Uphill idealist

My friend Kevin is working on a music project and is looking for prayer and financial support to make it happen. The message of working out his identity with God's help really resonates with me, and I'd love to help him make this musical dream a reality. Check out his video that tells his story of growth, trust and "doing day to day life with God." Blessings - T

I loved these letters to G-d - I love that G-d always wants to hear from us...

I love this version of the worship chorus, "Jesus be the Centre" by Vineyard Music . Below are the lyrics for you to read if you like. I've been teaching this song to my Sunday school kids and they really seem to like it as well. Jesus, be the centre Be my source, be my light Jesus Jesus, be the centre Be my hope, be my song Jesus (Chorus) Be the fire in my heart Be the wind in these sails Be the reason that I live Jesus, Jesus Jesus, be my vision Be my path, be my guide Jesus (Chorus) Be the fire in my heart Be the wind in these sails Be the reason that I live Jesus, Jesus (Instrumental solo) Be the fire Yes, Be the fire (Chorus) Be the fire in my heart Be the wind in these sails Be the reason that I live Jesus, Jesus Jesus, be the centre Be my source, be my light Jesus Be my source, be my light Jesus

Image and Serenity Prayer found here . Mary Lue , creator of Sleeping with Bread Mondays made reference to a wonderful author this morning in her host post on the topic of surrender. I have this picture in my mind of what I imagine Frank Lambuach looking like while shaving and prayerfully asking G-d, 'What, Father, do you desire said? What, Father, do you desire done this minute?' Surrender is something I'm not always very good at. I tend to be independent, willful, and some may even say stubborn. From a young age, I'd tell my parents, "No, I'd rather do it myself." That statement wraps it all up quite nicely. In fact, I think I may have mentioned my independent streak here a time or two before. While there are times that being independent is a useful tool that I have been thankful to have throughout my life, there are times that it is a stumbling block. When you begin to believe that you can do life in its entirety on your own, you are due for some fe...

My husband Ian wrote a lovely post on some happenings at our church on Sunday. Here is a re post of his note here... I was greatly encouraged by my son, Nigel, yesterday. We were selling sno-cones and cookies outside of our church, raising money for camp scholarships. A man who was obviously mentally ill approached our booth, asking if we were giving away food. I told him that we had enough to share and wrapped him up a plate of cookies. My son then invited him to the fellowship breakfast that our church holds every month between services. Now I don't know if the man will remember to come back in three weeks, but it was amazing to hear Nigel respond so readily to someone's need. I know that I never reacted with such confidence and grace around the mentally ill when I was his age (12). A half-hour earlier, the worship team at our church led us in the song "All Are Welcome" during communion: All are welcome, friend and stranger at the banquet of the Savior All are wel...

Donald Fels. At the Table, 2008. My friend Jodi was sharing with me about a worship gathering she used to help lead at her previous church. The gathering was simply called, The Table. This is her explanation of "The Table" At my last church, the Children's director and I worked hard to establish something we called "The Table." The idea was to gather together as whole families for a simple meal of soup and bread. Then we shared a prayer experience together and ended the evening with communion - all intended to recognize the presence of each other and Jesus around the table. The table included lots of silence,time to just notice each other, time to just be. The Table is something I think all of us are hungry for. How often does church really offer us the space to be, to notice and to reflect? I'm somewhat ADD of my own accord, so focus for me can naturally be difficult, but it the time, space and place are things that I still crave and need. When will us ch...

A couple of weekends ago, I was able to attend a Women's retreat at Lake Chautauqua Lutheran Center. I had a lovely time meeting the other people and having a chance to reset my heart and mind and contemplate lots of questions that had been buzzing around in my head. (Tammie, Me, Lori and Donna) So often when asked the question, "What do you do?" I pause, ponder and wonder what answer to give. You see in youth ministry, what my work is is often as eclectic and changeable as the weather in western NY. What I work at in my work is unpredictable, always interesting and never, never boring. This is probably much of the reason I like it, that - and I enjoy the students I work with so much. They help keep me young.(or so I think!) However, in ministry it can be challenging to understand what I do does not validate who I am. Yes, I am a teacher, a wife, a mom, an artist, a singer and a writer; but all those descriptions do not and should not box me in. My weekend away gave me a ...

God is moving performed and written by Jon Abel . Take up the hope in this song, God is moving in ways we can't even imagine. I especially like the part that asks God to open our eyes... that must be my lesson currently, asking for eyes to see and ears to hear. I'm still asking. Creator, redeemer and comforter - Help me to see, help me to hear.