The greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest. – Matthew 23:11
faith
out on the curve of the earth is a hope that won’t let go
sometimes people leave you halfway through the woods…
…someone is on your side, no one is alone…
a Lenten prayer – Henri Nouwen
The Lenten season begins. It is a time to be with you, Lord, in a special way, a time to pray, to fast, and thus to follow you on your way to Jerusalem, to Golgotha, and to the final victory over death.
I am still so divided. I truly want to follow you, but I also want to follow my own desires and lend an ear to the voices that speak about prestige, success, pleasure, power, and influence. Help me to become deaf to these voices and more attentive to your voice, which calls me to choose the narrow road to life.
I know that Lent is going to be a very hard time for me. The choice for your way has to be made every moment of my life. I have to choose thoughts that are your thoughts, words that are your words, and actions that are your actions. There are not times or places without choices. And I know how deeply I resist choosing you.
Please, Lord, be with me at every moment and in every place. Give me the strength and the courage to live this season faithfully, so that, when Easter comes, I will be able to taste with joy the new life that you have prepared for me. Amen.
Photo: Grindstone, Maine – September 2019
Life must be lived forward…
…but it can only be understood backward – Soren Kierkegaard
first the fall…
First the fall, and then the recovery from the fall, and both are the mercy of God. – Julian of Norwich
what I read this morning
If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation, and malicious speech, if you bestow your bread on the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted, then light shall rise for you in the darkness,…and God will guide you always, and give you relief in desert places. Isaiah 58:9–11
you can never lose a thing if it belongs to you…
1,195 days…one day at a time
what I read this morning
God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
1 Corinthians 1:27
Photo by Alvin Decena on Pexels.com
Edge of Atlantic 