Tuesday, September 20, 2011

It's not that I don't want to blog...it's that I don't know what to say.  There are times when I know God's presence is there, but I really don't know what to say.  I'm consumed with questions that I can't find answers so I pursue them with a fierce curiosity only to wear out my brain and leave more questions for the next day.  I know the world is a crazy place of humankind's making....is Peace truly a posibility or will we fight the chance?

I want to pray...but when I sit down I find myself exhausted.  I find my brain keeps moving in overtime and I can't really make it stop. 

There are so many things to do...my list gets longer by the moment some days and I'm falling behind.  The kids need this, the husband needs that....the church needs....the schools need....the laundry piles are growing higher and the cobwebs have cobwebs!  The list invades my quiet times.

Romans 8:26-27  In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Thank God the Spirit is....AMEN!

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Yes, I remember today.  I also remember the days that followed and the hundreds of stories that still haunt me.  But today I pray for Peace!  I pray that God's peace will enter our world and children will not cry themselves to sleep without food or parents, women won't be stolen and sold into sex slavery, politicians won't pose for pictures instead of solve problems wisely.   I pray God's peace will end wars and my children will know a world that learns that religion is not a tool of hatred, but a gift to praise God.

Yes, I remember today.  I will pray that my Muslim friends will not be left in the dust of hatred and my Christian friends will not give into the onslaught of fear propoganda everywhere we look.  I pray that together a new voice can be heard...the voice of wisdom and strength that calls people to join hands in kindness and compassion rather than hate and violence.

While I'm at it I pray that what makes each of us unique will no longer be a label for someone's hatred.  I pray for sexuality and color to no longer define us.  I pray for age to be a blessing, young and old, rather than a fight.  I pray that wealth and poverty will no longer be so far apart, but that people will help each other without guilt, judgement or disdain. 

I'm not naive!  I know I seek what most folks consider impossible, but I believe in a God who is greater than my belief.  I believe in God's children being capable of doing the impossible when we so choose!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

I've been struggling lately!  Every time I sit down to blog I've been struck by how many people I know who are jsut plain hurting.  Last week was stark as I listened to several women tell me their daily life stories.  It's like watching Job in so many different people.  There's just so much struggle going around.

In some ways I'm stumped right there.  I know I need to pray these people know the strength of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I know God is moving in their lives in amazing ways and out of these struggles will come strength.  But I also know that being stuck between a rock and a hard place is incredibly difficult.  And these days difficult has gotten worse for many.

I pray we, as God's children, will find ways to share what we have.  I pray God will show me how to open my door and meet the needs of those who ache.  I pray I can trust God to use me as God sees fit.  I pray I'm not my own stumbling block in help someone off their dung heap.