And the Word put on
a Coat of Skin
and became flesh
and lived and walked
and talked among us
and we saw the
face of God
And the Shepherd put on
the Coat of a Lamb
and was led to slaughter
in our place
and we saw the
depth of God
And the Son of God
put on a Coat of Death
and went down into the grave
and we saw the mysteries of
the Holy of Holies
And the spotless Lamb
put on a Kingly Robe
and He rose from death
and we saw the
wisdom and power
the glory and salvation
the redemptive majesty
of the Most High God
Who lives and reigns
forever and ever.
May we be filled with the hope of the living God. May we walk in the beauty of His promises. May we grow in His love, and be comforted by His words. And may we remain in His Presence all the days of our lives. Amen!
and he laid down
his life
until it was
covered
with earth
and he planted
me deep
in the tender
flesh
of his heart
and as he rose
from the ashes
I burst forth
from the
soil
and bloomed
like a lily
fragrant
and full of
new life
I am a seed
planted deep
in your heart
I am
rooted
in love
for the heart
of God
is only love
let my roots
swell with your
waters of life
let me draw
strength
and security
let your nourishment
heal my limbs
and cause me to bloom
let the source
of my strength
be your love
let my roots
go deep
and hold firm
let me drink
your living waters
and flourish
let me live again
This is a modern psalm about seeking the presence of God.
I wake up in the night
empty in my soul
looking for you
but I cannot feel
your presence
"don't go by your feelings"
they say
but I want to sense you
I want to perceive
your indwelling
what are feelings
if not messengers
from within
pointing out what
truly matters?
I long to touch you
to reach out
and grasp your hand
if an invisible God
cannot be seen
or felt
how do I know
you are there?
my soul cries out
for the living God
impress yourself
upon my heart
emboss me with
your design
speak to me
in the way
I understand
if I cannot see
your face
then let me feel
your heartbeat
and let me sense
your presence
let me know
that you have not
abandoned me
let all your promises
come true
This is for anyone who has to do hard things (like chemo – or just life). May you have the courage to just show up.
I don't want to go
I don't want to go back
I don't want to go back there
I don't want to go back there ever
I don't want to go back there ever again
Lord, give me the strength to just show up.
Of course, I showed up. How could I not? My life depends on it.
In December 2022, I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. I am currently undergoing chemotherapy. I invite you to sign up for my monthly newsletter to follow my cancer journey.
You speak to me
through the blades
of grass
with sparkling dewdrops
like tiny tears
holding my sadness
in the palm of your
hand, absorbing
the sorrow
in the breast of your
broken heart
a heart that cries
rivers of tears
and you wash away
the sadness
with the waters
of your love, holding me
in the palm of your hand
there is healing in your
touch as you bring me
back to life
and you set me on high
and you let me
live again
Let me have eyes to see the signs of your personal love for me!
Synchronicity is the evidence of your presence, the evidence of your workings, the evidence of your tender love.
Though you are shrouded in mystery, I can always trust you are near, so close that we could share a breath. Right beneath the tissue of my skin you live, and move, and fill my being with your holy light, casting out darkness, destroying evil, repairing the damages that result from life in a fallen world.
You choose to make your home not in the heights where the eagles fly, not in the castles where kings reside, not in the buildings across the world, but right here in the hearts of the people you love.
What kind of God lives within a human heart? Only the Most High could do – would do – such a merciful thing! How willing you are to mingle your blood with ours! You must desire closeness more than we do. You must have a plan bigger than our plans. We must be very special to you – the evidence is here for all who have eyes to see.
In the days leading up to Christmas, and through the weeks of winter’s darkness, I offer you an Advent prayer. May the light gently find you right where you are.
Lord, I lift my face
to let you find me
let me be
open
to this Advent
to the blessings
to the grace
to the possibility
of the light
that comes
You are
the light
that finds me
Immanuel
God is with us
luminous
It’s the month of November, and I am feeling thankful here in south Louisiana.
I am writing outdoors this morning. I move my patio chair close to the edge, where the cement touches the grass, so that I have a clear view of the sky. So that I can gaze at the feathery angel-wing clouds spreading from north to south. So that I can feel the coolness of the air against my flip-flopped feet instead of burning them in the sun.
The birds are rather quiet this morning – they don’t seem to have much to say, except an occasional whistle in the distance, a soft caw or a little shriek here and there. Brownie whimpers and whines, annoying me like a petulant child. She wants to go all the way into the sun, with no part of her little body in the cold shade.
A helicopter breaks the quiet, chopping it into pieces with his noisy, powerful blades.
Now he’s gone and the stillness slowly returns. Brownie is basking in full sun, her eyes sleepy, her sigh content. This is a good life.
And I thank God for his presence in all of these things, ordinary nature infused with the divine, transforming everything into something beautiful. I thank you, Lord, for the view of the sky, and the sweeping clouds, and the barking black dog two houses down. Thank you that I can write outdoors, my soul touching your beauty, my heart lifting with praise, my page ruffling in the breeze.
I thank you for all the lovely words and images you have given me to write, your thoughts and ideas spilling through me onto pages and pages, flowing like a river that runs through my heart, translating feelings into language, words wrapped in the fragrance of the divine and poured out like anointing oil to continually heal the brokenness of a wounded world.
You work your ways into our lives using the most ordinary earthly things. You make a normal life “the good life” – full and satisfying, meeting practical needs without fanfare, almost unnoticed. Easy to miss, unless one is really looking, attention open to the barely visible threads connecting our known to the unknown. With silver cords you lace our veins through your own heart, allowing us to flow through you, and with you, and in you, keeping us close and warm, never alone.
Such mysteries are too deep to fathom, yet we catch a glimpse on a quiet day, in the rustle of autumn leaves, with fresh air touching our skin, and the soft voices of birds in branches, brushing past us as we let our eyes rest on the blueness of the sky. Ordinary moments woven into everyday life – hot coffee, warm toast, cinnamon sprinkles, a good morning kiss – normal routines that link our minutes into hours, our hours into days.
All these things somehow transform the unremarkable into an extraordinarily fulfilled life.
how long does it take
to get from here to there
how long does it take
for promises to come true
how long must we wait
in that mysterious
in-between
where nothing seems
to be happening
where we often
lose our faith
where we fear
we've lost our way
where the lines
are all blurry
where we give up
and give in
can we make it
to the other side
or will we always
struggle in the middle
forever falling short
of the promised land
We all have hopes and dreams, plans and goals that we are trying to bring to life. When our progress seems invisible, it’s easy to get discouraged, and so hard to keep going.
I have found that when I am stuck in the messy middle of a muddled life, the way out always is to just go through it. Go through the hard parts, and eventually you will get to the other side. Know that you are not alone.
Sometimes we have to keep doing the right thing for days, weeks, even months, before we see encouraging results. Don’t give up!
May you find strength for your journey and pockets of joy to sustain you along the way.
