God of the Sparrow 🌱 By Kathy Manis Findley

Without a Song

September 22, 2016 Rev Kathy

What a life is ours! Doesn’t anybody in the world anymore want to get up in the middle of the night and sing?

Mary Oliver, Upstream

The truth is that singing is good for you. For thousands of years, in all cultures, in all parts of the world, people have been singing.

Singing is in our genes and in human nature. All types of singing have positive psychological effects. The act of singing releases endorphins, the brain’s “feel good” chemicals.

The urge to sing – and to hear others sing – is in all of us. Singing – like laughter, play, sunshine, countryside and exercise – helps underpin and maintain our well-being and happiness.

You don’t even have to be good at it!

“Without a Song” is a popular song with music by Vincent Youmans and lyrics by Billy Rose and Edward Eliscu, published in 1929. The song holds a great message.
Without a song the day would never end.
Without a song the road would never bend.
When things go wrong a man ain’t got a friend,
Without a song.

That field of corn would never see a plow.
That field of corn would be deserted now.
A man is born but he’s no good no how,
Without a song.

I got my trouble and woe but, sure as I know, the Jordan will roll;
And I’ll get along as long as a song is strong in my soul.

I’ll never know what makes the rain to fall.
I’ll never know what makes that grass so tall.
I only know there ain’t no love at all
Without a song.

Enjoy your day. Try a little singing.

Prayer

The Lord Bless You and Keep You

September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 Rev Kathy

May you enjoy abundant blessings on this first day of Fall. This season always reminds me of homecomings, making me nostalgic about friends and family far away.

As I think of my friends and family today, scattered across the world, I am compelled to offer a prayer for each one. I long to offer God’s blessing to my grandchildren, to my far away family, to my dear friends. So across the miles, I ask God’s blessing to brighten your day.

One of the most moving blessings in all of scripture is found in the book of Numbers. This I send to you today.
The Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.

Numbers 6:24-26 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

I invite you to listen to the moving anthem, “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” by John Rutter at this link.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PO17DIeI7Ec

Beauty of Nature, Prayer

A Prayer for Morning Mercies

September 20, 2016February 11, 2017 Rev Kathy

What morning mercies are found in common images of nature! Nature shows us the extraordinary beauty of ordinary places, places that can revive our spirits and enliven our souls. Such a place is captured in the photography of J.V. McKinney who graces us with a view of one of the lakes in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

And I share with you a morning prayer written by James Richard Lahman in his book, Prayers of the Hours.

Caring God who watches over, nourishes, and invites me into union,

As I begin this new day, I offer thanks for the sleep, the rest, and the restorative gifts to my body and mind.

Holy God, you have watched over me while I did not know it.

You have awakened me with wholeness of body and spirit.

As you have blessed me in the silent watches of the night, enable me to make this new day a gift to you.

Visit my energies, skills and talents with a touch of divine grace so that when night comes I may present my gift with joy and thanksgiving.

Great Companion of all people, Holy Spirit, Truth Divine, to you I pray. Amen

Hope

We Never Lose Hope

September 19, 2016 Rev Kathy

Hope is a human feeling, not something mysterious or ethereal. We hold it in our hearts, always. It revives us when hopelessness threatens us. It dwells in our heart of hearts through it all. It remains constant through every dark day.

It is a reality of this life that hopelessness sometimes threatens to overcome us. But hope remains. Where does it come from? I believe that it is planted deep within us by our Creator, protected by divine care. And I believe that hope emerges from a strong faith in the God who guides our lives.

Bishop Steven Charleston says that there are not “many human feelings as tough and resilient as hope.”

He continues:

Hope has gotten me through some very hard days. I am willing to bet the same is true for you. Gotten me through not with airy wishes, but with a determination to stand my ground until the next dawn sends the shadows running. Never underestimate hope. It is the lifeline. It is what your soul sees when your eyes are in darkness. Hope is the eternal light that no fear can overcome.

We have the ability to hold hope in our hearts no matter what we face. There is no threat stronger than hope, no fear greater than hope. Even in the worst of times, we don’t despair and we never lose hope.
My soul, wait silently for God,
for my hope is from Him.
He only is my rock and my salvation;
He is my refuge; I will not be moved.

– Psalm 62:5-6

Life pathways

A Way Out of No Way

September 18, 2016 Rev Kathy

I think of life as a journey, one pathway after another with mysteries on each route. Common it is to find obstacles along the path, obstacles that block the way. That is life’s way. Stones in the road, boulders on the path . . . at every turn stopping us in our tracks.

Certainly, life for us is no smooth journey, no easy route. But we move on, moving the obstacles out of the way and going forward as steady as we can. Now and then, the pathway is completely blocked, preventing even one more step.

The best news for us is that God is in the business of making a way out of no way. God clears the path when we cannot. God moves the obstacles when they are immovable for us.

This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
who drew out the chariots and horses,
the army and reinforcements together,
and they lay there, never to rise again,
extinguished, snuffed out like a wick:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland.

Isaiah 43:16-19

And so it is, we are graced with God’s new thing. We are blessed with a way in the wilderness. The boulders are moved aside, out of our way. Our pathway has been divinely cleared. We are given a way out of no way. Amen.

peace, Prayer, Serenity, Silence

A Syllable of God

September 17, 2016 Rev Kathy

I long for a space of deep listening, but in my humanity, I can’t get there. My mind is too busy with mundane things. I can’t seem to still my soul enough to truly hear God speaking to me. I could surmise that the reason I do not hear is because God is not speaking. I could settle for a silent God that is simply not communicating with me.

But my faith knows better than that. The years of my journey of faith have taught me that God is speaking far more than I am listening. It is my task to find a space of stillness, to put my heart into that good place of solitude and peace. It is my task to get to that place that allows me to hear God’s promptings.

Author and contemplative Macrina Wiederkehr describes this for me.

And don’t we all, with fierce hunger,
crave a cave of solitude,
a space of deep listening –
full of quiet darkness and stars,
until finally we hear a syllable of God
echoing in our hearts?

And so I continue, searching for that “space of deep listening full of quiet darkness and stars,” listening for that syllable of God.

Life pathways, Spiritual growth, Transformation

In Every Change

September 16, 2016 Rev Kathy

When leaves change their colors as the seasons pass, they do it effortlessly. Not so with human beings. We resist change most of the time. But changes happen. Life takes its toll on all of us. Because of life events — good and bad — we evolve and change. And I like to think we become closer to the persons we are meant to be. In every change, there is growth. There are lessons to be learned. There are challenges to our thoughts and beliefs. There are nudges to the soul. In every change, we change. Sometimes we are transformed.

As life changes happen to us, I often think of the words from the hymn “Be Still, My Soul.”

In every change, he faithful will remain.

What an encouraging promise about the faithfulness of God! While we may resist change because of fear, God stays close to comfort us, to encourage us, to guide us, to renew our faith.

Frederick Buechner shares with us the best news of all with these words:

There is something deep within us, in everybody, that gets buried and distorted and confused and corrupted by what happens to us. But it is there as a source of insight and healing and strength.

Thanks be to God for our seasons of change.

Hope

Strong Currents of Hope

September 15, 2016 Rev Kathy

I have felt ill and very weak for the last couple of weeks. Along with feeling bad physically, I was fearful that my health was plummeting. I wondered whether the way I felt was something that would pass or whether it was permanent. I invited fear into my world. I temporarily forgot that God cares for me and has been near me throughout my entire illness.

Once I began to feel stronger, I recalled these words of scripture.

Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. – Isaiah 40:28-29

The truth is that since 2014, I have been able to feel strong currents of hope and to find renewed energy in the bad times. As Bishop Steven Charleston has written, God has “breathed life into my heart.”

Read his words:

Rise up on the strong currents of hope, the sense of the Spirit that you feel moving around you, like a shift in the wind changing your direction, lifting you up with renewed energy. Do not stay planted in the sameness of your surroundings, the old assumptions and the old definitions, but rise up to create your own path, following the vision that breathes life into your heart. Take the risk of believing in who you are. Trust the Spirit to fly with you once more into the open skies of your imagination. Rise up and don’t look back, for how far we cast our faith is how far we travel toward forever, how far we grow, how far we reach to discover ourselves.

Adventures, Beauty of Nature, Child protection

Seeing the World, Loving the Earth

September 13, 2016 Rev Kathy

“The Earth is not barren, but alive!”

I don’t see it much. There is an enormous, beautiful world that I simply don’t take time to see. I admire those who take nature into their souls, who breathe in the freshness of the wind, who see pictures in the sky, who hear music in birdsong. I imagine that those who know how to do that are emotionally and spiritually healthy. I imagine that life for them is pure joy.

The closest I can get to their experience is to read about it, and then to practice it in the smallest ways. I love the words of Bishop Steven Charleston that describe such a love for the earth.

I looked up, and as if in a dream I saw them, ancient spirits from the mesas, gliding on rain clouds above the desert, flashing lightning as they passed, primal spirits from the forest deep, rising up to dance on the trees, mountain spirits trailing snow white capes in the wind, and the spirits of the sea, moving like a storm toward the land. The Earth is not barren, but alive, filled with the spirits of life, the forces of nature around us, old powers from the time of beginning. God is not constricted to our temple walls, but roams the wild places calling to all who will look up, see the dream, and follow.

Faith

Mountains Sometimes Shake

September 12, 2016 Rev Kathy

Earthquakes occur every day somewhere in the world. Yesterday there were 86 . . . and

624 earthquakes in the past 7 days,
2,970 earthquakes in the past month,
43,584 earthquakes in the past year.

In like manner, our world is sometimes shaken by earthquakes of the soul. A serious illness, the loss of a loved one, a shattered career, the betrayal of a friend. Our mountains sometimes shake and we are left with a life in shambles.

Yet there is always hope. We can take heart in the promise of scripture.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor will my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” – Isaiah 54:10

healing

Heal the World

September 11, 2016 Rev Kathy

In times like these — the divisive days of a presidential election — we would do well to remember all that brought us together after the tragedy of 9/11. We were devastated, but not destroyed. We pulled together as a nation, along with the prayers of allies all over the world, to heal from our horrific national wounds. In our time of greatest loss, we healed.

Yet, today we still face the demons of terror and violence. We still feel fear. We are still in need of healing.

One calling that we all share is our work as healers. Each one of us, in our own way, in our own circle of life, is given moments when we can heal what is before us. It is not hard for us to recognize these moments. We see them clearly. The hurt between human hearts, the pain of past memories, the conflict between friends, the need of our Earth to be respected: there are a steady stream of chances for you and I to be active in mending what is broken around us. From the greatest need to the smallest, we are the work crew of the holy. We repair the world, one blessing at a time. – Bishop Steven Charleston

In memory of 9/11 and in honor of those who lost their lives, let us join hands and heal the world.

Adventures, Joy

Whimsy

September 10, 2016 Rev Kathy

Sometimes life needs a little whimsy. Too much seriousness is bad for the soul. Try blowing a dandelion into the wind. Watch celestial pictures form in the moving clouds. Paint colors randomly on a blank sheet of paper.

It’s a good thing to break up a serious life with some whimsical experiences. It lifts the spirits and makes magical things seem more possible. Plan diversions on a whim. Try some playful things. Do those fun things that are so hard to do for such serious-minded folk.

I love the words of Robert A. Heineken in “The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.”

For millennia philosophers and saints have tried to reason out a logical scheme for the universe… until Hilda came along and demonstrated that the universe is not logical but whimsical, its structure depending solely on the dreams and nightmares of non-logical dreamers.

I think I’ll just drop the logical for a day or two. A little mirth and whimsy will do me good!

Self care, Serenity

My New Normal

September 9, 2016 Rev Kathy

Do you ever wear an “I feel good” mask? I certainly do, trying to convince everyone that I feel,physically strong. Keeping up that image can be exhausting.

Maybe it’s time to admit that trying to appear to feel good all the time is a burden. It’s even a burden to pretend I feel good. The reality is that I have end stage kidney disease and, because of that, I push and push to feel normal again, to have the energy I used to have. I seldom admit the feelings of deep-down fatigue I experience. I struggle to keep a pace that makes me feel as strong as I used to be. I simply have not embraced or admitted my “new normal.”

Even with my family, I often try to present a good front. And sometimes, I just long to be honest about how I feel with them, and with myself. The truth is that I’m afraid if I give in to my real feelings, my strength will go down even further. So I am compelled to push myself, sometimes at my own peril. I think my husband, in fact, is the only one who knows how weak I really feel.

Still, I rest in my faith in God, who knows me better than I know myself, and who gives me strength when I am weary. One of my favorite Scripture passages never fails to bring me hope.

He gives strength to the weary,
And to them who lack might He increases strength.
Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble and fall:
Yet those who wait for the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not become weary,
They will walk and not faint.

– Isaiah 40:29-31

On my harder days, I will lean on the promise of that Scripture. But I also want to make peace with my “new normal” and be honest enough with myself to determine what it really feels like. My life is far from over, but it is different, and I need to embrace that.

Faith

Rooted in Faith

September 8, 2016September 8, 2016 Rev Kathy

Genuine faith or cheap religiosity? Often a thin line can separate the two. But what a critical line it is. We hear a lot about “faith” in a presidential race. Clergy surrogates endorse candidates with glowing pronouncements about their religion of choice, trying to convince us that they are indeed people of genuine faith. But faith is a rootedness that is a part of the depth of a person’s life. I have found an important point to be true: that a person’s faith is evident in the works that they do and in the things that they care about. Declarations and pronouncements are simply empty words if you cannot see works of compassion and love evident in their lives.

The evidence is either clear or it is not. When you observe a candidate, do you see a person of prayer, devotion and compassion? Do you see a profession of faith in works and deeds? Do you see a reliance on the God they serve? Do you see a moral compass that informs their ethical choices and quest for justice? Do you sense a life of spirituality? Do you see a past and present life lived with a Divine anchor?

Bishop Steven Charleston wrote these words about faith.

Faith does not float on clouds. It walks in the streets of human reality. It stands in the midst of disaster and tragedy. It sustains all creation. It enters into the painful spaces where love struggles to exist. Faith is a tool. It is meant to be used where it is needed most. Therefore, it works on the most difficult jobs, the ones that are often complex and even dangerous. Faith is the sweat equity of believing. The joy we receive is not the promise of what is to come, but the experience of what is now. We practice what we believe, we share what we have.

Let us pray that our political leaders walk in the streets of human reality with a genuine faith.

Contemplation

It’s So Quiet Here!

September 7, 2016 Rev Kathy

It’s not unusual for us to comment, “It’s so quiet here!” Our lovely neighborhood is very serene, a great place to live. When we go outdoors, we can hear the hummingbirds. We don’t hear traffic, or dogs barking, or children playing. We don’t hear trains. Now and then, we may hear a clap of thunder or the falling of rain. We may hear planes flying overhead or the sound of lawn mowers.

But quiet can be disconcerting. We tend to immerse ourselves in activity, avoiding stillness, resisting silent moments of contemplation. Entering into quiet times can sometimes bring unwelcome thoughts and fears that are held at bay when we’re immersed in the noise of busyness. It happens for me at times. When I get quiet, my thoughts sometimes entertain those things that I most fear.

Still, quiet times can also be strengthening times. Quiet moments can bring peace and serenity. So, all in all, I am grateful for the quiet times in my life in these days of retirement. It’s a different experience that follows a career full of activity, overachievement and constant work.

We live a very quiet life. It’s quiet enough to hear the chirping birds and the buzzing bees. And it’s quiet enough to hear God’s voice. Maybe God has been waiting for my life to get quiet. Maybe It makes God happy to know that I can now hear the gentle prompting of the Spirit. Maybe I will hear things I have never heard before. Maybe God’s voice will be clearer to me than it ever has been.

Family, Uncategorized

Happy Forty-Seven

September 6, 2016September 6, 2016 Rev Kathy

If you know me very well, you have heard this quirky and delightful story. If you haven’t heard it, then you are about to hear about the beginning of a forty-seven year marriage. Happy anniversary to my beloved husband!

This is the story of an impetuous 19-year old girl and her proposal of marriage. It was on the campus of the University of Alabama that this unlikely love bloomed. Fred and I knew one another casually, but our friends never pictured us as a couple. We were just too different.

On a bet with his friends, Fred asked me to go out on a date, Homecoming weekend, 1968. It was a concert on campus featuring Andy Williams and Roger Miller. Much to the surprise of my roommate and my dorm friends, I accepted. They waited in my dorm room anxiously for me to return from the evening. When I got there, I told them that I was going to marry Fred.

They literally rolled in the floor in laughter. But two days later, I said these words to him while we walked on the beautiful Alabama campus. “God told me that we are going to get married.”

His reply was that God had not told him any such thing. As always, God knew best, and we have had a marriage filled with forty-seven years of happiness.

The moral of this story? God even speaks to silly 19-year old college girls! Happy Forty-seventh anniversary to us!

Hope

Resilient Hope

September 5, 2016 Rev Kathy

During the many years I worked with victims of trauma I learned that some of them had inexplicable resilience. They survived. They healed. They became stronger with each passing day. It became a passion for me to figure out why some had resilience and others did not.

I never figured it out. I simply watched them in awe as they gathered the shattered pieces of their lives and put them back together. I marveled at the life they reclaimed, at the existence they recreated. I was inspired by their strength. I admired their inimitable hope. Today I know many of them, traumatized as children, as healthy, happy women full of hope.

In the end, the only explanation I had was their hope, a resilient hope that defied the odds every time. The writing of Bishop Steven Charleston gives voice to this kind of hope.

I don’t think there are many human feelings as tough and resilient as hope. Love is the only other and they both are as strong as steel, even though we talk about them as if they were made of air. Hope has gotten me through some very hard days. I am willing to bet the same is true for you. Gotten me through not with airy wishes, but with a determination to stand my ground until the next dawn sends the shadows running. Never underestimate hope. It is the lifeline. It is what your soul sees when your eyes are in darkness. Hope is the eternal light that no fear can overcome.

Whatever trouble you may encounter, may hope guide your way and give you strength.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

Inspiration, Risk

One Wild and Precious Life

September 4, 2016 Rev Kathy

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

I am constantly inspired by the poetry of Mary Oliver. What is it that I plan to do with my one wild and precious life? That is a question worth asking throughout life, asking again and over again at every juncture. Life is definitely not still or stagnant. It moves with the hours of the day, the moments of the soul. It constantly asks of us decisions . . . What will I cherish on this day? What will I do about this challenge? Where will I move at this crossroad?

The answers to such questions steady our journey. The answers give adjustment to our sails as we travel into the wind. The answers are crucial ones, imperative to a life path, making space in the heart for the unimaginable.

I leave you with the words of Mary Oliver.

When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it is over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.

Abundance, Family

Tea at Midnight

September 3, 2016 Rev Kathy

Small blessings are the best! It was 12 midnight and we were tucked in our bed watching “Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.” I had been coughing and, in fact, had taken a dose of my asthma inhaler.

Then Fred mentioned a cup of hot tea. It was just what I needed, Mandarin Orange Tea at midnight, made by a caring husband. Who could ask for a nicer blessing? The tea calmed my soul, and my cough.

I am grateful for a cup of hot tea, for Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, for a nice, warm bed — all small blessings!

Oh, and I’m grateful most of all for an enormous blessing — a husband who will make tea at midnight.

	Maren on A Sacred and Holy Easter
	Maren on Lovely!
	Maren on Wishing you a happy day!
	patriciaiffen gr on Wishing you a happy day!
	Maren on Start Something! It’s Eas…