Uphill idealist

A pocket of sun within a cloud of one, rains down from heavens so gray. Reaching in might, like a yellow lite-brite in the middle of a dark dreary day. It breaks through the bleak, the cold, out of reach and pours out your warmth on the way. We're almost there, to the spot where we'll share a moment of freedom and play. In dark or in bright, in hard times and fright - your willing to help come what may. Across the street or with miles so steep, your brightness will soak me soul deep.

Image from Heartfish . 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. A few days ago, a friend reminded me of a bumper sticker that was somehow connected to Rob Bell's ministry a few years ago. The sticker reads, "Love wins." For the past month, there seems to have been several points of conflict that I'd wished and hoped away. I tried to fix them, fret over them, and eventually I remembered to pray over them. Some situations require that I take a few steps back, stop rehashing them and simply pray over them when they come to mind - instead of worrying over them. After the book tour came together so well and with a decent attendance for our small city (about 200 people), after I was given an apology that lifted a burden I'd been carrying and attempting to fix from my end, after a sunny fall day and walking in the crunchy leaves, and after a hand written card from my dear friend Sue, I'm reminded that...

Yesterday the Don Miller and Susan Isaacs book tour stopped by to First Lutheran of Jamestown NY. I was excited to have writers and speakers of this caliber come to our small city, as so often I have to travel three hours or more to experience a opportunity like this. The evening was more a concert than a lecture and Susan's presentation was so impressive, my 16 year old daughter can't put her book down! A little over two years ago, I asked some friends to join me at a local coffee shop to try gathering for a weekly book club. Two years and many books later, we still get together on a weekly basis. Blue Like Jazz , Don's first best-selling book, was the first book we used with our book group. After all this time, I'd have to say that book got us started off on the right foot. It was a great evening of laughter, thoughtful conversation and a challenge to live the kind of life a good book could be written about. So often I find myself uncomfortable in the place of conf...