Monday, November 2, 2015

A light to my path

R Oh Lord, you give light to my path.

Oh Lord, you give light to my path.
When I walk in your Love,
I do not falter.
My steps are sure
R

When I am afraid,
You take my hand
and gently lead me.
My heart exults in thanks and praise.
R

Your kindness to me is unceasing
Your mercy is eclipsed only by your Love
Which pours down upon my head in streams of living water
Running off my fingertips and healing the earth.
R

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Finding Rest: A plea for help

Father of all the earth, of all the sea, of all the sky, Lover of my soul, teach me to rest in you.

Oh Lord, I feel pulled by many demands and fear that I will split at the seams.
Fill me with your Love and your Peace.
Let every rip and tear in the fabric of my ego give way to your Light and Love.
Burst the threadbare robes of self-satisfaction and clothe me in Your Glory.

If I should stumble and fall, let me fall into Your loving arms,
surrendering my will to yours,
making your Joy my own,
resting with complete trust in your Peace.

AMEN

Friday, October 9, 2015

A prayer for healing

Lord Jesus Christ,
On the cross, you took upon yourself the suffering and pain of our wounded world. When your sacrifice was complete and your side was pierced, blood and water flowed out, mingled together in a healing stream. With faith and humility, we come before you in a time of turmoil, asking

(R) Pour out your healing on us and on all the world.

For victims of sexual abuse, that they may safely grow into open and fulfilling relationships. (R)
For Natalie and all who have spoken openly about dark and difficult things. (R)
For those ministering to victims of abuse, that they may be balm for wounded souls. (R)
For those ministering to perpetrators, that they have the wisdom to protect the vulnerable while offering the wideness of God's mercy. (R)
For those investigating allegations of abuse and the mishandling of allegations, that they may put aside their own biases and make prayerfully considered judgments. (R)
For all who are reading about scandal, that we respond to the suffering of others with acts of prayer and kindness. (R)
For the Universal Church, the Body of Christ, that her wounds may, like those of Jesus, bring healing to world. (R)

We ask these things in the unity of the Holy Spirit, our breath of life.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. AMEN


Written in response to the turmoil around the handling of abuse in CREC churches in Moscow, Idaho and originally posted on http://natalierose-livewithpassion.blogspot.com/.

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Monday, November 8, 2010

The Pit of My Stomach

A small ode to that special appendage that makes me feel like I am about to hurl when I think of something exceedingly uncomfortable. Like the papers I should have graded this weekend, or that thing I shouldn't have said yesterday, or the fact that I can't actually call my dad. I'm not sure if the pit is a good or a bad thing. I'd like to think that it is a warning, like some sort of primal survival mechanism. But really, it is pretty simple. It is the death throes of denial. The last desperate gasp of our attempt to close our eyes and sing "lalalalalala." A reminder to uncover our ears and our eyes. To look and listen. To face the day, and ourselves with all of the imperfections and missteps and missed opportunities.

I am reminded that I am grateful that I have known someone worth grieving. That I have dear ones worth loving. That I have another day to live it all with that pit in my stomach.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Autumn winds

The years are picking up speed
like a train barreling downhill.
Breathtaking vistas disappear
before I can exhale.
Am I missing treasured moments?
I try to capture them.
Store them away in albums
where they cannot escape.
But perhaps it is better
just to ride the train
and stay awake.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Updates

I finally updated our family picture. (This was for you, mom.) It is not that recent, but it least it has all five of us in it!

The garden seems to be growing, and I have more tomato plants than I have room in my garden. It will be quite some time before we have to worry about harvesting anything, though.

K leaves tomorrow for DC for three weeks. C's gymnastics classes start up again. H has taken off like a rocket, crawling and pulling up on everything in sight. Fok is writing proposals, and I am writing papers (and blog posts, apparently).