Strong Enough To Save scripture and music

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ ³⁶And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him. ³⁷A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ ³⁹He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. ⁴⁰He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ ⁴¹And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?’
Mark 4:35-41 NRSV

Hi everyone,
Here's a scripture and music devotion to start your Monday.

Thank you for your patience this past week.  The Iron treatments continue, and I continue to have difficult symptoms along with them... I will try to post as much as I'm able.  I've missed being here very much, and really need to keep posting for my own sake and encouragement.  Thank you for visiting this blog, and I pray that today's words and music may encourage, inspire and comfort you.
peace,
Andrea

A short break

Hello everyone,


I apologize for not posting earlier today.  Recently I've started a series of IV Iron treatments in hopes of increasing my iron stores in my bones (depleted most likely by the Celiac's) and in hopes of decreasing my fatigue. I've had 2 of 6 treatments, and the reaction to the IV the week following the treatment is not easy for my system, although I hear that after 3 or 4 it gets much better. 


In any case, I've had several pretty difficult days in a row and while I"m hoping to feel better soon, I need to take a break from posting for a couple of days. You all know that, while you can keep going on some level most of the time, there are also times when you feel so rotten you have to just take it easy for a bit. I'm at that point.


My hope is to be posting again by the weekend...and then we'll take it as we take all of our days in this chronic illness wilderness....one day at a time.  Thanks for your understanding and patience.  Please know you all are in my thoughts and prayers, even when I'm unable to post.


see you soon~
peace,
Andrea

Dare you...

"If anyone is in Christ they are a new creation, the old has passed away, behold the new has come."

I first heard the following song on a car commercial, and found it really intriguing....When I heard the whole thing, I found it inspiring, especially over the past couple years when I was having  days where getting up and moving was just plain hard.  My hope on this Labor Day Monday, is that it might encourage and inspire you to be who you are, that new creation that God has made you to be...right now...today.  I dare ya :-)

Blessings~
Andrea

Sunday Scripture and Song Devotion time

Psalm 119:33-40
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes, and I will observe it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. 35 Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it. 36 Turn my heart to your decrees, and not to selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes from looking at vanities; give me life in your ways. 38 Confirm to your servant your promise, which is for those who fear you. 39 Turn away the disgrace that I dread, for your ordinances are good. 40 See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life.

Saturday call to prayer

"Let my prayer rise before you as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice"


As I come to this day's post, several things are in my mind:  an encounter with a woman at the clinic yesterday while I was getting an IV; an encounter with an old friend at the vet's office while I was getting pet stuff; and something someone had written on another blog a while ago regarding prayer lists and concerns.

The woman at the clinic humbled and graced me with her wisdom as she shared her story while receiving chemo. I listened, and then silently put her mentally on my prayer list that the chemo would shrink the cancer. 

My friend at the vet's office filled me in on her 3 year old son's condition, which they had only diagnosed in the last month or so, and for which he is now receiving therapy. She explained that this therapist was an answer to prayer as her boy was finally coming out of his shell and being a 3 year old boy. Her husband had called to explain that earlier that afternoon while she was at work their boy poured Hershey's syrup on the hardwood floor, then proceeded to "lap" it up like one of the dogs.  She told me the story with a combination of laughter and tears, as she was thrilled her boy was doing imagination play, and was sad that it took this long for her boy to be able to play, and hear stories, and talk as he should.  (she wasn't upset about the chocolate at all-- "wipe it up" and give that boy a hug!")

Finally, the blogger I mentioned shared frustration at what seemed the absurdity of some of the prayer requests he'd been receiving-- like, my neighbor's uncle's toe infection, and the like.  I understood what the person was saying in the blog, but also pondered what they said. My conclusion was that this person may have never had to experience long term illness for themselves, or in someone they loved, or they were having a really, really rotten day. In all fairness, I could see myself writing something like that before I started this chronic illness journey three years ago. 

Since then, my approach to prayer has been changed drastically-- it is much more earthy, and all across the board when I pray in an intercessory way (for other's needs).  There have been times in my life over the past three years that I simply had no clue how to pray for myself or for what a loved one was facing.  Things are not neat and tidy when you come to PTSD, or Depression, or Chronic Fatigue, or MS, or Lung Cancer, or POTS, or Arthritis, or really any other long-term health issue...and that doesn't even touch the undiagnosed illnesses that people wrestle with. 

Chronic illness is messy, and sometimes the best prayer...perhaps the only prayer I have is to pray for a specific part that they need at that time, and entrust the rest of the big picture to God.  It all seems so interwoven, you know?  Perhaps my neighbor's uncle's big toe is a result of Diabetes, and while he wrestles with that part, he also has concern over many other things.

Some days, I need prayers for energy, other days for reduced pain, and others days that I won't lose hope in the face of it all-  (and then there's the prayers that I may not be a total wench to my husband and family because I don't feel well!) So when I pray for someone else, I guess I just jump in and start wherever I know there's a need--also realizing that I may only know a small part of all that they face, but, trusting that God listens, and that the act of praying, in and of itself, changes me and enriches that relationship with God and with the person I pray for.

 I would personally love to hear your comments on how you approach prayer for others, and what prayers you need on any given day.  I would be honored to pray for you...however I can.

So here's our Saturday prayer list I would like to start:

Pray for anyone that reads this blog....
Pray for anyone who comes to your mind who is facing illness or difficult times...
Pray for everyone who is a health partner to someone with illness....
Pray for all those who are in need of hope....

please add on those concerns you wish to add.


peace,
Andrea

Alive Again

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus^* had already been in the tomb for four days. ¹⁸Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles^* away, ¹⁹and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. ²⁰When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. ²¹Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. ²²But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ ²³Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ ²⁴Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ ²⁵Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.^* Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, ²⁶and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ ²⁷She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah,^* the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

Jesus Weeps

28 When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ ²⁹And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. ³⁰Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. ³¹The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. ³²When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ ³³When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. ³⁴He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ ³⁵Jesus began to weep. ³⁶So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ ³⁷But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Jesus Raises Lazarus to Life

38 Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ ⁴⁰Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ ⁴¹So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. ⁴²I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ ⁴³When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ ⁴⁴The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’  John 11:17-44

Yesterday, while driving, one of my favorite songs came on the radio.  As I cranked up the volume (I was alone in the truck) I listened to the words of this wonderful song.  The story of Lazarus came to mind immediately, and the image of him walking out of the grave still covered in linens started me thinking about chronic illness... (although most everything gets me pondering chronic illness...)

"I woke up in darkness, surrounded by silence, oh where, where have I gone?"  It is an eerily familiar phrase for me.  Over the past 3 years I've found myself waking up, disoriented and wondering if the real Andrea Starn could please stand up...the answer is no, she can't, but she's laying down...

It also reminded me of a hospital trip over a year ago, and of other times when I was very aware of my mortality.  In the past I just heard this song in a figurative way, but yesterday it was very real.  At least in my experience of chronic illness, these encounters with facing my own ending have not been ultimately discouraging, but motivating.  This sense of lost-ness and disorientation has also been a gift of great clarity-- an ever growing awareness that God calls me to new life every day. 

My new life doesn't look like the old one at all.  Sometimes (ok, often...especially when it's 95 degrees outside) I become frustrated and angry that my new life doesn't resemble who I was before.  New life rarely looks like the old life.

But then in the midst of it...by the Grace of God, through a song, or a sunrise, or laughter of my dear husband, or the embrace of one of our children, or a word of compassion from a friend, I remember that I'm alive again.  I might not be, but God has called me out of the grave, and I'm alive today.

The song that touched me is linked below.  May God somehow speak through it to your heart, and may you hear that call to come alive again. 

Love your neighbor-- Part 2

 “You shall love your neighbour as yourself"
Luke 22:39 NRSV

Have you ever looked at something and suddenly seen it in a new way?  It can be something that's part of your everyday life, something so familiar that you usually don't see it.  Then, one day, the light hits it in a new way and you see something you'd never seen before.

I feel that way about this scripture.  I'd heard it and preached it for years and really only saw it in one way--actually, I'd only REALLY heard a part of it-- the part that says "love your neighbor".  The "as you love yourself" part was, in my brain, just an add-on, a reference point, and not as important as the first part.

Then one day, a mentor of mine flipped my reading of this around. "What if you really treated your neighbor as you treat yourself, Andrea? How would your neighbor react if you forced them to stay up too late and get too little sleep?  What if they were stressed out, and you just kept pushing them to keep going?  What if they were hungry and you fed them food they were allergic to, and fed them non-nutritious junk?  What if they kept telling you something important about their health, and you just ignored them?" 

I got the point. My neighbor would be seriously ticked off with me, and would have something to say about it.

This passage from Luke goes on the assumption that we treat ourselves better than we treat others, yet many women and men have learned to treat others generously, at the expense of their own health and well-being.

If my neighbor had an allergy, I would do everything I could to bring them food that was nurtitious and appropriate for them.  If my neighbor messed up, I wouldn't be mean and call them stupid, or tear them down~ no!  I would be understanding, forgiving and would help them know they were vaulable.  If my neighbor were ill, I would encourage them to be gentle on themselves, and would help them out so they wouldn't push themselves...

...the exact opposite of what I often do for myself.  Caring for onesself is not selfish.  It is good stewardship, and it allows us to care for others more freely. 

I was reminded of the need to care for myself the other day when a loyal reader of this blog saw a post I made on facebook where I was lamenting being exhausted. She simply and generously reminded me that self-care is an important part of Chronic hope.  In this wilderness of chronic illness, we already have so many difficult things that we deal with on a daily basis, we don't need  to make it worse, or put more roadblocks in our way.

Today I invite you as part of your Chronic Hope journey, to flip the saying and challenge yourself to "love yourself as you love your neighbor".  What does that mean for you today?  What attitudes or actions do you routinely share with others that you may withhold from yourself? 

I challenge us all to take one step toward self care and self love today, not as a selfish thing, but so that we may more fully be able to fulfill Jesus' command to love others.

Loving God, you desire us to live in love in all ways-- with you, with others and within ourselves.  Open our eyes to attitudes today that may making loving ourself difficult, and fill us with your love in such abundant ways that it overflows into our own hearts and lives, and into the lives of others. Amen.

Not always what I think I want...always what I need

‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened." Matthew 7:7-8 NRSV

I am stubborn. I may have already confessed that here before, but if I didn't, you may have picked up on that a bit. My bishop was always kind about it and said that next to the definition of 'tenacious' in the dictionary you could find my picture :-) .  Yes, you know you're stubborn when your bishop calls you stubborn ;-)
(friends and family-- posting about my stubbornness not necessary-- I KNOW you all have stories~)


In the right places, stubbornness and tenacity have their place.  As the Chinese proverb says "fall down seven times get up eight". This chronic health wilderness requires a good bit of stubbornness out of us so that we keep going.  However, it can easily work against us.  In my own experience, my stubbornness plays itself out in making me believe I have to do things all by myself.  It convinces me that if it is going to happen, I have to do it, and no one else will help me.  It convinces me to journey into isolation. I know that much of this journey can be lonely and it does require great tenacity on our part to keep going.  We do need to cultivate our own inner voice that keeps encouraging us- that chronic hope of our own that allows us to keep putting one foot in front of the other. 


But that voice that tells us that we "cannot depend upon anyone else", that "no one else could possibly know what we're facing", and "the only way to keep going is alone"  that voice is deceived.  It is speaking out of fear and distortion. 

In the past when I've read this Gospel reading from Matthew, I've always seen it in the back of my mind as kind of a divine Santa Clause image: "What do you want?  I'll give it to you"  Now, I know better than to see it this way, but there's always the hope... 
This passage has been powerful in my work in congregations, as many of us do not think in terms of really asking God what we're suppposed to do in our future as a church.  We work on our own to come up with strategies and ideas, but asking God to be in the picture--- I mean truly, wholly in the picture, where we'll listen to where God is leading--now that takes skill and a LOT of trust.

In the chronic illness wilderness, at some point in the journey, I hink many of us learn that 'getting well' (whatever that means in our circumstances)  is not as simple as ask and it will be granted. God is no genie with three wishes to give us, but God is the one who is in relationship with us and walks with us as we learn the life lessons we are meant to learn through this illness.

So what does this have to do with isolation and stubbornness?  Today I want to suggest another way to look at these words from Jesus-  my suggestions are in italics.

Ask (for what you need to make it through this day, and your eyes will be opened to see that God's sufficient grace surrounds and supports you in countless ways) Seek (those who can support and comfort you as you face the future, and you will find that God has already placed in your life people who will share God's love with you in countless ways) knock (and you will likely find that you are knocking on the door from the inside, but until the door of your heart is opened you cannot see it).

Loving God, in our stubbornness, fear and just plain exhaustion, it is difficult sometimes for us to come to you. Help us to remember that we were made to be in relationship with others and with you. Help us to ask, grant us grace to seek how you already give much of what we're looking for, and give us courage to knock so that we may see and understand  when we're on the inside of the door and already recipients of your mercy. Amen.

Take Me Into The Beautiful - Cloverton - Lyrics

A beautiful way to start a week~

Sunday Scripture and Music Devotion

Psalm 26:1-8

1  Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the Lord without wavering.  2  Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and mind.  3  For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in faithfulness to you.   4  I do not sit with the worthless, nor do I consort with hypocrites;  5  I hate the company of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.  6  I wash my hands in innocence, and go around your altar, O Lord,  7  singing aloud a song of thanksgiving, and telling all your wondrous deeds.  8  O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell, and the place where your glory abides.

Matthew 16:21-28

21  From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.  22  And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you."  23  But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."  24  Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  25  For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.  26  For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?  27  "For the Son of Man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyone for what has been done.  28  Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."

O Lord God - Nordic Choir - Luther College

Call to prayer

"God is our refuge and strength,
   a very present help in trouble. 
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
   though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; 
though its waters roar and foam,
   though the mountains tremble with its tumult." Psalm 46:1-3  NRSV


Today's post is an invitation to prayer for everyone who reads this blog:

Three concerns come to mind:

1.) Those in the path/aftermath of Hurricane Irene
2.) The victims and families of those killed in the attack on the casino in Mexico.
3.) The thousands facing drought and starvation in Eastern Africa

Lord of all, hear the prayers of your people. There are events in our lives and in our world that are overwhelming. Be a refuge and strength for all in need. Lord, hear our prayers.  Amen.

To be, or not to be...grouchy!

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:4-7  NRSV 

After 21 years of marriage, my husband should have a shirt that says "Sometimes I wake up grouchy, other mornings I let her sleep."
He is a morning person, I am not.  We got used to that a long time ago, and for the most part I simply get up and stumble through my mornings in a half-daze.  And then there are mornings like this morning, where he and the kids encounter "grouchy" me.

Every single thing that happens gets  used as an excuse for the gruouchiness, and also adds fuel to the fire: dogs underfoot, husband making joke about something, slow moving kids, spills, drips and other kitchen messes-- all things that are very normal in our household on any given morning.  By the time everyone is off to work or school, I find I've got a good head of steam going, and then I just start grumping about whatever crosses my path...and the cycle continues.

What causes these out of the ordinary grouchy days?  Today, for me, it is lack of sleep and extra aches and pains due to the schedule change of getting both kids ready for school, and the switch from our summer schedule to our school-year schedule.  These first weeks are always challenging to navigate.  I know that.  I try to prepare for it, but somehow I still fall into 'grouchland' mode.

I would like to think that this grouchy mode just simply happens, but the truth is, I allow it and I contribute to it.  I have a choice.  St. Paul's words to the church at Philippi are powerful, and it is not about how the people feel, but the focus is upon action.  Rejoice; let your gentleness by known;  do not worry but by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God-- each of these is a call to action, to make the choice to move from where they may be, to a mindset and skillset of acting that will foster faith in them and in others.

As much as I want to blame the grouchiness of this morning on other things, the reality is that somewhere along the way I made the choice to give in to grouching and focusing upon problems.  I gave in to the idea that this day was going to stink and be difficult and that nothing good could come out of this morning.  In doing so, I made the choice to forget God's saving love that came to me in Christ Jesus, and comes to me fresh every morning...  yep, I said it...I made the choice to forget, and focus on my own upset and grouchiness.

However, when the promises of baptism tell us that we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever, nothing can change that-- not the achiness and weariness of chronic illness; not events in the world around us; not even waking up grouchy. 

This may sound like a petty issue- being grouchy-- but the ability to make a choice to change how we react is not petty.  It can make the difference between being self-absorbed and self-serving to being a person with gentleness to make known to everyone through a servants' heart.  This choice can change the outcome of our day, and I would be bold to suggest, it can change greater things than that.

So what do we do after making the choice to NOT be grouchy (or................--fill in the blank)?

a) admit what you are facing.  Are you upset at something? Are you hurting-- physically or emotionally?  (Pretending that everything is ok while quietly seething is NOT helpful. Being honest about how you are really feeling can be very helpful.)

b.) Make a choice to change.  Choose to change an attitude, a behavior, a way of responding to others' comments.  Just make the choice to change.

c) implement the change-  do you need to take care of what is hurting (take a nap,  make sure you've taken all meds and vitamins that you need, go for a walk or other exercise if able, talk through your upset with a friend, talk to a counselor, meditate or pray).  In other words, do what you need to do to take gentle care of yourself.

d) keep going.  Don't let setbacks in the day turn you back to the way you started the day.

Rejoice, let your gentleness be known, pray.  Focusing upon the God of peace will open up your heart and mind, and will allow for change to take place.

Where are you at today?  I'd love to hear your comments or thoughts  today.  For now, I need to take care of getting a nap, and making the choice to make a move from 'grouchy-land to that place where I can appreciate the gift of life and the beauty of this day and the opportunities that lay ahead.

Lord of all, there are days where the challenges seem to overwhelm us.  It is easy to feel out of control, and to blame mistakes and difficulties on other people and circumstances. Help me today to make the choice to live in the life-giving freedom you offer each day, to address the difficulties head on, take gentle care of myself, and to choose to focus upon the gifts and blessings that you rain upon us everyday.   Amen.

Perfect Peace

"Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. " Philippians 4:4-7


Hi everyone,
As school starts and we adapt to a new schedule, as new tests and treatments lay on the horizon for me, and as I, like many of you, continue to struggle with the daily challenges of chronic illness,  I find that while my ramblings in my head are many, I am having difficulty putting them to paper.

While seeking something to inspire today, I came across this gentle song by Laura Story.  May you know the perfect peace that comes from God today, and in the days to come.

peace,
Andrea

Everything you do

^"And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. " Colossians 3:17  NRSV

A bit of fun and a zippy tune for a Tuesday devotion~  may it bless your day! 

Quitting- Wise Words from a Wise Friend

"Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power^* is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. " 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

Good morning everyone~
My apologies for the sporatic posting this past week.  My husband and I both had bouts of the flu, and our daughter started high school this week, and all of it required more energy than I had.  Still recovering from the flu 'bug', but a bit better this morning.

During the week, I received an email of the posting on a friend's blog.  He's a Triathlete, colleague and has been a friend for over 20 years.  I respect him in every way, so to hear what he shared in his blog about quitting really touched my heart, and spoke volumes to me.  For if a triathlete struggles with this stuff, then it gives me (who never has been, nor ever will be a great athlete) hope and room for grace.  I hope his words may speak to you today as well.

I've included the link if you want to read more of his blog work-  by the way-  I find him to be an engaging writer as well, so I highly recommend his blog to you.

Thank you all so much for being here, for sticking with this blog even when I'm sidelined by this chronic illness, and for sharing what you do with all of us.  I think every one of you is amazing, and I wish you well for this day.
Peace,
Andrea

ps- just click on the title in the next paragraph and it should take you right to Darrell's blog. 



Triatheology: Quitting: Despite my recent posts about persevering and staying the course I have to admit this has been a season of quitting for me... On the first...

Sunday Morning Reading and Music Devotion

"

Matthew 16:13-20

13  Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"  14  And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets."  15  He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"  16  Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah,  the Son of the living God."  17  And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.  18  And I tell you, you are Peter,  and on this rock  I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  19  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  20  Then he sternly ordered the disciples not to tell anyone that he was  the Messiah.






Holy God, our strength and our redeemer, support and lead us today. Help us to know that no matter what we face, you are our solid rock and our savior.  Amen.

Thoughts on Courage

 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. '  Matthew 5:5  NRSV


"Sometimes courage doesn't roar; sometimes it's a quiet voice at the end of the day that says I will try again tomorrow."

(Special thank you to my mother for sending today's quote!)

Amazing relationship

"...they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" Romans 3:24

And for your ponderings this morning, a beautiful poem by my friend and colleague Katie.

 Peace-- Andrea

AMAZING GRACE

By Pastor Katie Suggit

Grace brings even the smallest of faces

Into the grandest of spaces.

Grace gathers the least, lost, last, lonely

And lands them securely in the lap of love.

Grace is not the 'thing' that fills us up

Or makes us feel fulfilled;

It is reconciled relationship with the

Living God that makes us complete.

Grace is the holy sphere in which we find our

True being and self, and apart from which

We cannot know abundant life.

Grace grows in us senses of generosity, gentleness, and gratitude.

It is the very ground of our being.

Almighty God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit

Amazing Grace - now and forever.

Amen

The Museum "Allelujah" Song Explanation

Genesis 45:1-15

1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me--you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' 12 "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.