Inspiration, Uncategorized

Under the Shade of a Tree

Rev Kathy

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I feel very small most of the time, especially when I see so much need and pain around me. In the face of life’s strong storms, I feel insignificant. What can one person do to change communities? What can one person do to change the world.

In a world of violence and hate, I can sow seeds of peace. Tiny seeds of peace proclaimed in whatever ways I can. Tiny seeds of respect for my brothers and sisters. Tiny seeds of hope planted in faith that they will sprout and grow.

I may not see much more than seedlings for my efforts. I may work hard only to see the small beginnings of a sprout. But someday in years to come, someone may just sit in the shade of a tree that grew from one of the seeds I planted.

In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 English Standard Version (ESV)

Creating, Joy, Memories, simple joys

Broken Crayons

Rev Kathy

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I remember the sheer excitement of getting a brand new box of crayons. It was nice to get a box of eight crayons. At least they were new and I didn’t have to search through an old, ragged box of broken crayon pieces. When I got a new box of twenty-four, I knew it was a special day. But getting the jumbo box — sixty-four crayons and a crayon sharpener — left me ecstatic.

Getting that jumbo box never got old. I never lost my sense of excitement when I opened the box. Those crayons started my love of color and the sheer joy of putting colors on paper.

Those new-box days were rare. More often than not I searched through bits and pieces of crayons that had long since lost their points. They would still color, but coloring was not such a joy when all the crayons were broken.

Still, coloring with broken crayons was a reality of life. I made the best of it and even managed to create a few masterpieces. Once in a while, I would come up with a new way to use them, like melting the pieces between wax paper sheets and making “stained glass.”

Now that I’m grown, I realize that life is filled with broken crayons. I use them anyway and do the best I can with the pieces. The important thing is not to give up on your broken pieces. Use them. Create with them. Try to enjoy them. Marvel at your own colorful masterpieces. Don’t despair over broken crayons. Broken crayons still color!

Hope, peace

The Power of Hope

Rev Kathy

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Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Psalm 42:11 (NIV)

In these difficult days, I often find that my soul is downcast. Inside, I feel disquieted. I find it difficult to be content when so much violence is surrounding me on the news channels. Hope is a rare commodity. Yet, the remedy seems to be in the power of hope, putting my hope in God and looking forward to better days.

That is the foundation on which to build our activism. With hope in God, we move from despondency into action. With hope in our hearts, we find ways to stand up and name the violence. We find ways to speak truth in the face of chaos. We find ways make peace.  We seek God to determine the ways we can work in our community.

We definitely are experiencing darkness. There are no simple answers to racism, hatred and the violence that assails us. We could control guns. We could conduct better screenings for police officers. We could create ways to more accurately identify perpetrators of violent acts. There are many actions that could help. But hope in God must be our first line of defense. Stubborn hope that never gives up finds us in the dark. From there, our remedies can take shape, pointing toward the dawn of a new day.

Anne Lamott writes about the power of hope:

Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, dawn will come. You wait and watch and work. You don’t give up.

I leave you with two things: a challenge to become an integral part of your community as you proclaim peaceful ways; and this blessing from Scripture:

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 (NIV)

Faith, Inspiration

Where the Spirit Lives

Rev Kathy

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Wonder of wonders, God’s Holy Spirit makes her home within us, in that messy place where we live. It might have been otherwise, of course. In God’s best wisdom, the Holy Spirit might have remained only near us or beside us. But God took a big risk with us, deciding that we should be filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the greatest gift we could have received, that indwelling of love and hope, light and peace.

No one describes this more eloquently than Bishop Steven Charleston.

Here the Spirit resides, here in this worn and weathered heart, living among the lesser virtues of being, the strong but ragged hope of many years. God does not dwell in distant mansions, far removed from the mud and grime of common life, but rather chooses to sleep beside us, on a bed of dreams in a lower realm, where sickness and struggle are noisy neighbors, and the new morning often brings both worry and wonder. Here is where the Spirit abides, here in this clay we call home.

“Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” (2 Timothy 1:14)

A beautiful hymn text written by Thomas Troeger and published in 1994 speaks of the Holy Spirit within us.

Holy Spirit, Wind and Flame,
Move within our mortal frame.
Make our hearts an altar pyre.
Kindle them with your own fire.
Breathe and blow upon that blaze
till our lives, our deeds and ways
speak that tongue which every land
by your grace shall understand.

Spirit Wind has blown through my life and Spirit Fire has warmed my journey. Thanks be to God.

grief, Loss

From Midnight to Daybreak

Rev Kathy

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Day and night collide . . . the daybreak of hope slamming into the midnight of despair. Just ask the families of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling, the families of the police officers killed in Dallas. And so many others.

In one part of America, jubilant crowds cheer their presidential candidates, filled with what they believe to be hope for better days. In other places, friends and families mourn senseless murders, their very souls filled with hopelessness and despair.

When will this change? What what must we do to bring justice and peace to our communities? How do we turn this midnight of grief into a daybreak of peace and new hope?

Like most people, I have only questions. Answers are more difficult to offer. Yet we serve a God who turns mourning into dancing (Psalm 30:11) and who calls out to us to do the same.

Let us remember well the timeless words of Dr King.

And let us “refuse to accept the view that humankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace . . . can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

From this midnight, let us strive in every way we can for God’s glorious daybreak!

Dreams, Faith, Life pathways, Life storms, Loss, sadness

Cast Down but Not Destroyed

Rev Kathy

 

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It was several years ago, a sunny, balmy day on the beach. A beautiful vacation with friends. Until the ill-fated phone call.

“Your nonprofit organization will no longer receive state funding. Your grant ends immediately. You will receive no payments as of today.”

To say this was shocking is an understatement. Suddenly, ten years of building was over. Services for victims of violence would cease immediately because staff had to be laid off. I was in shock and inconsolable. I had lost all that I had worked so hard to accomplish. What would we say to our clients? Who would help them when we closed our doors?

The press was asking for comments, but I had no words. All I could muster was silence and a few tears. I was too shocked to really cry. I was too bereft to make any coherent statement to the press or anyone else. Richard Rohr had the spot-on words to describe such a blow.

The pain of something old falling apart — chaos — invites the soul to listen at a deeper level. It invites and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place because the old place is falling apart. Otherwise, most of us would never go to new places.

So true. I would never have gone to new places. As I look back on the day of my soul’s assault, I can honestly say that I was forced to listen to God at a deeper level. When that old life fell apart, there was something new in my future. Enmeshed in my work, I would never have seen it. I was drowning in my ministry and did not even notice that I was sinking. My health – physically, emotionally and spiritually – was at a low ebb. My friends saw it. I refused to.

In the end, the pain of that loss, the chaos, opened my eyes to a fresh new day. There was a new path ahead, bright and full of promise. As I allowed myself to be comforted, I called to mind one of my favorite scriptures, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed . . .”

Adventures, Beauty of Nature

Colors

Rev Kathy

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Color blankets the world with joy. The green leaves rustle in light breezes. The tall amber colored grasses sway in the wind. The sky glistens with blues, pinks and purples and dancing white clouds. The flowers wear all shades and hues of every color imaginable.

I don’t want to miss it. I want to see every shade of color and be grateful that God gave me eyes to see. I want to always and forever give thanks to God for painting the world. I want to rejoice for the beauty of nature that surrounds me.

Most of all, I want to honor a Divine Creator who looked upon all that was made and said “It’s good!”

It is good indeed! Thanks be to God.

Spiritual growth

Being Born

Rev Kathy

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Most of us celebrate being born once a year on our birthdays. Perhaps we should celebrate much more often than once a year. After all, isn’t life full of rebirths. Aren’t we born again with every new discovery, every life lesson, every new dream? There is a kind of mystery to being born. Sometimes we resist it, looking fearfully at change. But mostly we embrace it and accept it as one of life’s gifts to us. Steven Charleston wrote these words:

I have had my fair share of doubts and spent my time in the long night of unknowing. I have enough scars to find someone to blame and have many memories I keep in the attic of my heart. But I count none of this as the measure of my life and spend as little time as I can rereading its sad story. For even from the deepest soil a new shoot emerges, a stubborn little plant called life, reaching up and out to find the waiting sun, drawing energy from the core of the very earth from which it was made. I am a light, not a shadow. I am being born, not dying.

I am grateful for that stubborn little plant we call life. I’m thankful that it persists, digging its roots deeper and deeper into the ground and reaching up toward the sunlight in a new day. How glad I am that I am not dying, but being born!

Faith, healing, Hope, Light

Life Goes On

Rev Kathy

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Life goes on. It is a common saying that holds so much truth. When circumstances tempt us to give up, we are always reminded that life goes on. I have learned so many times through disappointment, grief and fear, that life does go on. We live another day. We have another chance. We rest on the reality that dawn comes after every long night . . . every night, without fail.

How comforting it is for us to believe in another day and another chance! At the end of any grueling day, the night descends upon us with its healing. And then the brightness of a new dawn fills us with fresh hope and the will to greet another day. It is all a blessing from a faithful God who walks beside us through life, whatever comes, whatever hardship we face.

I love the words of Rachel Carson.

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature — the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter.

― Rachel Carson, “Silent Spring”

And so my friends, do not lose heart. Yes, life can be difficult. The world can seem to be a bitter place. But we were made for these times. There are many people these days who are deeply and properly bewildered. They are concerned about the state of affairs in our world. Ours is a time of almost daily righteous rage over the latest degradations of what matters most to civilized, visionary people. Yet, we move forward without giving up. We do not lose heart.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 New International Version)

Life goes on!

Courage, Dreams, Freedom

Let’s Soar!

Rev Kathy

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I love the phrase from the Bible, “Rise up with wings as eagles.” It always reminds me of possibilities beyond what I can imagine. The entire scripture verse in Isaiah 40:31 says this:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

There are many days when I need renewed strength, when I just hope to walk without fainting. It has been a very long time since I was able to run without tiring. In my more youthful years, I actually thought I could fly in the blowing wind.

But I am too stubborn to believe that my soaring days are over. I still feel at times that I can “rise up with wings as eagles.” It is a blessing from God who continues to give us strength throughout our lives. The most important thing we can do is wait upon the Lord and be ready to rise up.

Our God’s everlasting arms are beneath us. The wind is blowing. The eagles are waiting. Let’s soar!

Creating, Inspiration, Spiritual growth

Lessons

Rev Kathy

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I don’t throw too much of my art into the trash can, but my painting on the day before yesterday was an abysmal creative failure. I love the serenity of Louisiana bayous, but I cannot paint them. I’ve tried before and it simply does not come out serenely, nowhere near it.

It makes me wonder how one might capture serenity on paper or canvas. It takes creative giftedness to be sure. I’ve seen it captured before by great artists. Which begs the question, why would I continue to paint knowing beyond any doubt that I am not one of those gifted artists?

I think the answer is that, though I cannot create works of genius, I can definitely engage in reflection and expression. Art is one of the ways I relax, refresh, and even worship. Trying too hard to create a worthy piece of art just spoils the experience.

There are some lessons here about not turning self-expression into the creation of a product.

1. Don’t worry about the final art. Instead relish in the creation of art.

2. Know that anytime a brush strokes paper, you are expressing a part of yourself.

3. Let your art come from within, a soulful gift you give yourself.

There are probably many other lessons, but this is a good start. The same lesson probably holds true for any creative endeavor, teaching us once again that the important thing is the journey, not the destination.

And all this emerged from a painting disaster destined for the trash. That’s a lesson in itself!

Grace

Steel Magnolias

Rev Kathy

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Have you ever thought about the meaning of “steel magnolia?” If someone calls you that, it is a high compliment. Going through trials and troubles with grace means you might be a steel magnolia. Facing harsh criticism with kindness, yet never backing down, might mean you’re a steel magnolia. Always standing your ground strongly, but with gentile ways, means you are definitely a steel magnolia.

A steel magnolia knows that life has risks that are worth taking. It’s part of their resilience and fortitude. In the movie “Steel Magnolias” Shelby says it eloquently. “I would rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.”

I am grateful for the steel magnolias I have known through the years. They taught me about courage, strength, assertiveness, confidence, while all the while, they were gracious and gentle.

It’s good to be known as a steel magnolia. With the passing years, the magnolia that I am has taken on more and more steel. I am grateful for being strong in the midst of turbulence. I am even more grateful that I have managed to maintain my gentle kindness through it all.

Courage, Faith, Risk

Delicate Wings

Rev Kathy

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I love watching the fluttering flight of a butterfly. I am mesmerized by their colorful, delicate wings, amazed that they are so resilient. Monarch butterflies, for instance, possess a mind-boggling skill. Without any guidance, they inherently know how, when and where to migrate across continents—and it takes four generations to make the yearlong trek.

The monarch butterfly’s migration begins in the spring, with the first generation making its debut into the world. Born in March and April, these tiny insects pick up where their predecessors left off, traveling farther north on a generational journey that totals 1,200 to 2,500 miles. That’s quite the feat for creatures with wing spans of only 3.5 to 4 inches.

We could learn a lesson from the butterfly. It emerges from a lifeless cocoon, develops beautiful wings, and embarks on amazing migrations. I like the migration story told by Annie Dillard in her book, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.” She writes that the monarch butterfly flies across Lake Superior and makes it all the way without a rest. That is a distance of about 500 miles! We don’t understand how those delicate butterflies do that. But thousands make their way across that mighty lake every single year during their migration.

None of them arrive without being wind-battered, snatched at from behind, hind legs torn off by the birds that pecked at them along the way. Our life journeys are just as challenging. Like the butterfly’s wings, we can be delicate. But even though we may be battered and broken along the way, we take risks, we keep flying, we persevere. We move forward. We survive!

Friendship, Inspiration, Transformation

Namaste

Rev Kathy

 

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Namaste. “I bow to the divine in you.”

The word Namaste, now spoken as a greeting all over the world, is used both for salutation and valediction. Namaste is usually spoken with a slight bow and hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointing upwards, thumbs close to the chest. This gesture is called Añjali Mudrā or Pranamasana. In Hinduism it means “I bow to the divine in you.”

What a respectful and loving sentiment. Would that all persons would see the divine in one another. And how incredible it would be for persons to speak this word to others, showing respect, love and compassion. It would bring transformation.

One writer defines Namaste with these words:

My soul honors your soul. I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides. I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you, because it is also within me. In sharing these things, we are united, we are the same, we are one.

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The truth is that the divine does dwell within each of us, just waiting for an opportunity to reveal itself. A prayer for a friend. A word of care and comfort in crisis. A cup of cold water offered to one who thirsts. A proclamation that bears witness to all that is just and righteous. A song of praise to God. All of these are ways the divine in us is released to bless others.

And so on this day I share with you . . . Namaste!

peace

Wherever You Go Take Peace

Rev Kathy

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When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you.

(Luke 10:5-6 New International Version)

In the world these days, peace is hard to find. There is an abundance of hate, rancor, battles and wars. Humility and kindness are in short supply. We find ourselves sharing opinions, convictions, battle-laden speech instead of passing peace one to another. Countries are at war, communities fight intolerance, individuals find hate easier than love.

I love the thoughts shared recently by Nikki Finkelstein-Blair.

Not everyone will receive peace, and not every place will live with peace; but everywhere you go, take it. To everyone you meet, offer it. Because where it is shared, the Kingdom comes.

Thanks be to God.

Dry seasons of life, God's Faithfulness, Life storms

Change and Growth

Rev Kathy

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The Chinese Tallow tree in my yard constantly changes. I have been documenting its changes for over a year, and I am amazed when it tassels and then becomes heavy with green berries. By fall those berries will have changed color from green to black and finally to white. The lifespan of Chinese tallow stems seems to be less than 100 years, although roots may live longer. Other experts report that Chinese tallow is short-lived, surviving 40 to 50 years.

The tree experiences many changes during its lifetime, much like we humans do. In that way, the tree reminds me that our lives cycle and change too, from season to season, as the years go by. We have to be comfortable with change and growth, standing firm, just as the Tallow tree does. We stand against scorching sun and rainstorms. We weather strong winds and enjoy light breezes. And all the time, we’re growing and changing.

God gives us the strength to stand tall in sunshine and shadow, through strong winds, gentle breezes, bitter cold and oppressive summer heat. It’s the way of nature, and God is faithful through it all, walking beside us as we change and grow.

Hope, Inspiration, Life pathways, Stars, Transformation

To the Stars

Rev Kathy

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It’s not easy to reach for the stars, to cast our aim higher. Life certainly presents us with a healthy share of obstacles and challenges. The way can be difficult. But facing life challenges makes us stronger and more resilient.

An easy pathway does little to refine us. It doesn’t cause us to grow and change much. It maintains a status quo existence. So in some ways, I welcome difficult times, always believing that those times will make me a better person.

As W.C. Done has said, “Life has no smooth road for any of us.” Though he was born in 1832, his words are timeless.

Life has no smooth road for any of us; and in the bracing atmosphere of a high aim, the very roughness stimulates the climber to steadier steps, till the legend, over steep ways to the stars, fulfills itself.

Yes, the way to the stars can be a steep way. But aiming for the stars moves us to higher plains, to more full lives, to a new glimpse of hope. The steep path is treacherous, but getting there is worth it.

Bitterness, healing, Joy, sadness

I decided to be happy!

Rev Kathy

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I simply decided to be happy again. It was my choice, after all. I had been through a grueling coup in my nonprofit organization. Friends and colleagues of many years betrayed me in very hurtful ways. I lost all that I had worked for in the previous ten years. The community lost a significant resource. I lost long time friends.

But that was several yesterday’s ago. I suffered a great loss, and grieved that loss for at least a year. I learned that the decision to be happy again is my own decision. The choice to hope again is my choice.

It was a good day when I made that choice. It was a good day when I made peace with the past, when I thanked God for the positive things I accomplished. It was a good day when I decided to be happy again!

The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and to have courage when things go wrong.
― Laura Ingalls Wilder

Thankfully, that’s where I am today. The painful yesterdays are but a slight mist. The tomorrows are bright with hope.

Faith, God's Faithfulness, Life pathways

Pleasant Pathways

Rev Kathy

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I love it when life gives us pleasant pathways. Though some paths have been treacherous, for the most part, I have been blessed to walk pathways bathed in sunlight, surrounded with verdant greenery, marked by cooling breezes. Life has been my pleasure. I owe it all, I believe, to a loving, protecting God who walks beside me every moment.

There were times, of course, when life was difficult, times when I was very ill, in fact. But God’s presence was constant. God’s comfort was abundant, and I felt safe in loving arms. My family and friends surrounded me. The Holy Spirit filled my soul.

So many times, I have been comforted by the words of Isaiah 41:10.

Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And so, with God ever near, and in spite of several roadblocks and obstacles here and there, I have been blessed to walk pleasant pathways.

Faith, God's Faithfulness

Change

Rev Kathy

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Living can be fragile, easily moved by winds of change. It is true that most humans resist change. We dread any assaults on our normalcy. We guard against changes in our routine, in our jobs, in our family. And when change comes upon us, we feel discomfort.

The problem is that life is all about change. We grow older. Our children grow up and move away. We downsize and miss our former home. Change is constant, blowing in life’s winds, challenging us and changing us.

How comforting that we worship a God who never changes. How comforting that even when change assails us, God is always the same, always near us, always gracing us with abiding presence.

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”   (James 1:17)