OneSpiritOnePath

The above picture is what I want from people in the church. I want someone to pray for me at the church, Bible Study, in small groups or just to call wondering how I am doing during the week. I am not sure I am able to do that for others as it’s hard to know what to say or do for someone else other than family. I know what to say to family. Then there’s the rather uncomfortable truth that is church and daily life.

My family is who I do fellowship with during the everyday during life’s mundane moments. Church friends are just that church friends. We care for each other but it’s our family that we will go to when things get tough or when we need to share our joys. If there’s a good news that I’m excited for then I’m calling the parents or my husband or children. If I so happen to be txting a friend then I will share but even then that’s an after thought. My family is who I socialize and fellowship with to go through the day to day of this world. Why do I care if I know this about myself?

This morning at church we knew that there was a church picnic after service and it was going to put me and my husband in an uncomfortable social situation. Yes there would be food and probably it was going to be good food. The lingering question, Do we go? Well the quick answer was, “Yes” we should go and get to know something about the people we attend church with on a weekly basis. The decision was, “No”. Why? We knew that it would be us just in our chairs just awkwardly sitting there eating and finding a quick and appropriate time to go home. We left.

We have had a lot going on within the family. It’s been a rough couple of weeks. In fact since Christmas it’s just been rough. We have watched family struggle stressing on how to help them and making sure we are still healthy as husband and wife so we can help others within our family circle. We have been looking for community. We have that community. We have our tribe. We are showing them the loving Grace of our Heavenly Father which is where Fellowship Starts. It starts at Home.

Summer Blessing

Today is the day of grace,

The form of Christ before you,

The form of God behind you,

The stream of the Spirit through you,

To strengthen and identify you,

Grace upward over you,

Grace downwards over you,

Grace of graces that cannot be dammed.

Grace of Creator,

Grace of Son and Spirit,

Grace of John of the Wilderness,

Grace of sun,

Grace of light,

Grace of form and fortune,

Grace of voice and word,

Grace of Jesus Christ be always yours,

Grace of the image of God be yours.

I ask all of this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

In my quest to find my spiritual home I started One Spirit in hopes to find my home among the mystics as well as Christians. My Facebook page and group became my spiritual outlets on a daily basis posting and going live so that I can share my thoughts on spiritual life. My spiritual life took what I thought was an unexpected turn towards my spiritual home when I was in middle school. I became a Christ follower. One of the topics I would post on would be called Saint Saturday. My post would be about the saint of the day. In trying to decide what I would be writing about today I looked up who the Saint was this particular Saturday. Today’s saint is, Saint Paulinus of Nola.

He was a married priest whose wife, Therasia, who had an estate in Spain and born near Bordeaux becoming a lawyer. They had had no children until later in life but sadly a son was born and died a week later. This became the start of their spiritual journey. It is often a part of life to look towards spiritual things when coming out of tragedy. They gave away most of their property in Spain. He had a love and devotion for Saint Felix of Nola prompting a move to Nola. In Nola he was the example of charity which is why he was ordained on Christmas Day. His ministry helped the homeless, debtors and other people in need. This made him so popular that he was made Bishop of Nola and spent 21 years guiding the diocese.

His great sadness towards the end of his time was the invasion of the Huns. His retirement from his vocation as a lawyer became an example of devotion to Christ instead of leisure. Saint Paulinus’ moto for his life is to remember,”Man proposes God disposes”. His life is a reminder that we need to serve first before having fun. In my own life it can mean a quick text or phone call to the kids or parents. If you want to celebrate this Saint. His feast day is on June 22. Remember to serve others as our responsibility is to one another.​

I was 13, when I fell in love with the Episcopal church and one of the reasons is the ordination of women pastors. This idea appealed to my 13 year old heart and often over embellished sense of justice. My family were confirmed into the Episcopal faith. Then my faith dramatically changed through out my 20s and even into my 40s. The amount of times that I changed from Christian to Pagan then back again and at times it was rather obnoxious. My husband and I took a breath looking back over my or our spiritual journey recognizing that our Faith in Jesus had began to reflect within every aspect of our lives. We explained our faith in a short statement, “Something so amazing happened that the disciples and close to 500 people were willing to die for their faith in Jesus.” (Paraphrased). It was the statement that brings me where I am now. My faith in Jesus is central to marriage and life as a woman.

I get why there are people in the community that are vehemently against women preaching. There is a role for the family. Ephesians 5 states Jesus is the head of the church and sacrificed for her. The husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. The husband is to be the one to sacrifice to love and keep his wife safe. The wife is to submit to the husband. There is scripture that puts the wife and husband as in a partnership with one another saying that they should be subject to one another. Could I be a Pastor?

I am terrible at relationships. It’s something that bugs me that bothers me to the point of tears because my inner circle is so small. It consist of my husband, children and parents. I also have a close circle of friends at work. Then there are those few people that I actually call friends that I really do not see all of the time and only talk with text or Facebook messenger. What’s the point? I should not be so closed off. As the church encourages there should be people other than family that I should do life with and that would be great if I could actually bring myself out of the loving, encouraging and protective force that is my family.

2 Corinthians 6:18

“I will be a father to you, and shall be sons and daughters to me.”

The most important relationship is that of our Heavenly Father. He is the glue that keeps this small circle close. My blessings from above involves the very people that I mentioned in the first paragraph. When I step back looking into my circle with opened eyes I see that I am actually doing life with people. It’s not perfect but it’s where God has given me the people that are in my scope on a daily basis. My relationship with The Father brings all of the focus on these relationships center stage. How do I personally bring that relationship to the my center?

I haven’t been doing very well. It’s because my expertise of procrastination has me starting my day getting ready first along with coffee with the husband in the morning. God has become the hurry up and pray or you are going to be late time. God’s son sacrificed himself so that my relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is a “want to” instead of a “have to”. Today is a new day. Everyday is a new beginning. This is my new beginning.

1. Wake up!

2. Deep breath! God is Good.

3. “Lord’s Prayer” and scripture. It’s time to start the day.

It seems simple, but for us humans we can make anything difficult. God is simple and complex. Let’s get to know him together.

Morning Prayer

From Psalm 51

Open my lips, O Lord

And my mouth shall proclaim your praise.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence

And take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Give me the joy of your saving help again

And sustain me with your bountiful Spirit.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen

A Reading

Matthew 28:19

“Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”

The Collect

Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought us in safety to this new day: Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Monday in Easter Week

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with awe the Paschal feast may be found worthy to attain to everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen

*Prayers taken from the Book of Common Prayer

I know that it’s difficult to talk about taking glory in our sufferings but it’s how we can not walk down the road of depression. My husband explained it like this, do we have a problem? Yes. Can we do something right now and said problem? No, we can only do what we can do with the tools that we are given. Then we can’t worry about. Yes it’s hard to make things this simple and just walk through life like it’s all one big huge blessing but we can do it. In the end there is always a solution. We will have hope and be ok. The worry that we feel not only causes us stress which harms our emotional, spiritual and physical well being it also creates more problems along the way. What do we do? Again my husband summed it up perfectly. Count to one. When we count to one we are able to think clearly and make good choices. We cannot be frantic. The frantic person says, “Why me?” The person that is calm even though he/she might be anxious is going to give the issue to God and solve the problem.

1. Give it to God

2. Don’t worry about it.

3. It’s going to be ok.

Amen

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The church is almost to the time of the Lenten and Easter season. Today is the second to last Sunday in the Season Epiphany. This past week was the day that signals in the winter season that the light has come. The day light is getting longer, the life and ministry of Jesus is in full swing in the church calendar and we are reminded of lighting the hearth by St. Brigid. My family is still keeping close to home as the winter weather here in the Midwest is sometime bitter cold along with the lovely snowstorm that we endured a couple of weeks ago. Although, we may not have that picture perfect ideal of a hearth we still have the kitchen and dinner table. These are both areas of the home where family can come together and be present in each other’s lives. I invite you to pray with me in the following prayers..

Saint Brigid,

You were a woman of peace. You brought peace where there was conflict. You brought light where there was darkness. You brought hope to the downcast. May the mantle of your peace cover those who are troubled and anxious, and may peace be firmly rooted in our hearts and in our world, on this your holy day. Inspire us to act justly and to reverance all God has made.

Brigid, you were a voice for the wounded and the weary. Strengthen what is weak within us. Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens. May we grow this day and each day into greater wholeness in mind, body and spirit. ~Amen (Celtic Wheel of the Year. Christian & Pagan Prayers & Practices for each Turning. Compiled by Meg Llewelyn)

Eighth Sunday after the Epiphany

Most loving Father, whose will it is for us to give thanks for all things, to fear nothing but the loss of you, and to cast all our care on you who care for us: Preserve us from faithless fear and worldly anxieties, that no clouds of this mortal life may hide from us the light of that love which is immortal, and which you have manifested to us in your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. ~Amen

My hope is that this prayer gives you comfort today. Have a blessed day.