Category: Musings

Solitaire -2                                               Elcho October 29, 2022. 1:00 PM

      At the cabin again

           So quiet inside

      But outside noisy!

Rushing of wind

     Waves on the water

          Dancing sun pennies

     Flashes of brilliance

Leaves wildly blowing

      Rustling and crackling

           Tossed up in the air

      Swirling whirlwinds

Shadows inside

      Leaping on the walls

           Like flapping banners

      Constant motion

Inside so hushed

      No sound to be heard

            Alsolute silence

      All is quiet

Quiet

      Frozen in time

           Even old magazines

      From years long ago

Memories

      Filling the cabin

           Family in heaven

      Here with me now

Names on the chairs

      Still here with me

            I can see their faces

      Sense their presence

Dad at the end

      Head of the household

           Mom here beside me

      Anchor for my youth

You’re my anchor now, Lord

      Your Presence too

            You are within me

      Held in my heart

Calling me to be here

      Almost didn’t come

            Caught up in Busy

      Irons in the fire

Cons and MK gone home

       Along with friend Lily

             Just You and me Lord

       Ah, but with the others too

So quiet here

       Coming back to Listen

            Listen. In the silence

       Listen for Your Word

Speak, Lord

      I’m listening

            My ears are open

      My heart is open too

Stop typing, Ann

     Cease any motion

          Just come and Be

     Close to My Heart

That’s where I meet you

     Come, enter in

          Be here with Me

     Come and be still

Take a deep breath

     Some, Holy Spirit

          This is holy ground

     It’s where You are

Always everywhere

     But so often you miss Me

           Rushing about

     Passing Me by

Stop.

      Be still.

            Stop.

      No more typing………

And of course I fell asleep, but that’s ok.  Time of rest, of quiet, of peace…

I’ll go for a walk now, outside in the breezes.  Walk to Perch Lake, remember the oak…. Walking with family, walking with Trinity ~ never really alone, pleasant companions 🙂  You lead me beside the still waters, You restore my soul…. Thank You Lord, praise You!  I’m coming, I’m coming….

Peshtigo Fire                                                               October 8, 2022                  

     The Peshtigo Fire has always intrigued me, especially after learning the story of how the area where the Virgin Mary appeared in Champion, WI was spared from the blaze.  I had read a lot about her apparition there, how the people fled to the Shrine and processed around the chapel with the statue of Mary, begging her help, and how that night the rains came.  The next morning, the area surrounding the chapel grounds was all charred and laid waste, with the outer side of the fence black and burned, while within the fenced area the grass was vibrant green, and the fence still white, untouched by the fire.  It was described as an emerald island in a desolate wasteland.

     Somehow I wanted to read more about the fire itself, and on a recent trip to the Shrine, found an account written by Fr Pernin, an eyewitness survivor of the fire.  The date of Mary’s first apparition to Adele Brise, the Belgian immigrant girl, was October 8, 1859, and the date of the Peshtigo Fire was that same day in October, in the year 1871.  I brought the book home and read it that evening, caught up in the sheer horror described in it.  It detailed the tragedy in a very graphic way, as Fr Pernin wrote of his sense of foreboding prior to the actual blaze, and then of the frantic effort to escape when the world around him exploded in flames of hurricane force.  Railroad cars were tossed in the air, fire explosions were everywhere. 

     Although he was caught in the midst of this tremendous storm of fire, with people frantically seeking safety, he felt a certain inner calm that carried him to do what was necessary to save himself from the blaze. He took the wooden tabernacle from the church on a wagon and was able to get to the river, where he pushed the wagon holding the tabernacle into the water.

    As the firestorm swept through the area, everything was destroyed.  People were bursting into flame with bodies everywhere – his descriptions are horrific.  After the rain finally came and the fire stopped, he found the tabernacle untouched, carried by the wind and set upon some logs in the river ~ the consecrated Host inside was intact, and even the silk interior was preserved unscathed.  We’re celebrating a year of Eucharistic Revival in the world, and the preservation of the Sacred Host in a wooden tabernacle in the midst of an unprecedented firestorm speaks to my heart of the enduring  presence of the Eucharist, residing in the tabernacle of Mary’s womb.

     Perhaps what has drawn me so powerfully to this account are the mounting prophetic words about the state of our world today, and the firestorm of God’s wrath that may come through war or some other horror. 

Mary’s persistent pleas, from Fatima, from Medjugorje, and other apparition sites keep calling for prayer, especially the rosary.  Mary is called the tabernacle where Jesus resides, the only safe harbor amidst the escalating evil.

     At a prayer meeting recently, a word that came after prayer and Adoration warned that when we may no longer have Christ present for us in the Eucharist, when our churches may be closed, when our priests may be gone, we will always have Mary and the rosary.  October 7th is the feast of the Holy Rosary, celebrated one day before the dates of the Fire and of the Apparition.       

     A second word that was shared was of an image of being presented with a sword to engage in this spiritual battle, with the sword being transformed into the rosary.  It reminded me of the bishop from Nigeria who, when praying the rosary, saw Jesus appear to him holding a sword.  When Jesus extended the sword to the bishop, it turned into a rosary, and Jesus told him that the rosary was the weapon that would overcome Boko Haran, the extremist group that had kidnapped hundreds of young girls.  The bishop traveled extensively sharing this vision and calling for prayer of the rosary; within 3 years the girls were released and many members of Boko Haran turned themselves in to the authorities.  

     When I heard these words I had with me my Magnificat Magazine, with a photo tucked between the pages of a statue of Mary which is on the campus of St Thomas in St Paul.  It’s a huge statue, and shows Mary with a giant sword in front of her, with the rosary wrapped around it.

     This sequence of events calls me to pray it often, and to do what I can to help others in their relationship with the Blessed Mother, our refuge in time of trial, who can bring us to Jesus.  Praying the rosary is a safe harbor to help others find safety in this time of spiritual drought, when the landscape is becoming tinder dry and the winds of the evil one are escalating.  

     This doesn’t bring me anxiety or fear, but rather a strong desire to help others find refuge in the womb of Mary, beneath her Immaculate Heart, cradled there with Jesus.  I recently completed the Consecration to Mary by Fr Bonifice Hicks, where he explains that we are baptized into the womb of Mary, together there with Jesus, and we’re to remain there until we are born to eternal life.  This consecration has helped me to envision this place of safety, and to enter into it spiritually. His prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary follows:

      Almighty God, Heavenly Father, who have placed me, by Baptism, in the womb of the Virgin Mary beneath her Immaculate Heart to be together with her Son and ever more conformed to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, grant that I may whole-heartedly embrace my dependence on you as I place all my trust in my Mother Mary.  May I never scorn my weakness which your Son chose to share  with me, but may I always be grateful to     be little and helpless, knowing that without you I can do nothing.  Veiled with her beneath the protective care of Saint Joseph her spouse, may I find in her a refuge against every danger and in her womb a hiding place invisible to the ancient foe.  May I know that I am loved perfectly like Jesus by Joseph and Mary, those parents who, receiving everything from You, will always provide for all of my needs, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

     “I came to cast fire upon the earth; and would that it were already kindled!”   These words of Jesus from Luke 12:49 bring to mind not only the refining fire of repentance and purification, but also the Fire of the Holy Spirit!  St John the Baptist cries out, “I baptize you with water, but one mightier than I is coming…he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire!”  (Luke 3:16). The Holy Spirit is the Spouse of the Blessed  Mother, and He too cannot be taken from us.  Nor can any word of Scripture that we have hidden in our hearts.  God’s Word is powerful, as Isaiah states:

“So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Is 55:11) “Our God is a consuming Fire!”  (Heb12:29)      

     I was also blessed to be able to go to the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help on October 8th to commemorate the anniversary of the Fire and Apparition, to join in the candlelight rosary procession, in Adoration, and to give thanks to God, through the hands of Our Lady of Good Help, for the many blessings received from her intercession. I begin every prayer period with this Holy Spirit prayer: “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful. Enkindle in us the Fire of Your Love!” May the Fire of His Merciful Love fall upon the earth and bring peace to the hearts of all His people….

    

      The Peshtigo Fire has always intrigued me, especially after learning the story of how the area where the Virgin Mary appeared in Champion, WI was spared from the blaze.  I had read a lot about her apparition there, how the people fled to the Shrine and processed around the chapel with the statue of Mary, begging her help, and how that night the rains came.  The next morning, the area surrounding the chapel grounds was all charred and laid waste, with the outer side of the fence black and burned, while within the fenced area the grass was vibrant green, and the fence still white, untouched by the fire.  It was described as an emerald island in a desolate wasteland.

     Somehow I wanted to read more about the fire itself, and on a recent trip to the Shrine, found an account written by Fr Pernin, an eyewitness survivor of the fire.  The date of Mary’s first apparition to Adele Brise, the Belgian immigrant girl, was October 8, 1859, and the date of the Peshtigo Fire was that same day in October, in the year 1871.  I brought the book home and read it that evening, caught up in the sheer horror described in it.  It detailed the tragedy in a very graphic way, as Fr Pernin wrote of his sense of foreboding prior to the actual blaze, and then of the frantic effort to escape when the world around him exploded in flames of hurricane force.  Railroad cars were tossed in the air, fire explosions were everywhere. 

     Although he was caught in the midst of this tremendous storm of fire, with people frantically seeking safety, he felt a certain inner calm that carried him to do what was necessary to save himself from the blaze. He took the tabernacle from the church on a wagon and was able to get to the river, where he pushed the wagon  holding the tabernacle into the water.

     As the firestorm swept through the area, everything was destroyed.  People were bursting into flame with bodies everywhere – his descriptions are horrific.  After the rain finally came and the fire stopped, he found the tabernacle untouched, carried by the wind and set upon some logs in the river ~ the consecrated Host inside was intact, and even the silk interior was preserved unscathed.

         Perhaps what has drawn me so powerfully to this account are the mounting prophetic words about the state of our world today, and the firestorm of God’s wrath that may come through war or some other horror. Mary’s persistent pleas, from Fatima, from Medjugorje, and other apparition sites keep calling for prayer, especially the rosary.  Mary is called the tabernacle where Jesus resides, the only safe harbor amidst the escalating evil.  

     The word that came after Adoration on Monday warned that when we may no longer have Christ present for us in the Eucharist, when our churches may be closed, when our priests may be gone, we will always have Mary and the rosary.  October 7th is the feast of the Holy Rosary, celebrated one day before the dates of the Fire and of the Apparition. This sequence of events calls me to pray it often, and to do what I can to help others in their relationship with the Blessed Mother, our refuge in time of trial, who can bring us to Jesus.  The Marian Servant community is a graced vehicle to help others find safety in this time of spiritual drought, when the landscape is becoming tinder dry and the winds of the evil one are escalating.  

     This doesn’t bring me anxiety or fear, but rather a strong desire to help others find refuge in the womb of Mary, beneath her Immaculate Heart, cradled there with Jesus.  Fr Bonifice Hicks’ Consecration to Mary has helped me to envision this place of safety, and to enter into it spiritually.

His prayer of Entrustment to the Womb of Mary follows:

Almighty God, Heavenly Father, who have placed me, by Baptism, in the womb of the Virgin Mary beneath her Immaculate Heart to be together with her Son and ever more conformed to Him by the power of the Holy Spirit, grant that I may whole-heartedly embrace my dependence on you as I place all my trust in my Mother Mary.  May I never scorn my weakness which your Son chose to share  with me, but may I always be grateful to     be little and helpless, knowing that without you I can do nothing.  Veiled with her beneath the protective care of Saint Joseph her spouse, may I find in her a refuge against every danger and in her womb a hiding place invisible to the ancient foe.  May I know that I am loved perfectly like Jesus by Joseph and Mary, those parents who, receiving everything from You, will always provide for all of my needs, through the same Christ our Lord.  Amen.

     There may be more pieces coming together as this story unfolds.  For now, I’m heading for the Shrine on October 8th to commemorate the anniversary of the Apparition, to join in the candlelight procession, and to give thanks to God, through the hands of Our Lady of Good Help, for the many blessings received from her intercession. May the Fire of His Merciful Love fall upon the earth and bring peace to the hearts of all His people….

                                                        Laurel  5/2/18  2:27 PM

Chariots of Fire

     Eric Liddell

           knowing he’s been called

     and knowing God’s pleasure

living in God’s will

      missionary and runner

           using his gifts

      to bring glory to God

why does this strike me?

      touch my heart today

           almost bringing tears

      as it did in the movie

God’s call at the Cenacle

       came through loud and clear

            and You’re calling me now, Lord

       but I’m not so sure ~ to what?

just to love You

      “just” a feeble word

             it’s so much more than that

      it’s about being consumed by You

about total surrender

      entering into Your Sacred Heart

            through the portal in Your side

       Your glorious woundedness

Norman Rockwell’s painting

      “the Call” of Springtime

            I’m that wistful lean boy

       listening and transported

hearing Your call

       in another world

             drawn irresistibly

       drawn…       away…    

help me Lord

       You’re calling

               my heart is moved within me

        May I say Yes…. Always forever Yes…

Solitaire

     Shuffling the cards

          Here with mom

     Time of waiting

Rain is falling

     Sky is grey

           Speckled water

     Gentle ripples

Here at the cabin

     Friends gone home

           Doing laundry

     Listening

Interior silence

     What I desire

          To hear Your Voice

     To receive Your message

It comes in Scripture

     Your Word shows Your Face

          I want to see You

    See with my heart

What is Your message?

      For me here, this day

           Now

      In this quiet place

You call me to come

     Come to the silence

          Come to the solitude

     Come to just Be

Be here with Me

      Gaze on My Face

           Looking at you

      With love and acceptance

So very quiet

     Just the tap of the keys

           Stillness outside

      Stillness within

Be still with Me

      Rest on my shoulder

            Quiet your heart

      Trust in My love

No major message

      Just to be still

            Time away from chaos

       Noise of the world

No rushing about

       No watching the time

             Nothing scheduled

       Just to be here with Me

Help me receive this

        Let it soak through my being

              Bringing interior silence

        Like Mary, Your Mother

Blessed Mother, help me

       Help me to listen

            Help me be still

       To live beneath your heart

There with Jesus

       Twins in your womb

             Conceived in you through baptism

       Til born to eternal life

Eternal life starts now

       Each time I stop

             Take a deep breath

       Receive Your love

Thank you Lord praise You

       This gift of time

             Time to slow down

       To abide in Your love

May I come here often

       Both cabin and interior

            Return to this place

       No matter where I am

Close to Your heart Lord

       Held near by Mary

              Called to live Jesus

       St Frances de Sales, pray for me…

Ps 119:1-16                                                                          Jan 5, 2022

     Praying with Ps 119, filled with so many beautiful admonitions to ponder, study, observe, consider, treasure and keep God’s commandments, the word “heart” also kept jumping off the page at me.  All these words are meant to be kept hidden in my heart, to be a source of comfort, strength and guidance for the journey ahead.  The image of a special room in my heart, complete with a doorway, came to mind. It could be entered through the open door, and looking inside could be seen an open Book – the Bible, God’s very Word, inviting me to read and receive the Wisdom of the Scriptures.

    I had been finding it helpful to sketch the images that came to mind as I prayed, so I wrote “to hide Your Word in my heart…” and then sketched that image of the Bible, seen through the open door within my heart.  Although it hadn’t come to mind in my prayer time, I outlined a large key next to the image of the heart, and I remember wondering why I had put the key there ~ 

     This entry had been dated 12/18; several days later I was catching up on the reflections in the Magnificat Magazine, and came upon one dated 12/21 by Caryll Houselander, one of my favorite writers.  In that reflection she wrote: “[Mary] had given mankind the key.  Indeed, she had unlocked and opened the door of every heart.  Now men had only to leave it open.” 

     On Dec 8 I had made my annual re-consecration to Mary, and had been  recognizing how much this growing relationship with her was touching every area of my life. Praying the consecration prayer several times daily and reminding myself to ask Mary throughout the day about decisions and choices to be made had become more central to my devotional life.  And of course, Mary’s fiat, her Yes, was at the heart of this devotion.

      This was another confirmation for me that 1) the Lord knows me; He knows everything  before I do and 2) He delights in surprising me by putting pieces of the puzzle together for me to discover!  3) My relationship with Mary is indeed a calling, and 4) this combination of images and the words of Caryll Houselander remind me to continue to strengthen my devotion to Mary, and 5) to know that my Yes will help to keep the door of my heart open to receive and live the Word of God hidden within.  

     The call to daily time with Scripture has been on my heart for many years now.  I don’t always make it, but whenever I do, especially coupled with a sketch and adequate time to reflect, the blessing carries forward many fold, often to be shared with others to multiply the blessing. Praise God for once more reminding me of the precious gift of daily prayer, and hiding Himself within my own heart…

     Father God, thank you for surprising me again with words received that amplify and clarify the first part of a reflection.  You have so much more to unfold for me as I spend time in prayer.  I pray for the grace to keep this holy hour sacred, that I may receive what You desire to give, not just for me, but to be shared with others ~

Ps 63:8. In the shadow of your wings I shout for joy…                                             

Ps 55:7. If only I had wings like a dove, that I might fly away and find rest…                                                  

     I love how the Lord takes me from the Word I’m reflecting on and leads me on a journey to poetry, memories, songs, other Scripture and beyond!  It brings me refreshment, encouragement and hope in the promise of Heaven as the theme unfolds and draws me deeper into the truth of God’s love.

     Today I began with Ps 63:8, and the verse that was highlighted for me: “in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy…” I’ve read how the shadow of your wings can be understood as the foot of the Cross, a place where I find blessing and peace as I kneel there in my mind in gratitude for Jesus’ gift of salvation.  Ps 55:6 comes to mind: “If only I had wings like a dove, that I might fly away and find rest…” The focus begins to turn to wings, to birds, to flying away to safety and eternity.

      A poem by James Dillett Freeman has been a blessing for me for many years.  I came upon it at a time of sorrow and grief, as we had just learned that my oldest brother Ted had terminal brain cancer.  I was sitting looking out the window on a cold wintry day, seeing the branches being shaken by a blustery wind against a grey sky.  The words of the poem began to filter into my mind, bringing the first rays of hope…

     “The boughs hang bare when the winter winds blow,

       but the little birds sing in spite of snow.

       I like to believe that I, a man, 

       Can do as well as a little bird can.

        But you have to have faith in the rightness of things

        to fling yourself out on feathers and wings,

        and sing when there seems to be nothing there

        but icy winds and empty air.

        Little bird, fly up to the top of the tree of my mind

        and sing your song in me…”

     Remembering the lines of this poem was like a ray of sunshine entering my heart.  It lifted my spirits, and gave me hope that indeed God had not abandoned us, that He was with us and would help us on this journey.  

     Another poem appeared on a note card sent by a friend to encourage me in this time of trial. On the cover of the card was a picture of a little bird in a blossoming tree ~ not a bare icy branch!  The words inside the card were the first stanza of a poem by Emily Dickinson…

          “Hope is a thing with feathers

          that perches in the soul

          and sings the tune without the words 

          and never stops at all…

     Bp Robert Morneau of Green Bay, WI is well known for his love of poetry, which he often includes in his reflections and homilies.  He loves Emily Dickinson, and when quoting this poem he reflected that the little bird was the Holy Spirit, which lives within us even as this little bird perching in our soul, and brings us Hope.  Another ray of sunshine, again assuring me of God’s intimate knowledge of our family’s struggle: that He knows, and will be with us.

     With these two poems floating through my mind, the words of the song “I’ll fly away” was a natural next progression on the journey.  Where will this emerging hope lead me?  Faith assures me the goal is Heaven, Eternity with the Trinity!  Perhaps these are the words the little bird is singing…

           “Some bright morning when this life is over

                I’ll fly away

                To that home on God’s celestial shore

                 I’ll fly away

                 I’ll fly away, oh glory

                 I’ll fly away in the morning

                 When I die, Hallelujah by and by

                 I’ll fly away

 Oh, how glad and happy when we meet

                 I’ll fly away

                 No more cold iron shackles on my feet

                 I’ll fly away

                 I’ll fly away, oh glory

                 I’ll fly away in the morning

                 When I die, Hallelujah by and by

                 I’ll fly away”

           Another thought about flying comes to mind now, this one from another friend’s card of encouragement.  The quote went something like this: “When you come to the edge of a cliff and you fall off, one of two things will happen. Either you will be caught by the Hand of God, or He will give you wings that you may fly!”  I love how the messages that were sent, inspired by the Goodness of God, all tied together!  The single rays of sunshine were exploding into a beautiful burst of Glory, dispelling the heaviness I had been experiencing and replacing it with confidence and sure hope in God’s help through the following days, no matter what they  brought.

     My brother’s last year battling cancer held days of incredible blessing as he approached his death.  Our family united in love and concern, and faith was nourished by all as we witnessed Ted’s attitude of gratitude for life and his assurance of heaven. My hope, which had begun with hope for a miraculous cure, was redirected to the hope of heaven and eternity, strengthened by seeing God’s Hand in every aspect of Ted’s final days.  

     As I close this time of reflection to return to the day’s demands, my heart is filled with joy, and the words of “I’ll fly away” are echoing in my ears, a good way indeed to continue on the journey 

     Lord God, thank you for the gift of memory, and all the words and experiences you’ve loved into my life to continue to sustain me through each day.  You’ve stocked my spiritual pantry abundantly, gathered through years of time with You.  May I be evermore grateful for Your Goodness, and share the fruits of the harvest that many may be blessed and encouraged on the pilgrim journey…

    “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.  

     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…

New Name ~ I know where I came from and where I am going….   John 8:14

     “I know where I came from and I know where I’m going…”

      Jesus was speaking of Himself as He spoke these words, and as I repeated them in prayer they echoed my own awareness of where I have come from and where I’m headed.  Born in the flesh of Edward and Marjory Fellman, I was re-born in baptism as a child of God the Father, with Jesus Christ my brother, my Savior, my Lord.  Receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit when I was 46 was another re-birth, a deeper conversion experience as the life of Jesus became alive in me in a profoundly new way.

     As in the life of every Christian, my journey has often led to the Cross, and through the Cross to new life and the hope of heaven and union with God.  One cannot live this life without trials, and what a blessing to be given the grace to embrace suffering as gift, having value of eternal proportions when united with Christ’s own suffering and death. 

     The new relationship with God is often expressed in Scripture with a change in name: Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah,  Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul…  the words of the song “I will cha nge your name” by DJ Butler speak to my heart and bring me great joy!  “You shall no longer be called, Wounded, Outcast, Lonely and Afraid,”  but rather “Confidence, Joyfulness, Overcoming one…Faithfulness, Friend of God, One who seeks My face…”  Indeed God has changed my name!  The enemy would have me live in the labels of reproach and self-condemnation, while God in His mercy has lifted me from those lies and confirmed my true identity as His precious child, His beloved daughter.

     Our culture is immersed in confusion about personal identity, and often living in those names of Loneliness and Fear.  I thank God for revealing to us through His Word the reality of where we have come from, and the promise of where we are headed, giving us beautiful new names as we follow Him and remain faithful to His commandments.

     Lord God, thank you for the gift of Baptism, in water and fire!  Thank you for re-creating us as your precious children, with the promise of eternal Life!  Grant us the grace to remain faithful to Your commandments, and live the new names You have given to us…