“The power of this gospel reading is found in its promise of abundance at the very end: if we live a generous life toward others, we ourselves will find an abundance beyond measure, so much that it spills out of our cupped hands and into our laps.”
“Because here’s the truth: we are all God’s masterpieces. We have been created in love to love and to be loved. There’s nothing we have to do or be – only rest in the name God places on us, beloved child of God.”
“Leaves and acorn caps crunch underneath my feet as the words from the sermon come through my airpods: ‘I can’t not remember the 20th century display of Emmett Till’s brutalized body when George Floyd’s 21st century body is strangled on international television.'”
“The realm of emotion is also a place of fickleness. Sometimes I feel God’s presence there and sometimes I have only ashes in my heart. I can feel a deep joy in a melody, the winging of a goose over the rooftops, the prisms in a snowflake. But just as quickly I can be crushed by loss, fear or illness.”
“Paul may drive me nuts periodically, but there are times he seems to have hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head. It’s simple. And it is probably why so many people flocked to become members of the group that practiced this radical form of life.”
“Admittedly,
I skip this one sometimes
when I’m saying the Daily Office
because it’s just too heavy
on the days I don’t need more heavy.”
“Freedom, release, contentment, jubilee. These are the gifts God gives to those who allow themselves to trust in God, rather than trust in the working of the human will.”
“Being on the lookout for glimpses of gratitude helps me focus on the beauty in front of me. A couple of times a year, Modern Mrs. Darcy invites readers to share a list of the things that are saving our lives right now. So I grabbed a pen and paper to make my own list and to remind myself that each day is a gift.”
“And now let us open our eyes. It is time to slip into the big Self perspective. We are not alone, we are not lost, and we are overwhelmed with abundance. Abundance comes. He takes our breath completely away. We’re shoved out of the attitude of thinking we know how it all will go. We are not in charge – not even close.”
“I can still visualize that beautiful bird, covered in blood, nailed to a tree with its wings outstretched, as clearly as I can see Jesus on the cross. I see the eagle as representative of peoples and cultures who treat nature with respect and only seek to live in harmony with the land and with each other.”