimes I think we see this day as just about eating turkey, watching the parade and of course football. It also ushers in the start of the holiday shopping season. Too often, we get so wrapped up in all of the events and food that we forget the reason Thanksgiving exists. This day is not a religious holiday. It is an American day of gratefulness. That being said, everyday should be a day that we celebrate being alive, being free and able to speak as well as protest and hold free elections. There is so much we should be grateful for each and every day.

Listen to Your Heart...

8/29/2016

In the past few weeks, I have been in a number of discussions about what my vision or dream might be. I am talking about the “where do I see my life in 5-10 years,” kind of vision. Contemplating this has always been a challenge for me because I am not sure how to do it. My friend told me to give myself permission to imagine big ideas and write down everything regarding what I think is possible and what will take some faith to make happen. It can be a scary process especially when it comes to relying on my faith to make my vision happen because I like to rely on something tangible when it comes to my future. I like guarantees.

Hope in Dark Times…

7/5/2016

Some people are fortunate enough to have a “forever” friend and mine is Linda. She is the ying to my yang. She lights up our friendship with her positive outlook and wonderful sense of humor. Even though we live thousands of miles apart, we are soul sisters in our hearts forever and always. We stay in touch and given half a chance, we can talk for hours on topics like our grandchildren, work, religion, and even politics. Recently, we were able to get together for lunch and shopping. As we talked, it became apparent that Linda was hurting in mind, body and spirit. Our previous conversations on the phone, did not allow me to get a read on how deeply she has been affected by the difficulties of the last few years. As we sat together, I sensed a real tiredness both mentally and spiritually.