Month: April 2026

103) A Mighty Wind!

It was a beautiful spring afternoon, blue blue skies with not a cloud to be seen, and a peaceful calm in the air. We were outside on my friend’s deck, finalizing some plans for an event at our parish. Our pastor had reluctantly given us permission, but wasn’t inclined to be at all involved. We were grateful for his consent, and recognized the stress he was under, as he hadn’t been very supportive of any new initiatives in the parish. Retirement for him had been postponed for another year, and he was really ready to be freed from administrative responsibilities.

As we were ending our meeting with prayer, we shifted from prayer for the specifics of the event to prayer from our hearts for our pastor. The Lord put it on our hearts to really ask God to bless him, to bring peace to his heart and rest to his spirit. It might have been easier to ask God to change his attitudes, or point out areas where we thought he needed correction, but God’s grace shifted our intentions to really seek His love and mercy for him – to hear and ask God’s intentions for him. We were united in this prayer, as we all prayed in one accord for God’s desires for him.

As we were closing in prayer, a sudden rush of wind struck the sheets hanging on the clothesline, creating a loud flapping sound! The leaves scattered on the ground were caught up in a swirl of wind and danced wildly around our feet. We felt the strength of the wind, and heard its power as it rushed through our little group, and then just as suddenly as it had appeared, it was gone. My friend’s husband had been working down in the garden a little way away from us – he came up the hill to where we were, asking, “What was that!”

What came to us as we sought to understand what we had just experienced was God’s pleasure with our little group, in our unity and love expressed in our prayers for our pastor. He sent His Spirit as an exclamation point to get our full attention for His approval of our Unity and heartfelt prayers for one of His shepherds.

The Holy Spirit is indeed the Spirit of Unity, and Power! I can’t help but think of His appearance at Pentecost as a mighty wind! “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2:2) God often speaks to us through His Creation, sometimes with a shaft of light breaking through a bank of clouds at just the right moment, a thunderclap to highlight a word spoken, or a mighty wind to affirm His pleasure. As we become more and more aware of His presence in every circumstance, these unexpected signs are God’s gifts to communicate His personal stamp on whatever we’re about. None of us gathered together that day will ever forget the rush of wind we experienced, with the reminder of God’s desire for us to be people of unity and blessing for others.

Thank You Lord, God of all Creation, Who speaks to us in so many varied ways. Grant us the grace to be attentive to Your Presence, to marvel and
respond to the many ways You communicate Your desires. Come Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with Your Love!

102) Look Up!

“Think of what is above, not of what is on earth.” (Col 3:2 NAB)

For many years I participated in a Moms in Touch prayer group, where we would pray Scripture into the lives of our kids. We would insert their names into the passages, knowing that God’s Word was being nestled in their hearts through our prayers. This particular day we were praying Colossians 3:2, and my prayer was that our son Steve, then in sixth grade, would think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

That evening Steve and I were at the kitchen table where he was doing his homework and I was doing some paperwork. He had some maps to color, and conversation was easy as he was just coloring stuff. All he would talk about was heaven that night. I hadn’t initiated the conversation, and had forgotten about our Scripture prayer for him earlier in the day. For three hours all he talked about was heaven! It wasn’t until later that I remembered our prayer, and marveled at God’s clear answer to this request. That was about 25 years ago; Steve at present is struggling with faith issues and denying God’s very existence, but still thinking very much about spiritual matters. I know in my heart that as he wrestles with God, faith will someday prevail, as I remember all those years of prayer and know that God’s Word never returns void, but will accomplish that for which it is intended, in His way, in His perfect timing…

Thinking of what is above has been surfacing many instances of being called to lift my mind and heart upward, to take it off the difficulties of the moment and find relief as I raise my sights to God. I remember a good priest’s anecdote about asking someone how they were doing ~ they replied, “ok, under the circumstances.” His response was “what are you doing under the circumstances? Get out of there!” For me, that translates as, “look up!”


I think of all the awesome churches that draw our attention upward as we gaze at majestic art works and statues. Entering any of those cathedrals, we see people all looking up, caught in wonder at the beauty of the architecture and images. When we step outdoors in the cathedral of God’s natural creation, we are again drawn to look up, to be lost in the glory of a sunset or a night sky full of stars. Who doesn’t love to watch an eagle soaring overhead, or admire a giant tree reaching upward, or the snowy caps of mountains?

It was said St. Ignatius of Loyola would begin his prayer times by stepping outside and just looking up at the night sky, until tears ran down his cheeks as he praised God for His Glory. In Acts 7:54-57 we read of St. Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looking up as he was about to be stoned and seeing the glory of God and Jesus standing at God’s right hand.


Corrie ten Boom relates the story of standing in formation in the stark cold courtyard of the concentration camp, where a young woman was being brutally beaten in front of all the inmates who were forced to witness the cruelty. In His mercy, God sent a lark that began to sing its beautiful melody as all eyes were lifted from the horror before them to a small reminder of goodness and hope. Psalm 121 comes to mind here, “I lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps 121:1-2 RSV). This was one of my mom’s favorite verses, and always serves to remind me of God’s faithful provision for all of my needs.

More reminders to look up! are popping into my mind, but the last one I’ll recall here is a simple thought shared by a friend. She helps out at the school cafeteria, and often can see sadness or discouragement on the faces of the students as they come through the food line. Her word to them? “Look up!” combined with a smile and a silent prayer, as she ministers to them with the love of Jesus in her heart.


Everywhere we turn today we are bombarded with news and circumstances that could tempt us to discouragement or despair. God has given us an antidote: “Look up!” Let us with St. Stephen see Jesus standing at God’s right hand, interceding for us and calling us to remind each other to think of what is above, not of what is on earth.

Lord God, help us to keep the bigger picture before us, knowing that You are indeed always in our sight as we raise our eyes to heaven and seek Your face.
Thank You for Your Word planted in our hearts, watered from above with the living waters of your mercy. May we encourage one another to look up each day, to be renewed in faith and hope…