Sometimes we all need a laugh...

Who can resist this???



There are some sounds in this world that are just meant to make you feel good, this has to be one of them!

Critical Events

Life is God's initiative and can end or change suddenly, unexpectedly, and unpredictably. When we humans are ready to give up hope and resign ourselves to inevitability, God intervenes and reveals completely new beginnings. The resurrection of Jesus is God's sign breaking through every form of human fatalism and despair. In every critical event, there is an opportunity for God to act creatively and reveal a deeper truth than what we see on the surface of things. God also can turn around critical incidents and seemingly hopeless situations in our lives and reveal light in darkness.

Henri Nouwen

Sacred Mystery

Have you ever experienced a "sacred mystery"? One of those moments when your rational mind cannot understand what your whole being knows to be the absolute truth?

Perhaps you were raised in a situation that is outside what society deems "normal"...being raised by grandparents or living with an older sibling...living with parent(s) who suffer from depression or addiction to name a few.  You are the product of your environment. 

I have always leaned toward the "nurture" side of the "nature vs. nurture" debate. You would not be who / what you are today without those who cared for you when you couldn't care for yourself...no matter how flawed they may have been.

The moment you begin to see their influence on your actions / reactions can be a sacred mystery. Instead of blaming them for things gone wrong, you recognize how much they did right.

My walk...

My parents rarely attended church, so I had little contact with it growing up. When I was with one grandmother, she would take me to her Baptist church and when I was with the other I attended "Home Services" which were Church of God. We lived in southern Mississippi for a while and I had several friends who took me to Catholic services. Oh, and before we married, my husband introduced me to the United Methodist church! Needless to say, although I didn't have a complete understanding of any of these denominations, I had a wide variety of experiences.

I am happy to say that the UMC was the place I needed to be and many of their core beliefs are very dear to me. But, this background must be the reason I feel so comfortable incorporating aspects from other faiths in my walk with God.

My prayer beads are always with me and have helped me ease into prayer whenever I am struggling. I hold them any time I am part of an act of worship and just touching them brings me peace when I am troubled.

I love to spend time in quiet contemplation as I walk a labyrinth. Putting one foot in front of the other as I move to the center and back out again has been the source of more than one revelation.

Making the sign of the cross is not a particularly Protestant act, but seems to be the perfect ending to time spent in prayer or a quick way to bring my thoughts into focus when I'm in distress.

Gazing at Icons, using candles, praying the Hours (I love this but fail miserably to do it with regularity), meditating, lectio divina and time spent in retreat have all benefited me in my walk. 

Does that mean I'm not a faithful member of the United Methodist Church? Personally, I think I am. And, although I haven't read it cover to cover, I can't find anything in the UM Discipline that tells me otherwise.
Despite what many think, none of the things I do are new. All were practiced by the early church and have slowly been relegated to this denomination or the other, or forgotten altogether.

While I am not advocating that you do as I do, I would encourage you to keep an open mind. An open mind will lead to an open heart.

Disaster...

In light of the recent devestation caused by tornados and flooding, I am linking to a post concerning the United Methodist Chuch's response to such...UMCOR (United Methodist Council on Relief)...
The author can give the information far better than I...

Theology behind disaster relief....

Find this story here....

Summer School??

 Check out the Busted Halo Summer School Calendar ...interesting questions for every age!

How do you say it?

Follow this link to 22 maps to see that although we're all connected as one nation, we tend to pronounce certain words differently!

It only takes a few minutes and you might be surprised what you discover...