Uphill idealist

Some days, our feet hurt and our hearts are weary. Some days, our minds our worn out and our vision is fuzzy. In the midst of our questions, we find nothing more that more - questions. We wonder what the point of all this is. But somehow in the questions and uncertainty we keep on living. For me, I sense a particular presence of God in this uncertain space. The questions, for me, have become the space where the Spirit is a work -  glimmering hope here and there and calling me to a space of welcome where unrest usually resides. All are welcome in the questions. In the questions - God is present. God is present - where you happen to be. Peace.

I had a moment in this unexpectedly warm weekend of fall where I thought, "After all this hair growing, I think that short pixie cut I used to have was perfect." What do you think... Cut the locks or keep em? Here's where I'm at... Here's where the process just about started... Which look do you like?

This Question Blog Parade was picked up on Looking for something deeper by my blogging friend Lucy . I so enjoyed reading her answers, I thought I'd take a turn at answering the same parade of questions too. Please, feel free to copy and paste the questions to your blog to see how long this parade can become! Here is where this parade began , who knows where it will end... 1. What’s your favorite time of the day, and why? I never used to be a morning person, but for the last two years, this April, I've been adding the daily discipline of getting up every morning and going for a walk or run. After many years of wanting to be more fit, I've also found that having that time and space to run away from and into the world has more that a physical benefit I started waking up early for. 2. If health wasn’t an issue, what food could you live off? Wow - what food would I not choose is the question! I think I'd have to say though if it were not an issue of health or calories I...

Where did I first meet God? Thankfully, my childhood experience and introduction to God is filled with memories of sitting close to my Dad, holding his hand during prayer, listening to music and the messages, and feeling wrapped in safety as light shone through the stained glass windows of the sanctuary. I recall the pastor preaching a series on committing our lives to the practice of loving others the way Jesus did. Each week, when he would ask if anyone in the congregation would like to recommit their hearts to Christ and his way of life my heart would thump loud in my ears and tears would come to my eyes. It was if a magnet would pull my hand high above my head. I'd look up to see if he'd seen my hand and refuse to put it down till he smiled and nodded in my direction. "I see that hand." , he'd say in a kind and comforting way. After a few weeks of this, Pastor C. stopped to chat with my Mom and Dad and I one week. He said, "I noticed that each week you ke...

Painting by Angela Mcivor . Over the past few days I've noticed a strange phenomenon. Maybe its a resurgence of spring fever or just my thirst for inspiration, but after two full days of April snowfall and then blessed sun coming out of hiding to melt that snow; I've been a music junkie of sorts. It seems that when I turn on the radio, the songs hit me in my musical gut and insist that I sing, dance or both. This makes for interesting driving at times. If you've heard me talk about music I love, you probably know I adore U2 and have since the early days of "Boy" and "War". Their newest album, just released in about a month ago, is called "No line on the horizon" . One of the songs that compels me to dance and sing is Magnificent - and if you'd like to give it a listen just click on this link to TWTFM . Get ready to dance! Another musical mood lifter that I stumbled across was the soundtrack for the award winning recent film, Slumdog Millio...

Painting by Simon Dewey I had a dream about playing follow the leader last night. Then as I listened to the gospel reading in worship this morning the words hit me in the most profound way. Mark 8:31-38 Jesus Predicts His Death 31He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 32He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said. "You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What ...