Category: December 2023

I read a lot about darkness today. After all, we know it is the shortest day of the year! We know it may be dark, but lighter days are ahead!

But as we end the 2023 year, we can name so many events of darkness: heartache, war, pain, grief, loss, violence, and so much more.

With all of this true,  how are we supposed to follow the words: “Do not be daunted by the enormity of the world’s grief.”

Perhaps in 2024 we can all focus a bit on bringing light into the darkness~

Do Justly now…

Love mercy now…

Walk humbly now…

May we all think this week about what Justice, Mercy, and humble living will require of us and how it will impact our world for the better!

You are not obligated to complete the work, nor are you free to abandon it!

May we all be active participants in bringing light into the darkness!

Hide it under a bushel….NO!

Trish

 

 

 

 

 

 

I find myself watching this and wondering.

What words do you use in this commercial to tell the story?

What does this provoke in your being?

As you watch this dear and tender joy ride, pay attention to what you think, wonder, or feel! Where are you in the commercial? Who do the people remind you of?

Commercials, especially at Christmas, have a powerful impact on our tender hearts!

Enjoy!

I grew up in the Church, understanding and believing in the phrase ” Thanks be to God. It is a true statement in almost every way! I think there are times when people offer it for others, and it doesn’t always feel appropriate, but when push comes to shove, it is hard to argue with Thanks be to God!

I will say that I have learned about a statement that resonates even more fully in my heart: Thanks be to God and his people. I have often experienced God through the people who believe in living out their faith. I have been encouraged, carried, supported, prayed for, and so much more by the people of God.

Here is a picture of my church and some of my people. People who know me and I know them. When I can not quite connect to or feel close to the God I know loves me with His whole being, I have learned to reach out to His people. In those relationships, I will often find a space to rest again in a loving father, God, savior, mother, friend…

I know that for as many of us who trust a loving God because of His people, we can also have experienced hurt by those people who claim to love God as their Lord and  Savior. Those are also authentic chapters of one’s story. I will touch on that sometime as well. But tonight, consider that both may be true…. some people harm our perception of God, and some invite us into a place of rest and renewal. I hope tonight you can envision someone to whom you can say…thanks be to God and his people!

In faith and with gratitude,

Trish

 

Tonight, my blog will be short. I have a bit of an anesthesia hangover and feel as if I may fall asleep at any moment. I am home after elective surgery, an Achilles debridement, and although it is categorized as elective, it did not feel elective. My compassion for people with chronic pain has grown by leaps and bounds over the last year! The hope of pain relief feels like the best Christmas gift ever. I have one more foot to fix and long for pain-free movement. My Dr assured my sister today in the post-surgical update that he is optimistic I will find relief!

And yet, I am aware of those who do not have the same promise of relief that I do. I will pray differently, more faithfully, and hold much more compassion and understanding for those who live with pain. Tonight, I am aware of the words, make me a channel of your peace…

May I bring intentional peace into the spaces I enter every day! I hope you will also pray to be a channel of peace and deliver peace with kindness and hope!

I remember this record from my childhood…it had a green cover and was my favorite holiday album. It is one of the items with a body memory feeling held in my being. And I can remember the long brown record cabinet in my Dad’s home office, the way the record player would stack our holiday favorites and drop them down one record at a time.  One of our other favorites was John Denver and the Muppets. Oh, the nostalgia of the holidays

As we are in the last week before Christmas, if you would like some nostalgia from the 70s, I have included a Youtube video of the 12 Days of Christmas from John Denver and the Muppets. No one can sing it like Miss Piggy!

And then the beauty and the sacredness of the little drummer boy…Andrew Rieu and this six-year-old bring both simplicity and power.

As we enter the week before Christmas, may we all find this season’s joy, grace, and peace!

❤️ Trish

I believe our expectations will increase as we get closer to the holidays. Those may be expectations we have of ourselves or others. We may be aware of these expectations, or they may be storing themselves in our subconscious. Still, considering what we are carrying into the days ahead is essential.

Anne Lamott says that expectations are resentments under construction.

At my Church, we are encouraged to practice our faith during the week. This is one of our invitations this week.

Take a few minutes to search your heart for the expectations you are carrying into this holiday season. Release those expectations to God in courageous open-handedness and trust that God will place unexpected and precious gifts into the space left behind.

If you want to know more about how we are sharing in Advent at Eastern Avenue, explore how we are Dwelling together. 

Be kind to yourself this Christmas and tend to your heart,

Peace to you,

Trish

Tonight, I enjoyed the delight of children singing their Christmas songs at the LSA program. I wanted to share a bit of the joy with you. I hope it also reminds you of the hope and joy of the coming Christmas season! May this season bring you peace and hope as you anticipate the busy days ahead! Grace and Peace,  Trish