1-2 God, listen to me shout,    bend an ear to my prayer.When I’m far from anywhere,    down to my last gasp,I call out, “Guide me    up High Rock Mountain!”3-5 You’ve always given me breathing room,a place to get away from it all,A lifetime pass to your safe-house,    an open invitation as your guest.You’ve always taken me seriously, God,    made me welcome among…

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of…

Newness in Christ“Forget about what’s happened;don’t keep going over old history.Be alert, be present. I’m about to do something brand-new. It’s bursting out! Don’t you see it?Isaiah 43:19 The Message With a very creative mother, Easter was as busy as every liturgical season in the church calendar. Endless rehearsals for a cappella cantatas, skits, plays,…

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent, which lasts forty days (Sundays not included) before Easter. During the forty days, we repent, fast, and pray, and are reminded of our mortality and need for repentance. During the imposition of ashes, we hear the words, “You are dust and to dust you shall…

Philippians 4:199 And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen. Philippians 4:19 is a portion of a letter that Paul writes to the people of Philippi in gratitude for all their support, physically, materially, and…

One of my favorite paintings to contemplate during Lent and Christmas is “Destiny,” whose artist’s name is unknown. The artist did not want to add their name to the painting because they did not like the attention; instead, they wanted the focus to be on the painting’s significance. You may notice that Jesus is playing…

Psalm 100, The Message  1-2   On your feet now—applaud God!        Bring a gift of laughter, sing yourselves into his presence.   3   Know this: God is God, and God, God.        He made us; we didn’t make him.        We’re his people, his well-tended sheep.   4   Enter with the password: “Thank you!”        Make yourselves at home, talking praise.   …

Have you ever felt you were neither here nor there, yet know you are here and need to get there; don’t know in what ways, how long it will take, or if it will ever happen.  Welcome to the liminal space. One of the definitions of liminality that I have found helpful and instructive to…

Ecclesiastes 3:9-15, The Message Translation     9-13 But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does?  I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly.  True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what…

Faith Inspection I went to have my car inspected with the required documents on hand.  The inspector asked me to step out of the car and wait at the other end of the inspection lane.  I stood and watched the process unfold.  I never know what to expect and hope for the best.  As I…