An empty place at the table...a voice missing from the
laughter...a hand not there to hold.
These are the things I have missed this year. While occasionally I experience sadness, the
majority of memories are happy ones. By not focusing on mother's death, I am
comforted by the legacy of a saint, the power of the resurrection, the love of
God, the abundant life I will inherit.
While there is a hole in my heart that can never be filled in this
lifetime, I look forward with confidence to a heavenly jubilee.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Prayer for the New Year
Dear God,
You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.
You are with me in good times and bad, in ordinary days and extraordinary ways.
I know that nothing can separate me from your great love. Forgive me when I struggle to hear your voice in the busy-ness of life or even worse when I hear it but choose not to walk in your light.
Help me to acknowledge you in all that I do. Restore in me a clean heart and a right spirit so that I might live my faith out loud for you.
Amen
You have granted me life and steadfast love, and your care has preserved my spirit.
You are with me in good times and bad, in ordinary days and extraordinary ways.
I know that nothing can separate me from your great love. Forgive me when I struggle to hear your voice in the busy-ness of life or even worse when I hear it but choose not to walk in your light.
Help me to acknowledge you in all that I do. Restore in me a clean heart and a right spirit so that I might live my faith out loud for you.
Amen
THE FIST BUMP
How about a Knuckle sandwich?
Back in the day, the term "knuckle sandwich" was used to mean looking for a fight, cruising for a bruising or worst case scenario a blow with the fist to the mouth.
Fast forward to 2013 and knuckle sandwich could mean fist bumps. Who knew the simple act of pumping fists could be the new normal. Just this Christmas, Charlie received a card from one of his students that said " I love how you greet us with a fist punch when we come into class". You have done well when you impress a middle school student! At the Boys and Girls Club the girls want a hug from me and the boys stand in line for fist bumps. They greet me with such excitement! The other day at lunch Kendall, Jim Westmoreland's 2 year old grandaughter, held up her fist and told me "knuckles" when I asked for a hello hug. And at a recent ladies high school basketball game, the captains met the referees with a fist bump rather than the traditional handshake in center circle.
In church ministry, we often resist moving away from traditional to accept a new normal. However, I have learned in youth ministry that the needs are the same just how we communicate is often the difference. So instead of bemoaning the lost art of the handshake or the high fives, embrace the fist bump, it's a term of endearment for youth who still need recognition and relationships with adult role models.
Back in the day, the term "knuckle sandwich" was used to mean looking for a fight, cruising for a bruising or worst case scenario a blow with the fist to the mouth.
Fast forward to 2013 and knuckle sandwich could mean fist bumps. Who knew the simple act of pumping fists could be the new normal. Just this Christmas, Charlie received a card from one of his students that said " I love how you greet us with a fist punch when we come into class". You have done well when you impress a middle school student! At the Boys and Girls Club the girls want a hug from me and the boys stand in line for fist bumps. They greet me with such excitement! The other day at lunch Kendall, Jim Westmoreland's 2 year old grandaughter, held up her fist and told me "knuckles" when I asked for a hello hug. And at a recent ladies high school basketball game, the captains met the referees with a fist bump rather than the traditional handshake in center circle.
In church ministry, we often resist moving away from traditional to accept a new normal. However, I have learned in youth ministry that the needs are the same just how we communicate is often the difference. So instead of bemoaning the lost art of the handshake or the high fives, embrace the fist bump, it's a term of endearment for youth who still need recognition and relationships with adult role models.
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