Uphill idealist

“All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well.” ―  Julian of Norwich It's the Eve of the second Sunday in Advent and "Peace" is our point of focus for the coming week, Julian's words meet us in a time where peace may seem far off... For refugees wandering... For victims of senseless violence... For those without a place to call home... For those suffering sickness and grief... it seems crazy to repeat her words. Some may even go so to say the her words are foolishness. But, there are some words we need to repeat - perhaps even more in times like these.Julian's words mean to assure each heart that in the midst of all circumstances that Jesus the Christ is always present. 1 Corinthians 1:18 speaks of how some might perceive the gospel message to be foolishness... " For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." Julian of ...

On Sunday morning I shared one of my favorite quotes in my sermon. The quote comes from a book written by Parker Palmer called, Let your life speak . I've written about this book and even this specific quote many times before, as this phrase came into my own life at a time I was wrestling with my own calling or vocational purpose. When I'm in the midst of confusion and worry over the course of where my vocational process may or may not be heading, I find myself returning to this well loved phrase in order to help find a center space where I cans see progress and hope in the process that is vocational discernment “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” (Note: This quote was not originate with Mr. Palmer, but he uses the statement that originates with Fredrick Buechner's little book Wishful thinking: A Seeker's ABC's   as a means of telling his own story concerning vocational wrestling.) ...

Upon reading today's entry in Sacred Space , I was reminded about the eternal life of love. Just as love overcomes all opposition in Jesus resurrection on Easter morning, and love stands in the face of darkness in the book A wrinkle in time by Madeline L'Engle, and love continues to be expressed in this quote I discovered by Julian of Norwich... "... the love that made him (Jesus) suffer all this - it passes as far beyond all his pains as heaven is above earth. For the passion was a deed done in time by the working of love; but the love is without beginning and is, and ever shall be, without end." 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Where would I be if not for love? Jesus the Christ, who did no wrong , took my place, my sin, my failures that day and washed them away in his faithful sacrifice. Then to think it was not only for me, but for all of us. This love is what I hold fast to as I wait for the...