“By swallowing evil words unsaid, no one has ever yet harmed his stomach.”
                                                                                                             Winston Churchill

This is another day, O Lord.
I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord for whatever it may be.
If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely.
If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly.
If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently.
And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly.
Make these words more than words,
And give me the Spirit of Jesus.
AMEN

   We all fall down at some point – some of us literally!  It reminds me of one of the questions in the Baptismal Covenant: “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?”  We are not asked, IF you fall into sin; we are asked WHENEVER you fall into sin.  Our gracious God recognizes something that we often wish was untrue:  we are not perfect, and even those with the best efforts in this Christian walk will fall at some point.   Thanks be to God, we have One who is able to help us pick ourselves up – to find those “stitches” we have dropped, and go on toward our goal – a life lived that is pleasing to God.  

Earth

God is digging in the garden of my soul,
    the rich, moist dirt sticking under (God’s) fingernails,
    turning and blending the soil of my life,
    now and then adding the compost
        of tossed-out experiences
That I believed were useless.

(God) seems to understand
    that this bed can sustain life,
    that the deadened seeds and withered sprouts
            will not be all there is.

Like the herb jungle
    in my friend Elaine’s backyard,
My soul, under God’s care,
            will grow green and wild.

Debra’s Midweek Meditation

Children of the Light!

This evokes memories of my mother's funeral where we sang "I want to walk as a child of the light.  I want to be with Jesus."

The hymn was hard to sing but the words poured into my heart.

Jesus is the light which sustains the rocky ground of death and illness.

Jesus is the light that rejoices the soft path and the gentle slope.

The spiritual journey is a series of awakenings.

As the sun steals over the earth I find myself waking up to the beauty that is creation and to the hope of the new day.

I do want to walk as a child of the light.

On light -filled paths it is easy to see the way ahead, but what do we do when we are on darkened paths.

We may stop and turn back.

We may seek for the guidance of a star, like the wise men.

Or, we may realize that there are darkened stretches of every path,so we come prepared.

The Word of God may be a lantern to our feet, prayer may be the inspiration to keep going, community and worship may hold the light for us long enough for us to get through the dark places.

Scripture, worship, prayer and community.  These four make walking the path possible.

I want to walk as a child of the light!

Blessings,

Debra

The Voice

The voice in the waves as they curl ‘round the rocks
In a whisper both gentle and clear,
The voice in the clouds as they float in the dome
Is the voice I continue to hear.
The voice in the sun as it burns through the mist
Till it glistens on mottled grey sea,
The voice in the ancient, still, barnacled rocks -
Can the voice be the One calling me?
The voice in the waves, and the clouds, and the sun,
And the rocks, when I ask, “Is it Thee?”
Replies in a whisper.  My soul floats and burns.
In the stillness I hear, “Taste and see.”
                                        Ms. Sally Edwards

Daily Morning Prayer

http://www.episcopalchurchingarrettcounty.org/morning_prayer.htm