Tonight’s guest writer is Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Ok, I actually copied and posted a quote of his that still stirs something in me. It’s a good word for those of us who seek out what it means to live out faith in the context of both community and solitude. Here goes:

“Whoever cannot be alone should beware of community. Such people will only do harm to themselves and to the community. Alone you stood before God when God called you. Alone you had to obey God’s voice. Alone you had to take up your cross, struggle, and pray and alone you will die and give an account to God. . . . You cannot avoid yourself, for it is precisely God who has singled you out. If you do not want to be alone, you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called . . . . 

But the reverse is also true. Whoever cannot stand being in community should beware of being alone. You are called into the community of faith; the call was not meant for you alone. You carry your cross, you struggle, and you pray in the community of faith, the community of those who are called. You are not alone even when you die, and on the day of judgment you will be only one member of the great community of faith of Jesus Christ . . . .

Whoever cannot be alone should beware of community. Whoever cannot stand being in community should beware of being alone” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

“God’s gift of repentance means you’re not defined by your trip to the far country but by your journey home to the Father.”

I have no idea who said this originally, but it resonated with me at some point when I posted it in social media, and it hit home again with me tonight.

I’m not defined by my sin but by my Savior. I’m not my past or my failures or my poor choices or my wandering heart. I am who God says I am. I am who God sees when He sees Jesus and His perfect work in me.

I’m not the beneficiary of what I deserve but of God’s stedfast love, His unmerited favor, of grace upon grace upon grace.

I don’t have to earn my way back to the Father’s heart. I don’t have to work my way back to good standing with God. I don’t have to atone for my own sin or offer penance for my past mistakes.

God in Jesus has already taken care of all that. Even before I saw home, the Father saw me and came running for me. He became undignified for me that I might know a Father’s love when I least deserved it.

Before I could offer my lame excuses and false apologies, He offered me sonship and a place at his table. Instead of throwing me out, He threw His arms around me and wrapped me in a loving embrace.

I’m not defined by the far country anymore. I am defined by my coming Home.

I very nearly didn’t go. I saw the drizzling rain and almost decided to forego Radnor Lake today.

I’m so thankful I went.

It was one of those rare sneak previews of fall that we in Tennessee get in the summer. For once, it was not 1000 degrees outside with 110% humidity.

I stepped out of my Jeep and immediately felt refreshed. Sure, I sweated and grunted and wheezed and panted, but I never gave up. I completed my Gainier Ridge/South Cove Trail combo.

Along the way, I saw 17 deer (a few who were almost close enough to touch), a few squirrels, and an owl.

It was magical.

I think the threat of rain scared away most of the people, so I had lots of peace and solitude on my hike. I tried my best to stay in the moment and see the beauty around me instead of getting wrapped up in my own thoughts.

That’s the secret to living– keep your eyes open, pay attention, expect God to do what only God can do, and prepare to be amazed. And Radnor Lake is a pretty good place to be amazed.

I’m glad I didn’t chicken out.

“O God, I thank You for this day of life
for eyes to see the sky
for ears to hear the birds
for feet to walk amidst the trees
for hands to pick the flowers from the earth
for a sense of smell to breathe in the sweet
perfumes of nature
for a mind to think about and appreciate
the magic of everyday miracles
for a spirit to swell in joy at Your mighty presence
everywhere” (Marian Wright Edelman)

Thank You, God, for this life, and forgive me if I don’t love it enough.

Amen.

“Every time we pray our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don’t pray more” Oswald Chambers, in The Place of Help from Quotable Oswald Chambers).

The amazing thing is that I don’t pray more.

I confess. Sometimes I forget to pray before a meal. Especially when I’m super hungry. Or at Chick-fil-A (since the chicken there comes already pre-blessed).

I’m not the best pray-er. Sometimes, I fall asleep when I’m praying. Sometimes, my mind wanders and I have to go find it and rein it back in.

For me, the most important part isn’t that I pray well but that I pray. At every moment when I become aware of my need, I pray.

I’m getting better at not having my prayers be 100% about my wants and desires. I pray for others. I try to inject thanksgiving and adoration into my prayers.

I still remember that old ACTS acronym when I have trouble praying. It goes like this: Adoration– declaring God’s attributes and character, Confession– where I sinned against God, others, and myself, Thanksgiving– thanking God for His gifts and His presence, Supplication– making my (and others’) requests known to God.

The Apostle Paul told us to pray without ceasing. For me, that looks like a 1000 tiny prayers scattered throughout my waking hours, not walking around all day with my eyes shut and hands folded.

I still fall back on praying Scripture when I don’t have my own words. Sometimes, I love praying the words of others, especially The Book of Common Prayer and The Valley of Vision.

The takeaway is to pray. Even if you feel stupid doing it, pray anyway. Pray until it becomes as natural as breathing. Just pray.

At one time, I could stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning. No problem. Not anymore.

I used to be a night owl. Now I’m more of a 4:30-5:30 kind of person. I really like that time around sunset, so that would probably be my favorite time of day.

As of this writing, it’s 12:31 am, and I am done. Put a fork in me because I am done. I will follow this with some serious shut-eye.

When you have a 5 am wake-up call, 2 am isn’t really feasible. 12 am normally isn’t feasible, but this is the weekend. Party.

I can already foresee a nap in my immediate future. Like tomorrow. Or later on today.

I saw this t-shirt at Spencer’s in the mall and I knew that one day it would be mine. No, this was not in 1989. This was a few weeks ago. In 2019.

Normally, I don’t buy from Spencer’s. They have some questionable items, so I typically avoid that store (for me personally). But this time, my curiosity got the better of me.

I love the message. You are special just the way you are. The Bible says that God loves you just the way you are. I’m thankful because I haven’t always been my best self.

I believe that means that no matter where you are, you can always come home to God. The door is always open. Jesus said that if anyone comes to Him in faith, He will never cast them out.

That’s the hope I cling to every single day. God loves me as I am but His love is making me better. No, not better. New. He’s making me new. Brand new.

It’s not a license for me to live anyway I want and to presume on God’s grace. It’s to compel me to want to live for God and to be transformed into the likeness of Jesus.

I miss Mister Rogers. He was indeed truly special.

This may win the award for best church sign ever.

It certainly gets my vote.

That’s what I’ve tried to do here with these posts. I may not have spelled out my autobiography, but I’ve thrown out little glimpses of who I am, my joys and fears, wins and losses, in the hopes that at least one person will recognize his or her own story in mine.

That’s what a good song or book or movie does for me. I find people I can relate to and I see a bit of my own story played out.

I believe the more I live out my place in God’s story the more my story will be compelling to others and the more others will find glimpses of their own story in mine.

Better yet, I hope they see Jesus in my story and find Him supremely compelling.

“How can we embrace poverty as a way to God when everyone around us wants to become rich? Poverty has many forms. We have to ask ourselves: ‘What is my poverty?’ Is it lack of money, lack of emotional stability, lack of a loving partner, lack of security, lack of safety, lack of self-confidence? Each human being has a place of poverty. That’s the place where God wants to dwell! ‘How blessed are the poor,’ Jesus says (Matthew 5:3). This means that our blessing is hidden in our poverty.

We are so inclined to cover up our poverty and ignore it that we often miss the opportunity to discover God, who dwells in it. Let’s dare to see our poverty as the land where our treasure is hidden” (Henri Nouwen).

I think of what the Apostle Paul said when he spoke of boasting in weakness because that’s where God’s strength is made perfect.

If you look at social media (for the most part), you see the opposite. You see people who cover up any hint of weakness and carefully edit their lives to give the illusion of the perfect marriage, family, career, and life.

Sometimes, it almost becomes a competition as to who’s life is more “perfect” than anyone else’s.

But in God’s economy, strength lies in weakness and riches lie in embracing poverty. That’s what Jesus meant when He said, “Blessed are the poor.”

How rich are those who realize their complete dependence on God for everything and know that at every moment they have– and are– nothing without God. Blessed are those.