simple beauty

I wake up with a song in my heart and simply have to share. Sara Grove's lyrics from her song, Add to the Beauty, offer a simple reflection expressing gratitude for God's goodness and abundant provision in my life these days.

We come with beautiful secrets
We come with purposes written on our hearts, written on our souls
We come to every new morning
With possibilities only we can hold, that only we can hold

Redemption comes in strange place, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

It comes in small inspirations
It brings redemption to life and work
To our lives and our work

It comes in loving community
It comes in helping a soul find it's worth

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out the best of who we are

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside

This is grace, an invitation to be beautiful
This is grace, an invitation

Redemption comes in strange places, small spaces
Calling out our best

And I want to add to the beauty
To tell a better story
I want to shine with the light
That's burning up inside


Where can you add to the beauty this day, dear friend?

simple winter reflection

Winter blues were nipping at my heels.

The words of a friend encouraged me. “I think the winter doldrums is a perfect time for us to go inside ourselves and reflect. And then, we can burst out in the spring like the beautiful spring flowers do. We are all beautiful flowers in waiting! Think spring, growth, beauty...”

I was graced to accept her words and this winter season as a time to simply go with the flow and settle in for some reflection. Today, I took some time to imagine the dormant state of bulbs under the frozen ground. What’s happening there?

I love words and went to my dictionary to find the meaning of the word, DORMANCY:
“a state of minimal metabolic activity with cessation of growth, either as a reaction to adverse conditions or as part of an organism's normal annual rhythm.”
Normal annual rhythm.

Key words: Normal. Annual. Rhythm.

Dormancy is a brief respite from the rigorous needs of the plants; a period of rest and inactivity while awaiting spring. Without this rest period, a plant’s survival is put at risk. Forcing leads to fatigue. Periods of rest are crucial to survival.
Nature offers some personal applications: Forcing induces bulbs to bloom when you want them to, rather than when they normally do – ahead of their natural schedule and out of its natural environment. If plant dormancy is prevented by too much external, unnatural stimuli, the plants survival is put at risk. Forcing leads to fatigue. Periods of rest are crucial to survival. Forcing is hard on most bulbs. It weakens the bulb. If forcing is attempted the following year, the bloom will be small and unsatisfactory.

Well, I’ve been forcing it for years…

Seems like this winter season is the perfect time to just hunker down- free to settle into a state of being dormant, as it were. Free to store up energy reserves.
It’s time to put some simple practices into play.


Where have you been forcing it, friend?
Rest. Breathe. Be at peace.

simply surprised

Another turn of the calendar page - in the rythym of the seasons,
at the close of a grace filled decade, I find myself simply surprised by joy -
grateful for God's goodness and abundant provision .
This song by U2 just seems to sum it up: GRACE
Joy is the icing on the cake.

Where and when have you been surprised by joy?

Waiting,.. Watching,.. Still...

The season of Advent presses in.

"Winter solstice, when the sun seems to stand still in heaven,
watching for the Baby to be born." (1)

FIRST COMING
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.

He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait

till hearts were pure. In joy he came
to a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anquished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.

He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.

We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice! (2)

(1) Lucy Shaw
(2) Madeleine L'Engle
from WINTER SONG - CHRISTMAS READINGS

simply waiting

Tomorrow – a turn of the calendar page. Another beat in the rhythm of the seasons.

This past Sunday ushered us into the season of Advent – a season of anticipation, expectancy and curiosity, promise and possibility. A season of assurance and waiting for the fulfillment of our hopes. It is during this season of Advent that we look to the coming of Emmanuel – God with us. For me, this will be a season of intentionality to practice the Presence – to live into and out of both the mystery and the reality of Christ in me, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27.) As I enter into advent practicing gratitude, might I be mindful of God’s goodness and abundant provision.


Welcome Advent with me by singing this hymn:

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,
born to set thy people free;
from our fears and sins release us,
let us find our rest in thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
hope of all the earth thou art;
dear desire of every nation,
joy of every longing heart.

2. Born thy people to deliver,
born a child and yet a King,
born to reign in us forever,
now thy gracious kingdom bring.
By thine own eternal spirit
rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit,
raise us to thy glorious throne.

Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788

What is your hope this Advent season?

Simply breathe

Today I am simply grateful for the air that I breathe;
for the ability of my lungs to inhale and exhale;
For the oxygen that infiltrates my blood, making its way to the cells of my body to keep them healthy;
for the gift of life.


You know I like to keep things simple.
Since my last post, I’ve been trying to let go of so much perfomance in the practice of the spiritual disciplines and navigate through each day simply aware of God’s presence.
Today, (slow learner that I am) it struck me that my very breath could serve as a moment by moment reminder of God’s presence with me.

Michael W. Smith’s classic, BREATHE, is the song of thanksgiving that I am singing today:

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm I'm lost without you

And I, I'm desperate for you,
And I, I'm lost without you,

I'm lost without you,

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you.

I'm lost without you Lord,

this is the air I breathe
this is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

this is my daily bread
this is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you
And I, I'm lost without you.

Simply practicing God's Presence

Oh, Honey Girl is a slow learner! Back in the early days of this blog she had said, "I’m giving myself permission to start my practice with baby steps. If I trip up or fall, might I have the grace to get back up and pick up where I’ve left off. "

I have a confession to make – seems I’ve made too much of the spiritual disciplines and I’ve tripped myself up. Lately they’ve become more about performance than practice. In recent days I've had to toss out all of Richard Foster's references (gasp!)and solely practice the presence of God In an effort to keep things simple.
This practice, of God's presence, above all others has proved to be the single most important in my experience with these applications. It is both foundational and pivotal - all the other disciplines and practices hinge and build on this one practice.
Practicing the Presence of God stirs up in me an attitude of gratitude.

I’ve been reviewing this blog's origins. One of the original intents was to use this space as a Gratitude Journal. Might I share with you then, just a few things for which I am grateful at the close of this day?

I’m grateful for each new day and the grace to pick up where I’ve left off or get back up when I’ve tripped and fallen. I’m obliged to a friend – who, this morning reminded me that it’s a brand new day.

Over the past few days, I’ve been thankful for a wood burning stove which has kept the house warm after the furnace quit working.
Today I’m so appreciative that skilled technicians were able to come to the house to install a new furnace.

And now, I’m grateful for the gentle rhythm that comes in anticipation of restful sleep and another day tomorrow when I can simply be aware of God’s presence.

What are you grateful for today?